To Reason With Death

Characters:

Vincent: A man in his mid-thirties, dressed casually; medium build, with very high ambitions.

Death: A woman of unknowable age and wisdom, wears a simple dress and little jewelry. Willing to aid those able to pay the right price.

Richard (Death's Butler): tall, dark, heavy build, used for intimidation purposes, wears a business suit.

Evelyn: A woman in her mid- to late twenties of average height and build. Long, brown hair and green eyes, lives with passion.

Setting:

Late Night

Death's "Living" Room decorated with an easy chair and a couch. There is an end table near the easy chair with a lamp, a pack of cigarettes, and an ashtray.

[Vincent approaches Death's door and knocks three times. Richard opens the door.]

Vincent:

Please, I'm in desperate need of assistance. Is the Mistress of the House available?

Richard [scowling]:

The Mistress is not available to take visitors at this time. You'll have to come back tomorrow.

[Richard begins closing the door.]

Vincent:

But there may not be tomorrow. It's my sister, Evelyn, she's been involved in an accident and is in a coma. She may not see the light of day, again.

Death:

Allow our guest to enter, Richard. I think I may have enough strength for one final caller before I rest.

[Richard opens the door, stepping aside for Vincent to find his way to the Living Room.]

Vincent:

Thank you for allowing me to see you. I just don't know what else to do. I love my sister, and I don't want to lose her.

Death [slightly annoyed; sarcastic.]:

Please, come in, have a seat. Make yourself at home. [She regains her composure, sighing.]: The love of family is very important; to know they are safe, and well taken care of, is a noble gesture on anyone's part. Tell me what happened, Vincent.

Vincent:

Evelyn and I were driving to our annual family gathering, when out of nowhere a car swerves into our lane; into Evelyn's car, sending her into the ditch. I dialed 911, and an ambulance took her to the hospital. I attended the event, only to inform the rest of the family about what had happened.

[Vincent closes his eyes trying to collect himself.]

Death:

I know what you're thinking. I was there, in a sense. I was with you. I saw Evelyn in her bed, as you listened to the doctors' conversation. I know what you want, what everyone that comes to me wants.

Vincent:

What do you think I want? Or what everyone that's been put in such a tough situation wants? More time? Peace? To make amends?

Death [takes a cigarette from the pack]:

From my experience with your kind, you are all quite selfish. [Lighting the cigarette.] Every time a "loved" one dies or is in extreme pain; [With each you, she points, hard with her cigarette, for emphasis.] you only think about what you want. Your desires. Your needs. Do you ever take into consideration what the other person might be feeling?

[Vincent is stunned, speechless.]

Death:

Think about the people you have met with extreme depression. Do you think that the best option is to move on from this world?

Vincent:

Do you mean suicide? That's never a good option. It's so self--

Death:

Of course you'd say that! You all think the same way. Someone is unhappy. They need to escape, but you want them to stay in this world, because it makes you feel better. It meets your needs. Do you think my existence is easy? I've spent millennia "dealing" with agony and suffering. Believe me, nothing about this is ever easy--

Vincent [looking to the floor]:

Stop, I know you think I'm being just like all the others. But I can tell you I am different. I've spent weeks in my own personal Hell, facing down my own demons.

Death:

How could you empathize with others? You don't know what they endured.

Vincent:

I know I'm not a hero, but I'm stronger than I was. I am still weak, but I haven't let my fear consume me. I attempted suicide myself, [sternly holds up his finger] once.

Death [leaning back in her chair, takes a drag]:

What stopped you?

Vincent [shakes his head]:

I'm not sure, but something told me what I was doing was wrong, cowardly.

Death:

What exactly do you think happens when a person dies? Are you religious in any way?

Vincent [nodding]:

I guess so; I was raised Pagan. I believe something is on the other side, watching over us, whether it be the gods or spirits of some sort. Why do you ask?

Death:

Because what you call spirits or ghosts are mainly just people who got lost and couldn't figure out where my house is. [Standing up, she opens a door to what seems to be a closet in the back wall.] This is the doorway to the Other Side. I can't be everywhere at once, like a god. So, when someone dies, they need to come to me, and I show them the door to the next world. This door. [She sits back in her chair, shrugging.] But, sadly not everyone is smart enough to find me. [Furrows her eyebrows in thought.] That's something else, you're also very stubborn. You get so fixated on something or some place and can't quite let it go. The reason so many places and items are considered "haunted."

Vincent:

You find me stubborn? [reflecting] I guess in a way, with my current circumstances I am. But, then what else can I be?

Death [frowning]:

You could be more understanding. What was it like when you contemplated suicide?

Vincent [thinks a moment]:

I spent several nights alone; I was going through some hard times. I felt like I had no one to turn to when I was by myself. One day Evelyn came to see me. We talked about our family; we laughed and she made me dinner. She took care of me when I needed her. As she left, she hugged me, and said she loved me. I think that was when I realized there were people that could help.

Death:

Okay, now I want you to think about a time when she needed you, before tonight. How well did that go?

Vincent [silent, lost in thought]:

I know there were times she needed me, I just can't remember them at the moment.

Death [slightly smirking,]:

I'm sure it isn't easy, but really try. What happened during her times of desperation? How are you different from the rest of humanity, when there's no reward for assisting another? [She takes another drag from her cigarette, and when Vincent remains silent, continues]: You were too busy to help, right? She's a big girl, now, [shrugging indifferently] in her twenties, she can take care of herself. Why should you stop what you're doing to deal with her? What about her first boyfriend, hmm? Why did it take so long for you to do anything about what he did to her?

Vincent [defensive, stands up]:

I had no way of getting to her in time, on that particular day! I wanted to help, trust me if there was anything I could have done at that moment, I would have! Things were complicated then!

Death [letting out a small laugh]:

Oh, yes so complicated. You didn't want to lose your job, because your sister was in pain. Or how about the fact that you didn't want to confront a rapist without some form of backup! It was that complicated? Luckily for her, the pregnancies were all miscarriages. How many were there?

Vincent [Calming down]:

Two. Each from a different man, neither one of her boyfriends, though. [Exhales a heavy sigh]: I do know there were other times I could, and did, help her. [He sits back on the couch.] Such as when she had no way of getting to and from work, until dad gave her that newer car...[Startled] Wait, how do you know that?

Death [giving a look of mock pity]:

You are so naïve. I'm supposed to know everything. Don't try to avoid the question. [She takes a final drag on her cigarette, putting it out in the ashtray.] Come on, there must be something more profound than that. Did you give her any money when her car broke down? [Vincent opens his mouth.] No, of course you didn't, [waving a hand at him, forcing him to close it again]. You needed your money for your own bills, and had none to spare. But, you did help in the repair [a short pause, meant to give hope, before crushing it] for a price. Have you done anything that didn't require getting a return of some sort?

Vincent:

Are you going to help or not? I don't know what else to do. I just thought you would be the best source to go to.

Death:

Woah, easy there. I'm just testing, to see if you truly are worthy of my assistance. I'll help you, but like your sister to you, it will come at a cost.

Vincent [pleading]:

I will do anything to save her. Whatever you require of me, just name it. Anything.

Death:

It's so charming to see family taking care of each other. So what changed from the time of Evelyn's violation to now?

Vincent:

I found her crying in her car. She told me what the first attacker did [his voice starts to get louder] and she told me what he looked like. I took her to the hospital and forced her to file a police report. She was afraid of him and worried that the police wouldn't help her.

Death:

So, after the report was filed, what did you do? What were you thinking should be done?

Vincent[shouting]:

He was evil! I hated him. I thought about him every day and searched for him on the internet. I bought a gun. I kept looking for him until I finally found his whereabouts. I went to his house in the middle of the day. The gun was in my back pocket. I knocked on the door and--

Death:

I know you didn't kill him.

Vincent:

That asshole was already dead. Apparently he took advantage of other women and one of them got their revenge. He deserved it.

Death:

Did you get rid of the gun?

Vincent:

No. Even though I didn't think I'd ever need it again, but I was wrong. I kept it, because I was feeling depressed at the time. Obviously, I didn't use it on myself.

Death:

But you did use it.

Vincent:

Do we need to talk about this?

Death:

I thought you said you'd do anything for Evelyn. Tell me what you'd do to make her feel better.

Vincent:

You know what I did. She got attacked again. She told me what happened and we went to the hospital. We repeated everything that happened, did the same thing that we did from the first time.

Death:

But they didn't believe her the second time, did they?

Vincent:

She was raped, she reported it, and the next day the guy was found dead. They thought she was responsible for his murder, and so she was arrested on that charge.

Death:

How did you react to that?

Vincent:

I was a little harder on her than I should've been. I thought the police were right in doing their job, only to save myself. Instead of listening to Evelyn I started to criticize her decisions, tried to drive her away. I wanted to protect her, so I told her that she embarrassed our family and made me look like a fool.

Death [clicks her tongue in disgust]:

You don't really believe that, do you?

Vincent [shakes his head]:

At the time, I did. At least I made myself believe it. She never trusted me after that. That's why she stopped seeing me for three years. I should've apologized sooner. If I was kinder to her…what happened after she got the charges dropped probably would have went differently.

Death:

Would an apology really be what she needed from you? She was acquitted of the accusations; was it then you realized you were wrong?

Vincent:

Yes! I was wrong. I hurt her badly. How could anyone ever forgive something like that even if I did apologize?

[Vincent stands up and begins to pace the length of the floor along the couch.]

Death:

You felt guilty.

Vincent:

I am guilty. I wanted him dead. I had the means to do so.

Death:

And?

Vincent:

And I found him.

Death:

Well, wasn’t that easy?

Vincent:

It was. But what happened after was not.

Death:

What happened when you tracked him down; entered his home?

Vincent[scoffs]:

You already know what happened.

[He stops pacing, but doesn't sit down.]

Death [sarcastic]:

Humor me.

Vincent:

I went in and looked at his place. I saw quite a bit.

Death:

Like his twelve year old daughter? Did you see the picture of his mother?

Vincent:

I didn’t know about his daughter. Besides, I'd bet he did the same thing to her that he did to Evelyn.

Death [nodding]:

Sure, sure.

Vincent [shrugging]:

The world is better off without him.

Death:

Are you admitting to killing him? Do you feel no remorse?

Vincent:

Yes. I killed him, okay? I looked at a picture of his little girl and then shot him in the chest. I took out all of my anger on that piece of –

Death:

I know.

Vincent [pointing to the space behind him]:

He deserved it!

Death:

Maybe so, but I wasn’t ready for him to find me, nor was he capable of doing so.

Vincent:

[sits down, becoming distant while reflecting]

In your existence, how many people were really ready to find you? How many children were robbed of their own existences? There was a time when families were mass murdered. Why? Why do nations sacrifice their own in a need to demonstrate their power? Why do people have greed? Do you know how many people have died from things that don't matter? Power, race, religion, territory. [Gets hysterical] Territory! That one gets me. Why would someone kill another person because they want more land? It's such a ridiculous idea. Humans kill because they want to take what isn't theirs. I killed because I wanted to take back what was rightfully Evelyn's! I was defending her honor! [calmer] Yet, somehow, I find that I actually enjoyed it. Maybe a little too much. It wasn't easy to just fire a gun at him, either. The act of killing is easy. But hearing the gun and the thud of a body hitting the floor. I can't forget something like that. I thought about it so much afterward. I thought of his family. I just left him there. I felt kind of bad about leaving him there on the floor, but he wasn't a good person. [crossing his arms] I'm sure his family didn't care much about him. People are evil by nature. I was just acting on my instinct. He did the same thing. He may have been raped, too. He may have been abused. Maybe his dad didn't love him or his mom was addicted to crack before he was born. I have no idea, but I won't excuse his actions. I took his life into my own hands and once I was done with it, I gave it to you.

Death[gives a mocking laugh]:

No, you didn't, because he hasn't come here. [She holds up a warning finger, before placing her hand under her chin leaning forward.] You do know Evelyn still has nightmares about that night, and what happened, don't you?

[Vincent glares at her, perplexed.]

Death:

He's still with her, hanging on her life essence, because it's the only thing he's ever really found pleasure in. He doesn't want to move on, and I can't force him; that task is entrusted to her. I know I said I had strength for only one more visitor, but I'll make an exception.

[Evelyn walks on stage, but there is something about her that seems "off." She is looking at Vincent, but at the same time, might be looking through him. Her skin is much paler, and her eyes have glossed over.]

[Vincent sees something attached to Evelyn. He knows exactly who it is; his anger rises.]

Vincent [quickly standing]:

What is he--

Death:

[ignores Vincent; stands to open the door]

My dear Evelyn, I'm so sorry you had to be the one to bring this wretched man to justice. Vincent, I know you did everything you thought was right, but her time has come, and there is nothing I, or any other cosmic force, can do to reverse that. As you said to Richard when you first approached my door, there is no tomorrow. Not for her. Evelyn died from her wounds three hours ago in the hospital. If you wish to say goodbye, now would be that time.

[Vincent collapses onto the couch, tears streaming down his face, as he watches Evelyn approach the open door. Evelyn looks back, mouthing the words "I love you" before entering the door, leaving this world behind.]

Vincent:

See you on the other side, sis. I have and will always love you.

[Standing up, he looks around; finds himself alone in a run down, decrepit husk of a house. Nature has taken over, with its vines and other plants invading the space. Collecting himself and his thoughts, Vincent gets in his car and drives away.]