Time

Time

Characters:

Male Female

John-Scientist (research on cryonics) Doctor- working with John

Assistants to the Doctor (2) Ana-John’s wife, Nuclear Scientist

Other Scientist Other scientist’s students (2)

Time personified

SCENE-I

Curtains open- onstage ‘Time’ stands facing audience. Ana, John, Doctor are standing behind Time back to back.

Time: I…. am time; the voice of universe, the spirit of cosmos, a beat of my heart means

A decade passed…can you hear it?

I am time; the goddess of silence, the composer of all music, a wink of my eye

Changes quarters of a day…. can you feel it?

[Time move from her position, making the 3 other actors visible now. Then pointing at them, she talks]

I am time; you are just clay models of my creation, the stroke of my hand

Moulds your fate, you cant go freely chaining your creator for good. …. Do you

Realise it?

[Lights off]

Scene-II

Lights on. On stage there’s a bed where Ana is lying down, motionless. In front doctor is walking to and fro.

[Enter 2 assistants]

Assistant 1: what will we do with this patient Ana?

Assistant 2: shshsh..She’s asleep.

Assistant 1:What is this Cryonics all about?

Assistant 2: as if I know!

Assistant 1: I think some new tonic!

{Doctor’s attention shifts to the assistants}

Doctor: today you are all set to be the part of the biggest move in the world of science-

Cryonics. Do you realise its importance?

Assistant 2: is the tonic very costly?

Doctor: tonic? Cryonic is no tonic! Well as you know Ana’s heart disease is incurable.

As per medicine today and she will die of it. But if we can preserve her body to

Very low temperatures all the physiological activities within shall stop but her

Body wont decay. Later when medicine finds a solution to her disease, her body

Shall be recovered from that state and cured.

The two assistants roll their eyes in surprise. Then shake their hands with doctor to congratulate.

Doctor: Don’t congratulate me. It’s my friend professor John who is working on the theory

And this will be the first ever experiment he conducts.

Assistant 1 to assistant 2:what are you thinking?

Assistant 2: I think we should bring a camera.

Doctor: shut up! Just get ready to bring the ice-sheet cell here. It’s treated with chemicals

Don’t go about tampering it.

[Exit assistants]

Doctor: oh hi john!

[Enter john]

John: Hello!

Doctor: do you realise professor what Ana is upto? And you know she’s undergoing all

These willingly just because she trusts you. Cryonics isn’t a sure-shot gamble at

Least as of now. So –

John: So what? Two centuries back man had no idea of the composition of moon, and

Today he’s landed on it. With Ana mans dream to touch immortality will

Materialise. Our dream will come true.

Doctor: Don’t call it ‘our’ dream. It’s yours and I wish you all success. I fear since Ana

Is going to be the first person undergoing it.

John: Doctor I see you to be one strange person who does not want her name to be

Associated with the most credible invention of mankind and take the credits.

Doctor: mistake there! I don’t want to take the blame for it! I mean I am still not sure if

This will do good or not!

John: you seem to flee from basics of life-the logics!

Doctor: and you bank on them! I know that’s why its no wonder that both Ana and you

Are the most renowned scientists today? She nuclear and you-

John: yes we worship science, the supreme.

Doctor: science is sustenance but is it supreme? Time will tell.

John:(laughs) you count on time but it doesn’t have much a say in our world. Being a

Doctor in my laboratory you should have believed that. I think Ana’s sustenance

Will tell everything.

[From background time: so now a lady will steal my voice..Hmm.. Lets see]

Doctor: even if this is a success what will Ana’s life stand for centuries later when she’s

Cured. You wont be there then, world will have progressed

John: why? Come on! If this were a success no one will die. We all shall live-forever.

Doctor: time knows how to strike back. So take care.

John: whenever it will approach me I will push you in front. It will hit you first. After all

I wont let you die as well..

Doctor: fine so sign on this papers. They hold you responsible for the experiment you are

Carrying out.

John signs.

John: I want to talk to Ana.

[They go near Ana’s bed]

Doctor to Ana: so how are you?

Ana just smiles.

John presents her with a bouquet of red roses.

Ana: thanks. How much I love them. Please could I talk to you alone (to john).

Doctor: yeh. You guys go ahead. Please excuse me.

[Exit doctor]

John: I am so proud of you.

Ana: I know, john that you love me and that I am being able to do something for you

Gives me the courage to go ahead.

John: Ana don’t worry you will be cured and we will meet again. And as your efforts as a

Nuclear scientist has reached out to the world so will your this plunge be

Recognised. The day when man will rule the world you will have the control too.

Ana: yes we will take over all natural forces one day. Now I am going to disclose

Something very important to you.

John: what?

Ana: Two years back our prime minister has summoned me to undertake a secret national

Project. I have completed it but the project has not yet been executed.

John: what is it? In your absence I shall accomplish all your unfinished work even if I am

Not into your arena if research.

Ana: I have devised the most devastating nuclear bomb in the world that will shake up

The earth, challenge nature. The one who has the control of the bomb in a way shall

Have the control of the nature! And in my absence its only you whom I can give it.

John: that’s wonderful. We have what it takes to rule the world and you deserve Nobel

Prize for it.

Ana; but for that the blast has to take pace first!

John: yes

Ana: it has to be blasted under the seabed 10000 km from our country.

John: why?

Ana: because the rest of the earth shall get affected, not our country.

John: and how will it help the prime minister?

Ana: come on john! When will you understand politics? Its first devastate then help.

That’s how our nation’s become a super power.

John: oh! Ana you are such a patriot.

[Enter doctor with assistants]

Doctor: we can’t delay anymore. Ana your heart beat rates are falling.

John: Doctor go ahead.

Ana: john promise me you will do as I had said. This is my last wish before –

Assistant 1: wont the lady freeze due to cold (brings in the ice sheets) we should give her

Some blankets.

Assistant 2: you will once again get good scolding from doctor don’t utter rubbish. At

Least put a show as if you were sensible, though, I know you are not.

[They cover the body with ice-sheets]

[Task done, all exit except john]

John: I will realise your dream Ana. That way I will remember you.

[From background, time: I had heard of Taj Mahal built as a monument of love, now I see new lovers making nuclear bombs to commemorate each other!]

[Exit john]

Scene-III

Empty stage except for Ana lying down.

Background

John: 5 4 3 2 1{blast}

Another voice: we’ve gone wrong!

Thunder, sea waves lashing, lightning…then silence.

In shadow trees falling and time chained by men.

Time’s voice: march, o, men wherever you want to

You can’t chain me but not stop my heartbeats can you?

I shall wink and change your day.

But yes I am granting your wish, men will not die again here I say.

Now release me! {The chains are loosened}

Narration: 2500 AD

Scene-IV

Enter doctor now in grey and black dress with assistants.

Time’s voice: yet another ready to be cured!

Doctor {in a robot like tone}: done!

Assistants remove the sheets.

Ana gets up

Doctor gives her a bunch of twigs

Assistant 2 gives her a black drink

Ana: what is this?

Assistant 2: teafees

Ana: I had heard of tea and coffee what is teafees?

Doctor: drink it to survive. You are weak and ugly.

Assistant 1 to 2: very ugly!!

Ana: what happened to your voices?

Assistant2: what are you saying? {Pointing to assis1} he’s the best singer!

Ana walks out of her bed.

Ana: why don’t you open the window?

Doctor: don’t open it! You will be choked; poisonous breeze blows outside this season.

Ana: what season is this?

Doctor: venom season

Ana: What the hell!

Assistant 2: the hell season hasn’t arrived yet.

Ana: you fools! Where’s john?

Doctor: he’s a bit busy today. You go with them to the other ward where cured people.

Stay. He will come to take you. He has sent those roses for you.

Ana: what! You call those twigs roses.

Assistant 2: yes roses-r-o-s-e-s.

Doctor: to assistants} take her.

{Exit doctor}

Ana: you go I am coming.

{Exit assistants}

Ana: what is all these? What! Roses are no more red. The sky is no more blue.

[Enter time]

Time: So long you have fooled with nature now nature is fooling you.

[Time laughs}

[Ana is mournful]

Time: that’s not all come to see more.

Ana: what? Where?

Time: not very far. To your husbands dream lab!

Ana: but-

Time: come with me.

[Exit Ana and time]

Scene-V

On stage – other scientist, two of his students

Background time’s voice: see today man is trying to recolor everything as it was. Here they are trying to colour the sky blue with a piece of newly composed stone!

Student 1: this experiment of ours

Student 2; will be a failure like the previous one.

Scientist: all I can say is try.

Student 1: sir it’s not possible

Student 2: it’s not possible to colour the sky blue with this stone. And why colour it blue?

Scientist: it used to be blue before. Beautiful and we could go out in the open-outdoors

Students: we haven’t seen the world that way.

Scientist: how will you? How old are you?

Students: 203 years.

Scientist: you are a kid then! It used to be like that 500 years back.

Student: its man, us who have changed world this way, then why restore?

Scientist: because life today is ‘life’ no more.

[Enter john and doctor}

John: is this stone any better?

Scientist; no way

John: don’t give up 500 years back it was our pragmatism that has brought us so far. It’s all about vision

Student: if this were vision’s outcome that we stay indoors forever, I wish you see visions no more.

{All freeze}

[Enter time and Ana]

Time:(laughing) see those men! They call themselves survivors, I call them treacherous..

And that’s the remain of your dreams.

(Faint sound of the blast, as though it were a recollection)

Ana: what have I done! John, doctor! We all.. no I wish we could trace our footsteps back in time.

Time: (laughs like an eccentric) how will you do that? You have taken the reigns in your hand. You capture me anyway. I am bound. I can heal no more..The tyranny shall continue to soar..

(Sound of sea waves)

(Lights are switched off one by one, gradually the stage becomes dark)

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