Anathema

by

Joseph Frost

Draft

July 21, 2008

Attic Scripts, 2008

Joseph Frost
4550 Normandy Dr
Jackson, MS 39206
atticscripts@hotmail.com
 ACT TWO

SCENE ONE

The living room, some time after Act 1.

Lights up on George in his chair.

GEORGE
There was a king. And the king ruled over his kingdom. Or
so he thought. The king was a nice man, kind to those who
were kind, distant to those who were not. He thought himself
a good man, as good as the world would allow a man to be. He
sat astride his throne, his head bore a golden crown and he
gestured with a mighty scepter. And his people were blessed.
(beat)
This king had a son, a boy who was to become the king. But
this boy would not learn the duties of king. He was
concerned with the concerns of the day - the fashions, the
behaviors, the enjoyments. He would not learn to be king.
The king his father watched the son closely, and was careful
to place, in the son’s path, opportunities for him to learn
and to practice the duties that would be his kingly
responsibilities. But the stubborn king refused to accept
that the son could not, and would not practice the discipline
to become the king. And as he spent his energy trying to
teach his son, his kingdom... fell into disrepair. Day by
day, worse and worse.
(beat)
One day, the son’s mother the queen could see the state of
the kingdom, and worried what her son would inherit. She
came to the king and pleaded with him to abdicate the throne,
to hand it down to the son, before it was too late. She told
him that the only way to know how the son would rule would be
to give him the true authority. But the father knew... So
deep was the queen’s love for her son, that she set out to
convince the king. She acquired an enchanted mirror, and
hung it in the king’s chamber. And every day, the king
couldn’t help but look at that mirror. that could make the
person looking at it see their own age. Not just lines on
their face, but in looking at it, feel the years... in their
bones...

George struggles to rise out of the

chair.

GEORGE (CONT’D)
After looking in this mirror, day after day, the king could
no longer muster the strength to even try to teach his son.
And he could no longer rule. And he could no longer escape
the chamber. He could only stare into that mirror, and feel
his age.
(he plops down on the sofa)
(MORE)
 ANATHEMA 2.

GEORGE (CONT’D)
The king knew that his strength was waning, and that his
people were in need. So finally, in a ceremony of little
pomp, the king’s shaking hands removed the crown from his
brow, and placed it on his son’s head, and placed the scepter
in the boy’s hand. The large crown slung to one side of the
boy’s head, his hand scarcely encompassing the scepter’s
shaft. The boy was an awkward king, and wielded his
authority with clumsy sway, dwarfed in the shadow of his
father’s throne. And every day, the people prayed that their
kingdom would begin to improve. Every day, they prayed...
(beat)
What can be said for such a kingdom? It will be wiped from
the earth. The dust shall cover it. And the generations to
come will not remember its name.

Lights dim.

SCENE TWO

Early morning. Olive sleeps on the

chair, and George is alseep on the
sofa. There are comforters and
blankets - as if this is the way they
regularly sleep now.

Neither of them stir as Shaun enters

the room, carrying a large canvas to
the empty mantle and places it there,
facing the wall - we only see the back
side.

Shaun steps back from the canvas, step

by step, admiring the work with each
step. When he reaches the far wall, he
sits down on the floor.

SHAUN
Beautiful. Just gorgeous.

Olive stirs.

SHAUN (CONT’D)
You awake, ma?

OLIVE
I am, son. Is it morning already?

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
You hungry for your breakfast?
 ANATHEMA 3.

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
You want me to make it?

SHAUN
Alice’ll get it.

OLIVE
You want me to make it?

SHAUN
Maybe. But Alice’ll get it. Don’t worry about it.

OLIVE
Maybe Alice doesn’t want to make your breakfast.

SHAUN
Maybe. But she’ll make it anyway, I suppose.

OLIVE
Do you.

SHAUN
Yeh.

Olive turns to see the canvas.

OLIVE
That yours?

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
You put it up there?

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
Why’s it facing the wall?

SHAUN
It isn’t.

OLIVE
Of course it is. I’m not senile, son. I can see it facing
the wall.

SHAUN
‘ts not facing the wall, ma. I wanted it to look like that.
 ANATHEMA 4.

OLIVE
You did?

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
Well, why’s that, son?

SHAUN
Dunno. I like it like that.

OLIVE
You do?

SHAUN
Yeh.

A moment.

OLIVE
Well, what’re we supposed to do with it, then?

SHAUN
Leave it there, I suppose.

OLIVE
Do you?

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
What if I don’t like it?

SHAUN
Do you?

OLIVE
What if I don’t?

SHAUN
I’m asking you. Do you?

OLIVE
You’d make me leave it there.

SHAUN
I like it. Do you?

OLIVE
No. I don’t, son.
 ANATHEMA 5.

SHAUN
Why not?

OLIVE
Why not?

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
Look at it.

SHAUN
I am. I love it.

OLIVE
You do?

SHAUN
Yeh. Do you?

OLIVE
No. I don’t. Looks ugly.

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
What?

SHAUN
Looks ugly. I like it like that. I love it.

OLIVE
I don’t want it in the living room.

SHAUN
You don’t?

OLIVE
No. Not unless you turn it ‘round. And paint something on
it.

SHAUN
Like what?

OLIVE
Dunno. What you’d like.

SHAUN
I like it like that.
 ANATHEMA 6.

OLIVE
Something else. You’ve got an imagination. You said you had
an imagination.

SHAUN
I do.

OLIVE
Or you could paint a picture of the girl.

SHAUN
Who?

OLIVE
Alice.

SHAUN
Alice?

OLIVE
Yes, son.

SHAUN
Why’d I do that?

OLIVE
Don’t you think she’s pretty?

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
So paint a picture of her.

SHAUN
Why?

OLIVE
Why? Because she’s pretty. Because you think she’s pretty.
And pretty girls should have their picture painted.

SHAUN
Why?

OLIVE
Because they are pretty.

SHAUN
So? Who wants to see pretty things?

OLIVE
I do.
 ANATHEMA 7.

SHAUN
I don’t. I’m sick of pretty things.

A moment.

OLIVE
Have you waked up Alice, then?

SHAUN
No.

OLIVE
Why don’t you wake her?

SHAUN
Wanted to let her sleep.

OLIVE
Why’s that?

SHAUN
She was up all night.

OLIVE
She was?

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
What’s she doing?

SHAUN
Baking.

OLIVE
She was? I didn’t hear her.

SHAUN
You was snoring. Loud.

OLIVE
Oh, go on.

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
I don’t snore, son.

SHAUN
How do you know?
 ANATHEMA 8.

OLIVE
I know, son.

SHAUN
You’s alseep. I heard it. I was in the kitchen.

OLIVE
You were in the kitchen?

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
While she was baking?

SHAUN
Yeh.

OLIVE
Were you watching her?

SHAUN
I was tasting the food.

OLIVE
Was it good.

SHAUN
No. But I liked tasting it anyways.

Enter Alice wearing an outfit that

clearly belongs to Olive - old
fashioned dress, with hat.

SHAUN (CONT’D)
Morning, Alice.

ALICE
Ta.

OLIVE
What’s that, dear?

ALICE
What?

OLIVE
Where you off to?

ALICE
I’m off for errands.

OLIVE
What?
 ANATHEMA 9.

ALICE
Errands.

OLIVE
Like what?

ALICE
I’m taking the new canvas down to the dealer.

OLIVE
What?

ALICE
Shaun asked me to take the new piece down to the dealer.
(to Shaun)
On Sailston Street, yeh?

SHAUN
‘ts right.

OLIVE
You asked her to take the new piece to the dealer on Sailston
Street?

Shaun avoids her look.

ALICE
He wrote down directions for me and all. Shouldn’t be a
problem.

OLIVE
You can’t do that, dear.

ALICE
Why’s that?

Olive stands in silence for a moment.

OLIVE
Don’t need yeh to.

ALICE
Shaun asked me to.

OLIVE
No.

ALICE
He did.

OLIVE
No matter. Ya can’t go.
 ANATHEMA 10.

ALICE
Why’s that?

OLIVE
Ya can’t go, dear. Why don’t you make Shaun something to
eat?

SHAUN
Already ate, ma.

OLIVE
Go on, dear.

ALICE
I’m going.

OLIVE
‘s fine. Go.

ALICE
I’m going to the dealer’s.

OLIVE
(panic)
Yer not. Ya can’t.

SHAUN
(pleading)
Ma.

OLIVE
No, son.

Another moment.

ALICE
I need the keys.

OLIVE
The keys.

ALICE
Yeh.

OLIVE
The keys to what?

ALICE
To the car. I’ll have to take the car.

Alice reaches out her hand to Olive.

OLIVE
No.