The CTR Anthology Read online

  The first music cue happens and the light bangs on from the shack opposite the window.

  The Man immediately closes shutters again and backs against the wall.

  Neither is aware that at the same moment the Son has silently entered the room through the downstage right entrance, and hands in pockets is silently standing there looking at the two.

  The Man slowly begins to approach the window once more when he suddenly becomes aware of a presence and turns with a start, gun pointed at the Son.

  The Man looks at the Son who looks back grimly.

  For a moment the Man is at a loss as he realizes the Sons betrayal.

  Looking out the window an instant, then back at him, his face full of despair and grief now, a realization of the end.

  He wants to squeeze the trigger, he wants to pull it very badly as he keeps pointing the gun at the Son who remains totally motionless and looks back at him, with the look of a damned man.

  The Man feels his arm drop to his side as he leans against the wall wearily with a sigh, smiling bitterly.

  The Mother has a sense of loss as she looks at the now guilty Son. Too sad to be angry.

  Mother: Why?

  The Son is beginning to regret his action bitterly. She walks over to the Son, tears in her eyes and looks at him. Standing lost, close to him, eyes pleading.

  Mother: Why?

  The Son looks back with equally pleading eyes, trying to make her understand as he gently tries to draw her near, tenderly reaching her waist.

  The Mother abruptly gives him a stinging slap across the face.

  The Son is stunned as he holds his cheek in disbelief.

  The Mother glares at him angrily as she stumbles back a few steps aimlessly.

  Stops. Far from the Son. She sadly walks back upstage right looking at the Man. Yet far from the Man.

  The volume of the music is very loud now.

  No one moves.

  The Man looks at the Mother.

  She looks at him.

  Both needing that last moment together, close to each other. Instead they just remain still and look at each other, both trying not to be emotional.

  Slowly the Man raises his gun hand, rechecks if it’s loaded and slowly rises and positions himself against the side of the window.

  The Man grimly focuses all his attention at the shutters as he slowly, cautiously gets ready to open them once more.

  The Son is now looking on with great anxiety. Tense, almost about to stop him.

  The Man slowly parts the shutters very slightly.

  The music is approaching its final peak.

  The Man readies himself next to the window, readies himself to fling the shutters open.

  The Son getting tense, scared, aimlessly wanting to undo things.

  The Man suddenly flings the shutters open and has gun ready to shoot out the window as the music climaxes, when the Son impulsively runs up to hurl him away from the window, screaming.

  Son: No, don’t.

  Man: Get away.

  The Man determinedly hurls him aside and is about to shoot out the window, a split-second too late.

  The flame of a gun is seen from outside the window as a shot is fired at him.

  The Man’s gun goes off at the direction of the flame at the same instant and almost immediately the Man finds himself reeling back in pain, shot in the guts, as the Mother screams in horror.

  The Man staggers and steadies himself, doubling forward slightly as the music passes the climactic moment and is slowly becoming more subdued.

  The Man slowly straightens himself.

  He slowly walks forward a few steps, holding his guts.

  He slowly, slowly sinks to his knees.

  Slowly lets go of his gun.

  Slowly doubles forward and rolls to left side and tries to stretch and slowly rolls to his back.

  Dead.

  The Son stands by the upstage wall looking on.

  The Mother slowly walks to him and kneels beside him, crying silently as she tries to hold his cheek but keeps her hand just barely away from him, not touching him, sighing in unbearable pain.

  Mother: Oh … Oh …

  She slowly touches his cheek and caresses his face tenderly as she looks on helplessly.

  Pause.

  The Military Man is seen outside the window, coming out of the shack to the balcony.

  He does not carry his knapsack or helmet and his coat is unbuttoned to reveal a gun wound over his bloodied t-shirt.

  Machine-gun in hand he dazedly stops as he thuds against the wall. His shaky hand slowly raises his machine-gun pointing it ahead, straight at the Mother.

  The Son sees him first as he backs with a frightened sigh.

  The Mother is suddenly aware as she turns and sees the gun pointed at her.

  She is too stunned to move as she just stares at him waiting, when the gun falls off his hand and the Military Man sinks to his knees, falling limp – dead.

  The fading music is slowly crossfaded into another piece.

  Music: Vio

  The music is slowly, slowly increasing in volume.

  The lights slowly, slowly brighten as the Son cautiously approaches the window, looks at the dead Military Man and closes the shutters.

  He stands there looking at the Mother wanting to make up to her somehow.

  Mother gives him an “I hate you” look, turns back to the Man, closes his open dead eyes and sadly goes to flop on the couch.

  The Son tentatively approaches her, trying to offer sympathy but the Mother won’t have any of it.

  The Son is angry, full of hate, as he now stares at the Man’s corpse, slowly walks over to him, sees his gun, picks it up, feels renewed strength, energy, angrily places gun in belt, angrily grabs Man’s legs and angrily, quickly drags his corpse off and exits (upstage right).

  The lights keep brightening steadily. The music, angry, cantankerous, cacophonous, shrill, noisy, irritating, berserk, speeding, reeling, going bananas, spinning everyone in sight out of balance, zooming steadily ahead, crashing, bursting frenziedly, exploding, never letting up, volume increasing steadily steadily peaking to angry ear-splitting violent high peaks.

  All the action slowly becomes faster and faster and faster till everyone is crazily zooming through the paces like frenzied speeded up violent maniacs.

  Ma.

  Ma slowly precipitates all.

  Slowly starts the wheels spinning.

  Spinning out of control.

  Ma.

  Ma about to cry.

  Despair, loneliness, emptiness.

  Uneven breathing.

  Slow get up, back to audience, stand in middle of room, feels claustrophobia, reels around, gasping heavily, ’bout to sob, scream or do something unpredictable.

  Ma hold it in, hold it in, let go, stumble, stumble faster and faster, sc, scr, scream, disappear into bathroom (downstage left).

  Lights bang up full glaring level.

  Zoom in Other Woman from downstage left, in dried slip, panties and bra. Stumble forward dazedly to exit (upstage right). Stop, about to faint.

  Not allowing herself to, quickly looks at bottle of aspirins in hand, rips lid off, empties forty pills in palm and throws all in mouth.

  Son re-enters from upstage right, sees this and becomes angry.

  Guilty Other Woman removes forty pills from mouth, replaces them in bottle, closes lid and defeatedly throws bottle away.

  Glaring Son reprimands her folly as he comes to her, slaps her, shakes her around.

  Wincing, Other Woman resents her lack of freedom and hits back, pounding away at him and escaping his grip.

  Music screaming now.

  Other Woman screaming as one thought only remains – get out the door (upstage right).

  Lunge for it, Son hold her by waist, drag downstage left.

  Other Woman turns round in grip, claws Sons eyes, causing both to fall.

  Other Woman rips eyes out, out of his grasp, runs over couch.
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  Son drag her back by leg.

  Other Woman grab couch, drag Son forward, kick knee, jump up couch.

  Son jump up, pin her down.

  Other Woman kicks him in guts, sends him reeling back, lunges off couch, Son holds her arm, girl drags him forward, grabs plank, crashes it over head, knocks him unconscious.

  Lunge to go out. Stumble, fall.

  Get up.

  Hold on to couch, up and away and out (upstage right).

  Revived Son sees no Other Woman and goes to run off (upstage right). Window light bangs on.

  Petrified Son in the throes of dilemma, to go after Other Woman or to peek out window.

  The thrilling gasp of rashness urges him to wrong decision as he rips window open impatiently.

  Electrified by shock, plasters back to wall next to window.

  Outside – Monkey, naked, tied up, yellow eyes and fangs with an evil growl, trying to lunge for him.

  Son bangs window shut.

  Knees give in – vertigo.

  Decision. Runs downstage right, grabs planks, hammer, nails, runs to window and starts to nail plank over shutters.

  Immersed in frenzy does not notice anything.

  Not even Ma.

  Who dazedly stumbles out of downstage left in slip, panties, bra and rushes upstage right, aspirin bottle in hand, about to open it.

  Son sees Ma. Son is confused.

  Ma sees Son, throws bottle away, zooms off upstage right.

  Son throws plank down and zooms off after her.

  Empty room.

  Window shutters being furiously rattled from outside, someone wants to get in.

  Rattling stops.

  Enter Son dragging in dazed Other Woman, takes her, places her on couch, tries to revive her.

  Rattling again.

  Son petrified.

  Son quickly goes to peek out of shutters, now in throes of terror.

  Decision, hurls shutters open.

  Moment of immobility.

  Swings around, arm still out and crashes flat against wall, eyes of horror, splitting in half

  To reveal, in identical position, eyes of horror, arms open, Military Man in exact same outfit as Son, looking like twin brother.

  Son spins back again, arms still open and seeming flat, to face Military Man-Son and immediately shuts window.

  Turns face out, vertigo, knees give in.

  Rattling outside, furious.

  Son frenzied, grabs planks, hammers over shutters. Rattling stops.

  Son intent on job.

  Sudden glance upstage right and planks drop off his hands as he backs, knees giving in.

  Military Man-Son enters dragging in dazed Mother.

  Military Man-Son throws some four-letter words of frustration at Son, admonishing him for making life difficult.

  Son can only look on open-mouthed.

  Military Man-Son takes Mother to couch and plunks her down next to Other Woman, trying to revive her.

  Military Man-Son sees Son still at wall and impatiently calls him over: “Don’t just stand there, dum-dum, come and gimme a hand” as Military Man-Son desperately slaps Mother’s cheeks.

  Son awkwardly comes forward and doesn’t know what to do, starts slapping Mother too.

  Impatient Military Man-Son is amazed at Son’s stupidity as he shouts, “Not her, that one.”

  Son goes and does some slapping at Other Woman.

  The two Sons look at each other as they absent-mindedly slap the dames.

  When window light bangs on.

  The two petrified Sons look at window, look at each other and both cautiously run to window, with backs at opposite sides of window.

  A quick exchange of looks.

  Both grab a shutter each and hurl window open.

  The Man, both hands on gun, trying to keep gun in control, but gun controlling him, making him point it from one Son to the other and back and forth frenziedly, threatening to shoot a load any minute.

  The two Sons rush out of petrification and slam shutters shut and bang backs against wall staring out with open eyes of terror.

  Panic.

  Son urges planking the shutters.

  Smarter and more aggressive Military Man-Son knows his priorities, however, as he urges idiot Son to help him barricade the entrances. Son agrees readily as both lunge at the crates and frenziedly begin to pile ’em up in front of doors, Son at downstage right, Military Man-Son at upstage right. Scaredycat Son, being scareder, piling up faster than Military Man-Son.

  Unnoticed to both, the two women have now revived themselves and find the two Sons’ turned backs an opportune moment to get out.

  Both lunge out towards entrance (upstage right).

  Unlucky Ma gets caught in alert Military Man-Son’s clutches and his kicks send frenzied Other Woman for another alternative as she lunges to window.

  Military Man-Son screams at Son to nab the kid at the window. Son lunges at Other Woman and grabs her, but too late, for Other Woman had thrown shutters wide open.

  And fully-clothed, very violent, yellow-eyed, fanged Monkey has now dived in the window, with death scream and is now over terrified pinned on ground Son, intent on biting him to bits.

  Panicky Other Woman zooms to safety of bedroom.

  Unlucky Son screaming at Military Man-Son for aid.

  Military Man-Son has principles and pushes Mother on couch, then reluctantly goes to drag ferocious Monkey off Son by leg, knowing full well Ma will rush off upstage right, which she does.

  Military Man-Son rips the evil Monkey off Son, grabs her by the arms, urges now freed, but reluctant Son to help him.

  Son joins in, now him holding her by arms from behind her, as unwieldy Monkey almost gets out of Military Man-Son’s grip.

  Military Man-Son now manages to hold her down by legs, both Sons in total agreement to toss her back out window.

  However, Military Man-Son enraged by her defiance, becomes violent and rips top part of dress open and instantly decides a gang-bang in order before the tossing out.

  Military Man-Son urges Son to hold her as still as possible while he takes a first go.

  Enraged Son screams that the time and place are totally wrong for his inclinations.

  Military Man-Son does not listen, however, as he buries head in her, already commencing to unzip fly.

  Son now knows Military Man-Son is bananas as he angrily hurls him away and tosses Monkey out of window on his own, amazed at his sudden show of strength.

  Furious Military Man-Son lunges forward to Son but too late, plus Son kicks Military Man-Son in nuts, buys extra time to close shutters, and turns to face Military Man-Son and give him a piece of his mind.

  Military Man-Son is in a murderous mood.

  Both Sons convinced of the total insanity of the other and now full of hate for each other.

  The two Sons can’t stand each other any more and the inevitable happens.

  A fight.

  Punches, ripping of hair, nose, ears, biting, clawing eyes, both end up rolling on ground, furiously beating each other up, totally immersed in their biting growling fury.

  Neither notices Monkey’s re-entrance downstage right, crawling on all fours, minus fangs and eyes and usual friendly self again.

  Monkey creeps in and watches with extreme curiosity as the two continue to fight.

  When suddenly both Sons tense and are aware of Monkey’s return.

  Both rush to feet, in terrified panic as friendly, mumbling Monkey, creeps forward to them.

  In identical moves the two Sons, close to each other, backs to window, frenziedly dig in pockets, produce their guns and point at Monkey.

  Stupid Monkey thinks they’re toys and comes even closer.

  Two Sons back, back, point, point, gun, gun, left, left, right, right, left, left, at her, at her.

  The wall won’t budge, however, and the two scared Sons are petrified and cant pull the trigger, trigger.

  Vertigo for both as Monkey caresses their legs,
holds their hands, waists.

  Unbearable disgust.

  The two Sons unanimously kick her away, fight with their trigger fingers and win the battle, when two shots ring out, simultaneously, one from each gun and Monkey shot in guts, reels back dead.

  The two Sons immobile for a moment, then both rush to couch and rub Monkey off touched parts of their bodies on couch.

  Both pant heavily.

  The two Sons look at each other and decide they gotta do what they gotta do and go over to Monkey to remove her out a room.

  Pocketing guns, they bend to pick her up, moment of reluctance, gotta touch her again, oh let’s get it over with and both summon up an extra portion of guts, grab her and rush out upstage right.

  Empty room.

  A hand with gun punches the wall (downstage right) to pieces and bursts in. The hand and the gun are thrashing about but the rest of the man can’t get in, efforts to burst in thwarted.

  Plaster falls from walls and ceiling.

  The whole house shakes.

  Angry frustrated growls are heard.

  But to no avail.

  The furious gun and hand disappear.

  The two Sons, faces showing they’ve been through a lot, slide in from upstage right and seek relief against the wall.

  Both pant awhile.

  Military Man-Son, a responsible guy, tells Son, their troubles ain’t over, and says to get to work planking shutters.

  Son agrees as Military Man-Son holds plank while Son gets hammer but can’t find nails.

  Son runs to crates (downstage right) to dig for some nails when two hands zoom out of the hole in the wall and grab Son’s throat and immediately commence to throttle screaming Son.

  Military Man-Son immediately throws planks down and zooms to aid, managing to get hands off neck, both Sons now holding and wringing an arm each.

  When Other Woman decides now is opportune moment to rush out of bedroom and zooms out (upstage right).

  Military Man-Son sees this and unthinkingly zooms out after her, leaving the cursing Son on his own once more.

  Son no match as hands grab Son’s throat once more toss him forward on floor, disappear, door (downstage right) slams open and the man behind the hands enters the Man, punching away freely, hurling Son to window area, producing gun, menacing away like crazy, zooming from one entrance to other, check, check, checking all the rooms, zooming back to Son, lifting him up by shirt, interrogating him violently, Son crying and denying all.