Death's Door

Persona Dramatis

Death
[Hooded and all in black]

Mr. G-
[Was prominent citizen when alive]

Pallbearers

[Completely Dark. Overhead projects in white on black “Because I could not stop for Death…” for reasonable amount of time, then turns off. As stage Left brightens; Funeral March fades in. From Stage Left enter Pallbearers with open coffin. Death sits center stage on black box- facing S-Left and slightly Up-S. Pallbearers reach mid-stage crossing behind Death. Death raises his hand (or other gesture/sound) – music cuts. After slight pause they begin:]

  1. Death: Greetings sir,
  2. Welcome to the land between
  3. I have been waiting an eternity for you

    [looks down – sees G- shivering in fright – sighs deeply, loosens posture]

  4. Are you done yet?
  5. Mr. G-: Who… who are you?
  6. Death: To some Yen-Lo, to others I am Azrael, Yama and Mot
  7. The Egyptians called me Osiris, the Celts call me Balor
  8. I’m Malach ha-Mavet and Hela as well as Thanatos
  9. You might know me as Iblis, for I do his dirty work
  10. But you, my friend, may call me Death
  11. Mr. G-: Death? It’s, it’s not my time yet!
  12. Death:Time? Time?!
  13. Have you spent eons watching small simpering child like beings
  14. Taking baby steps from one side of life’s stage to the other?

    [D has taken off his mask – G- speaks without sound]

  15. What this? [holds up the mask]
  16. This was just to establish the power structure
  17. So you know who is in control here –
  18. Come on, let me show you

    [Pull up, usher out]

  19. Bloody humans,
  20. Let’s brighten this place up a bit shall we
  21. Do you mind if I sit?
  22. Oh sorry,
  23. Now Kid, here are the rules:
  24. Rule number one,
  25. I’m death; you’re dead – no changing that.
  26. Mr. G-: It was you, you who killed me! Why?
  27. Death:You don’t understand,
  28. I didn’t kill you; I’m just the guide…
  29. Which leads us to rule number two:
  30. You ain’t staying here, and you ain’t going back
  31. Oh, you need to get going
  32. Mr. G-:Going? But, I’m dead! Isn’t this the end?
  33. Death:No, I’m just a truck stop on you’re journey to eternity
  34. Nothing special, just another change you have to go through
  35. Mr. G-: Don't you sound bitter; I'm the dead one here!
  36. Death: You haven't been working as long as I have
  37. It takes some of idiotic humans ages to merely walk through the door.
  38. Mr. G-: The door?
  39. Death: ‘The door’ yes the door. [pause]
  40. Alright I’ll tone down the anger. Count to ten…
  41. I’ll try to explain this fully.
  42. That door labeled exit, yes that one.
  43. That will lead you to [pause] whatever comes next.
  44. Mr. G-: …Don’t you know what comes next?
  45. I mean if your this big omnipotent thingy shouldn’t you know what happens?
  46. Death: [shrug] Nope. I’m just as in the dark (lights die)
  47. sorry, light [the lights go up] I’m just as in the black about this about you. Heaven, Hell, Reincarnation, Nothingness?
  48. No idea frankly, and why should I know?
  49. I’m not dying anytime soon, am I?
  50. I’ll be staying right here, nothing and I mean nothing
  51. is going to change for me anytime soon, trust me.
  52. My question to you is why in eternities bowels
  53. do your folklore religions mythologies and beliefs point to me as knowing all. Me, Honestly?!
  54. Yes it may be true that I have read all your worlds words,
  55. but do you think that I for a nanosecond I have time to sit and enjoy them?
  56. No! I have to go from corpse to corpse
  57. convincing people to leave their world behind
  58. and move on to a place they know nothing about.
  59. I understand they’re afraid- but what do they want me to do?
  60. Mr. G-: Well a little kindness is always nice.
  61. My mother always said A smile always beats a frown
  62. Death: Your mom, yes yes I’ll probably be dealing with her soon enough.
  63. Oh goodness gracious me, do I seem that insensitive?
  64. I must apologize for my bluntness but, So What?
  65. My last three simpletons took about 4200 years total
  66. –compared to your time- to argue into passing the door,
  67. I think I deserve to be a little frustrated.
  68. I was just wondering are you very religious?
  69. Mr. G-: Umm… I don’t know what that has to do anything
  70. but no, I’m agnostic, I think, I’m not really sure anymore, I mean…
  71. It’s all very confusing right now
  72. Death: Agnostic…[demonic sigh] I need another religious nut to come to me.
  73. They tend to be the easiest, as they walk through the door so blindly without fear.
  74. In a lot of ways it’s a relief but kind of sad.
  75. These people that believe so much,
  76. I wonder if they get what they want,
  77. but the second I get to thinking woosh right to the next dead human.
  78. I swear I can never get a thought to myself.
  79. Mr. G-: Wait a second, wait a second, I think I have your answer!
  80. You know that puppeting thing you did to me?
  81. [D nods] Why don’t you just use that and throw people you don’t like through.
  82. Death: Tried it. I have complete and utter control over my dimension,
  83. but it still has it’s limits. I cannot force you through the door,
  84. all I can do is strongly recommend your exiting.
  85. You have to do it on your own.
  86. Mr. G-:So, I don’t have to go if I don’t want to, right?
  87. Then… what happens if I stay?
  88. Death: You become one of them [points at the audience]
  89. Mr. G-: I was going to ask who they were
  90. Death: Yeah, these are my trouble students,
  91. they sit here comfy in their purple chairs acting amused by me.
  92. They stare almost mindlessly forward without thinking.
  93. They remain immobile in their own trance.
  94. They refuse to change!
  95. They have all been here for a million years, [to audience] and are free to leave whenever they want, [to Mr. G-] but choose to not listen.
  96. They cling to the world they know
  97. A world full of cultural self-isolation
  98. which boggles my mind, the mind of an ageless creature
  99. They cut themselves off from each other
  100. Trying to separate themselves from the evolving whole-
  101. Thinking that they can stand aloof,
  102. immobile and watch the world go on.
  103. So they dived themselves with there sex
  104. And then go on to invent more and more barriers,
  105. Age, race, class!
  106. There was no difference between any of them
  107. All fear me! Some realize the necessity of change and leave
  108. The rest end up here with me, clinging to their suffering
  109. only because it remains stagnant and unchanged within them

    [pause]

  110. They do all this instead of bravely facing forward
  111. And accepting the need to create something new
  112. …Whatever it could be
  113. Good or Evil, it is a change rather than a formality
  114. Changing for the sake of changing
  115. Rather than becoming enthralled in the past
  116. For, at least in my mind change is the future
  117. I give them a way to it

    118. [pause] [Mr. G- takes a few steps toward the door]

  118. Mr. G-: So do you think we can do better? [he starts walking toward the door]
  119. Death: Yes but only if they take the first step, AND keep working towards it
  120. It’s your choices that matter.

    [Mr. G- approaches the door]

  121. I hope it goes well…

    [Mr. G- Takes a breath, creaks the door open and exits]

  122. Death: Change, it ain’t my decision,
  123. Never was and never will be,
  124. It’s left all to you,
  125. So wake up and make change already,
  126. Cus this truckstop is getting crowded.

    [Man in black enters gives clipboard, exits]

  127. We’ll let’s see [looks at watch] [time it took] wow,
  128. only [fill in] he did better than I though.
  129. He seemed scared to death of society…
  130. Scared to death... hehehe

    [Funeral march starts over]

  131. [D looks up] Alright next.

    [Curtain]