|
SCENE 9 The crowd murmurs. Monkey-General: "Zeig uns den Weg." fate whistles under its breath. The mummers crowd up front. Ishmael: "English... please." fate [to Monkey-General]: "Yes, English." Monkey-General: "I have no mother." Ishmael raises his finger and points to the monkey. fate [to Monkey-General]: "You evaded the question; you must answer the question." Ishmael: "BUT you did... or was that an illusion?" fate [to Monkey-General]: "How did your mother die, yes or no?" Monkey-General: "She died alone." fate thinks that sounds like a second evasion... no illusion. bystander writes: MONKEY-GENERAL'S MOM SUICIDE? Ishmael: "I see... and is it not true that you admitted earlier to KILLING your mother?" fate [to Monkey-General]: "Did you admit this? And if you did, did you do it?" Monkey-General: "I admit nothing to fate..." fate [to Monkey-General]: "Don't think of me as fate, think of me as nemesis." Monkey-General: "...or to scum born of slaves." Monkey-General points to Ishmael. Ishmael: "Your honor... let the records show that Monkey-General is evasive on the subject of her mother's death." fate [to Ishmael]: "I'm afraid that even if she did kill her mother, we can't try her for that until we're done with you. So in any case you wouldn't have the pleasure of seeing her hanged until after we'd hanged you." Ishmael: "I am merely trying to establish that Monkey-General is not a reliable prosecutor... she has no claim to justice." fate [to Ishmael]: "Uh, if you're guilty that is." Monkey-General stutters something under her breath. fate [to Monkey-General]: "And the issue of him being born to slaves is irrelevant... he's human after all, not like us." Ishmael: "Next question. Did you or did you not steal those shoes and soles yourself?" Monkey-General turns white. Monkey-General: "And who would I have stolen them from... YOU?" Ishmael: "May the court take note that the prosecutor is a mother-killer, a sole-stealer and I'm willing to bet... a racist!" fate: "Note taken." Ishmael: "And let's not forget she sent deserter to his death by sending him out to be a scout!" fate: "Point taken." Monkey-General swats at a fly that is buzzing around fate's head. fate [to bystander]: "Although I believe one of your photos showed that it was the horse that actually kicked deserter out of the tree." Monkey-General coughs up her previously spoken words. fate [to Monkey-General]: "Can you deny the prisoner's accusations? Are they illusions?" Monkey-General: "Absolute, certifiable illusions of the most sublime kind, your honor." Ishmael: "This... this... purveyor of illusions is playing with you." fate: "AHA! Eureka! Or perhaps I should say, Euratta!" Ishmael frowns and stares at fate. fate: "BOTH OF YOU admit that illusions still exist, by implication of your foregoing remarks." Ishmael bites his lip. fate: "We cannot be discussing the death of illusion in that case. In fact, you are bandying illusion around in the most familiar way, it makes me sick." Monkey-General makes a strange gurgling sound and coughs out the drowned rat in a sea of blood and urine that lands on Ishmael. fate: "Soooooo, if it's a question of the death of illusionISM, then we must proceed to the photograph." Once again blood-soaked, Ishmael stares at the monkey. howweird gallops back for no real reason. fate: "Someone catch that horse. I have a couple of questions for that horse."
|