I'm basically only writing this to put 'November' on my list of Blog months

Yeah, so you know how a long time ago I wrote a blog about trying to write a ten-minute play for my Playwriting class? You know how it was going to be a children's play? Well, this is what actually happened. It's based on some teachings of the mainstream Christian church. And it's definitely not a children's play. Just in case you get to the end and are a little confused.

P.S. The beginning needs a little work. It's a little abrupt. I'd welcome any suggestions you have about how to fix that.

BECOMING

NOTE: EVERY TIME THE BELL RINGS, THERE SHOULD BE A NOTICEABLE CHANGE IN MARK’S POSTURE, ATTITUDE, VOICE, AND BEHAVIOR INTO SOMETHING VAGUELY ROBOTIC. THIS ROBOTIC ATTITUDE FADES AS HE TALKS TO FIONA.

(a bell tolls. Lights up.)

FIONA
Mark, please, listen to what I’m saying.

MARK
How can I, Fiona, when what you’re suggesting is blasphemy?

FIONA
Maybe it isn’t. Maybe you’re wrong.

MARK
Wrong about what? If we’re wrong, then the entire Becomers family is wrong. The—the Eternal Father is wro—no, how could you even think that?

FIONA
Would you just hear me out?

MARK
I’ve been searching for this my whole life, Fiona. I just didn’t know it. The Eternal Father—

FIONA
(sincerely, without bitterness or sarcasm) I know. I know. He opened your eyes to how shallow this world really was, introduced you to the idea of a world uninhibited by physical failings and cravings of the flesh. He taught us how to be in true communion with each other, how to achieve true equality of status.

MARK
I owe him everything, Fiona. And so do you.

FIONA
We gave him everything, Mark. Everything we had.

MARK
We wanted to, remember?

` FIONA
We had to. (sigh) I know, we both wanted what he had to teach us. I know, we both thought he was the answer to all of our questions about God, about the Church, about life. But now…

MARK
I understand that you’re scared, Fiona. But God has ordained this. Just think what awaits you on the other side. You’ll finally truly be able to join me in the higher plane.

FIONA
What did you do to achieve this “higher plane” status anyway? Why is it public when the women have their ascension ceremony, but the men’s is secret?

MARK
Why do you ask me questions you know I’m not allowed to answer? The Eternal Father will hear!

FIONA
Calm down. Try to think clearly.

MARK
You’re the one not thinking clearly. Stop questioning. Remember what you’ve been working for. You’ll finally be clean, Fiona. Just concentrate on that.

FIONA
Do you really believe this is the only answer? Are you so sure my body is unclean?

MARK
(gently) Eve was the first to eat the apple, remember? And the Son of God, the Christ, was male. The only man who never lusted after the forbidden flesh.

FIONA
Forbidden flesh. Woman.

MARK
You already know the teachings, Fiona. Don’t turn your back on the Way. Don’t stop Becoming.

FIONA
(bitterly) Yes. Oh, yes, I know. It’s women’s bodies that cause men to fall into sin. Women’s bodies that tempt men and make them forget their responsibilities to their spirits. Tell me, how did we come by such power?

MARK
This is the evil one speaking through you, Fiona. Don’t abandon the Becomers’ faith now. Don’t turn your back on the Eternal Father. Not now that you’re about to be completed.

(a bell tolls)

FIONA
Please, Mark, I need to you to hear me right now.

MARK
That’s the second bell, Fiona, you don’t have much time. You still need to do your ritual bathing before the ceremony.

FIONA
(finally, in frustration) You really want me to go into that barn with all the other wives and slit my throat?
MARK
The Eternal Father—

FIONA
Is that what you really want?

MARK
I—it’s not about what I want.

FIONA
What is it about?

MARK
It’s about—it’s about us being together.

FIONA
We are together, Mark.

(long pause as MARK looks uncertain but doesn’t answer. FIONA grabs his hand. This is the first physical contact of any kind that they’ve had for months.)

FIONA (cont)
Look at me, Mark. Please, just look at me.

MARK
(he stares at their hands, then at her face) What are you doing?

FIONA
When we lost the baby, no one hated my body more than I did. Remember? I thought something evil inside of me had killed him. I thought it was my fault. Do you remember what you told me?

MARK
I told you…(he looks at their hands again)

FIONA
You remember.

MARK
I told you…that your body was too perfect to have killed any baby of ours. I…told you that…God created something so beautiful inside of you that He…was afraid to give it to a world that wouldn’t respect it.

FIONA
I believed you. (beat) Did you believe it, Mark?

MARK
I…yes. Yes, I did believe it.

FIONA
When did you stop believing it?

MARK
(looks at her face; after a pause) I can’t remember.

FIONA
Mark, it doesn’t have to be this way. We can still be together. Remember how much we wanted to try again?

(a bell tolls)

MARK
(looking at their hands and then quickly dropping FIONA’s hand in shock and fear) What are we doing? What have we been saying? I can’t believe I let you do this to me.

FIONA
(over her hurt) Stay with me, Mark. Come on, look at me. Stay with me.

MARK
(he looks at her face for a beat) We have to get you ready.

FIONA
Remember, Mark. Remember us. Remember how much we wanted a child? And all our plans for growing old together?

MARK
Don’t lose your nerve, Fiona. I know it’s horrible, but it’s the only way. Soon we’ll be truly together. Just think of that.

FIONA
(angry in her fear) Are you even listening to yourself? Do you even remember who you are anymore? Who I am?

MARK
We are Becomers.

FIONA
We’re also lovers. I’m your wife, Mark. Please look at me.

MARK
I can’t. I know you can’t help it, but when I look at you, I lose my conviction. It’s not your fault, Fiona. It’s just your body. That’s why we have to free you, so that we can be with each other and not offend the spirits.

FIONA
How does looking at my face offend the spirits?

MARK
Stop trying to confuse me! This is just as hard for me as it is for you. You have no idea what I’ve gone through to get this far.

FIONA
No, you have no idea, Mark.

MARK
Stop twisting everything I say!

FIONA
(abruptly) Yesterday, Denise was really close to beginning. The Father’s had me calling everyday for about a week now, and I had high hopes for her spirit. She seemed like she was starting to understand what we’re about here, and she sounded like she might be ready to join us soon.

MARK
I have been so proud of you. It’s such an honor to be on his missionary staff, Fiona. I hope you realize all he’s done for you.

FIONA
Oh, I realize.

MARK
And what joy you must have had, watching your sister come to the faith!

FIONA
But this morning when I called her, I needed to talk to her about something else. She was worried. She kept on asking me if I still believed in Becoming.

MARK
Well, of course you do. How could she even think such a thing?

FIONA
She said she had been reading about a religious group that was based in Lincoln a few years ago. She said that the leader had called himself the Eternal Father.

MARK
Who would dare—

FIONA
She told me that all the members were required to give up all their possessions to him in order to achieve “complete equality of status.”

MARK
Fiona—

FIONA
She said that the group was fiercely loyal but a little afraid of him. He could get them to do anything he wanted. A few months into it, however, he split. He just took their money and disappeared.

MARK
(more uncertain than he has been) You hear about that sort of thing all the time, Fiona. Just because their leader happened to blaspheme the name of our Eternal Father doesn’t mean—

FIONA
Their Eternal Father was a homosexual, as well as a thief and a liar. His prime victims were married couples, to whom he would preach that women’s bodies were vessels of evil.

MARK
(weaker) Wait—

FIONA
In order to achieve a higher spiritual plane, the men must abstain from touching their wives. To rid themselves of such wicked desires, the men would all go out into the woods together, take a bunch of drugs, and perform their own “spiritual cleansing” orgies. (pause, while MARK looks almost sick) Mark, what exactly do you guys do on your spiritual retreats? (he doesn’t respond) Look, it’s okay. I know you didn’t have a choice. It’s okay, Mark.

MARK
I thought it would make me complete. He said—

FIONA
He lied, Mark. Please, you’ve got to believe that now. He’s a liar.

MARK
It can’t be true. It isn’t possible.

FIONA
It is, Mark. Please, trust me on this. Come on, we don’t have to let him hurt us anymore.

MARK
I…

FIONA
Mark, it’s going to be okay. Just come with me. I’m not leaving without you.

(the bell tolls)

FIONA (cont)
Mark, we can get out of this. We can leave. Come on, Mark, please! Let’s just get out of here.

MARK
(thickly, and as if his voice was coming from far away) That was the fourth bell. We’re going to be late.

FIONA
(increasingly frantic) Mark! Mark, please think! We don’t have to do this!

MARK
If we don’t go we’ll never ascend.

FIONA
(desperate now) Mark, what’s going to happen afterward? All the women are going to go into that barn and we will slit our throats. There will be blood, Mark, blood everywhere. There will be my blood on the floor. You will walk in it. The blood will cover everything. Everyone will be plastered with blood. And then what?

MARK
We must ascend, Fiona. We must ascend.

FIONA
You will all be standing around our dead bodies, with blood on your hands, blood on your shoes, blood on your clothes. Where will the Eternal Father be? Where will he be, Mark?

MARK
He will be waiting for you on the other side.

FIONA
What if he’s not, Mark? What if he’s running off with everything we have, leaving you to deal with the mess, the cops, everything? You’ll be alone, Mark, all alone, with no wife, no money, no mind of your own…

MARK
We must meet him on the other side.

FIONA
Snap out of it, Mark. I need you. I need you to listen to me. (she grabs his hand again) He’s not who you think he is. Please, listen to me.

MARK
Let go of my hand.

FIONA
Just for a minute. I’ll let go as soon as you listen to what I’m trying to tell you.

MARK
Stop talking about the Eternal Father.

FIONA
He’s not what we thought he was, Mark. I know.

MARK
Don’t claim you can know someone so—

FIONA
Listen to me! Last night, you were gone, you…I don’t remember…I can’t remember where you were…where were you?! You weren’t there and…they came…and there were…so many of them…and he was there, Mark, he was there!

MARK
He was where?

FIONA
Here! And they…all of them…there were so many, Mark. And…and you weren’t there. You couldn’t stop them. And he didn’t.

MARK
Stop them doing what?

FIONA
They…raped me, Mark. They raped me.

MARK
(shocked, horrified; exactly the reaction FIONA hoped for) What? How could that happen? Fiona, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to stop them. I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you. (holding her hand more lovingly and comfortingly)

FIONA
Would you have stopped them?

MARK
Fiona, I would never let anyone hurt you. You know that. I promised you that the day we married.

FIONA
Mark, I’m not leaving here without you. I need you to come with me.

MARK
(looking into her face) I—

(the bell tolls, MARK drops FIONA’s hand)

FIONA
(despairing) No, no, no…Mark, please don’t do this to me. You’ve got to stay with me.

MARK
That’s the last bell. We’ll be late. The Eternal Father—

FIONA
Will you shut up about the Eternal Father? I told you, he’s not who you think he is. Mark, he watched those men rape me.

MARK
I just can hardly believe that happened. We were all so close, so close to really becoming—

FIONA
Mark! They RAPED me. Raped. Me.

MARK
I know, Fiona, and it must have been awful. That’s why we need to finish this. Once your body is no longer enticing men to evil—

FIONA
(shocked, and unutterably crushed) Are...are you telling me it was my fault?

MARK
(soothingly) Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit. It’s your curse. Don’t worry; it will soon be behind you. You’ll never suffer that again.

FIONA
It’s my curse…

MARK
It’s almost time, Fiona. Are you ready?

FIONA
Mark. Is this really what you want for me? Do you really think this is the only way to be free?

MARK
I would never lie to you.

FIONA
Mark, I’m scared.

MARK
I’ll be right beside you. You’re doing the right thing. The sooner you can be free of your physical prison, the sooner you’ll be safe.

FIONA
I don’t know if I can do it.

MARK
Look at me, Fiona. This is the only way. It’s the only way to make us both free.

FIONA
(pause, while she looks into his face and loses all hope) Okay. I’ll do it. But please, Mark…will you…(she can’t continue)

MARK
Anything, Fiona. What do you need?

FIONA
I’m scared. Will you hold my hand while I…

(pause. MARK reaches for FIONA’s hand. Blackout.)