By John McNeil
Five short pieces relating aspects of the 10 Commandments to life today. Each piece contains a play within a play.
a) A cave in the Judean Desert
b) An urban home and street
N. Deeanna Jones - a Professor of Archeology and adventurer
Sandy Jacobs - her assistant
Heimlich - a German professor, competitor to Deeanna
Rudy - accomplice of Heimlich
Mother
Father
Teacher
Nadia
(Scene: A cave in the Judean desert. On a shelf in the centre is a box, covered in dust and cobwebs. There is only dim light, preferably from a source offstage.)
Sound EFX:
Gunshots are heard off.
(Enter at a crouching run N. Deeanna Jones. She is dressed in explorer's gear, complete with leather hat and a whip in a holster.)
Jones
Come on, I think we'll be safe in here. (Beckons to someone behind
her.)
(Enter in scrabbling crouch Sandy Jacobs, dressed in similar fashion, but without the hat or whip.)
Jacobs
That was a close call! I thought he had us.
Jones
We'll just have to hope he doesn't discover the entrance to this
cave.
Jacobs
Can we light a candle, Deeanna? I can scarcely see. (Takes one from
his pack, and lighting it, holds it up. Stage lights can be raised to
half.) What sort of place is this?
Jones
(Has been feeling around. Comes across the box) Yes! Unless I miss my
guess, we have stumbled into the very place we were looking for.
Bring your candle over here, Jacobs. (They peer at the box.)
Jacobs
You mean....
Jones
(Reverently) This, my young friend, is the goal of our quest. The end
of our long search. The prize of which every archaeologist dreams.
The Ark of the Covenant! Help me lift it down.
(They lift it onto small [stone?] platform. With cries of "Whew!", "Talk about the dust of ages", "How long has it been here", they wipe off the dust and cobwebs. In reverential awe, Jones lifts the lid.)
Jones
Will they still be here, after all these centuries?
Jacobs
(Peers over his shoulder) What!? Is that all that's in there? (He
pushes Jones aside and lifts out, first, a small branch; holds it up)
A mouldy branch! ....
(Lifts out a crust of bread, holds it up) .... a piece of dry bread ... (finally lifts out two flat stones, holds them up) ... and a couple of stones! Deeanna Jones, are you telling me that we've endured all those dangers just for these!?
Jones
Just for these!? Any museum in the world would display these in the
place of highest honour, my ignorant friend. They are the greatest
treasures in the world. Aaron's rod. The Bread of the Presence. And
above all, the tablets of stone on which God wrote the Ten
Commandments for the people of Israel.
Jacobs
What use are they to us, lost in this desert, with no food or water.
I'd happily trade them for a good meal and a cold beer.
Heimlich
(Who has entered quietly unseen. He is holding a revolver.) And I
will very happily make that trade with you, Mr Jacobs. Just place
them back in the Ark, and then move away. As I have already
demonstrated, this gun is loaded, and I will not hesitate to use
it.
Jones
You can't do this, Heimlich. These treasures are the property of the
people of the world. As a fellow archeaologist, you should know
that.
Heimlich
Unfortunately, my friend, I know a private collector willing to pay
millions more than any museum. And I need the money.
Jacobs
Why would anyone want those miserable artifacts? Who cares about
Aaron's rod any more, or even the Ten Commandments for that
matter?
Heimlich
Which is precisely why some people are willing to pay large sums of
money. They want to keep it that way.
Jones
Think of the huge revival of interest in the Ten Commandments when
these tablets are revealed!
Heimlich
Ah, but sadly they will not be revealed, Miss Jones.
Jacobs
But why all this fighting over the Ten Commandments? They don't mean
anything today. Let him have them, Deeanna!
Jones
That's where you're mistaken, Jacobs. Even Heimlich here knows how
powerful they still are. Look, let me show you. First, what happens
when we trade away our belief in God.
(Lights dim)
(Scene: While the lights are dim, Deeanna, Jacobs and Heimlich discard surplus clothing ready to begin playing a basketball game. Dee and Sandy face off against Heimlich and Rudy, who joins Heimlich. Dee and Sandy have the ball.)
Sandy:
Off course we'll play you without a referee. Who needs a referee
anyhow. We all know the rules.
(A whistle blows. Deeanna passes to Jacobs and runs round Heimlich/Rudy. Heimlich blatantly fouls Jacobs and steals the ball from him. He passes to Rudy, who runs and scores.)
Dee:
Hey, no score! That was a foul on Sandy. It's a penalty to us.
Rudy:
Foul? I didn't see any foul! That's a point to us.
Sandy:
What do you mean, you didn't see a foul. It was quite deliberate.
Heimlich:
So what are you going to do about it? Complain to the referee?
Jacobs:
Yes.
Rudy:
I thought we didn't believe in referees.
Dee:
Come on, Sandy, let's get on with the game.
(She takes the ball, passes to Jacobs, and goes to run past Heimlich. He trips her deliberately.)
Sandy:
That's another blatant foul! Penalty to us.
Heimlich:
Penalty, nothing. She tried to kick me, and I was just defending
myself.
Sandy:
That does it. It's my ball, so we're taking it and leaving.
Rudy:
You can leave if you want, but the ball stays with us. (He wrests it
from Jacobs).
Dee:
No way, that's our ball. Give it back. (Sandy tries to grab it back,
but Heimlich is too big and strong for him.)
Heimlich:
Seems to me that possession is nine-tenths of the law.
Sandy:
That's not fair.
Heimlich:
That's how it is when you decide you can do without a referee. It's
look out for number one, and survival of the fittest. Come on,
Rudy...I can't stand bad losers.
(They exit, leaving Dee and Sandy stricken.)
..............................................................
(Scene: The cave of the Lost Ark. Deeanna, Jacobs and Heimlich are in their previous positions.)
Jacobs:
Okay, I can see that trading away belief in a God can leave you in a
vulnerable position....
Heimlich:
Not as vulnerable as you are at this moment, my young friend.
Jacobs:
.... but how about some of these others? Don't bow down to idols?
Only superstitious people believe in idols, surely! Keep the Sabbath.
Well, that's not very practical in today's world. And how about this
one? Honour your father and your mother? What if they don't deserve
your respect?
Heimlich:
For once I have to agree with you. No doubt it will be the only time.
But (bitterly), I know some parents who destroyed their children's
respect.
Deeanna:
Unfortunately, there's no 'if' attached to that one. Or any of them,
for that matter. But there is a promise ... that if you honour your
parents, life will go better for you than if you don't....
(Scene: The home of Dee and Sandy. Dee is sitting reading - possibly on the floor - when Sandy enters, putting on a jacket.)
Dee:
What are getting dressed for?
Sandy:
What do I normally get dressed for?
Dee:
Going out!?
Sandy:
How very perceptive of you, little sister.
Dee:
But .... Dad grounded you. Till you get that assignment handed
in.
Sandy:
It's as good as done. I'll finish it off when I get back.
Dee:
But you daren't go. What if they return before you do?
Sandy:
They won't. You know what Dad's like when he gets in one of his
'happy' moods. He's a right one to try and tell me how to behave when
his own behaviour doesn't exactly stand up to scrutiny.
Dee:
Where are you going, then?
Sandy:
I've got a date with Natasha. After weeks of hanging round she's
finally noticed me. Now's my chance to out-manouevre that big-mouth,
Rudy.
Dee:
Sandy, you're mad. She lives in the fast lane. You'll get hurt. Mum's
already warned you about her.
Sandy:
(Mimics) 'I don't want you making the same mistakes I made.' Well,
it's time I grew up and started making my own decisions. I don't need
the advice of failed parents. See you later, kid. (He exits)
Dee:
(After him) Sandy, don't do it....don't....oh, what's the use!?
(Lights dim briefly)
Sound FX:
Phone rings.
Dee:
Hello, Dee speaking..... No, I'm sorry, they're out at the moment.
Can I take a message? .... I'm their daughter, Dee Johnson. .... Yes,
Sandy is my brother, what about him? ... At the County hospital! ....
What!? ... Oh, my God, no. How bad?... Yes, I know where to get hold
of them. I'll tell them straight away. We'll be there as quick as
possible. Thank you.
(She puts the phone down dazed.)
How am I going to tell them? Why did he do it?
.................................................................
(Scene: Back in the cave.)
Deeanna:
Can you see now how much power there is in the words written on these
stones, Jacobs?
Jacobs:
That last one....honour your father and mother. That was more like a
curse. Like God saying, 'I'll get you if you disobey.'
Deeanna:
No, it's not like that. It's the other way round. God is saying, if
you follow the map you won't get lost. That's not a curse, it's
pointing the way to a blessing. Like the map pointed the way to this
cave.
Jacobs:
Well, that's not been a blessing has it!? (He starts to rant) No food
and water left, and Heimlich here threatening to shoot us.
Deeanna:
Calm down, Jacobs. You're over-reacting.
Jacobs:
This cave is cursed, maybe. This whole venture has been cursed from
start to finish. (He starts to move towards the cave entrance.) Well,
I'm getting out of here.
Heimlich:
Stay where you are. If you try to leave I will shoot you.
Jacobs:
You're madmen, both of you, wanting these stupid artefacts. Take
them. I'm out of this cursed place. (He starts to make a bolt for the
entrance.)
Heimlich:
I warned you.
(Heimlich fires at Jacobs, who cries out and falls senseless to the ground.)
Deeanna:
If you've killed him.......... (Rushes to Jacob's side. Tries to turn
him over.) (To Heimlich) You know the next commandment, don't you!
Thou shalt not kill.
(Scene: Sandy is lying on the floor in a foetal position. He wears around his neck a label on a string. The label carries the word "IALAC" in large letters. Dee stands to one side, narrating and observing. Through the scene Sandy does not speak, but reacts/mimes to the dialogue and events.)
Dee:
Once upon a time there was a newborn baby, named Sandy. He was much
loved and wanted, and proudly wore the badge his mother and father
had given him. It read, "I AM LOVABLE AND CAPABLE". However, there
came a time when Sandy began to walk, and one day he went into the
garden without anyone noticing. There he picked some flowers as a
love gift for his mother and took them proudly to her.
(Enter mother. Sandy toddles up to her and presents the flowers.)
Mother:
My prize chrysanthemums! Sandy, you naughty boy!
(She paddles Sandy, and tears a small piece off his IALAC label. Sandy shrivels a little. Exit mother.)
Dee:
Not long after, Sandy's father lost his job. (Enter father, who is
drunk) Sandy's father had not taken his dismissal well, and came home
drunk and in a bad mood. Sandy rushed up to greet his father, but got
a beating instead.
Father:
Get out of my sight! Another mouth I can't feed! (He tears another
piece off Sandy's IALAC label. Exits)
Dee:
The time came for Sandy to go to school, but on his first day when he
wanted to go to the toilet, he didn't read the signs correctly, and
went into the girls' toilet by mistake.
Sound FX:
(A loud scream from girls, followed by a lot of children
laughing.)
Rudy:
(Enters, jeers at Sandy) Sandy can't read! Sandy can't read!
Heimlich:
(Enters) Girlie boy! Girlie boy!
(They each tear pieces off the IALAC label)
Dee:
Occasionally, someone would paste a small piece back on Sandy's "I am
Lovable and Capable" badge.
(Enter girl, carrying books. She trips and falls, hurting her arm. Sandy rushes over to her, helps her up, and takes a Band Aid out of his pocket, which he sticks on her arm. He picks up her books, and offers to carry them for the girl. She gives him a big smile, and sticks a small piece back on Sandy's IALAC label. They exit together.)
Dee:
But mostly, people kept tearing pieces off. And soon they didn't need
to. Sandy began tearing pieces off himself.
(Enter, Mother, Father, Rudy, Heimlich, girl, and teacher. They circle round Sandy, who tears pieces off the label while he gradually cowers back into foetal position.)
Teacher:
Why do you have to try so hard to be the class clown?
Mother:
Sandy, do you have to track mud all through the house?
Heimlich:
You're a nogood, like your old man.
Girl:
I know I said I'd go to the prom with you, but Rudy's just offered to
take me in his new convertible.
Rudy:
There's only one way you'll leave here, and that's feet first.
Father:
Love you!? I'll love you when you get a decent job instead of hanging
round with those hoodlum friends of yours all day!
Dee:
Finally, Sandy's IALAC label was totally in tatters.
(Sandy rips it off his neck. He takes a bottle of pills from his pocket, and tips them into his mouth. He falls to the ground unconscious.)
All (except Dee):
Now why would a boy who comes from such a decent home do a thing like
that?
...............................................................................
(Scene: Back in the cave. Jacobs is lying unconscious, with Deeanna bending over him. Heimlich looks on unconcerned.)
Deeanna:
Lucky for you, Heimlich, you weren't a very good shot. There's just a
flesh wound in his shoulder.
Heimlich:
How do you know I didn't aim merely to wound?
Deeanna:
(ignores him) There's not much blood, so I should be able to pack the
wound so he's not too uncomfortable.
(She takes a handkerchief out of her pocket and folds it into a pad, which she inserts under Jacobs' shirt. She also finds a bandage, which she wraps around the shoulder/neck to hold the pad in place. While she does this, Heimlich comments:)
Heimlich:
Your concern for your assistant is most touching, Jones. (Sarcastic)
Especially since he was about to run out on you.
Deeanna:
He's not a betrayer, Heimlich. Just the victim of an overactive
imagination .... and of an upbringing that has left God out of the
equation.
(Jacobs begins to groan and regain consciousness.)
Deeanna:
It's okay, Jacobs, you're only slightly wounded. You'll last okay
till we get back to camp.
Heimlich:
Which raises a very interesting point, Miss Jones. I am fed up with
all this talk. I intend to take the Ark and it's contents and leave
immediately. My only concern is whether I should shoot you, or tie
you both up and leave nature and time to take its course.
Deeanna:
Either way, it's murder, Heimlich. And theft. Haven't you read what's
on the stones. "You shall not steal." And, "You shall not tell
lies."
Scene Two
(Scene: The home of Dee and Sandy. Sandy is sitting in an easy chair. Dee alternates between sitting on the arm of the chair and roaming around.)
Sandy:
I still haven't really figured out what happened, Dee. So much of
what went before is a hazy blur. I remember being bawled out by Dad,
and then there was a sort of roaring sound in my head and a red mist
before my eyes, and the next thing I knew I woke up in hospital with
the mother of all hangovers.
Dee:
You know you had your stomach pumped after you took those pills!?
Sandy:
Do I ever! My gut will never be the same again.
Dee:
I'm so thankful we found you in time. You crazy guy, why didn't you
tell me you were feeling so depressed?
Sandy:
I don't think I realised, until suddenly everything just seemed too
much. But I'm still asking myself why.
Dee:
Basically, you were the victim of a long string of lies, Sandy. For
years people have been telling you lies about yourself, until it
reached the point where you couldn't tell where the lies ended and
the truth began.
Sandy:
Why should they lie to me?
(Enter Father, Mother, Rudy, Heimlich, girl. They carry in a large tray with a big mound of moulded flour, on top of which is a cherry, or other soft fruit. They sit in a semicircle around the tray. Each has a knife, and as they say their lines, they cut away a portion of the flour.)
Dee:
People lie for all sorts of reasons. To cover up their own
weakness....
Father:
You're just a lazy good-for-nothing.
Dee:
To hide something....
Rudy:
I never took your bike, so don't call me a thief.
Dee:
To shift the blame on to someone else.
Girl:
Sandy Jacobs made me do it, Miss Thompson.
Dee:
Because they are bullies.
Heimlich:
Possession is nine-tenths of the law, Jacobs, so push off.
Dee:
To put pressure on you to do something.
Mother:
If you loved me, you wouldn't take a job in another city like
that.
Dee:
When we tell lies, we're stealing the truth from people. And we're
undercutting the foundations of everybody's life. Eventually there's
no-one left to trust. And our world tumbles down.
(As she says this, the last cut causes the remaining flour to collapse. Whoever is holding the knife has to put their hands behind their back, bend over and try to pick up the fruit with their mouth.)
Dee:
Trying to salvage something out of the resulting mess leaves a very
nasty taste in the mouth.
..................................................................................................................
(Dee, Sandy, Mother, Father, Heimlich, Rudy and Nadia enter to the opening lines of the song "I Want It All", by Queen.)
All: (chant) You've got it! I want it!
Covet! Covet! Lust! Adore!
You've got it, I love it!
I want it more and more.
Between the lust and the acquisition falls the shadow.
Dee:
(Of Nadia) Where does she get those amazing clothes? That leather
jacket is something to kill for. I've got to have one.
All:
Between the lust and the acquisition falls the shadow.
Dee:
25%!! My credit card's overdue, and they want 25% interest! How am I
ever going to find that sort of money?
Heimlich:
I can't believe it. A dish like Nadia and that weed Sandy gets to go
out with her. We'll do something about that. (To Nadia) How'd you
like a spin in my convertible, babe?
All:
Between the lust and acquisition falls the shadow.
Nadia:
Heimlich, I'm pregnant! What are we going to do?
Sandy:
I've got to have a car if I'm going to score with the girls. Dad's
grounded me, but he won't know if I borrow the car while he's out of
town.
All:
Between the lust and the acquisition falls the shadow.
Sound FX:
(Automobile skid and crash.)
(Sandy falls to ground)
Mother:
(To Father) George, we've just got to have a new kitchen. I die every
time Brigit and Harry come to visit, and keep on about the
improvements they've been making and all the new appliances they've
installed.
All:
Between the lust and the acquisition falls the shadow.
Father:
I'm phoning from the police station, Sarah. I'm afraid I've been
arrested. (Pause) What for? I'm afraid for taking money from the
firm's trust account. (Breaks down) How else do you think I was going
to pay for a new kitchen on my salary?
Rudy:
It's time they paid me a bit more respect. (Points at Heimrich) If he
was out of the way for a while, they'd soon see who the real leader
is in this neighbourhood.
All:
Between the lust and the acquisition falls the shadow.
Rudy:
(To imaginary police) Sure, I'm Rudy, what of it? (Pause) Dead! He
can't be. That wasn't supposed to happen, just a little accident.
Sound FX:
(Brief reprise of "I Want It All")
...............................................................................
(Scene: Back in the cave. Deeanna is helping Jacobs, who is struggling to sit up. Heimlich is in the same position as previously.)
Deeanna:
Just take it easy, Jacobs. You'll be okay.
Jacobs:
What happened?
Deeanna:
You panicked, and when you tried to run, Heimlich shot you. You must
have fainted with the pain. But fortunately you're not seriously
wounded. You'll be okay till we get you better treatment back at
camp.
Jacobs:
You mean, we're still inside the cave! (He tries to get to his feet)
The curse!
Deeanna:
Calm down, Jacobs. There is no curse. It's all in your imagination.
(Not thinking, to restraint him she pushes on his shoulder, and he
cries out with the pain.) Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. But you
must keep still.
Heimlich:
(Goes to stand over Jacobs, threatens to hit him with the pistol) And
I can assure you that if you make any more sudden moves I will have
no hesitation in making sure I finish you off. Get back against that
wall.
(Jacobs struggles back. Heimlich gestures to Deeanna.)
Heimlich:
Now you, Jones. Pick up those stones, and the other things, and put
them back in the Ark. Slowly, mind, I don't want any funny
tricks.
(Deeanna grudgingly obeys, always keeping a wary eye on Heimlich.)
Deeanna:
Where are you going to take them?
Heimlich:
That's none of your business. I have no intention of telling you
anything, even though you won't be in any position to use the
information. Now close the lid, and stand back against the wall.
(As she does so, gunshots are heard coming from outside the cave. Rudy crawls in hurriedly.)
Rudy:
Heimlich, hurry! People are coming.
Heimlich:
What's that!? Couldn't you hold them off!?
Rudy:
I tried to, but there were more than I first thought.
Heimlich:
Then let's get going. Quick, grab that end of the Ark.
(He starts dragging the Ark towards the entrance.)
Rudy:
No, we can't go that way. There's too many of them, and they're too
close. Isn't there another way?
Heimlich:
Yes, I believe there is. Quickly!
(They start dragging the chest off in the opposite direction. As they are almost out of sight, Heimlich stops.)
Heimlich:
And as for you two.... (He fires his pistol twice at Deeanna and
Jacobs, wounding Deeanna, then exits with Rudy.)
Jacobs:
Are you okay, Deeanna?
Deeanna:
Yes. He got me in the arm, but I don't think it's serious.
Sound FX:
(There is a sudden rumbling, and then the sound of falling rock.)
Deeanna:
A rockfall! Duck!
(They dive for the entrance, and lay huddled till the sound ends. Deeanna half crawls to the side where Heimlich and Rudy had exited.)
Deeanna:
Completely blocked. They must be buried under several hundred tonnes
of rock. There's no way they could have survived that. Or that we
could get to them. The Ark is gone, Jacobs. Perhaps it was just as
well. If Heimlich's manoevring was anything to go by, people would
have made an idol of the Ark. And more lives would have been lost. Do
you think you can manage to crawl? Let's go and meet our
rescuers.
Jones:
Deeanna, the last commandment! I didn't read the stone. What was
it?
Deeanna:
Easy. You shall not covet.
(They exit.)
................................................................................................................
© John McNeil 1998
All rights reserved
Extracts from this play may be performed free of charge, on the
condition that copies are not sold for profit in any medium, nor any
entrance fee charged.
In exchange for free performance, the author would appreciate being
notified of when and for what purpose the play is performed. However,
a small royalty payment is requested for performance of the full
play: An amount of $NZ12; £(UK)5; $(US)6; or an equivalent is
suggested.
The author may be contacted at: soul.communication@outlook.com
Or at: 36B Stourbridge St, Christchurch 8024, New Zealand.