Personae (15 page)

NESTOR: If that’s the only course it can travel so be it.

LINDA: Stop! Wait will you? (
she
moves
between
them
) I’m going to go out and meet him.

NESTOR: Don’t do that.

LINDA: I know him best. I’ll bring up your concerns,
our
concerns
, feel him out. If everything’s fine we’ll come back together, if not we’ll know that as well and you’ll have the satisfaction of having been right to enjoy in your final moments.

NESTOR: I can’t allow that.

LINDA: It’s almost lovely of you Nestor to think you have the power to allow or disallow.

NESTOR: Listen don’t get insulted and storm off or anything but I see fear when I look at your face.

LINDA: Insulted? By a compliment to my powers of perception?

NESTOR: So don’t go then.

LINDA: Can’t see how one follows from the other.

(
Nestor
looks
to
Clarissa.
)

CLARISSA: He’s actually right in the sense that it’s a needless risk. Anything we need to discover of his intentions we can ascertain here, together and armed.

LINDA: I don’t trust him. (
gestures
at
Nestor
)

NESTOR: Stay and I won’t harm him, I promise, until we’re sure.

LINDA: Not surety enough I’m afraid.

CLARISSA: You just admitted to fear.

LINDA: But also to not understanding your link between that and a consequent inaction.

(
Nestor
somewhat
raises
the
gun
at
Linda.
)

NESTOR: Well there’s no time to explain but you’re staying.

LINDA: If I’m right you can explain it to me later and if I leave in error you’ll need to conserve as much breath as possible. Either way put that thing down as I’m not sure all our troubles aren’t directly traceable to it.

(
She
leaves.
Nestor
drops
to
a
sitting
position
on
the
floor.
He
looks
at
his
hands,
one
of
which
continues
to
hold
the
gun.
)

NESTOR: Think I see her blood on them already. See it?

(
He
shows
Clarissa
his
palms.
)

Why bother to plan with Chaos as partner? See the blood?

(
Shows
her
his
palms
again
then
places
the
nose
of
the
gun
under
his
chin
as
his
hand
trembles.
)

CLARISSA: Don’t.

NESTOR: Do you find the question difficult? Just look at my hands and tell me if they’re awash with Linda’s blood.

CLARISSA: I’m not sure, only you can tell for sure.

NESTOR: I know why you can’t tell.

(
He
removes
the
gun
from
his
chin
and
points
it
at
Clarissa.
)

I see now that you wanted her to go.

(
A
mournful
sigh,
barely
audible,
is
heard
from
outside.
)

CLARISSA: What was that?

(
She
runs
over
to
the
telescope
and
looks
through
it
while
Nestor
remains
seated
but
follows
her
with
the
gun.
)

I see nothing!

NESTOR: What does Nothing look like? Is it as terrible as it sounds?

CLARISSA: There’s nothing there, complete blackness.

(
She
begins
to
walk
toward
Nestor.
)

Were I you I’d start thinking of a really compelling explanation because I am all but out of patience.

NESTOR: Don’t crowd me Clarissa.

(
He
raises
the
gun
at
her.
)

CLARISSA: I’m sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?

(
She
quickly
grabs
his
wrist,
swings
to
his
side
like
a
matador,
bends
said
wrist
into
what
appears
to
be
an
excruciatingly
painful
position,
and
removes
the
gun
which
she
now
puts
to
his
head.)

NESTOR: Take it easy.

CLARISSA: Not in the mood for ease. Explain what I see when I look through that thing!

NESTOR: How can I? Ignorant as I am of what you saw has you so worked up.

CLARISSA: I just told you. But see for yourself and feign surprise if you must.

(
She
pushes
him
via
the
gun
to
the
telescope.
)

NESTOR: I don’t see blackness.

CLARISSA: What are you talking about?

(
She
presses
the
gun
to
his
temple.
)

NESTOR: That’s emptiness, not blackness.

CLARISSA: Not so interested in what you’d call it as in how you explain it!

NESTOR: Explain emptiness? How it suffuses everything yet still retains the patina of a long-held secret recently spilled? If I could explain all that would I really be subjugated at the end of a gun right now?

CLARISSA: You said you saw things, described them in grim detail. You cost us Linda by saying those things! When you wonder shortly at the bullet lodged in your skull you can credit your homicidal artifice.

NESTOR: There was none. I reported what I saw, no different than you just did. I’m no more responsible for the content of those visions than a camera.

CLARISSA: Then where are they?

NESTOR: You attribute all sorts of special knowledge to me as if I weren’t just fellow passenger but somehow the driver.

CLARISSA: Good then. Since you’re of no use to me except as irritant incapable of being suffered I’m going to toss you out into that black absence like a human trial balloon and see if I can learn something.

NESTOR: We’re all that’s left. Would you halve the world that you might better know it?

Understand, I don’t mean to dissuade. I welcome it now.

Squeeze your hand, please.

What would you be robbing me of? Primarily you would be robbing me of anticipatory dread. Isn’t this the prize the dead lord over us? That they no longer wonder where or when or even why?

Please, squeeze.

(
Now
it’s
Clarissa
who
drops
into
a
sitting
position.
She
tosses
the
gun
a
few
feet
from
her
and
Nestor
immediately
picks
it
up
.
She
puts
her
face
in
her
hands
.)

Clarissa has this room shrunk?

(
it
has
)

CLARISSA: Maybe we’re growing larger.

(
they
aren’t
)