Woman Into Wolf: the play

Scene 11 – the last scene
(The deep, deep forest. The trees seem extra magical and alive, leaves blinking with a million glittering eyes.)

PERSEY
Have the woods always been this magical?
Or is it only now that my eyes are opened?

BISH’s voice
Persey…Persey.

(He sounds different…unearthly. DIGGER manifests craven fear)

PERSEY
Oh, Bish! Where are you?

(BISH appears, his white clothing glowing – arms held out)

BISH
Don’t touch me. I’m still on fire.

PERSEY
(Staggers back, DIGGER hiding behind her)
What is it. Bish? Why can’t I hug you?
Are you radioactive?

BISH
In a way. I am dead.

PERSEY
(Crying)
Oh, Bish, please don’t tease me,
I’ve been through hell.

(She charges him, he eludes her easily)

BISH
So have we all.

(PERSEY falls to her knees)

PERSEY
Oh, Bish! What’s going on?
What has happened?

(Slowly the WOLF SPIRITS, DEADGIRLS, BOYGIRLS come out of the trees, glowing with beauty. They crown BISH with a wolf’s head and bow to him. Solemn dance around the pair; DIGGER, transported, joins in.)

BISH
I didn’t understand.
I offered love, but he needed death.
That’s not a game I ever played.
When he told me to kill myself I thought
He was joking. But then –

PERSEY
They revel in sacrifice.
They always planned
To pin blame on you.
It’s a death cult, Bish.
Their murder is everywhere.

BISH
That’s all behind me.
I’m a Wolf Spirit now.
(He howls, then raises PERSEY to her feet)

BISH
And so are you, I can see.
(She looks down amazed at her own transformation)

PERSEY
But I’m still alive, Bish. And you feel so cold.

BISH
It’s your choice, Persey.
You can come or you can stay.
If we touch, we can dance!
(He starts to dance – he is elegant – she is awkward.)

PERSEY
Oh, Bish, don’t ever let go!

BISH
But I must, Persey.
I’m past sorrow but you’re still unfinished.
Stay. Stay and be wolved.

PERSEY
I don’t know what to do. All I know is
I’ll never let the monsters win.

(BISH dances with the WOLF SPIRITS. ROY’s and JAROD’s voices offstage calling,)

ROY & JAROD
PERSEY! PERSEY!
WHERE ARE YOU?

(The WOLF SPIRITS & BISH melt into the trees, the trees go dead. Enter ROY carrying a shotgun. DIGGER cowers behind PERSEY)

ROY
Sweetmeat! Finally!

(Shouts behind him)

I found her!

(ROY makes a move to embrace her – she eludes him as BISH eluded her.)

ROY
Sweetmeat, what’s wrong?
You should never leave home.
The world’s not a safe place.

(PERSEY holds up her arms to block him. He appreciates her difference.)

What’s wrong with you?
Don’t say you’ve gone native.

PERSEY
Don’t you remember?

ROY
Sweetmeat, everyone gets drunk.
Jarod and I are so close
We’re practically brothers.
You know we share everything.
Closer than any man can be
To a woman. But
There’s a part for you to play, a whole
Future ahead. Don’t you get it?

PERSEY
I do get it.
Your mom told me everything – that
You’ve always been Bruce.

ROY
That bitch!

PERSEY
Did you murder Stormee?
Is that what you “shared”?
(JAROD appears behind ROY, also carrying a shotgun.)

JAROD
We’re hunters, darlin’.
That’s what we do. Rid the world of its
Vermin. Bitches know their places.
Bros before hos.

ROY
(Upset over PERSEY’s disclosure)
Babe’s a liar, that woman!
You can’t believe her! I oughta –

(WOLVES appear, howl wildly and advance menacingly. DIGGER joins in. JAROD & ROY jump.)

PERSEY
It’s over, Roy. Don’t you see?
The universe is against you.
Truth is the one thing
You’ll never destroy.
Truth goes underground.
Where the roots of the forest
Nourish the faithful and
Keep growing stronger.

ROY
Nobody’s faithful.
I see females and she-males
Who can’t keep their mouths shut.

JAROD
Open mouths only say yes.

PERSEY
You’re lost, boys
This time you’ve ventured
Too deep in the woods.
This is OUR turf now!
Cookie Louise, Monica and Jean,
Jo Lee, Mina, “DaToy”, Jane and John Doe
I summon you!

ROY
What’s that? Who’s that
Ya callin’?

PERSEY
Did you think you destroyed them?
You only transformed them.

(The TREES awaken. WOLFSPIRITS, DEADGIRLS & BOYGIRLS appear and advance menacingly.)

DEADGIRLS & BOYGIRLS
The chrysalis is broken! We will
Always remember.

TREE SPIRITS & WOLF SPIRITS
Who shattered the chrysalis?

ROY
(To PERSEY)
I’ll deal with you later.
Let’s slaughter this pack!

JAROD
Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!

(A Murder Ballet, in which TREE SPIRITS, DEADGIRLS & BOYGIRLS, WOLF SPIRITS, BISH, PERSEY, JAROD, ROY and DIGGER rush teasingly in and out, nipping, spinning. Ineffectual shots from the frustrated hunters.)

DEADGIRLS & BOYGIRLS
When you murdered us, you killed your own selves.

TREE SPIRITS & WOLF SPIRITS
We all are one! We remember!

(ROY & JAROD form a circular firing squad and shoot each other – registering shock & dismay at the bloodied moment of collapse. PERSEY sits vigil over the bodies while the WOLF SPIRITS, TREE SPIRITS, DEADGIRLS & BOYGIRLS take a gentle, longing, loving leave.)

PERSEY
So much waste.
So much lost.
Goodbye, Roy. Goodbye Bruce.

BISH
I wish you’d come with us.
Where glorious sunset meets
Unending dawn,
We run forever.
When the chrysalis shatters
The earth remembers and
New creatures are born.

PERSEY
I love life, Bish.
I’m not ready.
There’s so much unfinished and
I’ve got things to do. But
Grant me one wish.

BISH
(Disappearing into the trees)
I know what you’re asking
If you saw what I see
You’d live every second
Without fear.

PERSEY
(His echo fades. She holds out her arms to his dissolving spirit)
Wolve me! Wolve me!
I want to live!

(DIGGER whines, very unwilling to let the WOLVES go.)

PERSEY
You can join them, Digger.
You have been wolved.
You’ll always be free.

(DIGGER rushes back to her. She pets him.)

And I love you too.

(Flashing police lights. NED appears at the edge of the stage in his police uniform, speaking into a hand-held radio.)

NED
Two males, unresponsive
Shotgun wounds fatal
Face and chest discharge –
Maximum injury, all
Self-inflicted;
Backup, backup
GPS coordinates –

(His voice overwhelmed by static. Lights out.)

END