Максим Титовец - Пьесы для театра

Lord.Much to my regret, I won’t be able to hunt Thunder down. But I will take vengeance on him for my brother’s death anyway.

Toy.You promised to let Yumi go! Our wrangles have nothing to do with the puppy.

Lord.Yumi will die tomorrow morning. Thunder is going to find out about that. I’m done.

All the gang members leave, the prisoners are left in the cage.

Scene 7.

Evening. Cat burglar gang hide-out.

Yumi, Yin and Yang are caged.

Yumi.This is the end.

Yang.Be stronger. Be stronger. Be stronger!

Yumi.Stronger? It was me who got you into this trap. And let my mom down.

Yin.Success is a measure of decisions we make. I don’t regret going with you, Yumi. We have to believe.

Yang.Do not succumb to panic. Now lay to!

Yang tries to break the cage door, Yin and Yumi help him, but the door does not respond. Toy comes in.

Yin.Traitor.

Yang.Blatant liar!

Yumi.Toy, how could you?

Pause.

Toy.Have you finished?

Yin.We have nothing to say to you.

Toy forces the lock; the cage door opens.

Toy.I was wrong. Give me a chance to make it right.

Yumi and the mice don’t move.

Toy.Come along! Hurry up. I will take you out of here.

Pause.

Toy.What’s wrong? We need to make haste!

Yumi.We don’t believe you.

Toy.Time is lacking for thinking. Lord will soon notice that I left. This is our last chance.

Yang.Come along! We won’t be any worse off.

Yang leaves the cage first, he is followed by Yin, and the last one to go out is Yumi.

Toy.Follow me. I will get you out of here and help you save your mom.

They all head for the door, and suddenly Melisa comes out of the darkness, claws the mice and blocks the way.

Melisa.Is my dinner going for a walk? Don’t you move, or I will choke the life out of you. (She protracts her claws, the mice squeak with pain.)

Toy.Mom, let us through.

Melisa.Do you really think that I will let you sign your own death warrant?

Toy. Yes.

Melisa.Lord will kill you, Toy.

Toy.Lord lied to me and he broke his promise to spare Yumi’s life.

Melisa.Lord is your boss. His orders are beyond questions.

Toy.My father was a real boss! Whereas Lord is just a travesty of his elder brother.

Melisa.I have no choice, Toy. Lord is stronger than we are.

Toy.There is always a choice. Let us go.

Melisa.Toy, I forbid you to do it.

Toy.Yumi’s mother is in grave danger. I am the only one who can help them let her free.

Melisa.Dogs are our enemies.

Toy.Enemies? And who are we? After my father’s death we just turned into a gang of malevolent thieves, and everyone is for himself. We are our own enemies!

Melisa.I have always dreamt of you following a different route. That you would stop both being a thief and living on the street.

Toy.So give a chance to change our life, mom. Let me go.

Pause.

Melisa.You are just like your father now. Go and never come back.

Toy.Thank you, mom. Yumi, let’s go!

Toy and Yumi head for the door.

Yumi.What about our friends, Yin and Yang?

Melisa.Nobody has canceled my dinner yet. The mice will stay here.

Yin.Yumi, help us.

Yang.Please, Yumi, help us out!

Toy.Yumi, don’t argue. We have to go rescue your mom.

Yumi.That will never do.

Toy.What’s your point?

Yumi.Yin and Yang got into the trap because they wanted to help save my mom Greta.

Toy.It was their choice.

Yumi.Yes, you are right. The odds are against us.

Toy.Yin and Yang are our free pass to being set free.

Melisa.That’s a good point, son. (She plays with the mice.)

Yumi (to Toy). I thought you are a real boss.

Toy.What?

Yumi.Did your father always betray his friends and leave them to their fate too?

Toy.My father never was a traitor! He died saving the Lord’s skin!

Yumi.Die but save a friend. This is what a real leader would do.

Toy.I think I know what you mean. Melisa, I am sorry. You won’t get any dinner today.

Melisa.Are you insane?

Toy.Mom, listen to me.

Melisa.What?

Toy.You just said: I wish my son quitted stealing and get off the street.

Melisa.Yes, that’s right.

Toy.Tell me, what can I become working with the cat burglar band?

Melisa.The gang leader.

Toy.Is it what you want me to be?

Melisa.No, Toy, it isn’t. I don’t want you to be a thief.

Toy.I have never had any friends. Just my father.

Melisa.You can’t bring your father back.

Toy.On the other hand, I, your son, can change our life. First of all, I should stop keeping the company of thieves and try to make friends with good guys.

Melisa.I think you should.

Toy.I want to find my peace of mind. Yumi, Yin and Yang can become my friends. I will help them get out and save Greta. We have no time left. It’s now or never!

Melisa (frees the mice). Go to the northern gates. I will tell Lord that I saw you going south, it will help you buy some time.

Yumi.Melisa, Toy is a born leader. And my real friend.

Toy.Thank you, mom.

Melisa.Take this lucky gold coin. (She gives it to Toy.) You will do great, son. I believe in you.

Yumi, Toy and the mice leave. Melisa is left alone.

Scene 8.

Late in the evening. Premises of the animal control center.

Yumi, Toy, Yin, Yang, Titmouse.

Titmouse.Where have you been?

Yumi.It’s a long story.

Toy.How is the situation?

Titmouse.After the round-up they brought a lot of stray animals here. Lord’s lawyer posted a bail for the cat burglars and they were set free.

Yin.Such a rascal!

Yang.They are the real Mafia.

Yumi.Where is my mom?

Titmouse.Greta is in the basement with others. Poor dogs are caged in the dog prison.

Toy.What do the tormentors plan to do?

Titmouse.I’ve heard a conversation: tonight they will put down all the caught animals with some lethal fluid.

Toy.We need to make haste!

Titmouse.Be careful. I’ve seen a grown dog on the center premises. He is clearly not a member of the animal tormentor gang and was snooping around.

Yin.He may be another poor fellow who is trying to find his family.

Toy.It doesn’t matter. Titmouse, you stay here, maintain outdoor surveillance. We are going inside.

The titmouse flies away, the rest of the group enter the animal control center. They walk along. At the end of a passageway they see a shadow of a big dog moving towards them.

Toy.Run! Yumi, hurry up!

They run along the center passages and find the entrance to the basement.

Toy.The entrance to the basement is here. Let’s split up. Mice, go through the ventilation system to scout out the situation. We are going down.

The mice go through the ventilation system. Yumi and Toy go down.

Toy.Why are you shaking? Are you cold?

Yumi.I am afraid of the dark.

Toy.Why haven’t you told me before?

Yumi.I’ll be fine.

Toy.If we go together, the tormentors will lamp us at once. See, that would be a strange scene: a cat burglar and a police dog’s son went for a walk together. (They laugh.)

Yumi.What are we supposed to do now?

Toy.You will cover the rear. This outer door is our only escape route. Watch over it. Warn me in the event of emergency.

Yumi.And you?

Toy.I will go further, to the dog prison. The entrance is right here.

Yumi.I get it. Watch over the escape route, warn in the event of emergency.

Toy.I nearly forgot. Give me your spongy bone.

Yumi.Here, take it. (He gives the spongy bone to the kitten.)

Toy.I will give it to the jail-keeper rat, otherwise he will raise alarm.

Yumi.Told you, this bone would bring us good luck.

Toy.Yumi, I meant to tell you…

Pause.

Yumi.What did you mean to tell me, Toy?

Toy.Thank you for saying a good word for me in front of Melisa and for calling me your friend.

Yumi.You are my friend. My best friend.

Toy.I’ve learnt a great deal from you today. It never occurred to me that dogs can be true friends.

Yumi.Seek and you will find. That is what my mom says.

Toy.And what did you say there when we met Pirate?

Yumi.Christmas Eve is the time when dreams come true.

Toy.You should wish for something with your whole heart, believe in your success and keep moving towards your desirable goal.

Yumi.That’s right, Toy. Come on! Everything is going to be alright.

Toy bust opens the lock and opens the inside door of the basement which opens into the dog prison. He leaves. Yumi is left alone.

Yumi.Alright. I have to look around. I am not afraid of the dark. I am brave. I am not afraid of the dark.

Yumi hears some noise in the dark corner, he jumps up to the side and hides himself in a heap of rubbish. Silence. Yumi leaves his hideout.

Yumi.Maybe, it’s just my ears playing tricks on me.

Again there was some noise there in the darkness. Yumi squats down.

Yumi.And what if it is a horrible beast? It is lying snug in the darkness and wants to devour me. I have to run.

Yumi runs towards the exit and then stops short.

Yumi.And what about Toy? I promised him to cover the rear. I have to warn him and my mom if there’s an emergency.

Yumi goes back.

Yumi.A friend in need is a friend indeed. I will not betray Toy and will save my mom. Hey, who’s hiding there in the darkness? Come on out! I am not afraid of you. Grrr…