DRAMATIS PERSONAE:<\/p>\n
PAUL, A SCHOOL TEACHER
\nA CLASS OF THIRD GRADERS
\nDR. LILY VEIDT, EDUCATION DIRECTOR FOR THE MUSEUM<\/p>\n
SCENE: A DINOSAUR EXHIBIT AT THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY<\/p>\n
It is pitch black and cold. The mists of time swirl about us, a voice reverberates through the contours of space:<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nThe Universe unfolds leisurely and on schedule.
\nNeat unfurlings form pre-histories, in the firm smoothings, tucks and nips we uncover eons and ages, all in seamless flux.<\/p>\n
And then, rather unexpectedly,
\nan asteroid collides into the planet Earth, rocking her to her very foundations; causing her to alter her orbit and
\nleaving her offspring; those giant beasts that roam her wide rolling plains,
\nvulnerable.
\nThe Mammoth halts in her tracks.
\nTriceratops frozen in a head rush of surprise;
\nTyrannosaurus Rex unable to make that first swipe at his apparent lunch; his apparent lunch unable to flee, petrified by something grander than the mere King of Predators. The Plesiosaur\u2019s playful splash whittles into a last-ditch-dive\u2026
\nA dust cloud encircles the globe
\nSunlight screens out, shunned by myriad particles
\nThe Earth is silent.
\nAll activities cease.
\nAnd time stands still, as does the Earth.
\nAnd in the stillness a pitch black,
\nIn the pitch black, a glacial cold.
\nAnd as cold turns to ice, iciness invades space. And this Dark cold reigns over the surface of the Earth
\nFor eons.<\/p>\n
Silence save for the winds howling,<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nMillions of years later, oil drillers in Alaska discover a leftover from the Ice Age:
\nLadies and Gentlemen, the worlds first frozen dinosaur. Caught mid-snacking when the catastrophe occurred. So after all the hullabaloo and scientific verification of every kind, this ancient beast has found it\u2019s home here in our reputable institution, The Museum of Natural History.
\nYes. Of all places.
\nHas it occurred to no one the dangers inherent in frozen dinosaurs? No one has stopped to think about the effects of radiation. Does it not stand to reason that these asteroid rays petrified in the ice at the time of the event\u2014 well, doesn\u2019t it strike you as likely that they would trigger a similar chain of events?<\/p>\n
The voice filters out into the general ambience. In the darkness we hear the echo and patter of voices and footsteps approaching the Great Hall. One voice becomes more distinct over the others\u2014who are children:<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nAlright kids, almost there, let\u2019s keep it all in a straight line. Very good thank you\u2014
\nAh, here we are. The Great Hall\u2014<\/p>\n
There is a collective gasp as the lights slowly appear. What is revealed, eventually, is an awe-inspiring life-like dinosaur. It appears to be swerving it\u2019s neck and holds a bouquet of uneaten vegetation in it\u2019s mouth.
\nThe kids are a-flutter with amazement<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nLadies and Gentlemen, the world\u2019s first frozen dinosaur\u2014<\/p>\n
KID #1:
\nIt is A-L-I-V-E!<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nNo Kylie, it\u2019s frozen, will you quit playing joker for a minute\u2014<\/p>\n
KID #2:
\nIt\u2019s really big! How\u2019d it get that way?<\/p>\n
KID #3:
\nIt\u2019s scary Mr. Smith, look at its teeth! So big\u2014<\/p>\n
KID #1:
\nAll the better to bite you Sarah!<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nThat\u2019s enough Kylie. No need to be alarmed kids. It\u2019s frozen, it\u2019s not going anywhere. Would you like to know how it got frozen?<\/p>\n
KIDS (in unison):
\nYes Mr. Smith, how\u2019d it get that way\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI appears from behind the exhibit<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nPerhaps I can be of help\u2014<\/p>\n
The kids all yell and scuttle behind PAUL<\/p>\n
KID #2:
\nYikes!<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nKids, kids. Please, pipe down\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nSorry to alarm your class, Mr. Smith\u2014 I am Lili Veidt, Educational Curator for the Museum\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nYes of course! We spoke on the phone.
\nChildren, Dr. Veidt is the lady in charge here, she made this trip possible. What do we say to Dr. Veidt?<\/p>\n
KIDS:
\nThank you Mrs. Veidt<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nIt\u2019s Doctor, children, Dr. Veidt\u2014<\/p>\n
The children shuffle their feet uncomfortably not looking at her<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nI\u2019m sorry, sometimes the children get stuck in preconceived notions of gender\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nQuite alright. I\u2019ll be happy to field any questions they have about \u201cLevi\u201d over here\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nLevi?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nShort for Leviathan. We tend to resort to the mythological around here for our own amusement.
\nSo children, what would you like to know about this dinosaur\u2014<\/p>\n
The class stares at the floor and says nothing.<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nVery well, let me know if you need anything Mr. Smith, I\u2019ll be in my office.<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nThank you Dr. Veidt,<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nCall me Lili.<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nThank you Lili.<\/p>\n
The class waits for LILI to leave and then:<\/p>\n
KID #1:
\nFreaky lady put the snakes on you Mr. Smith!<\/p>\n
Pandemonium commences:<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nQuiet Please! Everyone!<\/p>\n
The noise tones down.<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nNow how many of you know about the Ice Age? Do you know what the Ice Age was?<\/p>\n
KIDS:
\nNo\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nWell, millions and millions of years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth\u2014<\/p>\n
KID #3:
\nIs that a long long time ago?<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nYes Robbie, a very very long time ago…<\/p>\n
KID #2:
\nLonger than when lunch time was?<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nYou\u2019ll get lunch soon enough Jane. Millions of years ago, the earth was hit by a giant asteroid. Do you know what an asteroid is?<\/p>\n
KID #3:
\nYes! Yes!<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nReally Cole? Would you like to tell the rest of the class?<\/p>\n
KID #3:
\n(crazily) Yes! Yes! Yes!! Let me Mr. Smith, Let me!<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nCalm down Cole, tell us what you know,<\/p>\n
The child lets out an ecstatic wail to PAUL\u2019S surprise\u2014<\/p>\n
KID #3:
\nHow thou art fallen from Heaven, Son of the Morning!<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nCole! Are you ok?<\/p>\n
Another child lets out a similar wail.<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nTimothy! What\u2019s going on?<\/p>\n
KID #1:
\nWhat\u2019s the Ice Age Mr. Smith, is it when old people turn into popsicles?<\/p>\n
The whole class giggles.<\/p>\n
KID #1:
\nGet it? Pops-i-cles!<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nCole, are you feeling well?<\/p>\n
KIDS:
\nPopsicle! Popsicle! Popsicle! Popsicle! Popsicle!!<\/p>\n
They become extremely noisy once more. Suddenly a hush overcomes them. PAUL looks round to find LILI has entered the room.<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nHaving problems Mr. Smith?<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nPlease call me Paul,<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nAlright, Paul, what seems to be the problem?<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nI apologize for the noise. The kids are acting a little strange\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nUncharacteristic behavior?<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nIt\u2019s one thing for them to be noisy or unruly\u2014but I could have sworn that young Cole over there was quoting the bible\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nReally?
\nWilt thou draw out the Leviathan with the hook
\nAnd press down his tongue with a cord?<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nExcuse me?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nWho can open the doors of his face?
\nRound about his teeth is terror.
\nUpon the Earth there is not his like, who made without fear
\nHe beholds all high things
\nHe is king over all the proud beasts.
\nIt\u2019s scripture, the book of Job, recognize it?<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nOh. Actually, I don\u2019t know too much about the bible\u2014it\u2019s never been an area of specialty\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nYet you recognized it as being quoted by the children\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nWell it struck me as biblical, I can\u2019t imagine what else\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nIt\u2019s an interesting thing, an oversight, if you ask me.<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nWhat is?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nI mean you would have to wonder what the impact of the radiation would be on the human organism\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nRadiation? You mean from the frozen dinosaur?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nAfter all, all the atoms are intact\u2014the same radiation that destroyed life as we know it eons ago, lay dormant preserved in ice awaiting activation today\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nFunny, I never thought of it that way, but do you really think\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nYou and I must have this discussion at some later date, Paul. But now I must attend to matters.
\nGood luck with the children, I\u2019ll be in my office if you need anything.<\/p>\n
She leaves and the children become noisy once more\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nAlright kids, let\u2019s get it under control.
\nSo where were we\u2014yes the Ice Age. An asteroid is a piece of cosmic debris\u2014that means garbage kids. And in outer-space there\u2019s a lot of trash floating around and guess what!<\/p>\n
KIDS:
\nWhat?!<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nMost of the time it gets pulled into orbit by bigger bodies like planets or stars. But sometimes its moving so fast that it\u2019s on a collision course. Who knows what a shooting star is?<\/p>\n
KIDS:
\nMe! Me ! ME!<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nAlright, so we all know what a shooting star is, but who has actually seen one?<\/p>\n
KID #1:
\nI saw the ancient serpent cast out from heaven. With his tail he dragged a third of the stars from sky down to the earth\u2014<\/p>\n
KID #2:
\nAnd there was war in Heaven\u2014<\/p>\n
KID #3:
\nHow thou art fallen, Lucifer, Son of the Morning<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nWhat\u2019s going on with you kids? What are you saying\u2014<\/p>\n
KID #1:
\nI saw the earth reel to and fro like a drunken woman\u2014<\/p>\n
KID #2:
\nAnd lo, the earth was waste and empty and the heavens\u2014they held no light\u2014<\/p>\n
KID #3:
\nAll the birds of the air were fled and the fruitful land is a wilderness. Only the beasts of the deserts lie there. The jackal haunts it and the Lilith\u2019s night screeches fill the air\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nENOUGH! All of you!! Shut up!
\nWhat has gotten into you kids?<\/p>\n
A beat of silence, then suddenly they start wailing and prophesying once more. PAUL is completely bewildered. It is pure chaos, all of a sudden, a hush.
\nLILI has appeared, again\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nIt is my understanding that all molecules seek rest and thus strive to create the initial conditions of their inception. I would say the radioactivity is transporting us back to the moment of impact\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nThe moment of impact?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nYes. The moment when the asteroid hits the earth,<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nOh.<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nThe birth of human kind is on that journey backwards, beyond that we cease to grasp it with our minds. Our DNA unravels\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nYou\u2019re serious.<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nIt is also my understanding that the impact of these rays on children is short-circuited. Their bodies are prepubescent, therefore not equipped to deal with the new information drives. Thus the entire length of the algorithm cannot be fulfilled. What you are left with is screeching, prescient hybrids. That\u2019s what\u2019s happening to your class, Paul\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nExcuse me?<\/p>\n
LILI walks off. The moment she is out of sight, the children start screeching and wailing. Now they are speaking in tongues and writhing and rolling to go with their new found glossalollia. PAUL attempts to calm them down.<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nChildren please! Be quiet! Shut up!<\/p>\n
To no avail. The strange tongues now become birdlike screeches and calls, chirps\u2014 the sounds of peacocks, ostriches and owls. When LILI appears the noise levels go down but continue to evolve as strange and sweetly bizarre bird murmurings and chirpings. The light changes, the exhibit seems to disappear, the children are heard now, but not seen. PAUL and LILI inch closer and closer to each other from opposite ends of the room. Beneath the data streams of bird language the amplified sound of a human heart beat begins to emerge\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nYou never said what the impact of the rays was\u2014on grown men\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nNeed I?<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nI feel strange, Lili\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nCall me Lilith.<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nWhy? Who\u2019s Lilith?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nThe first one\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nMy head feels heavy. My thoughts are all a liquid daze. What\u2019s happening to us?
\nThe first one before who?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nBefore Eve<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nI\u2014 I don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about. What\u2019s happening Lili?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nLilith.<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nYeah, Lilith. Who is Lilith again?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nBefore Eve, there was another woman.
\nShe got fired.<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nIt feels so\u2014
\nAre we the only ones on the planet? It feels that way all of a sudden\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nLilith had long glinting red hair. It coiled around like a serpent\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nWhere are we?
\nIt\u2019s so strange
\nSo different\u2026
\nShe tried to strangle him\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nAmongst other things\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nAre you about to strangle me?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nOnly if you wish.<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nOh God! I can hardly lift my thoughts.
\nShe tried to strangle him
\nand then was banished
\nto the desert places,<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nThere she copulated with demons at night
\nand birthed millions of imps
\nin the morning\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nMillions?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nDarling little babies, toddlers, infants…
\nwhat ever you wish to call them\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nWhat happened to the children?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nI had them for lunch\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nNo, no\u2014I\u2019m not hearing this right!
\nThis is a painful misunderstanding,
\nWhat\u2019s happening to us Lili? It\u2019s like my mind is molten ore\u2014
\nAnd,
\nI never want to leave.
\nI want to be here with you always\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nThe name is Lilith.
\nAnd this is an alternate reality.
\nOur minds can stay here as long as we like. Our bodies however, are unconscious, lying in the Great Hall of the Museum of Natural History.
\nSoon the surveillance cameras will happen upon the strange sight at the frozen dinosaur exhibit: a class of second graders, their teacher and the education curator, all splayed out on the floor, unconscious puppets. They will seal the area, quarantine the bodies and run tests on and through us. How long before our comatose bodies reveal the source of radiation. How long before it spreads and thousands are transported back to the early moments of pre-history\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nLilith,
\na glinting red serpent
\nYou said?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nShe tried to strangle him\u2014
\nWhen the first man was put in the garden
\nHe had no companion
\nHe was given a helpmeet so he wouldn\u2019t be lonely
\nHer name was Lilith
\nShe had a lengthy ropelike coil of hair
\nGlinty bright red, like a serpent\u2014
\nA serpent who could drag a third of the stars
\nDown from heaven to earth
\nWith the flick of his tail.
\nA tail\u2014<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nYou are strangling me?<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nOnly if you wish.<\/p>\n
PAUL:
\nI never want to leave\u2014<\/p>\n
LILI:
\nI won\u2019t let you.<\/p>\n
They have finally converged at the center of the stage. They fall into embrace as Twilight falls with their bodies blissfully writhing into each other. The bird noises become amorous cooings and murmuring\u2014
\nA shiver of light slakes across the room,
\nThen darkness.<\/p>\n
Leviathan\u00a92004, 2013 onome ekeh<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
And then, rather unexpectedly,
\nan asteroid collides into the planet Earth, rocking her to her very foundations; causing her to alter her orbit and
\nleaving her offspring; those giant beasts that roam her wide rolling plains,
\nvulnerable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3632,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,16],"tags":[34,17,35],"class_list":["post-96","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-excerpt","category-theater","tag-brightness-falls","tag-drama","tag-leviathan"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3635,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96\/revisions\/3635"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}