Place: An underground prison cell
Time: Any given period in history
Characters: Genderless and nameless
Prisoner 1 sits in his cell as he talks to Prisoner 2 in the adjacent cell. Neither prisoners can see the other as there is a wall that separates them. They speak through a small hole at the bottom of the left corner wall that connects both cells.
Prisoner 2: Have you eaten anything today?
Prisoner 1: Nothing. The guard didn’t show up yet. Why? did they drop food at your cell?
Prisoner 2: No, Nothing.
Silent Pause
Prisoner 2: What are you thinking about?
Prisoner 1: I remembered this verse I once heard. Very poetic.
Prisoner 2: Oh is that right. Are you a poet yourself?
Prisoner 1: Oh I don’t know what anyone would label me at the moment.
Prisoner 2: Do you personally think of yourself as such?
Prisoner 1: Can I be one if no one else thinks I am?
Prisoner 2: Of course. You are anything you consider yourself to be!
Prisoner 1: No, in order to be something, you have to earn it. Titles are not just self proclaimed. Or else, anyone would be anything.
Prisoner 2: Well, you have definitely earned yourself a title or two out there since you are in here.
Silence as Prisoner 1 adjusts his seating position and leans closer to the hole Prisoner 2’s voice is coming from for their daily chatter
Prisoner 2: Have I ever told you this riddle?
Prisoner 1: Which one? I don’t seem to remember, you always tell riddles.
Prisoner 2: Then I’ll tell you. If there were two people. One of them always says the truth and the other always lies, and you are a traveler who is unsure whether to take the right or left road to reach your destination. You only have one question to ask the two men whom you don’t know which of them is a liar and which is truthful. What do you ask to know how to get to your destination?
Prisoner 1: Well that’s unfair
Prisoner 2: What is?
Prisoner 1: The riddle. It’s too complex. You say you’ll tell me a riddle, but you have actually told me two
Prisoner 2: Well what is fun about a simple little riddle that you can answer off the top of your head. It is a riddle because it’s difficult. It wouldn’t be a riddle otherwise. Too complex? Pfff. You want something easy. Where’s the fun in that.
Prisoner 1: (Laughing) Fun? What is fun about any of this? How in the world could this be fun?
Prisoner 2: You resent staying here. I’ve told you many times before, resentment is useless. You need to find joy in the simple things. Not enjoying your stay here is fair but you seem to resent even a simple healthy challenge. You have to indulge with me in these little games. Otherwise you will go mad. We don’t want that to happen while we’re in solitary confinement now do we?
Prisoner 1: I guess just ask them
Prisoner 2: Ask who? What are you talking about?
Prisoner 1: The riddle you told me. Ask the two men who is telling the truth
Prisoner 2: What kind of idiotic answer is that? Ask them? Ask who? Which one do I ask? That won’t help anything. One will say the truth and one will lie and you won’t be able to tell the difference. You haven’t helped yourself at all really. If anything, it is more “complex” now then it was when I asked it. You said I told you two riddles in one now you have three!
Prisoner 1: Hey give me a break I’m trying
Prisoner 2: The hell you are. That’s the thing. You’re not trying. No one trying would say this type of answer. Of all people you would never say this answer if you were actually thinking. You’re one of the clever ones. I could always tell the bright ones from the ones with nothing going on upstairs
Prisoner 1: Well you know what, the bright ones are in these cells while the dumb ones are outside. Who is smarter in this situation, eh?
Old guard enters with a lit candle and food for Prisoner 1. Guard lays down the food on the floor and smiles at the prisoner. As he is about to leave, the prisoner calls on him.
Prisoner 1: Are you new here?
Old guard: Does it look like I’m new to anything son? No, I worked here for years.
Prisoner 1: Then why haven’t I seen you before
Old guard: That’s okay. You’ve seen me now
Prisoner 1: This does not answer my question! Why haven’t you come in here before
Old guard: Why are you very loud? I don’t think that is a good trait
Prisoner 1: Why? Why do you think? I’m here aren’t I? Why shouldn’t I be loud! What worse could happen to me?
Old guard: Ohh a lot of worse things could happen to you
Prisoner 1: No. That is not true. If you are alluding to death then I much rather die than to be stuck in here, do you understand? So no, nothing worse could ever happen to me
Old guard: What about not being here?
Prisoner 1: Excuse me? Do you think it’s better off for me here rather than out there? Are you mad? What are you trying to say? You don’t know me!
Old guard: Maybe not personally. But I know your story
Prisoner 1: Well everyone does! Why should my story make you feel I’m better off in here?
Old guard: Because it’s the price you have to pay
Prisoner 1: What price? I should not be in here. You think this is fair what has been done to me? I did nothing wrong
Old guard: I never said it’s wrong. You don’t listen much do you
Prisoner 1: Yes you did. You said..
Old guard: (Interrupting) I said it’s the price you have to pay
Prisoner 1: Well if I have a price to pay that naturally means I did something wrong which I have not
Old guard: That is definitely not what it means. You should know better by now
Prisoner 1: Know what?
Old guard: For someone who is as smart as you it is kind of ironic you don’t see it
Prisoner 1: Oh, my days not again! Consider me dull. Hell, consider me an idiot. No no, consider me idiocracy alive in the flesh. Now can you please excuse my stupidity and explain to me what I do not see!
Old guard: What are you here for?
Prisoner 1: Why ask when you know my story
Old guard: I know it very well. It’s nothing new to me. It is the most repetitive story I have ever heard during my time here. The likes of you have come here repeatedly. They too, were too blind to see
Prisoner 1: I apologize that my agonizing story bores you so much. I did not know I was in here to entertain you
Old guard: The question here is whether you know your story
Prisoner 1: My story? You think I don’t know my story?
Old guard: Eat your food youngster
Prisoner 1: I can't. It's too cold and I can never seem to swallow what you call here “food”.
Old guard: Well I’ll go fetch some water for you if that’s the case. But you must eat. I’ll be back in a minute
Prisoner 1: But you haven’t told me why you think I don’t know why I’m here
Old guard: Because you clearly don’t. You are asking all the wrong questions. Tell you what, how about you think about that for a moment until I’m back. And then we'll talk. But you must think while I’m away
Prisoner 1: Believe me, thinking is the only thing I do these days
Guard leaves temporarily
Prisoner 2: Well I’m glad you’re my cell neighbor, at least your loudness keeps me entertained
Prisoner 1: Have you seen this old guard before?
Prisoner 2: Does it matter? At least I eat what’s on the plate before the food is cold.
Prisoner 1 starts eating
Prisoner 2: A bright one does not outsmart a riddle you know? They do, however, break it down and take the time solving it.
Prisoner 1: But doesn’t breaking it down and solving it essentially mean the riddle has been outsmarted in order to move on from it?
Prisoner 2: Sometimes the riddle is just meant to be enjoyed not-
Interruption as Old Guard re-enters cell holding the same lit candle and pot filled with water
Old guard: There you go son
Guard hands Prisoner 1 a cup of water
Old guard: So, any luck?
Prisoner 1: You really think I haven’t thought everything through while I’ve been here? What else am I to do? You think I’m going to have an epiphany in a few minutes while you were gone?
Old guard: Not with that attitude you’re not
Prisoner 1: Hey! This is my life. This is not a joke. If you have something to say to help me in this situation I’m in then please spit it out now I’m done with playing games. You say ask the right questions, well what are they?
Old guard: That’s a good start. Asking what the right questions are
Prisoner 1: Well? What are they?
Old guard: Before we get any further, I am inclined to tell you that I am under no circumstance obliged to tell you anything. But I will help you because you seem terribly lost
Prisoner 1: Okay, go on
Old guard: The action you have done that got you here, has it been done before?
Prisoner 1: No. Of course not. You already know this. Everybody knows this. No one has ever done what I have done
Old guard: And why did you do it?
Prisoner 1: Because I did not care what was acceptable. I was more interested in what can help us. What can enhance our lives. Not just you and I, everyone! Why did I have to be challenged in this brutal way? All I wanted was to help. I wanted to change things. Is that forbidden?
Old guard: On the contrary. It is the only thing that is allowed to exist throughout history: change
Prisoner 1: Then why am I here?
Old guard: It’s the price you have to pay
Prisoner 1: Why me?
Old guard: Well, you see we as humans always want things. Things we know are better for us. To get them we need change. But not everyone is willing to pay the price. Bare in mind that change is brutal. We foolishly romanticize it all the time. In actuality, those who are willing to change the current predicament they are in are the frontliners of humanity. They take in the hits for us. And that is because they can! They are the ones we rely on. Without them we wouldn't be here
Prisoner 1: So, what are you saying? I’m part of that front line? But what have I changed? I don’t see any change
Old guard: Ohh but trust me they will. But you will not get to live these changes
Prisoner 1: What? Why? Why?
Old guard: Again, it’s the price you have to pay
Prisoner 1: But don’t I get to be recognized for igniting that change? At the very least acknowledge me! Acknowledge my existence!
Old guard: You have no idea how much recognition you are going to receive. Oh the songs they will sing about you. The paintings they will paint of you. The monuments they will erect in your honor. What figure you will be!
Prisoner 1: And when will this happen?
Old guard: Probably not tomorrow or in a decade or even a hundred years from now. But eventually
Prisoner 1: No! What do you mean? What good is that? If I don’t get to see it for myself
Old guard: That seems to be a common flaw in the human imagination. We cannot seem to imagine our lives without others until they are gone. And so, we are to take them for granted. Even worse, we humiliate them while they are alive. Only to chant their name in memorization and long for a time when they were alive and well later. This my friend only happens when someone like you is well gone by then.
Prisoner 1: But I don’t want to be remembered later. I want to be remembered now!
Old guard: Well that is interesting. Because as I recall, you said you did what you did to enhance people’s lives. If I’m quoting you correctly, you said: “Not just you and I, everyone.” So tell me why are you so upset? Were you actually doing it for everyone? Or were you hoping to get the recognition you deserve out of it.
Prisoner 1: Of course I wanted to help people. Since I was a child I wanted to help people. You know what? You are right. I shouldn’t care about the humiliating treatment I have received. I shouldn’t care about any type of attention I should get for what I have done. But what drives me insane is that I don’t see the change you talk about. I don’t see any flowers from the seeds I had put in the soil. Has it happened? Will it happen? Please answer me. If these aren’t the right questions, I don’t know what is
Old Guard: The question that should be asked is not whether change has happened, but how does one incite change that could last?
Prisoner 1: Quick revolutionary change does not last, gradually incited change gets defeated, subdued and reverted overtime. I don’t know how to incite change that would last. All I know is that I did what I could. Isn’t that enough
Old guard: It is more than enough my friend
Moment of silence
Old Guard: Forgive me, but I am intrigued. You said you wanted to change things since you were a child?
Prisoner 1: Yes. It has always consumed me: change. Since I was little
Old Guard: Interesting. And did you have a happy childhood?
Prisoner 1: I wouldn't say that
Old Guard: Well why not?
Prisoner 1: I was surrounded by people. But I was always on my own. Nothing I think, do, or say made sense to anyone around me. I don’t remember a lot from when I was a child. Maybe I blocked out as much as I could from my childhood intentionally
Old Guard: Well what do you remember?
Prisoner 1: I remember my siblings and I played this game. We would gather discarded papers across town and head to the southeast river. We would fold the papers inwards to make the edges look like wings, each one competing who would make the best flying piece of paper that would go furthest down the stream. The thing was, not once did anyone win. We fought every single time. One would always throw early and another would always be late. One would take a few steps forward while the other would wait for a wind breeze. Do you think they would tell the story the way I said it? Of course not. Each one would write themselves off as the winner.
Old Guard: And did it feel like you’ve won?
Prisoner 1: No. Never.
Old Guard: You will someday
Moment of silence
Prisoner 1: Don’t you have other prisoners to attend to?
Old Guard: No, not really
Prisoner 1: What about the other one in the cell right next to mine?
Old Guard: I don’t know what you’re going on about. Hey, did you figure it out?
Prisoner 1: Figure what out?
Old Guard: Why are you so forgetful all the time. Did you figure out the riddle?
Prisoner 1: The what?
Old Guard: Okay that’s enough for the day. I’ll be on my way now
Prisoner 1: Wait! Did you tell me a riddle? When?
Old Guard: I don’t have time for this kid
Prisoner 1: Why didn’t you drop off food to the prisoner in the cell next to me? Hey. Answer me
Old Guard: No
Guard gathers food tray and the cup of water and starts to head towards the door
Prisoner 1: Yes, you will! You will answer me right this second
Old Guard: Once again you don’t listen. You are terrible at it really. I clearly stated before that I am not inclined to answer anything you ask me. You seemed quite alright with it then. You must pay the price for that! Now if you’ll excuse me
Guard leaves cell and locks it up
Prisoner 1: Heyyyyyy! You come back here now! Hey you! Where do you think you are going? (Agonizing) Please come back. I need you, Come back please. Don’t leave me
Prisoner 1 paces across the cell nervously trying to calm down
Prisoner 1 (to Prisoner 2 towards the hole): Were you able to hear all of that?
Prisoner 2: You want me to repeat it?
Prisoner 1: Did you get any food?
Prisoner 2: Ok so, if there were two people. One of them always says the truth and the other always lies
Prisoner 1: Can you hear me?
Prisoner 2: And you are a traveler who is unsure whether to take the right or left road to reach your destination
Prisoner 1: Hey!
Prisoner 2: You only have one question to ask the two men whom you don’t know which of them is a liar and which is truthful
Prisoner 1: Listen to me!
Prisoner 2: What do you ask to know how to get to your destination?
Prisoner 2 leaves the stage. Moment of silence
Prisoner 1: Are you there? If you are please speak up. I actually grew quite fond of you. Even though I never saw you. You made me feel something. Like I wasn’t alone. I know I always complain about being here. But the truth is, you made my stay worthwhile. Please speak. Speak up please.
Prisoner 1 looks through the small hole they share together and finds a paper folded inwards and the edges look like wings similar to the one Prisoner 1 played with many years ago by the river. Prisoner 1 looks at it intently as the candle left behind from the guard wears out and the stage lights dim.