WORLDS APART ACT ONE

(WORLDS APART)
ACT ONE.

SCENE ONE. SETTING: Modern day earth. A bedroom with one window. Sunlight filters in and we hear the sounds of a city awakening. There is a bed and a dresser and clothes are on the floor like someone was to tired to pick them up. There is a form in the bed and we see the form begin to stir.

JAKARI sits up and stretches, he scratches his head and eventually stands. We see that he is a young man of about 20 or 21 years of age and he has a semi-athletic build. Not remarkable but not average either. He is wearing a white T-shirt and some boxers. He looks about the room and finds what he is looking for and he picks his pants up off the floor and sits back on the bed as he pulls them on. He leaves the room and we hear him peeing and he flushes the toilet and we hear the sound of water running and it shuts off. He re-enters the room and sits back on the bed. He reaches behind him and picks up the remote that he finds in the bed and turns on his stereo and the sounds of {Nightmares on Wax "Flip Ya Lid"} fill the room as he reaches onto the nightstand beside his bed and picks up a sack of weed and starts to twist a blunt. We can tell by his proficiency that this is a daily occurrence. There is a knock on his door and JOHN peeks his head in. He is JAKARI'S roommate and they have been friends for a long time.

JOHN Whats up Jakari? I thought I heard you stirring around in here. You need a light for that?

JAKARI Yeah man, what the hell you doing up so early bro?

JOHN Man I got to take this girl home.

JAKARI What girl?

JOHN The one from the club last night. Remember I gave her my number? Well she called and we both wanted the same thing sooooo.

JAKARI Man yo ass is a trip.

JOHN Man shut yo ass up and fire that shit up.

A young black woman in panties walks by the door and we hear a door close and water run. The men light the blunt and pull on it. The girl walks into the room and she has on no shirt and she is not embarrassed by the fact that she wears no shirt. She walks in and introduces herself.

SHEANTE Hi i'm SHEANTE she says as JOHN passes her the blunt. She pulls on it and they talk as if there is not a half naked woman standing in the room.

JAKARI So what do you do SHEANTE?

SHEANTE. I work at the blue flame.

JAKARI So you dance. He looks at JOHN when he says that and by the look you can tell that JOHN does his a lot. Brings women like this home.

SHEANTE Yes I do.

JOHN So tell him where you are from.

SHEANTE North Dakota.

At this both of the men burst out laughing and JAKARI is pulling the blunt and his laughter is mixed with coughing.

SHEANTE looks confused as she asks: "Whats so funny.'

JOHN laughs and says "We finally found the one black person in North Dakota who is not in jail. As he and JAKARI fall back into laughter again.

SHEANTE looks blank and JAKARI explains through his laughter. "There aint but two niggers in North Dakota and both of them are in jail.

SHEANTE LAUGHS at that remark and says there are black people in North Dakota.

JOHN says "How many black people went to your high school?"

SHEANTE looks at him and says "About 25."

JOHN and JAKARI look at each other and burst out laughing again. SHEANTE smiles sheepishly and says "That is not funny."

ACT ONE: SCENE TWO. It is later in the day and We find JAKARI downstairs in the living room sitting at a desk which is in front of a bay window with cushions in it. He leans back and looks around for a second before he opens a drawer of the desk and pulls out a picture. He looks at it and sighs and we can see that this picture holds some importance to him. JOHN walks in from his room and says Bro no matter how much you look at that picture you are not going to be able to bring her back." JOHN looks up and says "I know that bro but I dont think that I am ever going to find someone like her. I do miss her bro."

JOHN Man you need to get over that, she is gone and you need to get on with the rest of your life. You are still young and you have so much living to do. It was not your fault. what happened happened and if it was meant for you you would be right where she is now. It was not your time to go and you need to realize that.

JAKARI That is way easier to say than do bro. It seems like I can almost be about to forget that day, the days that she was in my life and then all of a sudden I see her in a dream or in the raindrops. I see her in the sky when I look up and on the ground when I look up. I miss her bro.

JOHN I know bro but you gotta let this shit go. "When was the last time you left this damn house except to go to work at the magazine and I know for a fact that you do most of that shit from home so you don't have to go as often. All that you are doing is hiding from the world. JOHN walks out of the front door of the house and JAKARI is left alone. He sits in place for a minute and stares off into space. He starts to write when all of a sudden he hears a voice. Someone is crying and it sounds as if it coming from one of the rooms. He stands and walks to the door of his room which is on the right of the room he is in and opens the door he looks in and sees no one and he closes the door and crosses to the door of JOHN'S room he opens the door and looks in. There is no one there either and he closes the door. He walks around and checks the closet and looks in the door of the kitchen. He stands in place for a minute and he says "What the hell." The cries stop and the voice of a woman says "Who said that?" JAKARI looks around and speaks into the empty room "Its me."

The VOICE says "Me who? Where are you? How did you get in my room?"

JAKARI This is my house and my living room, where are you? He looks around and the frustration is clear on his face.

TheVOICE No this is my room of books and my place of waking and sleeping. Where are you? the frustration is clear in the woman's voice as well.

JAKARI I am here and you are as well. Where is here to you?

The VOICE My place of waking and sleeping.

JAKARI Okay I do not know what that means. I mean where is home? I live on Joe Louis Street.

The VOICE. What is home? What is street?

JAKARI JAKARI looks around confused and says "What the fuck?" under his breath. Out loud he says. What do you mean what is street?"

The VOICE I mean what is this street thing that you talk of? I live in quadrant six, sector 3 in the peoples quarter.

JAKARI What is that?

The VOICE It is where I live.

JAKARI Looks around and asks the room "Is this some kind of a prank or something?"

The VOICE Starting to fade away says "A prank? what is this thing prank?"

JAKARI Hey whats happening? I cant hear you.

The door opens and JOHN walks in.

JOHN Man whats up? We got any more of that diesel left? I needs to smoke.

JAKARI Man thats a nice trick.

JOHN looks at him in bewilderment.

JOHN Man I do not know what the fuck you talkin bout but you reaalllly needs to stop smoking if its gonna do you like that.

JAKARI Man you telling me you didn't have nothing to do with what just went on here?

JOHN Bro I just pulled up. what the fuck are you talking bout.

JAKARI looks at him for a brief second

JAKARI Awww nothing man I was just fucking with you.

The men sit at the bar and start to talk and roll a blunt as the scene fades to black.

JERALD HAMZAHFARUQ MURPHY

WORLDS APART... ACT TWO

(WORLDS APART)
ACT TWO:
SCENE ONE:
SETTING:

Modern day Bamboola, a moon orbiting the planet Ra 17. A bedroom with huge openings in octagonal shapes with orange light filtering in, there are sounds coming from the street below. People talking in an alien language. Strange animal cries. There is a large bed in the center of the room and the covers cover a form which stirs and eventually throws back the covers.
MERESANKH Throws the covers from her form and stands, she is a splendid figure indeed. We see that she is rather tall and while not thin she is muscular for a female. As we look closer we notice that there are some things that are different about her. Her eyes are all black like her skin and she walks rather gracefully. More like an animal than a human. Yet we can see that she is clearly human or some derivative thereof. There is a light fur on her body and it to is a shade like her skin. We can see it as it shines. She has no need to wear a lot of clothes and the skirt and the blouse that she wears are semi transparent. Her hands end in long nails more like claws than the nails of a human on earth.

MERESANKH Stands and walk into a room adjacent to the one she is in and we hear the sound of water being ran. she is only gone for a minute and as she walks back in the room she presses a button and the sounds of the street subside. There is a knock on her door and she says "Enter."

ABAALISABA Peeks into the room and say's "My sister. It is good to see that you make morning with us."

MERESANKH My brother it is good to see you make morning as well. May your day be blessed upon your rising.

ABAALISABA And yours my sister. He walks towards her and extends his hand. MERESANKH takes his hand and lowers her eyes. ABAALISABA puts his hand under her chin and raises her face.

ABAALISABA It pains me to see you so trapped in the pasts of our goings my sister.

MERESANKH It is in our goings that we are found my brother. Their voices still fill my waking and my lying down, I cannot escape them. Our parents and my husbands. They haunt me with every step that I take. They echo into my whole and there is no relief from them.

ABAALISABA Sometimes my sister it seems a gift becomes a curse and it is your power that has become your weakness. I hurt for you my sister but you must overcome the goings. Then and only then will you be happy.

ABAALISABA Turns and walks from the room. There are no goodbyes, it is not the custom.

MERESANKH Sits on the bed and looks off into space for a second and there is another knock on the door and she answers "Enter." KHAMA'AT Opens the door and walks in. She is a little older than MERESANKH and her face is a little plainer but it looks good on her. She is very confident and we see that in her bearing. She is MERESANKH'S Sister in law and even though their personalities are different she and MERESANKH behave more like sisters than in-laws. She says "It is good to see you make morning my sister."

MERESANKH As it is good to see you make morning my sister. They embrace and sit on the bed as they begin to talk.

KHAMA'AT My little sister your pain pains your brother and I. What can we do to take you away from this pain. You have not left the gates of this home in many periods of rotation. The light and the dark finds you like a ghost roaming the halls. Sitting in the room of books. My sister you are the most important thing to me besides my husband and I want to share in your joy yet I am confined to your misery. She takes the hand of MERESANKH and places it to her forehead and then to her lips. "My life force is your life force my sister.

MERESANKH Looks into KHAMA'AT'S eyes and breathes deeply. "My sister in you has my brother found peace but my peace is gone away into the goings, his body turned to ash. Such little time we had together and I am left listening to his whispers as they come and go. For some reason we still remain bound even in the going.

KHAMA'AT Sighs and stands, My sister I am sure that you will find a way to overcome the pain. Trust that I will walk with you. Let us go and make the morning meal together.

MERESANKH AND KHAMA'AT stand and leave the room together.

ACT TWO: SCENE TWO: MERESANKH sits in a room where she is surrounded by books, she sits silently and closes her eyes. We hear sounds like whispers in the air and she sighs as she seems to fall under their spell. After a moment she begins to cry and a voice is heard loud and clear.

The VOICE "What the hell."

MERESANKH Instantly stops crying and says to the empty room ""Who said that?"

The VOICE "Its me."

MERESANKH "Me who? Where are you? How did you get in my room?"

The VOICE This is my house and my living room, where are you?

MERESANKH No this is my room of books and my place of waking and sleeping. Where are you?

The VOICE I am here and you are as well. Where is here to you?

MERESANKH My place of waking and sleeping.

The VOICE Okay I do not know what that means. I mean where is home? I live on Joe Louis Street.

MERESANKH What is home? What is street?

The VOICE "What the fuck? What do you mean what is street?"

MERESANKH I mean what is this street thing that you talk of? I live in Quadrant six, Sector 3 in the peoples quarter.

The VOICE What is that?

MERESANKH It is where I live.

The VOICE "Is this some kind of a prank or something?" The VOICE is fading.

MERESANKH "A prank? what is this thing prank?" The voice is gone and MERESANKH looks about in confusion as she yells to the empty room. "Come back." She looks around before she yells again "Come back!"

The door opens and KHAMAAT looks in, MERESANKH who do you make the small roar for?

MERESANKH Looks around and says "Did someone just pass you in the great room my sister?

KHAMA'AT Looks at her in a strange way and says "Are you okay my sister? There is no one here but us. Your brother attends the council meeting and we are alone to ourselves. Are you sure that you are of the best way now?

MERESANKH Catches the turmoil in her sister in laws voice and says quickly "I am of the best way my sister I was just asking. I thought I heard something fall. Thats all.

KHAMA'AT Okay my sister do you mind if I sit with you as the day progresses. I would like to discuss some things with you. The business of the place of our waking and our lyings must be attended to and I need your insights.

MERESANKH Come my sister. KHAMA'AT walks to her and sits beside her and they start to discuss things as the scene fades to black.

JERALD HAMZAHFARUQ MURPHY