Misha Williams

 31 
It wasn't easy bringing up a messiah… 
 
                                     JESS 
This is amazing. 
 
NINA 
His training was to be with a group of Earth Guardians 
who have a secret temple in the Amazon jungle. 
 
BRIAN puts his face in his hands. "M" limbers up like an athlete. 
RUTH enters with tray just as "M" stands ominously over JESS. 
 
RUTH 
Here we are. 
 
JESS 
(Trying not to sound too prying) So let's get this right. 
On that last and fatal expedition your husband was 
actually taking Jack for his initiation to this strange… 
 
NINA 
Great White Brotherhood, it is called… 
 
JESS 
…In Amazonia, who would turn him into a messiah? 
 
"M" hurtles towards JESS like an owl swooping on its prey. 
 
RUTH 
Do you like cup-cakes, Jess? 
 
The wail of a banshee and loud thunder and sudden blackout going to 
strobe lights pulsating.  JESS sinks backwards on the sofa, moaning, with 
"M" attached to her like a vampire. RUTH freezes into a waxwork statue, 
and NINA keels over and starts to snore heavily. Silence. 
 
BRIAN comes over to "M" and puts his arms round her. 
 
BRIAN 
You took your time. Will they remember anything? 
 
"M" 
Nothing. 
 

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 32 
   
 
 
        
 BRIAN 
You clever angel. 
 
 
   
 
 
 
"M" 
Now let's go to our jungle. I want to really show you  
what I can do. 
 
"M" draws a black drape across the others. 
 
BRIAN 
I can't wait, you tantalizing little darling. 
 
"M" 
I'll just go and dress up in something……suitable. 
 
BRIAN 
Siths are always ready to dress up to conform with 
one's secret desires. Phew! 
 
Music and the sound of an eerie wind. 
The grey side of the stage takes on a life. 
 
 
SCENE TEN. LIMBO. 
 
BRIAN speaks to the audience. 
 
BRIAN 
It was our anniversary, 11th June. So "M" took me to 
Corby castle grounds. A tangled wilderness of Palladian 
ruins and pagan statues. We had the place to 
ourselves. At first the sun was veiled by haze, but later 
it came through and thunder growled in the distance. 
"M" reverted. Going completely impish. Naked, hair 
loose and flying. Dancing over the river surface. 
 
"M"  
(Offstage) Throw off all your clothes Brian! And come 
and dance with me!…Oh Brian, so silly and solid. 
 
BRIAN 
In the dark glade she uttered a strange high call and 
announced us to the siths there. Their answer came 

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 33 
like the hush of a breeze in the treetops expressing 
welcome and a passage for her and "The Man." She 
instructed them to protect me. And then led me to St 
Catherine's Well and there danced round and around 
and commanded me to dance with her. Had anybody 
seen my antics, they'd have considered me quite crazy. 
I was so happy to have had this afternoon in fairyland.  
When we got back, how humdrum everything seemed. 
I felt deeply nostalgic and at teatime on BBC radio the 
election campaign rubbish nearly made me ill. Even 
Ruth's matter of fact worldliness grated harshly.  
 
He unlocks his cupboard and opens the door. 
 
As I left "M" in the garden, she said "Go into your 
studio, and take out the portrait you did of me and 
read the message in my eyes." 
 
He looks at her picture. 
 
Truly, the face in the portrait was a living face and the 
eyes looking right into my own eyes said something. 
But I didn't get their meaning. I admit that tears 
flowed in the gloaming. Tears of agony for being 
so…"Silly and solid."  
 
BRIAN turns to go as "M" enters. 
 
"M" 
Don't worry about being silly and solid. We have it in 
one way. You have it in another. We may not be silly 
and solid , but then we don't possess the highly 
developed brains that humans have. Our imaginations 
are rudimentary and we aren’t as creative as you are. 
 
BRIAN 
But you've an idyllic existence. 
 
"M" 
It gets us nowhere. We don't evolve. It's boring. That's 
why I attached myself to you. It's fun. 
 
She starts to climb into his cupboard as he closes the door. 
Blackout. Music. 

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 34 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SCENE ELEVEN. HOTEL ROOM. CARLISLE. 
 
JESS clicks on a small tape recorder. She and ALBERT listen. 
 
NINA'S TAPED VOICE 
"It wasn't easy bringing up a messiah." 
 
JESS'S VOICE 
             "This is amazing." 
 
NINA'S VOICE 
"His training was to be with a group of Earth Guardians 
who had a secret temple in the Amazon jungle…." 
(electronic interference on the tape drowns out the 
speech). 
 
JESS 
I just remember feeling ill. I must've got out to my car 
and then passed out. I felt odd . I didn't dare go back 
into that house. Brian and his wife are frankly weird. 
Anyway, Nina Fawcett... She just can't wait to help us. 
But you've got to make it commercial or Ida just won't 
want the project.  
 
ALBERT 
Don't worry. I know just what those American 
producer's want.  
 
JESS 
She'll want us to go over. I can't wait to see Ida again. 
She's fantastically successful.  
 
ALBERT 
She's a dyke. I bet that's got something to do with it. 
 
JESS 
Why do you have to be so mean spirited? I'm helping  
you… 

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