Misha Williams

 95 
by you! Herrenfolk was subsequently Hitlers ideal 
and…… rather unfashionable now. 
 
FAWCETT 
(Quite sanely) The world's just not ready for it yet. But 
it will be. When the chaos comes. 
 
BRIAN 
The ones you left behind, your family, were robbed of 
happiness in life. Mourning. Grieving. Thinking you 
were dead, and all the while you cruised on and on into 
your fantasies. Well, your selfishness has killed you. To 
the outside world anyway. Your soul is mad. 
 
FAWCETT 
You're being a little harsh. Anyway. You've got the 
wrong man. Zahaz is my name. I don't recall any 
previous identity. (Hisses and holds up the ring) 
Snake-eyes! 
 
FAWCETT goes. BRIAN speaks to audience. 
 
BRIAN 
That was Daddy, alright. No mistaking those steel grey 
eyes. What a tragedy is here. A life spent to no useful 
end. All of it a search for illusions. Is there anything of 
true virtue in Daddy's life's work? But how much virtue 
is there in anyone's life's work for that matter? The 
question is staggering in it's implication. Good…I've got 
it off my chest. Now back home to my little Ruthie who 
never did anyone a jot of harm. The first thing I'm 
going to do is hand those blasted secret archives to the 
dustman! 
 
Uneasy music. The set moves and light changes to reveal… 
 
 
SCENE SEVEN.  "DEAD HORSE CAMP" CO-ORDINATES. JUNGLE. 
 
Night. Loud noises of nocturnal wildlife. ALBERT sits crouched and looks 
ragged. He swigs from a bottle. He is watched by "M." 
 
 
 

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 96 
ALBERT 
Here I am at "Dead Horse Camp", where Fawcett's 
horse died. Its bones are there, my co-ordinates are 
right. Before I left home, I had a last look round my 
garden. There was a little hazel tree that Jess gave me 
for my birthday. It was magical that little tree. But it 
didn't look well. Symbolizing the end of us. "Why 
should you live when all that's dead?" I took a spade 
and started to dig it up. I explained " I think it right 
that you should go. You only bring up painful 
memory!". I struggled with it for several minutes. It 
took me nearly half an hour to overcome that little 
tree. It really fought for its life. Branches sprung at my 
face and cut me ferociously. I finally managed to break 
its trunk but I just couldn't dig up those roots. I gave 
up. They're still there, alive under the ground….damn 
it. 
 
 
SCENE EIGHT.  BRIAN'S BUNGALOW, CARLISLE. 
 
RUTH on the phone to JOAN. 
 
RUTH 
…He's sleeping. Utterly exhausted. I am so relieved 
Joan. If anything happened to Brian I don't know what 
I'd do… Well he's complaining of a bladder problem. He 
saw the doctor who can't find anything wrong…I don't 
think it's anything….No, he didn't…. Not a thing, 
Joan…No…no… He didn't find a single clue…I'm so 
sorry. He says in Brazil the Fawcett enigma is ancient 
history and time has moved on. It was a 
disappointment…yes… and he's so glad to be out of 
that terrible place. 
 
BRIAN appears in dressing gown and pyjamas. He mouths; 
 
BRIAN 
I'll ring her later. 
 
RUTH 
He'll ring you later, of course…Alright then… Love to 
you both. Good-bye dear. Bye. 
(To BRIAN) How are you feeling, darling? 

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 97 
BRIAN 
Different. Not surprising. What a country.  
 
RUTH 
I was so worried. Thank God you survived. 
 
She almost breaks down. 
 
BRIAN 
(Laughing) Survived! Yes. I think I survived. I'm not 
sure though. Ah well. Back to the house chores. Has 
the mouse been around? 
 
RUTH 
No. I was totally lonely. Not even "Mickey" for 
company. (She laughs). I'll make you some tea. 
 
She starts to go. 
BRIAN 
Thank you. Ruthie! Could you put on that Tchaikovsky 
record on your way? Thanks. 
 
She goes out.  
 
BRIAN 
(To audience) Well…"M" has been keeping a low profile. 
I'm not surprised. How wrong can you get "M"?  
 
"M" 
I am not wrong! 
 
Her head appears from behind the sofa and she gets up angrily. Waltz 
Music. 
 
"M" 
And don't speak to me in that tone! 
 
BRIAN 
I've trusted you for a long time. You enchanted me in 
the garden at Up Lyme when I was just a child, rolling 
around in the daisies . You took over my being. You 
taught me everything I know about the universe. You 
explained Daddy and Jack's fate… which I now find out 
was not as you claim.  

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 98 
 
"M" 
(Wearily) Well, my dear. It seems I haven't made such 
a good job of teaching you if you can't see the truth 
when it's in front of your face. Perhaps they found their 
metier in a way that you and the material world of 
modern civilization just can't recognize. 
 
BRIAN 
But they didn't find any cities. They didn't hand Jack 
over to the Guardians. My father didn't expire in a puff 
of smoke and rise to the heavens on a golden cloud...  
Its hard to accept that my father's extraordinary career 
was all to no purpose. A lifetime of sacrifice and 
suffering. For what? 
 
"M" 
You don't understand different dimensions. Some 
parallel to each other. You don't understand Time and 
vibrations! Your father and Jack both failed and 
succeeded. Quantum physics! Parallel dimensions 
giving opposing outcomes! And that is where we siths 
can wipe the floor with your stupid phoney logic! 
 
BRIAN is about to argue back when RUTH sweeps in with the tea. 
 
RUTH 
I've got your favourite cup-cakes. 
 
BRIAN 
Marvellous. 
 
"M" 
I'm really thinking of leaving you. You fail to interest 
me. You've become pedestrian. 
 
BRIAN 
But… 
 
RUTH 
But, what darling? Do you prefer the lemon flavour. 
 
BRIAN 
No, chocolate is fine. 

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