35: Not to derive benefit from [the burnt city of idolatry]

The Book of Knowledge
Laws of Idolatry and Paganism
Not to derive benefit from [the burnt city of idolatry] (Deut. 13:18)

Note on Style: The projections should be displayed before each scene begins and then remain until each scene’s ending blackout.

Content Warning: homophobic and racist language

1

PROJECTION: First national elections since the burning of the capital. The Liberty Restoration Party (LRP) set to make their largest gains in Parliament yet.

            ALICE (45) and SARAH (42) eat breakfast

            SARAH picks at a grapefruit while reading the paper

            ALICE scarfs down bacon and eggs as she writes on a notepad

            SARAH gentle kicks ALICE under the table

            ALICE smiles at her

            they sip their coffee

            blackout

2

PROJECTION: LRP Party leaders criticized for comments on immigration and LGBT rights. Unrest grows across the nation.

            ALICE and SARAH get their two sons ready for school

            the eldest son tries to run out the door

            ALICE stops him and hands him an orange and a piece of toast

            he kisses ALICE on the cheek and heads out

            meanwhile SARAH helps get their younger son’s shoes on

            he gets frustrated as he struggles with the laces

            SARAH helps him out

            pets his head and whispers to him to calm him down

            blackout

3

PROJECTION: Windows smashed at municipal buildings. Bomb threats at schools force evacuations. Elections will continue as scheduled.

            ALICE has a speech on a notepad in front of her

            she quietly rehearses it

            SARAH comes over to her

            gently moves the notepad to the side

            kisses ALICE

            begins to pull her to the bedroom

            ALICE resists for a moment

            but then puts her speech aside and kisses her wife

            the women run off to have sex

            blackout

4

PROJECTION: LRP criticized for controversial statement on racial purity. Protests for and against flood the streets.

            SARAH strolls out of the bedroom

            post-coital

            relaxed

            she puts a kettle on the stove

            she sits and waits for it to boil

            she looks at her hand

            notices there is a lipstick mark on it

            she rubs it out

            she keeps rubbing at it

            growing increasingly more frantic

            the kettle whistles

            SARAH keeps rubbing at the lipstick mark

            a rock crashes through their window

            SARAH jumps

            ALICE runs in to see what happened

            she runs to SARAH

            holds her

            SARAH cries

            blackout

5

PROJECTION: LRP wins ten seats in Parliament. A landmark first for the new but growing conservative party.

            SARAH watches ALICE on TV addressing a crowd

            ALICE stands before a bombed-out building

ALICE
            on the TV
The reckoning is upon us. God has delivered retribution. Our capital went up in flames. That was God, God did that. God sent to the floods to Noah and he sent the fires to us. He burnt our capital to the ground and for what? What did that capital stand for? Racial impurity, sexual deviancy, eradication of borders, eradication of family, eradication of babies, they hate babies you know that, they drink the blood of babies, the blood of the elderly, the blood of dogs, prowl the streets, capture young girls, cut them open, stick neural networks and unknown radio frequencies in them, patch them up, send them out, a nation of zombies watching, watching, watching us, watching you, your family, at night, yellow eyes amidst the trees, they will cut us open, they will drain us of blood, they will fill our streets with perverts and lunatics, cockroaches and mud and half-formed mutants, hermaphrodites, invaders, they will dirty the soul of the nation. If we let them. But you, you, YOU, by electing us to power, you are refusing to let them win. You are fighting back against their bloodlust. Our party is about the restoration of liberty. It’s in the name. We are here to drive a stake through their fat black hearts. Thank you for giving us the stake.

            SARAH and ALICE’s sons run in from school

            SARAH turns the volume down

            but doesn’t turn thebut doesn’t turn the TV off

            SARAH gets up to greet them

            ALICE continues speaking on the television though we can’t hear her

            blackout

6

PROJECTION: The capitol is on fire again. Everyone must evacuate. Nothing will remain by morning. Parliament will begin its first session next month as scheduled.

            dinnertime

            ALICE SARAH and their sons sit around at a table and eat pot roast

            they all eat in total silence

            after a few minutes-

SARAH
oh
my goodness
i forgot
            grabbing ALICE’s hand
congratulations dear

            their sons mutter congratulations as well

ALICE
            smiling
thank you all
i’m very lucky

            blackout

            END OF PLAY