DRAMA
GULP AND GASP By John Townsend
Edited by Najwa Mansor Casts: Lord Septic
Crouch Rose Percy Old Lady(Percy’s Mom, a ghost)/Narrator
Scene 1 The curtains open with the sound of train, loud. At the center of the stage, Lord Septic and Crouch laughing away while Rose is tied and bounded onto the railway track. Rose is panicking, screaming for help. Suddenly all characters freezes. Loud train noise is replaced by eerie, hollow echoing sound. An old lady enters the stage, looking pale, walking slowly, and circling the characters and stops.
Old Lady Hear hear! ... What has become to me train station? [PAUSE] Is that Septic? [GASP] He is! Evil! Evil! Father was and so is he! Good gracious! What’s happening here? [Touching Rose] God God! Show me! Show me before! Before me showing here! Lights dim into dark.
Scene 2 Empty railway station at night. Lord Septic & Crouch is at the platform, waiting for the midnight train.
Lord Septic Late! Late late late! As usual! Crouch What late sir? Lord Septic My train! Crouch Your brain? Lord Septic No! Train! Crouch Indeed sir! Lord Septic Foul! Crouch Mmm.. Mm.. Lord Septic Fillthy! Crouch Really? [Looking at his shoe] Lord Septic [Seeing Crunch stares at his shoe, wandering] The night, you fool! It’s foul and filthy night! And I’m angry! Crouch Why sir? Lord Septic Look at this fog! Crouch Yes sir, filthy foul fog! Lord Septic I can’t even see my railway track! Crouch
Your what sir?
Lord Septic You fool! Do you know, by next week, I’ll own this railway track? Crouch Indeed sir! Most true! Lord Septic And do you know that by next week, I’ll be even more.. Crouch [quickly cut Lord Septic’s dialogue] Yes sir, I know. Even more greedy.. Lord Septic Rich you fool! Rich! And you know why? Crouch Because you own the railway track? Lord Septic Because somewhere along this track, there is that Gatsby Gold [GASP]
Crouch The Gatsby Gold… Lord Septic And when I get my hands on that treasure, no one will get in my way! [trips over Crouch’s leg] Get out of my way you fool! Crouch Sorry sir! Very sorry! So many ‘F’s you said tonight sir! Rose enters the stage
Lord Septic And there’s another ‘F’ [pointing to a mirage from fog] Crouch f…f..f…. Phantom sir? Lord Septic A flower seller, you ‘F’.
Chase her away! I don’t want any beggar on my railway station! I’ll go up to my office. Call me when the train comes! [leaves the stage]
Crouch Of course sir. By all means. [turns around, facing Rose] This should be fun! At last I have some power… Oi! Rose Yes? Buy few lovely flowers sir? Crouch Shut up! Clear off! Get lost! Rose I’ll take that as a no. Crouch Get off from this platform! We don’t want any beggar! Rose But I’m just a poor innocent flower girl… Crouch Then you shouldn’t be out here alone in the dark night. Rose Night or day, it doesn’t make me any difference. Crouch What do you mean, you fool? Rose I’m blind. Crouch Blind? Rose Yes, sir. Do buy some flowers here. My mom is sick at home and I need some money to treat my eyes…
Crouch Who cares? Go off! Rose
Please… I beg you..
Crouch No, Lord Septic doesn’t want any beggar on his railway station! [Throw away the flower from Rose] Rose Owh! Lord Septic? THE Lord Septic? Crouch Yes! His lordship! The man who runs this town. Now I’m going to tell Lord Septic that I’ve chased you away, but when I come back and you are still here, you will be in big trouble girl! [Leaves the stage] Rose sobs and trying to find her flowers. [Enter Percy]
Percy Pretty grim, isn’t it? Rose Sorry? Percy The night. Ghastly. Rose Worst ever. [continues sobbing] Percy Owh, don’t feel so bad… Maybe it’ll be sunny tomorrow.. [watches Rose searching for her flower] Poor girl, you can’t see, can you?
Rose The fire at the match factory took my sight. Percy Let me help you [Watches Rose] You have such a pretty face! Rose [smile] Really?
Percy And a pretty smile… What’s your name? Rose My name is Rose. Percy Pure sweet Rose! You should have someone like me to look for you.. to put you in water.. Rose Have you got a swimming pool? Percy No, just a rising damp. Rose My attic room had dry rot. Lord Septic, our landlord is so cruel to us. Percy Poor Rose. If only I could give you some money, but all I have is this train ticket. You see, I was born with nothing. I’m an orphan. They say my mother was killed on this railway line… Rose How very sad… You poor boy.. Percy I was a little boy when they found me in the litter bin. I had nothing except for this purse and a key that they found tied around my neck. Since they found me with a purse and a key, hence the purse key and now Percy. The key has an initial, NSL. I guess it reads No Such Luck… Rose Maybe your luck will change tonight Percy I know it has. I found you. Rose It could be the key to my heart! Percy I wish I could help you Rose I wish I could help you too [they are about to hug when Crouch appears]
Crouch Oi! Cut that out will ya? Rose Oh no! It’s him again, the one who threw my flowers. Percy Did he? Hey! Have you no shame man? How dare you harm a poor young girl! It’s time to show you how to treat a lady. [Grabs Crouch by his collar] Crouch I was only following orders sir.. Don’t blame me.. please. Percy Then pick up her flower! Crouch Yes sir! By all means! Rose Owh Percy! You are my hero! My knight in shining armour! My good knight! Crouch Good knight? Percy Good knight! Lord Septic [creeps from behind Percy and hits him on his head] Good night! Crouch Lord Septic! Rose Oh no! Lord Septic! Because of you, I’m blind! Because of you, my mother is sick! I’m going to tell the Evening News about your cruel ways. Lord Septic No you’re not! Crouch, grab her and tie her onto the railway. I can hear the sound of the midnight train. Let this be her ticket to the Grim Reaper’s midnight train express. Hahahaha! [Percy gets up on his feet and run out from the stage]
Lord Septic Hahaha! See? He’s just a coward. Now tie her. Crouch Tie to the… are you sure sir? Lord Septic Sure I’m sure! This will be like that night, many years ago. My father tied Lady Gatsby to the same track and demands her gold, but the train hit her first before we could find the treasure. And her son… we ditched him in the litter bin.. hahaha! Rose Litter bin? On this station? Lord Septic Yes! That one over there. Rose Percy! Oh Percy! It was Percy! Where’s Percy? Crouch Too late! He left you! And he would probably be under the train by now… dead! Hahahah! Rose Owh, what’s that noise? Lord Septic Here it comes… like thunder… like a dragon coming to slay the damsel. [The scene comes back to the 1 st scene, but without the Old Lady] Suddenly the stage fills with screeching sound. And Percy leaps into the stage with a chain, and he quickly winds around Lord Septic and Crouch and they fall. Percy cuts Rose’s rope and holds her in his arms.
Percy I’m back! Rose I’m shocked! Crouch I’m stuck Lord Septic
I’m furious! Untie this chain!
Crouch I cannot move sir Lord Septic But… but how you stop the train? Percy My pants Rose Your pants? Lord Septic How apparent Rose How interesting! Crouch How disgusting! Percy I climbed the gas lamp at the far end of the railway and cover it with my pants. It shone dark red, and the driver saw it in the nick of time. Lord Septic Blasphemy! You will not get away with this! Percy I told the guard on the train to call the police. They’ll be here any minute. You’ll go to prison for this. Crouch No… Please… I’ll do anything… Lord Septic Shut up you fool! Rose There is something you must know, Percy. SIR Percy! Percy Sir Percy? Rose Yes! You are the heir to the Gatsby Gold! You are Sir Percy Gatsby!
Lord Septic Hah! You’ll never find it! Rose The key! The key! Percy What key? Crouch Whose key? Lord Septic Which key? Rose Your key Percy My key? Rose Yes, the key in the purse! That must be the key to unlock the gold! Percy Yes, of course! When I bashed my head into the locker over here, I saw the very same initial, NSL. [He opens the locker and there’s a heavy bag. He opens it and there’s the gold] I don’t believe it! It’s gold! I’m rich! Lord Septic Blasphemy! This is madness! Rose You mother must have hid it there when you were a baby. I’m so happy for you.. The scene ends with the sound of police siren getting louder. Percy and Rose exit the stage together, holding hands.
The End.
