Read Online Personae by Sergio De La Pava - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sergio De La Pava
Ads: Link
no one and in this respect it is often the lone individual, not the nebulous group, who must stand firm as a host of tragic natural and other forces array against her.
So we concede that we may not have secured satisfactory answers but we did succeed in narrowing what was an infinite universe of possibilia into primary and irreducible questions.
What is a question anyway? That’s my question. Why do we question, that is the true question. Why not content ourselves with what we know, which is considerable, and leave undisturbed the great sea of the unknown? Damn, the word quest is built right into the evil thing.
Who should go? How soon? Is their success and glory as assured as it seems? Why can’t we all go? Why does one person get all the good fortune and why is it so urgent that they leave as soon as possible? They’re you have it. Now let’s answer.
ADAM: The hell’s he talking about?
CHARLES: And who the hell suspects we’re all that’s left?
NESTOR: I think he’s saying it’s up to Adam, all our hopes rest on him.
CLARISSA: What happened to your vow?
NESTOR: Translating doesn’t count, you know that. More importantly, the man makes a lot of sense. Are we to believe that Adam’s late arrival, with that name, is mere coincidence? He was formed out of dust to save us and the time is undoubtedly now.
LUDWIG: Actually I was thinking Clarissa.
( Nestor looks at Ludwig with genuine surprise. )
CLARISSA: Thinking me for what?
LUDWIG: For our hero, or I suppose heroine.
ADAM: No way, it’s too dangerous. Nestor’s right, I should be the one to go.
LUDWIG: What’s required here really is a woman’s touch Adam. I’m only thinking of what’s optimal.
CLARISSA: I’ll go, no problem, but I do want to know what that entails.
NESTOR: Maybe you’re both right. Clarissa can go and be the primary but Adam will escort her for protection.
LUDWIG: No! I mean… I think it’s clear that this… is a one-man, uh woman… job’s what I’m saying.
CLARISSA: Protection? I think having to worry about protecting Adam would just get in my way.
ADAM: I think he meant I would do the protecting.
CLARISSA: But what’s the job exactly? How about we start there?
NESTOR: The job was and is ever thus: to shed restrictions and rise.
CLARISSA: How about less lyricism and more clumsy exposition please. The sun is sinking.
NESTOR: Very well. It appears we’ve found a way out. Those of you familiar with this place will from experience understand the key use of the word appears .
ADAM: So let’s go, what are we waiting for?
CLARISSA: No, I understand. I have to go alone. I’ll gather my things and maybe prepare some closing remarks.
ADAM: You mean departing remarks.
CLARISSA: Yeah, what you said.
( She leaves. )
ADAM: I’m at a total loss here.
NESTOR: Would that were true. ( aside ) You haven’t yet begun to lose.
ADAM: Can someone please explain what is happening to me?
NESTOR: I believe someone has been looking for just that opportunity. Someone, I mean Ludwig?
( Ludwig and Adam move in the general direction of Clarissa leaving Nestor to sit next to Charles. )
NESTOR: I hope you’re not too upset Charles. I certainly argued on your behalf but this democracy thing’s a real bitch huh?
CHARLES: Whatever are you talking about?
NESTOR: You know, about who gets to go. The fairer sex and all that, though if you ask me there hasn’t been anything fair about sex from the get. I mean you see the way those two look at her and of course there was never any question which way she would vote.
I must confess I took my oratorical skills for greater than they proved. After all I persist in my belief that the merits were on our side and if a truly gifted rhetorician should succeed quite independent of his position’s inherent vice or virtue what do we make of my
So we concede that we may not have secured satisfactory answers but we did succeed in narrowing what was an infinite universe of possibilia into primary and irreducible questions.
What is a question anyway? That’s my question. Why do we question, that is the true question. Why not content ourselves with what we know, which is considerable, and leave undisturbed the great sea of the unknown? Damn, the word quest is built right into the evil thing.
Who should go? How soon? Is their success and glory as assured as it seems? Why can’t we all go? Why does one person get all the good fortune and why is it so urgent that they leave as soon as possible? They’re you have it. Now let’s answer.
ADAM: The hell’s he talking about?
CHARLES: And who the hell suspects we’re all that’s left?
NESTOR: I think he’s saying it’s up to Adam, all our hopes rest on him.
CLARISSA: What happened to your vow?
NESTOR: Translating doesn’t count, you know that. More importantly, the man makes a lot of sense. Are we to believe that Adam’s late arrival, with that name, is mere coincidence? He was formed out of dust to save us and the time is undoubtedly now.
LUDWIG: Actually I was thinking Clarissa.
( Nestor looks at Ludwig with genuine surprise. )
CLARISSA: Thinking me for what?
LUDWIG: For our hero, or I suppose heroine.
ADAM: No way, it’s too dangerous. Nestor’s right, I should be the one to go.
LUDWIG: What’s required here really is a woman’s touch Adam. I’m only thinking of what’s optimal.
CLARISSA: I’ll go, no problem, but I do want to know what that entails.
NESTOR: Maybe you’re both right. Clarissa can go and be the primary but Adam will escort her for protection.
LUDWIG: No! I mean… I think it’s clear that this… is a one-man, uh woman… job’s what I’m saying.
CLARISSA: Protection? I think having to worry about protecting Adam would just get in my way.
ADAM: I think he meant I would do the protecting.
CLARISSA: But what’s the job exactly? How about we start there?
NESTOR: The job was and is ever thus: to shed restrictions and rise.
CLARISSA: How about less lyricism and more clumsy exposition please. The sun is sinking.
NESTOR: Very well. It appears we’ve found a way out. Those of you familiar with this place will from experience understand the key use of the word appears .
ADAM: So let’s go, what are we waiting for?
CLARISSA: No, I understand. I have to go alone. I’ll gather my things and maybe prepare some closing remarks.
ADAM: You mean departing remarks.
CLARISSA: Yeah, what you said.
( She leaves. )
ADAM: I’m at a total loss here.
NESTOR: Would that were true. ( aside ) You haven’t yet begun to lose.
ADAM: Can someone please explain what is happening to me?
NESTOR: I believe someone has been looking for just that opportunity. Someone, I mean Ludwig?
( Ludwig and Adam move in the general direction of Clarissa leaving Nestor to sit next to Charles. )
NESTOR: I hope you’re not too upset Charles. I certainly argued on your behalf but this democracy thing’s a real bitch huh?
CHARLES: Whatever are you talking about?
NESTOR: You know, about who gets to go. The fairer sex and all that, though if you ask me there hasn’t been anything fair about sex from the get. I mean you see the way those two look at her and of course there was never any question which way she would vote.
I must confess I took my oratorical skills for greater than they proved. After all I persist in my belief that the merits were on our side and if a truly gifted rhetorician should succeed quite independent of his position’s inherent vice or virtue what do we make of my
Similar Books
