Act 1
Andrew Beck
Per.7 5/21/99
Mr. Luizzi
A ship sailing with many passengers, hopeful that they will find a "new world". They are ambitious people, striving to make it on their own without the help of a mother country. The ship is very large which makes it able to accommodate many people.
The ship is sailed by Ian Lambert, a rich and rather lonely man. He supported a major portion of this expedition. He is also a knowledgeable man, which prompts many of sailors to seek his approval over many matters. Also on the ship is John Colbey, a 27 year old who has no family and yearns for adventure. He enjoys to fool around yet will be serious when necessary. Megan and Richard Watts are the head of a family of 3 children. Meredith a manipulative 17 year old girl, Derek a rambunctious 10 year old and Annie a new born girl. Kramer is a 60 year old man who spends most of the day drunk. He has outbursts, claiming that he saw merfolk and other fictitious things. Nobody believes anything that he claims to have seen.
Kramer mumbles unintelligible phrases to himself in the hold of the ship, while Derek, hidden, listens quietly.
Kramer,holding a bottle:Mis aye gnna groww jeeeza boumga hughs fudhsb mermsaid staubshutzhaube gogly moohgley. A rat scurries by and brushes past Derek’s arm, frightening him so he suddenly jumps from his hiding spot.
Spooked, Kramer smashes his bottle against the wooden deck floor.
Kramer:Mi lad, ya spooked me outta me wits.
Derek,turning to sprint away:Sorry sir
Kramer:Wait!! Don’t go, the least ya could do fo’ me is keep me company for a while. Ya nearly gave me a heart attack, ya did. Derek,turning around to face Kramer:What were you mumblin’ to yar self before I spooked ya. Kramer,wipes his mouth with his dirty sleeve. Derek notices how sickly looking Kramer is but is too interested in this fascinating looking person to care. Kramer has large deteriorating patches of skin on him and speaks with a hoarse tone. Nobody ever seemed to notice these new outbreaks because Kramer spends most of his time in the ship’s hold:The merfolk, I seen em ‘fore. Derek,wide eyed and very interested:Really, where , where’d you seem ‘em?
Kramer:Many years ago when I was sailin’ with her majesty’s armada, me and me buddies saw ‘em sunbathin’ on some rocks and... Derek,cutting him off:How many where there? How many were there sittin’ on the rocks?
Kramer:Oh, ‘bout half a dozen or so, I woulda jumped in to say hi if me buddies didn’t hold me back. Derek,jumping up from his seated position and running to the stair case leading to the top deck:Wow cool, I’m gonna tell me mamma. Derek runs through the top deck ‘til he finally gets to his family’s “space” on the ship. They are preparing to eat dinner.
Megan:Derek! Where were you? You got us worried, and besides you never finished your chores. Richard,with a hint of anger:Derek, you should of finished your chores before running off and fooling around. Where were you anyway?
Derek:I was in the hold talking to Kramer and... Richard and Megan look up immediately at Derek. Their faces show a little bewilderment but also anger. Meredith just sits quietly listening while Annie whimpers.
Richard:I thought we told you never to talk that crazy old man. He’s nothing but trouble and crazy old lies. I don’t think that man has had a sober day in his entire life! Elizatbeth,handing each family member a plate of food:Derek your not going to be going out for a long while. Instead you’ll be doing chores all week. Derek,obviously struck hard by his newfound punishment:I’m not hungry.
Richard:Now your mother spent time making this meal for you. Now you eat it!! Besides you need it to stay healthy. During the meal, and the little episode of Derek’s defiance, Meredith had been staring at John Colbey who sat eating alone on the other side of the ship. Meredith had tried earlier to get his attention but he was more interested in getting into some kind of exciting adventure than talking to girls. Meredith wanted to find a better way of getting his attention but was not sure how.
Act 2
Two weeks later,Derek has been sick for the past week and a half. He has been barely able to force down any foods or liquids. A week ago Kramer was found dead in the hold. A few others have fell ill but none as bad as Derek. The other ship dwellers are worried because a cause of the sickness cannot be found. People are becoming desperate and many are jumping at the first idea of a possibility that comes to mind. The past few days small fights have broken out. There are many disputes over others contaminating others food. People are constantly searching for a scapegoat. People blame each other for being to dirty to be on the ship and that that is the reason everyone is becoming sick.
Meredith has just unsuccessfully attempted to talk with Colbey. Colbey turned her down for good. This insult sent Meredith into a rampage, trying to find a way to get back at him. She then proceeds to Ian Lambert’s room.
Meredith:I have something very disturbing to tell you sir. Lambert has many maps and charts out on his desk. Lambert,motioning to her that he will be with her momentarily:One second please. He puts the maps and charts away, then turns to face the young girl. Yes, how can I help you.
Meredith:I’m afraid something terrible has happened.
Lambert:What happened!?
Meredith:When I was walking alone by John Colbey’s living space I heard him saying terrible things to himself. She places her hands over her face as if she is about to cry and begins to whimper. Lambert, compassionately:Oh, dear child everything will be all right. Now you must tell me what he said. Meredith,calming down:John Colbey was saying that he poisoned my brother by putting something in his food. He then went on to say that he was responsible for the death of the drunken old man Kramer. He said he was happy that the others he had gotten weren’t dead yet so that they would suffer more. He then named his next victim and...she begins to fall apart
Lambert: Who, who did he name? Meredith,sniffling and wiping away tears:Me!! She begins to cry again.
Lambert:Come with me, something must be done immediately. She follows beginning to take control of herself. Quickly, someone get the Master of Arms, and have John Colbey placed under arrest. After Colbey is arrested, he is questioned in front of the entire ship. The crowd is very rowdy and noisy. They want to see punishment for the accused. Lambert,speaking to all on board:Unfortunatly we have a problem on board. As you all know Kramer died a little more than a week ago and many others have fallen ill. Well, we now know the reason of all this. We have discovered that John Colbey has tainted many people’s food. There is a surprised reaction from the crowd. They then become angry. Something must be done about this perpetrator. The crowd cheers for him to be put to death but Lambert considering himself a fair and honest man wishes to question him instead. Why did you choose to do what you did? Making many innocent people suffer?
Colbey:I don’t know what your talking about! I did nothing to harm those people!!
Lambert:But Meredith Watts heard you talking about it and then naming her as your next victim. Colbey,angrily and impatient:She’s lying!! I don’t know what she is talking about. Hell! I don’t even know her!
Lambert:But how can you substantiate your claims John Colbey. You have no family, no one to check up on you or punish you for wrong doing. The crowd is beginning to get restless and is growing impatient. They want to see something happen.
Colbey:I did no wrongdoing , this girl is a liar, that is all I can tell you. I am almost sick myself. From the crowd:”throw him overboard... cut his head off, he doesn’t belong on our ship.
Lambert:Silence! We will now punish the accused. Colbey is tied standing, with his back to Lambert. Lambert holds a long leather whip. Lambert,to the crowd:Ten lashings for the suffering that the sick have gone through and death for the killing of Kramer. While he was just an old drunk he didn’t deserve to die. Lambert begins lashing. One, Colbey screams out a bloodcurdling cry, the crowd cheers. Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten. By the tenth lashing Colbey is bleeding from ten slices on his back. He’s almost out cold. The crowd is cheering and somewhere in the midst of the crowd Meredith is smiling complacently, knowing that she won.
Lambert:We are now rid of our fears of further sickness. He pushes Colbey overboard into the frigid sea. While the cold water numbs the pain in his back, he becomes so cold he dies within minutes. The crowd cheers and is in somekind of frenzy. They do not look back at Colbey’s dead body which floats behind. In the weeks to come, they accuse others without the help of Meredith because many still become sick and others die. They never realize what has happened, they are so caught up in the moment.