FISHERMAN – Of course not, but why should one dwell about the past. I have no regrets about the past because all things happen for a reason!
GELO – What did you say?
FISHERMAN – I have no regrets about the past because all things happen for a reason … I wouldn't swap my happiness for all the treasures in the world. In my world, I give happiness to those who are close to me: my family, my children, and my relatives.
GELO – But this sort of happiness is very volatile and doesn’t last for long, and it passes by.
FISHERMAN – Possibly. But it’s concrete. And happiness can’t be abstract. It always should be concrete. And I’m its creator. I don’t have to ask anybody for it. And I don’t have to pay anyone for it.
GELO – Are you happy with your life?
FISHERMAN – Oh yeah! Life is dismal and monotonous only because we make it so. When we are young, in our dreams we can all fly and have wishes would come true. But with years we betray ourselves and the purity of our childhood. We descend into a world of problems. We forget that celebrations are in our souls and hearts and not on the streets and squares.
GELO – So I see you’re a philosopher!
FISHERMAN – No, I’m an ordinary man. I have long forgotten what it means to be ashamed, it spoils and suppresses your soul, because it is a moral error, which is born from self-discontent and the realization of your guilt, but I have nothing to be ashamed of, because I have no power, wealth, or fame. I’ am free from this burden.
GELO – But freedom of thought is not the same as freedom of action. Certainly, you can think of anything you like, but you can’t do whatever you want. Your freedom is limited by your island and your family.
FISHERMAN – But that is great. I and my family live away from all the politics, newspapers, and superficial charity. Here, nobody is amused by our failures, and we have nothing to do with their failures either. In that world away from our island and our happiness is the rage of people’s passion…
I could have been a politician since it’s not so difficult. You just have to bend your principles or forget about them altogether. But at the same you shouldn’t be a highflyer because you could get lost, disappear from public attention and you will be forgotten. You have to constantly tell people that you can solve their problems. Only a small percentage of people will know that you are deceiving them, once again. But what do I need this for when I have my happiness?
I could have made a fortune, but for that I would have to learn how to con people and how to bribe officials. And then to stay adrift you have to descend into a life of luxury. And everybody will flatter and praise you to your face, whilst hate and envy you behind your back. And once you start to lend money to your friends you will lose everything. Besides money has a stable quality: to evaporate, when most needed, no matter the amount you have. Why do I need this? Because the availability of money doesn’t compensate for lack of brain, and the availability of the brain doesn’t compensate for lack of soul.
I could try and be a prominent scientist. Study hard and long, dedicate my life to read a thousand books. And even make some discoveries… but what for? So that, by the end of my life I could understand all the mistakes of my knowledge!
I could become a human rights activist, and possibly at first, I would win over the admiration and respect of the population. But my popularity and attraction would only last until I start criticizing the people’s faults. As soon as I start telling people the truth to their faces, they will call me rude and bad-mannered. I doubt that I would feel happier than I am now.
Of course, your conscience could remain pure, but for that you should stop using it altogether…
So, whatever you say, there is no way of me being happier than I am now. I have everything I need! And I have a wife to share it with me!
GELO – Yeah, I can’t deny it, you’re lucky to have her. Wonderful woman.
FISHERMAN – I have no one to thank for our encounter. This inevitability happened by coincidence. But I’m glad it turned out that way. Our mutual understand is so strong that even when we are silent, we know what the other one is thinking. Some people reckon that the best wives are those who have less intelligence than their husbands. My wife is clever enough not to show her superiority. We get on with each other very well. Of course, when my wife has nothing to say it doesn’t mean she is silent. One should learn how to listen to women properly, since they talk more and a lot faster than we men can take in.
I know that my wife is always right, regardless of whether she is right or wrong. You have to understand that the most unfair thing that could happen to a woman is: her losing an argument to a man. Why should I breed unnecessary injustice? She always forgives me even when I am not wrong. I love her so much that I do all my choirs around the house…just for her. My wife is the ideal woman. She predicts all my desires.
GELO – And she fulfils them all?
FISHERMAN – No. Unlike other women she doesn’t stop me to fulfil them. When you are young you dream of an extraordinary wife, but that dream disappears when you find out about her desires. So, you have to look at family happiness in a simpler way, and don’t let dreams distract you. Often what women want, men can’t afford, that’s why we try to live not for ourselves, but for the children.
GELO – Is life really that serene and wonderful here?
FISHERMAN – Of course not, grief and difficulties can make you either better or worse. It all depends on how you deal with them.
GELO – Real life should be in motion, but her life is stagnant.
FISHERMAN – (Upset) There are different types of motion. You could have motion in thought; you could shove with your elbows pushing others or wave your hands helplessly…
GELO – Don’t be offended. I’m happy if you have found your happiness. But I have an obligation to my teacher Fadrius, my Queen, to the people who are waiting for the MIRACLE. And I have to hurry to get it.
FISHERMAN – You hurry too much. One should learn to take their time, contemplate and reflect upon oneself. Wisdom is within tranquility not commotion.
GELO – How can I live peacefully when there are so many people living in strife? I am a future Wizard, and I have to change their life for the better as soon as possible.
FISHERMAN – Stop. Don’t hurry to change the world. You should first try to understand it. Try and be one with it in harmony and agreement. Maybe then you can understand a simple truth.
GELO – What truth? Tell me!
FISHERMAN – You can’t make people happy. You can’t force people to be happy. They have to find their own happiness. One can only appreciate true happiness if they have earned it for themselves with hard work. Everything you get for free disappears quickly without a trace, like water in sand. It’s stupid. And you can’t spread stupidity everywhere you without thinking about the consequences, because people could use it to their own advantage.
GELO – I don’t want to argue with you. Just please help me to cross the river. I have to go.
FISHERMAN – Gelo, you’re a good man. That is great, but you’re still young… alright, let’s go, I will help you to cross the river.
Gelo and the Fisherman go off stage.
Music plays. Blackout.
The same bank of the river. The Fisherman appears. He walks up to the hourglass and turns it over. Some time has passed since Gelo left. Fisherman sorts out his nets. Onstage appears Lizy. She cautiously walks up to the Fisherman. He is surprised when he sees her but smiles warmly at her.
LIZY – Hello. My name is Lizy. I am looking for my fiancé Gelo. Has he passed through here?
FISHERMAN – Hello Lizy. Yes, he was here. I helped him to cross the river.
LIZY – (Sad, almost in tears) What a pity, I’m late again. I just can’t catch up with him.
FISHERMAN – Don’t despair, have some rest. Let me finish what I’m doing here, and I will help you to cross the river. If you hurry you will definitely catch up with your fiancé. Meanwhile tell me about yourself.
LIZY – Why about me? Let’s talk about something nice and pleasant, for example Gelo. He’s so wonderful. I love him so much. And he could die. Gelo went on this dangerous journey, which he might never return from, and only because he wants to help people so much. He has a very high goal in life. He’s so clever; you couldn’t even imagine how clever he is. Sometimes I get scared for him! So clever. Also, he has very kind heart. And he is sweet and brave.
FISHERMAN – You talk about him as if this was his eulogy. Just you wait he still might survive.
LIZY – (Distressed). You don’t know Gelo. He always goes where it is dangerous and complicated. He is always drawn into all sorts of troubles!
FISHERMAN – Your Gelo, is a man who has wings. And people with wings can’t crawl on their belly. Life will always be hard for him.
LIZY – (Sad). I have come to understand this. Why couldn’t they have sent someone else, to get this MIRACLE? Who needs it anyway?!
FISHERMAN – (With a smirk) If Gelo completes his heroic act then there will be a lot of people who will insist to share his glory with him.
LIZY – Who cares about glory! The only important thing for me is that Gelo is alive. I’m so scared for him!
FISHERMAN – Often people are more scared of their imagination than real life. And all these fears live and breed in their souls, don’t let them sleep at night by stirring their minds. Answer me, what are you more afraid of: Gelo finding the MIRACLE or not?
LIZY – (Thinks about it very carefully) I’m not really sure … If he does find the MIRACLE, then he will become a great Wizard and won’t have time for me at all. He will work even harder, try to solve the world’s problems by himself. He will battle with people’s tragedies and troubles… But if he doesn’t get the MIRACLE then he will remain unhappy for the rest of his life, he could even die because of it, because his sense of duty and vocation is more important than life itself. I don’t even know what is better.
FISHERMAN – You are like all other women – very contradictive, even when choosing jewelers. (Drained) Think about it – if silence is golden, then why do women seldom use it?
LIZY – (Bashful) Do you mean I am talking to much?
FISHERMAN – No, it’s not about that. You want to help Gelo?
LIZY – Of course!
FISHERMAN – Then you should stop thinking about what you want and start thinking about what your loved one needs!
LIZY – Fadrius, the court Wizard said the same thing.
FISHERMAN – Strange, that means that those who are in power still have some sense. That’s good. Your Gelo, is still very young and inexperienced. I didn’t have enough time to explain to him what genuine happiness all is about. I’m afraid that when he finds this MIRACLE, he won’t know how to use it properly. That’s why I probably should go into town. When he comes back, I can give him my advice. I don’t believe in these cunning courtiers. They will trick him. It would be a great pity if all your hard work and depravations went to waste. And now let’s go. I will get you to the other side of the river.
Fisherman and Lizy walk off stage.
Music plays. Blackout. Curtains.
* * * * *
Act Two
Scene Five.
Castle of Vedalia – owner of ‘Store of Temptations’. Vedalia sits in front of a big, beautiful mirror, and thoughtfully looks at herself. She is old and crooked. The mirror is a position so that the audience can’t see the reflection. Gelo walks in. She transforms into a younger self when she hears him coming.
VEDALIA – Oh, my young friend! I’m glad to see you looking fresh again. Did my servants clean and feed you?
GELO – I’m very grateful to you, madam. Now I’m ready to go.
VEDALIA – Don’t hurry. Your journey is very difficult. The place where you are going to, you will need lots of strength.
GELO – (Surprised) How do you know who I am and where I am going? We haven’t even been properly introduced yet.
VEDALIA – You’re – Gelo, Wizard’s apprentice. And you are travelling to get the MIRACLE. (She laughs with self-satisfaction) Let me introduce myself. I own the ‘Store of Temptations’. I also practice magic. So, you could say that we are kindred spirits.
GELO – So you’re a Sorceress?
VEDALIA – (Unhappy) I don’t like this word. Just call me Vedalia. Everybody calls me that.
GELO – What is the ‘Store of Temptations’?
VEDALIA – Well, it is a very enchanting place where people can acquire happiness.
GELO – (Surprised and interested) Is that so?! I dream of making the whole world happy too, that’s why I am hurrying to find the MIRACLE. Will you help me? Do you know where it is?
VEDALIA – To make a person happy it is not necessary to get the MIRACLE. It is easier to take something away from them, and then give it back to them. And they will immediately understand that they were happy before but just didn’t realize it.
GELO – No, you didn’t understand me. I want to make everybody happy and forever. I want people to stop suffering from poverty and illnesses, so that all malice and envy will be replaced with love and sincerity. I want to stop all the wars and injustice, so that peace and beauty would rule the world. My intentions are pure and kind…
VEDALIA – (Laughs) And very naive! Dear Gelo, people do not care about good intentions, they only care about what they will get. So, it’s not important what motivates your actions, the important thing is what people get out of them. If it benefits them, then you are safe. But if it is unpleasant and useless then you should run as fast as you can. Nobody cares about good intentions. Your actions will be declared evil; you will be condemned and maybe even killed, so that you wouldn’t disturb their life. That’s why I give people what they want and ask for, and they are satisfied and happy by that. And in return I take a part of their soul. Since nothing is free in life. Just take a look at my splendid collection.
(Vedalia leads him to the mirror and with a movement of her hand shows him the pictures of life)
This is a high-ranking official, who serves in a neighbouring province. He sleeps very well, that’s why his work hours fly by. He doesn’t give a damn about the affairs in his department. The only thing that interests him is his own well-being. His happiness is money and personal safety. And for that he is willing to risk everything.
Here is a Judge of a county which lies near the river. He is so stupid that he still doesn’t know the difference between his right boot and his left one. But that doesn’t get in the way of him judging other people. His happiness consists of him stuffing himself with delicious food. I sometimes feel that he thinks with his belly, that is the only part of his body that works well.
And here is a famous general. A very brave man. With any danger in site, he is courageously ready to jump behind some bushes. And oh, so loving! He would chase after any bit of skirt. I had to supply him with a harem of girls, to satisfy his sexual appetite.
Here is a minister – who suffers from bad nerves and is also power-hungry. Take power away from him and he would die in hysteria. And he doesn’t even hesitate to rule others, without knowing how to rule himself, his feelings, and his desires! But I give him the possibility to rule. Or take a look at the Prime minister of the neighbouring kingdom. I like him very much.
GELO – What do you like about him?
VEDALIA – He is very cunning and always comes on-top out of any bad situation. And he always has the best laugh because he laughs last.
GELO – Maybe he laughs last because he is slow?
VEDALIA – Hmm… I didn’t think about that.
GELO – But all the things you give people are awful: gluttony, lust, and greed…
VEDALIA – You shouldn’t judge everyone by your own standards. The world has normal people too. Maybe it is awful to look at it, but it’s so delightful to indulge in these sins. Try it and you will love it.
GELO – I don't want to! I have my own weaknesses and defects. But I am trying to rid myself of them.
VEDALIA – What for?! Without them life is pale, boring, and pointless.
GELO – I don’t want to fall into a life of debauchery.
VEDALIA – My dear young friend! Debauchery is something you want to be a part of, but can’t, the rest is pleasure. Have you never thought that the more sins a person commits, the more pleasure he gets from life? People are a product of sin. Each person is sinful in essence and origin. That’s why the sins we commit all the time are the only natural form of existence in this world. To resist sinning means you’re violating your true self. Why should we deprive ourselves? Deprivation, which is directed at oneself, goes against human nature. That’s why the battle with your own sins is even a bigger sin. Those who go in this direction aren’t really purifying themselves. They are denying themselves from all human traits, which were imprinted in them since birth. They destroy themselves – within themselves. They turn themselves from a living flower to a twisted old branch, stone, and sand.
Look at those so-called holy hermits and those who go to extreme measures to remain sinless. What do they look like? Like a sparkling ray of sunlight or dark rotten piece of dry earth? What are they made up of: joy and light of life or faded exhaustion, waiting to reach their graves? Every one of them looks like a madman. For the illusory sake of reaching a Heavenly place, they reject what God has already bestowed on them. Life with all its joy and sadness, with all its virtuousness and vices is God’s gift. And if you reject one of these elements of life then you are rejecting the whole of God’s gift. Any flower wanting to grow and be fragrant needs not only water but manure and fertilizer. It is the same with people: for a fulfilling life they need not only virtue and goodness but temptation of sin and sensuality of vice. Otherwise, life loses its color and variety. It becomes bland and turns into a lifeless existence… So, if one wants to experience virtue and holiness one should experience vice and sin. Just have a go, and you will enjoy the boundless happiness of life. Those who try a forbidden fruit won’t be able to stop eating it. The desires of people are endless! And you can’t fulfill them all. Believe you me, I know! People just want more and more, and so I keep raising my price. And little by little I take their whole soul, and, in the end, they have to bring someone else, and convince them to join into the temptation. This sort of payment also suits me. And anyway, it is more comforting to sink into sin with company. And because of this I am never in shortage of customers. They are like links in a chain, one pulls the other. And until this world stops, I will always be needed and have a job. You can’t fully satisfy passions and temptations because genuine passion and temptation have no boundaries!
GELO – But I don’t need this. I know what I want from life!
VEDALIA – Wow! That is a bold statement, either you don’t want much or you don’t know enough about life.
GELO – If I take your route, my conscience will suffer and be tormented, because I would have betrayed my duty and vacation.
VEDALIA – Dear Gelo, it is never too late to repent. But it is more difficult to commit sin when you are older. Years will go by, and you will want to commit sins, but it will be too late. You’ll only be able to repent. So don’t lose time in vain! Use everything what life and youth granted you to do. Duty, honor, vacation – this was all invented by people, it’s like a nightmare of the mind. As if there was nothing else to think about! You should live your life easily and do what you want. And then even death won’t seem like a tragedy, because in reality death is the freedom from responsibility of the world.
GELO – And do you really believe that these people are really happy?!
VEDALIA – Of course! For all these years I am tired of fulfilling all their insatiable desires. And they still don’t have enough… Every day is just – work, work, work! Continuous work, and no personal life.
GELO – Why don’t you have a rest?
VEDALIA – I don’t have anyone to rest with! Maybe you will agree to rest with me… fulfil my life with new sensations.
GELO – No, I can’t take a rest, I need to hurry…
VEDALIA – (Tries to flirt with Gelo) Don’t hurry. You have plenty of time…
GELO – No I can’t! I have a fiancé.
VEDALIA – What a shame! I’m like every other woman; I sometimes want to indulge myself… So that someone would take advantage of me! And use me, use me, use me! …
GELO – Don’t get upset. When I will find the MIRACLE I will definitely make you happy.
VEDALIA – How tempting! It’s been so long since anyone has made me happy. I have even forgot how real men would do it…
GELO – (Bashfully) No it’s not what I meant.
VEDALIA – What other meaning of happiness could you offer a woman?! And don’t be shy, that’s life. And it is very well-known that life is passed on from one person to another by sexual intercourse.
GELO – But for real happiness apart from the pleasure of sex there must be love between man and woman. Without love life loses its meaning.
VEDALIA – Then why have you abandoned your love, and going to the edge of the world?
GELO – It’s completely different, my vacation is to become a great Wizard. When I find the MIRACLE and complete my duty, then I will definitely marry Lizy, because she is the most beautiful, sweet and dearest girl.
VEDALIA – (Laughs) Ha-Ha! You’re so naive! Take my advice, men usually find the most beautiful, sweet, and attractive girls only after they have had a long, tedious and monotonous years of marriage.
GELO – How come?
VEDALIA – Because that’s when they get wiser.