VEDALIA – That’s an old-fashioned view. Nowadays only men can truly gossip. But they call it ‘meetings’ and ‘negotiations’. And they do it in such a serious manner as if they were solving world problems.
FADRIUS – That’s an interesting observation. Who are you if I may ask?
VEDALIA – The owner of ‘Store of Temptations’, I think you, Fadrius have heard of me.
FADRIUS – Unfortunately, I have.
VEDALIA – Oh, Fadrius! Shame on you, you could have lied to a lady and told her, you were pleased to meet her. We are colleagues after all.
CANNIBAL – I don’t understand, sweetheart, what is your business here?
VEDALIA – (Looks at Cannibal and evaluates him) The same reason you are here.
CANNIBAL – What is going on here! Another contender for my happiness?! Great!
VEDALIA – (Laughs) Don’t you know?! People are quicker to unite around a free trough or to take away food from the weak.
CANNIBAL – Are you hinting that today my portion will be taken away?
VEDALIA – Well, nobody can call you weak. But that’s not the point. The point is the portion is not yours! It was me who helped Gelo to get the MIRACLE. All my life I have been making other people happy. That’s why only I can make Gelo’s dream come true. And only I can truly distribute the MIRACLE.
CANNIBAL – What about me?!
VEDALIA – And you my dear have a rest!
FISHERMAN – Wait a minute. Are you really sure, you know what true happiness is?
VEDALIA – Ha! You’re so naive. Who knows better than me? I have been around for over three hundred-years. All of you are spring chickens compared to me.
HERMIT – Three-hundred years?!
FISHERMAN – It cannot be!
CANNIBAL – And you still haven’t gone sour or grown mouldy!
VEDALIA – You can ask the Wizard.
FADRIUS – It is the morbid truth.
VEDALIA – (With coquettish reproach to Fadrius) You have given me a compliment, colleague.
FADRIUS – Don’t call me your colleague. You and I have different magic, ideals and goals.
VEDALIA – All right, all right don’t get so big headed.
A pompous Queen walks on stage. Without paying any attention to anyone she addresses Fadrius.
QUEEN – Fadrius, I have just been given a report by the guards of the city gate that Gelo has returned. As soon as he gets to the palace, bring him to me. I would like to use the MIRACLE, which he brings to me.
CANNIBAL – But that’s impossible! Yet another contender for my happiness! What right do you have to claim my MIRACLE?
QUEEN – (Suddenly she notices everyone who is in the hall) Why are all these strangers here? What are they doing here Fadrius?
FISHERMAN – We are waiting for Gelo…
CANNIBAL – To fulfill his promise…
VEDALIA – And bring me my MIRACLE …
CANNIBAL – No, mine!
Without anyone noticing him Gelo appears on stage. He watches everyone with astonishment, while listening to their conversation.
QUEEN – Are you all mad? Gelo is my subject. He has to obey my will and orders, that’s why the MIRACLE is mine! Tell them, Fadrius.
FADRIUS – Calm down everybody! It was my idea to send Gelo after the MIRACLE. It was his ritual of testing for the initiation into Wizardry. So, I will decide how to use the power of the MIRACLE.
QUEEN – Is that so, Fadrius?!
FADRIUS – Of course with the consideration of your wishes my Queen. That was our agreement.
QUEEN – All right then.
CANNIBAL – I don’t agree! Let’s do it fairly; toss a coin or throw some dice. The one who gets lucky will have the right to use the MIRACLE.
VEDALIA – (Addresses the Cannibal) Darling, come to me and I will make you happy without any luck, you will have more happiness than you need!
CANNIBAL – Don’t! I’ll manage on my own.
QUEEN – No coin tosses! What nonsense! I’m the Queen here…
VEDALIA – For now!
QUEEN – What do you mean, for now?
VEDALIA – With brains like a pigeon you won’t stay in power for long.
QUEEN – How dare you?!
VEDALIA – Of course I dare. In all my life I have seen so many kings and queens! You’re not even interesting enough for my collection of historic mummies!
FISHERMAN – Don’t argue, ladies!
QUEEN – Fadrius! I order you to turn her into a flying bat! No into a rat! Yes, a rat.
FADRIUS – I’m afraid I cannot fulfill your order Your Majesty.
QUEEN – Is this a rebellion?! Conspiracy?
FADRIUS – (With sad detachment) It’s not that, Your Majesty, it’s because this woman is a Sorceress. Our magical powers are more or less equal. So, we couldn’t destroy one another.
VEDALIA – (Triumphantly) You see my dear! So, you better keep quiet. Or you could become a rat yourself.
QUEEN – Me – a rat! What right do you have? I’ll tear your tongue out myself! I’ll scratch your eyes out!
VEDALIA – Oh, I’m so scared!
The women walk away from each other. The Queen is in a state of helpless anger. And Vedalia is in a state of wicked triumph.
FISHERMAN – Don’t quarrel, Ladies. You are both so noble!
CANNIBAL – (Joyfully) Don’t get in their way let them fight; let them bite one another’s throats. It’s fun, and we will have fewer contenders for the MIRACLE.
HERMIT – A lot of things have changed since I’ve been isolated. And unfortunately, not for the best.
CANNIBAL – You should have stayed at home in the mountains. Why didn’t you just stay there?
HERMIT – My friend Gelo invited me! But you wouldn’t understand that.
FISHERMAN – One shouldn’t be judgmental. Arguments even happen within families. You just have to learn not to take it too seriously. You shouldn’t get too emotional about it.
Gelo decisively walks out of the shadows into the center of attention. He is holding something in his hands.
FADRIUS – Welcome back Gelo. Did you accomplish your test?
FISHERMAN – You’re just in time. A little while longer and there would have been fight!
CANNIBAL – Where is the MIRACLE?
QUEEN – Can I make my wishes now?
HERMIT – It’s good that you are safe! Where is Lizy?
GELO – (Sadly looking at Hermit) Her and I parted forever. I had to sacrifice our love for the sake of the MIRACLE. That was the price for my lifelong dream.
VEDALIA – Well-done boy! I believed in you.
HERMIT – (Horrified) So that means, you betrayed Lizy?!
GELO – Why betrayed? It just turned out that way…
HERMIT – What do you mean, “Turned out that way”? You sold your love so that you could be a Wizard! How can you make all the people in the world happy, when you couldn’t even make your only loved one happy!
FISHERMAN – Don’t get upset, Gelo. In each relationship there is always one partner who is wrong. Believe you me, for a happy family love is important but not necessary. You can build a family on mutual respect and sympathy, or attachment.
QUEEN – From my experience I know, there is nothing good in marriage at all.
VEDALIA – The strongest families are those who are based on marriage of convenience. I can find you a quiet decent girl with a good dowry. And she will be good in bed too. Which is more important than so called “love”.
GELO – All of you leave me alone! I don’t need anybody apart from Lizy! I understood this when I was coming back. I understood my mistake. I shouldn’t have left her there. I will never forgive myself for my stupidity and…weakness. All the wealth and treasures of all the kingdoms in the world are not worth Lizy’s smile! Can you comprehend what it feels like to lose the love of your life?! You’re all so clever and self-assured, so persistent with your advice, and your knowledge of life. Can you feel what it’s like to dream of love, experience it and then reject it?! How and with what can you value and measure the horror and suffering of sacrificing the happiness of love? I pity you, even though you are so righteous and prudent. Because those who are unable to experience deep feelings, aren’t really living at all…they just exist as prisoners of rational illusions. They are unable of great feats, discoveries, and deeds. Their hearts lack fire, and their souls lack the freedom of flight. You want me to become like them?! But I don’t want to. I’m alive!
QUEEN – Fadrius, what is he talking about? And he is supposed to be the courts future Wizard? You didn’t teach him about life very well!
FADRIUS – It is impossible to teach one, how to live. Each person learns life by his or her's own experiences. In such hard matters you can only help someone through the trials and tribulations, which every one of us experiences in life.
HERMIT – I feel sorry for you, Gelo. All people make mistakes. The most important thing is to identify your mistake and correct it in time. You’re a Wizard. In your hands you have the MIRACLE. You can make any wish come true. But you will never be able to recreate a new genuine feeling of love. Pure and true love is only born once. And the rest are passion and lust…
GELO – You’re right my friend. Now I know the meaning of life: create kindness with love! But how can I do this when I left my love so far away… at the other side of the world, when I lost her by choosing duty and vocation. At first, I thought I had no other option. It turned out that Lizy should stay, and I would have to take the MIRACLE and follow my destiny. That was just a voice of reasoning. But my feelings were saying the opposite. And I didn’t hear them. Even if it looks like there aren’t any choices…there always are. I should have acted differently! And my great wish now is to correct my mistake and be with Lizy again. Only now do I realize what she means to me now that I’ve lost her. That’s why I have decided to use the MIRACLE to get her back.
VEDALIA – You’ve gone crazy! The MIRACLE will let you have only one wish.
FISHERMAN – I didn’t expect that.
QUEEN – You have no right! Fadrius tell him!
FADRIUS – Unfortunately my Queen, he has. He is the only one who has total power of the MIRACLE. We can only ask and persuade him. But the decision is his…
CANNIBAL – You wizards do everything so differently: everyone does what he wants. Where is your respect for your elders and those around you? You don’t care about the less fortunate people like me. You should be ashamed, Gelo! For the sake of your worthless love, you are willing to sacrifice helping us. You broke your promise, which you gave me in the forest.
VEDALIA – Come to your senses, Gelo. You are rejecting everything: power, strength, and magnitude, and for the sake of what? A silly young girl. It is not only egotistical but it’s stupid!
GELO – Between power and emotions – I choose emotions. Between magnitude and sincerity – I choose sincerity. Between strength and love – I choose love.
QUEEN – I don’t need subjects who forget about their Queen, and only think about themselves. I order that you and Lizy be banished from my kingdom.
GELO – (Sarcastic) I think Lizy and me will survive without you. But if Lizy and I lose each other then I doubt we will. (Addresses Hermit) I’m sorry I invited you here…
HERMIT – Nonsense! Let’s go and travel together. Just don’t listen to them. I like your decision. Now hurry up and return Lizy.
GELO – (Raises the MIRACLE high in the air) Miracle, I wish that Lizy was once again with me, right here, right now!
The gong sounds. Everybody is dumb-founded and looks at Gelo.
Suddenly Lizy walks on stage. She looks around with confusion.
Gelo runs towards her.
GELO – Lizy! I missed you so much.
LIZY – Gelo! We are together again. How did you manage it?
GELO – I just corrected my mistake. Let’s get out of here. There is nothing here for us anymore. I will tell you everything on our journey.
Lizy and Gelo, hand in hand happily walk out. Everybody looks their way.
FADRIUS – (Sighs deeply) Pity. Great Pity. He was a promising pupil. He could have been a Great Wizard, and all in vain! He didn’t pass ‘The Testing of a Wizard’!
HERMIT – But he passed the test to be a Real Person. And that is a lot harder and more important.
Music plays. Curtains.
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E-mail the author: Gedar15@yandex.ru