ACT I
THE HOUSE
A kitchen table, two cups, a child’s drawing — and the first knock.
Lights. A kitchen table. Two cups. A child’s drawing. ORPHEUS sits with LANTHE. For the first time, the Kingdom feels far away.
LANTHE
Mama?
ORPHEUS
Yes?
LANTHE
Are we going home?
ORPHEUS looks at her.
ORPHEUS
We are home.
Lanthe looks around. The audience sees what ORPHEUS sees: there is almost nothing there.
LANTHE
No.
ORPHEUS waits.
LANTHE
I mean our home.
ORPHEUS takes her hand.
ORPHEUS
We’ll find it.
A knock. THE FATHER enters. He is calm. He smiles.
THE FATHER
We need to talk.
ORPHEUS
About what?
THE FATHER
Everything.
THE FOOL appears behind him.
THE FOOL
Whenever somebody says “everything”, check your pockets.
ORPHEUS looks at THE FOOL.
ORPHEUS
Who are you?
THE FOOL
Nobody important.
ORPHEUS
Why are you here?
THE FOOL
Nobody important is ever asked to leave.
THE FATHER ignores him.
THE FATHER
I want my daughter.
ORPHEUS
She is sitting right there.
THE FATHER
You know what I mean.
ORPHEUS
Yes. I do.
Lanthe looks between them.
LANTHE
Can we eat?
Silence. The table slowly disappears. The cups disappear. The chairs disappear. Only the child’s drawing remains. THE REPORT enters.
THE REPORT
A situation has developed.
ORPHEUS
What situation?
THE REPORT
A concern.
ORPHEUS
What concern?
THE REPORT
Concerns have been raised.
ORPHEUS
By whom?
THE REPORT
That information is contained within the assessment.
ORPHEUS
Can I see the assessment?
THE REPORT
Not yet.
ORPHEUS
Why?
THE REPORT
Because it is still being assessed.
THE FOOL
A document in captivity. How moving.
THE FIRST DOOR
A police desk appears.
A police desk appears. THE POLICE OFFICER sits behind it. ORPHEUS stands opposite.
ORPHEUS
I need help.
POLICE OFFICER
What happened?
ORPHEUS begins. She stops. She begins again.
ORPHEUS
There has been violence.
POLICE OFFICER
Against whom?
ORPHEUS
Me.
POLICE OFFICER
And the child?
ORPHEUS
She was there.
POLICE OFFICER
Was she physically harmed?
ORPHEUS
She saw what happened.
The officer writes.
ORPHEUS
Can I explain what happened before?
POLICE OFFICER
We need to record the incident.
ORPHEUS
The incident didn’t begin that day.
The officer continues writing.
POLICE OFFICER
We have recorded your statement.
ORPHEUS
Did you hear it?
POLICE OFFICER
It has been recorded.
ORPHEUS
That’s not what I asked.
POLICE OFFICER
It’s the answer I have.
THE FOOL appears. He writes on a clipboard: QUESTION: UNANSWERED. THE REPORT snatches the clipboard.
THE REPORT
Unhelpful.
THE FOOL crosses it out. Writes: PERSISTENT.
THE REPORT
Also potentially concerning.
He crosses that out. Writes: MOTHER.
THE REPORT
Insufficiently neutral.
THE FOOL thinks.
THE FOOL
Female adult?
THE REPORT
Excellent.
This is a work of fiction. Characters, events and circumstances have been fictionalised.