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HUNGER
by
Anna Moench
Anna Moench 355 Prospect Avenue #2 Brooklyn, NY 11215 410 830-1114 [email protected]
℅ Mark Armstrong PARADIGM
360 Park Avenue South, 16th Floor New York, NY 10010
212-897-6400 [email protected]
CHARACTERS
JIAN/SOULS A migrant laborer from a rural village. 20s.
FENGXIA A clerk in the police morgue. 20s.
JING ZHAO A farmer from a rural village. Jian's mother. 40s.
XIAO LI A farmer from a rural village. Jian's father. 40s.
TAI TAI Villager. 70s.
DA WEI Fengxia's coworker. 30s.
APING Cheap suit. Sketch. 30s.
SETTING
Qi Li Yu, a small town in the Loess Plateau region of Shanxi Province in The People’s Republic of China. Taiyuan, the capital city of Shanxi Province. Several hours’ drive from Qi Li Yu.
TIME
Now.
STAGE
Living characters are played by large rod puppets, each manipulated by three puppeteers. When a character dies, the puppeteers release the puppet (now a corpse) and become the deceased character’s souls.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Research for this play was supported by a Jerome Foundation Travel Grant and facilitated by the Shanxi Auditing Department and the Shanxi Ministry of Culture. Special thanks to Lee Shuangfu, Jackie Rong, Guo Yuhua of Tsinghua University, Director Wong of the Shanxi Auditing Department, the villagers of Qi Li Yu, Dr. Mid and Jing Zhao Ouyang, Jian Ouyang, Lisa See, Roxanne Roth, Darrell Smith, Nico Daswani, and the countless musicians, dancers, actors, farmers, students, scholars, officials, police officers, villagers, tour guides, tailors, Feng Shui masters, parents, and grandparents who graciously taught me everything but their names.
Moench 1
SCENE [1]
(JIAN enters.
He’s streaked with dried blood, days old. He’s dirty and shaking.
He’s empty eyed with blackened stains down his cheeks.
He’s still holding a knife. Like it might be a part of his hand.
He tries to fling it away.
It is a part of his hand.
He tries to fling it away.
It won't go.
He pulls at his hand.
He pulls off his arm.
It drops to his feet.
He looks at it.
He pulls himself apart.
He lies in tattered ruins at the SOULS’ feet, their former home.
One SOUL sits by the body. Two SOULS leave.)
Moench 2
SCENE [2]
(Qi Li Yu. XIAO LI and JING ZHAO's house.)
(XIAO LI is watching the news.)
TV NEWS VOICE (Use coverage of a school stabbing.)
(XIAO LI leans forward. JING ZHAO enters. She looks at the television. Stares at it. XIAO LI looks at JING ZHAO.)
JING ZHAO It wasn't.
(XIAO LI looks at his hands.)
JING ZHAO It isn't.
(XIAO LI looks back at the television.)
JING ZHAO It couldn't be.
(They watch.)
(Taiyuan. The provincial coroner's office.)
(FENGXIA is sitting at a metal desk. A television plays in a high corner, she stares up at it.)
TV NEWS VOICE (Use coverage of a school stabbing.)
(DA WEI enters with a covered body on a rolling cart. SOUL 2 trails behind DA WEI and the cart, eyes fixed on the body. FENGXIA looks over when he enters, then back up at the television.)
DA WEI Slow day?
FENGXIA Mmh.
Moench 3
DA WEI Well. Not anymore. Guess who? Hey. Hey. Guess.
FENGXIA
(irritated, tearing her eyes away from the television)
What, who?
(DA WEI points at the body, then at the television, then back at the body.)
(beat.)
FENGXIA No way.
DA WEI Yes way.
FENGXIA They just said he's still at large.
DA WEI Found him this morning. No ID yet, so I guess it hasn't gone out to the press.
FENGXIA Suicide?
(DA WEI shrugs.)
FENGXIA Probably.
(They stare at the body.)
DA WEI It's like the whole world's gone crazy.
FENGXIA Copycat killings. Happens.
Moench 4
DA WEI Awful. And at elementary schools. Just awful.
FENGXIA Yeah. I mean they could at least try to be original. Go to a bank instead. Or a mall. You know. Mix it up a little.
DA WEI Um...
FENGXIA Or a nursing home. They're on their way out anyway.
(An awkward silence.)
FENGXIA Never mind.
DA WEI Oh, you were——
FENGXIA Yeah, but it didn't, but yeah——
DA WEI Yeah. No, it was, it was funny. I just didn't...
(Silence.) All right. Well. Better get this bastard in the fridge.
FENGXIA Right.
(pause.)
FENGXIA Fun plans this weekend?
DA WEI Yeah, should be nice.
FENGXIA Cool, yeah. Yeah. Same. Same here. Fun plans. Nice.
(pause.)
Moench 5
DA WEI So...
(SOUL 2 comes closer to FENGXIA, touches her hand, perhaps. She feels something strange.)
DA WEI ...can you...buzz me in?
FENGXIA (distracted)
What?
DA WEI (flashing his wrist around even though he doesn't wear a watch)
It's just, I gotta...
FENGXIA Oh. Right. You want me to..., I mean if you're in a rush, I can put him in——
DA WEI I dunno if that's a good...I mean, I think you're supposed to stick to the desk. You know?
(Silence.)
FENGXIA Sure.
DA WEI I mean, that's just what Director Wong told me, that you're only supposed to be working the desk now, I don't——
FENGXIA Yeah. I know.
(DA WEI looks at the ground. FENGXIA presses a buzzer, which unlocks the door behind her. DA WEI rolls the body through the door. FENGXIA looks back up at the TV, which is still playing news coverage of the stabbings. SOUL 2 follows DA WEI, as if attached by an invisible leash.)
(Qi Li Yu. TAI TAI's house.)
(TAI TAI sweeps her house, listening to the radio.)
Moench 6
RADIO NEWS VOICE (Use radio coverage of a school stabbing.)
(TAI TAI stops sweeping. Listens. Shakes her head. Lights some incense and looks out her window.)
Moench 7
SCENE [3]
(Qi Li Yu. Night. The bedroom of a traditional cave house.)
(In the darkness, JING ZHAO sits up in bed. She stands, sliding her feet into a pair of rubber slippers. She pulls a string tied to a chain to turn on a bare bulb. The string snaps in her hand.
She stands on a chair. She pulls the chain, the bulb turns on.
She ties the string back together again. The string is already knotted in multiple places.
XIAO LI stirs in the bed, turning away from the light.
JING ZHAO looks at him. Watches him. Waits. XIAO LI pulls the blanket over his head.
JING ZHAO pulls the string. It breaks.
The light stays on, she squints at it like it’s the relentless midday sun.)
Moench 8
SCENE [4]
(Later that night. JING ZHAO's dream.)
(SOUL 1 sits on the ground with his hand out, palm up. JING ZHAO notices him, drops a coin into his hand. Keeps moving, then turns back and looks harder.)
JING ZHAO Hey. Scuse me. Do I know you? I really feel like I, I don’t know what it, something about you looks, it’s so…you’re so… I know I’ve seen you before. I think… But maybe you’re just one of those faces. Some people just look like you know them, you know?
(SOUL 1 looks up at her from the ground. He eats the coin. He puts his hand back out. She puts another coin in his palm. He eats it. Puts his hand back out.)
JING ZHAO That's all I have.
(SOUL 1 reaches both hands up to her.)
JING ZHAO I'm sorry.
(SOUL 1 gets to his knees and thrusts his empty hands in her face.)
JING ZHAO I'm sorry!
(SOUL 1 opens his mouth and dust pours out. JING ZHAO recoils in horror. SOUL 1 wipes his empty hands down his face. Black trails appear down his cheeks, like he is crying soot. He turns away to go.)
Moench 9
JING ZHAO No. Wait. Wait. Jian?
(He's gone.)
JING ZHAO Jian.
Moench 10
SCENE [5]
(The bedroom, a moment later.)
(XIAO LI and JING ZHAO are asleep. The SOUL is watching. JING ZHAO stirs. Sits upright, looking directly at the SOUL. Not seeing it.)
XIAO LI What.
JING ZHAO He’s here. He was here.
XIAO LI Go back to sleep.
JING ZHAO I saw him. Felt him. I did. In my while I was and then I woke up and I think I almost saw him for a second, might have, but he looked I almost didn’t recognize him.
XIAO LI You’re dreaming.
JING ZHAO No, it’s different.
XIAO LI It isn’t. It just feels different.
JING ZHAO Then it is different.
Moench 11
XIAO LI No, it isn’t. I know you think it feels different than normal dreams, that it means something, but it isn’t different. And it doesn’t mean anything. You’ll get used to it.
JING ZHAO He was here.
XIAO LI I can promise you he wasn’t.
JING ZHAO He was.
(XIAO LI sits up, flings the covers off, stands up, turns on the light, the string breaks.)
XIAO LI Godammit. Look. Nothing. Nobody. We’re alone. You happy? I hope you’re happy. Because now I have to tie this fucking string back up.
JING ZHAO It’s your own fault.
XIAO LI It’s the string’s fault.
JING ZHAO You should just replace it.
XIAO LI Why don’t you?
Moench 12
JING ZHAO I don’t have any string.
XIAO LI And you think I have string?
(Silence.
XIAO LI’s on the chair, tying yet another knot in the decaying string. She’s watching.)
JING ZHAO I’m not, you know.
XIAO LI What.
JING ZHAO Happy. I’m not happy.
XIAO LI Nobody expects you to be happy, Jing Zhao. Nobody’s fucking happy.
(XIAO LI gets down off the chair, puts it back at the table, turns off the light, climbs into bed. JING ZHAO lies down next to him.
XIAO LI reaches out in the darkness. Pats her on the shoulder once, twice. Rolls over. The SOUL stares at them a little while longer. XIAO LI falls asleep, the SOUL follows him under.
Moench 13
SCENE [6]
(XIAO LI's dream.) (XIAO LI is in a patch of grass. He’s hacking at it with a hoe, hard, angry. A villager passes. XIAO LI looks up.
The villager ignores him and continues on his way.
XIAO LI returns to his work.
TAI TAI walks by slowly.)
TAI TAI Harvesting already, Xiao Li?
XIAO LI Oh, morning, Tai Tai. Not ready quite yet.
TAI TAI You work hard. It shows. Your corn is always the best.
XIAO LI No, no.
TAI TAI I’m sorry about Jian.
XIAO LI Oh. Guess everyone knows now, huh?
TAI TAI Terrible.
XIAO LI He wasn’t right. In the head. It wasn’t…
TAI TAI I know. I meant for you.
XIAO LI …Thank you.
TAI TAI You get the body yet?
Moench 14
XIAO LI Not yet. The police— It’s a whole…investigation.
TAI TAI Sure.
I’ve spoken to Old Rong. He promised he’d help you choose a good grave after all. Somewhere high in the mountains. Somewhere nice. Said he’s sorry he was too “busy” to arrange things with you before. Just let him know when you get the body. Shouldn’t be a problem.
XIAO LI You didn’t have to do that.
TAI TAI Your son needs to be properly buried.
XIAO LI Thanks.
TAI TAI You don’t want him to become a hungry ghost.
XIAO LI Well. If you go for all that stuff.
TAI TAI Not for you, huh.
(Silence. They look at the hills.)
TAI TAI Was that Qian Jing up ahead?
XIAO LI Yes.
TAI TAI He didn’t stop and chat for an hour and a half like he usually does.
XIAO LI Busy.
Moench 15
TAI TAI Everybody’s too busy for you this week, huh?
XIAO LI Things get busy.
TAI TAI Forget it. They’re ignorant.
XIAO LI We all are, Tai Tai.
TAI TAI Speak for yourself.
XIAO LI Life’s hard.
TAI TAI We make it that way.
Take care of yourself, Xiao Li. Send my condolences to Jing Zhao. Tell her she should come by some time soon for tea. You both should.
XIAO LI Things are kinda busy—
TAI TAI (already on her way, calling back)
See you soon.
(TAI TAI is gone.)
(XIAO LI returns to his work.)
(He hacks at the ground, dirt jumps up at his feet. He sees something pale in the earth. He digs deeper. SOUL 1 notices, comes out of the shadows a little to get a better look.)
(XIAO LI reaches into the earth and tugs at the pale thing. JIAN’s cold body comes up out of the ground in his hands like a ghastly carrot.)
Moench 16
SCENE 7
(XIAO LI sits straight up in bed, panting. SOUL 1 is facing him, standing at the foot of the bed. He squints at the SOUL, then puts his face in his hands, pressing at his eyes.
JING ZHAO is already awake and watching.)
JING ZHAO What.
(Silence.)
XIAO LI Nothing.
JING ZHAO Bad dream?
(SOUL 1 watches closely. XIAO LI pulls his hands down, takes a breath, looks his wife straight in the eye, and lies.)
XIAO LI No.
(SOUL 1 leaves the room, the house, leaves the door swinging open. Wind gusts inside.)
JING ZHAO God, it's cold.
XIAO LI Yeah.
JING ZHAO It's too early to be this cold.
XIAO LI Mh. You never know with weather.
Moench 17
SCENE [8]
(Taiyuan. FENGXIA sits at her desk at work, watching the endless news coverage of the stabbings.)
(SOUL 2 enters from the morgue. She glances up.)
FENGXIA Oh! Um...How did you...did Da Wei let you in? On the last shift?
(SOUL 2 stares at her. Then nods.)
FENGXIA He didn't tell me anyone was still in there, is all. When we trade off at the desk he usually tells me if an orderly's still inside.
(SOUL 2 keeps looking at her.)
FENGXIA You new or something?
(SOUL 2 nods.)
FENGXIA That's cool. It's not a bad job. Well. Some people get freaked out by it. But if you're okay with dead bodies, it's not a bad job. Pays okay. Work's not too hard. I'm Fengxia.
(long pause.)
SOUL 2 Jian.
FENGXIA Nice to meet you.
(They shake hands, something feels familiar in his touch.)
FENGXIA I feel like we've met before.
(The SOUL shrugs.)
Moench 18
FENGXIA But maybe you're just one of those faces.
(There is nothing to say. They look up at the television and watch the news.)
FENGXIA Pretty awful, huh.
(long pause.)
SOUL 2 Awful.
Moench 19
SCENE [9]
(JING ZHAO is boiling water. XIAO LI sits at the table, smoking a hand rolled cigarette, staring into space with his jaw set. JING ZHAO looks at the pot, not at her husband.)
(The water finally boils. JING ZHAO pours it into a large thermos, corking the top. She carefully pulls three teacups from a low shelf and takes them to the table. She puts them down. XIAO LI shifts in his chair, angling himself away from her.)
JING ZHAO It’s what he needs.
(XIAO LI does not respond, only closes his eyes and brings the cigarette to his lips. JING ZHAO walks back to the cupboard and finds a small tin. Looks inside.)
JING ZHAO Hot water all right?
XIAO LI It’ll have to be, won’t it?
(Pause.)
JING ZHAO Yes. It will.
XIAO LI Have to save the tea for our “honored guest.”
JING ZHAO Look, we talked about this.
XIAO LI He’ll turn us down.
JING ZHAO He won’t.
Moench 20
XIAO LI If he doesn’t, he’s not someone we want to be involved with.
JING ZHAO He’s lonely. I feel him.
XIAO LI You do not.
JING ZHAO It’s tradition.
XIAO LI It’s illegal.
JING ZHAO Everybody does it, nobody cares.
XIAO LI Well it’s a waste of money.
JING ZHAO What do we have left to spend it on?
XIAO LI Uh, tea? Maybe? For starters?
(JING ZHAO shakes her head, frustrated)
XIAO LI Half the crop died on the stalk last night, Jing Zhao. We might not be able to harvest the rest before the next frost. And with Jian gone, his, his wages——
APING
(A call from the courtyard:) Hello?
JING ZHAO Come in!
(to XIAO LI, quiet, urgent:) The longer we wait, the angrier he’ll get. Bad things will start to happen——
XIAO LI Start??
Moench 21
(APING enters. He’s in a cheap suit, and prominently wears his large cellphone on a belt holster.)
APING Good morning, ma’am. sir. I’m very sorry for your loss.
XIAO LI That so.
JING ZHAO Thank you. Won’t you please sit down? Let me get you some tea.
APING Oh, no, no.
(He sits. XIAO LI shifts away.)
JING ZHAO Please, I insist.
APING Not necessary, no.
(He leans back to give JING ZHAO room as she pours him tea.)
APING Thank you. Thanks.
(He picks it up, blows on it, and noisily sips it without hesitation. JING ZHAO pours XIAO LI and herself hot water.)
JING ZHAO We appreciate you taking the time to visit us. I hope it wasn't too much trouble.
APING Not at all, it’s my pleasure.
XIAO LI I bet it is.
JING ZHAO Did you get here all right?
Moench 22
APING Kinda slow going. They’re still working on the road.
XIAO LI Oh are they? Are they still working on it? Was that inconvenient for you?
JING ZHAO Li.
XIAO LI Our son was working on that road. You know. Before he killed himself.
JING ZHAO I’m sorry, he’s…—
XIAO LI What?
APING No, no, I understand, it’s a stressful time. Mourners often lose sight of etiquette.
XIAO LI I haven’t lost sight of shit—
APING Loss.
Loss.
Terrible thing.
JING ZHAO Yes.
XIAO LI Jesus.
APING But the dead never truly leave us, do they? Their souls live on, in heaven and all around us.
JING ZHAO
(at XIAO LI) Yes. They do.
Moench 23
APING One goes to heaven, one stays with the body, and one wanders the earth.
JING ZHAO I feel him near me.
APING Right now?
JING ZHAO At night. In my dreams. I see him.
APING
(to XIAO LI) And you?
XIAO LI
(lying) No.
APING Are you sure?
XIAO LI I think I’d remember being haunted.
APING Yes, you probably would.
XIAO LI What does it matter, anyway, who’s having delusions and who isn’t.
APING Dreams are the realm in which the living and the dead can meet. If a soul is troubled, it will reach out to the people who can understand its suffering. It will force you to listen.
JING ZHAO He's begging. In all the, whenever I see him. He's always begging. His hands are Out like this, you know, like Reaching out like this and His eyes are so
Moench 24
I don't know, so full and so empty, like that foreign glass with bubbles in it or or ...I don't know. But he never answers me. When I ask him what he wants. Needs.
APING This is not uncommon. It’s rare for a soul to speak directly to the living. Something about the distance between our world and theirs. Who can say.
JING ZHAO I've sent him everything I can. Money, food, a house, a car…
APING But he still won’t leave you alone.
(JING ZHAO shakes her head.)
APING It’s very good that you called me.
XIAO LI So how much are we talking here?
APING I have extensive experience in these matters.
XIAO LI So…
APING It isn’t good for a soul to wander alone. Unmarried. It’s misery for him. It's pain. That’s why he isn’t satisfied with the paper money you burn, the food you offer.
XIAO LI These aren’t numbers.
APING I’m saying it’s valuable, what I do.
XIAO LI How valuable?
APING It’s complicated.
Moench 25
XIAO LI How much?
APING It depends. It would be best if there was someone in your own village who has lost a daughter.
JING ZHAO There’s nobody. The girls all go to the city to work. We couldn’t find him a bride. Before.
APING Yes, that’s a common problem these days, isn't it. One Child Policy. What did they expect, you only get one, you want it to be a boy. But then there's nobody for him to marry. Girls get their pick, go to the city, marry a rich man. Can't blame them. But it's a problem. Anyway, well, in that case I have to look farther away. If there’s nobody, I’ll have to look into who died in the past few years, find the family, exhume the body…more difficulty for me, you understand? It’s hard to know exactly how much, sitting here at the table. See?
XIAO LI I’m not agreeing to anything unless I know what it’s going to cost me.
APING All right, my base rate is three thousand yuan.
XIAO LI What!
APING That’s for my service fee. You’ll also have to pay the dowry to the family, usually another few thousand at least. Depends on the body, how recently she died, of what, you know, all that.
XIAO LI Out of the question.
JING ZHAO Li…
XIAO LI No, we are not bankrupting ourselves at the hands of this…this guy. No.
Moench 26
JING ZHAO He’s lonely.
XIAO LI He’s dead!
APING Sir, where are you from?
XIAO LI What?
APING Your accent. It’s faint, but. It’s there.
XIAO LI Oh. Hebei.
APING Ah. (to JING ZHAO) I see.
XIAO LI What.
APING With all due respect, sir, you do not understand how things work here. The traditions. The beliefs.
XIAO LI No, I’m pretty sure I get it. You’re trying to rape me for a corpse.
APING You do not understand it here.
(APING puts his hand over his heart, softly. XIAO LI snorts.)
APING We burn paper models of houses and money to send them on to the dead. We offer mantou to feed them every year on the anniversary of their passing. These physical acts in our world influence the world beyond. They are important. It is the duty of those left behind to carry them out.
Your son needs companionship, but he can’t find it alone. He's asking for your help.
Moench 27
XIAO LI You realize I don’t believe in any of this stuff.
APING Your wife does.
(Silence. JING ZHAO looks at XIAO LI, pleading. XIAO LI’s cigarette has gone out. He plays with it.)
XIAO LI I’ll give you five hundred as your fee. Plus whatever the dowry comes to.
APING I don’t think you realize the legwork this involves. The personal risk.
XIAO LI You look like you’re doing all right so far.
APING 2500 and I’ll throw in the burial ceremony for free. That’s the best I can do.
XIAO LI Eight hundred and the ceremony.
APING The government needs to be encouraged to look the other way. That isn’t free, you know.
XIAO LI Please, around here? They’re cheap.
APING 1800, no ceremony. That’s good. That’s better than you’ll find anywhere.
XIAO LI And then there’s the dowry to pay to the girl’s parents, the labor, the funeral…it will come to more than we can afford. It’s already more than we can afford.
APING Borrow.
XIAO LI No.
Moench 28
APING Sir, you seem to forget that your son murdered six children in cold blood before taking his own life. He was worse than a monster. He was a coward.
(XIAO LI jumps to his feet in a split second, grabbing APING roughly and towering over him.)
JING ZHAO Li!
(A frozen moment. The SOUL becomes conspicuous in the door, although it was there the whole time. It watches them.)
APING (calmly, quietly)
Everyone knows. And you’ve been looking.
You won’t find anyone else willing to find a bride for your son. You have bloody money.
(Silence.)
JING ZHAO Let go. Let go.
APING I see where he got it.
(XIAO LI grips APING tighter. Nobody knows what is about to erupt. But then lets go.)
XIAO LI Get out of my house.
JING ZHAO Li, no!
XIAO LI Out.
JING ZHAO (scrambling under a mattress and pulling out a dirty envelope of bills)
Moench 29
Wait, no, here's the money, here's all we have, it's almost enough——
XIAO LI (Grabbing it from her)
Put that away!
JING ZHAO Jian needs you!
XIAO LI We needed him! He owed us! And where is he now? Where is he now, Jing Zhao, huh? Fucking dead, is where. His choice. His. And that's where this ends.
APING Nothing ever ends with death.
XIAO LI You get the fuck out of my house, or so help me god——
APING Fine. But when you change your mind, because you will change your mind, you know, once things go from bad to worse like they always do, when you change your mind you come to me. I'm not driving out to this shithole again. Bad roads. Shoddy construction. You've got my number.
(APING exits. JING ZHAO and XIAO LI stand, looking at the door he just walked through.)
(JING ZHAO turns back to the table, clears away the mugs.)
(XIAO LI watches her, waiting for her to look at him.)
(He gives up. Shoves the envelope back under the mattress and sits down. He rolls another cigarette.)
(The SOUL leaves.)
Moench 30
SCENE [10]
(FENGXIA and SOUL 2 are at the morgue desk, looking at the log book.)
FENGXIA And once they're on the books, you basically just watch the desk. Make sure nobody goes in or out without official ID. It's stupid but you always have to see ID, even if you've worked with them for years. It's just because it's the police morgue, you know, so everything's gotta be official. Evidence and stuff. So they show you ID and then you can let them in. There's a button under the desk to unlock the door.
SOUL This one? FENGXIA
Whoa! No, not that one, that’s the emergency alarm. Don’t touch that unless you want the police to come running in about five seconds flat. The lock button is on this side, here, look, see? You push it...
(She does, a buzzing noise sounds.)
And then the door's unlocked for a few seconds, so the person can go in. It's always unlocked from the inside though, so you don't have to buzz them out. And so that if you're in there you don't have to worry about getting locked in.
SOUL 2 You ever go in?
FENGXIA Oh. Uh. I'm not supposed to, anymore.
SOUL 2 But you did?
FENGXIA That's why I'm not supposed to? They probably won't care if you do, though. I mean, you don't have to. If it makes you uncomfortable or whatever. Are you weirded out by blood or, you know,...?
SOUL 2 ...
Moench 31
FENGXIA Yeah, so you don't have to ever like touch a body or anything. Or even look. But if you want to, you know, and nobody's...I mean, I'm just saying it's not strictly against the rules or whatever. Technically. But people can be, people sometimes, I dunno, I just mean if you do want to, you can, but you should be...discreet. People might think you're...weird. Or. So anyway, do you have any questions? I cover everything okay?
SOUL 2 Why do you look at them?
FENGXIA I don't. I... Fuck, okay, did Da Wei tell you?
(The SOUL doesn't respond, he just looks at her.)
FENGXIA Okay, so look, it wasn't like I was, he walked in and just, jumped to conclusions. And told everyone. Told everyone false information. Okay? Don't listen to him.
(nothing.)
FENGXIA And now everybody does that. Looks at me just like that. Like I'm a fucking freak.
(nothing.) I'm not a freak. I went to college. You know that? A good college. Tsinghua. The best. Finance and Econ double major. I'm way overqualified for this job. Whatever. I didn't do...I was doing good, really good, actually, and then...Whatever. Fell from 2nd in my class to...My mom died my senior year and I had trouble focusing. I think I'd have done okay, even so, if I hadn't had so much fucking smoke in my room all the time.
SOUL 2 I hate incense.
Moench 32
FENGXIA Me too. Fogs up your brain.
(SOUL 2 nods.)
FENGXIA And then the fucking sun comes up and your exam is in two fucking hours. And everyone who's dead is still dead. And you're number 72. My father still burns incense. And money papers. And all the other bullshit. It’s hard to tell him that’s what it is, bullshit, when I see how much it means to him, feeling like he’s making a difference, feeling like he’s still a part of her life, like she’s just on vacation for a while. He thinks one day he’ll go to sleep and wake up in some shimmering room, on a wispy soft bed of incense smoke and pillowy clouds, surrounded by the piles of money, the washing machines, the sports cars, the pets, the gifts he sent. And she'll be so happy to see him. That’s what he thinks.
But here’s what’s going to happen. One day I’ll call home and nobody will answer. And I’ll know, but I’ll have to go to be sure. And when I get there, nobody will answer the door, but I won’t be expecting an answer. And I’ll get the spare key. And I’ll walk up to his room and stand by his bed and touch him to see if I missed the last of him. I probably did. And I’ll pick up the phone and call Auntie Liu and she’ll take it from there, and I’ll continue to live my life and that is all that will happen, no shining light, no smoke, no ghosts. And one day I’ll close my eyes and not open them again and not know that I won’t open them again, or even that I ever opened them in the first place. Da Wei came in and I was just looking. I just...I just like looking.
SOUL 2 I think I'd like looking too.
FENGXIA You would?
SOUL 2 Yeah. I think it would help.
FENGXIA It does.
Moench 33
SOUL 2 Can you show me?
(Silence.)
(FENGXIA reaches under the desk and pushes the button. The door buzzes, unlocked.)
Moench 34
SCENE [11]
(XIAO LI comes into the bedroom. JING ZHAO is already in bed.)
(The SOUL is watching from the window.)
XIAO LI Going to bed already?
JING ZHAO I’m tired.
XIAO LI It’s early.
JING ZHAO I know, I’m tired.
XIAO LI You’ve been sleeping a lot.
JING ZHAO I keep waking up.
XIAO LI Maybe it’s the cold.
Another cold night. Freezing cold.
JING ZHAO I know.
XIAO LI Worried about the crops. The cold, you know? We can't afford to take a hit.
I saw Tai Tai. Out there. The other day. Did I tell you? She said you should go over for tea sometime.
(Silence.)
You sick?
Moench 35
JING ZHAO No.
XIAO LI Sure?
JING ZHAO I’m just tired, Xiao Li.
(Silence.)
XIAO LI Fine.
(XIAO LI lingers.)
XIAO LI Fine. I’m gonna go watch TV.
(JING ZHAO pulls the covers up.)
(XIAO LI reaches for the string.)
Moench 36
SCENE 12
(XIAO LI sits on a small chair, staring at a small TV. The sounds of a Chinese game show burble out of the TV, tinny and strange. XIAO LI has propped his head on his hand. He drifts off.)
(As he sleeps, SOUL 1 sits in the small chair next to him and stares at the tiny TV.)
(XIAO LI opens his eyes, dreaming. He looks over at the SOUL. He looks back at the TV. They watch together.)
XIAO LI Wanna do karaoke? Or no. No.
(Silence.)
Used to like karaoke. When you were a kid. Barely use the damn machine now. Waste of money. I told you. Should sell it.
I hate this show. That girl. Dumb girl. What was her name? Whatever. Got famous for being on this show.
For saying that thing, what did she say?
You remember. What was it.
(He thinks, hard. Gives up. Watches TV. Suddenly:)
“I’d rather cry in a BMW than laugh on the back of a bicycle.” That was it. Famous for that. Stupid show.
(Watches TV.)
Moench 37
Construction is hard work, Jian. Dangerous. You can’t slack off. Nobody’s watching your ass but you. It’s not like out in the fields with me and Ma. Fixing your fuck ups. You’re expendable. To them. Your boss doesn’t give a fuck. He shouldn’t, why should he? He shouldn’t. He won’t. Anyway, don’t slack off is what I’m saying. Look at that. Why are they getting paid to do that, I mean, what, who even, who watches this shit? People get paid to make this shit because stupid people watch this shit. I can’t believe we’re watching this shit. But. There’s nothing else.
(Watches TV.)
Fuck it, I’m going to bed. You want this on still, or…
(Silence. XIAO LI stands up.)
Just don’t turn it up too loud. Hey. In case I’m gone before you leave. Don’t…you gotta keep it together, Jian. You can’t be…you can’t just…nobody will understand when you get into those…moods, out there, you know, it’s not the same as being here with people who, who understand. You. And your. Whatever you wanna call it. Okay? It’s not…just… Never mind. You can’t slack off. Is what I’m trying to say. You’ll come home for New Years, so. Not too long. Don't waste your money on alcohol. Nothing but trouble
Moench 38
there. Bring that money home. To your mother. Pitch in, for once. All right? . Night.
(XIAO LI wakes up. SOUL 1 is gone. XIAO LI puts a hand on the empty chair the SOUL has left behind.)
Moench 39
SCENE [13]
(XIAO LI turns off the TV, stretches, then walks into the bedroom and gets into bed next to JING ZHAO.)
JING ZHAO Hey.
XIAO LI Still up?
JING ZHAO Yeah.
(XIAO LI tries to fall asleep.)
JING ZHAO You really don't see him? In your, you know, at night?
XIAO LI Stop it.
JING ZHAO I've lost people before, Xiao Li. My parents. Cousins. Aunts and uncles, friends. This, this is different. He's suffering. Getting thinner every time I close my eyes. If we don't——
XIAO LI We've got an early morning.
JING ZHAO We do?
XIAO LI We're harvesting tomorrow.
JING ZHAO Tomorrow? But the corn's not ready.
XIAO LI We'll just sell it as silage.
JING ZHAO Pig feed? That's worth nothing! We'll barely make back our costs!
Moench 40
XIAO LI Cold as it's been, we'll be lucky to get half the crop as feed.
JING ZHAO He's causing this. He's trying to get our attention.
XIAO LI Jing Zhao...
JING ZHAO I know if we just buy him a bride, he'll stop. And we can have a good harvest. A great harvest, even, he'll bring us good luck——
XIAO LI Please——
JING ZHAO We have 1500 yuan saved. I can go to Aping, I can make him take it as a down payment and we'll just pay the rest from the harvest in a few weeks!
(XIAO LI just sighs and rolls over.) Are you listening to me? Xiao Li. I know you hear me.
(He does not respond.)
(She sits there, watching him, willing him to engage.)
(He doesn't, and she gives up. She closes her eyes and wills herself to sleep.)
Moench 41
SCENE [14]
(JING ZHAO’s dream.)
(JING ZHAO and XIAO LI are at their table, wearing layers and layers of clothing, jackets, hats, scarves.)
(They sit, not speaking.)
(Silence.)
(XIAO LI swirls his mug a little, looking in.)
(JING ZHAO gets up and fetches the thermos. Pours them more hot water.)
XIAO LI Is there any tea?
JING ZHAO No.
(JING ZHAO puts the thermos away. She sits down again, they cradle the mugs in their gloved hands.)
(They sit, not speaking.)
(Silence.)
(XIAO LI swirls his mug a little, looking in.)
(JING ZHAO gets up and fetches the thermos. Pours them more hot water.)
XIAO LI Is there any tea?
JING ZHAO No.
XIAO LI Why not?
(JING ZHAO puts the thermos away. She sits down again, they cradle the mugs in their gloved hands.)
Moench 42
(They sit, not speaking.)
(Silence.)
(XIAO LI swirls his mug a little, looking in.)
(JING ZHAO gets up and fetches the thermos. Pours them more hot water.)
XIAO LI Is there any tea?
JING ZHAO No.
XIAO LI Why not?
(SOUL 1 appears in the window, looking in.)
JING ZHAO You know why not.
(JING ZHAO puts the thermos away. She sits down again, they cradle the mugs in their gloved hands.)
(They sit, not speaking.)
(Silence.)
(XIAO LI swirls his mug a little, looking in.)
(JING ZHAO gets up and fetches the thermos. Pours them more hot water.)
XIAO LI Is there any tea?
JING ZHAO No.
XIAO LI Why not?
JING ZHAO You know why not.
Moench 43
XIAO LI Say it, Jing Zhao.
(JING ZHAO puts the thermos away. She sits down again, they cradle the mugs in their gloved hands. JING ZHAO looks deep into her mug.)
(The SOUL opens his mouth, wide.)
XIAO LI Why not?
(The SOUL opens his mouth wider.)
XIAO LI Why not?
(The SOUL opens his mouth wider.)
XIAO LI Don't throw what we have left into a grave.
(The SOUL reaches up to his gaping mouth, grasps his jaw with both hands, and tears it open, wider than any mouth in the world.)
(The roof collapses. Snow and storm howl in.)
(Darkness.)
(JING ZHAO wakes, shivering. The roof is intact. She gets out of bed, puts on her rubber slippers, and walks outside into the cold. It has started to snow. SOUL 1 stands in the darkness, waiting for her. She makes eye-contact with the SOUL for the first time awake.)
JING ZHAO I see you, honey, when nobody else does.
(SOUL 1 puts his hand out. She takes it.)
Moench 44
SCENE [15]
(JING ZHAO goes back inside, hand in hand with SOUL 1. She looks at XIAO LI, who is sleeping soundly. She looks at SOUL 1. He nods. He helps her slide her hand under the mattress.)
(Blackout.)
(XIAO LI's dream.)
(XIAO LI and JING ZHAO are raking corn across the pavement in front of their home, drying it in the autumn sun.)
XIAO LI It is a big deal!
JING ZHAO I don’t see why.
XIAO LI You don’t——
JING ZHAO He’s a teenager. We live on a farm.
XIAO LI So?
JING ZHAO So he’s just curious.
XIAO LI That’s not curious, Jing Zhao. It’s cruel.
JING ZHAO I’ll talk to him.
XIAO LI I’ll talk to him.
JING ZHAO You’ll scare him.
XIAO LI Good.
Moench 45
JING ZHAO No!
(XIAO LI gives up, goes back to raking out the corn. They rake, angrily. Eventually he stops, he can't help himself.)
XIAO LI It’s indulgent, is what it is.
JING ZHAO What.
XIAO LI Everything. Us. Him. His behavior, and how we, how you just let him…you know what, forget it.
JING ZHAO Let him what.
XIAO LI It’s not just this. Kid hasn’t said a word to us or anyone in four months. Spends all his time alone. Cries. Barely, barely eats, barely, doesn’t… You shouldn’t encourage that. It’s indulgent.
JING ZHAO He’s shy. He’s sensitive.
XIAO LI He’s been pulling the tails off of field mice, how fucking sensitive is that?
JING ZHAO He doesn’t understand.
XIAO LI He’s outgrown that excuse. No. One good beating and he’ll shape up.
JING ZHAO You know that won’t work.
XIAO LI Worked on me when I was a boy.
JING ZHAO He’s not a normal boy! He’s…
Moench 46
(She falls silent. They stare at each other.)
XIAO LI He is a normal boy. A normal boy with a normal discipline problem. And I am going to deal with that like every normal father deals with that. And you’re gonna be fine with it. Because it’s normal.
(Silence.)
JING ZHAO If you’re waiting for me to agree with you I’m not going to.
(XIAO LI drops his rake into the pile of corn.)
XIAO LI I’m not.
(He leaves, calling out as he goes:)
XIAO LI Jian? Jian? Hey! C’mere, I wanna talk to you about something. Jian? Jian?
(He wakes.) Jian!
(Looks around, notices the empty spot next to him.)
Moench 47
SCENE [16]
(Days later. FENGXIA and SOUL 2stand in the morgue. They are staring at an unmanned puppet lying in a drawer, the sheet has been pulled down to its shoulders.)
FENGXIA I think she was a teacher. I think she wore knee length skirts. I think she had bad eyes, near-sighted, from too many books late at night as a little girl under the covers with a flashlight so her parents wouldn't see. I think she'd read and read and read and in the mornings they'd wonder why she was always so tired, they'd think she was lazy, maybe, or maybe they were kind and just thought that their baby was sick so they just sent her to bed earlier and earlier and earlier, and her eyes just got worse and worse and worse. I don't think she was married. But I think she was loved. But I think things didn't work out. Sometimes things just don't. They don't tell us anything about them. But she came in with the kids. The day that guy, you know. So I think she was a teacher.
SOUL 2 I think you're right.
FENGXIA Your turn.
SOUL 2 What do I do?
FENGXIA You just look. And then you say what you think. What you think was good about them. Or special. Or just who you think they were.
(SOUL 2 looks at the puppet's face.)
SOUL 2 I think she was brave.
Moench 48
I think she fought. Hard. For her kids. Shut them safe in a closet and stood in front with nothing but her knees and her fists. Nobody ever fought like that for me, I don't think. And I don't think I ever fought like that. Not to save anybody. So. Yes. I think she was very brave. But other than that, I think you already said it all.
(FENGXIA tucks the sheet back in place then rolls the drawer shut. Rolls another one open. A small puppet is under the sheet. She reaches for the sheet.)
SOUL 2 Don't. If you don't mind.
(She pauses, nods. The SOUL collects himself.)
SOUL 2 I think he was...a boy. A little boy. A troublemaker. I think he had those shoes with the squeaker in the heels so you could hear him coming, squeaking all the way down the dirt road, walking to school. I think his grandmother made him wear them because he was always running off, and the squeakers made him easier to find. I think he had a lunch box with Mickey Mouse on it, and a thermos inside filled with tea and sweetened with some sugar, exactly the same every day. I don't think he knew who Mickey Mouse was. I think he had a pet cricket he kept in a tiny cage on his windowsill at home, from when his Dad and Mom came back to visit from Beijing. They work there so Grandma and he can eat and once a year they come back for Spring Festival with a present. They seem different every time. Older. So did he. You can put him back now.
FENGXIA You don't want to look?
Moench 49
SOUL 2 No.
(She rolls the drawer shut.)
(They look at the wall of drawers.)
(He points.)
SOUL 2 That one.
FENGXIA That's——
SOUL 2 I know who he is.
(She opens the drawer he pointed to, leaves the sheet in place.)
FENGXIA It's not going to be good. He's all...
(The SOUL pulls the sheet back a little. We see JIAN's face.)
SOUL 2 You go first.
FENGXIA ... I don't know.
SOUL 2 You don't want to. You don't think he had anything good about him? Or special? Nothing at all?
FENGXIA I just...I don't know.
(pause.)
SOUL 2 I don't think he did either.
Moench 50
SCENE [17]
(TAI TAI's house, dawn. TAI TAI sits on a low stool, deftly weaving something large out of straw. XIAO LI enters, rubbing his eyes.)
XIAO LI Nothing yet?
TAI TAI Still early.
XIAO LI Nothing yet though.
TAI TAI Have some breakfast.
XIAO LI That's okay.
TAI TAI There's zhou in the pot.
(XIAO LI looks out the window.)
XIAO LI Not letting up.
TAI TAI I haven't seen a blizzard this bad since I was a girl.
XIAO LI They closed the road, you know. Yesterday. It's still fall! Should be. But you never know with weather. She's not gonna call. It's been a week, what's she gonna do, call now? She's not gonna call. You sure your phone works?
TAI TAI Aiya, Xiao Li! Sit down and eat something.
XIAO LI I'm getting worried. I should've...god. There's too many things.
Moench 51
TAI TAI Eat.
(XIAO LI reluctantly gets a bowl of porridge. He sits and tries to eat, watching TAI TAI work.)
XIAO LI What's that.
TAI TAI Scarecrow.
XIAO LI Too late.
TAI TAI It's for spring.
XIAO LI Too early, then.
(She waves him silent. He stirs his zhou, she works.)
XIAO LI Roof's gonna cost me. And the crop, that's gone. Who knows what's been damaged in the house. All that snow inside. Lucky I got out. Only piece of fucking luck all year. All year. All my life. God. This fucking life. Maybe it wasn't luck after all. Where's the money gonna come from, that's what I'd like to know. Where. We've always had, there have been times when it's been tight, sure, but we were saving. And now...What do you do when there's nothing and nowhere for it to come from? Jing Zhao always figures it out. But where is she now. Where. Where. Sorry to impose on you like this, Tai Tai. Nobody else...you know.
TAI TAI Stay as long as you like.
Moench 52
XIAO LI Can't snow forever.
TAI TAI Even if it does.
XIAO LI I did my best.
TAI TAI You always work so hard.
XIAO LI With Jian. I did my best. I tried.
TAI TAI I know.
XIAO LI Not good enough.
TAI TAI Eat.
Moench 53
SCENE [18]
(APING and JING ZHAO sit at a table in a garish restaurant. Chinese pop music blares. Televisions are everywhere. JING ZHAO looks extremely out of place. SOUL 1 stands behind her.)
APING I told you, didn't I? Told you I'd be seeing you again. Would have been less trouble for you to just take care of it when I was there. Now you had to come all this way. Could have been so much simpler. For everyone.
JING ZHAO We weren't, me and my husband, we weren't completely in agreement. At the time.
APING It's bad to have trouble between husband and wife, you know. Not good.
JING ZHAO He's stubborn.
APING Still. Better to get along.
JING ZHAO Look, can we just——
APING Eat, eat. So you're in agreement now, ah? You worked things out.
JING ZHAO In a way. Things keep...happening. On our farm.
APING Heard there was a blizzard.
JING ZHAO Yes. It hit right after I left. Probably lost the crop.
APING Probably.
Moench 54
JING ZHAO Worse things could come.
APING Always.
(SOUL 1 puts his hands on JING ZHAO's shoulders. Gently pushes her forward.)
JING ZHAO (Tentatively sliding the envelope of cash across the table.)
Does the offer still...
APING (Taking the envelope, he riffs through the bills.)
You're short.
JING ZHAO We'll get it. Plus interest.
APING How.
JING ZHAO We can borrow.
APING Who will lend to you.
(Silence.)
JING ZHAO I will get it.
(APING shifts in his chair. Traces something on the table with his fingernail.)
APING ...You know this is no guarantee. It is impossible to tell exactly what a ghost is asking for.
JING ZHAO I know.
APING All we can do is try our best.
Moench 55
JING ZHAO I know.
APING It's up to you.
(She nods. He nods. He looks around the restaurant.)
APING I'll bring it to the village when I get it. Shouldn't take long, I have a lead. Young woman. Buried last week outside Linfen. Illness, I think. Car crash? I don't know. Be ready with the cash, the rest of it. Is that clear? You have to have the cash when I show up with the girl, or the deal's off.
(The SOUL grips JING ZHAO's arm so hard it hurts.)
JING ZHAO I'll have it.
APING And the body——your son.
JING ZHAO The police...It's still——
APING Get it. You have to put them in the ground right away when I bring it, no waiting around, you understand? This isn't exactly...
JING ZHAO Of course. The sooner the better. We'll have the body and the money, I promise.
APING Intact. None of this cremation business.
JING ZHAO No. They promised us we'd get the body.
APING Cremation. Destroys the piece of the soul that lives with the body, but still, happens all the time these days. People just want to save space. They don't care. Barbaric.
Moench 56
JING ZHAO Yes.
APING You dig the grave yet?
JING ZHAO My husband.
APING Good. Ground's frozen now, I bet.
JING ZHAO It gets cold in the mountains.
APING I hate it up there.
JING ZHAO I do too.
APING That's too bad.
JING ZHAO Why.
APING You live there.
JING ZHAO Oh. Yes. Well. The foothills.
(JING ZHAO looks up at the SOUL, standing over her.)
JING ZHAO When you...you said that the dead visit the living in dreams.
APING (counting the money again)
Mm.
JING ZHAO Only in dreams?
APING That's what they say.
Moench 57
JING ZHAO Never...never during the day?
(APING stops counting and looks at her. He shifts uncomfortably in his chair.)
APING Just get your son's body. Soon.
(The SOUL helps JING ZHAO to her feet.) I didn't mean this instant. Stay. Have some food.
JING ZHAO That's okay.
APING Suit yourself.
(He eats. She leaves.)
Moench 58
SCENE [19]
(Taiyuan, the morgue. The SOUL has JIAN's drawer rolled out. He is gazing at JIAN's puppet face. FENGXIA buzzes the door open, comes inside.)
FENGXIA Morning.
SOUL Hey.
FENGXIA What are your hours?
SOUL Hours?
FENGXIA Feels like you're here like all the time.
SOUL Oh. Well. I get off when you get on. But. Then I just. Stay.
FENGXIA ...Uh huh.
SOUL I don't have many friends.
FENGXIA Well. Me neither.
SOUL Yeah. I like that about you.
(FENGXIA gives him an odd look. Glances at JIAN's body.)
FENGXIA You look at him a lot.
SOUL (snapping at her)
So?
Moench 59
FENGXIA ...Okay. Well. I should probably——(she gestures out to the desk)
SOUL Are you married?
FENGXIA What? No...
SOUL Boyfriend?
FENGXIA No.
SOUL Why not?
FENGXIA I dunno.
SOUL You don't like anybody?
FENGXIA Sure, sometimes. Sort of. Sometimes.
SOUL Then why don't you get a boyfriend?
FENGXIA I don't know. It's not that easy to just "get a boyfriend."
SOUL Why not?
FENGXIA What are you, why do you even, where's this coming from?
SOUL I'm just wondering. Why.
FENGXIA It’s not…I don’t know. It’s not easy to find a good person.
SOUL What's a good person?
Moench 60
FENGXIA A good——just, someone who, I dunno, a good person, someone who's a good person.
SOUL There are lots of good people.
FENGXIA No, there aren't.
SOUL Yes.
FENGXIA Well they don't get very far in life.
SOUL No. You do something bad, something bad will come to you. You do something good, good things come. Causality.
FENGXIA That’s bullshit.
SOUL It’s not. I did something bad once. Hurt...some people. Good people. Everyone seems to be a good person, when you hurt them.
FENGXIA What did you——
SOUL Right away, right away, bad things started happening to me. They're still happening. It hurts.
FENGXIA What do you mean, you sick?
SOUL Sort of.
FENGXIA What do you have?
Moench 61
SOUL I don't know.
FENGXIA Well what's it feel like?
SOUL It feels like...hunger. I feel everything inside me shriveling up. My lungs are cracking, creaking. Dry miles of intestine, my stomach, my heart, all my organs are rubbing against each other, rubbing away into brown dust. And I'm split apart. I'm feeling this double. Like once isn't enough. It isn't. I want to eat the world. I want to eat everything in the entire world. It's worse every day. We all get what we deserve.
(Silence.)
FENGXIA Some people are good. Innocent. And what happens? An earthquake, and your school collapses on your head. Someone poisons your milk to make a few extra mao and if you survive you grow up pissing blood and stones the rest of your life.
Someone breaks down the classroom door and slits your throat with a kitchen knife.
You try and tell me they deserve that.
(The SOUL looks down.)
Causality is just a lie you believe to reassure yourself there’s such a thing as justice in the world. But there isn’t.
(Silence.)
SOUL Maybe there's something beyond, after all. And we get justice then.
Moench 62
FENGXIA Yeah, and maybe my mom's there, waiting.
SOUL Maybe.
FENGXIA But probably not.
(The SOUL reaches out and touches her, gently.)
SOUL But maybe. You know. I think...if I had something like this, to keep with me always, then maybe I would feel full.
(They look at each other, calm, close. The door buzzes open, and DA WEI bursts in.)
DA WEI Fengxia?
(FENGXIA jumps. The SOUL is suddenly gone. She is leaning over JIAN's body, alone.)
DA WEI ...oh god. Um.
FENGXIA Da Wei! Hey!
DA WEI (pointing over his shoulder at the door)
I should...
FENGXIA No, ew, come on, I was just——
(She looks around for JIAN. DA WEI is backing out of the room.)
FENGXIA Hey, wait, you aren't gonna, look, I'm not, I wasn't...doing anything. I was talking to——you know, the new guy, he was right here, I'm not——
DA WEI Sure, no, I know.
Moench 63
FENGXIA I'll work your shift tonight. You're on the night shift at the desk, right? I can do a double. You can go home. Go out. Have fun. It'll just be our little, you know. I'll punch in for you.
DA WEI ...yeah?
FENGXIA Yeah. We're friends, right, and that's what friends——they look out for each other. Right? Work friends, anyway.
(Silence.)
DA WEI Fine. But you really shouldn't come in here anymore.
(FENGXIA maneuvers around DA WEI in the doorway, leaves the room. DA WEI looks around the room, disconcerted. He rolls a new body into the room. Lifts it into an empty drawer. Looks around once more. Squints into the corner where the SOUL stands, still. DA WEI leaves. The SOUL comes out of the shadows. Opens the drawer and looks at the new body's face.)
SOUL I think he was a banker.
Moench 64
SCENE [20]
(The morgue, hours later. FENGXIA has her chin propped on her arm, watching late night television. Her eyelids flicker. They close. They open, she is asleep. A WOMAN (an actor--played by the puppeteer who voices JING ZHAO) stands in front of the desk.)
FENGXIA ...what?
(The WOMAN smiles.)
FENGXIA Are you...real?
(The WOMAN reaches forward and puts her hands over FENGXIA's like a familiar, forgotten scent.)
FENGXIA Oh. God.
(The WOMAN gently shakes FENGXIA's hands.)
WOMAN Excuse me...
FENGXIA What are you——
(The WOMAN shakes harder.)
WOMAN Excuse me...miss?
FENGXIA What? Don't you,——Ma, it's, it's me.
(The WOMAN takes FENGXIA by the shoulders.)
WOMAN Miss!
Moench 65
(FENGXIA wakes with a start. JING ZHAO, now a puppet, jumps back, letting go of FENGXIA's shoulders.)
JING ZHAO Sorry! Sorry. Sorry if I scared you.
FENGXIA It's...don't worry about it, I shouldn't have been...
JING ZHAO I'm looking for the police morgue.
FENGXIA We're not open to the public——
JING ZHAO My son is in there.
FENGXIA Oh, see...you can't just come by and pick up a body, ma'am.
JING ZHAO He's my son.
FENGXIA Yeah, but I mean, if he's in here, there's a reason. Evidence. Or. Something else. They only hold them if there's a reason. When they're done, they'll notify you. You can come get it then.
JING ZHAO You don't understand.
FENGXIA Did they notify you?
JING ZHAO No.
FENGXIA Well.
JING ZHAO I need to bury my son.
(SOUL 1 appears behind JING ZHAO, unseen.)
FENGXIA I appreciate that, ma'am, but I really can't——
Moench 66
JING ZHAO Please.
FENGXIA I don't make the rules.
(SOUL 1 comes closer to JING ZHAO.)
JING ZHAO He's hungry. He's hungry and he's alone, wandering, hurting, and, look. Do you have children?
FENGXIA No.
JING ZHAO Your mother then. Think about your mother. Think about the hell she'd go through if something happened to you.
FENGXIA Ma'am, you should go.
JING ZHAO Look me in the eye and say no to your mother. Tell your mother she can't have even your cold body when she's already lost the rest of you. Tell her to leave. That this isn't her place. That this isn't her right. You tell her that. Can you tell her that?
FENGXIA No, I can't.
JING ZHAO Thank you.
FENGXIA But I can tell you.
(SOUL 2 emerges from the shadows, he has been watching.)
JING ZHAO I bought him a bride.
FENGXIA Okay, see, you shouldn't, the police ignore it most of the time but you can't just talk about that in here like it's nothing.
Moench 67
JING ZHAO But I need his body to bury beside her.
FENGXIA I'd lose my job.
JING ZHAO And I need 300 yuan. I need cash and a body. A body and cash. You have money, I bet. Job in the city. College education. And you have the body. You have everything I need.
FENGXIA ...please go now.
(SOUL 1 moves so close to JING ZHAO that she can feel his breath on her neck.)
SOUL 1 AND JING ZHAO (together)
Say I threatened you.
FENGXIA What?
SOUL 1 (Voicing JING ZHAO)
Say I had a knife.
FENGXIA Ma'am, I'm going to have to call security if you don't——
(JING ZHAO takes a kitchen knife from her bag. FENGXIA freezes. The television chatters on in the silent, still room.)
FENGXIA You don't need to do this.
SOUL 1 You don't know what it's like.
FENGXIA Your son. He was the one who broke into that school, wasn't he. With the knife.
SOUL 1 You don't know him!
Moench 68
FENGXIA I do. I think. I think I do. I think he was confused. All the time. I think nothing made sense to him, nothing in the world made any sense, and everybody else seemed to get it right away but he, he was in a fog. He wasn't stupid. Things just didn't make sense. They don't. Most people just pretend. But he couldn't. And it made him angry. Because he wasn't stupid, he really wasn't, and still, he still just couldn't make sense of this world. No matter how hard he tried. The weeds and the rot. The burning stinking pile of cornstalks after the harvest and the way other people twist their faces around in lies when you know they don't feel like smiling but you're supposed to just go with it and if you don't, you're the freak. How much people talk about nothing. How little they talk about anything. And I think he fucked up. I think he fucked everything right up. And I think he knows it. And I really hope he doesn't fuck it all up again.
(FENGXIA and JING ZHAO stare at one another. SOUL 1 and SOUL 2 lock eyes.)
SOUL 1 You like her.
SOUL 2 Yes.
SOUL 1 You want her?
(SOUL 2 looks at FENGXIA. She senses him and meets his gaze.)
FENGXIA Jian.
(SOUL 1 grabs JING ZHAO's hand, which is still gripping the knife, and lunges at FENGXIA.)
(SOUL 2 pulls FENGXIA out of the path of the blade, takes her hand, and hits an emergency
Moench 69
alarm.) (Blackout.)
Moench 70
SCENE [21]
(Taiyuan. Spring. The mountain hillside. Birds sing. XIAO LI squats, smoking a cigarette. Waiting.)
(TAI TAI appears on the trail, leaning on a walking stick. A bundle on her back. She watches XIAO LI smoke. Looks out at the scarred hills.)
TAI TAI I ever tell you about the mountain man? How he got that way?
(Nothing.)
TAI TAI You know him. Everyone does. The old man. He lives up in these mountains, sleeps outside, on a stone bed up on one of those hiking paths. Been there for…well, since the Great Leap Forward, what is that, 40, 50 years now. Imagine that, living outside for 50 years, up on a mountain. He’s tough. Comes down in the summers to sell medicinal herbs. You've seen him.
XIAO LI Sure.
TAI TAI We grew up together. Me and him. We learned to write side by side back in that old schoolhouse. Decided we'd get married when we grew up. You're like that, when you're a kid, you want everything settled, checked off the list, as quickly as possible, so you can go play. And then everything changed. In a year. Less than a year. Family farms weren't family farms anymore, they became communes, they belonged to the People. Not people. Cards. Everybody moved around, shuffled around like cards in a game, and if you get lost, you get lost. So many cards, lost. There was nothing. People ate belts. It's not enough. His family was well off. Back, before. Better than mine, even. So much land, sure, but they worked hard, all of them, and over the years they'd built it up. Nobody's blameless, sure. But. Nobody deserves...
Moench 71
(The sound of a car struggling up a dirt road in the distance. TAI TAI and XIAO LI look toward the sound.)
TAI TAI When they came and took us into the meeting, everyone eventually agreed to join the communes. "Agreed." Everyone except our fathers. Mine and his. This is why we would have been...Stubborn, both of us, just like our fathers. Mine got off easy. In comparison. It was quicker. His...he couldn't watch, he was always too sensitive. He ran out, off, up into the mountains. Been up there ever since. The mountain man. Good thing. The rest of his family...well. And now he won't come down. Even though it's safe. In comparison.
(FENGXIA's breath is heard, her footsteps. She appears on the trail, holding a plastic bag with something heavy inside.)
FENGXIA Zheng Xiao Li?
XIAO LI Yeah, that's me.
FENGXIA Hi. Who's...
(She gestures toward TAI TAI)
XIAO LI Nobody. Here.
(He holds out his hand. She gives him the bag.)
XIAO LI Thanks.
(He turns away, expecting her to leave.)
FENGXIA She's doing okay. Better. Well. Quieter.
TAI TAI You've seen her?
Moench 72
FENGXIA I thought you might want to know.
XIAO LI They won't let me.
FENGXIA Right. They won't let me either, technically. But it's pretty easy to bribe the front desk.
TAI TAI What's it like in there.
FENGXIA It's... fine.
(TAI TAI nods sadly.)
(Silence.)
XIAO LI She wouldn't send Jian to one of those places. Even at his worst. I'd beg. "He's not an animal, Xiao Li. He's our son. You know what those places are like."
(Silence.)
FENGXIA Thanks for letting me come. I want you to...I don't, I don't hold it against her at all. She wasn't...and I know it was just because of...——what he needed from her. What she thought he, you know.
(Silence.)
FENGXIA I've been there. Where she was. You lose someone and sometimes you just go... . I could tell her about this. If you want. She'll be happy to hear he's... Maybe it'll help.
Moench 73
(XIAO LI turns away from the two women. Nobody can see his face.)
TAI TAI Xiao Li. Hey. Listen to me. Pick up the shovel.
XIAO LI I can't.
TAI TAI Pick it up.
XIAO LI What if I don't. What if I just stay here. Like the mountain man. Leave all of it down there. The dreams. The things I should have said, or done, or not said, or not done. Give it all away, stop holding it so heavy in my chest. It would be easier.
TAI TAI Pick it up, Xiao Li.
XIAO LI There's no way past this. Ever.
TAI TAI No.
XIAO LI He knew that.
TAI TAI Sure. The mountain man knew it wouldn't get any better down there in the village. And the mountain man knew the pain would have nowhere to go but deeper. And the mountain man chose to give up, and maybe he doesn't hurt so much, up here on his own, away from it all. But the mountain man is a coward.
Moench 74
(Silence. XIAO LI stares down at the shovel on the ground.)
XIAO LI Don't tell her he was cremated.
FENGXIA I won't.
XIAO LI It might make her...
FENGXIA Sure. Yeah.
(Silence.)
XIAO LI It's fine to lie.
(FENGXIA nods. XIAO LI clears his throat and pulls a small, heavy cardboard box from the plastic bag. The bag catches the wind and flies off into the valley. Everybody sees it, nobody cares. He opens the box. Looks inside. Closes it. Tosses it into the open grave. Reaches for the shovel. TAI TAI puts her hand on his wrist. She takes the bundle from her back. She unties it, removes the burlap covering, and reveals the straw scarecrow she has been weaving. She places it in the grave.)
TAI TAI So he's not alone.
(XIAO LI nods, and sticks the shovel in the tamped down pile of mud. It has been there since the fall. He lifts a shovelful of mud. It is hard work.)
(An overlapping world. SOUL 3 is in a paper house, with paper appliances and paper wealth. He opens the paper door and picks up the straw figure from the ground. It is limp, lifeless, dead. He looks at it like someone who has all the time in the world.)
End of play.
