{"id":1762,"date":"2020-12-06T22:57:26","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T03:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ko-takamine.com\/?p=1762"},"modified":"2021-08-17T21:07:47","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T01:07:47","slug":"return-to-love-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ko-takamine.com\/ja\/plays\/return-to-love-play\/","title":{"rendered":"Return to Love (Play)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photo by Benjamin Suter<\/a><\/strong> from Pexels<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CHARACTER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An angel who is dressed in a long, white gown
JEREMY\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A male sage character who is dressed in his pajamas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIME AND PLACE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Present. \u00a0Late at night. \u00a0In Jeremy\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SCENE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremy is in bed, sleeping.\u00a0 He is having a dream where an angel starts talking to him.\u00a0 Audience can see Angel but Jeremy can only hear her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n



ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremy, you\u2019ve passed the test.  Now you will be living in the astral plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong> responds to ANGEL<\/strong>\u2019s voice while in bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What?  I have passed what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The test.  As you\u2019ve passed the test, you will be living in the astral plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong> gets up but still staying in bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve passed the test…  I\u2019ll be living in\u2026 where?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong> shows up but JEREMY<\/strong> can only hear her, not see her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The astral plane.  It is going to be like you are living in a state of euphoria while you are still here on earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Am I dead?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No.  You are not dead.  You\u2019ll be free from suffering in your mind.  You may experience some physical pain or challenges time to time but most of the time you will be embraced with happiness and fulfillment in your current body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because you\u2019ve passed the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The test.  Right.  Was that a multiple-choice or written test?  Or was it an interview?  Well, that does not matter because I haven\u2019t taken any type of test since the bar exam that I took ages ago.  You must be talking to a wrong Jeremy.  Are you sure it\u2019s me who passed the test?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremy, I\u2019m talking to the right person.  There wasn\u2019t any particular form of test.  It is your life, so-to-speak.  How you\u2019ve lived your life, how you\u2019ve exhibited your love to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, then are you God?  My life here is over?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, and no.  I am just a messenger, and your life is not over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, good gracious.  Great to hear that I\u2019m still alive.  So you are an Angel or some sort of a divine messenger?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes.  We have been selecting people who exhibit enormous love to others so they can lead others.  Others to the new world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New world\u2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to worry about that for now, you will know sooner or later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, then I\u2019m more curious about what part of my life was so highly recognized for me to be selected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, let me put it this way; From where we live, we can see each of you on earth as a beam of light, like you see stars in the sky.  Some are shinier than others.  We started recognizing you since the incident\u2026 When you lost your family\u2026  your father, mother and your little brother in a car accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh\u2026  The accident\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For several years, we noticed your light being flickering, sometimes it became so frail and we thought we lost you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was like the end of the world\u2026 I was still a teenager, you know.  It felt like I lost everything.  And my grief was all my own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We saw the loneliness and despair you went through.  You had people around you who were supportive, but in your mind, you were all alone.  Solitude was your friend at the bottom of your heart, for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, people only can understand what they\u2019ve been through.  They do their best on their own way.  Thanksgiving and Christmas were the worst time of the year.  People invited me over to their family gatherings so I wouldn\u2019t feel left out but the truth is, I couldn\u2019t help feeling more lonely when I saw them laughing and talking\u2026  I had to miss my own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To distract the loneliness, you devoted yourself in working in school, harder than any other student, and started a successful career as a lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I guess you can say that.  I just did what I needed to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right, you did what you needed to.  You met your wife, shared what was in your heart, and talked about having a big family\u2026  Her family welcomed you with open arms.  They were kind, caring and understanding people and treated you like their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, they were really good to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then, you started having your own sons and daughters who share your blood.  You were in their lives on the day they entered this world.  They are so precious that you could pour your infinite love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, they are like my heavenly flowers.  Every one of them is different.  I watered them every day, with all the love in me, thinking about how they were going to bloom in their own way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You watered love every day\u2026  And you never forced them or influenced them to be the way you wanted them to be.  You raised them in an egoless way.  You know, for some parents, that is not so easy to do because they have their own invisible pressure or unspoken rules set by their family, community or the society itself that they think they have to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ha, like it or not, I did it my way, didn’t I? Not having my parents around when I was busy sending them to school, dropping off\/picking up from sports, so I didn\u2019t get any negative nor positive advice on the way I raise my kids.  In my mind, they were more of an encouragement for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m sure they were.  That\u2019s why you helped the young homeless girl, didn\u2019t you?  The girl who was lost, didn\u2019t know what to do with her situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Megan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, the girl who asked you for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, you can say she was a little overwhelmed and confused that morning when I met her.  I was walking down a skyway and she opened a door for me so I slipped her some cash.  When I was walking away, she called out, \u201cThank you, Sir, thank you.  Wait, would you, would you be kind enough to help me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremy, let me ask you something.  You were not afraid when she asked you for help?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afraid of what?  Megan?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why would I?  She was just a young, helpless girl.  She didn\u2019t know what to do.  That morning, I saw her courage to do something to get out of the situation.  I thought she deserved a hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even after you learned about her situation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was getting into four-month pregnant, no father being around, addicted with drugs, didn\u2019t have anyone to turn to, no money, no food, no home, nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, we think you were brave and generous to face the issue and voluntarily get involved with a homeless, pregnant girl with a drug issue, someone who you had no idea where she was from.  Most of the people would just walk away, act as if there\u2019s no one standing there so they can stay out of trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that morning, when I talked to Megan, I saw something in her eyes\u2026 something familiar, something I\u2019d seen before…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now you know what that was?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know\u2026  I don\u2019t know why but I felt like that was my mission to save her from the misery.  It was almost like I had some kind of urge to save her to save myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremy, you just did the right thing.  On that day, what you saw in her eyes was you.  The emotions that you were suffering when you lost your family\u2026  When you didn\u2019t know what to do, when you were utterly lonely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I saw myself in her eyes\u2026.?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You were so lonely, being alone after you suddenly lost your parents and brother in the accident.  You wished you\u2019d rather been dead along with them instead of being left alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are an angel after all.  Seems like you guys have some kind of a divine-telescope to see what\u2019s going on in our minds.  I was lonely for sure.  I thought about going after them, honestly.  Sometimes I just wanted to be vanished from where I was.  Sometimes I was so bothered by people concerning about me without knowing what I was going through in my mind.  Sometimes I wished everyone to be vanished.  But deep inside, I knew getting away wasn\u2019t right.  Taking my own life was never right.  So I just tried to fit in, tried to please people so they\u2019d like me, they\u2019d love me, and they wouldn\u2019t kick me out\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremy, you managed yourself very well.  We know it was much more challenging than it sounds.  You pulled yourself together, stayed positive to get over the indescribable sadness, loneliness and helplessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong> is facing down, sobbing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Megan\u2019s eyes, on that morning, you saw yourself in a misery, being sad, lonely and helpless.  You could do nothing but offering a hand to her.  Of course, because you were offering a hand to yourself, the boy who was all alone, insecure, and desperately lonely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dad, Mom, David, my whole family disappeared\u2026 altogether\u2026 at once\u2026  I did not think anyone could imagine how it’s like. I lost my home\u2026 place to go back, place where I belong to\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, Jeremy, look around yourself.  Now you have many children who love you so dearly, including the girl you saved because of the love you showed, shared, nurtured, and exercised with them.  Now they are in turn exercising their love with their kids and people around them because you showed a great example.  You should be proud of yourself.

[Beat] Enjoy your new life.  You deserve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANGEL<\/strong> exits. JEREMY<\/strong> looks up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Beat] Where am I?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

= End =<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Jeremy, you\u2019ve passed the test.  Now you will be living in the astral plane.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

JEREMY<\/strong> responds to ANGEL<\/strong>\u2019s voice while in bed.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What?  I have passed what?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The test.  As you\u2019ve passed the test, you will be living in the astral plane.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

JEREMY<\/strong> gets up but still staying in bed.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

JEREMY<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve passed the test…  I\u2019ll be living in\u2026 where?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

ANGEL<\/strong> shows up but JEREMY<\/strong> can only hear her, not see her.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

ANGEL<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The astral plane.  It is going to be like you are living in a state of euphoria while you are still here on earth.<\/p>\n

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