DRAMA

GULP AND GASP By

John Townsend

Edited by Najwa Mansor

Casts:

Lord SepticCrouchRosePercy

Old Lady(Percy’s Mom, a ghost)/Narrator

Scene 1The curtains open with the sound of train, loud.

At the center of the stage, Lord Septic and Crouch laughing away while Rose is tied and bounded onto the railway track. Rose is panicking, screaming for help.

Suddenly all characters freezes. Loud train noise is replaced by eerie, hollow echoing sound.

An old lady enters the stage, looking pale, walking slowly, and circling the characters and stops.

Old LadyHear hear! ... What has become to me train station?

[PAUSE]Is that Septic?

[GASP]He is!

Evil! Evil! Father was and so is he!Good gracious! What’s happening here?

[Touching Rose]God God! Show me!

Show me before!Before me showing here!

Lights dim into dark.

Scene 2

Empty railway station at night. Lord Septic & Crouch is at the platform, waiting for the midnight train.

Lord SepticLate! Late late late! As usual!

CrouchWhat late sir?

Lord SepticMy train!

CrouchYour brain?

Lord SepticNo! Train!

CrouchIndeed sir!

Lord SepticFoul!

CrouchMmm.. Mm..

Lord SepticFillthy!

CrouchReally?

[Looking at his shoe]

Lord Septic[Seeing Crunch stares at his shoe, wandering]The night, you fool! It’s foul and filthy night!

And I’m angry!

CrouchWhy sir?

Lord SepticLook at this fog!

CrouchYes sir, filthy foul fog!

Lord SepticI can’t even see my railway track!

CrouchYour what sir?

Lord SepticYou fool! Do you know, by next week, I’ll own this railway track?

CrouchIndeed sir! Most true!

Lord SepticAnd do you know that by next week, I’ll be even more..

Crouch[quickly cut Lord Septic’s dialogue]Yes sir, I know. Even more greedy..

Lord SepticRich you fool! Rich!And you know why?

CrouchBecause you own the railway track?

Lord SepticBecause somewhere along this track, there is that Gatsby Gold

[GASP]

CrouchThe Gatsby Gold…

Lord SepticAnd when I get my hands on that treasure, no one will get in my way!

[trips over Crouch’s leg]Get out of my way you fool!

CrouchSorry sir! Very sorry!

So many ‘F’s you said tonight sir!

Rose enters the stage

Lord SepticAnd there’s another ‘F’

[pointing to a mirage from fog]

Crouchf…f..f…. Phantom sir?

Lord SepticA flower seller, you ‘F’.

Chase her away! I don’t want any beggar on my railway station!I’ll go up to my office. Call me when the train comes!

[leaves the stage]

CrouchOf course sir. By all means.[turns around, facing Rose]

This should be fun!At last I have some power…

Oi!

RoseYes? Buy few lovely flowers sir?

Crouch Shut up! Clear off! Get lost!

RoseI’ll take that as a no.

CrouchGet off from this platform! We don’t want any beggar!

RoseBut I’m just a poor innocent flower girl…

CrouchThen you shouldn’t be out here alone in the dark night.

RoseNight or day, it doesn’t make me any difference.

CrouchWhat do you mean, you fool?

RoseI’m blind.

CrouchBlind?

RoseYes, sir. Do buy some flowers here. My mom is sick at home and I need some

money to treat my eyes…

CrouchWho cares? Go off!

RosePlease… I beg you..

CrouchNo, Lord Septic doesn’t want any beggar on his railway station!

[Throw away the flower from Rose]

RoseOwh!

Lord Septic? THE Lord Septic?

CrouchYes! His lordship! The man who runs this town. Now I’m going to tell Lord Septic

that I’ve chased you away, but when I come back and you are still here, you will be in big trouble girl! [Leaves the stage]

Rose sobs and trying to find her flowers.

[Enter Percy]

PercyPretty grim, isn’t it?

RoseSorry?

PercyThe night. Ghastly.

RoseWorst ever.

[continues sobbing]

PercyOwh, don’t feel so bad… Maybe it’ll be sunny tomorrow..

[watches Rose searching for her flower]Poor girl, you can’t see, can you?

RoseThe fire at the match factory took my sight.

PercyLet me help you[Watches Rose]

You have such a pretty face!

Rose

[smile]Really?

PercyAnd a pretty smile… What’s your name?

RoseMy name is Rose.

PercyPure sweet Rose!

You should have someone like me to look for you.. to put you in water..

RoseHave you got a swimming pool?

PercyNo, just a rising damp.

RoseMy attic room had dry rot. Lord Septic, our landlord is so cruel to us.

PercyPoor Rose. If only I could give you some money, but all I have is this train ticket. You see, I was born with nothing. I’m an orphan. They say my mother was killed on this

railway line…

RoseHow very sad… You poor boy..

PercyI was a little boy when they found me in the litter bin. I had nothing except for this purse and a key that they found tied around my neck. Since they found me with a purse and a key, hence the purse key and now Percy. The key has an initial, NSL. I

guess it reads No Such Luck…

RoseMaybe your luck will change tonight

PercyI know it has. I found you.

RoseIt could be the key to my heart!

PercyI wish I could help you

RoseI wish I could help you too

[they are about to hug when Crouch appears]

CrouchOi!

Cut that out will ya?

RoseOh no! It’s him again, the one who threw my flowers.

PercyDid he?

Hey! Have you no shame man?How dare you harm a poor young girl!

It’s time to show you how to treat a lady.[Grabs Crouch by his collar]

CrouchI was only following orders sir.. Don’t blame me.. please.

PercyThen pick up her flower!

CrouchYes sir! By all means!

RoseOwh Percy! You are my hero! My knight in shining armour! My good knight!

CrouchGood knight?

PercyGood knight!

Lord Septic[creeps from behind Percy and hits him on his head]

Good night!

CrouchLord Septic!

RoseOh no! Lord Septic!

Because of you, I’m blind! Because of you, my mother is sick! I’m going to tell the Evening News about your cruel ways.

Lord Septic

No you’re not! Crouch, grab her and tie her onto the railway.I can hear the sound of the midnight train. Let this be her ticket to the Grim

Reaper’s midnight train express. Hahahaha!

[Percy gets up on his feet and run out from the stage]

Lord SepticHahaha! See? He’s just a coward.

Now tie her.

CrouchTie to the… are you sure sir?

Lord SepticSure I’m sure!

This will be like that night, many years ago. My father tied Lady Gatsby to the same track and demands her gold, but the train hit her first before we could find the

treasure. And her son… we ditched him in the litter bin.. hahaha!

RoseLitter bin? On this station?

Lord SepticYes! That one over there.

RosePercy! Oh Percy! It was Percy!

Where’s Percy?

CrouchToo late! He left you! And he would probably be under the train by now… dead!

Hahahah!

RoseOwh, what’s that noise?

Lord SepticHere it comes… like thunder… like a dragon coming to slay the damsel.

[The scene comes back to the 1st scene, but without the Old Lady]

Suddenly the stage fills with screeching sound. And Percy leaps into the stage with a chain, and he quickly winds around Lord Septic and Crouch and they fall. Percy

cuts Rose’s rope and holds her in his arms.

PercyI’m back!

RoseI’m shocked!

CrouchI’m stuck

Lord SepticI’m furious!

Untie this chain!

CrouchI cannot move sir

Lord SepticBut… but how you stop the train?

PercyMy pants

RoseYour pants?

Lord SepticHow apparent

RoseHow interesting!

CrouchHow disgusting!

PercyI climbed the gas lamp at the far end of the railway and cover it with my pants. It

shone dark red, and the driver saw it in the nick of time.

Lord SepticBlasphemy! You will not get away with this!

PercyI told the guard on the train to call the police. They’ll be here any minute. You’ll go

to prison for this.

CrouchNo… Please… I’ll do anything…

Lord SepticShut up you fool!

RoseThere is something you must know, Percy. SIR Percy!

PercySir Percy?

Rose

Yes! You are the heir to the Gatsby Gold! You are Sir Percy Gatsby!

Lord SepticHah! You’ll never find it!

RoseThe key! The key!

PercyWhat key?

CrouchWhose key?

Lord SepticWhich key?

RoseYour key

PercyMy key?

RoseYes, the key in the purse! That must be the key to unlock the gold!

PercyYes, of course! When I bashed my head into the locker over here, I saw the very

same initial, NSL.[He opens the locker and there’s a heavy bag. He opens it and there’s the gold]

I don’t believe it! It’s gold! I’m rich!

Lord SepticBlasphemy! This is madness!

RoseYou mother must have hid it there when you were a baby. I’m so happy for you..

The scene ends with the sound of police siren getting louder. Percy and Rose exit the stage together, holding hands.

The End.