Lucifer's Library

She was living in a horrible shack. The baby was four years old. It had something called ‘Cat Syndrome’ because of the noises it made at birth. I couldn’t bare looking at it but Jenny loved it. She was half out of her mind. She called it Leo. Maybe it would have died in a few weeks if I hadn’t shown up. They don’t live long. But Jenny couldn’t take care of it any more. I didn’t know what to do. I did some research. Found there was a possibility that the baby could be “adopted.” I knew what that meant. Illegal medical research. So I did what had to be done. I sedated Jenny. When she fell asleep I took the baby outside and twisted it’s neck. Just like a little kitten. I put the body in the freezer, got Jenny to a hospital for long term care. When she woke up she was broken hearted. All she would say is where’s little Leo? Where’s my baby?” She cried and cried. She didn’t know me. After I left I went back to the trailer, wrapped the baby up properly. Then I set the trailer on fire. Left and never looked back. I visited Jenny in the beginning. She never recognized me. I still went time to time but less and less. I threw myself into work. Made a shit load of money. Left a string of women behind. Didn’t matter. About ten years later I went to see Jenny. She was an old crone. A hag. I had her discharged. Ran the car off a bridge on the way home.

ALEX

There seems to be a thread of similarity to our stories.

NICK

You think? I don’t know about you all but I’m getting tired of this drivel.

ALEX

You had your say. Shut up. It’s my turn. I’m Alexander Lord.

NICK

A fucking Lord. If you’re a lord why don’t you get us out of this place? I’d like to kill….

ALEX

You can’t kill me so would you please shut the fuck up?

NICK

I’d like to get my hands around Lucifer’s little neck.

ALEX

Lot of good that would do us. Sit down and listen. Maybe you’ll learn something.

ALEX

Like I said. I’m Alexander Lord. Friends call me Alex. I’m a military brat. My father was a career Army Officer. He went from 1st lieutenant to General in 15 years. My mother was a housewife. I had two younger brothers. Troy and Ike. We bounced from base to base and school to school my entire childhood. God what an anal retentive, hard nosed bastard my dad was. “Nothing shapes a man like the military. He was Captain of his platoon in Viet Nam. I’m surprised the enlisted men didn’t fragg his ass. I researched his career and learned he put flank after flank after flank in harms way for the sake of a few hills. He lost more men than any other officer in the Army. He came home from the war mean and bitter but he was a good politician. He married a General’s daughter. That clinched him for promotion. I was born in 1970 – an accident between tours of duty. My brothers were born later. 1976 and 1978. When my father was home the house was spotless and we towed the line. Out of order meant strict discipline. He did white glove inspections. If my mother fell short he beat the crap out of her. Same with us. SOP. I had it drummed into me that I was meant to be a soldier. Not a fucking chance. I watched people and learned to sense their emotions. If I knew how they felt I could manipulate them. I was an angry kid but I saw how destructive anger was. I studied The Art of War, Mien Kampft. Anything I could lay my hands to learn how to have power. I played chess, learned Japanese and German. Studied martial arts I refused to strike out at my father. He taunted me. Called me a pussy and a wuss. I didn’t fucking care. I was short. Five foot nine. My father took this a personal insult from God. You’ll never make it in the ranks,” he said. You’re too scrawny. I bided my time. Meanwhile I was having the time of my life. Women sense power. It has it’s own perfume. I got a full scholarship to Yale. A year at Oxford. Then Harvard Law. I met an extraordinary woman in law school, Rachael. She was a radical feminist. A martyr for the masses she called herself. We could argue for hours about anything. She was beautiful. An inch taller than me. She loved it. Called me Napoleon. Business came first of course, but I was in love. The first time we made love I was startled to learn she had a prosthetic left leg. She asked me if I was disgusted. Not disgusted. Surprised. We could make love for hours in her funny, little loft apartment. I got picked by a big defense lobbying firm in DC. It was perfect for my career. Rachael got an offer at a banking firm in Manhattan. My firm brokered massive defense department contracts. I had a high level security clearance. Rachael visited me a few times in DC. Of course I never took documents home. We were in love. Rachael convinced me to pull some strings and get her a job in the Department of Defense. It worked out perfectly. But Rachael got pregnant. She was furious. She wanted to have an abortion. I refused. “What about my career. How can I take care of a baby when I work 14 hours a day.?” “It was your choice to come to DC.” “I know. But I’m stifling. You’re the big Dick. You want the baby, you take care of it.”

ALEX

Actually it was good timing. I’d been wanting to start my own company. I courted a few of the contractors I’d worked with. It wasn’t easy. I wasn’t entirely ethical but you gotta do what you gotta do. It was a matter of power, not money. Always. Except where the baby was concerned. Rachael delivered Seth right on time with no complications. She was up and about in a week. Back at the job in two. I worked from home. My business grew. Rachael was working her way up the Defense Department ranks. Pushing and shoving more like it. She became ruthless. Didn’t care who she stepped on. But she was good at her job. There was even talk of a cabinet position. I never suspected a thing. My company took off. I opened an office down town and kept growing. Everything was great except Rachael was never satisfied. She was an adrenaline junky. She started staying overnight in the office. Okay. It was weird. Two days after Christmas the FBI raided our house. They’d had wire taps in the house and on the phone for two years. Turns out Rachael worked for Mossad. She was smuggling top secret documents in her prosthetic leg . It would have been funny if it wasn’t so horrible. A fucking spy. In my house. And she’d hacked into my business. It looked like both of us were going to jail for a long time. But the tapes pretty much exonerated me. If I pled guilty to conspiracy they’d drop the treason charge. But I had to hang Rachael. That was the damned thing. I didn’t know anything. Nothing. I opted for trial. As did Rachael. They decided to try me first, hoping my testimony would further indict Rachael. All I could think about was Seth. Poor kid. On the day I was acquitted Rachael was extradited to Israel. Her fucking Mossad friends come through for her. She took Seth with her. Six weeks later Rachel and Seth were killed by a suicide bomber. My business was ruined. I had every government agency from A to Z crawling up my butt. I used a gun I found in Rachael’s sock drawer to shoot my head off.

LEO

Yup. Same story, over and over. Honorable, abused, unloved, angry. We all killed ourselves and took others with us. So now what? Are we all destined to repeat the pattern?

The Clock chimes nine times. The fire, which had been low, bursts into life.

Lucifer has been standing at the door unnoticed for several minutes at the door. He’s burdened with a pile of clothing. He enters, sets the clothing on the table and applauds.

LUCIFER

Touching. So very, very touching. My, my. Who’d a thought a bunch of tough guys like you could be so sentimental? So, are you ready to start the play?

DION

You’re such an asshole.

LUCIFER

OOH. Harsh words from such a tender fellow? I wonder which roles you’re you’ll select.

DION

Roles?

Lucifer points at the clothing. 8 costumes. 2 for each. Go ahead. Take a look.

He lounges in the doorway. Lights a cigar. The men start grabbing at the costumes. Pushing and shoving. Satan’s laughing at the spectacle.

LUCIFER

Boys, boys, boys. Time’s wasting.

ALEX

Put a lid on it. Come on. Let’s try to work together.

Alex pulls one of the costumes free. Superman. A ninja outfit with a sickle. Death? and a devil.

LUCIFER

That’s my favorite.

DION

Shit head. [pushes through and grabs a costume] Sherlock Holmes. Another – the Jester

NICK

Merlin. I like this one.

LEO

That’s mine.

NICK

Come on. Take it from me. Just try.

LEO

Fuck you.

Leo grabs a suit. A tuxedo? James Bond maybe?

LUCIFER

Bingo.

DION

A knight.

Dion has a Superman and Sherlock Holmes.

DION

I can live with these.

Leo snatches Death from Alex’s hands. He now has Death and Robin hood, leaving Alex with the devil and the Jester.

ALEX

I’m tired of Superman.

Alex sets Superman back on the table. Nick has Merlin.

NICK

I want James Bond.

ALEX

Here. Take it. That leaves me with the devil and the jester. One and the same?

LUCIFER

Sometimes. Everybody happy?

There are a few grumbles but they all seem pretty pleased.

LUCIFER

Go ahead, suit up. The clocks strikes the hour. Alex puts on the Jester. Nick dons Merlin. Doin puts on Superman. Leo decides on Robin hood.

ALEX

Now what?. The books, I guess.

They start to push and shove. Then, sheepishly, they sit down. Alex turns over the books one by one.

ALEX

To Kill a Mockingbird. The Man of La Manchu. The Spy Who Came In From the Cold. The Grapes of Wrath. The Picture of Dorian Grey. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. All Quiet on the Western Front. Mutiny on the Bounty. An Eclectic collection to say the least.

DION

All tales of manly men. What the fuck do you want us to do with these? This is absurd. What are we supposed to do? Waltz into the story wearing ridiculous costumes and rewrite the plots?

LUCIFER

That’s up to you to decide. Tick tock, gentlemen. Tick tock.

Curtain

[the set changes. The audience now see the other side of the door. Lucifer is waiting as as Alex steps through. He’s carrying a book with the title “Alex’s Lament.” Lucifer opens the book and smiles.

LUCIFER:

Just like Prometheus. Every time someone opens the book….