31 Plays in 31 Days, #1 - “One of the Thieves”

[breakinglight11]

Ah, what the hell. Here we go again.

Lately 31 Plays in 31 Days has been kind of a hit or miss experience when it comes to utility to my current writing work. I’m feeling particularly unprepared this year, especially since I’ve recently come off ANOTHER self-imposed daily writing challenge, my one hundred installments of Texts from Avengers Tower, and I’ve other responsibilities going on right now that mean I’m not relishing starting another one. But every year, even if I struggle during the challenge, I am always glad I did it when I look back at the material I generated. And I get a serious kick out of looking at my long unbroken lists of what I wrote over the past now decade-plus. So… let’s get into things.

Today’s bit is something I’ve been imagining since restaging Mrs. Hawking part III: Base Instruments for film. There’s a question at the end of it of what will become of the client Miss Zakharova, who has a chance to change her life, but is still plagued by grief and addiction. It’s also relevant to Nurse Violet Strallan, the client of part VI: Fallen Women, and her story also ends with the possibility that she could improve her life from there. I found myself thinking that the two women likely ended up very differently given their circumstances and characters, and since I want to bring Violet back as Mrs. Hawking’s cut man, I thought the next Mrs. Hawking story could reference this.

This piece is meant to follow directly after this one from 31P31D 2020, though I had to edit the ending of it a bit in order to flow into today’s scene and address the question I wanted it to. It also makes use of a reference to a Sant Augustine quote I’ve always loved, and has been in my mind for a very long time. I’m not sure I like both Mrs. Hawking and Nathaniel both bringing up Miss Zakharova independently of each other, but… she does seem likely to come to mind when discussing the present subject matter.


Photo by Dan Fox

Day #1 - One of the Thieves
From Mrs. Hawking 7
By Phoebe Roberts

London, England, 1890

VICTORIA HAWKING, the lady’s champion of London, early 50’s
NATHANIEL HAWKING, her gentleman nephew and assistant, mid 30’s
VIOLET STRALLAN, a former client and now consultant, late 30’s
~~~

(MRS. HAWKING redresses when VIOLET is finished examining her.)

MRS. HAWKING: I knew a woman who turned to laudanum. When… her work took its toll. Before long she couldn’t do without it.

VIOLET: That’s the danger of it. But we all break down one way or another. Why suffer if you don’t have to?

MRS. HAWKING: I’m not finished, Miss Strallan. Not yet.

VIOLET: All respect, madam… you’re fifty years old. How much longer do you mean to keep on this?

(Enter NATHANIEL.)

NATHANIEL: Are we decent?

VIOLET: Yes, sir. All finished.

NATHANIEL: And what’s the verdict?

VIOLET: As healed as it’s like to be. But we’re no spring chicken, if you don’t mind my saying, ma’am.

MRS. HAWKING: That’s no news to anyone.

NATHANIEL: Well, thank you, Violet, I’m pleased to hear it. Particularly since it isn’t as if madam did much in the way to rest it.

VIOLET: And she won’t take nothing for it.

NATHANIEL: Well. I can’t say I blame her. We had a client once, a Russian ballet dancer. She had injured herself, but she couldn’t bear to stop dancing, and she grew quite dependent. Do you remember her?

MRS. HAWKING: Of course I do.

NATHANIEL: Of course. Miss Zakharova. I always wondered what became of her.

MRS. HAWKING: Well. She died.

(Pause.)

NATHANIEL: I beg your pardon?

MRS. HAWKING: You heard me.

NATHANIEL: How do you know?

MRS. HAWKING: You aren’t the only one who wondered.

(Pause.)

NATHANIEL: How?

MRS. HAWKING: How do you think?

NATHANIEL: The laudanum.

MRS. HAWKING: As you said. She couldn’t bear to stop dancing.

NATHANIEL: That poor creature.

MRS. HAWKING: She was an addict. It was bound to happen.

(Pause.)

MRS. HAWKING: Well, thank you for your service, Nurse Strallan. That will be all.

(MRS. HAWKING exit. NATHANIEL takes out his wallet and pays VIOLET.)

VIOLET: Thank you, sir. Are you all right?

NATHANIEL: Just… sorry to hear that.

VIOLET: Did you know the lady well?

NATHANIEL: No, hardly at all. But I’d hoped, when we helped her, she’d find some peace.

VIOLET: Of course.

NATHANIEL: But I suppose I oughtn’t have hoped.

VIOLET: (Firmly) No. No, sir.

NATHANIEL: What?

VIOLET: You oughtn’t have given up on her. That’s the only time folk are truly lost.

NATHANIEL: Does it really make a difference, do you think?

VIOLET: It did me. When you didn’t give up on me. And here I am.

(Pause.)

VIOLET: What do they say? “Do not despair… one of the thieves was saved.”

NATHANIEL: More than one, as it happens.

VIOLET: There, now. That’s enough to keep hoping for.