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Read Ebook: The Vampire Cat A Play in one act from the Japanese legend of the Nabeshima cat by Etten Gerard Van
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Ebook has 160 lines and 7785 words, and 4 pages
Address Orders to THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
THE VAMPIRE CAT
A PLAY IN ONE ACT FROM THE JAPANESE LEGEND OF THE NABESHIMA CAT
BY GERARD VAN ETTEN
CHICAGO THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY
CAST OF CHARACTERS
PRINCE HIZEN, LORD OF NABESHIMA.... BUZEN, HIS CHIEF COUNCILLOR........ RUITEN, A PRIEST................... ITO SODA, A COMMON SOLDIER......... KASHIKU, A MAID.................... O TOYO, WIFE OF THE PRINCE.........
TIME: Medieval Japan.
SCENE: The room of O Toyo in the palace.
TIME OF ACTION: Between 10 and 12 p.m.
NOTE.--According to the old Japanese legend, the soul of a cat can enter a human being.
THE VAMPIRE CAT
PRINCE. Settle for me tonight My sicknesses and my fears-- Settle them for me, Sir Buzen, councillor crafty. Settle them for me, Priest Ruiten, the prayerful.
RUITEN. So are we trying in all ways Thy pain to relieve Yet nought seems availing.
PRINCE. Wracked is my body With tortures unending Born of the dreams That are surging forever Backward and forward Thru my brain, weary.
BUZEN. Around thy bed each night Have I placed thy samurai In number one hundred To guard thy sleep--
RUITEN. Zealously have I prayed In the temple called "Miyo In," And during the night hours Have knelt at thy house shrine Praying to Buddha, the lord of the world.
PRINCE. Yet have I not slept Entirely untortured. Slow are thy prayers In fruit bearing.
RUITEN. Slow because contending with evil-- With evil in form strange and subtle. Over this house hangs a spirit Ne'er resting and ready always for dire deeds.
PRINCE. Such a spirit there must be--but what?
RUITEN. Evil takes many forms but the form of a cat Is favored by many devils.
PRINCE. A cat--aye, truly And if a cat stalked here That evil thing must we kill.
RUITEN. Yet such is their power malignant That they take other forms than the forms of cats-- Even human forms.
PRINCE. Ha!--And the spirit that visits me? Mayhap that-- Only twice hath it failed of its visit.
BUZEN. And those lost visits, when?
PRINCE. The last two nights.
BUZEN. Then, oh Prince, the cure may be found. Better than prayers is the cure For prayers have not ears--have not eyes-- Have not weapons--better than prayers is it.
PRINCE. Tell me this cure. It is grudged, Sir Priest?
RUITEN. A cure for my lord could not be grudged.
PRINCE. Well spoken. Say on, Sir Buzen.
BUZEN. First I must beg clemency For thy hundred samurai For faithful they are to the bone, yet--
PRINCE. Yet? Why clemency? For what?
BUZEN. On guard, they slept.
PRINCE. Slept?
BUZEN. Aye. Soundly as though deep in saki.
PRINCE. And none roused?
BUZEN. They were as dead From shortly after the hour of ten Until dawning. Awakening they knew they had slept Yet knew not when the poppy was thrown in their eyes. Even as one man none knew And were deep amazed and full of shame. Each night it was the same.
PRINCE. So, they slept. While I, on my couch, Through the hours writhed-- Writhed and twisted-- Weakening ever-- Not sleep, yet dreaming-- Oh, horrible dreams.
RUITEN. Of what were these horrible dreams? What was their substance?
PRINCE. There would come a soft stealing-- As of draperies hushed and lifted For silence in walking; Like soft, silken draperies Wrapped about stealthy limbs. Then a shape clothed for sleep As women are clothed-- Sinuous and vague in movement, Then taking form slowly-- The form--a lie!--a lie!
RUITEN. The form?
PRINCE. O Toyo!
RUITEN. BUZEN. Ah!
PRINCE. Came she to me-- Leaned o'er me-- Caressed me Yet soothed not. Her lips to mine-- Her lips but not sweet. Then here on my throat Would she place them And all my life seemed to smother-- Out of me flowed the life-blood In a deep stream Like a tide Forced by the gods, Against its will, To flow far away and yet farther.
BUZEN. So does a vampire Sucking her victim Draw from him His blood and his marrow.
PRINCE. Guard thy words!-- As my strength ebbed She drew back Red-lipped and smiling, Smiling and laughing Though her laughter was silent. Then with a final shimmer Of silent silks she vanished-- So was it done.
RUITEN. So always the dream? If dream it were.
PRINCE. The dream--I think yet it was a dream-- So was it always.
BUZEN. But the last two nights?
PRINCE. Came she as usual Flowing over the floor Like a spectre enrobed And beautified. But as she bent o'er me She paused as if startled And, slowly gazing about, Turned and was gone. Last night she paused As if speaking to someone Though I could see no one.
BUZEN. But the cause of her turning?
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