SET and REDS continue to serve the Herb Tea. We Are All Free! MUSIC climaxes.

 We All Are Free

SET and ENSEMBLE:

CHORUS:

Do you want to be free? (Repeat.)

SET:

If you have heart, and the strength and the pride,

You can be free.

If you can ride with a friend at your side,

Listen to me.

If you like space, and you run in the sun,

You can be free.

Come join our adventure.

Get beside me.

CHORUS:

If you are tired of working and you're sick of sleep,

You're afire with desire and it's burning deep,

You've got a hunger for a rumble and it just won't keep,

Then you're ready for the ride.

If you have never endeavored to ignite your will,

And if all of your life just seems to go uphill,

If it is time to nail the thing you fear to do,

Come on and join our side.

Come claim your pride.

No place to hide.

SET:

If you would run with the fox and the great cats,

Listen to me.

If you would lie where you want with the stars,

Camping is free.

If you might act on a secret intention

No one will see.

Come join our adventure!

We Are All Free!

SET:

Go on, some of you, take a turn, just for fun, and get inside the box to see if it fits you. You could do it. And you.

He chooses from CELEBRANTS people who in no way will fit the box. SET and other REDs and CELEBRANTS pop their own jokes here. To REDs:

SET:

Have all of our guests been given some tea? (To CELEBRANTS). I'm obligated to remind you that this is still a free density, and you may choose not to accept the deal I offer to you.

ANUBIS KHU appears.

SET:

What are you doing here?

ANUBIS:

You just said it's a free density. Why can't I be here?

SET:

You're not supposed to be here now.

ANUBIS:

I want to see you work your audience. (To CELEBRANTS:) Hello. (To SET:) You are always interesting to watch.

SET:

Thanks, kid. But No. You weren't present when this event happened.

ANUBIS:

Irrelevant. I am here now.

SET:

In the original story, you saw this part only by clairvoyance. You can only observe it now. From far away.

ANUBIS:

No. As long as we're telling the story now in media we didn't have when these things first happened, then my clairvoyant visions have as much right to appear as all of the other images and visions that these citizens are getting to see. (To CELEBRANTS:) You see how it is when someone wants to limit speech? Do you want to see my clairvoyances of what's about to happen, or do you want to let Set censor your choices?

SET:

Bribing the audience with cheap thrills. (To CELEBRANTS:) Ladies and gentlemen, you will get to see everything, and I do mean everything. I don't censor anyone. The deal is this. Since Anubis was not present when the next scene happened, his presence now will give you an altered version of the story. You can watch his visions -- and they really are impressive -- and you can be clairvoyeurs yourselves, if you want. But he was not really in this scene. I invoke Thoth. I am pleading for fidelity to history.

THOTH:

Anubis, he's right.

SET:

Delaying tactics.

ANUBIS:

You have not seen delaying tactics yet.

SET:

Well played. Thanks for going for the throat. It does break the monotony. You do make it fun sometimes.

ANUBIS:

We use what we have.

And So Can You. You have two choices:

You can Take a Vote for the Very First Time

Or you can keep going Right to the Rumble!

THOTH:

The sound, please.

  (SET draws a bag out of his quiver, tosses it to a RED so the clink of metal can be heard.)

THOTH:

Yes. A scenario involving metal. Some of us can hardly wait.

SET:

(To THOTH:) You can stay if you want. Low profile, please. Anything else you'd like to say?

THOTH:

No.

 SET:

Obliged as always. My pleasure.

 THOTH:

Your servant.

(THOTH KHU shrinks and moves to a remote position, but remains subtly visible.

SET:

When these appear, (picks up bag of NAILs) all the Reds will help me use them. The deal is this. If you get in the box and try it on for size, whether it fits you or not, this makes you a Red for ten minutes, and you do as I say. Easy work, for the pleasure of putting a little juice into this show. It's your choice. It insults your intelligence for anyone to say that I may try to rent your soul -- as though you're kiddies who need a nanny. I too value your integrity. There's no gold, no diamond, no pelt of a lion, even a cheetah, nothing that can measure the value of your character. All we are offering you is some action. Did a little risky fun ever kill anybody? Yes! That's why we do it! A little while ago, you did the first conspiration in history. Now you can either join the first conspiracy, or witness it. And believe me, we do need you. Time is short. And our show never has as many actors as we need. Am I right?

NETERS: (Off:)

Absolutely.

We All Are Free MUSIC continues as REDs take turns trying to get inside the box. As much physical comedy as the scene can carry here, provided no CELEBRANT is harmed in body or heart. MUSIC changes into OSIRIS' fanfare. REDs close the box.

 For Background, go to Stories of Thoth and Ma'at

Or glance at the Playbill 

Copyright 2002 Dan Furst

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