Boris Akunin: All the World's a Stage

STORYTELLER

Scene two

O-Bara’s room again. The geisha comes in, carrying flowers. Futoya follows her, shrouded in a cloak. O-Bara turns towards him and they both freeze on the spot.

STORYTELLER

He strikes his drum. The Inaudible One appears on the other side of the paper partition and parts the shoji slightly. O-Bara and Futoya start moving again.

O-BARA Today or tomorrow we shall see the end of her. There will be no obstacle to my success.

She sits down at the little table and starts arranging an ikebana thoughtfully.

Now everything that we desire, dear friend, will come about. There is no doubt of it.

FUTOYA Most welcome news. And now I ask you to return the token that I entrusted to your safe keeping. The sign has been given and Izumi’s final hour has come. The Sinobi execute a sentence promptly. Their messenger may appear at any moment now, and I must return the dragon instantly.

O-Bara takes her time to finish arranging the bouquet. Then she lifts the table up slightly, opens the secret compartment and rummages in it. She thinks she has tried the wrong leg and looks in each of them by turn.

STORYTELLER ( in the meantime )

O-BARA Where has it got to? I remember very clearly that I put the dragon in my secret hiding place.

FUTOYA This is no time for foolish joking! Give me back the talisman!

O-BARA Oh, damnation! It has been stolen! I simply can’t believe my eyes. Look, the table leg is hollowed out. No hiding place could possibly be safer!

Futoya overturns the table.

FUTOYA I understand! I realise everything! Oh, you vile serpent! You wish to get rid of me now! You no longer have any need of me! My usefulness has been exhausted! You wish to hand me over, so that they can torture me to death! ( He grabs her roughly by the shoulder .) The Jyonin will kill me for losing his dragon! And that is what you want. Give it back!

O-BARA ( resisting ) What is this, have you lost your mind? Let go of me, you idiot! You and I are allies! Why should I wish to have you killed? Yuba must have robbed me. I had noticed a strange new wilfulness in her behaviour…

FUTOYA ( not listening to her ) Give me back the dragon, you bitch! Out of my love for you I have sinned and marred my karma for ever.

She breaks free and he chases her around the room. He knocks her down, but O-Bara is strong and agile, and she breaks free again. Eventually they both fall and start rolling about on the mats, punching and scratching each other. All this takes place with no words spoken and no shouting, in pantomime.

STORYTELLER ( during the pantomime )

The Inaudible One takes a scroll out of his belt and tears a piece off it. He takes out a portable inkwell and a little brush and writes something quickly.

A single drumbeat.

The Sinobi tears open the shoji and walks into the room.

O-BARA Enough of this! Stop it! You and I are not alone! ( to the Inaudible One ) How can you dare to enter uninvited, you buffoon?

O-Bara and Futoya disentangle themselves. They both sit up, trying to put their clothes and hair in order. The Inaudible One, taking no notice of the geisha, holds out the piece of paper to the merchant.

FUTOYA A piece of paper! What’s this now? And are you giving it to me? ( He reads it and cries out in a loud voice. ) All-merciful Buddha! She is already dead!

The Invisible One takes a dragon with a snake-like blade out from behind his back and reaches out his hand for the dragon.

FUTOYA ( creeping away in a squatting pose ) We are joint clients in this contract. I gave the dragon to this honourable lady for safe keeping.

O-BARA He lies! This is the first that I have heard of this. I do not understand what you are saying. What contract do you mean?

The Inaudible One picks the branch of the apple tree up off the floor and shows it to the geisha.

O-BARA ( realising that her denials are pointless ) Yes, yes, please, I’m sorry. I was simply being cautious to begin with, in order to make sure. So she is dead? So quickly? Our commission has been carried out? Can this be possible? I want to see her body.

FUTOYA ( in a loud whisper ) You’ll be the death of us, you fool! Do not insult him! In cases like this the Sinobi never tell lies to their clients! Give him back the dragon! Your trick has failed! Or he will kill us both this very moment!

O-BARA ( also whispering and creeping towards the paper lantern standing on the floor ) It’s you who are the fool, dear sir. The dragon’s not here, it has disappeared. If you want to live, keep your mouth shut. And don’t get in my way!

Bowing to the formidable messenger, Futoya creeps towards her, still squatting. The Inaudible One watches them, holding out his hand demandingly. He has hidden the dagger away again.

O-Bara overturns the lantern and it goes out. Darkness.

O-BARA’S VOICE Now save me, legs!

FUTOYA’S VOICE Wait! What about me?

The sound of scurrying feet.

The second mitiyuki

Caught in a patch of light, O-Bara and Futoya run along the hanamichi , without moving from the spot. Their feet seem to be sticking in sand: they run agonisingly, as people do in nightmares; their breathing is fitful and laboured. The geisha has outrun the merchant. She has thrown off her lacquered sandals and tucked the hem of her kimono in her belt so that she can run more freely.

FUTOYA It is pointless to flee! There is no way to escape them! They will find us anywhere, even on the bottom of the sea!

O-BARA ( not looking round ) I am not running from the Ninja, but from you, you blockhead. I did not take the dragon, and I should not have to answer for it!