laughed. They were furious. They shouted they forgot to whisper. They said this is an extreme secret. I took hold of the rope but when they pulled my fingers slid away. They threw it down again. I couldn’t make my fingers clutch. Probably from all of the not-eating.
I like this meal very much. Both in terms of taste, and quantity. I wonder do you think they bake their own bread, or do they have a supplier in the city? I would be interested to purchase it on my own, possibly in bulk.
THE NON-PROPHET: And so you were lifted out of the pit.
JEREMIAH: Yes. With cast clouts and with rotten—
THE NON-PROPHET: And they took you—
Jeremiah freezes.
Probably that’s a secret.
JEREMIAH: I think that probably, yes. I think that yes it is.
THE NON-PROPHET: They took you to a person.
JEREMIAH: They did take me to a person.
THE NON-PROPHET: And you spoke, to this person.
JEREMIAH (After a beat): There was some chat.
THE NON-PROPHET: And after the chat.
JEREMIAH: Then I was outside again.
THE NON-PROPHET: And the feeling, the—
JEREMIAH: Then it was subsided.
THE NON-PROPHET: And tomorrow?
JEREMIAH: Oh. (Beat) It will begin again.
THE NON-PROPHET: It’s painful.
JEREMIAH: Not at first, no. In the beginning it’s not so bad. I can just, I can mutter a little, and that’s fine. And then a feeling of pressure, which increaseth. And I can I can pick up a telephone, in a booth on the street, and I can speak into the telephone, into the dial tone, and that’s fine but then after a while that won’t work and I have to call someone on the phone, anyone at all, whatever number I make up and if they answer I speak to them until they hang up.
But that doesn’t work for long. Then I have to start arguing in bars and shouting on the street and a back street isn’t good enough, no, it has to be a broad street and really there have to be columns nearby and . . . stripey . . . marble and acoustics and, you know, obviously, just . . . swarms . . . of people. Who will stare back at me blankly. And then inevitably I will be seized by a terrible chilly fury. And then of course I’ll end back in the pit. So I’d like more bread now I think. Waiter?
A little bit of a desperate roar.
Waiter!?!
The Non-Prophet touches him lightly on the shoulder. Jeremiah subsides. The Non-Prophet makes a light little gesture, in the air, and bread is brought.
With great restraint Jeremiah recites:
This is a miracle. If I walk into a field of wheat, I cannot eat it. This is a miracle. If I hold a handful of flour I cannot eat it. This is a miracle. If I muddle together water, salt, yeast and flour I still cannot eat it. But I can eat this miracle.
Jeremiah starts tearing into it.
THE NON-PROPHET: The certainty of the powerless is terrible. I can help you you know.
JEREMIAH (Laughs a little): The Lord is with me. The Lord is always with me. Who can help me?
He starts in again on the bread.
The Non-Prophet looks both ways, then leans in toward Jeremiah, and begins whispering in his ear. Jeremiah at first continues stuffing his mouth with bread, listening, then he starts to shake his head no, then he puts the bread down, The Non-Prophet continues whispering, Jeremiah is shaking his head no, then he stops shaking his head, The Non-Prophet continues whispering, Jeremiah is absolutely still, The Non-Prophet continues whispering, Jeremiah’s body starts to shake, he starts to sob silently, he clutches his face, he is racked with silent sobs, The Non-Prophet has to grasp on to his shoulder to keep contact with him, mouth to ear, he continues whispering, all but wrapping him in an embrace as Jeremiah dissolves.
CHAPTER 13
Don’t forget that it’s still raining heavily, continuously.
Ruthie is staring fixedly into space.
When she hears the key in the lock she picks up a book.
Hananiah enters.
She looks up and puts her book down, he registers her but does not really see her.
He is carrying a paper bag.
He stands in the middle of the room. He looks at the paper bag. He looks up. He looks around. He looks at the bag.
HANANIAH: I was buying coffee.
RUTHIE: Yes. You said you would.
He looks at her, still not really seeing her. He sits down. And looks at her really for the first time.
HANANIAH: I was in line. I was going to buy coffee. And I was tapped on my . . . (He can’t think of the word)
RUTHIE: Shoulder?
HANANIAH: Here (Places his hand on the halfway point between shoulder and elbow) by a man who said will you come with me please.
I thought he meant, I thought he must mean I had been stealing. Even though I wasn’t. Because they do sell small things there but only up at the counter. I would have had to have sidled up to the counter and taken, candies, and then stepped back to get in line. I would have taken them when I had already gotten to the counter that’s what I was thinking. It didn’t make sense to me.
He said you’re Hananiah the prophet I said yes and people had turned around; I thought all right I can’t make a fuss here, I’ll explain in the back office. I mean if they have to search my pockets, whatever. And he led me out the door. And I was just sort of thinking: we’re on the street, that’s funny, I thought there were back offices and I realize because he’s got me by the arm that he’s hustling but I mean it’s all very inconspicuous and delicate there’s a car at the curb. And he’s making like he’s going to open the back door and I said wait. Because I’m thinking this is crazy and why don’t we start talking very specifically about the mints or what have you I mean I still need to buy my coffee, and now I’ve lost my place in line. And he shifts his jacket and he’s got a gun. So now I decide I will have to make a break for it because this is crazy and I look over and there’s another one by the newsstand and he’s got his hand in his jacket in this very significant way. And so I don’t know what to do and I get in the car. And we drive and there’s another one in the backseat, next to me, and the man who got in the front seat passenger side leans over and says I apologize for that, but it was simpler and then turns his head back. And I said where are we going and everyone ignored me. And there was fear in my voice, I couldn’t disguise it, so I didn’t say anything else.
By this point Ruthie is sitting
