Forever Witches (Edited by: Kevin Yee)

Characters: Andiya: charming spinster of 40 Lourdes: older sister of Andiya, 45 Maring: Andiya and Lourdes niece, young girl, 17 Julio: Marings Suitor, 20. Loretta, young girl. 21. Scene: A province, not too far away from a sophisticated city. Andiya and Lourdes wore normal T-shirt and jeans. Lourdes actually older, looks younger than Andiya. The three of them (including Maring) lives peacefully in the small and simple house. Our play opens on an early morning. The living room is simple. A long plastic bench in the side of the room, a door to the outside world in the right and a curtain that will lead to the other parts of the house in the left. There is a cat sleeping in the floor. Lourdes enters from the left part of the room while Andiya dances in a tune of a radio at the living room.

Scene 1: The Dream Script:

Lourdes: Go out. Go out cat. Leave the house. Go! (look at Andiya) That cat smells of my shampoo. You used my shampoo on her again, An? Andiya: So she can attract that Tom in the next house. We are all O.M.s. Let Cat at least have her fun. Lourdes: Then in three months well have many more kittens to give away. Andiya: At least the cat is having what we dont (Loud knocking on door upstage. Loud and insistent) Lourdes: Who is it?... Hell break that door down! Who is it? (Andiya spins <dance> into the door and open it. Enter Julio, in a sando and tight trousers. As he comes in, Andiya turned the radio off and offers a seat.) Lourdes: (To Julio) Young man, is that an undershirt? Julio: No Tiya Ludy. This is a captains shirt. Cool isnt

Andiya: Is that the fashion? It looks definitely cool. Ill buy one. Lourdes: Dont you dare wear it in public, I forbid you! Andiya: Here we are again! This is why we are O.M.s, Ludy. Julio: My darling girlfriends, having an argument? No, no, no, no. I will kill anybody who calls you O.M.s! Career girls, bachelor girls, yes. But never that other name! (Wait 3 sec.) Where is Maring? Andiya: I thought you came for us! It is Maring after all!!! You faithless and fickle! Ill never talk to you again! Julio: Tiya Andy, you are as bad as your niece! Only Tiya Ludy here is kind and nice. (look at Ludy) Can you tell me where Maring is? Ludy: Sleeping! It is not yet noon, you know. She is having her beauty sleep. Julio: But she said we are going to the beach today. We are going to my fathers speedboat. She said youd prepare the food. The sun is getting hotter. It will burn us if we dont go now. Lourdes: She didnt say anything to us, but Ill make some sandwiches. Andiya, better wake that girl. (Exits to the left curtain) (Maring peeps in, curtain moves. Her presence can be seen by the audience but not by Julio. Then when Julio went close to the curtain in the left, Andiya saw Maring already, so Andiya holds Julio back. Preventing him from seeing Maring) Andiya: Dont go in there, young man. Ill go wake Maring myself. Just stay put here. Are you sure she said yes? Im excited to go to the beach today. Julio: Wow, I bet this would be fun. (smiling) Andiya: Hopefully. (Goes in to the curtain left) Maring: (enter) Hello, Good morning. What brings you here so early? Julio: WhawhaWHAT!? We are going to the beach today. You said to me yesterday. (surprised, confuse) Maring: Yes, last night I said yes. But today I say no. I am not going on any picnic. Julio: But your aunts already said yes. Maring: Then you go with them! Julio: But why not? You said youre going to teach me how to swim, and I will teach you how to dive. Whats the matter? What did I do wrong? Maring: Nothing. But you see I dreamed I dreamed you were paying so much attention to some other girls, I was in the water, drowning, and you never even looked at me. Tsche! Julio: But that was only a dream! It wasnt real. Maring: Id have know when I dream, it looks very real. You are flirting with the other girls! You let me drown in that sea! Julio: (facepalm) Naku! Maring, I cant get over it. Justjust a dream and you make me feel so guilty already.

Maring: (not looking at him, while HE <Julio> is standing by with exasperation) Dreams are premonitions of what will happen in real life. It is a warning. So please go now. I wont come with you! (enters Andiya and Lourdes from the left curtain. They hem the couple in between them. The cat weaves in) Andiya: Has anything happened? Are you quarreling? Lourdes: Arent we going to the beach today? Maring: You are all going, but not me. I will stay home. That sea might kill me. Julio: (Clutching at the two in aunts in appeal) She dreamed she dreamed... (sputtering) Just a dream and she wont go with us anymore! (the cat run at the side of Julio. Julio got frighten and then stumbles and fell at the ground) Maring: Ha! Good for you. Youre such a brat! Julio: (standing up) Me? A brat? Well then, if you dont want to come then dont! Tiya Ludy, Tiya Andy, come on, lets go and enjoy ourselves. Lets leave this stubborn brat alone here. Maring: YOU!!! (Exits at left curtain. The curtain shaking with the violence of her exit) Lourdes: Im afraid we cant join you Julio. But you can still take the sandwiches. Enjoy yourself and have a good time. (smile) Julio: (Almost in tears) enjoy myself? Have a good time? (Proceed to exit. Then stopped for a second and stomped the floor hard <one hit> and then proceeds outside) Scene 2: Witchcraft (Enter Maring) Maring: Humph!! Imagine! Andiya: Young lady, explain yourself. That poor guy is going out of his wits! Lourdes: He almost broke our floor. I thought he would babble and bawl! Maring: I said I had a dream that I had drown in our picnic, because he was paying too much attention to some other girls that he let me drown! He didnt even try to rescue me! Lourdes: You sit, and listen, Miss. (Maring sits down in the bench while the cat sits beside her bench) Once upon a time, your Tiya Andy and I were like you. We drove men wild, and broke their hearts into two. We are hard to get along. We are spoiled and proud. But look at us now Andiya: We waste our charms on the desert air. There are no more men left whom we used to drive to despair. They married other girls, less pretty than Ludy and I. We regret it, so be careful, dont be difficult, lest you become Lourdes: Like us, snooty Gullas girls, with their noses in the air, now left like roses wilting, drying, and withering. Maring: You are neither dried up nor withering, nor wilthing, Titas. So dont frighten me. Besides, he is not the only fish in the sea! Andiya: We used to say that too, of our suitors...

Lourdes: Until one day, they began to say it to us; we are not the only fish in the sea. Andiya: And we were not, indeed, were we? (bitter snicker, laughing at herself) Maring: But there are others like him, probably less fickle. He thinks I dont know that hes courting Loretta too. Imagine, shes older than he is! Lourdes: I know that girl. The daughter of Francheska, the granddaughter of Olympia. She has a sister named Myrna. But this Loretta is so wild, a complete reciprocal of her sister. Andiya: Can she be prettier than our Maring? Can she dance the Tahitian? Can she sing? Lourdes: She doesnt dance the Tahitian nor sing. But they say she dances the ballroom dances. She drives her car mad like pursuing a reluctant saint. Shes competition indeed! Maring: Why do you know her, Tiya Ludy? Lourdes: Doesnt she have black her, and brownish eyes? And very white skin? And tall and well dressed? Maring: Yes, yes! All that! Why do you seem to know her? I bet you like her than me. Lourdes: I stood godmother at her baptism. I used to know her father very well. Maring: Tiya Ludy! Youre blushing! (speculating) Was her father your suitor? Did you love him? Did he want to marry you? Andiya: He wanted to marry both of us. Maring: What!? Andiya: Yes, he courted Ludy and I. We both said yes to him, he even tried to marry us! But then we found out that we were caught in one string. We both separated from him. Then after a year he married Lorettas mother. She abandoned him after a Loretta turned a year older and she went back to her sweetheart in the states. Lourdes: We stood godmother to Loretta after her mother left. We loved her like ours, we almost adopted her. But then you came along, we loved you more than anyone Maring. Maring: And so? Andiya: And so we both felt we werent the only fish in the sea. We kicked him away and set our hearts for other fishes Lourdes: Only to find out they were all gone, we had you to play with. And before we knew it time had gone so quickly. Andiya: And that is the story of our beautiful lives. Maring: (suddenly intense) Do you love me Tiya Ludy, Tiya Andy? Will you give me something my heart fully desire? Andiya: Tell us what you want? If we can, we will give it to you. Maring: I want you to teach me your powers! I want to be able to get even!

Lourdes: (shocked) what powers are you talking about? We dont have any. And even though we have, we wont give it to you. You cannot have powers just for an evil plan! Maring: Of course you have! (Brought out an small mirror) Look! You still look young! You arent even aging! (Maring stands up from the bench, holding her aunts arm) Now you tell me you dont have powers! (The two aunts get themselves away from the grip of Marings arms) Maring: Youre selfish! (angry) You are my only hope and then you let me down! Give me a weapon against people like Julio. So that I wont be so helpless against him! Andiya: But you dont care for him! Lourdes: I thought you want to destroy him? Maring: No! I cant sleep without thinking of him. I love him! Give me the power that can make him kneel to me. I want him to make me his only world. Give me that power! Please! Lourdes: You are so incoherent. Do you know what you are asking? Maring: I do. Of course. But I know you wont give me what I am asking for, because I am just an orphan you have adopted. You dont love me! Lourdes: O Maring, we have loved you like our own child. We nursed you when you are little. We took care of you even though you became spoiled. Thats how we loved you. Maring: But of course, this is my fate. Always begging for pity and care. Always abandoned. I cannot blame you, for what am I to you? Nothing! Nothing at all! (Andiya exits the left curtain, while Lourdes shakes her head and went to follow Andiya. Maring seats in the bench sobbing. The cat appears and meows in the side of her bench) (Andiya seats besides Maring, holding her hand. But Maring rigidly pulls her hand away. Still upset about not getting what she wanted) Andiya: You know why we dont want to teach you anything? Because we are afraid you see, whatever you possess, you must pay for it in kind. Maring: Did you pay anything? What did you pay? Where do you learn? What can you do? (Intense) Andiya: Jesusmaria! So many questions! Yes we had to pay by staying single, spinsters forever. We learned from familiars. Cat is a familiar. He talks to us at night. We can do many things. But one day, when you are very young and very sick, we traded our powers for your health. We promised we will never practice again. I am afraid if we practice again now, you might get sick again. Maring: Oh please I believe in you. Teach me everything you know. I am not afraid. (Andiya moves about the room, she locked the street door) Andiya: There has to be secrecy, never let anyone see us. (brings out a doll from her small bag) This your very own special doll, when you want it to be anyone, just blow into its mouth and give it the name of the person you want it to be. No, dont stick him with a pin. Youll make him cry out, rub his eyes. Never stick a pin on into him. Otherwise, hell seek revenge. (puts doll aside) Now, come here, Ill tell you the things you need to know.

(Maring went to Andiya. Andiya whispers the instructions to Maring in her ears. Maring nodding her head while she listen) Maring: (jumps in glee <3x>) I cant wait to practice at him, thank you very much Tiya Andy (smiling) Andiya: No practicing. Think what youll do, otherwise you will regret it. Now come here and repeat the instructions I told you Maring: (Went to Andiya and whispers in her ears) (No dialogue for whispers, just silence. To avoid unwanted mistakes) (Lourdes came in via the left curtain, she came silently) Lourdes: Remember, those powers are dangerous; they are not guaranteed to make you happy. Nor unhappy neither. (A lizard suddenly clicks its call from the ceiling.) Julio is coming with Loretta. (Maring face darkens, angry) Hold it girl, we are ladies not harpies. Think before you act. Maring: (Julio knocks on the door, Maring manage to smile before opening the door) (Julio enters the scene with a girl on his arms) Hi, have you gone to your picnic? Julio: Not yet, I just think maybe you changed your mind and want to come with us. By the way this is Loretta. Loretta, Maring. Tiya Ludy, Tiya Andy (Lourdes talks) Lourdes: But we know Loretta. (hugs Loretta) Loretta is our godchild. (look at Loretta) Hows your father? Do you hear anything from your mother? Loretta: Father is in the south, he gone muslim. While my mother has just divorced from her husband and married her third. They still send me pictures so I can still recognize them. Lourdes: Lovely Lorry (felt sorry, pity) Nevermind dear, you can always stay here. Loretta: O, I can take care of myself, ninang Lud. And when I get lonely, there are many people out there like Julio to keep me company. Maring: How long has that arm been in his? Arent you afraid you will graft yourself together? Loretta: Oh, if were possible! I wouldnt mind! Maring: Neither would Julio, I am sure. He could be grafted my Merle too, or Trisha, or Dolores. Are they friends of yours too? Loretta: Not yet, but Julio told me about them. I am looking forward to meeting them. Maring: You Phony! I just invented them! Caught you fibbing, didnt I? Loretta: O, but it only proves to Julio that I am understanding, grown up and reasonable. I would never be jealous to anyone. Jealousy is meanness. Are you the jealous type? Maring: Are you the jealous type? (angry) Of course! If I love a man, I will fight anyone who tries to claim him! Loretta: Goodness, what a tiger! I am glad Julio does not belong to you. Or Im afraid youll pull my eyes out. (sarcastic laugh) Do you know how to swim? Maring: No.

Loretta: I learned to swim because of Julio. He taught me patiently. He is the worlds patient instructor! Lourdes: I dont think Maring wants to swim right now. You see, we were giving Maring a tutoring on a special course. So, you better go now. Loretta: Well, tata! We are off! Lets go Julio Julio: I dont think we can go to the beach today; the sun is too hot it will burn us. Why not you go home for now. Well watch a movie later. Loretta: What! You want me to go home? Alone!? You got me from home, you better bring me back there too. Lourdes: Loretta is right Julio, bring Lorette back home. And if you want, you can come back again to talk to Maring. Julio: I have to talk to Maring, Loretta, please go home by yourself. Its broad daylight anyway. (Loretta suddenly slaps Julio then angrily went out of the scene) Tiya Ludy, Tiya Andy, tell Maring I need to talk with her. Maring: (springing suddenly near JULIO so that he jumps with surprise) what are you doing here? Go out and chase your girl! Julio: Maring, please listen to me; you are the only girl in my life. No one means to me but you. Maring: You didnt mean anything to me at all. So please get out of here! Julio: Do you mean that? Really mean it? If so, then Ill never ever gonna come back again! Even if it kills me! Maring: Is that a promise? Cross your heart? Youll never come back again? Youll never darken this place with your presence? Julio: Maring, you know I dont mean that. You know how much I love you. Why are you so mean to me anyway? Maring: I am not mean to you not yet. But if I am, you just need to step in that door and were both even. I wont be mean to you and you wont bother me again! Agreed? (Action Time!) (Julio sits down at the bench <conunt 1.2.3.> then stands up again and walks back and forth. Maring seems irritated, went near to the left curtain area <near not go in>. After that, Julio seems tired and just sat down on the bench. Noticable to the audience, <not to Julio>, Maring brought out the doll Andiya gave to her. She drew it from her bag in her shoulder. She then plays with the doll. Maring pulled the dolls right hand until it cant extend anymore <Julio, obviously should follow, but down forget to stand first> , then she made the dolls head screw around <going right> until it cant go any further. After that, she pulled the dolls left arm hard that Julio fell. Maring is awed and gleeful on whats happening to Julio. She made the doll stand up and finally let it fall on the ground <Julio fell unconscious>. Maring made the doll lie down with his hands over his chest. After that Maring went to Julio and waved her hands in Julios eyes <Julios eyes closed>. When she saw he was unconscious, Maring felt satisfied and steals away into the Left Curtain area <Go in>.) (Enter Andiya, laughs behind her hand at the dazed look of Julio) Andiya: Julio, whats wrong? (worried) You look pale! (takes out a dainty handkerchief, dabs at his forehead. Andiya brought Julio into the bench holding his hand) Lourdes: Whatever happened to you, look! Even your fingernails are broken! Why? Julio: BecausebecauseMaring and Ihad a quarrel (confused)

Lourdes: Come on, you had a quarrel and you broke your nails? Is she that violent? Julio: Nono... I dont know! (look at fingernails) Theyre broken, arent they? Lourdes: (whips out a manicure from her pocket) Let me trim them Julio. How do you feel now? Would you like to sleep in the sofa? Julio; (nervous/pathetic) (Jump out of bench) No, No!! I mean I must go home! Thank you for everything. (Runs to the exit, almost stumbling.) (Lourdes and Andiya laughing. <evil laugh>) Lourdes: Maring! Maring! Come here quickly! (enters Maring) Andiya: That guy is out of his wits. Anyway, come on. Lets change our clothes. It smells bad. (All three of them runs straight to the Left Curtain) Scene 3: The consequence (Maring, Andiya and Lourdes troops back into the living room. The cat is also there, playing with Maring.) Lourdes: Uh... Uh that tone is starting to get familiar. Whats your problem now? Maring: Take it back! Andiya: What!? After I get my rheumatism and asthma back? You dont mean it Maring: I do I really do. I dont want to be like you anymore. Andiya: Why? Havent you seen the results? You have punished Julio. She is now your completely willing slave. Maring: Yes! And he bores me to tears! I want the old Julio back, not the possessive one! Andiya: But thats what you wanted! You said you want him hear no other voice but you, to see no other girls but you. You want him to make YOU (emphasize YOU) , the center of his world. Maring: Yes, that was before. (look at audience) But now I dont want any of it. I dont want Julio either. Lourdes: I already have warned you that it will not guarantee your happiness. But you wouldnt listen! Maring: I am really sorry for it (face Andiya and Lourdes). But is there any way I can get this knowledge out of me? Andiya: We cannot reverse the process of knowledge, Maring. The road of knowledge is always forward, never backward. Maring: But can I never get another man other than Julio? There are many men out there. Whats the use of magic if I cant enjoy myself. Lourdes: In time, with practice, you will learn new tricks like reading someones destiny. You will be able to read minds, you can also tell fortunes. We will also allow you to do some rituals during the full moon.

Maring: Perhaps, does it takes very long to learn? Lourdes: Not at all. But remember, you shall always pay a price. Maring: But Titas, let us first get Julio of my back. Lourdes: No dear, thats your OWN problem. You made your own problem; you better fix it by yourself. Besides, his now on your conscience. Hell go crazy without you, and if he gets another woman, she will never be happy. Remember what I told you before, think before you act. Maring: Poor Julio, but he deserves it anyway. Hes such a crab, most likely a brat. (Julio knocks on the door, his voice can be heard from behind the door <shouting>.) Andiya: Maring, wheres the doll? (Maring gives the doll to Andiya) Lourdes: Andiya, you already have your gout twisting you in the morning, give that doll back to that lady and let him set things right. (Andiya gives the doll back to Maring) And you Maring, stop making that boy suffer, if you dont want to pay a big price. Maring: (Opens the door and let Julio come in. In her surprise, Julio tried to embrace Maring. Maring successfully dodged Julio but she drops the doll on the floor that made Julio drop on the floor, too) Oh, what are you doing? Have you come back just to continue sleeping? (Julio tried to reach Maring who is currently walking backwards. Julio is now walking with his knees, Lourdes helps Julio stand up) Julio: Maring, will you marry me? (He tried to embrace <again> Maring but the cat barred his way. Maring successfully dodged <again> Julio) My parents are both from the city, we can make you a beautiful gown on our wedding. (desperate) Lourdes: Why, is this a proposal Julio? You cannot just do it this way. You must bring your parents here. Julio: (despairing) Oh Tiya Ludy! Tiya Andy! Are you my torturers too? Help me, please! Lourdes: All right, all right, but just the same you must let your parents do the proper thing for you. Andiya: But if I were you Julio, I wont rush things. You see, both of you are too young for such kind of relationship. I dont think Maring wants to get married anyway. Maring: Of course not! I am still too young, WE are still too young for marriage! Julio: We are both old enough Maring, Youll never find someone as much in love with you, as devoted to you. Why should we wait? Maring: Because I dont think I love you. (Julio suddenly holds his breast like someone had wounded it. He just flinched back and ran away madly.) Julio: (shouting) Ill kill myself! Ill commit suicide! You will miss me when Im gone! Maring: Oh, wow! Do you think hell do that!? Lourdes: Do what? Maring: Commit Suicide!

Lourdes: For your own sake, he better not! You will become ugly when you cause pain, you will cry the same amount of tears if you made someone cry. Tears, pain, anger, grief and envy. By now you must realize everything is reciprocal. Suicide, that would be dark, evil, and it will come back to you. Maring: (embrassing her aunt) You frighten me! Andiya: But mark it well, Lourdes speaks the truth. But dont worry too much. It is very easy to assusre your future, Maring. Feed the hungry; clothe the naked, make people smile. You know what we mean. Lourdes: Otherwise, if you only use your power for selfish ends, youll be called so many names, none of them pleasant. Andiya: Take courage from the fact that it is so easy to make people happy, rather than making them sad. Maring: What have I done? (almost crying) Lourdes: When you were young, you make us happy, just by being you. Andiya: We found ourselves so grateful that you came into our lives. You gave us someone to truly love. Maring: You are so difficult to get along with. Sometimes you make me happy, but sometimes you made me sad. Lourdes: Of course! We are not angels, you know. Andiya: Angels! Of course not! We are witches, You, Ludy and I. Lourdes: (Facing the audience) we give ourselves away. We are witches. You know us now. Maring: But are there many like us, Titas? Lourdes: All around you, we are all around you. You recognize us now. Andiya: (face the audience) But how many do you recognize among the people near you and close to you? Many of them are witches too.

CURTAIN (before the curtains open again <about 10 15 sec> all of the cast and production staff must be on the stage) (curtain opens, production staff first) (in order) Producer, Director, Writers, and others. Loretta, Lourdes, Andiya, Julio, Maring. The end