Housekeeper’s wife: -It’s a really good idea.

(1)They are leaving the room ….but not through that door…….through another one…….

2) (sounds OST ‘WILDE’)that door opens and the Ghost appears…..slowly walks about the room, comes up to the piano, goes to the stairs and sits down, goes upstairs, comes up to his wife’s portrait, kisses it, kneels down and prays…., kisses the portrait again and disappears)

Scene 2

The Otis family moves into the castle… (action up to the OST)

(Mr. Otis, Mrs. Otis (with a clutch bag), their son Robby (with a toy sword in his hand)

Mr. Otis (addressing to his family members): -So, my dears, what do you think of our new place?

(a bit later the ghost appears and follows them, slowly walks about the room, listens to their conversation, imitates and repeats the gestures of family members)

Robby: - Dad, it’s a good place, let it be my room…..it’s big and spacious, I can play here anything.

Mrs. Otis:-OK, sunshine, we’ll think of this, now go to play in the yard…I want to speak to our father.

Mr.Otis:- Robby, you should listen to your mother, now, son, please, leave us, go and play in the yard and invite our neighbours Mr. and Mrs. Binchy…..(Robby interrupts him)

Robby:- (The ghost is standing next to the portrait then looks at Robby) – Father, look, I’m the Brave Heart, I’m not afraid of anything… (plays with his sward), … everybody’s afraid of my sword /sɔ:d/ (comes up to the Ghost…. The Ghost is shocked steps back and defends the portrait of his wife…, then covers its head with a piece of cloth)

Mrs. Otis: (a pause later comes up to Robby and takes him away) - Robby, please, go to play in the yard. Please….go…..or this room will never be yours.

Robby:- But mum…..mummy, please…(cries)

Mr.Otis: - So, my sweetheart…, my love…, my life…, my wife…, my destiny, my woman…, do you really like this castle?

Mrs. Otis: - Darling, it’s the wonderful present for my birthday. I’m so happy, I love you so much (they are embracing and kissing each other, the Ghost‘s watching them, claps the hands and a beautiful melody sounds OST ‘A Time for Us’). – (Mrs. Otis surprisingly and smiling says to her husband) - What’s this? Can you hear this? … This melody? (they start dancing)

Mr. Otis: - My love….I must say, that our new place is with a surprise… the Ghost of the Lord Windsor lives here. I’m sure…, this,…this melody it’s a surprise for us.

Mrs. Otis: - Such a romantic melody for a romantic dance… It means the Lord Windsor likes us….thank you Lord Windsor…

Mr. Otis: - Thank you,...Lord Windsor…..

Mrs. Otis and Mr. Otis (Together):-Thank you…

(on the stage the Ghost waves arms and music sounds louder…. Mr.Otis and Mrs. Otis dance and the Ghost watches and admires them,… some time later it disappears)

(at this moment their daughters run into the room)

Girls together: - Mummy, daddy, our neighbours are coming in 10 minutes.

Mr. Otis: -OK,… I’ll meet them. I think, it could be a good idea to make tea.

Julia:- You know, Mr. Binchy is a strange man, he says that the Ghost lives here (gestures).

Kate: - Mrs. Binchy says he’s afraid of ghosts. Every night he hears its howling /ʹhaʋliƞ/ and sounds. They say its howling /ʹhaʋliƞ/ goes from here (the Ghost appears and waves hands to Kate and Julia, they stand still for a moment, get surprised and then turn to their mother,) – (together) Mummy, Mummy… what’s this? (but mother doesn’t pay attention to them, she is busy and when she turns to the girls, the Ghost disappears)

Mrs. Otis:- What’s the problem , my dears?

Girls together: - We..we.. saw something…. (one girl) something like a ghost…(another girl)… I can’t explain.

Mrs. Otis:- A Ghost…. (smiles)…my, girls, you are so funny, …., but, please, don’t tell me about the Ghost. (Ghost appears again, girls and the ghost look at each other for a moment, then it draws in the air the heart and blows to them and sends the airy kiss, … disappears again…) So, my dears, stop telling me about the ghost and let’s welcome our guests…today we are giving a housewarming party.

Kate: - Our neighbours- crazy Mr.Binchy..

Julia: - And Mrs. Binchy… (saying something else two girls disappear behind the curtain)

(neighbours behind the curtain)

Mrs. Binchy: - Hello!! – Is anybody at home?

Mr. Otis:- Darling! We are here.

(Mr.Binchy, Mrs. Binchy, Mr. Otis come onto the stage …from downstairs Mrs. Otis welcomes the newcomers Mr Binchy strangely looks around the room and very carefully walks downstairs and comes up to his wife )

Mrs. Binchy: - Long-long years of living here, let all the troubles disappear (gives a present to Mrs. Otis).

Mr. Otis :-Let me introduce Mrs. Binchy

Mrs. Binchy: - And let me introduce my husband Mr.Binchy….. (looks at him) … John! What’s the matter?

Mr. Binchy: - It’s a wonderful place, but I believe in its mystery.

The three together: -What mystery?

Mr. Binchy: - I believe that here lives the Ghost of the Lord Windsor, many-many years ago he killed his wife (a short pause … then Mr. Otis, Mrs. Otis, Mrs. Binchy burst out laughing)

Mrs. Otis: - Oh, ha-ha, such a nice and funny gentleman… a very interesting mystery.

Mr. Otis:- So, Mr and Mrs Binchy, let me introduce my wife Mrs. Otis .

(at this time the Ghost appears, slowly comes up to the wife’s portrait and watches the Binchy and Otis families, it dislikes Mr. Binchy)

Mrs. Otis: - This is our living room. I like this big window with a beautiful garden view.

(the Ghost howls)

Mr. Binchy: - What ?!

The three together: - What?

Mr. Binchy: - Did you hear this terrible howling? This terrible sound.

Mr. Otis:- It’s not a howling, it’s only a strong autumn wind.

Mr. Binchy:- No…..no…., it is not a wind. I feel it. It is here…(walks about the room…..takes a candle out of his bag, lights it up, takes one more candle and with trembling hands walks about the room) – Lord Windsor, do you hear me? I am not afraid of you….(the Ghost watches him, nods his head and blows out two candles) – Oh, yes, can you see it? It’s here…it’s here.

Mrs. Binchy: - My darling, please come here, look….what a wonderful view! How romantic!

(slowly comes up to Mrs. Binchy and hugs her)

Mr. Binchy:- Yes, it’s … romantic.

(the Ghost howls again)

Mr. Binchy:- Gosh! Again this terrible howling…

Mrs. Binchy:- Jack, are you afraid of dogs? (laughs)….

Mr. Binchy: - You may think anything you want, but I know that he is here… . I’m feeling him, I can’t see him, but I’m really feeling his presence…, the presence of the Killer Lord Windsor….Be sure, darling, I’m ready to meet him ( out of his bag he takes a bunch of grass and starts to walk with it about the room ). –Go…, go away, I’m not afraid of you. You are only a phantom, only a ghost Oh, yes, I’ve caught him…. Have you seen ? Have you seen?

Mrs. Otis:

(all the actors come up to the table, Mrs. Otis comes onto the stage with a tea tray, puts it on the table, everyone sits down at the table but over the chair of Mr. Binchy there is a chandelier which hangs from the ceiling, when Mr. Binchy takes his chair and moves towards the table the chandelier moves too. This situation repeats for several times …..finally he takes a paper basket and puts it on his head)

Mrs. Binchy: - Please…, darling, we’ve got annoyed with your imagination, come here and sit down. Everything is OK. Believe me, the Ghost doesn’t live here.

(Mr. Binchy sits down on the chair, but the Ghost moves the chair and Mr. Binchy falls down on the floor by pulling the table cloth).

Mr. Binchy: - Is it my imagination??……Is it only the autumn wind??…(the Ghost howls again ) – Gosh… it’s not the wind….it’s not the wind..( takes a bottle of holly water out of his bag and drops some water towards the Ghost…..the Ghost takes a cup with tea and pours it onto the head of Mr. Binchy…….he gets shocked, nervous)

Mr. Binchy: - What?....What? (with different emotions, some time later…the Binchy family leaves the room. )

Mr. Otis: Well….., he is a strange man, but it was funny…He really believes in the Ghost of the Lord Windsor.

Mrs. Otis: Ok, I think it’s the time for our girls to go to bed….. Girls….., my little girls….

Girls: - Yes, mummy….

Mrs. Otis: - My dears, it’s time to go to bed… (girls lie down on their beds and prepare for the sleep)

Girls:- Mum, you know…..Mr. Binchy says that the ghost lives here….yes,…..it walks here every night…it never sleeps…..

Mrs. Otis: - My girls…, don’t think of this…., be sure, your father and mother are always with you. Good night my sweet girls.., well….kiss your mother.. I love you … (leaves the bedroom).

Scene 3

The clock strikes…

(the girls are sleeping…..the Ghost appears….howls and comes up to the beds…)

The Ghost:- My little girls…… you are so beautiful and innocent /ʹinəsənt/.. I don’t want to frighten /fraitn/ you, but…but I must frighten you… I am the Ghost, now it’s the dark night, I’m the Ghost and I must frighten at night….. (cries) I’m so tired /taiəd/ of doing this routine work.(starts frightening)

(suddenly one girl wakes up and now the Ghost gets frightened)

The Ghost: - Hello, what’s your name?

Julia:- I’m Julia. Who are you?

The Ghost:- Julia, such a beautiful name. The most beautiful name in the world. My wife’s name was Julia. ….

Julia: Excuse me, who are you? Who are…you? (pause)… Ahh.., I think I know….. You are Lord Windsor.

The Ghost: -Don’t worry, my girl…. I’m not the Lord Windsor, now I’m only his Ghost, but… I’m a good ghost!. You can see me because you are a little and kind girl. I need your help…., please, help me….., please(loudly).

(Kate wakes her sister up, tries to understand what is going on…starts worrying)

Kate: - What’s this…. Who are you?

The Ghost: - Be quiet….don’t worry… everything is OK.

Kate: - This is Lord Windsor…..

The Ghost: - The Ghost of Lord Windsor…and this is the portrait of my wife Lady Windsor.

Julia: But why are you here? Why don’t you leave the castle?

The Ghost:- My dear girl. I’d love to leave the castle and join my wife, but I can’t… I can’t…The ominous /ʹɒminəs/ curse /kɜ:s/ was put on me many-many years ago.

Girls together:- What curse?

The Ghost tells girls its sad story: - We loved each other and we were happy… But one cold winter evening Julia fell seriously ill. Nobody could say what had happened to her. One day I had to go on business and I had to leave Julia. For my business it was a lucky day, I made a contract and earned a lot of money. But for my wife… it was the last day on the earth. That night I was absent and that night she died.

Girls:- Oh, mister, it’s awful, poor Lady Windsor…..

The Ghost: - Her brother couldn’t forgive me my absence that day. He and his friends locked me in that tower and left me without any food, any water,…. with nothing. After the three long awful weeks I died. But my body still has not been buried. My skeleton is behind this wall. You know… for more than three hundred years I have been waiting for you.

Gilrs:- For us? But… why?

The Ghost:- The gates of the heavens will open for me at midnight, but IF….a girl at the age of under 15 with all her family members reads the Lord’s Prayer for three times. As soon as it happens, this wall will open, I’ll take my skeleton and we’ll disappear in the world of darkness and quietness once and for ever.

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 704