Wisdom, Glory and Friendship

This is dedicated to my friends

Presenting...
Goldennail
Cycostus
Public prosecutor [p.p.]
Klitystar [pronounced ‘litista’]
Metalhand
Gilderwart
Tootenham
Kepler
Apparatchik


Scene: 1
[Curtain opens. The scene is of the eastern side of the Novosibirsk reservoir. It is the Karakan pine forest of Russia. A robber, Goldennail is sitting on a rock; he is the head of all the robbers. Cycostus sits beside him and Klitystar is sitting on another rock with Metalhand. The public prosecutor [p.p.] is standing and addressing them.]
P.P.:
Why does a whale come out from the waters totally and why does you do the same from the safest place for you, the woods of the west?
Goldennail:
A whale comes out from the waters to free its body and breathe fresh air. Thus, I do come out from the ‘breathtaking’ jail of mine fearlessly of the captors waiting outside.
P.P.:
But that is dangerous and forbidden; for the jackal is hunting the rabbit and the rabbit must stay in its hole. The Apparatchik can be dangerous to you.
Cycostus:
The rabbit has a sharp sense of smell and hearing and does run that fast so we are there to sacrifice.
Klitystar:
Yes, these sense organs are the friends of the rabbit; those winds are friends of the arrow and the bird; those waters are friends of the schooners and those rains are the friends of the peasant so are we; the friends and protectors of Goldennail.
Goldennail:
That is why; the robber has nothing to be afraid of, because it has friends, the greatest treasures of life, like the diamond is the treasure of the ring.
P.P.:
Friends, yes, of course! But are they greater than glory?
Cycostus:
Glory? Do you mean to abuse Goldennail? Can ever silver be more precious than gold?
Goldennail:
No, Cycostus. Don’t pour acid into an acid. It will burst. But yes, prosecutor, friends are like sun and glory is like a firefly.
Metalhand:
Prosecutor, there’s in an empty balloon below my neck.
P.P.:
Oh, yes! Wash yourselves; dinner is after an hour- At the old oak tree. I hope you have not washed out your memories.
Klitystar:
No, of course, once the dog gets the smell, he never forgets it.
Exit: Everybody


Scene: 2
[The people are sitting around a fire with hot food. They are gossipping and eating.]
Metalhand:
Friends and foes are two aspects of success. A dog has a bone and liberty as its friend and the cruelty of man is his enemy. If its not cruelty of man, then there are the diseases to oppose him. Thus, if these two aspects are not present, success is impossible. But where does glory lay? It lies in the history and ended up with Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. So, my friend prosecutor, there is nothing such as glory overpowering friends.
P.P.:
I have read much about Gilderwart and Tootenham. Who are they actually?
Goldennail:
Gilderwart and Tootenham? Two seeds of the same fruit fighting to grow up into a plant and ended up blown away by a wind and swallowed by a bird.
Klitystar:
They are the greatest story of glory and friendship. Gilderwart was the son of the king of France and Tootenham was his closest friend. They used to live together almost all the time. His father, the king of France was involved in a war against the British. He was small and did not go to the battlefield with his father. Then, when his father was not at home, Tootenham came to him and urged him to follow. He hesitated at first, but then he faithfully followed. He led him to his mother’s chamber and when he stopped Gilderwart asked him what the matter was! Meanwhile, Gilderwart’s father was stuck in a battle in which he was sure to lose because the enemy had overpowered them.
Cycostus:
Yes, and he was fighting with at least ten horsemen at once. He was one of the greatest rulers of France.
Metalhand:
He was called the ‘Savior of the saviors’ because he used to save as many people as he could instead of killing that many.
Goldennail:
And Gilderwart had inherited his father’s qualities. Thus, he was also a very good ruler.
Klitystar:
Yes, Gilderwart was fighting ferociously and it is said- one of his enemies was chopped into twenty one pieces!
Tootenham led Gilderwart to the other chamber beside his mother’s. There, he showed Gilderwart what he had done, choppen off one man into exactly twenty one pieces saying that he was a traitor and had killed his mother. Giderwart was so shocked that he went mad for an hour. It seemed that he would never come back but he gained conciousness- most unexpectedly- in an hour and directly kicked Tootenham on his chest. He fell backwards and ran away and never came back. Gilderwart’s father won that battle with great struggle and retuened at once to attend the funeral. After that, Gilderwart’s father taught him the art of fighting and he was impressed at his son’s skill. But in the mean time, thinking of Tootenham made Gilderwart feel guilty and slowly the fire grew. Then that generation passed and Gilderwart became the king of France. He was very powerful and soon became the emporer of Italy. Slowly, as his power began to rise, he forgot his revenge against Tootenham and turned to the glory which his father had failed to achieve. He began his quest in spring. One night, when he was trying to sleep in his tent, Tootenham entered and left a note. He didn’t notice it and read the letter the next day-
‘I’m very sorry!’
He tore the note to pieces as his old flare lit up once again and he sent for the chief commander in whom he had trust the most and ordered him to kill Tootnham wherever he found him. That night, Gilderwart was killed by an arrow. He did not know who had killed him.
Exit: Everybody

Scene: 3
[Supper is complete. They have put up their tents and are sitting around the fire.]
P.P.:
The story was very interesting. What happens next?
Enter: Kepler, Apparatchik
Kepler:
Next, Apparatchik finds the noble robber and the legend comes to an end.
Cycostus:
We are the dogs who guard the treasure, so the intruder has to go past us in order to get his hands upon the treasure.
Kepler:
The Apparatchik doesn’t need to deal with dogs because he has more powerful weapons, wolves!
Apparatchik:
Yes, but they are tame wolves. So, don’t worry! They will attack only one of you, so, who wants to die?
Cycostus:
The treasure’s best friend is its actual and main guardian who is I, Cycostus and I strictly order you to destruct me before you loot the treasure.
Klitystar:
What is the use of an iron nail in front of a whole bunch of food to a hungry man? Kill me if you want but do no harm to Goldennail because it will also harm the hungry man.
P.P.:
The work of the savior is to save paying whatever the price is. I am the savior of these men so till I live, no harm comes to them. If you have real control over the hounds, kill me first.
Metalhand:
I am the closest friend of Goldennail, and sacrificing for a friend is my prime duty. I shall welcome death with a hug. Death! Come to me!
Apparatchik:
Death fears those who seek it and seeks those who fear it. All of you have shown your fearlessness. But Goldennail, my prime aim, is yet to overpower Death. I shall order the hounds to the kill him if he doesn’t accept it now!
Cycostus:
No, I shall not let harm to him!
Klitystar:
What harm comes to him? I shall see that nobody even touches him.
P.P.:
Kill me! But no harm to him! I am the savior!
Metalhand:
I will stand before him and I will see how Death touches him.
Apparatchik:
Attack Goldennail!
[The wolves kill Goldennail and the enemies fly away.]

Scene: 4
[The funeral is over. Two and a half months have passed. The men are sitting cuddled together.]
P.P.:
What happens next in the story?
Klitystar:
After the death of Gilderwart, many myths leaked out. But what most believe is that Tootenham was the trusted chief commander that Gilderwart had and he killed him to become the King of France. Actually, Gilderwart’s mother was killed by the traitor and Tootenham had killed the traitor. But when he realized that Gilderwart would never accept him as a friend, he did what anyone would have done. He knew that there was a forthcoming search for Tootenham among the army so he fulfilled a friend’s duty, he killed Gilderwart. Tootenham also realized what Gilderwart was upto, achieving glory. But Goldennail did the same feat; he showed wisdom by not even uttering a word and showed true friendship by sacrificing the treasure!
Exit: Everybody
[Curtain closes.]