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ANDAMAN SHORES, PART 2

MARCUS
What now, Fiennes? You can relax. I’ve been sacked.

MONSIEUR FIENNES
Justice was done.

CATHERINE
Victory is yours.

MONSIEUR FIENNES
What you must think of me. Doran isn’t the only redundancy.

MARCUS
(accusatory)
What have you done, Fiennes?

MONSIEUR FIENNES
Everything I could to save this school. I thought too little of the power of feelings over facts.

CATHERINE
The Sacred Lotus Flower method is on the rise.

MONSIEUR FIENNES
(to CATHERINE)
Yes. It seems France has drunk the Kool-Aid.

CATHERINE
(to MONSIEUR FIENNES)
So what now?

MONSIEUR FIENNES
I don’t know about you, Madame Hubert, but I’m sure there’s a Waldorf school I can pull from the brink. Then again, I wonder if that’d be just another uphill battle.

(Music continues as MONSIEUR FIENNES finishes gathering his things, makes to exit, and falls short.)

MONSIEUR FIENNES
Well, this is good day. Good luck to you both. Au revoir.

(Music continues as MONSIEUR FIENNES exits. A beat passes while MARCUS and CATHERINE share an awkward moment.)

MARCUS
WHAT NOW?

CATHERINE
WISH I KNEW.
WILL FRANCE JUST HAVE TO MAKE DO
WITHOUT HER CHILDREN’S FAVORITE GURU?
I’M SURE SHE’LL GET THROUGH.

MARCUS
SO SHE’LL MISS ME?

CATHERINE
SHE WHO?
She certainly won’t be the same. So where will you go?

MARCUS
CLEARLY, I NEED A REFRESHER.
A PLACE TO PROGRESS WITHOUT PRESSURE.
TO CONVALESCE,
TO REASSESS,
TO GET MYSELF BACK UP TO SPEED.

(Music vamps under the following.)

CATHERINE
I know what you mean. What a year. Anyone would crack.

MARCUS
You didn't.

CATHERINE
Me? That’s only because I found a new lease on life. A whole world has opened up for me. I have you to thank for that. You and the head of admissions at Port Blair.

MARCUS
You made it! So we're both going to India.

CATHERINE
Convenient.

MARCUS
WHERE A BOUNDLESS WHITE SANDY BEACH
STRETCHES TOWARD A SKY-BLUE RIVER REACH.
HIGH AMONG THE BLUFFS,
WHERE CLOUD PUFFS TREMBLE
THERE STANDS A GOLDEN TEMPLE.

MARCUS AND CATHERINE
UP THERE, SNUG IN THE TREES,
PRAYER FLAGS ALOFT IN THE GENTLE BREEZE,
A TRAINING GROUND FOR PILGRIMS
COMMITTED TO CHILDREN:
THE SACRED LOTUS DEVOTEES.
I’M HEADED BACK/OFF TO INDIA
TO ANDAMAN SHORES,
TO CRAWL ON ALL FOURS
BENEATH THE PLEIADES.

CATHERINE
TO LEARN MY TRADE.

MARCUS
TO SERVE THE CHILDREN’S NEEDS.

MARCUS AND CATHERINE
TO USHER IN WORLD PEACE.
ONE CLASS OF CHILDREN AT A TIME.

Words and Music by Michael Johnson
© 2022, Zubsongs, Ltd.