Charybdis

media type="file" key="charybdis.mp3"

“ALL WASHED UP”



INTRODUCTION 1. CHARYBDIS:	I am Charybdis, sea monster in the form of a giant mouth. I live opposite Scylla, the six-headed monster. Rarely does a ship dare to cross my path for f ear of my swirling waters. I am very hungry.

SCENE 1 EXPOSITION

__1. MUSIC:		LEAD IN WITH SAD MUSIC.__ 2. CHARYBDIS:	I once lived the happy life of a simple woman, born the naiad sea-nymph daughter of Poseidon. To expand my father’s domain I would flood the land, that is until Zeus became angry, threw me into the sea, and turned me into a beast. Now, imprisoned as a monstrous whirlpool in the Strait of Messina, I sit and I wait, day in and day out for a passerby that I might swallow. I have lost track of the year, all of my mortal friends have been dead for centuries, and I know no other place than this rocky pass. Three times a day, like clockwork, I swallow and purge water, hoping to catch a morsel of food.

SCENE 2 INITIATING ACTION

1. CHARYBDIS:	I was never so thrilled the day that I saw great Odysseus’ ship sailing towards me. Immediately my waters churned and caused the wind in the nearby caverns to whistle and cry. All day I tracked the ship’s movement, and Scylla taunted me from across the waters. The wretched creature laughed and boasted that she would leave no sailor for me to eat. __2. EFFECT:	DEEP LAUGH.__ 3. CHARYBDIS:	Her worthless bullying made me more determined to suck in the entire ship with a splintering mast and crying men, and swallow it whole.

SCENE 3 RISING ACTION

1. CHARYBDIS:	Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the massive ship entered the strait and I began to fight. I clenched my waters and reined them in as hard as I could. My overpowering hunger drove me to screech and spray. ____2. EFFECT:__	STORM: THUNDEROUS CRASHING.__ 3. CHARYBDIS:	I could see Scylla peering from her cliff, plans forming in each of her six brains. She shot me a sly look, but I ignored it and heaved my waters closer. Success was nearly with me, as the ship was lurching closer to my whirlpool.

SCENE 4 CLIMAX

__1. SOUND:		SUSPENCEFUL MUSIC.__ 1. CHARYBDIS:	I could see the terror in the eyes of each man, even the great Odysseus, as they saw that they were moments from being consumed by my roaring waves. Then the unthinkable occurred: a most vile crime. As I tasted flesh on the tip of my flowing tongue, Scylla, or rather her six ugly heads, dashed out of the cave. She darted at the men, threatening my near victory. Then, as quickly as she had come, she snapped her twisted necks and gobbled the six men that were closest to satisfying my hunger. __2. EFFECT:	TWO SCREAMS [MALE].__ __3. EFFECT:	CHOMPING.__

SCENE 5 DENOUEMENT

1. CHARYBDIS:	Then it was over; I purged the brine from hidden, cavernous depths and relaxed my rolling muscles. The undying waiting has since resumed, and the salty sea still sickens my empty stomach. I have no choice but to pass the time in loathing the sneering Scylla and longing for the days when I was not trapped in a brute’s body. I am fated to be forever an outcast. __2. MUSIC:	FADE OUT WITH SAD MUSIC.__