KALI: DANCING ON THE PLAGUE! In the Dark Night of the Soul! Out of the Abyss!
Ten billion starving ones! Ten billion slaves!
(Enraged) Ten billion suffering ones, ten billion drunken ones, ten billion dolphins, crickets, monkeys, ten billion grassblades,
ten billion stones, ten billion bodhisattvas…
(More peacefully) … ten billion crazy ones, ten billion peaceful ones…

The Wanderer goes to the center, Kali stands behind him with raised arms…

KALI: …STRETCH AND STRIVE AND YEARN TO FLOW THROUGH YOU!

The Chorus stands completely frozen where it is. As the Wanderer begins to speak, one Chorus figure mimes his chant, and when he mimes going through the forest, the Chorus makes the burning branches.

WANDERER: There is only One.
       He walks without a Head.
       He walks with his Heart in his hands.
       He walks through a forest of burning trees.
       When he finds the Light a Radiant Head he sings inside!
       When he loses it,
             beating, raging, crying through the Walls for it to appear,
                     this simple single thing!

Kali puts her face behind a veil. The Chorus suddenly explodes in laughter. Each one rocks back on his heels and comes forward again faceless, heads in bag-masks with no faces, white headless beings now gibbering at once.

CHORUS VOICES: I'm the prettiest one / I've got the biggest dick / She better not love anyone but meeeeeeee! / I hate everyone, black, yellow, white, pigs all of them! / O go away don't come near me / Is it dark out? / What's going on? / O don't take me away from all this, it's so beautiful! / I'm a genius and only I know the truth! / I can't change— I'm made this way / I will not die I will not die I will not die!

WANDERER: O GOD–WHAT'S ALL THIS CRAZY JABBERING!

They stop frozen suddenly.

KALI, maddened, sly: It is all ONE MIND. . . but still this madness comes, the Earth ripping apart with it! I DRIVE IT ON! (She whirls up, lashing) Black oil on the Ocean! Sludge of Nature my joy, my delight! OOOOOO GO MY WILD DOGS! (The Chorus howls back) GO MY ROLLING EYES! (The Chorus rolls dizzily) GO MY PLAGUES! (Suddenly the Chorus in two lines runs a race in place) Make riot among men... (She whips them on) ...while I beat my eyes and breasts wailing for this ache! (Suddenly Ophelia-mad) Go my snowflakes, melt upon these shining faces. . . O GOLD FIRE PHOENIX OF PURE LOVE AND ENERGY rise from this ash! EGGS EGGS! My head is full of rotting EGGS! Disease old age and death! Disease old age and death! . . . (She is sucked to the ground and lies still )

The Chorus stops running, they are old totterers in their bag-faces still whining the lines of their egotisms, boasting in creaky voices. The Wanderer goes to each one, faces each one, transmits the Aum tone to each one, finally goes to Kali, stretches out along her, chanting into her ear, lifts her stiffly from the ground. She stares at him a long time.

KALI: There are more dimensions to my Fires you must feel!

The Chorus moves chanting back behind the backdrop-mountains, Kali moves back and stands like a victorious hypnotist on the back platform.

WANDERER, to music of flutes; Every moment (he is still, then leaps)
      some wild human animal is shaking (he is still)
      in some hallway naked (walking slowly)
      in some street at night lonely (he stops, alert)
      hearing wild Voices in his ears (the Chorus makes quick strange voicings, he runs)
      to burst out of his fear! (leaping, then striding along)
      Each step is a shuddering tree falling (he falls)
      to burst out of his Mind! (he rises straight up)
      Each moment is an avalanche rising out into Space! (gliding)

The Shaman joins him, they do a chant and dance in unison, long robe and blue cloth.

WANDERER and SHAMAN: We are incarnated as shafts of Light!
We are incarnated as shafts of Light!
Pounding bruisable breakable Bodies around shafts of Light
         and this Light walks in the World!
It marches through us, it pours through us! It yearns to embrace every moment!

Suddenly the mountains which are screens at each side of the backdrop mountains roaring come rushing forward and close in to one mountain behind the Wanderer. Then they open and Kali steps out, they close again, the Chorus behind them humming and punctuating the scene with animal sounds. A battle of forces ensues between Kali and the Wanderer, as in Javanese dance-battles, angular, hands raised, facing each other, stalemates, sudden flurries, sudden freezes, sudden energies released. Out of these turnings, cyclotronic, phrases blurt out.

KALI: Every Moment Evolutionary Mountains close in around you…

WANDERER: I walk free. . .

KALI, turning, facing and surrounding him: I drive black horses furious through Matter...

Furious black horse-heads jerk from behind the rocks.

WANDERER: I see only Spirit breathing Universes in Silence! (He stands stock-still)

KALI, raging: Wolf howls rage through your blood!

A wolf-head appears howling.

WANDERER: Blood is pure Spirit Wave! (He makes giant waves to engulf her)

KALI: The Earth shakes! Mountains crack!

WANDERER: I STAND IN THE MOTIONLESS!

KALI, freaking out: This blazing black Fire hurls down through the Ages!
O Wanderer, I drive you deeper and deeper into the Pit of this Age!

They teeter in countermagnetisms.

KALI: Age of Stone…

WANDERER: Age of Creeping Vines...

KALI: Age of Reptiles Convulsing…

WANDERER: Age of Flying Birds…

KALI: Age of Man /Age of Madness! (She moves toward him, powerful)
       CAN YOU EMBRACE ME? CAN YOU EMBRACE ME?

The Wanderer moves toward her unhesitatingly, embraces her, she screams, mountains rumble and then break apart to the sides, revealing a field of brilliant orange hot flames flickering, shield-flames held in the hands of the Chorus. The music becomes rhythmic Balinese, gruff monkey-chant voicings. Kali rushes through the flames to the back, the Chorus comes around the Wanderer and circles him. He is radiant, ecstatic.

WANDERER: YES! I EMBRACE YOU! I EMBRACE YOU!
Roaring in my Molecules, I face you, I face you!

The Chorus makes a corridor of flames, he goes down it, comes out, each flame-creature faces him grimacing, then the Wanderer faces outward and they make flames outlining his body, arms wide, so he is the Man of Fire. Sudden stillness, hissing.

WANDERER: THIS IS THE FIERY DAWN!

The Chorus turns and the flames leave the Wanderer's body, he remains standing in a trance singing, flames go back and form a wall, a door of flame opens in the wall and the Sun-Dancer rushes forward with his body in flames as the Wanderer's double, his “ka.” Clashing cymbals.

SUN-DANCER: O this is the Cliff of Fire hanging out over the Abyss! Wanderer, open your Eye! This! This!

He begins to clash the cymbals in even beats, the flame-wall becomes a giant flame eye. Inside it Kali is seen dragging a black coffin on her back.

WANDERER: Who is dead here?

The Chorus suddenly comes forward around him, crouching, buzzing like bees, they press around him. He is firm, still.

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