Sweet Innocence.

Sweet Innocence.

A Play of one set, one act.

Characters : ..

Sister Cecilia..In charge of the Choir.

Mother Superior (Charity by name)..Head of the college.

Father Collins..Senior Priest.

(N.B. : Both nuns wear similar dress uniforms of the modern style of Sisters of the faith.)

Scene : The office of Mother Superior..lots of timber furniture, religious statuettes and fixtures..a broad desk with tidy, minimalist objects and papers on it.

(There is a gentle, unobtrusive knock on the door..it has to be repeated before Mother Superior is taken from her reverie gaze out of the window…She turns to glance over her shoulder).

Mth.S. : “Come in.”

( A diminutive nun enters, aged around sixty years, her white hair shining against her white face..her cheeks glow with two cheery pink blushes.)

Sis. Cecilia : “ Ah! ..Charity…a pleasant morning isn’t it?”

Mth. S. : “Yes Sister…thanks be to the Lord Jesus Christ in all his benevolent mercy.”

Sis. C. : “Yes…yes…to be sure….Well now, Charity…you sent for me?”

M. S. : “Yes…It’s about the choir.”

Sis. C. : “Ah!” ( The little nun brightens up and clasps her hands together) The choir..yes..my special baby.. my pride and joy, and it must be said that several girls from our school’s tutorage have risen to sing in the state orchestra! Proud, I am of our little choir, my little nightingales.”

M.S. : Yes, Sister Cecilia…the choir…( She addresses the little nun with her formal title, warning of an imminent lecture.. Sister Cecilia stands quiet with hands clasps and turns her head to listen..Mother superior turns from the window and sits briskly down at her desk.) Now, Father Collins and I sat and listened to the choir last Sunday at the morning service. .  “

Sis. C. : “Oh Charit…Mother Superior , weren’t they just divine, the sweet innocents, I do believe they sung their little hearts out last Sunday….”

M. S. : “About Caroline Halsbury…” (Mother Superior interjects).

Sis C. :“And Caroline Halsbury…” (the little nun puts her fingertips to one of her cheery cheeks and rolls her eyes to the ceiling)… “that girl has the voice of an angel….if ever there was soprano material…”

M. S. : “Sister Cecilia!!” (Mother Superior cries impatiently).

Sis. C. :“Yes?” (the little nun answers, wide eyed).

M.S. :“Be so kind as to stop prattling when I am trying to tell you something….goodness knows it isn’t easy what I have to say without the running commentary…”

Sis. C. :“Well, I do apologise, Charity, but I am rather fond of my girls.”

M.S. :“That may be so, Sister, and both Father Collins and myself agree that they sounded beautiful….charming….” (she pauses and toys with a pen on her desk) “Not withstanding all that however, we were also of an opinion that their appearance is also of the utmost importance, almost, (since they represent the college in appearance as well as voice), almost as important as their singing…which brings us to Caroline Halsbury….” (she pauses expectantly, the little nun looks puzzled).

Sis. C. :“I…I don’t see the point, Mother Superior.”

M.S. : “Oh Cecilia, really! (Mother Superior leaps up impatiently from the desk and rolling her hands together strides once again to the window. There is an embarrassed moment as both nuns remain silent.) Well, really, Sister Cecilia….its…its, well, that birthmark right across her face!” (she blurts out finally).

Sis. C. :“Birthmark?” (the little nun is fazed).

M.S. : “Yes, bother it, the birthmark!…that Port-wine stain..that livid blot across the entire left side of her face…surely you’re not blind Sister?” ( Mother Superior turns from the window, her fists clenched in frustration so the knuckles were white, she had hoped it would go smoother than this).

Sis. C. : “Why of course I know it’s there, it is rather unfortunate for the child, I dare say, she’ll have to live it down her whole life…”

M.S. : “…She’ll have to leave the choir!”

(There is a moments stunned silence in the room, a shaft of sunlight burst onto the red velvet piano chair. The little nun stands with her mouth open, hands raised in front of her, the cheery spots now fading from her cheeks.)

Sis. C. : “Leave the choir?…but why?…just because of her birthmark?… Oh Charity, I implore you…”

M.S. : “It’s very, very distracting having to sit and look upon it, Cecilia, both Father Collins and I agree on it and I might add I overheard Mrs Herreen remark the same sentiments to Mr Herreen…it draws one’s attention..it’s just too distracting and it upsets the….the harmonious balance between the hymns and that glow of…of…well as you said yourself…’sweet innocence.’ “.

( The little nun’s temper quickly rises and the pale blushes on her cheeks now become crimson.)

Sis. C. : “Are we then to set a precedent of judging books by their covers, Mother Superior?”

M.S. : “Oh, Lord bless us Sister, the whole world judges books by their covers, and men by the cut of their clothes and girls by their good looks..always have..so there’s no precedence at all in that reality! The choir is a showpiece for the college and as such should strive to be above criticism in both performance and appearance! The girls in the choir should be the pick of the school, we’ll leave The Good Lord to supply their beauty, their voice training only, is in your hands, Sister…you understand? ( The tirade leaves Sister Cecilia speechless and sad, she remains silently standing with her head bowed) So…( continues Mother Superior after letting that sink in) unless something can be done to hide it, she’ll… unfortunately…have to vacate her place in the choir ( Mother Superior’s voice softens a little at the last) Will not make-up cover it?”

Sis.C. : (sighs sadly) “Both her mother and herself have tried, but it has to be so heavy it becomes obvious in itself,” (Mother Superior pinches her lips together in exasperation of the whole ugly incident, none the less she presses on.)

M.S. : “Well… that’s how it stands then Sister, if you cannot come to a satisfactory cosmetic solution by this Sunday, I’m afraid she’ll have to resign from the choir….That will be all for now,” (exit Sister Cecilia through a door to the right of the room..The room of Mother Superior darkens, while a light falls on Sister Cecilia as she ponders on the problem.)

Sis.C. : “How cruel, ( she hisses) how thoughtless..who are these people to see only the substance of the thing and not the spirit? Who are they to judge the body and ignore the soul? How thoughtless, how insensitive, how cruel!..and made all the more difficult in that Caroline Halsbury is one of the main singers in the front line of the choir. (The little nun goes to sit in a seat just there on the side of the stage near a statue of The Virgin Mary..a spotlight illuminates both the little nun and the statue, making a soft glow emanate from the scene…Sister Cecilia is silent and in deep thought)…Bother and bother them!  (She says in frustration..she then glances up at the statue of The Virgin Mary in a blush of shame for her temper.) I’d like to show them, my Lady, put them in their place, oh no, not for me, blow it, but for Caroline.” ( Suddenly an idea flashed through her mind like a bolt of lightning.) “Why….why of course…how very….very right.” (She quickly gives a sign of the cross to the statue of Mary..the statue of Mary with the child Jesus held against her sacred heart).

(The choir can be heard, but not seen off-stage singing out beautifully from the first note of Mrs Gilchrist’s deft touch on the church organ at Vespers, their collective voices harmonise as sweet as a chorus of nightingales from the darkened choir stalls. Father Collins stands with Mother Superior outside the door to Mother Superior’s office listening to the choir.)

Father Collins : “Sweet innocence, Sister Cecilia has certainly achieved top note with those girls ( he remarks, then asks) ..and did you have success with that little suggestion we put forward concerning that unfortunate young girl, Mother?”

M.S. : “I believe so, though it is rather dark  there in the choir box, but I’m certain she would not disobey my instructions and I was quite clear as to what they were, I can assure you, Father.”

Father C. : “I say, Charity, ( Father Collins leans down to her ear ) it would be an extra fillip for the college if those angelic girls could be seen more clearly while they are singing”. (Mother Superior looks at him, nods her head and smiles).

M.S. : “How true, Father, and I think I can arrange that. (she calls softly to a little girl off-stage) Mary-ann, go quietly to that doorway over there, and you see that row of switches there next to it, yes? Then turn on the one farthest from the door….you understand?….good, now off you go…The light for the choir stalls,” (she informs Father Collins).

( There is a moments pause while the switch is thrown and a bright light glows from somewhere off-stage….Mother Superior and Father Collins smile to each other, obviously  pleased with themselves. An excited but muffled cry ripples through the congregation as all have obviously glanced to the illuminated choir stalls, not the least from Mother Superior who cannot suppress a cry of horror.)

M.S. : “Oh mother Mary!”

Father C. : “ Oh Lord!…What has she done?…why..why..ALL the girls have been painted with a crimson stain across their faces!”

( There is a victorious call from off-stage..it is Sister Cecilia.)

Sis. C. : “You were right, Charity..and praise be to the Blessed Virgin..there was a solution to the dilemma and we did solve it…so you see..now we are ALL Caroline Halsburys….even myself!”

(Mother Superior stands in shocked silence with her hands over her open mouth.)