The Alchemist – Episode 4 – Cat and Mouse

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Below we present the complete text of “Cat and Mouse”, episode 4 of our new Two Fisted Cosmic Horror serial; The Alchemist. This is a brand new (unpublished) series (featuring Antoine Duvalier and Brigitte LeGrande). If you would like to see these new stories advance from being drafts into polished publications then please consider supporting us by purchasing one or more of our previously published titles (they’re only $25.99 (AUD), great value for a whole night of entertainment for 6 – 8 people). Every sale directly funds the production of new stories.

Two Fisted Cosmic Horror - CH001 - The Alchemist
Two-Fisted Cosmic Horror – CH001 – The Alchemist
Recommended for mature audiences - may contain adult situations and themes
Recommended for mature audiences – may contain adult situations and themes

THE ALCHEMIST

EPISODE #4 – CAT AND MOUSE

by Philip Craig Robotham

Cover Illustration by Miyukiko

Unedited Draft

Copyright 2016 Philip Craig Robotham

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Edition.

CC by-nc-nd 4.0
CC by-nc-nd 4.0

This play is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) International license. This play may not be commercially reproduced, performed, or sold. Non-commercial production, performance, and reproduction are allowed under this license so long as attribution is maintained. No derivative content or use is allowed. It can be freely shared in its current form (without change) under this license. If you would like to purchase one or more copies of this work (for your own personal non-commercial use, or to help financially support the author) then please return to https://www.weirdworlstudios.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Other works by this author can be found at the author’s website: https://weirdworldstudios.com or through select, online book retailers.

Serial #6: The Alchemist

Trent Stone and Tess Carter are approached by a young French count (Antoine Duvalier) who, after the sudden death of his brother, is concerned that he has been cursed.  He asks for their help and they travel to France where they meet his childhood friend (Brigitte LeGrande), encounter a spooky chateau, numerous attempts on Antoine’s life, and pursue an underlying mystery involving a centuries-long quest for revenge. Can they unravel this mystery before the young count’s life is lost? Tune in thrill to the excitement of “The Alchemist” and find out for yourself.

Episodes in the Host Your Own “Old Time Radio Drama” series are designed to provide a fun dinner party experience for 6–8 participants. Read along, taking on the role of one or more of the characters in the story, and listen as the exciting drama unfolds. This is the theater of the mind, where the special effects are only limited by your imagination, and your participation will build a memory that you’ll treasure for years to come.

CAT AND MOUSE

CAST LIST

NARRATOR: The Narrator

NARRATOR: The Narrator

TERESA CARTER: Our heroine and reporter

TRENT STONE: Our hero and adventurer

ANTOINE Duvalier: COMTE of the CHATEAU Duvalier

BRIGITTE LeGRANDE: Childhood friend of Antoine’s

GAVROSH: Child from the village

CHARLES: Son of the Alchemist

SCENE 16: (INT) UPSTAIRS (BRIGITTE, TRENT, TESS, GAVROSH, ANTOINE)

  1. MUSIC: OPENING THEME – LET IT FINISH.
  2. NARRATOR: Having traveled to France and the ancestral home of Antoine Duvalier to investigate a curse, Trent and Tess find themselves, along with a young woman named Brigitte LeGrand and a young boy whose sister has been murdered, hunting a killer in the chateau.
  3. BRIGITTE: So, what do we do now?
  4. TRENT: Somewhere in the building is a killer. I suggest we find and deal with him.
  5. TESS: Or her. The killer could be a woman, you know?
  6. TRENT: Fair enough. We should stay open to all possibilities.
  7. GAVROSH: You are all crazy people. He is mad and scary and you want to find him? I just want to find my sister and go home.
  8. BRIGITTE: I… uh… think you had best stay with us for now.
  9. GAVROSH: But my sister…
  10. BRIGITTE: (BEAT) I don’t know how to tell you this, Gavrosh, but your sister…
  11. GAVROSH: No. No! My sister is fine. We just have to find her.
  12. BRIGITTE: I’m so sorry Gavrosh. Your sister is not fine. There was nothing we could do. (CHOKED UP) I’m so sorry.
  13. GAVROSH: No! (WAILING) Marielle!
  14. TRENT: (URGENTLY) Hold him. Don’t let him run.
  15. GAVROSH: (STRUGGLING – UNDER) No. No. No. (etc.)
  16. ANTOINE: I’ve got him. (BEAT) I’m sorry Gavrosh. There is nothing you can do.
  17. GAVROSH: Nothing? Kill him! Find him and kill him!
  18. TESS: Kill who Gavrosh? Do you know who we are looking for?
  19. GAVROSH: (DEFEATED) No. I don’t. Do you?
  20. TESS: No, but we know where he has been and we have experience hunting people like this. We will catch this killer. Justice will be done.
  21. GAVROSH: You’ll make him pay? You promise?
  22. TESS: Yes, I promise.
  23. GAVROSH: Good!
  24. ANTOINE: If that’s settled, I too think I would like to get my hands on this murderer of innocents …
  25. TESS: One more thing. Gavrosh, while you were hiding here in the castle, did you hear or see anything that might help us find this killer?
  26. GAVROSH: No… Except…
  27. TESS: Yes…
  28. GAVROSH: When Monsieur Taggart arrived he was very angry with us. We ran from him, but I heard sounds… from the basement. I was going to hide down there but the sounds made me afraid.
  29. TESS: What kind of sounds?
  30. GAVROSH: Like someone dragging a boulder along the floor.
  31. TRENT: Hmmm. I think we should start with an examination of the cellar… and I also think that none of us should get separated from the others. Our strongest advantage lies in our numbers.
  32. ANTOINE: Alright, the cellars are this way.
  33. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS – FADE OUT.
  34. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER

SCENE 17: (INT) STAIRS TO THE CELLAR  (TRENT, TESS, BRIGITTE, ANTOINE, GAVROSH)

  1. ANTOINE: Here we are, those are the stairs to the cellar.
  2. TESS: Well, I’ll say this for spooky old castles; they do creepy shadows really well.
  3. TRENT: Yes, I don’t relish going down those stairs in the dark.
  4. ANTOINE: Behind you, on the wall. There are candles in that cupboard. There should be matches as well… assuming the mice haven’t got to them.
  5. SOUND: CUPBOARD OPENING – CLINKING OF CANDLES – LET IT FINISH.
  6. TRENT: It looks like this is just what we need. Here, everybody take one.
  7. SOUND: MATCH BEING STRUCK – LET IT FINISH.
  8. TRENT: Here bring your candles in so I can light them. (BEAT) There you are.
  9. GAVROSH: Do I get one?
  10. BRIGITTE: Sure, honey. Here. (BEAT) Perhaps it would be best if I stayed up here with the boy.
  11. TESS: I don’t think that would be a good idea. We don’t know, yet, whether our quarry is before us or behind. I vote we all stay together.
  12. ANTOINE: Yes. I won’t have you out of my sight while there is a killer on the loose, Brigitte.
  13. BRIGITTE: Antoine?
  14. TESS: (INTERRUPTING) Seriously? Now’s the time you choose to start letting her know how you feel?
  15. GAVROSH: (SING SONG) The Comte is in lo..ove.
  16. ANTOINE: (EMBARRASSED) Er… um… I believe I already said the stairs are just here. Let’s get underway.
  17. TRENT: (AMUSED) Yes, let’s. But perhaps I’ll go first, Antoine. I’d hate for your desire to escape embarrassment to lead you to make a hasty misstep.
  18. TESS: Well don’t you go and do something stupid, either, Trent.
  19. TRENT: I make no promises. Come on.
  20. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 18: (INT) CELLAR  (TRENT, TESS, ANTOINE, BRIGITTE, GAVROSH)

  1. SOUND: (WALLA) OCCASIONAL ECHOING DRIPS, BUBBLING LAB EQUIPMENT – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
  2. SOUND: FILTER DIALOG TO CREATE WIDE ECHOING SPACE.
  3. TESS: Get a load o’ this place will you? (BEAT) Did you know all this was down here, Antoine?
  4. ANTOINE: No. In fact, I’ve never seen this stuff before in my life. It’s like an old laboratory.
  5. TRENT: This isn’t a project your brother started working on, is it? A hobby, perhaps?
  6. ANTOINE: Gaspard was many things monsieur, but an amateur scientist was not one of them. He lacked both the patience and the basic inquisitiveness for such pursuits.
  7. BRIGITTE: What Antoine is trying to say is that Gaspard was not a man blessed with much imagination. He was interested in ledgers and accounting and little else.
  8. TRENT: Then I think we have tracked our quarry back to his lair.
  9. ANTOINE: If so, this individual has been quite brazen. Setting up in plain sight like this.
  10. TESS: I guess if he thought the place was empty…?
  11. TRENT: This equipment is positively ancient. It’s more like a recreation of a medieval lab than a modern scientific facility.
  12. ANTOINE: Yes. Over here, these shelves act as stores; herbs, powders, chemical agents. They’re all labeled but most I don’t recognize… and the spellings are very archaic.
  13. BRIGITTE: There’s a diary or journal over here. The text is, well, I think it’s some kind of code. I can’t quite…
  14. SOUND: HISSING BURNING SOUND – ESTABLISH AND UNDER (UNTIL 614).
  15. BRIGITTE: Aaargh! My skin. It’s burning. Sacre… Help me!
  16. ANTOINE: Brigitte?
  17. TESS: Brigitte, put the journal down. It’s been treated with something caustic.
  18. SOUND: BOOK FALLS – LET IT FINISH.
  19. BRIGITTE: Aaargh! It’s spreading.
  20. TRENT: Tess, get that bucket beside you. Is it water?
  21. TESS: Yes, I think so.
  22. TRENT: Submerge Brigitte’s hand.
  23. SOUND: SPLASH AS HAND ENTERS WATER – LET IT FINISH.
  24. BRIGITTE: Oh, the pain was so strong.
  25. TESS: Good, but that burn looks nasty.
  26. BRIGITTE: (WOOZY) Yes, the pain was very… (PASSES OUT) ugh.
  27. ANTOINE: Brigitte? (PANICKED) Brigitte!
  28. TESS: It’s alright, Antoine. She’s just passed out… but the burn is severe. She may be going into shock.
  29. TRENT: Make sure her hand stays submerged. Yes, her temperature is dropping. It’s also possible the toxins that were on the book will be trying to get into her bloodstream and are poisoning her.
  30. ANTOINE: Poison!
  31. TESS: Easy Antoine. First thing’s first. We’ll clean the chemical from the wound. What do you think, Trent? Some kind of phosphorus that activates when it comes in contact with skin?
  32. TRENT: Perhaps. I wish we had more light.
  33. TESS: It’s a good thing she passed out. Trying to clean her hand would be very painful if she were awake.
  34. TRENT: We’re going to need some bandages.
  35. ANTOINE: Here use my shirt. And give her my jacket… for the shock. I’ve still got my pullover.
  36. TRENT: Thanks, Antoine.
  37. SOUND: BRIEF TEARING OF FABRIC INTO BANDAGES – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
  38. TESS: I think, I’ve got the wound clean. Shall we risk pulling her hand out?
  39. TRENT: Let’s give it a try.
  40. SOUND: HAND WITHDRAWING FROM WATER – LET IT FINISH.
  41. TRENT: Anything?
  42. TESS: It doesn’t seem to be reigniting. What now?
  43. TRENT: She needs proper treatment. For now, dab the wounds dry and bandage them… loosely.
  44. GAVROSH: Will she be okay?
  45. TRENT: I think she’ll be fine. Assuming we can get her help. She’s breathing steadily again. It may not have been true shock. The reaction may just have been to the chemicals. She certainly seems better now they have been washed off.
  46. ANTOINE: What caused this?
  47. TRENT: The journal… don’t touch it… There was a time when those who practiced science guarded their findings jealously. They would encode their research and the details of their experiments to protect them from their rivals. Some would even go so far, as in this case, as to use caustic chemicals in the ink and fibers of the page in order to add further protection. I think those gloves on the desk are how the owner of these materials is able to use the journal without taking any harm.
  48. BRIGITTE: (RECOVERING CONSCIOUSNESS) Ugh. Oh, my hand!
  49. ANTOINE: Brigitte! How are you feeling?
  50. BRIGITTE: It hurts. (PANICKING) What? Where?
  51. TESS: Easy, now. Do you know where you are? What your name is?
  52. BRIGITTE: Yes. I am Brigitte LeGrande and we are in the Chateau. I have just suffered an injury, yes?
  53. TESS: Yes, and our next priority is to get you and the boy out of here.
  54. SOUND: SLAMMING OF DOOR – LET IT FINISH.
  55. CHARLES: (DRY AND PAPERY) Mwahahahahaha (UNDER).
  56. SOUND: GRINDING OF STONE AGAINST STONE – LET IT FINISH.
  57. TESS: Look! The back wall is opening up. It’s some kind of tunnel.
  58. TRENT: If I don’t miss my guess, we’ve just been locked in… and our host is beckoning us to approach through the tunnel.
  59. TESS: Can you stand, Brigitte?
  60. BRIGITTE: I am fine.
  61. ANTOINE: No, you’re not. But we will do everything we can to ensure you will be. Here lean on me.
  62. BRIGITTE: Thank you Antoine.
  63. TRENT: Did you know this tunnel was here, Antoine?
  64. ANTOINE: (DISTRACTED) Hmmm?
  65. TRENT: Antoine, did you know about the secret passage?
  66. ANTOINE: No. I did not. It looks very old, though.
  67. TESS: Like everything else in this place.
  68. BRIGITTE: (SHIVERING, CHATTERING TEETH, UNDER STRAIN) Well, let’s get this over with.
  69. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 19: (INT) CAVE TUNNEL  (TRENT, TESS, ANTOINE, BRIGITTE, GAVROSH)

  1. SOUND: TRUDGING FEET – ESTABLISH AND UNDER (UNTIL 670)
  2. TESS: How’s she doing, Antoine?
  3. ANTOINE: I’ve got her.
  4. TESS: That’s not what I asked.
  5. BRIGITTE: (IN PAIN) I’m still conscious. I can keep going for a little.
  6. TESS: Don’t worry. We’ll get you out of here soon. We seem to be angling upward.
  7. ANTOINE: Good! The sooner we get Brigitte to a doctor the better.
  8. TRENT: Hey, take a look at this.
  9. SOUND: TRUDGING STOPS – LET IT FINISH.
  10. TESS: What have you found?
  11. TRENT: Markings on the walls, carved into the stone.
  12. TESS: Fairly primitive don’t you think.
  13. TRENT: Well maybe scratched is a better term. What do you think, Antoine?
  14. ANTOINE: It’s French; the word “revenge” over and over and surrounding some other words – (SHOCKED) Sacre bleu!
  15. TESS: What?
  16. ANTOINE: Here, look. “Gaspard Duvalier”. See.
  17. GAVROSH: That was your brother’s name, no?
  18. BRIGITTE: (STRUGGLING) Oh, Antoine. I’m so sorry. It looks as though your brother was murdered!
  19. TRENT: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
  20. ANTOINE: And look, here, further along the passage. The same basic pattern. “Revenge” repeated and surrounding another name. (MORE SUBDUED) My father this time.
  21. TESS: It looks like a lot more of them, each the same but with a different name at the center. Ancestors of yours, Antoine?
  22. ANTOINE: Yes, all male.
  23. TESS: It looks like someone is obsessed with your family curse. They all appear to be in the same hand.
  24. TRENT: Curious…
  25. TESS: What is it?
  26. TRENT: Look at this Tess, the further along the passage we go, the more names we see, all in the same hand.
  27. TESS: I think I already said that, Sparky.
  28. TRENT: Yes, but that can’t be right.
  29. TESS: How so?
  30. TRENT: Those scratch marks are getting older as we go.
  31. TESS: Of course they are. They couldn’t all be… oh wait!
  32. ANTOINE: What is it? I don’t see…
  33. TESS: The scratch marks! Look at them. They’re getting older as we go – much older. There must be years of dirt and build-up between each set. These go back…
  34. TRENT: A very long time indeed.
  35. ANTOINE: What are you thinking?
  36. TRENT: This obsession with the deaths of the male heirs of your family goes back a very long time.
  37. ANTOINE: A conspiracy, you mean?
  38. TRENT: Perhaps, stranger things have been known to happen.
  39. SOUND: BUBBLING WATER, FALLING WATER (LIKE FROM A TAP)- FADE IN, ESTABLISH AND UNDER
  40. TRENT: I can hear something up ahead. It sounds like a small waterfall.
  41. ANTOINE: There are hot springs throughout this region. It could be a pool or inlet. But take care. Some of the springs are hot enough to cook a rabbit in.
  42. TRENT: Got it. Why don’t you three rest a minute? I’ll go on ahead and take a look.
  43. ANTOINE: Thank you a brief rest will be good.
  44. TRENT: Don’t worry, Trent. I’ll keep an eye on things.
  45. TRENT: Alright. I’ll be back in a minute.
  46. SOUND: TRENT’S FOOTSTEPS DEPART – FADE UNDER.
  47. TESS: I’m glad you knew where we could find these candles, Antoine. We’d be lost without them.
  48. ANTOINE: I should have stayed a boy scout, no? I even have a pocket knife.
  49. TESS: “Always Prepared”, huh? Do you even have the boy scouts here?
  50. ANTOINE: Baden Powell may have been English, but his empire extends, octopus-like, into nearly every country in the world.
  51. TESS: (AMUSED) You don’t sound like a fan.
  52. BRIGITTE: (PAINED BUT ALSO AMUSED) He was thrown out as a youngster.
  53. TESS: What? Thrown out of the boy scouts? What kind of terror were you when you were younger, Antoine?
  54. ANTOINE: Now don’t get the wrong idea. The scoutmaster didn’t have much of a sense of humor. He found the presence of six grass snakes, two frogs, and a terrified hedgehog in his bedroll a far less salutary experience than the rest of us thought it was. I ultimately took the blame. It was terribly unfair.
  55. TESS: Oh, Antoine. Were you framed?
  56. ANTOINE: No. No. I did it, alright. But he didn’t have a shred of proof. I wouldn’t mind so much if he’d been able to prove it. As it is…
  57. GAVROSH: I think I am beginning to like you a good deal, Monsieur Le Comte.
  58. TRENT: (IN THE DISTANCE) Whoah!
  59. SOUND: DISTANT ZIP LINE (TRENT HOISTED TO CEILING IN NET) – LET IT FINISH
  60. TRENT: (BEAT) Aw Hell!
  61. TESS: Uh-oh. I think we’d better go take a look. (BEAT) (CALLING) Trent? Are you okay?
  62. TRENT: (IN THE DISTANCE) Yeah, I’m fine. Embarrassed, but fine. There’s a cavern containing a hot spring up here. I’ve just blundered into some kind of trap. A net. I’ve been hoisted up to the ceiling where I’ve got a marvelous, if utterly undignified, view of the candle that I dropped, 20 feet below me. I can’t see much else though. You’d better be careful coming to get me. The net was big enough to catch all of us, and there may be others.
  63. TESS: Okay, we’re on our way… and we’ll be careful.
  64. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 20: (INT) UNDERGROUND CAVERN AND HOT SPRING  (TRENT, ANTOINE, GAVROSH, TESS, BRIGITTE, CHARLES)

  1. SOUND: BUBBLING WATER AND DISTANT SPLASHING – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
  2. SOUND: TRUDGING – UNDER – ESTABLISH AND HALT – LET IT FINISH.
  3. TESS: Well, what have we here? Looks like the tunnel opens up into a cave. (PATRONIZING) Oh, and look, a rare example of the species “homo overconfidantus”, all tangled up and hanging from the ceiling… upside down.
  4. TRENT: (SARCASTIC) Haha. Enjoy the moment while you can, but in the meantime find a way to get me down while you’re enjoying your laugh.
  5. TESS: Sure, boss. Anything you say. (TO THE OTHERS) Take a look around. Let’s see if we can’t find the trap mechanism somewhere around here… not you Gavrosh. I don’t want you touching anything.
  6. GAVROSH: (MIFFED) Aw!
  7. BRIGITTE: (IN PAIN) I’ll sit down here, I think. Gavrosh can protect me, while I rest. I’ll feel better knowing he’s on guard.
  8. GAVROSH: (SULKY) That’s nice of you to say Mademoiselle, but I know you’re just trying to make me feel better.
  9. ANTOINE: The shadows are surprisingly deep here. How big is this cavern anyway?
  10. TESS: I don’t know, but I imagine we’ll find the controls somewhere around the walls. Keep away from that pool, though. I can feel the heat radiating off it from here.
  11. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS MOVING AWAY – LET IT FINISH.
  12. ANTOINE: (AT A DISTANCE) I’ve found some shelves carved out of the cave wall. There are a lot of books – leather bound – like the journal we found in the cellar.
  13. BRIGITTE: (CONCERNED) Don’t touch them!
  14. ANTOINE: Don’t worry, Brigitte. I won’t do so unprotected. There are some gloves here that should suffice.
  15. TESS: (AT A DISTANCE) Wow! In the middle, there’s a large… pit or arena. It’s full of animal bones. And on this side there’s a pair of – well I’m not sure – a pair of rough-hewn sarcophagi. It’s almost like a shrine. They’re occupied. (DISGUSTED) Ew! The remains are mummified but without bandages. One is horribly burned. The other would pass for alive if the skin wasn’t so stretched and emaciated over the bones. I would have thought the moisture in the air would have destroyed them both long ago.
  16. ANTOINE: (AT A DISTANCE) Do you think, maybe, they could be Mauvais and his son? Whoever is behind this, certainly has an obsession with collecting things related to my family history and the curse. Hmmm. Some of these journals are so old they are starting to crumble. I dare not open them. (BEAT) I recognize the titles from some of these books, though. I’d be willing to bet that they have been taken directly from the Chateau’s library. (BEAT) Hmmm, this is strange.
  17. TESS: Hang on, I’m coming over to you.
  18. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS – LET IT FINISH.
  19. TESS: What have you found?
  20. ANTOINE: These journals. The handwriting is the same, no matter how far back I go and… wait, look back there, behind the journals. There appears to be a wooden panel. If I use my pocket knife, I can just…
  21. SOUND: WOOD BEING PRIED OPEN – LET IT FINISH.
  22. ANTOINE: Yes, I think these might be the controls.
  23. CHARLES: Mwhahahahahaha. I think I have indulged this long enough.
  24. SOUND: FOUR ZIP LINES (NETS PULL OUR HEROES UP TO THE CEILING).
  25. TESS, ANTOINE, BRIGITTE, GAVROSH: (UNDER) Whoah, Help, (BRIGITTE SHRIEKS) Aaargh, Ugh. Etc.
  26. CHARLES: So, there you are, held in my nets. I have you, dangling from the roof, like kittens in sacks waiting to be drowned. Mwahahahahaha.
  27. MUSIC: OMINOUS SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.
  28. MUSIC: CLOSING THEME AND CREDITS – LET IT FINISH.

CASTING SHEETS — MAJOR CHARACTERS

TRENT STONE: Hello, I’m Trent Stone, Adventurer. I’m always in command of the situation (except perhaps, when it comes to Tess — who can easily throw me for a loop). I say things like “indeed,” “hmmm,” and “I see” a lot, and speak in a way that friends of Clark Kent would find very familiar. I’m smart, observant, and quick to use my fists when required (but never impulsive). I sound like Joe College but I’m blue collar through and through. My lack of higher education is something of an embarrassment to me (but I’d never let on).

I’m aware of Tess’s urgency about tying the knot, but mostly I just ignore it and keep on working.

TERESA CARTER: Hiya. Everyone calls me Tess. I’m the take-no-prisoners sort who can hold her own in the man’s world that is the concrete jungle of Star City. I’m college educated but have a mean right hook. I’m a reporter by training and a stickybeak by inclination — this tends to get me in trouble. Curious, playful, and smart, that’s me! But I’m also painfully honest, easily moved by the troubles of others, and as protective as a tigress of my friends. Now that Trent’s owned up to his feelings about me and we’re engaged, it’s time to set a date. But Trent keeps dragging his feet. I’m not getting any younger, you know?

ANTOINE Duvalier: Bonjour. I am the Comte du Chateau Duvalier (Count of Duvalier Castle) and I have discovered that the legendary curse, rumored to have killed off every male heir to the title of my family estate for generations, is not so legendary after all. My brother is dead, and I am the last of my line. I must get to the bottom of this mystery before I, too, am overtaken by it.

BRIGITTE LeGRANDE: I am Brigitte LeGrande. I grew up with Antoine and his brother. Many years ago I loved the brother (though it was not reciprocated), but I was merely a child. It has been a great many years since that was true but Antoine has not realized how things have changed. Out of respect for his brother’s memory, he resists seeing me as more than a friend. Still, I am patient. I am smart. I will help him deal with this, oh so ridiculous, curse. Then, we shall see what we shall see.

CASTING SHEETS — MINOR CHARACTERS

NARRATOR: Hello, I am your narrator. I introduce the cold stormy nights on which our stories take place, the dark alleys, and darker personalities who inhabit the lonely city. It is my job to set the scene and establish the serious tone of suspense and intrigue that will carry the story forward. It is also my job to remind listeners of what came before in a calm, trustworthy voice and ensure that everyone is oriented to where we are and where we are going.

GAVROSH: I am a boy, full of mischief and fun, but now frightened beyond words by the events surrounding me. My sister has been lost and I am so very, very afraid that I will be next.

CHARLES: I am motivated by an intense hatred for the House Du Valier.  I will not rest until every last member of the male line has been wiped from the face of the earth. I do not care what I must do.  I do not care how long it takes.  I will kill them all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Philip Craig Robotham grew up in a house full of books and has held numerous jobs as a teacher, computer programmer, graphic and web designer, e-learning consultant and, most recently, writer. He currently lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife and two sons. When he was younger and fitter he enjoyed martial arts, but in recent years his hobbies have tended towards more sedate fare (board games, movies, books, and role-playing games).

He is extremely grateful for the encouragement he receives from his biggest fans — his wife and two boys — all of whom read and enjoy his scripts and in general make his life worth living.

You can contact the author regarding performance rights (or simply to say hello) through his website: https://weirdworldstudios.com.

Don’t forget to check out the free sample portions of our titles at https://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/.

The Alchemist

This post and all its content is copyright © 2013 Philip Craig Robotham and has been released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. This play cannot be reproduced, shared, or performed commercially without the written permission of the author. The production of derivative content, merchandise, or creative works and materials is expressly forbidden under this agreement. However you may share, reproduce, and perform this play freely so long as authorship is acknowledged, no money changes hands, and the play is not modified in any way.

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The Alchemist – Episode 4 – Cat and Mouse

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