The Magician’s Gambit
A one-act play in verse
by
Joseph Rogers
Cast of Characters
Matthew (the Magician)
Francine (young woman engaged to Matthew)
Witch 1
Witch 2
The Warlock
Sheriff Brown
Scene 1 -- MATTHEW is standing in the woods as FRANCINE quietly approaches him from behind.
MATTHEW:
I see the beauty of the night;
The lake reflects the full moon’s light.
I hear the cricket’s nightly call;
The earth’s deep rhythms, I feel them all.
FRANCINE:
Then did you know that I was here?
Could you feel my presence, dear?
MATTHEW:
Of course, I knew you were there, my love;
For you are God’s gift from above;
I’m glad you are here with me this night,
Your beauty illumed by the starlight.
(Enter WITCH 1, WITCH 2, and the WARLOCK.)
WITCH 1:
I told you that he was here,
Speaking with his little dear;
Our magician loves the night,
Yet he knows not his true might.
WARLOCK:
In the night much can be wrought;
Many souls have we bought;
They make bargains without heeding the cost,
Thus their souls forever lost.
WITCH 2:
Scare not our friends with your dark talk.
See how at us the fair maiden does gawk!
We are not demons from Hell;
We are just here to wish you well.
WITCH 1:
Yes, fear us not, maiden fair;
You need not have a care!
MATTHEW:
Witches and warlock, why are you here?
I have made my feelings clear:
To your coven, I shall not belong;
I have bid you all "so long."
WITCH 2:
A second warlock do we need;
My words shall you heed!
That second warlock will you be;
Thus say all of us -- witches three!
(Enter SHERIFF BROWN)
SHERIFF BROWN:
What goes on here this night?
You are not children of the light.
Our town watch has sounded the alarm;
They fear that you are witches who intend harm.
WARLOCK:
Sheriff Brown, go away.
I do not wish to hear you bray.
We can make you rue this day.
WITCH 1:
Let’s turn him into a pig,
And then make him dance a jig!
SHERIFF BROWN:
Your threats cause me no fright
For I have not come alone this night.
Behold, I am followed by half the town;
(The SHERIFF gestures toward the audience.)
We come to banish you from these grounds.
WITCH 2:
Fortunate for you that you did not come alone,
Or I would turn you into stone.
MATTHEW:
Begone you imps and conjurers!
WARLOCK:
This indignity I will not forget;
On my revenge, you can bet!
Come, hurry, we must flee!
Upon us soon, the crowd will be!
WITCH 1:
Though hastily we must depart tonight,
Do not underestimate our might.
MATTHEW:
I am a servant of the Light;
I shall do only what is right;
In the Word, my faith is found;
I stand upon that solid ground.
(The WARLOCK and the two witches exit.)
MATTHEW:
Upon our guard,
We must be,
We have not heard the last
From those witches three.
FRANCINE:
There shall indeed be a fight,
For their evil I abhor,
But let’s speak of this no more.
Walk me home on this lovely night.
Woo me in the moonlight.
(MATTHEW and FRANCINE exit.)
Scene 2 -- FRANCINE walks toward a bench at the edge of the woods.
FRANCINE:
Good magician, where are you?
Your note said to meet you here at two.
Oh, well, I guess that I shall just sit and wait,
Even though you are very, very late.
(WITCH 1 enters disguised as an elderly woman.)
WITCH 1:
Good day to you.
FRANCINE:
And to you, too.
WITCH 1:
My dear child, you look a little blue.
FRANCINE:
Oh, my fiance was supposed to meet me here,
And for his safety, I do fear;
For he is hardly ever late;
He does not like to make me wait!
WITCH 1:
Have no concern on this lovely day;
I’m sure no harm has come his way.
FRANCINE:
My fears for him must be wrong
Because my fiance is very strong;
He is the greatest magician in the land;
Against him, no enemy can stand.
WITCH 1:
What about the witches three?
As strong as they, he cannot be.
FRANCINE:
I hope that they have gone away;
I cannot abide them another day.
WITCH 1:
Witches often wear clever masks
To achieve their little tasks;
You should walk with much care;
Of the witches, you need to beware.
FRANCINE:
Of the witches, much you seem to know.
From what source does your knowledge flow?
WITCH 1:
Oh, a bit from here, a bit from there;
My knowledge comes from everywhere.
Does one witch look like me?
Lovely indeed, she must be!
The message that brought you here
Was sent by me,
The prettiest of the witches three.
(FRANCINE tries to flee, but WITCH 1 raises her hand and casts a spell.)
WITCH 1:
You are now caught by my spell;
For you, things shall not go well;
Our hostage now you shall be.
Come, my puppet, follow me!
(The exit into the woods.)
SHERIFF BROWN:
Magician, come over here;
This piece of paper, you must see;
I found this note by the tree.
MATTHEW:
This note was not penned by my hand.
There is mischief afoot in this land.
All throughout this glen and dell;
I can feel the remnants of a spell.
Little doubt can there be
That she was kidnapped by the witches three.
SHERIFF BROWN:
She is now held as a prisoner in their lair.
I fear much for your lady fair.
I’ll gather my deputies from the town.
With our search party, she can be found.
Goodbye for now; I must make haste;
There is not a second to waste!
(SHERIFF BROWN exits.)
MATTHEW:
Good Sheriff, I’m so glad that you care,
But you shall never find their lair;
Hiding places in other worlds can they weave;
They know countless ways to deceive.
Into these woods, I must go now.
I shall find her somehow.
For her, this risk I gladly take;
For her, this gambit I shall make.
Of all life have these woods been drained;
With dark magic are they stained.
Where are rabbit, fox, and squirrel?
Where are the birds, the doe, the deer?
They have been chased away from here.
Vampires, ogres, monsters, and trolls,
The woods are now filled with deadly foes.
I shall pray for divine grace
To banish evil from this place.
Dear God, your Son did pay the cost;
Please restore all that was lost.
(MATTHEW walks deeper into the woods, looking in all directions. The WARLOCK and WITCH 1 suddenly spring out of a hiding place and cast spells at him. Their spells immobilize MATTHEW like a statue.)
WARLOCK:
Look at what we have caught!
Humility he shall be taught!
WITCH 1:
Magician, do you seek your true love?
Is she your precious little dove?
We shall take you to her soon,
But first you must learn to sing our tune.
WARLOCK:
Your spirit and will we shall mold;
You will do as you are told.
(The WARLOCK and WITCH 1 move their hands as though they are controlling a marionette, and MATTHEW moves in accordance with their manipulations.)
WITCH 1:
Come, puppet, do a dance!
We want to see you prance!
You are an amusing little clown;
It will be fun to have you around.
Scene 3 -- In the witches’ hidden lair, WITCH 2 is sitting in a chair, looking at FRANCINE who is standing immobilized in the center of the room. Although she cannot move, FRANCINE is able to speak.)
FRANCINE:
Dear Lord,
Send down the Spirit,
Fill us with fire;
For you, our soul burns with desire.
Dispel the tempest and the rain;
You are forever evil’s bane.
WITCH 2:
Silence I demand of you!
Or you won’t like what I do!
FRANCINE:
Oh, Gracious Spirit, heavenly dove,
Descend with power from above.
Glide through the dark clouds in the sky,
Through storm and tempest, do you fly.
Oh, dove, you are so bright,
Come and illume this wretched night.
Over earth’s vistas, do you glide.
Upon time’s winds, do you ride.
You bank left and then veer right,
Revealing fragments of your might.
(WITCH 1 and the WARLOCK enter the hidden lair with the magician as their prisoner. Upon seeing MATTHEW, WITCH 2 jumps up in fear.)
WITCH 1:
Sister, relax, he is tame.
He shall no longer be our bane.
WITCH 2:
So, Francine, is this your prayed-for help?
He seems to me a wretched whelp.
He comes as beggar, not as king.
He is a truly pitiful thing.
WITCH 2:
Oh, righteous magician,
No longer proud,
Apparently you can be cowed.
Oh, righteous magician,
Your spirit we will break,
And your immortal soul we will take.
WITCH 1:
Now I have two puppets with which to play!
They shall dance and they shall bray!
WARLOCK:
We must turn him against the Light;
This will take all of our combined might.
First, we will make him watch us kill Francine, his lady love.
WITCH 2:
Hope will fly away like her dove.
Then, despair will fill his soul.
His spirit will be ours to mold.
WITCH 1:
Abandon all hope, all who enter here!
WITCH 2:
I thought I saw him move his hand!
(MATTHEW had only been pretending to be immobilized by their spell so that they would take him to their hidden lair. He now spins in a graceful circle, revealing that he is not their prisoner.)
WARLOCK:
Oh, no! He is free!
WITCH 1:
We must flee! Flee! Flee!
WITCH 2:
Hurry, hurry, witches three!
(MATTHEW swings his arms, gathering power, which he then hurls at the witches and warlock.)
MATTHEW:
Star of the Sea, Mary so bright,
Guide us by your Son’s true light.
Saint Joseph, Saint John, Saint Joan of Arc,
Along with you, we fight the Dark.
Saint Michael, scourge of demons,
Come to our aid tonight;
Share with us your wondrous might.
All you angels, all your saints,
Join us in this holy fight;
Help us to prevail this night.
WARLOCK:
He casts a mighty spell against us in our own lair!
His power resonates through the air!
WITCH 1:
It is not a spell; it is a prayer!
The first ever said in this lair!
MATTHEW:
Oh, Holy Spirit, you are here;
I feel your comforting presence near.
Your fire illumes this deep, dark night.
Within my bones, I feel your might.
These enemies I cast aside;
Their evil I shall not abide.
(MATTHEW makes a dramatic gesture hurling his full power at the witches and warlock, who collapse unconscious to the floor.)
MATTHEW:
Their evil powers I did destroy;
No longer can they make mortal men their toys;
Sheriff Brown we shall send here;
These witches three, the town needs no longer fear.
(MATTHEW takes FRANCINE’s hand and leads her outside.)
MATTHEW:
Come, my love, my precious dear,
Let us go away from here.
Our marriage has been too long delayed;
We must plan our wedding day.
FRANCINE (embracing MATTHEW):
Our love shall unite us as one;
Our life together has begun.
MATTHEW:
Oh, Holy Spirit, fill us with fire;
Truth in our hearts inspire.
Show us the everlasting way;
Unite us on our wedding day.
Through the darkness, love will shine.
In the end, love will win,
And life eternal shall begin.
THE END
The sequel to this play is Soulbinder's Bane, another one-act play in verse in which Matthew and Francine again fight against evil. In Soulbinder's Bane, Matthew and Francine are helped by a forest sprite named Paige.
This page was last updated: May 8, 2009
