Scene IV

Enters Princess Human and Princess Natural, both aged and dressed in rags.

Princess Human: Do you think he will take us back?
Princess Natural: How could I bring myself to think that? After what we did to him.
Princess Human: I wish-
Princess Natural: Come on, Princess Human, stop wishing, it takes you too close to the past and that we were taught by our father is not the way to tomorrow, I just hope he will be lenient with us, we wronged him and I expect he will punish us.
Princess Human: If I am in his shoes, I wouldn’t allow either of such prodigal daughters of mine to step into my abode.
Princess Natural: Thank God you are not in his shoes.

Enter King Black, dressed in African attire.

Africa: Mothers you are welcome to the Haven of King Black, origin of all mankind, how can I be of assistance to you?
Princess Human: Fath -
Princess Natural: (Interrupts) Is this King Black’s palace.
King Black: Sure I thought you already know.
Princess Natural: No we didn’t, we were directed here to see King Black by King Orient, your bosom friend.
King Black: In that case, you are in the right place and looking at the right man. I hope there is no problem?
Princess Natural: Only the dead are free of problems.
Princess Human: Sir, we live in a world of problems, where there is no peace but that of the inner spirit.
King Black: Mothers, you speak from the depths of wisdom.
Princess Natural: We are here to return to you some properties which used to be yours but were stolen and the thieves now compelled by wisdom to restitute came to enlist our help.
King Black: You mean in today’s world, someone is thinking of returning something which belongs to me which he or she had stolen from me sometime in the past?
Princess Human: Yes, your-
Princess Natural: (Interrupts) My friend, it is bad omen to lack restraint, most times a little caution is all that separates life from death.
King Black: Your friend has spoken well, but at the same time, the magnitude of a word does not take its delivery from the mouth and give it to another part of the body, please speak freely in this home of culture and grace.
Princess Human: It is said that one’s lot does not increase to one’s sadness.
King Black: If the increase is for the better.
Princess Natural: The elders also say that as the rag is the property of the refuse, so is a man’s lot in life regardless of circumstances.
King Black: Also true.
Princess Human: The elders also say that one’s child cannot be so cruel that one will willingly offer him or her to the Tiger for lunch.
King Black: Mothers, too many words forms the rung on the ladder of lies, quit the circumlocution and let me have it. What is it?
Princess Natural: Some flowers were brought to us by some poachers who came into your garden some time ago and plucked them without your consent, the flowers are withered and have lost their bloom, and they are used and spent.
King Black: Where are they?
Princess Human: We were told that you loved the roses so much that when they were stolen you lost your zest for life and wallowed in misery for a long time.
King Black: Where are they?
Princess Natural: Will you take them back?
King Black: The roses you mean?
Princess Human: Yes, the gems of Africa.
King Black: No.
Princess Natural: But they have repented and have no where else to go.
King Black: It is said by my elders that the chick being protected from becoming the hawk’s daily bread, thinks it is being denied its freedom out of spite. You talk in proverbs and I reply in kind, one does not warn a child not to toy with leprosy, as long as he can live in the jungle alone.
Princess Natural: But it is folly to cry over spilt milk.
King Black: The wise always look before leaping.
Princess Human: To err is human, to forgive is divine.
King Black: If a child is so wise as to die in the heart of the dry season, the parents too will be wise to bury him or her at the river bank.
Princess Natural: If one does not forget the issues of the past, he soon must live in isolation.
King Black: Integrity makes no double talk, he says a thing and it stands.
Princess Human: Man’s enemy is his own ego, beyond that there is very little that need give cause for alarm.
King Black: If one rushes willfully into danger, danger will not put itself out of the way for him.
Princess Natural: A repentant soul is more than a thousand jewels and even heaven rejoices greatly over such a soul.
King Black: Shut up! Do you ingrates know what I have been through, the loneliness, the pain, the anguish, the reproach, the mockery, the bitterness, the anger?

Both Kneels.

Princess Human: Out of heart pain comes heart’s peace, out of desire comes accomplishment, there is no love now as it used to be, its flames are dim and sorrowful, for the reckless abandon of the world creates deceit and evil.
King Black: (Sobs) All the lonely days and nights, the prayers, and the tears, waiting, hoping, wandering, and wondering, why? Why! Why!!
Princess Natural: But father, there are more companions in a poet’s solitude than in the crowded haunts of men.
King Black: (Shouts) Ah! Why?

They crawl to him, in tears and hug him.

Princess Human: We are sorry, father
Princess Natural: We are very sorry.
King Black: You, my gems, my heart beats, my future, you deserted me, you plunged me in the ocean of despair, tied my hands behind my back, drowned me in misery and now you return, old, haggard, spent, poor, miserable. You turned me to a nanny, caring for you as children and as old hags while you spent your productive years labouring in a strange land.
Princess Human: Father, forgive us; we know not what we were doing!
King Black: Don’t tell me that, don’t quote to me that epitome of timeless wisdom, you knew what you were doing, you were created whole and perfect and I trained you until you were the envy of every parent and your peers, you had your free will which is the gift and responsibility bestowed on every human unit making you seek the proof of the divine and you ate the forbidden fruit, listening to the serpent rather than to your maker.
Princess Natural: Father, please forgive.
King Black: Why should I?
Princess Human: Please don’t send us back into darkness, its awful, we groped, crawled, begged , starved, worked, toiled, birthed, and gave but the world only took, the world is so mean and contemptible, it took all it needed from us and gave us only pain in return. We are ready to be your servants, slaves, anything but not to be cast away, please father.
King Black: Thank God you are safe, alive, there is still hope. I forgive you, now I know you know what love is.
Princess Natural: Thank you, father.
Princess Human: We will never do so again.
Princess Natural: As if anybody will want you now.
King Black: Stand up and go into the palace, the servants are in their quarters.
Princess Natural: Thank you father, thank you very much.

(Exit)

Princess Human hugs King Black, crying.

Princess Human: Oh Daddy, I am so sorry.
King Black: Its okay, gentle heart, I know you’ll miss me more as I do you, for you are the foundation of my strength, it’s a pity you didn’t choose me ahead of what was offered you by your sister and Prince Statue.
Princess Human: None love their home as dearly as those who have left it for a long time, and I promise that I’ll give my all to see this kingdom to its full potential.
King Black: I always admire your courage and mind set, but you are now only a shadow of your former self.
Princess Human: You know, I love you more even while I turned against you and so does my sister, we kept some of the best we have knowing that one day, we must bring joy to the one we had so cruelly betrayed.(Exit)
King Black: Tell me, did you get the seeds?
Princess Human: I wouldn’t dare come home if I didn’t, even Princess Natural got it.
King Black: You mean, she also-
Princess Human: I told her nothing of our plans, but when we met on the journey home, I noticed the changes and she confirmed it.
King Black: No wonder you both look somehow, indeed I got double for my trouble.
Princess Human: Are you happy now?
King Black: I am happy, even though my fate hung in the balance for so long, and I know that humans are the least trustworthy of all of creation, I feared I will lose all.
Princess Human: It was quite an ordeal, what kept me going was the promise I made to you and the news I hear about your sorrow and pain, I couldn’t let you go through all that in vain, even Princess Natural realized soon enough that Prince Tower never really loved her and felt no pity for him as she left with the seed.
King Black: God, do you know that I once wondered if you were asleep, believing that it must be during your hours of repose and oblivion that the business of life, the business of my life goes wrong bringing darkness and confusion the chance to walk and terrorize me into submission, but now I know you do not sleep and all prayers, no matter how long are never forgotten. Thank you.

Curtain.