Excerpts from the play script. All Rights Reserved.
SCENE 1 The house of Lukas Leonards, wealthy banker. NARRATOR: 1920s New York was my fiefdom. You've heard of Carnegie and Rockefeller I wasn't quite in their league, yet. But, I had my empire and was determined enough to conquer all before me. Politicians and police chiefs took my bribes and gangsters trusted their money to me. Enter LEONARDS arrogantly lighting a large cigar and reading a newspaper. NARRATOR: Everything was changing: skyscrapers were rising, like victorious obelisks to modern capitalism Ford Model Ts crowded the roads homes had phones, radios, vacuum cleaners and washing machines. Jazz was an obsession hot dog stands grew up on the sidewalks everyone went to the movies. Leonards checks his watch, puts on his tie in front of a mirror, picks up the phone and dials. NARRATOR: It was age of Jack Dempsey, The Marx Brothers, the New York Yankees, Rudolph Valentino hoodlums like Al Capone and ‘Lucky' Luciano made fortunes from Prohibition and immortalized the Thompson sub-machine gun. LEONARDS: Hi, Honey (Pause). What's eating you? Okay, so I forgot Jimmy's birthday. I'll take him to the Red Sox game. He'll forgive me. Listen I can't make it home this weekend: I'm just going to have to work all weekend. I need to meet with some important clients. You understand, Honey. (Pause.) Honey? (Slowly lowers phone and shakes head.) It'll cost me a diamond ring this time. NARRATOR: I cared about money and power. I didn't care about my family. I certainly didn't care about the 42% Americans below the poverty line. I was invincible. (Pause.) Until Hell came scurrying for me. KNOCKING ON THE DOOR. Leonards puts on his suit jacket and exits. The chauffeur, Ryan, is waiting for him. LEONARDS: Drop me off at the jewelers this morning, Ryan, and I'll walk from there. You'll never guess who I'm buying for. (Pause.) RYAN: For Mrs. Leonards this time? LEONARDS: Ab-so-lute-ly, she's really on the warpath this time! What can you do with dames, huh? Both laugh and exit. (Scene.) SCENE 2 New York Sidewalk. TURNING OFF CAR ENGINE followed by CLOSING CAR DOOR. On stage are a shoeshineboy and a beggar. Enter Leonards. Leonards sits in chair and reads newspaper as Shoe Shine Boy cleans his shoes. Leonards looks down and points to spot on shoe and Shoe Shine Boy acts apologetically. Leonards stands and kicks the Boy's backside. The Boy falls down. Exit the Boy taking chair and shoe shining equipment. Leonards passes Beggar, who has sign stating ‘Lost farm, family starving. Help.' Leonards takes a note from his wallet and waves it at the farmer. Then he rips up the note and lets the Beggar scrabble to collect all the pieces and laughs. Enter twopolicemen who stop to greet Leonards touching caps deferentially. Leonards shakes hands with one, who introduces him to his partner. Leonards pats the partner on the shoulder then points to the Beggar scrambling on the floor and motions that they take him away. The Policemen grab one arm of the Beggar each and drag him off stage, with Leonards giving a mocking wave to the Beggar. Music fades. (Scene.) ...
SCENE 6 Leonards' home. Enter the Rat sitting opposite from Leonards. There is an old cigar and drink on the armchair's armrest. The Rat stares at Leonards unmoving, staring. NARRATOR: I felt eyes feeding on the sight of me defenselessly at rest. Eyes with the desire to maim and blind, rip and chew flesh. I woke with a jump, nauseated and disgusted. LEONARDS: You dirty scum. You dare to sit in my chair? NARRATOR: The Rat began to nibble the cigar in its paws and lap at the drink in an obscene parody of myself. LEONARDS: You think that's funny? THERAT: An eye for an eye. Leonards freezes and stares at the Rat shaking his head. LEONARDS: You can't talk. You're a stinking miserable rat. THERAT: What you do to me will return to you. LEONARDS: You can't talk. I don't believe in this voodoo rubbish. NARRATOR: My brain was frozen, my body would not move. Was this creature here to devour my body and soul? I would not let it. I didn't know how it was speaking, but I had to break its spell. I had to kill it. Destroy the monster. Pulverize it into a paste of bones, blood and organs. The Rat cleans its whiskers and laughs at Leonards. NARRATOR: The spell was broken. I attacked with my book: the complete works of Shakespeare. Leonards leaps to his feet with a war cry. The Rat flees with Leonards in pursuit hitting and smashing the book repetitively onto the Rat and loudly against the stage floor. Leonards and the Rat briefly exit stage and Leonards returns with a bloody book with dark fur stuck to it. He returns into the living room smiling holding the book aloft. LEONARDS: Thank you, Shakespeare. Reading classic literature has its uses. Leonards removes some of the black fur off the book and examines it. LEONARDS: No more huge rats. Boy does beating a rat's brains out make you tired. Leonards stretches out on his bed and sleeps. NARRATOR: And, that was the last night I slept soundly for the rest of my life. Safe and happy believing naively that the world was a place where reasoning and logic prevailed. (Scene.) ...
SCENE 8 Leonards' home, late in the evening. Rat is already on stage under the kitchen table. NARRATOR: My hand shook. Scrape, scrape, scrapping eventually went the key in the lock to my home. I had been dreading returning home all day. I did the sensible thing and went for a drink or two for courage and now like a hero I returned, assured that nothing strange had occurred last night. It was all a mere rodent problem. LEONARDS enters warily. LEONARDS: Mrs. Bridges, are you still here? (Looking around.) She did a good job of cleaning up. (He touches his face.) Ouch. I need another drink. THE PHONE RINGS and Leonards answers it. LEONARDS: Hi, Honey. I miss you and the kids. (Pause) I'm not talking baloney. Hey, how about I come and visit you in the country tomorrow. (Pause.) Don't be like that, Honey. We can talk (Crashing noise from the kitchen.) Damn it! There's an intruder. I'll call you back. (Pause.) Please, forgive me. ANOTHER LOUD CRASH from the kitchen. Rat remains hidden, except its tail. NARRATOR: I trembled towards the kitchen. Christ, who would believe it: a burglar after last night. I was going to have to move. Should I not run? I could go next door and call Ryan or get some of Mr. Madden's boys. There was no need to be a hero but this was my house dammit! Leonards enters the kitchen and sees broken crockery and food strewn on the table. The culprit is nowhere in sight. Leonards sees the huge tail of the rat from under the table. He stealthily takes a meat cleaver and chops it off. There is a great scream of pain and Leonards pulls off the table cloth to reveal the Rat underneath. LEONARDS: You dirty slim! I thought I had killed you. Now I will cut you up! I know it's you. The Rat stares at Leonards and hisses showing its teeth. THE RAT: An eye for an eye. LEONARDS: Shut up, you dirty bastard! Leonards slashes at the rat which runs away. Leonards pursues the rat off stage slashing and stabbing at it. Finally, he returns with a trash can. He taps the side with his meat cleaver and looks inside. LEONARDS: Now there won't be as much as a squeak from your venomous throat. (Slams the top on the trash can and laughs crazily.) Little mouse ‘An eye for an eye.' (Sighs.) It's over now, buddy. I'm going to celebrate with a drink. (Opens a bottle in the kitchen and then pours some in the trash can.) A toast for you: go to hell, rancid monster! Leonards, singing the ‘Burnham on the Ritz', takes the bottle into his bedroom and collapses happily in the bed. LEONARDS: Yeah! I am the rat killer: a real professional! Hickory Dickory Dock. NARRATOR: But, I didn't sleep well. The immortal rat had already returned from the dead once. I knew the truth, but who could accept insanity without a struggle? The strong bootleg whiskey helped to sedate me, but I tossed and turned fitfully. I felt my enemy by some macabre means was there with me in the room breathing poison onto my flesh, cavorting gleefully, triumphant, enraged. Music plays. The Rat enters with four rats. They have meat cleavers in their paws. First of all they surround the bed and begin to turn it round and round. Leonards moans and turns whilst still asleep. The rats change the direction, the bed is spinning and then the Rat jumps on the bed holds the meat cleaver high as though ready to sacrifice Leonards. After about 30 seconds the Rats return the bed to its starting position and leave placing the Rat's tail and a meat cleaver on the pillow next to Leonards. All Rats exit. Music fades. (Scene.)
