A More Perfect Heaven (16 page)

COPERNICUS. Maybe you shouldn’t …

RHETICUS. All right. I’m in.

COPERNICUS
closes the hatch.

The lights suddenly go out.

RHETICUS. Oh, my God! What happened?

COPERNICUS. It will take a moment to …

Very dim lights come up, just enough to show
RHETICUS
inside the Machine.

RHETICUS. It’s pitch-black in here. I can’t see my hand in front of my face.

COPERNICUS. I’m lighting it now … Just another moment …

RHETICUS. Stuffy, too. I can hardly breathe.

COPERNICUS. There!

Little twinkling star lights appear, as in a planetarium.

RHETICUS. What the … ?

COPERNICUS. Do you see anything?

RHETICUS. Oh, my God!

COPERNICUS. You see?

RHETICUS. Oh, dear God. It’s … There are stars everywhere. All around. How did you do that?

COPERNICUS. Now I turn you.

RHETICUS. What?

COPERNICUS. I said, I’ll turn you around now.

RHETICUS. I can’t hear you.

COPERNICUS. (
grunting with effort, muttering
) Turn. I have to turn … ugh …

RHETICUS. Oh, turn. Is that what you said?

COPERNICUS. Ugh … It’s stuck. Wait …

RHETICUS. Should I do something?

COPERNICUS. No … Ugh … Ah, there it goes!

RHETICUS
is rotated in his seat. He continues rotating slowly through the following dialogue.

RHETICUS. Good God! What’s happening? Oh, this is … This is unbelievable.

COPERNICUS. You see? What it does?

RHETICUS. Oh, sir! You have reproduced the night. The effect is … It’s so lovely. So … Oh, look! The zodiac constellations.

COPERNICUS. The thing to look for …

RHETICUS. There’s the Ram, the Bull …

RHETICUS’s
seat gives a lurch.

RHETICUS. Whoa! What was that?

His seat speeds up.

RHETICUS. Oh!

COPERNICUS. I’m sorry.

RHETICUS. Merciful heavens!

COPERNICUS. Something slipped. I’m trying to …

RHETICUS’s
seat slows down.

RHETICUS. Whew!

COPERNICUS. I’m sorry. I told you the machine was …

RHETICUS. Oh, please, continue.

COPERNICUS. I’m afraid I can’t keep this up much longer.

RHETICUS’s
seat slows down more.

COPERNICUS. Not as strong as I used to be.

RHETICUS’s
seat slows to a stop. The stage lights return.

COPERNICUS. You’d better come out now.

RHETICUS. (
emerging from the Machine, wobbly
) Oh, my. That was …

COPERNICUS. Steady, there.

RHETICUS. I’m still seeing stars.

COPERNICUS. Let your eyes adjust to the light.

RHETICUS. Ooh.

COPERNICUS. Well?

RHETICUS. Thank you, sir.

COPERNICUS. Did you find it convincing?

RHETICUS. Convincing?

COPERNICUS. Did you?

RHETICUS. Convincing of what, sir?

COPERNICUS. Of the motion.

RHETICUS. Oh, most definitely.

COPERNICUS. Good. Well, then.

RHETICUS. All the stars moved. I could see them spinning round and round.

COPERNICUS. No, the stars didn’t …

RHETICUS. It was great.

COPERNICUS. That was you going around. Not the stars.

RHETICUS. No, I saw the … The stars turned around me.

COPERNICUS. You turned. In that little seat. That’s the only part that moves.

RHETICUS. But I didn’t feel it move.

COPERNICUS. You’re not supposed to.

RHETICUS. No?

COPERNICUS. No. That’s just it. You think the stars are turning, but really it’s you turning. Well, it’s really me turning you. And once you realize that it’s you going around, then you make that shift in perception. You see?

RHETICUS. I’m not sure I do. No.

COPERNICUS. The machine gives you a physical appreciation. For what the turning of the Earth … You know: how the Earth, by its rotation, makes the stars appear to spin around it. And the planets, too. I tried to build in the planetary effects … the stations and retrogrades … but I had trouble aligning them.

RHETICUS. Do you mean to say … ?

COPERNICUS. I think those parts must still be around here, somewhere …

RHETICUS. Oh, no!

COPERNICUS. What?

RHETICUS. You mean, you really do mean to turn the Earth?

COPERNICUS. You knew that.

RHETICUS. But … really turn it?

COPERNICUS. What did you think?

RHETICUS. I didn’t think you meant to turn it … physically.

COPERNICUS. How else would it turn, if not physically?

RHETICUS. It would turn … theoretically. You know. In a hypothetical way. On paper. In order to …

COPERNICUS. No.

RHETICUS. Theoretically. Mathematically. But not …

COPERNICUS. No, the motion is real. Of course it is.

RHETICUS. Oh, my God.

COPERNICUS. I thought you understood my work.

RHETICUS. I …

COPERNICUS. Didn’t Schöner explain it to you?

RHETICUS. He, uh … I …

COPERNICUS. What did he tell you?

RHETICUS. I don’t think he sees it quite the way you do, sir.

COPERNICUS. How can that … ?

RHETICUS. He didn’t mention anything about a real motion.

COPERNICUS. Are you sure?

RHETICUS. All he said was … No, he didn’t say anything about …

COPERNICUS. You mean, he doesn’t understand it either?!

RHETICUS. I think he must not have interpreted it … literally.

Beat.

RHETICUS. Why would he?

COPERNICUS. Why?!

RHETICUS. Why would he leap to that conclusion?

COPERNICUS. Oh, dear God!

RHETICUS. Honestly, sir, I don’t think anyone realizes exactly what it is that you have in mind.

COPERNICUS. What can they think I’ve been doing all these years?

RHETICUS. Even just to … to use the idea as the basis for new calculations, would … But, to claim the motion as reality?!

COPERNICUS. Yes.

RHETICUS. I am … dumbstruck. I … Look! You and I. We’re just standing here. The Earth …

RHETICUS
stamps his foot a few times to make the point.

RHETICUS. It doesn’t move.

Beat.

COPERNICUS. Yes it does.

RHETICUS. You really believe the Earth is … turning?

COPERNICUS. It’s not a question of belief, Professor. I know it turns.

A peal of bells begins, continues through the following dialogue.

RHETICUS. What do you mean, you “know”?

COPERNICUS. I mean the evidence has convinced me.

RHETICUS. What evidence?

COPERNICUS. (
hearing the bells
) Goodness, the time!

RHETICUS. You mean the Earth leaves some kind of wake behind it? Like a boat?

COPERNICUS. I’m sorry. I must leave you now.

RHETICUS. No, wait a minute.

COPERNICUS. You must excuse me. I’ll come back to night.

RHETICUS. Wait!

COPERNICUS. They’re expecting me in the …

RHETICUS. Just because I raise a few questions? You walk away?

COPERNICUS. Don’t you hear the bells? That’s the call to Mass. If I’m not seen in the cathedral, then …

COPERNICUS
exits.

RHETICUS. Wait!

The bells continue, grow louder.

RHETICUS
stares at the door, incredulous at what he’s just heard, also furious and afraid. He glares at the Machine, grabs hold and shakes it.

Blackout. Pealing turns into tolling of the hour: 12 o’clock.

SCENE vi. INSIDE COPERNICU S’S HOUSE
ILLNESS

About two hours later,
GIESE
lets himself into the house.

GIESE. Hello? Nicholas? Are you here?

ANNA. (
offstage
) Mikoj?! Oh, thank goodness. I’ve been so worried all this … (
entering
) Oh! Oh, forgive me, Reverend Father.

GIESE. He’s not here?

ANNA. No, Your Reverence.

GIESE. I was supposed to meet him after Mass.

ANNA. He wasn’t at Mass?

GIESE. Of course he was at Mass.

ANNA. Yes, of course. Of course he was.

GIESE. And now?

ANNA
bows her head to hide her face.

GIESE. I understand. What a difficult time this must be for you.

ANNA. Your Reverence, I … May I confide in you?

GIESE. You wish to make a confession?

ANNA. No, just … just to let you know something. A secret. As a good and loyal friend of this house.

GIESE. You need not tell me anything.

ANNA. Last night, I …

GIESE. Now, now, you mustn’t take all the blame on yourself. It’s never one-sided in these situations. I know that. To be frank, I feel I am partly responsible. I’ve known about it all along. And yet I said nothing. As Nicholas’s friend, I should have counseled him. I could have saved him from this … this ridiculous threat. But don’t fret. Nothing bad will happen to him if you are brave and do what’s required of you. Tell me, do you have family who could take you in?

Beat.

GIESE. Or a friend, perhaps? Someplace where you know people, where you’ll feel welcome?

A scuffling sound comes from under the floor, at the trapdoor, and something bumps against it from below.

ANNA
jumps, cries out in fright.

GIESE. What was that?

Another thump sounds from the trapdoor.

COPERNICUS. (
offstage; panting, whispering
) Anna?

GIESE. Good heavens!

COPERNICUS
is trying to lift the trapdoor from below.

GIESE. There’s someone in the passage.

COPERNICUS. (
offstage
) Tiedemann? Is that you? Let me up.

GIESE
moves the bench, lifts the door with great difficulty, as
COPERNICUS
pushes it from below.

COPERNICUS,
panting, drags up the unconscious body of
RHETICUS.

ANNA
screams, then recovers herself and moves to help. The three of them pull
RHETICUS
into the room.
ANNA
puts her shawl under his head, touches his face.

ANNA. He’s burning up with fever.

COPERNICUS,
exhausted from the effort, sits on the floor near
Rheticus.

RHETICUS
shakes with chills, moans.

GIESE. Who is this?

ANNA. I’ll get some blankets.

COPERNICUS. And willow bark.

ANNA. (
exiting
) I know.

GIESE. Poor fellow. What’s wrong with him?

COPERNICUS
continues to catch his breath.

GIESE. Oh, never mind. You can tell me later. But what were you doing there, Nicholas?

COPERNICUS. (
squeezing
GIESE’S
hand
) So good to …

GIESE. I know. I won’t ask you any more questions now … Goodness, I haven’t been up there since …

Beat.

GIESE. Do you still have your … your machine, with all the … ?

ANNA. (
returning with blankets, water
) Why didn’t you leave him in the tower?

COPERNICUS. Too sick.

COPERNICUS
holds up
RHETICUS’S
head, pours a few drops of medicine into his mouth.