Two Brothers: Part Four

22.

[At the court of the Swallow King, as in Scene 11. The Swallow King is once again seated on his throne, surrounded by courtiers and maid-servants. Two of his children, mere infant swallows, are seated nearby on the floor, playing a board game. Enter a Courtier.]

COURTIER [bows low] Your Majesty! A young swallow has just arrived from beyond the green mountains. He’s in great distress, and begs to speak to you urgently — most urgently!

KING Let him come in.

[Enter the young swallow, crying piteously and limping very badly, dragging his hurt leg behind him. All stop what they are doing to stare at him, aghast. The children begin to cry in sympathy.]

KING My child! Why do you weep so loudly?
Why do you limp so badly?

SWALLOW [bows deeply] Your Majesty!
Perhaps you remember Heungbu,
The good man who cared for a wounded swallow?
Last year you sent him a magic pumpkin seed
And now he’s a very rich fellow.
His brother Nolbu heard about it
And wanted a magic seed of his own
So he got hold of me
And broke my leg on purpose
Then tied it so tight with this twine
I shall never walk upon that leg again.
Though he and his wife live in plenty
They want still more
Nor do they share so much
As a single grain of rice with anybody.
All they think about is more riches
And they don’t care how they get it
Even to breaking my leg.
Great King, and loving Father to the Swallow people —
Won’t you do something to avenge this wrong?
And repay him, if only a little, for his cruelty!

KING [to the maid-servants]
Ladies! Do something about this poor fellow’s wounds. Take that nasty twine off his leg! And somebody call the doctor — immediately!

[The maid-servants rush to help the swallow — lead him to a pile of soft cushions, where they untie the twine and massage his leg.]

KING [to the swallow]
I know all about this Nolbu —
He’s an unnatural monster
Who’d let his own brother starve
Though they grew from a single stem.
An evil man, whose face is set against heaven.

How can such deeds go unpunished?
How ignore one who has shown
Such cruelty to a poor swallow?
He too shall have a pumpkin seed
from the royal treasury.
Let him plant it when spring returns
Once more to the green mountains.

[All applaud.]

Now, won’t someone fetch the doctor!

23.

[Nolbu’s house. Downstage right, the flowering plum tree. Nolbu sits in the garden, sipping tea and eating cakes. Enter Sonhwa.]

SONHWA Soon it was spring again.
The swallow set out for the green mountains
Holding that pumpkin seed tightly in his beak
Careful not to drop it
Up into the blue sky he flew
Beating small wings with all his might
Day and night he flew
Till he came to the house of Nolbu.

[Exit Sonhwa. The swallow flutters into view, holding the seed in its beak, and approaches Nolbu. Nolbu jumps to his feet, spilling his tea and cakes on the ground.]

NOLBU Hey you, swallow! Where’ve you been all this time? I’ve been waiting for you, you lazy guy! Well, you’re here now. Let’s see what you’ve got. Give me that seed — give it here!

[He runs after the swallow, his hands outstretched greedily. The swallow flutters here and there, causing Nolbu to follow him. At last he drops the seed to the ground — Nolbu seizes it.]

NOLBU Got it! Hey, wife! I’ve got the seed! Hey — wait till you see this! Now we’ll be as rich as that stupid brother of mine! [He rushes into the house.]

[Sonhwa again steps forward.]

SONHWA Now Nolbu and his wife were two very ignorant people. They didn’t even bother to look carefully at that seed. If they had, they would have seen the writing on it, for in tiny golden letters were the words, ’Seed Rewarding Cruelty’. But they never thought to look. They were in such a hurry to get rich, they planted that seed right away, that minute, and all summer long they tended it and watched it grow.

Soon a huge vine grew out of the ground, and in no time at all there were three great fat pumpkins ready to be plucked — one yellow, one blue and one red. Nolbu and his wife brought the pumpkins into the house. They locked all the doors and windows and got ready to cut open the pumpkins. They waited till it was dark to be sure nobody would know what they were up to, for they didn’t want to have to share any of that treasure with anybody at all..

24.

[Night. Downstage right the maple tree. Inside Nolbu’s house — a single lamp burns on a stand. Nolbu and Taekwon are kneeling on the floor, surrounded by three enormous pumpkins.]

NOLBU [Just finishing to sharpen a large saw.]

This fellow’s teeth are sharp enough. Let’s get going.

[He walks over to the yellow pumpkin, sets the saw in place.]

[to Taekwon] Take hold of the other end.
[Together they begin to saw.]

NOLBU Not like that!
[He goes round to her side and hits her, straightens the saw.]

Like this, stupid!

TAEKWON Who are you calling stupid? I’m the one who told you how to get that magic seed in the first place. You’re too dumb to think of anything.

NOLBU Shut up and do as I say. Now — saw!

[As they saw they sing together the following]

NOLBU & TAEKWON
Back and forth!
Back and forth!
Sharp teeth cut fat pumpkin!

Don’t worry, rich man!
Don’t worry, rich wife
Plenty of gold in the pumpkin!

[The pumpkin bursts open in a shower of golden sparks. Inside are piles of rubbish, now strewn all over the floor.]

NOLBU What the ...? Where’s my gold? There’s nothing here but a load of trash! Hey you, swallow — what’s the big idea? Come back here and let me break your other leg for you!

TAEKWON Stop your shouting — he can’t hear you. He’s far away by now. Come and give me a hand with this blue pumpkin. Maybe this is the one with the treasure inside.

[They begin to saw open the blue pumpkin.]

NOLBU & TAEKWON
Back and forth!
Back and forth!
Sharp teeth cut fat pumpkin!

No more rubbish
No more trash
Plenty of gold in the — !

[The pumpkin bursts open in a flash of blue light. Out of it spring two small boys dressed in bright blue-striped suits and brandishing large sticks. The boys run amok in the house, smashing everything in sight with the sticks. They even break down the walls of the house. When the destruction is complete, they bow to the audience, then vanish in a puff of blue smoke. Nolbu and Taekwon regard one another in dismay.]

TAEKWON It’s all your fault. Why did you have to copy that stupid brother of yours?

NOLBU Hey, listen, wife — There’s still one pumpkin left. That’s sure to be the one with the treasure.

TAEKWON I’m afraid even to touch it. Who knows what will happen next.

NOLBU Come on — do as I say.

[They begin to saw open the red pumpkin.]

NOLBU & TAEKWON
Back and forth!
Back and forth!
Sharp teeth cut fat pumpkin!

No more trouble
No more trash —

TAEKWON Wait!

NOLBU What is it then?

TAEKWON Something bad is going to happen. I can feel it...

NOLBU [Goes over and hits her.] Can you feel that? Now, do as I say.

NOLBU & TAEKWON
Back and forth!
Back and forth!
Sharp teeth cut —!

[The pumpkin bursts open in a shower of red sparks. Out of it spring two hideous red goblins, brandishing enormous clubs. They beat Nolbu and his wife without mercy. The two of them cry out, but to no avail.]

NOLBU & TAEKWON
Stop! No! No! Stop! Ow! Stop, please stop! No more! Ow! Oooow! (etc.)

[When the goblins have beaten them thoroughly, they bow to the audience, then vanish in a puff of red smoke.]

25. Epilogue

[Enter Sonhwa, alone on stage.]

SONHWA Now Nolbu and his wife had nowhere to go. Sorrowful and bewildered, they wandered arm in arm through the village. Though they were poor and hungry, no one took pity on them, no one offered them so much as a mouthful of rice. Though they were homeless and freezing to death, no one offered them a place to lay their heads, not even so much as a woodshed. They were reaping the rewards of their selfishness.

But soon Heungbu heard about what had happened. Quickly he harnessed his best cart and came to the place where his brother stood, hanging his head in the rain.

‘Oh, my poor brother!
How can you stand there —
Is not my house your house?

Was not my mother your mother?
Was not my father your father?
Come home with me now, brother
And sister-in-law too.’

So Heungbu brought his brother home,
And Bo Bae prepared a room for them
The best room in the house
And the two of them stayed there.

Heungbu served his brother Nolbu
with all his heart
And comforted him daily.
And Nolbu was ashamed
And learned to love his brother, Heungbu.

[Now Heungbu and Nolbu appear together centre stage, with them to left and right are Bo Bae with Joo Eun, and Taekwon. They all join hands and speak the following.]

HEUNGBU When brothers are born
They are like two berries
Grown on a single stem.
They are like fingers
On a single hand.
Love your brother
As you love yourself.

NOLBU To quarrel with a brother
Is nothing but foolishness.
You may buy fields and paddies
You may buy a good horse or a fine house —
But where can you buy
for yourself a brother?

BO BAE Far better to live together in harmony!
Love your brother with all your heart
Share your coat with him
Share your last bowl of rice with him
Love him till his hair turns white
And you barely know one another’s face.

TAEKWON Love between brothers
Has no inside and no outside.
Love your brother your whole life long!
Then you’ll never be a stray goose
Old and wandering the earth alone.

[At this the first swallow puppet enters and flutters over them. It settles on Joo Eun’s hand, and she holds it up for all to see. It sings a last, delicious trill.]

THE END