Mary Magdalene

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1

(WOMAN BREATHING HEAVILY)

MARY:

And she asked him,

"What Will it be like?"

"The kingdom?"

And he said,

"It is like a seed,"

"a single grain of mustard seed,"

"which a woman took

and sowed in her garden."

"And it grew,"

"and it grew."

"And the birds of the air

made nests in its branches."

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(BIRD SCREECHING)

(SHEEP BLEATING)

AARON:
Maw!

Mary!

(GROANING)

RACHEL:

Mary.

Mary! You have to tell her.

She can't cut it out.

There's no time for this.

You can't cut her.

She needs to push.

There's no point pushing.

The baby can't get through.

You have to find a way.

I can try and stretch her, but she

needs to stay completely still.

Oh, no.

Shh.

No, no!

MARY:

Leah. No!

Leah.

No!

No! (CRYING) Look at me.

Leah, look at me.

Look at me. Look at me.

You need to lie still.

- She's going to hurt me.

- Yes.

Yes, she is, but only for a

moment so your baby can come.

You can take it for a moment.

I know you can.

(GROANING)

Look at me. Look at me.

Look at me. Look at me.

(BOTH BREATHE DEEPLY)

I'll be here with you.

I won't let you go.

I'm here.

(sesame)

Can you lie still?

- Yes.

- Yes.

Rachel, come.

(LEAH CRIES OUT)

Take her shoulders.

(LEAH PANTING)

MIDWIFE:

Hold her strong.

Keep her leg down. Look at me.

Look at me. Look at me.

You're okay.

(LEAH BREATHING HEAVILY)

MIDWIFE:

Keep her still.

(GRUNTING)

MIDWIFE:

Again.

(GROANS, INHALES SHARPLY)

(LEAH GROANING)

(BABY CRYING)

(SIGHS IN RELIEF)

GIRL:

Can I hold the baby?

Brother, what a beautiful boy.

ELISHA:

Beautiful.

JOSEPH:

Congratulations, Aaron.

AARON:

Thank you, Joseph.

How is she?

Mary got her through.

The midwife says

she's a natural.

(BABY COOING)

DANIEL:

Aren't you all?

RACHEL:

You should all be proud of your sister.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(BOTH GIGGLE)

(ALL GREETING IN HEBREW)

(PRAYING IN HEBREW)

(SINGING PRAYER IN HEBREW)

(WHISPERING PRAYER

IN HEBREW)

(COMMUNITY LEADER

CONTINUES PRAYING)

(MEN SINGING IN HEBREW)

(ALL CONTINUE SINGING)

(ELISHA SINGING IN HEBREW)

"I lift up my eyes

to the mountains."

"From where

will my help come?"

Ephraim will come

and dine with us tomorrow.

You know him.

I knew his wife.

He's a good man.

His children need a mother.

- He's asked for you, Mary.

- You need me.

It would please God

for you to be a mother.

It would please me.

Is Joseph going to hear

that man speak again?

He's been every day this week.

Must be nice to have

so much time on your hands.

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

(BABY CRYING)

(CHILDREN CHATTERING)

RACHEL:

You're going to be beautiful.

SARAH; Girls.

(CHILDREN CHATTERING)

ELISHA:

It's a good space. It's warm and...

Our house is yours, Ephraim.

Enough for the family.

SARAH:

Here. Put them here.

Yes, that's great.

(INAUDIBLE)

ELISHA:
It's good to welcome

you here at last, Ephraim.

EPHRAIM:

You have a beautiful family, Elisha.

RACHEL:

Children, come and meet Ephraim. Come on.

GIRL:

Hello, Ephraim.

JOSEPH:

This healer is different.

I don't know. In the things

he does, the things he says.

AARON:

What did he talk about?

A new world.

A just world, free of tyranny.

A holy kingdom.

I saw him heal a man

by the beacon.

SARAH:
The one who's always

in the market, shouting.

Some people have said they tried

to cast the demon out of him.

Who is he, then, a prophet?

He was with the Baptist.

Where? At the Jordan?

SARAH:

John the Baptist was a true prophet.

You've always said that.

That's why Herod killed him.

That's enough now.

Why shouldn't we talk about it?

Because we don't live in

a good age for baptists,

or prophets,

or gossip, for that matter.

You need to make

many sons, Ephraim.

ELISHA:

May the angels shine down on both of you.

RACHEL:
Maybe we could all

travel together for Passover.

EPHRAIM:

I try to visit Jerusalem whenever I can.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(MEN LAUGHING)

RACHEL:

Mary?

Where are you?

Mary!

- SARAH:
Mary!

- GIRL:
Mary!

(MARY PRAYING INDISTINCTLY)

Mary?

Mary?

(CONTINUES PRAYING)

Mary?

Tell me how to help you.

Go and get her father

and Daniel!

Mary?

(CONTINUES PRAYING)

Mary, tell me

how to help you. Mary.

Mary!

(MEN SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)

(DOG BARKING)

MAN:

Shame!

(PANTING)

DANIEL:

You brought shame on our family.

What did you think

you were doing?

I needed to pray.

To decide.

"Decide"?

Listen.

You pray at the service

with the other women.

You pray at home

with your family.

But you don't just run into the

night like some wandering lunatic.

I can't marry Ephraim.

I'm not made for that life.

Then what on Earth

are you made for?

You want me to bind your

breasts and shave your head

so you can become a man?

Then you can pray

whenever you want.

You stain our mother's memory.

This time, you will marry.

You've indulged her

for too long, Father.

(BREATHING SHAKILY)

(GASPING BREATHS)

DANIEL:

Mary.

Mary.

- Get up.

- MARY:
What is it?

Father's waiting.

We need to show you something.

RACHEL:

Daniel.

Daniel!

What's happening?

Go back to sleep.

RACHEL:

Where are you taking her?

Daniel!

GIRL:

Mother?

Shh. It's all right.

Everything will be fine, Mary.

(MEN PRAYING INDISTINCTLY)

Don't be afraid, Mary.

(SPEAKING HEBREW)

What are you doing?

There's something

unnatural inside you.

Father?

(EXORCIST SPEAKING HEBREW)

Leave her, and flee outside.

Father?

Be silent, be silent, be silent.

This is not your place.

Come out, Demon, come out, Demon.

Stay still! Stay still!

Come out and depart from here.

No!

Leave her, and flee outside.

Be silent, be silent, silence yourself.

Daniel!

(DANIEL GRUNTING)

DANIEL:

Leave her alone!

- MARY:
Father!

- DANIEL:
Leave her!

(GRUNTS)

(WATER SPLASHING)

(MARY GASPING)

Leave her...

ELISHA:

Stop! Stop!

(PANTING)

Mary.

(SPEAKING HEBREW)

(SIGHS)

Father.

Please.

Let me bring the healer.

Yes.

(DOOR OPENS)

ELISHA:

She won't talk to me.

I don't know who she is anymore.

JESUS:

I'll see her alone.

(DOOR CLOSES)

Your family says

you grapple with the demon.

If there's a demon in me,

it's always been there.

I wish there was a demon.

JESUS:

Why?

What is it you fear in yourself?

My thoughts.

My longings, my unhappiness.

I fear that I shame my family.

I do shame them.

I'm not as I'm supposed to be.

What is it you long for?

I'm not sure.

To know God.

And yet you've felt

God's presence.

Sometimes, in the stillness,

I think I feel it.

It's always been there.

All it needs is your faith.

There are no demons here.

Rest now.

Rest in the light.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(GOATS BLEATING)

Elisha is going to see

Ephraim today.

He thinks the match

is still possible.

ANDREW:

Join us!

- JOHN:
Come join us!

- ANDREW:
Come, brother!

- Mary.

- ANDREW:
Join us!

Mary!

Mary!

JESUS:

Each of you stand at the threshold.

Do you fear that you will

never reach the kingdom?

MAN 1:
Whose kingdom?

Herod's kingdom?

MAN 2:

He keeps company with sinners.

You know as well as I do there

is only one true kingdom.

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