"THE BLACK CAT" (1989/'95)

THE BLACK CAT

by
David N. Nevarrez

based on the story by
Edgar Allan Poe

C 1988/1995 David M. Nevarrez










Characters:

Eddie Allen

Dr. Craft - court psychiatrist

Alice — Allen’s wife

Pluto - the Black Cat

bartender

Detectives Borges and Beaudelaire - investigating officers

other pets (including a dog)










The set should vaguely suggest a conference room in a prison;
and able to stand for various other settings.

As lights come up, Dr. Craft stands center stage. Enter Eddie Allen and Prison Guard

GUARD
Prisoner number 105623.

CRAFT
Thank you. Could you leave us alone, please.

The guard looks at Allen for a moment.

GUARD
I’ll be right outside. If you need me.

Guard exits. Allen crosses to the window, looks out.

CRAFT
Mr. Allen. I’m Dr. Craft. Do you mind if we have a talk?

She crosses nearer Allen.

ALLEN
Talk?
(beat)
You’re a psychiatrist, aren’t you?

CRAFT
Yes, Mr. Allen, I am. Does that bother you?

ALLEN
(grunts)
Does it matter?

CRAFT
Well, of course...
(beat)
Have a seat.

Allen hesitates, looking Craft over cautiously, then sits. Craft sits.

ALLEN
So, what do you want to talk about? As if I didn’t know.

CRAFT
(professional chuckle)
Why don’t you tell me how it all happened?

ALLEN
So you can decide if I’m crazy?

CRAFT
It’s not quite that simple.

ALLEN
(far away)
It never is.

Craft takes out a notepad and pencil, props them on her lap.

CRAFT
(urging)
Well?

ALLEN
(looks at Craft)
How do I begin?

CRAFT
Well, as they say, begin at the beginning.

ALLEN
I was never good with beginnings.

CRAFT
Where did you first meet Alice?

ALLEN
Did I tell you I wanted to be a writer?

Craft smiles, writes on pad.

CRAFT
We’ll get to that later. First off, I would like to know how
you met Alice.

ALLEN
Well...

Lights shift. Allen crouches down, pantomimes petting a dog.

ALLEN
...I had always loved animals.
(crouches down)
As a kid I had wanted lots of pets.
(tensing)
My father wouldn’t allow it.

Alice enters, crosses behind Allen.

ALLEN
While looking for a dog at a shelter...

He stands up bumps into Alice. They both look embarrassed.

ALLEN
...I met Alice.

Allen and Alice shyly begin a (silent) conversation. Craft stands. Allen and Alice take hands.

ALLEN
We fell in love.
Beat. Allen and Alice turn to stand side by side, facing Upstage. Craft steps up to them.

ALLEN
We married a little over a month later.

They turn Downstage, Allen mimes picking up suitcases. They look at “house”.

ALLEN
And then we moved into the house my parents left me...

Allen "presents" house to Alice.

ALLEN
(with an slight edge)
...when they died.

Allen and Alice enter "house". Lights shift. Allen and Alice on couch surrounded by animals.

ALLEN
We collected pets. By day I managed a Seven-Eleven, at
night I wrote. Alice worked as a security guard.

CRAFT
What did you write?

Lights shift to prison.

ALLEN
Fantasy. Heroic warriors saving beautiful damsels-in-distress
from evil sorcerers. What I fantasized about. Other stuff
like that.

CRAFT
Short stories? Novels?

ALLEN
Short stories. I sent them to all the fantasy magazines
I could find.
(looks at the floor)
There were always rejected.

CRAFT
(makes a note)
I see.

ALLEN
I suppose you do.

CRAFT
What did you do when you received a rejection notice?

ALLEN
At first...

Lights shift. Allen sits next to Alice. She strokes his hair.

ALLEN
...I took comfort from Alice and the animals...

Allen picks up the black cat, lays it in his lap.

ALLEN
...especially my favorite cat, Pluto.

Allen scratches Pluto’s ears.

ALLEN
He was a real beauty.

Allen stands, looks off into distance. Craft in her chair.

CRAFT
When did you start drinking heavily?

ALLEN
(jarred out of memory, turns to her)
Huh?

Lights shift.

CRAFT
At what point did you begin drinking excessively?

ALLEN
Oh, I don’t know.

Beat. Allen stands, crosses Center.

ALLEN
I started drinking when I was eleven. After Alice and
I got married I stopped for awhile. But then...

Lights shift. Alice watches TV. Allen lurches towards her, drunk.

ALICE
(concerned)
Are you alright?

ALLEN
NO!

He pulls a crumpled piece of paper, from a pocket and shoves it into her hand, as he passes by her.

ALLEN
Add that to the pile.

He drops down next to her. She uncrumples the paper, another rejection notice.

ALLEN
(anguish)
I stink!

Alice stands and crosses to Allen, puts her arms around him.

ALICE
No, no, you don’t stink. You’ll get published. It just
takes patience.

Allen grunts, shrugs off Alice. A dog whines.

ALLEN
Shut up!

ALICE
Eddie. He just wants to love you.

The dog continues whining.

ALLEN
I said shut up!

He gets up, stumbles across to the “dog” and kicks at it.

ALICE
Eddie!

ALLEN
Fuck off!

He crosses to the “bedroom". He lays down with Pluto.

ALLEN
Pluto.

He nuzzles the cat.

ALLEN
(sobbing)
My best friend in the whole world.

F.O.

Part 2:

(Alice exits, Allen switches to sitting on couch).
Lights up. Allen with bottle of Southern Comfort, zoned out on TV.

ALLEN
I began drinking more and more.
(beat)
And writing less and less.
(takes a swig)
Finally, I stopped writing and just drank.

Lights shift. Allen stands (putting bottle down).

ALLEN
I lost my job. Alice got a second job to support us.

Lights shift. Allen hits bird cage, throws it.

ALLEN
And I...
(chokes)
...abused the animals.

Alice crosses to him, tries to stops him. Allen grabs her hair, punches her in the stomach. She drops to the floor.

ALLEN
(bitter)
I even turned on Alice.

Pluto “watches”. Allen turns to Pluto, pets him.

ALLEN
Only Pluto was spared my drunken wrath.

Alice rises from the floor, sobbing, crosses UL.

ALLEN
This went on for months.

Allen takes bottle, lays on couch in stupor. Lights down low.

ALLEN
I think. Things were very hazy then.

Pluto meows.

ALLEN
And then one night...

He rises up with effort.

ALLEN
(drawn out)
Pluto!

He gets up, lumbers towards Pluto, grabbing for him, scaring the cat, who hisses and scratches Allen. Allen cries out, the cat runs away. Allen nurses his wounds.

ALLEN
(quietly enraged)
Pluto. You do this to me?

He crosses to Pluto, kicks him in the head. The cat screams in pain.

ALLEN
FUCK YOU!!!

ALICE
(from offstage-fearful)
Eddie?

ALLEN
Go back to bed!

He looks around for the cat.
ALLEN
(guilty)
Pluto?
(looks at scratches)
Stupid cat.

B.O.


Lights up on Allen sleeping. Alice enters, carrying Pluto, nursing him, crosses and sits.

ALICE
There, there. You’ll be okay.

Allen wakes, rises. He belches. Alice starts, covers cat protectively. Allen stands goes to dog dish, picks it up automatically. Finds it empty and dusty. He looks around.

ALLEN
That day I suddenly realized our menagerie was gone. Our dog
Baskerville had run away, same with the other cats, and the
other animals had all died.

He looks at Alice.

ALICE
(tears in her eyes)
He’ll be okay. He’ll get over it.

ALLEN
(pleading)
Shut up!

B.O.


Lights up, Allen sits, hunched over, a bottle of Southern Comfort in his hands, the mouth of it pressed against his forehead. Alice sits watching TV, a bag of ice held to her face. Pluto peaks out from under the TV. Allen sees him, Pluto pulls back quickly, Allen looks hurt. He stands.

ALLEN
Damned cat!

ALICE
(standing & pleading)
Eddie!

Allen turns to her as if to strike. Alice cowers. He backhands her across the face. She
cries out, burying her face in her arms. Pluto runs away. Allen turns to see him. He takes a swig from the bottle, and broods for a moment, while Alice cries. She looks at him.

ALICE
(restraining sob)
Eddie, please.

She runs off U. He follows, stops before Craft.


Lights shift. Pluto asleep on the couch. Allen very quietlyenters, looks around. He is wearing gardening gloves.

ALLEN
Then the day came when I forever closed the door to my salvation.

He sneaks up on Pluto, and grabs him by the throat. Pluto struggles violently, as Allen strangles him, tears running down his face. Finally Pluto succumbs and goes limp. Allen
looks around. He pulls a plastic trashbag out of his back pocket and places the cat in it. He exits.


Lights shift. Allen sits on couch, eating. Alice enters.

ALICE
Pluto!
(beat)
Here kitty, kitty, kitty!
(worried)
Pluto?
(looks at the floor)
Where could he be?

ALLEN
(irritably)
Who cares?
(beat)
Probably found himself a girlfriend.

ALICE
(wringing her hands)
I hope he’s alright. You’d think he’d come home for dinner.

ALLEN
Shut up already! The damned cat will show up when he shows up!

B.0.


Lights shift. Allen is asleep, Alice sits on edge of "bed". Flames are rising in the room (Special 1).

ALICE
(dreamily)
Pluto?

She sees the fire. She turns to Allen.

ALICE
Eddie! Eddie! Wake up!
(as if answering someone)
I can’t leave him!

She pulls Allen’s arm, yanking him up. He comes to groggily.

ALLEN
What?

ALICE
Fire! Fire!

She helps him stand, and they exit. F.O. The sound of sirens.



Part 3:

Prison lights vp. Allen stops in front of Craft.

ALLEN
We were put up in a welfare hotel.
(beat)
We had lost everything.
(sits)
Some relief group gave us clothing, blankets, and some
other necessities.

Lights shift. He stands and crosses to a “wall” on which is burn mark of what appears to be a one-eyed cat.

ALLEN
I went back the next day.
(beat)
And that’s when I saw it.
(beat)
It turned my blood to ice.
(turns away)
I couldn’t believe it.


Lights shift. Allen crosses to the “bar”. Craft stands in for the bartender.

ALLEN
I went out drinking.
(to “bartender”, drunk)
Cheers!

Craft/bartender nods.

ALLEN
I’m celebrating!

BARTENDER
Oh, yeah?

ALLEN
Yeah. I’m no longer a slave.

BARTENDER
Really?

ALLEN
I’ve ‘lost my job. I’ve lost my house. I’ve lost my cat.
(beat)
I just wish I could lose my stupid wife.

He laughs until he coughs, then muses.

ALLEN
I miss my cat.
(beat)
Pluto. He was a beautiful creature. He was my best friend.
(sobs)

BARTENDER
(professional)
There, there, pal. Drink up, you’ll feel better.

Allen finishes his drink, bartender pours another. Allen chuckles to himself. The bartender moves down the bar. Allen drinks.

ALLEN
Hmmm, Pluto, my old friend.

He stares off into space. There is sudden movement behind the bar where he is absently staring. It is a black cat. It rises and stretches. Allen is suprised.

ALLEN
(coaxing)
Here kitty, kitty. Come here, boy.

The cat sees Alien, crosses the bar to him. Allen scratches it’s ears. It purrs and rubs against his hand.

ALLEN
Ooooh, you are a beauty, aren’t you?

He strokes the cat.

ALLEN
Who do you belong to, hmmm? Would you like to come home with me?
(waves to bartender)
Hey, come here a sec.

The bartender crosses to him.

BARTENDER
Another?

ALLEN
Is this your cat?

BARTENDER
(looks at cat)
No. Never saw it before.

ALLEN
Then you won’t mind if I take him home?

BARTENDER
(shrugs)
No, I don’t care.

ALLEN
(points at glass)
Put those on my tab, will ya.

BARTENDER
You don’t have a tab anymore, Allen. Remember? That’s why I
have to charge page after every few drinks.

ALLEN
(brought down)
Oh, yeah.
(forced laugh)
I forgot.
(pulls money out of pocket)
How much do I owe you?

BARTENDER
Ya owe me for two drinks. Six bucks.

Allen counts out six dollars, most of what he has, and hands it to the bartender. He hesitates, then hands him two more.

ALLEN
For your patience.

BARTENDER
Thanks.

Allen picks up the cat and crosses.


Lights shift. Allen “enters” with cat. Allen crosses to the counter, takes a plastic bowl, a carton of milk out of the refrigerator, pours milk into the bowl, and places the bowl and the cat on the floor.

ALLEN
There ya go, fella, drink up.

He strokes the cat. Lights down.

Lights shift. Allen is asleep on sofabed. Alice enters, caresseing the cat in her arms. An alarm clock goes off. Allen wakes up.

ALLEN
Shit!

Alice cowers in the chair. Allen turns off the alarm, rolls over to go back to sleep.

ALICE
(timidly)
Eddie? You’d better get up. You’ll be late for work again.

Allen sits up.

ALLEN
(angrily condescending)
I don’t have to get up, because I don’t have a job anymore.

ALICE
Eddie.

ALLEN
(lying back down)
Shut up!

Alice rubs her face in the cat’s fur.

ALICE
Eddie?

ALLEN
What?!

ALICE
Our new friend is lovely.

ALLEN
Huh?

He lifts his head and looks at Alice. He takes a moment to focus, then sees the cat. He sits up with a start, wide awake. He rubs his face.

ALLEN
(frightened)
Pluto?

ALICE
That’s what I thought when I first saw him this morning. But
he’s not.

Allen tries to think, finally remembers the night before. Relaxes a little.

ALLEN
(to himself)
Oh, yeah.

ALICE
The only difference is this patch of white on his chest.
(beat)
Poor baby even has the same bad eye.

ALLEN
(startled)
What?!

ALICE
(panicky)
He’s got a bad eye. Probably was in a fight.
(beat)
With another cat.

ALLEN
(grasping onto concept)
Yeah. He must’ve been in a cat-fight.

Alice rises, starts to cross to Allen with the cat. Allen cringes, puts up a restraining hand.

ALLEN
Hey, keep it away from me!

Alice turns away, watching Allen’s reaction. Allen gets up, crosses off, making sure to keep distance between them.

Allen and Alice sit watching TV, she brushes the cat in her lap. She examines the white mark on it’s chest.

ALICE
This mark is strange. It kind of looks like a...a axe.

ALLEN
Shut up.

He glares at her. His anger rises. He lifts his arm to backhand her, she flinches, the cat meows and Allen freezes. He stares at the cat, fear welling up in his face. He looks
away, dropping his arm. Alice hugs the cat.


Liqhts shift. Allen and Alice lay sleeping. The cat is curled up on Allen’s chest. Allen stirs fitfully, wakes and sees the cat, and cries out. He squirms and waves his arms about.

ALLEN
Get off!

Alice cries out and jumps out of bed, crouching down.

ALLEN
Get it off!

Alice turns on the light. Allen lies petrified. Alice cautiously crawls beside Allen and carefully lifts the cat off Allen, who sits up.

ALLEN
Get it away from me!

Alice puts the cat down on the floor.

ALLEN
What took you so long?!

Allen crosses UL, Alice crosses DR.

ALLEN
I had become completely terrified of the horrid creature.
It controlled me like a puppet.

Lights shift. Alice sits watching TV. Allen enters.

ALLEN
Alice, come on. I was just down in the basement. There’s
some stuff down there we can use.

Alice rises and crosses to him.

ALICE
Are you sure we can just take it?

ALLEN
(mimicking her)
“Are you sure we can just take it?” Just shut your mouth
and come on.

They exit. The cat follows.


Lights shift. They descend stairs. The cat runs down, tripping Allen, who grabs banister to keep from falling.

ALICE
(grabbing his shirt)
Eddie? Are you okay?

ALLEN
(enraged)
I’m going to kill that fucking cat!

ALICE
No, Eddie, don’t!

He shoves her out of the way, goes looking for the cat, who hides behind some boxes. He looks around for a weapon. He pulls a rusty hatchet out of a pile of rubbish. Alice runs to his side. He moves the boxes from where the cat hides, the cat runs out, he raises the hatchet, Alice pushes against his arm. The cat gets away. Allen’s face is livid. He brings the hatchet down on Alice’s head. (Special 2). She drops to the floor, dead.
He stands and stares at her body for several moments. He drops the hatchet.

ALLEN
(dazed and subdued)
Alice?

B.O. Alice rises ghostlike and exits. Allen crosses to the prison.



Part 4:

Prison lights up. Allen stands before Craft.

ALLEN
At first I panicked. What was I to do with the body? I looked
around the basement for a place to hide her. But she would
surley be found. I thought about ways to get her out of the
building, but the risk of being seen was too great. I considered
cutting her up into tiny pieces and putting her out with the
trash, but that still did not seem to be practical. Then I came
upon an old fireplace that had been recently bricked up. The
mortar hadn't completely dried. The materials for the bricking
were still piled up in a corner. With some effort I was able to
dislodge a number of the bricks, creating a hole large enough
for me to place the body within the fireplace. I then rebricked
the hole. When I was finished there was no sign the bricks had
ever been disturbed. I cleaned up the mess that I had made...
including the blood.

Allen looks out the window, as Craft watches him.

ALLEN
The next day I went to the police station and reported Alice
missing. I had to wait forty-eight hours before they would look
into it.

Craft makes notes.

ALLEN
The black cat had vanished.
(beat)
The police asked me some questions.
Then a week went by.


Lights shift. Allen sits watching TV. There is a knock at the door. Allen rises, crosses to the door and opens it. There are two police detectives.

BORGES
Mr. Allen?

ALLEN
Yes?

BORGES
(flashing badge)
Detective Borges.
(points thumb at partner)
This is Detective Beaudelaire.

Allen steps aside, letting the detectives enter. While Borges concentrates on Allen, Beaudelaire looks around the room.

ALLEN
Have a seat.

BORGES
No thanks.

ALLEN
So, how can I help you?

BORGES
We’re following up on the report you made that your wife is
missing. Have you heard from her at all?

ALLEN
No, I’m afraid not.

BORGES
Well, we’d like to take a look around, if you don’t mind.

ALLEN
Of course I don’t mind. Anything I can do to help?

BORGES
You said before that none of her things were missing. Have
you noticed anything missing since then?

ALLEN
No, I don’t think so.
(then bright idea)
Oh, there is one thing. We had a cat. A black cat. I haven’t
seen him since Alice disappeared.

Borges pulls out a note pad and makes a note.

BORGES
We want to search the apartment. If you have any objections,
we can get a Search Warrant.

ALLEN
No, I won’t object. Do whatever you think necessary.

Beaudelaire starts a more thorough search.

BORGES
(looking at notes)
You stated you last saw your wife when she went to the store.
Is that correct?

ALLEN
Yes.

BORGES
Did you leave the apartment at all after she left?

ALLEN
No.

BORGES
Are you sure?

ALLEN
(hedging)
Well, I may have taken the trash out.

BEAUDELIRE
(finishes search)
There’s no sign of packing.

BORGES
Where do you put the garbage?

ALLEN
The trash cans are in the basement.

BORGES
Would you mind showing us?

ALLEN
Sure.

BEAUDELAIRE
Do you have access to the roof?

ALLEN
No. I was told it was locked up.

BORGES
Let’s go down then.

Allen leads the detectives out.


Lights shift. Allen and the two detectives descend the basement stairs. Beaudelaire begins looking around. Allen and Borges follow.

BORGES
We talked to some of your neighbors. They told us you have
quite a temper.

ALLEN
(looks at floor)
Yeah, I’m afraid I do.

BORGES
And you get violent?

ALLEN
I...uh...did throw things.

BORGES
Did?

ALLEN
Well, we haven’t been arguing lately.

BORGES
Did you ever hit her?

ALLEN
No, of course not! We just had arguements, and I would yell,
and...I sometimes would throw things.

BORGES
Things?

ALLEN
Just stuff. Ya know, books, magazines...

BORGES
Furniture?

ALLEN
No, no, nothing like that.

BORGES
Hmmm, I see.

BEAUDELAIRE
(shaking head)
This place is a mess.

ALLEN
Yah, really. It’s too bad too. It’s a good old building.

He stops in front of the bricked up fireplace.

ALLEN
They don’t make them like this anymore. Real solid.

He raps his key on the bricks, and smiles.

ALLEN
Prewar. They knew how to...

From within the fireplace comes a low moan which builds to a loud wailing. Allen and the detectives freeze. The wailing dies down, then begins again.

BEAUDELAIRE
What the fuck is that?!

BORGES
I don’t know, but let’s find out.

Borges looks around, sees the tools nearby

BORGES
(to Beaudelaire)
Grab that shovel.
(points to it)

Lights shift to prison.

ALLEN
The detectives broke open the fireplace, and found Alice's body
within. Upon her head sat...
(overwhelmed)
...the hideous demon cat. I had walled the thing up with the body.

Allen sits. Allen begins laughing, climbing to hysteria. Allen faces Craft, who writes notes.

ALLEN
That cat really did it to me.

CRAFT
(looking up from notes)
Do you believe the cat made you kill your wife?

ALLEN
He was a devil come to haunt me for my sins.

CRAFT
Your sins?

ALLEN
(musing)
Yes.
(beat)
It was a curse for killing my father.

CRAFT
(startled)
What?!

Allen strains a smile to himself. F.O.