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| [Music up: Scriabin. The Performer and the Perfectionist enter. The Prodigy stands off to one side, facing away from them, still recovering from the horror of his fishing expedition.] | |
| PERFECTIONIST: | The uncomfortable throne, the hostile ocean that brims with life, the mind caught in the net of its own thinking - I have another line of questioning. |
| PERFORMER: | Play ball. |
| [The Puritan enters carrying a baseball and glove. He is still shaken by events in the previous variation. He moves toward the Prodigy, looking for an opening. The Perfectionist and the Performer carry on unaware.] | |
| PERFECTIONIST: | If this person ran for office. |
| PERFORMER: | Sorry, I don't run. It's against my nature. |
| PERFECTIONIST: | Not a political bone in your body? |
| PERFORMER: | Indirect questions only, please. |
| [The Puritan thwacks ball into glove. The Prodigy turns, sees the Puritan for the first time.] | |
| PURITAN: | [as Larry] You're Glenn Gould, the piano player. |
| PRODIGY: | I am. And who are you? |
| LARRY: | Larry. I coach little league over at the park. The Cardinals. The lads talk about you. |
| PRODIGY: | I'll bet they do. |
| PERFECTIONIST: | Let me put it this way then, if I were a political figure with whom our mystery guest identified ... ? |
| LARRY: | It must be pretty rough. |
| PRODIGY: | What do you mean? |
| PERFORMER: | Okay, I'll just say it. Ghandi. |
| LARRY: | I hear they call you 'Ears'. |
| PERFECTIONIST: | [thinking] Ghandi. Ghandi. Ooo, the forkball. |
| PRODIGY: | I-I have rather prominent ears. |
| PERFORMER: | Think about what he lived face to face with. |
| LARRY: | I told them you were brave. For doing what you're doing. |
| PERFECTIONIST: | Death. Ghandi lived face to face with death. |
| PRODIGY: | Brave people stand in front of bullets. I'm afraid that's not my style. |
| [He turns away from the Puritan again. The Puritan bangs ball into mitt, waiting for another opening.] | |
| PERFORMER: | Now examine if you will his vocabulary of responses to that situation. Good gracious, why am I giving you all these clues? |
| PERFECTIONIST: | Your insatiable need to please. The Performer's perversity. |
| PERFORMER: | A perversity which you have relinquished, I suppose ... |
| PERFECTIONIST: | A perversity which I have learned to transcend ... |
| LARRY: | Have you told your mother you're quitting school? |
| PRODIGY: | Who said I was quitting school? |
| LARRY: | My ... ah ... my short-stop. |
| PERFECTIONIST: | ... let me see, Ghandi's response to death ... |
| [The Prodigy turns half around.] | |
| PRODIGY: | I-I'm thinking about it. |
| PERFECTIONIST: | Passive resistance! |
| LARRY: | Are you frightened? |
| PRODIGY: | Why all these questions? |
| LARRY: | Animal curiosity. I'd like to know ... what you know. |
| PRODIGY: | I-I see no reason for fear. |
| LARRY: | It's a big world out there. You only have Grade Eleven. |
| PRODIGY: | I have ... other things. |
| [He turns away again.] | |
| PERFECTIONIST: | [thinking] An uncomfortable throne. A hostile ocean that brims with life. A pacifist politician. Beware, my friend, the tumblers have begun to click ... |
| LARRY: | But will what you have be enough? |
| PRODIGY: | What do you mean? |
| LARRY: | So much can happen in a life. Will what you have be enough to sustain you over the ... the long haul? |
| PERFORMER: | [taunting] Click. Click. |
| PRODIGY: | I-I can't answer that question. |
| LARRY: | You must. |
| PRODIGY: | Why? |
| LARRY: | Because ... because ... it's hard to describe - it's ... |
| [He conducts himself, thinking. The Perfectionist faces the Performer with new assurance.] | |
 | |
| PERFECTIONIST: | I see you. The game is the lense of my camera. |
| [He and the Performer move eye to eye.] | |
| Click. | |
| LARRY: | [finding the words] - it's that you'll look back on these days for the rest of your life. You're setting a personal standard for bravery. |
| PRODIGY: | Sir, I am not brave. I'm even afraid of that baseball ... |
| PERFECTIONIST: | [musing] You're afraid of me, aren't you? |
| LARRY: | [extending ball and glove] Catching it with the bare hands? |
| PERFORMER: | Hardly ... |
| PRODIGY: | I've never done it. |
| LARRY: | Really, quite horrifying. I've never done it either. |
| PRODIGY: | I thought you said you coached. |
| LARRY: | I do. It's ... it's my way of addressing the fear. |
| PERFECTIONIST: | Raw, animal fear. [turning away from Performer] You can't fool me. You have been seen. |
| LARRY: | Want to have a go? |
| PRODIGY: | I suppose I should be able to say I once caught a ball. |
| LARRY: | It would be nice, just once, to throw one. |
| [He winds up. Ready to throw. The Prodigy holds out his hands. Both of them are afraid. The Perfectionist wheels around.] | |
| PERFECTIONIST: | Okay, high fast ball. Lenny Bernstein. |
| PERFORMER: | Bernstein? Why Bernstein? |
| PERFECTIONIST: | Lenny is a pacifist who'd never run for office. I saw him run for a cab once. Not pretty. |
| PERFORMER: | I'm going to give you a huge clue. I want you to think about it before we play the game again. |
| [The Puritan and the Prodigy are still trying to throw the ball. It's agonizing.] | |
| 'Transcending human experience'. | |
| [The Puritan throws a feeble dribbler - they both turn away. The ball misses the Prodigy entirely. They turn slowly toward one another - is it over yet?] | |
| PERFECTIONIST: | Transcending human experience ... |
| PRODIGY: | Does that count? |
| LARRY: | Of course it counts. |
| PRODIGY: | Nice talking to you ... |
| LARRY: | Where you headed? |
| PRODIGY: | North. |
| LARRY: | Godspeed ... . |
| [Lights fade. Another note from the ground bass.] |