Unjudged....

I believe the seraphicness inside me is dead.

Act 1 Scene 1. 

(The stage-effects, crew are all in place)

Enter the jury, the lawyers and spectators rise

Judge 1: Bring in the culprit

Enter culprit bearded, with a sluggish gait revering the ultimate guilt.

The anguished but tranquillized being having lost all its nimbleness looks for refuge at the bar and finally sits adjacent to his attorney.

Prosecutor: milord may I have the permission to call the culprit in the witness box.

Judge 1: Permission granted.

Culprit lurches towards the witness box.

Prosecutor: milord the culprit here stands for committing the most severe crime, the crime of dishonoring and hurting another being.

Defense attorney: objection milord the culprit (pun) never had the intention of doing this.

Judge 1: objection overruled.

Prosecutor: Thank you milord. Defense is making baseless objections. Milord the culprit knowing the fact that his actions would create problems for him as well as those connected to him, sinned and that to while staying amongst the masses.

(The culprit’s eyes are wandering here and there. The victim is nowhere to be found.)

The culprit has no right to perform such anti-social deeds. Behind this burnished civility lies dysfunctional sensitivity.

Defense attorney: objection milord prosecution has given plethora of adjectives.

Judge 1: objection sustained.

Prosecution: milord the case is clear culprit should be given corporal punishment and should be…

Defense attorney: objection milord I am amazed at the perfunctory ways of litigation by the prosecution.

Judge 1: objection sustained.

Prosecution: that’s all milords.

Judge2: The defense may proceed.

(The ignoble culprit stoops under the weight of fine nuances and accusations.)

Defense attorney: (addressing the jury) Look at his eyes filled with remorse. The culprit (pun) has already suffered his part of the punishment given by the society. The incessant reminder of a deed whose consequences were then unknown to the culprit (pun again) has terrified him already. Had he a premonition regarding the outcome of his actions, he would never have hurt anyone. Milord the once impregnable soul is now ruptured completely. The guilt has been honeycombed into his temple.

My very intelligent friend over here suggests a verdict involving corporal punishment and (sighs, unable to say further). The only choice left is to impale him but I ask all of you (turning towards the spectators) does this verdict seem justified.

Jibber-jabber starts amongst the spectators. The jury calls an ad-hoc meeting in the jury box itself.

Five minutes later

Judge 2: order-order. Listening to both sides of the story the ideas and facts of defense attorney seem weak. The court gives one more chance to the culprit. The court is adjourned till the next dream.

Act 1 Scene 2. 

(Inside culprit’s mind)

The random thoughts inside of him are not at a rapport. On one hand a distant laughter seeming feminine jeers at him, lurid flames seem to agonize him. On the other hand is a misty forest cloven by a creek, a deer quenches itself with the pure and cool water of the creek. The forest wind wooshing around him sings to him. Clear skies above sway him to fly far from all of this to the places never frequented.

Act 2 Scene 1. 

(Court scene)

Judge 2: defense may begin

Defense attorney: Thank you milords. As we gathered here yester-dream to judge whether my client here is culprit or not, continuing from where we left. Milords my client did but a grave mistake depending upon a fallacious hope that the civil-society (not of annas or babas) will not add fuel to fire. That which could have been sorted between the culprit (pun) and victim was brought out into open, created a mountain out of a mole hill. Milord it’s the masses who are equally to blame and not my client alone. Milords I would like to ask for mercy because the culprit’s soul is fragile and a small splinter of emotional torture could shatter it.

Prosecution: objection milords, the court doesn’t work on sympathies.

Judge 2: objection sustained. Is there anything left for defense to mention?

Defense attorney: milords, what is done cannot be undone. I have nothing to add.

Humming amongst the jury members is heard. Judge 3 rises.

Judge 3: keeping in mind all the facts and pleads. The jury hereby declares that the man standing in this very box did commit the crime but hearing the pain and suffering he experienced I feel that he has already received his part of punishment and no further punishment is to be given to him. But if the culprit goes unpunished the credibility of this institution will become questionable hence 5 whiplashes to be inscribed on the culprit’s torso.

Judge 2: The court is adjourned.

(The crowd disperses sounds are heard that the punishment wasn’t just some say it was a harsh judgment.)