SCENE  3 --  The Feingold living room, the same scene as behind the scrim earlier, with the doctor and Elena, and now with two demons added.  One, using a Viennese accent, reads aloud over the doctor’s shoulder, doubling over with mirth.

                                                                                   DEMON

"Thus the act of eating is a destruction of the object with the

final aim of incorporating it, and the sexual act is an act of

aggression having as its purpose the most intimate union."

Raising his eyes to look at his granddaughter, Dr. Feingold asks why she’s so dressed up. She says it’s because Father John is coming over.

                                                                                   DOCTOR

He's been coming here for years.  We discuss many things together.  Since     when do you dress up for him?

ELENA

Who else for?  He's the only man my age you ever let come here.  Besides, I want to marry him.

A SPECIAL DISPENSATION

I DON T CARE IF HE IS CLERGY

I DON'T CARE IF HE IS OLD

THAT HE WEARS A SILVER CRUCIFIX

AND I A STAR OF GOLD

HE'S THE MAN I WANT TO MARRY

AND SOME DAY WE WILL ELOPE

WITH A SPECIAL DISPENSATION

FROM THE POPE.

 OTHER  FELLAS ARE JUST FOOLIN

WHEN THEY PROMISE ME THE SKY

IF I GAVE 'EM WHAT THEY WANT

THEY'D SOON BE WAVING  ME GOODBYE

BUT THERE'S A MAN I KNOW

WHO'D NEVER LEAVE ME IN THE LURCH

WITH A SPECIAL DISPENSATION

FROM HIS CHURCH.

WHEN I AM OLDER

I CAN WORRY ALL DAY LONG

ASK A MILLION QUESTIONS

SING ANOTHER SONG

BUT NOW I AM YOUNG

AND MY HEART IS BEATING FREE

I KNOW THE MAN I LOVE

WILL MARRY ME

THERE ARE WAYS FOR LOVE TO TRIUMPH

OVER ALL THE RULES OF MAN

AND IF THERE’S A GOD IN HEAVEN

HE WILL HELP US ALL HE CAN

THEN ONE DAY MY LOVE WILL NAIL

UPON THE DOOR POST OF OUR HOME

THAT WONDERFUL CREATION

THAT SUPER CELEBRATION

THAT SPECIAL DISPENSATION

FROM HIS HOLINESS IN ROME

THAT SPECIAL DISPENSATION FROM THE POPE

(Hugging her doll, she sits on the floor)

DEMON

Very pretty.  You tell it like that to Father John and we'll wrap up this operation in twenty-four hours.

The demon takes the phone cord and dials an imaginary number in the air.  The phone next to the doctor/sheriff  rings.  We hear demon babble.

                                                 DOCTOR

“Sheriff Feingold here. [demon babble] What’s that?  A prisoner has what?”  He breaks off so as not to alarm Elena, but she has heard and guessed that a prisoner has escaped.

Father John arrives followed by Tanya (invisible to him in her blue demon outfit).

When Elena and John see each other, the doctor notices the two are visibly attracted to each other, and he becomes jealous.  He tells John about the escaped convict and shows him a gun he keeps in a drawer – to protect Elena.  John gets the message. 

Tanya, vexed to see the attraction between John and Elena, grabs the fart bellows and makes Elena fart.  The embarrassed girl flees from the room.  When she’s gone, John asks the doctor what psychiatrists recommend for fire in the flesh.

DOCTOR

You mean feelings of sexual desire?

JOHN

Yes.  Is there a remedy?

DEMON 1

Whatever it is, Tanya'11 take some too.

(TANYA strikes him with her broomstick)

DOCTOR

(Ponders a moment.)

Castration would be going a little far?

  JOHN (dryly)

Yeah.  It would take all the fun out of self-flagellation.

DOCTOR

Not bad.  Uh...nocturnal emissions aren't helping?

JOHN

I haven't had any since I moved to Connecticut.

DOCTOR

And you don't....

(He makes a brief masturbating motion with his hand.)

JOHN

No, no.

DOCTOR

(Ponders a moment.)

I've got it!  Sublimation.

DEMONS

Sublimation?

DOCTOR

                         SUBLIMATION (Sung here by the composer)

JOHN I FIND IT QUITE AMAZING

THAT A MAN OF YOUR PERSUASION

CAN CONFESS TO SUCH DESPAIR

I WOULD THINK THAT CONSTANT PRAYING

WOULD FACILITATE OBEYING

AND PREVENT YOUR EVER STRAYING

TOWARD A COMMON LOVE AFFAIR.

JOHN

I'M STILL A MAN

AND CAN FEEL WHAT OTHER MORTALS FEEL

BURNING DESIRE

ALL NIGHT LONG A MUSIC FILLS MY HEAD

IT TORTURES ME AND TURNS MY FLESH TO FIRE.

DOCTOR

WELL I THINK THAT SUBLIMATION

SHOULD PRODUCE A DISSIPATION

OF THE ENERGY YOU STORE

LEFT ALONE THIS CONFLAGRATION

COULD RESULT IN STIMULATION

OR A KIND OF PENETRATION

THAT IT NEVER DID BEFORE.

BEFORE YOU GO TO BED AT NIGHT

YOU OUGHT TO JOG TEN MILES AT LEAST

OR PLAY A TENNIS GAME

WITH ANY OTHER MINISTER OR PRIEST.  NOW REPEAT... 

JOHN

BEFORE I GO TO BED AT NIGHT

I OUGHT TO JOG TEN MILES

DOCTOR

AT LEAST

JOHN

AND DO YOU REALLY THINK

THAT THIS ACTIVITY

CAN EVER SET MY BURNING BODY FREE?

DOCTOR

YOU MUST BE A MAN OF VIRTUE

SUBLIMATION CANNOT HURT YOU
 

JOHN

THEN THERE'S NOTHING MORE TO SAY

I WILL JOG TEN MILES TODAY

(The song fades into TANYA'S  theme.  JOHN

grabs his head in pain as she dances ecstatically

around him»)

 DEMON 1

MAN IT REALLY LAYS ONE ON YA

WHEN OUR LITTLE SISTER TANYA

FOR A MORTAL MAN CAN SIGH

ONE WOULD THINK THAT CONSTANT HATING

WOULD RESULT IN TERMINATING

ANY APPETITE FOR MATING

WITH AN ORDINARY GUY.

DEMONS

                                                                                                                         (to Tanya)

BEFORE YOU MAKE A PROMISE TO

OBEY THE DEVIL THINK IT THROUGH

BECAUSE A SIGN OF SIMPLE LECHERY

COULD BE A TREACHERY.   SO YOU SEE

DEMONS                                                   DOCTOR

BEFORE YOU MAKE A PROMISE TO                     BEFORE YOU GO TO BED AT NIGHT

OBEY THE DEVIL THINK IT THROUGH                 YOU OUGHT TO JOG TEN MILES AT LEAST

BECAUSE A SIGN OF SIMPLE HUMAN LECHERY                     JOHN

COULD BE INTERPRETED AS TREACHERY          AND DO YOU REALLY THINK

THAT THIS ACTIVITY

CAN EVER SET MY BURNING BODY FREE?

DEMON  1                                                 DOCTOR

MAKING LOVE IS NOT A VIRTUE                             MAKING LOVE IS NOT A VIRTUE

FORNICATION IT SHOULD HURT YOU                     FORNICATION IT COULD HURT YOU

DEMONS / DOCTOR/ JOHN

          SO A BETTER DEMON BE/ SO A BETTER PERSON BE/ I'LL A BETTER PERSON BE    

                                                 ALL  TOGETHER

           AND REJOICE ETERNALLY                                                     

JOHN

    Oh, God!

(TANYA's theme music breaks through.  She dances wildly as the DEMONS push and shove.

JOHN jogs out the door with TANYA and the two DEMONS jogging happily after him.  When they're gone, ELENA, looking pensive, sits on the floor.  The DOCTOR looks fondly down at her. 

DOCTOR

OF TIME AND THE TIDE (Sung by the composer)

THE YEARS HAVE GONE BY SO FAST, SO FAST

LIKE WAVES ON THE SAND

YESTERDAY YOU WERE A LITTLE GIRL

HOLDING YOUR GRANDPA'S HAND

YES TIME AND THE TIDE HAVE COME AND GONE

OH WHERE HAVE THEY GONE?

YESTERDAY I WAS A CAREFREE BOY

SINGING ALOUD MY SONG

SINGING FOR ALL OF THE LAND TO HEAR

ECHOING FAR, TO THE HILLS, TO THE SEA

SEEKING TRUTH, FINDING LOVE...

SO WE MARRIED, HAD SOME CHILDREN TOO

ALL THE JOYS THAT MARRIAGE GIVES

WERE MINE AS THEY GREW

THEN ONE DAY THEY WENT AWAY

AND LIFE WAS SO EMPTY OF

ALL I KNEW AND ALL I'D HAD

YOU'RE ALL THAT I'VE LEFT TO LOVE

CAN YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL?

AH, TIME AND THE TIDE HAVE COME AND GONE

OH WHERE HAVE THEY GONE?

WAS IT AN ANGEL THAT CAME TO EARTH

TAKING MY LOVED ONES HOME?

WAS IT AN ANGEL THAT SPREAD HIS WINGS?

I MUST BELIEVE ALL I LOVED, ALL MY JOY

HAS NOT GONE WITH THE TIDE

LITTLE GIRL YOU'RE ALL MY LIFE

ALL THAT I'VE LEFT TO LOVE.