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THE RESIDENTS'
THE VOICE OF MIDNIGHT
(Based on "Der Sandman" by E.T.A. Hoffman)
SCENE 1 - THE SANDMAN
CLAIRE
"Hi, it's Claire. I'm not home now, so please leave a message and I'll
get back to you as soon as I can."
NATE
"CLAIRE!  CLAIRE!  ARE YOU THERE?  ARE YOU THERE, CLAIRE?  IT'S HIM,
CLAIRE... IT'S HIM!  IT'S THE SANDMAN, CLAIRE!  I SAW HIM!  I, I JUST
SAW HIM FIVE MINUTES AGO! HE KILLED MYFATHER, AND, AND NOW HE'S COME
FOR ME!!!  He, he's got this little shop near the campus where he
sells used books and lab equipment to the students...  I, I know that
it's him...  I know that face!!!  And, and the way he walked...  I,
I'll never forget! NEVER!  AND, AND THOSE EYES!!!  THOSE EYES!!!  He,
he tried to fool me with those dark glasses, but I remember those
BEADY LITTLE INSECT EYES!!!  I KNOW!!!  I KNOW!!!  I know...  I, I...
I'm sorry.  I know this must sound really weird...  It's just, this
guy I saw...  It was the Sandman.  It has to be him...  Spring break is
next week, so, so...  I'll be home in a couple of days and tell you all
about it.  I, I'm sorry... I, I love you.  I love you, Claire."
NATE
He, he tried to steal my EYES when I was little...  Then he disappeared
after he killed my father...   I knew he'd be back.
NATE
"I was alone and so very small
I was alone and dreaming
I heard the hard footsteps in the hall
I heard my heart - screaming.
They were just friends, in my father's room
They were just friends, when he died
There was a voice talking to the moon
It was the voice of midnight."
SANDMAN
"The Sandman can,
The Sandman can,
Provide the serendipity
That turns delight into debris."
CLAIRE
"You surrendered self control when fantasy appeared
You call it truth and purity, butall I see is fear
There's nothing there that cares for silly children on the moon
There's nothing there but air, inhabited by you
You were just a little boy left in a lonely room
So you taught yourself to see asandman on the moon
You gave him the power that you never had
The power to be everywhere, the power to be bad."
NATE
"I was alone and lingering too long
I was alone and lonely."
NATE
"Oh, Claire! The idea of going on this picnic is, it's, it's just
PERFECT!  It's so great to spend some time together.
Just the two of us...
No distractions...
Away from everything...
I need you, Claire.
I need you...
I, I can't stop looking at your lips... and your eyes...
I have to kiss you, Claire...
I have to...
I have to."
SCENE 2 - MENTAL DECAY
NATE
"I guess maybe I lost the way
And maybe she's right to say
It may be mental decay - in me
She believes in honesty
She believes that we succeed
When we never overfeed - our dreams
I should believe in what I see
Should believe in her and me
Should believe in sanity
I do believe in sanity
I do believe in sanity
I do believe in sanity
I do believe in sanity
I'll think I'll write a poem to Claire ...that ...that's what I'll do.
"I feel a fire and see the empty-ness that was your sight
And sense a burning, boring penetration, leaking light
Surrounding me with heat and hopeless laughter, I am lost
Until I hear your voice imploring me to walk across
Life is a street, it's just a street and you're on the shadow side
Come over here
Come over here
And look into these eyes
They're still in me, yes, still and feeling peaceful, and desire
Nothing but you...  Nothing.
And so I let my soul absorb the love inside of me
And madly move beside the body you are offering
But as my gaze caresses you
I see your flesh is gray, lifeless, languid
And upon the threshold of decay
I long to look into your eyes, but they have turned into
Silent sockets of despair
Festooned with hair and goo
I look away, I look away
I look a way I've never looked before...  And cry."
CLAIRE
"You're disgusting!"
SCENE 3 - CLAIRE'S RESPONSE
SANDMAN
"The Sandman can,
The Sandman can,
The Sandman can,
Twist and turn the things that please us
Into a perfect pair of tweezers
Then he squeezes."
CLAIRE
"If this is a reflection of the affection in your heart
Then our ideas of love are an infinity apart
Your crude attempt at sentiment is odious and cold
And conceals the true condition of a damaged soul.
Something's hiding from you, Nate, it's puncture-proof and sealed
You need to separate your sickness from the love you feel
Go away and think about everything I said
Go away and sleep with eyeless shadow shapes instead - of me."
NATE
"I'm, I'm sorry, Claire.  I guessit was a pretty weird poem, but, but
I had this vision... Andit was honest, and passionate,and, and I guess
it was kind ofmean, too.  And yeah, you're right, of course...  There's
no Sandman.  It's ridiculous, you're right...  I, I don't know what I
was thinking...  I get soworked up sometimes...  I'm going back to
school now, Claire.  I'll talk to you soon.  I'm sorry...  I'm sorry."
SCENE 4 - IN THE DARK
NATE
"Hello.  Brad?  Hi.  SHIT! What's all that noise, Brad? I... I can
barely hear you! What?  WHAT???  My apartment house is on fire?  ON
FIRE?!?!  MY APARTMENT???  Yeah, yeah...  You got all my stuff out? 
Shit!  I mean, thanks, Brad, thanks...  What am I gonna do?  SHIT! I
mean thanks, Brad. What?  There's an empty room in your building?  And
you can move my stuff in there, shit, uh... Thanks, Brad, thanks... 
Yeah, I know where it is...  The train won't there for two more hours,
but I'll come straight over...  Shit!  I can't believe it!  Uh, thanks,
Brad, thanks, man... Thanks.
"So this is where I live now...  Weird...  I mean, I've got a nice
place, I leave town for a week, I come back and now I live somewhere
else...  Weird.  That looks like Professor Caligari across the
street...  I have him for biologythis year...  That must be his
house...  One of the windows upstairs is open.  It kind of looks like
someone is sitting there...  Just sitting there in the dark."
SANDMAN
"He sees someone moving
She's petting a snow white cat
She sits in the shadows
She sits in the dark"
SCENE 5 - PROFESSOR CALIGARI
NATE
"HEY, PROFESSOR CALIGARI! HEY!  Excuse me, it's Nate from your third
period class.  Uh, excuse me, but could you answer a question for me? 
Thanks, thanks...  Well, I have this astronomy class this semester,
lunar astronomy, actually, and, and I need a telescope.  Do you know
where I can get one cheap? You know, those new ones are so expensive,
and I thought maybe you might know of some place.  What? What was
that?  A little shop at the south end of campus?  Yeah, I know that
shop, but, but the guy that runs it, isn't he kind of... weird?  I
mean, I've seen him around and he seems like, really weird to me... 
What?  Oh, you say he'sa friend of yours?  And he's okay?  A little
eccentric at times... but he's okay... and heloves students...  Sells
equipment really cheap.  Yeah,okay, if you say so, professor...  Yeah,
okay, thanks...  Thanks Professor...  Oh Professor, is that your
daughter I see in that upstairs room?  She... doesn't seem to go out
very much...  Oh, she's shy...  Yeah, okay, thanks again Professor,
thanks again.
SCENE 6 - THE TELESCOPE
NATE
"Excuse me, mister, I need to buy a telescope.  Not a very strong one,
I'll mainly just be looking at the moon.  I, I can't afford to spend
very much.  Don't I know you?  You look really familiar to me... 
HAVEN'T I MET YOU SOMEWHERE?  A LONG TIME AGO?!?  No?  ARE YOU
SURE?!?!  Yeah, okay...  Let me see that one...  It's beautiful...  I
love the way it folds up so small, it even fits inmy pocket...  It
feels so nice inmy hand.  I guess it must be really expensive.  WHAT?
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  It can't bethat cheap!  Uh, I mean, I mean it's
really inexpensive forsuch quality...  Okay, yeah, I'll take it... 
Thanks, mister, thanks...  Uh, I'm sorry if I got so upset a minute
ago, it just that you, you remind me of someone.  Thanks again,
mister, goodbye.
"This thing is really cool, I can see everything...  It's, it's like
magic.  I can't wait to get home and look out the window."
SANDMAN
"Come to the window
Look through the glass
Come to the window
Tell me what you see"
NATE
"I see a hand caressing
A cat in the dark
It sits in the shadows
It touches my heart
It's beautiful"
SANDMAN
"Leaving land again he sucked himself into a hole
Sold himself a polar bear and turned it into gold
But it never suited him
And soon became so cold
That he found the ground around him had become a grassy knoll."
SCENE 7 - TRUE LOVE
NATE
"What's this?  It, it looks like aletter, but it's so formal looking.
It's an invitation to a party, for O-Olympia Cali-gar...  This must be
Professor Caligari's daughter, Olympia.  She, she must be the one I
keep seeing in the upstairs window! She, she's going to sing and she's
going to play the piano."
OLYMPIA
"Beautiful Dreamer, please sleep with me
Bask on a blanket of slumber so sweet
Welcome a world that never decays
And opens to ultimate love everyday
Beautiful Dreamer, King of my song
Pursue my passion with limitless need
Deep in a dream that's lovely and long
Beautiful dreamer, won't you sleep with me
Beautiful dreamer, won't you sleep with me.
Beautiful Dreamer, won't you sleep with me?
Beautiful Dreamer, won't you sleep with me, tonight?
Beautiful Dreamer, won't you sleep with me?"
OLYMPIA CHORUS
"Beautiful Dreamer, won't you sleep with us?
Beautiful Dreamer, won't you sleep with us, tonight?
Beautiful Dreamer, won't you sleep with us?
Beautiful Dreamer, won't you sleep with us?
Beautiful Dreamer, won't you sleep with us, tonight?
Beautiful Dreamer, won't you sleep with us?"
NATE
"Her eyes...  Her eyes seem tohave this power.  When I look into them,
it's almost like I canhear her thoughts.  I can hear her thoughts and
they're singing.  It's, it's the most beautiful voice in the world."
OLYMPIA
"Let the trees bend with the breeze
Let the waves defend the seas
Let our love appreciate that life is only borrowed
Let the lame have their disease
Let the truth have Socrates
Let our love become the grease that slides away from sorrow
Let the humble have their knees
Let the pinnacles be pleased
Let our love become the seedsthat turn into tomorrow."
NATE
"I guess, I guess even the Sandman must feel some kind of love...  I,
I'll bet it must be his children...  The Sandman probably really loves
his children."
SANDMAN
"Love is the feeling you get
Dropping eyeballs into
The mouths of hungry children.
Starving children raise emotions
Like rain raises weeds
Starving children feed the souls
of those that heed their needs
Starving children apply pressure
On a parent's mind
Starving children create pleasure
When they eat their eyes."
SANDMAN & NATE
"Love is a skeleton key
Unlocking a small room
Filled with darkness and hope."
SCENE 8 - SEVEN CATS
NATE
"I love my telescope...  And I love looking out my window with it at
night.  The moon is so close I can almost touch it, but, I can't see
Olympia tonight.  She's usually right there in her room, sitting, in
her calm and quiet way.  And her cat, that white cat, glowing like a
full moon...  He's always sleeping.  Sleeping right there in her lap.
There's a cat on a rooftop overme
There's a cat in a doorway under me
There's a cat in window by a tree
There's a cat and he's looking back at me
"But, but there's Olympia's cat...  He's up on the roof, peacefully
napping in the moonlight, and, and there's another cat...  Amazing!
 He looks just like the other one...  And, over there, in that
doorway, there's another one...  And they're identical...  How
strange.  And there's another...  And another...  Andanother, and
another, and another.
There's a cat and he's crying in the street
There's a cat and he's hiding quietly
There's a cat and he's not quite right I see
Seven cats and they look alike to me
"There's, there's someone coming up the street.  He, he'sall hunched
over, kind of sneaking along...  Like he doesn't want anyone to see
him, he's just slinking from shadow to shadow...
"Yeah, it kinda looks like the guy from that shop where I bought the
telescope...  Yeah, that's him, yeah I'm pretty sure that's him... 
What's the doing?  He, he's stopping in front of the Professor's
basement door.  He looks like he's - PICKING THE LOCK...  HE'S
BREAKING INTO THE PROFESSOR'S BASEMENT!  I, I'VE GOT TO STOP HIM!!!
I'VEGOT TO STOP HIM!!!
"HEY!! HEY YOU!!  HEY!! HEY!! OKAY!! STOP!!  STOP!! WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU
DOING?  WHAT' IS IN THAT BOX?  ALRIGHT! GIVE ME THAT!  GIVE ME THAT
BOX!!  THE BOX! THE BOX! IT'S FALLING!!  IT'S FALLING!!! HEY, COME
BACK HERE! HEY!! HEY!! WHAT IS THAT?  WHAT'S THAT I FEEL ON THE
GROUND...  It's so dark in here.  Oh, he he dropped his flashlight. 
Good, now I can see a little.  It lookslike the box came open... 
It's, it's EYEBALLS!!!  EYEBALLS ON THE FLOOR...  AND WHAT'S THAT??? 
It's A BODY...  It's OLYMPIA 'S BODY...  AND SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY
EYES!!!  SHE, SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY EYES!!!  What is this place, it
looks like some kind of a laboratory and THERE'S ALL THESE HEADS,
HEADS SITTING ON SHELVES...  HEADS, HEADS, HEADS, DOZENS OF HEADS... 
Eyeless heads...  And, they all, they all look... just... like...
Olympia, Olympia,Olympia, Olym...    oooooohhhhhhhh."
SANDMAN
"Sightless souls and they look alike, he saw
Sightless souls and they look alike, he saw
Sightless souls and they look alike, he saw
Sightless souls and they look alike, he saw
Sightless souls and they look alike, he saw
Sightless souls and they can't look back at all"
 NATE
"I saw some swollen seaweed surrounding me like eels
Coming from a cloudy mass of me that never heals
The mass became a blister bursting open and revealed
A dark and luscious liquid that became my favorite meal."
SCENE 9 - CATATONIA
CLAIRE
"Is it true? Is it true? Did Natereally attack his biology professor? 
WHY!?! WHY!?! WHY!?!"
NATE'S MOTHER
"The police...  The police...  The police said Nate attacked the professor
in the man's basement.  He was terribly confused...  Confused...
confused."
CLAIRE
"WHY?  WHY?  WHY?  Why would he?  WHY?  WHY? WHY?"
NATE'S MOTHER
"Nate was unconscious when the police arrived, Claire, but he, uh, had
his arms around a,a dress dummy, and, and he had knocked all these
mannequin heads on the ground...  And, and, apparentlytried to scratch
their eyes out...  But no one knows...  No one knows...  No one knows what
really happened."
CLAIRE
"How long has he been like this?"
NATE'S MOTHER
"A little over a week now...  Sometimes he wakes up, but there's no
one there...  No onethere...  No one there...  The doctor's say
there's nothing wrong with him, physically...  physically... 
physically... physically."
NATE
"Uuuuhhhhhh... uuuuuhhhhhhh... Mother?  Claire?  Is that you?  Where,
where am I?"
SANDMAN
"Sleep, sleep, just like a dog
Underneath a falling log
Sleep, sleep just like a rat
Napping next to a hundred cats
Sleep, sleep just like a child
Sleeping on a sofa while - his mother fades away."
SCENE 10 - THE PROPOSAL
Happy, Happy Birthday to Nate
Happy, Happy Birthday to Nate
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday Nate
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday Nate
Happy, Happy Birthday to Nate
Happy, Happy Birthday to Nate
Happy, Happy Birthday to NATE !
CLAIRE
"OH, NATE! It's so wonderful to see you happy again!  I wasafraid I'd
never see you like this again.  Your recovery, it's,it's almost a
miracle!"
SANDMAN
"They live for a while, they livefor a while
They live for a while and they wonder whether
All of the pain and all of the effort
Was worth it."
NATE
"Claire, it, it's been so wonderful being with you this past few
weeks...  I feel like a kind of darkness has been lifted, and the
light is shining in again...  And Claire, it's all because of you."
CLAIRE
"Why, thank you Nate, but I feel like you've been doing all the work
here.  It seems like you really want to come out into the light
again.  And that'sthe most important thing."
NATE
"I, I'm sure you're right, Claire...  But, but there's something,
there's something I need to ask you, something I've been thinking
about a lot.  Claire, will, will you, will you marry me? Will you,
Claire?"
CLAIRE
"Oh NATE!  Now, now that you've changed so much, of course.  Of course
I'll marry you."
SANDMAN
"The Sandman can,
The Sandman can,
The Sandman can
Make you sing and celebrate
The flowers that he irrigates
On your grave."
SCENE 11 - THE TOWER
CLAIRE
"Nate, you haven't said much since the wedding rehearsal started... 
Is something bothering you?"
NATE
"No, no, not really...  It's, it's just that getting married here on
your college campus makesme think about how I can't go back to school
now.  It, it bothers me a little...  But it's not your fault."
CLAIRE
"We could get married somewhere else if you want, ifit really upsets
you to be here..."
NATE
"No, no, it's okay, it's okay...  It's kind of cold in the shadow of
this big tower, though, why don't we take a break...  Let's climb the
tower.  It's still sunny at the top.  We can watch the sunset from up
there."
CLAIRE
"That's a great idea, Nate...  I,I've got something I'd like to talk
to you about anyway..."
SANDMAN
"The Sandman can,
The Sandman can,
Convince a soul that all is well
While it masturbates in hell"
NATE
"It's peaceful up here, Claire.  It's, it's nice to be able to look
down at the world, to watch the sky turn from day to night."
CLAIRE
"It is nice, Nate...  I've been wanting to talk, and you've been so
distant lately...  You see that hill over there, Nate?  The round one,
the onethat's kind of glowing in the sunset."
NATE
"Huh?  Uh, yeah...  Wait, I'll get my telescope out."
CLAIRE
"Does it remind you of anything Nate?"
NATE
"What do you mean, Claire?"
CLAIRE
"Well, does it remind you of something round, and full, thatfeels like
it might explode withnew life?  I'm pregnant, Nate...  We're going to
have a baby...  Twins actually, the doctor says it's going to be
twins.  Nate...  Nate...  Don't you have anything to say?  NATE! PUT THAT
TELESCOPE DOWN!   TALK TO ME!   TALK TO ME!"
NATE
"IT'S HIM!  IT'S HIM, ISN'T IT? YOU'VE BEEN WITH HIM! HOW COULD YOU DO
THIS TO ME CLAIRE?  HOW COULD YOU?"
CLAIRE
"I, I don't know what you mean Nate.  You look so strange...  What are
you talking about?"
NATE
"IT'S HIM!  IT'S HIM!  YOU BITCH!  YOU FUCKED HIM, DIDN'T YOU?"
CLAIRE
"NATE?  WHAT?  YOU'RE, YOU'RE GETTING TOO CLOSE,NATE!  NATE, YOU'RE
PUSHING ME TOWARDS THE RAILING!!!  NATE?  NATE!!!!"
NATE
"YOU...  YOU WANT TO HAVE HIS BABIES, DON'T YOU??!!!  HIS DEMON BABIES
WITH THEIR OWL BEAKS GOING SNAP-SNAP-SNAP! SNAP-SNAP-SNAP!"
CLAIRE
"NATE!!!  YOU'RE CRAZY, NATE!  STOP!  STOP!  NATE! YOU'RE CHOKING ME!
STOP!  YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME FALL!!  NATE!!!!  People are looking
up! STOP! STOP!!! STOP HIM SOMEONE!!! PLEASE!!!  STOP HIM!!!"
NATE
"I'LL STOP ALRIGHT!!!  I'LL STOP WHEN YOU'RE BOTH DEAD!!!  WHO, WHO
ARE YOU CALLING?  IT'S HIM!! HE'S DOWN THERE, ISN'T HE?  IT'S HIM... I
SEE HIM...  He's looking up at us...  HE'S LAUGHING...  HE'S
LAUGHING...  HE'S LAUGHING AT ME!!!  I'LL KILL HIM!!!  I'LLKILL
HIM!!!! I'LL KILL HIM!!! I'LL KILL HIM!!! I'LL..."
SANDMAN
""The Sandman can,
The Sandman can,
The Sandman can,
Turn emotions in meat,
Consequently when he eats
The taste is sweet."
SCENE 12 - EPILOGUE
CLAIRE
"Boys, I'm going to be out for a while...  You'll be staying with your
grandmother, but I want you to take a nap, you understand?  As soon as
I leave, she'll put you to bed and tell you a story, but I wantto go
straight to sleep...  Straight to sleep...  Do you understand?"
NATE'S MOTHER
"Boys! Come here, come over here, boys.  Climb up here on the bed and
old granny will tellyou a story.  SNAP! SNAP! Oh, did you hear that
sound, boys?  SNAP! SNAP! Did you hear that sound?  That's the sound
of THE SANDMAN'S BABIES!!! That's the sound they make with their
little owl beaks when they think they're about to eat SOME
EYEBALLS!!!  That's all they eat, you know...The Sandman's babies only
eateyeballs... Eyeballs of bad children..."
(C) 1972-2010 The Cryptic Corporation