Pinner Writers - Playwriting Scene Exercise by Subrata Saha.

 Scene 1

It is dark and rain is drumming on the stone-washed path. There is not a sound, apart form the pitter-patter of the rain. 

Footsteps can be heard splashing in puddles but  noone is there. 

Simon is waiting in  a dimly lit London car park in the rain. 

Simon:- (shouts out into the dark) “Where are you? I can’t see you in this rain”. 

Invisible Man:- “I am everyone and nowhere”.

Simon:- “Stop mucking around and show yourself”. 

Invisible Man ( gives a hearty laughter):- “I will show myself, until you show me the money”.

Simon pulls out a large brown envelope stuffed with cash, partly from his raincoat pocket. 

Simon:- “Here it is. Now show yourself”. 

The Invisible Man show his face in the rain, with a brimmed round hat. 

Simon:- “Stop this. Its strange seeing a head with no body”. 

Invisible Man:- “It rather fun”. The Invisible Man puts out his hand ( with no arm) and gestures Simon, to give him the money. 

Simon:- “Not so fast. I want your word that you will not stand as a witness to the robbery I was involved in. Noone will believe you anyway. You weren’t even there. You not even on CTVV  camera.”

Invisible Man begins to tutt, tutt. 

Invisible Man:- “Yes, but I have proof of a photo that I took of you exiting the Lavender Club. And it can be authenticated. Really Simon, you should have kept your hoodie on”. 

Simon:- “There is nothing to tie me to the crime. You give me the photo and I will give you the cash”. 

Simon remembered the photo flash in the dark, when the Invisible Man took that photo of him exiting the Lavender Club’s stolen stash from the their safe. 

Invisible Man:- “Money first”. 

Simon hands the envelope over. The Invisible Man begins to count the monies and we can now see both his head and two hands. 

Invisible Man:- “Yes its all there”. 

The Invisble man hands over the photo and negative and Simon produces a gun and fires at the Invisible Man. Instaneouly the Invisible Man disappears. He begins to laugh. Simon fires more bullets into the rain, in a haphazard manner. 

Simon ( anxious) :” Where are you? You piece of sh*t?”

Invisible Man:- “You fool. The FBI and CIA cannot catch me. And you think you can? I have more copies of the photo and its negatives. Thanks for the monies. It will come in handy. I have already e-mailed your photo to the police and let them know your location”

We hear police sirens in the rain. Simon begins to run but he has been caught. 

We then hear footsteps walking away. The Invisible Man is pleased with his night’s work.

Subrata Saha

30-30-30

Sonnets By Subrata Saha

 Whale Sonnet 

Beautiful whales of the deep blue oceans,

Keepers of the secrets of the high seas.

Swimming in unison and with motion, 

They migrate long journeys, with simple ease. 

With their fluke tail, they wave to all of us, 

They blow  rainbow water vapour up high.

They eat krill and fishes with little fuss,

And sing soothing melodies with a sigh.

Hunted to extinction, to mankinds shame ,

The have survived and prevalied, come what may. 

We only have humanity to blame, 

A sad story at the end of the day. 

Whales swim free with your heart and your spirit,

Love to our seas and all that is in it. 

By Subrata Saha 

Jan 2024  30-30-30

 

Orchid Sonnet 

Ochids beauty are rare, divine and pure

Delicately held by their stems and leaves.

They radiate, bright colours of allure ,

Leaving ones senses, to see and perceive. 

A flower symbol of virility,

A botanists haven dream come so true.

With vitality and fertility,

It blooms fully with love, romance , on cue.

Do not wither away, oh sweet orchids

The many colours and varied species,

It would sadden our hearts, that we forbid. 

A possibility not to conceive.

Please propagate the next generation. 

Of your most breathtaking, sweet creations. 

Jan 2024

By Subrata Saha 30-30-30 

Flowers On The Path

 As I walk by,  I see beautiful flowers in the rays of sunshine. They are at a foot of a tree and yet most people will not notice them. They hide in the shade and yet beauty can be found in the most unlikely of places, if you know where to look….

The colours are of two shades of pink. The centre of the flowers are a dark fushia pink, with light pink petals surrounding the stigma. Each flower seems to plead to a passerbys, “Please see me and enjoy my beauty”. 

I bend down and smell the flowers scent. I wonder the latin names for these blooms of nature. The smell is gorgeous. No bee can resist their nectar. 

Its time for me to move on. I quickly take a picture of these flowers on my I-phone. I want to preserve this vision for a long time. Nature is the the best artist ever and a marvel to behold.

Subrata Saha

30-30-30

When I Am Cleaning Windows

 When I Am Cleaning Windows

I look at the glass, 

Grimy with dirt,

Cleaner, cloth and merrygolds in hand,

I look forward to my task. 

Windows should be clear, 

Like my soul, 

See-through and transparent, 

Letting in sunlight and moonlight,

Into a darkened home. 

I begin my task at hand, 

Spraying the cleaner, 

Wiping away the stains and smudges, 

Of every surface and corner,

From each season offerings and bird droppings…

Job done and “well done”!.

I feel satisfied,

The sun gleams off the clean glass, 

The clouds reflect off the surface. 

Now feet up, time for a cuppa.

I sit at my kitchen table and enjoy my garden view. 

Subrata Saha (May 2020). 

30-30-30

My Diary Entry During Codi19 Pandemic 13/04/2020

My Diary Entry During Codi19 Pandemic 13/04/2020

Looking out of the window, during Easter Bank Holiday, everything seems so normal.

The sun is out and the garden grass is green. The pear tree is in full blossom and bluebells and pansies, daisies dot the garden with their fragile beauty. The birds are singing in the trees. It is a beautiful spring day.

However this year, I did not feel like going out to enjoy the scenery. A helpless feeling came over me, that the world outside no longer seems familiar to me. It felt like the very air had been poisoned.

“Isolation” “social distancing” “lockdown” now make up a part of my vocabulary that was never there before. Its feels like I am trapped in an island of my own home.

Why is this happening? And why now? Mother Earth is teaching are valuable lessons. Mainly we should appreciate her, because humankind treatment and disrespect of the world had been going on for too long.

I continuously pray for those who have passed and for their families and friends. I also pray for those to recover.

However, I am keeping strong for me and my family. Helping with online shop. Staying up at 1am or 2am in the morning to get a delivery slot. I got one for the 20/4/2020 and just felt so grateful to God, grateful to the people stocking our supermarkets and the delivery people delivering to our doors. I always say thankyou to them and show gratitude. I am not getting the brands that I usually have, but I really don’ t care. Just grateful to have something to stock our larders.

Our neighbourhood did clap for the NHS workers, keyworkers, teachers, people providing daily service, postmen and women, the milkmen and women, people stocking our supermakets, delivery people and civil servants. It was so humbling to see people clap and be able to show gratitude.

I did meditation and yoga this morning. This helps with my anxiety and I do try and sit by the window to absorb the natural sunlight. I had vitamin D this morning and oranges. I must keep my immune system boosted. I more health conscious then before.

I keep cleaning and doing household chores. Mundane tasks must go on even in the wake of CODI 19. I am improving my cooking skills and want to learn how to make spinach pancakes and cream of vegetable soup----yummy. I have a new found enthusiasm. I have found joy in housework?

Spoke to the neigbour from my bedroom window. I just said “Hi, How are you doing?” The neighbours are helping each other. There is a new found solidarity among us. We have time for each other and for our families and friends.

I hope I can go out eventually into the garden. This pandemic is finally teaching the humanrace the real values in life. Subrata. x

The Green Maiden

Inspired from the photos sent to the PInners Writers Group.

The Green Maiden

Walking through the countrypark with my rucksack and hiking boots, I follow the path through the woods.

As I trudge through the woodland path, I smell all the wondrous woodland smells. It so earthy, vitalising and alive. There are wild flowers coming into bloom and green shoots pushing through the soil. Lush green leaves appearing on tree branches and spring blossoms appear to welcome spring.

As I walk along, my mind wonders to the local myth of The Green Maiden. She apparently haunts these woods and is the caretaker of this sacred place. I wonder if she really exists?

There is a small green bronze sculpture dedicated to her. I quicken my pace. I really would like to see the sculpture up close again. I soon discover her in the midst of a grove of trees and I feel a feminine kinship with her. She must exist. I feel her strong presence among the flora and fauna. She is the guardian of the this amazing place.

Her sculpture is covered in lifelike green leaves and she stands in a graceful pose. Arms outstreched, as if in a graceful ballad dance. She a nymph of this forest.

Oh, I would love to see a real glimpse her if she existed.Even just for a moment or a second. It would be a memory imprinted on my mind.

I feel guided to walk to the pond near by. I really need a drink. I bring out my cannister of water from my rugsack and take a few sips of water.

I admire the view before me. The sunlight is rippling over the moving waters and beautiful water lillies are beginning to open their petals. I catch a glimpse of a heron, seated on a branch. He is not fishing today thats for sure. He looks straight at me and then beyond me.

I look over my shoulder to where the heron is looking and then I feel a breeze on my face. I hear what seems like a whisper and then I hear the word “Hello”. I look up the woodland path and I am sure noone else is there. I am all alone.

I leave my spot and walk back up the path and stop by a small brook. I look up at the woodland canopy. They say that if you stand under the trees, the trees release aromatherapy oils that helps with anxiety. I look up and breathe in the oil vapours.

I look down and there she is...the Green Maiden. I am totally transfixed. She is beautiful, dressed in a green gown and her hair tied up in a bun. She says “Hello” and then she is gone. She vanishes before my eyes.

Could I have been dreaming? I take a deep breath and rub my eyes. Something magical has just happened, I am sure of it. She really does exist. She is not a myth or an illusion. But does not eveything starts off as a dream and then become a reality?

I decide I will come back tomorrow to hike and I will look for The Green Maiden again. I want to see her again. I go home with anticipation and excitement. I do hope she finds me again tomorrow. I can’t wait! Subrata. x

Beating Heart Of Britian - The NHS Workers

Beating Heart Of Britian - The NHS Workers

( A poem to pay my respect to the NHS for helping us through the Coronavirus 19 pandemic)

Selfless and courageous,

Our NHS workers are our heroes.

The beating heart of Britain,

Saving lives in a time of great crisis.

The virus has hit the hardest,

Merciless, a hidden enemy,

We are fighting with all our might.

Our NHS workers on the front line,

Holding our light.

Holding the nation’s light,

All of them,

Doctors,

Nurses,

Medics,

Scientists,

Porters,

Careworkers,

Cooks and many more,

Helping patients, families and friends,

To fight the darkness evermore.

Alway on standby,

Ready to take action,

24/7 of love and care,

Knowing the vow of life is sacred.

Loving support for the bereaved,

Dignity for those who have passed.

Sharing in our pain and happiness,

Angels of the heart.

Our gratitude is no bounds,

Our clapping for you is endless,

Thankyou to our NHS workers for all you do,

To keeping Britain’s heart beating,

And not let it break in two.

By Subrata Saha ( April 2020).