Sartre’s Way to Heaven

Jean-Paul Sartre's work was once scrutinized in Nazi Germany. Today in Iraq he is banned completely. This is a sequel to his work No Exit. While not a book is a play rewritten as a novel this is my take on the reverse of his philosophy.

No Exit [a continuation] On a Satre’s way to Heaven.

3 Individuals are present in an empty space. There seems to be an endless pathway in each and every direction. All around is an indistinct emptiness, yet it is not foreboding. The individuals are not facing one another but staring out into the limitless horizon. Rios, Anna, and Melain are transfixed at the beauty of the place, but do not dare move or make a sound until Anna breaks the silence.

Anna: What a view [Rios and Melain are startled turning around. Anna is still facing away.]

Rios: Ah! Both of you, and here I was startled to know anyone was here at all!

Melain: Indeed, but I am glad to know I am not alone.

Rios: I’ll admit, even though I am a solitary figure it pleases me that I will not spend eternity alone.

Melain: Eternity? Why, doesn’t that sound fascinating, yet, at the same time devastating. All those years spent on the withering dust to become dust oneself.

Rios: To me it is a relief. [Anna, who is still silent walks out a bit, but hesitant looking out with some form of yearning.]

Anna: I thought I would meet them.

Rios: My dear, whom do you mean? Melain: Isn’t it obvious? People we’ve proceeded. Our loved ones. I also thought I’d see… well Him. I fear to think what that may mean, for me and for us.

Rios: It seems though we are in a much better place than Catholic Hell. More like the Greek’s Elysium.

Anna: [Turns around, teary eyed, barely speaking] Is that much better? All I see is an endless nothingness. [All are silent for a bit, looking around for something, anything, that would indicate they were somewhere better than before.]

Rios: Well, I have often thought Elysium to be quite cruel, but deserving an end to those who’ve done nothing with their lives. Perhaps… well, I’d like to think I did enough, but…

Anna: That is one thing I am free to admit… The things I’ve done with my life, now that I think upon them, I can’t recall much of anything.

Melain: That can’t possibly be true… For me it is all so clear, what I have done, what I haven’t. Oh, like a film constantly being unwound and rewound. I haven’t lived a very good life. It was my fear on my dying bed which motivated me against death, but now that the choice was taken from me, I am too late to change anything I’ve ever done.

Rios: I highly doubt any of us are free from mistakes. Truly, there on the withering Earth every living agency has made pitiful decisions.

Melain: But being here, away from others… why are we three left together?

Rios: That is a mystery to me. (Gently he takes a step toward the emptiness) I do wonder, how far we can go? Is it as eternal as it seems?

Melain: Who’s to say if we are all lost? I do not mean to sound like a cynic, but if it is endless, would we find another? Perhaps it is better to stay together?

Anna: [quietly, angrily] I want out.

Rios: Sorry, my dear, what did you say?

Anna: I want out [loudly, tearfully] This must be Hell! No point in our decisions, nothing for guidance.

Melain: Please, don’t say that. We simply cannot say that. I, like you, want nothing more than to be somewhere I’ve imagined all my life. The Heaven my mother spoke of on her deathbed. With my loved ones long passed before me.

Rios: If is true what she says… And if at the most it is true completely that we have been damned, shall we not make the most of it?

Anna: I barely know who you two are… Who’s to say you are human, or even human at all! [Crumples on the ground in tears]. Was I even human at all?

Melain: (kneels beside her as Rios scratches the back of his head) You most certainly are human to me, at least you do look like one, and certainly your feelings show like one. [Melain also begins to tear up] Certainly you must have been more human than me.

Anna: I can’t remember. Maybe I don’t want to remember if it is my life that brought about this fate…

Rios: It is curious that you don’t. I remember my life clearly. Do you remember your name, at least?

Anna: I… It’s.. An.. Anna.

Rios: A surname perhaps as well? [Anna shakes her head.] Well, if it helps, although I don’t believe we’ve ever met in life. My name is Rios Grande. A bit of a joke my parents thought would be funny.

Anna: [Laughs a little but still sniffles:] Well, perhaps I knew a little Spanish in my life… Grand River… what a name indeed. Rios: If they can see, perhaps my parents are glad it made someone in need laugh a few tears away!

Melain: Rios… somehow that is familiar to me. My! I don’t recall ever having met, but I believe my brother had a friend named Rios. His name was Charles Renee, does that ring a bell?

Rios: Charles Renee… Charles Renee… Ah! Charlie! My wonderful friend Charlie! Oh, I did wonder whatever happened to him after university. We meant to keep in touch, but never had the chance to swap addresses. You must be Melain! Is he well, do you recall?

Melain: That was my fault, I’m afraid Mr. Grande. I fear… Well, I had an illness… a rather terrible illness. Charlie left University to take care of me. Our parents… well they died young you see. Charlie’s all I had. I do wonder how he’ll get on now that I’m gone. I hope he’s not terribly lonely.

Rios: Oh, Melain. I’m so sorry, had I known I would have come with him. My family were doctors you see.

Melain: It’s not your fault Mr. Grande… There was not much doctors could do any way. I had quite an advanced case of tuberculosis. It’s why I think this can’t be Hell, since I’ve been here, I’ve never felt the cough, and I can move about freely. I’ll take that as a miracle.

Rios: He never did tell me much about home life… I wish he would have. Perhaps if I could have been there for you…

Melain: And save me you would not be here?

Rios: No! Well yes, but not in the way that you think! I do believe I would be here regardless of that, but perhaps knowing that I tried to do some good in my life would sit better than… Well, my doing nothing for anyone save myself. I lived quite a terribly selfish existence. Mind you, I never murdered, or took advantage of anyone, but I drank fine wine, dined on lavish food, and barely took notice of the leper begging for my scraps. Charlie was a good sort. He gave when he had none. Owned his life in a way I never let myself try.

Melain: I wish I could be angry with you Mr. Grande… You were the type of person I envied most. I wasn’t just ill with TB; I was also born paralyzed from the waist down. I dreamt of being able to run with the other children, to share the joy of the sun without the walls of doctors telling me I could never live a normal life. But the choice was taken from me… that’s what I believed anyway before Charlie made me think otherwise. But I listened to him far too late. In a way it is fitting that I would end up in… what did you call this place? [Rios is about to say something but is cut off by Anna:]

Anna: Elysium… The Golden Fields of the Underworld.

Rios: Do you remember then? Something of your past. Anna: Just now, what you were talking about… I had an image… a kind of painting. A man is holding it, smiling. I think it’s beautiful, but he thinks it ugly. He writes a name on the bottom right corner. C. Renee. He jokes that if I hold onto it long enough it might be worth something.

Melain: Charlie… He was always going on about being a great writer, but I never realized he painted.

Rios: Truly? That’s where we met. He had a knack for watercolor if I recall.

Anna: Yes, that’s true… the painting I kept… it was watercolor. [Suddenly an image floats down from the sky, a 5x5 piece of paper.] This… This is the image! But where did it come from? Oh, this place makes no sense! [Rios, Anna, and Melain crowd around the image.]

Rios: May I? He takes the image gently from Anna after she nods.] Oh, this is Charlie alright, he was a bit heavy handed when it came to water. It’s what makes this painting look so undefined, but he was really talented. There. [He points to something on the page] You see how he implies a shape without really creating one? That was the trickiest thing, but he did it like an old master.

Melain: [Looks more closely] Oh how wonderful. Aw Charlie… [Anna gasps, seeing something again with her ‘vision’] Anna: Melain, I see him now… he’s holding a set of watercolors and some paper. He’s sitting on a bed covering his face. He’s in a room, with daisies on the walls and a wheelchair in the corner.

Melain: [Covers her mouth in shock] He’s in my room… he was going to share this with me. Oh… But he must know it’s not his fault… I was sick… I was weak---

Anna: It’s changed now, he’s trying a telephone asking for Rios Grande… he gets a call days later. He hears about your accident. He’s drinking… he has a rope… oh no…. Charlie no –DON’T DO THIS CHARLIE!! [She reaches out as if to catch him when he falls, but falters as her ‘vision’ fades]

Melain: What, what’s happening Anna? Is my brother alright?

Rios: Please, is the man still alive? He didn’t--- did he?

Anna: He did, but I’m seeing lights… police… he’s being taken to the hospital. [Gets up suddenly] I remember now.

Melain: What? What do you remember, oh please, is my brother alright? Anna: He’s fine… he’s talking with someone. I see his mouth moving. I think he says “I’m sorry, Melain. I won’t do it again.” It looks like years have passed. He seems… happy. He’s painting now, another image… It looks like you Melain, somewhere quite nice.

Melain: Charlie—[Sobs in relief. All are silent for some time]

Rios: Ms. Anna if it’s not too much. What did you remember? [Melain nods, also wanting to know but much too upset to speak]

Anna:[hesitant] I…didn’t survive. I did what Charlie had done, but the police didn’t arrive in time, I was already dead on the way to the hospital. There were no sirens, only a body bag. I thought…. I truly believed I didn’t have a choice, but I was wrong--- Charlie--- He saw right through me the day he gave me that painting. We had met by chance. I ran into him at the train station. He dropped his bags and his paintings fell out, I helped him pick them up. I was drawn to that one (Points at Rios’ holding the painting) It was so peaceful, so unlike my life. He saw me and asked if I had wanted it. I tried to deny it, but he gently held my hand and lightly pushed it my way. ‘Keep it’ he said. ‘To remind you there is a place where you can be truly free.’ If only he knew. Oh, I was such a fool. [Anna cries and runs into Rios’ who at first is unaware what to do. He awkwardly tries to comfort her. Melain stands shakily and rubs Anna’s back comfortingly.] What have I done? All the people around me—I never saw them, never thought perhaps there were others like me walking in this endless darkness. And now I know, and I can’t change anything! [Anna continues sobbing, Rios patting her shoulders and Anna rubbing her back.]

Rios: Perhaps this is why we’ve met in such a place. This endless possibility. Maybe… Maybe it’s not Heaven or Hell but a second chance.

Melain: A second chance? Surely not at life?

Rios: No… but for ourselves… so we make of it a Heaven or Hell. I certainly don’t want to burn [He chuckles] I certainly don’t deserve Heaven, but maybe… maybe together we might try what Charlie has been trying to teach us all along.

Anna: I want that… Truly I do. For the first time in my existence, I feel like I can do something for me, and for someone else.

Melain: Then it’s settled. We’ll make the best of this. Together. [A loud creak is heard, the three turn to look in front of them]

Rios: That looks like…

Melain: Oh… It can’t be…

Anna: [Takes a step toward the front of the group and wipes at her tears and smiles as she whispers] Charlie. END