EXIT

EXIT
Switching on/Switching off – a mystery play

The Players: Master of Ceremonies – Porter/Cloakroom
Attendant at a regional hospital
on TV: Soloist – tour de globe cycling champion
Turbator chori – stately sign-language translator

A man switches off and away he goes, says the Cyclist.
The telephone rings in a cloakroom. The Attendant answers. He closes the blinds.
The television is left running.
He takes a white oxygen canister to Room No. 3, Bed No. 1.
He unhooks an empty canister and hooks up a full one.
He returns to the cloakroom. He opens the blinds.
He takes and hands back visitors’ coats.
Not at any cost, says the Cyclist.
We learn to get to the finish line by trial and error, says the Cyclist.
Sometimes it’s all a matter of luck, the Cyclist and Cloakroom Attendant say simultaneously.
The world has moved forward. We’re living longer, the Cloakroom Attendant repeats after the Cyclist.
There’s wisdom in a two-person game, says the Cyclist.
The Cloakroom Attendant picks up the phone. He closes the blinds.
He does not switch off the television. He pushes a coffin into the elevator.
He pushes the coffin into Room No. 3. He returns to the cloakroom.
He opens the blinds. He hands back outer wear.
It’s a matter of accepting it, that’s how it is, says the Cyclist.
The Cloakroom Attendant nods his head. He drops the blinds. He switches off the television.

VISITING HOURS ARE OVER