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Ms Hamlet

 

“I have dropped out of school because of the death of my mother,” said Susan Hamlet in the quiet office of the school counselor.

“That is no good reason,” said the counselor. “You must think of your future.”

“To be or not to be? That is the question surely,” said Susan Hamlet looking at the ceramic skull paper weight on the counselor's desk.

“I have spoken to your aunt,” said the school counselor. “She explained to me that you are having hallucinations, delusions, and suffering from uncontrollable grief and rage. To the best of your knowledge is that true, Ms. Hamlet?”

“If my aunt says I am mad, am I mad?” asked Susan Hamlet. “Yes. I am mad as surely as I may someday call a baby cousin sister or brother. What say you counselor, me mad if my father clings to his wife's sister at the time of his wife's death more than he clings to his own daughter? Not seven days after my mother's death I found them...! I found them together!” Susan Hamlet.

“I must refer you to a psychiatrist ,” said the school counselor. “I can only encourage you to stay in class.”

“A shrink!” said Janet Marcellus then at the edge of the local dance floor. The music in the club was loud, and the floor full of dancers.

“What? Think they your complaint to large?” asked Kimberly Bernardo.

“Yes. And my head size double,” said Susan Hamlet.

“Lets dance,” said Theresa Horatio. The four joined the crowd that could not stay still, like busy spiders in a web of light spun by a mirrored ceiling ball.

“Susan! The ghost of your mom is here!” said Kimberly Bernardo.

“We are dancing with Susan's mother!” said Janet Marcelllus.

“She always was a good dancer!” said Theresa Horatio.

“I am dancing with my dead mother!” said Susan Hamlet. The ghost danced near enough to speak in Susan's ear. “And she says she was murdered!” The ghost vanished with those words, and Susan Hamlet staggered from the dance floor with her hands over her eyes.

“Murdered by whom?” asked Janet Marcellus.

“By her sister!” said Susan Hamlet.

“Your aunt!?” said Kimberly Bernardo.

“I am ill! Let us away from here!” said Susan Hamlet.

“Hamlet! Leaving so soon?” asked Polonius at the door of the dance club. “Are you mad? The night is young.”

“Yes I am mad. And in more ways than one,” said Susan Hamlet.

“Susan mad in love with plastic Ophelia when the dance floor is full of flesh,” said Laertes who was entering the dance club with his father Polonius.

“What do you know of my love?” Susan asked.

“I know not enough of your love Hamlet,” said Laertes.

"Nor do I know enough of your love," says Hamlet.  "But I know you love Ophelia also.  She is our favorite doll!"

“Polonius! You send spies among us?” asked Kimberly Bernardo.

“These bugs we found in Hamlet's house,” said Theresa Horatio holding out the tiny electronic listening devices.

“Ah! Yes those,” said Polonius.

"Are my fathers," says Laertes.

"I shall have them back now," says Polonius.

"No," says Horatio closing her hand around the bugs.

"Yes," says Polonius drawing a knife, infront of the girls.

"Do as my father says, and give him his ears," says Laertes.

"Will he share what he hears?" asks Susan Hamlet as the bugs are returned.  "A record of my tears?"

“A puppet show tomorrow night," said Theresa Horatio .  "At the house of Hamlet...unless we are  too ill to preform it."

“We will be there to see it,” said Polonius.

"We are always amused by your gift for entertainment, Susan," says Laertes

“The night turns more deeply into night,” said Susan Hamlet. "Let us go..before I see my mother dance some more!"

“Where is Janet? She is our ride,” asked Kimberly Bernardo.

“At the car already,” said Theresa Horatio.

Janet Marcellus' electric Camaro was parked next to Polonius' hydrogen Cadillac in the dimly lit parking lot behind the dance club.  In the back seat of the Cadillac, with Polonius written on the license plate, was a plastic faced soft bodied doll.

“Ophelia!” said Susan Hamlet looking in the window at the doll.

“Does Susan love  Ophelia so much?” asked Kimberly Bernardo.

“She does,” said Theresa Horatio.

“Wonderful Ophelia,” said Susan Hamlet. “See how the eyes shine, and the smile never fades?”

“A smiling doll is an idiot in a rotten world,” said Janet Marcellus.

“And all the more to be treasured for that,” said Susan Hamlet. “Have you a hammer, Janet, so I may break the glass? Or perhaps a rock”

“No hammer, Hamlet,” said Janet Marcellus. "No rock.

 “If breaking the glass will not set her free then leave her thus,” said Kimberly Bernardo.

“Farewell sweet Ophelia,” said Susan Hamlet. Then Susan and her friends left the parking lot for the city streets in Janet's Camaro.

 

There was a puppet show the next night at the house of Hamlet. The show was performed by Susan and her friend Theresa. In the show a queen died as clearly murdered by her sister.  “I am offended by this child play,” said Susan Hamlet's aunt.

“What mean you to upset your aunt with such ugly games?” Susan's father asked Susan after her aunt had gone upstairs.

“Upset my aunt? Upset my aunt? Upset my mother!” said Susan.

“Your mother is gone,” said Susan's father.

“And loved you father!” said Susan Hamlet.

“And loved you daughter,” said Susan's father.

 “Laertes you are late. The shadow play is over,” said Susan Hamlet as Laertes entered the room.

“It is over,” said Laertes. "The play is over."

“What ails you Laertes?” asked Susan's father. “You look so pale.”

“Have you seen as ghost?” asked Theresa Horatio.

“My father is in hospital,” said Laertes. "His heart is sick."

“Ill news,” said Susan's father.

“But your father is a spy, well or ill," said Theresa Horatio. "Does he spy to be a blackmailer?"

"Spy?" asked Susan Hamlet's father.

"Polonius placed bugs among us," said Susan Hamlet.

"Bugs?" asked Susan's father.

“Sound of the murder!?” asked Theresa Horatio. "Why did we not think, Susan, that the murder was  heard!"

“Heard your father my mother murdered by her own sister?” asked Susan Hamlet.

“Susan! Cease with your delusions!” said Susan's father.

"I dare not say what evil my father heard," said Laertes.

A shot upstairs and Susan's aunt is dead by her own hand.  She lays  beside a blackmail note from Polonius.  Her sister's husband now rushes to her side.

"Darkness upon darkness, " says Susan Hamlet.

"No. Pehaps this is the dawn," says Laretes.

 "Auhhhhh! How shall I ever return to school?" asked Hamlet. "And study math and science and poetry when those who I did trust...as I am not yet adult and did trust with my very life and time ... have so darkened my head  with their evil plots ?  Oh I wish that I were dead !"

"No Hamlet.  You must be strong," said Horatio.

"I don't want to hear your thoughts death, Susan. You must not die until your time," said Laretes.

"Time to fight over Ophilia then?" asked Susan Hamlet,  "Shall we dig our graves   that way!?"

"No we shall not fight over a doll who is our mutual, mute and smiling friend," said Laertes.
 

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Text: CT
Images: CT
Publication Date: 08-16-2011

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