Man riding on 2 tigers (บทละครภาษาอังกฤษยุคจอมพล ป. พิบูลสงครามสมัยที่ 2)

This is the second play I have written in my entire life. Now I hope some of my styles of language , cheekily imitating the Elizabethan writer I didn't mention the name here before : William Shakespeare, won't disturb you much. As I hope it just at least appeases my burning desire of writing and writing. Please accept my apology for my grammatical errors as I have no one else to proofread my English. All is about my instinct of language that needs to be enormously improved in the future.

 

This play is loosely based on greed, betrayal and vengeance of  'those tyrannous and gluttonous generals' from the wailing of poor Somkuan , almost the lowest rung of society, in my first play. As we knew , Thailand in 1950s was mainly dominated by Field Marshal Plaek Phibulsongkarm's regime. Tragically , his second premiership seemed to be far from the sole authority like his first. Plaek ,like mentioned from Dr.Charnvit Kasetsiri, was like a man riding on the 2 tigers that are Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat and Police General Phao Sriyanont. Notably , 2 of them had a very complicated relationship ; this was friend and enemy entwining (frenemy). Whilst outside they were like the comrade-in-arms , they secretly tended to sabotage each other. Moreover ,although Plaek himself was quite scrupulous , he let all his henchmen use their powers to plunder the country's wealth. So  Plaek's coalition seemed unable to avoid infighting and collapsing in the destined date.

 

This play is greatly inspired by again Giuseppe Verdi's opera 'Macbeth' ,and also the Japanese film 'Throne of Blood' directed by Akira Kurosawa. Both are the adaptations from the Tragedy of Macbeth of William Shakespeare. 

 

These are the characters' names and also their occupations and status :

 

Plaek: prime minister of Thailand

 

La-ead:Plaek's wife

 

Plaek's adjutant

 

Pao:Police Chief and Plaek's henchman

 

                         Man Riding on 2 Tigers

 

                                  Act  1

 

       The opening of the scene is the dining room at Plaek's house. The clock at the wall imparts us that it's now 7.30 o'clock. He and his wife are having breakfast.

 

La-ead: My noble spouse ,  the time is nearly come for thy departure. Please hasten to finish thy early meal.

 

Plaek (buries his face in the newspaper) : This article's creating my rancor ; how dares he denounce my cabinet with his fog of ignorance. He scourges me with mendacities descending on his poisonous letters. (turns to his adjutant standing still nearby) Call the chief of his newspaper in the due course , permit that this rascal shall walk on the right path.

 

Plaek's adjutant (speaks to Plaek ) : Ay.My lord ,I shall solemnly follow thy command. I marvel at how they've attempted to blemish thy Barami (prestige) as they just envy thy might and lordship. I assume the name of newspaper is Kitseri once more ?

 

Plaek: Ay, the accursed one. It's relentlessly beset me as if it had some diabolical purpose. How come we endure such a vileness in the guise of free speech? It ruins our country only to pander to one's avarice.

 

Plaek's adjutant: I believe not there's such a fellow seeking to topple thee.

 

Plaek: Mayhap there're thousands of them wishing my downfall.Mayhap there 're thousands of them striving for my throne [premiership]. Now be gone.

 

(After the adjutant leaves , La-ead embraces her husband.)

 

La-ead: Be consumed with fury not. Naught wreaks havoc on one's mind like anger. It is a tempest ravaging the tall trees and razing the entire weeny town.

 

Plaek : My dearest , thy crestfallen sight frets me indeed. Thou hast witnessed that there're once in a while attempts on my life? A scum sought to strike me with a vain gun and the poison failed to usurp my life. I'm invincible ; I'm bound by fate to rule this land for the sake of my people.

 

La-ead (grabs his hand to kiss): My faith in thee never falters. Thou art the unrivaled ruler on our land , who conquered  the redoubtable France and became the worthy friend of the belligerent Japan [during World War 2] .Heaven endows thee with flair for a rulership like a shepherd heralding his flock of sheep to the greenery field.

 

(One of his servants appears on the door)

 

Plaek's servant : Here comes General Phao.

 

Phao (nods to Plaek and La-ead)  : Hail to my lord , the almighty and valiant ruler. Hail to the noble lady. 

 

Plaek: Fancy seeing thee here. What is thy worthy affair ?

 

(Phao and La-ead converse with each other briefly before the latter leaves the room.)

 

Phao : My deepest apology is bestowed upon thee , my lord. I fear our meeting at the government house reeking of snoop shall be perilous. I have the priceless inkling of who's hatching the plot against thee.

 

Plaek : The plot ? Who's that monstrous traitor ?

 

Phao :Much to my chagrin ,  'tis Sarit , thy underling who deserves comeuppance right away.

 

Plaek : Ludicrous ! Thou art concocting the tale to deceive me. Sarit is calm and upright like a tame puppy. Not conceive I of slightest of his treachery. 

 

Phao :Nay, wrong me not. I firmly acquire the evidence about him. I doubt if someone sows the seed of thy mistrust in me. For me, thou art but a figure of benevolent father doted on by my filial love. I endeavor to protect thy throne day in , day out.

 

(Plaek's adjutant comes back.)

 

Plaek : Reveal the outcome of thy task  !

 

Plaek's adjutant: Sir, the chief discomforted me as he asserted it's beyond his authority to rule over his writer. But my own source advises me this newspaper's succored by the powers that be.

 

Phao (talks to Plaek's adjutant): I presume our evidence is utterly akin. I know that fella?

 

Plaek's adjutant (nods to Phao) : Ay , sir. 'tis the fella who drinks and chatters with thee at all hours. Minion of General Sarit has dispatched a fortune to the chief every month.

 

Plaek : (be stupefied and mumbles)

 

Phao: Sir ,I propose that we should strike the printing house with my own crews. Pursue more evidence and apprehend Sarit straightaway. His crime is unforgiven as 'tis the sinister move to depose thee.

 

Plaek :Apprehend him in the barrack replete with the able crews and ferocious weapons? This shall herald to the more or less civil war. A swarm of our and his men shall in vain shed their blood like pool.

 

Phao: If we stroke first , that'd be a coup de grace. My faith in my men never wavers. With their firepower , they would conquer their almighty foes without more ado. They would perish for us without pause regardless.

 

Plaek: Nay, 'tis my mandate in this hour ; I shall gently confer with Sarit by way of the middleman. (turns to his adjutant) Call Field Marshal Phin [Choonhavan] forthwith!

 

Phao (nods and whispers to himself) : Alack , the valiant warrior.

 

End of act 1

 

It is quite unorthodox that this act actually precedes act 1 like film's retrospective method. Act 2 is the situation before Plaek learnt about Sarit's disloyalty about half a year.

 

Here are the new characters in this act :

 

Sarit : Commander in Chief of Army  and another henchman of Plaek

 

Sarit's chauffeur and adjutant

 

3 witches

 

                  Man Riding on 2 Tigers

 

                                Act 2

 

Sarit and Phao are in a luxury and spacious car. Its front seats are occupied by Sarit's chauffeur and adjutant. It is unusually dark outside because the time is more or less 16.00 o'clock.The car is supposedly running quite slow because the haze outside is increasingly thick.

 

Phao : My comrade , any worthy news from Washington ?

 

Sarit :President Eisenhower's reticent in this hour. Perhaps he's prying into our mastery in outwitting the communists. By the same token ,  the North Vietnam is venting its hatred and aggression to the South ; Washington's temper frays.

 

Phao: Thank God of War ! If the battle ensued and raged , Washington 'd appraise our precious entente.

 

Sarit's adjutant (whispers to the chauffeur) : And wherewithal shall thereupon be sent to our land and lastly our pockets. (the chauffeur chuckles)

 

Sarit: Thou hast obtained a fortune from CIA [Central Intelligence Agency]  for years ? How come thou dwellest on this incertitude ?

 

Phao : Only glory preoccupies my mind. Eisenhower 'd someday invite us to be ensconced in the White House and our fame shall be resounding in our land or on earth.

 

Sarit (grins) :My comrade-in-arms ,in truth ,our glory is in obedience to our pledge .We shall devote our even last breath to Nation , Religion ,and king and shield our people from those communist bastards. Our devotions shall at length encompass our lord who's ushering our land into prosperity without flinching. Our name shall be at last indelible on the folks' minds.

 

Phao :Well said , Sarit , but our appearances in the US shall elevate our fame even more.... Fie! I see the world outside not ; our car is this minute hapless in this haze. 

 

Sarit : Boonmee (the chauffeur) ,halt our vehicle at the roadside .Narong (the adjutant) , go outside and seek my other entourages.

 

Sarit's adjutant : Ay , sir.

 

Phao :Bizarre as it may seem. The haze in this night is like a white curtain ; it's malevolent and rouses our dreads. (turns to Sarit) I fear we shall arrive at the ceremony on time not.

 

Sarit's adjutant (comes inside) : Sir , other cars  are vanishing like a magic cast upon them. We are cut adrift on this godforsaken road.

 

Sarit (angry) : Ludicrous ! They're deserting us just like a scaredy-cat. If we're off the hook , they shall be retaliated with my fury like fatal tempest. Narong , go outside once more and find some relief.(turns to Phao): That ceremony is naught but a farce. All I desire is amorous kiss from my lady at the moment.

 

Phao (laughs) :Which lady? Thou hast a vast array of ladies under thy guardianship.

 

Sarit : Thou knowest nought , the monogamous. What's fruitful of copulation with only one 'till thou art deprived of thy ebullient life.

 

Sarit's adjutant (comes inside again) :Sir , it looks quirky that we're deserted to be alone on this earth ,or in another dimension. But I at last found a cottage with a fickle light in our proximity.

 

Phao: Mayhap we shall avail ourselves of it as sanctum and await the fog gone or greeting from the first delightful sunlight .

 

(Sarit agrees and everybody dismounts the car. The scene is changed to be the inside of cottage. The chandelier there helps them to see clearly the owners of the house.)

 

Sarit:What are we encountering here? Are they a creature of otherworldly realm?

 

Phao: Ay , those creatures look like the old hags with shrillness in their voices,  but they possess the odd beards with unsightly faces. They are laughing and cavorting maniacally along with a music which is of this world not and spine-chilling !

 

Witch 1:All hail  , General Sarit , the gallant warrior!

 

Witch2: All hail , General Phao , the illustrious protector of this land!

 

Sarit: What ? How knowest thou our names ? What art thou indeed?

 

Witch 3:We're the witches , dwelling in this forest for thousand years. We're expecting thee with our aflame hearts.

 

Phao: I assume that this freaking haze is conjured up by thee ?

 

Witch 2:Ay , we're intended to be the prophets who reveal the great divination upon  thee.

 

Sarit:I judge thou all art but the charlatans. Prove thyselves the worthy seers!

 

Witch 1 : Thy mother fled from thy father when thou're still fledgling. En route to destination, thy sibling deceased from a malady.

 

Sarit :Not a single soul on this land have I uttered this tale to. This minute I beseech thee to reveal thy divination or shall I imperil thee with my pistol.

 

(3 witches chortle. 4 men immediately draw their pistols)

 

Witch 2  : Thy weapons are risible indeed , as we are immortal. But shall we haunt thee 'till a last breath's running out of thy frightened lives.

 

Witch 3 : General Sarit. Thou shalt be the next prime minister of Thailand in the forthcoming year .Thy reign shall steer this land towards affluence and stability. Please rule over thy people like thy offspring.They shall be rewarded with their good deeds and be chastised when they are astray.

 

Phao : How is my future ? Shall I be a prime minister withal ?

 

Witch 1 (laughs) : General Phao , thou at last shalt flee to the foreign land and decease pitifully there. All thy descendants shall be but unsung.

 

Pao: Ye charlatans , who recruited thee? Who imparted  the tale of Sarit to thee ? The future is unforseen as it has yet to transpire.

 

Witch 1 (laughs louder).A fortune for us is like a grain of sand , worthless and leads us to boredom with tears.Do wait and witness the sacredness of our words.

 

Witch 1,2,3 (speak at the same time) : The haze's hitherto utterly gone. Please leave this cottage and thou shalt find thy entourages on that road. Adieu , adieu.

 

(All witches suddenly disappear , leaving Sarit and Phao looking at each other with apprehension.)

 

End of Act 2

 

This act takes place after act 2 only 2 days when Sarit arrived back at one of his houses and one of his wives rushes to welcome him by kissing and hugging. 

 

Here're the new actors

 

Lady Thanarat : Sarit's wife  (principle or minor, choose one.) 

 

General Thanom Kritikachorn : Sarit's henchman

 

General Praphat Jarusatien : Sarit's henchman

 

                                           Act 3

 

Lady Thanarat: Here comes my worthy husband. Please receive my amorous kiss and warmish embrace.

 

(After kissing and hugging  , Sarit sits on sofa and his wife sits on his lap. Their servant serves them 2 glasses of whiskey and leaves.)

 

Sarit: My heart is blazing from seeing thee once more. The utter glee seizes my vein and my mind. With your sweet breath ,my unfulfillable love's lifting me up to the sky. For countless nights , ere I drift into the slumber, thy face shines in my dreams like a full moon amidst an unlighted night.

 

Lady Thanarat : I barely stand how sugary thou art. Tragic for me ,a crowd of thy ladies are euphoric with a myriad of thy spellbinding poems. Please apprise me of thy life in the past nights ; whose bosom became thy lovely nest ?

 

(Sarit laughs and tells her about the evening he encountered 3 witches.)

 

Lady Thanarat : Lo and behold. This occurred in my dreams withal ! But 'tis from the solemn seers as a lady with grey hair. She recounted ,my worthy husband , thou art indeed predestined to hold sway over this land.

 

Sarit : This amounts to the distant forthcoming years as my loyalty in my lord still prevails.

 

Lady Thanarat : Thy lord ? That ageing and infirm field marshal ? He's the supreme ruler in his bygone days. This moment he's nought but a relic from the glorious past.

 

Sarit (be completely quiet as contemplating ,taking a big gulp of whiskey.)

 

Lady Thanarat : Thou art the new dawn , the masterly general who'd be proffering this land the flourishing days. Escort thy lord to his tranquil retirement and finish the frays.

 

Sarit: I'm pondering upon my comrade , Phao.I know he's hell-bent on the lord's throne.

 

Lady Thanarat: That drunkard? His force's merely a sham, much far from being thy rivalry. Thy crews are able to annihilate them in the blink of an eye. That sly witch foresaw him fleeing with tail between his legs?

 

Sarit: Affront Phao not! He's wily and serpentine. He's lured a fortune from CIA for years. With their underpinning ,He's deviously forged his formidable army out of the police force. He's tempted to squander his underlings even the last soul for his lust for power. Latterly our mutual apprehension grows after seeing the witches. It shall be a truly pyrrhic victory ,even I strike him first.

 

Lady Thanarat : He allies himself with thy lord?

 

Sarit: Ay , but 'tis treacherous. I reckon Phao' s faithful to none but himself. My lord's overwhelmed with his sycophancy ,but 'tis unbeknownst to me whether he treasures it indeed or not.

 

Lady Thanarat: And thy lord treasures his comraderies with thee?

 

Sarit: I see it not , as our eyes are blinded by the fog of mistrust. In the façade , we are like a family  ; my lord is our father and I and Phao are siblings. But we all know these bonds shall at last be smithereens as our greed's unbound.

 

(Thanom and Prapat enter the room)

 

Thanom and Prapat: Hail to our master , the fearless warrior, and our noble lady.

 

(Before  Sarit will say anything , Lady Thanarat hurries to tell them about the witches' prophecy and her dream. Prapat smirks as if to show that they have already known this ; probably Sarit's adjutant told them all.)

 

Thanom: Ultimately the curtain shall be pulled down on the old Plaek's regime. The old tide is replaced by the new one.

 

Sarit: Sayest that not. He  ........

 

Prapat : I know Field Marshal Phin and he have rendered thee much merits : thy ranks and wealth. But this land is stricken with much wretchedness and on the path to calamity. It desires thee , the brave knight with shining armor.

 

Lady Thanarat :My dearest , have a faith in us. Follow our advices , and thou shalt furnish a great deed for our land. In this game , If thou art incapable of true alliance , drive a wedge between thy foes.

 

Sarit : How to drive a wedge ?

 

Lady Thanarat : Bribe the newspaper to attack thy lord's wayward cabinet and slander Phao. Though Phao stands on his ground , this shall vastly stir their mutual misgiving.

 

Thanom and Prapat : Ay  ,Ay , 'tis the ingenious intrigue!

 

Thanom:  We are assuredly pleasant to be in cahoots with the noble lady and thee. If they diverge , they shall be much weakly. We shall merrily strike them first and smash Plaek's regime without deferral.

 

Lady Thanarat: Aah, my dearest shall at last reign over millions of the penurious subjects and salvage them all.Thou shalt be but like the glorious saviors.

 

(Sarit stares at his wife for a long time as if to be stupefied with her unexpected cunning.)  

 

End of Act 3

 

This act takes place only a month after act 1.The place is the White House , the office and the residence of the President of the United States of America - the most powerful man on Earth.Field Marshal Plaek Phibulsonggarm , the prime minister of Thailand visited there while he was on world tour in 1955.

 

Here are the new characters and their political positions :

 

Dwight D. Eisenhower : President of the United States of America

 

John Foster Dulles :  US secretary of state

 

Allen Dulles: Director of  Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) 

 

Prince Wan Witayakorn : Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand

 

                                Act 4

 

Both Plaek and Eisenhower embrace each other with friendliness and get the firm handshakes , when a man's taking their photography. The instrumental 'The Star -Spangled Banner' ,anthem of the US, resounds in the background. Beside Plaek are also Prince Wan and a Thai diplomat ready to take note. The minutes pass, all men sit down on the sofa near the president's desk in the Oval Office.

 

Plaek : Mr.President.

 

Eisenhower: Mr.Prime minister , the blitheness is bestowed upon me with thy presence here. Our lands are blessed with amity and mutual regard for endless years.

 

Plaek: Ay, I'm filled with pleasantness and utmost honor to grasp thy hands and converse with the most almighty ruler on earth and the erstwhile illustrious warlord in World War 2 in this sacred place.

 

Eisenhower (laughs and lights a cigarette after proffering to Plaek ,but the latter refuses politely) : Waggish to me , I was the warlord of Alliance and thou were the comrade of that Jap [Japan].If this moment were World War 2 , we'd in all likelihood have slaughtered each other till the last blood spattered.

 

Plaek (laughs and looks at Prince Wan who also chuckles) : Let bygones be bygones. This moment Thailand's nought but the US trusted companion. We're relishing our stride on the US path without flinching.

 

J.F.Dulles :Mr. Prime Minister , Thailand was a party to the Bandung Conference in Indonesia months ago. Thy emissary ,Prince Wan, shook hands and chattered with Mr.Zhou Enlai [Premier of China] with too much cordiality. China is our foe  ,as thou shalt reminisce about , a year ago, I snubbed Zhou by not returning his handshake. I shall be forthright to demand thy honest stance in this hour.

 

Prince Wan: Sir , it was but an etiquette more or less. We possess the profound insight that China's underpinned the Communist Parties of Vietnam and Laos reckoned perilous to our land. It's beneficiary for my land to stroke a chin of fierce tiger for appeasement ?

 

J.F.Dulles: Fathomable for me, that's the path for a tiny country to pull through the menaces from the cantankerous great countries - like a man riding on 2 tigers. But we desire the betrayal from thee not.

 

Eisenhower: Be less harsh in thy inquiry ,Dulles. My trust in Mr.Prime Minister is unadulterated as he rendered us the merits. He dispatched the army to fight with us in the Korean war. He again ,albeit affray in his cabinet, recognized Bai Dai's government [of South Vietnam].Mr.Plaek shall garner more succors from us like Fulgencio Batista [President of Cuba before Fidel Castro's socialist revolution].

 

Plaek:Mr.President , thy words are uttered for the verity. I spare no effort to assist the US to protect the worthy democracy.

 

Einsenhower: But the thing plaguing me is the power struggle among thy henchmen ,Sarit and Phao .As it is detrimental to thy land's well-being and Domino theory might ensue [if Thailand fell to the Communists , the neighbors would follow suit]. Besides ,their formidable armies have been molded out of ours and pitifully taxes from my country fellows.

 

Plaek: I ensure that they've all been ruled by me. Please be comforted by my strength and wisdom.

 

(J.F. Dulles gestures to A. Dulles who is also his younger brother.)

 

A. Dulles: I fear thy utterance is erring from truth. As from the account of our agents, their enmity inch by inch intensifies. Lately Sarit bribed the newspaper to launch the mudslinging on thy cabinet and blamed it on Phao to stir thy wrath.

 

Plaek: This has been forthwith wisely pondered by me. I ,along with Field Marshal Phin, hereby arranged both of them to settle down and the strife all came to the end with affability. All of us are akin to a family.

 

Einsenhower: I give credence to Mr.Plaek's account. I was keenly reminded by his first reign as he was able to force all rebels and even the French army to bend their knees. Mr.Prime Minister has the flair to bring peace to all sparring factions ; he hereinafter shall usher Thailand into the durable fortress against the damn Commies. Much to my chagrin , this minute, I have other business to pursue. I am much obliged and anticipate to Mr. Prime Minister's more visits.

 

(Both leaders smile and shake hands firmly. Einsenhower then chatters with Plaek while leading him out of the Oval Office. J.F. Dulles turns to busy talking with a secretary. A. Dulles escorts and talks with Prince Wan.)

 

A. Dulles: Thy lord just now pandered to his own mendacity. He does nothing to relieve this strife as he lacks the true power and audacity. Or he may have desired his henchmen to strike each other.

 

Prince Wan: Thou knowst it better than me. thy crews are like the apparitions lingering everywhere and being omniscient. I desire to partake in this discord not and know only I am granted to.

 

A.Dulles : By the way, I've been irked by how Phao's importuned me and my brother to allow him to visit Mr.President. He flaunted if the North Vietnam stroke the South , he should be like the gallant warrior to lead us in this war ,not  even Sarit who is the soldier.

 

Prince Wan (laughs)  : Phao and Sarit are 2 pea in a pod.They are both drunkards ,always thirsty for power and a fortune. I long for their demises and being taken place by the fellas who indeed renounce their own interests for our land.

 

A.Dulles: I surmise that thy land shall have the new lord ere long ; that shall include the one thou detestest. Stand on one side, my friend ,if thou still aimst at the part in his new cabinet. All men are corrupt by nature, come to terms with this.

 

Prince Wan: If, on the morrow , Sarit or Phao thrust a knife into my lord's heart, what would thy government do? 

 

A.Dulles: If that perpetrator pledged allegiance to our 'Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness' ,his new government would be recognized straight away.

 

Prince  Wan : (dumbfounded)

 

A.Dulles : Be lured by our fulsome manners not. Thy lord and his henchmen are but the teeny-weeny pawns on our chessboard. We pretend to feed thy delusion of grandeur, but thou shalt simply collapse only if we breathe upon.

 

Prince Wan : My young compatriots discern this and instigate the daily protests.But the doubt's haunted my mind for years whether the US longs to deter the Communists or conquer the world?

 

A. Dulles: First is foremost but the second is quite tempting. In the decades ahead, in every nook and cranny of this world might my offspring have supremacy over. Or at most America shall be kowtowed by every nation on earth ,even the Soviet.  

 

(A.Dulles winks his eyes and shakes hands with Prince Wan lightly. Some part of the 'The Star-Spangled Banner' drifts from somewhere ,while Prince Wan smiles wryly.

 

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

 

Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!

 

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land

 

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.)

 

End of Act 4

 

 

Finally the strife between 2 factions was put to an end to in 1957 , when Sarit staged coup d'etat to overthrow Phibul's regime. Phibul fled with utter swiftness  to Cambodia. Phao surrendered to Sarit after meager resistance.

 

                  Man Riding on 2 Tigers

 

                        ACT 5 (End)

 

Sarit visits Phao at his office in the besieged  Department of Police. Phao is sitting and smoking at his desk. He is extraordinarily calm with impassive face.

 

Sarit : My comrade : after thy unremitting backstabbing on me , art thou coming to thy senses who the conqueror is ?

 

Phao : As if it were our predestination that we would certainly extirpate each other in one way or another , like those darn witches' prediction. Thou as well commit treason ; thou betray our lord without a sense of decency. Thou used to pamper him with all kinds of flattery.

 

Sarit : Aye , I used to have my faith unstirred in him as the virtuous ruler of our land. But lately he's changed to be nought but the power greedy codger. He also deplorably hampered my yearning for Thailand as a better country for our descendants. Thus I have to act against my own will.

 

Phao : So farcical !  How dare thou act as the patriot whilst thou art dissimilar to me not : avaricious and obsessed with power ? I reckon that thou shalt be the next prime minister with the same manner as thy mudslinging.

 

Sarit (laughs) : How come thou dare affront me with thy mendacity ? Art thou not stricken with terror that I would at last deprive thee of life ? Only a word is spilled from my worthy mouth , thou shalt embark on the journey to the otherworldly realms.

 

Phao (sneers) : Nay , as my age advances , I become more subdued by resignation. Thus I can incredibly withstand the quirky twist of my fate. 

 

Sarit : Lie to me not as thy lust for power is still unbound. Nonetheless , thy life shall be spared as it is from my mercy. But it is my scheme as well that thou shalt live long enough to witness thy downfall and be tormented by thy commonness until the last breath runs out of thy life. Thy fawners shall desert thee without a trace and Thy wealth shall founder to smithereens .

 

Phao (yells out)  : I can't bear thy audacity even a second more ! Apprise me of how thou shalt truly chastise me at this unholy moment.

 

Sarit : I desire thee to choose 2 fates. First  ,Thou shall bless thy life with Asceticism for thy inner tranquility or to arouse the public sympathy. Second , thou just banish thyself into the foreign soil. Our lord .... Old Phibul has darted to Cambodia. He shall receive sanctuary and might further to another country : presumably India or Japan. I shall not squeeze that country to turn him back as I desire his chastisement like second.

 

Phao : Shalt thou proffer me another choice not ?

 

Sarit : Preposterous ! Thou desire for retaining status quo or even joining my next cabinet ? How come I shall let thee be a thorn in my flesh? 

 

Phao (silent)

 

Sarit (touches his old friend's shoulder) : Thou hast an ample time to ponder over thy destination. Harking back to our old mutual cordiality , I desire thee to keep that in thy lifelong remembrance. Bear thy grudge against me not. If thou were me , thou shalt treat me the same or even worse.

 

Phao smiles wryly and bends down his head.

 

Sarit returns to his office and meets Thanom and Prapat , his henchmen. Sarit's own adjutant is nearby.

 

Thanom : Congratulate our new Lord upon our ultimate victory ! Everything on this land is utterly under our authority at present. Phao's subordinates have unbelievably surrendered with their tails between their legs. I am so ashamed that we used to overexaggerate their might - Alas , only the scaredy-cats in the police uniforms.

 

Prapat :  Congratulations ! Our land shall henceforward step on the new era blessed with prosperousness and the astuteness of our new leader. Just now we have received the message from the U.S. government. It shall recognize your regime in no time ,if thou promise to bestow democracy upon this land .

 

Sarit smiles and speaks to them briefly before his henchmen depart. Sarit sits down and smokes cigarette , blowing with big puff. His adjutant has stood still and looked at him.

 

Sarit :Wittaya , funny for me. At this victorious moment have I contemplated that I am about to be in my former lord's shoes. I have foreboding that I might be the next man riding on 2 tigers.

 

Sarit's adjutant : It is ordinary for the players vying for power like us, sir. On the path to power is strewn with betrayals and crimes.

 

Sarit : Let's behold the coming years whether I shall flee hurriedly from this country like Old Phibul, while Thanom and Prapat shall turn to grapple for power by slashing the throat of each other. If so , It would be quite a spectacle !

 

Both of them roar with laughter.

 

The End