Ereshkigal's Ascent

This short scene screenplay is written by Lauren Maxwell

FADE IN:

SCENE: THE THRONE ROOM, MESOPOTAMIAN UNDERWORLD, ALWAYS NIGHT

The Underworld is a vibrant city beneath the Earth’s crust. A giant ziggurat stands in the centre of the vast abyss. It is formed from large slabs of obsidian stone. Dead twigs hang over the walls of the ziggurat with wilted flowers and shrivelled leaves. Dried palm trees decorate the landscape and stand above a cracked brittle earth. Everything is dark. Small blue balls of light shrouded in mist float in the sky above the city. They highlight the curves of the ziggurat and the passageways but cast deep shadows everywhere else.

At the top of the ziggurat is a fractured temple with a gaping hole in the ceiling and fallen pillars at the front. In the centre of the room is a throne made of the same obsidian stone as the rest of the ziggurat. The throne is small in comparison to the size of the room.

Beneath the throne is a translucent floor and souls with sunken eyes and floating robes can be seen moving in and out of the passageways. They haggle over pomegranate seeds (the only food that exists in the Underworld), they discover the art of unencumbered sexual intimacy and alternatively, they kill without ramifications.

THE GREAT DRAGON dives through a crevasse at the top of the Underworld, and flies through the hole in the ceiling of the temple. The crack in the Earth seals shut behind her. Rocks fall in its wake and souls shriek.

THE GREAT DRAGON - black wings that drip with a thick black ooze. She has three rows of teeth, and each row is increasingly pointier. Her belly is covered in green scales, and she is the height of three fully-grown palm trees stacked on top of one another.

In THE GREAT DRAGON’S mouth is the tunic of a slender pre-teenager girl. Her body is limp as it dangles from the dragon’s jaws.

ERESHIKGAL – pre-teenager with a gaunt face, pale skin, and knee-length raven stringy hair. She wears a white tunic that falls to the floor. It’s a bit too baggy for her frame. Her brown eyes are wide with fear and her mouth is small. All blood has drained from her face.

THE GREAT DRAGON gently places ERESHKIGAL in front of the throne. She slides to the floor and blinks.

THE GREAT DRAGON

Welcome to your new home, Ereshkigal, daughter of Enki, the Father of Humanity. You are now the Goddess of the Underworld.

ERESHKIGAL remains motionless.

A beat.

THE GREAT DRAGON

…I can imagine this is a bit of a shock for you as I did have to abduct you from your bed. Whilst you were sleeping. But the good news is you have eternity to get used to it, oh Goddess of the Underworld.

ERESHKIGAL

(IN A DAZE)

Hm…eternity? What? Where am I?

ERESHKIGAL rubs her eyes and searches the room, trying to absorb the dark shapes around her. She remains seated.

THE GREAT DRAGON

Your father left explicit instructions. You are to stay here and rule the Underworld for the entirety of your existence. Which so happens to be eternity.

ERESHKIGAL is motionless, but soon her breath become shorter and shorter the more her eyes become adjusted to her new surroundings.

ERESHKIGAL fans herself while she starts hyperventilating. Several moments pass before she gains control and stands up. She’s startled by the translucent floor and shivers at the movement of souls beneath her.

ERESHKIGAL

Don’t I have to learn how to be a Goddess first? Get an education…? I mean without any notice, I’m not very qualified.

THE GREAT DRAGON rests on her back legs and wraps her pointed tail around her front legs and feet. She settles in.

ERESHKIGAL

No? (PAUSES) If this is about my purpose…what if I’m just married off instead?

ERESHKIGAL smiles at the dragon and flips her hair to one side.

THE GREAT DRAGON

I’m just the messenger.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

ERESHKIGAL breaks out into a scream, waving her arms and storming over to the throne that’s in her exact shape and size. She crosses her arms, kicks it, and falls backwards. ERESHKIGAL curses and cradles her foot. She stands up and hops towards THE GREAT DRAGON.

ERESHKIGAL

Where’s my father? I need to speak to him right now!

THE GREAT DRAGON

That’s impossible.

ERESHKIGAL

Don’t tell me what is impossible…you – you, wretched beast!

THE GREAT DRAGON rolls her eyes in annoyance and stands tall, unravelling her tail and spreading her wings. The ooze from wings trickles onto the floor. THE GREAT DRAGON bends her neck and bares her teeth, exposing all three rows. ERESHKIGAL backs away slowly. Her heels stop at the foot of the throne.

THE GREAT DRAGON

I could kill you right now.

A beat.

THE GREAT DRAGON

I won’t…But better not to forget that.

THE GREAT DRAGON lowers her wings but remains upright.

THE GREAT DRAGON

Where were we? Yes, starting today, you will pass judgement on all souls that enter your domain, and you will rule them. Again, your father has decried it.

ERESHKIGAL slumps against the base of the throne.

ERESHKIGAL

(WHISPERS)

My father…

A beat.

ERESHKIGAL

So, no one is coming for me?

THE GREAT DRAGON

No. And you can’t leave either.

ERESHKIGAL

…Was I not a good enough daughter?

ERESHKIGAL pulls her knees inward and hugs them. THE GREAT DRAGON stays quiet.

ERESHKIGAL

And Inanna…my sister! Oh my god, my sister! What happens to her? Where is she going?

THE GREAT DRAGON

Oh, no need to worry about her. Your father also left instructions for her new role. He gave your sister Inanna the title of the Queen of Heaven, so she’ll be ruling from there.

ERESHKIGAL explodes out of her slump.

ERESHKIGAL

WHAT?!!!!!! SHE IS THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN?!!!

THE GREAT DRAGON

I am just the messenger.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

ERESHKIGAL breaks out into a scream again, waving her arms and jumping wildly up and down.

THE GREAT DRAGON

(OBLIVIOUS)

If there are no further questions, I will be going now.

ERESHKIGAL takes a deep breath and recomposes herself, ironing out her tunic with her hands.

ERESHKIGAL

Wait, please.

A beat.

ERESHKIGAL

Is there (PAUSE) any possibility (PAUSE)that I can change my fate?

THE GREAT DRAGON

Oh that would not be my recommendation. You will always end up the Queen of the Underworld. Unless…

ERESHKIGAL

Unless, what?

THE GREAT DRAGON

(CONCEDES)

Unless anything were to happen to your sister, the Queen of Heaven. You are next in line to inherit her throne.

A beat.

THE GREAT DRAGON

You could then move more freely between Heaven and the Underworld.

ERESHKIGAL

(SLOWLY)

She must die for me to be free…? Essentially…?

THE GREAT DRAGON

Those are your words.

ERESHKIGAL shakes her head.

ERESHKIGAL

How could I…? I could never…? No, I don’t hate my sister. I think she’s a spoiled brat, but I don’t hate her. That’s…No. What are you suggesting?

THE GREAT DRAGON

Still nothing.

ERESHKIGAL turns her back to the dragon and looks down at the translucent floor beneath her. One soul is getting knifed by another soul. A group of souls has waged war against another soul and is chasing them through the alleyways, destroying everything in their path. Three souls are fornicating, and one is wandering aimlessly into walls.

ERESHKIGAL looks up and around her. Everything is dark except for the glow from the blue orbs. She holds out her hand in front of her. It already looks paler than it did earlier in the day and thinner. She drops her hand. Her eyes close and she tries to picture the sun. Her body hunches forward and she holds onto the throne to steady herself. ERESHKIGAL sits on the throne and clutches her heart. A crown made from her the loose strands of her hair forms around her head in a pointed wreath.

THE GREAT DRAGON

(OBLIVIOUS)

Well, I have fulfilled my duty for today, so I’ll leave you to YOUR duties, Goddess of the Underworld. Good day or shall I say, good night.

THE GREAT DRAGON springs from her hind legs and jumps through the hole in the ceiling and the crevasse re-opens. The GREAT DRAGON flies through it and it seals itself behind her. More rocks tumble and some shrieks follow.

In the dragon’s absence, ERESHKIGAL hears the Underworld - the screams and moans, and laughter of the dead. The laughter echoes in her ears.

ERESHKIGAL cries silently.

FADE OUT:

____________________

FADE IN:

SCENE: THE THRONE ROOM, MESOPOTAMIAN UNDERWORLD 500 YEARS LATER, STILL NIGHT

QUEEN ERESHKIGAL, Goddess of the Underworld, has grown paler. She has sunken cheeks, and her lips are outlined in a deep shade of red – the color made from pomegranate seeds. She wears a flowing silver dress with blue orbs of light floating at the hemline. Her fingers and limbs are bony and brittle.

QUEEN ERESHKIGAL is leaning back in her throne – a throne that has grown alongside her – and is twirling her hair. It still floats atop of her head in the shape of a pointed crown. Round and round she twirls when she hears a knock reverberate throughout the underworld. She stops. Some rocks tumble from the crust above and hit the ziggurat – high-pitched shrieks follow.

AN ATTENDANT, a hooded figure with a skeletal body, appears before her.

ATTENDANT

Queen Ereshkigal, Goddess of the Underworld, your sister Inanna, the Queen of Heaven, has come to pay you a visit.

ERESHKIGAL

(SPEAKS SLOWLY)

After all these years? Why?

ATTENDANT

She wouldn’t say. Only that it’s time to pay you a visit.

QUEEN ERESHKIGAL breathes deeply and places one hand on her chest. She looks around her empty throne room. Her eyes scan the floor. She sees two souls in a fist fight. Others join. She looks up. She sees a tiny fault line from when THE GREAT DRAGON abducted her and delivered her to the Underworld. No one has come since.

Her gaze drops towards her sinewy fingers that were just twisting her hair. Her skin is grey, and a piece flakes off around her index finger. She lets go of her hair.

QUEEN ERESHKIGAL finally rests her eyes on her attendant, and she bites her lip.

ERESHKIGAL

Let her in…

She lowers her one hand from her heart. Rests them both in her lap for a moment. And slowly she raises her other fist. She brings it down onto her thigh and punches. She exhales.

ERESHKIGAL

And don’t make it easy.

THE ATTENDANT disappears and QUEEN ERESHKIGAL wraps both hands around her torso. Tears stream down her cheek and for the first time in 500 years, she smiles.

FADE OUT:

THE END