Smoko Acting School

English translations in order of the presentation

**THE HIVE**

If the queen mother decreases her production or abandons the hive, the worker bees replace or kill her (if she is old or sick).

The death of the hive is equivalent to the dissolution of a family due to a lack of resources or leadership.

The hive is a perfectly organized biological system, where each individual plays an essential role, similar to a traditional human family. The queen is the heart, the workers are the hands that support the home, and the drones represent those members who only contribute at key moments. Survival depends on cooperation, just as in a human family.

***

**A PLAY IN ONE ACT**

What is a family if not a corpse we don't know how to bury?

A house that was a hive (home, refuge, the noise of life) is now a tomb. The sisters Lucia (the hidden queen, younger sister) and Veronica (the natural heir) are organizing a soirée: a fake birthday for their dead mother, the fallen queen whom they themselves supposedly pushed down the hill years ago.

They call it an "accident," but it was a crime. A farewell ritual before selling the house and fleeing, breaking the last tie with their past.

**Roles:**

* **Lucía, younger daughter:** Revealed. Publicly judged by the town for a crime she believes she committed. But she knows she didn't. She paid for years in a reformatory. Where she trained day and night. Between blows and endurance exercises, she waited to escape. She hatches a perfect plan with Veronica for extortion and threats during this soirée towards their bastard siblings.

* **Veronica, heir sister:** Lucid. Charismatic. A double opposite. She lived through hell just like her sister Lucia. They are a sisterhood. She trained just like her sister for this moment. Expert negotiator. A perfect duo. They are a mirror.

* **Astrid, the middle sister,** is the one who really pushed the mother from the shadows. She is encouraged by her cousin Aurora, who is the intellectual author of the crime on that hill. They are the ones who wanted to keep the house. Exposing Lucia and Veronica as the material authors of the crime. Being minors, they are sent, one to a reformatory and the other to a boarding school. Astrid returns with ice in her blood and a plan: to serve her revenge cold, or at least try to get something out of it.

* **César, the older brother,** a ghost with power. A chameleon. A life that already was. Negotiator. He is looking for something. He knows the truth and uses it as currency to avoid being devoured by his sisters. He tries to negotiate with Veronica. But he gets nowhere. He is under threat. He flees.

* **Aurora, the chameleon cousin,** a double life and misery wrapped in silk. Intellectual author of the murder of the mother, Maria Ines. Astrid is her only real link in a sea of fictions. She will try to get something out of it. She knows she is in danger.

* **Gustavo, Cesar's forgotten brother.** A nameless ghost, resentful and ready to remind the older brother of his debt and his complicity in the accident. Lifelong emotional bond with Caro.

* **Caro, the nanny, the fake sister,** the last worker of a dead kingdom. She saw everything on the day of the accident. She took care of that mother like no one else. She knows too much. She watches. She waits to plunge her dagger.

***

**Scene 0: Zero**

**VERONICA, Speaker One:** Facing the audience. Her own light.

"Everything seen, everything heard, everything in silence, forever until the tomb.

What is a family if not a corpse we don't know how to bury?"

This family was a hive: a place of noise, of life, of queens, workers, and drones. Now it is a corpse that no one dares to bury. The sisters Lucia and Veronica know it. That's why they are organizing this soirée: a birthday for their dead mother, the queen they themselves supposedly pushed into the abyss. They called it an 'accident,' but it was a murder that broke everything inside. A stampede of passive accomplices, of an entire family to different destinations a long time ago.

What begins as a farce breaks when the rotten secrets come to light. Betrayal, guilt, old blood.

There are no innocents here. Only survivors scratching to escape the web of passive accomplices they themselves wove. Each one unveils their lies.

Tears, jealousy, and doubts pierce each one in this final soirée. Get ready.

You will see the exact moment a family bleeds out.

You will see the hemorrhage. Not the blow, but the wound that never healed.

**Scene 1: Lucia**

**LUCIA:** (Defiant but very serene) "Everything seen, everything heard, everything in silence, forever until the tomb."

I repeated it incessantly. Swallow saliva. And endure without saying a word.

Go unnoticed in that reformatory.

Tie my shoelaces and start cleaning each room.

Without music. Without daylight. (Silence. Change of rhythm)

Did you ever remember me?, knowing that Veronica was on the other side of town.

Did you remember my birthdays? (Silence. Change of rhythm)

What you see of me now is a luminous trace of the past you once saw of me in your fucking life.

I always sought your caresses...

(Silence)

You know that when you touch something, the nerve signal takes about 50 milliseconds to reach the brain, but it's still faster than the light from distant objects.

You perceive no object in real time...

Even in a small room like the one I was in for nearly 6 years, the delay of light is less than a thousandth of a second.

You have to accept that even your own image in a mirror takes nanoseconds to reach you...

(Silence. She laughs. Change of rhythm)

You know that sunlight takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth. If the Sun disappeared, we wouldn't notice until that lapse.

That's how you were with me... you took too long to reach me. and you disappeared like the sun and you didn't even notice.

(Silence. Change of rhythm)

Time is the substance I am made of.

Time is a river that devours me, but I am the river.

(Another rhythm)

"The sea does not refuse any river," mom always told me that.

(Change of rhythm)

Don't tell me anything now.

You should be ashamed, for making me hope that you would come for me when I was in that reformatory.

(Silence. Strong)

I know you are listening to me...

Take your things and get out forever.

Remember: "Everything seen, everything heard, everything in silence, forever until the tomb."

**Scene 2: Older Brother. Cesar**

**CESAR:** I was always nearby. Circling. Thousands of square kilometers. The course of the rivers prevented me from following.

I always looked for the sea. I always heard about it. A mystery between my eyes and my memory.

My mother always spoke of the sea. Always. (Silence) "You have to go to the sea…"

I am the first of all at this table. The first son. The guinea pig. My mother tested and adjusted my destiny.

I became a coward. Even so, I began my flight and my sisters believed me. (Change of rhythm) We are borrowed from different mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. Incomplete destinies. We adjusted to hunger, to cold, and to summer heat.

Fake blood sisters. (Disdain) I don't recognize you anymore. You have changed so much.

The speed of time and distance have made me a mirage to them. Just a vague memory. How much have I changed? How much of me has there been in this time? Were they laughing at me? At my face, my legs, my eyes?

(Silence. He adjusts his suit)

I feel the nervousness running through these hallways.

(Change of rhythm)

I will wash my hands and fix my nails. I hope they recognize me.

**Scene 3: Caro**

**CARO:**

This is the shortest day and the longest night of our lives.

The silences follow one after another.

My steps, my fake nails, my smooth skin, and my golden eyes.

(Silence)

I love soirées. I measure them with precision. Order and progress.

Tablecloth: Clean, ironed, and centered. Hanging evenly, about 30 cm on the sides.

Base plate: Centered, 2-3 cm from the table edge.

Cutlery: Right side: Knife, edge towards the plate, and spoon.

Left side: Forks, the salad/fish fork outside, the main one inside.

Above the plate: Dessert fork (left) and dessert spoon (right).

Glasses: From left to right: Water, red wine, white wine.

Napkin: Folded on the plate or to the left.

Everything aligned and symmetrical.

Clean glassware and cutlery.

(Silence. She stops.)

I learned it from her. Maria Ines Rojas. The mommy. The mama. The ma.

The.

It's a noise in my head. A discomfort.

She left one day never to return.

They killed her.

(Silence. She remembers her briefly. Smiles)

She took my life. As if it were hers. She never let me go.

I saw her, I wasn't told.

I saw her.

**Scene 4: Lucia and Veronica**

**LUCIA:** The bathroom is ready.

**VERONICA:** The tiles too. But I can't close the windows properly.

**LUCIA:** It doesn't matter. Caro will know what to do. (Rubs her hands. Nervous) It's the winter playing its tricks to avoid the pain.

(Changes rhythm. Playful)

**VERONICA:** How did that thing go that we repeated endlessly before going fishing?

(They both repeat the following with great precision, like a beautiful choreographed mantra. Defined smile. Repeated laughter)

**VERONICA:** The sun rises in the East and sets in the West.

**LUCIA:** If you point your right hand to the East, your face faces North and your back faces South.

**VERONICA:** The direction of a river's water is towards the sea.

**LUCIA:** The moon rises in the East and sets in the West.

**VERONICA:** If there's no moon, there is a star that indicates North and your latitude.

**LUCIA:** The closer you see the pole star to the horizon, the closer you are to the equator.

**VERONICA:** If you see a bird in the middle of the sea, it means there is land where it's flying.

(Silence)

**LUCIA:** Have you seen the sea?

**VERONICA:** Not yet. And you?

**LUCIA:** It was the first thing I did when I escaped the reformatory. I didn't have much time or energy. It was dawn. That hole between the mud and the wall where I could get out. It was winter. (Marks with her finger), from that side you could see the coast. That smell of burnt oil and salt.

**VERONICA:** And where was I?

**LUCIA:** (Thinks for a second, counts on her fingers) In the boarding school, sleeping, I imagine, waiting for me.

**VERONICA:** It can't be. I was the first to leave. (Genuinely surprised)

**LUCIA:** You kept silent. You never spoke. You never really left. I must tell you, you never left. Except the day I came to get you.

**VERONICA:** (Smiles at her mischievously) I remember. Summer afternoon. Breeze through the window. Your long hair. Your fake nails. Your eyes.

Me with the water running, my hands on the service plates. The music playing. You didn't hesitate to hug me. You didn't hesitate to get me out of there.

(Silence)

**VERONICA:** Where did you leave the entrance keys?

**LUCIA:** They are in my purse. I'll check the windows and leave all the doors open.

**VERONICA:** I'll go with you.

(Violent cut + sound + transition 1)

**Scene 5: The Song**

(They remember their mother and her dark little eyes with a song. The song "Esos Ojitos Negros" plays in the background. Everyone sings perfectly, like a Vienna choir or something similar.)

*[Note: The song lyrics are a well-known bolero. A full poetic translation would be lengthy, but the essence is:]*

"Those dark little eyes that looked at me...

That strange look that troubled me...

Those marvelous words of yours...

Those stolen kisses and so many things...

Who separated you from me...

Who stole your love from me...

Even if I cry for you...

You will never know...

I can't forgive you but nevertheless...

I won't be able to forget you for a single moment...

No one, no one will ever know how much I loved you...

No one, no one will understand what happened to us...

Even if the world is happy, I will be sad...

Waiting for the return of our love..."

(They continue singing the chorus)

**Scene 6: Veronica and Lucia (Adolescent Memory)**

**LUCIA:** Hey, what's your sign?

**VERONICA:** Sagittarius.

**LUCIA:** It says you should be more daring, and you should, you're 17 and you look like a grandma.

**VERONICA:** Oh, I know, and I really hate my underwear, and every time I went with my mom to buy something new, she would pick my underwear that seemed more for her.

**LUCIA:** Look, I stole this red bra the other day. Put it on.

Veronica looks at her, takes the bra and puts it on over her clothes.

**LUCIA:** It looks great on you, you look sexy and ready for a boyfriend. Come on, sister, get out of there!

She touches her head as if indicating she should stop thinking so much. Veronica sits down again and takes her game. Continues playing while talking...

**VERONICA:** Boyfriend? No no, I don't want a boyfriend, I just want to experience that thing we saw on television.

**LUCIA:** A boyfriend would be good for you. Or a girlfriend! Have you ever touched yourself?

This time Lucia looks at her and puts her hand on the Atari to get her attention.

**VERONICA:** All the time.

**LUCIA:** Nooo, silly! 'Touched' as in the verb 'to masturbate', we're talking about *that thing* we saw on TV, right?

Veronica goes back to her game.

**VERONICA:** You mean when the girl was having a fit? (Imitates a fit a little)

**LUCIA:** Yeees, that's what I mean!

**VERONICA:** No, not yet. I don't know how to do it, I'm scared. What if I bleed? Or if I faint and my eyes turn white like the girl's?

Veronica stops the game, anguished, her voice getting agitated.

**LUCIA:** Come on Veronica, try it and let me know if that happens, but you're not going to faint. (Sarcasm)

Veronica feels more interested in the conversation and stops playing, she wants to know what her sister has to say.

**VERONICA:** And how do you know?

**LUCIA:** Because I already tried it.

**VERONICA:** Reallly? I don't believe you! But how did you do it? Do you know where to touch?

**LUCIA:** Sister, you need this (passes her the Mirror) and to look down there. You have to know what you're going to touch, you fool!

**VERONICA:** Do I need anesthesia? That new anesthetic you gave me the other day.

**LUCIA:** No, you just need to open up and let it be free. And also stop repeating what mom said.

**VERONICA:** Yeah? Do you know what yours is like?

**LUCIA:** Yes.

**VERONICA:** You've already seen it?

**LUCIA:** Well, obviously, haha.

**VERONICA:** Okay, I'm going to loooook at it, but could you look the other way?

**VERONICA:** Ok, what am I doing?

**LUCIA:** Say hello. Talk to it, it has a life. It's your most intimate part, it's actually you.

**VERONICA:** This feels really weird, but okay, I'll listen to you.

Hello?

**GENITALS:** Hello Veronica, it's good that you've finally decided to come down and meet me. I am your genitals or your vulva, whatever is more comfortable for you to call me.

**VERONICA:** Hello! I'm Veronica.

**GENITALS:** I know, you are me and I am you, dear. Hehehe

**VERONICA:** Hehe, how are you? / At the same time, Genitals speaks:

**GENITALS:** How are you?

Both laugh.

**GENITALS:** We are so connected we speak at the same time, you need me and I need you, Veronica.

**VERONICA:** Hahaha this is better than I thought

**GENITALS:** You see, it's fun. Shall we start the tour?

**VERONICA:** Yes, please.

**GENITALS:** Super! I'm going to show you your world of colors!

Aaaaahh, mmmm (thinking)

—Up here —looking towards the clitoris, makes a quick up-and-down movement with her tongue— … is the clitoris.

That's where the party is.

**VERONICA:** What do you mean by party?

**GENITALS:** The party, that thing that makes your body move. I assume you've never touched yourself here.

**VERONICA:** No, my sister Lucia told me about it.

**GENITALS:** The clitoris is a very important spot. You have more than 8 thousand reasons to be at THE PARTY.

Let's continue…

—This is the urethra. Pee comes out of here.

**VERONICA:** Whaaat! I didn't know there was a second hole!

**GENITALS:** Well, three if you count the anus.

**VERONICA:** The anus? Should I count it? I never thought about counting it.

**GENITALS:** The anus is nice, but it's a bit noisy.

What else? The labia majora, the labia minora…

**VERONICA:** Aaaaaa, I can't believe this, this is so interesting, haha I love it!

**GENITALS:** And this part here is, in fact, the vagina.

**VERONICA:** Ooooh! What? How come? … I always thought the vagina was everything. I'm so stupid! I'm sorry!

**GENITALS:** Many people think that.

It's like people who call all sparkling wine champagne, but technically champagne is from a particular region of France.

Hahaha Or like people who think America is just the United States.

They both laugh.

**VERONICA:** You know what? This isn't weird, this is awesome! I don't feel uncomfortable at all!

**GENITALS:** Of course not, I'm not scary. I am you and I like fun.

Wink wink

You know what I'm talking about?

**VERONICA:** Yes, I think I know what you're talking about.

**GENITALS:** Sure you know what I mean?

**VERONICA:** I think I have an idea. Obviously.

**GENITALS:** I'm telling you to masturbate.

**VERONICA:** Aaaahhh okaaayy… ups!

**GENITALS:** Very well! Now that you've had the tour, it's time for you to try it.

**VERONICA:** I will, I swear, but I have to go.

**GENITALS:** Noooo, stay!

**VERONICA:** I wish I could…

**GENITALS:** Ayyy… try it and you won't want to leave ever again. Hope to see you soon. Byeeee

(Cut + transition + enveloping sound)

**Scene 6 (Cont.): Gustavo and Cesar - The Polygraph**

**GUSTAVO:** Looking for something?

Cesar turns around, very shocked.

**CESAR:** You scared me.

**GUSTAVO:** I heard a noise so I came here in case something was happening.

**CESAR:** Nothing's happening, sorry, I saw a light and didn't realize that…

**GUSTAVO:** (Sarcastically) Relax, did you see anything interesting?

**CESAR:** (Defensive) No, nothing. I mean, it's a cozy corner.

**GUSTAVO:** I saw you looking at that when I came in. (Define what this element is)

Cesar turns his head and points a finger at the table: Yes.

**GUSTAVO:** It's an old (what)?

**CESAR:** Is that it? I've seen them before but never up close.

Gustavo approaches: You know what? Why don't you try it?

Cesar, uncomfortable: Okay.

**GUSTAVO:** (Brazenly) It'll be fun. I'll show you how it works.

**CESAR:** I, I shouldn't.

**GUSTAVO:** (Firmly) Why would you be afraid? You have nothing to hide?

**CESAR:** (Laughs uncomfortably) Alright, I know.

**GUSTAVO:** I know you know, so there shouldn't be a problem.

**CESAR:** There's no problem.

**GUSTAVO:** Then, try it.

**CESAR:** Okay.

**GUSTAVO:** I'll help you.

Gustavo tightly straps the polygraph to Cesar's chest, arm (near the wrist), and fingers. The two men sit. Cesar looks very nervous.

**GUSTAVO:** (Serious) Don't worry, you'll like it.

Gustavo presses some buttons, the polygraph starts with waves on paper.

**CESAR:** Seems complicated – they're not very accurate, right?

Gustavo keeps adjusting the polygraph and turns to Cesar: You'd be surprised how accurate they are.

**GUSTAVO:** It easily tells when someone is lying or not...

Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions and you just have to answer "yes" or "no".

Cesar looks terrified: Okay.

**GUSTAVO:** Did you fly on a plane yesterday?

**CESAR:** Yes.

**GUSTAVO:** Don't look. Did we eat roast beef tonight?

**CESAR:** Yes.

The machine continues marking the paper.

**GUSTAVO:** Was it undercooked?

Cesar thinks a lot: No, it was red, a bit raw for my taste, but I…

**GUSTAVO:** (Laughs) I'm joking.

(Cesar laughs nervously)

**GUSTAVO:** Relax, the needles are jumping. Have you ever seen pornographic videos?

Cesar shakes his head nervously: No.

The polygraph jumps a lot.

**CESAR:** Well, I mean..

**GUSTAVO:** Seriously: Yes or no?

**CESAR:** Yes.

**GUSTAVO:** Do you feel any guilt about it?

**CESAR:** Yes.

**GUSTAVO:** Do I dress well, by any chance?

Cesar hesitates: Well, yes, I'd say yes, generally speaking, for people of your generation.

**GUSTAVO:** I'm not asking for more context. By the way, don't you like my shirt?

**CESAR:** Yes, well, it's not my taste, I mean, I wouldn't wear it but yes.

**GUSTAVO:** Was our mom a trustworthy person?

**CESAR:** Yes, of course.

**GUSTAVO:** And you?

**CESAR:** Me, what?

**GUSTAVO:** Are you a trustworthy person?

**CESAR:** Yes, why do you ask?

**GUSTAVO:** Can you concentrate? Are you a good person considering everything you've done?

**CESAR:** What do you mean?

**GUSTAVO:** The rules are quite simple – you have to say yes or no. Got it?

**CESAR:** (Fearfully) Yes, I got it.

**GUSTAVO:** So, are you a good person considering everything you've done?

**CESAR:** Yes, my conscience is clear.

**GUSTAVO:** Do you have childhood memories?

**CESAR:** Yes.

**GUSTAVO:** Did you commit any crimes when you were young?

**CESAR:** I don't know what you mean.

**GUSTAVO:** We grew up together before the others came?

**CESAR:** No, why are you asking me these stupid things – who do you think you are?

**GUSTAVO:** You were born a few years before me, right?

**CESAR:** I don't know – I think you're confusing me with someone else.

**GUSTAVO:** Have you ever told your siblings what you did?

**CESAR:** No.

**GUSTAVO:** Have you ever told your siblings that I existed?

**CESAR:** No.

**GUSTAVO:** Have you ever told them that we are brothers?

**CESAR:** No, why would I say that?

**GUSTAVO:** Do you remember New Year's at our family's country house in 1998 when we were kids before our siblings were born?

**CESAR:** We never had a country house.

**GUSTAVO:** That night you did something unforgettable, right?

**CESAR:** I think it's not fun to participate in this game anymore.

**GUSTAVO:** No, no, we're just starting, brother, you crossed the line at our country house that night, right?

**CESAR:** You're accusing me of something serious, I don't like what's happening here.

**GUSTAVO:** Who mentioned anything serious, buddy? We're having fun, my brother – you have nothing to hide, right?

**CESAR:** No, well, nothing, all good.

**GUSTAVO:** You wanted to get revenge on me that night because I had damaged your teddy bear?

**CESAR:** Yes, I mean, no, I didn't care, I mean, I don't know what you're talking about.

**GUSTAVO:** There was a very important fire at the country house that night, right?

**CESAR:** It was a long time ago – I don't even remember clearly what I did this morning – Well, yes, I was watching soap operas all day and didn't go to work but yes, you get my point...

**GUSTAVO:** I know you skipped work today and it doesn't surprise me at all considering your principles, but I'm not asking about today. I repeat the question. Was there a very important fire at the country house that night?

**CESAR:** Yes, there was a fire.

**GUSTAVO:** You behaved badly that night to seek balance, didn't you?

**CESAR:** No, I didn't do anything.

**GUSTAVO:** Do you swear on our mother's life that you did nothing against me that night?

**CESAR:** Goddammit! Yes, it was me. I can't take it anymore. I blamed you and mom believed me knowing it couldn't be true. I was her favorite and she wanted to protect me. That's why she sent you so far away and we hid your existence for so long...

**GUSTAVO:** I can't believe it. I've waited 30 years to hear those words. I don't know if I want to kill you or hug you. Or kill you while hugging you. You are the worst and the best. I hate you, I miss you, I admire you, I love you and I want to shake the hell out of you. You don't know how much I want to scream. All the pain I've carried for so long. You don't know how extraordinary this is. I'm about to explode. Hide the scissors because if not I'd cut your hair, and I'd do it very... I'd leave you with a very embarrassing haircut, you son of a bitch. Get out of here before something worse happens.

Cesar walks away, full of fear.

**GUSTAVO:** My God, they say blood runs thick.

**Scene 7: Astrid**

**ASTRID:** It was hard to get rid of the smell of tobacco and alcohol after a night of work. Aurora was always behind the bar, disguising her desire to jump on stage. While I, I gave my skin to impress eyes that I felt were watching me, but that saw nothing... How disgusting! Only we understood what it meant to be a piece of meat in front of a shop window like that... there was no other pit to fall into, or so we thought...

**AURORA:** It's called the Assembly of God, to join you have to accept that God is your savior and they baptize you... —she says confidently and calmly—.

**ASTRID:** And you, have you accepted God as your savior? —she sounds disappointed—.

**AURORA:** Yes, there's nothing wrong with being a Christian —she reproaches her friend—.

**ASTRID:** Are you crazy? How could this happen? Have you forgotten? —she is angry, puts her hand on her forehead trying to understand—. I have always helped you and taught you to think for yourself, Aurora.

**AURORA:** No, you haven't. You've taught me to be like you. —she says with bravery and fear at the same time—. And besides, I think... maybe thinking for yourself isn't so good… Look at you... thinking for yourself led you to commit the worst sin —she says pensively—.

**ASTRID:** Thinking for yourself is a sin? Is that what you think? —she says incredulously, while gesticulating with her hands and fidgeting in her chair repeatedly—. The ability to think for yourself is a sin, really Aurora? —she says with contempt—.

**AURORA:** No, but killing a person is. I pray for your forgiveness every Sunday, Astrid... —she says with sorrow and compassion—.

**ASTRID:** To hell with my forgiveness, I don't regret anything —she shouts—.

**AURORA:** Astrid, why did you kill him? Why did you kill the boss?

**ASTRID:** (To the audience) Pimp, whoremonger, pimp, trafficker, drunk, rapist... I love you. And you love me.

Our fairy tale... The whore and the pimp. So much time has passed... but now I wonder, how is it that they love you? I don't remember anymore...

**ASTRID:** Here's last night's share, my love, you seem tired? Do you want to go to dinner at that Italian place you like so much? —she says flatly and hands him an envelope with money—.

**MAN:** What? —he says as he feels the little money in the envelope—. It's not enough —he grabs Astrid's wrist violently and throws the envelope on the table, spits at her—. What game are you playing? Don't you know what I deserve, this is nothing...

**ASTRID:** Please..., last night there were very few people, besides, you know the old men at the bar never want to go upstairs, not with me or any of the girls, they just want to watch... —she says scared— Please...

**MAN:** I already told you I wouldn't tolerate less money again... have you forgotten what I am capable of? —the man exits violently—.

**ASTRID:** I'm going to burn if I stay here... I'm trapped in this hell... and they've already told me there's no way out on this street I'm taking... They've told me there's no way out but I have to find it, even if it costs me my life or even if I have to kill —she caresses some white flowers—. Oh, loving, at one point I wished I were crazy and not love, because loving causes pain, pain that has no end, and the crazy person lives without it... —she cuts and prepares the flowers, prepares the poison—.

**MAN:** Queen, forgive me, no one will love you like I do —he says trying to caress her hair—. Without you I die... —he says repentant and euphoric at the same time—.

**ASTRID:** I know... —she says with a sweet smile—.

The man drinks the glass of milk and collapses on the table. Astrid is very nervous, terrified by what she has done, and brings her hands to her head, horrified.

**ASTRID:** I was yours, partner, until you became a jailer.

**ASTRID:** Don't do it again, Aurora.

**AURORA:** Do what?

**ASTRID:** Settle for anyone who shows you a little attention, just because you're lonely. Loneliness is a human condition and no one will fill that void. The best you can do is get to know yourself, know what you want and don't let anyone get in the way of that... because if you do, you might have to kill too.

**Scene 8: Lucia - Surreal Family Scene**

**GUSTAVO:** (Addressing Carolina) Can you pass me the sugar?

Carolina moves the sugar two centimeters.

The light turns white, focuses on Gustavo. Everyone is completely still except Lucia, who cleans her nails while looking at her father.

**LUCIA:** She disappears exactly like you do. You just have to try to remember that, beneath her arrogance and manipulation, she is as scared as you are. She is desperate for love. Ask her how she feels. Change the mood, think of something... a joke. Something funny to say...

The light changes to a warm natural light and everyone moves and interacts naturally.

**GUSTAVO:** What is the most creative period for a man?

**LUCIA:** Between 30 and 40 years old.

**GUSTAVO:** And for a woman?

**LUCIA:** Between 20 and 30.

**GUSTAVO:** When is a child ready to leave home?

**LUCIA:** When their right canine tooth falls out.

**VERONICA:** Or the left one, it doesn't really matter.

**GUSTAVO:** At that moment, the body is ready to face all dangers. To leave home safely, you have to use the car. When can you learn to drive?

**VERONICA:** When the canine tooth grows back. Right or left, it doesn't matter.

**LUCIA:** Mom, what is a "vagina"?

The light changes again to white light but this time focused on Carolina. Again everyone becomes immobile except Lucia.

**LUCIA:** Two nights ago you asked him why he looked so sad.

**CAROLINA:** I told him I had been contaminated by his lack of desire.

**LUCIA:** He replied that he was just deeply depressed, and that he was trying to get closer while you were pulling away.

**CAROLINA:** I hugged him, and again we forgot about my problems.

**LUCIA:** But he was crying like a child...

The light turns back to warm natural light and everyone continues their actions.

**CAROLINA:** A vagina? Where did you learn that word?

Veronica elbows Lucia and they look at each other.

**LUCIA:** In a box on the VCR.

Carolina clears her throat a couple of times.

**CAROLINA:** A vagina is a large lamp. Example: The vagina went out and the room was completely dark.

Gustavo hurriedly interrupts.

**GUSTAVO:** Do you want to hear your grandfather sing?

The light turns white again and focuses on Gustavo and Carolina. Everyone becomes immobile except Lucia. Lucia walks and stands behind Gustavo.

**LUCIA:** You have avoided being yourself for so long that you have gone crazy. She is no more ambitious than you. She is just direct about it. She is just being herself, and you are holding it against her. You are jealous because you are not as authentic as she is. Your unwillingness to open up... forcing her to act like your mother. It's not up to her to allow you to be yourself. Stop looking for women to save you.

Lucia now walks towards Carolina and stands behind her.

**CAROLINA:** Yesterday I asked him who that Milena was who left a sweet message on his answering machine in New York.

**LUCIA:** He said it was his sister Melissa.

**CAROLINA:** I'm being paranoid.

**LUCIA:** I remember a story about a man who discovered his wife had betrayed him and suffered in silence for 16 years. Finally, when he confronted her, she convinced him he was wrong. As a result, he left the room and shot himself in the head.

Lucia walks back to her chair while the light returns to natural. Lucia looks at her parents and her sister.

**LUCIA:** Dad loves us. Mom loves us. Do we love them? Yes, we love them...

Veronica interrupts.

**VERONICA:** I have a stomach ache.

**LUCIA:** Where exactly?

Veronica stands up and touches her stomach.

**VERONICA:** In the upper right part. It could be appendicitis.

Lucia lays Veronica on the floor. The parents continue their actions.

**LUCIA:** Appendicitis is lower, on the right.

Lucia starts touching Veronica's stomach.

**LUCIA:** Does it hurt here?

**VERONICA:** No.

**LUCIA:** Here?

**VERONICA:** No.

**LUCIA:** Here?

**VERONICA:** No.

**LUCIA:** Here?

**VERONICA:** Yes.

**LUCIA:** No fruits or vegetables.

**VERONICA:** I drank a little milk.

**LUCIA:** It's okay, avoid doing too much today.

**VERONICA:** Are you going to give me pills?

**LUCIA:** Not necessary. If you follow my instructions, you'll get better. Otherwise, your condition will worsen and you will die. Are you getting up? Do you want to play something? I have a new anesthetic. Shall we try it?

**VERONICA:** Yes.

**LUCIA:** Whoever wakes up first, wins.

Lucia puts liquid on the handkerchiefs and gives one to Veronica.

**VERONICA:** Don't put more on mine.

**LUCIA:** One, two, three...

Veronica and Lucia smell their handkerchiefs and after a moment they fall. Gustavo continues with his crossword while Carolina continues fixing her nails. Carolina looks for a moment at Veronica and Lucia, and goes back to her nails.

Carolina speaks to Gustavo without looking up from her nails.

**CAROLINA:** (To Gustavo) Can you pass me the sugar?

Gustavo moves the sugar a couple of centimeters back. Carolina lifts her gaze to Gustavo. He smiles and hands her the sugar. She returns a slight, almost imperceptible smile.

**Scene 9: Cesar and Veronica**

**VERONICA:** Did you fix something?

**CESAR:** (Slowly puts the empty glass on the table) What do you think? Don't you think I would have told you if I had? But you can't stop asking, can you?... (He falls silent abruptly.)

**VERONICA:** (Twisting the glass in her hands.) The guys are right... For weeks now it seems like you hate us, CÉSAR.

**CESAR:** For weeks it seems like everyone is watching me..., you, and everyone in this family. You spy on my slightest gestures, you want to read I don't know what on my face.

**VERONICA:** (Cold, cutting.) It's not us, CÉSAR. It's you who can't stand facing what you are.

**CESAR:** "What you are"... What do you mean by "what you are"? (He replies with a mocking and sarcastic expression.)

**VERONICA:** I don't need to say anything, CÉSAR. Your conscience gives you away ever since you told your lie to everyone.

**CESAR:** I didn't lie. Since you heard it, you should know. I didn't sign anything, and I only sold what everyone wanted to buy. (Pauses) ...Suppose it was the truth.

**VERONICA:** It wasn't.

**CESAR:** And why not? What do you know? You haven't seen me for many years, you know little about that stage of my life.

**VERONICA:** You can fool yourself if you want. Not me.

**CESAR:** Okay, enough! (He takes a pause and smokes, gets up and walks, responding as if talking to himself) ...However, why couldn't it be like that? Even the same name..., we were born in the same town, here; we were more or less the same age.

**VERONICA:** But not the same destiny. That doesn't belong to you.

**CESAR:** And what does it matter to you? Everyone believed it all.

**VERONICA:** I saw the package you brought last night, the uniform and the cowboy hat, César. Enough with the stories. What are you going to do with that money?

**CESAR:** I don't have to give you accounts. I'll know what to do with it.

**VERONICA:** But I'm not asking for them... What I want is for you to do something for your family... they are disoriented, desperate.

**CESAR:** (Pause, tense) Yes, I've thought about you. The money is there, I wanted to use it for everyone, but I can't, I don't know how to spend it... I don't know why. Without that uniform, I am nobody.

**VERONICA:** Why don't we leave, CÉSAR? Now you have the money... Or does remorse weigh on you more than fear? You know well that if the family finds out, we would lose everything; and we, our peace. Let's go, CÉSAR.

**CESAR:** And where could we go?

**VERONICA:** Could you live in peace in the country, CÉSAR? I would always be afraid for you.

**CESAR:** (Rebelling.) You'll end up making me believe I'm a criminal. (Pause.) You mean leave the country, to the other side of the border?

**VERONICA:** I think it would be best, CÉSAR.

**CESAR:** The idea is attractive, I've dreamed of it before, but the idea of leaving the country overwhelms me. My strength is here.

**VERONICA:** Nothing holds you here except your ideas, your dreams. (She replies ironically.)

**CESAR:** My dreams! ...I have always wanted reality: that's what you can't understand. (Takes a pause) You've ended up making me feel afraid; we will not leave, we are not in any danger. (Takes another pause and continues in a tone of self-convincing) Anyone hearing you would think you've done something sordid and terrible, a crime. No, I have not committed any crime. What you call remorse was nothing more than disorientation. If I haven't used the money it's because I had never had so much at once..., in my life...; I've lost the capacity to spend, as happens with our class; others lose the capacity to eat, from privations.

**VERONICA:** Yes..., that seems reasonable, CÉSAR. I am one of those people who lose the capacity to eat; I lost it in our life. I'm not complaining. ... Look, maybe you didn't commit a crime by taking a dead man's identity to get that money, but you had promised not to do anything dishonest. And well, if you've already done it, at least let's get out of here, César, now is the time. We'll make a new future for everyone somewhere else.

**CESAR:** Have I done something dishonest? I'm just taking an opportunity life is giving me. For a long time I've done things correctly and honestly and I've gotten nothing but misery in return. Besides, why do you want to force me to make the decision to leave now? There will be time, there will be time.

**VERONICA:** Later! It might be too late. Don't hold a grudge against me.

**CESAR:** (Takes her hand.) We have always been as if naked, covering each other mutually. Deep down you are upright... Why are you ashamed of it? Why do you want to be something else... now?

**CESAR:** Oh Veronica, how innocent you are; everyone here lives on appearances, on gestures. I said I am CÉSAR... Who does that harm? Look at those who flaunt power and honor without having deserved them, those who rob the people while preaching justice. Everything here is a stage where truth is disguised and hope is sacrificed daily. Misery is currency and suffering is a spectacle for their lies. Don't you see, Verónica? The blood of innocents stains the foundations of power, while lies and hypocrisy are the only flags that wave. Everything is a cruel theater where hope dies every day and suffering is sold as currency for new crimes. And what about you and Adriana?, you have a secret you don't dare tell. Mom's death is a mystery that only you know and haven't wanted to reveal. So, why couldn't I keep being Cesar? I am better than all of them. Why not?

**VERONICA:** What happened with mom has nothing to do with it, You know it..., And no, You can't keep up with that lie..., because no, because no.

**CESAR:** Enough VERÓNICA, please! That's enough, leave me alone!

**Scene 9 (Cont.): Revelation, Conflict and Secret of Astrid and Aurora.**

**AURORA:** Six years and it still smells of rotten herbs in this house.

**ASTRID:** At one point we were mom's favorites.

**AURORA:** Six years protecting them… and now they come for their share.

**ASTRID:** (Adjusting her worn dress) Lucia was twelve years old. Anna, fourteen. What were they going to do?. You would have done the same, denied everything. they were little. (Silence)

**AURORA:** We were the older ones. (Bitter laugh) And they… just scared little girls. (Silence + change of rhythm) You know what's the funniest thing? That Lucia and Veronica didn't even have to bear the public judgment of the town. It was you and I.

**ASTRID:** But we separated them. one in a reformatory and the other in a boarding school. (Silence. Change of rhythm). They came for something. they are going to tell us something. it's the house… (Aurora leans in)

**AURORA:** Or is it that they are afraid we will tell everything? I wouldn't mind. you… you were always soft on them.

**ASTRID:** (Stands up abruptly) I protected them! (Remembers): Veronica and Lucia spat in my face before we left them at their places!

(Silence. Aurora takes something from her pocket: a child's diary stained with dirt. She opens it to a specific page.)

**AURORA:** (Reads aloud, mockingly)

"Today mom told me I'm useless. I wish she would die. Veronica gave me some herbs to put in her tea…" (Closes the diary) Signed: Lucia Rojas, 12 years old.

**ASTRID:** (Turns pale)…Where did you find that?

**AURORA:** (Smiles) Where you hid it. In the chest under the floorboards. (Pause) But you didn't burn all the pages, Astrid. How careless.

(Astrid recoils. Aurora not only betrayed her: she read her secrets.)

**AURORA:** (Without looking at her) And you told her the usual: "Only we were there." (Calculated pause) Or did you lie?

(Astrid swallows saliva. The sound seems amplified.)

**ASTRID:** ...Lucia was 12 years old.

**AURORA:** (Turns sharply) And Veronica 14! (Walks towards her) Do you know what Veronica told me before leaving home for the boarding school? That you promised her to take care of Lucia... and within a month you put her in that reformatory.

**ASTRID:** (Defends herself, agitated) It was to protect her! From the police, from the neighbors, from...!

**AURORA:** (Interrupts with a sweet and venomous voice) From me? Because you knew that if Lucia talked... I would tell your secret.

(Astrid freezes.)

**ASTRID:** (Terrified) I didn't... I didn't push mom.

**AURORA:** (Explodes) We were there! But you let her fall! (Imitates her voice) "Mom, grab my hand!"... while you yourself stepped on her skirt in the mud. (Leans in) How much did she weigh, Astrid? 60 kilos? And you, an athlete, couldn't hold her?

(Astrid cries silently. Aurora takes a stained envelope from her bra and slides it across the table.)

**AURORA:** Read. It's the unofficial autopsy I paid for. "Occipital fracture compatible with a blow against rock... but initial impacts on knees suggest a forced fall".

**ASTRID:** (Trembling as she takes the paper) What... what are you implying?

**AURORA:** (Whispers) That someone forced mom to her knees before she slipped. (Pause) And that someone was wearing your rings, Astrid. (Breaks the silence) You were behind her on the hill, Astrid.

**ASTRID:** (Rubs her arms as if cold) I tried... God knows I tried to hold her. But the mud...

**AURORA:** (Interrupts) How convenient! Just like when you "tried" to stop Lucia before she confessed in the reformatory. (Leans in) Or when you "tried" to convince Veronica not to flee the town yet. (Slams the table) Always trying, never succeeding!

(Astrid stands up abruptly. Her chair falls to the floor. She approaches Aurora until they are face to face.)

**ASTRID:** (Voice trembling with contained rage) And you... What did you do, Aurora? Beyond handing out envelopes of money to the police and hiding Lucia's diary like a trophy! (Grabs the child's diary from the table) Do you know what else she wrote that night? "I wish Aurora would die instead of mom."

(Aurora turns pale. Astrid continues, now with tears of fury.)

**ASTRID:** (Continues, heartbroken) You were their heroine! They admired you! And you... you used them as bait so the blame would fall on them. Because they were minors, they weren't of your blood! Just the cousin who coveted this damned house!

(Aurora reacts violently. She snatches the diary from her hands.)

**AURORA:** (Shouting subtly) I COVERED FOR THEM BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO WEAK TO DO IT! (Gasps, lowers her voice) María Inés deserved to fall. Do you know what she did to Lucia? To Veronica? She whipped them with a belt, everyone knew and stayed silent. All cowards.

I saved them! (Silence) Why did we lie saying we weren't on the hill with them?

**ASTRID:** Because... because if we told the truth, everyone would suspect us.

Veronica and Lucia were minors. Understand..

(Silence)

**AURORA:** (Slams the table) There's a problem.

**ASTRID:** What?

**AURORA:** We can't deny them anything. They know. They saw us and kept silent and we will pay for that tonight.

**ASTRID:** What's left for us then?

**AURORA:** Whatever Lucia in particular tells us and asks us to do.

**ASTRID:** Our signatures to hand over the house.

**AURORA:** That's right. Without scratches, without blood. Nothing at all.

**ASTRID:** But you and I. We gave everything.

(Silence)

**AURORA:** There's nothing left here.

(Silence.)

**ASTRID:** (Without looking up) Do you remember what you swore that night?

**AURORA:** (Broken laugh) "Everything seen and everything heard, everything in silence, forever until the tomb." But the earth only swallowed mom. It spat us out.

(Astrid stands up)

**ASTRID:** The brothers left. They left us carrying their guilt.

**AURORA:** (Approaches) Because we gave them the motive. (Grabs Astrid's arm) Or have you forgotten how Cesar begged you to help him falsify the report? Or how Gustavo whined that "he couldn't live with this" and left?

(Astrid breaks free, furious. Her hand trembles.)

**ASTRID:** They knew! And they let the whole town point at us as murderous whores!

Even though the case had been closed with no culprits. (Broken voice) And what was it all for then? The silence? The fear?

**AURORA:** To be able to keep living even if it was far from here.

(Astrid looks at her and hugs her.)

**ASTRID:** (Whisper) I'll talk to Lucia.

**AURORA:** (Fixes her hair) And what will she tell you?. You just have to seek a truce and that's it.

**ASTRID:** Someone has to pay. It won't be us.

(Violent cut + sound + Transition)

**Scene 10: Caro and Gustavo**

**CARO:** Hi.

**GUSTAVO:** Hi.

**CARO:** You disappeared.

**GUSTAVO:** Yes. Sorry. I didn't want... to interrupt anything.

**CARO:** Interrupting me was never that difficult.

**GUSTAVO:** (A faint smile) Lately I'm not so sure.

**CARO:** Do you want to sit down?

**GUSTAVO:** No, thanks. I'm fine like this.

Pause. Carolina nods. Tense but calm atmosphere.

**CARO:** How have you been?

**GUSTAVO:** Fine. Same as always. Work, coffee, broken things.

**CARO:** That sounds... solid.

**GUSTAVO:** You, on the other hand… you were everywhere. I saw you in the supermarket magazine. And on a mural. Two, actually.

**CARO:** (Lowers her gaze, uncomfortable) Yes. Sometimes I wake up and don't know how it happened. Or why. But there it all is, as if it made sense.

**GUSTAVO:** Does it?

**CARO:** I don't know. Sometimes it seems more like a well-made disguise than anything else.

Brief silence. Gustavo observes her.

**CARO:** Look, I know it's weird that I call you. That I appear like this.

**GUSTAVO:** A little.

**CARO:** (Laughs, nervous) But I'm leaving. Today. And I thought that… I couldn't leave without seeing you.

Carolina points to something to the side: a large package, wrapped, leaning against the wall.

**CARO:** It's for you.

**GUSTAVO:** A painting?

**CARO:** More or less.

**GUSTAVO:** Should I open it?

**CARO:** Not yet. It's an awkward gift. Like me.

**GUSTAVO:** (Slight smile) Thanks, anyway.

**CARO:** I made it a while ago. Thinking of you. After… what happened.

**GUSTAVO:** "What happened" has a name now?

**CARO:** (Without excuses) Yes. I was a coward. I pushed you away. Twice. Maybe more.

**GUSTAVO:** And now?

**CARO:** Now I'm leaving. But if I weren't leaving… if, for some reason, I decided to stay… do you think you could let me into your life a little? Or into what's left of it after all this.

Long pause. Gustavo moves uncomfortably. Doesn't know what to say.

**GUSTAVO:** Carolina… yesterday they asked you who I was. And you said "nobody". I heard it.

Gustavo sits down, dejected.

**CARO:** (Slight sad smile) Did you want me to tell my whole life story to the biggest gossip in town?

**GUSTAVO:** I just expected… I don't know. A word.

**CARO:** You're right. It was cruel. Not because I felt nothing, but because I felt too much.

**GUSTAVO:** I saw you telling people what they wanted to hear. And when it was my turn, you said nothing.

**CARO:** Because with you I never knew what to say. I spent her last months locked up with mom, watching her fade away day by day… I was the one who stayed. The one who held everything together in silence. And when she disappeared, years ago, I felt like there was no one left. Just you, and you didn't come back either. And that scared me.

Gustavo looks at her. Something in him softens.

**GUSTAVO:** You know why I couldn't come back.

**CARO:** The truth is... all this they see of me —the bright, efficient, tireless girl— is just a way to survive. A disguise I learned to wear so as not to break.

**GUSTAVO:** Even so you broke and never asked for help.

He looks at her, a slight tremble in his voice.

**CARO:** With you I can't wear it.

**GUSTAVO:** It doesn't show the truth, you wear it very well.

(Gustavo lowers his gaze. Carolina takes a step towards him.)

**CARO:** So... that's all. You can say no. You can leave. But before... I just want to tell you: Gus, Don't forget — I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.

Pause. Carolina holds his gaze. Gustavo is motionless. Doesn't speak. Carolina smiles, with sadness. She leans in, kisses him softly on the cheek.

**CARO:** Goodbye, Gus.

She turns around. Walks towards the exit. Silence.

Gustavo stands up.

**GUSTAVO:** What if I keep it?

Carolina stops dead in her tracks. Doesn't turn around.

**CARO:** The gift?

**GUSTAVO:** No. You.

**Scene 11: Aurora's Monologue**

**AURORA:** (Doesn't respond at first, then speaks as if emptying herself from within.) For years I was… functional. The good one, the one who doesn't disturb, the one who doesn't bother. Like a plastic flower: always upright, always decorative. The ideal woman… if ideal means quiet, pretty, and available. (Laughs with bitterness. Turns towards the audience.) You know what I discovered yesterday?

I discovered that I am fed up. I'm fed up with pretending I don't think so much, that I don't feel too much, that I don't desire more. I'm fed up with minimizing my fire so as not to scare the lukewarm. Fed up with shrinking myself, with making emotional origami to fit into other people's shapes.

**AURORA:** (With a slight laugh) Well… being intense isn't so bad either, is it? Some people like a little fire…

**AURORA:** Ah, of course. Fire, but in an aromatic candle. They want me intense, but controllable. Like gourmet spice: exotic, but tolerable. Let me shine, yes, but without dazzling. Let me burn, but without scorching. Let me be free… but obedient.

(Walks towards the table. Takes a crumpled paper, looks at it for a second and throws it on the floor.) I've hidden my voice in notebooks, my desires in educated silences, my boundaries behind a smile…

(Pause). She approaches the center of the stage. Takes out a small bottle of pills from a pocket. Observes it in silence. Opens it. Takes one out. Holds it between her fingers. Then, slowly pours it out. The pills fall to the floor, softly, like renunciations. Nothing more is said.)

(Begins to remove her outer costume: blazer, belt, skirt… Lets it fall to the floor with intention. Under that layer, her true scenic body: fluid, alive dance clothes. Breathes. Sits in the chair. Closes her eyes. And pronounces the last thing before the silence.)

**AURORA:** (Low, firm voice, with a slight smile) If that's being crazy… then blessed be my madness. (The song "Crazy" begins. Aurora dances. Her body becomes language. There are no more words. The movement says everything. It is ugly, beautiful, free, absurd. It is her.)

(When the music ends, Aurora remains still, breathing. Looks at the audience calmly and with strength. And throws out the last question, unadorned.)

**AURORA:** What if the real madness… was living while pretending to be sane?

**Scene 12: Extortion. Veronica to Cesar.**

**VERONICA:** You have to leave as soon as possible.

(Silence)

**CESAR:** Do you know what I dreamed last night? That mom was in the garden. Washing our clothes.

(Silence. Hard. They look into each other's eyes. Still as ice.)

**VERONICA:** Along with us scrubbing the floor. (Silence) You always remained silent about mom's beatings on Lucia and me.

You have no margin. We are not going anywhere with you. There is no time or place for you. You are tied enough to your place.

(Silence)

Any false move you make in these minutes left at this table with these people will cost you your life and you know it.

**CESAR:** You wouldn't dare. You are tied to me like everyone else.

**VERONICA:** No, and you know it. (Silence). You are waiting for the hug from everyone that will never come. You kept silent. You locked all our lives away in a drawer.

**CESAR:** We had to start over. Clean everything. I did what they asked me.

**VERONICA:** And the cost. Lucia and I were separated for many years. Lucia in that reformatory and me in the boarding school. 100 km apart.

Did you never think about this?

**CESAR:** They were minors.

**VERONICA:** I'm not going to respond to that. (Silence) You have to leave. and there will be no problem for you or for me. The house is being sold.

**CESAR:** I want to be in the final photo.

**VERONICA:** You will end up with nothing.

(Silence)

**CESAR:** Everything seen, everything heard, everything in silence, forever until the tomb.

(Veronica exits quickly. Cut)

**Scene 13: Carolina and Her Heart**

**CARO:** They talk too much about you. Without knowing who you really were.

(Silence)

A kiss takes 50 milliseconds to register in the body. Its emotional response can be slower. Hundreds of milliseconds or even seconds. (Silence)

That's what I was for you, mom. a millisecond or even a second in your miserable life. (Releases her anger)

A kiss never reached me. Not from you nor from anyone. (Shouts)

Those 50 milliseconds were never registered in my body.

What is that about hugging?

What is that about kissing?

What is that about crying?

(Silence)

You used to tell me that when I looked in the mirror, the light bouncing off my face would take 1 nanosecond (for every 30 cm of distance) to reach your eyes. (Silence)

That's what you told me while I changed the bandages on your feet.

That light that once bounced off my face never reached you.

It wasn't 30 centimeters of distance but centuries to reach your eyes.

Invisible. Within your eyes. I was always an invisible.

Your reflection is a recent ghost, but even so: are you now, or the you from a billionth of a second ago?

I will always be your reflection.

That of my siblings.

That of my own shadow.

(Silence)

I have left everything clean and starched.

Nothing more remains.

**Scene 14: Final Extortion and Threat**

**LUCIA:** The buyer offered us double if all five of us sign.

(Astrid and Aurora look at each other. Something doesn't add up.)

**ASTRID:** (Coldly) But we don't live here anymore. So… we need an incentive to sign.

**LUCIA:** (Throws something on the table: a letter from the reformatory) Like no one knowing that you visited me in the reformatory… and gave me money to keep quiet. (Looks at Astrid) Or that you wrote to Veronica telling her never to come back.

(Deadly silence. The lie crumbles.)

**AURORA:** What will you do?

**LUCIA:** (Without blinking) Burn the house down. (Pause) by accident. it's the only way to get the insurance money and its sale as land.

**ASTRID:** What?! …When did this become…?

**LUCIA:** When they left us alone. Do you want me to remind you of the promises. The Christmases. The whippings in that place from which I escaped and you didn't notice. Or how Veronica ended up after those years in that girls' boarding school. You promised with Aurora to come get us and you didn't. You swore it and you didn't do it...

(Caro appears from a corner, breaking the scene)

**CARO:** (Hoarse voice, as if she hadn't spoken in years) Mom always said… that this house would choose who would stay with it.

**LUCIA:** (Nervous, steps back) Caro… you have nothing to do with this.

**CARO:** (Laughs, a broken sound) I always had to do with it. (Points to the floor) Because I have seen everything.

(Silence. Astrid turns pale. Aurora turns pale. Veronica looks at Lucia, and for the first time, there is fear in their eyes.)

**CARO:** I was always the invisible one. Aurora, I saw you, not wanting to hold mom back from going down the hill. You passed like a shadow without touching the mud... Astrid watching mom fall without hesitating.

(Astrid falls to her knees on the floor in shock. Aurora looks at her hands, as if they still had blood.)

**CARO:** (Soft, almost maternal) I saw it all. And I stayed quiet. (Pause) Because mom asked me to.

(Everyone holds their breath: What?)

**CARO:** That's right. She foresaw all this and I was there too.

(Paralyzing silence) Mom told me: "If anything happens to me… let them destroy each other. This house is mine, and only the one who truly deserves it will inherit it." None of you deserve anything.

(Abrupt change + maximum tension, everyone still. Tension rises.)

**LUCIA:** Sign this.

Abrupt silence.

**ASTRID:** (Trembling) Caro... wasn't there.

**VERONICA:** Are you sure?

**CARO:** (With a sad smile) Yes, I was, and I saw everything you did, you, Astrid and Aurora. (Silence). You never understood... Mom never wanted the house sold. She wanted us to burn her secrets with her.

(Everyone looks at her, paralyzed.)

**CARO:** Now... Who wants to be the first to burn the house down? (Points to the portrait of María Inés, the mother)

**AURORA:** (Defiant) What do you want?

**VERONICA:** For you to sign now. Who will care about the truth after so much time?

**CARO:** Mom told me before she died: "If they kill me... let the house be their tomb."

(Silence + abrupt change of rhythm. Maximum group tension.)

**LUCIA:** (Cold, pointing at the contract) Sign or I burn everything now. (Takes out a lighter. Veronica, rubbing alcohol in a rag.)

**ASTRID:** (Collapses in the chair) My God...

**LUCIA:** That hill holds secrets. Like the footprints of someone who did try to help mom... (Looks at Astrid) Right, Caro?

**CARO:** That's right.

**AURORA:** Take it. And let us go now.

**CAROLINA:** Burn it all. (Says it to Lucia's face.)

**END**