Act 2

CASTLE

As the owl screamed and the cricket cried, I walked through my own castle like a thief. Every voice and every foot step louder and closer. With every breath, I shivered in fear that someone would find me and brand me a traitor for my thoughts. I never saw the servant coming from the hallway. When I encountered him, I refused to show panic in my face and fought the paranoia threatening to take over my head. I walked through the castle with the servant for a while talking as calmly as a soon-to-be-murderer could be. Then I ran into Banquo and Fleance. After talking to Banquo briefly, I casually sent off the servant to seek my wife. When I was left alone with my thoughts, I saw a ghostly dagger just within reach but never to be caught. It pointed toward King Duncan’s chamber. When I tried to grab it, my hand passed through it as if the dagger was made of air itself. As I feverishly continued to reach for the ghastly replica of my dagger, sudden gouts of blood appeared on its dudgeon. I started doubting my brain! That was when the bell rang and the dagger vanished. I pushed downed the bile coming up my throat and went into Duncan’s Chamber. Everything was like a fast moving picture for a while, both blurred and clear at the same time. Upon my return to the mortal world, my hands were red as roses and I was sweating from crown to toe. I talked with my wife but everything around me looked as if it was underwater. My wife’s voice seemed far away and everything was blurry. I was washing my hands with water, feeling that I could never come clean of this deed, when a loud knock on the door woke me from a dazed stupor. After Lady Macbeth cleaned up after me and scolded me or my cowardice, we went up and hid in our chamber like two mice hiding from a cat, knowing that if the truth came to light, our life would be forfeited. I acted naturally when I walked back out of my chamber to greet Macduff and Lennox. As we walked to the King’s chamber I prepared for the worst. But the worst never happened. Lady Macbeth and I acted as if the sky had fallen apart when Macduff ran out of the chamber screaming “Murder!”  I camouflaged myself to avoid suspicion like a stick bug hiding among branches to escape its predators. Everything went according to plan and no one cast the eye of suspicion my way when the king’s two sons fled my castle. I live to see another day...



Blood soaked dagger