Deprecated: __autoload() is deprecated, use spl_autoload_register() instead in /home4/meraqissa/public_html/mailer/PHPMailerAutoload.php on line 45

Deprecated: __autoload() is deprecated, use spl_autoload_register() instead in /home4/meraqissa/public_html/mailer/PHPMailerAutoload.php on line 45

Deprecated: __autoload() is deprecated, use spl_autoload_register() instead in /home4/meraqissa/public_html/mailer/PHPMailerAutoload.php on line 45

Deprecated: __autoload() is deprecated, use spl_autoload_register() instead in /home4/meraqissa/public_html/mailer/PHPMailerAutoload.php on line 45

Peregrination of the Soul

___________________________________

A Play in Ten Acts

by

Syeda Khair-ul-Bariyah

Daastan Publishing 2023

First Published in Pakistan by Daastan PVT LTD

House # A-41, Madni Street, Lala Rukh, Wah Cantt, Punjab 47040

www.daastan.com

www.meraqissa.com

Text copyrights © Syeda Khair-ul-Bariyah

Book Design copyright © Syeda Khair-ul-Bariyah

Edited by: Mariam Rizvi

The moral rights of the writer, illustrator, and editor have been asserted.

All rights reserved

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or distributed in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN 978-969-696-921-1

To the heartfelt inspiration I received at Forman Christian College, Lahore

Acknowledgments

I dedicate the stage play 'Peregrination of the Soul' to the heartfelt inspiration I received from the Character Building Classes and the core values at Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Lahore, Pakistan.

The indispensable character lessons encompassing aspects of personality development, nurturing positive habits, negotiating the complexities of student life, fostering relationships with friends and family, recognizing self-worth, addressing the problems of addiction, upholding integrity, and enriching respect for the dignity of every individual—all have contributed to the playwright. Furthermore, the institute’s commitment to diversity and acceptance, fairness and justice, discipline and accountability, the vision of attaining excellence, and the strong sense of feeding the young minds for community and service served as a fountainhead of motivation for me to knit my imagination into a stage play.

Contents

Synopsis

In the Peregrination of the Soul, Aziel, a sixteen-year-old boy, leaves his family due to the broken trust in his parents—a trust intentionally shattered by the enemy clan. Aziel continues to live his life separately, but the teachings of his parents echo in his mind. Alongside Alden and Ames, who become his close friends, he succeeds in becoming a law graduate. Destiny takes him to a point where he wins an old case filed long ago against his family—the same case that led him to abandon his parents in despair.

Out of feelings of repentance, Aziel reaches Guideland as a stray, where the guide Maargin awakens his soul to relive life as a nobleman. Aziel does everything to add to the glory, grandeur, and nobility of his family, which were their real identity.

The central idea of the play is the process of building character. A person of character is not someone who never makes any mistakes; instead, he is the one who keeps the windows of his mind open to allow good words to nourish his intellect, guiding him in the right direction when needed. Nurturing soul and continuously enlightening it by rectifying mistakes and learning from them ultimately builds a strong character.

Cast of Characters

Scene

The city of Atherailton, US and various locations around it.

Time

The present

ACT I

Scene 1

NARRATOR: The Miller family lives in Atherailton, a wealthy town in America. The distinctive aspect is that the Miller family is the only upper-middle-class family living in Atherailton, a town known to be the town of super-rich inhabitants. Many look down upon them out of haughtiness, never having met them, while others acknowledge their existence as a blessing and grace for them. The Miller family was once affluent, two generations ago, having a substantial business set-up. They gained all wealth and grandeur through hard work and honesty. The families who do not like them today are the ones who were once jealous of them. The reason for this jealousy is the wealth once gained was through the right means while they gained it through illegal ways and then there was the factor of repentance at times wondering that if the Miller family could earn through the right means then why they needed to adopt the unethical path. Instead of correcting themselves, they involved the Miller family in fraudulent cases and the Miller family got bankrupted. They didn’t admit their mistakes and to satisfy their egos they portrayed the Miller family involved in wrong means. Way back in 1963, the news was hot in every press release that the Miller family was the biggest fraud because they had committed two crimes.

First crime: To commit the most complex fraud in the business world.

Second crime: To play with the faith of people.

The families finding them grace are the ones running a grand business set-up, the level of business set-up the Miller family once had. They are running their business with complete honesty, and they, along with their forefathers, could actually make it possible because of the spiritual guidance of the Miller family. Yes, the spiritual and character guides in the Miller family, the underlying reason for them to be targeted. For a long time, kids from families living in Atherailton have been sent to the Miller family to have small lectures on soul cleansing. The Miller family aimed to give small lessons on the development of character traits needed for the next generation to excel as iconic personalities of any field they select, especially in growing as business tycoons yet keeping up to the level of ethical standards. These families are supporting the Miller family since 1963. They stopped the forefathers of the Miller family from hiding away in the society out of shame, as they never deserved it.

The preachers were shielded by the taught ones through the lessons taught to them by the preachers once. The strength of light added in each soul combined to siege the Miller family.

The Miller family lived as the poorest family in Atherailton in the initial years, having nothing to eat at times. They sold a big part of their house and invested to start a new business. They reached the point of being called an upper-middle-class family after two decades of hard work.

SETTING:  Living room of an upper-middle-class house.

AT RISE: A silent and humorous situation. AZIEL is in the living room with his mother MOIRA. AZIEL starts eating food without prayer. MOIRA slightly slaps his hand and folds her hands to remind him to pray before the meal. AZIEL gets up to leave the house, but MOIRA stops him to comb his hair, tuck in his shirt, and tie his shoelaces before he can leave. AZIEL feels tired of the daily monitoring by his mother. MR MARCELLUS enters the house.

MR. MARCELLUS

(Catches his son escaping to avoid daily life lessons)