The Eeneid

A warrior from Gallipoli is spirited from the battlefield by gods of the Trojan war.

Cast

Aeneas McKenzie. Warrior at Gallipoli. New Zealander.

Aphrodite. Beautiful woman. A goddess.

Zeus. Very old man. A god.

Settings

1. A scrubby hill high above Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand.

2. The Battle of Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli, August 1915

But it's literally a bare stage.

A SCRUB HILL HIGH ABOVE BANKS PENINSULA

A young Kiwi soldier, AENEAS MCKENZIE, charges on stage with a rifle and fixed bayonet tucked under one arm.

EENY: Come on ya pricks. Let's have ya. I'll send you back to Mohammed, ya buggers. You can tell him Eeny sent ya and there's more of you to come. Let's have ya. Huh? Where are ya? Huh? Hello? Good grief. What happened to the bloody war?

Suddenly, he clutches his hip in pain. He looks at his hand.

EENY: Blood?

APHRODITE: Ouch!

A very beautiful woman, APHRODITE, staggers on stage sucking her wrist, which is soaking wet.

APHRODITE: My wrist. My beautiful wrist.

She sees him. He sees her. He’s disoriented.

EENY: Good grief.

APHRODITE: Don't just stand there. Help me…