Morality Play
The Dirty Boots and Smelly Socks.
A Short Morality Play in Two Acts.
Characters:
Miss Marcia – A 21 year old, black, Afro-Caribbean girl living on one of the Gynarchy’s sink estates
Miss Donetta – Her 22 year old best friend; a mixed race girl
Master Peter – Marcia’s 50 year old, white sugar-daddy
Master Leroy – Donetta’s 25 year old, black boyfriend, a recently arrived illegal immigrant from Jamaica.
Slave Thomas – A 41 year old, white European, public footslave on Marcia & Donetta’s sink estate
Narrator – A free male dressed as a Court Jester
Act 1: Scene 1
Marcia’s bedroom in the high rise apartment she shares with her best friend, Donetta.
The room is untidy, with female clothing strewn around the floor.
Marcia is sitting beside Donetta on the edge of Marcia’s bed. Both girls are putting on make-up, getting ready to go out clubbing for the evening with their boyfriends.
Marcia is wearing a revealing, black blouse; matching black hot pants; chunky black ankle boots with thick, rounded toes and blocky heels; and short, grey, cotton ankle socks – the tops of which are just visible above the upper rims of her boots. Her boots are caked in mud.
Donetta is wearing a bright yellow T shirt; a white leather miniskirt, and silver, high-heeled, open toed, sling-back sandals with fresh, pale yellow, knee-length socks turned over at the cuffs.
Marcia suddenly looks down at her boots:
Miss Marcia: ‘Aw man, look at them boots! They’s mingin’, innit?’
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! Innit though?’
Miss Marcia: ‘Aw man! What’s Peter gonna say? He’s gonna think I is a right slapper, innit?’
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! Chill out, babe! Just give ‘em a quick wipe, innit?’
Miss Marcia: ‘Like – no! I ‘aint touchin’ them! They’s well mingin’, man! I’m gonna pop down to the footslave an’ that – have ‘em cleaned nice an’ proper like, innit?’
Miss Donetta: ‘OK, babe. I’ll wait here, innit?’
Marcia exits her bedroom.
Act 1: Scene 2
Outside the high-rise block of flats in a gloomy, concreted, communal square. It is dusk, but a single spotlight lights up a run-down, public shoe-lick stand at which slave Thomas, naked but for his white slave shorts, is chained up on his hands and knees.
A number of people are miling about in the background.
Marcia strolls nonchalantly over to the public shoelick-stand and arrogantly stretches out her right, booted foot onto the wooden footblock beneath the kneeling slave’s face.
Slave Thomas recognises the sexy, black ankle boots and grey bootsocks of one of the local girls from the estate, mistress Marcia:
Slave Thomas: ‘Good evening, mistress Marcia. How may I serve you this evening, most beautiful and respected mistress Marcia?’
Miss Marcia: ‘Shut up, slave! Just give my boots a lick an’ a shine, innit? And get all that filth off of ‘em. They is well mingin’, man!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes mistress Marcia. At once mistress Marcia!’
Slave Thomas obediently lowers his lips to the rounded toe of miss Marcia’s outstretched, right ankle boot, and begins to lick:
Slave Thomas: ‘Is the mistress going out clubbing again tonight, mistress Marcia?’
Marcia glowers down at the kneeling footslave and kicks his right cheek with the heavy, rounded toe of her dirty, black ankle boot:
Miss Marcia: ‘I said shut up slave, yeah? God, man, you is just a dirty slave, innit? I ‘aint talkin’ to you! You is filth. Just get on an’ lick the crud off my boot, innit slave?’
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes mistress. Pray forgive me mistress.’
Marcia replaces her dirty, booted foot onto the wooden footblock and slave Thomas resumes licking.
Marcia’s mobile phone rings – an R&B ringtone. She answers it while slave Thomas continues to lick the dirty toe of her black leather ankle boot.
Miss Marcia: ‘Hey babe! Where are ya?... Ha! Ha!... Sweet…Yeah, me and Donetta is just gettin’ ready…we’ll meet you at the club, yeah?...Ha! Ha!...Yeah, I is just gettin’ my boots cleaned for ya, babe…they was a bit mingin’, or somefink, as I was like out in the park with Donetta and Leroy earlier, innit?... Ha! Ha!...Yeah…I is havin’ the public footslave shine them up for ya, innit babe?...Ha! Ha! …Yeah, he’s down there now, babe, lickin’ off all the crud an’ that, innit?...Ha! Ha!...Yeah, I’ll tell ‘im, babe…hold on…’
Marcia interrupts her telephone conversation with her boyfriend in order to talk down to the kneeling, licking slave at her booted feet:
Miss Marcia: ‘Yo, you down there – the slave. This is my boyfriend Peter on the phone, yeah? And he says you’d better do a good job of shinin’ my boots, yeah? Otherwise he’s gonna beat you, innit? Ha! Ha!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes mistress. As the master wishes, mistress. Please don’t have me beaten, mistress.’
Miss Marcia: (resuming her telephone conversation with her manly, sugar-daddy): ‘Ha! Ha!...Did you hear him, babe?...Yeah, he’s quakin’ over my boots! Ha! Ha!... He’s frightened you is gonna beat him, babe! Ha! Ha!...You’re the bomb, honey, innit?...Ha! Ha!...OK, see you soon, babe. Love you!’
Marcia puts her phone back into her trouser pocket, ostentatiously inspects her right boot by twisting it round, and then replaces it with her left boot on the wooden footblock.
Miss Marcia: ‘And the other one, innit slave?’
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes mistress Marcia. At once sweet and kind mistress Marcia.’
Slave Thomas dutifully begins licking the black girl’s equally muddy left boot.
Marcia’s phone rings again. She pulls it out of her pocket and answers it:
Miss Marcia: ‘Hey Donetta! What’s up?...Yeah?...Yeah?...Ha! Ha!...Cool!...I has just been speakin’ to Peter, innit?...Yeah, he’s gonna meet us at the club, an’ that…He’s…’
Marcia suddenly stops her telephone conversation with Donetta mid-sentence, and abruptly withdraws her outstretched, left foot from the wooden footblock:
Miss Marcia: ‘What the…! What is you playin’ at, dirty footlick? Is you touchin’ my sock wit your dirty footpig-face?!...’
She briefly resumes her telephone conversation with her friend Donetta:
Miss Marcia: ‘Hang on, Donetta babe...I is just havin’ to deal wit this dirty slave…he’s touchin’ the top of my sock wit his dirty nose, innit?...Yeah!...I know!...I ‘aint told him to do that!...Hang on a minute, babe…’
Marcia moves closer to the kneeling footslave and kicks him twice in the face with the rounded toe of her heavy right boot:
Miss Marcia: ‘Now you listen here, boy, and you listen good, yeah? You isn’t touchin’ my sock wit your dirty face, yeah? You is only lickin’ clean my boot, yeah? You is doin’ like I aksed, yeah? Or else I is gettin’ you whipped! Straight up, yeah? You hear what I’m sayin’, dirty footpig?’
Slave Thomas: (lowering his head even further in shame): ‘Yes mistress Marcia. Oh pray mistress Marcia. Please forgive this dirty slave his indiscretion, mistress Marcia. This slave truly admires the mistress’s short, grey bootsocks, and could not help himself, if you would be so kind and understanding sweet and kind mistress Marcia. However this slave hears and obeys the sweet and kind mistress, and will not touch her sock with his nose again, mistress!’
Marcia clicks her teeth with annoyance, but graciously replaces her left booted foot back onto the wooden footblock:
Miss Marcia: ‘Tch! Wait till I tell Peter, man! You is gonna be so whipped!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes mistress Marcia. God bless you mistress Marcia.’
Marcia resumes her interrupted telephone conversation with Donetta:
Miss Marcia: ‘Hey, babe…yeah…he was like, nosin’ my sock, or somefink? I’m gonna tell Peter later. He’s gonna bust his ass! Ha! Ha!...OK hon…Yeah… see you soon…bye!’
Slave Thomas, now cowering with fear, continues to lick a glowering mistress Marcia’s left, muddy ankle boot for some 2 minutes.
…………………………………………………………………………………..
Act 2: Scene 1
Late at night in the communal area of the sink estate.
It is pitch dark – only the public shoelick stand is lit up.
There is nobody about.
A lone, middle-aged figure – master Peter – walks up to the stand. He is well wrapped up against the cold in an overcoat, scarf and leather gloves.
The semi-naked slave Thomas is shivering, but asleep, with his head resting on his wooden footblock-pillow.
Peter kicks him in the ribs:
Master Peter: ‘You down there, the slave, wake up!’
Slave Thomas awakes with a start. He is momentarily disorientated:
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh! Y...Yes master sir… Pray have mercy master sir …God bless you master sir.’
Master Peter: ‘What’s this I hear about you nosing my girlfriend’s socks without her permission, when you should have been tongue-shining her dirty boots, boy?’
Slave Thomas now recognises master Peter’s voice, but feigns ignorance of his offence:
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh master sir …oh pray master sir ...this slave doesn’t understand master sir.’
Peter takes Marcia’s dirty grey, ankle length bootsocks out of one of his coat pockets.
Master Peter: ‘Oh you don’t understand, slave? Perhaps this will remind you!’
He shoves one of Marcia’s stinky, grey, crumpled up bootsocks over the kneeling footslave’s nose with his left, leather-gloved hand.
Slave Thomas breathes in the stinky, girl bootsock-aroma and mumbles into the sock:
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray, master sir. Please have mercy, master sir. Oh master, the smell!’
Master Peter: ‘Ha! Ha! Not so keen on nosing my girl’s socks now, are you slave-boy? Ha! Ha!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray master! Oh pray! The stink, master! Pray have mercy master sir!’
Peter keeps the dirty sock held firmly over the footslave’s nose:
Master Peter: ‘Ha! Ha! Take a good sniff, sock-boy! Sniff my pretty, black girlfriend’s dirty bootsock! She’s been dancing in her boots and socks all night! Ha! Ha! Go on – after all, you wanted to feel her sock on your nose so badly earlier on! What are you complaining about, slave? Ha! Ha!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray master sir! I can’t breathe, master sir! Oh the smell!’
Master Peter: ‘Ha! Ha! How about the other one, slave? Would you like a whiff of that too?’
Peter replaces the first, dirty sock with the second over the footslave’s face, still using his left, gloved hand.
Slave Thomas gags and again begs for mercy:
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray master! Oh pray! The stench! Oh master sir, please have mercy on this poor slave!’
Peter laughs at him.
Master Peter: ‘Go on, slave, smell the aroma of my young girlfriend’s sweaty feet. Ha! Ha! Think of it as an anaesthetic to help dull the pain while I whip you!’
Peter takes a leather belt out of his other coat pocket with his right hand, unfurls it, and brings the belt down hard upon the kneeling slave’s bare and exposed back 6 times, all the while keeping Marcia’s dirty sock over the slave’s nose with his left hand.
Slave Thomas cries out with each blow.
When he has finished whipping him with the leather belt, Peter finally removes the dirty girlsock from slave Thomas’s face, and proceeds to lord it over him:
Master Peter: ‘Ha! Ha! Not so clever now, are you whipped slave? Ha! Ha! Look at you! A black girl’s sockstink all over your face and red stripes all over your bare back! Ha! Ha! What a dunderhead! What a loser! Ha! Ha! A sock-sniffing loser! Let that be a lesson to you boy – don’t you ever dare think of nosing my girl’s socks without her permission ever again! You hear me, slave-boy?’
Slave Thomas is contrite and sobbing:
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes master sir. Thank you for correcting me, master sir. This slave apologises to the master, and to the mistress. Pray forgive me master sir, and pass on my humble apologies to the mistress.’
Master Peter: ‘Ha! Ha! It’s not me, or even miss Marcia, you should be apologising to, slave! Apologise to her socks! Kiss them, and beg their forgiveness!’
Peter holds one of the dirty, grey anklesocks back over slave Thomas’s sobbing mouth.
Slave Thomas kisses it several times, apologising to the sock as he does so:
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray, mistress Marcia’s bootsock; if it pleases you mistress Marcia’s beautiful, grey bootsock . Please forgive this dirty slave for his indiscretion and impudence in nosing you without your owner’s permission, if you would be so kind and merciful mistress Marcia’s bootsock!’
Peter laughs at slave Thomas, and places the other grey sock under his nose:
Master Peter: ‘And the other one, sockslave! Apologise to your mistress’s other sock. She’s the one who had to witness you nuzzling her partner without permission! Ha! Ha!’
Slave Thomas humbly kisses the second sock.
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray mistress Marcia’s other sock, please forgive this dirty, impudent footslave for nosing your sister-sock without permission, if you would be so kind mistress Marcia’s other sock.’
Master Peter: ‘Ha! Ha! Now compliment the sock on how she smells slave. Compliment her on her beautiful, feminine fragrance – unless you want to feel more of my belt on your bare back?’
Slave Thomas: ‘No master sir. This slave has learnt his lesson, thanks to the master, master sir…Oh pray mistress Marcia’s other sock, truly this slave is honoured and blessed to partake in your sweet feminine fragrance; truly you smell wonderful this evening, mistress Marcia’s second sock! God bless you, mistress Marcia’s second sock, for honouring me with your fragrant presence. This slave praises and blesses the sock!’
Superior master Peter laughs down disdainfully at the pathetic slave as he eulogises the dirty sock. He then turns and walks off, putting the dirty socks and the rolled-up leather belt back into his coat pockets.
Slave Thomas, humiliated, weeps over his lonely wooden footblock.
Act 2: Scene 2
Five minutes later.
Donetta and her Jamaican boyfriend, Leroy, are strolling arm in arm across the deserted sink estate. They are both looking a bit dishevelled and are high on crack cocaine.
Attracted by the light of the public shoelick-stand, they wander over to the kneeling footslave.
Slave Thomas, still sobbing, recognises mistress Donetta – another local girl from the sink estate - from her voice:
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! Why is you blubberin’ like that, slave? And what is all those red marks on your back, man? Ha! Ha!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh p…p….pray m…mistress Donetta, if it pleases you m…mistress Donetta, mistress Marcia’s boyfriend, m…master Peter, has just beaten me for nosing m…miss Marcia’s s…socks without her permission, if it s…so pleases you m…mistress Donetta.’
Donetta and Leroy, still standing over the kneeling slave arm-in-arm, both laugh at his evident distress.
Miss Donetta: 'Ha! Ha! Good for Peter! Ha! Ha! You deserved it, slave, innit though? Ha! Ha!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Y..yes m…mistress Donetta. Th…Thank you m…mistress Donetta. God bless you m…mistress!’
Master Leroy: ‘What’s that smell? I can smell somefink on his face! Hja! Hja! Smells like sweaty socks, innit babe?’
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! I think you is right, baby! Ha! Ha! Hey you, the feetslave, why does your face smell of sweaty socks, innit?’
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray mistress and master, if it pleases you m…mistress and master, m…master Peter saw fit to rub mistress Marcia’s dirty, s…sweaty bootsocks all over this slave’s f…face, if it so pleases you master and mistress. This slave humbly apologises for the sweaty and offensive aroma of his face, mistress and master.’
Donetta and Leroy burst out laughing:
Master Leroy: 'Hja! Hja! You is nothin’ but a sweaty sockface, batty-boy! Hja! Hja! Yo’ face stinks of a girl’s dirty socks, innit? Hja! Hja!’
Slave Thomas: (regaining some of his composure, but not his dignity): ‘Yes, master sir. God bless you, master sir. Thank you, master sir.’
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! What’s up, batty-boy? Don’t you want your face to smell of my girlfriend’s stinky socks? Ha! Ha! Is her sock-stink not good enough for your face, or somefink?’
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh no mistress Donetta, if it pleases you mistress Donetta, this slave is truly honoured to have his face smelling of your friend, mistress Marcia’s, sweaty, grey bootsocks, if it is so pleasing to you most sweet and kind mistress Donetta.’
Master Leroy: ‘Hja! Hja! Make the batty-boy smell yo’ socks, baby! I wanna see him sniff my girl’s socks – right here in front of me! Hja! Hja! Put yo’ foot up on that footblock thing for the feetslave to have a smell! Hja! Hja!’
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! Sure ting, Leroy honey. I’ll bet my socks stink almost as much as Marcia’s – we has both been dancin’ and jiggin’ the night away with our men…’
Donetta shakes her booty in front of her admiring boyfriend, who slaps her affectionately on the buttocks.
Donetta then places her yellow knee-socked and strappy-silver sandalled right foot onto the wooden footblock beneath slave Thomas’s bowed and contrite face:
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! You heard my man Leroy, batty-boy. Do as your master Leroy says and sniff my stinky, yellow socks! Ha! Ha! Sniff them from top to bottom, innit? Ha! Ha! Run your batty-boy nose all the way down the stitchin’, an’ that! See if they smell as bad as my friend Marcia’s socks! Ha! Ha! Go on, batty-boy! Sniff!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes mistress Donetta. At once mistress Donetta. This slave obeys the master and mistress.’
Slave Thomas raises his nose to the folded-over top of miss Donetta’s outstretched, yellow kneesock and begins to audibly sniff.
Donetta and Leroy laugh out loud at him, as they watch him trace his slave-nose down a line of ribbed stitching on the front of Donetta’s pale yellow knee-sock as far as the top strap of her strappy, high-heeled, silver sandal.
Master Leroy: ‘Hja! Hja! Well, batty-boy? How does it smell? Does it smell good, huh? Does my girl’s legs and socks smell good, or does they stink? Hja! Hja! Is they makin’ you wanna chuck, batty-boy? Hja! Hja!’
Slave Thomas: ‘No master Leroy sir, if it pleases you master Leroy sir, the mistress’s beautiful, yellow kneesock smells good to the slave master, although not that good, if it is so pleasing to you superior master Leroy.’
Donetta and Leroy continue to laugh down at the pathetic, obsequious footslave and his duplicitous reply.
Master Leroy: ‘Hja! Hja! I is glad to hear it, batty-boy, for I wouldn’t want you likin’ it too much, innit? You is just a slave, and we is better than you, and you isn’t meant to be likin’ it too much, innit? Donetta here is my woman, and only I gets to smell she and like it! You ‘aint even fit to smell she above the knee! Hja! Hja!’
Donetta and Leroy kiss each other lovingly on the lips whilst Donetta’s right, socked and sandalled foot is still positioned on the wooden footblock beneath slave Thomas’s humiliated face.
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! Don’t worry, honey, I would never make you smell my stinky socks an’ feet! Ha! Ha! You ain’t no footslave, honey. You is really fly! You is my main man, innit?’
Master Leroy: ‘Hja! Hja! Too right, babe! Sweet! Tell you what - let’s leave yo’ socks wit this batty-boy and go and make love over there behind them bins! Hja! Hja! I is feelin’ real hot for you tonight, babe!’
Miss Donetta: ‘Sure thing, honey. I is hot for you too!’
Giggling, she leans on Leroy’s shoulder as she takes off her strappy, high-heeled sandals, peels off her yellow kneesocks, and throws them nonchalantly down onto the wooden footblock beneath slave Thomas’s face.
Leroy then stoops down to pick up the yellow kneesocks and stuffs one of them, toe-end first, into the slave’s mouth. He ties the second sock over slave Thomas’s nose.
Master Leroy: ‘Hja! Hja! OK, batty-boy. Now you can taste and smell my girl’s socks while I makes love to her, innit? Hja! Hja! Enjoy, yeah? Hja! Hja! What a dork! What a loser!’
Donetta and Leroy kiss again before Donetta clumsily picks up her discarded sandals and exits stage right, barefooted, and arm in arm with her manly, Jamaican boyfriend, leaving slave Thomas enveloped in her dirty, yellow socks.
The narrator enters stage left.
Narrator: ‘And the moral of this little-morality play, my fellow citizens of the Gynarchy? A dirty, male footslave must always respect the wishes of his free superiors and betters, and only touch and sniff his superior mistresses’ socks with their express permission! Else he will be sorely punished! Thank you, and good night.’
Curtain call.
The actors enter stage right, and take a bow.
Slave Thomas is already kneeling on stage with his head humbly bowed, and with miss Donetta’s dirty, yellow socks still covering his nose and inside his mouth.
The audience laugh at him and throw rotten fruit at him.
Final Curtain.
A Short Morality Play in Two Acts.
Characters:
Miss Marcia – A 21 year old, black, Afro-Caribbean girl living on one of the Gynarchy’s sink estates
Miss Donetta – Her 22 year old best friend; a mixed race girl
Master Peter – Marcia’s 50 year old, white sugar-daddy
Master Leroy – Donetta’s 25 year old, black boyfriend, a recently arrived illegal immigrant from Jamaica.
Slave Thomas – A 41 year old, white European, public footslave on Marcia & Donetta’s sink estate
Narrator – A free male dressed as a Court Jester
Act 1: Scene 1
Marcia’s bedroom in the high rise apartment she shares with her best friend, Donetta.
The room is untidy, with female clothing strewn around the floor.
Marcia is sitting beside Donetta on the edge of Marcia’s bed. Both girls are putting on make-up, getting ready to go out clubbing for the evening with their boyfriends.
Marcia is wearing a revealing, black blouse; matching black hot pants; chunky black ankle boots with thick, rounded toes and blocky heels; and short, grey, cotton ankle socks – the tops of which are just visible above the upper rims of her boots. Her boots are caked in mud.
Donetta is wearing a bright yellow T shirt; a white leather miniskirt, and silver, high-heeled, open toed, sling-back sandals with fresh, pale yellow, knee-length socks turned over at the cuffs.
Marcia suddenly looks down at her boots:
Miss Marcia: ‘Aw man, look at them boots! They’s mingin’, innit?’
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! Innit though?’
Miss Marcia: ‘Aw man! What’s Peter gonna say? He’s gonna think I is a right slapper, innit?’
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! Chill out, babe! Just give ‘em a quick wipe, innit?’
Miss Marcia: ‘Like – no! I ‘aint touchin’ them! They’s well mingin’, man! I’m gonna pop down to the footslave an’ that – have ‘em cleaned nice an’ proper like, innit?’
Miss Donetta: ‘OK, babe. I’ll wait here, innit?’
Marcia exits her bedroom.
Act 1: Scene 2
Outside the high-rise block of flats in a gloomy, concreted, communal square. It is dusk, but a single spotlight lights up a run-down, public shoe-lick stand at which slave Thomas, naked but for his white slave shorts, is chained up on his hands and knees.
A number of people are miling about in the background.
Marcia strolls nonchalantly over to the public shoelick-stand and arrogantly stretches out her right, booted foot onto the wooden footblock beneath the kneeling slave’s face.
Slave Thomas recognises the sexy, black ankle boots and grey bootsocks of one of the local girls from the estate, mistress Marcia:
Slave Thomas: ‘Good evening, mistress Marcia. How may I serve you this evening, most beautiful and respected mistress Marcia?’
Miss Marcia: ‘Shut up, slave! Just give my boots a lick an’ a shine, innit? And get all that filth off of ‘em. They is well mingin’, man!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes mistress Marcia. At once mistress Marcia!’
Slave Thomas obediently lowers his lips to the rounded toe of miss Marcia’s outstretched, right ankle boot, and begins to lick:
Slave Thomas: ‘Is the mistress going out clubbing again tonight, mistress Marcia?’
Marcia glowers down at the kneeling footslave and kicks his right cheek with the heavy, rounded toe of her dirty, black ankle boot:
Miss Marcia: ‘I said shut up slave, yeah? God, man, you is just a dirty slave, innit? I ‘aint talkin’ to you! You is filth. Just get on an’ lick the crud off my boot, innit slave?’
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes mistress. Pray forgive me mistress.’
Marcia replaces her dirty, booted foot onto the wooden footblock and slave Thomas resumes licking.
Marcia’s mobile phone rings – an R&B ringtone. She answers it while slave Thomas continues to lick the dirty toe of her black leather ankle boot.
Miss Marcia: ‘Hey babe! Where are ya?... Ha! Ha!... Sweet…Yeah, me and Donetta is just gettin’ ready…we’ll meet you at the club, yeah?...Ha! Ha!...Yeah, I is just gettin’ my boots cleaned for ya, babe…they was a bit mingin’, or somefink, as I was like out in the park with Donetta and Leroy earlier, innit?... Ha! Ha!...Yeah…I is havin’ the public footslave shine them up for ya, innit babe?...Ha! Ha! …Yeah, he’s down there now, babe, lickin’ off all the crud an’ that, innit?...Ha! Ha!...Yeah, I’ll tell ‘im, babe…hold on…’
Marcia interrupts her telephone conversation with her boyfriend in order to talk down to the kneeling, licking slave at her booted feet:
Miss Marcia: ‘Yo, you down there – the slave. This is my boyfriend Peter on the phone, yeah? And he says you’d better do a good job of shinin’ my boots, yeah? Otherwise he’s gonna beat you, innit? Ha! Ha!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes mistress. As the master wishes, mistress. Please don’t have me beaten, mistress.’
Miss Marcia: (resuming her telephone conversation with her manly, sugar-daddy): ‘Ha! Ha!...Did you hear him, babe?...Yeah, he’s quakin’ over my boots! Ha! Ha!... He’s frightened you is gonna beat him, babe! Ha! Ha!...You’re the bomb, honey, innit?...Ha! Ha!...OK, see you soon, babe. Love you!’
Marcia puts her phone back into her trouser pocket, ostentatiously inspects her right boot by twisting it round, and then replaces it with her left boot on the wooden footblock.
Miss Marcia: ‘And the other one, innit slave?’
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes mistress Marcia. At once sweet and kind mistress Marcia.’
Slave Thomas dutifully begins licking the black girl’s equally muddy left boot.
Marcia’s phone rings again. She pulls it out of her pocket and answers it:
Miss Marcia: ‘Hey Donetta! What’s up?...Yeah?...Yeah?...Ha! Ha!...Cool!...I has just been speakin’ to Peter, innit?...Yeah, he’s gonna meet us at the club, an’ that…He’s…’
Marcia suddenly stops her telephone conversation with Donetta mid-sentence, and abruptly withdraws her outstretched, left foot from the wooden footblock:
Miss Marcia: ‘What the…! What is you playin’ at, dirty footlick? Is you touchin’ my sock wit your dirty footpig-face?!...’
She briefly resumes her telephone conversation with her friend Donetta:
Miss Marcia: ‘Hang on, Donetta babe...I is just havin’ to deal wit this dirty slave…he’s touchin’ the top of my sock wit his dirty nose, innit?...Yeah!...I know!...I ‘aint told him to do that!...Hang on a minute, babe…’
Marcia moves closer to the kneeling footslave and kicks him twice in the face with the rounded toe of her heavy right boot:
Miss Marcia: ‘Now you listen here, boy, and you listen good, yeah? You isn’t touchin’ my sock wit your dirty face, yeah? You is only lickin’ clean my boot, yeah? You is doin’ like I aksed, yeah? Or else I is gettin’ you whipped! Straight up, yeah? You hear what I’m sayin’, dirty footpig?’
Slave Thomas: (lowering his head even further in shame): ‘Yes mistress Marcia. Oh pray mistress Marcia. Please forgive this dirty slave his indiscretion, mistress Marcia. This slave truly admires the mistress’s short, grey bootsocks, and could not help himself, if you would be so kind and understanding sweet and kind mistress Marcia. However this slave hears and obeys the sweet and kind mistress, and will not touch her sock with his nose again, mistress!’
Marcia clicks her teeth with annoyance, but graciously replaces her left booted foot back onto the wooden footblock:
Miss Marcia: ‘Tch! Wait till I tell Peter, man! You is gonna be so whipped!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes mistress Marcia. God bless you mistress Marcia.’
Marcia resumes her interrupted telephone conversation with Donetta:
Miss Marcia: ‘Hey, babe…yeah…he was like, nosin’ my sock, or somefink? I’m gonna tell Peter later. He’s gonna bust his ass! Ha! Ha!...OK hon…Yeah… see you soon…bye!’
Slave Thomas, now cowering with fear, continues to lick a glowering mistress Marcia’s left, muddy ankle boot for some 2 minutes.
…………………………………………………………………………………..
Act 2: Scene 1
Late at night in the communal area of the sink estate.
It is pitch dark – only the public shoelick stand is lit up.
There is nobody about.
A lone, middle-aged figure – master Peter – walks up to the stand. He is well wrapped up against the cold in an overcoat, scarf and leather gloves.
The semi-naked slave Thomas is shivering, but asleep, with his head resting on his wooden footblock-pillow.
Peter kicks him in the ribs:
Master Peter: ‘You down there, the slave, wake up!’
Slave Thomas awakes with a start. He is momentarily disorientated:
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh! Y...Yes master sir… Pray have mercy master sir …God bless you master sir.’
Master Peter: ‘What’s this I hear about you nosing my girlfriend’s socks without her permission, when you should have been tongue-shining her dirty boots, boy?’
Slave Thomas now recognises master Peter’s voice, but feigns ignorance of his offence:
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh master sir …oh pray master sir ...this slave doesn’t understand master sir.’
Peter takes Marcia’s dirty grey, ankle length bootsocks out of one of his coat pockets.
Master Peter: ‘Oh you don’t understand, slave? Perhaps this will remind you!’
He shoves one of Marcia’s stinky, grey, crumpled up bootsocks over the kneeling footslave’s nose with his left, leather-gloved hand.
Slave Thomas breathes in the stinky, girl bootsock-aroma and mumbles into the sock:
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray, master sir. Please have mercy, master sir. Oh master, the smell!’
Master Peter: ‘Ha! Ha! Not so keen on nosing my girl’s socks now, are you slave-boy? Ha! Ha!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray master! Oh pray! The stink, master! Pray have mercy master sir!’
Peter keeps the dirty sock held firmly over the footslave’s nose:
Master Peter: ‘Ha! Ha! Take a good sniff, sock-boy! Sniff my pretty, black girlfriend’s dirty bootsock! She’s been dancing in her boots and socks all night! Ha! Ha! Go on – after all, you wanted to feel her sock on your nose so badly earlier on! What are you complaining about, slave? Ha! Ha!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray master sir! I can’t breathe, master sir! Oh the smell!’
Master Peter: ‘Ha! Ha! How about the other one, slave? Would you like a whiff of that too?’
Peter replaces the first, dirty sock with the second over the footslave’s face, still using his left, gloved hand.
Slave Thomas gags and again begs for mercy:
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray master! Oh pray! The stench! Oh master sir, please have mercy on this poor slave!’
Peter laughs at him.
Master Peter: ‘Go on, slave, smell the aroma of my young girlfriend’s sweaty feet. Ha! Ha! Think of it as an anaesthetic to help dull the pain while I whip you!’
Peter takes a leather belt out of his other coat pocket with his right hand, unfurls it, and brings the belt down hard upon the kneeling slave’s bare and exposed back 6 times, all the while keeping Marcia’s dirty sock over the slave’s nose with his left hand.
Slave Thomas cries out with each blow.
When he has finished whipping him with the leather belt, Peter finally removes the dirty girlsock from slave Thomas’s face, and proceeds to lord it over him:
Master Peter: ‘Ha! Ha! Not so clever now, are you whipped slave? Ha! Ha! Look at you! A black girl’s sockstink all over your face and red stripes all over your bare back! Ha! Ha! What a dunderhead! What a loser! Ha! Ha! A sock-sniffing loser! Let that be a lesson to you boy – don’t you ever dare think of nosing my girl’s socks without her permission ever again! You hear me, slave-boy?’
Slave Thomas is contrite and sobbing:
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes master sir. Thank you for correcting me, master sir. This slave apologises to the master, and to the mistress. Pray forgive me master sir, and pass on my humble apologies to the mistress.’
Master Peter: ‘Ha! Ha! It’s not me, or even miss Marcia, you should be apologising to, slave! Apologise to her socks! Kiss them, and beg their forgiveness!’
Peter holds one of the dirty, grey anklesocks back over slave Thomas’s sobbing mouth.
Slave Thomas kisses it several times, apologising to the sock as he does so:
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray, mistress Marcia’s bootsock; if it pleases you mistress Marcia’s beautiful, grey bootsock . Please forgive this dirty slave for his indiscretion and impudence in nosing you without your owner’s permission, if you would be so kind and merciful mistress Marcia’s bootsock!’
Peter laughs at slave Thomas, and places the other grey sock under his nose:
Master Peter: ‘And the other one, sockslave! Apologise to your mistress’s other sock. She’s the one who had to witness you nuzzling her partner without permission! Ha! Ha!’
Slave Thomas humbly kisses the second sock.
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray mistress Marcia’s other sock, please forgive this dirty, impudent footslave for nosing your sister-sock without permission, if you would be so kind mistress Marcia’s other sock.’
Master Peter: ‘Ha! Ha! Now compliment the sock on how she smells slave. Compliment her on her beautiful, feminine fragrance – unless you want to feel more of my belt on your bare back?’
Slave Thomas: ‘No master sir. This slave has learnt his lesson, thanks to the master, master sir…Oh pray mistress Marcia’s other sock, truly this slave is honoured and blessed to partake in your sweet feminine fragrance; truly you smell wonderful this evening, mistress Marcia’s second sock! God bless you, mistress Marcia’s second sock, for honouring me with your fragrant presence. This slave praises and blesses the sock!’
Superior master Peter laughs down disdainfully at the pathetic slave as he eulogises the dirty sock. He then turns and walks off, putting the dirty socks and the rolled-up leather belt back into his coat pockets.
Slave Thomas, humiliated, weeps over his lonely wooden footblock.
Act 2: Scene 2
Five minutes later.
Donetta and her Jamaican boyfriend, Leroy, are strolling arm in arm across the deserted sink estate. They are both looking a bit dishevelled and are high on crack cocaine.
Attracted by the light of the public shoelick-stand, they wander over to the kneeling footslave.
Slave Thomas, still sobbing, recognises mistress Donetta – another local girl from the sink estate - from her voice:
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! Why is you blubberin’ like that, slave? And what is all those red marks on your back, man? Ha! Ha!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh p…p….pray m…mistress Donetta, if it pleases you m…mistress Donetta, mistress Marcia’s boyfriend, m…master Peter, has just beaten me for nosing m…miss Marcia’s s…socks without her permission, if it s…so pleases you m…mistress Donetta.’
Donetta and Leroy, still standing over the kneeling slave arm-in-arm, both laugh at his evident distress.
Miss Donetta: 'Ha! Ha! Good for Peter! Ha! Ha! You deserved it, slave, innit though? Ha! Ha!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Y..yes m…mistress Donetta. Th…Thank you m…mistress Donetta. God bless you m…mistress!’
Master Leroy: ‘What’s that smell? I can smell somefink on his face! Hja! Hja! Smells like sweaty socks, innit babe?’
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! I think you is right, baby! Ha! Ha! Hey you, the feetslave, why does your face smell of sweaty socks, innit?’
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh pray mistress and master, if it pleases you m…mistress and master, m…master Peter saw fit to rub mistress Marcia’s dirty, s…sweaty bootsocks all over this slave’s f…face, if it so pleases you master and mistress. This slave humbly apologises for the sweaty and offensive aroma of his face, mistress and master.’
Donetta and Leroy burst out laughing:
Master Leroy: 'Hja! Hja! You is nothin’ but a sweaty sockface, batty-boy! Hja! Hja! Yo’ face stinks of a girl’s dirty socks, innit? Hja! Hja!’
Slave Thomas: (regaining some of his composure, but not his dignity): ‘Yes, master sir. God bless you, master sir. Thank you, master sir.’
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! What’s up, batty-boy? Don’t you want your face to smell of my girlfriend’s stinky socks? Ha! Ha! Is her sock-stink not good enough for your face, or somefink?’
Slave Thomas: ‘Oh no mistress Donetta, if it pleases you mistress Donetta, this slave is truly honoured to have his face smelling of your friend, mistress Marcia’s, sweaty, grey bootsocks, if it is so pleasing to you most sweet and kind mistress Donetta.’
Master Leroy: ‘Hja! Hja! Make the batty-boy smell yo’ socks, baby! I wanna see him sniff my girl’s socks – right here in front of me! Hja! Hja! Put yo’ foot up on that footblock thing for the feetslave to have a smell! Hja! Hja!’
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! Sure ting, Leroy honey. I’ll bet my socks stink almost as much as Marcia’s – we has both been dancin’ and jiggin’ the night away with our men…’
Donetta shakes her booty in front of her admiring boyfriend, who slaps her affectionately on the buttocks.
Donetta then places her yellow knee-socked and strappy-silver sandalled right foot onto the wooden footblock beneath slave Thomas’s bowed and contrite face:
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! You heard my man Leroy, batty-boy. Do as your master Leroy says and sniff my stinky, yellow socks! Ha! Ha! Sniff them from top to bottom, innit? Ha! Ha! Run your batty-boy nose all the way down the stitchin’, an’ that! See if they smell as bad as my friend Marcia’s socks! Ha! Ha! Go on, batty-boy! Sniff!’
Slave Thomas: ‘Yes mistress Donetta. At once mistress Donetta. This slave obeys the master and mistress.’
Slave Thomas raises his nose to the folded-over top of miss Donetta’s outstretched, yellow kneesock and begins to audibly sniff.
Donetta and Leroy laugh out loud at him, as they watch him trace his slave-nose down a line of ribbed stitching on the front of Donetta’s pale yellow knee-sock as far as the top strap of her strappy, high-heeled, silver sandal.
Master Leroy: ‘Hja! Hja! Well, batty-boy? How does it smell? Does it smell good, huh? Does my girl’s legs and socks smell good, or does they stink? Hja! Hja! Is they makin’ you wanna chuck, batty-boy? Hja! Hja!’
Slave Thomas: ‘No master Leroy sir, if it pleases you master Leroy sir, the mistress’s beautiful, yellow kneesock smells good to the slave master, although not that good, if it is so pleasing to you superior master Leroy.’
Donetta and Leroy continue to laugh down at the pathetic, obsequious footslave and his duplicitous reply.
Master Leroy: ‘Hja! Hja! I is glad to hear it, batty-boy, for I wouldn’t want you likin’ it too much, innit? You is just a slave, and we is better than you, and you isn’t meant to be likin’ it too much, innit? Donetta here is my woman, and only I gets to smell she and like it! You ‘aint even fit to smell she above the knee! Hja! Hja!’
Donetta and Leroy kiss each other lovingly on the lips whilst Donetta’s right, socked and sandalled foot is still positioned on the wooden footblock beneath slave Thomas’s humiliated face.
Miss Donetta: ‘Ha! Ha! Don’t worry, honey, I would never make you smell my stinky socks an’ feet! Ha! Ha! You ain’t no footslave, honey. You is really fly! You is my main man, innit?’
Master Leroy: ‘Hja! Hja! Too right, babe! Sweet! Tell you what - let’s leave yo’ socks wit this batty-boy and go and make love over there behind them bins! Hja! Hja! I is feelin’ real hot for you tonight, babe!’
Miss Donetta: ‘Sure thing, honey. I is hot for you too!’
Giggling, she leans on Leroy’s shoulder as she takes off her strappy, high-heeled sandals, peels off her yellow kneesocks, and throws them nonchalantly down onto the wooden footblock beneath slave Thomas’s face.
Leroy then stoops down to pick up the yellow kneesocks and stuffs one of them, toe-end first, into the slave’s mouth. He ties the second sock over slave Thomas’s nose.
Master Leroy: ‘Hja! Hja! OK, batty-boy. Now you can taste and smell my girl’s socks while I makes love to her, innit? Hja! Hja! Enjoy, yeah? Hja! Hja! What a dork! What a loser!’
Donetta and Leroy kiss again before Donetta clumsily picks up her discarded sandals and exits stage right, barefooted, and arm in arm with her manly, Jamaican boyfriend, leaving slave Thomas enveloped in her dirty, yellow socks.
The narrator enters stage left.
Narrator: ‘And the moral of this little-morality play, my fellow citizens of the Gynarchy? A dirty, male footslave must always respect the wishes of his free superiors and betters, and only touch and sniff his superior mistresses’ socks with their express permission! Else he will be sorely punished! Thank you, and good night.’
Curtain call.
The actors enter stage right, and take a bow.
Slave Thomas is already kneeling on stage with his head humbly bowed, and with miss Donetta’s dirty, yellow socks still covering his nose and inside his mouth.
The audience laugh at him and throw rotten fruit at him.
Final Curtain.
