Act II: The Struggle

Act Two, “The Struggle,” is about the attempted seduction of Kaori which, though failing, begins to crack her resistance. It opens in Scene One with her on board a train again. This time she is accompanied by her friend, played by Camila. They talk, two young women out having fun on a summer evening, but as the ride progresses two male actors get on behind them and begin to grope Camila.

The women freeze. Camila acts scared of what is happening. Kaori watches and licks her lips. It's only when one of the men tears open the front of Camila’s blouse that Kaori snaps out of her trance and screams for help.

Scene two sees her going back to church and entering the confessional, wracked by guilt. In the booth next to her Raven whispers evil words in the priest’s ear. He starts out telling Kaori she is haunted by a demonic presence, but under Raven’s influence soon begins to change his rhetoric, attempting to seduce Kaori instead of helping her. The confused woman leaves in a state of shock.

In Scene Three, she is serving at a soup kitchen. As she ladels out soup for people far worse off financially than her, Raven stands behind her, whispering in her ear.

“What if it’s him?” she says, indicating someone who looks like they’ve been living rough for years. “Could he be the one who gets to grasp those needy tits of yours?”

The language is deliberately crude. The nastiness of it pushes Kaori further into depravity.

“Or her? Not all chikan are men, you know… merely most.”

Kaori gasps as she continues to serve people.

“Of course, the homeless are unlikely to ride trains… maybe you should make yourself available beneath the bridges?”

She slides her hands under Kaori’s t-shirt, reaching up to squeeze her nipples. Kaori looks around frantically.

“They can’t see me, fool,” Raven hisses in her ear. “I am your private demon. But they do hear you!”

She crushes Kaori’s nipples hard, making the shorter woman gasp in pain.

“You know you want this. Give in.”

By the end of the scene, it’s clear that Kaori is barely able to restrain herself. She remains polite, but her increasing sounds of passion make more and more of the people she serves give her bemused looks.

The fourth scene takes place on the train again, this time with passengers targeting Kaori directly. Darkness enfolds the compartment for a moment, hiding what is happening. Then blue, green and red lights begin to swirl in random patterns, signalling demonic presence. Raven’s voice comes in sinister whispers through the sound system, encouraging her victim to stop resisting. At first it looks like Kaori is close to yielding to her corrupt passion, but in time she refuses.

“GET THEE BEHIND ME, SATAN!” she screams into the void.

Molesters fade into the background. Lights return to the stage. Raven screeches as if in pain as static signals her banishment.

Kaori reaches for a nearby pole to support herself and looks around. The other passengers stand and sit just as they had at the start, seemingly unaware that anything happened at all.

And the curtain falls.