Silas Day-Barret

They enter ESTHER’s house. Her home is a family of

eleven: Esther’s husband and two kids; Esther’s brother-
in-law, his wife, and three kids; and Esther’s father- and
mother-in-law. The family is chattering in a strange
language, one ISRAEL is unfamiliar with. The STRANGER
is given the host seat, while ISRAEL takes another nearby.
Two kids sit on the STRANGER’s thighs, while another,
leaning on his back, wraps her hands around his neck and
soon starts braiding his hair. The chattering increases
with enough cacophonic joy to make ISRAEL nauseated.
He leaves the room for some fresh air and decides to take
a stroll. On his way down south near the public well, he
sees DAMON purchasing a few apples. He abruptly turns
to leave, but DAMON has already caught a glimpse of
him.
DAMON. Hey, hey, wait up. Good fella.
ISRAEL (turns to him). Hello, Damon. How did you come
to be here?
DAMON. Small business came up; my presence was
needed.
ISRAEL. So are you solving or creating problems this time?
DAMON (Pause. Stares at ISRAEL’s face a second). It
depends on the situation at hand; most likely I’ll be
creating fire and thunder and maybe any other thing hell
could offer.
ISRAEL (laughs). That’s funny.
DAMON. Yeah, laugh while you can. Do you mind?

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 Israel’s Adventure and His Partner’s Parables

ISRAEL. What?
DAMON (shows him the apples). Apples?
ISRAEL. No, thanks.
DAMON (takes a bite. Liquid drips off the red fruit.
ISRAEL salivates). You remember the story in that old
book, what’s it called again? (snaps his fingers and taps
his forehead twice) Oh, Bible, yes, the Bible.
ISRAEL. Yeah, the book. Heard of it, never opened one.
DAMON. Seriously, are you kidding me? (muttering to
himself) Even the devils keep up-to-date on that one—
ISRAEL. Eh?
DAMON. No, it’s nothing.
ISRAEL. Probably I might have, maybe once, but didn’t
take interest.
DAMON. Well, good for you then. (Pause) One of the
stories in the first chapter, quite popular actually, tells of
how evil came to be on Earth.
ISRAEL. Oh, that’s good fantasy.
DAMON. Yeah, the best fantasy tale known to mankind.
Anyway, the summary of the story goes like this, the
snake somehow talked the woman into eating this fruit
here; and the woman, after eating the fruit, gave it to the
man. By the end, they were punished and banished for
it, as the fruit was forbidden in the paradise they
inhabited.

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Silas Day-Barret

ISRAEL. Come on now. A talking snake? Paradise with no

evil on Earth? (scoffs) Come off it. I’d have believed that
the apple ate the woman and gave the snake to the man,
in a wilderness.
DAMON. Yeah, whatever. But the point is, as the book
implies, the woman saw that the fruit was good for food,
and that was the beginning of human problems. A lot of
people read that same story and misinterpreted the
whole narrative. They ended up blaming the serpent.
ISRAEL. Still, since the serpent talked her into it, it must
also have a fair share of the blame.
DAMON (abruptly changes the topic). So what brought
you here? I have to assume you were following me. Are
you tracking me, young man?
ISRAEL. No-no, I’m not.
DAMON. So what are you doing here?
ISRAEL. My friend and I are staying at some lady’s house.
DAMON. Lady? I do know most people around here.
What’s her name?
ISRAEL. Esther, yeah, Esther. She’s a trader.
DAMON. Oh, that lady.
ISRAEL. What about her?
DAMON. She is . . . she is. Never mind, I don’t want to
cause any trouble.
ISRAEL. No, tell me.

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DAMON. Well, Esther got married to her husband Obed

twelve years ago. Four months into their marriage life,
she got missing. Her husband searched all over the land
for her. Later on he found her working at the brothel in
the neighboring town. Heartbroken, he went back to his
house, wept bitterly for more than a week, and couldn’t
be consoled by friends, neighbors, or travelers. Worse
part is, she didn’t show any remorse. Obed was about to
take another wife when your traveling partner came to
him, told him to get his wife back. After some days of
inner struggle, Obed swallowed his pride and went there
to get her back. On reaching there, he discovered that
Esther was the cheapest yet best whore in the brothel.
She was so nasty that she paid men to lay with her.
ISRAEL. Oh, that’s so awful.
DAMON. Yes, it is. (Pause) So where was I?
ISRAEL. Paid men to lay with her.
DAMON. Yeah, paid men to lay with her. So Obed tried
to get her back, but the brothel owners wouldn’t release
her till he pays them fifty gold pieces, an accumulation
of her lodging debts. Obed didn’t have such an amount
with him, so he decided to leave her there anyway. It was
not as if she was keen to go back with him.
ISRAEL. Yes, that’s the normal thing to do.
DAMON. Halfway back, he met your traveling partner,
who gave him forty-five gold pieces and told him to go

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back to the brothel, take a job as a room keeper for two

days, and complete the money.
ISRAEL. Whoa, that’s brutal.
DAMON. That’s not the worst thing he did. Truth is, he
was actually having two hundred gold pieces but decided
to give him only forty-five. He knew the wild things
Obed’s eyes were going to meet throughout his stay
there, yet he pushed him into it.
ISRAEL. That’s wickedness of the highest order.
DAMON. Those two days were Hell-on-Earth for the
innocent, young man. No doubt they were his worst days
on Earth. Afterward, he paid in full, takes his wife home,
and decided to keep her as his maidservant.
ISRAEL. Now that’s a real man.
DAMON. You’d never guess what happened next.
ISRAEL. What?
DAMON. Your friend met with him and persuaded him to
take her back as his wife.
ISRAEL. Bloody! Kill me!
DAMON. Don’t worry, we’ll get there.
ISRAEL (laughs). You’re such a joker. It’s just an
expression.
DAMON. I know (Pause). He took her back; still, the story
doesn’t end there.
ISRAEL (in an anguished tone). Now what more could go
wrong?

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DAMON. Seven months later, she had a miscarriage.

ISRAEL. Yes! She’s paying for her sins in bite-sized
portions. May the heavens bless karma.
DAMON. She wept bitterly—so much that her husband
couldn’t console her. She blamed the poor creature for
letting her work strenuously while she was with child.
ISRAEL. What nonsense!
DAMON. A few weeks later, she disappeared once again.
ISRAEL. Damn it, that wench (gnashing his teeth).
DAMON. Guess where she was found?
ISRAEL (in a tone of disbelief). Oh, don’t even go there.
DAMON. Oh, I’m already there.
ISRAEL. Let it not be heard.
DAMON. Oh, believe me, you’re about to hear more.
ISRAEL. The brothel house?
DAMON (snaps his fingers). Atta boy.
ISRAEL. Damn. At this point she could win the whore of
the century award, three-digit-number points ahead of
second place.
DAMON. You bet.
ISRAEL. What happened next?
DAMON. Obed gave up this time.
ISRAEL. Good boy. That’s the “ought to” at work.
DAMON. But there’s more.
ISRAEL. Spill it already.
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Silas Day-Barret

DAMON. Your friend put him through the whole process

once again.
ISRAEL (jaw dropped, snaps his fingers several times).
That’s pure wickedness.
DAMON. I guess he didn’t tell you how he got to meet
them in the first place.
ISRAEL. No, he didn’t.
DAMON. No surprise on that one. Now you know why.
Traveling with such a person, I’d be careful if I were you.
I won’t just let him make all the decisions.
ISRAEL. Sure, of course. I’ll have that in mind.
DAMON. Better (about to leave).
ISRAEL. To where this time?
DAMON. I don’t know. Maybe the same old to-and-fro
journey. Good bye, Izzy boy.
ISRAEL. Good bye, Damon. Thanks for the advice.
DAMON. Oh, no-no, don’t mention it. It’s forever my
pleasure. See you soon.
ISRAEL. Of course. See you soon.
DAMON (under his breath). Good boy.
***
ISRAEL enters ESTHER’s house. The conversation is still
going on, and the children are still playing around the
STRANGER.
ESTHER. Hey, Israel, where’ve you been all this while?

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ISRAEL (grimacing hard, says nothing to her, turns to the

STRANGER). We need to talk.
STRANGER (chuckles). What? Can’t you see the kids
won’t leave me be? They’re fixing my hair.
THE KID ON HIS BACK (to the STRANGER). Hush. No
talking in the salon.
STRANGER (whispering to the kid). Ok, I won’t say a
word, but how much will it cost?
THE KID. Sweets, just sweets.
STRANGER (still whispering). Ok. I always pay in full.
THE KID (hits him on the back). Hush!
STRANGER. Aw!
THE KID. No talking in the salon.
ISRAEL (still grimacing hard). We need to talk now
STRANGER (to THE KID). Oh, I’m sorry, Eunice, but
something just came up. I’ll be back in no time (about to
stand).
THE KID. Oh no, don’t go. I’m sorry for hitting you. I’ll
treat you better.
ISRAEL (mutters to himself). I can’t believe they all can
speak good English.
STRANGER. Sorry, kids, I’ll be back soon.
***
He steps outside with ISRAEL.
STRANGER. So what’s it? Why’s your face all squeezed?

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Silas Day-Barret

ISRAEL. That’s not the point. The thing is—

STRANGER. You heard something about Esther, isn’t it? I
saw the way you looked at her a while ago. Please
remember that she’s our host. Any bad impression and
we may well find ourselves on the street without a place
to make our bed for the night.
ISRAEL. Why would you do such a thing?
STRANGER. What?
ISRAEL. Don’t act all dumb on me now. You know what
you did.
STRANGER. Concerning this family, I’ve done a lot, so you
have to be specific.
ISRAEL. Why would you make Obed take her back?
STRANGER. Oh, that? And you’re this angry just because
of that? What’s your business in it? So far you’ve
benefitted from what I did. Obed is a happy man,
couldn’t be happier than he is. The family is a happy one,
ever celebrating what I’ve done. The only one having
issues is you.
ISRAEL. That, in no way, answers my question.
STRANGER. Now what do you want me to say? To explain
things beyond human comprehension, is that it?
ISRAEL. Anything to give me closure.
STRANGER. Ok, very well. Let’s have a seat first.
ISRAEL. I love standing, never loved standing more than
this moment.

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STRANGER. All right then, as you please. Now why I took

that route is (exhales) this one is beyond you. Way
beyond your comprehension
ISRAEL. Try me. I’ll make it fit proper.
STRANGER. No, you can’t. I’ll shrink it to fit.
ISRAEL. Whatever.
STRANGER. In Esther, Obed’s happiness lies.
ISRAEL. What? Come off it, will you?
STRANGER. Now that doesn’t make sense, but from what
you’ve witnessed since our arrival, won’t you concede
that?
ISRAEL. I’ll give you that. But it could still be a cover-up,
won’t you concede that as well? Besides, had he married
someone else as planned, he’d have still found the same
happiness, perhaps more.
STRANGER. No, I disagree. See, what Esther did to Obed
was so gruesome that it broke him on the inside. The
state of his heart was marred so much that if he had
taken another wife, he’d have rendered on her the
bitterness he had for Esther. To Obed of then, all women
are the same, and “the same” means whore. That is not
plausible, but the human heart is not always consistent
with thought and reality. That’s partly the reason why
evil reigns. The best possible outcome we could get is to
get him to forgive her, first off.
ISRAEL. And that should be enough.

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STRANGER. No, it’s not. The next is to save her from her
own depraved heart.
ISRAEL. Now that’s where I have a problem. But continue,
I don’t want to cut you short.
STRANGER. Making her his maidservant for a month was
an act of vengeance, and thus he was trying to appease
his heart by hurting her, see it as a neutralizer event. But
it was nowhere near the shame he was facing at home,
seeing his brother’s wife tossing her around with errands
and tenacious works not befitting for a lady. By the end
of the month, he realized that hurting Esther is the same
thing as hurting himself. He just needed the nudge to get
her back to her rightful place.
ISRAEL (scoffs). So you did what you know how to do best.
STRANGER. See, what do you know about the human
soul? Do you even know anything about Obed? Do you
have any clue what he had done to marry this woman in
the first place? You think I did him wrong, is that it? The
truth is, there’s no way his heart could find rest—
knowing the kind of life she’s leading at the brothel or
having her staying around him as a housemaid. And
although his mind constantly repudiates her, he was
dying on the inside for that full month. Seeing her close
to him yet very far away, watching her making her bed
at the barn, he barely slept those nights. Those were his
worst days, perhaps.

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ISRAEL. Concerning his worst days, how could you give

him just forty-five gold pieces when you have two
hundred on you and then pushed him to go work at the
brothel, when you’re aware of the grotesque scene he is
gonna meet there?
STRANGER. Let me tell you a short story; maybe you can
deduce your answer from it.
Five hundred years ago, a crown prince was asked to get
a wife for himself from a thousand daughters of the
aristocrats. A few days pass he approached his father the
king, asking for his permission so that he could leave the
palace discreetly and find a wife of his own taste. His
father granted his request. The crown prince journeyed
far into the lower-class settlement. There he found a girl
of his choice—nice, warm-hearted, good-looking, and
ignorant of all the political games going on in the nation.
He disguised himself as a mere peasant and approached
her father for her hand in marriage. The man told the
crown prince that he would work his land for six months;
and afterward, he’d give it some serious thought. The
prince reared swine, slept in the barn, fed on the family’s
leftovers, just like every other servant; however, he got
to meet the young lady and got to know her better. Six
months passed, the girl’s father desired that another
man, a son of his best friend, should marry his daughter.
The prince argued with him to no avail. As the heat of
the conflict enraged, they decided to take the case to the
state magistrate’s office. The state magistrate, who didn’t

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recognize the crown prince—as he was then looking

poor and dirty—decided to entertain himself that
afternoon so he commanded the two men who asked for
the girl’s hand in marriage to settle it in a fist combat
right before him. The Prince ended up winning the duel
with a lot of injuries and took his bride home. His father,
although not happy, accepted the new bride-to-be and
soon they got married. Five years later the king died, and
the crown prince took the throne. As the law of the land
entailed, twenty concubines were added unto him, so
then he had twenty-one women to deal with. Who do
you think this man would love the most?
ISRAEL. The one he fought so hard to get, I suppose.
STRANGER. That’s the thing about humans. Whatever
comes so hard to get is valued, cherished, and held dear
to heart. Free lunch is trivialized, although there’s a
generation ahead of you that is ready to trivialize both
the hard and the easy put together.
As for Obed, he first fell in love, then fell out of love;
afterward, worked and fought hard for his love, and
finally learned to love again.
ISRAEL. But once is enough. Why let him go through the
same fate for the second time?
STRANGER. Oh, the second time the charmer. The
second time wasn’t for Obed. Believe me, he has no
problem going through the whole process all over again,

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even a hundred times for Esther, because he loves her

unconditionally.
ISRAEL. So why persuade him?
STRANGER. I didn’t. He came to me, and I gave him the
nudge he needs. Truth is, after Obed accepted Esther,
her heart was still partly in the brothel. Some days her
normal living didn’t satisfy her, so she would long for
what she thought to be her good old days. She was
looking for a reason to leave home. Then when she lost
her unborn child, she took the opportunity.
ISRAEL. That’s it. You should have left her there.
STRANGER. That won’t help anyone, would it? As I was
saying she reached there and after a day she regretted
leaving home. She longed for Obed, wished he would
come take her back.
ISRAEL. Why didn’t she just go back home?
STRANGER. Well, as she got there, the brothel owners
schemed and heaped a huge debt on her. They wanted
her there because she’s good business, so she couldn’t
leave of her own free will. She wept bitterly for her past
and present mistakes. Every day of that month was
another form of Hell to her. A genuine remorse set in
and the lust in her heart finally left her. Obed came back
for her, and she now loves him twice as much. The only
man she wants in her life is her Obed; and more
importantly, the lust in her is expunged.
ISRAEL. Man, I don’t understand this.

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STRANGER. What? I just gave you the crèche version of

the whole gist.
ISRAEL. So let me get one thing straight, you don’t
necessarily care about the problem in reality but the one
within the heart.
STRANGER. It’s all about the one on the inside; that’s
where the main problem lies. Once we get that one
solved, the one on the outside will conform to it. And
mind you, this doesn’t mean Obed is a better person to
Esther, no, not even close. It’s much more complicated.
But the thing is, the events made perfect their love for
each other.
ISRAEL. There should be another way to solve this so-
called problem on the inside. Aren’t there any other
alternatives?
STRANGER. You mean the work of creating order out of
chaos and nothingness? Believe me, I’ve been in this
work for so long than you can ever imagine. There’s no
other way than the way I choose. Any other way will
eventually fall back to chaos.
ISRAEL. Are you so sure?
STRANGER. Yes, of course. That’s why I do leave some
people who don’t admit they need help to choose their
own way.
ISRAEL. And yet no one has found a way?
STRANGER. Uhm, the thing is, some people have tried
and failed, while some are still trying. Empires and

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dynasties have come and gone, succeeded but for a short

while. First, it looks promising, then everlasting, and
before you know it the whole structure comes to
crumble.
ISRAEL. How could you be so sure none of them will
succeed eventually?
STRANGER. I wish them success in some sense. Unless,
why should I let them have it their own way? The worst
part of it is, the more it looks promising the greater the
chaos in years to come. In this paradigm of good and
evil— (he hisses). I think I’ve explained enough. Any
other questions?
ISRAEL. A lot—but for now, none.
STRANGER. Good. That kid has some braiding to do. Off
I go. (enters the house, leaving ISRAEL to ponder)
***
A few minutes later ISRAEL enters, and in the corridor, he
sees ESTHER in the arms of OBED like a newly wedded
bride. He hides and eavesdrops on them.
OBED. What’s wrong, dear?
ESTHER (in a shyish tone). Nothing, it’s nothing.
OBED (places his left ear on her chest). Your heartbeat
tells me otherwise. (raises his head) So what’s weighing
you down, my dear? Talk to me.
ESTHER. Uhm, (lips quivering) I think our visitor has
learned about my past.

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OBED. So? Who cares? (caresses her cheeks, pulls her face
gently close to his) Just keep looking at me like this, yes,
so close like this. No matter what anybody out there
thinks or says, it doesn’t matter because of what?
(ESTHER hesitates). Say it, I want to hear it.
ESTHER (sobbing). Because of the way you think of me.
OBED. Can’t hear you clearly now. A bit louder for my
hearing.
ESTHER (in tears). Because of the way you think of me.
OBED. And how do I see you?
ESTHER. AS . . . as—
OBED (gets his face closer). As my trophy. My trophy.
That’s it. Through you, I defeated a hundred men in
wisdom and courage, as I had ever wanted. They all came
for a night’s pleasure, but I went further: I saw in you my
happiness, my peace, a partner, and all I ever wished for.
Should I go through the whole process once again and
more to have you by my side, by God I would. So learn
to see yourself through your image in my eyes.
ESTHER (in tears hugs him). Thanks a lot. I love you. You
make me whole. I’ll one day die a happy woman, thanks
to you. You’re the best gift from God.
ISRAEL (still in hiding, says to himself in a low tone).
Order out of chaos. This . . . order . . . Has any lady said
these words to me? “You make me whole. I’ll one day die
a happy woman, thanks to you. You’re the best gift from

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God.” God, what does that even mean? She meant it,
every word.
***
ISRAEL enters the guest’s room prepared for them, sits on
the bed, and continues pondering for a long while. Soon
The STRANGER hops in.
STRANGER. Ah! ISRAEL. How do I look?
ISRAEL. Like a lady.
STRANGER (walking to him). Please help me unbraid this
thing.
ISRAEL (laughs). Ok.
ISRAEL is unbraiding his hair.
STRANGER. So what’s on your mind?
ISRAEL (hesitates a bit). Nothing.
STRANGER. No. I saw you in deep thought when I
entered. So what’s it?
ISRAEL. I was just comparing and contrasting.
STRANGER. Comparing and contrasting what?
ISRAEL. You and Veratti, who’s better?
STRANGER. Oh, that. I don’t think that’s the best way of
seeing both of us and our dealings with you. But what
did you come up with?
ISRAEL. I prefer the monk. He does things . . . m, how do
I put it now? The way I prefer things to be done.
Precision; strength; strict rules; leveling up and the like;

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personal development, even to the point of Spiritism.

But you, your ways are mysterious. I don’t think Veratti
can get the type of results you get. You’re certainly
different. I don’t know what to expect from you
tomorrow or the next.
STRANGER. Then don’t think about tomorrow, let
tomorrow think about itself.
ISRAEL. What would you say is the difference between
you two?
STRANGER. I don’t know. I’ve never given that a thought.
It doesn’t exist in my mind. Ouch, easy on the hair.
ISRAEL. Oh, sorry. (Pause) But you must have a crèche
version for me.
STRANGER (Laughs). Ok, maybe . . . Let’s see. He’s strong
and mighty, but I am meek and lowly; yet he’s decreasing
in time, but I’m ever increasing, even beyond time. Ok,
that’s it. Let’s go to bed. A long day awaits us tomorrow.
The two enter the bed
ISRAEL. Sir.
STRANGER. What?
ISRAEL. I overheard Esther and Obed’s discussion.
STRANGER. You eavesdropped?
ISRAEL. Er . . . yes, it occurred by chance.
STRANGER (in an angry tone). How could you? You
shouldn’t have done so.

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ISRAEL (stammering). I just wanted to understand

something.
STRANGER. What?
ISRAEL. The order out of chaos you spoke of.
STRANGER. So what about it?
ISRAEL. Love, unconditional love . . . unfathomable
beyond comprehension.
STRANGER. That’s the effect of real order, always at the
center to uphold and sustain it. (Pause) Do you want to
talk about it?
ISRAEL. What?
STRANGER. What was bothering you?
ISRAEL. Oh, it’s jus—
STRANGER. I’m listening.
A short silence.
ISRAEL. I once loved a girl. I loved her so deeply that I
shared my secrets with her—that I mean all of it,
including the business ideas I tried to build up twice but
failed. I tried building it with her name and money, and
it worked. I didn’t try asking for any share because I
thought what was hers was mine. A few months later she
dumped me. I gambled on love, but it failed me
(weeping).
STRANGER. I’m sorry (Pause). But have you forgiven her?
ISRAEL. I’ve always tried to, but the pain doesn’t wanna
leave me. It’s like I’m going around in circles. One

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moment it feels like I’ve moved on; by the end of the

month the pain comes back strong, unreal strong, and so
does the spite I have for her.
STRANGER. I’m sorry. I understand. Give it more time.
ISRAEL. I’ve given it all the time; it doesn’t work.
STRANGER. But now is a new time—a time with a new
face, me (smiles).
ISRAEL. Why don’t you tell me the mystery behind the
reason she’s done what she did to me?
STRANGER. That’ll only excite you for the moment but
won’t solve anything.
ISRAEL. So time will do the work, is that it?
STRANGER. That’s part of it. Good relationships should
be added.
ISRAEL. Like this one?
STRANGER. Yeah, like this one.
ISRAEL. But, (scratches his head) why don’t you just give
me another hypothesis that’ll make me not heap all the
blame on her, like how the curse on me caused her to
abandon me?
STRANGER. Hypothesis is what I don’t have, truth is what
I do have. I don’t expect you to keep your thoughts
wandering on the could haves and the should haves,
rather you should look toward what’s before you. There
you’ll find the truth that’ll break you out of the
stronghold—that I mean, the ceaseless pain and spite.

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ISRAEL. Tell me, what is the truth then?

STRANGER. The truth? Oh. (Pause) Truth is, I don’t think
just propositional truth alone would suffice. Truth that
would suffice will come in three parts: first is the
propositional truth, which you’re asking for; second is a
journey, then last is a person. So I’d say you need to go
through the journey—the journey of healing—to come
to terms with what happened and find real closure. And
afterward, you get to meet the one that fills the void and
makes you whole—whole in the sense of being loved for
who you are.
ISRAEL. Yeah, I guess part of my problem is the hunger to
be loved by someone.
STRANGER. Hmm . . . if that term suits your
understanding, then have it that way.
ISRAEL. So I’m gonna meet a beautiful lady that’d love me
the way Obed loves Esther, eh?
STRANGER (shakes his head in dismay). Yeah, but till
then keep your mind focused on the course.
ISRAEL. Now tell me a mystery.
STRANGER. Go to sleep! Truth is a pill that must be
administered at the right time. If not, chaos becomes the
resultant effect.
ISRAEL (grumbles). It’s still past five. No rush for bed. Oh,
I’ve not eaten yet.

22
Silas Day-Barret

He goes to the bag, takes some dried fish and milk, and
hops into the bed. While eating, he closes his eyes and
drifts off into a deep sleep.
***
ISRAEL opens his eyes, after what he thought to be a
dreamless sleep, sits on the bed. The STRANGER enters
the room.
ISRAEL. Good morning, sir.
STRANGER. Good morning, Israel.
ISRAEL. Where have you been?
STRANGER. My morning routine.
ISRAEL. Morning routine? You’ve got a morning routine?
STRANGER. No time for questions. Dress up. We need to
be on the road. We’re way behind schedule.
The two pack their bags, bid their host farewell, and hit
the road.

23