Writing Assignment #7

Dialogue within Judith and Holofernes

On this particularly chilling winter evening, the moon glowed, full of mischievous intent. The wind whipped violently through trees and against the nearby tents, jostling emotions and stirring up trouble. Holofernes, Judith, and Abra were having a casual evening hanging out in Holofernes’ tent; playing cards, drinking, joking with one another, just like they did any other night. But something was different this time, maybe it was the wind, maybe it was the devilish, instigator ways of Abra that led things to go gone too far.

“You cheater, I slapped the deck first, those cards were mine,” shouted the defiant Abra at the cheating Holofernes.

“Whatever woman, those cards belong to me, I am the doubles-slapping master,” declared Holofernes. Taunting the women of the card game, he held his arms in the air as if cheering for his own victories falsely won.

“Why must we always have these feuds when playing Neapolitan Mouse Snatch,” whimpered Judith with her concerned brow.

“Just relax, Judith we’re just having some fun, as usual. I thought you liked this game,” replied Abra.

“I…I do…it’s just I hate when you and Holofernes are so competitive,” Judith sheepishly answered.

“Stop your ridiculousness, Judith. There always seems to be something plaguing you,” exclaimed Holofernes. “Try to have a bite more fun. Now pass me the wine and lets keep enjoying ourselves shall we.”

Judith reluctantly took a deep breath to perk herself up for the rest of the evening she would be spending with an intoxicated Holofernes and the always boisterous Abra. She could feel the anxiety looming over her, the way it always did when she would hang out with the two of them. Judith suffered greatly from a lack of self-confidence and tended to get pushed around by her bold friends. Nevertheless, these were two of her best friends and she tolerated their negative qualities in the hopes that the good would make an appearance every so often.

“Some day I am going to be the…ahhh…bestest…ahhh…greatest general ever, juuussst you girls wait and see,” stammered the progressively more inebriated Holofernes. “You see that sword, I am the best swordsmen you two would ever be lucky enough to see.”

Holofernes stumbled from out of his seat, weaving to the left and to the right as he walked over to get his sword.

“See look at how good I am with my sword.” Holofernes swung his sword around as he paced about the tent, almost losing his balance as well as the grip on his weapon several times.

“Sit down you big shot before you hurt someone,” scolded Abra. “Let’s finish this card game already. I am totally going to beat you,” she said with a cocky smile on her face.

Abra and Holofernes were different from Judith in a sense. The three of them had been friends for so long and were similar in many ways. However, Judith lacked the same boldness that Abra and Holofernes seemed to completely possess. Judith was the meekest of the three and was always easily coxed into doing things that were not of her own design.

Judith quietly started to chime into this discussion of future careers. “I want to be a model for a great painter some day. Maybe a painter like Caravaggio or Artemisia.”

“What,” Holofernes scoffed.

“Well…I think that’s what I would like to do. Dress up, be portrayed as someone completely different…than myself,” Judith replied.

“You could never be a model,” stated Holofernes.

“Why…why not?” she asked.

“Please, Judith, you don’t have the faintest clue what a model really does.”

“I…I don’t?”

“And…seriously…you might want to rethink your diet if you’re actually going to pursue being a model. You’re looking a little on the softer side.”

Then Abra finally decided to chime in. “Why the hell are you being so rude, Holofernes, you jackass?”

“Abra, I’m just telling her the truth, unlike you, who would sugar coat every thing for your poor, innocent friend, Judith.”

Abra turned to Judith and said to her under her breath, “Are you going to let him speak to you that way?”

“What?” responded Judith, with tears welling in her eyes and shame smeared all across her face.”

“I asked you if you are going to let him speak to you that way. You should stand up for yourself.”

“I…I should?” replied Judith.

“Yes goddamn it!” Abra said with her teeth grinding and her face completely tensed with furious passion. “You should make him sorry for what he said.”

Judith asked as she sniffled, “But how?”

“If I were you I would make him feel my pain, feel the pain physically. He says mean things to you all the time. Now it’s your turn. Slap him or something. Do it, just do something,” Abra insisted.

“I…I…” Judith stuttered quietly to her scheming friend. And then she started to look around the room for ideas of pay-back. Judith thought to herself about how mad and hurt Holofernes always made her feel. She glanced at him as he was now lounging on his bed chuckling to his-drunken-self; he was thinking he was so cleaver and had got her down for good. “Not any more,” Judith thought to herself.

She had become uncontrollably enraged. She swiftly grabbed Holofernes sword with a look of determination and rage in her eyes. She whipped around with the sword in her right hand and proceeded to attack Holofernes while he was lying helplessly on his bed.

“What are you doing?” screamed Abra.

“Getting my revenge! Help me!” cried Judith.

“Oh God,” gasped Abra.

“If you’re truly my friend, then help me.”

Knowing it was too late for Judith to turn back, as she had already started to strike Holofernes with his own sword, Abra rushed to restrain him. She couldn’t very well have both of her friends die from this situation (wasn’t she the one who suggested the revenge in the first place?).

“Hold his arms down,” Judith demanded. Suddenly the meekest one of their group was now the most aggressively demanding. Maybe there was something in the air of the night.