The Chase iii. Third Day

[PIP]
Third day

[ALL]
Third day

(spoken)
[ISHMAEL]
There are moments that loop in your head. Trauma distorts time. You don’t remember before or after, just the moment of the jolt, bam. And all the feeling gets smacked out of you, and you’re emptied out and numb. Moby-Dick comes out of the water, tangled in hemp and harpoons, latched to the white beast’s body is Fedallah, a dead, vacant blank. Water pours from his face, his mouth flaps open and closed, an inane yawn. There are moments that loop in your head…

[AHAB]
The first hearse— the Parsee rides the white whale. But where is the second hearse? I hold thee to the last letter of thy word, Parsee!

[ISHMAEL]
And then the whale turns toward the ship...

[AHAB]
The ship! The second hearse-- its wood could only be American

[ISHMAEL]
And whales aren't supposed to do that!

The whale smashes into the ship! It shatters into splinters; the crew falls into the water

[AHAB, sung]
[?]

[ISHMAEL, spoken]
But I wasn't on the ship

[AHAB, sung]
Oh, lonely death on lonely life

[ISHMAEL, spoken]
I was on Ahab's whaleboat-- I was his bowsman, pulling his boat as it filled with water

[AHAB, sung]
Sink all coffins and hearses to one common pool

[ISHMAEL, spoken]
The Captain's face is sickly white, swollen and puckered. He raises his harpoon...

[AHAB, sung]
Thou all-destroying but unconquering whale

[ISHMAEL, spoken]
Unconquering whale

[AHAB, sung]
To the last I grapple with thee

[ISHMAEL, spoken]
To the last I grapple with thee

[AHAB, sung]
From hell's heart I stab at thee

[ISHMAEL, spoken]
From hell's heart I stab at thee

[AHAB, sung]
For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee

[ISHMAEL, spoken]
For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee-- I know every word because I was on the boat!

[AHAB, sung]
[?]

[ISHMAEL, spoken]
Ahab!

[CREW, spoken]
Ahab

[AHAB]
Who are you?