Behind this story lies a funny one, because I wrote it for my participation in a tragic plays competition, and guess what I won? Because I was the only participant(:
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Prologue:
Salim was just a simple fisherman, until the day a storm struck his fishing boat and sank the vessel. But he managed to save himself by escaping via a lifeboat.
Scene One
(Salim is nearly unconscious from hunger and thirst inside the dilapidated lifeboat, while hallucinating about rescue boats appearing from beyond the horizon.)
Salim: O sky, aren't there any shores near here?
The Sky: There are.
Salim: Where?
The Sky: Nearby, just keep moving forward and you will reach them.
The Sea: Don't believe her! She is a liar. The nearest land to you is hundreds of kilometers away, and you will die of hunger and thirst before you reach it. Hurry up and accept your fate, jump from the boat to be relieved from the pain of hunger and thirst!
The Sky: Don't believe him! He seeks nothing but your death.
(Salim glimpses something unclear on the horizon.)
Salim: I see something on the horizon!
The Sky: It might be land, or a boat to rescue you.
The Sea: ...Or the corpse of one of your companions.
Scene Two
(On a rock protruding from the sea, a seagull stands looking at a fish swimming in the water.)
The Seagull: O cursed fish, won't you rid me of your evil and go your own way? I seek nothing but peace.
The Fish: ...
(The bird sees Salim's boat and flies to land on its bow.)
The Seagull: O human, will you rid me of this fish? I will be indebted to you with my life.
Salim: What are you talking about, O bird?
The Seagull: Oh, human, you don't understand my suffering! That cursed fish has been chasing me for days, warning every school of fish it sees about me, ruining my fishing and leaving me without food for days.
Salim: O fish, why do you do this?
The Fish: O human, don't interfere in what doesn't concern you! That despicable bird ate my wife days ago, and I vowed to myself to take revenge. But he is strong and I am weak, and my weakness does not mean I cannot harm him!
Salim: O bird, is this true?
The Seagull: How could I know his wife? I have eaten many fish in my life.
The Fish: So you admit your sin!
The Seagull: What sin? Is eating a sin? Even you eat plankton!
Salim: O fish, there is some truth in the bird's words, so why don't you reconsider your belief?
The Fish: O human, you understand nothing! So shut up!
(As the fish was speaking to Salim, the seagull swooped down on her and swallowed her in one gulp, while Salim's stomach twisted with hunger, and he wished in his heart that he had been the one to eat the fish.)
The Seagull: Ah, my God! And finally, I feel alive. O human, thank you for your help, and as a favor in return, I will help you reach dry land.
The Sea: Don't listen to him! He is lying to you, to give you hope and then let you down.
Salim: Do you know where the dry land is?
The Seagull: Of course! Do you doubt me?
Salim: Yes, and why should I believe you?
The Seagull: Because I will state a reason: I am indebted to you. Therefore, will you follow me, O human, or will you stay here waiting for death?
Salim: I will follow you.
(Salim paddled with the last of his remaining strength, following the seagull, while the sun set in the background, turning the world into darkness, until he reached a deserted island.)
The Seagull: You see, O human? I did not lie.
Salim: You are right, my great thanks to you, O bird. But I cannot walk from exhaustion; can you bring something for me to eat?
The Seagull: Yes, but this will be the last thing I do, and then I will have repaid my debt.
(The seagull flies towards the island but does not return.)
Salim: Why is the bird delayed?
The Sky: Perhaps something happened to him.
The Sea: Isn't this clear? He betrayed you and abandoned you to die of hunger, then he will return to eat your corpse! Jump from the boat and end your suffering; it is a minute of pain compared to a thousand years of rest and peace!
The Sky: Why don't you go to the island and check for yourself?
The Sea: It is dark, and you can't see anything! If you go to the island, you may not return, like the bird!
(A mysterious shadow appears on the shore of the island, speaking in a strange voice resembling the rustling of tree leaves.)
The Mysterious Shadow: O human, are you the friend of the kind seagull who came a short while ago?
Salim: Why? Do you know where he is?
The Mysterious Shadow: Yes, but unfortunately, while I was helping him, the kind bird was injured and could not come. So he sent me to you, saying: He has a friend from the humans who needs help. So why don't you come here so I can help you?
Salim: I want to come ashore, but I am too weak for that.
The Mysterious Shadow: Don't say that! You certainly have enough strength to walk a few steps, as long as you can speak. You are just afraid! But I swear to you that this place is safe here.
Salim: ...
The Sea: Don't listen to him! I can see his true nature: He is a tiger! If you get off the boat, he will eat you! Go towards death by drowning, for it is more merciful than death at the hands of a tiger!
The Sky: Perhaps the shadow is right, and the island is safe.
Salim: You are right. Let me take a nap until dawn appears and everything becomes clear, just for the sake of safety.
(Salim closes his eyes and does not open them again.)
The Final Scene
(The sun rises over the island, revealing the sandy shore full of crabs, and coconut trees heavy with fruit, and Salim's corpse on the boat. While the seagull pecks at a coconut to drink its water, before flying away as if nothing had happened.)