Death of Saint Chad
Saint Chad, the revered bishop of Mercia, lies on his deathbed in a humble hermitage adjacent to Lichfield Cathedral. Surrounded by his devoted monks and disciples, he delivers his final blessings and
Setting
A small, simple wooden hermitage adjacent to the newly constructed church in Lichfield. The interior is sparse, with rough-hewn wooden walls and a thatched roof. A narrow window allows morning light to filter in. The space is dominated by a simple bed where Saint Chad lies, surrounded by a few monks and disciples.
Characters
Saint Chad
primary
A gaunt, elderly man with sunken cheeks and pale, translucent skin stretched over sharp bones. His wispy white hair forms a thin halo around his tonsured head. Deep-set eyes, though clouded with approaching death, still radiate quiet wisdom. His hands, resting atop a rough woolen blanket, are knotted with arthritis but retain the delicate fingers of a scholar.
Brother Wilfrid
primary
A middle-aged monk with a gaunt face and deep-set eyes that betray both exhaustion and fervor. His hands, though trembling, are large and work-worn, suggesting years of manual labor. His tonsure is neatly shaved, and his beard is short and unkempt, streaked with grey.
Brother Oswin
secondary
A young monk in his early twenties, slight of build with a pale complexion. His fair hair is cropped short in the monastic tonsure, and his blue eyes are red-rimmed from weeping. His hands clutch a simple wooden cross so tightly his knuckles have turned white.
Lay Brother Cuthbert
background
A wiry man in his late 40s with sunken cheeks and rough hands from years of herb-gathering. His tonsured head shows patches of grey stubble, and his nose bears the reddened veins of one who works outdoors in all weathers. Deep-set brown eyes squint slightly from years of reading by poor light.
Dialog
Saint Chad
As the river returns to the sea... so my soul returns to its Maker...
Brother Wilfrid
In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti... Father, the holy oil...
Saint Chad
Peace, Wilfrid... The Lord's time is not measured by our haste...
Brother Wilfrid
Sed nunc in pulvere dormiam... but who shall guide us when you are gone?
Saint Chad
The same Shepherd who... led me... shall lead you...
Brother Wilfrid
Domine, non sum dignus... but the people need—
Saint Chad
Wilfrid... tend my sheep... as I tended His...