INT. BEDROOM. MORNING

Cho, a 7-year-old innocent girl, sits on her bed and hugs her new doll. The girl smiles at the doll, combing the doll’s plastic hair while talking to it at the same time. Suddenly, a man dressed like a businessman walks into the room.

FATHER

(With a gentle voice as he is talking to the most precious person in his life)

Baby, do you like the doll I bought yesterday? 

CHO

Yes, I like it very much. Thank you, Daddy.

FATHER

I know that! But, Sweetie, do remember that you can not run. You need to take care of your health. Just wait for two or three months and you will get a new healthy heart. I also bring you new toys that will entertain you. 

A boy and a girl who seem a little older than Cho walk into the bedroom quietly with heads down as if they are afraid they will make a mistake. The girl has significantly thick dark hair which was given to her as a gift by heaven. 

CHO

(With an exciting voice)

Really, I will have new friends? What are their names? 

FATHER

Sweetheart, you don’t need to know their names. They’re not your friends. Just consider them as your toys. Okay? You can call them Ichi (number 1) and Ni (number 2). 

ICHI

Yes, Miss. You can call me Ichi. We will take care of you from today. Tell us if you need or want to do anything.

EXT. MANSION. EVENING

Cho, hugging her doll, sits on a bench on the wonderful playground that her father made for her while Ichi and Ni are standing in front of Cho. Suddenly, Ni whispers to Ichi’s ears and says something.

NI

Why don’t we kill her now? This is the best time to kill her. The master is going outside.

ICHI

Are you insane? The time has not come yet. 

NI

We can poison her. Nobody will know.

CHO 

What are you guys talking about? I want to listen too. 

ICHI

(With a gentle smile)

Nothing, Miss. We are discussing how to make you happy and what games we should play. 

CHO

(With a giggling voice)

Really? Thank you, guys. You are the best people in my life, apart from Daddy. 

NI

Miss, since the weather is very hot, let me bring you a cold dessert.

Ni goes to the kitchen under the warning eyes of Ichi. She takes out the poison from her thick long hair and tries to put it into the dessert. However, she is very unlucky, as the master comes back home early and catches everything she does in the midst of her preparations.

INT. PUNISHING ROOM. NIGHT

FATHER

(While beating with a belt)

So, you tried to poison your master. You really need to learn a lesson. I chose you were smart, but it turns out you’re not. But, don’t worry, I will not kill you. You know why? My daughter just told me yesterday she wanted a speaking dog. I think now we get one for her by using your body’s parts. 

NI

No! You can’t do that to me! Please no. Y-O-U– YOU already have given me hell. And yet, you kidnapped me from my parents. 

FATHER

It’s not my fault. It’s because you and your parents are weak and poor. They did not even search for you because they didn’t have the money. You know? Some people are born as winners and some people are born as losers. Obviously, you are the second group. So, for the good sake of the world, just live as a dog.

INT. BEDROOM. MORNING

While Cho is sleeping, her father enters the bedroom with a present which is a dog with thick dark fur that looks like human hair. 

FATHER

My princess, wake up and look at the new present I brought for you.

CHO

(While rubbing her eyes)

Really! (Pauses and looks) Oh my god! It’s a dog. 

CHO

Can she talk?

FATHER

Of course. Hey, say something. Say, ‘Miss Cho.’

DOG

M-iss- CH-O

CHO

(While hugging the dog) 

Oh my god! She can talk. Thank you so much, Daddy. 

Ichi enters the room while carrying breakfast for Cho. When he looks at the dog, his hands start to tremble. The father sees this and whispers something to Ichi’s ears.

FATHER

See, this is the end of a slave who wants to rebel. 

ICHI

Yes, sir, I understand. I’ll never betray. 

FATHER

Ok, sweetie. Daddy has some jobs to finish. I’ll be back at 9 p.m. Can you wait for me while playing with your new toys and Ichi?

CHO

Of course, Daddy. Go and finish your work. 

The father leaves the room.

ICHI

(talking to himself with a low voice)

Finally, it’s time. 

(looks at Cho with a smile)

Miss, would you like to play in the secret place where I live?

CHO

Really? Let’s go there. 

Ichi and Cho begin walking towards the secret place, but on the way, Cho has to rest frequently since the distance from the main mansion is quite far. When they reach there, Ichi takes her to a door that connects to the basement. She is so surprised since she had not known this underground place existed. She continues to get a strange smell (the smell of blood, urine, and feces). Later, she sees many children with depressed faces. Some of them don’t even have clothes. 

CHO

What’s going on?

ICHI

Dear little Miss, do you now see the real face of your father? Do you notice that some of these children’s hands and legs are missing? It is not natural-born; they are artificial, which means another human cut them off. Oh no! I forgot! He is not a human being; he is a devil. Every toy he bought for you is covered with our blood. Your father calls you a princess, right? But, you know, we are also our parents’ precious children. I do not even remember my parents because he kidnapped me when I was a baby. Do you know the word H-E-L-L? Of course, even if you know what the word means, you do not know the true meaning of it since you have only ever lived a heaven-like life. Your father calls and treats us as animals. If we do not listen to his words and commands, he threatens to change us into a speaking dog, as he did with Ni. We have to eat and sleep like animals. Everyone cries at night because of the disappointment of their poor unfortunate life. As for me, I cannot even cry even if I want to since I have already cried so much. However, I can finally be free. 

(looks at the children with excited eyes)

Brothers and sisters, today is the day that we will escape. Don’t be afraid. Come and stand up. Help me kidnap this girl as her father did to us. Sorry, we don’t want to do this to you, Miss. Your father has pushed us too far. I poisoned all the housemaids and guards. While I am calling the police, keep an eye on Miss Cho.

A CHILD

Can I finally go back to my mother? (madly looks at Cho) Catch her!

CHO

I-I-I (screams) NO! NO! My father is not that kind of person. (Cries) 

When Cho’s father comes back home, he does not see his daughter. So, he looks for her everywhere. Finally, he sees his daughter sitting in one of the chairs in the underground basement that is surrounded by enslaved children. 

ICHI

Oh, master! Have you come back? I’m waiting for you. Don’t worry. Miss has not died yet. 

Cho looks at her father with scared eyes, as if she cannot believe what her father has been doing all this time.

FATHER

(Angrily)

What have you done to her? 

ICHI

Oh Ho. Calm down. I just showed her the truth. 

FATHER

What? She cannot see this dirty world. She has a heart disease. It will devastate her. Please, you can’t do this. She is your half-sister. I am your biological father.

Ichi looks at him with surprised eyes for a while. After that, he laughs and laughs. Even his shoulders are shaking. 

ICHI

Now, I realize why you examined my health every week. Because you wanted me to give my heart to her. You never thought of me as a son. Oh, is this because my mother is a slave and her mother is a noblewoman? But, don’t worry, when you are in prison, we will take care of Cho in the way you take care of the kidnapped children. 

FATHER

Exactly! You are so smart. How could you be my son when half of your blood is dirty? And, let me correct something. I did not kidnap all of these children. Some of them were sold by their own parents. And, I will never let you hurt my daughter. 

The police enter the mansion and the father runs to Cho. He looks at her with sorrowful eyes and cuts the vein of her neck with the knife he always carries in his pocket. 

FATHER

(While crying extremely)

I’m sorry, Sweetie. I’m sorry. They will make you live in the hell I created for them if I die. I cannot let you live in a living hell. Don’t worry, Daddy will follow you. 

Cho’s father kills himself. The children are then saved by the police and finally see the light of the world for the first time since they had to live underground for so long. While being questioned by the police, Ichi looks back at the mansion where he, Cho, and Ni used to play. 

THE END

Reflection

 Child Human Trafficking is a form of modern enslavement that is more common in developing countries (Child Trafficking by Country 2023, n.d.). Moreover, children are usually considered weaker compared to adults, but, in my play, they try to rebel against the human trafficker in the way they can. There are three main characters in my play: Cho’s father, Cho, and Ichi. 

The human trafficker, the father of both Cho and Ichi, only considers Ichi as a healthy heart for Cho because Ichi is the offspring of having a sexual relationship with the enslaved woman which is the secret of the play, inspired by the U.S. President Thomas Jefferson getting children with his slave (TED-Ed, 2023). He also addresses or treats the kidnapped children as animals and toys because he does not see them as humans and children. I also intentionally include the part about changing Ni into a speaking dog and use the word “animals” a lot in the play in order to highlight dehumanization which involves prejudice and violence perceiving other people as lacking humanness or less human (Haslam & Loughnan, 2014). However, it is controversial whether humans are superior to animals or not. This can be caused because of Exceptionalism which happens when a person thinks of himself as special, and perfect while being entitled to do whatever he wants (Weintrobe, 2021). 

Cho is the most interesting character in the play and I use the word “innocent” a lot to describe her. However, it also leads me to the dilemma of innocence that she is also somehow participating in slavery unconsciously. For example, she treats the other innocent children who are a little older than her as her servants while commanding them. Therefore, is she really innocent? Moreover, Cho’s contrasting identity can be compared to the enslaved children whose identity as an innocent child has been taken over and forced to be mature. 

Ichi, the abolitionist in this play, is very mature and smart for his age while managing all enslaved children to escape. For example, he quickly accepts the fact that he is the son of the human trafficker and realizes he has a healthy heart for Cho. His monologue reflects the lives of trafficked children. 

Cho’s father only kidnaps the children whose families are poor and weak as he says. That is also a reason why he can do human trafficking for a long time. Some of them were even sold by their own parents. The Cambodia news that parents selling their old children due to poverty inspired me for this part (Projects, 2021). Moreover, the human trafficker also kills his daughter in the end because he thinks that his innocent daughter will be treated the same as he did to the enslaved children. Beloved by Toni Morrison also inspired me to this part about killing my own child to escape from the destiny of being a slave (Morrison, 2004). However, in my case, it is the slave master who kills his own child. 

Overall, A Living Hell includes the parent-child relationships, love, hate, tragedy, deaths, revolting, and courage to escape reflecting human trafficking or modern slavery. Parents love their children. Some parents sell them because they want to survive. Some parents kill them because they love them. 

 

References

Child Trafficking by Country 2023. (n.d.). https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/child-trafficking-by-country

Haslam, N., & Loughnan, S. (2014). Dehumanization and infrahumanization. Annual review of psychology, 65, 399-423.

Morrison, T. (2004). Beloved. 1987. New York: Vintage.

Projects, I. N. O. (2021, April 14). How could a parent sell their child? — IT’S NOT OK Projects. IT’S NOT OK Projects. https://www.itsnotok.com/journal/2021/4/14/how-could-a-parent-sell-their-child

TED-Ed. (2023, January 10). What makes Thomas Jefferson so controversial? – Frank Cogliano [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c517cpFALXE

Weintrobe, S. (2021). Psychological Roots of the Climate Crisis (1st ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. https://www.perlego.com/book/2112317/psychological-roots-of-the-climate-crisis-neoliberal-exceptionalism-and-the-culture-of-uncare-pdf