My dialogue piece

Night had only just fallen, yet Mary could scarcely hold open her drooping eyes, their lids as heavy as sandbags. Yawning, she peered out the window at Joseph as he corralled the last few stragglers into their pen. The life of a shepherd’s wife was far from luxurious; when Mary wasn’t tending to their humble two-room home, she stayed busy by aiding her husband with his flock or looking after the farm. Each night she collapsed into bed exhausted, and this cool March evening was no different.

Some hours later, Mary was suddenly awoken by a beam of light cascading through their tiny bedroom window.

“No…oh please, no,” she murmured in despair, unable to even lift her weary head. “If a higher power truly existed, it wouldn’t already be morning.” At that moment, a delicate melody filled Mary’s ears, as if a symphony of harps surrounded her bed.
“Hello, O chosen one,” sounded a melodious voice that seemed to come from the ray of light illuminating the entire room. Startled, Mary snapped out of her sluggish fog and shook her sleeping husband.

“Joseph, wake up! Do you hear that? Do you see it?” she whispered, but was answered only with a guttural snore. Her anxious effort to awaken him was interrupted by another melodic utterance.

“Do not be afraid,” boomed the voice as the luminous beam began to fade, revealing a beautiful young man cloaked in radiant gold, his mahogany curls framing a lustrous complexion. “I appear to you with no intention to harm.”

The alarmed young woman sat up slowly, rubbing at her eyes as if removing their filmy coating of sleep would erase this manifestation before her.

“I’ve had some batty dreams,” she muttered, “but this one is by far the silliest.”

To Mary’s dismay, the man responded to her remark with a chuckle.

“Dear child,” he said with a confident smile, “this is no dream. My name is Gabriel and I have been sent here to inform you of your duty to our Lord and to the world…nay, to the future.”

“I beg your pardon?” Mary replied incredulously. “I am no child, and I haven’t the slightest idea of what you speak. You’re here to inform me of my duty? I don’t even know who you are!”

“I am Gabriel,” the man repeated slowly, “and it is my duty to-”

“You speak of duty, sir,” Mary interjected, “but to be perfectly honest, I see no reason whatsoever to abide by your decree. In fact, I’m appalled by your audacity! My home may not be noble, but that gives you no right to enter without invitation.”

Her outer bravado faltering, Mary turned to Joseph, who continued to snore beside her despite the animated conversation that reverberated throughout their undersized bedroom. With a tightening throat, Mary grasped her husband’s shoulder and heartily shook, again to no avail.

“Please, let me explain,” the man sighed. “Your husband will not wake, but you need not be afraid. I am here to announce your role in the future of this world. It is because of your integrity, Mary, as well as your strength. You have been chosen.”

“But…how do you know my name?” Mary stammered. “And what do you mean by ‘chosen’? I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re saying, nor can I comprehend this entire situation.” She stared at her visitor in apprehensive confusion, awaiting an explanation.

“It is difficult for mortals to comprehend the heavenly realm,” he replied. “This is why I must reveal to you the duty of which I speak, in order to breach the gap between the two spheres.”

“Well then, breach it already,” Mary scoffed. “I await my enlightenment.”

“Very well,” the man began, inhaling deeply. “At the beginning of time, before the conception of man, there existed only one being. This being was our Lord, God, the creator of the world and the one true deity. Although His supremacy has remained absolute throughout time, humans have failed to acknowledge His eminence. It is imperative that His greatness be recognized. This is where your duty becomes crucial; you, Mary, are to carry the son of God. In nine months, you shall receive the greatest gift any mortal could hope for - you shall birth the son of God, our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

“This is what you call a gift?!” the “chosen one” retorted. “What would my husband think of my pregnancy by another man? Why do you wish shame on me and my family? Please, I bid you leave my home and never return again. I want only a peaceful night’s rest and never to think of this indiscretion again.” Pulling herself out of bed, Mary beckoned towards the window, her molten glare smoldering with red-hot palpability.

The man’s once-confident face became contorted in desperation as he dropped to his knees.

“Please, Mary, I beseech you - heed my command! The future of mankind is in your hands. With your assistance, your son will carry out the word of God on Earth, and in turn he shall atone for the sins of all humans. Please believe me. Without your compliance, the fate of humankind is doomed!”

Mary’s face softened and her lips pursed in contemplation.

“Kind sir,” she began softly. “I deeply apologize, but I cannot submit to such a request. How could I? I know nothing of this God whom you speak of so urgently. I fear that it is much too foolish for me to acquiesce with your request.”

Slowly, the man rose to his feet and took a step towards her. As he did so, the faint glow that still shone through the window fell across his shoulders, revealing an ivory pair of wings sprouting from his back. Mary felt her breath escape her and she drew her hand to her chest, clutching at an exquisite burgundy and charcoal garment that had somehow suddenly replaced her meager nightgown.

“Gabriel,” she whispered, unable to muster any louder speech.

The angel returned to his knees at Mary’s feet and motioned towards the window, where the dim glow had returned to its earlier brilliance. Within the radiant beam, Mary glimpsed the innocent faces of two smaller angels and, between them, an illustrious white dove encased in a radiant veneer of light.

“Good Lord,” spoke Mary, her breath regained. “I will gladly accept my duty.” As a glimmering halo appeared above her, the mother of Jesus Christ bowed her head.

I chose the Annunciation piece because during our discussion, someone mentioned that Mary looked as if she were resisting Gabriel’s request, and that gave me an idea for the dialogue. I thought it was challenging to make the dialogue both convincing but also informative enough that it revealed aspects about the character and the situation in a realistic manner. I thought the visual work both added and detracted – it gave me a base to start with, but I was also limited to certain aspects within the painting. One of the most notable differences between Rome and Naples is the quality of pizza!! But other than that, I thought that Naples had a more authentic feel. I don’t think that the city had too much of an effect on how I wrote this piece because it was set in a different time period and not necessarily even in Italy, but if I had been writing a piece more focused on the city itself, I think it would have come out very differently.