Mark leaves the physical world weightless and translucent. His body feels vital, fresh, firm and light. He stretches his arms and legs out through a fabulous white suit. A sun-bright bowler hat is tipped back on his head.

He stares in disbelief at the body he's leaving behind. "I'm lookin down and seein, it's horrifying my wretched arse in need of purifying."

He turns and faces the radiance of this new life, but he's quickly enveloped by a somber darkness. He hears a swarm of voices advising him to return to Earth where he must stay for 40 days. He must move amongst his mourners and then and only then can he return to continue on his new journey. "The stars are my friends. They will have me back."

He returns to find Semyon and Marusia singing together, grateful for his death, grateful to be rid of him. Marusia is clearly happier to be free of Mark and the life, through no fault of his own, she'd felt trapped in. However, despite her apparent freedom she's no closer to leaving Lagerstrasse than before, but she wasn't to know that.

Mark turns away from the jubilant couple just as their tent is cut to shreds by bayonets. He looks back on them helplessly, watching as they and the rest of Lagerstrasse's population are herded onto trucks. He knows they're to be returned to the countries they fled from and there they will meet their death.

Mark leaves the sorry site deciding to spend the remainder of his days on Earth visiting it farthest shores. He finds he can transport himself through the air at incredible speeds and in doing so, begins to see the many worlds he'd run away from, the countries and people he'd only heard of and the seas he dreamt about.

The following days were no less pleasant that the life that had been taken from him. Everywhere he was invisible and able to see what no one else could. How much hypocrisy, lying, hatred, envy and evil there was on this planet! Everything was a lie, a pretense! And Earth too was filled with deafening noise and chaos! Whole cities fell and the sound of human groaning never ceased.

MARK FEDOTYCH
(sung like a sea-shanty)
To think I was sorry
to part with that body
that dirty, smelly, worthless body

To think it was me
troubled and sick
from the fight to be free
what it meant to be free
a dream to be free

We fled with our dreams
our demons and fears
stateless but free
if running can be free

Fighting their wars
for their dead and unborn
we took scars to our flesh
we sang, we cried
trapped in our worlds
soiless, sunless, struggling worlds

To think I was sorry
to part with that life
that dirty, smelly, childless life

To think I was sorry
to think it was me
to think I was sorry
perhaps now I'll be free

VOICES
(Russian Orthodox theme)
Forty, forty, forty days          Forty, forty, forty days
forty days          Closer, closer
fly close to Earth...
forty days          Forty, forty, forty days
close to Earth          Later, later
then...

SEMYON SEMYONYCH
(dirge-like)
Thank God he's dead
he's finally dead
he's gone he's gone and taken his stench

SEMYON & MARUSIA
We'll throw out his bottles
and burn all his filth

SEMYON
you can free your mind of his lies and deceit

MARUSIA
I can wash my breasts of his quivering hands

SEMYON
and rinse your mouth of his blistered lips

SEMYON & MARUSIA
We're free of the rot that laughed through his teeth

MARUSIA
and the corns that bleed through the socks on his feet

SEMYON
the worms will no doubt choke on their feast

I hate to think of the love he gave

MARUSIA
I've suffered enough!

SEMYON
We'll love in the snow, delectable snow

SEMYON & MARUSIA
Thank God he's dead
he's finally dead
he's gone he's gone and taken his stench

We'll dance on ice in skates of steel
and love in the snow, delectable snow