Shrine by Tim Winton

Author:Tim Winton
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781743485934
Publisher: Penguin Group Australia
Published: 2014-07-02T04:00:00+00:00

SCENE 11

Lights up on JUNE at stage right, dishevelled and shivering at the shore. ADAM watches from his beach house.

JUNE: No wind at all. Don’t know why I remember. But it stopped. Still cold, but the wind had just . . . like the world holdin its breath. I was out of my mind.

ADAM: You were drunk, June. Stoned.

JUNE: I ran into the water. Right up there against the Point, close to the rocks. Could feel the rip suckin at my legs. I was so hot. My skin felt scorched. And the water was so clean and cold. It was good to feel clean. Even if it hurt.

Light on JACK upstage.

JACK: Just a white flash. That’s all I saw.

Light on WILL and BEN on the beach at stage left. Both have a bottle of wine in hand.

WILL: Stupid bitch. I’ll need a rabies shot.

BEN: Maybe we shouldna.

WILL: What?

BEN: Well. Feels weird. I feel crook.

WILL: Pussy.

BEN: Should make sure – maybe.

WILL: I’m outta here. What’re you waitin for? True love?

BEN: The fuck is he?

WILL: Telling her all about his social conscience. His trip to Cambodia.

BEN: I didn’t know he’d been to Cambodia.

WILL: He hasn’t.

BEN: So, what about Cambodia?

WILL: Fuck, man, you must’ve slept the whole way down. All he ever talks about.

BEN: What’s this one? Grenache. Man, where’s Grenache?

WILL: Ask him when he gets in.

BEN: Man, he doesn’t know shit about wine. Told me himself.

WILL: What, when you were learning all about digging wells in Cambodia? Where the fuck is he?

BEN: She got in the water.

WILL: Didn’t see.

BEN: Yeah, full noise, straight in, like it was nothing. Like it was a warm bath she was heading for.

WILL: Like I said, I never saw. Dark. Didn’t see a thing, constable.

BEN: Fuck. Right. And she’s probably just tryna get his attention.

WILL: Creeps me out, that chick. There’s somethin wrong with her.

BEN: Still. Hope she didn’t do anything stupid. I mean we’re just mucking around.

WILL: I don’t recall.

BEN: What?

WILL: My memory’s unclear.

BEN: Oh. Right. (considers this collusion)

WILL: That’s all I know, constable. (peers at the bottle in hand) Constable Cabernet Sauvignon. New, are ya? From what, France, are ya? I don’t care what kind of fancypants detective y’are with ya beret and ya —

BEN: Coz it was dark.

WILL: And she was pissed. A lot of alcohol was involved.

BEN: And if anyone got with her it was —

WILL: Flash Jack Mansfield.

BEN: But we didn’t see it.

WILL: We were up at the house, playin —

BEN: Monopoly.

WILL: Scrabble.

BEN: Nah, it was Monopoly.

WILL: Have it your way, Sherlock. Let’s get hammered.

BEN and WILL collect their stuff and exit.

JUNE: It was like being too close to the fire. Being sucked in. The cold as hot as the fire, hot as my skin. The rip, like the river. Smooth rocks goin by. And I’m awake again, properly awake. Happy.

ADAM: Happy? What’re you talking about? You’re being dragged out to sea.

JUNE: Maybe not happy. Just resigned. Like this was what I was always comin to, to be dragged out like the trash built up in the inlet, somethin best got rid of.

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