The Children & Have I None by Edward Bond

Author:Edward Bond
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: 2000-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

Ten

Journey.

Night, a week later.

The stretcher is carried on by the five survivors – Joe, Jill, Stacey, Marvin, Donna. The Man lies prone.

Marvin Stop now please.

Stacey It’s dark. It scares me.

Marvin (stops) Can’t any more.

Jill We’ll leave you behind.

The others go on. They stop and look back at Marvin.

Marvin (lowers his head) Sorry.

Donna Perhaps we should split up. Try our luck on our own.

They put down the stretcher.

Stacey I’m scared of the dark. I’d grown out of that.

Donna I think the world’s dying. There’s no one any more. No one looks for us. No one remembers us. I feel old. It must be like this. We’ve grown old and don’t understand it yet. Shall we split up?

The Man sits up on the stretcher.

Man (points) Look – dark shapes on the horizon.

They look and see nothing.

See!

Stacey No.

Man Like dark mountains. The port! I worked there.

They look and still see nothing. They turn to look at each other.

Man You’re good children. Carried me so far. Now I can help you. Stay together. You’ll reach the port in two days. The warehouses are like great cliffs – both sides of the street – they make the highways look like little alleys. They’re stacked with food and clothes and videos and discs. All you want. Now everywhere’s deserted it’s yours. Go in and take your pick. There’ll be chemists – medicines – my cure. (Points.) I see the dark shape with my sailor’s eyes. The lights’ll come on soon. It’s where we’ve been coming all the time. In two days we’ll be there. The dark port on the edge of the sea.

They look away.

Donna Marvin?

Joe Asleep.

Jill We ought to eat.

Stacey Sick of mouldy scraps. Let’s get up early. Reach the port tomorrow. In a day.

They stand and stare towards the port. Marvin sleeps at their feet.

Stacey … have a feast…

Joe … a party …

Jill … burn our rags … dress up …

They stare in silence.

Donna Marvin’s turn to be lookout.

Man I’ll do it for him. Let me.

Jill Are you sure?

Man It’s only right I do my share. I can watch from my bed. (Points.) Move it there.

They move the bed to the side.

Bless you. Sleep while I watch.

Jill Wake me, remember. It’s my turn next.

They settle into exhausted, feverish sleep.

Man If you make an early start you’ll be in port tomorrow. (He hums a few notes.) Sea shanty. We sang ourselves to sleep at sea … In port the streets were lit all night. Houses. Halls. Dockside taverns. Music and dancing. The smell of food on spits. (Sings a few notes. His voice breaks.) I caught a sickness in a foreign port. The lungs. I couldn’t speak. A strange croaking in my throat. I left the sea. Went inland. (Points.) The lights are on. We saw them from the other side – the middle of the dark sea. The pilot took us in – past little boats bobbing like hands drowning by the quays. Different colours. Cardigans on the wrists. The mothers knit them.

The sleepers begin to talk.

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