Kindertransport by Diane Samuels

Author:Diane Samuels [Samuels, Diane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781854595270
Publisher: Nick Hern Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

ACT TWO

Scene One

The room is dim. The air is stale and smoke-filled.

EVELYN’s clothes and hair are unkempt. Beside her is an ashtray containing a large number of cigarette stubs.

Around her sit HELGA with the Rattenfänger book and a curled-up EVA.

HELGA (to EVA). Do you understand what I mean about your being my jewels?

EVA. That’s not in the story.

HELGA. Do you understand?

EVA. Sort of.

HELGA. We all die one day, but jewels never fade or perish. Through our children we live. That’s how we cheat death.

EVA. You’re not going to die are you?

HELGA. Not yet.

EVA. Not for a long time.

HELGA. I hope not.

EVA. Promise me.

HELGA. Promise me you’ll be a good girl in England.

EVA. I promise.

A tap on the door. Pause. Another tap, louder. Pause.

FAITH (off). Mum.

Pause.

(Off. Louder.) Mum! The door’s still locked.

Pause.

(Off.) Please let me in.

Pause.

(Off.) Please, Mum.

EVELYN. I am not coming out.

FAITH (off). You can’t just stay in there.

EVELYN. Can I not?

FAITH (off). What about dinner?

EVELYN. Eat without me.

FAITH (off). What about tonight?

EVELYN. Leave me alone.

FAITH (off). This is crazy.

Pause.

(Off.) I’m sorry about what I said.

Pause.

(Off.) Mum? Can you still hear me?

EVELYN. Go away.

FAITH (off). I’m worried about you.

EVELYN. It’s too late.

Pause.

FAITH (off). Mum.

EVELYN. I’m going to stop talking to you now.

FAITH (off). Shit!

Silence.

EVELYN. I didn’t bring you up to speak as if your mouth were filled with sewage.

A man’s voice repeating ‘Sieg Heil’ is heard.

The POSTMAN enters. He is frog-marching, making a Hitler moustache on his upper lip with the index finger of one hand and doing the Nazi salute with the other.

POSTMAN. Sieg Heil! Sieg Heil! Sieg Heil! Sieg Heil!

POSTMAN takes out a parcel.

German parcel delivered in ze German style.

POSTMAN clicks his heels together, stands to attention and holds out the parcel.

Pretty convincing, eh?

EVA. German peoples not do the finger under the nose.

POSTMAN. But the moustache is the most important thing about him.

EVA. You do fun. German people not do fun.

POSTMAN. No. They wouldn’t.

POSTMAN marches without the moustache.

What about the marching?

EVA. I not know how do marching.

POSTMAN. I thought everyone in Boche Land learnt to march. Children ’n all.

EVA. Only some. Hitler Jugend.

POSTMAN. What’s that?

EVA. Children army. I not in it.

POSTMAN. They must’ve taught you to ‘Sieg Heil’?

EVA. In school. Do this.

She stands to attention and salutes.

‘Heil Hitler!’

POSTMAN. Have to do that a lot, did you?

EVA. Too much.

POSTMAN. Not very fond of Hitler are you?

EVA. He not a good man.

POSTMAN. Thought he’d done wonderful things for your country.

EVA. Not for my family.

POSTMAN. Did you ever see him though?

EVA. See Hitler?

POSTMAN. Did you?

EVA. One time.

POSTMAN. Went to one of them rallies was it?

EVA. Not rally. In Hamburg city. He in car. Me on street. Lots people. They shout very loud.

POSTMAN. Did he smell?

EVA. Smell?

POSTMAN. Everyone knows he smells. All Germans smell. Well-known fact.

EVA. Not me.

POSTMAN. That’s coz you’ve been here a bit. It’s started to fade.

EVA (smelling herself). Girls in school in Hamburg say I smell.

POSTMAN. That’s not very nice of them.

EVA. Which smells more, German or Jew?

POSTMAN. Same difference, love.

EVA. Thank you for the parcel.

POSTMAN. Thank you for the lesson in saluting (He salutes.

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