Ditch Page 6

Mrs Peel shoves potatoes into the sack, Burns crouches down before her.

  Burns (Takes the sack.) Why ruin what we got here?

  Mrs Peel (Grabs the sack back.) We aint got nothin’.

  Burns But we could have.

  Burns swoops Mrs Peel onto her back and arches over her like a dog.

  Mrs Peel Bleedin’ ‘ell fire and Jack!

  Burns Mrs Peel you got enough balls for ten men, can drink any man under the table, give a man as good as yer get, swear like a trooper, work harder than most a’ the men I know. And yet! You’ve got the bosom of a Goddess. (Bends forwards.) The carriage of an eagle. And I bet you’re packin’ as much heat in that cave a’ yours as the earth’s core. (Bends forwards.) That bein’ with you would be a hot and molten –

  Mrs Peel slaps Burns’s face.

  Burns (Strokes his cheek.) How about you and me take a moonlight swim?

  Mrs Peel I could choke you.

  Mrs Peel bolts to her feet and Burns chases after her.

  Mrs Peel You wanna’ keep that dead squid a’ yours away from me!

  Burns I can assure you it’s alive!

  Mrs Peel grabs a shovel and threatens to clobber Burns with it.

  Mrs Peel It won’t be if you come any closer.

  Burns Why don’t you and me step inside and get to it?

  Mrs Peel I’d rather be under a rabid dog.

  Burns How about we just drop the lip on?

  Mrs Peel I’d rather be sat on the shitter with diarrhoea and toothache.

  Burns We could have ourselves a cuddle?

  Mrs Peel I’d rather . . . I got a tough enough life as it is without stavin’ off the advances of a sex maniac! (From the gut.) Now step away!

  Burns does.

  Mrs Peel I don’t know who you think you’re playin’ with.

  Burns I aint playin’.

  Mrs Peel walks away.

  Burns I’m sweet on you!

  Beat.

  Burns How about you and me go get your deer?

  Mrs Peel stops.

  Burns Tomorrow?

  Beat.

  Burns That a date?

  Beat.

  Mrs Peel I guess.

  Mrs Peel leaves.

  Scene Five

  Kitchen. Morning.

  Megan is folding a pile of washed and dried clothes and sheets.

  Bug enters.

  Bug I been needin’ to talk to you too.

  Megan Me?

  Beat.

  Megan Why?

  Beat. Megan sees it in Bug’s eyes. She grabs a sheet from the pile.

  Megan Give me a hand foldin’ these sheets?

  Bug looks at his stump.

  Megan We’ll just fold it best we can.

  Bug Can we sit down?

  Megan They so big we got a’ stand and do it.

  Megan gives some of the sheet to Bug to hold on to.

  Megan You keep hold a’ this here.

  Bug I need to tell you somethin’.

  Megan steps away from Bug.

  Megan I can hear you from here.

  Megan takes the corners and opens the stained sheet out.

  Megan Don’t know how these stains got here.

  Megan halves the width of the sheet.

  Bug It’s James.

  Megan halves the width of the sheet again.

  Megan I think it Burns.

  Megan halves the width of the sheet again.

  Megan He drink so much he must a’ been sick on ’em.

  Megan walks towards Bug and takes the sheet off him.

  Bug He’s dead.

  Megan halves the length of the sheet.

  Megan It gonna kill him one day.

  Megan halves the length of the sheet again.

  Bug Dint have no pain.

  Megan halves the length of the sheet again.

  Megan Bet his liver do.

  Megan folds the sheet, folds it again and again.

  Bug He talked about you –

  Megan Don’t.

  Beat.

  Megan Don’t say no more.

  Bug leaves. Megan holds the tightly folded sheet to her chest as if it were the dead’s flag. Mrs Peel enters, eyes Megan shaking from behind.

  Mrs Peel You holdin’ yourself again?

  Megan nods slowly. Mrs Peel shakes her head, sights the rest of the garments.

  Mrs Peel Fold the rest a’ the them things.

  Megan leaves with the sheet.

  Mrs Peel You come back here.

  Mrs Peel storms after Megan but stops dead in her tracks as Burns enters, holding the radio.

  Mrs Peel (Gruff.) What d’you want?

  Mrs Peel looks away from Burns; he stays where he is.

  Mrs Peel We goin’ after my deer?

  Mrs Peel looks at Burns.

  Mrs Peel Where’s the supplies?

  Mrs Peel looks searchingly at Burns.

  Mrs Peel Burns?

  Burns turns up the volume, beautiful music plays, and puts the radio down.

  Burns (softly) I want my dance.

  Mrs Peel (Relieved but stern.) I aint dancin’.

  Burns walks towards Mrs Peel.

  Mrs Peel Are you outta your mind! I aint dancin’ in here! I got work to do! I never said when!

  Burns stands still before Mrs Peel.

  Burns We only got now.

  Burns takes Mrs Peel’s hand. They dance; he is surprisingly light on his toes whilst she is as stiff as a fence post. He looks at her whilst she looks away. Gradually their steps become smaller and smaller until they are stood still. Burns looks at Mrs Peel for what feels like a long time but is only a moment, she looks back at him. They lean very slowly towards one another. They kiss.

  Turner (Offstage.) Why’d you leave without me?

  Bug (Offstage.) Told you I was comin’ back.

  Mrs Peel jolts away from Burns and darts over to the radio. Mrs Peel tunes the radio as Turner and Bug walk in.

  Turner You could a’ woke me up.

  Bug Thought you were stayin’ on.

  Turner Well I thought both a’ us were.

  Mrs Peel Quiet!

  Radio (American.) . . . resulting in the disarmament of the airbase and the withdrawal of the British Security from the Sheffield area which took place at ten hundred hours GMT. Plans today were revealed for a monument to commemorate the fallen dead in China.

  Turner Withdrawal?

  Beat.

  Turner What’s the disarmament of the airbase got to do with us?

  Beat.

  Turner What the fuck does . . . withdrawal mean?

  Burns Means we aint there no more.

  Turner But . . . if we aint there then who is?

  Beat.

  Who’s controllin’ Sheffield?

  Beat.

  Turner No, no, they . . . they bein’ quarantined. S’why we pulled out. Fuck, I don’t know, there enough diseases. (To Mrs Peel.) Put our radio on.

  Burns It’s dead.

  Turner What d’you mean?

  Turner goes to the radio . . . it’s dead.

  Turner You gonna tell me what the fuck’s going on?

  Burns I put it on this mornin’ at around five and it was dead. I left for the station cause I had to pick up the supplies and the freight never showed. What? Why? Station aint even in Sheffield.

  Burns What did you hear in the beginnin’?

  Mrs Peel Ultimatum expired.

  Turner What ultimatum?

  Mrs Peel Dint hear no more

  Turner I’m . . . I’m . . . I don’t know what’s goin’ on.

  Burns Civilians gave an ultimatum?

  Turner We gave one to them? We gave ’em an ultimatum, right?

  Burns We the ones who’ve withdrawn.

  Turner We don’t know what that means.

  Burns Means we pulled –

  Turner I know that! We don’t know why.

  Mrs Peel Why’s it been broadcast over there?

  Turner Cause a’ the airbase, it’s thei
rs.

  Mrs Peel Why a’ they here?

  Turner They’re not anymore. Security gonna be headin’ over there.

  Burns Maybe civilians a’ headin’ out there.

  Turner The Sheffield border’ll still be there.

  Burns Said withdrew from the area. Area? Area? That aint specific.

  Beat.

  Burns We ride out, see what’s goin’ on.

  Mrs Peel Aint it better to wait here?

  Burns If they comin’, no.

  Turner They aint comin’ out here, there gonna be Security from all over.

  Burns (To Mrs Peel.) we’ll go to a settlement, ask there.

  Turner (To Bug.) You comin’?

  Burns You stay here till we get back.

  Turner leaves. Burns and Mrs Peel look at each other, at Bug stood in the distance between them, then back at each other.

  Burns I’ll be goin’ then.

  Burns makes to leave.

  Mrs Peel How long you gonna be?

  Burns Few hours.

  They look at Bug (oblivious that he is an obstacle) and then at the floor.

  Mrs Peel How many?

  Burns Four.

  Mrs Peel Four?

  Burns Five, maybe.

  They look at each other.

  Burns Can’t say for sure.

  Mrs Peel No, course not.

  Burns makes to leave; stops.

  Burns About yesterday . . .

  Mrs Peel looks at Bug.

  Mrs Peel What about it?

  Burns The way I . . .

  Burns looks at Bug.

  Burns Don’t want yer to think that I just wanted . . .

  They both look at Bug, then at each other.

  Burns I could sit and listen to you say the alphabet.

  Beat.

  Turner (Offstage.) Burns!

  Burns I gotta go now.

  Burns leaves. Mrs Peel stands still for a few seconds; feels his absence. She starts folding the washing that Megan left behind. The rain continues to pour.

  Bug You remember the drizzle, Mrs Peel?

  Beat.

  Bug Constant . . . steady. Never seemed to end, did it? People complained about that. But it dint really affect us much. we were used to it. But now, it’s different. Violent . . . unpredictable. I been out in the worst a’ it. Laid there at night listenin’ to it. Thinkin’ to myself this can’t go on . . . and it always did. But now . . . I think the atmosphere’s finally broken apart.

  Mrs Peel has stopped folding.

  Bug You understand what I mean?

  Beat.

  Mrs Peel I was out walkin’ one time just after a downpour a’ rain. The kind we weren’t used to back then. I’m walkin’ close to a stream and further down on a rock I see a deer. Mindin’ its own business, grazin’ it was. When out a’ nowhere, and at a deadly speed, a ragin’ current a’ water is comin’ right at it. Deer freezes as the water rises all around it. Before, life was like a meanderin’ stream. Takin’ its time. Movin’ casually. Now, it’s like a flash flood. Deceptive. Can get you anytime.

  Mrs Peel picks up the pile of washing.

  Bug What the deer do?

  Mrs Peel It got the fuck out a’ there.

  Mrs Peel leaves.

  Bug Too late.

  Scene Six

  Kitchen. Afternoon. Four hours have passed. Rain.

  Megan is sat peeling potatoes. Mrs Peel is tuning the American radio – various scraps of news, weather, music – she switches it off. She goes to the window, stares out for a while. She comes away from the window and sits at the table. Pause.

  Mrs Peel Takin’ too much skin off.

  Mrs Peel fiddles with the potato peelings.

  Mrs Peel Look at that, waste a’ tater. (Suddenly alert.) That horses?

  Mrs Peel rushes to the window.

  Mrs Peel Wind . . . just hearing the wind.

  Mrs Peel comes away from the window.

  Mrs Peel I need to get that bird in the oven, it’s as old as me and it’ll end up as tough if I don’t have it in long enough. You muckin’ out them stables after that. Mulch some a’ the shit inta soil. Then yer can give me a hand gettin’ them sheep inta the byres . . . winter’s on its way in . . . gotta pluck that bird . . . I’ll peel them taters.

  Mrs Peel goes to Megan.

  Mrs Peel Give me the knife.

  Megan I know how to peel a’ tater.

  Mrs Peel You abusin’ that tater.

  Megan lobs the tater.

  Megan That’s abuse.

  Beat.

  Mrs Peel Pick it up.

  Megan You pick it up.

  Mrs Peel I dint throw it.

  Megan You thrown away everythin’ else.

  Mrs Peel Watch your mouth.

  Megan Say what I want.

  Mrs Peel Not to me you won’t.

  Megan You don’t want a’ hear it.

  Mrs Peel Damn right I don’t.

  Megan None a’ you did, none a’ you ever did, all this is cause a’ you.

  Mrs Peel You have no right –

  Megan I have my right cause you had everythin’ and left me nothin’.

  Mrs Peel We’re all payin’ for it.

  Megan You made your bed and you lyin’ in it.

  Mrs Peel How dare you.

  Megan You been told / you been warned.

  Mrs Peel I marched! I protested!

  Megan You knew what would happen.

  Mrs Peel We dint know it would be like –

  Megan (Screams.) You let it get to this! You let the sea rise and flooded cities, burst river banks and destroyed our houses. You used up oil, made cars stop, forced us inta towns. You made us share rooms, put us in factories, fed us rations, let us get sick. You let my brother die a’ TB, made my mum hang herself, sent James to war . . . for a pipe . . . and you killed him . . .

  Mrs Peel (Shouts.) That’s enough!

  Megan (Cries hideously.) You killed him.

  Mrs Peel Enough.

  Megan (Wails.) I have a baby.

  (Silence.)

  Mrs Peel You stupid. Stupid. Stupid girl!

  Pause.

  Mrs Peel How far gone?

  Megan Five months.

  Mrs Peel You tell me this now?

  Megan Dint want to get rid a’ it.

  Mrs Peel You can’t keep the damn thing!

  Megan It my baby.

  Mrs Peel You don’t have that choice.

  Megan Made my choice.

  Mrs Peel You took that rod out?

  Megan It a gift.

  Mrs Peel No. no. you’ll pay a price for it.

  Turner, blood on his clothes, enters.

  Mrs Peel Where’s Burns?

  Turner Where’s Bug?

  Mrs Peel (Quietly.) Where’s Burns?

  Turner Need to tell Bug . . . there’s too many a’ ’em . . . they, they comin’ from everywhere . . . runnin’ right past us like we aint even there . . . like we nothin’ . . . like we aint what they afraid a’ . . . where’s Bug? Cause Burns . . . Burns is off his horse runnin’ among ’em askin’ . . . askin’ why they runnin’ . . . bullet come out a’ nowhere . . . where’s Bug? Need to tell him Burns’s dead . . . that we gotta get out a’ here cause . . . we been left. We been left behind. A train took all Security North this mornin’ and no one thought to come the fuck out here and fuckin’ tell us! (Rage.) Where’s Bug?

  Mrs Peel (To Megan.) Wait outside.

  Turner (Rage.) They fuckin’ left us out here to burn!

  Turner wheels round erratically.

  Mrs Peel (To Megan.) Now.

  Turner Where’s Bug?

  Megan leaves.

  Mrs Peel He aint here.

  Turner is still frantic when suddenly he stands still, calm.

  Turner I’m dyin’ for some breakfast.

  Beat.

  Mrs Peel I make it way past seven.

  Turner laughs a little.

  Turner Yeah, guess it is.

  Turner walks away, stops, his bac
k to Mrs Peel.

  Turner They been firin’ nuclear missiles from the airbase. Ultimatum expired. We’re gettin’ one back.

  Turner walks away, Mrs Peel goes after him.

  Mrs Peel What d’you mean?

  Turner turns to Mrs Peel.

  Turner Boom.

  Turner leaves. Mrs Peel steps backwards and sits in the chair where Megan sat before. She sits very still for a few seconds, then picks up a potato and peels it. Megan enters; watches Mrs Peel attempting to peel the potato with trembling hands. Pause.

  Mrs Peel continues to peel the potato.

  Megan It a good sign?

  Mrs Peel continues to peel the potato.

  Megan Mrs Peel?

  Mrs Peel continues to peel.

  Megan They risen like Burns said?

  Mrs Peel stops peeling.

  Megan That what it mean?

  Mrs Peel looks at Megan. Pause.

  Mrs Peel Yeah. Yeah. It do.

  Megan What that mean for us?

  Mrs Peel We’ll soon find out.

  Mrs Peel wanders away.

  Megan Where you goin’?

  Mrs Peel Make us a tea.

  Scene Seven

  Peak. Late afternoon.

  Bug is sat, holding his flask. Turner is stood.

  Turner We gotta get up North.

  Turner looks at Bug who stares out vacantly.

  Turner We got a’ head up the Pennine Way.

  Beat.

  Turner You hear what I said?

  Beat.

  Turner (Kicks the flask.) Answer me you useless piece a’ shit!

  Beat. Turner stiffens.

  Turner Get up.

  Beat.

  Turner Get up now.

  Beat.

  Turner Get up we’re goin’.

  Beat.

  Turner Up. (Kicks Bug’s foot.) Now.

  Turner walks away, stops, back turned to Bug.

  Turner Get up!

  Turner puts his hands on his hips.

  Turner On your feet soldier.

  Bug There are soldiers runnin’ blind through smoke as another bomb slams down.

  Turner (Barks.) On your feet soldier.

  Bug Some are fallin’, some are dragged down by the man behind.

  Turner On your fuckin’ feet!

  Bug The earth buries ’em there and then together as the explosion ploughs the earth.

  Turner (Screams.) That’s an order!

  Bug There are soldiers waitin’ for order to retreat.

  Turner (Despair.) That’s an order.

  Bug There are soldiers tryin’ to sleep where they are cause the order never comes.

  Turner (Breaking.) I order you.

  Bug Explosions gun fire cries.

  Turner (Begging.) I order you under the authority of the Security to your feet.