Read Online Complete Works, Volume I by Harold Pinter - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Harold Pinter
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sideways in STANLEY’S path. STANLEY walks into the drum and falls over with his foot caught in it.
MEG . Ooh!
GOLDBERG . Sssh!
STANLEY rises. He begins to move towards MEG , dragging the drum on his foot. He reaches her and stops. His hands move towards her and they reach her throat. He begins to strangle her. MCCANN and GOLDBERG rush forward and throw him off.
BLACKOUT
There is now no light at all through the window. The stage is in darkness.
LULU . The lights!
GOLDBERG . What's happened?
LULU . The lights!
MCCANN . Wait a minute.
GOLDBERG . Where is he?
MCCANN . Let go of me!
GOLDBERG . Who's this?
LULU . Someone's touching me!
MCCANN . Where is he?
MEG . Why has the light gone out?
GOLDBERG . Where's your torch? ( MCCANN shines the torch in GOLDBERG’S face. ) Not on me! ( MCCANN shifts the torch. It is knocked from his hand and falls. It goes out. )
MCCANN . My torch!
LULU . Oh God!
GOLDBERG . Where's your torch? Pick up your torch!
MCCANN . I can't find it.
LULU . Hold me. Hold me.
GOLDBERG . Get down on your knees. Help him find the torch.
LULU . I can't.
MCCANN . It's gone.
MEG . Why has the light gone out?
GOLDBERG . Everyone quiet! Help him find the torch.
Silence. Grunts from MCCANN and GOLDBERG on their knees. Suddenly there is a sharp, sustained rat-a-tat with a stick on the side of the drum from the back of the room. Silence. Whimpers from LULU .
GOLDBERG . Over here. McCann!
MCCANN . Here.
GOLDBERG . Come to me, come to me. Easy. Over there. GOLDBERG and MCCANN move up left of the table. STANLEY moves down right of the table. LULU suddenly perceives him moving towards her, screams and faints. GOLDBERG and MCCANN turn and stumble against each other.
GOLDBERG . What is it?
MCCANN . Who's that?
GOLDBERG . What is it?
In the darkness STANLEY picks up LULU and places her on the table.
MEG . It's Lulu!
GOLDBERG and MCCANN move downstage, right.
GOLDBERG . Where is she?
MCCANN . She fell.
GOLDBERG . Where?
MCCANN . About here.
GOLDBERG . Help me pick her up.
MCCANN ( moving downstage, left ). I can't find her.
GOLDBERG . She must be somewhere.
MCCANN . She's not here.
GOLDBERG ( moving downstage, left ). She must be.
MCCANN . She's gone.
MCCANN finds the torch on the floor, shines it on the table and STANLEY . LULU is lying spread-eagled on the table, STANLEY bent over her. STANLEY , as soon as the torchlight hits him, begins to giggle. GOLDBERG and MCCANN move towards him. He backs, giggling, the torch on his face. They follow him upstage, left. He backs against the hatch, giggling. The torch draws closer. His giggle rises and grows as he flattens himself against the wall. Their figures converge upon him.
Curtain
Act Three
The next morning, PETEY enters, left, with a newspaper and sits at the table. He begins to read. MEG’S voice comes through the kitchen hatch.
MEG . Is that you, Stan? ( Pause. ) Stanny?
PETEY . Yes?
MEG . Is that you?
PETEY . It's me.
MEG ( appearing at the hatch ). Oh, it's you. I've run out of cornflakes.
PETEY . Well, what else have you got?
MEG . Nothing.
PETEY . Nothing?
MEG . Just a minute. ( She leaves the hatch and enters by the kitchen door. ) You got your paper?
PETEY . Yes.
MEG . Is it good?
PETEY . Not bad.
MEG . The two gentlemen had the last of the fry this morning.
PETEY . Oh, did they?
MEG . There's some tea in the pot though. ( She pours tea for him. ) I'm going out shopping in a minute. Get you something nice. I've got a splitting headache.
PETEY ( reading ). You slept like a log last night.
MEG . Did I?
PETEY . Dead out.
MEG . I must have been tired. ( She looks about the room and sees the broken drum in the fireplace. ) Oh, look. ( She rises and picks it up. ) The drum's broken. ( PETEY looks up. ) Why is it broken?
PETEY . I don't know.
She hits it with her hand.
MEG . It still makes a noise.
PETEY . You can always get another one.
MEG ( sadly ). It was probably broken in the party. I don't
MEG . Ooh!
GOLDBERG . Sssh!
STANLEY rises. He begins to move towards MEG , dragging the drum on his foot. He reaches her and stops. His hands move towards her and they reach her throat. He begins to strangle her. MCCANN and GOLDBERG rush forward and throw him off.
BLACKOUT
There is now no light at all through the window. The stage is in darkness.
LULU . The lights!
GOLDBERG . What's happened?
LULU . The lights!
MCCANN . Wait a minute.
GOLDBERG . Where is he?
MCCANN . Let go of me!
GOLDBERG . Who's this?
LULU . Someone's touching me!
MCCANN . Where is he?
MEG . Why has the light gone out?
GOLDBERG . Where's your torch? ( MCCANN shines the torch in GOLDBERG’S face. ) Not on me! ( MCCANN shifts the torch. It is knocked from his hand and falls. It goes out. )
MCCANN . My torch!
LULU . Oh God!
GOLDBERG . Where's your torch? Pick up your torch!
MCCANN . I can't find it.
LULU . Hold me. Hold me.
GOLDBERG . Get down on your knees. Help him find the torch.
LULU . I can't.
MCCANN . It's gone.
MEG . Why has the light gone out?
GOLDBERG . Everyone quiet! Help him find the torch.
Silence. Grunts from MCCANN and GOLDBERG on their knees. Suddenly there is a sharp, sustained rat-a-tat with a stick on the side of the drum from the back of the room. Silence. Whimpers from LULU .
GOLDBERG . Over here. McCann!
MCCANN . Here.
GOLDBERG . Come to me, come to me. Easy. Over there. GOLDBERG and MCCANN move up left of the table. STANLEY moves down right of the table. LULU suddenly perceives him moving towards her, screams and faints. GOLDBERG and MCCANN turn and stumble against each other.
GOLDBERG . What is it?
MCCANN . Who's that?
GOLDBERG . What is it?
In the darkness STANLEY picks up LULU and places her on the table.
MEG . It's Lulu!
GOLDBERG and MCCANN move downstage, right.
GOLDBERG . Where is she?
MCCANN . She fell.
GOLDBERG . Where?
MCCANN . About here.
GOLDBERG . Help me pick her up.
MCCANN ( moving downstage, left ). I can't find her.
GOLDBERG . She must be somewhere.
MCCANN . She's not here.
GOLDBERG ( moving downstage, left ). She must be.
MCCANN . She's gone.
MCCANN finds the torch on the floor, shines it on the table and STANLEY . LULU is lying spread-eagled on the table, STANLEY bent over her. STANLEY , as soon as the torchlight hits him, begins to giggle. GOLDBERG and MCCANN move towards him. He backs, giggling, the torch on his face. They follow him upstage, left. He backs against the hatch, giggling. The torch draws closer. His giggle rises and grows as he flattens himself against the wall. Their figures converge upon him.
Curtain
Act Three
The next morning, PETEY enters, left, with a newspaper and sits at the table. He begins to read. MEG’S voice comes through the kitchen hatch.
MEG . Is that you, Stan? ( Pause. ) Stanny?
PETEY . Yes?
MEG . Is that you?
PETEY . It's me.
MEG ( appearing at the hatch ). Oh, it's you. I've run out of cornflakes.
PETEY . Well, what else have you got?
MEG . Nothing.
PETEY . Nothing?
MEG . Just a minute. ( She leaves the hatch and enters by the kitchen door. ) You got your paper?
PETEY . Yes.
MEG . Is it good?
PETEY . Not bad.
MEG . The two gentlemen had the last of the fry this morning.
PETEY . Oh, did they?
MEG . There's some tea in the pot though. ( She pours tea for him. ) I'm going out shopping in a minute. Get you something nice. I've got a splitting headache.
PETEY ( reading ). You slept like a log last night.
MEG . Did I?
PETEY . Dead out.
MEG . I must have been tired. ( She looks about the room and sees the broken drum in the fireplace. ) Oh, look. ( She rises and picks it up. ) The drum's broken. ( PETEY looks up. ) Why is it broken?
PETEY . I don't know.
She hits it with her hand.
MEG . It still makes a noise.
PETEY . You can always get another one.
MEG ( sadly ). It was probably broken in the party. I don't
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