Everything possible to be believed is an image of the truth William Blake Scene One ‘winter evening. The crumbling kitchen of a very old mbouse: stone floors, an old stove. The table is piled | with boxes of groceries and crates of spirits, Allis in “darkness. Estelle, a child of ton, is lit by a single candle. he is drawing a chalk square around a flagstone. When finished, she makes some strange gestures with her msds. She puts her ear to the ground in the middle of he square, and listens. Belle Don’t let them come any nearer. Keep them away, please keep them away... Isend my wish crashing through the rocks that everything'l fall on them, __ inthe sky that their planes will crash in flames, that the sea will roar with storms and I say drown them all; destroy them all, fling them to pieces for taking our house _ and let my brother come like a bright angel F to save me, Save me. "Lake, a housekeeper, enters carrying a lamp. Jake What are you doing? elle Nothing. ‘Lake Well, get up then. (Parts the lamp on the table.) And blow that candle out. I shouldn't think we'll gee wer back “til morning now. _fstelle I'm afraid I can’t move just yet, Mrs Lake. ‘Lake Why not?GABRIEL MOIRA BUFFINI Estelle Pm involved in something, Lake You were going to help me with these orders, Belle Course not. Estelle Sorry. ‘Well then. Come and help me with these orders. Lake Well, suit yourself. (Sorting through boxes of ‘roceries,) Everything in at once and nowhere to blas putit.. le I'm in an enchantment. ke Well, that’s marvellous. (As she fills an order.) . Spam, a sugar .. . It’s dwarves you can hear in there, working in their gold mine. Lake starts to make up packages of goods tied with newspaper and string. : Estelle I'm listening to the men. Lake What? Estelle The men underneath, tlle Are you scared of them, Mrs Lake? | Lake Those men? Course not. ‘Lake Rubbish. They're miles away those tunnels; not) — even close. Estelle They're going to come right under. Lake Since when? Estelle I can hear the machines. ce Well don’t think about them. I'm sure I never do. {stelle I saw one in the lane when it was getting dark, Il pale and bony. You never see them by themselves but Estelle They're building a labyrinth, a huge labyrinth for} fhis one was alone, He said something in foreign. the Krauts. Lake Course you can’t. ke Nonsense, elle I had a sandwich in my pocket so I threw it at ‘fim and ran away. I looked over my shoulder and he ‘yas on his knees in front of it with his mouth open, Lake Not under here, they’re not, We're too near the sea; they'd flood. And look, it’: past nine o'clock. Even if they were down there, they'd have gone home to the camp for their tea, wouldn’t they? Estelle They don’t have any tea. They have a lump of || bread ~ that big ~ a lump of mouldy bread. Lake How do you know? " iselle D'you know what he was wearing under his Estelle Everybody knows. Packet? 96GABRIEL MOIRA BUFFINT L want him out of here before ie’ bright. Pm going te sami What are you going to do? Bed don’ wane my daughter upset, and I don’t w. fm going to make him drink something. Lily rans outside. Jeanne pours herself « drink, She 4 139 goes to own @ glass of Cognac, drinks it. . zawping, Estelle. Get the blankets. Lily puts the Cognac to the man’s lips. ‘May the ground open and swallow me. elle exits. She exits, The door opens and Lily and Estelle nie, ten, come on, drink. You're somewhere warm. Out of dragging 4 man between them. He's naked except Me Dont di, bloke, live... fee eeece cece reece = iy moves to hiss him on the lips. As she does 20, the | jiebts go out, leaving the kitchen in total darkness, el ‘oming from the stove. Lily Lily Get him over to the fire. Estelle He made a noise. Lily When? Estelle In the barn. Like a‘ mouth. Lily That’s good. Estelle Then he puked up. a and air going through his “G1 ambles towards the kitchen table. She searches © for matches. dalle (calling, off) Lily! Tuen the lights back ont ares Tip lights the lamp. Estelle comes in, staggering wider Estelle All salt water and yellow stuff. gn armful of blankets and linen. Lily Oh. Fsedle I hate this house. Estelle And he moaned but I coulda’t tell what language and we'll lift Make him a bed there near the stove, Lily Put him in the chair. . Be on to it. aaa Es yas i i sar. It’s Daddy’s old one. ‘They lay him down in an armchair in front of the lle I brought him this to wear z stove. Estelle, sun upstairs and find all che blankets you can. Bring him the pillows off my bed and the spare 1 ciderdown, And find him something to wear. We have to get him warm. :GABRIEL MOIRA BUFFINI ecole wnat puts ber arms and one leg around bi. ‘What are you doing? bulle I'm warming him with my body heat. I'm going se his life. You put the blankets over us. Lily When you came in and sa me is .w your mum and that Majos, what did you. Imean, you looked like ya seen a ghost. Estelle So? Lily What were they doing? Estelle Nothing. Lily So. le Why not? ‘That's not what you do. Suclle Its how you save people in the Alps. id you just get a fright? Lily Have you seen him before? cate Estelle No, I just hate him, (Gazing at the man.) Hes got cuts on his legs. We should be doing something! le s0 if he pukes up in the Lily Oh... He must've hit them on the rocks. Estelle There's barbed wire in the sea. Lily Estelle, I don’t like this. He's too still, hus gils were on a skiing trip from their Swiss finishing Estelle He’s just sleeping, isn’t he? 3 Sch Pee ond an avalanche blocked off their route so they ly He's hardly breathing, ; dd each other all night to stay warm. But there was wldivt touch anybody and she Estelle Move him over here. the found herself sinking into Lily Right. Yes. he ed to do was sleep and sleep. ul et help him. Ws on esquire of power ammo he aes wee teed bur he kp Lily (to the mar) Come on, live. Estelle Pick him up, Lily! ee Pea “tuulle "Cause that’s what happens when you die of colds a ai fall into a deeper and deeper sleep and if no one They pick the mans : | faems you up with their body heat like,your friends or @ ele Hila inter to get him onto. Wgernsed, you go further and further ihuide yourself lown next to him, 4 ‘ero a and of dreams and eventually your spirit leavesMOIRA BUFFINI your body and floats up to the firmament. Tell go all over me now. Lily What? Estelle If he pukes. I'm changing sides. Lily puts the lamp on a nearby chair. Then she lies down beside him, Estelle What are you doing? Lily Same as you, what d’you think? Lily curls up against the man. She puts her head to chest. Estelle He smells of the sea, doesn’t he? Lily Yes. Estelle How long do you think he was in there? Lily I don’t know. Estelle Can we call him someth Lily If you like. We could call him George, after the King. Estelle (shyly) Gabriel. Lily Why dyou want to call him that? Estelle It’s my favourite name. Lily Blimey. Estelle Wake up, Gabriel. Estelle kisses him, Pause. Lily You'd better go to bed now. Estelle Nol... Lily You should've been asleep hours ago, come on. m2, GABRIEL fou can't, Bstelle . le Why not? (Pause.) He won't dies I know he | Don’t make me go to bed! ‘You have to go. ie Its NOT FAIR! Nobody ever lets me do anything!MOIRA BUFFINI Jeanne If he’s troubled, Margaret, don’t you think i because you're trying to asphyxiate him with soup? Jeanne (going to the window) ' Jeanne (going the window) What's happened? Wh Lily I don’: know. I just saw it out my bedrooin Win Jeanne (to Lake.) Margaret, get your coat, ; Lake I'll stay here and watch him. Lily T'l watch him, Lake (defensively) He’s having his soup. Lily (in horror, noticing) What are you doing to him? Lake Sustenance. Lily He can’t eat that. Lake I's wholesome, nourishing food. Jeanne Margaret, I want you with me, right don't leave my side. , right now. P Jeanne leaves. Lake Feed him that soup. Lily You must be joking, Lake Then it’s your fault if he dies. Lily 1 saved his life! Lake leaves. Lily takes a napkin from Lake's : wipes Gabriel’s face, hie rom Lakes i ‘Wicked old bag; what's she done to you? . is what happens when I leave you, I'm sorry. I had to ‘There, This 126 GABRIEL soe leep. (Lily goes to the window.) There they go. {ex up the lane on their bloody broomsticks. (Pause.) Coot even eight miles long, this island. Lean cycle it in half a day. And Pve grown to hate it, Gabriel. every rock. I want to smash every stupid little eion and prissy litcle house. I've lived such a useless life fe, up to my ankles in chicken shit, growing veg for m to flog to the Krauts. If only I was in London or ‘or anywhere, I could be doing something! Attiraing to the bed.) {almost fll over you. You were fale I thought you were quartz. You scared me. [was {celebrating my anniversary, you sec. In the minefields. “Thre years to the day since I came here as 2 bride. {Bremsey’s one of the island jewels of Europe,’ he'd say. $ay'll love you there,’ and he'd look at me and laugh; wed his laugh. When we got here. . . Ishouldn’r tell (Pause.) ‘Lily’s my Jew-girl,’ first thing he said, and “exives me this great, long kiss right in front of her. It like he . .. Still. Three months 1 had with him, that’s Tean hardly remember it now. (Touches bin.) sre softer than mine, your hands. Mine are ruined, “ocking sprouts out 0” the frost. Pause. She kisses Gabriel on the lips, with passion. Ihispers.) Please don’t be a madman. Please don’t be a ‘aut, Please wake up and be my friend. (No response. self.) Stupid cow. She goes to the window again, During the following, Gabriel opens his eyes. For a tuhile he’s too | hovildered to move, but be gradually begins to focus om Lily. He slowly sits up. “What's i like, flying? I can’t imagine how beautiful S erything must look from up there. The very thought of ng above the clouds, above the clouds in all that lights UPsbeyond me . .. makes me want to cry, just thinking 127MOIRA BUFFINI about it, (Pause.) I get these attacks, Gabriel, where start going mad inside "cause I can’t get away. Feels like can’t breathe. Sometimes, when I’m in the fields al ale and the sky’s pressing down, or in the lane where the white weeds grow, it gets on top of me so much, alll green and the clouds and the smell, that I shut my eyes and with all the force of my person I say: Give me wings 80 I could rise up off my feet, so I could strive away e see this place fading in the distance. . . Give me wings: could see the sea stretching out beneath me, all blug, all dazaling, and I think, that feeling, that feeling I wan of freedom, of floating, that feeling ... that'd be wai dying for, wouldn't it? (She is crying.) Oht going to walk right into those mines and blow myseli ts ingdom come! . .. I would've done it too but I'm gh T didn’t now, and I owe that to — Lily turns around. Gabriel is staring at her, bewild She starts with shock. Pause, You're awake. Lily wipes her eyes. She goes to the bed. Do you understand me? Gabriel | thought I was dead, Lily (taking bis hand and gripping it tightly) No you're not dead. See? Your hands are warmer than min, (Smiling with joy.) English .. . You're him, aren't you? ‘The man in the plane. Gabriel (pause) Who are you? Lily I'm Lilian Becquet. Lily. Gabriel Where am I? GABRIEL ‘You're at the Lodge on the Hermitage estate, Ir'sa cn near St Saviours, On Guernsey, the island of snsey. What’s your name? riel I need some water. ily Here. “Lily gives Gabriel some water Iujel Thank you. (He drinks.) I don't know. ily Well, you've only just woken up. It's the shock fexpect. What you've been through’s made you forget Sabriel What happened to me? Your plane crashed into the sea. Tsaw “iy Lwas down by the beach three nights ago and "you lying on the sand. It looked like you'd dragged your out of the waves. At first I thought you were dead, “hen you moved your hand. Your fingers uncurled . 6 abriel You saved me? “lily Yes. Me and the people who live here. a Gabriel Did I say anything? li " chree days. Lily No, you weren't able. You've been ill for u Mlsconscious We thought you were going to die, Gabriel. psa miracle — Gabriel What did you call me? - “ily Oh, Gabriel.MOIRA BUFFINE Lily We made it up. We had to call you something Gabriel Gabriel? Lily My sister-in-law chose it; she’s only ten, Gabriel I can’t remember anything. I don’t know whi Took like. I have no memory of myself at all. Lily Wait, there's a mirror here... She hands Gabriel a mirror. He looks at himself,” concentrated, bt uvrecognising, Gabriel I don’t know who this is. He puts the mirror down, troubled. yourself time. Gabriel Yes. Lily Rest, and think. Anyt no matter how small. follow, I know it will , any image in your head, Hold on to it and the rest will Gabriel (pause) Falling. Lily What? Gabriel Darkness. Falling . . Lily You remember falling? Gabriel nods, 1 expect you bailed out of your plane, got your parachute off in the sea Gabriel No. Falling. I don’t know what you mean. Gabriel No plane, no parachute, I was free. (Pause.) Why were you crying? GABRIEL _vasn’t crying. (Looking down.) P'm not like that, il ie Not like what? il Yes, yes, I'm hungry. biy Right, P'l get you some food. Gabriel takes hold of herMOIRA BUFFINI ‘Yon Pfunz May I see his papers? ightseeing, Would that be convenient? ior It thrills me to hear you lie, Jeanne. Ever word excites me. To hear you lie when I k: are capable of such truth . . ~~ Estelle That is the truth! He’s my cousin Gabri Torteval and if you don’ believe it you can jump of earth, Von Pfunz Well! The poltergeist . Jeanne What do you want her for, Major? ‘Von Pfunz I discover that she has taken something my room. Estelle I didn’t take anything. Jeanne She says she didn’t take anything. Von Pfunz I'm afraid she's lying. Where can she hai learnt such behaviour? he het Jeanne I can’t leave you with hes, I’m sorry. Estelle I'm not scared of him, Mummy, ‘Von Pfunz What do you think I will do? Hit her? I hay never hit a child Jeanne (¢o Bstelle) Pl be in my room. You only have t) Jeanne exits. ‘Von Pfunz You know what I want, Estelle No. GABRIEL Pfunz Come on, little phantom; you have a book of Pfunz Don’t waste my time, please. le I don’t know what you're talking about. Sorry. oa Pfunz I ask you kindly to return it lle I can't, can 22 oa Pfunz. That book is my only friend and I am a ely man. PBsidle I haven't got it. Yon Pfunz. I'm irritated by lies. I respect only the truth, “Belle That is the cruth. “on Pfunz (pause) Estelle, I wish to make it clear that jou are in very deep trouble, There is a road I could send you down, and this road, you have no idea where 14 Pfunz, So. There is something essential about the | yar that you have failed to grasp: whoever is winning, | fd that is us, can do what they like. War is governed by ‘pace and chaos, not che law. This is areal war, Estelle "not some stupid game in your head. Over the water ‘rillions of people are dying, It is out of control. Force 4nd chaos are terrible masters. I have killed people, yes Thave, an ordinary man like me. If you bad known me | fefore the war you would have said, Von Pfunz? He is a | jie fellow, a good old chap but now, imagine, [could 145MOIRA BUFFINI GABRIEL kill you, There is no justice left, only force. If you were little Polish gicl or a Jew and you had taken my bool I would take you outside the door right now and shoot you in the back of the head (He touches her; she flinches.) and no one would say a word. y Estelle Maybe you just lost it. Von Pfunz {moves away, irritated) Did you give it your sister-in-law? Estelle No. Von Pfunz I think you did. Perhaps I should take he outside and shoot her instead? 4 Pfunz Do you like her selling food to us while the Gnders are hungry? She’s 2 parasite, don’t you think? ... ld you like to see her going to jail? She hasn't done anything! m Pfunz What had I done to you, when you stole my oi? What had I done to you when you leant over me “the night and put those things on my face? When I {e in that horrible way did you listen to my fear and 2 Did my anguish amuse you? Estelle She hasn't done anything, ‘Von Pfunz She is the cunning mind behind you. I hea her say so herself. Estelle She was lying! Von Pfunz So are you. People will laugh at you for taking my book. Do you know what is in there? There are no state secrets or Nazi plans. Do you know what i is that I write? Tam a poet; does that surprise you? (He giggles.) I hardly think you're going to bring about the fall of the Third Reich with my poetry book... Estelle I haven't gor it. ‘Von Pfunz (lighting candles) What about your handsom cousin? Has he got it? Estelle No. Von Pfunz Why do you lic, Estelle? Estelle I'm not lying. mPfunz. Then we have something in common. F Geaning over her.) Forgive me, but no éne likes you ‘Von Pfunz Has your Mummy got my book? ir do they? You have the haunted look of a child 146 147MOIRA BUFFINI who is lonely. A child who must imagine her friends o of thin ais, communing with the ghosts. Perhaps thi your only real friends, the shades of night. It will a be that way. Do you understand me, Estelle? 1 know. exactly the kind of woman you will become . .. unloy (He caresses her face.) You are in your coffin. Estelle attempts to turn her head. Von Pfintz grips b face, hard. Give me my book. Estelle I threw it in the sea! Von Pfunz. (shaking her) You're lying! Estelle Mammy! MUMMY! ‘Von Pfunz Damn you! Estelle screams, He releases her. Jeanne en the lights on. Jenne enter Estelle He said you w Lily and put you in jail Jeanne Of course he doesn’t. He’s making nasty, idle threats. Von Pfunz is giggling. Perhaps you'd go now. Von Pfunz I don’t yee have what I came for. Jeanne And whav’s that? ‘Von Pfunz My book. Jeanne Give the Major his book. Estelle I haven't got it. Jeanne Is that the truth? 148 GABRIEL Biclle Yes. ‘Then go to your room. a Pfunz. I must have this settled? ene If she's got it, you'll get it back, You can rely on Estelle exits. Pause. Shion, did you just come here to terrorise my child, or is Something I can do for you, before you leave? 1¢ What's that? on Pfunz. | am worried for you, Jeanne, worried that have a Jew sharing your home, eating the same ocd, spending time with your child .. e Major ~ n Pfunz She is a bad influence, this we can see. Why you throw her out? 1¢ She's my son’s wife. wa Piunz, Why didn’t she go back to England before .cinvasion? She must have known the danger. Janne She wanted to! I asked her to take Estelle to a uasin of mine in London, I knew [ had to stay on the land; my house, you know, I wouldn’t leave my house, "way, they got down to the harbour and everything panic and mayhem. Estelle got frightened in the wd and ran away. By the time Lilian found her, the st boat had sailed. on Pfunz So it’s the child’s fault that the Jew is ded here? Amazing, the damage innogence can ~My problem: I have looked up her records and. 149