Ends and Odds Read online

  Pause.

  V: Yes, but it is too soon.

  Pause. M resumes pacing, after one length halts facing front at L. Pause.

  M: What age am I now?

  V: And I? (Pause. No louder.) And I?

  M: Ninety.

  V: So much?

  M: Eighty-nine, ninety.

  V: I had you late. (Pause.) In life. (Pause.) Forgive me … again. (Pause. No louder.) Forgive me … again.

  Pause.

  M: What age am I now?

  V: In your forties.

  M: So little?

  V: I’m afraid so. (Pause. M resumes pacing. After first turn at R.) May. (Pause. No louder.) May.

  M (pacing): Yes, Mother.

  V: Will you never have done? (Pause.) Will you never have done … revolving it all?

  M (halting): It?

  V: It all. (Pause.) In your poor mind. (Pause.) It all. (Pause.) It all.

  M resumes pacing. Five seconds. Fade out on strip. All in darkness. Steps cease.

  Long pause.

  Chime a little fainter. Pause for echoes. Fade up to a little less on strip. Rest in darkness. M discovered facing front at R.

  Pause.

  V: I walk here now. (Pause.) Rather I come and stand. (Pause.) At nightfall. (Pause.) She fancies she is alone. (Pause.) See how still she stands, how stark, with her face to the wall. (Pause.) How outwardly unmoved. (Pause.) She has not been out since girlhood. Not out since girlhood. (Pause.) Where is she, it may be asked. (Pause.) Why, in the old home, the same where she— (Pause.) The same where she began. (Pause.) Where it began. (Pause.) It all began. (Pause.) But this, this, when did this begin? (Pause.) When other girls of her age were out at … lacrosse she was already here. (Pause.) At this. (Pause.) The floor here, now bare, once was—(M begins pacing. Steps a little slower.) But let us watch her move, in silence. (M paces. Towards end of second length.) Watch how feat she wheels. (M turns, paces. Synchronous with steps third length.) Seven eight nine wheel. (M turns at L, paces one more length, halts facing front at R.) I say the floor here, now bare, this strip of floor, once was carpeted, a deep pile. Till one night, while still little more than a child, she called her mother and said, Mother, this is not enough. The mother: Not enough? May—the child’s given name-May: Not enough. The mother: What do you mean, May, not enough, what can you possibly mean, May, not enough? May: I mean, Mother, that I must hear the feet, however faint they fall. The mother: The motion alone is not enough? May: No, Mother, the motion alone is not enough, I must hear the feet, however faint they fall. (Pause. M resumes pacing. With pacing.) Does she still sleep, it may be asked? Yes, some nights she does, in snatches, bows her poor head against the wall and snatches a little sleep. (Pause.) Still speak? Yes, some nights she does, when she fancies none can hear. (Pause.) Tells how it was. (Pause.) Tries to tell how it was. (Pause.) It all. (Pause.) It all.

  M continues pacing. Five seconds. Fade out on strip. All in darkness. Steps cease.

  Long pause.

  Chime a little fainter still. Pause for echoes. Fade up to a little less still on strip. Rest in darkness. M discovered facing front at R.

  Pause.

  M: Sequel. (M begins pacing, after two lengths halts facing front at R.) Sequel. A little later, when she was quite forgotten, she began to—(Pause.) A little later, when as though she had never been, it never been, she began to walk. (Pause.) At nightfall. (Pause.) Slip out at nightfall and into the little church by the north door, always locked at that hour, and walk, up and down, up and down, His poor arm. (Pause.) Some nights she would halt, as one frozen by some shudder of the mind, and stand stark still till she could move again. But many also were the nights when she paced without pause, up and down, up and down, before vanishing the way she came. (Pause.) No sound. (Pause.) None at least to be heard. (Pause.) The semblance. (Pause. Resumes pacing. Steps a little slower still. After two lengths halts facing front at R.) The semblance. Faint, though by no means invisible, in a certain light. (Pause.) Given the right light. (Pause.) Grey rather than white, a pale shade of grey. (Pause.) Tattered. (Pause.) A tangle of tatters. (Pause.) A faint tangle of pale grey tatters. (Pause.) Watch it pass—(pause)—watch her pass before the candelabrum how its flames, their light … like moon through passing … rack. (Pause.) Soon then after she was gone, as though never there, began to walk, up and down, up and down, that poor arm. (Pause.) At nightfall. (Pause.) That is to say, at certain seasons of the year, during Vespers. (Pause.) Necessarily. (Pause. Resumes pacing. After one length halts facing front at L. Pause.) Old Mrs. Winter, whom the reader will remember, old Mrs. Winter, one late autumn Sunday evening, on sitting down to supper with her daughter after worship, after a few half-hearted mouthfuls laid down her knife and fork and bowed her head. What is it, Mother, said the daughter, a most strange girl, though scarcely a girl any more … (brokenly) … dreadfully un—(Pause. Normal voice.) What is it, Mother, are you not feeling yourself? (Pause.) Mrs. W. did not at once reply. But finally, raising her head and fixing Amy—the daughter’s given name, as the reader will remember—raising her head and fixing Amy full in the eye she said— (pause)—she murmured, fixing Amy full in the eye she murmured, Amy, did you observe anything … strange at Evensong? Amy: No, Mother, I did not. Mrs. W: Perhaps it was just my fancy. Amy: Just what exactly, Mother, did you perhaps fancy it was? (Pause.) Just what exactly, Mother, did you perhaps fancy this … strange thing was you observed? (Pause.) Mrs. W: You yourself observed nothing … strange? Amy: No, Mother, I myself did not, to put it mildly. Mrs. W: What do you mean, Amy, to put it mildly, what can you possibly mean, Amy, to put it mildly? Amy: I mean, Mother, that to say I observed nothing … strange is indeed to put it mildly. For I observed nothing of any kind, strange or otherwise. I saw nothing, heard nothing, of any kind. I was not there. Mrs. W: Not there? Amy: Not there. Mrs. W: But I heard you respond. (Pause.) I heard you say Amen. (Pause.) How could you have responded if you were not there? (Pause.) How could you possibly have said Amen if, as you claim, you were not there? (Pause.) The love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all, now, and for evermore. Amen. (Pause.) I heard you distinctly. (Pause. Resumes pacing. After five steps halts without facing front. Long pause. Resumes pacing, halts facing front at R. Long pause.) Amy. (Pause. No louder.) Amy. (Pause.) Yes, Mother. (Pause.) Will you never have done? (Pause.) Will you never have done … revolving it all? (Pause.) It? (Pause.) It all. (Pause.) In your poor mind. (Pause.) It all. (Pause.) It all.

  Pause. Fade out on strip. All in darkness.

  Pause.

  Chime even a little fainter still. Pause for echoes. Fade up to even a little less still on strip. No trace of May. Hold fifteen seconds. Fade out.

  Curtain.

  Ghost Trio

  A Television Play

  Ghost Trio was first taped for television by the BBC in October, 1976, directed by D. McWhinnie. It will be taped again by the Süd-Deutscher Rundfunk in May, 1977, directed by Samuel Beckett, with Klaus Herm as F.

  Female Voice (V)

  Male Figure (F)

  I. Pre-action.

  II. Action.

  III. Re-action.

  Room: 6 m. × 5 m.

  1. Door.

  2. Window.

  3. Mirror.

  4. Pallet.

  5. F seated by door.

  6. F at window.

  7. F at head of pallet.

  A Position general view.

  B ″medium shot.

  C ″near shot of 5 and 1, 6 and 2, 7 and 3.

  I

  1. Fade up to general view from A. 10″.

  2. V: Good-evening. Mine is a faint voice. Kindly tune accordingly. (Pause.) Good-evening. Mine is a faint voice. Kindly tune accordingly. (Pause.) It will not be raised, nor lowered, whatever happens. (Pause.) Look. (Long pause.) The familiar chamber. (Pause.) At the far end a window. (Pause.) On the right the indispensable door. (Pause.) On the left, against the wall, some kind of pallet. (Pause.) The light: faint, omnipresent
. No visible source. As if all luminous. Faintly luminous. No shadow. (Pause.) No shadow. Colour: none. All grey. Shades of grey. (Pause.) The colour grey if you wish, shades of the colour grey. (Pause.) Forgive my stating the obvious. (Pause.) Keep that sound down. (Pause.) Now look closer. (Pause.) Floor.

  3. Cut to close-up of floor. Smooth grey rectangle 0.70 m. x 1.50 m. 5″.

  4. V: Dust. (Pause.) Having seen that specimen of floor you have seen it all. Wall.

  5. Cut to close-up of wall. Smooth grey rectangle 0.70 m. x 1.50 m. 5″.

  6. V: Dust.

  7. Move to second close-up of wall. Identical. 5”.

  8. V: Knowing this, the kind of floor, the kind of wall, look again.

  9. Cut to general view from A. 5″.

  10. V: Door.

  11. Cut to close-up of whole door. Smooth grey rectangle 0.70 m. x 2 m. Imperceptibly ajar. No knob. Faint music. 5″.

  12. V: Window.

  13. Cut to close-up of whole window. Plain sheet of glass 0.70 m. x 1.50 m. Imperceptibly ajar. No knob. 5″.

  14. V: Pallet.

  15. Cut to close-up from above of whole pallet. 0. 70 m. x 2 m. Grey sheet. Grey rectangular pillow at window end. 5″.

  16. V: Knowing all this, the kind of pallet—

  17. Close-up of whole pallet continued. 5″.

  18. V: The kind of window—

  19. Cut to close-up of whole window. 5″.

  20. V: The kind of door—

  21. Cut to close-up of whole door. Faint music. 5″.

  22. V: The kind of wall—

  23. Cut to close-up of wall as before. 5″.

  24. V: The kind of floor.

  25. Cut to close-up of floor as before. 5″.

  26. V: Look again.

  27. Cut to general view. 5″.

  28. V: Sole sign of life a seated figure.

  30. Move in slowly from A to B whence medium shot of F and door. F is seated on a stool, bowed forward, face hidden, clutching with both hands a small cassette not identifiable as such at this range. Faint music. 5″.

  31. Move in from B to C whence near shot of F and door. Cassette now identifiable. Music slightly louder. 5″.

  32. Move in from C to close-up of head, hands, cassette. Clutching hands, head bowed, face hidden. Music slightly louder. 5”.

  33. Move slowly back to A via C and B (no stops). Music progressively fainter till at level of B it ceases to be heard.

  34. General view from A. 5″.

  II

  All from A except 25-28.

  1. V: He will now think he hears her.

  2. F raises head sharply, turns still crouched to door, fleeting face, tense pose. 5″.

  3. V: No one.

  4. F relapses into opening pose, bowed over cassette.

  5. V: Again.

  6. Same as 2.

  7. V: Now to the door.

  8. F gets up, lays cassette on stool, goes to door, listens with right ear against door, back to camera. 5″.

  9. V: No one.

  10. With right hand F pushes door open halfway clockwise, looks out, back to camera. 5″.

  11. V: No one.

  12. F removes hand from door which closes slowly of itself, stands irresolute, back to camera. 5″.

  13. V: Now to window.

  14. F goes to window, stands irresolute, back to camera. 5″.

  15. With right hand F pushes window open halfway clockwise, looks out, back to camera. 5″.

  16. V: No one.

  17. F removes hand from window which closes slowly of itself, stands irresolute, back to camera. 5″.

  18. V: Now to pallet.

  19. F goes to head of pallet (window end), stands looking down at it. 5″.

  20. F turns to wall at head of pallet, goes to wall, looks at his face in mirror hanging on wall, invisible from A.

  21. V (surprised): Ah!

  22. After 5″ F bows his head, stands before mirror with bowed head. 5″.

  23. V: Now to door.

  24. F goes to stool, takes up cassette, sits, settles into opening pose, bowed over cassette. 5″.

  25. Same as I.30.

  26. Same as I.31.

  27. Same as I.32.

  28. Same as I.33.

  29. Same as I.34.

  30. V: He will now again think he hears her.

  31. Same as II. 2.

  32. F gets up, goes to door, opens it as before, looks out, stoops forward. 10″.

  33. F straightens up, releases door which closes slowly of itself, stands irresolute, goes to stool, takes up cassette, sits irresolute, settles finally into opening pose, bowed over cassette. 5”.

  34. Faint music audible for first time at A. It grows louder. 5″.

  35. V: Stop.

  36. Music stops. General view from A. 5″.

  37. V: Repeat.

  III

  1. Immediately after “Repeat” cut to near shot from C of F and door. Music audible. 5″.

  2. Move in to close-up of head, hands, cassette. Music slightly louder. 5″.

  3. Music stops. Action II.2. 5″.

  4. Action II.4. Music resumes. 5″.

  5. Move back to near shot from C of F and door. Music audible. 5″.

  6. Music stops. Action II.2. Near shot from C of F and door. 5″.

  7. Action II.8. Sound of cassette laid on stool. Near shot from C of stool, cassette, F with right ear to door. 5″.

  8. Action II.10. Crescendo creak of door opening. Near shot from C of stool, cassette, F with right hand holding door open. 5″.

  9. Cut to view of corridor seen from door. Long narrow (0.70 m.) grey rectangle between grey walls, empty, far end in darkness. 5″.

  10. Cut back to near shot from C of stool, cassette, F holding door open. 5″.

  11. Action II.12. Decrescendo creak of door slowly closing. Near shot from C of stool, cassette, F standing irresolute, door. 5″.

  12. Cut to close-up from above of cassette on stool, small grey rectangle on larger rectangle of seat. 5″.

  13. Cut back to near shot of stool, cassette, F standing irresolute, door. 5″.

  14. Action II.14 seen from C. Near shot from C of F and window. 5″.

  15. Action II.15 seen from C. Crescendo creak of window opening. Faint sound of rain. Near shot from C of F with right hand holding window open. 5″.

  16. Cut to view from window. Night. Rain falling in dim light. Sound of rain slightly louder. 5″.

  17. Cut back to near shot from C of F with right hand holding window open. Faint sound of rain. 5″.

  18. Action II. 17 seen from C. Decrescendo creak of window slowly closing. Near shot from C of F and window. 5″.

  19. Action II.19 seen from C. Near shot from C of F mirror, head of pallet.

  20. Cut to close-up from above of whole pallet.

  21. Move down to tighter close-up of pallet moving slowly from pillow to foot and back to pillow. 5″ on pillow.

  22. Move back to close-up from above of whole pallet. 5″.

  23. Cut back to near shot from C of F, mirror, head of pallet. 5″.

  24. Cut to close-up of mirror reflecting nothing. Small grey rectangle (same dimensions as cassette) against larger rectangle of wall. 5″.

  25. Cut back to near shot from C of F, head of pallet. 5″.

  26. Action 11.20 seen from C. Near shot from C of F and mirror. 5″.

  27. Cut to close-up of F’s face in mirror. 5″. Eyes close. 5″. Eyes open. 5″. Head bows. Top of head in mirror. 5″.

  28. Cut back to near shot from C of F with bowed head, mirror, head of pallet. 5″.

  29. Action II.24 seen from C. Near shot from C of F settling into opening pose. Music audible once settled. 10″.

  30. Music stops. Action II.2 seen from C. Faint sound of steps approaching. They stop. Faint sound of knock on door. 5″. Second knock, no louder. 5″.

  31. Action II.32 seen from C. Crescendo creak of door opening. Near shot from C of stool, cassette, F holding door open, stoopi
ng forward. 10″.

  32. Cut to near shot of small boy full length in corridor before open door. Dressed in black oilskin with hood glistening with rain. White face raised to invisible F. 5″. Boy shakes head faintly. Face still, raised. 5″. Boy shakes head again. Face still, raised. 5″. Boy turns and goes. Sound of receding steps. Register from same position his slow recession till he vanishes in dark at end of corridor. 5″ on empty corridor.

  33. Cut back to near shot from C of stool, cassette, F holding door open. 5″.

  34. Action 11.33 seen from C. Decrescendo creak of door slowly closing. 5″.

  35. Cut to general view from A. 5″.

  36. Music audible at A. It grows. 10″.

  37. With growing music move in slowly to close-up of head bowed right down over cassette now held in arms and invisible. Hold till end of Largo.

  38. Silence. F raises head. Face seen clearly for second time. 10″.

  39. Move slowly back to A.

  40. General view from A. 5″.

  41. Fade out.

  MUSIC

  From Largo of Beethoven’s 5th Piano Trio (“The Ghost”).

  I.11

  Beginning bar 47

  I.21

  ″ ″ 49

  I.30-33

  ″ ″ 19

  II.25-28

  ″ ″ 64

  II.34-35

  ″ ″ 70

  III.1-2 4-5

  ″ ″ 26

  III.29

  ″ ″ 68

  III.36 to end

  ″ ″ 70

  …but the clouds …

  A Television Play

  M

  Near shot from behind of man sitting on invisible stool bowed over invisible table. Light grey robe and skullcap. Dark ground. Same shot throughout.

  M1

  M in set. Hat and greatcoat dark, robe and skullcap light.

  W

  Close-up of woman’s face reduced as far as possible to eyes and mouth. Same shot throughout.

  S

  Long shot of set empty or with Ml. Same shot throughout.