THE SHIPMASTER
Oh Dad
Are you here
I haven’t seen you for a long time
Dad
The Shipmaster turns to The Older Woman
And you
Mum
How lovely to see you again
Pause. The Older Man and The Older Woman look bewildered at each other
THE OLDER WOMAN
to The Older Man
Why don’t you come over here to me
THE OLDER MAN
Yes okay
The Older Man walks over to The Older Woman
THE OLDER WOMAN
Touch me
I’m so scared
I must feel that I’m here
quite short pause
that I’m awake
THE OLDER MAN
We are awake
THE OLDER WOMAN
We’re not dreaming
THE OLDER MAN
No
no not exactly
Pause
THE OLDER WOMAN
Please won’t you touch me
THE OLDER MAN
Yes okay
THE OLDER WOMAN
But well it’s
yes so long since he disappeared
vanished
yes
breaks off, short pause
THE OLDER WOMAN
It’s not him
He’s not our son
You can see that
You can hear that
THE SHIPMASTER
But Dad
But Mum
Quite short pause
Don’t you see me
Don’t you want to talk to me
THE OLDER MAN
Come let’s go
The Older Man takes The Older Woman’s arm. They stand there.
Long pause.
THE SHIPMASTER
But Mum
But Dad
quite short pause
don’t you see me
It’s me
Your son
Don’t you see me
Pause
THE OLDER MAN
We can’t stay here
We must go
THE OLDER WOMAN
No it wasn’t him
of course not
THE OLDER MAN
No
THE OLDER WOMAN
I should recognise
my own son
THE OLDER MAN
No
it wasn’t him
short pause
but why did he call me Dad
THE OLDER WOMAN
And me Mum
THE SHIPMASTER
But Mum
but Dad
don’t you see me
It’s me
It’s your son
THE OLDER MAN
Let’s go
THE OLDER WOMAN
Yes
Quite short pause
Let’s leave this place
We can’t stay here
Short pause
And why can’t he let up
he just keeps at it
THE OLDER MAN
He’s not my son
THE OLDER WOMAN
No
no of course not
THE SHIPMASTER
But Mum
but Dad
THE OLDER WOMAN
We can’t stay here
THE SHIPMASTER
Mum
THE OLDER MAN
We must go
THE SHIPMASTER
Dad
THE OLDER MAN
But where can we go
THE OLDER WOMAN
At least we have to go
THE SHIPMASTER
Mum Dad
I’m talking to you
don’t you see me
Me
your son
Short pause
It was so good to see you again
Short pause
But don’t you see me
Quite short pause
Why don’t you answer me
Quite short pause
I’m talking to you
but you don’t answer me
quite short pause
what’s wrong with you
THE OLDER WOMAN
Let’s go
THE OLDER MAN
Yes
yes let’s go
THE OLDER WOMAN
Because here
we can’t stay here any longer
THE SHIPMASTER
Mum Dad
THE OLDER WOMAN
I don’t like it here
we have to go
we have to be somewhere else
THE OLDER MAN
Yes
quite short pause
we’ll go now
we’ll go somewhere else now
THE OLDER WOMAN
Somewhere where it’s good to be
THE OLDER MAN
Yes
THE SHIPMASTER
I’m so happy to see you
Quite short pause
And how nice that you finally wanted to come on board my ship
THE OLDER WOMAN
We must hurry up
We must get away from here
THE OLDER MAN
Where shall we go
THE OLDER WOMAN
There’s always somewhere
to go
THE OLDER MAN
But where
THE OLDER WOMAN
I don’t know
Short pause
Don’t you know where we are
THE OLDER MAN
No
THE OLDER WOMAN
You don’t know
THE OLDER MAN
No
Pause
THE OLDER WOMAN
And how did we get here
THE OLDER MAN
Where were we before we came here
THE OLDER WOMAN
We would’ve been at home at our place
THE OLDER MAN
Yes
THE OLDER WOMAN
And now we’re here
THE OLDER MAN
And there are others here
And there are no others here
THE OLDER WOMAN
I’m scared
Short pause
I just don’t like it here
THE OLDER MAN
But no matter where we look
and no matter where we go
yes everything’s the same
THE OLDER WOMAN
That’s how it is
THE OLDER MAN
I don’t think we can do anything
THE OLDER WOMAN
What do you mean
THE OLDER MAN
I don’t think we can do anything about it
Short pause
Everything is the way it is
THE OLDER WOMAN
But then
quite short pause
then we must create something else ourselves
THE OLDER MAN
But can we do that
THE OLDER WOMAN
We can imagine it
as something else
THE OLDER MAN
Can we
THE OLDER WOMAN
Yes we can
THE OLDER MAN
How
THE OLDER WOMAN
We can imagine it differently
THE OLDER MAN
Yes
THE OLDER WOMAN
We can imagine
quite short pause
yes what it was like
yes when he
when our son
was born
quite short pause
his childhood years
what they were like
quite short pause
he was such a beautiful child
THE OLDER MAN
And such a friendly child
THE GUITAR PLAYER
But Dad
but Mum
quite short pause
it’s so good to see you again
Short pause
THE OLDER WOMAN
And so good and kind
Pause
THE OLDER MAN
And so
breaks off, quite short pause
yes what can I say
somehow there’s not much to say
what there was
is not something
somehow
that can be said
THE GUITAR PLAYER
Dad
Mum
Don’t you see me
Imagine seeing you here
quite short pause
it’s so unexpected