Ditch Read Free Page A

some spuds.
    Turner She sowin’ more than that.
    Bug Reckon we’ll get peas?
    Turner Would you stop thinkin’ about your gut and think about what’s goin’ on here. Aint Burns puttin’ us on a shovel, it Peel, a civilian. I like Burns, don’t get me wrong, he been a good soldier, done his fair share a’ tours. But that was some time ago, this last three year he been lookin’ up at the moon through a whiskey bottle waitin’ for his boy to come back. He aint got the grit to do the job, s’all I’m sayin’. Beat.
    Turner Put some food on?
    Bug Aint hungry yet.
    Turner Me neither
    Bug You know what I been thinkin’ about?
    Turner Getting’ laid?
    Bug Yeah, but soemthin’ else too.
    Turner looks blank.
    Bug Keep thinkin’ about that stag.
    Turner Why?
    Bug I don’t know.
    Turner So what you talkin’ about it for?
    Bug I don’t know.
    Beat.
    Bug Never seen a stag bitten like that.
    Turner Seen it before.
    Bug Whatever it was knew what it was doin’, straight for the jugular.
    Turner What d’you mean: whatever it was?
    Bug I don’t know.
    Turner Told you a dog done it.
    Bug It was a big bastard too.
    Turner Fuckin’ three dogs then.
    Bug Not an organ left.
    Turner How many times has one of them stray dogs come at you? Them dogs have spent most a’ their life sprawled on a rug in front of a TV fartin’. But with all that gone they’re wild.
    Bug Yeah, you’re right.
    Beat.
    Bug Never seen a dog this far inta the Peak.
    Turner And I never had such a borin’ conversation.
    Beat .
    Bug Haven’t pitched in this spot for a while.
    Turner Couple a’ week maybe.
    Bug Had this dream, last time we were sleepin’ here. Not really a dream cause I was awake, sleepy eyed kind a’ thing. The whole place was lit. Burnin’. Red with fire. Some trees fallin’. The ground scorched . . .
    Turner And then what?
    Bug ( Shrugs .) Nothin’.
    Scene Four
    Stables. Evening.
    Megan is laid on her back staring upwards. James enters.
    James Evenin’.
    Megan jumps to her feet.
    Megan Evenin’.
    James Came to check the tack for my horse.
    Megan Which one been given?
    James Sheets.
    Beat.
    James What a’ you doin’?
    Megan I’m bein’ alone.
    Beat.
    James You come here to do that?
    Megan Huhum.
    Beat .
    Megan Mrs Peel don’t tend to come here. She don’t like the horses much, especially Mince. He been eating her sage bush. Sheets kicked her in the gut. But she was alright about that.
    James Guess I’ll be goin’ then.
    Megan I don’t mind sharin’ this space. I could just sit here alone, sit here sharin’ it, s’all the same to me – you like stars?
    James I guess.
    Megan Want a’ see some?
    James Alright.
    Megan S’why I’m always in this spot so I can see ’em.
    James edges forwards to where Megan stands.
    Megan I sometimes sit outside when you all sleepin’ and look at ’em too. It’s so quiet and dark. Never no planes in the sky, no headlights, lights from windows. Just them stars and me. You know that the stars a’ suns?
    James shakes his head.
    Megan Suns just the closet one to us is all. Mrs Peel told me that. Told me that everyone a’ them stars is gonna die sometime and same goes for ours. But before it dies, a long time before it dies, it gonna cook us to a crisp and boil all the water away. You know that?
    James shakes his head.
    Megan She told me that the moons done for too. Every year it moves further away and there’ll come a time when it won’t support us no more, we’re gonna drop like a sack a’ taters. You know that?
    James shakes his head.
    Megan Don’t really matter anyway cause the sun’ll cook us first.
    Beat.
    James Know how to find the North star.
    Megan Mrs Peel don’t know that.
    James There’s seven bright stars in the shape of a saucepan. You find the saucepan and take