The Cryptogram Read Free Page A

there. Eh?
    To “sharpen your skills.” (
Pause
.) To “aid your camping.”
    JOHN : Me and my father.
    DEL : Yes.
    JOHN : Does he know this game?
    DEL : I think that he may.
    JOHN : Did he teach it to you?
    DEL : No. I learned it independently.
    JOHN : Um.
    DEL : And. If he does not know it, you can teach it to
him
.
    JOHN : Good.
    DEL : Yes? You think so?
    JOHN : Well, I think so. You have to tell me the game.
    DEL : Here it is: … you write down …
    JOHN : “…  to sharpen our skills …”
    DEL : You write down your
recollections
.
Of the things you’ve seen. During the day.
Then you compare them.
    JOHN : I don’t understand.
    DEL : To see who has observed the best.
    You observe things during the day. Then, at night you write them down. To test your observation. (
Pause
.) Things in the Cabin, for instance. Or the woods. And, then, you see whose recollection was more accurate. (
Pause
.) You see?
    JOHN : See who was more accurate.
    DEL : That’s correct. (
Pause
.)
    JOHN : And why is this game useful?
    DEL : If you were lost it could assist you to orient yourself.
    JOHN : Would it be things which we
decided before
to observe? Or things …
    DEL : … it could be both.
    JOHN : … both things we
decided
to observe, and things we decided, later on, we should remember.
    DEL : That’s right.
    JOHN : But something could have been the Third Misfortune, even though it had happened quite long ago. (
Pause.
)
    DEL : How could that be?
    JOHN : It could be if the “Third Misfortune” happened long ago. If, when it
happened
, no one
noticed
, or …
    DEL : “at the
time
 …”
    JOHN : Yes, or neglected to
count
it …
    DEL : … I …
    JOHN : … until we recognized it
now
 … And also, what could we pick. To observe, beside the Cabin?
    DEL : What?
Anything
. The
pond
, the …
    JOHN : … where did you get the knife?
    DEL : The knife.
    JOHN : Yes.
    DEL : I told you. Your father gave it to me.
    JOHN : He gave you his war knife.
    DEL : Yes.
    JOHN : His
pilot’s
knife …?
    DEL : Yes. (
Pause
.)
    JOHN : But we couldn’t choose the pond.
    DEL : Why not?
    JOHN : Because it’s changing. (
Pause
.) When?
    DEL : … when what?
    JOHN : Did he give it to you?
    DEL : Aha.
    JOHN : When?
    DEL : Last week. When we went camping.
    JOHN : Oh.
    DEL : Does that upset you?
    JOHN : No.
    DEL : Aha.
    JOHN : What do you mean?
    DEL : Nothing.
    JOHN : Why did you say “aha.”
    DEL : Something occurred to me.
    JOHN : What?
    DEL : Something. (
Pause
.)
    JOHN : We couldn’t choose the pond.
    DEL : The pond?
    JOHN : To observe.
    DEL : No? Why not?
    JOHN : Because it’s changing. ( DONNY
reenters with tea mugs
.)
    DEL : Well, then you choose something else.
    JOHN : What should I choose?
    DEL : Something that doesn’t change.
    (
Of photo
.) Who, who, what
is
this?
    DONNY : It’s the Lake.
    DEL : No, please, I know where it is, I just don’t …
    DONNY : … what?
    DEL : … I don’t remember it.
    DONNY : … you’ve seen that photo so …
    DEL : … Well. I don’t remember it.
    JOHN : You have a strange expression on your face.
Mother:
doesn’t …
    DONNY : Calm down. John.
    DEL : … I do?
    JOHN : You’re grinning. (
To
DONNY .) I am calm.
    DEL : … when was this taken? ( DONNY
looks at photo
.)
    DONNY : Well, the boathouse is still up …
    DEL (
to
JOHN ): It’s strange I’m grinning?
    DONNY : … so it’s …
    JOHN : It looks unlike you.
    DONNY (
of photo, to
DEL ): You don’t remember this?
    DEL : No.
    DONNY :
Truly?
    DEL : No. When was it taken?
    DONNY (
simultaneous with
“taken”): Well, alright: the boathouse is up, so, I can tell you what
year
it is: The boathouse is up, but the birch is down, so: it’s before the War …
    DEL : … it would have to be before the War …
    DONNY (
simultaneous with
“war”): Wait a moment … ( JOHN
yawns. Sits on the couch
.) Oh, John; are you getting sleepy?
    JOHN : When is Dad coming home?
    DONNY : He’ll be here when he gets