THE RAFT

by

Lucy Gough

Produced and Directed by Peter Leslie Wild

Broadcast by BBC Radio 4 as the afternoon play 27/5/02

With

Annanelle Dowler as Mags

Inika Leigh Wright as Soul

Tyrone Huggins as Gaoler 1/Submariner

Sunny Ormonde as Gaoler2/Ugly Mermaid

Gillian Goodman as Chorus 1

Bella Merlin as Chorus 2

Tracey Briggs as Chorus 3

© Copyright 2002 Lucy Gough. All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transcribed in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other means, without prior written permission of the Author.

CHARACTERS

MAGS:  A young frail girl about eighteen, withdrawing from heroin with a young three year old son.  In prison for stealing,

SOUL:  Mag’s soul, frail and nervous terrified of the salt water wants to hang on and not drown in the sea.

GAOLER 1/SUBMARINER:  Middle aged man wise.  Kind and concerned for the prisoners, has a warm deep voice.

GAOLER 2/UGLY MERMAID:  Middle aged woman.  Has no time for the prisoners, seen it all too many times, is hardened to their plight.

CHORUS OF SHROUDS. 1,2,3. ALL WOMEN:

Three voices.  Usually only one voice speaks at a time unless marked for all, they are her destiny of fear and dread, but also there is a sense of humour about them.

1 is the more serious of the three voices.

SCENE 1: PRE CREDITS

THE SETTING A PRISON.

THE SOUNDS OF A PRISON, DOORS BANGING AND BEING LOCKED.  THE HOLLOW ECHOEY SOUND OF VOICES AND THE SOUND OF WOMEN WAILING AND BANGING ON THEIR DOORS WHICH GRADUALLY ALMOST IMPERCEPTIVITY TURNS TO THE SOUND OF THE SEA.  THE SEA GETS LOUDER AND WILDER UNTIL ALL WE HEAR ARE CRASHING WAVES AND A STORM.  OVER THIS COMES THE QUIET GENTLE SINGING OF ‘JEFF BUCKLEY’ SINGING THE FIRST RIFFS OF ‘HALLELUJAH’.

CREDITS.

SCENE 2: THE PRISON

WE ARE WITH MAGS IN HER CELL.  OUTSIDE ARE THE SOUNDS OF THE PRISON.  THE ECHOEY SHOUTING, BANGING OF BARS, THE ODD DESPERATE FORLORN SHOUT FROM WOMEN IN CELLS.  MAGS IS STRUGGLING TO KEEP HERSELF CALM.

MAGS                           SITTING ON HER BED, SHE IS THIN AND WEAK SUFFERING FROM WITHDRAWAL, SHE IS SHAKING, AS SHE STRUGGLES TO TALK HERSELF OUT OF PANIC AND DESPAIR.  SHE IS LOOKING AT A PHOTO OF HER SON ROBBIE.

If I listen,

(PAUSE)

If I listen real hard, I can hear him.

PAUSE AS WE HEAR THE SOUNDS OF THE PRISON

If I listen,

If I listen real hard, I can hear his sweet little voice.

And I can hold on,

(TRYING TO CONVINCE HERSELF)

I can hold on to that.

(PAUSE)

I can trace his little fat face round this photo.

I can touch his smile.

I can hear his voice.

PAUSE AS SHE LISTENS TO THE BLEAK SOUNDS OF THE PRISON, THE WAILING AND THE BANGING AND THE ECHOEY SOUNDS OUTSIDE HER CELL.

But then his voice gets lost,

lost in me head.

(SLIGHT RISING PANIC)

and the sea starts,

and this creaking and groaning.

And the shrouds we’ve been stitchin’ start singing me songs.

(RESIGNED)

Then I know,

I know that I can’t,

that I just can’t hold on.

INTO THE OUTSIDE SOUNDS OF THE PRISON, GAOLER 1 SHOUTS.

GAOLER 1                     (SHOUTING DOWN THE CORRIDOR)  Behind your doors, behind your doors.

WE HEAR GAOLER 1 WHISTLE ‘BOBBY SHAFTOE’ AS HE WALKS DOWN THE CORRIDOR.  WE FADE INTO A BODY COUNT IN SCENE THREE.

SCENE 3: THE PRISON

A BODY COUNT SAID BY GAOLER 1 IS HEARD TAKING PLACE DOWN THE CORRIDOR OF THE PRISON, THIS HAS A RHYTHMIC FEEL TO IT.  IT IS HEARD COMING CLOSER.  VERY FAINTLY UNDERNEATH THIS IS THE SOUND OF THE SEA  (A SLUGGISH HEAVY SEA LIKE THE DEAD SEA, HEAVY WAVES LAPPING SLOWLY).  AS THE GAOLER LOCKS DOORS WE HEAR FAINTLY; WOMEN WAILING, SHOUTING AND BANGING ON THE DOORS.

GAOLER 1                     One in.

(THE DOOR IS SLAMMED SHUT AND LOCKED)

HE WALKS ALONG THE CORRIDOR A BIT.  (AT REGULAR INTERVALS THE SOUND OF HIS KEYS JANGLING).  THE ODD BURST OF WHISTLING HE STOPS TO LOOK INTO A CELL.

(SHOUTS.)  Two in.

THE DOOR IS SLAMMED AND LOCKED.

HE WALKS AGAIN.  HE STOPS LOOKS IN. 

(SHOUTS.)  One in.

THE DOOR IS SLAMMED AND LOCKED.  HE WALKS AGAIN. 

(WHISTLES TO HIMSELF.)

HE STOPS LOOKS IN. 

(SHOUTS)  Two in.

ALL THE TIME THE GAOLER IS GETTING CLOSER TO MAG’S CELL.  AS HE GETS CLOSER TO IT WE HEAR THE SOUND OF THE SEA UNDERNEATH VERY SLIGHTLY GETTING LOUDER.

One in.

THE DOOR IS SLAMMED AND LOCKED, HE WALKS CLOSER.  THE SEA SOUND GETS A LITTLE LOUDER.  HE REACHES THE CELL AND LOOKS IN. 

(SHOUTS WITH ALARM.)  Jesus Christ!

THE SOUND OF THE SEA IS NOW A LITTLE CLEARER BUT STILL SUBLIMINAL

(TRYING TO SOUND CALM)  What you doing up there lassie?

You don’t want to be up there.  (SHOUTS DOWN THE CORRIDOR)  Need a hand over here we’ve got a problem.

(TO MAGS FROM DOORWAY.  REASONING TRYING TO KEEP HER CALM)

Come on now Mags what you doing standing on your bed? 

MAGS                           (URGENTLY)  Don’t come in.

GAOLER 1                     (GENTLY)  It’s not good for you up there.

MAGS                           (URGENTLY)  Don’t come in you’ll drown.

GAOLER 1                     (HUMOURING HER)  Don’t worry about me, I know how to swim.

MAGS                           The water’s deep.

GAOLER 1                     You don’t say.

MAGS                           Leave me alone!

GAOLER 1                     Not with that noose round your neck I can’t.

MAGS                           Tell Robbie I’m sorry.

GAOLER 2 ARRIVES BREATHLESS.

GAOLER2                      (ARRIVING)  What is it?  What’s going on?

GAOLER 1                     Trying to take herself off.

GAOLER2                      (ANNOYED)  Not another one.

MAGS                           (EXPLAINS)  Tell Robbie I’m sorry, But there’s a noise in me head.  All this creaking and groaning.  And the shrouds we’ve been stitchin’ keep singing me songs.

GAOLER 2                     Sometimes I think they make more sense when they're on drugs than when their coming off ‘em.

MAGS                           Tell Robbie I’m sorry, I tried to hold on.

GAOLER 1                     You can tell him yourself come visiting day.

GAOLER 2                     (FIRMLY)  You’re not going anywhere.

GAOLER 1                     (ENTERS THE CELL)

I’ll lift her down.

(REMOVES THE NOOSE)

You won’t be needing that round your neck.

(PICKS HER UP)

There we are.

(THINKS TO HIMSELF) 

She’s like a small bird,

Shot through the heart.

(TO MAGS)

Down you come.

GAOLER2                      (PRACTICAL)

Best get her to the sui cell. 

GAOLER 1:                    She’s like a child.

GAOLER2:                     She has a child of her own.

GAOLER 1:                    Come on girl, let's put you somewhere safe.

GAOLER2:                     We don’t want to lose another one.

SCENE 4 : THE SEA

A SEA, DARK AND HEAVY, LAPPING SLOWLY.  A RAFT CREAKS WITH THE WEIGHT OF IT’S BURDEN ON THE SEA, ON THE RAFT LIE THE CORPSES OF THE DEAD AND DYING; MOANING AND WAILING  (THE SAME SOUND AS IN THE PRISON).  SEAGULLS CALL AND HOVER OVERHEAD.  A GENTLE WIND FLAPS THE SAILS AND SHROUDS.  WE HEAR THE CHORUS OF THE SAILS AND SHROUDS.

CHORUS 1:                   We are the chorus of shrouds,

That shrift in the winds of her mind.

CHORUS 2                     We are the chorus of shrouds,

Singing her songs of the sea.

CHORUS 3                     We are the destiny of many,

A chorus of fear and despair.

CHORUS ALL                 The raft of Medusa.

SCENE 5 : THE PRISON

MAGS IS BEING CARRIED TO THE SUI CELL.  THE PRISON SOUNDS OF WOMEN BANGING ON THEIR DOORS WAILING AND YELLING IS HEARD.  A CELL DOOR IS OPENED, WE HEAR THE KEYS ON THE GAOLERS WAISTBAND JANGLING.  GAOLER 1 and 2  PUT HER INTO THE SUI CELL.

GAOLER 1                     Here we are love you’ll be safe in here.

GAOLER 2                     Put her on the mattress.  (STARTS TO UNDRESS HER)  I’ll get her into this gear.

GAOLER 1:                    (TO GAOLER 2)  She’s all bones and goose flesh.

GAOLER2:                     That’s why they call it cold turkey.

GAOLER 1:                    I guess the vomiting will start soon.

GAOLER2:                     And the muscle spasms.

GAOLER 1:                    She’s going to tear that to shreds.

GAOLER2:                     At least she won’t be able to hang herself with it.

GAOLER 1:                    These girls wear their destiny like an albatross.

GAOLER 2                     You’re too soft for this place, see things in pictures.  It’s fact we deal with here.

GAOLER 1                     So what fact is this lying here?

GAOLER 2                     A serial shoplifter with a drug problem.

GAOLER 1                     And a child, with a child.  How does a girl get to this state?

GAOLER 2                     Lack of direction is tattooed on the soul.

GAOLER 1                     But it’s hard to find your way sometimes.

GAOLER 2                     We all have to push forward, follow the signs.  Stick to the route.  Not go round in circles.  Once you’ve got lost…

GAOLER 1                     Easy to say if you’re born with a map.  If the sign posts are clear.

GAOLER 2                     We come into this world in a sack, and depart in another.  What happens in between is up to us.

GAOLER 1                     You’ve no soul?

GAOLER 2                     I didn’t need it.

MAGS                           (FEEBLY)  Is this it?

GAOLER 2                     Is this what?

MAGS                           The end?

GAOLER 1:                    She doesn’t even know where she is.

GAOLER2:                     They never do when they're coming off smack.

MAGS                           (SUDDENLY, URGENTLY)  Where’s me picture, me picture of Robbie?

GAOLER 1                     I’ll fetch it later.

GAOLER 2                     Best not.

GAOLER 1                     She can’t harm herself with a photo.

GAOLER 2                     You never know with this lot, slash themselves with a paper bag given half the chance.

GAOLER 2                     If I bring the photo down it’ll give her something to think about.

GAOLER2:                     We’re here to keep them locked up, not play nurse-maid to their minds.

GAOLER 1:                    We best keep fifteen minute watch.

THE SOUND OF THE SEA CREEPS IN SUBLIMINALLY.

(THINKS TO HIMSELF)  She’s looks so frail.

MAGS:                          I’m fallin’.

THE CELL DOOR IS SLAMMED SHUT AND LOCKED.

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SCENE 40 THE SEA

WITH A LOUD SPLASH MAGS BREAKS THE SURFACE OF THE SEA, IT IS VERY STORMY SHE IS HOLDING THE SOUL TIGHTLY AND SWIMMING FOR THE MATTRESS.

MAGS                           (AS SHE SWIMS.  STRUGGLING WITH THE EFFORT OF SWIMMING AGAINST THE STORMY SEA)  Hold on, just hold on tight.  We can make for the mattress.  I’ll swim for us both, hold your fragile wing in my hand, hold it tight.  Salvage my soul from the savage salt of the sea, swim against this storm.  A passion rising in my mind, as I haul up from its depths, a vessel of courage that lurked in it’s caverns.

(PAUSE)

Past the still, stale, pulse of a life drifted.

Into the pitch and yaw of waves in a storm,

that quickens my blood,

and hawks up the gall.

When my mind fell and my heart failed you clung on,

wouldn’t give up.

And now in the rage of this thought I struggle to save you,

to save my soul,

to chart back to the shore.

(PAUSE)

JEFF BUCKLEY STARTS TO PLAY QUIETLY UNDERNEATH HERE AS THE SEA SOUNDS START TO FADE

So stay close soul,

we’ll make it back to the land.

Where I’ll swallow you whole.

SCENE 41.  THE PRISON.

NO SEA SOUNDS, JUST THE JEFF BUCKLEY MUSIC UNDERNEATH AS MAGS IS SICK AGAIN.

GAOLER 1                     That’s my girl get it all out.

GAOLER 2                     (DISGUSTED)  Where did all this come from?

MAGS                           I’m making room for my soul.

FADE OUT ON HALLELUJAH JEFF BUCKLEY.

THE END