Hole
Dramatis Personae
Brick: A man in his thirties
Goewyn: A woman in her thirties
Man: A man in his forties
Jorja: A woman in her late twenties
I
Man: Are you alright down there?
Brick: I think so… I’m not sure.
Man: Well, do you want to come out?
Brick: I probably better stay a bit longer.
Man: Are you sure?
Brick: I think I’m OK.
Man: I won’t be able to hang around much longer.
Brick: I’m supposed to stay here for at least an hour.
Man: Why?
Brick: To make sure… um, never mind. I’ll stick it out. Never mind.
Man: You’ll stick it out, you said?
Brick: Yes.
Man: You’ll stay down there.
Brick: I’ll stay a little longer.
Man: I’ll have to leave you then.
Brick: I know. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I can get out. I’ll get out myself.
Man: OK.
Brick: OK.
Man: Best of luck then.
Brick: Thanks. Bye.
Goewyn: Is he gone?
Brick: Yes, he’s gone.
Goewyn: Right so.
Brick: Wait a second (looks up). Definitely gone.
Goewyn: You sounded like you were going to go up there for a minute.
Brick: I’d only have gone up to come down again. But then I thought maybe he’d stick on me.
Goewyn: I’d have objected.
Brick: That’s what I thought.
Goewyn: Stupid idea.
Brick: OK, ok. I didn’t go up.
Goewyn: I would have told him to bugger off. None of his bloody business is it? Fuck off, I would have said. Go and fuck off, you dog. Sticking your nose in where it’s not wanted. I’ll stay down this hole my whole life if I want, I would have said.
Brick: We don’t want to start any fights, do we?
Goewyn: Bloody cheek, trying to get us out. Bloody busybody. Start a fight? Let him come down and try. I’d bury him. I’d knock him out with my spade.
Brick: My spade.
Goewyn: Your spade. And bury him. Kill him stone dead. Or bury him alive if necessary. You can’t have people sticking their noses in your business. You can’t stand for it. You’ve got to put the foot down. If you don’t know where to draw the line on that… Gah… You’re too soft. That’s your problem. Let people walk all over you. Lucky I’m here.
Brick: Let’s try not to lose the plot. He was trying to help.
Goewyn: Nobody’s trying to help… anyone except themselves. That’s what you need to get through your thick skull. If you can’t get that straight, we’re doomed. Walking around like everyone’s your saviour.
Brick: Jesus, give it a rest.
Goewyn: Jesus… That’s right. That was probably him. He had a beard an’ all. That was Jesus, I suppose, ready to yank us up to heaven.
Brick:(Exasperated) Oh…
Goewyn: All I’m saying is…
Man: Helloooo!
Brick: Christ, he’s back…
Man: I was just on my way back. Thought I’d take a quick look in. See if you’ve changed your mind…
Brick: No, no, it’s…
Goewyn: (Shouts at man) Go on, ya bollocks. Get out of it. We’re not going anywhere. Wild horses wouldn’t drag us out. You’ll need a fuckin’ grenade to shift us, you cockless wonder.
Man: What? Who’s… ?
Brick: (To Goewyn) Shut up… (To man) Sorry… Please…
Goewyn: Fuck off is what I’m saying, dickwad. Take one step down here and we’ll shove your head up your own arse. Go on out of it!
Brick: (To Goewyn) Stop, stop…
(Man is shocked, retreats from hole)
Goewyn: And off he goes…
Brick: (Looks at Goewyn. Looks up at the hole). Fuck.
Goewyn: He’s gone, isn’t he? Mission accomplished.
Brick: Mission…? Christ, I’d be better off with a chimpanzee down here, a bloody baboon. Mission accomplished? You think he’s going to leave it at that. You think he won’t be back?
Goewyn: Back? Hah, I’ll bite his balls off.
Brick: How long do you think this is going to take?
Goewyn: Few hours. Max.
Brick: And how long do you think it will take for him to go and tell someone there’s a feckin’ madwoman down a hole here, and for concerned members of the authorities to come investigating? He’s probably on the phone to the Gards now.
Goewyn: If I hadn’t stepped in, he’d be in this hole and we’d be caught anyway. At least we have a chance now… If we hurry up.
Brick: You do, do you?
Goewyn: We do, doing it together. As we were. Jesus, what’re ya saying? Don’t go yellow on me.
Brick: It’s my own fault.
Goewyn: What is?
Brick: I knew what you were like.
Goewyn: Ah, this again.
Brick: But I thought, it’ll be grand. What was I thinking?
Goewyn: Let me know when your panic attack is over there, boss, so we can get back to work, like. I mean, we’re not exactly finished here. Now come on, pull it together.
Brick:(Throws spade on the ground). You can pull whatever you want! Alone! (Starts to climb out of hole) Pull away! And when the cops come for you, keep pulling. See where it gets you!
Goewyn: You’ve lost it. What are you… ? You can’t… Get back down here now… Brick!… Brick!…
II
(Evening. A living room. Brick and Jorja sipping on drinks)
Jorja: It was doomed to failure, wasn’t it?
Brick: I suppose so…. In retrospect… Looking back… It wasn’t out of choice though. She was herself, really… I was naive.
Jorja: That’s true.
Brick: Make lemons out of lemonade, that’s what I say.
Jorja: Isn’t it the other way around?
Brick: (Thinks) What did I say?
Jorja: Make lemons out of lemonade.
Brick: Oh, yes. It is. (Laughs).
Jorja: Where is she now?
Brick: God knows. I’ve washed my hands of the whole thing. Made a clean breast of it.
Jorja: These schemes of yours will be the death of you.
Brick: Well, as I said…
(A knock)
Jorja: Who’s that?
Brick: No idea.
(Another knock)
Brick: (Goes to answer the door).
Jorja: (Exits)
Goewyn: (Enters and sits in Jorja’s place, head down).
Brick: (Returns) No one.
Goewyn: (Looks up.) Oh, I thought it might have been Jorja.
Brick: (Freezes)
Goewyn: (Laughs)
Brick: (Looks around) Where is she?
Goewyn: She went for a walk.
Brick: (Turns away)
Goewyn: She might come back.
Brick: (Turns back to Goewyn).
Goewyn: Why don’t you sit down?
Brick: (Considers)… I’ll sit down.
Goewyn: Do you want to know what happened after you left?
Brick: Not really.
Goewyn: What happened was I continued on. With the work. I’m tenacious. It took a lot longer of course…
Brick: No-one came?
Goewyn: No-one.
Brick: You found it then?
Goewyn: I found something.
Jorja: (Enters).
Brick:(Stands up).
Jorja: Sit down.
Brick: (Looks in turn at both women. Sits).
Goewyn: No-one came at all and I found something, and I took it. And now I have it. (Takes a sip of drink).
Brick: You have it?
Goewyn: I have it.
Jorja: (Smiles).
Goewyn: I have the records. I got them later. When you keep pushing you see…
Jorja: (To Brick) You give up too easily.
Brick: Well, if you’ll just give me the records, you can keep the rest. We’ll call it quits.
Jorja: (Titters).
Goewyn: I’ll shove them up your arse! I’ll break your bones with them! Do you want the records?
Brick: Yes.
Goewyn: You’d choke on them.
Brick: I want them.
Goewyn: (To Jorja) Insistent little bastard, isn’t he?
Jorja: Yes.
Goewyn: Pushy. I’d say. He wants the records even if it means having them shoved up his arse.
Jorja: At any cost.
Brick: We can come to an arrangement.
Goewyn: You’re afraid of what I’d do with them. Out there.
Brick: I believe in taking reasonable precautions.
Jorja: (Titters).
Goewyn: (Looks at Jorja. Smiles). Publish them in the papers. Wouldn’t that be a riot?
Jorja: There would be a lot of attention. It could run on and on.
Goewyn: It might take hold.
Jorja: Permanently.
Brick: It wouldn’t do any of us any good. In the long term.
Goewyn: (Stands and shouts vehemently) Is that a threat, dog?! Who the fuck do you think is in charge here?
Jorja: (Derisively) He’s trying to maintain some dignity.
Goewyn: (Sighs) The first stumbling block.
Brick: I… I’m…
Goewyn: Stand up!
Brick: (Hesitates. Then tries to stand up but can’t and falls back into the chair. Looks around. Looks at his drink).
Jorja: He thinks it’s the drink.
Goewyn: (Shakes head). You’re not in a position.
Brick: What then?
Goewyn: We’ll continue on.
(Pause)
(There’s a noise from the window. Outside a man (same one as before) is looking through it. Knocking.)
Man: Hellooo… Hellooo…
Goewyn: (To Brick) Tell him to fuck off.
Jorja: (Titters).
Man: Hellooo… Excuse me… Anyone there… ?
Goewyn: (To Brick) Tell him to shut the fuck up or you’ll go out there and shove his head through the fucking window. Tell him in no uncertain terms what the consequences of his actions will be.
Brick: I…
Goewyn: You don’t expect me to do it, do you?
Man: Hellooo… (Intensifies knocking)
Goewyn: (Shouts) Tell him!
Brick: (Sits. Frozen)
Jorja: (Stands up. Removes a gun from her bag and shoots the man through the window. He drops out of sight.)
Brick: (Panicking. Tries to stand up. Can’t. Falls back in chair)
Goewyn: We’ll put it in the records.
Jorja: (Nods. Puts gun back in bag. Sits back down).
Brick: (Terrified) No… Please…
Goewyn: Do you appreciate your position?
Brick: Please don’t…
Goewyn: Do you… ?
Jorja: (Approaches him. Slaps him the face.)
Brick: (Stops talking).
Goewyn: Do you realize what you have done?… Are you sorry?…
Brick: The records?
Goewyn: Everything goes in.
Jorja: By default.
Brick: I’m sorry.
Goewyn: You’re sorry. And what are we supposed to do with him? (Points to the window) Sorry isn’t going to help him now… It’s a matter of timing.
Jorja: Being too quick or too slow.
Goewyn: A failure of balance
Brick: (Tries to stand. Falls again).
Jorja: (Sadly) Think of his family.
Goewyn: And he thinks he’s the responsible one. (To
Brick) You’re in a hole, you see…
Brick: (Faints).
III
(Brick wakes up at the bottom of a hole. He looks around. Next to him is the man Jorja shot, dead on the ground. There’s a spade next to the body. Brick looks up and sees that Goewyn and Jorja are at the surface.)
Goewyn: (To Jorja) Has he woken up yet?
Jorja: Yes.
Goewyn: About bloody time.
Jorja: I’ll give him the instructions then… (Looks into the hole) You, you down there. Dig.
Brick: Dig?
Jorja: Dig.
Brick: Just dig?
Jorja: (To Goewyn) He lacks initiative.
Goewyn: (Puts her head over the hole) Dig, dog! Dig or I’ll come down there and make you eat your own corpse. Dig!
Brick: (Slowly picks up the spade).
Goewyn: (To Jorja) It’s always a struggle.
Brick: (Pushes corpse out of way. Begins to dig. After a short time, hits something hard. Clears muck from around it. It’s a box. Looks up. Lifts it up. Opens it. There’s a piece of paper inside. He reads). “On the 17th September 2015, Jorja asked you if you wanted a cup of coffee. You were reading a book. You ignored her. She left the room.”
Brick: Hm. (Puts the piece of paper back in the box. Wonders where to put the box. Puts it on the corpse. Looks up. Goes back to digging).
Goewyn: (To Jorja while touching her hair) Your hair is growing longer.
Jorja: (Touching her face) I can feel the wrinkles setting in.
Brick: (Hits another hard object and extricates it. Again, a box containing a piece of paper. Opens and reads). “On the 21st November 2015, Jorja told you what the doctor said. You spoke to her angrily. She hung up.”
Brick: My mood had nothing to do with her. I told her that. (Puts the piece of paper back in the box. Wonders where to put the box. Puts it on top of the other box. Goes back to digging).
Jorja: I dreamt the other night I lost a tooth. Have you ever had a dream like that?
Goewyn: No.
Brick: (Hits another hard object and extricates it. Again, a box containing a piece of paper. Opens and reads). “On the 21st November 2015, Jorja objected to your tone. You told her to grow up and stop acting like a child. She slapped you across the face.”
Brick: (Angrily shoves the piece of paper back into the box. Puts it on top of the other boxes. Shouts up at the women) I showed great restraint!
Goewyn: (Looks down at Brick and then to Jorja) I have fond memories of watching you two.
Jorja: Now that I’m older, I find my memory unreliable.
Brick: (Looks at the pile of boxes) That’s three. (Shouts up at Goewyn) Is she dead yet?
Goewyn: (Shouts down) Almost.
Brick: (Grumbles. Goes back to digging. Hits another box. Tries to open it but can’t. Continues to struggle).
Jorja: (Weakly) I would like to be remembered fondly. (Stumbles).
Goewyn: (Pushes Jorja into the hole)
Jorja: (Falls lifeless next to Brick who drops the box which opens on hitting the ground. He then looks at it and at her and shrugs. Takes out the piece of paper. Reads).
“On the 24th of December 2015, Jorja.”
Brick: (Shouts up to Goewyn) It says “On the 24th of December. Jorja”. That’s all.
Goewyn: Yes.
Brick: Well?
Goewyn: I’ll help you out.
Brick: (Stacks the last box on the others and with Goewyn’s help and climbs out).
Brick: Thank you.
Goewyn: You’re welcome.
Brick: (Stares at her).
Goewyn: …
Brick: (Takes her hand).
(Curtain)
Source: Hole by Paul R. Buckle
