Crest of the Waves - Two Bells

! ! ! ! ! ! TWO BELLS !! ! ! ! 1-2-1

! ! ! ! ! ! (The distant, periodic SOUND of a foghorn - ! ! ! ! ! ! - CAP sitting in his lawn chair, smoking a pipe ! ! ! ! ! ! - TEDDY ENTERS through the right screen ! ! ! ! ! ! door, stands on the porch)

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWhat time’s the fight?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPEight o’clock..!! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY! ! ! ! ! ! (Poking his head back through the screen door, ! ! ! ! ! ! looking up at a clock)Ten minutes..! ! ! ! ! ! (Pauses, gesturing inside)Where’d you get that clock made of driftwood?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPYour Uncle Jimmy made it..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY! ! ! ! ! ! (Sitting in the other lawn chair)He’s pretty handy with wood..

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPShore..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYHow about you?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAP! ! ! ! ! !Some...! !! ! ! ! ! ! (He smokes, they sit, listening to the foghorn)

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPHow’s Mim’s fence comin’?

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYGot it about scraped down - gonna prime it tomorrow... I can see the Little Nick from Mim’s place, anchored in the Pass - keeps bobbing up and down in the waves, straining against its anchor chain - like it’s trying to bust loose and sail away on it’s own! - I feel like that, Granpot, when I’m painting Mim’s fence...

Copyright Ed Ballou, 2014

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1-2-2! ! ! ! ! ! CAPWal, maybe your Uncle Jimmy can get ya on th sea, boy..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYThink so?! ! ! ! ! ! (A pause, TEDDY again gestures inside)And you got a lamp in there, made out of some instrument..

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPYour Uncle Jimmy made it outta’ me ol’ sextant..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWhat’s that?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPLines you up with th stars, so’s you can tell where your ship is - then you can chart your course..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYYou sailed by the stars?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAP! ! ! ! ! !Shore, th only way you could sail in th ol’ days..! ! ! ! ! ! (They listen to the foghorn)Fog’s thick on th Gulf..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWhere’s the foghorn?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPOn a big (red) buoy, on th channel comin‘ in..!

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYYou seen it?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPPlenty..! ! ! ! ! ! (They listen to the foghorn)Sounds like th one at The Rock..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYThey had a foghorn on The Rock?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAP So th ships wouldn’t wreck on her cliffs.. used to listen ta’ it, when I was a boy..


! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1-2-3! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY Before you shipped!out?!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! CAPCabin boy, thirty a month - hadta send it all back ta take care o’ me Ma...! ! ! ! ! ! (They listen to the foghorn)

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY ! ! ! ! !Why’d you ship out?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPMe pappy passed away, while he was farmin’ our plot on The Rock..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYHe was a farmer?! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! CAPHad ta quit th sea. when he got a fire coal in his hand, couldn’t sail no more, had ta take up farmin...

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYAnd what did his dad do?!! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! CAPSame, went ta sea, like th rest o’ them..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYAnd his granddad?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPTa sea - like all them what come before...

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYAnd Uncle Jimmy shipped out, too..

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPIt’s in our blood, me boy - your blood, too...! ! ! ! ! ! (They listen to the foghorn)

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYHow far is it to The Rock? - like if we took the Little Nick..!! !! ! ! ! ! ! CAP! ! ! ! ! !Depends on th wind n’ th currents..


! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1-2-4! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY A week?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPMaybe ten, twelve day (check!) - with th wind at our back n’ currents runnin’ our way..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY! ! ! ! ! ! (Pauses)Think we could take the Little Nick out in the Gulf - just the two of us?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPShore..! ! ! ! ! ! (They listen to the foghorn, the LIGHTS DIM, ! ! ! ! ! ! on The Porch, RISE on CAP and TEDDY ! ! ! ! ! ! sitting on The Railing, holding on to the rigging ! ! ! ! ! ! that goes up to the mast - the gentle rhythmic ! ! ! ! ! ! rocking motion of the ship is suggested by light ! ! ! ! ! ! in the darkness, a thousand stars overhead)

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYGee, we sailed out to see the sunset, and now it’s dark and I can’t see land and there’s no wind - now what do we do?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPDrift..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY You mean, drift out to sea? - can’t you call someone on the radio?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPGot no radio..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY ! ! ! ! !No radio, you have no radio?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPBetter ta be out here alone..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWe’re alone, all right - no one knows where we are - we don’t even know where we are!

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPI know..


! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1-2-5! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYHow can you tell?!! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! CAPBy th stars.. see that one up there? - that’s th Big Dipper.. handle points ta th North Star.. there! - that’s north, that’s south, that’s west n’ that’s east, where land is...

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYBut we’re drifting away from land!

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPTide’s pullin’ us in..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWhat happens when the tide goes out and there’s still no wind - then what?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPI’ll start th engine..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYYou got an engine on this, this old..

! ! ! ! ! ! CAP! ! ! ! !.. two-masted sloop, double-ender..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWell, fire it up, Granpot!

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPToo noisy..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYGranpot! - we could drift to our deaths on some forgotten shore! - you’ve lived a long life - I’ve just started mine! - I’m not ready to meet my Maker!

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPTeddy.. when He calls ya - ya better go..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYI didn’t know he’d call this soon!

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPGrin ‘n bear it, boy... soon’s th wind comes up, we’ll make it back ta th Pass..


! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1-2-6! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWhich direction is that? - all I see is the Gulf!

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPDue east a few mile.. see th lights, boy?

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWhere? - there? - those lights? - that’s the Pass?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPYup..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY ! ! ! !Well! .. that’s better.. that’s not so far.. we could almost swim there! - couldn’t we?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPNot plannin’ to..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWe’ve drifted that far in towards shore, huh?! ! ! ! ! ! (Looks toward shore)Do you think we can see the lights of the Crest of the Waves, in all those other lights? - did you leave any lights on?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPPorch light, ‘n maybe Madge’s little light is on, out back..! ! ! ! ! ! (A pause, the SOUNDS of the sea)

What happened with you n’ the girl?!! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYShe dumped me... you know, Granpot, I can still see her face...

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPJust stay away from th anchor rope, me boy...

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWhat?! ! ! ! ! ! (Cap doesn’t answer - Teddy looks around)You know.. this is really not so bad.. here we are, alone in the night - clear water below, clear sky above, a thousand stars - and just the two of us, me and my Grandpa, on a small wooden sloop - why, we could be out in space somewhere, in a spaceship! - you think much about space, Granpot?!

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! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1-2-7! ! ! ! ! ! CAP! ! ! ! ! !Nope..! ! ! ! ! ! (A pause, the SOUNDS of the sea)

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYYou know.. we don’t really have to go back to the Pass.. we could just keep on sailing - to The Rock! Could the Little Nick sail all the way to The Rock?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPShore, if we had enough stores..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWell, couldn’t we put into a port and get some? - like Key West! - that’s on the way! - get more stores - and then set sail, again - for The Rock! - which way is Key West, south?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPSouth, southwest.. (check!)

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWhat do say, Granpot? - what an adventure! - we’ll sail down to The Rock and drop anchor and you could visit, while I explore! - why, those lights over there could be from The Rock! - expect higher, I guess, being there’s cliffs - how high are they?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPFew hundred feet..!! !! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYAnd then we could see the lights of, of..

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPLittle villages, five of ‘em..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY ! ! ! !And people from The Rock will crowd the cliffs to see us! - Cap, finally coming back to The Rock in his two-masted schooner, the Little Nick - with grandson Teddy at the helm, sailing her right up to the cliffs! - you dropping the anchor.. !! !! ! ! ! ! ! CAPIf I could lift th anchor - that’s your job, Brutus..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYYou know, Granpot, I read about The Rock - it’s an extinct volcano poking right up out of the sea..!

! ! ! ! !


! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1-2-8! ! ! ! ! ! CAPCould be..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY.. and nobody was there for thousands of years - just birds and plants and animals - whatever flew or floated up and took hold - hawks, mice, breadfruit trees.. and then the ancient Indians came - lived there for centuries, and disappeared - and then, and then - nobody, until Columbus sailed by The Rock, jotting it down in his log - and then still nobody, until our Dutch people came and settled it three hundred years ago - “them what come before” - the people from The Rock! - you know, Granpot, when we sail up in the Little Nick, it could just as well be the year Sixteen-seventy as Nineteen-seventy - why, we could sail ourselves right back into the past!

! ! ! ! ! ! CAP! ! ! ! ! ! (Taking a small piece of volcanic rock from ! ! ! ! ! ! his pocket, handing it to TEDDY) !Here boy - a piece of The Rock - I kept it with me all these years - and now I’m passin’ it ta you, ta remind ya of where we come from and who we are...! ! ! ! ! ! (Pauses, looks up at the sails)Wind’s pickin’ up.. grab th tiller, while I trim th sails - you steer us back into th Pass, boy, steady as she goes - n’ forget about th past...

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY! ! ! ! ! ! (Pauses, looks far out to sea, sighs, gets up)Aye, aye, Captain...!! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! (The LIGHTS DIM on The Railing, LIGHTS ! ! ! ! ! ! RISE on The Porch)! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYHow old were you, when your dad passed and you shipped out?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPThirteen..

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYI’m twenty-three.. think I’ll ever ship out?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPHope so, boy - Bobby n’ Madge got no kids...! ! ! ! ! ! (The SOUND of the foghorn)

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYWhy’d you quit the sea?! ! !! ! ! ! !


! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1-2-9! ! ! ! ! ! CAP! ! ! ! ! ! (Pauses, smokes)We was unloadin’ cargo in Mobile.. I wanted to go up ta your Aunt Madge’s weddin’ in New York.. told th ship’s agent th mate could finish th unloadin’.. he said no, captain hasta’ stay with his ship..! ! ! ! ! ! (Pauses, smokes)

! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY ! ! ! ! !Well, did you?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPTold th agent ta’ sail th ship up his ass n’ drop both anchors.. went up ta th weddin’, but got blacklisted on th Gulf when I come back down, couldn’t ship no more...! ! ! ! ! ! (Smokes, gets up, RINGS the bell twice)Let’s go in n’ watch th fight, Rufus...! ! ! ! ! ! (They EXIT through the screen door, the! ! ! ! ! ! LIGHTS DIM on The Porch)

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Crest of the Waves - Two Bells