MELANIE appears from stage right and tentatively makes her way towards centre stage. She smoothes down the fabric of her dress and stares at her feet.
MELANIE:
Carried away by an army of ants.
(she looks up)
That's what the coroner's report said. No mention
of what they did to him. Just that he was carried
away. He wasn't seen again.
(she smiles and looks down)
I'm not smiling at the obvious comedy within that
statement. I'm smiling to fight the tears.
(she looks up)
You don't fight fire with a burning torch, you use
water. For grief; laughter, until that laughter turns
to tears. He was mine was Eric. We were each
others. Swept away by the romance of each
other's eyes. The secrets we shared. The private
obsession with Brideshead Revisited that we
were playing out that day by picnicking in our
whitest linen clothes, basking in the glorious, camp
sunshine. Admiring each other's creases, the plait
of my dress excited him. It was the finely handled
linen against my smooth skin that inspired him to
pick a strawberry from our basket and delicately
(she looks up)
That's what the coroner's report said. No mention
of what they did to him. Just that he was carried
away. He wasn't seen again.
(she smiles and looks down)
I'm not smiling at the obvious comedy within that
statement. I'm smiling to fight the tears.
(she looks up)
You don't fight fire with a burning torch, you use
water. For grief; laughter, until that laughter turns
to tears. He was mine was Eric. We were each
others. Swept away by the romance of each
other's eyes. The secrets we shared. The private
obsession with Brideshead Revisited that we
were playing out that day by picnicking in our
whitest linen clothes, basking in the glorious, camp
sunshine. Admiring each other's creases, the plait
of my dress excited him. It was the finely handled
linen against my smooth skin that inspired him to
pick a strawberry from our basket and delicately
rub it on my cheek.
(she touches her cheek)
An excuse to lick of the residual juice.
(she smiles)
Any passers by wouldn't have baulked at this.
Wouldn't have batted an eyelid.
(she stops)
Oh but the thrill I felt; his soft lips on my warm
cheek; sweat mixed with strawberry pulp - an
animal vegetable passion. And then I decided to
halt him in his throes, to take a walk alone over to
an apple tree so I could still my beating heart and
find the inner strength to return his all consuming
love.
(she touches her cheek)
An excuse to lick of the residual juice.
(she smiles)
Any passers by wouldn't have baulked at this.
Wouldn't have batted an eyelid.
(she stops)
Oh but the thrill I felt; his soft lips on my warm
cheek; sweat mixed with strawberry pulp - an
animal vegetable passion. And then I decided to
halt him in his throes, to take a walk alone over to
an apple tree so I could still my beating heart and
find the inner strength to return his all consuming
love.
(she turns around and looks back)
They call it the lovers break. It intensifies the
passion.
(she turns back around)
They call it the lovers break. It intensifies the
passion.
(she turns back around)
I leant against the old apple tree, rejoicing in the
shade; savouring my solitude, knowing that the
ache would be swiftly quenched by his eager hunt.
A game of kiss chase between two. Though I
wasn't running. I was waiting. And then he was
gone. Nowhere to be seen. For ten seconds it
gave me an electric thrill. To think he would allow
my lonliness to be drawn out for even longer, I
anticipated his rough, unannounced arrival. But it
never came. Carried away by ants they said.
shade; savouring my solitude, knowing that the
ache would be swiftly quenched by his eager hunt.
A game of kiss chase between two. Though I
wasn't running. I was waiting. And then he was
gone. Nowhere to be seen. For ten seconds it
gave me an electric thrill. To think he would allow
my lonliness to be drawn out for even longer, I
anticipated his rough, unannounced arrival. But it
never came. Carried away by ants they said.
(she wipes away a tear)
They're stronger than you think.
They're stronger than you think.
Melanie lowers her head, turns around slowly and exits stage left.
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