! ! ! ! ! ! EIGHT BELLS! ! ! ! 2-4-1

! ! ! ! ! ! (The LIGHTS RISE on The Porch - only one ! ! ! ! ! ! lawn chair - Cap is sitting in it, staring off and ! ! ! ! ! ! listening to the SOUNDS of the sea - ENTER ! ! ! ! ! ! MADGE from around the back of the duplex ! ! ! ! ! ! - she runs up the steps)! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! MADGEDaddy! - I went to ask Roy could he make me some new cabinets - I knocked and knocked and called his name, then looked through the screen door when he didn’t answer - he was lying on his bed, not moving - you better see if something’s wrong!! ! ! ! ! ! (Cap gets up and goes around back, EXITS, as ! ! ! ! ! ! Madge sits down in the lawn chair, agitated, ! ! ! ! ! ! looks out to sea, listening to the low surf ! ! ! ! ! ! coming in and out - Cap comes back, ENTERS ! ! ! ! ! ! with the little space heater, comes up the porch ! ! ! ! ! ! steps, puts the heater down)

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPWal, Madge.. reckon Roy won’t need th heater no more...! ! ! ! ! ! (Madge gets up, goes down the steps, EXITS - ! ! ! ! ! ! Cap sits down in the lawn chair, looks out to ! ! ! ! ! ! sea - the SOUND of the Buick pulling into the ! ! ! ! ! ! sand driveway, a car door opens and closes ! ! ! ! ! ! and UNCLE JIMMY, in khakis and an officer’s ! ! ! ! ! ! cap, swings up the steps, stands next to CAP)

! ! ! ! ! ! UNCLE JIMMY! ! ! ! ! ! (Running his hand threw his hair)Whewww!.. what a job, night matin’ - rained all night from the storm! - and then the sulfur line got stopped, and the tower called the Coast Guard out - just a block in the line, I said to them - got a sailor to clear it...! ! ! ! ! ! (Pauses, looks at CAP)! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! CAPIt’s eight bells for Roy, Jimmy - he’s stiff as a board...

! ! ! ! ! ! JIMMY! ! ! ! ! ! (Pauses)

I’ll go up and call the coroner.. and Pop.. I want you to know.. I’m sorry about Mrs. Tilson...

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPWal, Jimmy - Roy was me renter - but Ruth was me best friend...

Copyright Ed Ballou, 2014

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 2-4-2! ! ! ! ! ! JIMMY! ! ! ! ! ! (Looks off, listens to the sea)You still own that plot of land on The Rock, where your Dad passed?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPShore.. me Ma left it ta me...

! ! ! ! ! ! JIMMYWhen’s the last time you were down on The Rock?

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPNineteen-ought-four, when I went ta sea..

! ! ! ! ! ! JIMMYSeventy years and you haven’t been back.. how about you and me and Madge take a flight down - we could stay at that little place cousin Ainsley runs - give you a chance to see The Rock, again - we’ll hike over to the plot, under those cliffs...

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPNot sure I wants ta see th plot, again, Jimmy.. it’s below them cliffs where them rocks come down on me Pappy...

! ! ! ! ! ! JIMMYYou’d be going back to your Pop...

! ! ! ! ! ! CAP! ! ! ! ! ! (Pauses, stares out to sea)Wal.. maybe we should go down ta The Rock...

! ! ! ! ! ! JIMMYI’ll tell Madge...! ! ! ! ! ! (Clambers down the steps, strides off around ! ! ! ! ! ! the corner of the duplex, EXITS. The LIGHTS ! ! ! ! ! ! DIM on The Porch, LIGHTS RISE on The Plot - ! ! ! ! ! ! large rocks are strewn around - ENTER CAP, ! ! ! ! ! ! JIMMY and MADGE - they wander through the ! ! ! ! ! ! rocks, saying nothing - CAP looks down, picks ! ! ! ! ! ! up a rock the size of a breadfruit with a dull red ! ! ! ! ! ! stain on it - he looks down at it, then stares up ! ! ! ! ! ! at the cliffs.)

! ! ! ! ! ! CAPThem goats started it all.. here come them rocks n’ there went me Pappy.. n’ there I went, sailin’ away from me Ma, off ta sea.. it were them goats started me on my voyage...

Copyright Ed Ballou, 2014

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 2-4-3! ! ! ! ! ! (The SOUND of goats above)

! ! ! ! ! ! JIMMYHey! - there’s still goats up there, after all these years!! ! ! ! ! ! (They all look up - we hear the soft bounding of ! ! ! ! ! ! a rock coming down the cliffs in the form of a ! ! ! ! ! ! bouncing ball of light - it comes to rest across ! ! ! ! ! ! from them, among the other rocks on The Plot)

! ! ! ! ! ! MADGE Maybe it’s a sign, Daddy...! ! ! ! ! ! (Cap looks at the rock, picks it up, looks down ! ! ! ! ! ! at it, then looks up at the cliffs - the scuttling ! ! ! ! ! ! SOUND of the goats above)

! ! ! ! ! ! JIMMY! ! ! ! ! ! (Pauses, looks around)Tell you what, Pop.. I’ll get a house built for you on this plot - hire some of our cousins to build it cheap - even terrace a garden - you can plant your crops - maybe even a breadfruit tree!! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! CAP! ! ! ! ! ! (Looks up at the cliffs again, turns and looks ! ! ! ! ! ! out to sea, listens to the waves crashing below ! ! ! ! ! ! against the cliffs)Wal, shore.. that’d be all right.. rent out both sides o’ th duplex, ‘n live down here near him... he’s down there, Jimmy, at th graveyard by th bend in th old stone road.. n’ when it’s eight bells fer me, Jimmy, plant me with me Pappy, ‘n them what come before...! ! ! ! ! ! (The SOUND of goats scuttling above on the ! ! ! ! ! ! cliffs - Cap looks up, as the LIGHTS DIM on ! ! ! ! ! ! The Plot, LIGHTS RISE on The Pulpit - Teddy ! ! ! ! ! ! stands at it)! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDYI went back to California and the girl was gone and the sea was gone and I painted houses for way too long.. but finally I made a place for myself in the world - not an exciting life, not the life of the ships - but I did chart my own course and followed my own star.. still, I would come back to Florida, and later here to The Rock - visit my old Granpot during his remaining years - he never changed, but he never did try to get me on the sea, again - maybe he knew the seafaring life of “them who come before”, men from The Rock, would finally end with the retirement of his own son, Jimmy... I’ve always wondered what my life would have been, if I had stayed on the sea - what voyages, what ports, what adventures!... I guess I’ll never know... ! ! ! !

Copyright Ed Ballou, 2014

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 2-4-4! ! ! ! ! ! (The LIGHTS DIM on The Pulpit, LIGHTS ! ! ! ! ! ! RISE on The Porch - empty, with just one lawn ! ! ! ! ! ! chair - a pause, and Jimmy ENTERS out Cap’s ! ! ! ! ! ! side of the duplex with a sign in his hand - he ! ! ! ! ! ! looks down at the empty lawn chair for a ! ! ! ! ! ! moment, then grabs it with one hand, swings it ! ! ! ! ! ! into the duplex, locks the door, slowly closes ! ! ! ! ! ! the screen door, turns and looks out to sea - ! ! ! ! ! ! we hear the SOUND of low surf - he slowly ! ! ! ! ! ! goes down the steps, pauses and looks at the ! ! ! ! ! ! “Crest of the Waves sign in front, attaches a ! ! ! ! ! ! “For Sale” sign to it, strides OFFSTAGE, EXITS ! ! ! ! ! ! - we hear a car door slam, then the SOUND of ! ! ! ! ! ! the Buick starting up and crunching away on ! ! ! ! ! ! the shell road, leaving only the SOUNDS of the ! ! ! ! ! ! low breakers hissing onto the nearby beach. ! ! ! ! ! ! The LIGHTS DIM on The Porch, LIGHTS RISE ! ! ! ! ! ! on The Pulpit. Teddy looks down at the coffin)

! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! TEDDY ! ! ! ! !After a few years on The Rock, Cap passed back into his own century.. and now here he lies.. in the last port on his last voyage, smelling the sea, hearing the gulls, and hearing the crashing of waves against the cliffs of his beloved Rock.. ride easy now at anchor, Cap, for your watch is over...! ! ! ! ! ! (Goes to the bell of the Rebecca Palmer! ! ! ! ! ! RINGS it twice, pauses, RINGS it twice more, ! ! ! ! ! ! pauses then two more RINGS, pauses, then a ! ! ! ! ! ! final two RINGS that echo away as the ! ! ! ! ! ! LIGHTS DIM on The Pulpit, leaving a light on ! ! ! ! ! ! the coffin, which fades to black)

! ! ! ! ! ! CURTAIN! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! !

Copyright Ed Ballou, 2014