Scene 2: A Nurse named VioletON THE TRAIN. OTTO SITS ON THE
BENCHES AS IF IT WERE THE CARRIAGE OF A TRAIN. CHARACTERS WHO ARE
NOT IN THE MAIN SCENE SIT IN THE CARRIAGE WITH OTTO.OTTO:My beloved
baby, don't be angry that I haven't written for so long, but now
that we are at war there is so terribly much to do that I scarcely
know whether I'm coming or going. I'm sorry for my writing, but I
can't do any better than this as I'm on the train to the front at
the moment and I arrive tomorrow morning. War has reached me
already as I am sleeping in the straw and instead of going on leave
to see my beloved baby I am off to some field in France and God
grant that we will see each other again. Pray for your Otto, as
when he is in the greatest danger he will be thinking of you. Write
to me often, for I am so unhappy that I might have to lose you and
never be able to see you again. I think of you and kiss your little
picture which I keep next to my heart and will have until I die.I
close my letter with the request to give your mother my heartfelt
regards, and remain, embracing you tenderly with my warmest
greetings and kisses, loving you forever faithfully and sincerely,
your Otto. LX: LIGHT UP ON ROSTRUM VIOLET stands on the central
dais, back to back with NURSE 1 and NURSE 2 They all speak in the
form of a soundscape until COVE begins to speak. NURSE 1:The
trenches of the first world war. NURSE 2:Artillery ripping the sky
apart. VIOLET:Sheltering the in the dirt. NURSE 2:Men lived and
died on the front line, and women took on new roles back home:
factory worker, farm owner - the bread-winner. VIOLET:There were
women on the frontline too, alongside the men. But that bit tends
to be forgotten. NURSE 1:Less well remembered. LX: LIGHT ON STAGE
Cpt COVE is addressing the audience COVE:And lastly, there will be
women working at the advance first aid station being set up along
the trenches as of next week. They are to be treated with no less
courtesy than any of you fine gentlemen could possibly afford
because lets face it when youre lying there wounded its her whos
going to be stood over you holding a scalpel and a bone saw, am I
understood? COVE exits and the focus shifts to VIOLET conducting an
operation on the rostrum. There is a German Soldier there who is
screaming. The NURSES are trying to calm him down. VIOLET:Reduce
the bleeding, get some bandages to bind the upper arm, they did a
shit job of this at the dressing station. NURSE 1:He's German?
Should we be treating him? NURSE 1 brings bandages to the table.
VIOLET:Hes a soldier. Were here to treat wounded soldiers. And soak
this swab in tincture of iodine, we need to clean the wound. NURSE
2:Tincture ran out this morning. VIOLET:Damn. (To soldier) Look at
me, you are going to be okay, if you stay calm this will go
quicker. (To nurses) Private Merchant generally carries a
hip-flask; the alcohol will have to do. Go find him NURSE 2 leaves
to find the SOLDIER, who is sitting nearby VIOLET: (CONT'D)How long
will it take them to get a bloody translator down here? NURSE 1:I
don' think they care that much, they just want them alive. NURSE 2
brings in TIM, he is on a crutch. TIM:My hipflask? NURSE 2:For an
important medical procedure. It could save a man's life, now hand
it over. TIM:Sure, right! Anything to help a fellow Tommy eh? He
hands over the alcohol and winks. NURSE 2 turns from him and
hurries back to the first aid station. VIOLET soaks a cloth in the
alcohol. VIOLET:(to soldier) Okay this is going to sting but just
take deep breaths... VIOLET swabs the soldiers wounds with the
cloth, he screams in pain. The nurses are clearly uncomfortable but
are trying to keep him calm. VIOLET and the SOLDIER then freeze as
NURSE 1 & 2 step back and comment on the scene. NURSE 2:I
always hate these sort of days; I'm never sure if what I am doing
is right or wrong. We're shooting them down out there and then
we're just fixing them again. But I guess they aren't going to
fight us anymore and we can't just leave them there right? But then
they would kill our men given the chance? But Violet keeps us on
the right path. NURSE 1: (CONT'D)But she keeps herself distracted
with her work. She will always be the thing we can count on when
everything else changes so quickly. Without her I don't think I
could cope with it all when the next lot come from the dressing
station. At the end of the day we aren't the ones killing, and we
are treating everyone. So that must be the right thing?
VIOLET:Thats the last of the P.O.W.s for today She checks her
watch. The nurses move the soldier back to the bench VIOLET:We
should be rotated to the stationary in an hour. Unless theres an
emergency we can take a rest! Well done ladies. Someone go and tell
the captain that they are ready for transportation to prison camps.
NURSE 2 washes hands in a bowl and leaves to find COVE. VIOLET and
NURSE 1 sit on stools where they have been operating and talk.
VIOLET: (CONT'D)Its strange isnt it. To think this place was once
just another bit of countryside. Or a village. Or something. Now
its changed so much you can hardly tell. NURSE 1:You can't even
hear the birds anymore. VIOLET:Yeah, the bombs have scared them off
I wander if they will ever come back? NURSE 1:See we've just got
used to the noise now, I barely even notice it. VIOLET:People do
that - get used to things. Its only when things change it seems
unusual. Out there I've seen bakers, miners, teachers, and youd
never know it. Mostly they act like they've been soldiers forever.
VIOLET is lost in thought. NURSE 1, looking down at the German
soldier they have just treated, she talks more to fill the silence
than anything else. NURSE 1:Your man's German isn't he. VIOLET seem
uncomfortable about the topic. VIOLET:My Otto? Yes he is.... NURSE
2:What? He's a German?! NURSE 1:Why do you think she cares so much?
VIOLET:Erm... NURSE 1:You realise he's killing our people? As in my
husband! NURSE 2:And my brother! VIOLET:Its not my fault he's on
the other side! NURSE 2:(sarcastic) Oh yeah, sorry Violet, that
makes it all okay then... VIOLET:We are all in this war, he has to
fight for his side like we have to fight for ours! NURSE 1:You
speak a lot of shit you do Violet. NURSE 2:Now we know why you care
so much! VIOLET:Hey us women have to be strong, German or not
everyone relies on us. NURSE 1:I don't have a problem with my job
as I'm here to help, but be engaged to one... I always thought you
seemed attached... Pause. NURSE 1 and 2 realise they shouldn't be
getting so upset. They calm down slightly. NURSE 2:Are you not
constantly paranoid? VIOLET:Yeah of course I am... NURSE 1:And do
you actually believe you will see him again if he's not....
VIOLET:I don't know, I try to get on with what I have to do. NURSE
2:Well if you think we're unhappy imagine what Tim will say when he
finds out. VIOLET:Please girls, don't! I understand you're upset
but please! NURSE 1:It would make our job ten times worse if
everyone did know, you've heard how Tim talks about the Bosch.
NURSE 2:I really don't see what's in it for me... NURSE 1:It's
just.... It's been a few months and I haven't heard from mine. My
Larry. But he's out there somewhere. VIOLET:Oh God, I'm sorry-
NURSE 1:No, don't be.... I've not had bad news so that must be good
news... right? It is clear she doesn't believe her own words.
Another pause before almost simultaneously they both say.
VIOLET:I'm sorry- NURSE 1:I shouldn't have- They meet each others
eyes again before VIOLET touches NURSE 1s arm and says.
VIOLET:Perhaps not looking back is whatll keep us sane. Hold the
moment for a time. They are interrupted by a sudden knocking on a
post , SOLDIERS 1 and 2 have arrived. TIM:Hello ladies, and how is
life in the clearing centre? I was wondering if youd finished with
my hipflask, I mean Id do anything for you ladies but that stuff
doesnt come cheap out here! And how are the wounded? Does it look
like were winning yet? By God, this is a Bosh uniform? What's going
on here? VIOLET stands up quickly. VIOLET:Theyre from the wounded
prisoners of war from the German advance last night. And youre not
supposed to be in here. Have your flask back. VIOLET thrusts the
flask back into SOLDIER 1's hands. TIM:Its bloody empty! Youve been
wasting good quality whisky on cleaning some Sausage Eaters wounds?
I wouldnt bother knocking them down out there if I knew you were in
here standing them back up again while I wasnt looking! VIOLET:How
dare you! These are brave soldiers who've left their homes, just
like you! Get out of my ward! The SOLDIERS leave though SOLDIER 1
throws one last remark over his soldier. TIM:You dont find men in
these trenches. We're soldiers, people with rifles and uniform and
no history. And a soldier will shoot another soldier when an
officer tells him to, just because the other ones wearing the wrong
colour uniform. He turns to go again, leaving VIOLET on her feet
shaking with rage and emotion. The SOLDIERs path is impeded however
by NURSE 2, returning with Cpt COVE who takes in the scene.
COVE:Ah, Private Merchant, correct me if Im wrong. And you wouldn't
be causing some kind of trouble in this ward which you are not
allowed to be in would you? VIOLET regains her composure.
VIOLET:Private Blakely was here for the return of a hipflask of
alcohol we borrowed to sterilise the wound of a German P.O.W. sir.
COVE:Was he? Good. Because I would hate to think you were causing
trouble Merchant. Do you know why it is that we take such good care
of our prisoners of war? TIM:No sir... VIOLET:Because they're just
people, the same as our lads sir, and ours are being treated the
same. COVE:Correct. A few hundred yards in the direction our lads
are having the exact same treatment. So if we start kicking the
heads in of these men, that would give the Bosh the right to do the
same. And since you are already here, perhaps you wouldn't mind
lending a hand in lifting the P.O.W.s who cant walk into the
ambulances. There is a sudden flurry of motion as the soldiers aid
in packing away the first aid tent before clearing the stage,
leaving VIOLET alone on the rostrum. SX: 'SOMETHING THAT LASTS' BY
ALEXANDER WOLFE LX: SILHOUETTE PROJECTIONS BEGIN WITH COLD
SPOTLIGHT ON ROSTRUM VIOLET pulls back as if she has entered her
own mind. First projection shows a man crawling through tunnels
with VIOLET mimicking but is in fact trying to help a patient on
the floor. VIOLET and the projection both stand up and put a sheet
over someone. VIOLET looks as if its OTTO she is covering. The man
sits up with his head in his hands. Again VIOLET does the same
while writing a letter. (more parallels could be added). VIOLET
speaks as the silhouettes are shown. SX: MUSIC GOES TO LOW VOLUME
VIOLET:Otto It feels so long since you last wrote I am starting to
miss you dearly, despite all the work keeping me busy. Whenever a
new truck of wounded parks up outside the clearing station I am so
scared that I will see your face. Of course, I cant allow the
others to see how jumpy I am becoming, as they rely on me so much.
I must appear strong. As strong as any soldier out there. OTTO goes
to down to VIOLET, she is oblivious to him. While VIOLET talks OTTO
walks behind trying to reach her but never quite making it. There
is a Frantic Assembly style movement between them. VIOLET:
(CONT'D)Thinking about soldiers today A rather unpleasant man named
Merchant said that men stop being men when they become soldiers. I
know that cant be true, because of you how you still write to me,
despite my being on the other side. What should that matter, its
just a case of where we were born right? Who can help that? Anyway,
if there is any truth in Merchants words then please, when this war
is over, remember how to stop being a soldier with a rifle and a
uniform and no past, and learn how to be yourself again. I think
that might be the only way we can know peace. OTTO and TIM return
to the rostrum to talk OTTO:I never found out if she got any of my
letters. The constant disapproval from my C.Os made it difficult to
send anything. TIM:Well I can imagine they thought it was because
you were sleeping with the enemy! And we probably thought the same.
OTTO:You know what I shouldn't have mentioned it. Why should I if
your still just going to insult me? TIM:Well excuse me if I think
treating wounded P.O.Ws is sadistic when they are just going to be
thrown back out to shot again! Pause TIM: (CONT'D)What did you say
her name was again? OTTO:I'm not talking about it anymore. TIM:Oh
come on, look I'm sorry. It's just hard to come to grasps with the
fact I'm in the last hour of my life. OTTO:Fine. She's called
Violet. Pause TIM:Last name? OTTO:Boyens? TIM:You shitting me!
OTTO:What? TIM:Was she at Armentieres? OTTO:Um yeah I think so...
TIM:I'm so sorry... she's up there now... OTTO is in shock OTTO:
(CONT'D)WHAT?! I'VE GOT TO GET UP THERE!! OTTO bursts up to try and
start digging at the wall. TIM grabs him to get him to calm down.
TIM:No you said it yourself! We can't get out you'll bring the roof
down! OTTO:She's so close! I can't die down here! TIM:Calm down!
TIM pushes OTTO back and punches him. TIM: (CONT'D)Pull yourself
together man! Do you want to die here scrabbling for breath? Look
at me. LOOK AT ME. She will be thinking of you I know it. She loves
you, otherwise she wouldn't have got so pissed when I called you
lot sausage eaters. We all have someone but she will be looked
after. Please don't make me have to punch you again. It just makes
it harder for the both of us. I'm sorry. OTTO:...she's so close....
SHE'S SO BLOODY CLOSE!! TIM:I'm sorry. But the C.Os are
understanding, they'll make sure she knows what happens... I hope
they know what happened. Cove was always the best, he understood
everyone's point of view, would never let us near the P.O.Ws
because he knew how we felt. It was a sad day when he left....
