The Miracle Worker (12 page)

KATE:
That's her sign for me.

ANNIE:
I know.

(
HELEN
waits, then recommences her groping, more urgently.
KATE
stands indecisive, and takes an abrupt step toward her, but
ANNIE'S
hand is a barrier.)

In two weeks.

KATE:
Miss Annie, I— Please be good to her. These two weeks, try to be very good to her—

ANNIE:
I will.

(
KATE,
turning then, hurries out. The
KELLERS
cross back of the main house.

ANNIE
closes the door.
HELEN
starts at the door jar, and rushes it.
ANNIE
holds her off.
HELEN
kicks her, breaks free, and careens around the room like an imprisoned bird, colliding with furniture, groping wildly, repeatedly touching her cheek in a growing panic. When she has covered the room, she commences her weird screaming.
ANNIE
moves to comfort her, but her touch sends
HELEN
into a paroxysm of rage: she tears away, falls over her box of toys, flings the box too, reels to her feet, rips
curtains from the window, bangs and kicks at the door, sweeps objects off the mantelpiece and shelf, a little tornado incarnate, all destruction, until she comes upon her doll and, in the act of hurling it, freezes. Then she clutches it to herself, and in exhaustion sinks sobbing to the floor.
ANNIE
stands contemplating her, in some awe.)

Two weeks.

(She shakes her head, not without a touch of disgusted bewilderment.)

What did I get into now?

(The lights have been dimming throughout, and the garden house is lit only by moonlight now, with
ANNIE
lost in the patches of dark.

KATE,
now hatless and coatless, enters the family room by the rear door, carrying a lamp.
KELLER,
also hatless, wanders simultaneously around the back of the main house to where
JAMES
has been waiting, in the rising moonlight, on the porch.)

KELLER:
I can't understand it. I had every intention of dismissing that girl, not setting her up like an empress.

JAMES:
Yes, what's her secret, sir?

KELLER:
Secret?

JAMES
[
PLEASANTLY
]: That enables her to get anything she wants out of you? When I can't.

(
JAMES
turns to go into the house, but
KELLER
grasps his wrist, twisting him half to his knees.
KATE
comes from the porch.)

KELLER
[
ANGRILY
]: She does
not
get anything she—

JAMES
[
IN PAIN
]: Don't—don't—

KATE:
Captain.

KELLER:
He's afraid.

(He throws
JAMES
away from him, with contempt.)

What
does
he want out of me?

JAMES
[
AN OUTCRY
]: My God, don't you know?

(He gazes from
KELLER
to
KATE
.
)

Everything you forgot, when you forgot my mother.

KELLER:
What!

(
JAMES
wheels into the house.
KELLER
takes a stride to the porch, to roar after him.)

One thing that girl's secret is not, she doesn't fire one shot and disappear!

(
KATE
stands rigid, and
KELLER
comes back to her.)

Katie. Don't mind what he—

KATE:
Captain, I am proud of you.

KELLER:
For what?

KATE:
For letting this girl have what she needs.

KELLER:
Why can't my son be? He can't bear me, you'd think I treat him as hard as this girl does Helen—

(He breaks off, as it dawns in him.)

KATE
[
GENTLY
]: Perhaps you do.

KELLER:
But he has to learn some respect!

KATE
[
A PAUSE, WRYLY
]: Do you like the child?

(She turns again to the porch, but pauses, reluctant.)

How empty the house is, tonight.

(After a moment she continues on in.
KELLER
stands moveless, as the moonlight dies on him.

The distant belfry chimes toll, two o'clock, and with them, a moment later, comes the boy's voice on the wind, in a whisper:)

BOY'S VOICE:
Annie. Annie.

(In her patch of dark
ANNIE,
now in her nightgown, hurls a cup into a corner as though it were her grief, getting rid of its taste through her teeth.)

ANNIE:
No! No pity, I won't have it.

(She comes to
HELEN,
prone on the floor.)

On either of us.

(She goes to her knees, but when she touches
HELEN'S
hand the child starts up awake, recoils, and scrambles away from her under the bed.
ANNIE
stares after her. She strikes her palm on the floor, with passion.)

I will touch you!

(She gets to her feet, and paces in a kind of anger around the bed, her hand in her hair, and confronting
HELEN
at each turn.)

How, how? How do I—

(
ANNIE
stops. Then she calls out urgently, loudly.)

Percy! Percy!

(She moves swiftly to the drapes, at left.)

Percy, wake up!

(
PERCY'S
voice comes in a thick sleepy mumble, unintelligible.)

Get out of bed and come in here, I need you.

(
ANNIE
darts away, finds and strikes a match, and touches it to the hanging lamp; the lights come up dimly in the room, and
PERCY
stands bare to the waist in torn overalls between the drapes, with eyes closed, swaying.
ANNIE
goes to him, pats his cheeks vigorously.)

Percy. You awake?

PERCY:
No'm.

ANNIE:
How would you like to play a nice game?

PERCY:
Whah?

ANNIE:
With Helen. She's under the bed. Touch her hand.

(She kneels
PERCY
down at the bed, thrusting his hand under it to contact
HELEN'S: HELEN
emits an animal sound and crawls to the opposite side, but commences sniffing.
ANNIE
rounds the bed with
PERCY
and thrusts his hand again at
HELEN;
this time
HELEN
clutches it, sniffs in recognition, and comes scrambling out after
PERCY,
to hug him with delight.
PERCY
alarmed struggles, and
HELEN'S
fingers go to his mouth.)

PERCY:
Lemme go. Lemme go—

(
HELEN
fingers her own lips, as before, moving them in dumb imitation.)

She tryin' talk. She gonna hit me—

ANNIE
[
GRIMLY
]: She
can
talk. If she only knew, I'll show you how. She makes letters.

(She opens
PERCY'S
other hand, and spells into it:)

This one is C. C.

(She hits his palm with it a couple of times, her eyes upon
HELEN
across him;
HELEN
gropes to feel what
PERCY'S
hand is doing, and when she encounters
ANNIE'S
she falls back from them.)

She's mad at me now, though, she won't play. But she knows lots of letters. Here's another, A. C, a. C, a.

(But she is watching
HELEN,
who comes groping, consumed with curiosity;
ANNIE
makes the letters in
PERCY'S
hand, and
HELEN
pokes to question what they are up to. Then
HELEN
snatches
PERCY'S
other hand, and quickly spells four letters into it.
ANNIE
follows them aloud.)

C, a, k, e! She spells cake, she gets cake.

(She is swiftly over to the tray of food, to fetch cake and a jug of milk.)

She doesn't know yet it means this. Isn't it funny she knows how to spell it and doesn't
know
she knows?

(She breaks the cake into two pieces, and extends one to each;
HELEN
rolls away from her offer.)

Well, if she won't play it with me, I'll play it with you. Would you like to learn one she doesn't know?

PERCY:
No'm.

(But
ANNIE
seizes his wrist, and spells to him.)

ANNIE:
M, i, l, k. M is this. I, that's an easy one, just the little finger. L is this—

(And
HELEN
comes back with her hand, to feel the new word.
ANNIE
brushes her away, and continues spelling aloud to
PERCY.
HELEN'S
hand comes back again, and tries to get in;
ANNIE
brushes it away again.
HELEN'S
hand insists, and
ANNIE
puts it away rudely.)

No, why should I talk to you? I'm teaching Percy a new word. L. K is this—

(
HELEN
now yanks their hands apart; she butts
PERCY
away, and thrusts her palm out insistently.
ANNIE'S
eyes are bright, with glee.)

Ho, you're
jealous,
are you!

(
HELEN'S
hand waits, intractably waits.)

All
right
.

(
ANNIE
spells into it, milk; and
HELEN
after a moment spells it back to
ANNIE. ANNIE
takes her hand, with her whole face shining. She gives a great sigh.)

Good! So I'm finally back to where I can touch you, hm? Touch and go! No love lost, but here we go.

(She puts the jug of milk into
HELEN'S
hand and squeezes
PERCY'S
shoulder.)

You can go to bed now, you've earned your sleep. Thank you.

(
PERCY
stumbling up weaves his way out through the drapes.
HELEN
finishes drinking, and holds the jug out, for
ANNIE;
when
ANNIE
takes it,
HELEN
crawls onto the bed, and makes for sleep.
ANNIE
stands, looks down at her.)

Now all I have to teach you is—one word. Everything.

(She sets the jug down. On the floor now
ANNIE
spies the doll, stoops to pick it up, and with it dangling in her hand, turns off the lamp. A shaft of moonlight is left on
HELEN
in the bed, and a second shaft on the rocking chair; and
ANNIE,
after putting off her smoked glasses, sits in the rocker with the doll. She is rather happy, and dangles the doll on her knee, and it makes its momma sound.
ANNIE
whispers to it in mock solicitude.)

Hush, little baby. Don't—say a word—

(She lays it against her shoulder, and begins rocking with it, patting its diminutive behind; she talks the lullaby to it, humorously at first.)

Momma's gonna buy you—a mockingbird:

If that—mockingbird don't sing—

(The rhythm of the rocking takes her into the tune, softly, and more tenderly.)

Momma's gonna buy you a diamond ring:

If that diamond ring turns to brass—

(A third shaft of moonlight outside now rises to pick out
JAMES
at the main house, with one foot on the porch step; he turns his body, as if hearing the song.)

Momma's gonna buy you a looking-glass:

If that looking-glass gets broke—

(In the family room a fourth shaft picks out
KELLER
seated at the table, in thought; and he, too, lifts his head, as if hearing.)

Momma's gonna buy you a billy goat:

If that billy goat won't pull—

(The fifth shaft is upstairs in
ANNIE'S
room, and picks out
KATE,
pacing there; and she halts, turning her head, too, as if hearing.)