The Collected Shorter Plays by Samuel Beckett Read Free Book Online Page A

pocket. He turns, advances to edge of stage, halts, strokes banana, peels it, drops skin at his feet, puts end of banana in his mouth and remains motionless, staring vacuously before him. Finally he bites off the end, turns aside and begins pacing to and fro at edge of stage, in the light, i.e. not more than four or five paces either way, meditatively eating banana. He treads on skin, slips, nearly falls, recovers himself, stoops and peers at skin and finally pushes it, still stooping, with his foot over edge of stage into pit. He resumes his pacing, finishes banana, returns to table, sits down, remains a moment motionless, heaves a great sigh, takes keys from his pockets, raises them to his eyes, chooses key, gets up and moves to front of table, unlocks second drawer, takes out a second large banana, peers at it, locks drawer, puts back keys in his pocket, turns, advances to edge of stage, halts, strokes banana, peels it, tosses skin into pit, puts end of banana in his mouth and remains motionless, staring vacuously before him. Finally he has an idea, puts banana in his waistcoat pocket, the end emerging, and goes with all the speed he can muster backstage into darkness. Ten seconds. Loud pop of cork. Fifteen seconds. He comes back into light carrying an old ledger and sits down at table. He lays ledger on table, wipes his mouth, wipes his hands on the front of his waistcoat, brings them smartly together and rubs them
.
KRAPP
[
briskly
] Ah! [
He bends over ledger, turns the pages, finds the entry he wants, reads
.] Box . . . thrree . . . spool five. [
He raises his head and stares front. With relish
.] Spool! [
Pause
.] Spooool! [
Happy smile. Pause. He bends over table, starts peering and poking at the boxes
.] Box . . . thrree . . . thrree . . . four . . . two . . . [
with surprise
] nine! good God! . . . seven . . . ah! the little rascal! [
He takes up box, peers at it
.] Box thrree. [
He lays it on table, opens it and peers at spools inside
.] Spool . . . [
he peers at ledger
] . . . five . . . [
he peers at spools
] . . . five . . . five . . . ah! the little scoundrel! [
He takes out a spool, peers at it
.] Spool five. [
He lays it on table, closes box three, puts it back with the others, takes up the spool
.] Box thrree, spool five. [
He bends over the machine, looks up. With relish
.] Spooool! [
Happy smile. He bends, loads spool on machine, rubs his hands
.] Ah! [
He peers at
ledger, reads entry at foot of page
.] Mother at rest at last. . . . Hm. . . . The black ball. . . . [
He raises his head, stares blankly front. Puzzled
.] Black ball? . . . [
He peers again at ledger, reads
.] The dark nurse. . . . [
He raises his head, broods, peers again at ledger, reads
.] Slight improvement in bowel condition. . . . Hm. . . . Memorable . . . what? [
He peers closer
.] Equinox, memorable equinox. [
He raises his head, stares blankly front. Puzzled
.] Memorable equinox? . . . [
Pause. He shrugs his shoulders, peers again at ledger, reads
.] Farewell to—[
he turns page
]—love.
[
He raises his head, broods, bends over machine, switches on and assumes listening posture, i.e. leaning forward, elbows on table, hand cupping ear towards machine, face front
.]
TAPE
[
strong voice, rather pompous, clearly Krapp’s at a much earlier time
] Thirty-nine today, sound as a— [
Settling himself more comfortably he knocks one of the boxes off the table, curses, switches off, sweeps boxes and ledger violently to the ground, winds tape back to beginning, switches on, resumes posture
.] Thirty-nine today, sound as a bell, apart from my old weakness, and intellectually I have now every reason to suspect at the . . . [
hesitates
] . . . crest of the wave—or thereabouts. Celebrated the awful occasion, as in recent years, quietly at the Winehouse. Not a soul. Sat before the fire with closed eyes, separating the grain from the husks. Jotted down a few notes, on the back of an envelope. Good to be back in my den, in my old rags. Have just