MS-UoR-1227-7-12-7

[0004] ..out..into this world..this world..tinu ^{[place = overwritten] y} little thing..before its time..in a godfor- ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..girl?..yes..tiny little girl..into this..out into this..before her time..godforsaken hole called..called..no matter..[0005]parents unknown..unheard of..he having buttoned.. vanished..thin air..no sooner buttoned up his breeches..she similarly..eight months later..almost to the tick..[0006]so no love..spared that..no love such as normally vented on the..speechless infant..in the home..non..nor indeed for that matter any of any kind..no love of any kind..at any subsequent stage..so typical affair..nothing of any note [0007]tillt till coming up to sixty when - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..seventy?..good God!..coming up to seventy..wandering in a field..looking aimlessly for cowslips..to make a ball..a few steps and stop..stare into space..stop and stare again..so on..drifting around..when suddenly..gradula ^{[place = overwritten] al}ly..all went out..all that early April morning light..and she found herself in the - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..who? ..what?..no ^{[place = margin left] [₰]} ..no!..SHE! ^{[place = margin left] P} ..(pause and movement 1)..found herslef in the..dark..[0008]and if not actually insentient..insentient..for she could still hear the buzzing..so-called..in the ears..and a ray of light came and went..came and went... ^{[place = overwritten] s}uch as the moon might cast..drifting..in and out of cloud..but so dulled ^{[place = margin left] numbed}..feeling..feeling so dulled ^{[place = margin left] numbed}..she did not know..what position she was in!..imagine!..

[0008] what position she was in!..whether standing..or sitting..but the brain - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..kneeling?..yes..whether standing..or sitting..or kneeling..but the brain - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..lying?..yes..whether standing..or sitting..or kneeling..or lying..[0009]but the brain still..still..in a way..for her first thought was..oh long after..sudden flash..brought up as she had been to believe..with the other waifs..in a merciful..(brief laugh)..God..(good laugh)..[0010]first thought was..oh long after..sudden flash..she was being punished..for her sins..a number of which then..further proof if proof were needed..flashed through her mind..one after another..[0011]then dismissed as foolish..oh long after..this thought dismissed..as she suddenly realized..gradually realized..she was not suffering..imagine!..not suffering..indeed could not remember..offha ^{[place = margin left] n}d..when she had suffered less..unless of course she was..meant to be suffering ^{[place = margin left] ..ha!}..thought to be suffering..just as the odd time..in her life..when clearly intended to be having pleasure..she was in fact..having none..not the slightest..in which case of course..that notion of punishment..for some sin or other..or for the lot..or no particular reason..for its own sake..thing she understood perfectly..that notion of punishment..which had first ox occurred to her..brought up as she had been to believe..with the other waifs..in a merciful..(brief laugh)..God..(good laugh)..first occurred to her..then dismissed..as foolish..was perhaps not so foolish after all..so on..all that..vain reasonings..[0012]till this other thought..oh long after..sudden flash..very foolish really but - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..the buzzing?..yes..all the time the buzzing..so-called..in the ears..though of course actually..not in the ears at all..in the skull..dull roar in the skull..and all the time this ray or beam..like moonbeam..but probably not..certainly not..always the same spot..now bright..now shrouded..but always the same spot..as no moon could..no..no moon..just all part of the same wish to..torment..though actually in point of fact..not in the leats.. least..not a twinge..so far..ha!..so far..this other thought the ^{[place = margin left] n}..oh long after..sudden flash..very foolish really but so like her..in a way..that she might do well to groan..on and off..writhe she could not..as if in actual..agony..[0013]but could not..could not bring herslef.. herself..some flaw in her make-up..incapable of deceit..or the machine..more likely the machine..so disconnected..never got the message..or powerless to respond..like numbed..couldn't make the

[0013] sound..not any sound..no sound of any kind..s ^{[place = margin left] n}o screaming for help for example..should she feel so inclined..scream..(screams)..then s ^{[place = overwritten] l}isten ^{[place = margin left] P} ..(silence)..scream again..(screams again)..then listen again ^{[place = margin left] P} ..(silence)..no..spared that..[0014]all silent as the grave..no part - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..the buzzing?..yes..all silent but for the buzzing..so-called..[0015]not part of her moving..that she could feel..just the eyelids..presumably..on and off..shut out the light..reflex they call it..no feeling of any kind..but the lids..even best of times..who feels them?..opening..shutting..all that moisture..[0016]but the brain still..still sufficiently..oh very much so!..at this stage..in contri ^{[place = overwritten] o}l..under control..to question even this..for on that April morning..so it reasoned..that April morning..she fixinh ^{[place = overwritten] g} with her eye..a distant bell..as she hastened towards it..fixing it with her eye..lest it elude her..had not all gone out..all that light..of itself..without any..any..on her part..so on..so on it reasoned..vain questionings..and all dead still..sweet silent as the grave..when suddenly..gradually..she realiz - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..the buzzing?..yes..all dead still but for the buzzing ^{[place = margin left] ..so-called}[0017] ..when suddenly she realized..words were - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?.who? ..what?..no ^{[place = margin left] [₰]} ..no!..SHE! ^{[place = margin left] P} ..(pause and movement 2)..realized..words were coming..imagine!..words were coming!..a voice she did not recognize at first..so long since it had sounded[0018]..then finally had to admit..could be none other..than her own..certain vowel sounds..she had never heard..elsewhere..so that people would stare..the rare occasions..once or twice a year..always winter some strange reason..stare at her uncomprehending..and now this stream..steady stream..she woh had never..on the contrary..practically speec ^{[place = margin left] h}less..all her days..how she survived![0019]..even shopping.. ^{[place = margin left] out shopping..}busy shopping centre..supermart..just handed ^{[place = margin left] [₰]} in the list..with the bag..old black shopping bag..then stand there waiting..any length of time..middle of the throng..motionless..staring into space..mouth half open as usual..till it was back in her hand..the bag back in her hand..then pay and go..not as mcuh as goodbye..how she survived!..and now this stream..not catching the half of it..not the quarter..no idea..what she was saying..imagine!..no idea what she was saying!..[0020]till she began trying to..delude herself..it was not hers at all..not her voice at all..and no doubt would have..vital she shou ^{[place = margin left] l}d..was on the point..after long efforts..[0021]when suddenly she felt..gradually she felt..her lips moving..imagine!..her lips moving!..as of course till then she had not..and not alone the lips..the cheeks..the jaws..the whole face..all those - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..the tongue?..yes..the tongue in the mouth..all those

[0021] contortions without which..no speech possible..and yet in the ordinary way..not felt at all..so intent one is..on what one is saying..the whole being..hanging on its words..so that not only she had..had she..not only had she to give up..admit hers alone..her voice alone[0022]..but this other waful awful thought..oh long after..sudden flash..even more awful if possible..that feeling was coming back..imagine!..feeling coming back!..starting at the top..then working down..the whole machine..but no..spared that..the mouth alone..so far..ha!..so far..[0023]then thinking..oh long after..sudden flash..it can't go on..all this..all that ^{[place = margin left] ..steady stream}..straining to hear..make something of it..and her own thoughts..make something of them..all - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..What?..the buzzing?..yes..all the time the buzzing..so-called..all that together..imagine..whole body like gone..[0024]just the mouth..lips..cheeks..jaws..never - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..tongue?..yes..lips..cheeks..jaws..tongue..never still a second..mouth on fire..stream of words..in her ear..practically in her ear..not catching the half..not the quarter..no idea..what she's saying..imagine!..no idea what she's saying!..and can't stop..no stopping it..she who but a moment before..but a moment§.. moment!..couldn't make a sound..no sound of any kind..now can't stop..imagine!..can't stop the stream..[0025] and the whole brain begging..something begging in the brain..begging the mouth to stop..to pause a moment..if only for a moment..and no response..as if it hadn't heard..or couldn't..couldn't pause a second..like maddened..all that together..straining to hear..piece it together..and the brain..raving away on its own..trying to make sense of it..make it stop..[0026]or in the past..dragging up the past..flashes from all over..walks mostly..walking all her days..day after day..a few steps and stop..stare into space..then on..a few more..stop and stare again..so on..drifting around..day after day..or that time she cried..the one time she could remember..since she was a baby..must have cried as a baby..perhaps not..not essential to life..just the birth cry tp ^{[place = overwritten] o} get her going..breathing..them ^{[place = overwritten] n} no more till this..old hag already ^{[place = margin left] ..sitting staring at her hand}..where was it ?..Croker's Acres..one evening on her way home..home!..a little mound in Croker's Acres..dusk..sitting staring at her hand..there in her laps..palm upward..suddenly saw it wet..the palm..tears presumably..hers presumably..no one else for miles..no sound..just the tears..sat and watched them dry..all over in a second..[0027]or grabbing at the straw..the brain..flickering away on its own..quick grab and on..nothing there..on to the next ^{[place = margin left] ..so on}..bad as the voice..worse..all that together..can't - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..the buzzing?..t ^{[place = overwritten] y}es..all the time the buzzing..dull roar like falls..and the beam..flickering

[0027] on and off..atrting ^{[place = margin left] starting} to mob ^{[place = overwritten] v}e around..like moonbeam but not..all part of the same..keep an eye on that too..corner of the eye..all that together..can't go on..God is love..she'll be purged..[0028]back in the field..morning sun..April..sinl ^{[place = overwritten] k} face down in the grass..nothing but the larks..so on..G ^{[place = overwritten] g}rabbing at the straw..straining to hear..the odd word..make some sense of it..whole body like good ^{[place = margin left] gone}..just the mouth..like maddened..and can't stop..no stopping it..something she had to - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..who? ^{[place = margin left] ..what?}..no..no!..SHE! ^{[place = margin right] P} ..(pause and movement 3)..something she had to - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..the buzzing?..yes..all the time the buzzing..dull roar..in the skull..and the beam..ferreting around..painless..so far..ha!..so far..[0029]then thinking..oh long after..sudden flash..P ^{[place = overwritten] p}erhaps something she had to..had to..tell..could that be it?..something she had to tell ^{[place = margin left] P} ..tiny little thing..before its time ^{[place = margin left] ..godforsaken hole}..no love..spared that..speechless all her days..practically speechless..how she survived!..that time in court..what had she to say for herself..guilty or not guilty..stand up woman..speak up woman..stl ^{[place = overwritten] o}od there staring into space..mouth half open as usual..waiting to be led away..glad of the hand on her arm..now this..something she had to tell..could that be it?..something that would tell..how it was..how she - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..had bee, ^{[place = overwritten] n}?..yes..something that would tell how it had been..how she had lived..lived on and on..guilty or not.. ^{[place = margin left] on and on..}to be sixty..something she - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..seventy?..h ^{[place = overwritten] g}ood God!..on and on to be seventy..something she didn't know herself..wouldn't know if she heard..then forgiven..God is love..tender mercies..new every morning..[0030]back in the field..April morning..face in the grass..nothing but the larks..pick it up there..get on with it from there..another few -..what?..not ^{[place = inline] t}hat?..nothing to do with that?..nothing she could tell?..all right..nothing she could tell..try something else..think of something else..oh long after..sudden flash..not that either..all right..something else again..so on..hit on it in the end..think everything go keep on long enough..[0031]then ^{[place = margin left] forgiven..}[0031]back in the - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..not that either?..nothing to do with that either?..nothing she could think?..all right..nothing she could tell..nothing she could think..nothing she - ^{[place = margin left] p} ..what?..who?..what?..no ^{[place = margin left] ..who?}..no!..SHE! ^{[place = margin left] P} ..(pause and movement 4)..tiny little thing..out before its time..godforsaken hole..no love..spared that..speechless all her days..practically speechless..even to herself..never out loud..[0032]but not completely..sometimes sudden urge..once or twice a year..always winter some strange reason..the long evenings..hours of darkness..sudden urge to..to tell..then rush out stop the first she saw..[0033]nearest lavatory..start pouring it out..steady stream..mad stuff..g ^{[place = overwritten] h}alf the vowels wrong..no one could follow..till she saw the stare she was