Even The Birds

[Ibby]

I think
by now
you might
know what
to do.

Even The Birds

I
[Lights come up on BENTLEY and RICH. BENTLEY is sitting at a rustic wooden table, chewing tobacco, while RICH stands looking out a window stage left, shielding his eyes against the sun, clearly uncomfortable in a stranger's house.]
BENTLEY: Even the birds don't eat them.
RICH:[surprised] The... what?
BENTLEY: The birds. They don't eat them.
RICH: The birds don't eat the corn?
BENTLEY: The corn, the soy, the tomatoes - none of it.
RICH: Not since...
BENTLEY: Not since she died.
RICH: Oh.
[PAUSE]
BENTLEY: It just hasn't been the same.
[AWKWARD PAUSE]
RICH: What about the stores?
BENTLEY: What about them?
RICH: You can't give 'em to the stores?
BENTLEY: They won't take them.
RICH: Why not?
BENTLEY: They can't sell them.
RICH: What do you mean?
BENTLEY: Nobody buys them.
RICH: How can they tell?
BENTLEY: They can't. I know they can't.
RICH: But...
BENTLEY: But they don't buy them all the same.
RICH: None?
BENTLEY: Not a single person buys a single ear.
RICH: Have you asked why?
BENTLEY: I have asked people who came looking for corn.
RICH: What'd they say?
BENTLEY: They decided they didn't want corn.
RICH: Just like that? Didn't want it anymore?
BENTLEY: It wasn't the price, it wasn't the corn, it wasn't the quality, nothing.
RICH: Not a single ear?
BENTLEY: Not a single one.
RICH: Damn.
[LONG PAUSE. They consider the view out the window. Lights fade]

II
[Lights come up on BENTLEY and RICH seated at the table. A large bowl of corn sits between them.]
RICH: Wow.
BENTLEY: What?
RICH: I can feel it.
BENTLEY: I told you. Nobody eats this corn.
RICH: I can really feel it.
BENTLEY: I told you, I told you.
RICH: Why do you keep planting it?
BENTLEY: That's the thing.
RICH: What?
BENTLEY: I don't.
RICH: You don't?
BENTLEY: I haven't in years.
RICH: Then...
BENTLEY: I don't know either.
RICH: But how...
BENTLEY: I don't know.
RICH: Have you tried...
BENTLEY: I've tried everything. I burned the whole field, once.
RICH: Did it work?
BENTLEY: Like a charm. The whole field burned.
RICH: Then...
BENTLEY: The next season, it sprouted again.
RICH: In rows, like that?
BENTLEY: Not in rows. Look at it. It's... it's growing wild, now.
RICH: Corn grows wild?
BENTLEY: Nope.
[PAUSE]
RICH: That's it. I'm trying an ear.
BENTLEY: Trying an ear?
RICH: I'm going to eat the whole thing. Pass me the butter.
BENTLEY: You aren't going to do it.
RICH: Just watch me!
[BENTLEY gives up and passes RICH a stick of butter. After a PAUSE, RICH butters the ear carefully and slowly. With excruciating slowness he finishes and raises the ear to his mouth. BENTLEY watches intently as RICH opens wide, leans in on the corn, and PAUSES for what seems like an eternity. Finally, with a cry of defeat and anguish, RICH drops the corn on his plate and leaves the room. The lights dim but do not go out; BENTLEY slowly rises from his seat and moves to RICH's chair and, keeping the same slow pace as RICH, starts to eat the corn. The lights dim the rest of the way and go out as BENTLEY finishes the ear.]

III
[Lights come up on table. Three finished ears of corn lie on the plate in front of RICH's seat. BENTLEY stands at the window, looking at the field and drinking something clear from a glass bottle.
RICH, groggy, with mussed hair and clothes and squinting against the light from the window, enters from opposite side and stands behind his chair, leaning on it for support.]
RICH: Who ate all this corn?
BENTLEY: What do you mean?
RICH: This corn. I thought you said nobody eats it.
BENTLEY: I don't know. It looks like someone sure did, though.
RICH: Are you drinking moonshine?
BENTLEY: Moonshine? What do you think this is, the twenties?
RICH: No, I just--
BENTLEY: All us hillbilly folk up here with our moonshine?
RICH: I just meant--
BENTLEY: Moonshine. Hah! Its sugar-water. Plain ol' sugar-water.
RICH: Look, okay, I'm sorry, its early, I just woke up. Give me a break, okay?
BENTLEY: Early? Its almost ten. I've already been up half the day.
RICH: Look, can you just tell me where the coffee is?
[PAUSE]
RICH: fine, you know, forget the coffee. Can I at least get some food?
BENTLEY: Food?
RICH: Besides this blasted corn, I mean.
BENTLEY: Oh. Right. Food.
RICH: Who ate all this, anyway?
BENTLEY: Well, it's at your seat, isn't it?
RICH: You mean...
BENTLEY: I suppose that's what it looks like.
RICH: Jesus.
BENTLEY: It's perfectly good corn.
RICH: Oh, man.
BENTLEY: Totally organic.
RICH: I really ate all that?
BENTLEY: 100% natural, that is.
RICH: I ate the corn.
BENTLEY: I don't remember you eating it.
RICH: Neither do I!
BENTLEY: Huh. That's really odd.
RICH: Oh man. What happens to people who eat this?
BENTLEY: I wouldn't know. I don't think anyone has.
RICH: Why the hell not?!
BENTLEY: I wish I knew. Then maybe I'd make a little money off of it.
RICH: Dammit!
[PAUSE]
RICH: you said this started when...
BENTLEY: When Marge died.
RICH: Yeah. That.
BENTLEY: What about it?
RICH: What... what happened, exactly?
BENTLEY: The doctor said it was probably her heart.
RICH: It just, gave out on her?
BENTLEY: She was getting on in years, you know.
RICH: But I mean...
BENTLEY: It was her time to go.
RICH: Where were you?
BENTLEY: Well, I was...
RICH: You don't remember?
BENTLEY: Give me time, don't be in such a rush.
RICH: Jesus.
BENTLEY: I was out... I was out in the field, I suppose?
RICH: Jesus!
BENTLEY: I remember cause, I looked up and I could see a storm coming.
RICH: A storm?
BENTLEY: I remember it was really dry that year. The Blakes...
RICH: Down towards town? Those Blakes?
BENTLEY: Yes, them... They lost their three best horses that year, to the heat.
RICH: Dehydration?
BENTLEY: Well that's the best we could figure. They were thin as anything...
RICH: Starvation?
BENTLEY: And dry as a bone. Hardly even any blood in 'em.
RICH: Jesus.
BENTLEY: But that day, it stormed.
RICH: Rained, just like that?
BENTLEY: Well, it hardly rained at all, and most of what came down sucked right down in the ground
RICH: Stormed, but hardly rained?
BENTLEY: It was... it was misty out, that day, though.
RICH: Misty isn't a storm.
BENTLEY: It thundered and lightninged like you wouldn't believe.
RICH: Oh. Without the rain, huh?
BENTLEY: Mostly. Terrible racket though.
RICH: Jesus. That had to be what did it.
BENTLEY: What?
RICH: That's some bad shit goin' on, Bentley.
BENTLEY: I don't believe in that.
RICH: Then why won't they eat your corn?
[Lights cut quickly]

IV
[lights fade in slowly. “Baby-Oh” (from the Antennas to Heaven intro) fades in with the lights. RICH is sitting alone at the table staring at the corn in front of him. With a hollow expression, staring blankly at the air, he lifts an ear and butters it. With painstaking effort he raises it and takes a bite. He chews slowly. Finally, he sets it down as he swallows. The lights and music cut.]