The Spindle by Carolyn Gage
ACT I
Scene 1
Lights come up on DOKO's cottage, a rustic one-room cabin with a
fireplace. The cabin is furnished with a homemade table and stool, a
bed, and a large cabinet. There are dishes on the table, and over the
bed hangs a violin. There is a window, and the curtains are drawn. It
is early morning, and the light is still dim in the cottage. There is
a figure sleeping in the bed.
The door of the cabinet swings slowly open, and the PUPPET emerges.
The PUPPET is played by a small woman or girl who is made up to look
like a marionette. The PUPPET trails cords from her head, hands,
elbows, knees, and feet. These are attached to the wooden cross used
to manipulate her strings.
The PUPPET steps out of the cabinet and surveys the sleeping figure.
Antagonized by the sight, she goes on a rampage - breaking the stool,
smashing dishes, and tearing down the curtains. Just when she feels
she has destroyed everything, she suddenly spies the violin above the
bed. She is just starting to take this down when there comes a soft
knocking at the door. The PUPPET quickly hangs the violin back on the
wall and retreats to the cabinet, pulling her strings and cross in
behind her.
BETHEEN: (Offstage.) Doko! Doko! Wake up! Do you know what day it is?
Doko! It's the Princess' birthday! Wakeup! It's Beauty's
sixteenth birthday! (There is silence for a moment. The figure stirs.)
Doko! It's me, Betheen-your godmother! Doko!
(The figure in the bed moans and sits up, rubbing her eyes. This is
DOKO, our heroine. A thirteen-year old lesbian, DOKO is strong,
handsome, brave, and honest. She is in love with her best friend,
although she doesn't know it yet. DOKO rises from the bed and
stumbles to the door. She opens it. BETHEEN stands in the door, framed
in a flood of light. BETHEEN is an older woman, one of
DOKO's three godmothers. A gentle, cultured woman, she has dedicated
her life to intellectual and cultural pursuits.)
BETHEEN: (At the sight of the vandalism.) Doko!
DOKO: What? (She turns around, horrified by what she sees.) Oh!
BETHEEN: What have you done?
DOKO: I didn't do it! I was asleep!
BETHEEN: Are you sure?
DOKO: I just woke up! (BETHEEN has a sudden revelation about the
source of the vandalism. She covers her mouth, a gesture that DOKO
misinterprets.) You don't think I did this? Why would I wreck my own
cottage? (Examining the broken stool.) Who would have done this?
BETHEEN: (Suddenly invested in dismissing the incident.) Maybe it was
the wind.
DOKO: Wind isn't going to break the leg off a stool.
BETHEEN: It might have been an earthquake.
DOKO: Is your house like this?
BETHEEN: No.
DOKO: Then it wasn't an earthquake. Somebody came in here while I
was asleep and did this. But why?
BETHEEN: Nobody would do a thing like this. It might have been a
little tornado. You see? That would explain everything.
DOKO: A little tornado?
BETHEEN: Oh, yes. I'm sure that's possible. The main thing is
you're all right. And look, your violin is still on the wall. (She
takes it down and plays a few notes.)
DOKO: Somebody did this. Dishes don't just break themselves. And
look the curtain's torn to pieces! That's no tornado.
BETHEEN: I'll help you clean up, and I can loan you some new dishes,
and we'll make new curtains. You see? There's nothing to be so
upset about. Everything will be as good as new Here-I'll play
you a song I wrote for the princess' birthday.
DOKO: Somebody did this and I'm going to find out who.
BETHEEN: I think you'll like the way it changes into a jig-
DOKO: (Jumping up suddenly.) The puppet!
BETHEEN: (Frightened, she stops playing.) What about the puppet?
DOKO: Is it all right? (She rushes to the cabinet and pulls open the
door. The PUPPET hangs serenely on her hook. DOKO hugs her.) Oh, thank
the goddess, she's hasn't been hurt! See, Betheen? They didn't
touch her.
BETHEEN: (Exchanging a look, unseen by DOKO, with the PUPPET.) Yes.
DOKO: Aren't you glad? I don't know what I would have done if
they'd hurt her. Look at her, Betheen! Isn't she wonderful?
BETHEEN: (Turning away.) Yes, she's wonderful. Don't you want to
hear the song I wrote for the princess' birthday?
DOKO: (Preoccupied with the PUPPET.) I'm going to give her the
puppet.
BETHEEN: Who?
DOKO: Beauty. It's her birthday, and because she's the princess,
they're having a big banquet tonight, and I'm going to go and give
her my puppet.
BETHEEN: (Panicked.) You can't do that!
DOKO: Why not?
BETHEEN: Because it was your mother's. And her mother's before
her. You can't just give it away! It belongs in your family.
DOKO: Well, you told me my parents died when I was a baby, and I
don't have any relatives, and since Beauty and I grew up
together-she's my family and I want to give it to her.
BETHEEN: Doko, come here. Sit down. (DOKO sits with the PUPPET on her
lap.) How old is Beauty?
DOKO: Sixteen-after today.
BETHEEN: And how old are you?
DOKO: Thirteen. (BETHEEN nods and waits. DOKO gets defensive.) So?
We're still best friends.
BETHEEN: And Beauty is going to be the queen of the whole kingdom
someday-
DOKO: No, she's not! She doesn't want to be-
BETHEEN: (Raising her voice.) and you are a helper in the palace
kitchen.
DOKO: So? That doesn't mean anything. I'm still her best friend.
BETHEEN: Do you think it's going to stay that way forever?
DOKO: Yes. Maybe in your generation everybody grew up and became what
their parents told them to, but we're different. I haven't got any
parents, and Beauty doesn't want to be like her mother, and we've
got it all planned what we're going to do.
BETHEEN: I see. (Changing tack.) Doko, do you remember your mother?
DOKO: A little.
BETHEEN: What do you remember?
DOKO: I remember that she wore very long dresses that would drag
across the floor where I was playing, and I remember that her hair was
very long and black, and she would let me play with it She was very
beautiful, wasn't she?
BETHEEN: (Remembering.) Yes, your mother was a very lovely girl.
DOKO- And I remember that she was always saying good-bye.
BETHEEN: Well, Doko, that was because she was a lady-in-waiting to the
Queen. She was very busy. It wasn't that she didn't want to be
with you. It was just her job. (A pause.)
And do you remember your father at all?
DOKO: No That's funny, isn't it?
BETHEEN: (Evasive.) He was in the army.
DOKO: And you said he was stationed in another country, and that my
mother went to be with him, but she didn't want to take me, because
I was so little, and she thought it would be better to find a place to
live before she sent for me. And that's when I went to live with you
and Andrea and Mary, because you were my godmothers-only you
didn't know I'd end up being an orphan and you'd have to raise
me.
BETHEEN: And we loved every minute of it, Doko. Every single minute.
DOKO: And then, last year, Andrea helped me build my own cabin. And
here I am!
BETHEEN: (Smiling indulgently.) Yes, here you are-quite the
grown-up. (A pause.) Your mother loved you very, very much. You know
that, don't you?
DOKO: Yes.
BETHEEN: You know she never would have left you behind, except that
she thought it would be best for you.
DOKO: I know that.
BETHEEN: She didn't know she would never see you again.
DOKO: Why are you telling me this?
BETHEEN: I just wanted you to know that your mother loved you very,
very much. And she wanted to be with you, and for you to be with her.
And this was her puppet as a girl, and now it's yours. She gave it
to you to protect you, and now you want to give it away. I want you to
think about that carefully.
DOKO: I have thought about it.
BETHEEN: And you still want to give it to Beauty?
DOKO: Well, it's not like I'll be losing it. It's more like
we'll be sharing it.
BETHEEN: I don't understand.
DOKO: Now that Beauty's sixteen, she can do whatever she wants, and
she's going to get a little gypsy wagon, and then I'm going to
build a stage on the back, and we're going to travel all over the
country, singing and doing puppet shows. That's why I'm giving her
my puppet-so it'll be ours.
[End of Extract]