Gavin Corbett - This Is the Way

The brick building had one door and no window and the back of it went down in an angle. Judith had a key with her, she put it in the door. She says I like to keep this locked just in case, you never know who might use it as a den.

The inside of the brick building there was a nail in the wall and a torch hanging from the nail. Judith put on the torch and we walked behind her down steps. Over our head was the angle. Down in under the angle and down below the ground was a room big as Judith’s kitchen.

Judith moved the torch around the room. See how big it is boys look she says.

There were shelfs on the walls and bunk beds, two of them, four beds all, was like a trailer. There was a sink and a tap.

Judith says well I guess it’s what you might call these days open plan living. My father Gordon built this place as a bomb shelter in nineteen forty she says. He thought that if he needed to he could live in here with his wife at the time Ellen and my half brothers until the war blew over. He thought the Germans might bomb Dublin. He thought that if they did bomb Dublin poisonous gases would linger in the air for years after. But he was silly. Of course the Germans had no interest in bombing Dublin, Dublin was not important enough.

I did not know why we were brought to this place. I looked at the bunk beds. Judith was standing in water on the floor in her bare feet. She had nearly fallen over on her high heel shoes on the grass so she had taken them off and thrown them in the dark in the bushes.

She says guys you’ll be interested to know I have great ideas for this space. I want to turn it into the stage for my summer garden theatre. It would be perfect. I want to take off the roof just lop it off like the top of a tin can. I want to cut the slope of the garden into a steeper gradient so it comes right down to the floor here. Seats will be set into the ground above. So from here to the back wall will be the stage. I will have trenches cut either side from where the actors will enter and exit and from where the scenery can be wheeled on. What do you think Arthur. Can you see yourself throwing your arms about and projecting your voice into the air above from this platform she says.

Arthur says it’d be a lot of work.

Yes I know says Judith.

You’d need to be getting the JCB to do the work he says.

Oh I know that says Judith I imagine I’ll need engineers and plumbers and electricians and all sorts to help out.

Arthur says the air is damp this place there’s the smell of black rot.

Yes says Judith. She lowered the beam of the torch. Let’s get back into the fresh air she says.

She would not let up about her Whitebrassgate and her play Barry Lyndon. One time when the group of them in the house were after talking themself tired and looking at their bellies she said to Arthur to say a bit of the play Barry Lyndon.

Professor Michael says woah oh and everyone looking at their bellies looked up.

Judith says as you know ladies and gents Arthur here is going to play Redmond in Barry Lyndon for us and he’s going to play it brilliantly. And Anthony is helping Arthur out by going over the lines for him so that he’ll remember them but Arthur won’t have a problem because he has a great memory.

Professor Michael says have you got a story for us Arthur.

Arthur did not say anything. I seen he looked sick because we were all after drinking very heavy drink and the man name of Don was smoking hashish.

Professor Michael says any stories at all Arthur I hear you’re a great storyteller.

Professor Michael looked at Judith but Judith wasn’t looking at him and she wasn’t looking at no one but her face was happy. Professor Michael didn’t look at no one now neither he looked shamed was in his face.

The German woman Izzy says what about some dialogue from the play perhaps the two of you could show us.

I says missus I don’t know any the words I just be reading them to him.

Judith says even just do us a line Arthur, any line your favourite line. She says to the group watch it watch the shape it’s all in the shape you’ll see what I mean.

Arthur didn’t say nothing. He had his hands on his knees, his head was low.

Ah Arthur don’t let me down says Judith and the group laughing around her.

Ah leave him be if he doesn’t want to do it says Pam.

You’ll need to get over your shyness Arthur if you want to perform in front of others says Judith isn’t that right Anthony.

All a sudden he stood up. Everyone sat back in their seat. He put out his arm and pulled back the sleeve of his shirt and turned his hand so the palm was toward the ceiling. I waited for words about Redmond or Leonard Andrew but he did not say any words about no one he made a noise like an engine a whine and he says missus missus.

Then Roy took a post card from his shirt he said was from Don after he got married. He says listen to this, Konstantinopol with a K the twentieth of May. Dead to the world. No infernal muezzin cries to wake us. The air is pregnant with the smell of rose and saffron.

Judith says in my ear why don’t you guys go and make yourselves comfortable in the room upstairs I have ready for you.

Professor Michael came over the other side of me, put his hand on my shoulder. He says to Judith is the DVD player still hooked up in the room.

We went up to a room the very top of the house, under the beams, Professor Michael showed us. There was a bed made up and a couch made up as a bed. Me and Arthur sat the end of the bed and Professor Michael put a DVD in the machine. He could not get it to work, he pressed the buttons, then he got it to work. He says you’ll enjoy this film both of you. Judith wouldn’t be very happy about me saying this but she took her play pretty much from this film. Just watch it and you’ll have no problems. The film is based on a book but I wouldn’t torture you by giving you the book. He says enjoy it now and make yourselves comfortable up here. The couch is very comfortable, my son has slept on it he says.

He went out the room and down the stair and the film was playing.

We did not like the film. It was about a man, Redmond, who went to fight in the war. When he went to the war we turned the film off, it was a boring film. We stayed sitting on the bed. We listened at the noise down the stair under the floors. The group were talking again, they were talking loud. The voices came through but we could not hear the words. We sat ten minutes looking at the television that was turned off and listening to the noise down the stair.

I seen a door to another room, I went over to it. I looked at Arthur, he was not looking at me, he was not interested, he was looking at the wall. I turned the handle of the door and went in the room, it was a room had a rotted wood window the glass in it wrinkled. The room was full of green plants, their sleeping leaves were on my hand. I looked through the window I seen the lights of other houses in the dark. I came back in the bedroom I says to Arthur do you think everyone else in all the other houses is sitting in groups like Judith and her friends.

I pulled out the chair was under the table where the television was sitting, I sat in the chair.

Arthur was flat on his back on the bed, his eyes were open.

He says where will we go.

We sat on the seat and lay on the bed and listened to the voices coming through.

There is a very interesting story about our people. I think of this story now I think of my mother starting again with an old story of hers. That is what this story is, it is another start to another story. I think of this story I think of my father. I think of him kissing his left thumb. He is looking to the sky and now he is turning his nail and crossing his head, his lip and his heart.