Free Buried Child by Sam Shepard

smash into pieces,
HALIE
stops, turns toward
SHELLY.
Everyone freezes,
BRADLEY
slowly pulls his head out from under the blanket, looks toward right door, then to
SHELLY, SHELLY
stares at
HALIE. DEWIS
cowers with the roses,
SHELLY
moves slowly toward
HALIE.
Long pause,
SHELLY
speaks softly)
    SHELLY: (
To
HALIE.) I am here! I am standing right here in front of you. I am breathing. I am speaking. I am alive! I exist.
DO YOU SEE ME?
    BRADLEY:
(Sitting up on the sofa.)
We don't have to tell you anything, girl. Not a thing. You're not the police are you? You're not the government. You're just some prostitute that Tilden brought in here.
    HALIE: Language! I won't have that language in my house! Father, I'm—
    SHELLY:
(To
BRADLEY.) You stuck your hand in my mouth and you call me a prostitute! What kind of a weird fucked-up yo-yo are you?
    HALIE: Bradley! Did you put your hand in this girl's mouth? You have no idea what kind of diseases she might be carrying.
    BRADLEY: I never did. She's lying. She's lying through her teeth.
    DEWIS: Halie, I think I'll be running along now. I'll just put the roses in the kitchen. Keep them fresh. A little sugar sometimes helps, (DEWIS
moves toward left,
HALIE
stops him.)
    HALIE: Don't go now, Father! Not now. Please—I'm not sure I can stay afloat.
    BRADLEY: I never did anything, Mom! I never touched her! She propositioned me! And I turned her down. I turned her down flat! She's not my type. You know that, Mom. (SHELLY
suddenly grabs her coat off the wooden leg and takes both the leg and coat downstage, away from
BRADLEY.) Mom!
    Mom! She's got my leg! She's taken my leg! I never did anything to her! She's stolen my leg! She's a devil, Mom. How did she get in our house? (BRADLEY
reaches pathetically in the air for his leg.
SHELLY
sets it down for a second, puts on her coat fast, and picks up the leg again,
DODGE
starts coughing again softly.)
    HALIE: (
To
SHELLY.) I think we've had about enough of you, young lady. Just about enough. I don't know where you came from or what you're doing here but you're no longer welcome in this house.
    SHELLY:
(Laughs, holds the leg.)
No longer welcome!
    BRADLEY: Mom! That's my leg! Get my leg back! I can't do anything without my leg! She's trying to torture me. (BRADLEY
keeps on making whimpering sounds and reaching for his leg.)
    HALIE: Give my son back his leg. Right this very minute! Dodge, where did this girl come from? (DODGE
starts laughing softly to himself in between coughs.)
    DODGE: She's a pistol, isn't she?
    HALIE: (
To
DEWIS.) Father, do something about this, would you! I'm not about to be terrorized in my own house!
    DEWIS: This is out of my domain.
    BRADLEY: Gimme back my leg!
    HALIE: Oh, shut up, Bradley! Just shut up! You don't need your leg now! Just lay down and shut up! I've never heard such whining, (BRADLEY
whimpers, lies down, and pulls the blanket around him. He keeps one arm outside the blanket, reaching out toward his wooden leg.
DEWIS
cautiously approaches
SHELLY
with the roses in his arms,
SHELLY
clutches the wooden leg to her chest as though she's kidnapped it.)
    DEWIS: (
To
SHELLY.) Now, honestly, dear, wouldn't it be better to talk things out? To try to use some reason? No point in going off the deep end. Nothing to be gained in that.
    SHELLY: There isn't any reason here! I can't find a reason for anything.
    DEWIS: There's nothing to be afraid of. These are all good people. All righteous souls.
    SHELLY: I'm not afraid!
    DEWIS: But this is not your house. You have to have some respect.
    SHELLY: You're the strangers here, not me.
    HALIE: This has gone on far enough!
    DEWIS: Halie, please. Let me handle this. I've had some experience.
    SHELLY: Don't come near me! Don't anyone come near me. I don't need any words from you. I'm not threateninganybody. I don't even know what I'm doing here. You all say you don't remember Vince, okay maybe you don't. Maybe it's Vince that's crazy. Maybe he's made this whole family thing