Twist of Gold

Simon Reade

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781849432061
• eBook ISBN: 9781849433228
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

With famine gripping Ireland, Sean and Annie have just one chance of survival - they must find their father. Leaving their dying mother behind, they travel across rough seas to America. With only the gold torch that Annie wears as a necklace to protect them, they embark on a long and dangerous journey. But will they ever be reunited with their family? Twist of Gold is an epic adventure, a classic novel by the masterful storyteller and author of War Horse, Michael Morpurgo.

PART I

Ireland. Autumn 1847.

SEAN (14, pale, thin, barefoot, in rags) and his sister ANNIE (nearly 11, barefoot, also in rags) support their frail MOTHER as they lay fresh, wild flowers on three small mounds of freshly dug, naked earth: the graves of their three dead siblings.

MOTHER: Danny, Mary, little Joe. A few more bites to eat and you’d not now be lying there in the ground. Oh my poor children.

MOTHER collapses, overwhelmed by grief, by hunger. SEAN comforts her.

* * *

The lights cross-fade to:

A brook. Drizzly autumn evening. Flies buzz irritably. SEAN fishes, hopelessly, with a line and baited hook. ANNIE is on lookout. She hears a horse cantering towards them on the opposite bank. An English DRAGOON – resplendent in scarlet cloak, golden plumed helmet and sword – dismounts.

DRAGOON: Whose waters are you poaching, children?

ANNIE and SEAN don’t budge from their fishing.

SEAN: This is an Irish stream and Englishmen aren’t welcome!

The DRAGOON looks at how SEAN is holding his line.

DRAGOON: You’ll not catch any fish like that, and you look like you could do with a bite to eat.

He puts some biscuits into his handkerchief, ties it into a knot, and throws the modest bundle across the brook to the children. ANNIE is about to say ‘thank you’ – but thinks better of it.

WILL: My name is Will.

The Children say nothing. SEAN glares at WILL.

What’s your name, boy? What do they call you at home?

Pause.

The biscuits. Maybe you’ve someone at home who’d be in need of them? Hm?

Pause.

I’m beginning to feel a bit stupid talking to myself.

ANNIE: Our Mother won’t eat your English biscuits. She’d rather die.

SEAN: Hush, Annie.

WILL: I like a child who speaks their mind. Perhaps if she won’t eat my biscuits then she’ll eat this:

And he reaches inside his tunic to fetch out a small fish which he holds up by its tail.

Irish trout. Well, young lady, what do you think of that?

ANNIE: I’m not a young lady, I’m Annie O’Brien and my Mother says you’ve no business here, any of you. She says you’re robbers and thieves.

A pause.

WILL: Is your mother sick?

SEAN: Everyone’s sick.

ANNIE: She has the hunger.

Beat.

Brother Danny’s dead and sister Mary’s dead and little Joe died three weeks back.

WILL: And your father?

SEAN: Father’s away, in ’Merica.

WILL: (Gently.) Tell your Mother I’m sorry about your brothers and sisters. I’d like to do what I can for you. For the three of you.

SEAN: How can we trust you?

WILL: How can I trust you? I don’t even know your name, boy.

SEAN: Sean. I’m called Sean. Sean O’Brien.

WILL: Well, Sean, if you tell anyone about our meeting they’ll lock me up and I’ll never be able to see you again. So that’s how you can trust me.

SEAN: Oh.

ANNIE: I’ll trust you if you promise never to tumble our home and put us out.

WILL: Why would I do that?

ANNIE: You’re an English soldier. We have no money for rent.

WILL: I won’t tumble your home, Annie O’Brien. And as much as I can I’ll see to it that no one else does either. Now, do you know how to cook a fish?

ANNIE: Slowly, so you don’t burn away all the goodness.

WILL: That’s right. (He replaces his helmet.)

ANNIE: Mister Soldier, is it not awful heavy having to wear such a hat as that?

WILL: It’s what’s inside your head that weighs heavy. Not what you wear on it. Do you understand me?

ANNIE: (Boldly.) No.

SEAN: Why are you helping us, Mister?

WILL: Sean, I’m a soldier. I have been a soldier for over thirty years. I’ve fought the world over for my Queen and for my country – that’s my trade, and I do it well. But in Ireland I have seen and done things that turn my stomach with shame. Do you understand?

SEAN: I think so.

ANNIE: Well I don’t.

WILL smiles.

WILL: To survive you must learn to live from the land.

ANNIE: That’s what Mother says. But there’s nothing left on the land to live from. Not now all you soldiers have taken it.

WILL: You may be right, Annie. But there’s people dying in this country because they don’t know where to look for their food, don’t know how to catch it. You’ve all dug potatoes for so long, you’ve forgotten.

SEAN: That’s not true! I know how to fish.

WILL: And how many fish have you caught, Sean?

Pause.

Three? Four?

No response.

Two?

SEAN: Not one.

WILL: And eels?

SEAN: Eels?

WILL: Eels are there in plenty if you can only catch them.

SEAN: How do you catch them?

WILL: When it’s a still, dark night with no moonshine, and you can feel the light drizzle on the back of your neck as you stare into a black pool.

ANNIE: How does that catch an eel?

WILL: Keep your voice low, Annie. And when you laugh, laugh softly, else those eels will laugh too as they shoot off down river. An eel can hear you, you know.

ANNIE: No, I didn’t know. Will: in your country, in England, do the people have enough food to eat?

WILL: The poor are always hungry, no matter where they live. But there are more poor living here and there is less food to go round, and more people stopping you from finding it.

ANNIE: People?

WILL: Soldiers.

ANNIE: English soldiers. Like you.

WILL: Yes, but not like me, Annie.

ANNIE: No, not like you.

SEAN: Before the potatoes died, we had food. Plenty of it. Sure, we went a bit short every year, just before the new potatoes were lifted – summer time – but then there were always the hens and the spring berries to keep us going.

WILL: Yes.

SEAN: Will we die do you think? ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication page
• The Story
• The Cast
• Contents
• PART I
• PART II