GRANNY Jeannie Bogey owned the wee shop...

GRANNY Jeannie Bogey owned the wee shop down Dundyvan an ye could chap her back door for a midnight loaf or fags so ye could. Aye.

MAW But this night Mary an Lizzie got there an Jeanie Bogey never answered.

Linda knocks on the table on cue.

GRANNY Chap chap chap they’re goin an nothin. Not a thing Father. That was a bit strange because Jeannie Bogey never left the Slap Up.

MAW Except for Wakes an Weddins.

DONNA Aye - Weddins an Wakes.

GRANNY So there’s Mary an Lizzie pullin their shawls criss-cross an pressin back home through the fog. Can ye picture them? Appearin in the light of ghostly gas lamps an then fadin into the mist over an over along Dundyvan. Can ye picture it Father? Makin it through the night without a fag was the only thing in their minds. They'd've done anythin for a draw, anythin.

GEDDY Anythin Father.

Geddy pushes her boobs up and holds his gaze till he looks away.

GRANNY Well! They go into the Chapel doorway.

BOYLE St Patrick’s?

MAW To look for fag douts.

GRANNY Next thing this figure looms out the fog. They stop an let it move towards them. The noise of hard feet on the wet cobbles’s echoin about the buildins.

Angie clomps about hamming it up. Granny stops her with a glare.

DONNA They couldn’t see any buildins it was that thick the fog – N’at right Granny?

MAW Could’ve been anywhere...

GRANNY But the footsteps kept on comin…

ANGIE For all they knew they could be at the top of some mountain wanderin lost in mist.

GRANNY As they peered into the fog - clip clop - the figure materialised.

MAW Top hat an tails it was wearing.

LINDA Top hat an tails father.

WENDY Immaculately dressed.

GEDDY Like a prince.

GRANNY Mary an Lizzie’re drawn by the intensity of his eyes.

DONNA Tall. In the darkness.

Angie and Geddy stand up and become Mary and Lizzie.

ANGIE About this size.

MAW In them days, in the Slap Up, the only place ye’d see a suit outside Wakes an Weddins would be the pawn shop.

GRANNY Good... evening... ladies. He whispers - wi no accent that ye could make out.

MAW G... G... Good evenin sir Blurts out Lizzie. C... C... Can ye sell us a cigarette please. An she curtsied automatic.

Geddy curtsies.

GRANNY The man smiled at them.

LINDA More a grin really.

Donna and Linda do big grins.

GRANNY Mary blushed an looked away peerin into the fog. There’s just the glow of a streetlamp an somebody singin Whiskey In The Jar.

Wendy bursts out singing.

WENDY As I was goin over the Cork and Kerry mountains…

Granny signals to stop it.

WENDY (slowing to a stop)I spied a Ca – p - tai – n Fa…

GRANNY The man goes - Sell you some cigarettes? Sell you them Ladies? I’ll do better than that I’ll give you some cigarettes.

Caroline is getting excited – watching the power they have over the Priest - losing herself in the drama.

GRANNY The hand slid into his inside pocket. Brung out a cigarette case.

MAW Solid gold Father. The fag case.

GRANNY That’s right – gold it was.

LINDA Mesmerised they were. Can ye imagine it Father eh can ye?

Granny holds out an imaginary cigarette case right up to Boyle’s face.

MAW It shone an it sparked.

ANGIE Even in the dimness of the fog.

GRANNY Click - the lid flips open an the insides’re padded like a coffin. He pushes it slowly through the darkness between them. Mary’s eyes peer over the glitterin edge. It’s filled wi row after row of cigarettes. He holds it out so they can help their selfs. Lizzie curtsies again an slips two from the case. Delicate like.

Geddy curtsies and takes some imaginary cigarettes. Angie does greedy Mary.

GRANNY Mary grabs - one hand then the next stuffin them into her shawl.

DONNA It’s like the box has got no bottom.

LINDA Fathomless father. Fathomless.

GRANNY Her hands are in an out an still there’s rows of cigarettes lined up like little bodies. He laughs an for a moment his eyes burn wi fire.

MAW Like there was flames inside his head Father.

GRANNY Would you ladies care to smoke one with me now. He goes in a voice soft as Priest’s. Sorry Father no offence.

BOYLE (enthralled) None taken.

Geddy and Angie act the scene out.

GRANNY A red star pings in his eye. He cups a gold lighter in his hands an holds it out to Lizzie first. She puts a fag in her mouth. The three of them are lut up by the blaze from the flames. He’s handsome.

GEDDY The best lookin guy ye ever seen Father.

Donna is wheeling towards the door.

DONNA Even better than him that’s on the indulgence advert.

GRANNY An it looks like the skin on his face is a fine surface of fire. Lizzie leans into the flame puffin life into the fag. Mary fiddles with her’s in her bony fingers. Lizzie sends a line of blue smoke burrowin up through the yella fog.

Geddy blows a line of smoke up towards the ceiling – they all watch it.

GRANNY The lighter clicks them into a further darkness.

Donna switches the light off. Boyle jumps.

MAW The man swings around an clicks again.

Donna switches the light on.

GRANNY The blaze lights up the grin.

Boyle looks round uneasy. They’ve all got big grins.

GRANNY So - Mary notices his breath is stinkin.

GEDDY Pure honkin Father.

LINDA Like sewage.

GRANNY She lowers her head into the crucible of light of his cupped hands.

GEDDY She liked men Father.

GRANNY Her eyes run down the black silk of his suit. Excuse ma language here Father. The groin. (pause). The thighs. (pause). The knees. (pause). The razor sharp crease in his trousers take her to his feet.

Angie shouts out and runs into the kitchen. Boyle gets a fright.

ANGIE Jesus Mary an Joseph – Jesus Mary and Joseph run Lizzie run…

CAROLINE This is great - this is great!

Geddy looks about acting all confused.

GRANNY Lizzie looks at the man an either she’s shrinkin or he’s growin.

Geddy shrinks to her knees.

GRANNY The lighter flickers on his face. Fear. She’s immersed in it Father.

DONNA Sheer an utter fear.

MAW Then there’s this noise on the ground.

GRANNY A clip - clop from the cobbles an Lizzie looks down.

MAW An freaks out.

ANGIE Howlin like a banshee.  GRANNY Screamin cos stickin out the bottom of his trousers were two cloven hoofs.

Boyle mouths the words two cloven hoofs.

GRANNY The man, him that should never be mentioned, roars insane laughter. Lizzie tries to run but her feet’re slippin on the cobbles. They got home. Boiled pots of water. Scrubbed an scrubbed.

MAW Washed their mouths out wi soap.

DONNA Carbolic!

ANGIE Sprinkled Holy water over each other.

GRANNY An round about the room.

LINDA Tied garlic over the door an windie.

GRANNY Their clothes stank to high heavens with the stench of his breath.

LINDA Like sulphur – that’s what the Devil’s breath smells like.

MAW So they burnt every stitch. In the fire, Father.

GRANNY They sat naked holdin each other an shakin.

The girls dance and pull the faces of demons and tortured souls.

MAW Cold sweat. Flames shinin on their skin like mirrors.

DONNA It was hot but they were shiverin.

GRANNY An faces of demons an tortured souls writhed in the flames.

A silent beat as Boyle gasps for more.

BOYLE Wha… what happened to them.

GRANNY Who knows Father?

MAW London’s what I heard.

GEDDY That’s what they say - London.

GRANNY In London – in a house of… of…

WENDY Ill repute.

GEDDY A brothel Father.

ANGIE A hoorhouse.

BOYLE Good Lord.

GRANNY He’s yer man right enough Father.

BOYLE That is an horrific story.

DONNA Gee ye the creeps there eh Father.

BOYLE Right on the Chapel steps ye say.

They all react – yes - in unison.

BOYLE Cigarette ends was it?

GRANNY Aye ye can expect the Devil wi the drink – but fags?

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