The Miracle Worker (17 page)

KATE
torn both ways turns from this, gestures the servants off, and makes her way into the house, on
KELLER'S
arm. The servants go, in separate directions.

The lights are half down now, except over the pump.
ANNIE
and
HELEN
are here, alone in the yard.
ANNIE
has found
HELEN'S
hand,
almost without knowing it, and she spells slowly into it, her voice unsteady, whispering:)

ANNIE:
I, love, Helen.

(She clutches the child to her, tight this time, not spelling, whispering into her hair.)

Forever, and—

(She stops. The lights over the pump are taking on the color of the past, and it brings
ANNIE'S
head up, her eyes opening, in fear; and as slowly as though drawn she rises, to listen, with her hand on
HELEN'S
shoulders. She waits, waits, listening with ears and eyes both, slowly here, slowly there: and hears only silence. There are no voices. The color passes on, and when her eyes come back to
HELEN
she can breathe the end of her phrase without fear:)

—ever.

(In the family room
KATE
has stood over the table, staring at
HELEN'S
plate, with
KELLER
at her shoulder; now
JAMES
takes a step to move her chair in, and
KATE
sits, with head erect, and
KELLER
inclines his head to
JAMES;
so it is
AUNT EV
,
hesitant, and rather humble, who moves to the door.

Outside
HELEN
tugs at
ANNIE'S
hand, and
ANNIE
comes with it.
HELEN
pulls her toward the house; and hand in hand, they cross the yard, and ascend the porch steps, in the rising lights, to where
AUNT EV
is holding the door open for them.

The curtain ends the play.)

W
ILLIAM
G
IBSON
was born in 1914 in New York City. He has written poetry, fiction, and scripts for stage, television, and film and is a member of the Theater Hall of Fame. His plays include
The Miracle Worker
(which was originally produced for TV's Playhouse 90, and which went on to win the Tony Award for Best Play on Broadway in 1960),
Two for the Seesaw, A Cry of Players, Golda, The Butterfingers Angel, Monday After the Miracle, Goodly Creatures,
and
Handy Dandy
. He is the author of a novel,
The Cobweb,
as well as the musical version of Clifford Odets's
Golden Boy
. His several books include
The Seesaw Log, A Mass for the Dead
(a study of his family), and a volume of poetry titled
Winter Crook
. Mr. Gibson's book,
A Season in Heaven,
takes a look at metaphysics and the creative process. His latest book is
Shakespeare's Game,
a critical study. He was married to the late psychoanalyst Margaret Brenman-Gibson, whose biography
Clifford Odets, American Playwright
appeared in 1982.

A
DDITIONAL WORKS BY
W
ILLIAM
G
IBSON

Winter Crook
(poems)

Dinny & the Witches
(play)

A Cry of Players
(play)

The Cobweb
(novel)

Two for the Seesaw
(play)

The Seesaw Log
(chronicle)

A Mass for the Dead
(chronicle)

American Primitive
(play)

A Season in Heaven
(chronicle)

The Body & the Wheel
(Passion play)

The Butterfingers Angel
(play)

Golda
(play)

Monday After the Miracle
(play)

Shakespeare's Game
(criticism)

Golda's Balcony
(play)

Goodly Creatures
(play)

Handy Dandy
(play)

Golden Boy
(musical)

SCRIBNER

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Copyright © 1956, 1957 by William Gibson

Copyright © 1959, 1960 by Tamarack Productions, Ltd., and George S. Kelin and Leo Garel as trustees under three separate deeds of trust

Copyright renewed © 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 by William Gibson

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First Scribner trade paperback edition June 2008

SCRIBNER and design are trademarks of The Gale Group, Inc., used under license by Simon & Schuster, the publisher of this work.

DESIGNED BY ERICH HOBBING

Text set in Bembo

ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-9084-2

ISBN-10: 1-4165-9084-6

ISBN: 978-1-4165-5937-5 (eBook)

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The Miracle Worker
is the sole property of the above named copyright owners, and is fully protected by copyright. It may not be acted by professionals or amateurs without written permission and the payment of a royalty. All rights, including professional, amateur, stock, radio broadcasting, television, motion picture recitation, lecturing, public reading, and the rights of translation into foreign languages, are reserved. All inquiries should be addressed to the owners' agent: Mary Ann Anderson, c/o Century Productions, 1697 Broadway Suite 902, New York, NY 10019.