Dialect

She stands in the house
Looking
Pausing
Looking
— No.
Exit

Another house
— No.

Another house
Stands still in the kitchen
Views the wall
Blinks
Approaches
Stops
Stillness
Her weight evenly distributed between the legs
She raises one hand to her bare shoulder
Clutches
Pause
The wall bursts outwards
Dust and fragments spill out into the space of the yard
She squints, then closes her eyes
Waits
Waits
Pause
Open
Pieces of the frame of the house point outwards following the force
— Oh.
The Beast looks down at her
— It should be…
She steps towards the hole in the wall
Slowly, uncertainly over the debris littering the floor
Looks up an stops
Lifts one arm
Inches from her fingers a wooden beam
Inhale
Hold
Reach
The Beast regards the beam
Reaches forward above the woman’s head
Takes it in his hand and moves slowly
— No um, I think it has to come this way.
He looks down at her
She stares at the beam
The Beast reverses his movement
Pulling the beam back into the house
The woman follows the movement
Steps back
Her heel collides with a loose brick
Weight over-balanced
Swings one arm out and touches the Beast
Steady
Pause
Step back
As his arm moves the wall emits the fractured sounds of splintering
Stop
The beam points into the house
He looks down at the woman
She looks at him
Then the beam
The Beast releases his hand
A middling groan and the beam sags
Remains attached
Hangs above the woman’s head in the house

In the kitchen the woman leans her palms on the edge of the counter
Slowly lowers her weight down
Pressure against the skin
She looks at the sink
Pans her head
First one side
Pause
The wall
A slight stretch and farther behind, the hole
Return
Then the other side
The corner
Then the fridge
The corner of the wall and farther, the hallway
Blink
Return
Looks down at the sink
Then slowly up
She swallows
Up again to the cupboard doors above her
Open
Objects and void
Stare
Close
She moves about the kitchen
Opening each cupboard
Then closing
Open
Close
Step
The Beast enters from the yard through the hole
In one arm he cradles various materials departed from the hole
Bricks
Wood
Plaster
He steps into the living space
The free hand raises to the arm-full of objects
Takes hold of a brick
Moves the arm
Lowers the torso and places it on the carpet
Straighten
Another object
Lower and place
Again until he is surrounded by things on the floor
Step
Repeat the process
Cupboard doors held in place by tiny magnets
Application of force
The sound of the metal bar separating
Pause
Stillness
Reaching forward
Fingers on objects
Lift
Withdraw with a glass in each hand
Lift
Set the glasses down on the counter
Lower the arms
Close
The metal bars tapping against the magnets
Return
Fingers close around the glasses
Move to the sink
Set one glass down on the counter and release
The free hand to the tap
Torsion
The sound of water striking the bottom of the glass

The Beast stands in the centre of the living-space facing the hole
She moves towards him
Looks at the hole
The floor
The objects placed carefully on the carpet and furniture
She steps carefully between them
Climbs through the hole
Looks around the yard
Moves
Kneels
Cups her hands in the dry soil
Straightens
Returns
Steps through the hole
Slower with her hands together in-front of her
Stops amidst the objects on the carpet
Moves her hands slightly
The soil falls onto the carpet
She moves her body
Slowly panning
Letting the soil dust the carpet and the objects
Repeat
Then stop
The Beast is turning his head
She follows his eyes
A door
She approaches the door
Grasps and opens
Shelves
Pause
Close
Another door
A room
Close
They move about the house
As she moves from one space to another, she finds the Beast standing still before the hall
She steps past his shape
Walks slowly between the long walls
A door
Another door
Raise the hand and open
Darkness
Glimmers in the shadows
She raises an arm
Curls at the elbow and turns the wrist
Fingertips make contact with a cool, smooth surface
Pause
She moves her arm up
Fingers dragging across the surface of the wall
Stop
Then slowly down
Fingers bump into a raised edge
Lifting the fingers
Down on a surface less cold
Another bump
Snap
Light
Bathroom
The Beast steps forward
Moves to where she is
She steps onto the tiled floor
Enters the space
Tiled walls
Bath
Counter
Sink
She stops
Inhale
Turns around
The Beast holds a glass of water
Blink
She reaches
Takes hold of it
Turns
Steps
The dull, quiet tap as the base makes contact with the counter
Release
Lower the arms
Pause
Inhale
Exhale
Blink
She turns around
Looks at the Beast
The Beast looks at the woman
At the glass of water on the counter behind her
She pans her head to the side
Tiled floor
The toilet
Turns the body to follow the head
Shifting of weight
Step
The sound of her bare feet striking a tiny, short reverberation in the room of hard surfaces
Again step
Then the alignment of the body above the feet
Stand
Stillness
She looks at the toilet
Inhale
Exhale
Blink
Bends at the waist
Reaches forward and lifts the seat
Straightens
Pause
Stillness
Then she raises one arm
Raises the other and turns the wrist
Fingers curl forward
She sets her fingernails against her forearm
Drags the hand back
Blood wells from the skin
She holds the arm above the toilet
The drops of red strike the white porcelain
Tiny droplets splash to the surface around the impact
Then slide
Lines of red
The Beast watches her from the door
The blood begins to flow
She slowly swings her arm to the side
It falls in lines to the tiles surrounding the toilet