​v. the manuscript

SUSAN
​one morning
​i woke up on the floor next to the bed—
​almost made it

​i stared into the decaying dust village underneath
​and i spied something curious

​(she pulls out a stack of papers.)

​an unbound sheaf of typewritten yellowed pages
​tucked underneath a stack of time/life the enchanted world ​hardcovers

​it smells like cardamom

“The Berries and the Plums:
The End of a Wartime Romance
​by Zelma Natalija Birģelis”

​(grandmother appears.)

GRANDMOTHER
​hello susan
SUSAN
​hello grandmama

GRANDMOTHER
​i haven’t seen you since you were a little girl

SUSAN
​that’s zelma. my grandmama

GRANDMOTHER
​are you eating enough? you look thin

SUSAN
​i didn’t know you were a writer too

GRANDMOTHER
​oh that?
​just a diversion
​a little old person’s project
​practicing my english
​to keep my mind sharp

​you’ve got to have something to do, susan