b'Four Monologues3.Under intense suspicion from the other crewmates, Horton,to crash. To die. It must have been such a shock Dexter Harding the newest and most scared member of the group, explainsto sail straight through the boom and into the what he did to be sent to the reject submarine to prove he iscompound. Maybe they saw their life flash before not a spy after a suspected recording device is found undertheir eyes or something. Got a conscience at the The following is taken from the script for When We See the Sun Again by Dexter Harding, produced as part of the T3 Festival. a table. last second, because they slowed down. Imagine that. Sitting in your coffin, knowing you were 1. 2. Horton: I was on duty in Dartmouth. Secondalready supposed to be dead. They came to a This is the opening monologue of the play. Talia RobinsonFollowing a submarine crash that leaves the whole crewmonth. All I had to do was manage the entrieshalt about 100 metres in, right next to 4 houses leaves her house to watch the sunrise. Little does she knowstuck on a ridge at the bottom of the ocean, Lancaster, theand exits at the checkpoint, which is to say I wasstuffed with bunks of off-duty sailors. The car sat that this would be one of the most important and meaningfulcaptain of the vessel, revisits the meeting that put her in thata glorified parking lot attendant. The only im- primed for almost ten seconds. I woke up because mornings of her life. And not just hers. position in the first place: a meeting surrounding a disasterportant part of the job was the lockdown button.of the sound. The bang. The four rounds that that affected the lives of many. If any threat approached the gates, I hit it, itwere unloaded into the drivers skull before he Robinson: Ive never seen the sun quite sosignalled the alarm and closed the blast gates,could make up his mind.clearly as that morning. For some reason, I wokeLancaster: They told me it was a promotion. Yousealing the place up. And after two months of up in my bed at 4AM, breathing heavy, sweat- can finally lead your own unit. Isnt that whatmind-numbing nothing, after I had listened to all(Beat.)ing through the sheets, wracking my brain foryouve wanted since the start? of the songs on my phone and gotten to level 600 something. I dont know. A reason, maybe of candy crush, a truck loaded with IEDs cameI dont think Ive actually fallen asleep since that Yeah. I guess. Its better than the alternative. Ei- hurtling towards us. Maybe they wanted to bustday. I mean, nobody died except him. If I had I couldnt lie back down. It felt wrong. Like therether this or Iraq, and I dont deal well in the sun,down the wall, make a hole for others to comeclosed the gates, me and probably 10 others would was something I had to do, and it couldnt waitId burn up like bacon on a grill. So instead, itsthrough. Maybe they just wanted to make a mess.have been dead so its not like they could send me til morning. So, I changed into trousers and putLED lights at the bottom of the ocean. Not a badKill a few of us and claim a little victory. home or court martial me. I saved 10 lives! on my shoes, slipped out of the house quietlydeal, all things considered. You know, I thought(Beat.) (Beat.)and started walking towards where I could seeit was going to be a real promotion, maybe an of-the sky start to brighten. Everything was asleepfice with a view of the coast, a couple of bonuses, except me. It was like time had stopped. Likethe whole deal. I was halfway through putting onI cant imagine what must have gone throughSo thats why Im here. Happy? Still think Im nothing I did mattered because nobody could seemy uniform when they knocked on my door, andthat drivers head. They were probably goinga spy? Still think Im gonna kill you? Answer me or hear me. So, I carved a path towards theat that moment I should have been able to see myaround 80 miles an hour, knuckles wrapped tighthonestly, I might just end up agreeing with you swing, my favourite place in the whole world, thewhole career in front of me. Instead, I welcomedaround the steering wheel, ready to brace. Readyon that last one.only part of the farm I thought was mine. A tire,them in. Asked if they wanted tea for gods sake!hanging from a mouldy rope at the top end of the field. The tree it was attached to was silhou- By the time it was done I couldnt even muster up etted against a murky-purple sky when I startedthe courage to blink. I knew Id fall apart. They walking uphill. By the time I got there, I couldmust have let themselves out, I dont remember see the clouds starting to ooze orange highlights,getting up until it was dark outside. All I could waiting for the arrival of that big sphere. do was relive that day. Rocks falling. Big waves. High fives and handshakes until we looked up.I sat on the tire for a long while. (Long beat.)And then there it was.And then. There it was.30 31'