Scene 15

In the girls' bedroom.

POUBELLE

Okay, that should do it.

ANGELIQUE

What if—

POUBELLE

If it's bad we'll shut it and never open it again.

ANGELIQUE

Umm…

POUBELLE uses MAX's spade to crack the opening and lifts up the door.

POUBELLE

What is it?

ANGELIQUE

Je ne sais pas.

POUBELLE

Oooh, are there dead bodies?

ANGELIQUE

Don't talk like that.

POUBELLE

Grab the lamp.

The girls shine the lamp down into the hole.

What do you see?

ANGELIQUE

Jars.

POUBELLE

Quoi?

ANGELIQUE

Jars.

POUBELLE

Are they filled with body parts?

ANGELIQUE

Stop that, Poubelle Marie Marcel! You read too many stories.

POUBELLE

Grab one.

ANGELIQUE

Non, you.

POUBELLE

Non, you.

ANGELIQUE

Non.

POUBELLE

Fine.

She reaches down and lifts a jar out.

ANGELIQUE

What is it?

POUBELLE

…Carrots.

ANGELIQUE

Carrots?

POUBELLE

Walls and walls of them. Why would there be—

ANGELIQUE

It must be a root cellar.

POUBELLE

What's that?

ANGELIQUE

A hole where the prior owners kept their vegetables.

POUBELLE

How do you know that?

ANGELIQUE

Maman peut-être.

POUBELLE

I don't remember that.

ANGELIQUE

Some big adventure. Rotting vegetables in the dirt.

POUBELLE

I know! Let's dig ourselves out.

ANGELIQUE

Quoi?

POUBELLE

Come on, Splits, we could dig ourselves out of here, go back to Quebec.

ANGELIQUE

The monsieur would know.

POUBELLE

No he wouldn't. We'd dig at night.

ANGELIQUE

He'll be mad.

POUBELLE

We'll be gone. Splits, I don't want to spend another night freezing on that porch. I want to go.

ANGELIQUE

But we don't know where to go.

POUBELLE

We'll figure it out. Do you like being studied?

ANGELIQUE

Non.

POUBELLE

Then let's go. I have to get out of here. I can't breathe in here. We need a shovel. That new doctor, he's got to have one. He loves digging in the dirt. You could get one from him.

Tunnel through dark to come up in light.

ANGELIQUE

Day only comes after a very long night.

POUBELLE

Dig deep for knowledge, pull up the weeds.

ANGELIQUE

But too much and up come planted seeds.