Twist of Gold (9 page)

SEAMUS FINN
: But we are out West, on the edge of California.

SEAN
: We are?

SEAMUS FINN
: For sure we are. And you’ll not need that torc of yours if she be lost.

ANNIE
: Why not, Mr Finn?

SEAMUS FINN
: Can you not see: ’tis nothing short of a miracle that you have survived to tell this tale. The torc has worked this miracle for you.
But now, you won’t be needin’ it no more.

SEAN
: I don’t know…

SEAMUS FINN
: Well I do. There’s nothin’ at all to be sad about. Sure, that Fiddler of yours wouldn’t want you to stop fiddlin’,
now, would he? It’s the fiddle too that has kept you alive in this beautiful world. Your friends gave their lives so you could live, and will you repay them now by grievin’? No.
After a fine life, back home in Ireland, do we not hold a wake? Do we not dance and sing? We do not mope! We do not weep! Never! So now, right now, we’ll hold a wake and we’ll dance
and we’ll sing. Take the fiddle, Sean O’Brien, for that’s your name – and make music! And all the Angels will sing.

    
SEAN
plays his fiddle – tentatively, melancholy at first, then faster, stronger, happier – and
ANNIE
and
SEAMUS FINN
dance together. All the
ANGELS
sing.

ANNIE
: Mr Finn. Would you take us to find our father?

SEAMUS FINN
: No bother, darlin’, no bother at all. But first you can help me with my pannin’ –

SEAN
: ‘Pannin’’?

SEAMUS FINN
: Panning for gold.

ANNIE
: I thought you said we didn’t need gold no more?

SEAMUS FINN
: You do not. But I surely do.

SEAN
: How do you pan for gold?

SEAMUS FINN
: Sure there’s nothin’ to it.
(He demonstrates.)
You just shovel the pay dirt from the river bank into the frying pan,
take out the few sticks, add a touch of water and swirl it round so that the soil is taken off by the water. The gold, when you find it, will lie heavy and stay in the bottom of the pan.
You’ll notice it for sure for ’tis yellow as the sun and will glow at you. Sure, ’tis simplicity itself. Nothin’ to it.

ANNIE
: Then why haven’t you found any, Seamus Finn, seeing as it’s that simple?

    
Pause.

SEAMUS FINN
: You have a cruel tongue for such a pretty girl. Do you not cut to the quick? There’s hundreds of folk diggin’ away down-river,
but they don’t know what I know. No one does. ’Tis me secret…
(His lips are sealed – but he’s bursting to tell his secret.)
But I’ll share it with
you because I’ve been longin’ to share it with someone I can trust, an’ there’s not many of them about. Two years ago, an old Indian chief came by while I was camping by
the river an’ he told me I would find gold, so much gold that I’d be the richest man in the world. He told me there was so much of it that the water ran yellow from the mountain! A
man believes what he wants to believe. So I built me cabin and for two hot summers long I’ve dug an’ I’ve panned. ’Tis here, I know ’tis here. I feel it in me
nose. But I’ve not been able to find it. Not yet. Now, with two extra pairs of fresh young eyes on the job we could snap up a fortune, a mighty fortune. And I could be off back home to
Ireland where I belong – but I’ll not go back a poor man: I’ll return with enough money to buy half of Kerry, or I’ll not go back at all.

    
He shoves a frying pan into each of their hands, and they get panning.
SEAMUS FINN
moves upstream.

    
(Muttering when there’s nothing in his pan again.)
Damn, damn, damn and damnation!

ANNIE
: Listen.

SEAN
: ’Tis only Seamus cursing again, Annie.

    
The rumble of horses’ hooves.

ANNIE
: Not Seamus. Listen.

    
The horses’ hooves thunder – there’s the whooping of
RED INDIANS
, and
SEAN
and
ANNIE
run like gazelles to
SEAMUS FINN
.

ANNIE
+
SEAN
: Seamus! Seamus! Seamus Finn!

SEAMUS FINN
: An’ what are you two hollerin’ about, you little divils?

SEAN
+
ANNIE
: Indians! Indians! Indians!

SEAMUS FINN
: Will you stop your nonsense! Stop your hollerin’! You’ll frighten them away.

SEAN
:
We’ll
frighten
them
?

SEAMUS FINN
: They’ll not be hurtin’ you. They’re just Indians, friends of mine, you might say. The old chief I was tellin’ you
about – every time he sets eyes on me, he laughs until he cries, the old divil.

    
And sure enough, the
INDIANS
led by their
RED INDIAN CHIEF
are there bent double, consumed by
laughter.

    
(To
ANNIE
+
SEAN
.)
Will you just stay where you are, an’ there’ll be no trouble. They
need to know whether you’re a friend or an enemy. There’s nothing much in between. They’ve been here for ever and now we’ve all turned up and are taking their land. If
they get in the ways, too many of them get killed, and so they fight back, who can blame ’em?

ANNIE
: Well, we’re friends, not enemies.

SEAMUS FINN
: Of course you are, but they don’t know that yet.

    
SEAMUS FINN
approaches the
RED INDIAN CHIEF
. They greet each other with a ritual – then the
RED INDIAN CHIEF
laughs. He speaks perfect English, much to
SEAN
and
ANNIE
’s surprise.

RED INDIAN CHIEF
: Good evening, Mr Finn. And how is your hunt for gold coming along?

SEAMUS FINN
: Very well, thank you. And how is yourself?

RED INDIAN CHIEF
: I could not be better. In fact I have a proposition for you.

SEAMUS FINN
: You do, do you?

RED INDIAN CHIEF
: Yes indeedy-do-dah. One of the tribe witnessed an attack two days ago by an elegant-looking migrant on two seedy-looking men from a
beleaguered, forlorn, and chaotic mess of a wagon-train.

SEAN
: The Colonel and the bounty hunter and French Charlie!

RED INDIAN CHIEF
: They were arguing about something or whatnot and all ended up killing each other. One of the seedy men was wearing a twist of gold
beneath his jerkin.

ANNIE
: Oh, Sean. The Colonel died trying to get back our torc from the bounty hunter.

RED INDIAN CHIEF
: I have no use for gold, as you know. But you have been searching for gold for a ‘divil’ of a long time, so I was wondering
if you would like to buy this gold from me.

SEAMUS FINN
: Buy?

RED INDIAN CHIEF
: Exchange it for some of your bear-skins.

SEAMUS FINN
: Let me see this gold of yours.

    
The
RED INDIAN CHIEF
brandishes the golden torc.

ANNIE
: Sean!

SEAN
:
(To
ANNIE
.)
Sh!

SEAMUS FINN
:
(Rubbing his chin.)
No, that’s not the kind of gold I’m after.

ANNIE
: Seamus Finn!

    
SEAN
gives
ANNIE
a prod with his elbow.

SEAMUS FINN
: No. Gold’s worth little if it’s been fashioned for the white man’s vanity. It’s raw gold I’m after, pure
gold.

RED INDIAN CHIEF
: Well, if you change your mind…

    
ANNIE
can contain herself no longer.

ANNIE
: Buy it, Mr Finn, no matter what the cost. ’Tis our torc, you can’t let it go. Men have died trying to save it for us. We’ll pay
you back.

    
The
RED INDIAN CHIEF
smiles.
SEAMUS FINN
’s shoulders slump.

SEAMUS FINN
: Oh, Annie. Do you imagine I didn’t know it was your torc and that you’d want it back? I was just about to persuade the old
divil that it might be worth a few pelts, nothing more. The last thing I wanted was for him to know we’d pay him the earth for it. Annie, you’re the sweetest thing, but when it
comes to matters of business you’ve got the brain of a donkey.

RED INDIAN CHIEF
: So I suggest that you give me your entire collection of pelts, Mr Finn. You will not find a golden torc like this every day of the
week, believe me. And you would not want to disappoint the young lady, now, would you?

    
SEAMUS FINN
reluctantly hands over his pile of skins – and the
RED INDIAN CHIEF
hands over the
golden torc to
ANNIE
.

ANNIE
: Thank you, Seamus; thank you sir.

    
The
RED INDIAN CHIEF
pulls a fierce face.

RED INDIAN CHIEF
: Boo!

    
And he laughs and leaves with the other
INDIANS
.

SEAMUS FINN
:
(To
ANNIE
.)
You’ll be the ruin of me.

ANNIE
: I’m sorry.

SEAMUS FINN
: Never be sorry for what’s past. Let’s just call it a little
disaster
. Be happy, and think to the future.

ANNIE
: Can we go and find Father now?

SEAMUS FINN
: Well, there’s little else for us to stay for. So why not?

SEAN
: What shall we do with our pans?

SEAMUS FINN
: We’ll wash them out one last time, and then we’ll pack them away for good.

    
They wash the pans out – and
SEAN
stares at what he finds in the bottom of his.

SEAN
: Annie. Could I be looking at the torc please? Would you let me have it a moment?

    
ANNIE
hands it over.

ANNIE
: I don’t want it anyway. It’s killed many a good man and ruined others. It has a curse on it, Sean, I know it has.

SEAMUS FINN
: It’s not me day, is it? I’m getting old, that’s what be happenin’. I only look in the mirror once a year – a
man keeps younger that way; or maybe he just thinks he does. No gold, no pelts, and now no fun with you twos.

SEAN
: Oh, I don’t know Seamus. Will you take a look at what I’ve found.

    
And he reveals a golden nugget the size of his fist, shaped like a jagged boot.
SEAMUS FINN
stares in wonder. He can hardly
bring himself to touch it. Then he picks it up and cradles it like an egg.

SEAMUS FINN
: Holy Mary, Mother of God.

    
He falls to his knees.

    
(To
SEAN
+
ANNIE
.)
Oh you darlins, you little darlins! I’ve seen enough fool’s gold
to know that this is the real thing!

SEAN
: And there’s plenty more where that came from – a whole streak of gold along the river bed.

SEAMUS FINN
: Forget Kerry! There’ll be enough to buy all of Ireland! But I’m not a greedy man. Half of Ireland will do!

    
They pack up their gold and violin case and so on, and make their way to Grass Valley.

    So we’ll head for Grass Valley. It’s where all the most hopeful emigrants go in California.

ANNIE
: Why?

SEAMUS FINN
: Because there was not supposed to be grass in the desert – and yet in California, anything is possible.

    
Grass Valley. People.

    Beggin’ your pardon, sir, but we’re lookin’ for one Patrick O’Brien, lately arrived from Ireland.

MAN
: I don’t know no O’Brien. But the Irish are further down Grass Valley, towards the sea.

SEAMUS FINN
: Much obliged.

    
They walk on some more.

    Beggin’ your pardon, sir, but we’re lookin’ for a Patrick O’Brien, who lives in these here parts.

ANOTHER MAN
: O’Brien… O’Brien… Nope. Plenty of Paddys, but can’t recall an O’Brien. Ask at the stores, they
might’ve heard of him.

    
So they go on to the stores.

SEAMUS FINN
: Beggin’ your pardon, Ma’am, but we’re lookin’ for one Patrick O’Brien, lately come from County Cork in
Ireland. D’you know the man I’m speaking of by any chance?

WOMAN
: Sure I do, sir.

SEAMUS FINN
: You do?

    
ANNIE
and
SEAN
are overjoyed.

WOMAN
: His place is a short while down along Grass Valley. It’s the only house you’ll find. Built himself a fine place he has, tallest
chimney I ever did see. But I ain’t seen him for a couple of months now, not since he came back. Are you kin of his maybe?

ANNIE
: We are!

SEAN
: Son and daughter.

ANNIE
: He’s the son and I’m the daughter.

WOMAN
: I can tell that right enough! Keep along the river this side of the bank, and you can’t miss it.

SEAMUS FINN
: Ma’am. I’ll be needin’ a horse an’ saddle. I see you’ve some fine animals in the paddock. I’ll pay you
well – in gold, proper gold.

WOMAN
: You mean real, live gold?

SEAMUS FINN
: Yes Ma’am. I’ll be needin’ a mount to take me so far as San Francisco.

ANNIE
: Will you be leaving us, Seamus?