a play for radio
(RTÉ, 2004)
(extract)
The ticking of a mantelpiece clock
DUKE: Yes, it’s curious, isn’t it?
BILLY: What?
DUKE: It’s got nothing to do with closing your eyes.
BILLY: No?
DUKE: Nothing to do with the blackness of sleep. BILLY: I suppose not…
The rustle of a newspaper
DUKE: I seem to be going further each night.
BILLY: Really? Further? How do you mean – further?
DUKE: Further. Into wherever the hell it is I go.
BILLY: When you’re asleep?
DUKE: When I’m asleep.
BILLY: You haven’t been sleeping properly, then?
DUKE: Oh, I’ve been sleeping. It’s just I’ve been going places.