Flowers in the Attic

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Act I

Scene 1

A small pin spot comes up on the face of Cathy Dollanganger (in her twenties). She begins to speak as if talking in her sleep.

OLDER CATHY. Truly, when I was very young, I believed all of life would be like one long and perfect summer day. Our daddy was a PR man for a large computer manufacturing firm, and when he came home on late Friday afternoons, my brother Christopher and I would dash into his waiting arms.

The pin spot widens to show Older Cathy from the waist up.

OLDER CATHY. When the twins, Cory and Carrie, were born, I was jealous, but I soon realized I need never be. “Love” was a word lavished about in our home, especially Daddy’s love for Momma. It was as if we were living in an old-time movie.

The spotlight widens.

OLDER CATHY. We never even dreamed he would die, but suddenly, on his birthday, in fact, he was in a terrible car accident, and he was gone. Daddy had done foolish things with our money and had borrowed against his life insurance. We were bankrupt, and Momma had no choice but to write to her mother for help, a mother who had never seen us. She told us we were going to live in a grand mansion and truly be rich. I would have ballet lessons, Christopher would be able to attend medical school when he graduated from high school and be the doctor he dreamed he’d be, and the twins, Cory and Carrie, would have everything a little boy and girl would need. We wouldn’t have Daddy, but we’d have a future and a family.

The spotlight goes off, and the curtain rises slowly on the attic loft.

Scene 2

Olivia walks in first and turns on a light, revealing a large, long loft that seems to go on forever. (Note: Whenever Christopher and Cathy look out the window, they look directly at the audience.) It is cluttered with old furniture, a table and chairs, antiques, bad paintings, trunks, and much more to be revealed later.

Olivia (in her sixties) turns to the others standing in the doorway. She is a stern-looking woman in a plain dress, her hair in a tight chignon.

OLIVIA. What are you waiting for, Corrine?

Corrine (thirty-eight, attractive) enters.

CORRINE. Why are we putting them in the attic, Mother? There are so many bedrooms far away from Daddy.

OLIVIA [snapping]. What about the servants? They clean those bedrooms periodically. Bring them in, or take them out of this house.

Corrine hesitates.

OLIVIA. Well?

Corrine turns slowly.

CORRINE. Bring in the twins, Christopher, Cathy.

Christopher (seventeen) comes in first with seven-year-old Cory. Christopher is a very bright, mature young man. Cathy (fifteen) follows, carrying Carrie. Cathy is pretty.

OLIVIA. Your children are beautiful, but do they have some hidden afflictions? It’s best I know immediately.

CORRINE. My children are perfect.

OLIVIA. As Lucifer was thought to be in heaven.

CATHY. Why are we up here?

CHRISTOPHER. Why did we have to come in the back way?

OLIVIA [with a cold smile]. Apparently, you have told them nothing. I’m not surprised.

Olivia pulls a dusty cover off a sofa.

OLIVIA. Sit them here while I do what you were supposed to do.

CORRINE. Mother, they’re tired.

OLIVIA. Then why waste any more time? [To Christopher and Cathy.] Sit.

Cathy looks to Christopher. He nods. She moves to the sofa, Carrie still clinging tightly to her hand. Christopher moves to the sofa and sets Cory beside him.

OLIVIA. Now, you two older children listen to me and listen well. It will be your responsibility to keep your brother and sister quiet. There’s to be no running and jumping and especially no banging on these walls. Nothing is to be broken, and most important of all, stay away from the windows.

CARRIE. I want to go home, Momma.

CORY. Me, too!

CORRINE. Please, just listen to your grandmother, children.

OLIVIA. In the morning, I’ll bring you your breakfast. Later, I’ll bring you your lunches and dinners. Is this understood? Your mother will show you where the bathroom is up here. Don’t leave the water running or throw something you shouldn’t down the toilet. [To Corrine.] I assume she’s had her first period.

CHRISTOPHER. Of course she has. She’s fifteen.

OLIVIA. How do you know so much about her body?

CORRINE [trying to make light of it]. Christopher hopes to become a doctor someday.

OLIVIA. I don’t want any doctor-patient games going on here.

CHRISTOPHER [smiling]. What?

CORRINE. My children are good, Mother.

OLIVIA. That would be a miracle. Show them the bathroom. I’m sure you remember where it is. You spent so much time up here when you wanted to hide your sinful deed.

CATHY. What sinful deed?

CORRINE. I’ll explain it all to them.

OLIVIA. Do that. And when you do, explain it all to me.

She turns and walks out, closing the door behind her. Cathy jumps up instantly.

CATHY. What is this, Momma? You said we’d be living in a palace. You didn’t say we’d be locked in an attic and our grandmother was someone out of Nightmare on Elm Street.

Corrine moves upstage and faces the audience. First, Christopher gets up with Cory and steps up beside her on the right, and then Cathy takes Carrie’s hand and steps up on her left.

CHRISTOPHER [much softer]. She’s right, Momma. You did tell us those things.

CORRINE. Yes, I did, but what I didn’t say was that my father had me written out of his will. When he dies, we get nothing as it stands now.

CATHY. What? Why?

Corrine moves to stage left and sits on an old trunk. The children turn and gather around her. She covers her face.

CHRISTOPHER [worried]. Momma?

CORRINE. Oh, this is so hard, so hard.

CATHY. What is? What the hell is going on?

Corrine utters a sob.

CHRISTOPHER. She’ll tell us later.

CATHY. Later? What later? I don’t want to stay up here. [Looking around.] It’s creepy. [She turns toward the door.]

CORRINE [looking up quickly]. You have to for a while, Cathy. I need time to charm my father into loving me the way he used to. It’s our only hope.

CATHY [coming back]. Why did he write you out of his will? Why didn’t we ever visit your parents? Not that we would have enjoyed it.

Corrine closes her eyes and sways. She looks as if she might faint.

CHRISTOPHER [protective]. Cathy, can’t you see how tired Momma is? We can . . .

CORRINE. No, I’ll have to tell you it all anyway. Cathy’s right.

She stands, walks up left, and then turns to them.

CORRINE. When I was only fourteen, a very handsome young man of seventeen came to live with us. His father was my grandfather, who had remarried when he was fifty-five. His new wife’s name was Alicia, and she was only sixteen.

CATHY. Sixteen!

CORRINE. Yes. Alicia gave birth to a boy they named Garland Christopher Foxworth. Three years later, my grandfather died. Alicia remarried, but her new husband had a fatal heart attack fourteen years later.

CATHY. She sounds deadly.

CORRINE [after a deep breath]. Her son was called Chris. He was a startlingly handsome young man, the most handsome young man I had ever seen, not that I had seen that many. My parents were quite strict about my dating. [Quickly.] But that’s not why I fell in love so fast.

CATHY. Fell in love with whom, this Chris Foxworth?

CORRINE. Yes, only he had changed his name to Dollanganger.

Cathy’s mouth falls open. She looks at Christopher, who just stares.

CATHY. You mean Daddy . . . Daddy was your uncle?

CORRINE. Technically, my half uncle, since my grandfather had a different wife. My father’s mother had died.

CHRISTOPHER [looking back toward the door]. So that’s why she asked if we had hidden afflictions.

CATHY. Huh?

CHRISTOPHER. She thinks we’re the product of some sort of incest. [To Corrine.] She compared us to Lucifer. Your parents think we’re the spawn of something evil, so we’re evil.

CATHY. Do they?

CORRINE. My father doesn’t even know you exist.

CHRISTOPHER. What?

CORRINE. That’s why we have to keep you hidden until I persuade him to put me in his will. He won’t if he knows I have children.

CATHY. Keep us hidden? For how long?

CORRINE. Not long. I need time to work on him. I was the apple of his eye once. I’ll win him back. [Quickly.] Now, there are mattresses up here, beds we can make. I’ll show you where the bathroom is. There’s a cooler for the milk and juices you’ve brought. You’ll find lots to amuse you. It’s an enormous attic with all sorts of old treasures.

CORY. I gotta pee, Momma.

CORRINE. Come on, honey.

She holds out her hand, smiling. He hurries to her.

CORRINE [to Cathy]. It’s going to be fun. You’ll see. A real adventure.

Corrine leads Cory off left.

CATHY [shakes her head]. A real adventure?

Lights come down, and the spotlight comes up on Older Cathy.

Scene 3

OLDER CATHY. When Momma left, Christopher whispered, “Don’t worry, We’ll spend a few nights here at the most. What father could turn her away? That grandmother of ours can’t be as mean as she pretends to be.” Christopher was always a dreamer, an optimist.

She walks more toward stage left.

OLDER CATHY. But no matter how we bickered, the truth was, I respected my brother more than I respected most of my teachers and certainly any other older boy. He was an A-plus student and really dedicated to his goal of becoming a doctor. It seemed to me there wasn’t anything Christopher didn’t know or couldn’t do. I loved him. I never thought once that I loved him too much. Until we were living in the attic, that is. If the devil lives anywhere, he lives in places like this, I thought. But I didn’t expect to meet him.

The spotlight slowly dims, and the lights come up in the attic.

Scene 4

The four children are sleeping on two mattresses on the floor. The twins are wrapped in each other’s arms. Christopher and Cathy sleep together. Christopher’s arm is over Cathy’s waist.

The attic door opens slowly, and Olivia steps in. She pauses and looks at them and then puts a cardboard box on the table and walks over to them. For a moment, she just stands there looking down at Cathy and Christopher, and then she stamps her foot.

Cathy wakes up first and sits up quickly. Christopher groans and sits up, too. He sees Olivia just standing there, towering over them.

CHRISTOPHER. What’s happening?

OLIVIA. What were you two doing?

CHRISTOPHER [rubbing his eyes]. Doing? Nothing. Sleeping.

OLIVIA. You think because you’re up here in the dark, you can do your filthy business. God sees everything.

CATHY. We didn’t do anything filthy. This place is filthy. That’s what’s filthy.

CHRISTOPHER. Where’s our mother?

OLIVIA. Praying. Asking God to forgive her for giving birth to you.

CHRISTOPHER. That’s a lie. She wouldn’t do that, ever.

OLIVIA [smiling]. She would do anything to get what she wants. She always did. Your breakfast and some staples are in that box on the table. Don’t make a mess that will feed rats.

CATHY. Rats? [She stands up quickly.]

Cory starts to cry. Christopher reaches for him. He embraces him and stands up. Carrie reaches for Cathy, who picks her up.

OLIVIA. Good. You’re all awake. You will be here a while, so I want you to listen to me, to my rules for your behavior.

CATHY. Rules?

OLIVIA. Yes, rules. From now on, boys will sleep only with boys, and girls will sleep only with girls. Boys and girls will never go into the bathroom together or undress in front of each other. [She puts a Bible on the table.] You’ll read from the Bible every morning. When I see you, I might want to know what you have read and learned. Remember, most of all, keep the noise down. [She turns and leaves.]

Cathy and Christopher look at each other, and then they both laugh. The twins, seeing them laugh, laugh too. Christopher puts Cory down and hunches his shoulders to imitate Olivia.

CHRISTOPHER [imitating her voice]. Rule one: you will not touch your private parts or look at them in the mirror.

CORY. What’s a private part?

CATHY [teasing]. Yes, Christopher Doll. What’s a private part?

CHRISTOPHER. It’s like an unlisted telephone number. You give it out only to special people. Now, rule two: you will have only pure thoughts and refrain from looking at the opposite sex, including insects.

The twins really laugh at that.

CHRISTOPHER. Rule three . . .

CORY. I’m hungry.

CARRIE. Me, too.

CHRISTOPHER. Okay. Let’s get to the rat food.

He goes to the box and begins to take things out.

CHRISTOPHER. Two cartons of milk, dry cereal, a jug of orange juice, plastic spoons and forks, cups, napkins . . .

CORY. I want a scrambled egg.

CARRIE. Me, too, with toast and jelly.

CHRISTOPHER. Today you’ll have scrambled cereal, I’m afraid.

CATHY [holding up the Bible]. Don’t forget this.

CHRISTOPHER. Ah, yes, food for the soul. C’mon, children. Take your seats.

CATHY. Children?

Christopher pulls her a little away from Cory and Carrie to whisper.

CHRISTOPHER. We’d better make a game of this. They’re terrified.

CATHY. News bulletin. So am I.

They join the twins at the table.

CORY. Where’s Momma?

CARRIE. I want Momma to eat breakfast with us like always.

CHRISTOPHER. Momma will be here soon. We’d better eat, or she’ll be upset. Besides, I’m not finished with the rules, remember?

He stands up and hunches his shoulders again.

CHRISTOPHER. Rule three: respect your local senior citizens. Rule four: Don’t talk when you eat. Rule five: Don’t breathe when you eat. Rule . . .

CATHY. You’re such an idiot.

He points at her.

CHRISTOPHER. That’s it! You get twenty lashes with a wet noodle.

The twins laugh. Christopher slaps his hands together, pretending to whip Cathy. After five slaps, the lights dim. Everyone freezes.

On stage right, the spotlight comes up, and Corrine is seen putting her blouse on gingerly. Her back reveals scars from whip lashes. She takes a deep breath and steps into the wings. The spotlight goes off, and the lights come back up in the attic.