Readers’ Theater Characters Scene 1 (Main characters in Narrator 1: Fall is turning to winter boldface) on England’s western coast. World Narrators 1, 2, 3, 4 War II is about to begin; there is Nat Hocken, a restlessness in the air. Nat Hocken thoughtful man sits on a ledge at the cliff’s edge, Mr. Trigg, a farmer; watching Hocken’s neighbor the birds. Mrs. Hocken Narrator 2: They come to the By Daphne du Maurier Jill Hocken, the peninsula in great numbers, rest - Hockens’ daughter less, uneasy, circling the sky. Adapted by Bryon Cahill Mrs. Trigg Narrator 3: Flocks of jackdaws, Jim, stableman starlings, and larks scatter from Radio Announcers 1, 2 trees to ledges. Narrator 4: As the slow sea meets the shore, the birds race and run on the beach. This photo is frTohme Birds,a film adaptation of the du Maurier story directed by Alfred HitchAcsock. you might be able to inferREfArDo?ms adaptation of the original, Hitchcock changed the story quite a bit, putting the spotlight on the mother, rather than the father. Universal/The Kobal Collection READ 7 Nat Hocken: (to himself) Per - and behind the cottage. Nat puts stumbles into their room, the Narr 1: At last, the beating of haps a message comes to the his mouth to the scratch. The candle’s flame goes out. Imme - the wings about him lessens. birds in autumn, like a warning: bird has drawn blood. diately, he can feel the beating Nat waits and listens; there is no Winter is coming. Many of them Narr 1: Shocked and confused, of wings about him in the dark - sound but the fretful crying of perish. They’re like people who Nat shuts the window and ness. his children from the hall fear death before their time, dri - returns to bed. Before long, he Nat: It’s all right. I’m here. beyond. ving themselves to work or folly. hears a forceful tapping at the Narr 2 : Swiftly, Nat pushes the Narr 2: Robins, finches, and Narr 1: Nat stands up and window. This time, his wife children through the door into sparrows litter the floor. They heads back to his cottage as the wakes too. the hall and shuts it behind have his blood on their beaks. noisy birds soar above. On his Mrs. Hocken: See to the window, them. Alone in the bedroom Sickened, Nat shuts the window way, he comes upon Mr. Trigg, a Nat. It’s rattling. with the birds, he seizes a blan - and heads back to his room. farmer, who is out on his tractor. Nat: I’ve already seen to it. ket and whips it through the Mrs. Hocken: Something must Mr. Trigg: There are more birds There’s some bird there, trying to air, using it as a weapon. have cut Johnny—there was than usual today, and some of get in. Narr 3: Again and again, they blood at the corner of his eye. them are daring! One gull came Mrs. Hocken: Send it away. I return the assault, jabbing his Jill said it was the birds. What n so close to my head this after - can’t sleep with that noise. o hands and his head. The little does she mean? i t c noon, I thought he’d knock my Narr 2: Nat opens the window a e stabbing beaks are as sharp as Nat: There were birds in there, l l cap off. I’ve a notion it’ll be a second time. Half a dozen birds o pointed forks. nearly 50 of them, all dead now. C l hard winter. That’s why the birds attack him, flying straight into a Mrs. Hocken: What is it, Nat? Let’s try to get some sleep. b o are restless. his face. K What’s happening? e h Nat: You may be right. Narr 3: Nat shouts, striking out T Narr 4: He covers his head with / l Narr 2: Nat continues home at the birds with his arms, scat - a the blanket and then, in the Scene 3 s r e across the fields and down the tering them. They fly out over the v greater darkness, beats at the Narr 3: In the morning, Nat has i n lane to his cottage. He watches roof and disappear, just as U birds with his bare hands. breakfast ready for his family the birds flocking over the west - the first bird did. Quickly, when they wake up. ern hills, in the last glow of the he shuts the window and Jill Hocken: Did you drive away evening sun. latches it. the birds, Dad? Nat: Did you see that? Nat: Yes. They’re all gone now. They tried to peck my eyes Jill: They tried to peck at us. Scene 2 out! They went for Johnny’s eyes. Narr 3: Just after 2 in the morn - Mrs. Hocken: It’s all right, Nat: Fright made them do that. ing, Nat wakes to a tapping at now. They were probably more scared the Narr 4: Suddenly, a fright - of you than you were of them. window. He goes to open it. As ened cry is heard from Jill: I doubt it. he does, a bird brushes his across the hall, where Narr 4: Having finished her hand, their two children sleep. breakfast, Jill puts on her jacket. jabbing at his knuckles and Mrs. Hocken: It’s Jill. Nat and his wife share a glance grazing the skin. Narr 1: Nat lights a candle across the table. A silent mes - Nat: What the— as cries of terror, this time sage passes between them. Narr 4: With a flutter of wings, from both children, echo Nat: I’ll walk her to the bus. the bird is gone, over the roof through the hall. As Nat Narr 1: Jill runs out the door 8 READ READ 9 ahead of her father. Mrs. Trigg: Are you sure they Nat: (to his wife) Keep all the were real birds, with proper windows and doors shut. I’ll feathers and all? go to the farm and find out if Nat: Mrs. Trigg, there are 50 the Triggs heard anything dead birds lying in the chil - last night. dren’s bedroom. They attacked Narr 2: Nat runs after Jill, who me. is busy chasing leaves. Her They tried to go for young face, whipped by the cold wind, Johnny’s eyes. hurries home. is rosy under her pixie hood. Mrs. Trigg: Well, I suppose Scene 4 Jill: Is it going to snow, Dad? the weather brought them. Mrs. Hocken: See anyone? Nat: No. This is a black winter, Foreign birds maybe, from that Nat: Mrs. Trigg and Jim. I don’t Scene 5 not a white one. Arctic Circle. think they believed me. Anyway, Narr 4: Nat enters his house Narr 3: Nat is searching the Nat: No. They were birds you nothing’s wrong up there. and meets his wife in the bushes for birds when Jill sees see about here every day. Narr 1: Nat grabs a large kitchen. her friends up ahead and runs Mrs. Trigg: Funny thing, no garbage bag and goes to the Mrs. Hocken: Nat, it’s on the to talk to them. explaining it, really. Well, I must bedroom to collect the dead radio. They’re reading a special Jill: My dad says it won’t snow. be getting on. birds. He takes the bag to the bulletin. It’s going to be a black winter. Narr 3: She turns and heads beach and opens it. The wind is Nat: What’s on the radio? Narr 4: The bus comes and back to her kitchen, leaving Nat colder than he can ever remem - Mrs. Hocken: About the birds. takes the children away. Nat dissatisfied. Walking back ber its being. He scatters the It’s not only here. It’s every - continues toward the Triggs’ across the farmyard, he hap - bird bodies over the sand. where—in London and all over farmhouse. pens upon Jim, the stableman. Nat: (to himself) The tide will the country. Nat: Anyone home? Nat: Had any trouble with take them when it turns. Nat: Turn it up. Narr 1: Mrs. Trigg appears at birds? Narr 2: Nat looks out to the sea. Radio Announcer 1: We urge the door. She is beaming. Jim: Birds? What birds? The wind cuts him to the bone. everyone everywhere to board up Mrs. Trigg: Why, hullo, Mr. Nat: We got them at our place The waves rise stiffly, curl, and their windows and take reason - Hocken. Can you tell me where last night—scores of them in break again. He tries to draw a able precautions for the safety this cold is coming from? I’ve the children’s bedroom. They breath and is once again sliced of themselves and their chil - never seen such a change. The were quite savage. by the frozen air. dren. radio says it has something to Jim: Oh? I never heard of birds Narr 3: Then he sees them. Nat: Let’s hope they hear that do with the Arctic Circle. acting savage. Birds are tame Staring at the waves, Nat real - on the farm. Down at the beach, Nat: We didn’t turn on the radio creatures. izes that he is not looking at there are thousands of them, this morning. Fact is, we had Nat: These birds weren’t tame. whitecaps. The line over the tens of thousands! They were so some trouble in the night. Jim: No? Cold, maybe.