SCENE XI: ANTIGONE, THE GUARDS, CREON, THE PAGE

THE GUARD Attention! 🔊

CREON, stops, surprised. Release that young woman. What is this? 🔊

THE GUARD Guard patrol, boss. I'm here with the guys. 🔊

CREON Who is guarding the body? 🔊

THE GUARD We called the relief, boss. 🔊

CREON I ordered you to send them back! I ordered you not to say anything. 🔊

THE GUARD No one's said anything, boss. But now we managed to catch her over there, we figured we better come. 🔊 And this time we didn't draw lots. We're all here. 🔊

CREON Idiots! 🔊 (To Antigone.) Where did they arrest you? 🔊

THE GUARD Next to the body, boss. 🔊

CREON What were you doing next to the body of your brother? You know I have forbidden anyone to approach it. 🔊

THE GUARD What she was doing, boss? That's why we're bringing her in to you. She was scooping up the dirt with her hands. Trying to cover him up again. 🔊

CREON You, do you fully understand what you are saying? 🔊

THE GUARD Boss, you can ask the others. When I got back, we'd uncovered the body again. But the sun was getting warm and it was starting to stink so we went up on that little hill, really close you know, we just wanted to get upwind of it. 🔊 We figured like, right in the middle of the day, what could happen? But anyway we decided, let's be double sure, one of us is always gonna be watching it. 🔊 But it gets towards noon, sun's beating down, and suddenly there's no wind so you really notice the smell. I've got my eyes trained on it but the air's shaking like jelly with the heat, you can't see a thing. I go over to the other guy and ask if he's got a smoke. 🔊 I light up, I say thank you, I turn around and there she is scraping away with her bare hands. In the middle of the day! Guess she must have thought we wouldn't notice her. 🔊 And when she sees me running towards her, do you think she stopped, do you think she tried to escape? Nope. She just carries on as quick she can, like she didn't even see me coming. 🔊 And when I grabbed hold of her she starts twisting around, biting and scratching, she wants to carry on, she yells at me to let her go, the body isn't properly covered up yet. 🔊

CREON, to Antigone. Is this true? 🔊

ANTIGONE Yes, that's right. 🔊

THE GUARD We uncovered the body again, like last time, then we handed over to the relief, we didn't tell them anything, then we brought her here boss. That's it. 🔊

CREON And last night, the first time, that was you as well? 🔊

ANTIGONE Yes. It was me. With a little spade that we used to build sand-castles on the beach during the vacation. 🔊 It was Polynices' spade. He'd carved his name on the handle with his knife. That's why I left it by him. 🔊 But they took it. So the second time, I had to use my hands. 🔊

THE GUARD You'd have thought it was a little animal kicking up the dirt. Like when we see her, with the air all hot and shaking, the other guy says, no, it's an animal. 🔊 You got it wrong, I says, that's not an animal. It's a girl. 🔊

CREON That will be all. You may be asked to present a full report later. For now, leave me alone with her. 🔊 Take these men to one side, kid. And they are not to talk to anyone until I come back to see them. 🔊

THE GUARD Should I cuff her again, boss? 🔊

CREON No. 🔊