SHORTS
Henry Gansevoort, the Mole “You’re not that different from the Gansevoorts,” Henry said. “You’re still just digging, always digging, digging to the center of the earth probably.” by SCOTT MANCUSO
ACT I: HENRY GETS TIRED Henry stopped working and sat down in the dirt. It was not time to stop working and it was not time to sit down in the dirt. The other moles kept digging and Henry’s grandfather walked up next to Henry and smiled. “How’s The Excavator?” Henry’s grandfather asked. Henry’s grandfather called Henry The Excavator because Henry was very good at digging. It made Henry’s brothers and cousins work harder because they wanted to be The Excavator too. Henry sighed into his blackened hands. “I’m tired,” Henry said. Henry’s grandfather laughed. “You are not,” he said. “I’ve seen you work ten-hour shifts without breaking a sweat. It’s not even noon. The Excavator doesn’t get tired.” “I don’t mean my arms and legs are tired,” Henry said. “You stay up too late? That’s not like you. You’re a Gansevoort, not a barn owl. Go get some rest.” Henry didn’t say anything. He looked down the tunnel at his father methodically digging and removing and piling. Everyone was just digging and they would keep digging, with their hands, until they reached the other side of the mountain. Every night Henry’s little brother Robert would ask him, “Did you reach the other side today?” and every night Henry would say “no, not yet, but soon.” BCM 28 28 48 48 BCM
ACT II: HENRY MEETS THOMAS Henry wandered out of the tunnel and saw his friend Sam in the Larder, where the moles gathered to eat and drink, and talked about digging techniques. “Henry, you look exhausted. You’ve been working too hard,” Sam said. “No,” Henry said. “I’m just tired.” “Tired of working your fingers to the bone probably,” Sam said. “Come see the tunnel Thomas Adams started on the East End. They’re using tools. If you lent them some of your strength I bet they’d be to the other side by tomorrow morning.” Henry followed Sam to the East End where several moles were digging with tools and several were sitting and talking. Thomas Adams was sitting and talking. The moles there were digging much faster than the moles on the Main. Thomas jumped to his feet. “Henry Gansevoort!” Thomas yelled. Everyone stopped working and cheered. “Welcome to the future my friend. We all knew you’d come around eventually. Maybe bring some of those brothers and cousins over with you as well?” “I’m just here to see,” Henry said. “I’ve never seen these tools before.” “Well take a closer look then,” Thomas said. “We have spades and pick axes that can do five times the work of one