Gall Ah, your favourite. She stayed with me. She’s as charming and as silly as a spring day, but simply no good for anything.

Helena She is very beautiful, though.

Dr. Gall She certainly is very beautiful. The hand of God himself never made anything more perfect than Robot Helena! I wanted her to be like you, but what a failure that was!

Helena Why a failure?

Dr. Gall Because she’s no good for anything. She walks around in a daze, unsteady on her feet, lifeless. Dear God how could anything be as beautiful as that robot when she can’t feel love? I look at her and I shudder at the monster I’ve created. Ah, Robot Helena, your body will never be a living thing, you will never be anyone’s lover, never anyone’s mother; those perfect hands of yours will never dandle a newborn babe and you’ll never see your beauty in the face of your own children....

Helena (covers face) Oh, stop it!

Dr. Gall... and sometimes, Helena, I imagine you coming to life for just a moment-and how you would scream with horror! Maybe you would want to kill me for having created you; maybe, with your feeble hands, you would throw stones into these machines, here, that give birth to robots and destroy women’s ability to be women. Poor Helena!

Helena Poor Helena!

Dr. Gall Well, what can you expect of her? She’s no good for anything.

(pause)

Helena Doctor Gall...

Dr. Gall Yes.

Helena Why are there no more children being born?

Dr. Gall That’s something we don’t understand.

Helena Tell me about it!

Dr. Gall Because there are robots being made. Because there’s an excess of manpower. Because mankind is actually no longer needed. It’s almost as if... er...

Helena Say it.

Dr. Gall It’s as if making robots were an offence against Nature.

Helena Gall, what’s going to become of the human race?

Dr. Gall Nothing. There’s nothing that can be done against the force of nature.

Helena Why didn’t Domin put a limit on....

Dr. Gall Ah, forgive me, but Domin has his own ideas. People who have ideas should never be allowed to have any influence on the events of this world.

Helena And is there anyone who... who is urging them to stop making them?

Dr. Gall God forbid! That would be suicide!

Helena Why?

Dr. Gall Because all the people would lynch him. Don’t you think it makes life a lot easier to let the robots do all the work? (Helena stands) And what do you think would happen if we suddenly did stop making robots?

Dr. Gall (standing) Hm, that would be an enormous blow for the people.

Helena Why a blow?

Dr. Gall Because then they’d have to go back to where they’d been. Unless...

Helena Tell me.

Dr. Gall Unless it’s already too late to go back.

Helena (by Hallemeier’s flowers) Gall, are these flowers sterile too?

Dr. Gall (inspects them) Of course they are, they were never meant to reproduce. They’re cultured flowers, don’t you see, artificially accelerated growth...

Helena Oh, these poor, sterile flowers!

Dr. Gall They are very beautiful, though.

Helena (offers her hand) Thank you, Gall; I’ve learned so much from you.

Dr. Gall (kisses her hand) Am I to understand I’m dismissed?

Helena Yes. I’ll see you later.

(exit Gall)

Helena (alone) Dead flowers, dead flowers (suddenly decisive) Nana! (opens door, left) Nana, come here! Light the fire. Quickly!

(Nana’s voice) Alright, I’m comin, I’m comin!

Helena (paces excitedly) Unless it’s already too late to go back... No! Unless... No, that’s horrible! God, what am I to do?... (stops beside flowers) What do you think I should do, sterile flowers? (pulls off petals and whispers) My God yes! I will do it! (runs off, left)

(pause)

Nana (enters through wallpapered door with armful of kindling) What’s she want a fire for all of a sudden? Middle of summer? ‘E’s gone now, has he, that maniac? (kneels at fireplace and lights fire) A fire in the middle of summer. She doe’n’alf get some funny ideas! You wouldn’t think she’s been married for ten years now! Come on now, fire (looks into grate) More like a little girl, she is. (pause) Ain’t got a bit of sense. A fire in the middle of summer! (adds fuel) Just like a little toddler! (pause)

Helena (returns, left, with armfuls of old, yellow paper with writing) Is it burning yet, Nana? Out of the way, I’ve just got to burn all this stuff. (kneels at fireplace)

Nana (standing) What’s all that that, then?

Helena Some old papers, some very old papers. Nana, should I burn them?

Nana Aren’t they any use, then?

Helena No good use.

Nana Burn ’em then.

Helena (throws first sheet on fire) Nana, what would you say... if this were money I’m burning. Lots and lots of money?

Nana I’d say burn it! Too much money is like a bad dog.

Helena (burns another sheet) And what if it were some invention, the biggest invention in the world...

Nana I’d say burn it! They’re against the will of God, all these things they keep inventing. Just a lot of blasphemy, it is, trying to make the world better than how He made it.

Helena (burning sheet after sheet) And what would you say, Nana, if I were burning...

Nana Mind out, don’t burn yourself!

Helena Look at the way the sheets of paper curl up as they burn, as if they were alive, as if they’d come to life. Oh, Nana, it’s horrible!

Nana Out the way-I’ll do it.

Helena No, no, I’ve got to do it myself. (throws last sheet on fire) It’s all got to burn. Look at those flames! They’re like hands, like tongues, like figures. (pokes fire) Burn, burn!

Nana That’s that done, then.

Helena (stands up aghast) Nana!

Nana Jesus Christ, what was that you burned?

Helena What have I done?

Nana God almighty, what was that?

Helena Go, go now, leave me alone. Do you hear?

Nana Oh, dear God, Helena, what have you done? (exit through wallpapered door)

Helena I wonder what they’ll have to say about that!

Domin (opening door, left) Come on in, lads. Congratulations to all.

(enter Hallemeier, Gall, Alquist, all wearing frock coats and decorations, followed by Domin)

Hallemeier (laughing loudly) Helena! I would like, in the name of us all...

Dr. Gall.... in the name of Rossum’s robot works...

Hallemeier.......