Answers and stories copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999 by Grandma
1. The Bestowal of Free Will
In the beginning, after God had created the heavens and the earth - and human beings - He called to His angel Lucifer, and He said unto him,
"Behold! I have created man in My image; male and female have I created him." And Lucifer looked down upon the earth and saw that it was so.
And God said, "I have given humans part of My creative power, and I have surrendered unto them a portion of My absolute sovereignty: they, alone, of all the creatures I have made, possess the power of choice." And Lucifer looked down upon the earth and saw that it was so.
And God said, "Now they share my nature: in time, I shall descend among them and share theirs. Through human beings, I shall experience what it is to be creatures." What can a lowly angel say to an announcment like that? Lucifer merely nodded, and waited. After a time, God sighed deeply.
And God said, "But My people are not aware of the gifts I have bestowed upon them. If they are to grow in wisdom and understanding, and to fulfill their natures, they must learn to exercise their will, to make right choices, and to come to Me through reason and faith."
And God said, "Therefore, Lucifer, I am assigning to you a most arduous task. It is possibly the second most important task I will ever delegate to anyone in all creation." He sighed again.
And God said, "You will go down now among My people, and you will help them learn to make choices."
Lucifer stood silent for a time, contemplating the magnitude of his task. Angels never made choices, never made decisions. They never bothered their very intelligent heads with such powerful things, for choices were beyond their understanding. God commanded - nay, God merely requested - and any angel worth his salt would have obeyed even before the words were fully spoken. While Lucifer had never heard the term "blind obedience," that is the kind of obedience angels - by nature - render to God. Lucifer was, therefore, bewildered.
And Lucifer said, "How can this be, Lord, since I have never made a choice?" God reached out and touched His angel gently. Lucifer, the Son of Morning, was one of His favorite angels. Lucifer felt the power of free will flowing in his veins, and his eyes widened in surprise. He didn't quite know what to do with it.
And God said, "Go now." And Lucifer went.
2. The Fall of Man
Taking the form of a serpent, Lucifer led the lovely lady to the tree in the center of the garden. She came hesitantly, but trustingly, her long hair catching now and then on the branches of a tree or a shrub. She stopped under the tree called by God The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and she looked up at the ripe, red, round fruit hanging in abundance on the limbs of the tree.
"There," the serpent hissed. "This fruit is the best in the garden. Try it." His eyes glittered mischievously.
"But God forbade us to touch it," she said, clasping her hands behind her back. "He said we would surely die if we did."
"You will certainly not surely die," Lucifer assured her, winding the sinuous, serpentine body around the rough trunk of the tree. It was a very pleasant sensation, and Lucifer considered for a moment the advantages of living in the flesh. "Try it," he said again. "You'll like it, I promise."
The woman looked up at the fruit doubtfully. God had told her man that if he ate the fruit, he would die. The serpent here was telling her that she would not die if she ate the fruit. Whom should she believe? Her brown eyes clouded in confusion and doubt. She sank to the ground to think about this.
"If God is lying to us," she thought, "then we will someday die without ever having tasted the fruit. All the other creatures in the garden eventually die, and there isn't any reason why we should be exceptions. Or is there? I can't think of one. God hasn't ever said we would never die, has He? No, only that if we eat this fruit, we will surely die. Is that different?
"On the other hand, if the serpent is lying to me, then I will still eventually die. But I will have tasted the fruit. Isn't it better to die for something I do than for something I didn't do?
"But," she thought, "if God were telling the truth, then I will maybe live forever, if I stay away from the fruit of this tree. And if the serpent is telling the truth, it doesn't matter whether I eat the fruit or not, I will still live forever. Whom should I believe? This is so confusing!" The fruit certainly looked innocuous enough. Whom should she believe? She decided to ask her man.
Slowly, the woman stood up, watching the glistening fruit as it shone in the sun. The serpent uncoiled from the trunk of the tree and wrapped himself around her shoulders. She tried to wriggle free, and when the serpent released her, she fell against the tree.
"You see?" the serpent hissed, smirking at her. "You didn't die when you touched the tree. You won't die if you touch the fruit. You won't even die if you eat the fruit! Go on, try it!"
Realizing that the serpent was right, the woman pushed away from the tree and reached out her hand, and plucked the nearest ripe fruit. She looked at it for a moment, held it to her nose, and sniffed it, then smiled at the serpent. The fruit smelled delicious, but she didn't say so. Lucifer just watched her, letting her make up her own mind about what to do. The lady brushed her hair back away from her face and turned away from the tree, the fruit held tenderly in her hand.
"Eat it," the serpent whispered. "You will be as God, knowing good from evil." The woman's eyes widened. If this were true, if she could really know good and evil, she would always know what she was supposed to do. This would be a wonderful thing, to not ever be in danger of being confused again about whom to believe.
Hurrying, now, and excited, she pushed her way through the trees, around the flowering bushes, and past several smll animals, to the grass where the man lay sleeping. Holding the fruit carefully, she sat down beside him and wakened him with a fluttering touch. He startled into wakefulness and scrambled to a sitting position.
"Here," she said, thrusting the fruit at him. "The serpent says we shall not surely die if we eat this fruit, and he says we shall be as God, knowing good from evil. And I fell against the tree and I did not die. Should we taste the fruit?"
Half asleep, the man took the fruit from her. He looked at it sleepily, shielding his eyes from the brightness of the sun.
"Is this from the tree that is forbidden to us?"
"Yes, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil," she replied, nodding.
"God said we would die if we eat it," he said, putting the fruit on the grass beside him.
"The serpent says we shall not die, that we shall be as God," she said. She watched him impatiently, waiting for him to decide what to do.
The man looked at the fruit, then at the woman, then off into the distant parts of the garden, considering.
"You touched the tree?" he asked. She nodded. "Did it hurt?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Whom shall we believe?" he finally asked. She shrugged, biting her lip. The man thought about it. She almost trembled in her eagerness. Both of them watched the fruit as if it were about to explode.
"Well," he finally said, "I can certainly see some advantages to knowing good from evil. If we knew that, we would know what to do." She nodded, her eyes bright with anticipation.
The man lifted the fruit to his lips, hesitated, and looking into her eyes, he took a deep breath and thrust the fruit at the woman.
"You first," he said, holding his breath while she bit into the fruit. The pungent juice ran down her chin, its fragrance delightful.
The man snatched the fruit away from her and bit deeply. They stared at each other as they chewed, apprehensive, excited, uncertain what to expect. And knowledge came to them as they swallowed: They were mere creatures, animals. And they would indeed surely die. Horrified, the woman threw the fruit as far from her as she possibly could.
"The serpent lied," she whispered, wide eyed.
"No, he didn't," said the man. "He said we would know good and evil, and we do."
"For all the good it does us," she said bitterly. "We'll die knowing. Big deal!"
"Would you rather die ignorant?" he asked. The woman grinned wryly.
"I'd rather not die," she replied. She did not realize that she and the man had established for all time the human "need to know." Henceforth, millions of humans would choose knowledge and death over ignorance and life. But she didn't know that. Sickened, she leaped to her feet and ran, sobbing, until she could run no more. Collapsing on the ground, wracked with guilt, she felt dirty, inside and out. She didn't think she could ever face her man again, or her God. She felt dirty, and she didn't think she'd ever be clean again.
3. The Fall of Lucifer
After the infamous curse had been pronounced, when the humans had been cast from the garden of their innocence, and the guardians had been posted at the gates, God again called Lucifer to His side.
And God said, "Go down to My people, for your task is not yet completed. You must encourage their appetites and their fears. I will bid them to do this and you will cause them to be afraid; I will forbid them to do that and you will cause them to desire it avidly." Lucifer was astonished and horrified.
And Lucifer said, "You want me to teach them to disobey You?" God laughed and shook His mighty head.
And God said, "Not at all. Yet, if they know no way other than My way, they can hardly be said to freely choose obedience. Human beings alone, of all My creatures, have the privilege of deciding for themselves whether they will love, trust, and obey Me. I do not want blind obedience from My people; I want voluntary, loving, trusting obedience.
Lucifer immediately understood what God was asking of him, and he knew - and he knew that God knew - that many, many human beings would choose not to love their Creator. He felt sick to his stomach, just thinking about what it might be like to not worship God. He couldn't even imagine that. He fell to his knees, weeping.
"Oh, my God," he cried. "How will those poor creatures survive who do not choose Your way? How can any creature survive without You?" He looked up at his Creator tearfully, feeling torn asunder by the whole idea.
"They won't survive, son," God replied gently. "Those who will not choose Life will, by definition, not survive." Lucifer gasped in horror.
"You would kill them?" he cried.
And God said, "No, of course not. They will choose to live or they will choose to die. They will not be condemned to death by Me, but by their own choices and behaviors. I couldn't kill these people, son," He concluded. "I love them far too much."
"Oh, my Lord," Lucifer cried. "If there is any way possible for this task to be accomplished without my participation, please make it so! Is it really Your will that I do this thing, this horrible business of tempting mere creatures to turn against You, to encourage them to turn away from You, to persuade them not to believe in You? You want me to do all this to the very people You say You love so very much?"
God looked down upon His favorite angel and He pitied him. Nevertheless, He nodded. "It is because I love them so much that I have given them this enormous power," He said. "All you have to do, son, is show them an alternative - not force them to choose it. And they will choose. They are so constructed that even inaction constitutes choice. But it must be their own, voluntary choice, Lucifer. Not yours and not Mine."
"Please, my Lord," whimpered Lucifer. "Don't do this to them. Don't make me be the one to do it to them. Don't make me.... " he couldn't even complete the sentence. He couldn't even think about it.
God sighed. There was no avoiding it, however. He had to be the One to offer Lucifer a choice, to give His angel an alternative. It wasn't in Him to lie, to deceive; not even in the service of a greater good: the unfolding of His plan for humankind. He considered for a moment, shook His massive head slightly, and then said, very softly,
"Lucifer." The angel looked up, tears streaming down his face. "Remember that I have given you free will too, son," God said.
Lucifer stopped in mid-sob, startled. It was true. He alone, of all the angels, had free will. That meant he did not have to obey. He could choose not to do this thing. But if he didn't do it, he would lose so very much - everything, in fact, for which angels were created; everything that made existence worthwhile. The mere thought overwhelmed him.
"Please don't make me do it, Lord," he shuddered.
God raised His eyebrows, but said nothing. Time passed. Lucifer thought about it. For the first time in his life, he didn't want to obey his God. On the other hand, he loved his God too much to ever disobey Him. Lucifer just didn't want anything to do with this whole project.
"I don't want to do this," he whimpered.
God did not reply. More time passed. Lucifer considered the consequences of disobeying his Creator: the loss of His companionship for all eternity. That was definitely not an acceptable price to pay. He considered the consequences of obedience: human beings, whom God loved dearly, would be given the opportunity - the mere chance - to disobey. But Lucifer knew that humans were flesh-and-blood creatures; they had appetites and passions, and if they knew of any alternative way to behave, their curiosity would demand that they try it. There was no way they could escape, and millions would suffer eternal - ETERNAL - separation from God. If he took on this task and they listened to him, they would, anyway.
"It isn't fair," he wailed.
God was still silent. Lucifer grew angry. God's silence wasn't the least bit helpful. This was His people, His task, His will - and there wasn't any reason on earth or in heaven why He had to get Lucifer involved with it at all.
"I don't have to do it!" He shouted.
Still, God said nothing. This is ridiculous, thought Lucifer, angrily. God DID give him that freedom. He realized suddently that he couldn't avoid making a choice, for even doing nothing at all was choosing - to disobey. For a moment, he was shaken by fear. Anger against his God does not come naturally to an angel, after all. But his anger was great, and he shook off the fear furiously.
"I won't do it!" He shouted, his face red with anger.
God looked at him tenderly, lovingly, silently.
"Why don't You say something," Lucifer demanded.
"I have told you what I would have you do," God said gently. "What more would you have Me say?"
Lucifer realized that what he wanted God to say was that he did not have to do that which God asked him to do. What he wanted was for God to give him permission to disobey. For the first time since he had been created, Lucifer felt a pang of guilt. Quickly he told himself that this wasn't his fault; this was God's plan, and He was just trying to get Lucifer to do His dirty work. Humiliation, guilt, fear, frustration, resentment, and rage filled his heart, completely masking his natural angelic love for God, and he turned away from his Creator for the first time in his existence.
"Lucifer," God said softly. The angel turned back, his face set and sullen. "You could obey because you love Me, or because you trust Me and believe that I know what I ask of you. That is an alternative to what you are doing now." Lucifer paused, then burst anew into tears.
Lucifer threw himself at his Master's knees, pleading and sobbing. "Oh, Father," he said, "As you love me, do not set me to this task!" God drew back a little and lifted Lucifer to his feet, holding him gently by the shoulders.
"Lucifer," He said, "As you love Me, do as I ask you to do." Lucifer's tears stopped and shook himself free of God's grasp, his face again grew stony and sullen.
Lucifer glared at his Maker, his fists clenched. "How am I to love a God who would will something like this?" he shouted. "You're setting these people up for a terrible fall, and You know it. As long as I have existed, I have loved You, and I have obeyed You without question. But You are asking me to do something that is just plain wrong, setting these people against you, and it makes me absolutely sick!"
Suddenly, without any warning or conscious decision on his part, his heart was hardened and his choice was made. "Oh, I'll do it," he said resentfully. "I'll do a damned good job of it, too. Because You don't deserve their worship!" His lip curled in self-disgust. "And because I don't have the guts to disobey you." He stomped away in fury.
Lucifer had chosen obedience, but he had not chosen love. Therefore, he had not chosen life. He didn't realize that God had done for him the same thing He had asked him to do for mortals. Lucifer had made his first immoral choice. He didn't know, although his Creator did, that one day he would declare war on God, count his Creator as his enemy, and attempt to subvert even those who had chosen life, love, and trusting obedience.
God watched Lucifer stride away, His heart aching: Lucifer, the first created and the most loved of all His angels; Lucifer the Son of Morning; Lucifer, whose companionship God would no longer be able to enjoy. He shook His head sadly. Even knowing Lucifer would behave like this hadn't alleviated His sorrow.
His first-born Son came silently and stood at His side, and God whispered, "It has begun."
The One we have come to call Jesus laid His hand on His Father's shoulder in sympathy. "For God so loved the world..." he whispered, and God nodded, closing His eyes against His grief.
finis
Friday, May 21, 2010
The Fall of Adam and Eve
God was standing around in Heaven one day watching Adam and Eve as they frolicked in the Garden of Eden. He was not happy with His creatures, and had just decided what He was going to do about it. He called Lucifer, one of His best and brightest Archangels, and said to him:
"Lucy, old boy, I have a job for you."
Lucifer was appalled. "The last time you had a job for me, I ended up in Hell," he protested.
"True, God replied. "But you got to design the place and create the staff and all that, didn't you?"
"Yes," Lucifer conceded. "It would have helped a lot if you had lent me just a little of your creative power, you know. Or if even one of the angels you sent with me were competent. But no! You kept the best here in Heaven and left me with the deadwood."
God chuckled. "It's hell, isn't it?" He grinned. Lucifer did not share his Master's mirth. "So what do you want now?" he muttered.
"I want you to go down to earth and persuade Man to eat the forbidden fruit," God replied. Lucifer's jaw gaped open.
"You what? I don't think I heard you correctly! Would you say that again?" Lucifer stammered.
"Sure," God said, grinning. "I want you to go down to earth and persuade Man to eat the forbidden fruit." Lucifer just nodded.
"It's forbidden to them," Lucifer said. "Why should they eat it?"
"Because," God said, draping his arm around Lucifer's shoulder, "You are going to lie to them."
"ME? Lie to them? My Lord!" Lucifer was thunderstruck.
"Yes, you. Yes, lie. And yes, I am your Lord." God said. "Any further questions?" Lucifer shook his head, still reeling in shock.
"Well, then," God said. "Go do it." Lucifer bowed his head in submission, turned, and left the Hallowed Halls of Heaven for the dusty dirtball called earth.
* * * * *
Lucifer encountered Eve near the center of the Garden, and it took him all afternoon to persuade her that she wouldn't die on the spot if she ate the fruit. He had to swallow one himself to convince her, but he did it. She took the fruit to Adam, who ate it without so much as a single question. Neither of them noticed any change in themselves that would indicate that they were going to die any time soon, so they soon forgot the whole incident.
Later that afternoon, Adam decreed that he and Eve would play New Creature, a game he always won because it was his duty to name any and all creatures in the Garden. He and Eve dressed themselves in grape leaves and pretended to be unheard of creatures. (On this particular evening, the crowning achievement was something Adam called a Unicorn, a horselike creature with a single horn growing out of the middle of its forehead. The runner up was the Pegasus, a horselike creature with wings like angels.) Eve was bored, but Adam decreed that this was fun, so they played on.
In the evening, before God appeared for His nightly walk in the Garden with Adam, Adam decided that it would be fun to hide in the bushes and jump out making a loud noise, just to see if they could scare their God. Still in their Unicorn and Pegasus costumes, they crouched behind a forsythia bush and waited for God.
When He arrived, He called out to them, saying, "Adam? Eve? Where are you?" Adam held Eve's hand and wouldn't let her respond right away. God had to call three times before Adam leaped up, clapping his hands and yelling at the top of his lungs. God was not amused.
"What have you done?" He demanded. "Who told you you were naked?"
Since neither Adam nor Eve had any idea what "naked" was, they had no answer for Him. He took their hands and dragged them to the center of the Garden.
"Didn't I tell you not to eat the fruit of that tree?" He demanded. Eve nodded. Adam pointed his finger at Eve and said, "She gave it to me and made me eat it!" God was not pleased with this denial of responsibility.
"You," he said to Adam, "will henceforth have to work for every bite you eat. You will till the soil and earn your bread by the sweat of your brow." Adam reeled back, overwhelmed. God turned to Eve.
"You," he said, "will bear children in agony. And you will always serve your husband's needs." Eve hung her head, tears creeping from behind her long black lashes, and nodded silently.
"And you!" God pointed at Lucifer. "You will always crawl on your belly on the face of the earth. Human beings will hate and fear you through all the ages of Man, and they will destroy you every chance they get." Lucifer looked up, astonished.
"Michael!" shouted God, and the Archangel appeared instantly.
"Yes, my Lord?"
"Escort these two from My Garden and put cherubim at the gates with flaming swords to make sure they don't ever get back in," God said. Michael nodded, swept the two humans up in his arms, and flew towards the east of Eden. God watched them go, satisfied that all had been accomplished according to plan.
* * * * *
Lucifer stretched himself out of his disguise and stood beside his Master.
"What's this business about crawling on my belly?" he demanded. "And about humans trying to destroy me?" God chuckled.
"Nothing personal, Luce" He said. "But let's face it, that was a mighty cute disguise. What did Adam call it? Serpent? Snake? Couldn't make up his mind? Doesn't matter, now. His naming days are over. Now that he isn't in the Garden any more, it is not his job to, as he puts it, say what's what around here!.
"Okay," Lucifer said, "So you're going to create a serpent or snake or whatever. But what about the destroying bit?"
"Ah," answered God. "We both know that everything Adam can't blame on Eve he's going to blame on you. So I planted a fear of snakes in human beings so they would avoid the little creatures, who aren't at all to blame for Adam's behavior. And, humans being humans, when they encounter anything they fear, they will attempt to destroy it." He shook His head. "Maybe, " He admitted, "I shouldn't have made them such complicated beasts!"
"What was the reason for all this, anyway?" Lucifer asked. God slowly shook His head.
"Several thousand generations from now, that contrary little creature is going to - well, let's just say he's going to succeed me as Master of the seven universes." God smiled briefly.
"Succeed you?" Lucifer gasped. "Where are you going?"
"Ah, Lucy," God sighed. "Even I get tired now and then." He saw the look of abject horror on Lucifer's face. "Oh," He added, "Don't worry about that. They will not become gods, for Heaven's sake! They'll just run things for awhile. It seems that once I create a universe or two, I feel obligated to keep them running. It will be - what - eighty thousand generations? - before this batch is ready to take over so I can have a vacation. Fortunately, they only live a hundred years or so. I've only been running the place a few billion years, you know, and I'm ready for a break." He nodded, and He and Lucifer simultaneously appeared on the perimeter of Heaven. "Odd," God said, "How attached I've become to the little guys. They are so predictable!"
"Well, that's how You made them," Lucifer said. God nodded.
"I know," He replied. "But if I had created them perfect, they wouldn't have any experiences to draw on when it comes their turn to govern the stars." He and Lucifer looked at the furious Adam and strangely complacent Eve as they made their way through the wilderness outside the Garden.
* * * * *
Outside the gates of the Garden, Adam was screaming at Eve that it was all her fault, that if she hadn't been so weak, she could have resisted temptation, and if she hadn't turned right around and tempted him, he would never have eaten that blasted fruit.
"Adam," Eve said sweetly. "It took an archangel to tempt me - and it took a mere woman to tempt you. Who, exactly is the weaker vessel, hmmm?"
Pinky and the Ghosts
[The Chorus and Russell are on stage.]
Chorus - all: At night, when the sun has gone down, and it's very dark outside; when all the human people are asleep, and there's no light to frighten them, all the little ghosts come out to play.
Russell: Except Pinky.
Chorus - 1: Right!
Chorus - 2: We don't let Pinky play with us, of course.
Chorus - 3: Because he's pink!
Chorus - all: Everybody knows ghosts are supposed to be white.
Russell: And besides, he dresses funny. Did you see that strange green ribbon he always wears?
Chorus - 1: Yes!
Chorus - all: Ha! Ha!
Chorus - 2: It's crooked and it's stringy, and it's such a funny color!
Chorus - 3: Who ever heard of wearing a green ribbon? It's not at all like our own beautiful red ribbons!
[Russell looks out the window.]
Russell: Look! It's dark outside! The sun has gone down and there's no light to scare us, and all the people in the house are fast asleep. Let's play hide and seek.
Chorus - all: That sounds like fun!
Chorus - 1: Yeah!
Chorus - 2: Good idea!
Russell: Who wants to be IT? Who wants to close his eyes and count to a hundred while everybody hides?
Chorus - 3: Not me!
Chorus - 2: Not me!
Chorus - 1: Not me!
Russell: Well, I will, then. I'll even go down to the basement, and I'll close my eyes, and I won't peek, honest. Then I'll count to a hundred while all of you go and hide. But you'd better hide real good, because I'm going to try very hard to find you!
[Exit Russell, stage left. The Chorus flutters excitedly to and fro across the stage.]
Chorus - all: Oh my! Where shall we hide?
[The Chorus moves to stage left.]
Chorus - all: Shall we hide here?
Chorus - 1: No, that's too hard.
[Chorus moves to stage right.]
Chorus - 2: Shall we hide here?
Chorus - 3: No, that's too easy.
[Chorus circles the stage in a sort of frenzy]
Chorus - 1: I wish Russell weren't down in the basement!
Chorus - 2: Yeah! He knows all the good places to hide!
Chorus - 3: Where can we hide where he won't find us?
[Enter Pinky, stage right.]
Pinky: Hi, Fellas!
[Chorus retreats to stage left.]
Chorus - all: Pinky!
Chorus - 3: Oh, no!
Chorus - 2: It's Pinky!
Pinky: Whatcha doing?
Chorus - 1: None of your business, pink-o.
Chorus - all: Go away.
Chorus - 1: Leave us alone.
Pinky: But why can't I play?
Chorus - 1: You just can't, that's all.
Chorus - 2: If you're going to stay here, we'll leave!
Chorus - 3: Come on, fellas, let's go.
[Exit Chorus, stage left. Pinky paces back and forth across the stage while speaking the following lines.]
Pinky: Why won't they let me play? Why don't they like me? I can't help it if I'm pink! I was made that way. Besides, pink is a very pretty color. It's the color of the sky at sunrise. Oh.
[Pinky pauses, looks out at audience]
Pinky: Oh, my. They don't like pink because they're afraid of the sunrise! Well, so am I. But pink is also the color of sunsets, and we all like it when the sun goes down. I guess I just don't understand. It isn't fair. It isn't nice, either. I wish I weren't different. I wish I weren't pink. No, I wish all the ghosts were pink. I think I'm going to cry!
[Exit Pinky, crying, stage right.]
End Act 1
Act 2
[Chorus flutters excitedly and worries]
Chorus - 3: I wonder what happened to Russell?
Chorus - 1: He should have finished counting a long time ago.
Chorus - 2: He should be looking for us everywhere, in all the places we might have hidden.
Chorus - 1: Should we go and look for him?
Chorus - 3: No, that isn't how hide and seek is played!
He's supposed to look for us.
Chorus - 1: Well, this is boring.
Chorus - 2: It's always boring when you're hiding and no one is looking for you.
Chorus - 3: I wish he'd hurry up!
[Verbal pause. Fluttering continues.]
Chorus: Maybe he forgot his numbers and had to start over again.
[Verbal pause. Fluttering continues.]
Chorus: Oh, why is Russell taking so long? This isn't any fun at all!
[Enter Pinky, stage right. Chorus retreats, stage left.]
Pinky: Terrible news, fellas! Horrible news! Oh, terrible, horrible, no good, very bad news!
Chorus - all: What?
Chorus - 3: What are you yelling about, crybaby?
Chorus - 2: Nothing could be that bad!
Pinky: But it is! It's just awful!
Chorus: Well, stop sniveling about it and tell us what's happened.
Pinky: The mommy woke up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water, and she forgot to turn off the light in the hall and now Russell is trapped in the basement! He can't get out without getting light all over him!
[Chorus flutters excitedly to and fro across the stage, carefully avoiding Pinky.]
Chorus - all: Oh, no!
Chorus - 3:That really is terrible!
Chorus - 2:Poor Russell!
Chorus - 1:We have to do something! We have to save him!
Chorus - 2:He's all alone in the basement with no one
to talk to or anything!
Chorus - 3:What'll we do?
Pinky: Well, we could rescue him.
Chorus - 1: Oh, no, we can't!
Chorus - 2: Not us!
Chorus - 3: You want all of us to get trapped like poor
Russell?
Chorus - 1: We're not going out there in the light, I'll
tell you that!
Chorus - 2: No, sir, not us!
Pinky: But if we all go together, the light can't hurt us.
Chorus - all: How do you know?
Chorus - 1: You're just saying that to get us all out there so we'll get trapped too.
Chorus - 2: We are not going out into the light for nobody, noway, nohow, never!
Chorus - 3: Forget it, buster!
Pinky: But we have to save Russell! He's all alone, and he's scared! We can't just leave him there to rot, you know.
Chorus - 3: Well, we'll think of something.
Chorus - 2: We're not stupid enough to go out in the light.
Chorus - 3:Who knows what kind of things live in the light and would come out and gobble us up?
Chorus - 1:We'd better go and think about this a whole lot.
[Chorus moves to stage right, with Pinky following.]
Chorus: Oh, no, you don't.
Chorus - 1:You aren't coming with us, Pink-o.
Chorus - 2:We can't think straight with you jabbering at
us all the time.
Chorus - 1:You and your crazy ideas!
Chorus - 2:Go out into the light, Ha!
Chorus - 3:Come on, fellas, let's go figure out how to save Russell.
[Exit Chorus, stage right.]
[Pinky paces slowly back and forth across the stage, pausing after every sentence. He will take one or two steps between sentences.]
Pinky: Well. I guess I'll have to go all by myself.
No, I can't. I'm too scared. I have to. I have to do the right thing, even if I'm scared. Besides, my mommy said the light can't hurt me. But I'm still scared of it. But so is Russell, I guess. I just have to go and get him out of the basement. Somehow. But how? I know!
[Pinky shows excitement, begins fluttering about on the stage.]
Pinky: I'll make him shut his eyes so he can't see the light, and then he won't be so scared!
[Pinky slows down, moving to stage left.]
Pinky: But I'll still see it. I'm so scared!
[Exit Pinky, stage left. Enter Chorus, stage right. Chorus is fluttering excitedly to and fro across the stage.]
Chorus - 1: Oh, this is really terrible! Here we are, stuck in the attic all night long, and we can't go out to play because of that awful light in the hall!
Chorus - 2: Why did the mommy forget to turn off the light? I bet she didn't forget at all, she was just being mean.
Chorus - 3: She didn't want us to play.
Chorus - 1: Oh, don't be silly! She doesn't even know we exist.
Chorus - 3: Well, it isn't fair
Chorus - 2: Why did Russell go and get himself trapped in the basement?
Chorus - 1: I bet he isn't trapped at all. I bet he just forgot about us.
Chorus - 3: Don't be silly, Russell never forgets anything!
Chorus - 2: Well, it just isn't fair. I want to go out and play!
Chorus - 1: Me, too!
Chorus - 2: Why doesn't anybody feel sorry for us, being stuck up here in the attic? Why is Russell so special that every one should be sorry for him?
Chorus - 3: Oh, that terrible, horrible, no good, very bad light!
[Exit Chorus, stage left.]
End Act 2
Act 3
[Enter Pinky and Russell, stage right.]
Pinky: It's okay, now Russell. You can open your eyes now. We're safe in the attic again.
Russell: Pinky, you saved my life! How can I ever pay you back?
Pinky: Well, you could start by calling me Roy.
Russell: Roy? But I thought your name was Pinky.
Roy: No, you guys just call me that because I'm different.
Russell: I'm really sorry I was so mean to you, Pinky. I mean, Roy. You have really been a good friend to me. No one else came to help me. Only you. You must really be brave.
Roy: I have to tell you, Russell, that I was really awful scared.
Russell: Me, too. But you did the right thing, even when you were scared. I couldn't do it. Isn't that what being brave is all about? From now on, Pinky, I mean Roy, I want you to be my best friend of all! But,...speaking of friends, where is everybody?
Roy: I don't know. But if you want to, you can sit down and rest for a little while, and I'll go see if I can find them.
Russell: Thanks, Roy. I feel like I could use a rest now, after that horrible scare.
Roy: Well, relax, then. I'll be back as soon as I can.
[Exit Roy, stage right.]
Russell: We were so mean to him. All because he is different. He looks kind of like the sunrise, and we're scared of the sunlight. But he looks kind of like sunset, too, and we love the sunset. I'll never be mean to him again, I promise.
[Enter Chorus, stage left.]
Chorus - 2: It isn't fair, I tell you!
Chorus - 1:I hate being stuck in this attic all night!
I want to go out and play.
Chorus - 3:Maybe we should go downstairs and scare the baby! Maybe that would make the mommy sorry she left the light on.
Chorus - 1:No, it wouldn't. She doesn't believe in us, remember. She'd just leave more lights on because human kids are afraid of the DARK!
[Chorus laughs.]
Chorus - 1: Look! Russell's back!
Chorus - 2: Russell!
Chorus - 3: Russell, how are you?
Chorus - 2: What happened to you?
Chorus - 1: Are you okay?
Russell: Yes, I'm fine.
Chorus - 1: What happened to you?
Chorus - 3:How did you get out of the basement and past the light?
Russell: Roy saved me.
Chorus - 3: Roy?
Chorus - 2: Roy?
Chorus - 1: Who is Roy?
Russell: I used to call him Pinky, when I didn't know any better.
Chorus = all: Pinky?
Chorus - 2: How could that stupid...
[Russell jumps up, looming over the Chorus as if he intended to strike.]
Russell: Stop it right there!
[Chorus retreats, trembling, to the left corner of the stage. Russell advances toward them, stomping his feet and clearly angry.]
Russell: He isn't stupid. In fact, he's smarter than any of you, because he figured out how to save me. You didn't.
Chorus - 1: But Russell, we did, too!
Chorus - 2: It was just too dangerous, what with the light and all.
Chorus - 3: We were too scared.
>Russell: Well, Roy was scared, too. But he saved me anyway, because he's brave. He did the right thing, even if he was scared and didn't want to. From now on, he's my very best friend.
Chorus - 3: But Russell, how can that be?
Chorus - 2: He IS pink, after all!
Chorus - 1: And he dresses funny, you know, with that stringy green ribbon.
Russell: Well, what a person looks like and the way a person dresses don't count. Sure, Roy is different from us. And it's a good thing, too, or I'd still be stuck in the basement.
Chorus - 3: That's true.
Chorus - 1:Yes, that's very true.
Chorus - 2:I guess that underneath all that pink sheet, Pinky is just like everyone else, isn't he?
Russell: No, he isn't. He's brave, and we aren't. That's one difference. We were mean to him, and he's never been mean to us. That's another difference. Roy is different from us and I'm glad he is.
Chorus - 2: Then we'll be glad, too, Russell.
Chorus - 3:If you like Pinky, we'll like him.
Russell: And don't call him Pinky any more. His name is Roy.
Chorus - all: Sure, Russell.
Chorus - 1:We can do that.
Chorus - 2:Oh, Russell, we're so glad you're back!
Chorus - 3:What game are we going to play now?
>Russell: We aren't going to play anything right now. I'm going to go find Roy. We'll decide what to play after we get back.
[Exit Russell, stage right.]
Chorus - all: Okay, Russell.
Chorus - 1: We'll wait for you!
[Chorus wanders around aimlessly on the stage.]
Chorus - all: You know, I think Russell's right. It doesn't matter what a person looks like on the outside, or what kind of clothes he wears. What's really important is what he's like on the inside.
Chorus - 3:Do you think maybe we are all different from each other on the inside?
Chorus - 2:Do you think maybe we're supposed to be different from each other?
Chorus - 1:Russell's different from us; he can always think up good games, and we can't.
Chorus - 3:And Pinky, I mean Roy is different, too. He's brave, and we aren't.
Chorus - 2:I wish I were different from everybody else.
Chorus - 1:Oh, look! here they come!
[Enter Russell and Roy, stage left.]
Russell: We're back, guys! Roy, you can play with us any time you want. Isn't that right, fellas?
Chorus - all: Sure!
Chorus - 3: What shall we play?
Russell: Let's play tag.
Chorus - all: Okay!
Chorus - 1: We love to play tag!
Russell:
Chorus - 2: Not me!
Chorus - 1: Not me!
Chorus - 3: Not me!
Chorus - 1: Run, fellas!
Chorus - 2 : Don't let him catch us!
[Exit Chorus, stage right.]
Roy: Wait a minute, Russell. I don't know how to play tag. I've never played it before. What do we have to do?
Russell: It's easy, Roy. Right now, I'm IT. I have to chase everyone around until I catch someone, then I touch him and holler "Tag!" Then he's it and he has to chase everyone around until he tags somebody. See?
Roy: It sounds like fun!
Russell: It is! Are you ready?
Roy: Yep!
[Roy turns to run, but Russell quickly tags him.]
Russell: TAG! You're it! You have to try and catch me, Roy! Bet you can't!
[Exit Russell, stage right, running.]
Roy: Now everybody likes me, and I'm still different! I'm really glad I'm different! I'm really glad I'm me! Here I come, everyone! I'm gonna getcha if you don't watch out!
End Act 3
FINIS
Instructions for Staging The Play
Answers and stories copyright © 1997 by Grandma
| Materials | Construction |
8 white facial tissues 2 pink facial tissues 4 red bag-closing ties 1 green bag-closing tie | Wad up one white facial tissue into an approximate ball and place it in the center of another white tissue. Twist the second tissue slightly to help hold the wad in place, then wrap a bag tie around the twist to form a "necktie." All four of the white "ghosts" use the red bag closures. Be sure the facial tissue hangs fairly evenly from the tie. Use a pink tissue for the fourth ghost, and use the green bag tie to hold the pink tissue wad in place. |
| 1 black marking pen | With the marking pen, draw eyes and a mouth on each of the ghosts. |
1 sewing needle black thread 2 1/4" dowels about 6" long 1 1/4" dowel about 12" long | Thread the needle with the black thread, knot the thread, and poke the needle up through the "neck" of the ghosts so that the thread protrudes from the top of the head. Pull the thread through to its full length (15-18 inches). Cut the thread at the needle, and tie it to one of the sticks. The pink "ghost" is by itself on one 6" dowel and the three white "ghosts" are evenly spaced on the 12" dowel. The fourth white "ghost" is by itself on the second 6" dowel. Be sure to leave enough space for your fingers between the "ghosts," for you will have to jiggle the thread of whichever chorus "ghost" you assign to speak. |
| 1 large cardboard box (printer or copier paper box is best) with lid | Cut the cardboard box so that the top and one of the long sides are open. Reinforce it by placing the cut box inside the lid so that the top and the open side show. The marionettes will be lowered through the cut side while the audience views the play through the top of the box. |
| decorations to make inside of box look like an attic | Decorate the inside of the box any way you like, or don't decorate it at all. You can use doll-house furniture, sort of stacked up and jumbled into one corner, or small square pieces of cardboard leaned against the side of the box to represent stored pictures, etc. You can paint the walls with tempura paint if you like. |
| 1 high-powered flashlight | Turn off most of the lights, so that the room is fairly dim. The teacher's aide (or an older child) is to hold the flashlight and train the light on whichever marionette is speaking (at least one rehearsal is recommended so that the "lighting technician" doesn't get lost during the play). |
| Keep the script handy! | I staged this play for a classful of 3-year-olds and they didn't seem to mind that I had a helper standing by holding the script open for me so I could read it when I forgot the lines. |
The Soldiers of Fennian Field
Late summer wheat grew tall in Finnian's Field. A young, unseasoned soldier slipped between the golden stalks, crawling on his belly through the wheat field. The sun beat ruthlessly down on his back; his shirt clung to his body as if it were paint. Insects eagerly sampled every inch of sweating human skin they could find.
The day was too bright for human eyes, too scorching for human skin. The wind blew gently now and then, but it was a sweltering, stifling, smothering afternoon. The golden stalks of drying, dying wheat bent elegantly before the breeze, as if worshipping some benevolent God, while the meadowlarks trilled and the locusts chirped and the stealthy soldier swatted impatiently at the gnats.
An unnatural sound suddenly shattered the silence: the snarling sound of static. A walkie-talkie attached to his belt snapped, crackled, and popped at the camouflaged soldier lying on his belly between the rows of wheat.
"Lieutenant? Come in Lieutenant. Come in." Holding the small black box close to his lips, the sweating soldier softly repeated the summons several times. There was no reply beyond the stuttering static. The solder waited, watched the wheat waltz in the wind, listened to the larks, swatted at the hungry bugs. After awhile, he sighed and tried again.
"Lieutenant?" Static hissed smugly, but there was no answer.
"Come on, Lieutenant," the solder said, exasperated. "You've got to be out there somewhere! Say something!"
"You forgot to say over," the box replied, snittering and snattering statically.
"Oh. Sorry, Sir. Over."
"Go ahead, Private. What is it?"
"I've spotted the fugitive at the edge of the field, sir. Over." It occurred to the private that his lieutenant hadn't said over, but he didn't mention the omission aloud.
"Good work, son!" the voice in the box exclaimed. "We'll be right there for the capture. Don't try to take him on your own. You hear me? Over and out."
There was a soft click as the private turned off his machine and the static suddenly ceased.
The private replaced the walkie-talkie in its holder at his side. He waited, squirming into a more comfortable position. The sun beat down on his golden head, giving it a halo-like glow. The beads of perspiration on his forehead sparkled in the sunlight, the image of a diamond diadem against his fair and sunburned skin.
He squinted into the sun, lifting battered black field-glasses to his blue, sun-reddened eyes, and then pushed quietly through the wall of wheat before him. Insects rose in a cloud around him, murmuring indignantly at being interrupted in their feasts. He brushed them away, peering through the glasses. He saw no signs of the fugitive.
"Where'd he go?" the private muttered crossly. He rose slowly to his knees and knelt, a little hunched over, sweeping his gaze across the field to the edge of the forest. Salty sweat stung his eyes. He wiped at them roughly, irritated at his lieutenant, his sergeant, the sun, the insects, and even at himself.
How had he let himself be talked into this foolishness? He wholeheartedly wanted the whole stupid game to be over. He was hot and tired and hungry and thirsty, and who cared about the stupid army, anyway? He raised the glasses again, squinting against the sun, trying to spot the fugitive, trying to avoid the vision of himself wolfing down chocolate chip cookies and ice-cold milk in the comfort of his mother's air-conditioned kitchen.
A hand swept suddenly from behind him and covered his mouth. His heart leaped into his throat. He fought, dropping his field-glasses into the wheat. He kicked out behind him, but couldn't connect with his attacker. He heard the hateful laugh of his captor, and knew he wouldn't be able to get away.
"Did I scare you, Wimp?" the sergeant teased, just as the private recognized him. A sudden rage blinded the younger soldier. Instead of answering, the private shoved his head into the belly of his sergeant, who fell solidly to the ground, gasping in astonishment; gasping for air.
"Cut it out, you two!" the lieutenant whispered, crawling toward them on his belly. "This is no time to be horsing around. You mess up now and we're all dead." The private hung his head. The sergeant gave him a withering look that said, "I'll get you for this." Both of them turned to their lieutenant as he hissed at them.
"Look," breathed the lieutenant. "By the tree." The two soldiers looked. They saw. "We don't want him to get away again," the lieutenant whispered. The sergeant tried to push the private down into the wheat, but the private pulled away from him and stood beside the lieutenant, rubbing his smartly stinging arms. Dumb bugs, he thought.
The lieutenant pulled something shiny from the waist of his sweat-laden pants, shielding it so it wouldn't catch a reflection of sunlight.
"A gun!" the private exclaimed, backing away. "You aren't ..."
"Shut..." the lieutenant thrust the gun into his face. "...up!" The private gulped hard, swallowing the rest of his sentence. The sergeant grinned. The lieutenant glared over the up of the gun.
The private tried again. "But we aren't supposed to ..."
Leaning over, the sergeant pushed him roughly, laughing.
"What's the matter, Wimp," he sneered. "Afraid of a stupid gun?"
The lieutenant waved the gun toward the field. "Shut up, you guys," he whispered. "There he is!"
"I can't stand this," the private suddenly cried out. "You're always getting..."
"I said SHUT UP!" Whirling, the lieutenant slammed the cold barrel of his weapon down, but not too hard, on the private's nose. Tears sprang unbidden to the young soldier's eyes. The private shut up, stealthily feeling the bridge of his nose to see if it were broken. He was determined not to let either the sergeant or the lieutenant see him cry. He swallowed hard, but the lump in his throat wouldn't go away. The tears evaporated in the sun, leaving salty crystals on his lashes.
The lieutenant glared at him for a moment, daring him to defy his authority just one more time. Then he turned again toward the center of the wheat field. The soldiers were momentarily startled by a movement among the wheat stalks, as the fugitive dashed from behind the tree and slid onto his belly in the grass at the edge of the field.
"We've got him now, fellas!" the lieutenant gloated gleefully. He aimed his pistol at the recumbent body of the fugitive, squinting as the glare of the sun distorted his vision.
"No!" cried the private, leaping to throw himself in front of the lieutenant. "You can't just..."
"Don't worry, Beanbrain, it isn't loaded," the lieutenant murmured, absently shoving the private to one side. He concentrated on his target, one eye shut, the other squinted; his face scrunched up on one side, his lips parted and glistening.
"Please don't," the private pleaded, tugging on the lieutenant's arm. The sergeant grinned, enjoying the private's distress.
"Want me to hold him down, Lieutenant?" he asked, moving toward the younger soldier menacingly.
"Naw. Don't bother." The lieutenant thrust the private's hand from his arm. He raised his hand again, holding the gun at arm's length in front of him. He sighted along the barrel of the gun. He tensed. Across the field, the fugitive lifted his head from the cool earth, warily looking around.
<"Pow!" cried the lieutenant. "Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!" "You're out of bullets, Sir!" cried the sergeant. "Here!" He fumbled deep in a pocket on the thigh of his cammies, then shoved a closed fist into the lieutenant's hand.
"Stop it!" the private bellowed. He leaped to the lieutenant's side and slapped at the outstretched arm, but the sergeant caught him before his swing could connect.
"You stop it!" yelled the sergeant, punching the younger soldier solidly on the arm. "You're always spoiling everything!" He pushed the private hard, shoving him up against the lieutenant.
The sound of the shot shocked them into stillness and silence. The unexpected recoil knocked the lieutenant onto his backside in the wheat. The planet stopped spinning and its creatures stopped breathing.
Blue eyes wide and terrified, the private caught his breath, looking up first at the lieutenant's suddenly pale and stricken face, then at the startled face of his sergeant. Slowly, the sergeant's grin faded. The private turned his head to look across the field, and saw the fugitive's body jerk as if it had been stung. The sergeant's mouth gaped. The lieutenant dropped the gun as if it had burned him.
<"Omigawd," he whispered.
The private leaped to his feet, moving toward the immobile fugitive, with the sergeant and the lieutenant close behind him. He couldn't run fast enough. He was running in slow motion. His feet wouldn't go any faster. First the sergeant and then the lieutenant sped by him, mere blurs, running for all they were worth.
The fugitive lay on his stomach, his dirty face turned to one side, his eyes open and glazed and staring. A black ant crawled swiftly across his nose, and he didn't brush it away. A small, star-shaped splotch of crimson decorated the center of his sweat-dampened shirt. Beneath the body, a glistening pool of ruby liquid spread silently through the golden, whispering wheat.
The sergeant and the lieutenant moved their bare feet away from the slowly widening puddle. Insects buzzed around them, outraged. The sun stared down at them hotly: accusing. A lark trilled a single note from a tree at the edge of the field.
"Blood." The word was little more than a wisp of air from the lieutenant's mouth. The private backed away from the killer, his accomplice, and their victim; kept backing away, shaking his head slowly from side to side, unable to banish the sight of the viscous vermilion pool.
"I tried to tell you, Tony," he whimpered. He was going to be sick. He just knew it.
"Is he dead?" the sergeant whispered, wide-eyed. The lieutenant just looked at him, horrified. They both looked down at their unmoving prey. Another ant appeared on the still face, crawling from one ear towards the opened, silent mouth.
<"Ma-a-a-a-a-me-e-e-e!" the private suddenly screamed. He turned and raced toward a building beyond the wheatfield; a house almost hidden in the trees, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Mommy! Tony and Billy shot the baby! Ma-a-a-a-a-me-e-e-e!"
A Close Encounter of an Unusual Kind
Part I
Answers and stories copyright © 1997 by Grandma
Part II
Part III
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