Swimming With Dolphins
SCENE
ONE: Home of the Stiens, six years ago.
Window
is between actors and audience. Audience can see only what they see
through the window. Katie and Ryan at six years of age stare out.
KATIE:
Can you see her?
RYAN:
There's too much rain.
KATIE:
I've never seen so much rain.
RYAN:
She might be anywhere.
KATIE:
Do you think our house is going to blow down?
RYAN:
Probably not.
KATIE:
Where is she?
RYAN:
Out there.
KATIE:
But where?
RYAN:
(Irritation in his voice). How should I know?
KATIE:
I was just asking.
RYAN:
Well stop asking. You ask too many questions.
Both
children stare silently out of the window for a while. Katie glances
over at Ryan from time to time.
Katie:
Will she come back, Ryan? Will Mama ever come back?
RYAN:
I said to stop asking, Katie. Understand? Don't ask me any more
stupid questions.
KATIE:
Okay.
Both
stare out the window again in silence.
KATIE:
I'm worried.
RYAN:
Hhhm.
KATIE:
Are you worried Ryan?
Ryan
stares at her, with an irritated expression. Father, Christopher
Stone, enters, wearing a wet rain coat.
KATIE:
Where have you been Dad?
Christopher:
Out looking around.
KATIE:
Did you see anything?
CHRIS:
No. Just the storm.
KATIE:
Why did Mom go out sailing in the storm Dad?
CHRIS:
It wasn't raining when she left.
RYAN:
On the t.v this morning it said "possibility of severe storms."
KATIE:
Did Mama know that?
CHRIS:
I guess.
KATIE:
Why did she go, then?
CHRIS:
(Shrugs) Sometimes your mother takes chances.
KATIE:
She shouldn't.
CHRIS:
Its one of the things I love about her.
Pause
while both children stare at him.
RYAN:
But you tell US not to take chances.
KATIE:
Yeah. You never let US do anything dangerous.
CHRIS:
There's chances and there's chances I guess. I wish she had not
taken this one.
KATIE:
Will she be okay, Dad?
CHRIS:
I don't know. I'm going out to look around.
RYAN:
Isn't there something to do?
CHRIS:
I've called the Coast guard. They are looking for her. They said
they would call if they found anything.
RYAN:
Can I come with you?
CHRIS:
I'd like you and Katie to stay here.
RYAN:
Awww!
Father
goes out. The children resume looking out the window.
SONG:
"Mother, Can You Hear Us?"
Ryan:
Mother, can you hear us, are you all alone?
Katie:
Mother, can you see your light, guiding you back home?
Ryan:
Mother, do not lose your way in the raging sea,
Katie:
Set that rudder straight for home, come on back to me--
Both:
Mother, can you hear our call, riding on the storm,
Mother, don't give up
until you are safe and warm.
Why did you set sail
as the clouds rolled in,
As the waves rose
high and wild with the wind,
Why do you take
chances when there's so much to lose,
Sometimes I don't
understand all the things you choose,
Did you even think of
us as you set out to sail,
Mother, we're afraid
for you out there in that gale.
Ryan:
Mother, can you hear us, are you all alone?
Katie:
Mother, can you see our light, guiding you back home?
Ryan:
Mother, do not lose you way in the raging sea,
Both:
Set that rudder straight for home, come on back to me.
Silence.
Children continue staring out window.
Phone
rings.
KATIE:
I'll get it.
Picks
up the receiver.
KATIE:
Yes....Yes....Just a minute. He's outside, but I think we can get
him. (To Ryan) They want Dad.
RYAN:
Who is it?
KATIE:
Its the Coast guard.
Ryan
runs to the door.
RYAN: (Shouting)
Dad! Dad! Its the phone for you. Its the Coast
Guard. (Returns.)
KATIE:
Can you see him?
RYAN:
Yes. He'll be here in a minute.
KATIE: (Into
the phone) He'll be here in a minute.
RYAN:
Ask if they have any news.
KATIE:
Do you have any news? ... Okay.
RYAN:
So what did they say?
KATIE:
They want to talk to Dad.
Ryan: (In
the general direction of the door) Come on Dad. Hurry
up.
They
wait impatiently. Finally the father enters and goes to takes the
phone. He listens. And then puts the phone down without saying
anything.
RYAN:
Did they find her, Dad? Is she all right?
He
just stands there, motionless.
KATIE:
Dad. Is she okay? Is she coming home?
Father
shakes his head. Lights fade.
SCENE
TWO: Stien's living room, the present.
Katie
and Ryan sit in the living room of their home -- Katie sprawled out
in the midst of cluttered home work -- Ryan reading a book.
KATIE:
Where's Dad?
RYAN: (With
sarcasm) Where has Dad been every Thursday night for
the past ten weeks? He's teaching his botany class at the
University.
KATIE:
Sorry I asked.
RYAN:
You don't pay attention to what's going on around you.
KATIE:
You've got something on your cheek.
RYAN:
What is it?
KATIE:
Don't know, but it's gross looking.
RYAN: (Trying
to rub it off) Where is it?
KATIE:
Higher...lower...to the right a little.
RYAN:
(Finally getting up to look in the mirror.) I don't see
anything.
KATIE:
You don't?
RYAN: (The
light comes on.) There wasn't anything there, was
there?
KATIE: (Laughs)
Gotja, didn't I.
RYAN:
It's not funny.
KATIE:
It's not funny when you treat me like I'm dumb.
RYAN:
I'm sorry.
KATIE:
Me too. I don't like it when we don't get along.
RYAN:
Dad will be home any minute. I can't wait to tell him about the
community service we got for our probation.
KATIE:
I can't believe we lucked out so well.
RYAN:
Its not too bad a punishment considering all the tricks we pulled
off.
KATIE:
Which was your favorite one?
As
the children get into relating the various things they did they
obviously enjoy it, and show their enjoyment with laughter and
gestures.
RYAN:
I think it was greasing up Mr. Robbins pig, and then letting it
loose.
KATIE:
I thought I'd die laughing as I watched him trying to hang onto it.
RYAN:
Even Dad thought that was funny.
KATIE:
I liked taking Ms. Milliken's prize Persian cat to the pound and
claiming it was a stray.
RYAN:
It was hard to tell whether she was more upset when she found it
missing or when she found it at the pound.
KATIE:
She thought it would get fleas and God knows what else from those
low class cats at the pound.
RYAN: (Imitating
MS. Milliken) Oh, My dear little poopsie, what
have they done to you?
KATIE:
I thought it was funny when we found that humongous piece of rope
and tied it clear around Francis Feeney's house. When she couldn't
get either of her doors open she thought she was trapped in her house
for good.
RYAN:
Remember them sending us to DR. Booger to see if he could understand
why we did all those things?
KATIE:
Good old Dr. Booger. What was his real name?
RYAN:
Burger, I think.
KATIE:
As in "ham?"
RYAN:
Yeah, but he was really a booger if you ask me. With his stupid
handlebar mustache. I hated him. (Rolling up a napkin to stand
for the mustache, and imitating Dr. Burger). You seem like very
angry children to me.
KATIE:
(Taking the napkin, and also imitating Dr. Burger.) Other
children have lost their mothers too. I think you should stop
feeling sorry for yourselves.
RYAN:
He was about as smart as your average gold-fish.
KATIE:
Remember putting his desk drawer in upside down so that everything
fell out when he opened it? (They laugh.)
Father
enters.
CHRIS:
What are you all laughing about?
KATIE:
We're just remembering all the tricks we played on people.
Chris:
Not everybody thought those tricks were that funny. Don't forget
that's why you're on probation.
KATIE:
Even you laughed at some of the things we did, Dad.
CHRIS:
Maybe so. But you didn't know when to stop. When you threw that
dummy off the overpass onto the Interstate, it almost caused an
accident. Somebody could have been killed.
RYAN:
We understand that now, Dad.
CHRIS:
Sometimes I wonder... (Shakes his head.)
There
is an awkward silence. Chris has put a damper on their joking
around. There is tension between them .
KATIE:
We have been assigned our community service project, Dad.
CHRIS:
Really? What is it?
KATIE:
We are to help out Soledad Paz.
CHRIS:
The spanish woman who created that little zoo down the road?
RYAN:
Right. That should be awesome.
CHRIS:
I should think so. She seems like a very interesting woman to me.
RYAN:
People say she's a little strange, Dad.
CHRIS:
Strange people are the most interesting. I hear she's quite
intelligent.
KATIE:
I don't know about that. Kids in the neighborhood just say she's
weird. But we get to be around all her animals. That's what's
awesome.
CHRIS:
When do you begin?
RYAN:
Tomorrow morning.
CHRIS:
The kids say she's weird, huh. Maybe it's the kids who are weird.
Katie
and Ryan look at each other and shrug. Another awkward pause when
people have a problem deciding what to say.
RYAN:
Well, anyhow, what's for dinner.
CHRIS:
There are t.v. dinners in the fridge.
KATIE:
T.v dinner again! Ug. Well, should I put on one for you?
CHRIS:
I picked up a sandwich before class.
KATIE:
It seems like you never eat with us any more, Dad.
CHRIS:
(Shrugs) I guess the food will taste the same whoever you eat
it with.
RYAN: (Puts
the napkin mustache back on his upper lip. Then imitates
Dr. Burger.) Why does this family never eat together anymore? We
must look into this.
SCENE
THREE: Soledad swims with the dolphins
Song:
"The Dolphin Song"
Soledad:
Up and over, round and
round,
I swim with the dolphins
wherever they're found,
They sing and they
dance, they leap in the sky,
I laugh when I'm with
them, my joy is so high,
They're my friends, They're
my friends.
The dolphins, the
monkeys, the kangaroo,
The ostrich and all who
live in my zoo
Are my sisters, my
brothers, my family, my friends,
The only ones living on
whom I depend.
Oh once I had
humans, I trusted and loved,
But always they
hurt me, treated me like mud,
So I promised
myself that never again
Would I look to a
person to be my friend,
Do not trust
people, they only betray,
But the animals
give me their love everyday, so--
Up and over, round and
round,
I play with my creatures
wherever they're found,
The lions and wombats
and anteaters, too,
Prairie dogs, horses,
cats and raccoons,
Lobsters and llamas and
lizards turned blue,
Turtles and tadpoles and
all in my zoo
Are my friends, Are my
friends, Are my friends.
SCENE
FOUR: The Zoo
Ryan:
I like the way you let the animals roam around in big open fields. Ms.
Paz.
Sol:
Please just call me Soledad.
Ryan:
They seem happy.
Sol:
I hope so. I hate to see animals all cooped up in little cages.
Katie:
You've got animals I've never even heard of.
Sol:
As you see, I specialize in animals who have made an unusual
adaptations. The kangaroo with its pouch, the llama with its long
neck, porcupines with their barbs, ant eaters with their long snouts,
aardvarks, duck-billed platypi, wombats and the like.
Katie:
Yeah, they're weird.
Sol:
Interesting, I should prefer to say. They remind me of people have a
physical disability, a quirk of the personality, or an special
circumstance in their lives, and must make unusual adjustments.
Katie:
So these animals remind you of...ah...abnormal people.
Sol:
Abnormal?
Katie:
Yeah. You know. Weird.
Sol:
Weird?
Katie:
Yeah, strange. (gets flustered.) Well, not strange either. I
don't know the right word.
Sol:
So lets think about words a minute. What does this word, "abnormal"
mean.
Katie:
Ah...well...not like the rest of us. You know.
Sol:
I'm not sure I do.
Katie:
Different.
Sol:
I see. Suppose I was different in some way from most people. Would
that make me abnormal?
Katie:
I don't know. I guess so.
Sol:
Do you think I'm different?
Katie:
Yes.
Sol:
So that means I'm abnormal?
Katie:
Well...um...well...no, I wouldn't call you abnormal.
Sol:
Yet you said abnormal means different.
Katie:
Yes.
Sol:
I'm confused.
Katie:
So am I.
A
kangaroo bounds up to the group and "accidentally" knocks
Katie down.
Sol:
Roo. Stop that.
Ryan:
I think she did it on purpose.
Sol:
Roo is a little jealous of strangers. She'll warm up as she gets
to know you.
Katie:
Picking herself up. If she doesn't kill us first.
Ryan:
Reaching, out to her. Here, Roo. Come on. We won't hurt you.
Roo
stomps in the mud near him, splattering him, and hops off behind
Soledad, from which vantage point she peers out at the children
suspiciously.
Ryan: (Wiping
off the mud.) I don't think she wants to be friends.
Katie:
Maybe the feeling is mutual.
Ryan:
Anyhow, its a cool place you have here, Soledad.
Sol:
Thank you, Ryan. Unfortunately I may not be able to keep it.
Ryan:
Why?
Sol:
Finances. I don't have enough people come here to see it. I'm
going to have to supplement the income somehow.
Ryan:
Is that possible?
Sol:
I do have one idea.
Ryan:
What's that?
Sol:
That's where you come in.
Katie:
Wow. We might help you earn the money to keep the place going?
Sol:
You might.
Ryan:
How?
Sol:
Well, all living things must eat. And all eating things must digest
the things they eat. And all digesting things must eventually
eliminate those things they can't digest.
Katie:
Eliminate?
Sol:
Yes. Poop.
Katie:
Poop?
Sol:
Yes.
Katie:
I see.
Sol:
That's where you come in.
Katie:
Maybe I don't see.
Sol:
I have studied the unique properties of the manure of each species
of animal I have here. What I have discovered is that each one has
particular nutrients and other properties that would be ideal for
different plants. Platypus manure, for example would be ideal for
orchards, kangaroo manure, for certain herbs, and so forth. I think
I could make a fair bit of money selling quality manures to fine
green houses.
Ryan:
So where, exactly do we come in?
Sol:
I need someone to bag the manure.
Ryan:
We were thinking more along the lines of feeding the animals.
Katie:
Or taking visitors on tours.
Ryan:
Or helping you in interesting scientific experiments with the
animals.
Sol:
You were?
Katie
and Ryan: Shrug shoulders and smile placatingly. Yeah.
Sol:
But bagging manure is what I need done.
Ryan:
Do you think it's ecological? I mean maybe the little world you
have created here needs the manure to be just where it is. Who knows
what order of things you might disrupt if you change things around
too much. I have studied these things.
Sol:
I see. So the department of juvenile probation sent you over here
to be my ecological advisor?
Ryan:
No...
Sol:
They sent you here to be the manager of my zoo?
Ryan:
No.
Sol:
What then?
Ryan:
To do anything that you need to have done.
Sol:
I need manure baggers.
Katie:
You've got something really gross on the side of your neck, Ryan.
Ryan:
This is no time for jokes, Katie. I'm not falling for that again.
SCENE
FIVE: The Stien's home.
Katie:
She was rude, Dad. Somehow she made it seem like I was calling her
weird. I mean she is weird, but I didn't tell her that.
Chris:
What did you say?
Katie:
I used the word "abnormal."
Chris:
You called her abnormal?
Katie:
Not really. She got me mixed up so it seemed I was saying things I
wasn't.
Ryan:
Gross!
Chris:
What is it, Ryan?
Ryan:
I've got something gross on the side of my neck.
Katie:
What?
Ryan:
I don't know. But it's gross.
Katie:
Lets think about all the things it might be. One thing is...
Ryan:
Why didn't you let me know, Katie. You must have seen it.
Katie:
I did let you know. You didn't believe me.
Ryan: You
should have insisted. (Gets a kleenex and wipes it off.) It must
be something that stupid kangaroo splattered on me when he
kicked up all that mud.
Katie: (Turning
to Chris.) That kangaroo really was a pain, Dad. She knocked me
down and Soledad didn't even punish her. I didn't
like Soledad very much.
Chris:
It sounds like you felt put down when she got you all mixed up about
what "abnormal" means.
Katie:
Well she is abnormal. In her case that is what different means.
Chris:
I like people who are different.
Katie:
Not this kind of different, Dad. I mean this is different as in
"weird."
Ryan:
Katie's right. You can't imagine how rude she was.
Chris:
How was she rude?
Ryan:
AS we were leaving she said "I guess its either bagging manure
or, breaking rocks on the chain gang." And she chuckled. Get
that! She chuckled.
Katie:
"Let me know what you decide," she said. She thought that
was real cute.
Chris:
Well, I don't suppose they would have you breaking rocks. But that
is essentially your choice.
Ryan:
She makes it seem like we are criminals.
Chris:
Tell me again what she said about unusual adaptations.
Katie: (Ignoring
him.) She has a heart of stone.
Chris:
I would love to show her my collection of unusual plants.
Ryan:
She has a twisted mind.
Chris:
She would love my venus fly trap.
Katie:
She's eight feet tall, Dad.
Chris:
Imagine an exotic zoological garden with highly unusual species of
plants and animals.
Ryan:
And she has one eye right smack in the middle of her forehead.
Chris:
Turning to the kids. Do you think I might be able to meet her?
Katie:
I don't think you are listening to us Dad.
Ryan:
Can't you understand what we are saying?
Chris:
Looks at the two children with an inquiring expression. Yes?
Katie:
She's a jerk.
Ryan:
A total jerk.
Chris: Stares
dreamily off into space. I see.
Song:
"She's Ugly"
Ryan:
Katie:
She's
ugly. Her hands smell.
She's
shaped like-- an eggshell.
She's
wrinkled She's covered with dirt!
Together:
She's got mud stains on her shirt!
She's
a wierdo-- Really crazy!
Her
mind is-- a little hazy.
She's
stranger than an alien,
Together:
And besides, she's Mediterranean!
Chris:
Oh,
to meet someone who really stands apart,
Who
thinks the thoughts that are her own, who practices her art,
Who
knows what she believes in, and fights for what is true,
Yes,
I might like to meet someone like Soledad.
Ryan
and Katie: Dad, you're not listening!
Ryan:
Katie:
She's
awful! She's a witch!
She's
horrid! Her eyes twitch!
She's
crazy! --as a loon!
Together:
She's the monster from the black lagoon!
Chris:
It
seems that she is one who really is herself,
Who
understands that it's OK to be your own true self,
Who's
not afraid to look and think and do the things she wants,
Though
she might seem strange to others who treat her like a dunce
(looks
hard at kids)
Yes,
I'd like to meet this woman, Soledad.
Ryan
and Katie: Dad, have you gone off the deep end?
Ryan:
Katie:
She's
uglier than a manatee, She's fatter than a walrus,
She's
meaner than a long toothed shark
And
she eats much more than all of us!
Together:
She's an alien from outer space-- She really is a
loser!
You
don't want to be her friend! You don't even want to know her!
Chris:
I
would like to have a friend who'll surprise me now and then,
Who
might accept me as I am, so I don't have to pretend,
Who
knows how to live with animals and understands their ways,
That's
the kind of person I would like to meet someday--
Yes,
I really will go to meet Soledad.
SCENE
SIX: The Zoo at Night
Its
very dark and silent as the scene opens. Gradually one begins to see
animals coming onto state and milling around.
Animal
1: Kangaroo's called a meeting.
Animal
2: What's it about?
Animal
1: It's about those human children.
Animal
3: I don't like them very much.
Animal
4: They're not to be trusted.
Animal
5: We've always got along just fine with only Soledad.
Animal
3: We don't need any more humans around this place.
Animal
1: Look. There's Kangaroo now.
Kangaroo
goes to a prominent place on the stage and turns to face the other
animals. They gather around her.
Song:
"The Animals' Meeting"
Kangaroo:
Let
the meeting come to order. Is everybody here?
Listen
up, don't interrupt, I really am sincere!
We
have got a problem! A doozy of a mess!
So
we have got to organize or we might be oppressed!
All:
Yes
we have got to organize or we might be oppressed!
Kangaroo:
Now
as you know, Soledad has been our helping friend,
Who
knows our ways and understands and loves us to the end,
The
only human we can trust, she's always there for us,
From
kangaroo to llama too, from duck to platypus.
All:
From
kangaroo to llama too, from duck to platypus.
Kangaroo:
Now
we have these kids here, Ryan and Katie each,
They've
no idea what we're like, and they don't know our speech,
They
probably pollute the earth, throw trash out on the ground,
They
make things hard for animals, & we don't want them 'round!
All:
They
made things hard for animals, & we don't want them 'round!
Animal
#1: So what'll we do, Kangaroo,
Sneak up behind
'em and all yell "Shoo!"?
Animal
#2: Push them in the water cold,
Let the dolphins
all take hold
And swim them to
an island old?
(Scene
6: "The Animals' Meeting" continued)
Animal
#3: Knock them down, together tie,
Let the walrus on
them lie
And turn them
into human pie?
Animal
#4: Let the boa 'round them wrap,
Cover them with
pine tree sap
And feed them to
Venus Fly Trap?
Animal
#5: Here's a thought to work for sure--
Drag them to the
near pasture
And dump them in
our good manure!
All:
That's too good for them!
Kangaroo:
That
gives me an idea--listen to my plan.
We
have got to get them fired, we/ve got to get them canned!
Soledad's
got to turn them out and send them far away!
Then
no one will bother us each and every day.
All:
Then
no one will bother us each and every day.
Animal
#1: But how'll we do it, Roo?
Kangaroo:
They're
supposed to put our sweet manure into garbage bags
As
if it were some dirty stuff, as if it all smelled bad!
(Animals
guffaw)
Now
they're done and have gone home, we're sneak out of our pens
We'll
drag the bags back to the yard and dump them out again!
All:
We'll
drag the bags back to the year and dump them out again!
Kangaroo:
Then
Soledad will be so mad, she'll fire them on the spot!
Then
off they'll go and never know how sneaky we all got!
All:
Then
off they'll go and never know how sneaky we all got!
Kangaroo:
Your
rest is well earned! Meeting is adjourned!
SCENE
SEVEN: The Zoo
Ryan
and Katie are bagging manure.
Katie:
This is a mystery.
Ryan:
We spent the whole day yesterday bagging manure, and today we come
in and its right back where it was.
Katie:
I think its awful the way Soledad talked to us.
Ryan:
She doesn't even think we bagged the stuff in the first place.
Katie:
Do you think she really believes that?
Ryan:
Hmmm. Who else, other than Soledad could have emptied those bags?
Katie:
She's mean enough to do it.
Both
children think this over.
Katie:
Then she could blame it on us.
Ryan:
She'd enjoy watching us have to clean it up again.
Katie:
I think she did it herself.
Ryan:
I'm sure of it.
Katie:
Me too.
Ryan:
I think we should get even.
Katie:
But how?
Ryan:
The one thing she seems to care for is her animals.
Katie:
But we couldn't hurt any of the animals.
Ryan:
No, but if we just borrowed one of them, that might give her a
scare.
Katie: I
don't know. Thinks it over some more. If we did it would
have to be Roo.
Ryan:
Yes.
Katie:
We could smuggle her out in that little cage she uses when she has
to transport an animal somewhere.
Ryan:
It would be fun to let her loose in the school.
Katie:
It would create a sensation.
Ryan:
In the girl's bathroom.
Katie:
Maybe in the boy's bathroom.
They
think this over.
Ryan:
In the teacher's room.
Katie:
Yes!
They
give each other "five" as a sign of enthusiastic agreement.
Ryan:
There's a Friday night dance at the school tonight. We could sneak
in and hide in the boiler room until everybody left.
Katie:
And Roo could stay there the whole week-end, to be discover on
Monday.
Ryan:
Awesome.
Katie:
We would have to leave it some food.
Ryan:
Of course.
Katie:
We really shouldn't.
Ryan:
I know. But think about how mean Soledad talks to you.
Katie:
And how she undid all the work we did yesterday, bagging manure.
Ryan:
She needs to be taught a lesson.
Katie: (Thinks
this over a while. Then goes looking for Roo.) Roo.
Roo, dear. Come here. We have something for you.
SCENE
VIII: The Zoo.
Katie:
Leaving her in the school was your idea.
Ryan:
How was I to know she would be able to kick out the bathroom window.
Katie:
Well, she'll show up somewhere.
Ryan:
A kangaroo hoping around town is not something you see every day in
these parts. She's bound to attract attention.
Katie:
She must have escaped at night or someone would have noticed.
Ryan:
I sure didn't mean for this to happen.
Katie:
Do you think we should tell?
Ryan:
We should. But it will mean reform school for us.
Katie:
For sure this time.
Ryan:
Lets not tell. I mean what good will it do?
Katie:
Okay.
Soledad
enters from the other side of the stage, holding something.
Ryan:
We're sorry to hear about Roo, Soledad.
Soledad:
You're sure you don't know anything about her.
Katie:
Not a thing. What do you have there?
Soledad.
One of Roo's babies. I'm trying to feed it.
Katie:
Roo had babies?
Soledad.
Yes, two of them. They were almost big enough to be weaned. Some
of the time they even hopped around on their own.
Ryan:
Will they be all right?
Soledad.
They may live and they may die.
Ryan:
They are big enough to feed from a bottle. Why would they die?
Soledad.
From missing their mother.
Ryan:
Oh.
Katie:
(Draws Ryan aside.) I think we have to tell.
Ryan:
Why?
Katie:
Maybe the little bit we do know will help people to find her.
Besides, it's only right.
Soledad:
What are you two whispering about?
Ryan: (After
a long pause.) We have something to tell you.
Soledad:
Yes?
Katie:
We sort of kidnapped Roo.
Soledad:
What do you mean "sort of."
Katie:
Well, no "sort of" about it. I mean we kidnapped her.
Ryan:
We hid her in the school.
Katie:
But she escaped.
Ryan:
We don't know where she is now.
Soledad:
Stares at them for some time. But why?
Katie:
We didn't plan to hurt Roo, or to lose her. We just wanted to scare
you.
Soledad:
Scare me?
Katie:
To get even.
Soledad:
For what?
Ryan:
For emptying all that manure back out and pretending we never sacked
it.
Soledad:
You think I did that?
Ryan:
Who else could have?
Soledad:
You mean you really did bag all that manure. You weren't just making
that up?
Ryan:
Of course. You know that.
Soledad: I
didn't. (pause.) But somehow I believe you now.
Katie:
It wasn't just the manure. You talked mean to us all the time.
Ryan:
From the moment we set foot here.
Katie:
It was like you hated us. What makes you so mean?
Soledad:
I guess I have been mean.
Ryan:
So now you get to send us to reform school. I guess we deserve it.
Katie:
We'll try to help you find Roo first. She must have gone back into
the woods behind the school if nobody in town saw her.
Soledad:
I could use some help looking for her.
Katie:
We'll get stated. (She and Ryan begin to walk off.)
Soledad:
Wait.
Ryan:
Yes?
Soledad:
I'll make a deal. If you find Kangaroo, I'll not have you sent to
reform school.
Katie:
You mean after all we did?
Ryan:
Would you let us stay and work for you?
Soledad:
Yes. But mind you, if anything happens to Kangaroo, it means
breaking rocks for you.
Ryan:
Why are you giving us this chance?
Soledad:
Because you are right. I have been mean. And that makes it partly
my fault. I have allowed myself to become a bitter and hateful old
woman.
Katie:
If you don't want to be that way, why are you?
Soledad:
Why have the two of you become so bad that you're only one step from
reform school?
Ryan:
Dr. Booger says it's because we lost our mother.
Katie:
But he is quick to remind us that's no excuse.
Ryan: (Imitating
Dr. Booger.) Many people lose loved ones. That's
no excuse for taking it out on others.
Soledad:
He's right.
Katie:
Dr. Booger?
Soledad:
Dr. Booger.
Ryan:
Dr. Booger was a turkey.
Soledad:
Turkey or not, he was right. You gave me a confession. I'll give
you one in return. When I was much younger, and had been married
maybe a year or so, I was very happy. Then I got sick and had an
operation. It was an operation that changed part of my body. It made
me feel I was...different...not so beautiful.
Katie:
And that made you mean?
Soledad:
No. It was when my husband could not love me with my differentness. It
was when he left me. That was when I became bitter.
Katie:
(Goes to hug her.) I think that would have made me bitter
too.
Chris:
(From off-stage.) Hello. Hello. Anybody around. (Enters.)
Ah here you are. I hope I'm not intruding. I couldn't find anybody
out front, so I just came on in.
Ryan:
Dad. What are you doing here?
Chris:
I came to see if I could help find a kangaroo. I understand you
have one missing.
Soledad:
WE can use all the help we can get.
Chris:
Quite a place you have here.
Soledad:
Thank you.
Chris:
Maybe after we find this kangaroo, you might like to drop by me
place to see my venus fly trap.
Soledad:
I'd love to.
Chris:
And as long as you're there, you might as well join me and the kids
for supper.
Katie:
What's this?? We never eat together.
Chris:
(Not looking at her) Hush.
Soledad:
Well, I don't have any other dinner engagements.
Chris:
Excellent. We'll be having quiche. I make an excellent quiche.
Katie:
Dad! You don't!
Chris:
I do when I need to.
Ryan: (He
has found a bit of paper which he has twisted up into a fake
mustache. He imitates "Dr. Booger." for the rest of the
scene) Ah, my children. What is happening in the deep recesses
of your minds.
Katie:
Oh, Dr. Booger. You have come at last!
Ryan:
I sensed that you needed me. What has happened?
Katie:
Dad's has gone bonkers. He's going to try to fix quiche.
Ryan:
For whom?
Katie:
For all of us, and for Soledad. He doesn't know how to make quiche.
Ryan:
(Very thoughtfully) So you will begin eating meals together
again, eh? What can this mean?
Katie: (Remembering
Kangaroo) It won't mean anything to us except
breaking rocks unless we can find Kangaroo.
Soledad:
You're right about that. I'm keeping my word either way. You
shouldn't have taken Roo.
Ryan:
Let's get going.
SCENE
NINE: Woods.
Kangaroo
alone. The voices of the Joeys come from the back.
Song:
"The Joey Song"
Joeys:
Mother, can you hear us, we are all alone,
Mother we are so
afraid you never will come home.
Kangaroo:
Children I'm afraid for you--are you being fed?
Is your fur so
warm and dry--are you safe in bed?
Joeys:
Mother, why'd you disappear in the darkest night?
Mother find your way
back home, come into the light.
Kangaroo:
To lose someone you love is to feel the pain
Of their loss, and
to hope you will see them again.
Never lose the love
thought the sadness is so strong,
Love holds us
together, though the parting be so long.
Never lose the love
it is the song that lights our way,
Love will lead us
all back home from far away.
Love
will lead us all back home.
Children
enter from opposite side from Kangaroo. With body language it
should be established that they are not aware of Kangaroo, but she is
aware of them.
Katie:
It's getting dark.
Ryan:
I hear on the weather this morning it's supposed to storm.
Katie:
That means we'll probably never find kangaroo.
Ryan:
She's got to be in these woods somewhere.
Katie:
Maybe wolves got her.
Ryan:
There aren't any wolves in these woods.
Katie:
Wild dogs then. Something.
Ryan:
She might starve, are drown, or freeze to death.
Katie:
Do you miss Mom, Ryan?
Ryan:
Don't ask dumb questions.
Katie:
I miss her.
Ryan:
Talking about it just makes it worse. Its better not to let
yourself love anyone.
Children
turn slightly away from each other at this point, with their backs to
the area where Roo is.
Song:
"What's the Use of Loving?"
Children:
What's the use in loving if all you do is lose?
Sometimes life seems
very strange, now we're so confused.
After Mom died out at
sea, nothing's been the same
And now we'll have to go
away, much to both our shame.
We thought that we could
make it,
we
thought we'd found a way,
But now the kangaroo is
gone and we'll have to pay.
Roo
quietly sneaks up from behind to put her arms around Katie's neck in
a comforting manner. Katie thinks it's Ryan. She accepts the
comforting without turning around.
Kangaroo
and Children together in harmony:
K:
To lose someone you love is to feel the pain
Of their loss, and to
hope you will see them again--
Ch:
What's the use in loving if all you do is lose?
Sometimes life seems very
strange, now we're so confused.
Together:
Never lose the love,it is the song that lights our way,
Love will lead us all
back home from far away,
Love
will lead us all back home. Love will lead us all back
home.
Katie
looks over to her side and sees Ryan.
Katie:
Ryan! You're there.
Ryan:
Good observation. I'm exactly right here.
Katie:
Then who has their arms around my neck?
Children
leap up.
Both
children: Roo!
Ryan:
I thought we'd never find you.
Katie:
I figured panthers had got you.
Ryan:
There aren't any panthers in these woods, Dummy.
Katie:
Well, you know. Something.
Ryan:
Won't Soledad be happy to see you.
Katie:
And your babies.
Ryan:
They will have a mother again.
Katie:
And we won't have to go to reform school.
Ryan:
You know, Katie. I've been thinking. Maybe Roo's babies aren't the
only ones getting a mother. I mean the way Dad has been making eyes
at Soledad, do you think we might be in for a new mother too?
Katie:
Dummy. Are you just now figuring that out?
SCENE
TEN
Song:
"We Are Friends"
Everyone:
Up
and over, round and round,
We
sing with each other, we leap and we bound,
We
swim with the dolphins, we play in the sea,
We
laugh all together, our joy is so free,
You're
my friend, you're my friend.
We
humans and dolphins, and animals too,
Have
made friends and all who live in the zoo,
To
fell sadness and joy, wonder and fear,
Is
comfort when shared with everyone here,
We all have known
losses, we all have been sad,
And when someone hurts
us, we always feel mad,
But if we stop loving,
we're really alone,
Then wherever we are,
we're never at home,
Loneliness hurts us in
ways we can't see,
But to love again heals
us like waves on the sea--so--
Up
and over, round and round,
We
sing with each other, we leap and we bound,
we
work all together our joy is so free,
I
love you to be you, you love me to be me,
We
are friends, We are friends
And love has led us all
back home fom far away.
Love has led us all back
home.