| Skippy: |
|
Happy, guess
what? You can’t – I’ll just tell you.
|
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
What, what
is it?
|
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
The
circus is here and they’re looking for a replacement
monkey – my dad just told me. I guess he said that
one of the trainer’s monkeys died. |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
That’s
great! You should get to work and practice. This is
you big chance.
|
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
Yeah, this
is a big chance for me, cause probably, my only chance,
cause they’re only looking for one. And if I get
picked, just imagine all the bananas and monkey lovin’
I’m gonna get.
|
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
And
you’ll get a chance to be with your dad again. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
Yeah,
I will after so many years. I miss him. |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
I know you
do. Make sure you put in a good word for me with one
of the girls.
|
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
I
will, I will. But I don’t know why I’m getting
my hopes up – I’m still afraid of heights.
|
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Stop
saying that. You’re only afraid of heights cause
you say you are, cause you make yourself think you are. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
But
its the truth, I really am. |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Well,
were gonna get rid of that today, cause were getting you
to the circus – no matter what.
(Happy gives Skippy an obstacle course to do.) |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Alright,
climb up this tree to the very top— |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
Nahhh— |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
--Nah,
I don’t want to hear no – Climb to the very
top and I want you to jump to the next tree closest to
you and grab a branch with your strong arm and swing yourself
to the next tree after— |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
--Oh
my god. This whole time that we been friends, what makes
you think I’m capable of that. |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Just
shut up, and let me finish. If you can’t do this,
believe me, you’re not gonna do no circus tricks.
You’re a monkey; this should be a walk in the park
for you. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
Alright,
go ahead. |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Now
after you swing yourself to the next tree, reach and grab
another branch with your other arm. I won’t make
you go so far. Just pull yourself up when you get to that
third tree. And then, do it all over coming back. Here,
sort of like this.
(Happy demonstrates the obstacle) |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
See, piece
of cake.
|
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
Alright,
alright, let me give it a go.
(Skippy climbs up the tree. He jumps from the first
tree. By the second tree, the branch that he grabs breaks
off and Skippy falls in a bush. Skippy, getting up from
the tree, takes leaves off himself.)
|
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
See man,
I told you I wasn’t capable of that.
|
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Yes
you were, you were doing fine. It’s just that the
branch you grabbed was weak. Let’s try it again on
some other trees.
(Happy and Skippy walk through the jungle looking for
more trees, when Happy sees a girl-monkey that he likes.) |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Look
Skip, there’s Nevaeh (that’s Heaven spelled
backwards), that girl I like. If I could have a family
with anyone, I’d want to start it out with her. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
I
could see why – I would too. |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Come
on bro, quit starring so hard.
(Skip walks up to Nevaeh) |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Where
you going? What are you doing? Man, there he goes , Mr.
Rico Suave . . . look . . . look, she’s laughing,
he’s got her laughing. Damn it. She likes him. Jesus.
The one girl that I want to start my family with is getting
swooped right in front of me by Romeo over there. That
could’ve been me over there, talking to her if I
just wasn’t so shy. God! Quit being so shy Hap. I’m
gonna go talk to her . . . no . . . no, she wouldn’t
be interested. I’m too hairy I think, but I’m
a guy – I’m suppose to be hairy. Oh god, she’s
looking this way. She’s looking at me.
(Happy looks toward her and smiles and winks his eye
at her.) |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Man,
she’s leaving.
(Skippy comes back.) |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
What
happened? What you tell her? When’s the wedding? |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
It’s
official for YOU. She said meet her at the river at sunset. |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Real
talk? Put that on something? |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
On
my dad. Meet her at sunset; she’ll be there. |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Fo’
show, right on. Yeah, y’know, I always knew she liked
me. We’d make some pretty cute kids, don’t you
think? I think so. Man, I’ll treat her so good, I’d
never leave. I’ll make sure we have a happy family
. . . get it . . . “Happy Family”. I want my
kids to have a mom and dad, not like me. (pause) Here,
let’s keep practicing here.
(Skippy climbs up the tree nervously, and stands on
the branch scared. This tree is taller than the last tree.) |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Go
ahead, do it. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
(nervous)Give
me a minute. I’m not ready.
(Happy picks up a dirt-rock and throws it up at Skippy.
It hits Skippy; he stumbles, falls off, reaches another
tree, and goes tree to tree.) |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
You’re
doing it, you’re doing it!
(Skippy comes down after 2 or 3 trees.) |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
I
did do it, huh? |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Yeah,
you did. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
It’s
not as scary as I thought it was. Kind of fun actually.
SCENE 2: Skippy’s been hopping trees all
day till noon. He gets tired, so they decide to go to
the river to get some water. Skippy is just walking and
Happy is excited to meet Nevaeh and Happy makes it to
the river first. He jumps off trees, doing back flips
and hanging from his tail. Happy overhears the circus
people say, “That’s the one were taking. Right
before sunset.” Skippy arrives to the river. |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
(sad,
scared – it’s bad news)
Man, you won’t believe what I just heard. You gotta
hide me. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
What’s
the matter, what’s wrong? |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Those
circus people you’re dad was talking about . . .
well, they wanna take me away. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
(angry at himself)
What, are you serious? You know how bad I want this. How
could you do this to me? Man, I shouldn’t even be
mad at you. It’s my fault – I’m a wuss.
I was too scared. I wish I had your talent. My one chance
to be in the circus and I blew it. Now you’re gonna
go and get everything I dreamed of and be with my dad
instead of me -- |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
--Shut
up. I never said I was going. That’s why you gotta
hide me. They want to take me -- right before sunset. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
But
what about Nevaeh? |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Exactly.
That’s why I don’t want to leave. And there
are tigers at the circus, y’know. I don’t like
tigers. You wouldn’t catch me dead near a tiger and
if you did, then its probably cause he killed me. I don’t
wanna end up like my pops. I want to be with her.
(Circus people shoot a tranquilizer dart. Happy just
moves and it just misses him and hits a rock and it breaks.) |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
They’re
trying to get me. Let’s go!
(They run off, ending up in the deeper jungle. Where
it’s darker and there’s more crowded trees,
where the gorillas hang out at, but no regular chimps.) |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
What’d
they throw at you? |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
I
don’t know, but that little thing looked like it
could hurt. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
What
are you gonna do? What if they catch you? |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
They’re
not gonna catch me. Don’t say that . . . Oh, I got
it. Why don’t you go for me. They won’t be able
to tell us apart. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
I
don’t know. I am a little better looking than you. |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Stop
being dumb. You and I both know that’s not true.
I’m trying to be serious right now. Really, we should
trade places and you should go for me, that way we both
get what we want. I could stay with Nevaeh, and you could
go to the circus like you was hoping. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
(confused)
You make no sense. How could we do that? You know they’ll
probably take me and when they realize that I can’t
do all those flips like you, they’ll probably just
bring me back and look for you. |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Don’t
worry about that. I know you could do everything I could.
Just jump. You got it in you. It’s genetics. You’re
dad is a famous circus monkey. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
Alright.
How are we going to get them to capture me instead of
you? |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Like
this: we’re gonna go back to the river and maybe
they’ll still be there. There gonna try and throw
that thing at me again. So when it does— |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
--What
do you mean if it does? What if it kills you? |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
It’s
not going to kill me cause if they wanted me for the circus,
I don’t think they’d try to kill me. It’ll
probably just daze me or something so they could grab
me. So when it does hit me, whatever happens, I want you
to hide and then lay down where I was and play dead –
so they could think you’re me (hit). |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
Aw
man, that’s crazy. You really think that could work? |
|
|
|
| Happy: |
|
Of
course it will. We’re smarter than humans. Humans
evolved from monkeys. So then while they think you’re
me, they’ll take you with them and I’ll recover
within a few hours and be ready to meet Nevaeh at sunset
and you could be on your way to stardom. |
|
|
|
| Skippy: |
|
All
right, let’s do it then.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
SCENE
3: They head back and just as soon as they get
to the river, Happy gets hit with a tranquilizer dart.
He passes out and Skippy hides him, before the Humans
get there. Skip gets back and lays down as if he was Happy.
The circus people think they got him and go ahead and
take Skippy with them.) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
SCENE
4: One year later, Happy hangs out by the river
reading a bird-gram from Skip as he watches over his kids.) |
| |
|
|
| Happy: |
|
“Dear
Happy, How are you? I’m great, man; I’m living
the life. I’m the most entertaining monkey of us
all. My dad and I have been spending a lot of time together,
y’know, catching up. Y’know, you’re a really
good friend for doing what you did for me. I thought you
were crazy coming with that plan of trading places, but
it actually worked – thank you. I hope you and Nevaeh
are happy. Thanks again, it’s because of you I made
it.” You made it. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
The
End. |
