| Angel: |
|
It’s
amazing how not only doves and jaguars kill others for
food, but humans, animals, mammals, and even these little
- harmless to us and deadly to flies – ants.
|
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Yeah, isn’t
it though? I guess the world is just survival
of the fittest.
|
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Yeah.
But why does it have to be like that? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Well we
all have to eat, don’t we?
(Black Knight and
Angel get off the rock and walk over to a tree stump
that be hanging over the water and the other part is
on the land.)
|
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
That’s
a long way down to the water!
|
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Yeah!
Bet I could beat you down there. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Oh
yeah? ……… GO!
(Angel flies into the air and waits for Black Knight
to hit the water, then comes barreling down.)
|
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Angel?
(Angel hits the water and splashes Black Knight in
the face.)
|
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
HAAAAA. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Stop
playing around. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
O.K.
I’ll settle down a little. I’m just so
happy that I’m back to the place where I grew up
at. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I
know what you’re feeling. But I have something
important to tell you. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
You
know that you could tell me anything, Black Knight.
What is it? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Do
you remember the poacher that… |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
You mean
the on that killed your parents?
|
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Yeah.
That one. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
What
about him? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I saw him
on the other side of the oasis yesterday.
|
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
WHAT, HE’S
HERE!?!
|
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Yeah.
He’s here and I think that he is coming for me.
For my teeth.
(Black Knight smiles)
|
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
What is
it about your teeth that he has killed your parents
and now (is) after you.
|
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
They
are made of ivory. Unbreakable ivory. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
How
did you get teeth made of ivory? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
You
know what? I don’t even really know myself.
It goes way back with my great-great-grandparents. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
WOW.
Neato. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Would
there be any other place that you would like to go in
the world? In the world? |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Come
on Black Knight, you know that I always wish to find the
place that I grew up in. Why do you ask? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I’m
asking because I was thinking of leaving and bringing
you with me. That is, if you want to go. Do
you? Please say you do. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Are
you positive that the poacher will find you here?
What if he is just stopping through to take a break?
I love it here. It is like a dream come true.
It is a dream come true.
|
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I
know you love it here, but what if he’s not just
here to rest? What if he’s not just gonna leave
me alone? What if…? |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
You
are worried, huh? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
No,
I’m not just worried – I’m petrified!
I’ve never been so scared in my life. I could
die and I want to leave. Will you come with me? |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
I
don’t want to! Do I have to answer right now? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
The
sooner the better. But I’m leaving regardless. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
BABY,
NO! I love you and I would be forever hurt if you
were to leave. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I’m
sorry, but you won’t have to be if you come with
me. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Yeah,
but I want to stay here too. I would be hurt if
I leave here too. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I’m
sorry. I don’t know what to tell you then.
I will stay one more day, maybe even less. But I
need to go. (Aside) What she
really doesn’t know is I’ll do anything to have
her come with me. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
(weeping)
Please stay.
(They get out of the water and go to the beach to dry
off.)
|
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
I’m
hungry. Can we go eat? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Sure
(They leave the beach (stage) and go kill some prey
to eat it. The killed a wild boar.) |
|
|
|
| Poacher: |
|
Where
is that don-gurn Jaguar?
(Black Knight and Angel come back on stage, to the
left of the stage.)
|
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Boy,
that was delightful! |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Yeah,
it was quite tasty. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
So,
once again, what can we do about that poacher? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
(sarcastically)
Well, can we all just get along? |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
HA
HA HA. Yeah right. Wouldn’t that be nice. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
HA.
Yeah, that would be nice. But let’s get back
to reality. I don’t really know. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
What
do you mean you don’t know? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
The
only two things that I can think of is to either fight
him and we both have a fifty-fifty chance; or that I run
away from him. But you don’t wanna come.
And I don’t wanna fight him because I might die.
And I’m scared of dying. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
What
if you beat him though? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
What
if I don’t? |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Yeah,
you’re right, what if you don’t….but what
if you do? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Angel
stop playing. This is serious. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
OK.
I’m sorry. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
N-E-ways.
I need to know, are you going to come wit me |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
I
want to. Trust me. But I don’t know if
I can. This is what I always wanted.
(The Poacher creeps up on the left side of the stage,
but he is not on it yet. He is right next to it
looking at Black Knight and Angel talking.) |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Yeah
I know it is but….
(The Poacher shoots. But Black Knight and Angel
duck, so he misses them and shoots a branch. The
branch falls onto Black Knight and injures him, but he
still gets away. Angel flies away. They meet
back up at the other side of the stage.)
|
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I
need to know are you going to come with me. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Can’t
we wait a little bit longer? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
What
do you mean wait longer? You saw what just happened.
Now he knows that we… I am here. We have to
go. Half hour and I am gone. I hope you come.
(Aside) I hope she comes, ‘cause I’ll
wait for her as long as it takes. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
How
about this – we go, but not too far away, and then
come back. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
OK.
But if it’s not safe, we don’t come back and
then just move on.
(They exit) (End SCENE ONE.) |
|
|
|
|
|
SCENE
TWO – one month later
At Rise: Angel is back at the oasis.
She is by herself, sitting in the middle of the lake on
a log with lily pads around the log, with frogs and butterflies
on the lily pads. It’s the break of dawn and
the sun is just coming up over the palm trees at the end
of the stream. Angel flies over and sits on the
branch of a tree and sees Black Knight limping by.
|
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Black
Knight! Are you OK? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
No!
I got into a rumble with the poacher and he stabbed me.
I can’t bear the pain.
|
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
What
can I do to help? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Get
a palm leaf or something to stop the bleeding. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
OK!
I’ll be right back!
(Angel flies away and comes back with some ivory palm
leaves and patches up his wound.) |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Is
that better? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Yeah.
Thank you.
(They go over to the pond and Black Knight starts to
drink out of it.) |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Black
Knight… You do know why I left you, right? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Yeah.
Sorta. Tell me why again. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Well
remember when we were here the first time, you were telling
me that we were gonna come back when the poacher left
and it was safe. But when we left and saw the poacher
left, you didn’t have no intention to come back.
Why? That was devastating to know someone I trusted
would betray me like that. How could you? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I’m
sorry. I thought that after you got so far from
here that you wouldn’t want to come back. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
You
knew I liked it here. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I
know. But you know why I was doing it, right?
So that I wouldn’t have to worry about my life.
Also it might of affected you too. I would have
felt bad to know I put you in this danger too. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
You
should have told me from the get-go. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I’m
sorry! Can you forgive me? |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
I
don’t know. I don’t think so. That
hurt when I had to leave you. And you also betrayed
my trust. I don’t know if I could trust you
anymore. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I
only betrayed your trust because my life, our life, was
in danger. I was only looking out for the both of
us. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
I
know but… |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
Angel,
I love you. And I couldn’t stand to be without
you. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Black
Knight… I don’t know what to say. I’m
flattered. |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
That’s
all you could say, “I’m flattered.”?
You don’t feel the same way? |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Yeah,
I did feel the same before you betrayed my trust.
I thought about you every day and night. And just
how could you do that to me? |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I’m
sorry. |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
I
can’t ever trust you again. I will help you
with your wound, but after that you have to leave |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
What….?
Why….? |
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
Because
I can’t stand to be with you if I know that that
could happen again
(End of SCENE TWO) . |
|
|
|
|
|
SCENE
THREE – one week later. Black Knight’s
wound has healed.
|
|
|
|
| Angel: |
|
(crying)
It’s time to go.
(Black Knight starts to cry. Walking away, he
turns around.) |
|
|
|
| Black
Knight: |
|
I
really regret what I have done. I hope one meet
up another day. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
The
End. |
|
| |
|
|
