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A
One Act Play
A Play by Madeline R.
Performance:
May, 2002
Hillcrest Juvenile Hall, San Mateo
Time: Afternoon
Place: Marisella’s tree, an oak tree
At Rise: It is raining, cloudy, dark.
Marisella is standing, looking around, thinking about
how she’s going to help the rainforest.
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| Marisella: |
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Dear Panthers,
I have a problem! My best friend, Viper, the Snake,
as you know, is eating everything. It is causing all
the animals and plants to die. It makes me feel nervous.
I don’t want everything to die because I want this
forest to be the most beautiful, colored, animal and
plant-filled rainforest in the Land.
(All of a sudden, Viper is sneaking around, slithering
at the bottom of the tree, nibbling at the bottom of
Marisella.)
Oh…VIPER! What are you doing?
(Viper gasps)
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| Viper: |
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(in disguised
voice) Uhh. I’m not Viper.
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| Marisella: |
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Oh,
Viper. Don’t lie to me. I’ve known
you long enough to know who you are, and I know
you are Viper. Admit it. |
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| Viper: |
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You caught
me.
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| Marisella: |
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What do
you mean, I caught you? I knew it was you the
whole time.
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| Viper: |
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Oh,
you did? Wow. |
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| Marisella: |
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Why
would you eat me? You eat everything, and now you
want to eat me, too. Why would you eat your best
friend? |
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| Viper: |
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I’d
never tried moss before and I wanted to know what it
tasted like and you’re the only moss around here.
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| Marisella: |
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Well
just because you haven’t tried moss before doesn’t
mean you have to eat me. You could kill me.
Didn’t you know that? |
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| Viper: |
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Yeah,
I knew I could kill you.
(pause, 10 seconds)
OK, OK, I’ll tell you why I’m eating you.
I don’t want you to grow up and be guardian of the
forest because I think that you’re going to forget
about me with all the new friends you would have and you’re
my only true friend. And you’d be too busy
helping everyone else and you won’t have any time
to hang out with me anymore. I don’t want that
to happen. |
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| Marisella: |
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(gasps)
Gosh, Viper. Why would you try and ruin my dream?
You know that I want to accomplish my dream. I’ve
thought about this dream ever since we were little, and
you said you’d help me, and now you are breaking
your promise. And now you’re trying to kill
me. WHY? |
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| Viper: |
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I
feel horrible for doing this but I feel that it’s
necessary because I don’t want to lose you, my only
friend. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, when I tried
eating the bottom of your moss, the taste made me energized,
it made me feel better-it was a medicine for me.
And now that I’ve stopped eating you, I feel sad
again. |
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| Marisella: |
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Well,
gosh, Viper, there’s lots of other ways to have medicine
and feel good about eating things and making it feel better-eating
your best friend isn’t one of them. Those
buttercup flowers that have honey in them is a good medicine
also. It actually makes you feel soothed and relaxed
when you drink the honey from the buttercup. And
the taffy, you save for later-when you start to feel sad,
it makes you feel better again. |
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| Viper: |
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But
I can’t just switch medicines, like it’s no
big deal, because it helps me mentally and physically,
and in my heart I feel your medicine is the best for me.
The other ones just don’t seem to get my attention
like yours did. I’m sorry, Marisella, but I
can’t go on without eating your moss. Please,
Marisella, will you die for me, your best friend, so I
can accomplish my dream? |
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| Marisella: |
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OH!
How can you say something like that? It’s
so not like you. You don’t seem to care about
my life at all, but yours.
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| Viper: |
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Well!
I didn’t tell you everything. You are the only
thing I can eat without throwing up and I don’t feel
comfortable eating anything else but you and my berries. |
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| Marisella: |
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But
you throw up everything. How can I be the only one
you don’t throw up? |
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| Viper: |
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Because
you are my greatest friend and I am not friends with
anything else but you.
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| Marisella: |
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But if you
eat me and then there’s nothing left of me then
you will have to go on without me AND eat something
else.
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| Viper: |
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Well, since
you will be gone, I will then move on, too. To
another land so I can eat other mosses. We will
still be together and I will always love you as a best
friend.
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| Marisella: |
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(thinking
in her head)
Gosh. This is a big decision. What am I
going to do? I love Viper and the whole forest.
They are my life. But are they important enough
to sacrifice my own life? Maybe this is a sign.
That it’s time for me to go. Wow, I’m
going to miss Viper, the birds, the owls, my family,
brothers, sisters, Mom, Dad. But I’m dying
for them, so in a way, I’m happy, because I’m
saving my family’s life, and Viper and I will be
getting what we always wanted. Me, the forest
to live forever, and Viper getting healthy again.
Wow, Viper…I’m going to miss you soooo much.
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| Viper: |
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What
do you mean? |
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| Marisella: |
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I
mean that I’m willing to sacrifice my life for you
and my family and the rest of the forest. It’s
not going to be easy for me to die, but I will always
be with you. |
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| Viper: |
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Oh
my gosh, Marisella, thank you so much. I, I don’t
know what to say! I’m going to miss you, too,
but I’m never going to forgive myself for taking
your life away. |
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| Marisella: |
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Well,
I guess this is it. I love you, Viper. |
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| Viper: |
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I
love you, too, Marisella.
(Viper and Marisella are both crying and Viper is eating
Marisella)
The next morning, Viper goes to visit Marisella’s
old home.When he gets there, he notices tht something
else has taken Marisella’s place. It’s a heart
carved in the tree. Inside of it, it reads:
“In loving memory of Marisella the Moss. She is loved
very much by her friends, family, and forest. We love
you, Marisella.”
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The
End. |
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