| Diamond: |
|
(Looking
back)
Hello, can I have 10 of your finest, fattest,
biggest & most poisonous jelly fish?
(The mermaid sales woman charges Diamond $1.00, wraps
them in 3 plastic bags & hands them to Diamond.
The jelly fish are live.)
(Swimming
home, she whispers to herself while looking at the bags
she carries.)
Candy, if the judges saw how smart you were & all
the changes you can make, you would win Ocean Queen
& I can't let that happen. I won't let that happen!
(Diamond arrives home & starts getting ready
when all of a sudden she hears a knock on her oyster.
She opens her oyster.)
|
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
Diamond,
Look, I really need to talk to you. Can I come in?
|
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
Sure,
come in.
(Candy sits down & Diamond sits across her.) |
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
Look, you
know I love you & I'll always support you in the
decisions you make, but being Ocean Queen is my dream.
I know you would love to be Ocean Queen too, but you're
doing it for all the wrong reasons.
|
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
Candy, we
are not always going to agree. I have my own reasons
why I chose to compete for Ocean Queen & you have
to respect that.
|
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
(Worried)
But you don't care about all the mermaids & mermen,
all the sea creatures. We all could have better lives
right now. We could all be much happier & I have planned
out all the changes I want to make. I really want to change
the way mermaids live. I can make a change for the better!
(Diamond swims to the mirror & starts brushing
out her hair.) |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
That's
great & I'm happy for you, Candy, but don't you think
I also have changes in mind? |
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
Well, what
do you want different?
|
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
(Hesitant)
Well, I…I…I can also make the ocean happy ok?
I have my own ideas & (confident) I know it
will all work out for me. |
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
(Gets
up & walks to Diamond. Diamond is still in the mirror
& Candy is facing her side.)
I know I will be a perfect queen, but I need your support. |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
(Faces
Candy) And what makes you think I won't make a perfect
queen.
(With her hand on her hip)
(Silence)
(Diamond faces the mirror again)
Look, I really have to get ready. (Faces Candy)
Look, I'll tell you what, let's meet behind the auditorium
20 minutes early, so we can finish our conversation
(Smiles)
(Candy leaves & Diamond rushes in to her room to start
her master plan.)
(Diamond gathers her 3 bags & she starts to build
her timed bomb.)
Sorry, sister. I love you a lot, but I just can't let
you get in my way. I want this really bad. If you only
knew how much I want to become Ocean Queen & I can't
let you take that away from me. I hope one day you'll
be able to forgive me. |
|
|
|
|
|
Scene
II
Time: 11:45 am
Place: Behind auditorium
At Rise: Candy is standing waiting for Diamond
to arrive. She looks around & finally spots her. |
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
You
made it. |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
Yeah,
Sorry I'm a little late. I just had to take care of a
few things. |
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
Well,
have you thought of what we talked about? |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
Yeah,
& I want to tell you that if you win, I'll support
you, but while we're competing, I can only worry about
myself. |
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
There
are 50 other mermaids running for Ocean Queen, but you,
you're my only competition. It will be one of us who will
become Ocean Queen & I'm not guaranteed a fair judgment.
You know those judges are all males & you know what
they judge on. |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
(Voice
gets shaky) Look, you've been the smarter one compared
to you, I feel so stupid! All the attention I've ever
gotten was because of my outer beauty. For once, I want
someone to judge me on the inside, to really get to know
who I am! |
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
(Feeling
sorry) Why didn't you ever say anything? I'm sorry,
I never knew you felt that way. (Hugs Diamond) |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
(After
the hug wiping her tears) I never thought you'd
understand. You know most mermaids wish to be me or
to look like me at least, but me…I've always wished
to be like you. You have beauty & brains.
|
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
(Starts
to cry) But Diamond, you're so beautiful!
|
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
That doesn't
mean anything to me! I feel like I've been used my whole
life. Everything I've ever won was because of the way
I look. No one ever took the time to get to know me.
The real me.
|
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
(Hugs
Diamond) Don't cry. Everything you got was because
you deserved it. |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
(Backs
away) That's not true, Candy, & you know it. It's
not true. The opportunity to compete for Ocean Queen came
along & I took it because I think it's a great opportunity
to really show all the mermaids & mermen who I really
am, how I feel. |
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
I
feel for you Diamond, I really do, & that's a good
reason. Now I understand why you want this so bad, but
everything will stay the same. Nothing will change. The
mermaids & mermen will live unhappy for another century.
Diamond, I love you, but someone needs to make the difference.
I need to change things. |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
What
are you trying to say? |
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
(Sighs)
Well, I want to ask you to resign. |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
(Shocked)
What? You've got to be kidding me! |
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
Well,
if you resign, I will become Ocean Queen & I would
change the ocean. You wouldn't see any more oysters in
need of repair. I would make sure to get all that fixed.
There wouldn't be any more sea horses killing our children.
No more sharks would come by & the rule about leaving
the "delinquent" mermaids & mermen on the
shore to die is ridiculous. We would all live so happy;
can't you just see it, Diamond? Living in a fair, stress
free ocean. Don't you want that? |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
(Mad
& at the same time shocked) Oh, my gosh. I can't
believe you're serious. How can you ask me such a thing?
You're supposed to be my sister. You're supposed to respect
my goals & dreams no matter what & you want me
to resign? You know what; this is too much for me. Good
Luck & let the best mermaid win.
(Diamond swims away in tears. She enters her private
room in the auditorium and begins to set up her timed
bomb. Candy goes her separate way in to her private room.)
I hate to do this, Candy, but you leave me no choice.
If you weren't allergic to jelly fish I don't know what
I'd do. It hurts me to have to use the thing you fear
the most against you & if I didn't know what would
kill you, I would really be screwed.
(Diamond hooks her timed bomb up to the ceiling of
the auditorium. It is set up to have 10 poisonous jelly
fish released on Candy as she swims along the seaweed
runway. The jelly fish will kill Candy & leave Diamond
as the winner.) |
|
|
|
|
|
Scene
III
Time: 12:35 pm
Place: In the auditorium during the pageant
At Rise: Diamond just swam the seaweed runways
& Candy is up next. |
|
|
|
| Judge: |
|
Next
mermaid up…
Ms. Candy!
(Candy's smiling swimming the runways & waving
at the audience.)
(While Candy's on the stage, Diamond returns to her private
oyster. She's nervous & is giving her hair one last
brush before she goes up when the judges choose Ocean
Queen. Something caught her eye. She couldn't exactly
tell what it is, so she swims towards her patch of seaweed
bed & picks up an upside down starfish which turns
out to be a picture frame with a picture of her &
her sister when they were 7 at the Goldfish Carnival.
The picture really gets to her & a tear runs down
her cheek.) |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
What
have I done? I love Candy so much. I can't let her die!
(Diamond swims swiftly out of her private oyster to
Candy. She makes it just in time to leap in front of Candy
before the jelly fish sting her. Diamond is weak &
dying in Candy's arms.) |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
I'm
sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I tried to get
you out of my way & I've realized you would make a
better Ocean Queen. Candy, I love you so much. I just
have one last plea. |
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
(Desperate)
What, I'll do anything. |
|
|
|
| Diamond: |
|
(About
to die) Please forgive me.
(Diamond dies in Candy's arms. Candy cries over her
body. The audience is stunned. The judge swims to Candy.) |
|
|
|
| Judge: |
|
Well,
Ms. Candy. I'm truly sorry, but you have a job to do now.
(Hands her a starfish crown.) |
|
|
|
| Candy: |
|
This
is for you, Diamond. (Gets up & puts on her starfish
crown.) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
The
End. |
