‘Douglas the Dragon’
by
William Forde
© William Forde (February, 2012)
Illustrations by Dave Bradbury
Copyright February 2012 by William Forde
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this ebook. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
An Anger-Management play written by the founder of Anger-Management courses in Great Britain in 1971, and based upon William Forde’s ‘Douglas the Dragon’ stories and adapted from those books.
First published by M.A.M.A. (September 1st, 2006) as a musical play.
© William Forde, September 1st, 2006.
Cover and inner illustrations by Dave Bradbury of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
A video 2- hour performance of the musical play by the children of Emley First School, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire can be obtained from tdv@netcomuk.co.uk or telephone: 01484 865282.
An MP3 file containing all five original songs and backing tracks to accompany the play will shortly be available for free download from www.fordefables.co.uk
All play text, characters, reproduction, manufacturing, exploitation and artwork copyright reserved by William Forde.
Song Lyrics and copyright of ‘Our World’ reserved by William Forde
Song Lyrics and copyright of ‘Follow Your Heart’ reserved by Stuart Merry
Song Lyrics and copyright of ‘Spiky Cheer Up’ reserved by Stuart Merry
Song Lyrics and copyright of ‘You on my Mind’ reserved by Stuart Merry
Song Lyrics and copyright of ‘Let it All Out’ reserved by Stuart Merry
Author’s Foreword
As so often in life, learning best comes from our most traumatic experiences. Over fifty years ago as a young boy of twelve, I was run over by a large wagon and received multiple injuries. My parents were told that I’d never walk again. For three years following my accident, a spinal injury prevented me from feeling any signs of life below my waist. The predominant emotions I experienced during this period were ‘Anger’ and ‘Fear’: intense ‘Anger’ at what had happened to me and ‘Fear’ of the inevitable consequences of never walking again. In time, ‘Anger and Fear’ consumed me. I stopped loving myself and felt unable to ‘Love’ others.
During the remainder of my teenage years, and aided by prayer and the practising of numerous eastern disciplines, my ability to walk returned. While being unable to pin point the precise cause of this seemingly miraculous recovery, I had, nevertheless, stumbled across the bodily correlation between ‘Fear, Anger and Love’ without realising it at the time.
In later life, as a Probation Officer serving in West Yorkshire, I found that my professional training left me ill-equipped to help many recidivists change their offending behaviour. After analysing the behavioural response patterns of 600 offenders, I found that the three human emotions of ‘Fear, Anger and Love’, and in particular, the inability to appropriately express these emotions, constituted the core of their general unhappiness, dissatisfaction and offending behaviour.
Remembering my own childhood experiences, I rediscovered the behavioural correlation between ‘Fear, Anger and Love.’ I abandoned the traditional Probation Officer method of working with offenders, and, instead, constructed a group programme of work that I used thereafter. For the following 24 years, I operated hundreds of these group programmes with all ages of mixed sex in Probation Offices, Hostels, Prisons, Hospitals, Educational Establishments and Community Halls. These were the very first ‘Anger Management’ programmes operated in Great Britain. I’m proud to say that many similar group programmes have mushroomed in Europe, America and across the English speaking world ever since.
The principle of all successful Anger Management work has three essential stages at the heart of its process; a process of which I am the original founder, and which I freely gave to the world in 1971:
(1) Learn how to face and confront our ‘Fears.’
(2) Learn how to ‘Love’ ourselves so that we can be enabled to ‘Love’ others.
(3) Learn how to manage and appropriately express our ‘Anger.’
The process of work relating to all ‘Anger Management’ needs to be followed sequentially in the three stages identified above ‘for change to occur and to be reinforced and maintained within the future behavioural response pattern.’ If this process is not strictly followed, ‘any change produced will be partial at best and will not be sustained within the behavioural pattern.’ Thus the old behaviour pattern of responses will gradually return.
One first deals with all work pertaining to reducing ‘Fears’ to a manageable level ‘before’ engaging in work to promote self-enhancement. Once the Fears have been rationalised and reduced to a manageable level, only then should a process of self-enhancement be pursued and reinforced. The person requiring ‘Anger Management’ then has to learn how to increase their self- regard. This involves learning ‘how to love themselves’ in order that ‘they may love others also.’ It is only when this second phase of the change process has been reached that the individual seeking behavioural change will possess sufficient self- belief and positivism to enable change in their ‘Anger’ pattern to occur and be withstood.
The most profound truth is often the easiest to understand: before one can rid one’s heart of ‘Anger,’ one must first put some ‘Love’ in!
From the many books I’ve had published for children since 1990, the most popular story has been the ‘Douglas the Dragon’ stories. These four stories deal with the underlying principles of ’Anger Management’ and have since been used by many Child Psychologists in West Yorkshire to help abused and traumatised victims express their repressed Anger.
In writing my ‘Douglas the Dragon Play’, which is adapted from my four ‘Douglas Dragon stories,’ I hope to bring to the wider audience of child, young person and adult, the essential ingredients of ‘Anger Management’ through the medium of word, song and stage, by the telling of a story about an angry dragon.
‘Douglas the Dragon’; the books which contains all four Douglas Dragon stories from which this play has been adapted are available as E-Books from www.smashwords.com and www.amazon.co.uk (Kindle Department) in either individual story book form or as an omnibus edition of all four stories.
William Forde: February 2012.
‘Douglas the Dragon’
By
William Forde
THE CAST
The Narrator
The Baby Dragon
Douglas the Teenage Dragon
Douglas the Dragon
Douglas the Boy
Douglas’s Mother
The Mayor of Marfield
Granny McNally
Mother McNally
Frances McNally
Wizard Yaffe
Blacksmith Jones
Bereaved Widower
Betty Green the Grocer
Nancy Wise the Teacher
Jake Tiller the Farmer
Widow Wanting
Abdul Yesmit (An orphaned child)
Rosie Cox (An orphaned child)
Annie Smart (An orphaned child)
Jim Furrow (An orphaned child)
Mary Walsh (An orphaned child)
Fred Larkin Junior (An orphaned child)
Sally Buttin (A village child)
Village Samaritan
Angry Female Neighbour
First Village Child Traveller
Second Village Child Traveller
Third Village Child Traveller
Fourth Village Child Traveller
Placard Holder
A Voice from the Crowd
A Chorus of Village Children
A Male Villager
#####
Guidelines to Producers
Setting the Scene
I have deliberately avoided being proscriptive when setting the scenes to ‘The Douglas Dragon Play’, preferring to leave to the Producer of the play, the decision of which creative means and method best achieves their desired result.
An appendix to this publication is included by Stuart Merry, former head teacher, identifying how ‘Physical Theatre’ can be appropriately used in the enactment of this play. Physical Theatre is an ideal medium to include participant players who, for a variety of reasons, prefer a part that doesn’t involve public speech. I have also included some ‘Anger Management Steps’, which may be used as an elementary guide in the construction of an Anger Management Programme, independent from the play.
‘The Douglas Dragon Musical Play’, is free for all to download to read or dramatise. All rights remain reserved, and parts of this book may be reproduced for the purpose of facilitating the dramatisation of the play ‘only.’ With that single exception, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic or mechanical), including photo-copying, recording or by any other information storage and retrieval system, without the permission of William Forde in writing who can be contacted on www.fordefables.co.uk
The Narrator
The Narrator of the play is a 200-year-old version of one of the play’s central characters, Wizard Yaffe. As he informs the audience about essential elements of the unfolding plot, linking one scene to the next, he is mostly positioned in front of curtain as scene changes are taking place backstage. Occasionally, however, The Narrator (ostensibly invisible to the actors on stage), is required to deliver his speech from the side of the stage. As the longest speech parts belong to The Narrator, his word prompt can be disguised in his Book of Magic Spells that he is always holding. Some schools performing this play may elect to use an adult in this role.
Frances McNally, Mother McNally and Granny McNally
The characters of Frances McNally, Mother McNally and Granny McNally are used in assembly-line fashion to reflect the link between past and present, along with the continuity of life. Therefore, as one Granny McNally dies, there is always a Mother McNally in the wings waiting to take her place, with a Frances McNally becoming a Mother McNally and a new Frances McNally being born. Mother McNally is always pregnant with another daughter, who is always called Frances.
‘Douglas the Dragon’
Act One: Scene One
The play commences with The Narrator (an old, bearded wizard carrying a book of spells and a wand tucked inside his belt), standing in front of curtain to address the audience.
THE NARRATOR:
“Our story begins long, long ago, when dragons roamed the world and wizards were the masters of all they surveyed. This was a time when the forces of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ were in constant struggle; a time when war was waged between the human emotions of ‘Fear, Anger and Love.’”
“The prize at stake was the greatest prize of all: control of the heart, mind and actions of every man, woman and child.”
“One mile beyond the edge of Marfield Village, the hero of our story (a baby dragon), was being born through a slit in its mother’s stomach. For those of you unacquainted with the intricacies of birth, such entry into the world is called a ‘Caesarean birth.’”
“One hour before the baby dragon’s birth, its mother had been killed by a wicked wizard.... (Pause)..... Ah yes; I’m afraid that there’s good and bad in all of us!”
“The wicked wizard believed that if he drank the warm blood of a dragon he’d killed with his own hands, he’d live forever. So he pursued a female dragon, slit open her stomach, drank her warm blood and then went off after other dragon prey; not knowing that inside his victim’s stomach was a baby dragon waiting to be born.”
“Our hero was born into this world as an orphan, and even though the baby dragon couldn’t see for the first few hours of its existence, it could smell the stench of death close by and the aroma of life in the near distance.”
“So choosing the smell of life over that of death, it followed its nose towards the nearby Village of Marfield as it crawled through the long grass.”
The curtain is raised, revealing a scene of a Village Square filled with children at play, adults, Mayor, shopkeepers and the local blacksmith. However, all characters on stage are totally silent and motionless; as though part way through some action they’d been frozen in time, like statues. The Mayor and blacksmith are stood side-by-side.
THE NARRATOR: (Looking directly at the audience from the side of the stage)
“Meanwhile, back in the Village Square, life continued as it had always done.”
As The Narrator turns towards the cast on stage, he sees that there is no sign of movement or sound, so he takes his magic wand from his belt and repeats his last words as he waves it over the actors.
THE NARRATOR:
“Meanwhile, back in the Village Square, life continued as it had always done.”
All the actors on stage instantly break out into speech and movement once more and complete what they had been previously doing, thereby signifying the power of the wizard’s magic to the audience.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD: (The Mayor is eating an apple pie as he speaks to Blacksmith Jones: in fact, he is always eating something throughout the day or night whenever anyone sees him!)
“Good mor…morning, blacksmith. It looks like fine weather again.”
BLACKSMITH JONES:
“Aye, Mr Mayor, a fine day it is! Granny McNally says it will stay rain-free for the next seven days and she’s never been known to be wrong in her forecasts. I don’t know how she does it. It’s uncanny if you ask me!”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“That settles it th…then, blacksmith. If Granny McNally says it will be fine, then fine it will be! Oh what I wouldn’t give for just a fragment of her 90-years’ wisdom. Do you know, blacksmith, church records show that Marfield Village hasn’t been without a Granny McNally for nigh on 300 years?”
(The Mayor gives a loud belch of satisfaction)
BLACKSMITH JONES:
“Nor a Mother McNally, or a Frances McNally! No sooner than the coffin of one Granny McNally has been buried beneath the sod, the cradle of a newborn Frances McNally is being rocked.......and there’s always another female McNally in line ready to move up a generation. Folk ‘round here call it the ‘McNally Assembly Line!’”
Both Mayor and blacksmith laugh, and as they do so, a 90-year-old woman dressed in shawl and moving slowly with the aid of a walking stick approaches.
GRANNY McNALLY: (Assertive voice)
“Good morning, Mayor - blacksmith. Have either of you seen our Frances? She’s never to be found when you want her and is forever under your feet when you don’t!”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“I haven’t, Granny McNally. Sorry.”
BLACKSMITH JONES:
“I saw her fighting with Fred Larkin’s lad half an hour ago, Granny McNally. They were knocking lumps out of each other. I had to pull them apart before she broke young Larkin’s nose again. She was…” (Pause)
GRANNY McNALLY:
“She was what, blacksmith? You were saying. Come on, man, spit it out!”
BLACKSMITH JONES:
“She was on fire with rage, is what I was about to say, Granny McNally. So full of anger, bringing her down. Most….........unladylike, if you pardon me saying so.”
GRANNY McNALLY:
“Tut! That girl! She’ll put her family to shame and me and her poor mother in an early grave if she doesn’t grow out of it soon.”
“I pity her poor mother. Mind you ... and don’t say I told you so......., but her mother was no better at her age, come to think of it. What goes around comes around. That’s what I say!”
“Too much anger inside her. That’s her problem. Too much anger! It’s as though she’s frightened to let the world see the love she has to give, so she hides it behind her anger.”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“What’s to be done with her, Granny McNally? What’s to be done?”
GRANNY McNALLY:
“Talking! That’s the only recipe I know. Lots of talking and much soul searching. One way or another, she must be persuaded to open her heart and let the love in. Only then will she be able to let the anger out! ”
Granny McNally then burst’s into song and sings ‘Follow Your Heart’. Alternately, another song may be sung if the Producer prefers.
GRANNY McNALLY:
“Anyway; I can’t stop swapping stories with you two all day. I’ve too much to do and too little time left to do it in. See you.”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“See you, Granny McNally.”
BLACKSMITH JONES:
“I’ll send your Frances home if I lay eyes on her again, Granny McNally. Bye now.”
The Mayor and blacksmith continue with their conversation, while nearby, in the far corner of the
Village Square, an 11-year-old boy and his widowed mother are talking.
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER: (Stern voice)
“Okay, Douglas. Okay! You can go to the long grass at the edge of the village, but no farther! And don’t be late for tea! And don’t dare bring back any more strays! We’ve got two cats, four dogs, a three-legged pony, a poorly goose and a white rat! Our house is like a farmyard. And before you come home, call to the bakers and get a loaf of bread. We’re out!”
DOUGLAS THE BOY:
“Thanks Mum. I’ll not be late and I won’t forget the bread.”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER:
“And don’t forget; no more strays! I know you love animals, Son, but enough is enough! We’ve got two cats, four…............”
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Running off)
“Bye, Mum. See you later. Bye!”
As both boy and mother leave the stage in opposite directions, the curtain comes down to end the scene and prepare for the next.
Act One: Scene Two
The Narrator appears in front of curtain to address the audience while the next scene is being prepared.
THE NARRATOR: (Gentle voice)
“Every mother knows that when her infant is born, there is a brief period before it opens it eyes for first sight of the world. The very first smell it has is of its mother, and the first face it sets eyes on, is its mother. And from this first attachment, no newborn lets their mother out of their sight!”
“Thus this bond between mother and newborn is established by smell, touch and sight. That is how it is. That is how it’s always been!”
The curtain is raised, revealing the baby dragon blindly crawling through the long grass on the road to the Village of Marfield, with closed eyes and following its sense of smell. As the baby dragon crawls towards Marfield, Douglas the Boy is approaching in the opposite direction. The boy is stroking an injured frog with a damaged foot he found as he comes across the baby dragon at his feet.
THE BABY DRAGON: (Sensing the presence of another)
“Snort, snort, snort.”
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Bends down and pats the dragon on its head lovingly)
“Well... well! What have we here? Hello, fella. Aren’t you a strange- looking creature? I’ve seen all sorts in my time, but never anything like you. What are you doing out here on your own, and where’s your mum?”
As the boy affectionately pats the baby dragon on its head, the dragon lifts up its head, opens its eyes for the first time, sees Douglas and snorts lovingly; ‘believing the boy to be its mother.’
DOUGLAS THE BOY:
“You’re gorgeous, fella; green, spiky and simply gorgeous!”
At this point, the frog that is being held in the boy’s other hand croaks twice, as if to ask, “Aren’t I gorgeous too?”
“And you’re gorgeous also, frog!”
“If…... if only I could take you home with me and add you to my….... but mum would never allow me. You see, fella, I’ve already got two cats, four dogs, a three-legged pony, a poorly goose and a white rat!”
At this point, the frog croaks twice, as if to assert, “And me!”
“Oh, and a frog with a damaged foot! Mum says that I’ve already turned our house into a farmyard.”
(Sorry-for-self voice) “If…..........if only dad was still alive, I bet he’d let me. Dad loved all animals. He’d never turn one away. Anyway, must go now, fella. I’m already late and…..... The bread! I’ve forgotten mum’s loaf. She’ll kill me. Bye now. Bye!”
As the boy turns to run off back home with the frog in his hand, the baby dragon follows him like a shadow he can’t shake off. Sensing that he’s being followed, the boy turns around and is annoyed with his stalker.
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Stern voice and wagging finger of disapproval)
“Are you hard of hearing, Cloth Ears? I’ve already told you, I can’t take you home with me! Mum won’t allow me. I would if I could, but I can’t. Look, I’m already late. Now stay there, Spiky!”
Having made the dragon backtrack (with the sweeping and shooing gesture of his hands), the boy hurries off home again. Unknown to the boy, the dragon follows him all the way back to the village edge. The boy’s mother is there, having come to seek her son.
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER: (Stern, cross voice)
“Douglas! There you are you….... you naughty boy. Your tea’s stone cold! What time do you call this? And where’s the loaf of bread I asked you to fetch?”
Before her son has time to answer, his mother sees the frog in his hand and the weird-looking spiky creature behind him.
(Angry voice) “And what’s that you’ve brought home with you?” (Pointing to the frog in her son’s hands)
DOUGLAS THE BOY:
“It’s….. it’s an injured frog, Mum, with a damaged foot. I....... I couldn’t leave it out there. It would die.”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER:
“Well, it can hop it! It’s not setting foot in our house. We’ve already got two cats, four dogs, a three-legged pony, a poorly goose and a white rat. And there’s no way I’m letting a fat frog in!”
“And that? (Pointing to the dragon behind him). What’s that you’ve brought home?”
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Puzzled look and voice)
“Wh.......…what?”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER:
“That! (Pointing to the dragon). That spiky thing you’ve brought home on your coat tail! I told you; no more animals. Are you hard of hearing, Cloth Ears? Have you taken leave of your senses? Are you trying to overrun us?”
Douglas looks behind him and is surprised to see the newborn creature that’s followed him home there.
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Apologetic voice)
“But, Mum….......I didn’t. Honest ... I didn’t!”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER:
“Oh yes, you did! Oh yes, you did, my boy! Your very lies are staring me in the face, so don’t try to deny it!”
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Pointing to the frog in his hand)
“I put my hands up to bringing the frog home, Mum, but not him. (Pointing to the dragon). Not him, Mum. Honest I didn’t! I told him not to follow me. He must have followed me home, Mum. Honest!”
At this point the baby dragon begins to shed a tear and he adopts one of those ‘nobody-loves-me’ faces.
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Pleading tone of voice)
“Mum, just look at the little mite. It’s sensitive, Mum, and your harsh words have made it cry. It hasn’t been alive long. It’s lonely, Mum, and has nobody to care for it. You try living alone, feeling unloved and unwanted. At least we’ve got each other, while he’s got nobody!”(Brief pause)
“ Mum...…can…......can it live with us. Please Mum!”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER: (Determined voice)
“I’ve already told you, Son. There are no more animals coming into this house! ‘No more’ means ‘no more!’ And you can get rid of that fat frog also. Smelly creature!”
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Appealing voice)
“Well, if you won’t let it live here, then please, please let it stay a week until it’s big enough to fend for itself. Can it, Mum. Pl....ease?”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER: (Stern voice)
“No!”
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Pleading voice)
“Three days?”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER: (Sterner voice)
“No!”
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Pleading voice)
“Two days?”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER: (Sterner voice)
“Are you hard of hearing, Cloth Ears? Which part of ‘no’ is it that you don’t understand? ‘No’ means ‘no!’”
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Final plea)
“Please, Mum. It’s only a short stay. It’s not that much to ask. It’s a newborn. It’s homeless. It’s helpless. It’s all alone; not even a mother to look out for it. If we leave it out to the elements on the very first night of its life, it’ll be dead by morning and we’ll have good as killed it off! Please let the motherless creature stay overnight. Just one night. Please, Mum?”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER: (Relenting face)
“Okay! One night! It can stop one night only. But if it hasn’t gone by tomorrow, then I will have, and you can have a taste of being motherless. And it doesn’t set foot inside our house, or else! It can sleep in the barn.”
At this point, the frog croaks twice, as if to ask, “And me?”
DOUGLAS THE BOY:
“And…...........and the frog? Can the frog stay too, Mum?”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER:
“Yes, yes, I suppose so. But that also sleeps in the barn or it can hop it elsewhere! Smelly creature.”
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Celebratory whoop)
“Ye…..yes! Thanks, Mum. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You’re the best mum in the whole wide world. Thank you!”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER:
“I know. I know! Now, my boy, put those two creatures in the barn and get ready for bed before I change my mind. It’s school tomorrow.”
The curtain comes down to end the scene and prepare for the next. The Narrator appears before curtain to address the audience.
Act One: Scene Three
THE NARRATOR: (Before curtain)
“Ah, that first night. It was a night sent to remember, a night that would test the patience of the boy Douglas who was faced with the insecurity of the baby dragon and the attention-seeking croaks of the frog.”
“Nearby, at the edge of Marfield Village where two hills stood side-by-side, ‘The Angry Hill’ started to rumble its discontent. ‘The Angry Hill' had begun its process of waking up in a bad mood, having had a volcanic sleep for over a hundred years. This was a process which would still take a number of years to complete; a process that would eventually rock the very foundation of village life and community stability when it erupted into full wakefulness.”
The curtain is raised, revealing the inside of a barn. The frog has been bedded down towards the rear of the barn and the baby dragon is being covered up with a blanket by the boy. The frog is in fact a ‘glove puppet’ that can be secretly operated by the hidden hand of an unseen child behind a bale of straw or some form of cage in semi darkness.
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Sympathetic voice)
“There you are, fella. You’ll feel much better after a good night’s sleep. I’ll pop in and see you again in the morning before I go to school. Night, night, Spiky.”
The frog, feeling left out, pops its head up from its bed and croaks to remind the boy of its presence also.
“And night, night to you too, frog! Night, night!”
As the boy moves to leave the barn, the sound of rumbling thunder can be heard in the distance as ‘The Angry Hill’ announces its displeasure. Upon hearing the loud noise, the baby dragon takes fright, quickly removes its blanket and scrambles after the boy; grabbing hold of the boy’s legs in panic and refusing to let go.
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Caring voice)
“Now then, fella. What’s all this about? It’s only a crack of thunder. It’ll not harm you. Now, let’s have you back under your blanket. (The boy covers the dragon up again).Night, night.”
The frog pops its head up from its bed and croaks again to remind the boy of its presence.
“And night, night to you again, frog! Night, night!”
As the boy moves to leave the barn again, a loud rumbling noise is repeated in the distance and the frightened dragon scrambles out of bed, and clings on tight to the boy’s legs once more, refusing to let go.
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Exasperated voice)
“Not again! Now go back to bed you... you naughty creature. Cover yourself up and stay put! You can’t come in the house. Mum would go mad. Now, get back under the blanket. Night, night!”
The frog pops its head up from the straw and croaks again to remind the boy of its presence.
(Bellowing voice) “And night, night to you again, frog! Night, night!”
As the boy moves to leave the barn for the third time; another rumbling noise is heard in the distance and the baby dragon scrambles out of bed, runs towards the boy and clings tightly to his legs, refusing to let go.
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Voice of reluctant resignation)
“You’re determined not to let me out of your sight, aren’t you? It looks like the only way either of us is going to get to sleep tonight, is if we sleep together. And since you can’t come into the house, it looks like I’ll have to bed down here with you. Now, budge up and give me half that blanket! Budge up!”
Both boy and dragon cuddle up beneath the blanket.
DOUGLAS THE BOY:
“Night, night, fella. Night, night. Now go to sleep, please. I’m tired!”
The frog pops its head up from its bed and croaks again from its corner of the barn to remind the boy of its presence.
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Angry voice)
“And night, night to you again, frog! For the last time, night, night!”
The stage darkens to represent the onset of night. After a brief pause of snoring, snorting and croaking in their sleep, the stage lightens with the dawn of a new day, and in the background a cockerel crows. The sound of human footsteps is heard approaching the barn, accompanied by the emerging voice of the boy’s mother.
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER:
“Douglas. Where are you, boy? You’ll be late for school.”
Douglas’s mother enters the barn and sees her son asleep beneath the blanket with the baby dragon.
“Well, I never! Will you just look at that! Isn’t that a sight for sore eyes? That boy and his strays. Don’t you realise, lad, that all the strays in the world won’t fill your loss? Even Noah’s ark and all its inhabitants couldn’t fill the gap left by the death of your father. Too much love to give, my boy; that’s your problem. Too much love to give and not enough strays to give it to!”
As she looks lovingly on her son and his new companion, the boy yawns himself awake and rubs his eyes. Seeing his mother looking down on him, the boy Douglas gives her a big smile. The baby dragon also awakes.
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Yawning voice)
“Good morning, Mum. Nice day again isn’t it? Love you, Mum.”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER: (Gentle voice)
“I know you do, Douglas. I know you do; and I love you too, Son. Now, let’s get some breakfast down you and get you off to school before you’re late.”
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Turning to address his bed companion)
“Good morning, fella. Did you sleep well? Say ‘Good morning’ to my mum nicely and she might let you have some breakfast also.”
THE BABY DRAGON: (Big smile)
“Snort, snort, snort.”
The frog pops up its head from its bed and croaks from its corner of the barn to remind them of its presence and as if to ask, “And what about me?”
DOUGLAS THE BOY:
“Good morning, frog. I’m sure we can find you something to eat also.”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER: (Lump-in-throat voice)
“It’s been a long time, Son, since I’ve seen you so happy. It….......it fair takes me back to happier days when…......when your father was….......alive.”
Douglas’s mother has a little weep. Douglas gives his mother a hug of comfort and he begins to cry also. As the boy and mother cuddle each other in tears, the baby dragon nestles up to the boy and gives him a cuddle around his legs. In the background, the sorry croak of a frog can be heard in sympathy.
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Sad voice)
“I know, Mum. I know. I miss dad too, more than words can ever say. It’s…..it’s strange without two parents, but however hard it is for us, Mum, we have each other; whereas this newborn, spiky creature here (looks at the dragon), has nobody! I love you, Mum. Love you.”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER: (Smiley face)
“I love you too, Son. I love you too! You always could get round me with your winning ways, couldn’t you?” (Pause)
“Okay! If it means so much to you, the newborn stray can stay.”
(Determined voice) “But, be warned, it lives in the barn. It doesn’t dare show its face in my house! And bear in mind, Douglas, it’s your creature, your pet and your responsibility. You’ll be the one to look after it and do the mucking out!”
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Ecstatic response)
“Oh, Mum, thank you! Thank you and thank you! You’re the best mum in the whole wide world; the very best! Thank you!”
(Looking towards the dragon the boy gives the dragon a ‘high five’) “Mum says you can stay, fella. You can stay! Yippee!”
The frog decides to croak and remind them of its presence and as if to ask, “Can I stay too?”
(Looking towards his mother with a pleading face) “And the frog, Mum? Can the frog stay too?”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER:
“I suppose so. What’s one fat frog when we’re already housing two cats, four dogs, a three-legged pony, a poorly goose, a white rat and that spiky newborn there?”
DOUGLAS THE BOY:
(Grateful response) “Oh thank you, Mum. Thank you, thank you, and thank you. You’re the best mum in the whole wide world. The very best!”
DOUGLAS’S MOTHER: (Hurried reply)
“I know, I know! Now get some food inside you and get off to school. You’re already running late.”
Douglas’s mother leaves the barn while her son is still overjoyed by the knowledge that the spiky creature and the frog can stay.
DOUGLAS THE BOY: (Looking towards the dragon and frog)
“Isn’t that just the best news ever? Cheer up, you can stay. Mum says you can both stay.”
Douglas dances around the barn with glee as he sings ‘Spiky Cheer Up’. Alternately, the Producer may elect to use a different song. When the song is finished, the boy runs from the barn to grab some cereal and his school satchel from the house before dashing off, still eating a slice of toast. As Douglas the Boy leaves the stage, the baby dragon runs after him on all fours, like a shadow he can’t shake off. The curtain comes down to prepare for the next scene.
Act Two: Scene One
The Narrator appears before curtain to address the audience and to fill in the circumstances and events, which link the last scene with the next.
THE NARRATOR:
“Having decided to adopt the baby dragon, the following couple of years in the life of the boy Douglas were the happiest he’d known since the death of his father. It was as though ‘purpose’ had returned to his life.”
“However, it soon became clear that the adopted dragon viewed the boy Douglas as its mother and wouldn’t let the boy out of its sight. It followed him everywhere.”
“It followed him to school. It sat at the next desk in class. The dragon even learnt to add up, write, spell and speak the human language. It followed the boy out to play. It even followed him to the bathroom and the loo! Everywhere the boy went, the dragon followed. The dragon became a friend to every boy and girl in Marfield and was dearly loved by all.”
“When the time came to name the dragon, there was only one name to call it; the only name it ever answered to: ‘Douglas.’ So now we have a boy called Douglas and a dragon called Douglas, and the dragon follows the boy everywhere and thinks that the boy is its mother.”
“All went well for the next couple of years and both boy and dragon became inseparable. The two even shared the same bed; a development which the boy’s mother was never really happy with, but reluctantly agreed to. The boy became a mother figure to the growing dragon, and the dragon’s presence helped to fill an emotional void in the boy’s life which had existed since the loss of his father. Life seemed to be as good as it gets.”
(A solemn change of voice) “It was when their happiness was at its highest that tragedy struck the Village of Marfield a savage blow.”
(Brief pause) “’The Angry Hill’ at the edge of the village had been storing up its rage for many years and was unable to contain an explosion of its wrath. Its anger was so heavy at its volcanic heart that it erupted from its mouth; spitting a fiery larva down the hillside towards the Village of Marfield.”
(Louder, faster and more dramatic voice) “As the larva hit the village, it burnt everything it touched – crops in the fields, fences, houses, people – everything in its path.”
(A lower and more solemn voice) “When the larva had cooled down one day later, the villagers emerged to survey the extent of the damage the volcano had caused. (Brief pause) They found all their crops ruined, their houses and school destroyed, and half their people dead! (Longer pause before, concluding in a quieter and graver voice) “Among the people killed in the volcanic eruption were the boy Douglas and his mother.” (Long pause followed by The Narrator’s bowed head of respect).
The curtain rises to reveal a Village Square laid to waste by the destructive volcano. Villagers are in deep shock and a state of mourning as the dishevelled survivors linger amongst their destroyed shops and houses. To the side of the stage, a man who lost his wife in the tragedy, aimlessly searches through the rubble and remains of the family home and finds a framed photo of her which he clutches to his breast. He cleans the image and sings a sad song as he stares at the framed photograph of his only love.
BEREAVED WIDOWER: Sings the song, ‘You on my Mind.’
Alternately, the Producer may want to use a different song.
The Mayor of Marfield then gathers the villagers in the Village Square to address them.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD: (Solemn voice)
“Gather round, good people, one and all. Gather round! Today is the saddest of days, and for some who have suffered more than others in the extent of their loss, the situation is simply unbearable!”
“All our crops have gone, our houses destroyed, and everyone in the village has lost friend, neighbour or family member in the volcanic eruption. I know that some villagers have even witnessed the death of their entire family.”
“Not content with killing our loved ones, the volcano’s anger boiled their bodies and bones; leaving us only with a scraping of their ashes for remains.”
(Holding high an urn for all assembled to see) “So, in memory of our dead, I am arranging for their ashes to be placed inside a Memorial Urn for safe keeping; to be put in a place where every villager will have access. An urn many times larger than this, fashioned thus. The Memorial Urn shall be placed at the heart of our Village Square, where it will become a focal point for our prayers, quiet reflections, our tears and memories of our dead. (Louder and more determined voice) They shall not be forgotten!”
(The Mayor ushers Granny McNally from the crowd) “Now listen very carefully everyone while our most senior citizen, Granny McNally, says a few words. Pray, give silence to Granny McNally.”
Granny McNally slowly makes her way to the front of the assembled crowd to address the villagers. She is dressed in mourning black.
GRANNY McNALLY: (Slow, solemn and assertive delivery)
“Our hearts are heavy with grief for our dead; our feelings of loss veil our pain. Even our mental images of their tragic deaths mangle our minds and press our thoughts of confusion into feelings of uncertainty for the future.”
“Our skies seem filled with the harbinger of doom and gloom, but believe me when I tell you that (determined voice) the sun will shine through again!”
“I’ve walked this earth for 90 years. I’ve seen all of you born and have witnessed more deaths than I care to remember. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I’ve forgotten more than most of you have yet learned.”
“And yet, despite the extent of my age and worldly wisdom, I know so little about what lies beneath this green sod that makes the ground shake so violently when ‘The Angry Hill’ explodes in rage.”
“But this I know with every breath of my being and tell you most truly (more determined voice). I know that sadness suffered in silence grows ever more bitter and sours the soul of humanity. I know that grief denied is grief extended and that bereavement borne alone is a cross far too heavy to bear.”
“I urge you, one and all, do not hide away your grief from family and friends. Share your fears and sadness with them, for a burden shared is a weight lessened! Let it out. Let them see it. Let others help you to carry your loss!”
“Do not conceal your pain behind false pride, good people. There is no shame in crying, no comfort to be found in silent rage, and no point in trying to cope alone when others will help you willingly; and be glad to have done so.”
“This is a time for you to share with friends and family; a time for all to rally round and to offer what we give best. This is not a time to isolate oneself from the lives of others, but a time to take part in all around you: the wisest time of all to express your feelings to those you love and trust!”
“Do all of this, my dear friends, and I promise you that the light will shine through your darkest day. Follow the substance of your future. Do not dwell upon the shadow of your past. Put your past behind you and I tell you, that a brighter ‘morrow shall follow.”
“However sad you feel today, I promise, that in time, your feelings shall change for the better. Remember, the birds shall still sing, the sun shall still shine, the grass will still grow, the flowers shall still bloom and the wind will still blow.”
“Consider this, good people. Even mighty oaks have to bend to the force of nature. And then, even when they are battered and blown by the Earth’s storms; even then, experience encourages the trunk to grow ever stronger and its roots to spread ever wider. Are we no less?”
“So give heed to the ramblings of an old woman. Do as I advise, and peace and reconciliation shall enter your lives once more. This I promise you. This I know!”
As the Mayor moves forward to address the assembled crowd again, Granny McNally steps back a few paces.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Thank you, Granny McNally, for those wise words. As Granny McNally said, today we grieve for our dead. But, tomorrow we look towards the living when we begin to rebuild our village and our lives with the help of each other.”
“Let us first see to our young. Step forward any child under 16 years who has been orphaned by the volcanic eruption.”
Six children (three boys and three girls, all with sad faces), move to stand alongside the Mayor where they form a row facing the villagers.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“We need Foster Parents for these six orphaned children. Who is prepared to adopt one? Identify yourself.”
BLACKSMITH JONES: (Raises his hand in the air from the crowd).
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Yes, Blacksmith Jones. You wish to speak?”
BLACKSMITH JONES:
“I’ll take Abdul Yesmit, Mr Mayor. He’s good with horses and anyone who loves being around horses is okay by me.”
Blacksmith Jones moves forward and escorts Abdul Yesmit back into the crowd.
BETTY GREEN THE GROCER: (Raises her hand in the air to attract the Mayor’s attention).
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Yes, Betty Green. Is our village greengrocer prepared to take on a child?”
BETTY GREEN THE GROCER:
“Aye, Mr Mayor. I’ll take Rosie Cox. I’ve got a husband as daft as a brush and not half as useful; two sons, but alas no daughter. And to tell the truth, I’ve always wanted a female pippin of my own.”
Rosie Cox is taken from the line-up by Betty Green the Grocer.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Is anyone else prepared to foster? Come on, please.”
NANCY WISE THE TEACHER:
“I will, Mr Mayor.”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“And which child is Miss Nancy Wise our village teacher prepared to adopt?”
NANCY WISE THE TEACHER:
“I’ll take Annie Smart, Mr Mayor; if she’s happy to share my home as well as my classroom. She’s as clever as they come and will undoubtedly go far in life.”
Annie Smart is taken from the line-up by Nancy Wise the Teacher.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“So far, so good. That’s three down and three to go. Who else will foster a child?”
JAKE TILLER THE FARMER:
“If young Jim Furrow there, Mr Mayor, will come live with me and my missus at Longley Farm, we’ll gladly offer a home to the boy. A strong lad like Jim won’t shy away from hard work and will easily earn his keep as an apprentice ploughman when he leaves school.”
Jim Furrow is taken from the line-up by Jake Tiller the Farmer. Widow Wanting is the next person to raise her hand.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Yes, Widow Wanting. Did you want to say something?”
WIDOW WANTING:
“I’ve lived alone since my husband Bill died six years ago and would welcome a bit of company; someone to talk to on long summer evenings, and someone to share my table at meal times. If 15-year-old Mary Walsh is willing to spend the next few years with me before she marries or sets up home elsewhere, I’d be only too happy to share my home with her.”
Mary Walsh smiles, nods her head in agreement and is taken from the line-up by Widow Wanting. A lengthy pause follows as nobody in the village seems prepared to take the last orphaned child; a boy who is always getting himself into fights and scrapes.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Come on, friends, we’re almost there. Only one child left to place. Who will offer Fred Larkin Junior a home? This poor boy lost both parents and his sister in the volcanic eruption; his entire family was wiped out in one day!”
The assembled villagers remain totally silent and turn aside as a forlorn boy who is scruffily dressed and is wearing a sticking plaster on his nose stands there looking ‘unwanted.’
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD: (After a long pause when it appears that nobody present will offer)
“Come, come, good people! Surely there is someone compassionate enough to take on the boy, isn’t there?”
A VOICE FROM THE CROWD:
“We’ve all got compassion, Mr Mayor, but most of us have sense as well! Who wants to be saddled with the likes of Fred Larkin Junior when we can opt for an easier life without the hassle? The lad’s a heap of trouble. He’s always fighting. He’s just like a bull in a china shop, eager to wreak damage. I’d sooner share my home with a bear with a sore head!”
Low level laughter is heard from the crowd.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Come now, good people. This is no laughing matter. The poor lad’s just lost his entire family! Won’t anyone take him on?”
MOTHER McNALLY: (Looking heavily pregnant and in a compassionate voice steps forward)
“We’ll take the boy, Mr Mayor. He can live with the McNally family. I’ve got 13 girls and one more mouth to feed won’t matter that much.”
JAKE TILLER THE FARMER: (To the villager at his side)
“The woman’s a saint, if you ask me. The largest brood o’ bairns in Marfield and she’s still willing to take in Fred Larkin Junior. I don’t know where she finds the time to look after them all.”
A MALE VILLAGER: (Replies to Jake Tiller)
“Heaven only knows where she finds the fingers to count then all! She’d given birth to thirteen at the last count and she’s never to be seen without two in close proximity; one at the breast and the other in her belly.”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Are you sure, Mother McNally? Are you sure; and you eight months pregnant to boot?”
MOTHER McNALLY:
“Aye, Mr Mayor; we’ll have him. Besides, Fred Larkin Junior and our Frances are as good as brother and sister anyway. They’re always at each other’s throats.”
FRANCES McNALLY: (Loud voice of protest)
“No way, Mum! There’s no way he’s setting foot in my house. No way! I’ll…...I’ll bust his nose again before I left him poke it across our threshold! Besides, he’s a boy, Mum….........a stupid boy!”
Frances picks a bogey from her nose and flicks it at Fred Larkin Junior.
FRED LARKIN JUNIOR: (Loud, angry voice)
“You’ll not bust my nose again when I’m not looking, McNally Burger! Come near me again and I’ll….......I’ll tie your rubbish hair in knots and swing on your pigtails!”
FRANCES McNALLY: (Spluttering voice)
“Rubbish…ha…”
MOTHER McNALLY:
“That’s enough, Frances McNally! Quite enough! Look to your manners, my girl. Fred Larkin Junior’s just lost both of his parents and sister. The volcano has wiped out his entire family. Where’s your charity, my girl? Now shut it!”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Are you sure about this, Mother McNally? Fred Larkin Junior and your Frances don’t impress me as being prepared to share the same room space. Are you sure you really want to do this; and you pregnant these past eight months?”
MOTHER McNALLY:
“Yes I am, Mr Mayor. I’m sure that the boy will turn out alright. We’ll have him!”
FRANCES McNALLY: (Loud voice of protest accompanied by foot stamping)
“Oh no, we won’t! No! No! No!”
MOTHER McNALLY:
“Yes! Yes! Yes, Mr Mayor! Fred Larkin Junior can live with the McNallys. He and our Frances will get on like a house on fire; believe me. They’re like two peas from the same pod. You mark my words, Mr Mayor, after the settling in period, they’ll become the best of buddies. Mark my words!”
A VOICE FROM THE CROWD: (Shouting voice)
“No wonder you’re always with child, Mother McNally, if you can be so easily taken in by a wanting face.”
FRANCES McNALLY: (Temper tantrum protest)
“Mum, you’ve just ruined my life! I’m being no sister to any stupid boy. He stinks! You let him in our house and.... and........... I’ll move out. You wait and see if I don’t!”
FRED LARKIN JUNIOR:
“More room for me then, Spotty! More room for me!”
Mother McNally grabs hold of her daughter Frances with one hand and takes Fred Larkin Junior from the line with the other. As the trio return to the crowd, both Frances McNally and Fred Larkin Junior start squabbling, pushing and pulling faces at each other. Frances McNally also starts flicking bogies at Fred Larkin Junior.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Thank you, everyone. Thank you. That seems to take care of immediate business.”
SALLY BUTTIN: (A village child)
“Not quite, Mr Mayor. You’ve forgotten about Douglas the Dragon. Who’s to look after the dragon now that the boy Douglas and his mother were also killed by the volcano?”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Ah….......yes... the dragon! Douglas the Dragon. He’s become so much part of the furniture that I’d completely overlooked his loss.”
Almost instantly, every child assembled offers to adopt the dragon and says as much.
A CHORUS OF VILLAGE CHILDREN:
“I’ll have him! He can live at our house. I’ll look after Douglas. Let the dragon live with me, Mr Mayor!”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD: (Using calming down gestures of the hand)
“Now, hold your horses, children. Let’s just slow down a minute. Douglas can’t possibly live with any of you. He’s a dragon; and a growing dragon at that! He’s just too big to live in anyone’s house any more. In short, he can’t live with any one of you and there’s no way he can possibly live with all of you!”
At this juncture, Granny McNally steps forward and whispers in the Mayor’s ear. The Mayor smiles, nods his head in approval at Granny McNally’s suggestion and then addresses the crowd once more.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Listen, friends. Give heed to the timely suggestion of Granny McNally who has saved the day again by being able to see what has been clearly before our eyes all along. Granny McNally reminds me that as the dragon is loved by all; he should be adopted by all and become the ‘village dragon.’”
A VOICE FROM THE CROWD:
“But, where shall he live, Mr Mayor, if our buildings be too small to house his huge body?”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Being the village dragon, it is only fitting that Douglas be accommodated at the heart of village life. He will be housed in the Village Square, where he is accessible to all and us to him!”
A CHORUS OF VILLAGE CHILDREN:
“Hurrah! Three cheers for the Mayor and Granny McNally. Hip hip hurrah! Hip hip hurrah! Hip hip hurrah! Now let’s go find Douglas and give him the good news.”
As all the children run off stage in one direction to find the dragon, the rest of the crowd disperse and the curtain drops to prepare for the next scene.
Act Two: Scene Two
The Narrator appears before curtain to address the audience and to fill in the circumstances and events, which link the last scene with the next.
THE NARRATOR:
“So Douglas the Dragon was adopted by the entire village and he lived in the Village Square at the centre of Marfield’s affections.”
“In the centre was where all the fun was. In the centre was where all the trouble was. In the centre was where it all happened.”
“Douglas the Dragon grew to be a big part of village life and he felt much loved by all who surrounded him.”
“All went well for the next ten years and life in Marfield turned as it had always done. As one Granny McNally died, there was always a Mother McNally in the wings ready to take her place in the family hierarchy, and a Frances McNally ready to move up from the status of child to that of ‘Mother.’ All children born to Mother McNally were always girls, and all girls in the McNally assembly line were naturally named ‘Frances.’”
(More sombre voice) “Then, something happened to Douglas the Dragon; something that will one day happen to every growing boy and girl here. Douglas grew into a teenage dragon.”
(Lighter and knowledgeable voice) “Now, let me enlighten you about the world and its teenagers; a greatly misunderstood and unappreciated group in all adult society since time immemorial.”
“Not to put too fine a point on it, teenagers spell ‘Trouble’ with a capital ‘T’. Big Trouble! They’re big, their stomachs are big, their noises are big and their smells are big! Everything about them makes them too big for their own boots! In time, adults come to view them as ‘a big inconvenience’ that’s better out of sight and out of mind as much as possible!”
“Don’t get me wrong, good people; we still love them. We always will. We still love them, but don’t always like them and we rarely understand their ways! Their infernal music drives us to distraction! Their disgusting habits sicken us! Their general untidiness and incessant grunts of disapproval irritate us! Their overall lack of basic hygiene frightens us, and their voracious appetites eat us out of house and home!”
“And yet, we continue to live in hope that one day, the teenager will grow out of their obnoxious ways and become ‘like us.’ Until they do, however, our desire for peace and quiet leads us to love them better ‘from a distance’. That is why it’s always better for parents when their teenagers fly the family nest and set up home in their own pad: not too distant, but not too close!”
“As Douglas the Dragon grew into a teenager, he grew so large that he began to fill up the Village Square by his mere presence. The children no longer had room to play their games. Nobody could get around the dragon or into the shops. When Douglas sneezed, he broke dozens of windows, and when he sat down, his big bottom cracked the cobbles and risked squashing someone to death!”
“Eventually, the Mayor started to receive so many complaints from the villagers that he gave Douglas his marching orders. He told Douglas he was too big to live in the Village Square any longer, and for the safety and convenience of all, he would have to move house to the edge of the village. Douglas reluctantly agreed, but I won’t pretend for one moment that he was happy about his move.”
The curtain is raised for the next scene, revealing Douglas the Teenage Dragon whose size and height places the dragon’s head level with the thatched roof of his only neighbour’s cottage at the edge of Marfield Village.
DOUGLAS THE TEENAGE DRAGON: (Talking to himself in an angry mood)
“It’s not fair! It’s just not fair! Who do they think they are, turning me out of the Village Square just because I’m growing bigger? I don’t like it here. It’s boring! It’s a drag! Apart from my only neighbour, who I only see at the start and end of each day, I don’t see anyone anymore! It’s just not the same. It’s dead around here!”
“And besides, since everyone’s stopped feeding me, I’m always starving now. I can still smell the baker’s freshly baked bread every morning but I’m now too far from the Village Square to have his burnt loaves thrown to me. And the only time I see anyone to speak to is when someone travels in or out of the village. It’s just not fair on the edge!”
PLACARD HOLDER:
(Holds up a card to show the audience marked ‘1 Week Later’ to indicate the passing of time)
A village child walks towards Douglas and smiles at the dragon as they get closer. Douglas starts to get excited at the prospect of company to break his boredom.
FIRST VILLAGE CHILD TRAVELLER: (Cheerful voice)
“Hi there, Douglas. Hope you are well? It’s so nice to see you again.”
DOUGLAS THE TEENAGE DRAGON: (Excited voice)
“Hi there. Hi! Good to see you. Come over here and talk a while. I want to hear all the village news and gossip. I feel so out of touch living here on the edge of it all. Apart from my neighbour going off to work this morning, you’re the only person I’ve seen all day.”
FIRST VILLAGE CHILD TRAVELLER:
“Sorry, Douglas, but I’m in a hurry. I’d love to stop and chat but I can’t. I’ve an errand to run before tea. Next time, perhaps. See you. Bye!”
The child traveller hurries on by, leaving Douglas mumbling in complaint.
DOUGLAS THE TEENAGE DRAGON: (Dejected voice).
Download this book for your ebook reader.
(Pages 1-40 show above.)