Spooky Nights by Olivia Arieti
HALLOWEEN OUTINGS - M6, F9
Boys enter the graveyard
They have jack-o-lanterns
Wind howls
Shrieks
SEAN: Are you sure it's a good idea, guys?
TOM: You bet, Sean. Where better than a graveyard to spend the
night of Halloween?
ALEX: Yeah, we're going to bump into real ghosts, friends!
SAM: Have you heard any rattling of chains yet?
JOE: Not even Frankenstein would be too frightening for me.
SEAN: Casper would be good enough for me, instead.
FRANK: (Shouts.) Come out ghosts, goblins, vampires, wherever you
are! We're waiting for you.
TOM: We're going to scare you out of your skin, you can be sure
of that.
SEAN: Hush, folks, not too loud.
(Shrieks.)
ALEX: Say, Sean, you seem a bit afraid.
SEAN: Me? Not at all
SAM: You're still in time to go back home, chum.
(Shrieks louder.)
FRANK: (Steps back.) Hey, what was that?
JOE: Just a few shrieks, Frank. We're in a graveyard after all.
ALEX: And it's the night of Halloween!
TOM: Wonder where the witches are?
SEAN: Miles away, I hope.
ALEX: Let's move on, guys, probably they're all down there,
behind those higher stones.
(Distant giggles.)
SAM: Wait, I heard them.
(Giggles louder.)
JOE: Me too. They're getting closer.
SEAN: (Starts shaking.) Oh my, what ghastly sounds!
TOM: Sounds more like giggles to me.
ALEX: Yeah, girls' giggles.
FRANK: Boy, do you see what I do?
SEAN: (Cross.) I can't see anything. And it's freezing up here.
ALEX, JOE: Wow, girls!
SAM: They must have had our same idea.
SEAN: They're surely witches, ugly witches.
TOM: Can't see any broomsticks around.
ALEX: They're girls, Sean, and very, very pretty.
(Girls enter.)
MOLLY: Hi, boys, what are you doing up here?
ALEX: The same as you, sweetheart, having some fun.
JOE: Hey, you're all still wearing your uniforms.
PEGGY: Too much in a hurry, we didn't have the time to change.
FRANK: (Chuckles.) Sort of sneaked away, huh?
MOLLY: By the way, I'm Molly and this is my sister, Sue. My friend
here is Peggy.
TOM: Hi, everyone.
CORAL: I'm Coral and she's Sally.
SALLY: Hello there.
MAY: I'm May.
JANE: My name's Jane.
ALEX: Wow, did you all come straight from a beauty contest?
SAM: Nice meeting you, girls. I'm Sam and my friends here are
Sean, Joe, Tom, Alex-
FRANK: And Frank.
ALEX: We're enough for a party!
SEAN: (Gloomy.) Too bad we're in a graveyard.
SUE: You wanted something creepy, didn't you?
HALLOWEEN WITH BAGPIPES (M4, F3)
(Drew and Judy are hanging up Halloween decorations.)
DREW: It's been awfully nice of you to come early and give me a
hand, Judy.
JUDY: No problem, I love Halloween parties. Besides, you don't have
the chance to spend the night in an old mansion like this too often.
It looks pretty cool.
DREW: When I asked my aunt if we could use the house tonight, she
was quite surprised. She believes it's full of ghosts. That's why
she'd never live here.
JUDY: (Laughs.) The perfect place for us then. Chris and Liz should
be any minute now.
DREW: Probably they had some trouble finding their way up.
(Doorbell.)
JUDY: Well, seems they've managed at last.
DREW: Coming! I'll be right back, Judy. (Runs off.)
JUDY: (Loud.) Better be quick, wouldn't like finding myself face to
face with a 17th century spook.
DREW: (Enters with Liz and Chris.) We're all here now.
LIZ: Hi, Judy.
JUDY: Hello there, we were waiting for you.
CHRIS: Happy Halloween to all, folks.
LIZ: (Has a tray with cakes.) I have homemade cakes here; my mom
baked them for the occasion.
DREW: Thanks, Liz.
LIZ: (Looks around.) Wow, what a lovely place you've got, Drew!
(Puts the tray on the table.)
DREW: My aunt's got.
CHRIS: Yeah, it looks great. (Chuckles.) Hey, where are all the
servants?
DREW: It's their night off, all wanted to go trick-or-treating.
LIZ: This house must be very old, indeed.
DREW: It is. It was built using an old hunting lodge structure. There
was also a wine tower nearby.
CHRIS: Wow!
DREW: The fact is that no one wants to inhabit the house, but no one
wants to sell it. It's sort of a family jewel.
LIZ: Can't deny it looks quite spooky. I bet it's full of ghosts!
DREW: Well, I, too, heard a few stories about some weird ancestors
who have died or been murdered on strange occasions. My aunt says you
can still hear their moans especially on stormy nights.
(Wind howls.)
CHRIS: It's rather windy outside but no storm seems to be coming up.
We're safe, folks. (Sees the bagpipes on a table.) Hey, old
bagpipes! (Takes them.) Did anyone in your family use to play them,
Drew?
DREW: Better put them back, buddy. I've been told they're haunted.
JUDY: Haunted?
CHRIS: Are you kidding?
DREW: If you play them, the ghosts of Isobel and the Piper will
come. The pipes tunes sort of call them back.
LIZ: Oh, my gosh, don't touch them, Chris. We don't want any
ghost around.
CHRIS: Come on, folks, you can't believe such nonsense.
JUDY: Never can tellIt's the night of Halloween
CHRIS: (Shakes his head.) Bah, you're all nuts.
LIZ: Let's start eating the cakes, instead.
DREW: Swell, I'm really hungry.
CHRIS: No, I'm going to give those bagpipes a try and show you that
no one would ever show up even if we waited for a hundred years.
(Plays a few notes.)
(Drew and the girls look at each other worried.)
Say, they still work.
HALLOWEEN WITH DRACULA (M5, F7)
(Rick, Phil, Linda, Jesse and Alice enter the living room. Wind howls.
Shrieks.)
RICK: (Looks around.) Brr it looks quite creepy here.
ALICE: Also the fellow that showed us in.
JESSE: He must be a member of the Addams family.
PHIL: Are you sure we got the right place?
RICK: The address was that, Phil, it was written on the card the girl
handed out at school last week. Here it is. (Shows them an invitation
card.)
LINDA: Strange, I've never seen that girl before. She gave me that
same invitation too.
RICK: By the way, you look great, dolls. Nothing more intriguing
than gipsies and witches on Halloween.
JESSE: Thanks, Rick.
ALICE: Who knows it might turn out one of the best Halloween
parties we've ever been to.
PHIL: (Looks around.) Can't deny the atmosphere is perfect They've
even placed a few coffins in the room.
JESSE: It looks more like Dracula's home to me.
(Shrieks.)
LINDA: Impossible, he lived in Transylvania, Jesse.
RICK: But he also bought a house in England, Linda.
PHIL: Mr Staker surely created one of the scariest monsters we have!
RICK: Stoker, Phil, Mr Bram Stoker.
(Howls. All look at each other.)
JESSE: Hey, whose howls are those?
PHIL: (Chuckles.) Count Dracula's wolves', of course.
RICK: (Laughs.) Most true, indeed.
ALICE: It doesn't sound funny at all.
JESSE: I'm not too sure I want to stay, folks.
LINDA: This place seems a bit too haunted for me too.
RICK: Nothing to be afraid of, girls, look what I've got, (Takes out
of his bag garlic bulbs.) garlic bulbs. You know, just in case
ALICE: Garlic?
PHIL: (Takes out some.) I had the same idea, Rick. My bag's full!
JESSE, ALICE, LINDA: Phew!
ALICE: Wonder when the others will arrive
LINDA: They'll be any minute, Alice. Perhaps we're a bit early.
ELIZABETH: (Enters hurriedly.) Oh, there you are! Good evening, Ladies
and Gentlemen.
JESSE: (Low.) How formal.
RICK: Pleased to meet you. I'm Rick and my friends here are Phil-
PHIL: Hello there.
RICK: Alice, Linda and-
JESSE: Jesse.
ELIZABETH: I know, I know, we were waiting for you.
LINDA: You are the owner of the house, I presume.
ELIZABETH: Of course, I am. I am Elizabeth, Count Dracula's true and
beloved bride.
RICK: (Chuckles.) So you are the vampire's wife.
ALICE: It's been very nice of you to invite us.
RICK: Yeah, thanks a lot. We really appreciated it.
ELIZABETH: I couldn't do without your magical powers.
PHIL: Sure, we're all here to cast evil spells, aren't we, guys?
RICK: You bet!
ALICE: What a lovely dress, Elizabeth. Quite unusual as a costume
though.
LINDA: Say, it's all stained.
ELIZABETH: It's blood, my own blood.
RICK: Make believe, I hope.
ELIZABETH: Not at all. It happened on my wedding day. The Count was so
passionately thirsty. He never stopped kissing me and drained all my
life. I was too beautiful, he said, and couldn't resist me.
PHIL: I agree with the Count, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH: I have forgiven him, however. That's why we are all here.
LINDA: Gee, do we need a story to go along with our costumes?
JESSE: Is there a Halloween prize?
ELIZABETH: You'll certainly get a reward, (Smiles wickedly.) a whole
week in Count Dracula's castle, all inclusive.
RICK: Wow, sounds fun.
PHIL: (Chuckles.) We're really looking forward to it.
(Radu enters with Amanda and Kriselda.)
ELIZABETH: Radu, Kriselda, at last!
RADU: (Kisses her hand.) It's always a pleasure to see you, your
Ladyship.
LINDA: (Low.) Radu, Kriselda? What odd names.
AMANDA: (Loud laughter.) I am here too, Elizabeth dear.
ELIZABETH: I was beginning to worry, you know we don't have much
time.
AMANDA: I am so sorry, but I was telling myself the latest jokes and
almost forgot about our mission. (Laughs.) After all, what else can a
laughing ghost do?
RADU: Amanda, please, cut it out.
ALICE: A laughing ghost? A strange costume, indeed.
RADU: (To boys and girls.) Why so late, guys?
RICK: Late? We were the first to come.
KRISELDA: I am so thirsty What about having something to drink?
ELIZABETH: We have a job to do first, Kriselda.