The Year of Mr Turtle by John Schmidtt

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This Play is the copyright of the Author and may not be performed, copied or sold without the Author's prior consent

Scene 1

Turtle's House with Mr. Wolf

Before the curtain rises, a number of seats down front in the
auditorium have been reserved for animal characters to take in Scene
2. They can sit on the floor if the house is packed.

At curtain's rise, we see MR. TURTLE'S house, right center. The
windowpane is open. TURTLE is reading a book in his comfortable chair,
with small table, lamp, and dictionary next to him. Reading glasses
are optional.

ARIEL [entering stage left]. Blessings to you all, my children. I am
Ariel, angel of the forest. You may not have heard of me, but if you
feel the spirit of love inside you, you know me.
My greatest desire is that love and spiritual growth come to my
animals, plants, and rocks. How can these beings grow spiritually, you
may ask? All living things were created by God which means that
God's spirit is in everything. If you learn to listen with your
heart, the ways of the forest will come alive for you. Even a rock has
a message for those who are ready to listen.
What would you do if you were like me, an angel in charge of a forest,
in charge of helping all the creatures grow?
One of the most important things I do is pay attention to how all my
creatures are getting along. Today I have come here to share the tale
of Mr. Turtle and his award, the Salvation award, which means-well,
you will see what it means if you listen with your heart.
[Pointing to the edges of the auditorium] Listen to the trees here in
my forest. What are they telling you, as my wind gently moves through
their branches? What are the birds telling you? Listen to them now.
Look at the flowers beneath our feet. [Touching imaginary flowers]
Careful, don't step on those near you when you leave. Let them, too,
live in peace this day. What is the path to Mr. Turtle's house
showing us?
[He moves closer to TURTLE'S house, passing around the gate at the
front of it.] Mr. Turtle is one of my favorite animals here in the
forest. A quiet fellow, living in his simple, neat house in the woods.
His days are usually calm, his way slow, and his heart happy. [ARIEL
looks through the window. TURTLE turns a page in his book.] I see he
is reading a book.

SPARROW enters stage left with a rolled-up paper in his mouth/beak,
flapping his shoulders like little wings, flying around the fence by
moving downstage.

ARIEL. Swoops! Here's Mr. Stephen Sparrow. It looks like he has a
message for Mr. Turtle!

SPARROW [dropping the rolled-up paper from his mouth/beak on the
windowsill-perhaps shaking his head and licking his mouth/beak as if
the paper did not taste very good]. Mr. Turtle, you have won an award
from the Animal Association Awards.

TURTLE [coming to the window, looking surprised]. Me? An award? Why?
When? What?

SPARROW [jumping about as if anxious to be on his way]. Yes, you. An
award. You deserve an award! You're always helping people.

TURTLE. Me? I never do anything special. I just try to be nice to
others.

SPARROW. Remember that time my wing was hurting and you brought seeds
for me to eat so I wouldn't have to fly? I sure appreciated that.
You really saved me.

TURTLE. Well, that was nothing. But this awardI wonder what it's
all about?

SPARROW. I don't know what it is, but it will be presented to you at
the annual Animal Association Awards Ceremony. Please attend. Now I
must be off. I have many other awards to tell animals about.

SPARROW flaps his wings, flies around the fence, and exits stage
left.

ARIEL. His message delivered, he's gone in a flash!

TURTLE. [Taking the paper, he unrolls it and reads.] What's this? I
have won an award. Me! Alone so much of the time. [He moves back to
his chair.] The Salvation award. I wonder what that means? [He sits,
putting down the paper and taking up his dictionary.]

ARIEL. Mr. Turtle loves to look up words in his dictionary. It's
worn on all edges and always near his reading table.

TURTLE. Let me see… Salvation… [Reading as he turns pages]
"S…S-a… Sal-vation… The act of saving from loss. Two. The
state of being saved. Three. Being in a state without sin." [To
himself] Hum…I wonder which they mean? I've never saved anyone
from a burning building, or such, and I haven't been saved from
anything. I don't get out of the house much, so there's no need to
be saved. Maybe this award is a mistake. I certainly haven't done
anything to deserve it. [He closes the dictionary thoughtfully.] I
wonder if I should attend the Ceremony? My plans will allow it. No
need to look at my calendar. I haven't written much down in months.

WOLF enters from stage left and jumps the fence.

ARIEL. He is still wondering if he should attend the Ceremony and
accept the award when Mr. Wolf appears on the path. Mr. Wolf has a bad
name among the animals in my forest because he is so mean to them.

WOLF knocks loudly on wood next to the window. Pounding noise can come
from offstage, if desired, either a recording or two objects being
struck together.

TURTLE. Who could that be? And such a loud knock. [He tut-tuts and
shakes his head as he slowly rises to lean out the window to see the
door. WOLF knocks again impatiently.]

ARIEL. All of Mr. Turtle's friends know he always moves a little
slowly so Mr. Turtle knows this visitor is no friend. When he looks
out, there stands an angry Mr. Wolf.

WOLF. Let me in! We gotta talk.

TURTLE. Now you know I never let you into my home. You have forgotten
that day at the millstream? When you clawed me, trying to get inside
my shell?

WOLF. Ah, I was just playin' with ya.

TURTLE. It hardly seemed like play at the time. I still have the
scratch marks. [TURTLE looks back over his shoulder, trying to see his
shell. WOLF harrumphs and waves his hand dismissively.] We can talk
here at my window if you wish.

WOLF. I just met Mr. Sparrow flyin' by on the path. I almost caught
him-I mean, I almost talked to him a long time. He said his day was
to be spent tellin' animals about awards to be handed out at the
Animal Association Awards Meal-"

TURTLE. Huh, Ceremony, I believe it is called.

WOLF. That's right, Ceremony. Heh, heh. That's what I meant.

TURTLE. About the only annual animal awards held anywhere, I think.

WOLF [in great emotional pain]. I didn't win an award! Me! Wolf!
Awardless! [His head droops and his paws land on top of his head.]
Everyone is probably getting an award except me.

TURTLE [looking up a little and to his right, as if he can't believe
this]. Oh, I'm sure you have many talents the Nominating Committee
is looking for. You have the most sensitive nose and can smell when
spring is coming before anyone else. You can move without making a
sound. And everyone knows you are the best tracker.

WOLF. But nobody notices those things. Except you. Everybody else just
notices the things they don't like. Everybody else just complains
about the things I do.

TURTLE [softer, dropping a hint]. Perhaps, if you would be nicer to
the other animals

WOLF [suddenly changing]. Nicer! Me!? I let them alone when I ain't
hungry, don't I? Being nice just ain't my nature-isn't my
nature.

TURTLE. But my good Mr. Wolf, nature is made to be changed. Yes, some
of us animals need to eat other animals for food-I not being one of
them-but we can respect each other as fellow creatures, and not just
think of one another as meals. Our ways are made more pure by a wish
to change ourselves.

WOLF. Pure! Ha! A mountain stream is pure! But me? Nah. Pure, I
ain't-am not.

TURTLE. But you are growing and changing, Mr. Wolf. Just look at how
hard you are working to stop the word "ain't." I applaud your
change.

WOLF. Huh. It's applause I ain't gettin'. I think I need to
speak to the ones handing out the awards. Who an' where is this
Nominatin' Committee? That's what I want to know.

TURTLE. Oh, up in the mountains, I believe. But their names are kept
secret.

WOLF [slyly]. Secret? Hmmmm. Why's that? Are they scared of guys
like me?

TURTLE [firmly, but kindly]. No. If all the animals knew who the
members were, we might not be natural around them. The Committee is
looking for true everyday talent, not an act.

WOLF [suddenly suspicious]. You on the Committee?

TURTLE. Me!? Oh no. Oh no, dear Mr. Wolf. Not me. I see almost no one.
[Changing the mood, more to himself] I may not even attend, actually.
I think there was some mistake.

WOLF. Sparrow said he just came from your house. Ya won a Salivation
award.

TURTLE. I believe it's the Salvation award.

WOLF. Salvation? What's that?

TURTLE. I'm not exactly sure. I may have to show up to find out. It
has something to do with being saved or saving others. [Laughs quietly
to himself and shakes his head.] Neither one applies to me.

WOLF. Well, I don't really care what it means but I may have to show
up to eat-I mean, meet-some of these animals.

TURTLE. Rhinos and elephants protect the weaker animals at the
Ceremony, Mr. Wolf.

WOLF. Yeah, yeah. [Jumping over the fence] See ya there!

WOLF exits stage left.

TURTLE. Have a good day, Mr. Wolf. [He closes the window, or
pantomimes it, as required. He sits down and looks straight ahead,
frowning thoughtfully.]

ARIEL. After Mr. Wolf left, Mr. Turtle thought long and hard for
several days. Should he attend the Ceremony? Did he really deserve the
Salvation award? What should he say in his acceptance speech? How
could he write a speech when he didn't know what the award was for?

[end of extract]

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