by Aalicia Tucker/Owen
Performance: July, 2002
Community School South, East Palo Alto
Time: Summer
Place: Shorday’s Desert: There’s smoke, trees burning down in flame, cactuses, dirt, dry grass, a blazing sun. There’s branches breaking, wild animals chasing, running out of the desert. There’s dirt, rocks, bugs, it tastes bitter from the flames.
At Rise: Pyramid is burning and arguing with Green the Tree
(They are both talking over each other.)
| Pyramid:: |
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Are you gonna do this or not? If you don’t do it I’m gonna burn out.
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| Green: |
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No, I’m not gonna do it. I don’t want to die yet. I have 100,000 more leaves to grow before I can die.
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| Pyramid:: |
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I need you now, right now. You’re the only source I have right now. If you help me I’ll be your best friend forever. |
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| Green: |
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That’s not possible- especially if I’m dead.
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| Pyramid:: |
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What happened to the support you said you were gonna give me? I thought you were my best friend, and sometimes that means sacrificing yourself.
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| Green: |
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What about my goals? |
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| Pyramid: |
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Who cares about your goals? Mine’s the most important right now. Yours can wait. |
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| Green: |
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Wait until when? My death? And then my leaves will burn off. Well, I have an idea and I think it will work.
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| Pyramid: |
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I don’t know about this, what is it? |
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| Green: |
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There’s some trees about 900 miles from here. Since I’m the only one that’s capable of getting to them, I can bring more trees back. |
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| Pyramid: |
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What if you don’t come back? |
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| Pyramid: |
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Destroying gives me power and encouragement to stay strong for myself. It would eat me up to be weak. It feels good to destroy. It makes me feel more powerful than others. If everyone else is more powerful than me I feel like nothing. Power is a strong force, like a strong sensation of being on top of the world. Being above everybody, getting respect, honor, it feels good. I guess it’s the anger in me that has the desire to destroy things. If I can’t destroy, it builds up and you can’t do that, you’ve got to let it out or else you’ll explode on the wrong person at the wrong time. They don’t deserve it. If I can’t destroy things then I wouldn’t be who I am. It’s something I was born to do. |
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| Green: |
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On one side I feel like I need to help you out, then the other side of me doesn’t. I want to support you in any way that doesn;t require my life. I can give you affection, support, love, honesty. I feel like you’re t aking advantage of me by asking for too much. I’m disappointed and mad. There’s no trust no more cause I trusted you with my heart and my soul. I trusted you to take care of my heart and my soul, and you misused it. |
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| Pyramid: |
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I felt like I was askin’ my best friend to help me out, and if that was too much then, my bad. I asked politely, butnow I’m gonna destroy you anyway and bring the other trees. I think you are taking advantage of my kindness, when I asked you to give me your life and you didn’t. Now I feel like I’ve gotta do something about it. |
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| Green: |
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I don’t think you should kill me because you don’t have it in your heart. |
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| Pyramid: |
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How would you know if I can or I can’t? But I really can, to be honest. I choose not to because you’ve been there for me through thick and thin, and I appreciate your support. |
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| Green: |
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So you’re just gonna burn out like that? What about me? With you gone I won’t have anyone except for those trees I don’t care nothin’ about. So if you sacrifice yourself, I’ll do the same, but we have to do it at the same time. We’ll meet on the other side. |
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| Pyramid: |
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Well I’ll see you then. Love you and take care. Till we meet again.
(Pyramid burns out). |
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The End. |
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