A Play by William
| CHARACTERS: |
LEO the Lion, age 18, LEA, age 20(Leo and Lea are brother and sister, they have 3 younger
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| SETTING: |
Next to the lake under the big tree that they hang out in.
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| TIME: |
10:00 in the evening. It is a warm night, the moon is full reflecting off of the water. It’s very quiet and peaceful.
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| AT RISE: |
LEO’s washing his face in the lake and LEA’s smelling a flower. She’s just come back from seeing Tom her boyfriend.
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LEA:
(Joyfully) Leo, we gotta talk!
LEO:
(kinda mellow like) What is it we gotta talk about?
LEA:
Well um, I just came from seeing Tom and he’s talking about living together.
LEO:
But Lea, you remember the vow we made when mom and dad was killed…
LEA:
I know Leo! But I love Tom and he’s leaving tomorrow in the morning. Plus Jeffari is old enough to look after the kids…
LEO:
(Gets that angry look on his face and starts to yell) Lea, Tom doesn’t love you! He just wants you to come live with him so you can do all the hunting and he can sit around and do nothin’.
LEA:
Leo, you can’t run my life! I’m grown and this is something I gotta do and tomorrow I’m leaving in the morning whether you like it or not!
LEO:
Lea, you are selfish, don’t care ‘bout nobody but yourself! I don’t wanna talk to you no more I’m ‘bout to go to sleep!
Scene 2:
(Sun is rising, Leo wakes up and takes a bath in the lake. He hears zebras trampling from a distance so he goes to wake up his family and he shakes his youngest brother Leandrew, he notices his nose is dry and he doesn’t look too well, his breath’s kinda weird and his hear beat’s not normal. Leo gets afraid.)
LEO:
Lea! Wake up now! I need you to look after Leandrew because he’s sick and I need to get these zebra’s so he can put some food in his stomach!
LEA:
Why can’t Jeffari look after him? He’s old enough. I need to go right now before Tom takes off and leaves me.
LEO:
Lea, how could you care so much about someone who doesn’t care for you?
LEA:
Tom does care for me! You don’t’ know what you’re talkin’ about!
LEO:
Lea, I don’t have time to argue with you. I have to go get this food for my brother so he
LEA:
Well don’t argue with me then, by the time you get back I’ll be gone. (aside) That selfish brother of mine he wants me to stay around here all the tie but I want to move away with my boyfriend and have some children. I want to have some kids so I can leave behind a legacy so I can be remembered because I’m getting at that age where I feeling really old and tired like my time is coming soon. But my brother doesn’t understand me. I know we agreed that we that we would both take care of the kids until they got to that age where they can take care of their selves but I got to do what I got to do before I die. Leo also doesn’t approve of my boyfriend I think if I was to just go off and live with my boyfriend Leo would find us and try to kill him. I wish I could convince him to like him and let me go off and do what I want to do. I wish Leo knew where I was coming from I’m going to try and talk to him. (to Leo) No, don’t leave yet.
LEO:
What do you want?
LEA:
I don’t understand! Why can’t Jeffari take care of the kids?
LEO:
Because he don’t know how to fight and we need to teach him a lot more before he’s able to look after these kids. We need to teach him how to hunt, how to fight, how to be a man, and how to avoid humans.
LEA:
He’s 12 years old! He knows enough.
LEO:
Go talk to Leandrew. Go see what kind of condition he’s in and maybe you’ll change your mind!
LEA:
OK, I’ll go over there. I don’t think he’s that sick to the point where I’ll change my mind. He’s probably just got a cold or something. (Lea goes over there and looks at Leandrew and feels burdened because she sees her brother lyin’ there looking helpless, Leo comes over and talk to her)
LEO:
If Tom loves you so much he would understand where you’re coming from and he would understand that you have a family right now to look after and that it’s hard to let go. He doesn’t care as much about you as you think he does.
LEA:
(she thinks for a minute) Tom does love me and that’s why he wants to be with me, to have a family with me and I’m gonna live with him sooner or later. (They hear Tom yell Lea’s name from a distance) Maybe sooner than later! Leo, that’s Tom calling me, I think I’m gonna have to leave right now.
LEO:
Lea, you don’t care too much about your family because if you did you would stay right here and look after your sick little brother why I go get some food. Cause I don’t want to lose another family member. I don’t know how much that would hurt you but that would tear me apart.
LEA:
Leo, it would hurt me just as much as it would hurt you….I don’t know what to say, I wanna have a life too….it’s like I’m being forced to leave my family to start a new one. I don’t wanna go but this feels like something I gotta do. I don’t know what else to say….I feel like I’m never going to meet another lion like Tom. I would feel incomplete without Tom.
LEO:
Lea, You’re a fool to fall for someone who doesn’t really care for you. You’ll get over him before forever. But er’re the ones that need you right now. Lea, if you just think about how it was when we lost mom and dad…..
LEA:
(Interrupts) I think about it all the time that’s why I wanted to be a mother of my own because I lost mine and I miss her so much…
LEO:
I miss her too. You can “be” a mother but if you lose a brother, you can’t “be” a brother…
LEA:
Leo I wish I could stay and I wish you would just understand where I’m coming from, Leo, what if Tom come live with us or we all go live with Tom ‘cause we’re going where
LEO:
Well Lea, I know how much you love him and wanna be with him but I can’t live with him because I can’t take care of a grown lion, and my little brothers, and my sister ALL at the same time. I’m having a hard enough time taking care of the boys and you. I’d be different if he wasn’t lazy and if he would help me with the hunting but…
LEA:
You don’t even know Tom! Maybe he would help if you took the time to talk to him and tell him the situation
LEO:
Why should I have to tell your boyfriend the situation that you are in? May you should tell him!
LEA:
Leo maybe you should put yourself in my shoes and look at my situation. The lion that I love is about to leave but I got to stay here and take care of my sick little brother…I feel like I’m about to go crazy! I need help!
LEO:
Maybe you should stop and think about what’s more important to you. How can you compare your sick little brother that is about to die to another lion?
LEA:
I never compare any of my brothers to another lion. I love them more than anything in the world.
LEO:
LEA:
Leo you trying to make me feel guilty because you don’t want me to live with Tom because you don’t approve of him and you don’t want me to have kids by him. Don’t you love me enough to want to see me happy and have a family of my own?
LEO:
Lea, Yes I do. I don’t want you to live with me forever all I want is for you to stay a little longer so we can teach Jeffari and James a f ew things so they can look after
LEA:
But how long is a little longer? Tom might not want to wait for me too long.
LEO:
He might not want to wait for you? If he love you…he should wait as long as it takes for the person he loves.
LEA:
I believe he will wait for me but what if too much time goes by and he meets another lioness and falls in love with her?
LEO:
Lea, if he loves you like you think he does then he would never be able to find another lioness like you. You’re my sister, I love you to death and I’d do anything to make you happy but I just want you to realize where I’m coming from right now.
LEA:
I do realize where you’re coming from but life is too short to wait for one Lioness. I feel like he’s going to move on without me and I don’t want to be left out. I’m sorry Leo but this is just one of those things I gotta do.
(Lea takes a deep breath and shakes her head) Goodbye. I love you, I hope I see you soon. Take care, I hope Leandrew gets well soon. (She leaves).
LEO:
I hope he do too. No tanks to you. *Aside) I can’t believe she really left us for another lion. She claims she loves us, she doesn’t love us. I guess I’m just going to have to take care of my brothers myself. I feel like so abandoned for the second time in my life. I’m so furious I feel like I’m about to explode!
(Lea comes running back in.)
What are you doing here? Why did you come back?
LEA:
Well this is my house and you are my family, besides I thought about what you were saying when I was awalking away and I told Tom if he loves me then he should be able to wait for me, he should not be in such a rush for me to leave my family. I love you guys and I need you guys just as much as you need me. Now go get that Zebra so OUR little brother won’t starve to death.
LEO:
I love you Lea! Thank you. (Leo runs after the Zebra.)
-THE END-
