EACH ONE REACH ONE AT

YOUTH SERVICES CENTER

JUNE 17, 2017 

presents

TRYING TO GO WITH THE WIND

by FELIPE B. R.

 

CHARACTERS:

Little Flyer, the Paper Airplane, age 14 years.

Bright, the Sun, his mother.

SETTING:

MLK Jr. Park in East Palo Alto. You see a baseball field, a playground. You see guys standing on one side of the park and other guys standing on another side of the park. They are older guys, doing nothing at a park where little kids play, they are drinking, rolling dice; just bumming it.  In the air above there’s lots of paper airplanes flying around.

TIME:

A summer day.

AT RISE:

Little Flyer is alone in the park looking up at the other paper airplanes.

 

LITTLE FLYER

Damn Bruh, I’m trying to be out already! But like, it’s hella early and  the other moms already let them leave. But damn, I wonder what my mom’s going to say. She’s over protective. Probably gonna say “NO”, but I’m gonna ask anyway. I wanna go chill with them already. 

(excited) My best friend is out there, look at his wings!  I know I could  fly higher than him, cause his wings looking kinda rusty. 

(BRIGHT enters)

 

BRIGHT

What are you doing at the park so early?

(suspiciously) Why your wings look so good??

Why your friends up there in the sky???

You got something to tell me????

 

LITTLE FLYER

I’ve been trying to tell you…I don’t want to tell you…Mom, I’m trying to leave.  There’s this WIND that’s coming and it’s gonna blow me over The Bridge! I’ve been trying to see what’s over there.

 

BRIGHT

What’s over there that you want to see that you can’t see over here?

 

LITTLE FLYER

EVERYTHING. Everything.  I want to explore. I’m just tired of seeing the same things everyday. 

 

BRIGHT

That’s what your older brother, Big Flyer, told me. But look at him now. He got lost in the Wind. I don’t want to loose  you too.

 

LITTLE FLYER

But that’s not gonna be me!

 

BRIGHT

That’s what your brother said.

 

LITTLE FLYER

Maybe if I go out  there, I might see him and  convince him  to go home. (to himself) Damn,I wish my brother was here.  I hope I do get lost when I go out there so I can be with my  brother.

 

BRIGHT

I did wrong with your brother. I gave your brother too  much freedom and he took it to do wrong instead of good.

 

LITTLE FLYER

I’ma do good.

(LITTLE FLYER decides) I’m out. I’m gone.

BRIGHT

What you mean, you’re gone?!?

LITTLE FLYER

I mean, that’s what my brother did and you didn’t do  nothing to him.

(BRIGHT slaps LITTLE FLYER in the face.)

BRIGHT

And that’s why he’s not going to be with us for a very long  time. Oh, I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry, Son. I love you very

 much and I don’t want to lose you too. 

 

(LITTLE FLYER starts to leave again.)

 

BRIGHT

I’ma  let  the rain start.

(It  begins to sprinkle rain on Little Flyer)

 

LITTLE FLYER

Mom, help me out. I want it to be sunny again.

 

BRIGHT

I haven’t been telling you, but I’ve been visiting your brother. He’s all torn up because he tried to fly higher than he could.

 

LITTLE FLYER

(very surprised) For real?  Where’s he at?

BRIGHT

He got stuck. Stuck on a barbed wire fence where all the  other torn up airplanes are. He told me to tell you if you go out there, not to go alone.  You’re too young. You’re too young to be out there by yourself.

LITTLE FLYER

I’m gonna be with my friends!

BRIGHT

You don’t got no Friends. When the storm comes, your  friends are just going to leave you by yourself.

LITTLE FLYER

Nah! They’re my friends. They’re not gonna do that to me.

(BRIGHT makes it rain harder)

(being sneaky) Mom, can you stop the rain so me and my friends could play while you’re thinking about this?

(BRIGHT stops the rain)

 

BRIGHT

Now that it’s sunny, you got friends. But watch when the storm comes.

 

LITTLE FLYER

Alright, Mom, we’re gonna see.

(LITTLE FLYER goes to play with his friends, flying around in circles. He is really waiting on The Wind. He feels the first gust.)  

Damn, I’m feeling nervous. I can feel the  Wind already. It’s  coming, any minute.

 

BRIGHT (looking around the sky)

Where’s Little Flyer at??

(screaming) Little Flyer! What you doing? Where you  going?

 

LITTLE FLYER (looking back)

I love you Mom, but I can’t be your baby my whole life.

I swear I’ll make it up to you.

(BRIGHT makes the rain start again and reverses the Wind. LITTLE FLYER lands again.)

 

LITTLE FLYER

Mom, what have you done? I can’t fly to where I want to go to!

 

BRIGHT

I feel like you’re growing up too  fast.  I want you to read this letter that Big Flyer wrote to you.

 

LITTLE FLYER (reading)

Dear Little Flyer,

Damn. It’s been a minute since I seen you.

I heard you trying to leave already.

Don’t make the same mistakes I made.

Look at me now.  Stuck on a barbed wire fence.

I’m not gonna be there to see you grow up, 

or our little brothers and sisters.

Lead a good example.

The one that I didn’t do.

(tearing up)

I’m not going to leave you, Mom.

(BRIGHT and LITTLE FLYER feel the final gusts of the Wind blow by and the sky is calm)

END OF PLAY



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