A Play by Lucy V.

Performance: November, 2002
Hillcrest Juvenile Hall, San Mateo


Time:9:00 am (Judgment for Ocean Queen starts at noon)
Place:The market place underwater. We see a sign that says- Jelly Fish for 10 cents. We see a lot of mermaids & mermen buying roasted seahorse, gold fish on a stick, oyster bras, hair brushes, & fin polish.
At Rise: Diamond, the mermaid, is swimming towards the Jelly Fish stand in disguise. She’s looking back paranoid, making sure no one’s following.

 



Diamond:

(Looking back)
Hello, can I have 10 of your finest, fattest, biggest & most poisonous jelly fish?
(The mermaid sales woman charges Diamond $1.00, wraps them in 3 plastic bags & hands them to Diamond. The jelly fish are live.)

(Swimming home, she whispers to herself while looking at the bags she carries.)

Candy, if the judges saw how smart you were & all the changes you can make, you would win Ocean Queen & I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen!

(Diamond arrives home & starts getting ready when all of a sudden she hears a knock on her oyster. She opens her oyster.)

Candy:

Diamond, Look, I really need to talk to you. Can I come in?

Diamond: Sure, come in.
(Candy sits down & Diamond sits across her.)
Candy:

Look, you know I love you & I’ll always support you in the decisions you make, but being Ocean Queen is my dream. I know you would love to be Ocean Queen too, but you’re doing it for all the wrong reasons.

Diamond:

Candy, we are not always going to agree. I have my own reasons why I chose to compete for Ocean Queen & you have to respect that.

Candy: (Worried) But you don’t care about all the mermaids & mermen, all the sea creatures. We all could have better lives right now. We could all be much happier & I have planned out all the changes I want to make. I really want to change the way mermaids live. I can make a change for the better!
(Diamond swims to the mirror & starts brushing out her hair.)
Diamond: That’s great & I’m happy for you, Candy, but don’t you think I also have changes in mind?
Candy:

Well, what do you want different?

Diamond: (Hesitant) Well, I…I…I can also make the ocean happy ok? I have my own ideas & (confident) I know it will all work out for me.
Candy: (Gets up & walks to Diamond. Diamond is still in the mirror & Candy is facing her side.)
I know I will be a perfect queen, but I need your support.
Diamond: (Faces Candy) And what makes you think I won’t make a perfect queen.
(With her hand on her hip)
(Silence)
(Diamond faces the mirror again)

Look, I really have to get ready. (Faces Candy) Look, I’ll tell you what, let’s meet behind the auditorium 20 minutes early, so we can finish our conversation (Smiles)
(Candy leaves & Diamond rushes in to her room to start her master plan.)
(Diamond gathers her 3 bags & she starts to build her timed bomb.)

Sorry, sister. I love you a lot, but I just can’t let you get in my way. I want this really bad. If you only knew how much I want to become Ocean Queen & I can’t let you take that away from me. I hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me.
Scene II
Time: 11:45 am
Place: Behind auditorium
At Rise: Candy is standing waiting for Diamond to arrive. She looks around & finally spots her.
Candy: You made it.
Diamond: Yeah, Sorry I’m a little late. I just had to take care of a few things.
Candy: Well, have you thought of what we talked about?
Diamond: Yeah, & I want to tell you that if you win, I’ll support you, but while we’re competing, I can only worry about myself.
Candy: There are 50 other mermaids running for Ocean Queen, but you, you’re my only competition. It will be one of us who will become Ocean Queen & I’m not guaranteed a fair judgment. You know those judges are all males & you know what they judge on.
Diamond: (Voice gets shaky) Look, you’ve been the smarter one compared to you, I feel so stupid! All the attention I’ve ever gotten was because of my outer beauty. For once, I want someone to judge me on the inside, to really get to know who I am!
Candy: (Feeling sorry) Why didn’t you ever say anything? I’m sorry, I never knew you felt that way. (Hugs Diamond)
Diamond:

(After the hug wiping her tears) I never thought you’d understand. You know most mermaids wish to be me or to look like me at least, but me…I’ve always wished to be like you. You have beauty & brains.

Candy:

(Starts to cry) But Diamond, you’re so beautiful!

Diamond:

That doesn’t mean anything to me! I feel like I’ve been used my whole life. Everything I’ve ever won was because of the way I look. No one ever took the time to get to know me. The real me.

Candy: (Hugs Diamond) Don’t cry. Everything you got was because you deserved it.
Diamond: (Backs away) That’s not true, Candy, & you know it. It’s not true. The opportunity to compete for Ocean Queen came along & I took it because I think it’s a great opportunity to really show all the mermaids & mermen who I really am, how I feel.
Candy: I feel for you Diamond, I really do, & that’s a good reason. Now I understand why you want this so bad, but everything will stay the same. Nothing will change. The mermaids & mermen will live unhappy for another century. Diamond, I love you, but someone needs to make the difference. I need to change things.
Diamond: What are you trying to say?
Candy: (Sighs) Well, I want to ask you to resign.
Diamond: (Shocked) What? You’ve got to be kidding me!
Candy: Well, if you resign, I will become Ocean Queen & I would change the ocean. You wouldn’t see any more oysters in need of repair. I would make sure to get all that fixed. There wouldn’t be any more sea horses killing our children. No more sharks would come by & the rule about leaving the “delinquent” mermaids & mermen on the shore to die is ridiculous. We would all live so happy; can’t you just see it, Diamond? Living in a fair, stress free ocean. Don’t you want that?
Diamond: (Mad & at the same time shocked) Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe you’re serious. How can you ask me such a thing? You’re supposed to be my sister. You’re supposed to respect my goals & dreams no matter what & you want me to resign? You know what; this is too much for me. Good Luck & let the best mermaid win.
(Diamond swims away in tears. She enters her private room in the auditorium and begins to set up her timed bomb. Candy goes her separate way in to her private room.)
I hate to do this, Candy, but you leave me no choice. If you weren’t allergic to jelly fish I don’t know what I’d do. It hurts me to have to use the thing you fear the most against you & if I didn’t know what would kill you, I would really be screwed.
(Diamond hooks her timed bomb up to the ceiling of the auditorium. It is set up to have 10 poisonous jelly fish released on Candy as she swims along the seaweed runway. The jelly fish will kill Candy & leave Diamond as the winner.)
Scene III
Time: 12:35 pm
Place: In the auditorium during the pageant
At Rise: Diamond just swam the seaweed runways & Candy is up next.
Judge: Next mermaid up…
Ms. Candy!
(Candy’s smiling swimming the runways & waving at the audience.)
(While Candy’s on the stage, Diamond returns to her private oyster. She’s nervous & is giving her hair one last brush before she goes up when the judges choose Ocean Queen. Something caught her eye. She couldn’t exactly tell what it is, so she swims towards her patch of seaweed bed & picks up an upside down starfish which turns out to be a picture frame with a picture of her & her sister when they were 7 at the Goldfish Carnival. The picture really gets to her & a tear runs down her cheek.)
Diamond: What have I done? I love Candy so much. I can’t let her die!
(Diamond swims swiftly out of her private oyster to Candy. She makes it just in time to leap in front of Candy before the jelly fish sting her. Diamond is weak & dying in Candy’s arms.)
Diamond: I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I tried to get you out of my way & I’ve realized you would make a better Ocean Queen. Candy, I love you so much. I just have one last plea.
Candy: (Desperate) What, I’ll do anything.
Diamond: (About to die) Please forgive me.
(Diamond dies in Candy’s arms. Candy cries over her body. The audience is stunned. The judge swims to Candy.)
Judge: Well, Ms. Candy. I’m truly sorry, but you have a job to do now. (Hands her a starfish crown.)
Candy: This is for you, Diamond. (Gets up & puts on her starfish crown.)
     
    The End.


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