A Play by Angelo S.

Performance: May, 2005
Hillcrest Juvenile Hall, San Mateo


Characters:   Chilly Willy the penguin Age: 6
Blackbird:   AKA “Old B” Age: 36

Habitat:   The San Francisco Zoo

Time: morning

Season:   fall, chilly outside

At Rise:   At the zoo in the tank sitting down, looking at each other veryseriously and talking


Chilly Willy:
 

Well good morning Blackbird.   How are you today?

 

 
Blackbird:
 

I am doing just great.   Thanks for asking, but do you know what can make my day better?

   
Chilly Willy:
 

What?

   
Blackbird:
 

Some good ol’ raw salmon fish.

   
Chilly Willy:
 

Sure, anything for my best friend in the world.

Chilly Willy hops in the tank to get a couple of fish for them to eat.

   
Blackbird:
 

Um um ummmmm.   The fish keeps getting better every day.   Thanks Chilly Willy.   What would I do without you?

   
Chilly Willy:
 

You would probably be eating worms and looking for food in the trash.

   
Blackbird:
 

HA HA HA!   Very funny Chilly Willy.

   
Chilly Willy:
 

Hey!   Blackbird I sure am getting tired of all these tourists looking at me funny like I’m some kind of pet.

   
Blackbird:
 

I hear you Chilly Willy, but it will be alright.

   
Chilly Willy:
 

I know you hear me, but you don’t feel what I feel.   Inside you know what it feels like to have parents. I don’t even know mine. They’re somewhere in Antarctica.

   
Blackbird:
 

Chilly Willy I do understand where you’re coming from. My parents abandoned me when I was just a baby so I know how it feels to be lonely and I hate that feeling.   But, with your situation, you got taken from your mom and dad and you don’t think they’re thinking about you every minute and how you’re doing in life Chilly Willy.   Well, at least you know they’re out there thinking about you.   Well as for me, my folks left me.

   
Chilly Willy:
 

Sorry Blackbird for coming at you in the wrong way.   I’m just tired of being here.   I feel I am at the end of my rope and there’s no hope for me to get back to my family.

   
Blackbird:
 

Don’t worry little buddy.   I am here for you and I will find a way to get you back   to your mom.   I promise.

   
Chilly Willy:
 

Thank you Blackbird.   I don’t know what I would do without you.   So Blackbird can I ask you a question?

   
Blackbird:
 

Sure Chilly Willy.   You know you can any time.   That’s what best friends are for, to help one another out in life.

   
Chilly Willy:
 

So how was it to have a mom while she was around and a dad?   And why did you get the name Blackbird if you’re red and green?  

   
Blackbird:
 

To tell you the truth, now that my parents aren’t here to mistreat me, and yell at me…At first it felt good because I could do what I want, but I sure do miss my mom and dad yelling at me and showing me the little attention when they were mad.   Well Chilly Willy I miss my parents.   I would give anything in the world to find them or know if they’re still alive.   I sure wish they wouldn’t have abandoned me when I was younger.   I gave myself the name Blackbird, Chilly Willy, because I feel like an outcast.   No one was there for me and to tell you the truth, I don’t know if my mom or dad gave me a name so I gave the name to myself.  

   
Chilly Willy:
 

I’m here for you.   You don’t have to worry about getting abandon from me because we’re gonna be best friends forever.   Thanks Blackbird for being honest with me.   I appreciate it a lot.  

   
Blackbird:
 

I know you are Chilly Willy.   Thanks for being there.   I just wish I could be a better friend to you.  

   
Chilly Willy:
 

You are Blackbird.   There’s nothing more you can do to be a better friend to me.

   
Blackbird:
 

I sure wish I can…Never mind Chilly Willy.

   
Chilly Willy:
  You sure wish you can what Blackbird?
   
Blackbird:
 

Never mind Chilly Willy. It sure is a nice day today.   The sun is out, the sky is blue.  

   
Chilly Willy:
 

It is a nice day today, but I am not letting you off the hook that easy. Trying to change the subject. What did you want to tell me?

   
Blackbird:
 

Never mind. Nothing Chilly Willy.

   
Chilly Willy:
 

Will you tell me later?

   
Blackbird:
 

Yes I will.

   
Chilly Willy:
 

You promise Blackbird?

   
Blackbird:
 

Well, there’s something else I have to tell you.   I wasn’t born in San Francisco.   I was born in Antarctica just like you.  

   
Chilly Willy:
 

What do you mean?

   
Blackbird:
 

You know everything I told you earlier was true but except for the part about when I said I raised myself.

   
Chilly Willy:
 

What do you mean?   So you told me a lie?   How can you do that?   How can I trust someone who tells lies?     What’s next, you were never abandoned?

   
Blackbird:  

I have something to tell you.   I know your mom and the reason why you’re here.   

Chilly Willy gasps.    

     
Chilly Willy:  

You know what?   All along you knew my mom and didn’t tell me?   How could you Blackbird?  

     
Blackbird:  

I was waiting for the perfect time until you were old enough to know about this and about how you can fly.  

     
Chilly Willy:  

What?   I can fly?

     
Blackbird:  

Yes you can and how I know all this is when I was younger my parents abandoned me and your mom took me in as one of her own and she told me she was going to send you away so you don’t have to deal with all the madness over there in Antarctica.

     
Chilly Willy:  

All along I thought I knew you, but you were just lying to me every day.   I thought we can tell each other anything.   I am over here worried about my mom and where she is and you knew her all along and you say I can fly.   I could’ve left a long time ago to leave this messed up zoo.

     
Blackbird:  

Look here Chilly Willy.   I would give you anything, even my life.   I made sacrifices myself to go see how your mom was doing in Antarctica .   I could’ve left you a long time ago to start to go find my parents, but I chose to stay   with you at the zoo because I care for you and I want to get you home safe. Now that’s true friendship right there.

     
Chilly Willy:  

Whatever Blackbird.  

Chilly Willy tries his first attempt to fly and fails it.    

     
Blackbird:  

Wait Chilly Willy!   You have to clear your mind and concentrate or else you can hurt yourself really really bad.   I’m sorry for lying to you, but I made a promise to your mom to tell you when you were old enough, but I just couldn’t keep lying to you because it was hurting me to lie to you and see you so lonely.   Chilly Willy please forgive me.  look here Chilly Willy, let me just help you get home and if you don’t want to talk to me no more I completely understand.  

     
Blackbird:  

To himself .    I sure wish Chilly Willy would understand why I did what I did.Haven’t I been a good friend?   Aren’t I still here for him? I sure don’t want to loose his friendship.  

   
Chilly Willy:  

My bad Blackbird for coming at you like that.   It was just too much for me to handle about how you know my mom and how she raised you and how she sent me away. How else would you expect me to act in a situation like this Blackbird?   I appreciate everything you done Blackbird.   Don’t get me wrong.   I’m just still in shock.   Are you ready to start our adventure Blackbird?

     
Blackbird:  

I am ready to start the adventure.   The real question here is are you ready?

     
Chilly Willy:  

Yes I am.   I been waiting for this moment all my life.

Chilly Willy gives his second attempt to fly using the advice Blackbird gave him about clearing his mind and does it.

     
Blackbird:  

Yeah Chilly Willy you got it.   Let’s get back home.

Blackbird joins him.

     
    The End.


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