Rumpopo:
(sitting on porch) Aye, Pahchay, aye.
(As Rumpopo begins his story, the lights dim, soft music plays, and Pahchay and Lucia step forward to act the parts of Young Rumpopo and his sister, Sola.)
Rumpopo:
When I was a young lad and the apple trees were in blossom . . .
(Young Rumpopo and his sister, Sola, are gathered around a box on the porch steps.)
Sola:
Oh, Rumpopo! A puppy!
Young Rumpopo:
Aye, Sola! For us!
Sola:
What shall we name him?
Young Rumpopo:
He must have a special name.
Sola:
For he is a special dog, isn’t he, Rumpopo?
Young Rumpopo:
Aye. I think we should call him— Wonder!
Sola:
Wonder? Yes, Wonder!
Young Rumpopo:
And he will lead us to wonderful things—
Sola:
Magical things!
Young Rumpopo:
Amazing—
Sola:
—and spectacular—
Young Rumpopo:
—and exciting things!
SCENE 4
The village well, as before.
Villager One:
We need to find out more about this old Rimpo—Rompo—Rumpopo and the children.
Villager Two:
Yes, but how?
Old Crone:
I am getting an idea.
Villager Three:
I do not trust that old Rimpo—Rompo—Rumpopo!
Villager Four:
Or those children!
Old Crone:
I’ll find his cabin.
Villager Five:
You will?
Old Crone:
I will go there—
Villager Six:
Be careful!
Villager One:
It might be dangerous—
Villager Two:
—perilous—
Old Crone:
(not so sure now) Um.
Villager Three:
—nasty—
Villager Four:
—hazardous—
Old Crone:
(even less sure) Um. Well—
Villager Five:
—treacherous—
Villager Six:
—risky!
Villager One:
Be careful!
Old Crone:
(worried) Ummmm. Okay. I guess.
SCENE 5
The forest.
Old Crone:
(to self) I will find out what that old Rumpopo is up to. I hope this is not too—too—dangerous or risky or hazardous or—
(Enter Donkey.)
Donkey:
Perhaps I can help you.
Old Crone:
You? A donkey?
Donkey:
Not just any donkey. I can lead you to Rumpopo’s and show you where to hide, the better to listen.
Old Crone:
I don’t know—
Donkey:
Trust me. Follow me.
Old Crone:
I’ve never followed a donkey before.
Donkey:
No?
Old Crone:
Never. Is this, um, treacherous? Hazardous?
Donkey:
Depends.
Old Crone:
On what?
Donkey:
On whether we encounter snakes or bees or tigers or—
Old Crone:
Wait. Are there snakes and bees and tigers around here?
Donkey:
No. Not usually. But you never know, do you?
Old Crone:
(worried) Ummmm.
Donkey:
Trust me. Follow me.
Old Crone:
(worried) Ummmm. Well. Okay.
SCENE 6
Rumpopo’s cabin. Rumpopo, the children, and dog are on the porch. Donkey, followed by Old Crone, enter at stage left, behind trees.
Donkey:
(to old crone) This is an opportune place to hide yourself.
Old Crone:
Where?
Donkey:
Here, in this hollow tree.
Old Crone:
(examining tree) There aren’t any bees or snakes in here, are there? Or tigers?
Donkey:
Shh, just get in.
(Old Crone slips into tree; Donkey remains nearby.)
Lucia:
More, Rumpopo? Please will you tell us about the emerald table again?
Rumpopo:
Aye, Lucia. In the forest, we found—
(As Rumpopo talks, lights dim, soft music plays, and Lucia and Pahchay step forward with dog, as before, to act the parts of Young Rumpopo, Sola, and Wonder.)
Young Rumpopo:
Look, Sola! Wonder has found something—
Sola:
A feather!
Young Rumpopo:
What is it, Wonder? Is there something magical here?
Sola:
Such a beautiful emerald-green feather.
Young Rumpopo:
And perhaps, if we wave it in the air—
Sola:
And close our eyes—
Young Rumpopo:
—and wish—
Sola:
—and imagine—
Young Rumpopo:
—it shall become—
(Lights come up on an emerald table, laden with food, at stage right.)
Sola:
An emerald table! (touching table) So green, so beautiful!
Young Rumpopo:
(touching plates) With golden plates—so sparkling!
Sola:
And food—
Young Rumpopo:
—so delicious—
Sola:
So very delicious!
Young Rumpopo:
Fit for kings and queens!
Sola:
And we will bring Mother and Father—
Young Rumpopo:
And we will dine until our stomachs burst!
Old Crone:
(in tree) What? How did they do that? What magic is at work here?
Donkey:
You can see the emerald table?
Old Crone:
Of course! It’s right there—
SCENE 7
The village well, as before.
Villager One:
Well? What did you find out?
Old Crone:
The children seem to live there, with Rumpopo.
Villager Two:
Perhaps he has kidnapped them!
Villager Three:
I told you he was strange.
Old Crone:
And they do some sort of magic—
Villager Four:
What? Is it witchcraft?
Villager Five:
I told you! Did I not tell you?
Old Crone:
It doesn’t seem like witchcraft—
Villager Six:
What is it they do?
Old Crone:
It is more like a play, I think.
Villager One:
A play?
Villager Two:
What is a play?
Villager Three:
Witchcraft!
Old Crone:
Do you remember when we were young? There was a play in the village, was there not?
Villager Four:
Never!
Villager Five:
Witchcraft!
Villager Six:
Wait, I do seem to recall—there was a play! There was an old man in it—
Villager One:
Rimpo—Rompo—Rumpopo?
Villager Six:
No, no, not Rumpopo. He wasn’t an old man then. He would have been a boy.
Villager Two:
Wait, I remember. The play was about an old man and his daughter, a
nd they lived on an island.
Villager Three:
Oh, yes! I remember!
Old Crone:
Yes, yes, and what Rumpopo and the children do is like a play. There was a feather, and it turned into an emerald table—
Villager One:
Witchcraft! It sounds rather dangerous—
Villager Two:
—rather perilous—
Old Crone:
(worried) Um.
Villager Three:
—rather nasty—
Villager Four:
—rather hazardous—
Old Crone:
(more worried) Um. Well—
Villager Five:
—rather treacherous—
Villager Six:
—rather risky!
Villager One:
Be careful!
Old Crone:
(very worried) Ummmm. Ohhh-kay.
SCENE 8
Old Crone is in the hollow tree with Donkey nearby. Rumpopo and the children are on the porch.
Donkey:
So, have you discovered anything of interest?
Old Crone:
Shh, listen—
Lucia:
Oh, Rumpopo, please will you tell us again about the rock?
Rumpopo:
Aye, aye, the rock—
(Lights dim, soft music plays as Lucia and Pahchay and dog move forward, as before, to play the parts of Young Rumpopo, Sola, and Wonder.)
Sola:
Rumpopo, look! Wonder has found something—
Young Rumpopo:
A rock!
Sola:
A golden rock—
Young Rumpopo:
Aye, Sola! Perhaps real gold?
Sola:
Most certainly.
Young Rumpopo:
And perhaps if we toss it high in the air—
Sola:
—and make a wish—
Young Rumpopo:
—and imagine—
Sola:
—and dream—
Young Rumpopo:
—it might become—
(Rumpopo tosses the rock high into the air, and as he does so, there is a burst of light, revealing at far right a golden palace.)
Sola:
A palace!
Young Rumpopo:
A grand palace, a golden palace!
(They touch the walls, the windows.)
Sola:
So magnificent!
Young Rumpopo:
So luxurious!
Sola:
And we will bring Mother and Father here, and we will all live here together—
Young Rumpopo:
—forever—
Sola:
—and ever!
Young Rumpopo:
Like kings and queens—
Sola:
—and princes and princesses!
Old Crone:
(in tree) Oh! A palace!
Donkey:
You can see the palace?
Old Crone:
Of course I can. A golden palace! How do they do that?
SCENE 9
The village well, as before.
Villager One:
A palace?
Old Crone:
A golden palace.
Villager Two:
From a rock?
Villager Three:
Impossible! Witchcraft!
Villager Four:
It sounds terribly hazardous—
Villager Five:
—terribly treacherous—
Old Crone:
I do wish you’d stop saying that—
Villager Six:
But was it real? The palace?
Old Crone:
I saw it before my very eyes.
Villager One:
A palace?
Old Crone:
A golden palace.
Villager Two:
Impossible!
Villager Three:
—and terribly nasty—
Villager Four:
—terribly hazardous—
Old Crone:
Ack!
SCENE 10
The cabin, with Old Crone in tree and Donkey nearby. The lights are already dim, but there is no music playing. Old Rumpopo is alone on the porch.
Old Rumpopo:
Sola? Wonder? Where are you?
Old Crone:
(to Donkey) Where are they?
Donkey:
Shh, watch.
Old Rumpopo:
Sola! Wonder! Sola! Sola! Sola!
(All is silent.)
Old Crone:
Where’d they go?
(Stage goes dark.)
SCENE 11
The cabin porch. Old Rumpopo sits in chair, head in hands. Lucia, Pahchay, and their dog are at his feet.
Lucia:
Oh, Rumpopo, where did they go?
Pahchay:
Were they killed?
Rumpopo:
No, no. They were not killed. Sola grew up. She went away.
Pahchay:
And Wonder?
Rumpopo:
Wonder went with Sola.
Lucia:
And did you never see them again?
Rumpopo:
A few times. Not enough.
Old Crone:
(in tree) Poor Rumpopo!
Donkey:
Perhaps. Perhaps not.
SCENE 12
The village well, as before.
Villager Four:
A little girl—Sola? And a dog?
Villager Five:
Gone?
Villager Six:
But is it real? Did it really happen?
Villager One:
You said it was a play—
Villager Two:
So it wasn’t real—
Old Crone:
It was a play, but—
Villager Three:
But what?
Old Crone:
But—but it was real.
Villager Five:
Poor Rumpopo. All alone.
Villager Six:
He never saw them again?
Old Crone:
A few times. Not enough.
Villager Three:
Not enough.
Villager Four:
And the young boy?
Old Crone:
That was Rumpopo.
Villager Two:
But he is old.
Old Crone:
Once, he was young.
Villager One:
It was real?
Old Crone:
It was real.
Villager Five:
And the emerald table?
Villager Six:
The golden palace?
Old Crone:
Real.
Villager One:
And not dangerous?
Villager Two:
Not perilous?
Villager Three:
Not nasty?
Old Crone:
No.
Villager Four:
Not hazardous?
Villager Five:
Not treacherous?
Villager Six:
Not risky?
Old Crone:
No.
Villager One:
And the table, the palace—?
Old Crone:
Real.
Villager Two:
Real?
Villager Three:
Real?
Old Crone:
Real.
SCENE 13
The cabin. Rumpopo, Lucia, Pahchay, and their dog are on porch. Old Crone is in hollow tree, with Donkey nearby.
Old Crone:
Poor, poor Rumpopo. How will he go on?
Donkey:
Watch.
Rumpopo:
What story would you like to hear today?
Lucia:
Oh, Rumpopo, you do not have to tell us a story today.
/> Pahchay:
You are too sad.
Rumpopo:
I have been sad for too many years.
(Lights dim, soft music plays, as Lucia and Pahchay and dog move forward, as before.)
Young Rumpopo: