Life

From birth to death via LIFE.

Destiny

Same result varied experiences that's Destiny.

Foolish questions

Foolish questions often reveal important truths.

Nature's Revenge

Submitted for entry in the International Sacred Earth Drama Competition by Bhupesh Malhotra. age 14, student of the International School of Helsinki. Helsinki, Finland. Teacher: Ms. Bettye Boyd-Burton. The story won the second prize in the under-14 competition.

NATURE’S REVENGE

Man’s Voice:
Children! Children, settle down and I will tell you a true story. (Small pause) Now then listen carefully.

Once upon a time, not very long ago, Earth had almost been destroyed. It was now that Nature thought it was time to take its revenge. Nature, not being a person one could see, had a unique way of communicating with the animals The animals couldn’t see Nature, but they heard it.

One day Nature called upon all the animals to spread the word that a journey was to be commenced...

(During the last sentence the curtains rise. The view is stupendous and beautiful. Another voice starts.)

Nature’s Voice:
This journey is going to be our victory and revenge over savage man and all its followers. Even though in this journey we will not confront man, we will try to find people who, being human, support our victory. Through this journey we will gather men who don’t want to live in a world like this. As you all very well know, the world is now polluted and almost destroyed. Now, the time has come to put my plans into effect, to fight evil with good. This is why we have to make this journey around the world. I will assign separate groups to journey around separate parts of the world. Among these groups there will be one animal whom I will keep In touch with. I will guide you throughout this journey. Now go and await until tomorrow for my decision.

(The animals go off the stage. As this is in the process the lights start to fade and the stage is dark again.)

Man’s Voice:
The next day Nature contacted the animals whom it had chosen as its followers. These animals were all strong and fast, however, they were also wise and patient.

All the fish and water animals had been destroyed by humans. The rest of the species in the world, which were still alive, were told about this voyage. One animal from each strong species was chosen by nature to guide the rest.
The animals scattered all over the world where there were still admirers of Nature.

(During the last sentence the lights start to come on very slowly. On stage are some monkeys led by one monkey. There is a row of houses on stage as well)

All the Monkeys:
All people who help Nature in its revenge wifl be restored and not die, as the others who oppose Nature. Nature has already thought of the fate of the savage humans and its treacherous followers.

(They are walking while they say this. Many humans join the group of monkeys as they are walking. The leader of the monkeys is stopped at a house. The others stop as well. The two Inhabitants of the house are outside.)

Wife:
Excuse me, Sir. Please, could you try to persuade my husband, John, that he should support Nature, like me, and not oppose it?

Scorpicon:
I will try my best to persuade him. (Going up to John)

Dear Friend, what your wife says is right, you should support Nature and oppose savage man and his followers.

John:
Why should I support Nature and not man, when man provides me with jobs, food and shelter?

Scorpicon:
You are mistaken, my friend. It is not man who provides you with food and shelter, but it is Nature who gives you such things.

John:
I am in debt of man because he saved me from dying. I owe the race my life..

Scorpicon:
It wasn’t in your fate to die. Your destiny is to help Nature regain its old and forgotten beauty. Certainly, one of your age wouldn’t know what Nature was like a few centuries ago. I myself don’t know of Nature’s beauty in those times, at least I haven’t seen it. However, my mother told me about Nature. She told me what she had heard from her great-grandmother. She said that Nature had been a beauty, more beautiful than anything on earth today. She said It was always friendly with animals. However, it made a mistake of being friendly with man. Nature provided the animals with food and shelter, while man took these things from it. Nature thought that man would change himself, but man kept with his mischief, He quickly gathered followers which helped him destroy the Earth, Some examples of these followers are acids,

chemicals, wastes, and most destructive of all, pollution. These followers destroyed the beauty of Nature while man sat still with luxuries laughing. After all this you say that you are in debt of man who saved, maybe only one hundredth the amount of lives he destroyed.

John:
(After a pause) Maybe you are right. Maybe man did destroy Nature’s beauty and almost destroyed Earth with it. But still, I am a human, and I will always stand on the side of humans until I obtain solid proof that tells me that the humans destroyed the Earth.

(Wife exits the stage and John sees her go)

Where are you going?

(Wife returns after some time)

Wife:
(Coming on stage) Look at this book. The History of the Earth. And, look at this one; Nature in the 20th Century. (Giving the books to John one by one after calling the titles) Go ahead, read them and you will find from these old books that he is right. (Pointing to Scorpicon)

John:
(Skimming through the books, amazed) In this book Nature is so beautiful. The plants, flowers, animals of all kinds big and small are everywhere. And now you don’t see flowers very often. You only see them in wealthy people’s houses. Same with plants. And the animals, they are almost extinct. Here it says that once there were thousands of horses and now there are only some hundreds left. What happened to these animals, how did they die?

Scorpicon:
My dear friend that is what I have been telling you. Man has destroyed the animals, flowers, and plants. Now the human race has come to the stage of destroying itself.

John:
Show me Nature and I will believe you.

Scorpicon:
I myself have not seen Nature with my eyes. However, all the animals have heard it. It is guiding us through this voyage. It has encouraged us not to lose hope, because it is going to be with us all the time. Why, Nature was guiding me through this very conversation. I was, at some moments, so angry that I could have killed you right then. But Nature was the one who was always calming me, and telling me to be patient.

John:

After this conversation, I am beginning to believe you. If you are right, then we must go and gather more people who support Nature, so they will not die because of the activities of the savage humans

(The group go off stage. The lights start to fade)

Man’s Voice:
As this conversation was taking place somewhere else other animals were gathering other people who supported Nature. At the end of a week they all met at the place they where started. Nature had told the guides of the groups to come to the starting place for a meeting. They were to bring the humans with them. On their way to the place the humans for the first time saw the beauty of Nature through their own eyes. This was the only part of Earth which had not yet been destroyed.

(During the last sentence. the lights become brighter. We return to the place in the beginning of the story. Animals enter the stage from both sides with the humans. The humans, startled, are looking around at the beauty of the place)

Human #1:
What a beautiful place!

Human #2:
I have never seen anything or anyplace like this.

Nature’s Voice:
You have done your first task very well, children of Earth. Now I will give you your second and last task. This task will require wits and knowledge. Now you will have to confront the humans who are destroying the Earth and want to keep doing so. All you have to do is get rid of man. I will protect you and get rid of his followers. My human supporters will help you in your great voyage. Courage, my friends, courage is what you Will need in this, your final voyage. And now, I bid you farewell and good luck. Remember, I will always be guiding you, through obstacles or war, I will always be with you.

(The animals start exiting from one side of the stage. Some animals stay on stage. Scorpicon sees them, so he goes to a tree arid faces the animals who are afraid)

Scorpicon:
Dear friends, are you going to surrender before even starting the voyage? Are you going to fall without even resisting one obstacle? No, my friends, don’t be so cowardly. Are you forgetting that Nature is guiding us this very moment? No, this is only our first test. The test of courage. There are many more tests to come through this journey. Just remember, that if we succeed in this voyage we will be returned to the beauty of Nature. Don’t think you are fighting for someone else, think you are fighting for your own precious and beloved lives. Now friends come follow this road alongside me This road will lead us to the beauty of Nature and the destruction of savage man. However, anywhere you go don’t forget that “Nature is with you wherever you are.”

(As the speech ends the animals become more cheerful, Scorpicon finishes his speech and moves to exit the stage. All the animals follow him.)

Man’s voice:
All the animals, as Nature judged it, had passed the first test. There were many other tests to come during the voyage of the animals. The first was the test of greed.

This test was taken when the animals had about ended their journey. At this point it so happened that the animals were in a desert which had been the result of human activity. There was no water to be found and their food was also short. Scorpicon felt the beginning of another test. Scorpicon, a young and strong monkey, was among the wisest and surely the most patient of all the animals. All the animals depended on him for advice and encouragement. Scorpicon began thinking of how to overcome this test like the others.

One day while the animals were walking through the barren desert.

(The lights become brighter and the audience sees a tree in the center of the stage, the animals enter the stage.)

Horse:
Look, a tree! We have very little food, Why don’t we use this tree as a source of food.

(Soon all the animals gathered around the tree. The animals start arguing over whose tree it is.)

Horse:
I saw the tree first so it is rightfully mine

(While the horse is saying this there are other animals shouting that the tree is their’s. Scorpicon enters. He goes straight to the tree and holds up his hands signaling the animals for silence)

Scopicon:
Silence! Silence’ Brothers, tell me, why do you argue over a tree.

Animal:
Because it is a source of food and we are in desperate need of food since our food is running out.

Scorpicon:
It is true that we all need food now that our supply is coming to an end. But that is no reason to argue over a tree. We can all get the same amount of food by sharing. My friends. it we argue among ourselves some outsider will come and destroy us , if we don’t destroy ourselves first. So don’t be greedy and share with each other, that is the lesson that can be obtained by this test. Another lesson that can be obtained from this test is to unite yourselves. “ Unity is always strongest!” Now share the food from this tree among all the animals big or small.

(Scorpicon takes a small branch from the tree. He goes around the group of animals giving each animal one leaf from the branch. The leaves just never seemed to end. After this Scorpicon exits the stage. As soon as he goes Out the animals joyously gather around the tree and happily start to share the food obtained from the tree.)

(The lights start to dim as this ends.)

Man’s voice:
Again Scorpicon had saved the animals from destruction. Now came the test of belief at the end of the five month long journey. This time, however, the animals were in a jungle, by a river, which didn’t have many trees. The animals were walking.

(The lights become bright again. we are now in the place described above. The animals enter the stage, not walking very quickly. As they are walking a machine appears in front of them . Later a man appears in front of the machine. He is Belivion)

Belivion:
Stop there! I am Belivion. This is my loyal follower. (signaling to the machine behind him) Before you pass this place you will have to answer my three questions. If you answer my questions correctly then I will have this machine destroy your enemies. But if you answer the questions incorrectly then I will have the machine destroy you.

All the animals:
What are these questions?

Belivion:
Very well, here is my first question: Who is the friend of all friends?

All the Animals:
Nature, of course!

Belivion:
What is everyone’s enemy?

(There Is a mumble in the group of animals.)

Scorpicon:
The worst enemy of all beings is not man, (facing the animals) as many of you thought, but It is greed. If humans were not greedy the world wouldn’t be this way.

Belivion:
What is the strongest of all powers?

All the Animals:
(In harmony) Unity and harmony are the strongest powers of all.

Belivion:
You have answered all of my questions correctly. Tell me your enemy and it shall be destroyed immediately.

Scorpicon:
Pardon us, Sir, but we first have to complete our voyage before destroying our enemy ourselves. I am sorry we cannot ask your help since Nature has given us the task to destroy man. So if you kindly would let us pass and continue our journey.

(The man and machine disappear. in their place appears a tree. This is Nature itself)

Nature:
You have ended your journey, my friends. Yes, I am Nature, You have passed every test and obstacle and come to the end of your voyage. Scorpicon, come forwards and take a leaf from one of my branches. (Scorpicon obeys) Now, take the leaf and place it on flat barren ground.

(Scorpicon obeys while the animals wait in silence. Soon the leaf catches fire. One of the animals starts toward the leaf to stop the fire)

No, my friend, don’t stop the fire. Let it burn!

(The animals look in silence as the fire grows)

Man’s Voice:
This fire was not like normal fires. Instead of ash it left grass behind. For every man that died, a tree appeared. Soon the whole human race which opposed Nature had been destroyed.

Nature:
Let this be a lesson to all on the Earth. Whoever will try to destroy this beloved Earth shall parish under this fire. If you try to destroy me. this fire will destroy you first. Now, my friends, it is time for you to make a decision. Do you want to live in harmony or die in destruction like all of the human race who opposed the Earth. If you don’t want this fate, then never destroy the Earth or take advantage of others’ weaknesses. My friends, Let Earth Prosper!

(The Tree disappears)

Nature’s Voice:
Let Earth Prosper! Let Earth Prosper!

(The lights fade. After some time the lights become brighter. We are now In a place with many trees. There are three children sitting In front of an old man whose voice we have heard at the beginning of the play.)

Man:
Now you have learned the story of Nature’s revenge. If you don’t want the same fate as those who opposed Nature, never be greedy and always live in harmony with all other living things.

Children:
Grandfather, how do you know that this story is true?

Man:
I was afraid you would ask me that question. I will tell you what I have told no one. I must confess I have been trying to hide this. Do you remember the man John in the story? (the children nod) Well… (taking a deep breath) I am that very person. Yes, I am John who first opposed Nature but after the voyage I have become a supporter of nature. (small pause) Now go and play with your animal friends, and don’t forget the lessons you have learned from this true story.

(The children run off the stage leaving John alone. The curtains close on the scene, slowly.)

Children:

(In a song-like fashion, but not in unison)

Let Earth Prosper, Let Earth Prosper!