Battle of Imagination: Part One

Act 1 – Scene 1 – The Visit

Setting: A cozy and well-furnished Neohome. Sweet, a Pink Aisha can be seen playing with a Purple Fuzzle near a fireplace. Mutt, a Brown Yurble, is sitting in a comfy looking chair with a book in hand, oblivious to his surroundings. Only the sound of crackling logs fill the room, or the occasional turn of a page by Mutt.

Sweet: (Bored with the Fuzzle.) So… umm… Mutt? Whatcha reading?

(Mutt either ignores Sweet or is unaware she has said anything. He turns a page.)

Sweet: Mutt! (Pause.) Mutt! I’m talking to you!

Mutt: (Looking up.) Wha? Oh sorry Sweet, I’m almost done with the book, it’s one of the best I’ve read this week.

Sweet: (Interested.) Really? What’s it about?

Mutt: (Glancing back down at the book.) Uh huh.

Sweet: Umm… Mutt? What’s the book about?

Mutt: Uh huh.

(Sweet realizes there’s no way she’ll be able to hold a conversation with Mutt, until he finishes his book. Suddenly, there’s a knock at the front door.)

Sweet: Mutt, can you get that?

Mutt: Uh huh.

(As Mutt turns another page, Sweet gives up and heads to the front door.)

Sweet: Who is it?

Voice from Offstage: It’s me, Fortune!

Sweet: Fortune who?

Fortune: The only Fortune you know, but if you do not in fact know me, I guess I’ll take this present I brought with me and head back on home.

Sweet: (Hearing the word present, Sweet opens the door.) Ohh, Fortune! Why didn’t you say so to begin with!

(Fortune enters the Neohome from offstage with a Teddy Bear under his arm. Fortune is a green Zafara and secretly dislikes Mutt.)

Fortune: (Handing the teddy bear to Sweet.) This is for you.

Sweet: (Cuddling the teddy bear.) It’s lovely! Where’d you get it?

Fortune: I picked it up on my way over. I heard there was a new shop opening up down town and had to see it for myself.

Sweet: And they sold teddy bears?

Fortune: Well not just teddy bears, but toys of all sorts! You should visit it sometime.

Sweet: (Nods in agreement and then glances at the wall clock.) You’re just in time!

Fortune: Glad to here it. What exactly are we having for lunch?

Sweet: Since I’m making it, a surprise. Follow me to the dinning room.

Fortune: (Once Sweet has left the room.) I just hope this surprise is edible…

Sweet: (From offstage.) What was that?

Fortune: (Calling to her.) I said, “Thanks for cooking for us guys, you’re incredible!”

Sweet: (From offstage.) Oh, it was nothing!

(Fortune follows through the doorway to the dinning room, offstage. Blackout.)

Act 1 – Scene 2 – The Challenge

Setting: The three friends are outside in Mutt’s backyard following lunch. The backyard is filled with flowers and gnomes of every type, which leaves little room to run around. A tall fence surrounds the lawn, so nothing is seen beyond that.

Fortune: (Holding his stomach.) What exactly was that Sweet?

Sweet: Can’t tell you, it’s a family secret.

Fortune: (To himself.) I hope it stays that way.

(Mutt finishes his book and sets it down beside him.)

Mutt: That was another great story. I don’t think I’ve picked a bad one yet this year.

Fortune: (Picking the book up.) What happened exactly? Maybe I’ll read it.

Mutt: (To Fortune.) Well the story’s pretty complicated, but I guess I can try and explain. It involves a writer, who is given an impossible deadline for his next book. Of course he tries his best to finish the book, but as the deadline approaches, he gives up, but continues to boast about how great the book is.

Sweet: And then what?

Mutt: (To Sweet.) That’s the thing. The ending is up to the reader to decide. The author ends the story in just a way that you don’t know the details, and have to make up your own ending.

Fortune: (Setting the book down.) Doesn’t sound like my kind of a book.

Mutt: Maybe you just don’t have the imagination needed for something like this.

Fortune: I have plenty of imagination! Even more so then you Mutt!

Mutt: Really? Prove it.

Sweet: How can someone prove they have imagination? That’s just dumb.

Mutt: (Standing up.) It’s easy for someone to prove it. We just tell each other stories, and the person with the best story, has the best imagination of the group.

Fortune: Fine! I’ll knock your socks off with my story.

Sweet: It’s no contest. Mutt reads a book every three days, he could piece something together from just this week’s books he’s read, and we’d never know.

Mutt: No, I have plenty of imagination. I can easily make something up. And Sweet, we want you to tell us a story as well.

Sweet: (Surprised.) Me?! I couldn’t tell a story if my Neopoints depended on it.

Fortune: Whatever you come up with Sweet, will be better then Mutt’s.

Mutt: Fine Fortune, if you think you’re so smart, why don’t you go first?

Fortune: (Moving his seat to face Sweet and Mutt.) You really want me to start? (Pause.) With pleasure.

(Blackout.)

Act 2 – Scene 1 – Fortune’s Story, The Beginning

Setting: The Lost Desert. It’s the outskirts of the town, which can be seen off in the distance. Rolling hills of sand make up the scenery and vegetation and water are absent from view. It’s late at night, and a cold wind is blowing.

(Lima, a desert Grarrl is making his way up one of the hills of sand. The wind is blowing in his face as he tries to shield his eyes. He walks slowly as he carries a large pack on his back, which holds all of his belongings.)

Lima: (To himself.) How exactly did I get into his situation again…?

(A voice is suddenly heard from offstage. This is the voice of Lima’s thoughts.)

Voice: You did it yourself.

Lima: I know that… (Pause.) At least for once can you agree with me in saying it wasn’t completely my fault?

Voice: Nope.

(Fed up with talking to himself, Lima continues to head towards the Lost Desert City in silence. A group of Kyrii bandits make their way over a near by sand dune and see Lima.)

1st Bandit: Well mates, what have we here?

2nd Bandit: Isn’t he an oddly dressed one? (To the first bandit.) Will you look at that! He must be rich, for why else would he be wearing them jewels!

(The two bandits nod in agreement as the Bandit Chief makes his way up to them.)

Bandit Chief: He’s alone is he?

2nd Bandit: (Smiling.) Yes boss! Should we take him now? It’s almost too easy!

Bandit Chief: Yes, we should take him now before he nears the city anymore. We don’t want anyone to see us. Lets use the… “The Help” plan.

1st Bandit: “The Help” plan?!

2nd Bandit: Good thinking boss, it’ll work perfectly.

1st Bandit: What plan? Normally everything we do is improvising, since when do we have plans?!

(The 2nd Bandit grabs the first and split up. The Bandit Chief heads around Lima and awaits Lima’s approach. Lima makes his way around an unusually large sand dune and stumbles upon someone dressed in rags.)

Lima: Um, hello? Are you all right?

(The person in rags remains motionless.)

Lima: (Nearing the stranger.) Sir? Miss? Are you in need of help?

Bandit Chief: (Surprising Lima.) No mate, but you sure are!

(Lima jumps back as the Bandit Chief pulls out a Pyramid dagger. He turns to run but is cut off by the 1st and 2nd Bandit.)

1st Bandit: Now make with the jewels! (The bandit points to Lima’s neck.)

2nd Bandit: Give us the goods and we’ll let you go. You can do this the easy way or the hard way.

Bandit Chief: (Holding up his hand.) Give him a minute boys, I love it when they choose the hard way.

(Lima positions himself as best he can so he’s exactly in the middle of all three bandits.)

Lima: Sorry to disappoint you, but you’ve picked the wrong traveler to mug.

Bandit Chief: And whys that mate? (Sarcasm is hinted in his voice.) Not like you’re some sword specialist who thinks he could take all three of us in a fight.

Lima: Specialist… no. (He removes a scimitar looking sword from his pack, which immediately bursts into flames.) An enthusiast maybe, but not a specialist. (Glancing around.) Well? Who’s first?

Bandit Chief: (Pausing to glance at his team.) No one will be! (Points at Lima.) Everyone attack at once!

(The bandits rush Lima and a fight ensues. Lima easily knocks out the 1st Bandit with the butt of his sword. The Bandit Chief, seeing this, backs up, and allows the 2nd Bandit to wear down Lima. The 2nd Bandit lasts longer then the first but not by much. Lima trips the 2nd Bandit and removes his weapon from him. At this, the 2nd Bandit backs up and is out of the fight. The Bandit Chief, with dagger in hand slashes at Lima, who dodges the blow and rounds about behind the Bandit Chief. The Chief reacts by bringing the dagger up as he spins around to block Lima’s sword.)

Bandit Chief: (Still blocking Lima’s attack.) So you’re the one the King’s banished.

Lima: (Raising his sword he thrusts and the Bandit Chief jumps backwards.) Possibility, a lot of people have been banished from his kingdom though. (Following the attack he draws his sword back.)

Bandit Chief: It is you! A thief. A traitor to the kingdom! (He rushes towards Lima with the dagger pointed at Lima’s chest.)

Lima: Last time I checked those were not the word I’d pick to describe me. (He parries the attack and then subdues the Bandit Chief as he did the 1st Bandit.)

(The 2nd Bandit panics and begins to run away towards the city.)

Lima: (Glancing at the bandits.) Won’t be long till every bounty hunter from here to Krawk Island is after me… (Pause.) I need to sort this whole thing out.

(Lima begins to make his way towards the city. Blackout.)

To be continued...