Open Skies ZERO:
Prelude to a New Life
Scene 11
[Same stage except sunset. Randall, Moose, Sarah, and Eagle in barn doing various things, silent lipped conversations. Enter Red, Angel, Cage, Small boy, and Old man, stage left. They all enter barn.]
Moose: Welcome back guys!
Eagle: Some more along for the ride I see. [smiles]
Red: The more the merrier, right?… Besides, the boy is good with construction, and the astrophysicist here can help me with the engineering!
Sarah: Right on.
Red: So I was thinking through this on the way back, and I’ve pretty much got it. I’ll just need a little time to write it all out and work out the math.
Randall: Can we be doing something while you do that?
Angel: What about me? I can help too once we get my arms working!
Eagle: Yeah, we’re gonna take care of that right now. But Angel, you know they’re not going to be usable until morning.
Angel: Morning? That won’t leave us much time then, will it?
Eagle: It’s enough time. Besides, your job’s last anyway, it can’t be painted until it’s built, right?
Angel: Yeah I guess.
Eagle: Now Randall, Moose, and Sarah, I’ll need you three in here. The rest of you will need to be elsewhere for a while. … Red, can you go over with the others what supplies you’ll be needing so they can be gathering those up?
Red: For sure.
Eagle: Okay, we’ll have to work most of the night if we’re to get done by morning so that Angel can get started first thing.
Red: [to everyone] Alright, everyone ready?
Everyone: Yeah. [etc.]
Red: Okay, let’s go.
[Red hugs Angel.]
Red: See ya soon.
Angel: Okay.
[Red grabs a pad of paper and a pencil off the table. Red, Cage, Small boy, and Old man (Red guiding Old man) leave barn and walk around stage right, having silent lipped conversations, Red telling them what he needs. While this is happening:]
Eagle: Okay, we’ll need some rope.
[Moose gets some rope that was hanging on the wall. Eagle takes the rope and ties one end around Moose, then the other end around Angel's left forearm/wrist. While this is happening, Cage and Small boy exit stage right, and shortly after, Red guides Old man while both exit stage right as well.]
Eagle: Angel, you’ll need to hold onto the rope as well. [finishes wrapping rope back around her wrist so the grip on the rope is now locked in and won't come loose] … Now, with your other arm, lock in with Sarah, and Sarah, brace yourself with your other arm using that bar on the wall.
[Sarah grabs Angel's right wrist with her right hand, and Angel does the same, so their right arms are locked in to each other. Sarah wraps her arm around the bar on the wall.]
Eagle: Okay, now Angel move this way a little bit so that your arm is stretched out.
[Angel moves away from Sarah until her arm is stretched as far as her still-fused shoulders will go.]
Eagle: Alright, good. Now, we just need a towel.
Randall: Okay. [gets a towel]
Eagle: Now get up behind Angel, and Angel, you’ll want to bite down.
[Randall wraps towel around Angel, and Angel bites down on it.]
Eagle: Okay everyone… on the count of three, hold on as tight as you can, and Moose, you walk that way, away from Angel… and whatever you do, DON’T hold back! Full force!
[Everyone bracing themselves and Moose moves away from Angel to loosen slack in rope, causing her arm to be stretched out like the other one.]
Eagle: One… Two…
[Time pauses for Eagle as music comes in.]
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[Randall, Sarah, and Moose, dance choreographed circling around Angel while Angel turns in circles. (This will have to be choreographed to not get wrapped up in the rope!)]
Moose: [singing]
This will hurt
This will hurt real badIt’s like a lady
A lady who is preg-
Moose + Randall: [singing]
-Nant and about to
About to give birth
Moose + Randall + Sarah: [singing]
She’s in so much pain
She just might burstBut then it passes
A new life is hadShe soon forgets the
Times that were bad
[By end of song, they are all back in the position they started in. Eagle unpauses:]
Eagle: Three!
[Everyone braces as Moose walks, obviously struggling to go forward. Angel is murmuring screams of pain through the towel and gritted teeth. Suddenly her shoulders break and her arms release. She lets out a blood-curdling scream. Moose stops, Sarah lets go, and Randall lets go of the towel. Angel collapses to her knees and to the ground. End scene.]
