Meadow Adventures
Copyright © 2022 by Carol Anne Hough
Human World Creatures
LUCILLE — age 10, intelligent, wheelchair user
GRANDMOTHER — LUCILLE’S grandma, patient, thoughtful
TWINKLES — LUCILLE’S dog, affectionate
Meadow World Creatures
ELLA — Ladybug, selfish
NOVEM — Ladybug, sincere
ERI — Aphid, fast
HOBI — Centipede, cranky
ZEN — Mourning dove, tricky
ANA — Butterfly, confident
DAN — Butterfly, smug
RINA — Butterfly, quiet
LIS — Wasp, simple
TIA — Spider, indecisive
BATES — Frog, intimidating
Production Notes — Human Creatures may double as Meadow Creatures. Lucille should look more animated, healthy and confident as the play unfolds.
TIME & SETTING
The northern Minnesota meadow.
Scene One
(Lights up on GRANDMOTHER and LUCILLE as they enter stage right. LUCILLE glances around as she rolls her wheelchair, looking simultaneously overwhelmed and disappointed. GRANDMOTHER watches intently to see if the raised beds are a good height for LUCILLE, yawns loudly to mask her emotional relief when she sees they are.)
LUCILLE: Is it nap time, Grandma?
GRANDMOTHER (Nods.): It actually is, yes. Sorry.
LUCILLE (Shrugs.): No apologies. I like naps, too. Dad said it was beautiful here, but everything looks super dead. Are the raised beds new? (Gestures towards her chair.) For me?
GRANDMOTHER (Nods.): Much easier for us to tend the plants in them. And, yes, after you and your mom had the car accident, I wanted you to be able to visit and work alongside me. Luci, be sure to protest if I ask you to do too much while you’re here for the summer. Or too little.
LUCILLE: Okay. (Pause.) Grandma, Dad acts like I’m helpless now. Lots of people do, actually. I’m not. (Closes her eyes. Opens them.) It’s like I have to pretend to be someone else to be accepted now. The real Lucille doesn’t fit in ANYWHERE anymore. I want to fit in SOMEWHERE. I still want to DO things.
GRANDMOTHER (Smiles. Pours seeds into LUCILLE’S hand.): Always be the real you. You’ll find your people and places. (Pause. Self deprecating chuckle.) I know we aren’t super cool, but you’ll always fit in here.
LUCILLE (Smiles.): Thanks.
GRANDMOTHER: Sprinkle those seeds. Good. (Hands LUCILLE a watering can.) Do you and your dad ever talk about losing your mom?
LUCILLE (Avoids eye contact, shakes her head sadly and sprinkles water on the seeds.): We would have gone crazy without Twinkles, our little dog. Mom is always in our thoughts, but we don’t talk about her.
GRANDMOTHER: Never? Uff. (Pause. Shrugs.) We want creatures to visit. What will lure them in?
LUCILLE: Hmmm. Fun? (GRANDMOTHER smiles and shakes her head.) Pretty flowers?
GRANDMOTHER: Yes. I don’t think wild critters care so much about prettiness, but many of them are indeed attracted to flowers. Any other guesses why?
LUCILLE: Umm. Oh! You mean, like, the pollinators, like bees? Do they drink plant juice?
GRANDMOTHER (Ecstatic.): Yes! Many creatures sip nectar and help pollinate. (Places her right hand on heart.) Even though they aren’t fantastic pollinators, I adore monarchs.
LUCILLE: I love all butterflies. And ladybugs! Are they pollinators? Dad said there’d be tons of bugs here. But there are, like, none. Have they all gone extinct?
GRANDMOTHER (Shudders.): No way! Ladybugs don’t really pollinate, but they do eat a lot of pesty aphids. Shall we search for some?
LUCILLE (Looks upward excitedly.) Yes!
GRANDMOTHER: There aren’t many flying in the sky just yet. (Motions for LUCILLE to join her at another raised bed. GRANDMOTHER points. Whispers.) Gently move that organic matter and watch! (LUCILLE nudges a pile and gasps. Lights fade.)
Scene Two
(Fog and music to convey transition to Meadow Creature World. Lights up on a raised bed at center stage. ZEN observes everything and coos nearby. ELLA and NOVEM yawn and stretch. ERI and APHIDS scatter.)
HOBI (Glares at the sudden sunlight and shakes some legs at it.): Aargh! Treacherous orb of dessication! (Glances at ELLA.) Are you responsible for this solar intrusion, you crazy ladybug? Hobi needs sleep! (Glares at Ella, then rushes back under a leaf.)
ELLA (Rolls her eyes at HOBI. Does three squats. Breathes heavily.): Whew. I am hungry. Novem, let us hunt.
NOVEM: Top of the morning to ye, Ella. Aphids are scrumptious. (Squints.) Is that one? Shall we share it?
ELLA: Yummy! (Chases ERI. She escapes. Catches a different aphid and gobbles it down. NOVEM frowns.) Oops! So sorry! Do not be mad. You know how my appetite is after I lay eggs.
NOVEM (Nods. Sighs.): Aye. Ye need to regain strength after depositing our latest cluster. I spy another aphid yonder!
ELLA: Yum. (Chases ERI. She escapes. Mutters.) How can a pregnant aphid be so amazingly fast? Whew. (Catches a different aphid and gobbles it down. Belches loudly. NOVEM frowns deeper.): Ope! It’s the eggs, Darling. Next aphid is yours. Okay?
NOVEM: Aye, let me get that wee yellow one there. (Slowly moves towards ERI as she crawls by. She escapes. ELLA pounces on a different aphid and gobbles it down. Rubs her belly. NOVEM scowls.) Ella, have ye always been so blooming selfish?
ELLA (Twirls in a circle.): Observe our fading spots, Novem. This will be our last season in the meadow. Take what you need, take what you want. Then take more! (Chases ERI. She escapes. Devours another aphid and laughs maniacally.) Being selfish is amazingly awesome! Try it!
NOVEM: I most certainly will not. I have always admired yer passionate nature, but greed and gluttony are so bad, Ella. Tsk tsk.
ELLA (Shrugs.): Suit yourself. I am going to explore the meadow!
NOVEM: Ella, ye mustn’t! Our eggs are about to hatch! A ravenous frog could eat ye! Ye might get lost!
ELLA (Twinkles her antennae.): Smell ya later!
ZEN (Watches and shadows ELLA as she flies away and lands on an adjacent raised bed. Quietly.): What have we here? A tiny, wayward creature. Hmm. Dessert?
ELLA (Paces. To herself.): So! Will you have an adventure or will you perish? You will perish regardless, so why not have an adventure? (Laughs maniacally.)
ZEN (Bows.): My name is Zen, esteemed mourning dove. You pose such deep, difficult questions. (Coos mournfully.)
ELLA: Too deep. Nobody GETS me. It sucks. You know?
ZEN (Coos mournfully and inches closer to ELLA.): I do. I totally get you.
ELLA: Really? Wow! Thank you for making me feel understood! What do you do for fun, Zen?
ZEN (Coos mournfully and continues to inch closer.): Me? I like to ponder highly tragic scenarios. I make very sad sounds. And I fly around and eat a lot of seeds. (Quietly.) And whatever.
ELLA: That all sounds so weirdly dark and adventurous. (Pause.) Can we be friends?
ZEN (Right beside ELLA.): Yes, I think we already are. Best friends!
ELLA: I had a best friend named Novem. He was nice, but dull.
ZEN (Coos mournfully.): Poor you. Dull friends are horrible.
ELLA: He is not horrible.
ZEN: Honestly? I watched you two. He is absolutely horrible. Where did he get that phony accent! (Cackles.) Right?
ELLA (Defensive.): No, he —
ZEN: Say, Best Friend, so sorry to interrupt AND change the subject, but are you poisonous? For example, to a curious and hungry bird? Just asking, for a friend. That would be tragic!
ELLA: Yes! But being poisonous is actually amazingly awesome. (Dances a jig.) Almost everyone leaves me alone! Except Novem. He was always by my side. (Reflective pause.) I have had a bit of adventure. Thank you! Now I will go back to my kind and honest Novem.
ZEN (Menacingly.): I thought you might be a tangy and tasty snack, until the whole poison info was disclosed. (Coos mournfully.) Then you wanted to be friends. I take friendship VERY seriously.
ELLA (Rolls her eyes.): OMG. You are way too intense. (Twinkles her antennae.) Smell ya later!
(ZEN blocks ELLA’S exit. Narrows eyes. Dives at ELLA, ELLA pulls her legs into her thorax.)
ZEN (Sputters.): Too intense? Perhaps I will tell my vicious colleague, Bates AKA Mr Frog, the exact location of a mean little ladybug. HE. EATS. EVERYTHING.
ELLA (Keeps legs pulled inside her thorax.): Two minutes ago, you wanted to be best friends. Now you want to swoop around and feed me to Mr Frog?
ZEN: Yes! (Pause. Quietly.) Apologies. Apologies. I am very unstable.
ELLA (Pops legs out of thorax. Dances a jig.): So am I! It’s fun sometimes. Unfun sometimes. Is unfun a word?
ZEN (Laughs.): Probably not, but hey, I totally understand.
ELLA: Cool.
ZEN: Coo coo cool.
ELLA: (Quietly.): Some creatures call me crazy.
ZEN (Closes eyes. Nods.): Same. Psycho. Freakazoid. Birdbrain. (Opens eyes.) All accurate nicknames, but they’re sharp daggers that hurt my heart nonetheless. (Coos mournfully.) Poor me.
ELLA: Novem calls me ‘passionate’ — so much nicer. How can words be so powerful? (ZEN nods.) Zen, will you be okay if I fly home to Novem and our eggs now?
ZEN: No. (Pause.) It will be so utterly tragic if Mr Frog finds them first. . . (Coos mournfully.)
ELLA: How would THAT happen?
ZEN: How? Oh! I may have mentioned them to him. Your eggs looked delish.
ELLA: What? What kind of monster are you?
ZEN: I assume you are talking to your crazy little self again. Hmm? (Coos mournfully.)
(Many emotions cross her face as ELLA zooms home.)
ELLA (Whispers. Panicked.): Novem? Novem? Where have my eggs gone? I must protect them. I have been so foolish. (Looks around. Spots MR FROG hopping frantically.) Whaaaat? Am I seeing things? Are my ladybug eggs really hatched and scaring Mr Frog?
NOVEM (Approaches. Chuckles.): Aye, Ella. The poor Mr Frog lad is terrified. He thinks our larvae are ferocious, wee alligators!
ELLA: Whew! (Catches ERI and hands her to NOVEM.) I am sorry for my selfish behavior earlier. (LADYBUG LARVAE chase MR FROG offstage.) Good work, larvae! (Twinkles her antennae.) Smell ya later, Mr Frog!
(ELLA and NOVEM share ERI, touch antennae and gaze at each other. Lights fade.)
Scene Three
(Fog and music to convey transition to Human Creature World. Lights up on GRANDMOTHER and LUCILLE as they weed a raised bed at center stage. Many colorful wildflowers are blooming.)
GRANDMOTHER: When I was young, people called me a nerd. I thought that was bad!
LUCILLE (Sniffs a purple coneflower.): It’s okay to be a nerd now.
GRANDMOTHER (Laughs.): That’s a relief!
LUCILLE (Gestures towards her chair.): It’s not okay to be like this, though. I’m stared at AND ignored. When I get the best score, my teachers think I cheated. Strangers call me precious or weird or that poor crippled girl.
GRANDMOTHER: That makes me so mad I could cry. I’m sorry, Luci. (Blows her nose.)
LUCILLE (Nods and sniffs a black eyed Susan.): My legs don’t work, but everything else does. I wish people could understand that. (RINA lands briefly on her hand, then dances on her cheek. LUCILLE laughs delightedly.) Grandma, the world’s most beautiful butterfly was dancing on my face!
GRANDMOTHER: It’s a spring azure. They really are completely lovely.
LUCILLE (Pause.): I so love bugs. I might start a club! (GRANDMOTHER smiles and nods.) I want to learn everything I can about ladybugs and butterflies. By the time I’m eleven, I should be an expert. Then, when people are jerks to me, I’ll just say, ‘You know what? I’m a paraplegic eleven-year-old expert on ladybugs and butterflies. Smell ya later!’
GRANDMOTHER (Snorts with laughter.): I am by no means an expert myself, but I would be honored to share everything I know about the little beauties with you.
LUCILLE: Cool!
GRANDMOTHER (Examines a common milkweed plant.) Where did Ella leave her eggs?
LUCILLE: Umm. In the raised bed with the centipede and the aphids?
GRANDMOTHER: Exactly! Why?
LUCILLE: Umm. I dunno. So they can hatch and share aphids, like Ella and Novem did?
GRANDMOTHER (Excited.): Yes. Food. Luci, I understand why you earn top scores.
LUCILLE (Shrugs and smiles.): You make everything fun and relaxed.
GRANDMOTHER: See the egg on this common milkweed? When it hatches, the monarch larva will eat its own shell and then devour the milkweed leaves.
LUCILLE: So cool. (Reflective pause.) Learning that and watching Ella and Novem, I just realized that Dad hovers because he’s a good parent. I can’t wait to tell him that the fierce ladybug larvae saved themselves! (LUCILLE and GRANDMOTHER exchange a meaningful smile. Points.) Grandma, the monarch egg is darkening. Is it dying? No, it’s hatching! And a storm is coming!
(GRANDMOTHER and LUCILLE glance at the sky, open a colorful umbrella, pull the hoods up on their rain ponchos, join hands and bow their heads together as they observe. Lights fade.)
Scene Four
(Fog and music to convey transition to Meadow Creature World. Thunder rumbles, lightning crashes and heavy rain pours down. Lights up on pale green ANA, shivering as she breaks out of her shell and clings to a leaf.)
ANA: Brrr! Kinda chilly. This will pass. Omm. Just gotta wait it out. Omm.
(The storm passes and the sun emerges. TIA examines ANA, then moves on. ANA eats her shell, then begins to strategically eat the milkweed leaf. Wind pushes her around. She pauses until it’s calmer, resumes feasting.)
ANA: So good!
HOBI: Milkweed is disgusting.
(Pause. ANA wiggles out of her old skin and eats it. She flicks frass out of her way as she continues to feast on leaves. TIA creeps by and inspects HOBI and ANA, then notices better prey and leaps away. ANA eats her old skins as she sheds them, becoming a progressively larger black, white and yellow larva.)
ANA: This is my life. (Glances at the sky.) Gotta tolerate the elements. Avoid being eaten. Eat my eggshell, old skins and milkweed leaves. Grow. Make frass AKA insect poop. (Smiles.) Feel cute. Molt. Repeat five times. (ZEN and MR FROG, respectively, fly and hop by. She stares hard at them.) Avoid predators, parasites and parasitoids. (Glances at her body. Smiles.) Look cute. Seriously, could I be any more squishy and adorable? Doubtful!
HOBI: Stop! (Peeks out from under a nearby leaf.) Hobi has been doing many important things in this meadow for years, but without boasting about it!
ANA: Why?
HOBI (Snippy.): Why what?
ANA: Why do you not brag about the wonderful things you do?
HOBI: Modesty permits Hobi and other centipedes to survive. (Glares at the sun.) We avoid predation and desiccation by avoiding sunlight.
ANA: Clever! Milkweed is toxic to many creatures. I gobbled it up. Yay me! I feel so powerful. I’m a proud monarch larva. (Stretches and grimaces.) Soon to be pupa.
HOBI: I know what you are. Hobi is beneficial. You are not like Hobi. Monarchs are pests.
ANA: Excusez moi?
HOBI: (Lifts her feet as she lists ANA’S faults.) Monarchs are vain. You consume a lot and contribute very little. Birds vomit at the sight of you. And monarchs are lousy pollinators of milkweed — that is an anatomical fact.
ANA: Girl, if we are useless pests, why do other butterflies kinda want to look like us? The queens, soldiers and viceroys, to name a few.
HOBI: So birds avoid eating them.
ANA: Bingo. I am fascinating and powerful and beautiful.
HOBI: You are so full of yourself. It’s disgusting. Hobi dislikes you!
ANA: I like me.
HOBI: Obviously!
ANA: I also like you.
HOBI (Surprise and pleasure turn to a sneer.): Shall Hobi educate you about what Hobi ate for breakfast? What Hobi and other centipedes do to squishy, little larvae?
ANA: Please! I would kinda love to learn about you.
HOBI (Flexes her claws.): Hobi utilizes venomous claws which render prey helpless. Then Hobi feeds on prey.
ANA: And moi would be the prey in this fantasy?
HOBI: Correct. How do you like me now?
ANA (Shrugs.): There’s a ninety percent chance I’m not gonna make it to adulthood. If I die by your venomous claws, so be it.
HOBI: That’s a bit fatalistic for such a sunny creature! Lucky for you, Hobi is not hungry. Hobi prefers eating mites and true bugs.
ANA: Awesome. (Grimaces.) Ouch. It’s time for me to complete my metamorphosis. Omm. I’m gonna squirm over to this sturdy goldenrod plant and pupate. Omm.
HOBI (Gags dramatically as she follows ANA.): That sounds COMPLETELY disgusting!
ANA (Laughs.): It’s kinda disgusting AND kinda magical. I totally hope to see you after I eclose.
HOBI: Just hope Hobi doesn’t get hungry and devour your cocoon!
ANA: Hobi, MOTHS spin cocoons.
HOBI: You are correct. Hobi always gets butterfly and moth lingo mixed up. Don’t be offended!
ANA: No prob. Moths are marvelous. If you get hungry and devour my butterfly CHRYSALIS, so be it.
HOBI: Again with the fatalism!
ANA: Life is too short for worries. Hope for the best and let go of the rest. See you soon. Maybe!
(ANA spins a silk button, attaches herself to a goldenrod plant and hangs upside down. She sheds her last caterpillar skin — revealing a jade green pupal case that quickly hardens into a protective shell.)
HOBI: That truly is disgusting. (Quietly.) And magical. Maybe Hobi will devour her! (Quietly.) Or maybe Hobi will hang around and guard her. Out of pity, of course. (Glances at ANA’S pupa.) That poor helpless creature has zero survival skills. And she actually likes Hobi. Not even Hobi likes Hobi most of the time! Why not? Hmm.
(HOBI gazes at herself, then at ANA’S pupa. LIS flies by and prods ANA.)
HOBI: Hobi would not touch that chrysalis if Hobi were you. It’s already full of parasitoid eggs!
LIS: For real? (Continues to prod.) Why do I not feel them?
HOBI: Maybe your equipment is faulty! Get lost! (Flexes her claws.)
LIS: Jeez, Hobi. Why are you always so cranky?
HOBI: Because Hobi doesn’t like Hobi. Boo!
LIS: Get a life.
HOBI: Hobi has a life now. Boo!
(LIS flies away. HOBI gazes at ANA and smiles. Lights fade.)
Scene Five
(Fog and music convey transition to Human Creature World. Lights up on GRANDMOTHER and LUCILLE at center stage as they trim leaves and take pictures of plants and critters.)
LUCILLE (Admires a picture and takes more.): Butterfly milkweed is soooo beautiful. Orange is my new favorite color. Look at all the insects loving on it!
GRANDMOTHER (Laughs.): Remember when you thought everything was super dead here?
LUCILLE (Laughs.): That feels like such a long time ago. (Pause.) Did Dad tell you that we talked about Mom?
GRANDMOTHER: He didn’t. How’d it go?
LUCILLE: Mostly we just cried. And laughed. We’re going to the cemetery when he and Twinkles pick me up here in a few weeks.
GRANDMOTHER: Fabulous.
LUCILLE: I wish we were more like butterflies. That little monarch larva doesn’t waste time worrying about anything.
GRANDMOTHER: I admire that about her as well. What do you stress about?
LUCILLE: Everything! Getting hurt again. Dad feeling guilty that he wasn’t the one driving me to dance the day Mom died. Missing Mom. You and Grandpa. The butterflies. I even worry about that grouchy centipede.
GRANDMOTHER (Nods.): Hobi is growing on me as well.
LUCILLE: I wonder what will happen when the butterfly ecloses. Will she fly away and totally forget about Hobi?
GRANDMOTHER (Surprised.): Why would you think that?
LUCILLE: Well. Hobi is difficult. (Pause.) A lot of my old friends forgot about me when they realized I won’t be getting better.
GRANDMOTHER: Uff. That’s hard for a kid.
LUCILLE: It was. Kenzy is still super nice, but she pesters me about going to dance class again. How would that work? I can’t even plie or arabesque.
GRANDMOTHER: You could look into it.
LUCILLE: Kenzy did already. Our teacher says we can adapt everything. I just avoid them because I don’t want people feeling sorry for me. You know?
GRANDMOTHER: Maybe they want you back in class because they love you and think you’re an amazing dancer.
LUCILLE: I was. (Pause. Closes her eyes. Opens them.) Maybe I can be again. My upper body has gotten super strong. . . Grandma, the chrysalis is changing color. Is she dying?
GRANDMOTHER: Not at all.
LUCILLE: I think she’s eclosing?
(GRANDMOTHER retrieves magnifying lenses from her pocket, hands one to LUCILLE. They exchange high fives and hunker down in front of the milkweed plant.)
Scene Six
(Fog and music to convey transition to Meadow Creature World. Lights up on ANA. Her jade green pupal case splits open. ANA crawls out. She begins to pump hemolymph into her compressed wings.)
ANA (Gazes at herself.): Oh my. Such beautiful wings!
HOBI (Laughs.): Still the same old braggart!
ANA (Startled.): Excusez moi? Who are you? What are you?
HOBI (Hurt.): Centipede. Uh, guard of your chrysalis for a week. You said you liked Hobi.
ANA: Hi! Sorry, I didn’t recognize you. Monarch larvae don’t see well. Adults do.
HOBI (Crushed.): Oh. Hobi gets it. Now that you observe how unattractive Hobi is, you no longer like Hobi. (Starts to squirm away into a pile of organic matter.) Fine! See if Hobi cares.
ANA: Hobi?
HOBI: What? Just fly away! Avoid poor Hobi like all the other creatures do. Boo to you. (Hides under a dead leaf.)
ANA: Look at my wings, Hobi. They’re crumpled. I’ve gotta pump hemolymph, AKA insect blood, into them. (Pumps hemolymph into her wings.) Oh my. Oooh that feels nice.
HOBI: Just fly away.
ANA: My wings gotta dry for a few minutes now.
HOBI: Who cares about your stupid wings?
ANA: I do.
HOBI: Obviously.
ANA (Flutters her wings. Flies over to HOBI.): Hobi?
HOBI: What?
ANA: Thank you for guarding me.
HOBI: Hmmph. (Peeks her head out.) Are you making fun of Hobi?
ANA: No. I like you.
HOBI: Well. (Smiles.) Really?
ANA: Really.
HOBI: Hobi cleverly scared a wasp away from your chrysalis.
ANA: Thank you.
HOBI: Sometimes Hobi likes Hobi now. It’s nice.
ANA: Self love. It’s the best. I gotta sip a bit of nectar and find a mate now.
HOBI: That sounds disgusting.
(DAN approaches ANA.)
DAN: Sweetness, would you like to sip nectar or puddle together? With me? I’m Dan.
ANA: Sure, Dan! One moment, please. Hobi, maybe you wanna guard one or two of my eggs?
HOBI: Hobi would be honored.
DAN: Why are you speaking to a centipede? She certainly will NOT be guarding MY eggs.
HOBI: Hobi will leave.
ANA: No. Dan, Hobi guarded me while I was a pupa. I like and trust her. She scared a wasp off.
DAN (Chuckles.): She is frightful!
HOBI: Ouch.
ANA: Dan, you gotta go away.
DAN: I thought you wanted to puddle with me!
ANA: Not anymore. I’m gonna chill with Hobi.
DAN: Your loss. I have the best genes in the meadow. Just look at my well defined veins, my powerful tarsi —
HOBI: She said get lost! Boo!
(DAN confronts HOBI with wings spread. HOBI flexes her pincers. DAN flies away. HOBI gazes at ANA.)
HOBI: That was the first time any creature has ever stood up for Hobi.
ANA: Ditto. You’re brave.
HOBI (Shocked.): Brave? Sorry Hobi ever called you a pest.
ANA: It’s okay. We didn’t really know each other until today.
HOBI: Hobi hopes Dan gets torn apart and devoured by a dragonfly!
ANA: Hobi, you gotta look at the big picture sometimes. Let’s hope he helps produce many healthy eggs that hatch and fly to Mexico. Just NOT with me. (Glances around.) I gotta get busy with all that. Goodbye, Hobi. Keep working on your self love.
(ANA begins to fly away.)
HOBI: Goodbye, beautiful butterfly. Okay! Hobi will keep working on loving Hobi. Thank you!
(Lights fade.)
Scene Seven
(Fog and music to convey transition to Human Creature World. Lights up on GRANDMOTHER and LUCILLE at stage left as they pack a bag with magnifying lenses and other insect research gear.)
LUCILLE: How can that butterfly be so smart already? It’s like she was born knowing EVERYTHING.
GRANDMOTHER (Shakes her head): It’s mysterious. Her babies will be flying all the way from Minnesota to Mexico. They just know the route. In the spring, those same offspring will return to the southern United States and deposit their eggs on milkweed there.
LUCILLE (Laughs.): Butterflies sure like milkweed!
GRANDMOTHER: Milkweed leaves are the only food monarch larvae eat, but adults sip nectar from many different plants.
LUCILLE: Oh boy. I have sooo much to learn!
GRANDMOTHER: I still feel exactly that same way! (Pause. They gaze at an adult monarch sipping nectar from a giant hyssop.) Some people in Mexico believe that monarchs are the returning spirits of relatives who have died.
LUCILLE (Gasps.): Seriously? (Stares at the monarch with even keener, and newly pained, fascination.) You think Mom’s spirit might be a butterfly?
GRANDMOTHER (Nods.): I hope so. I always thought she was much like a butterfly — gentle, resilient, smart…
LUCILLE: And graceful. (Wipes tears from cheeks. Exhales deeply. Smiles.) So. Kenzy and I are registered for hip hop, ballet and modern dance. She asked me to thank you for talking me into it.
GRANDMOTHER: I don’t recall talking you into anything. I merely presented an outside view of a situation.
LUCILLE: You were right. They love me and thought, I mean they THINK I am an amazing dancer. (Smiles.)
GRANDMOTHER: Good. Are you nervous?
LUCILLE: Yes, but I’m trying to hope for the best and let go of the rest. I can’t wait to teach Dad everything I learned this summer.
GRANDMOTHER (Laughs.): It has been such a pleasure.
(From offstage left, the sound of a car pulling up and being turned off. A car door opens and a dog barks.)
LUCILLE: Dad and Twinkles are here!
GRANDMOTHER: Go say hello. Show them around. We can all have dinner on the patio in twenty minutes.
(GRANDMOTHER and LUCILLE exchange a quiet look. TWINKLES bounds onstage, hops onto LUCILLE’S lap and kisses her face.)
LUCILLE (Hugs the dog.): Twinkles, I’ve missed you so much! Let’s race to Dad!
(TWINKLES jumps off her lap. They race offstage. Lights fade. End of play.)
RRCC 