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JACKIE AND THE CHILESTALK
By
D. M. Larson
Copyright © 2005
All Rights Reserved*
*
TIME and PLACE Long ago in a little
pueblo outside Old Albuquerque CAST OF CHARACTERS VIEJO: An old man who tells the story of Jackie and the
Chilestalk JACKIE: A young girl who loves Chiles MAMA: Jackie’s mother COW: A cow named Vacita that is sold to VIEJO (this actor
has no lines but needs to have good expressions) GIANT: Not really a giant but really tall. (actor can
either be a tall kid or adult – guitar playing skills helpful but
recording can be used) JACK: A bratty boy who stole the GOOSE who lays golden
eggs. GOOSE: Lays golden eggs and only says “honk” SCENE 1 (The background is a southwest
nature scene with red mesas and blue sky in the background. This can either
be painted nice or like something out of a Road Runner cartoon) VIEJO In a dry and dusty pueblo, there lived a little girl named
Jackie who loved chiles. JACKIE (Carries
her basket of chiles) The hotter the better. VIEJO She couldn't resist the smell of roasted chile. She loved
harvest time because she new the roasting time was near. JACKIE Mama, Mama. I picked some chiles. Can we roast them now? MAMA Is that all we have? JACKIE I'm afraid so. MAMA It's been a bad year for all the crops. There’s not much
of anything. (COW
wanders in and looks around for food) JACKIE No beans? MAMA No beans. JACKIE No carrots? MAMA No carrots. JACKIE No peas? MAMA No peas. JACKIE Good. I hate peas. MAMA Just a few chiles. JACKIE That's all I like anyway. MAMA But this will only be enough for one stew. What will we do
after that? JACKIE We could eat the cow. (COW
stops and looks scared. Starts to sneak out) MAMA No… (COW
stops and sighs with relief) We'll sell her instead) (COW
looks upset and starts to sneak out again) Come here, Vacita. (COW
shakes her head no) JACKIE (Grabs
COW) Where do I take her? MAMA To the old man on in the village. JACKIE The crazy old man? MAMA He's not crazy. Just a little loco. JACKIE Loco means crazy, Mama. MAMA Just get going and get something good for the cow. JACKIE Let's go Vacita. (COW
moos in protest. MAMA exits) VIEJO And that's when Jackie appeared at my door. (VIEJO
can roll in a door or stand ready) JACKIE Get over here, Vacita. (Pulls
COW to VIEJO and knocks) VIEJO Hola, hija. How can I help you? JACKIE Senor, we have no food except for a few chiles. We must
sell our cow. VIEJO I will buy your cow. (Takes
COW and scratches behind her ear and she's happy) JACKIE Thank you, senor. VIEJO I have something you'll enjoy. Chiles. (Hands
JACKIE a shiny cloth bag made of a magical looking material) JACKIE Chiles? But we already have chiles. VIEJO But these are magic chiles. JACKIE Magic chiles? VIEJO They will give you more wonderful things than you can ever
imagine. JACKIE I can imagine some pretty good things. VIEJO Take them to your mother and all will be good again on your
rancho. JACKIE Thank you. Good-bye, Vacita. (COW
sticks her tongue out at JACKIE) VIEJO Jackie ran excitedly back to her Mama to tell her the news
of the magic chiles. JACKIE Mama, Mama. Look at what I got! MAMA A little bag? I hope that's not it. JACKIE No, inside are magic chiles. (Pulls
out chiles) MAMA Magic chiles? JACKIE The old man said they would make our dreams come true. MAMA Dreams won't feed us, Jackie. I can't believe the crazy
old bandito would do this to us! (Takes
chiles) JACKIE Mama, no! (MAMA
tosses chiles to DR stage) MAMA Go to your room and don't come out until I get back from the
old man’s. JACKIE What are you going to do? MAMA I'm going to get our cow back. (Exits) JACKIE Oh, Mama. I'm so sorry. (JACKIE
cries and curls up on the floor) VIEJO But I did not lie to the little girl. Those chiles were
magic and while Jackie slept, a most amazing thing happened! (Lights fade and magic Spanish music
is heard. Moonlight hits DR and then a rumble sound and a chilestalk rises to
from the ground. NOTE: You can stage this in a variety of ways. Have a rope
from the ceiling that pulls up the chilestalk or have a drawing on the
background that is uncovered from the bottom up. The sound wakes JACKIE) VIEJO When Jackie wakes, she sees a most amazing thing. A giant
chilestalk. JACKIE (She
rises) Is that... it's a... giant chilestalk! (She
jumps up and down excited) Those chiles are magic! Magic! Magic! Magic! VIEJO Told you so. JACKIE (Looks
up) It's so tall. I bet I can see Albuquerque from up there. VIEJO Climb up and see. JACKIE I think I will. VIEJO You won't be sorry. (Magical Spanish music again. JACKIE climbs the chilestalk. NOTE: This can be done with a hidden ladder behind the chilestalk or JACKIE
can exit behind the scenery of the chilestalk. Lights fade to black. Scene
change to GIANT's home. The entrance to the home can be rolled in or the
background can be changed) JACKIE (Gets
off chilestalk) Where am I? Is this Albuquerque? VIEJO No, this wasn't Albuquerque. Jackie had arrived at a
giant's casa in the clouds. JACKIE That's a big door. I wonder who lives here? GIANT (Off.
Big booming voice) Ay yi di me! Is it a flea? Coming to visit me? JACKIE (Scared) Who is that? It sounds like a giant. (Hides) GIANT (Enters.
He is just really tall. Opens door) What can it be? What's this I see? A beanstalk at my
door. But what is it for? JACKIE Actually it's a chilestalk. GIANT Who are you? And what's that do? JACKIE That's a magic chilestalk that brought me here. GIANT Chile? Chile? That's so silly. JACKIE Hey, are you the giant that scared everyone away from our
pueblo? GIANT Yes, but I didn't mean to. I went down looking for
something to do. It gets so lonely up here. No one else lives near. One
day there was this big beanstalk and wanted to stay around the clock. But
some boy has stole my goose and he said I was a monster on the loose. I've
been alone ever since. Because a monster that makes people wince. JACKIE You're no monster. And I know which boy you're talking
about. Jack. GIANT Jack. Yes, Jack. That's the one who attacked. JACKIE Well, I think we need to pay Jack a visit. GIANT But he scares me. One sight of him and I flee. JACKIE Don’t worry. You wait here. I'll go get that Jack and
we'll get all your stuff back. GIANT Oh, thank you, but it won't do. My family stole that
guitar and goose too. JACKIE Well, two wrongs don't make a right. Fine, we won't steal
it back but Jack needs to learn a lesson. GIANT Wait, there's still a magic guitar. He hasn't come and
taken that so far. (GIANT
goes to get it) JACKIE A magic guitar? (Spanish
guitar music is heard as GIANT enters) Cool. What does it do? GIANT It can make people do whatever you want too. And it will
do any song for you. JACKIE So why not tell it to bring your goose back? GIANT I guess I could. I didn't know if it would. JACKIE Why wouldn't it? GIANT It can't do anything to make people unhappy. It will only
make happiness. JACKIE I see. So even if it makes you happy, it will make Jack
sad. But Jack doesn't deserve to be happy. GIANT The guitar doesn't care. It still won't think it's fair. JACKIE So the trick is to keep Jack happy and get the goose. (Gets
an idea) Ha! I got it. Play the guitar. Tell it to bring Jack
and the goose here. GIANT This I will try to do. I hope it will play for you. (Spanish
guitar music starts to play) It looks like it is playing. It likes what you're saying. JACKIE Come Jack! Come goose. We have a little something for
you. JACK (Appears
at the top of the chilestalk) I heard the most beautiful music and I had to see where it
was coming from. And then I saw this beanstalk... JACKIE Chilestalk. JACK Whatever. (GOOSE
appears at the top of the stalk) What are you doing here? I told you to stay home. GOOSE Honk. (Drops
a golden egg) JACK See, you're leaving eggs all over the place now. JACKIE (Picks
up a golden egg) Wow, is this really gold? JACK Yeap. I've got a million of them. JACKIE Neat. (GOOSE
runs up to GIANT who pats her head) JACK (Takes egg) Hands off. That's mine. JACKIE But you said you have million of them. JACK So? You can never have too much gold. JACKIE Can't you share? (Spanish
guitar music) JACK Well, maybe this one. (Hands
it over to JACKIE) Dang, why did I do that? GIANT It's the guitar playing. It can change what you're saying. JACK Oh, look. It's the little giant. Miss your goose? GIANT I miss her so much. JACKIE Looks like she misses you too. JACK Well you can't have her back. (JACK
grabs GOOSE) GOOSE Honk. JACKIE But you stole her. JACK And his family stole her before I did. It doesn't belong
to them either. JACKIE He's got a point. But that doesn't make what you did
right. We should give the goose back to her owner. JACK And who would that be? GIANT I don't know who it be. My family never told me. JACK Finders keepers. JACKIE You didn't find her. You stole her. (MAMA
climbs to top of chilestalk with VIEJO) VIEJO Here they are. MAMA Jackie! JACKIE Mama! (Runs
to her) I'm so sorry about the chiles. MAMA No, I'm sorry for being mad. These chiles were magic. VIEJO No one ever believes me. JACK Hey, you're that old guy who sold me those beans. I suppose
you'll want a cut of my profits. GOOSE Honk. (Lays
an egg) JACK (Picks
up egg and tosses it to VIEJO) Here. Keep the change. VIEJO Too bad you aren't this nice to everyone. JACK It's my goose now so I get all the eggs. MAMA Is that you, Goosie? JACKIE Goosie? MAMA (Goes
up and hugs GOOSE) It is you! JACK This is your goose? JACKIE When did you have a goose, Mama? MAMA When I was a little girl, the old man sold my family a
goose. It was a magic goose that... GOOSE Honk! (Lays
an egg) MAMA (Holds
up egg) ...laid golden eggs! VIEJO Told you so. MAMA But then a giant came and took it. GIANT It was not me. It was Uncle Smee. He was really bad.
Sorry it made you mad. MAMA I never thought I'd see her again. JACKIE Looks like we found the owner. JACK (Runs
to chilestalk) Fine. Keep your goose but you'll never get to enjoy it.
Because I'm climbing down and cutting this stalk down and trapping you here
forever. JACKIE The guitar. Stop him! GIANT It won't play I'm afraid to say. JACK But if you give me the goose, then I won't cut it down. MAMA What a horrible little boy you are. JACK But I'm a horribly rich little boy… (Holds
out hand) Come little Goose. “With our combined strength, we can end
this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy.” (Starts
breathing heavily like Darth Vader and then coughs) What’s wrong? JACK A little asthma. Sorry about that. (Mad) Now, get over here Goose or I'll destroy them all. GOOSE (Scared) Honk. JACK Come with me. It's your destiny! MAMA Please, goosie. Stay with me. We might be trapped here
but I'll take care of you again. JACK I take care of her... sometimes. GOOSE (Shakes
her head no) Honk. JACK Fine. Stay here. I have enough gold to last a lifetime. (Go
toward chilestalk. Coughs and sneezes and moves away) Oh, man. I think I'm allergic to chiles. (Goes
near chilestalk again and sneezes. Moves away) JACKIE Looks like you're stuck here. JACK Got any allergy medicine? GIANT No, I don't have much to help you. Wait, maybe there's
something I can do. (GUITAR
plays and JACK's sneezing stops) VIEJO The magic guitar can make it all better. JACK It's great allergy medicine... (Yawns) Dang... allergy medicine always makes me sleepy. (Sits
down and falls asleep) JACKIE We did it. The goose is free. MAMA Would you like to come home with us? GOOSE (Happy) Honk. JACKIE Is that okay? GIANT Of course that's what you should do. My family stole it
from you. JACKIE Thank you. MAMA Let's go home, goosie. (GOOSE
and MAMA go down chilestalk) JACKIE It's so nice to see Mama happy again. GIANT And now I can see what will make my family happy. JACKIE What's that? GIANT JACKIE What will they do to him? They won't hurt him will they? GIANT When he was here before, he not only broke our door but made
messes on our floor and damaged the décor. He will stay for a few days. He
has some time he needs to repay. JACKIE And hopefully learn something in the process. VIEJO And he won't be too happy when he gets home either. JACKIE Why not? VIEJO There's nothing worse than rotten golden eggs. The boy
never learned that the golden eggs are only good when fresh. The gold is only
good if it is shared. If anyone keeps it too long, it rots. JACKIE Poor Jack. VIEJO I feel worse for his neighbors. JACKIE I guess it's time to go home. And it will be a much
happier one this time. VIEJO Just remember to share those eggs. JACKIE I will. (Gives
an egg to the GIANT. They hug) Good-bye my friend. I'm so glad I found those magic
chiles. VIEJO Me too. Down the chilestalk with you. GIANT Come Jack into my home and I'll get the family on the phone. (GIANT
drags JACK into the casa and exits) VIEJO And so Jack cleaned and cleaned until the Casa in the Clouds
was as good as before he came and stole the goose. The giant family then returned
him home where he had another mess to clean up. And Jackie and her Mama found
new happiness with the Goose and the golden eggs and that happiness spread
through the pueblo as eggs were shared with all. I’m glad I gave Jackie
those magic chiles. After Jack and the beans, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to
try that again. But this time the magic found a girl who had a good heart.
Perhaps I will try again. Anyone like to trade for some magic broccoli? END OF PLAY
JACKIE
A little talk with the boy of the stalk.
The script may be printed and copied for free. There is no charge to use the play.
1. All programs, posters, etc. should have the author's name (D. M. Larson) and something that tells about the Freedrama.net website such as "Produced by special arrangement with www.freedrama.net". When you complete the production, it would be appreciated if you would mail a copy of the program to D. M. Larson, c/o Carol Steele, 21950 County Road 445, Bovey, MN 55709.
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NOTE: The play may not be reproduced, redistributed or republished in any form without written permission from the author.
Thank you for selecting my script. Have fun and enjoy the play.
Sincerely,
D. M. Larson
