Fables of Milk Shake Spirit
Tales 2 Play
To the Editor of Children Books (and for the child within you!):
Until three hundred years ago, poetry, rhyme, songs, music, dance and theatre
were interrelated and lived together for the sake of all. Ballet was first
created to entertain during intermezzos, where there was an interval between
scenes.With my plays I wish to enhance the relationship between children
and parents while touching the imagination of the little ones through nursery
rhymes and fairy tales. Being a Ballet instructor and giving Creative Movement
classes I enchant child-parent's world with magical fairy tale dances and cherished
ballet stories that I created with much love and care.
My Picture Books:
The “Fables of Milk Shake’s Spirit” is a collection of nine plays ( or rather
a play within nine plays) made in rhyme and it has versions in English, Spanish,
Portuguese and French. They are also formatted as coloring books and are
somewhat based on the tales of William Shakespeare.
“The Wrong Fables of Milk Shake’s Spear” is a collection of nine stories
(coloring books), for children to correct some minor errors of Grammar, misspelling,
so that they can learn from mistakes too.
“Fairies of the Four Seasons” is also a play and it has illustrations in
each and every page created to stage small productions for (or by) kids.
In all my plays children can participate in the story by filling the blank
space and choosing new words while learning their meanings, and also tapping
into the idea of phonetics and rhythm from which the world of rhymes has
come. Children’s books (and plays) usually have everything ready (and read)
and children don’t have to think and play with the book.
My goal when I write and create drawings for children is to make them interact
with my plays, rather than only watch or listen, to make it playful, creative
and interactive.
Hope you enjoy reading and playing with them as much as I enjoyed creating.
Ana Antunes
The Theme of the Shy
(A play with 2,221 words)
List of characters:
Precious
The King
The King’s Counselor
The Servants
Princes
Mr. Gardner (the gardener)
A Rose
The Narrator (Milk Shake’s Spirit)
Time in which the play is set:
16tth Century
Description of the setting:
A Kingdom of Flowers
SCENE I
(In a chamber with a bed made of silky petals of roses
A Princess rests and she feels safe; or she supposes)
(THE NARRATOR)
Once upon a time there lived a princess
With such a rare beauty and sumptuous attitude
That she kept herself at a distance
And she was named Precious (or rather Solitude).
Everybody who looked at her for instance
Stayed in a state of ecstasy for hours,
Because of her beauty and grace,
Although she became quite sour…
They were so happy to see such a magnificent being
That they would stop what they were doing
Just to stare at her and appreciate her beauty.
She was indeed so endearing!
They would do anything just to try
To get into the palace and look at her one day.
But Precious was so shy
That she was always reclusive or running away.
Her charm could put a spell on everyone,
But everyone was worried about her doom.
Because Precious didn't live for her kingdom
And she would rather stay in her room.
For years and years, away from anyone's sight.
She spent most of her time enclosed in her cave.
And it was there where she stayed without the light
So miserable and small for even more years to save.
The king was very concerned about her daughter.
He tried to make her happy in spite of her behavior.
He couldn't understand what happened to her.
As always he tried to treat her as her savior.
Wouldn't be a natural thing for a young girl
So full of dreams and with so much innocence
To be dancing around and singing with her curls
Instead of being shut on her own silence?
Days, months and years went by…
And he was so worried that once he asked her,
If she was never going to give it a try.
Then she would cry even harder.
(THE KING)
"What's wrong? Why do you look so sad?
With all that beauty you should be thrilled!
Did somebody make you something bad?
I'll order him immediately to be killed!"
(THE NARRATOR)
And she cried more and more each day.
Precious continued to live very sadly.
She avoided everyone and cried anyway,
And everyone wanted to help her badly.
If in each drop of her tears
An ocean of pearls was formed,
No more poverty they would fear,
So much she cried and mourned.
SCENE II
(At his bedroom the king doesn’t rest.
He plans and into her future he tries to invest):
(THE NARRATOR)
She was even avoiding her own father.
And she kept herself inside her home.
She continued to stay all her days further
From people and ended up living alone.
The king prepared her a future to choose.
Because she was missing her life
And what a precious thing to loose!
He would find a prince for her to be a wife.
But what mostly mattered for the king was the worry
That he was getting old and he needed a successor,
And Precious would have no intention to marry.
She refused to choose a prince or even a warrior.
He had insomnia thinking over her sorrow.
He couldn’t stop thinking about tomorrow…
He asked his counselor to give him advice.
(THE COUNSELOR)
"I think all that your daughter needs is love!”
(THE NARRATOR)
The man was wise.
(THE COUNSELOR)
“People look at her in fact as the Goddess above.
All that she wants is to be loved like a human being”
(THE KING)
"What do you mean? I give her love that is a fact!"
(THE NARRATOR)
Said the father who forgot his life as the king.
(THE COUNSELOR)
“But she needs to be treated not as a rare artifact.
She is so used to people admiring her,
And that is what makes her feel so bad…
She has lost her interest in her own life.
Of course she cannot be glad:
She thinks that she is just a pretty princess!
And that she has nothing else to give to the throne.
If you tell her to get married and have a child
To give a successor to your kingdom she will prone
To get more excited and perhaps even get mild."
(THE KING)
"You might be right, my dear counselor.
Call all the maids to clean our home
And make a great banquet, a big feast for
All the princes of the neighborhood will come.
If I plan a banquet her eyes will beam
And she will get interested with someone there.
...And she could find the prince of your dreams!”
(THE NARRATOR)
Said the king full of hope but almost in despair…
SCENE III
(At the princess’ chamber)
(THE KING)
"A valiant, brave, loyal, strong, faithful, awesome,
I am so euphoric to tell you about your prince…
He will be courageous...happy and handsome!
I already said that but I want to put it mince.
A very happy man, to make my Precious happy too.
A man full of energy and resignation would do!"
(THE NARRATOR)
When Precious heard what he intentioned
To match her with a prince, she fainted.
She was shocked before he even mentioned
A child, and a deep dream she painted.
SCENE IV
(In a garden full of roses)
It was a rare dream. Everything looked very real.
Although very animated, it was very strange.
Everything was very vivid and it appealed
To Precious as she floated like an angel.
She dreamed that she was a little rose,
With vivid velvet leaves gleaming.
Each leaf was firmly closed in a punch posed
Over her petals, blocking her blossoming.
She was wilting and almost gone.
She would ever get her "peak bloom"
One more breath and she would be done
If she continued this way until her final doom.
(THE GARDENER)
"I'm going to prune this small flower.
She is damaging the beauty of this entire place.
She cannot live till the next shower."
(THE NARRATOR)
Said a gardener with a frown in his face.
(THE ROSE)
"Oh, it's not fair! I AM a neat lady
“You scary gardeners have no right!
Just because I'm so ugly and I am fading,
It doesn't mean I have no heart to get an insight."
(Mr. Gardner, with a scissor in his hand):
"You are not ugly. You just have these thorns,
And they keep hurting you.
If they insist on staying inside like horns,
You won’t live long, would you?
You are a vibrant and beautiful flower
And you are brand new too.
You've got refreshed leaves but you are sour.
You just don't know how to handle your own youth."
(THE ROSE)
"Am I not beautiful?
Can’t you be a little pitiful?”
(THE GARDENER)
"Of course you are, with no doubts.
But you are not growing and I have to cut you out."
(THE ROSE)
"What do you mean? That I've no heart?
You are really tearing me apart.”
(Mr. GARDNER)
"You don't know the value of what you have inside,
That is your love and your precious life."
(THE ROSE)
"Oh, I don't want to die!..."
(THE NARRATOR)
Poor little rose, she was crying in desperate tears,
Inundating the whole garden, with all her fears
And making a mud of the earth beneath...
She was scared to death!
(THE ROSE)
"What can I do? Please, please, help me here!"
(THE NARRATOR)
And that was all that the gardener needed to hear.
Finally, she calmed down and asked to the gardener
What she could do to allow him to help her.
(Mr. GARDNER)
"Take off the thorn that is inside your leaves
That hurts you deeply and badly, and I'll let you live."
(THE NARRATOR)
He was ready to part
As she sighed for a while.
(THE ROSE)
"Young gardener, how do you know about my heart?"
(THE NARRATOR)
She said with a little smile.
(Mr. GARDNER)
"Don't you cry and mourn your fate?"
(THE NARRATOR)
He asked to her, caressing her leaves.
(Mr. GARDNER)
"So you manifest your pain and hate
For this life of yours and you grieve.
So you have feelings, and that means
You’ve got a heart and you are not mean.
You have a very strong heart seed.
But it still keeps a sharp thorn.
Although small that you can hardly see,
It still makes your heart blind and you mourn.
You were not listening anyhow."
(THE ROSE)
"I'm listening now."
(Mr. GARDNER)
"And it was hurting not only you, such a pity,
But everyone who loves you and admire your beauty."
(THE ROSE)
"Oh, I see now!"
(Mr. GARDNER)
"Those who admire you like what you transpire.
Why not offer them all the love that you inspire?"
(THE ROSE)
"Please, help me take this dreadful thorn
That was inside my heart, since I was born!"
(Mr. GARDNER)
"Are you thankful for your beauty?
You know, you are very pretty!”
(THE ROSE)
"No, people just come and smell me
And contemplate my beauty from outside.
They surround me with attention like bees.
But that just nourishes my own pride."
(Mr. GARDNER)
“Did you once open up your leaf?
Did you once allow them to love you?
And do you remember feeling a relief
Or did you just keep feeling blue?”
(THE NARRATOR)
Rose was speechless. It was so true!
She had never made any effort to show
Her beauty within, to anyone she knew.
But she was willing to change somehow.
Now she wanted to show her fragrance,
So that they could all feel her essence.
And the gardener was ready to go back home:
(Mr. GARDNER)
"One more question before I leave and make sure
You are going to blossom for the next time I come:
Are you thankful at all for the life you endure?"
(THE ROSE)
"No!"
(THE NARRATOR)
Answered the unhappy flower, looking down
(THE ROSE)
"If my destiny is to fall…
Life has no meaning, no reason to be found,
Why should I be thankful for that at all?”
(Mr. GARDNER)
"Why do you want to suffer like that?
You selfish flower, you refuse your own life.
You are not happy because you lost your faith.
Have faith and be always thankful for your life.
If you are willing to take this track,
I can give your life back."
(THE ROSE)
"Who are you to make such a presumption over me?
Poor me! What am I going to be?"
(THE GARDENER)
"You will know when the time will come."
(THE NARRATOR)
And he turned his back and left her alone.
At the Princess’s chamber
At a sunny day in that summer:
Precious woke up completely delighted
And perplexed about that dream she had.
For several months she would remember excited
Of talking with the gardener and she was glad.
SCENE V
(There is a banquet inside one of the Palace’s room
Set by a big table surrounded by designed grooms)
(THE NARRATOR)
The king invited all the princes to meet her daughter.
They all were enchanted about her charm
And her rare beauty. They all wanted to marry her.
They not only asked for her hand, but her arm!
But Precious was so sad
That she ran away from the Palace.
She was feeling really bad…
Princes and kings, she could not face!
BACK TO SCENE IV
Then she stopped when she saw a beautiful beam.
It was a rose and it looked very familiar to her.
It looked exactly like the rose she saw in her dream.
She approached the garden that looked like the other.
Suddenly a man came into her direction.
She hid herself behind a tree.
Being a gardener seemed to be his profession
As he was so used to the stings of the bees.
She thought about going back home.
But he looked so gracious and handsome…
And when he was about to cut the rose out,
Precious got out of her hiding place to shout:
(PRECIOUS)
"No! What are you doing?
The beauty of this place you are about to ruin…”
(THE NARRATOR)
The man was surprised by her reaction,
But pointed very calmly at her direction:
(Mr. GARDNER)
"I'm cutting this rose to put it on
The most beautiful woman I've ever known."
(PRECIOUS)
"No, you are taking the life out of this little rose.
Don't do that, it will fade away and die. I suppose."
(THE NARRATOR)
Mr. Gardner was astonished. He laughed.
(Mr. GARDNER)
"So you give so much value to that life?”
(THE NARRATOR)
She was embarrassed.He had such power!
(Mr. GARDNER)
“You are worried about a simple flower?"
(PRECIOUS)
"Of course I do. Life is Precious!
Roses deserve to live, even the most fictitious.”
(THE NARRATOR)
Precious stopped to look at him for a while.
Then she remembered her dream of some months ago.
She cried with joy and she offered him a big smile.
(PRECIOUS)
“I love everything so!
Thank you for bringing back to me
The love I have for all. I'm happy and free!"
(Mr. GARDNER)
"So go and show everybody your tenderness
And the love you have inside with happiness!”
(THE NARRATOR)
Precious ran as fast as she could.
She was dancing and singing in exaltation,
All the way down between the woods.
Everybody noticed her transformation.
Then she married the man, who gave life back to her,
Who cut her thorns and her sorrows.
It was the Palace’s gardener, Mr. Gardner
Who rescued the light from the hollow.
(THE NARRATOR)
The end of this play.
But I have much to say.
There is more on display.
Read another, don't delay!
Books and Articles based upon play-on-words, image-in-action, article-^l^-action and "divin-actions" exercises for your mind, body and soul!
Copyright © 2005 Ana Bowlova Ink. All rights reserved.
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