PLAY #31

THE GOOD PAPERS TOURING

TROUPE PRESENTS THE LEGEND OF
TOM AND THE TICKING LICK
Written by
Joseph Frost

Draft
8/31/17

written as part of the 2017 31 Plays in 31 Days challenge

FrostJosephD@gmail.com
Member, Dramatists Guild of America
 A wagon stage with a brightly colored background.

Through the curtain comes the BARKER.

BARKER
Ladies and gentlemen, children young and young at heart. We welcome you all to the Good
Papers Touring Troupe, and our wonderful telling of tales tall and long. Tonight we have
for you a special little parable. The Legend of Tom and the Ticking Lick. We recommend
that you prepare your constitution for a fable of fright and fear, a myth of mirth and
murder, a saga of salacious exploits. In towns across the land, we have seen ladies swoon,
children cower and grown men quail at quest of our hero. But rest assured, gentlemen and
ladies, that though it be fearful, our story will conclude with justice served, the innocent
free, the guilty punished.

The barker makes a flourish. Perhaps some simple

fireworks or flash powder.

Through the curtain come a Father and Mother.

FATHER
Once there was a Father.

MOTHER
And there was a mother.

FATHER
Who from a small town.

MOTHER
In one place or another.

FATHER
Who brought forth a child.

MOTHER
And also its brother.

FATHER
They couldnt feed both.

MOTHER
So one they would smother.
 2.

FATHER
They couldnt decide.

MOTHER
On which theyd ruther.

Through the side of the curtain comes an EVIL MAN.

EVIL MAN
A man so evil came by their home and agreed to take care of their needs. He took the boys
brother and disappeared deep into the forest.

Evil Man goes to the far side of the stage.

Father and mother cradle the child they have.

FATHER
Relieved they were, so far.

MOTHER
But soon they missed the other.

Father and Mother pursue the Evil Man.

EVIL MAN
The Evil Man would not relinquish his new son, and fought the parents. The Evil Man
tricked the parents with a distracting sound. A tick tick tick that they thought might be
someone frightful, and they turned to see. And the Evil Man then killed them, with a lick
from his poisoned tongue.

Parents turn. Evil Man kills them by licking them.

Barker enters carrying a sun and moon, rotating them like

a clock.

BARKER
Many days passed. Years.

A young man, TOM comes from behind the curtain.

TOM
And the abandoned child grew into a young man named Tom.

Another young man, MAT enters with the Evil Man.

 3.

MAT
And the boys brother grew by the teachings of the Evil man into a young man named Mat.

TOM
Tom heard the stories of what happened to his family. The loss of his family and that his
brother was taken into the forest by the Evil Man.

MAT
The Evil Man told Mat that Tom and Toms parents had hated Mat, that they threw him in a
lake, where the Evil Man had rescued, nursed, and healed him.

TOM
Tom went into the forest, looking for his brother.

MAT
Mat never when anywhere, hoping that he would never be cursed enough to see that family
whod hated him so.

TOM
Tom approached the lake.

MAT
Where Mat was fishing.

TOM
Tom looked in the reflecting water.

MAT
Mat looked in the reflecting water.

Tom and Mat see each other. They Mirror each other for a
moment.

EVIL MAN
Until the evil man came looking for them and saw what was happening.

MAT
The evil man warned mat that the reflection was trying to kill him.

TOM
Just as Tom reached out to embrace Mat.

MAT
Mat thought the reflection was trying to strangle him. So Mat stabbed the reflection.

Mat stabs Tom.

 4.

TOM
And Tom, wounded, fell into the lake, to bleed and drown. But not before he called Mat,
brother.

Mat turns to the Evil Man.

MAT
Mat asked the Evil Man if the reflection was his brother.

EVIL MAN
The evil man, being evil, lied to Mat, and said he was not.

MAT
Mat did not believe him.

EVIL MAN
The evil man came closer to Mat, pretending to comfort him.

MAT
But Mat could hear a ticking sound.

EVIL MAN
The evil man approached Mat, prepared to give him a poisoned lick.

MAT
Mat, looking at the reflection in the water, saw the Evil man behind him.
(beat)
Mat took his knife, and stabbed behind him.

Mat stabs the evil man.

EVIL MAN
And the evil man died.

MAT
Mat, having lost his brother and his father, could take no more. Looking at his reflection,
he walked into the lake to retrieve his brother. And he drowned.

Mat walks into the lake. Which is a blue curtain.

The stage is empty.

Boos can be heard.

The Barker returns.

 5.

BARKER
Thank you gentleladies and men, for your attention. If you could kindly bring to the front
the fee for this performance...

A tomato barely misses him.

BARKER (CONTD)
Thank you. Thank you. We will be on our way.

Barker exits.

More fruit and vegetables are thrown.

More boos.

Lights down.

End.