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Play Forest Drums II
The Tree Shakes Itself
Tree - That was a refreshing shower. Now I have some life in me. But what have we here? Humans! (calls out Humans, Humans The trees murmur: )` Humans`, Hey what are you doing here?
Jani - (creeping out) Please sir. We are lost.
Tree - Lost indeed. I don’t believe you. In these days of mobile phones nobody gets lost.
Ramu - I never thought of it. I can use my phone (looks in hispocket) That is strange. I can’t find my phone.
Nitin - Silly! You don’t have one. The scout master said no phones while camping. Learn to rough it out.
Ramu Oh!
Tree - I bet you have come to cut us down.
Sheela - No sir we would never think of it.
Tree - That’s all you humans do. Destroy the vegetation God puts on the earth. You cut down trees, kill the animals, trap butterflies and pluck fruits.
(Nitin looks guilty. Holds net behind him)
Sheela - Sir, we do have parks and gardens.
Tree - Ha. Ha. A few plants where the earth was covered with them. Go away from here.
Ramu - I wish we could, but we are lost.
Tree - So what will you do? Stay here and eat us up!
Jani - (crying) No. No. We will never do that.
Tree - I believe you mean it. So go back.
Jani - I want to go home.
Nitin - We can’t we are lost. Ramu, you brought us here.
Ramu - I did not know this would happen.
Jani - I want to go home.
Sheela - You can’t. So you might as well make the best of it.
Tree - What brought you here?
Nitin- We came camping with our schoolmates.
Tree - Nobody camps here. We are surrounded by marsh.
Nitin - Ramu said there was a butterfly park.
Sheela - With butterflies as big as my hand.
Jani - Butterflies of every colour.
Tree - (Laughs) Some one has been fooling you. There’s nosuch thing. Didn’t your teachers tell you so.In any case they don`t come out when they see boys with butterfly nets.
Nitin -I will never catch them again. I promise. I used to kill them with spirit, and keep them in my sample book. It was so wrong of me.I feel ashamed of myself. Then perhaps they may come out for you.
Enter Butterflies.........
The wicked boys, treat us like toys, stuff us with pinsThey paste us down,and break our wings.Shame, shame shame.
Nitin - Never again.[Goes on his knees.]Forgive me.
Exit Butterflies.....
............ to be continued..
Return from Play Forest Drums II to Part I
