Golás A One-Act Guignol Play

 

Golas

A One-Act Play

CHARACTERS:

 * GOLÁS: A small, bright being with a stalk, wings, and five eyes.

 * ROSE 1: A proud, gossipy rose.

 * ROSE 2: Rose 1's equally gossipy friend.

 * FERN: A nervous, easily started fern.

 * MR. PINE: An arrogant, know-it-all pine tree.

 * GABRIEL: A young, curious, and sensitive boy.

(The scene is a garden. We see a rose bush, a large fern, and a huge pine tree in the background dominating the landscape. In the center, a small green stalk protrudes from the earth. Golás, with his five curious eyes, looks around as his wings flutter gently.)

SCENE 1

(ROSE 1 and ROSE 2 enter. ROSE 1 leans towards her friend in a gossipy gesture.)

ROSE 1

(Whispering)

Did you see that? It's got a stalk, but it's flapping its wings. The cheek of it!

ROSE 2

(Nodding)

I know! And it looks nothing like anything that's ever grown here.

(The FERN shivers, its leaves trembling.)

FERN

It gives me the jitters. What if it's one of those carnivorous plants that eats you without asking?

(MR. PINE, with a deep voice that creaks like old wood, clears his throat to get everyone's attention.)

MR. PINE

(Arrogantly)

Hush now! It's obvious what we have here. It's a "flying-pest plant." A very dangerous invasive species. It's probably feeding on the sap of respectable flowers and scaring decent ferns.

(Golás shrinks back, his wings stop fluttering for a moment.)

MR. PINE

(Looking at Golás)

You there, you odd little thing. Have you nothing to say for yourself?

(Everyone falls silent, waiting. Golás spreads his wings, which emits a soft hum. When he speaks, his voice is delicate, like the rustle of leaves.)

GOLAS

I'm not a plant. I'm a flying insect. And soon, I'm going to leave here to see the world beyond this fence.

(There's a moment of silence and confusion. Mr. Pine, unable to process this new information, feigns a massive yawn.)

MR. PINE

Oh, what a bore. I'm off to sleep.

(He actually falls asleep. The roses and the fern, catching their sleepiness, lower their heads and fall into a deep slumber.)

SCENE 2

(Night falls. A creak announces the opening of a house door. Gabriel, the youngest in the family, enters the scene with a torch and a glass jar.)

GABRIEL

(To himself)

"The worst homework ever," I thought. "Catching insects for science class."

(He searches under some stones, but only finds woodlice and a stray worm. Disappointed, he turns off the torch and sits on the grass. Suddenly, he turns it on again, and the beam of light falls on Golás.)

GABRIEL

(Whispering, in awe)

Wow! A flower that looks like a butterfly? Or a butterfly with a stalk? This is a proper find!

(With an impulsive decision, he pulls Golás from the earth and puts him in the jar. Golás, in a panic, hits the glass with his fragile wings.)

GABRIEL

(He holds the jar to his ear. His blood runs cold as he hears a desperate, high-pitched little voice.)

GOLAS

(From inside the jar)

I... can't breathe... my wings...

(Gabriel's heart leaps. With trembling hands, he takes the lid off. Golás flies out, but his flight is clumsy and weak. He takes a couple of erratic spins in the air and falls gently onto a rose leaf, shivering, exhausted. Gabriel watches him, confused. His eyes fall on the small, broken end of Golás's stalk. A child's clear logic fills his mind.)

GABRIEL

(His voice barely a whisper)

You had a stalk... you were planted... and I pulled you up.

(With a surgeon's care, Gabriel takes Golás. He finds an empty pot on the porch, fills it with damp soil, and replants the strange creature. He gives it a few drops of water from his mum's watering can. Golás stops shivering. He adjusts his wings and looks at Gabriel with his five bright little eyes. The boy feels a wave of gratitude rush through him.)

(Gabriel takes the pot and carries it to his bedroom window. The scene is illuminated by the soft moonlight. Gabriel and Golás look at each other like new friends sharing an incredible secret. They look at each other, knowing they will soon have to say goodbye, but with the certainty that they will never forget each other.)

(CURTAIN)

Version 2

Golas

Characters:

 * GOLAS: A half-plant, half-insect creature. Curious, optimistic, with a voice that sounds like leaves.

 * DON PINO: An old and conceited pine tree, the voice of "reason" in the garden. His voice is deep and crisp.

 * ROSE and DAISY: Two gossipy and dramatic flowers.

 * FERN: A nervous and fearful fern.

 * GABRIEL: A boy of about 8 years old, curious and sensitive.

 * Worm: A clueless worm with a voracious appetite. (Voiceover or puppet)

 * Woodlice: A chorus of woodlice that speaks in a soft, monotonous voice.

ACT I

SCENE 1: THE AWAKENING OF THE GARDEN

(The curtain opens to reveal a vibrant garden. The sun illuminates the plants. In the center, a small green stem. It's Golas. A rose and a daisy move gracefully.)

ROSE: (Stretches lazily) Oh, how tiring to be beautiful! The sun's rays are so strong that I'm sure my petals will wrinkle.

MARGARITA: (Nodding) And the wind messes up my hair. Can you imagine? Messed up. How awful. At least I'm not like that fern, always trembling like I'm seeing ghosts.

(The Fern trembles noticeably.)

FERN: Ghosts?! Don't remind me! What if the land is haunted? What if it's the spirit of a lily that didn't bloom in the spring?

ROSA: (Rolling her eyes) Oh, please. The only ghost here is the lack of common sense. Speaking of which, did you see what sprouted over there?

(They point to Golas, who blinks his five little black eyes and flaps his tiny wings.)

MARGARITA: Oh no! It's a strange thing! It has a stem, but it moves. How indecent! It seems to have been born without an instruction manual.

(Golás looks at them, confused.)

FERN: What if it's one of those carnivorous plants that you eat without asking? They say they suck your sap until you're like a dry twig.

ROSA: It scares me, but it intrigues me. It looks like it has wings. Maybe it's a fly that swallowed a seed and got stuck in the soil.

(Don Pino, the tallest and most majestic tree in the garden, clears his throat. His voice is deep and crackling like bark.)

DON PINO: Silence! The scandal is in bad taste. It's obvious what we have here. It's a "flying pest plant." A very dangerous invasive species. It probably feeds on the sap of noble flowers and scares away decent ferns. A disaster!

(Golás flinches, feeling a knot in his stem.)

DON PINO: (Clears his throat and looks at Golás with disdain) Hey, you strange thing. Don't you have anything to say in your defense?

(Everyone remains silent, waiting. Golás, nervous, spreads her wings. They emit a soft buzzing sound.)

GOLAS: (His voice sounds like the rustling of leaves, sweet but firm) I am not a pest. I am a flying insect. And very soon, when my wings are strong, I will leave here to see the world beyond this gate. My destiny is not the earth, but the sky.

(A bewildered silence falls. Don Pino can't process the idea of an insect growing from a seed. It's illogical. Unacceptable.)

DON PINO: (Faking a huge yawn to hide his confusion) Oh, how boring! All this stuff about winged plants and destinations is a fairy tale. Too much imagination. I'm going to sleep.

(And, to his surprise and that of the entire garden, Don Pino actually falls asleep. A deep "wooden snore" resounds. Fern, Daisy, and Rose also fall asleep, infected by the stillness.)

SCENE 2: GOLAS'S MONOLOGUE

(The daylight fades, giving way to a soft moonlight. Golas, now alone, gazes at the starry sky. Her wings vibrate with longing.)

GOLAS: (Speaking to himself, his voice soft and melancholy) They say an insect is an insect and a plant is a plant. That the earth is my home. But I know better. I feel the breeze on my wings and on my stem. I dream of the wind lifting me up, of clouds that look like cotton candy, and of the moon telling me stories. I'd like to see what the world looks like from above. If humans are as small as beetles. If flowers look like colored dots. Down here, I feel bound, judged, a mistake of nature. But I know my leafy heart and silken wings have one purpose: to fly. And soon, very soon, my stem will fall away, and I will be free. And at last, it will be just me. Golas. Not plant, not insect. Me.

ACT II

SCENE 1: GABRIEL'S MISSION

(The light fades to black, only a ray of moonlight illuminates the scene. The front door creaks open. Gabriel, a boy with a flashlight, tiptoes past. His school bag and science notebook are visible.)

GABRIEL: (To himself, whispering) All right, Gabriel. Mission: Catch bugs for science class. "Observe, catalog, draw." The teacher says bugs are fascinating. To me, they look like... well, bugs. Mom says if I find a worm, I'm to put it back in the ground. Dad says not to step on the woodlice. Why does everything in this garden have so many rules?

(He crouches down and looks under a rock. A chorus of soft, monotonous voices is heard.)

MEALYBUGS: (In the voice of a children's choir singing at mass) Here we are. Here. Eleven. Twelve mealybugs... Rolling in the dark... Eating dry leaves... Don't tread on us! Don't tread on us!

GABRIEL: (Moves away from the stone, a bit nervous) Okay, okay. Not the woodlice. I don't want an army of pill bugs screaming at me.

(A worm puppet or voice-over sounds from the ground.)

Earthworm: (In a distracted voice) What about me? Do I count as an insect? Mmm, no. I'm a worm. A glorious worm! Or am I? I'm hungry. Is there some dirt around here?

GABRIEL: (Scratches his head) Hmm, the teacher didn't say anything about worms. And I don't think it's an insect. I'd rather not risk it.

(He sits down on the grass, turning off the flashlight in frustration. He snaps it on and the light falls on Golas. Gabriel gasps.)

GABRIEL: (Whispering, amazed) Wow! A flower that looks like a butterfly! Or a butterfly with a stem? Now that's a class find! The teacher won't believe it!

(Gabriel approaches Golas. Golas stirs, its wings emitting a faint buzzing sound. Gabriel cautiously reaches out to touch it, but Golas's stem accidentally snaps off with a soft click, and the creature falls into his palm. The stem has broken. Golas huddles together, weak and frightened.)

GABRIEL: (In the voice of a child who has broken something precious) Oh, no! I broke it! I... I didn't mean to...

(Golas gently writes in Gabriel's hand. The boy, who has very keen hearing, hears a sound that chills him. A tiny, high-pitched voice, so small that only he can hear it.)

GOLAS: (In a tiny, almost inaudible voice) My stem... my home... It broke...

GABRIEL: (Looking at her with wide eyes) I hear you... I broke you...

(Gabriel freezes. Instead of putting it in a jar, he just stands there, holding it carefully. His sensitive, childlike logic immediately kicks in.)

GABRIEL: (Speaking more to himself than to Golas) The connection has been broken. Life... life comes from the earth. My grandmother's plant withered because it had no roots. You are a... a thing... that needed the stem to grow. And I took it from you.

(Golás, exhausted and trembling, snuggles deeper into his hand.)

GABRIEL: No. I can't leave you here. You need your land. Your... your home.

(Gabriel gets up. He looks around and sees an empty flowerpot on the porch. He runs to it, fills it with damp soil, and carefully returns. Golás, in his hand, seems to begin to fade, its bright green turning dull.)

GABRIEL: No, don't go! Hold on!

(With the care of a surgeon, Gabriel places Golás in the soil of the pot, burying the base of his broken stem. He sprinkles a few drops of water on him with his mother's watering can.)

GABRIEL: All right. Now you're home again.

(Golás stops trembling. The bright green of his body reappears. He adjusts his wings and looks at Gabriel with his five little eyes, which shine with a special light. He doesn't say anything, but the boy feels a wave of gratitude, a warmth that runs through him.)

SCENE 2: THE SHARED SECRET

(Gabriel takes the pot with Golás and carries it to his bedroom window. The moon illuminates the scene. They look at each other, sharing a secret. It is a moment of deep connection.)

GABRIEL: I know the teacher wanted me to draw you in my science notebook. But... I think you're more than a drawing. You're... a friend.

(Golás gently flaps his wings in agreement. A monologue of the garden gossips is heard from outside.)

ROSA: (In a dramatic whisper) Did you see that? The boy took the flying thing.

MARGARITA: Oh, I'm sure she'll put him in a jar. Like everyone else. And she'll leave him without air.

FERN: No air?! Oh no! How awful! A botanical murder! Oh, how scary!

DON PINO: (Hoarse voice, from his sleep) He's a "flying pest-plant." He deserves it. Zzzzz...

(Gabriel smiles as he listens to the murmurs from the window. He approaches Golas.)

GABRIEL: Don't listen to them. They don't know anything. No one knows that you're... my secret. And soon, you'll be ready to fly. And I... I'll be ready to watch you go.

(Gabriel sits on the ground, the moon shining on them. Golas looks out the window, his wings vibrating with new energy. The ending is a picture of hope, of a friendship that blossomed from compassion. And although the end of Golas's story is flight, the beginning of his friendship with Gabriel is a treasure for both of them.)

(The lights slowly go out.)

CURTAIN