Widecombe

HOUND TOR

Written by pupils at Widecombe Primary School working with MED Theatre (2004)

LIZZIE

MARTHA

RUTH

THOMAS

ALICE

KIERAN

SIMON

SARAH

JULIA

ALISON

TAMSIN

MESSENGER/FIGURE

NARRATOR

 

Scene 1: The Village

NARRATOR:   The year is 1349, the place Hound Tor Village. Children are going about their daily work.

In Alison, Kate, Simon, Tamsin, Sarah and Julia

SARAH:                  It’s our turn to pasture the goats and sheep today!

Kate is skipping

SIMON:                Kate, give her a go. Alison stop begging, Sarah cut out the complaining. Would you rather be carrying water?

SIMON:                 Cut it out.

They ignore him

TAMSIN:         Listen to Simon.

SARAH & JULIA: Tamsin loves Simon!

SIMON:       Let’s go then. Look here are water carrying party.

Out all

In Lizzie, Martha, Ruth, Thomas carrying a water jug

LIZZIE:              Ouch, this dry grass is really prickly. (Tiptoeing)

MARTHA:      Hurry up, Lizzie.

RUTH:            We’ll be lucky to get a drop of water soon, since no clouds have crossed the sky for weeks, let alone grey ones.

MARTHA:      The spring never gives up.

THOMAS:      Rain! I felt it, really I did.

Holds out his hands

MARTHA:      That’s the eleventh time you’ve said that today.

RUTH:     Your turn to carry the bucket, Lizzie.

LIZZIE:             Why me,. I always have to.

MARTHA:     Stop complaining, I did it yesterday.

Out all

Scene 2: The Tor

In Alice and Kieran

ALICE: It’s beautiful – summer I mean.

KIERAN: Yes, the heather is nice.

ALICE: It looks lovely at night when there’s a full moon, Kieran.

KIERAN: Yeah, really beautiful.

ALICE: Yeah.

KIERAN: Alice… I really like spending time with you. Not that I fancy you, but…

ALICE: Yeah, some kids are so stupid. ‘Cause girls can be best mates with boys too.

They sit in silence

KIERAN:    It’s not fair.

ALICE:        (Surprised) What?

KIERAN:     One of my pigeons is ill, she’s my best. I called her Alice.

ALICE:       (Blushing) I’m learning healing; maybe soon I’ll be able to cure her.

A Figure glides across behind

ALICE:       (Jumps up suddenly) Who’s that?

KIERAN:    (Starts) Where?

ALICE: There, on the rocks.

In Julia, Sarah, Alison, Kate and Simon

JULIA: Hey, lovebirds, you seen our goats?

ALICE & KIERAN: Shut up!

ALICE: And no, we haven’t seen your goats.

ALISON & KATE: That is so annoying.

SIMON: Shut up, Alison You are getting on my nerves.

JULIA:         (Calling off) Tamsin, keep up.

In Tamsin 

TAMSIN:    (Giggling) Here, goaty, goaty, goaty!

SIMON:      Shall I come and look with you?

KIERAN:    (Quietly) There’s a pair of lovebirds, if I ever saw one.

ALICE: Anyway, who do you think that is?

She points

Figure glides across in the distance

JULIA: Dunno. Let’s go and have a look.

Out all

Scene 3: At the spring

In Lizzie, Ruth, Matha and Thomas carrying water jugs

THOMAS:  Are we nearly there?

LIZZIE: Wait.

They see the well and rush to it.

In Messenger

MESSENGER:  There is a plague travelling through the land. The village of Ilsington is already in danger of being wiped out.

Out Messenger

THOMAS:  Oh no, what are we going to do?

LIZZIE: Let’s go and inform the adults.

MARTHA: But what if they’ve caught the plague?

RUTH: Let’s get the water and go.

LIZZIE: Forget about it, we don’t need it.!

THOMAS: Why should we always listen to you?

MARTHA:  Yeah, just let Ruth get the water.

Out all

Scene 5: The Moor

In Figure

NARRATOR: The September mist swirls around

         Settling gently on the ground.

         From the mist a figure appears.

         His eyes sunken, full of tears.

Suddenly his blood runs cold.

        His face turns from young to old.

        Herbs from his pocket are revealed.

        He wishes longingly that he could be healed.

Only the tors pierce the sky.

        Crows of death fly by.

        Still as a rock the figure stands.

        Blood dripping from his hands.

Out Figure

Scene 4: The Village

In Messenger. He falls dead

In Tamsin and Simon

SIMON: (Looking vigorously for his sheep) Where are my sheep? Where are they? (Seeing the messenger) Oh…

They bend over him

TAMSIN:    He’s dead. The plague has got him.

NARRATOR: Suddenly a mist like winter lurked over the gloomy village.

TAMSIN:  I’m scared.

In Lizzie, Martha, Ruth and Thomas clambering over the rocks to meet them.

THOMAS: We found a house full of dead adults. We were so scared we rushed here.

SIMON:         Leave the messenger under the bush,. We’ll see to him later.

In Alice and Kieran stumbling over the bracken

KIERAN: (Frightened) There is no one in the village – the adults have gone.

TAMSIN:    Maybe they have left because of the plague.

MARTHA: We shouldn’t have touched the messenger. He could have been infected

KIERAN: Let’s have a look.

He goes out to look

TAMSIN: Come on guys, enough worrying. Let’s settle down in the bracken. It will all be alright.

In Kieran. They settle for the night on the ground

NARRATOR:  Time soon passed. The morning came. Everyone woke up with an utter start.

They wake

SIMON: Everyone check themselves for bruises and any sign of the plague.

THOMAS: Let’s get going, so the plague doesn’t catch up with us.

MARTHA:   I agree, we need to find some adults.

All out

NARRATOR:  Only the crumpled bracken lay on the ground..

Scene 6: The Fair

In Sarah, Julia, Alice, Thomas.

In somewhere else a tall figure

THOMAS:  Look at the pretty colourful flags. I love fairs.

ALICE: They are not flags, they’re banners. Thomas, hold my hand. Sarah and Julia, stay near, or we’ll get lost in the crowd.

They wander among crowds

SARAH:         Fudge stall.

Sarah and Julia are dribbling

ALICE: Snap out of  it, you two. I need to get some herbs. Over there!

Walks over to where a tall figure stands behind a stall

THOMAS: (Stepping forward) Eo!

FIGURE:  Excuse me. (Looking down)

ALICE:  Sorry sir, please may I buy some lavender and chives, rosemary too.

FIGURE:  I presume these are to ward off the plague.

ALICE:   Yes.

FIGURE:  You do realise the plague is impossible to avoid.

ALICE:         (Pointing at the younger ones and handing over one penny) I would prefer you not to say that.

JULIA: Why can’t you talk to us about things any more, you’re being so secretive.

Alice sighs and puts her face in her hands. She looks back at the figure and he is gone. They all look at each other, puzzled.

Out all

Scene 7: Hound Tor Village

In Lizzie, Simon, Kieran, Alison, Martha, Ruth

LIZZIE: Here are we again.

SIMON: Yeah, back in the deserted village.

KIERAN: Uhhhhh!

MARTHA: What’s wrong with Kieran. Have you got the plague?

KIERAN:  I don’t know. Uhhh!

LIZZIE: Don’t be silly. It hasn’t come this far.

TAMSIN: Ahh! I’m starving.

RUTH: Oh, stop thinking about yourself. Kieran could die and all you’re thinking about is food.

TAMSIN: Him dying. I’m dying of starvation here. 

RUTH: What should we do?

SIMON:      I think we should get help and then come back for him.

KIERAN:    Just go.

ALISON:         Goodbye Kieran.

KIERAN: Go.

MARTHA:     Will you be alright?

TAMSIN: Come on.

Out Tamsin, Simon, Alison, Ruth, Martha

Kieran is left lying on the ground

Scene 8: Hound Tor village, the same

Sarah, Julia, Alice and Thomas come stumbling through rocky paths back to the village.

ALICE: Kieran! Why are you lying here on your own? What’s the matter?

SARAH:         Where are the others?

KIERAN:  Gone.

JULIA: Why have they abandoned you?

KIERAN:    Don’t come close. I have caught the plague. I don’t want you guys to catch it.

ALICE: We can’t just leave you here. You’re our friend.

KIERAN:    If you’re a true friend, you would leave me here.

JULIA, SARAH, THOMAS: We are your true friends. We just don’t want you to die.

It begins to rain and everyone wipes off the rain

ALICE: My herbs. They could help. I am sure that would cure the plague.

THOMAS:  If your herbs could stop the plague, then I am as rich as a king.

ALICE: Fine then. You just go. Leave us here in the rain. I’ll make Kieran better. You wait and see.

A storm breaks out
 

Figure glides across

Alice takes shelter beside Kieran