Other Rose (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} akycha) wrote,@ 2004-02-24 13:07:00 |
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Shadows on the Wall: And Castles on the Ground
[Scene: A-ko and B-ko, dressed in bathing suits with little frills around their waists and wide-brimmed sunhats, are sitting on a sandheap with buckets, shovels, cans, and shells. Gir sits nearby, apparently in a staring contest with a floating horse-toy.]
A-ko: Right-side-up or upside-down?
B-ko: Right-side-up. Definitely.
A-ko: We can give it seven towers!
B-ko: And a moat!
A-ko: [Carefully packs sand into a big bucket] And a dragon!
B-ko: [Patting a wall together] And a garden. Look, we can plant shells in it.
A-ko: [Upends the bucket and starts shaping crenelations] I want a library. And a lab.
B-ko: Okay. I want an Egyptian tomb.
[C-ko stalks onto the scene, wearing heavy boots with straps around them, long pants, a jacket with buckles dangling off it everywhere, a nightstick, a taser, and a cellphone on her belt, and a police cap. She poses with her feet well apart for a moment, then points a finger dramatically at A-ko and B-ko and raises a whistle to her mouth.]
C-ko: [Blows whistle-- it makes a sad little cheeping noise] Stop that at once!
[A-ko and B-ko look around, puzzled.]
A-ko: Why? Isn't this the beach?
B-ko: Yeah, the beach is where you're supposed to make sandcastles!
C-ko: You can't make sandcastles together! You're both girls!
[A-ko and B-ko look at one another, clearly baffled.]
B-ko: Um, we noticed that. What does that have to do with anything?
A-ko: Yeah, we've been friends forever. We make the best sandcastles together.
C-ko: Well, break it up. Go ask to play with one of those boys over there.
[A-ko and B-ko shade their eyes with their hands and peer off, stage right.]
A-ko: [Dubiously] I don't know. They look busy to me.
B-ko: Besides, their sandcastle is almost finished. Building it is the fun part.
A-ko: So, no thanks, we'll just continue with ours.
C-ko: [Voice getting higher] But I just told you you couldn't.
B-ko: [Looking at sandcastle] But it's working just fine.
A-ko: [Kindly] Why don't you go sit in the shade? Maybe take off that jacket? That uniform looks awfully hot.
C-ko: Why aren't you listening to me? You can't build a sandcastle together! Girls aren't supposed to play nicely together, they're supposed to be bitchy and mean and switch best friends at the drop of a hat and tell secrets and stab each other in the back over boyfriends! How else are you supposed to be encouraged to bond with a boy for life even if he doesn't understand you and support him even if he doesn't support you?
B-ko: Wow, I think you must have sunstroke. That didn't make any sense at all.
A-ko: Yes, there's a nice umbrella right over here--
C-ko: And boys! Boys are supposed to be competitive! They're not supposed to cooperate and like each other or be nice or have emotions for heaven's sake! That's girl stuff!
B-ko: Gir, why don't you fetch the nice policeman a soda? He's not feeling well.
Gir: Yes, sir! [Leaps to his feet and scurries off]
C-ko: You girls will make the world crumble just like your sandcastle! Who knows what will happen if girls start actually liking each other! Or boys start being nice to each other! The world order will fail! There will be no more single guardian in the tower! The tower itself might fall! Love between women could cause the revolution of the world!
A-ko: I think it--
[At the same time]B-ko: I think it--
[Simultaneous]
A-ko: is.
B-ko: will.
[Mysterious Voice]: has.
C-ko: What? What? What?
[Gir arrives, running. He skids to a stop in front of C-ko, getting sand all over "his" boots.]
Gir: Here! [He helpfully opens the can of soda for C-ko. Of course, it promptly starts to spray soda all over C-ko's face, knocking the hat off.]
A-ko: Well, at least it will cool him off.
B-ko: [Absently picks the hat up and puts it on Gir's head] Here, Gir.
Gir: I like hats! They make me mysterious!
C-ko: [Sits down abruptly and says in a high, childish tone] I don't like it.
B-ko: [Impatiently] Too late, Gir stole your hate. I mean hat. Gir, what do you have to say about sandcastles?
Gir: [Looking thoughtfully into a bucket] I would rather eat jellybeans. Sand is too crunchy.
A-ko: Jellybeans it is, Gir.
[A-ko and B-ko go back to work on their castle. C-ko sits with "his" legs sprawled, back to their project.]
Gir: [Carefully puts the bucket on C-ko's head] So you won't get sunstroke.
[Scene: A-ko and B-ko, dressed in bathing suits with little frills around their waists and wide-brimmed sunhats, are sitting on a sandheap with buckets, shovels, cans, and shells. Gir sits nearby, apparently in a staring contest with a floating horse-toy.]
A-ko: Right-side-up or upside-down?
B-ko: Right-side-up. Definitely.
A-ko: We can give it seven towers!
B-ko: And a moat!
A-ko: [Carefully packs sand into a big bucket] And a dragon!
B-ko: [Patting a wall together] And a garden. Look, we can plant shells in it.
A-ko: [Upends the bucket and starts shaping crenelations] I want a library. And a lab.
B-ko: Okay. I want an Egyptian tomb.
[C-ko stalks onto the scene, wearing heavy boots with straps around them, long pants, a jacket with buckles dangling off it everywhere, a nightstick, a taser, and a cellphone on her belt, and a police cap. She poses with her feet well apart for a moment, then points a finger dramatically at A-ko and B-ko and raises a whistle to her mouth.]
C-ko: [Blows whistle-- it makes a sad little cheeping noise] Stop that at once!
[A-ko and B-ko look around, puzzled.]
A-ko: Why? Isn't this the beach?
B-ko: Yeah, the beach is where you're supposed to make sandcastles!
C-ko: You can't make sandcastles together! You're both girls!
[A-ko and B-ko look at one another, clearly baffled.]
B-ko: Um, we noticed that. What does that have to do with anything?
A-ko: Yeah, we've been friends forever. We make the best sandcastles together.
C-ko: Well, break it up. Go ask to play with one of those boys over there.
[A-ko and B-ko shade their eyes with their hands and peer off, stage right.]
A-ko: [Dubiously] I don't know. They look busy to me.
B-ko: Besides, their sandcastle is almost finished. Building it is the fun part.
A-ko: So, no thanks, we'll just continue with ours.
C-ko: [Voice getting higher] But I just told you you couldn't.
B-ko: [Looking at sandcastle] But it's working just fine.
A-ko: [Kindly] Why don't you go sit in the shade? Maybe take off that jacket? That uniform looks awfully hot.
C-ko: Why aren't you listening to me? You can't build a sandcastle together! Girls aren't supposed to play nicely together, they're supposed to be bitchy and mean and switch best friends at the drop of a hat and tell secrets and stab each other in the back over boyfriends! How else are you supposed to be encouraged to bond with a boy for life even if he doesn't understand you and support him even if he doesn't support you?
B-ko: Wow, I think you must have sunstroke. That didn't make any sense at all.
A-ko: Yes, there's a nice umbrella right over here--
C-ko: And boys! Boys are supposed to be competitive! They're not supposed to cooperate and like each other or be nice or have emotions for heaven's sake! That's girl stuff!
B-ko: Gir, why don't you fetch the nice policeman a soda? He's not feeling well.
Gir: Yes, sir! [Leaps to his feet and scurries off]
C-ko: You girls will make the world crumble just like your sandcastle! Who knows what will happen if girls start actually liking each other! Or boys start being nice to each other! The world order will fail! There will be no more single guardian in the tower! The tower itself might fall! Love between women could cause the revolution of the world!
A-ko: I think it--
[At the same time]B-ko: I think it--
[Simultaneous]
A-ko: is.
B-ko: will.
[Mysterious Voice]: has.
C-ko: What? What? What?
[Gir arrives, running. He skids to a stop in front of C-ko, getting sand all over "his" boots.]
Gir: Here! [He helpfully opens the can of soda for C-ko. Of course, it promptly starts to spray soda all over C-ko's face, knocking the hat off.]
A-ko: Well, at least it will cool him off.
B-ko: [Absently picks the hat up and puts it on Gir's head] Here, Gir.
Gir: I like hats! They make me mysterious!
C-ko: [Sits down abruptly and says in a high, childish tone] I don't like it.
B-ko: [Impatiently] Too late, Gir stole your hate. I mean hat. Gir, what do you have to say about sandcastles?
Gir: [Looking thoughtfully into a bucket] I would rather eat jellybeans. Sand is too crunchy.
A-ko: Jellybeans it is, Gir.
[A-ko and B-ko go back to work on their castle. C-ko sits with "his" legs sprawled, back to their project.]
Gir: [Carefully puts the bucket on C-ko's head] So you won't get sunstroke.
