Puppet Play/Dung Babies

OLD MAN AND THE DUNG BABIES
written by: Frances Pauli
Creative Commons copyright. Use freely with credit to the original author.


Cast:
Narrator
Mother of All Things
Spirit of East
Spirit of South
Spirit of West
Spirit of North
Ol Man Coyote
Birds that fly
Animals that crawl
Fish that swim
Plant that grow
Dung Babies


Scene I.
 Narrator: Long ago, the Mother of all things, who sculpted the ether to make the great spirits of East, South, West, and North, ……
{Ol Man Coyote pops up….}
Coyote: Hey!
Narrator: oh, and Coyote…
Coyote: hrmph. {pops away}
Narrator: anyway…. The Mother of all things had just made something NEW…she called it Earth  and she was very very excited about it…
{Enter Mother of all things…}
Mother: I am very very excited…. Children!!! All my children come to me…
{enter Spirits followed by Coyote}
Children, come here, Ive something very wonderful to show you…..
All Spirits: What is it, what is it?
Coyote:(sulking) Hrmph.
Mother: This is the Earth….{planet floats up in background} Isn't it beautiful?
East: Beautiful!
South: Amazing!
West: So Lovely!
North: How Grand it is!
Coyote: What the hell is it?
{spirits turn to him in disgust.}
Mother: excellent question!! It’s a “planet”
Coyote: Ahhhh. (unimpressed) You don’t know what it is either.
Mother: Never mind that…It’s a planet and that’s what it is…practically perfect.
Coyote: Practically?
Mother: Exactly my dears…. Nearly perfect, you see… It needs “Life”
All Spirits: Ahhhhhhh
Coyote: hrmph.
Mother: Now’s where you all come in. I have a wonderful task for you! I will give you each, one element from which to make Life, for my beautiful planet.
A.	Spirits: {excited chatter}
B.	Coyote: yaaaawwwwn.

Mother: come now, children, come see me and I’ll assign you an element.
Coyote {to audience} Assign??? Sounds like work to me…..I've got better things to do with my time….{exits}
{SPIRITS gather around mother chattering}
end of scene

Scene II.
(Spirit of East is busily working away on birds that fly)
enter Coyote
East: Oh, my lovelies,…there there, just a touch more feathers…
Coyote: (to audience) Look at my ridiculous sister. Work, work, work…. What she needs is a good tickle!!!(coyote raises his tail and goes to tickle East)
East: OHHHHH Coyote, you worm!!! (swings at him)
Coyote: Lighten up, luv.
East: I am WORKING. And you should be too, if you know what's good for you.
Coyote: What are you making?
East: Like I’d tell you…you’d just steal my idea.
Coyote (aside) She’s on to me!
Coyote: Meee? Steal? Come now.
East: Mother gave me the element of Air. That’s all you need to know.
(she tries to block him from seeing her work) What did she give you????
Coyote: I got something WAY better than dumb ol air. Hrmph.
He leaves.
End scene.

Scene III
Spirit of South is working away on animals that crawl.
Enter Coyote.
Coyote: (to audience) Look at my stupid brother! Work, work, work…what he needs is a good tickle!!!
(he raises tail and moves to tickle South)
South: AAArrgg Coyote! You varmit!
Coyote: Go easy man.
South: I haven't time for your pranks today! Im working, and you should be too!
Coyote: What are you making?
South: Like I’d tell you!You’d surely copy!
Coyote: (aside) Am I transparent?!
Coyote: Meeee? Copy? Not possible.
South: Mother gave me the element of Fire!!!That’s all you need to know. (blocks his work from Coyote) What did she give you????
Coyote: Ha! She gave me something way grander than boring old fire. Hrmph.
He leaves
End scene.

Scene IV
(Spirit of West is working on fish that swim)
enter Coyote
West: Ooooo, there there there, what a pretty bunch!
Coyote: ( to audience) Look at me feeble sister! Work, work, work. What she needs is a good tickle!!!(raises his tail and goes to tickle West)
West: AAAHHHHH  Coyote, you fiend!
Coyote: not I.
West: cant you see that I am working? Why aren't you?
Coyote: I came to see what you’re making, don’t you need help?
West: Help? Ha. You’re after my design!
Coyote: (aside) how true!
Coyote: Meee? You injure me .
West: Mother gave me the element of Water. That is all you need to know. What did she give you???
Coyote:Water schmater… I'm working with something really good. Hrmph.
He leaves
End scene.

Scene V
Spirit of North is working on plants that grow…
Enter Coyote
Coyote: (to audience) Do you see? My dimwit Brother. Work, work, work. What he needs is a good tickle!!!(raises tail and makes to tickle North)
North: GRRRRR  Coyote!!!!! You wretch!
Coyote: such names!
North: go away! I'm working.
Coyote: and what are you working on?
North: Not so fast rascal…you won't get my idea.
Coyote: (they know me too well)
Coyote: Meee? Rascal. How so?
North: Mother gave me the element of Earth. That is all you need to know. Which element did she give you???
Coyote: Pooh on earth…wait till you see what I got!
He leaves.
End scene.

Scene VI
Coyote walks on stage thinking…
Coyote: All these busy beavers…. They think they’re better than me! I’ll go get something wonderful from Mother! I’ll make the best life yet.(Mother enters) Hey, there she is.
Mother: (shaking her head) Coyote, coyote, where have you been?
Coyote: Looking for you. I'm ready to wo- wo- wo-
Mother: work?
Coyote: (nods) what do I get???(rubbing his hands together)
Mother: there's nothing much left dear.
Coyote: what? How?
Mother: I've given away Air, Fire, Water and Earth….
Coyote: (perks up,) Spirit’s left, I get spirit!! (aside) the best of all of them!!!
Mother: (shaking head again) I used spirit to make you all, My children.
Coyote: do I get nothing?
Mother: there is one thing…. But.
Coyote: Let me have it!! I’ll make the best life yet!
Mother: Coyote…all that is left is Excrement.
Coyote: HOWLS…. Nooo! How can I make the best life from sh-
Mother: shhhhhh.
Coyote: dung.
Mother: you are a clever thing. Do what you do best.
(exit mother)
Coyote: DUNG… this is my lot in life.
{Mother slides a pile of dung onto stage,  and leaves. Coyote turns to see it}
Coyote: argh. What a stench. Touches it with a finger and sniffs it, ) Baaaaa, phew.
This stinks! This is all my brothers' and sisters' fault. They took all the good elements. I’ll show them! I’ll make dung babies of Them!!!!(he turns to the pile and begins to work….Carefully)
End scene

Scene VII
Mother stands on a dais, the four spirits are there with their creations veiled under cloth. Coyote enters late, dragging a bundle.
Mother: Good. We’re all here. Now we get to see all the wonderful life you’ve made for my planet.!!
(East comes forward)
East: Mother, you have given me the element of Air, and I give you…..the Birds that fly!(removes veil to show birds)
Other Spirits: OOOOOO
Coyote: pah!
Mother: What beautiful creatures!!! Let them fill the skies at once!
(birds fly off to earth)
(South comes forward)
South: Mother, you have given me the element of Fire, and I give you,…the Animals that crawl!!!(removes his veil form animals)
Other Spirits: Ahhhhhh
Coyote: boo!
Mother: What amazing creatures!!! Let them roam the planet!
(animals crawl off to earth)
(west comes forward)
West: Mother, you have given me the element of Water, and I give you…the fish that swim!!!(removes cover from fish)
Others: Ohhhhhhhh
Coyote: eh.
Mother: What fanciful creatures!! Let them fill the oceans at once!
(fish swim off the Earth)
(North comes forward)
North: Mother, you have give me the element of Earth, and I give you….the plants that grow!!!(removes cover from plants)
Others: MMMMMM
Coyote: Bah.
Mother: What unusual life-forms! Let them grow on all the land!
(plants exit for earth.)
(spirits begin to chatter amongst themselves, complimenting one another)
Mother: Wait. Wait. We still have Coyote’s life to see.
All Spirits: (whispering)
Mother: Silence. Give him a turn.
Coyote: (comes forward….) All I got was a bunch of sh-
All on stage: shhhhhhhh
Coyote: dung. And This is what I made. (removes cover to reveal dung babies)
East: …they stink.
Coyote:I made them in your image…
South: they’re foul.
Coyote: like looking in a mirror eh?
West: They’re ugly
Coyote: takes one to know one
North: they’re not alive!!!
(coyote pokes at the babies)
Coyote: I didn’t have time to make 'em 'live yet.
North: you mean you don’t know how..
Spirits: (laughing at him)
(coyote becomes dejected)
Mother: Quiet, quiet right now!!! (silence follows) Coyote, what did I tell you to do?
Coyote: use the sh-
All on set: shhhhh
Coyote: dung?
Mother: No, I told you to do what you do best…
Coyote: (thinking for a moment , gets an idea…runs to dung babies and tickles them)
Dung babies: (come to life) Laughing
Coyote: hoooowl….look at 'em, I did it. And they don’t stink no more neither.!!
Spirits: whats that noise they’re making?
Mother: “laughter.”
Spirits: ooooooo
Coyote: yeah, “laughter.” Ha.
Mother: Coyote, you have made humans. They are the finest of all creatures because they have laughter.(coyote puffs up) But remember this, if they ever forget how to laugh…they will only be excrement.
Coyote: I’ll keep 'em laughing!!(tickles humans with his tail)
Narrator: And so Coyote made people…he was very proud and loved them with all his heart, for he had made them from the lowliest material, and they were deemed the best. (at least in his mind) He sent them to earth, but he never stopped watching them, and always afraid that they would stop laughing and return to dung, he never failed to tickle them at every opportunity.

The end.