Gayle entertains the ladies by re-telling a favorite of her Grandma
Prompted by Fran, Gayle tells one of her grandma’s favorite fireside tales.
FADE IN
FRAN
Yeah. For sure. In fact, it seems to me that you picked up quite a bit hanging out by the fire, listening to your grandmother’s visitors.
Gayle nods as she looks around.
GAYLE
There’s something about this place…
JULIE
You must have a favorite story…
FRAN
Yeah. Your Sand Dollar cookie story was just a warm-up. Please share with us one of your favorites.
GAYLE
Okay… this one’s for Grandma. It was one of her favorites. (pause) Settle in, it’s a long one. Are you both comfortable?
JULIE & FRAN
Yes, ma’am!
GAYLE
Great! First, as we uphold this fireside storytelling tradition, do you know how it got its start?
JULIE
Your grandma opening up her house on Saturday nights?
Fran leans over and pats Julie on the back.
FRAN
Someone was listening (she says playfully).
GAYLE
My grandma didn’t invent the craft of fireside storytelling, silly. This tradition has its roots in Ireland.
JULIE
Oh? Are you Irish?
FRAN
Is your grandmother from Ireland?
GAYLE
She’s second generation… but visited the “homeland” often in her youth… She used to hang out and listen to her grandpa, Galen tell stories by the fireside.
FRAN
Galen? Are you named after him?
GAYLE
Indeed. No doubt my grandma had a hand in that.
JULIE
Interesting name–
GAYLE
Yes… his name means “small but mighty.” I have no idea how his parents knew that when he was born.
FRAN
Was he small and mighty?
GAYLE
Well under 6 feet tall. And he had amazingly vibrant blue eyes.
JULIE
I see the similarities (she winks). They all laugh.
FRAN
So “Lively one,” it’s story time!
Gayle smiles. Finishes off her tea and begins.
GAYLE
Look behind you.
They turn.
GAYLE
See those shadows on the wall?
They nod their heads.
GAYLE
Now image that you are seated in a room facing those dancing images… And that’s all you do all day long… is look at the dancing images.
(she pauses for effect) And after a while you become comfortable watching the images.
We pull back from the images to see Fran and Julie are transplanted into the story. They and others are relaxing comfortably watching the shadows.
GAYLE
…and you are so comfortable that you forget the reality of the situation…
FRAN
Reality?
They both temporarily turn from the shadows to check in with the Storyteller. And Gayle nods.
GAYLE
Yes… the reality is… feel your neck…
We now see Fran and Julie feeling the chain around their necks.
GAYLE
Yes. That is what you think it is. You are actually being held against your will… chained in so that you can’t go anywhere.
They slowly turn and look at each other and then settle back in to shadow watching.
GAYLE
Yup! Those dancing shadows have become your reality… Your MTV. You with me?
Both Julie and Fran nod their heads.
GAYLE
Now imagine that one day your captors unchain you and set you free.
We see the chains being removed from Julie’s and Fran’s neck. And then we see them continuing to sit and watch the shadows.
Their MTV.
And Julie and Fran (present day) talk to the image of themselves like folks talk to their TV.
JULIE
Go, Silly!
FRAN
Move it! Duh!
GAYLE
Don’t waste your breath. You see… there’s comfort in those shadows… comfort in the known.
FRAN
Weird… but okay.
JULIE
Not okay. But whatever…
GAYLE
Now look again. What do you see?
Present day Fran and Julie are looking at themselves when they notice one of their fellow prisoners is standing up and moving.
FRAN
Hey… that guy’s moving.
JULIE
Yeah– He looks like he’s stretching.
GAYLE
Funny you should say that– because in the context of this story, his name is Mr. Stretch. (pause) Now look at him. What’s he doing now?
They watch Mr. Stretch curiously exploring a light he sees at the ceiling near the top of the stairway. Then they see Mr. Stretch slowly climbing the stairs in an awkward fashion– like he hasn’t used his legs in a while.
JULIE
Hard to watch– he moves like the Tin Man.
FRAN
He’s got to be pretty stiff from sitting for so long.
GAYLE
You got it.
And they watch as Mr. Stretch gets about halfway up the stairs and he turns around to see if anyone is watching him.
But they all –Fran and Julie included –seem locked into the shadows. Then Mr. Stretch tries to divert their attention.
MR. STRETCH
Yo, guys! Yo, check this out!
He points to the light. We see a few heads turn in his direction, as he continues to point excitedly.
MR. STRETCH
Come on! Check it out. There’s something up there. Anyone want to join me?
The room goes silent and we see everyone settle back in to watching shadows.
JULIE
Really? No takers?
GAYLE
Not one.
We hear one ex-prisoner talk to another.
EX-PRISONER
Silly fool! There’s nothing of value there. What the heck is he doing wasting his time investigating a silly light of all things. What’s the point?
Just then, we see Mr. Stretch sit down on one of the stairs.
GAYLE
Before he reaches the top, he starts having second thoughts.
We see Mr. Stretch start to work his way down the stairs. He pauses and looks back at the light. Then he turns and rapidly starts back up the stairs. As he gets closer, we see
Mr. Stretch reaching out. And then he disappears.
FRAN
Whoa! What happened.
JULIE
Yeah… where did he go?
GAYLE
When he reached for the light, he ended up losing his balance, causing him to stumble through an opening in the wall.
FRAN
The wall? You mean, the light wasn’t on the ceiling?
GAYLE
Yeah– another illusion. The light was actually the entrance to the cave where they were being held prisoner.
FRAN & JULIE
Oh…
GAYLE
Okay, so now our Mr. Stretch is crumpled in a lump on the ground—in broad daylight. …Stop and think about that for a minute (pause)… Here’s someone who has been in a cave for an extended period of time, suddenly being out in broad daylight…
JULIE
That makes my eyes hurt.
FRAN
…and well up with tears
GAYLE
So as you both guessed, our Mr Stretch is in pain and having a hard time getting his eyes to see anything because it hurts so much to have them open.
We see Mr. Stretch kind of stumbling around and then he accidentally backs over some debris and tumbles backwards into the entrance of the cave– which causes him to holler in pain.
GAYLE
Needless to say, his voice could be heard echoing throughout the cave.
FADE OUT
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To be continued in Toll House Tales #119
[…] To be continued in Toll House Tales #118 […]