(THERESA wakes up in an extravagate forest. There are strangely colored leaves and trees. In the distance are many castles, with distinctive shapes. They seem familiar to her. She is confused.)
THERESA
(Rising from the floor, rubbing her eyes)
Where am I? (She looks around) This place looks amazing! Oh my goodness that looks like Cinderella’s castle and over there, is that Emerald City? Am I dreaming?
(A purple and pink striped cat runs past her feet from stage left)
I’m in my own fairy tale. (Smiling with her hand around the other holding them just under her chin.)
ALICE
(Running after the cat)
Wait! Come back! What did you mean earlier? (Stopping at stage right throwing her arms up) Now I’ll never get an answer.
DOROTHY
(Entering from stage left, walking over to
Alice)
Alice, were you able to get him? What did he say?
ALICE
No, he got away, again. I’m sorry Dorothy. Maybe Toto will show up on his own, he’s a dog right? We don’t need a stupid cats help.
DOROTHY
I surely hope so. Auntie Em sure wouldn’t like that I lost Toto. I mean, that’s if I ever see her again.
(THERESA can be seen listening to the conversation, standing behind ALICE and DOROTHY)
ALICE
I’m sure we’ll find a way somehow…at least you haven’t been here as long as I have.
DOROTHY
You’re right. But at least you haven’t been here as long as Romeo has. He must be ancient.
(They both laugh. THERESA laughs too. They turn around shocked at the sight of another person.)
ALICE
Who are you? Where are you from?
DOROTHY
Have you seen my dog? He’s a small terrier.
THERESA
My name is Theresa and no I haven’t seen your dog.
ALICE
You still didn’t tell me where you’re from.
THERESA
I’m fro-
(Enter Romeo. He is walking slowly with his head hanging down.)
ALICE
Romeo look who it is. (She points at THERESA)
ROMEO
Be it my fair Juliet? Oh, how I have missed thee. (He rushes to THERESA and kisses her hand.)
ALICE
No Romeo, this is Theresa. She isn’t from around here.
ROMEO
(Romeo drops her hand and bows humbly.)
What’s in a name? Though I do apologize my fair lady. I have grown anxious at the thought of never seeing my Juliet ever again. The last time I lay my eyes upon her rapturous smile was that night on her balcony. The next thing I remember, I was here. It must’ve been those Capulets, those fiends.
DOROTHY
You always blame them Romeo, she could be in this place you know, it is rather vast.
ROMEO
I suppose you are right. I hardly speak of anything but her. Uttering her name must be a pest to your ears.
THERESA
I thought you died Romeo…at the end of the play you drank a poison.
ROMEO
I beg your pardon young lady. As you could plainly see I am pure flesh and blood. No poison has ever touched these lips. And what is this play that you speak of?
THERESA
It’s called Romeo and Juliet. It’s very good, but some of the words are hard to understand. They all sound like riddles to me. And Dorothy, you’re supposed to be home with your family. You had some weird dream that you were in a place called Oz.
ROMEO DOROTHY
Someone made a play about my life? But I am in Oz.
THERESA
But this has to be Wonderland, I mean Alice is here, and the cat.
ALICE
You have no idea where you are, do you? This isn’t Wonderland or Oz. This is Non-Fiction. Wonderland is to the north and Oz is even further.
THERESA
What do you mean? You can’t be real, you’re made up, stories.
ALICE
I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, because I'm not myself you see.
DOROTHY
Stories can be written after real life events. We’re all real. Well, we used to be anyway.
THERESA
I don’t understand. (She paces from stage left to stage right) You can’t be real. None of this can be real. Real cats don’t have purple stripes. You are all fictional characters. Imaginary.
ROMEO
Tis true. Yet we speak the truth. I once lived in love of my Juliet. Now I live in this world of magic and amazement.
THERESA
I’m still not following, what happened?
ALICE
Maybe if you told us exactly how you got here we can help you out. What do you remember before coming here?
THERESA
(She sits on an overgrown mushroom)
I’m not sure…I remember my mother yelling at me. She told me to get out of the house more often. She always yells at me for no reason.
ROMEO
(Kneeling next to THERESA)
Do go on my dear.
THERESA
After that I slammed my bedroom door and cried on my pillow. I noticed an old book on my shelf that I’d never seen before. I started reading it; at least I was doing something else like she wanted.
DOROTHY
Do you remember what that book was?
THERESA
Um…I think it was called-
(Enter LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD and ROBIN HOOD from stage right)
ROBIN HOOD
I’m not going to let you shoot anymore. You could’ve killed someone.
LITTLE RED
Oh come on Robbie, I completely missed. How could I kill someone if I can’t even hittem? Just let me do it one more time. Please?
DOROTHY
Oh no, what happened now?
ROBIN HOOD
(Marching up to DOROTHY)
That monster nearly killed me. (points to LITTLE RED) She asked me if she could try my bow and arrow. I figured why not, there’s nobody else around, who could she possibly hurt? Me! That’s who.
LITTLE RED
I’m just a kid what do you expect from me? (She stands innocently, almost in tears)
ROBIN HOOD
Don’t even start Red. I’m not falling for your crocodile tears, who do I look like, Captain Hook? I’m not buying into your lies.
LITTLE RED
Fine! You’re such a loser anyway.
ROBIN HOOD
Where does this intolerable hatred for me come from?
ALICE
(Holds her hands up to both sides.)
That is enough bickering you two. We have company.
ROBIN HOOD
(Notices THERESA, removes his cap and apologizes)
Welcome Madam / I am Robin Hood. / Quiet you brat.
LITTLE RED
Hi! / What’s your name? / You be quiet loser.
THERESA
Uh…hi, my name is Theresa.
LITTLE RED
(Walks over to THERESA leans into her, face to face)
My, what a big nose you have.
ROBIN HOOD THERESA
(Smacks LITTLE RED on the head) (Covers her nose)
Knock it off, rude. Thank you?
ROMEO
O, that I were a handkerchief upon that nose.
ALICE
Quiet! Theresa was explaining what she did before she got here.
(To THERESA)
Go on.
THERESA
(Rises)
The title of the book was, Great Stories of Fiction. The cover seemed quite old, but the pages looked brand new. Some were even blank. Like the story would start but then all of a sudden it stopped. What do you make of it?
DOROTHY
It sounds unbelievable, to me. Why would somebody write a book without finishing the stories?
ROMEO
Whose tales lie unfinished in such a tome?
THERESA
What did ask?
ROBIN HOOD
He meant to ask, what stories were in your book.
THERESA
Oh. There were a lot. Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Puss in Boots, Peter Pan, Moby Dick, Oliver Twist…Oh no!
DOROTHY
What is it?
THERESA
All of your stories were in the book too. Romeo and Juliet, The Wizard of Oz.
ROBIN HOOD
Whoa, did I miss something? What do you mean our stories?
ALICE
She told us that where she comes from, all of us are just story book characters.
ROBIN HOOD
That’s absurd. I am perfectly alive and well.
ROMEO
As I told her my fellow.
LITTLE RED
Were our stories blank too?
(THERESA holds her hands to mouth and nods)
Maybe they’re blank because we’re here. Maybe they can’t be finished.
ROBIN HOOD
Shut up Red, that’s a stupid assumption.
DOROTHY
Don’t yell at her, it sounds like a reasonable explanation. I just don’t know how it happened. We all feel real but if we are just characters in a story then why would the book have blanks?
ROMEO
Perhaps our stories are truth. Our own lives as told by mystifying authors. How they have become acquainted with us I do not know. We are immortalised within in her book yet we have no ending.
THERESA
This is all too confusing for me…I want to go home. I’m scared now. I thought this place would be an escape for me but you have been here for hundreds of years. You’ve never been able to leave; I don’t think I’ll be able to either.
(THERESA walks to the edge of the stage. ALICE follows. The rest stay behind and talk with each other)
ALICE
(Places her hand on THERESA’s back)
You remind me a lot of myself. When I went through Wonderland I had no idea what was happening, I received no answers either. I met the rest of them and they’ve become my family. We look out for each other. You can be a part of our family.
THERESA
I don’t know who I am anymore. I thought I was just a regular girl; one that fights with her mom and hangs out with friends. Now I have no home or family. I want to see my mother again; I want to tell her I’m sorry.
(The rest of the characters join them)
DOROTHY
We were talking and might have thought of something. Since Theresa says that we’re all storybook characters, what if she is one as well?
THERESA
That can’t be possible. I’m a real person. I feel real. I have memories. I can do whatever I want.
ROMEO
I have memories as well of where I once lived and why I once lived.
THERESA
If I’m my own story then how did I know about all of you? What about the blanks?
ROBIN HOOD
Maybe in your story, you already know ours and those blanks have filled in because you finished them.
LITTLE RED
(Mocking ROBIN HOOD)
Shut up Robbie, that’s a stupid a stumption.
THERESA
You really think I could be a character?
(They all nod)
Then…what do I do?
ALICE
This will be your new home, until we can find out for sure. Don’t worry we’ll take care of you.
DOROTHY
There’s no place like home, I’m glad you’ll stay.
THERESA
I don’t think I have any choice.
ROMEO
Parting is such sweet sorrow; I am delighted at your stay.
LITTLE RED
(Hugs THERESA, almost knocking her over)
Yay! New friend to have fun with.
ROBIN HOOD
Red! (Pulls her off) Maybe this means you can watch after her. Thank you so much, you have no idea what this means to me. (Hugs her, almost knocking her over again)
(A dog barks)
DOROTHY
Toto! You came back! (She scoops the dog in her arms and cuddles it)
ALICE
See, didn’t I tell you he’d come back? Isn’t this a wonderful happy ending?
THERESA
Thanks everyone. (She walks over to stage right to be alone) Not all stories have happy endings.
Curtain.
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