MOTHER MOUSE AND HER BRATS

                                    — play version

           

CHARACTERS: (6) 

NARRATOR

                                    MOTHER MOUSE

                                    4 MICE CHILDREN

 

 

NARRATOR  Seven little mice were playing behind the wall when their mother   found them.  

MOTHER           Come, children. It is time now for some lessons.

 

NARRATOR    She looked very stern, her brow furrowed as she lined them up.

 

MOUSE #1       Oh, do we have to?

 

NARRATOR    Several of them complained.

 

MOUSE #2       We aren't finished playing yet.

 

NARRATOR    They giggled and jumped on each other and bit each other's  tails.

 

MOTHER    Children, children! It's time to learn how to avoid the cat who lives out there!

 

NARRATOR    Said their mother.

 

MOTHER         It is very important that you learn this.

 

MOUSE #1       I'll just bet!

 

NARRATOR    They did not seem to want to pay attention.

 

MOTHER         That cat is very dangerous.

 

MOUSE #3       Oh, you aren't going to lecture us, for heaven's sake?

 

NARRATOR    Said Molly Mouse, rolling her eyes.

 

MOUSE #4      Yeah, that's so boring!

 

NARRATOR    Agreed Manny Mouse. Mother Mouse twitched her whiskers.
                         “Do you know what happened to the last litter around here?"she ssnapped.       

 

MOUSE #1      Oh, you're just saying that to scare us!

 

NARRATOR   Said Morris Mouse, punching one of his brothers. (He does.)

 

MOTHER         I just want to point out some precautions you must take when you go out looking for food.

 

NARRATOR    Mother Mouse was getting very irritated. But the mice children
                         would not listen. They stuck out their tongues and made faces
                         behind their paws.

 

MOUSE #2      Our mother is so serious. She's no fun at all! Just because she's
                         afraid of an old cat, whatever that is, there's no reason we have  to be!

 

MOTHER         It won't take very long.

 

NARRATOR    Promised Mother Mouse as she began her instructions on how her children should behave. But the children began to nod off. (They do.) Alas, their attention span just wasn't what it should have been.

 

MOTHER         Are you listening to me, children?

 

NARRATOR    But no one was.

 

MOTHER         Children! Children, wake up! What's wrong with you? Don't you realize what could happen to you?

 

NARRATOR    Their mother pleaded with them.

 

MOTHER         I want to warn you about the cat who lives on the other side of the wall!

 

NARRATOR    Molly Mouse opened one drooping eyelid.

 

MOUSE #3     Can't you make the lessons fun? That way we might stay awake.

 

MOTHER        I'm telling you something very important about your future. There's nothing fun about it.

 

MOUSE #1     Can't we make paper cut-outs of Mickey Mouse?

 

MOUSE #2     Or paint our faces like clowns?

 

MOUSE #3     Or maybe sit in a circle and give our opinions about what catness
                        means to each of us?”

 

NARRATOR   The suggestions were many, and it took the whole lesson for
                         Mother Mouse to answer them all. But still the mice children  would not sit still and listen. They insisted on doing paper cut-outs and painting their faces and giving their opinions even though not one of them had ever seen a cat.

 

MOUSE #4      That was fun, getting her to argue with us.

 

NARRATOR    Said the mice children when the ‘lesson' was over.

 

MOUSE #3      Let's do it again next time she tries to tell us about that dumb old
                         whatever on the other side of the wall.

 

NARRATOR    But there was to be no next lesson.

 

MICE CHILDREN (as one, snottily)    And why's that?

 

NARRATOR     Because when they went out for food for the very first time, the
                          dumb old whatever ate every one of the seven mice children.
                          Every single one!

 

            (The MICE CHILDREN all scream.)

 

NARRATOR    And for the cat what FUN that was!

 

            (MOTHER MOUSE grabs her head sadly.)

 

 

                                  Blackout