JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Marjorie Sokoloff ACTOR. There once was a blue-green mountain, very close to the sky. ACTOR. The mountain was covered. with forests and lakes and sun bursts and shadow. ACTOR. Flowers would grow on this mountain, ACTOR. Sprouting up between the stones ACTOR. Red and pink and yellow smiles from the earth. ACTOR. Through the forests and past the lakes and far beyond meadows of red and pink and yellow smiles— ACTOR. —right below the second cloud to the right, was the top of the mountain. ACTOR. The closest to the sky that most of you will ever go ACTOR. But from the sk the top of the mountain. you can peek into the town that sits on ACTOR. You can see farms ACTOR. and shops ACTOR. and schools ACTOR. and libraries and playgrounds ACTOR. and houses. ACTOR. Big houses with fancy windows and gates and seventeen doors. ACTOR. Houses with attic rooms and secret passages that lead un- derground. ACTOR. Houses with bright green doors and diamond doorknobs ACTOR. Houses built in trees and houses under water. ACTOR. Houses that stood on stilts and houses on wheels. 910 Marjorie Sokoloff ACTOR. Even mood houses that changed color according to their temperament ACTOR. But set apart from these, ACTOR. in a forgotten corner, ACTOR. behind an overgrown tree, ACTOR. under an ever-darkening cloud, ACTOR. almost ashamed of itself, was another house. ACTOR. Not even a house. ACTOR. Four crumbling walls and a soggy roof ACTOR. No need for a door. No one wanted to come in ACTOR. No need for a window for there was nothing to see ACTOR. In fact the only part of this house that made it a home at all, were the three that lived inside it. ACTOR. (Speaking as JACK’S FATHER, But three ts sometimes all you need and in my case these three were all that I ever thought of, wanted or dreamed about ACTOR. And with those three that lived inside those crumbling walls, ACTOR. below the soggy roof, ACTOR. under the gray cloud, ACTOR. behind the overgrown tree, ACTOR. in the forgotten corner, ACTOR. apart from the fancy houses, ACTOR. the only smear on the otherwise resplendent mountain— top town. ACTOR. surrounded by smiling pink and red and yellow flowers ACTOR. on that forest and lake covered blue-green mountain. that was sooo close to the sky— ACTOR. a boy named Jack.Jack and the Beanstalk 11 (ACK steps forward) ACTOR. —his very hungry mother (IACK’S MOTHER steps forward.) ACTOR. And a Cow that would not milk— (COW steps forward.) ALL. is where everything—at last—begins. (Outside the hut.) ACTOR. When you are hungry, very hungry and tired and fright- ened that you will never be anything but hungry and tired and frightened sometimes you say things that are unkind. Jack's Mother was very hungry indeed. (IACK’S MOTHER enters followed by JACK.) JACK’S MOTHER. What is this? (Looking into an empty pail:) What is the matter with you?! (Throws pail at JACK''s feat) ACTOR. Sometimes Jack felt that every time his mother spoke harshly to him he remembered every harsh word she had ever spo- ken to him. And there were quite a few. (Two NARRATORS enter and stay in shadow and speak the lowing:) VOICE 1. Can't you do anything right?” VOICE 2. What are you, stupid? VOICE 1. I have told you a hundred times.. VOICE 2. You are useless VOICE 1. Don't even try. VOICE 2. Don't even try. VOICE 1. Don't even try JACK’S MOTHER. I said... What is the matter with you?!! Where is the milk? JACK. There is no milk. am sorry, Mother.