No Eraser

by Paul Zeron and Rey Edwards

Purpose: This play shows that we had better be careful what we say because there is no way that we can undo
any damage done by our words.

Characters: Richie, who gets everything confused

Lillian, sensible who tries to help Richie

Props: a pencil

Lillian: (Lillian comes on stage.) Good morning everyone! It's a great day to be
here!

Richie: (Richie, off stage, mumbles loudly and shakes the stage curtain)

Lillian: (Lillian looks down at Richie) What are you doing down there,
Richie...you keep bumping into me...ouch! Hey! That hurts? (Richie comes up
holding a pencil with an eraser in his mouth. The pencil should be sticking out
looking like he has a cigarette in his mouth.)

Richie: (Mumbles loudly trying to answer Lillian with his mouth full.)

Lillian: What are you doing with that in your mouth?

Richie: (Mumbles)

Lillian: Are you trying to pretend to smoke? That's bad!

Richie: (Mumbles)

Lillian: You got hungry for a pencil?

Richie: (Mumbles)

Lillian: I can't understand you with that pencil stuck in your mouth!

(Richie looks at the audience for a moment and then spits the pencil out on the
ground.)

Lillian: Ewwww! Yuck! Why did you do that!?

Richie: I was trying to tell you, Lillian! I have a terrible problem and I'm trying to
fix it!

Lillian: What's wrong, Richie?

Richie: Just look, Lillian.

Lillian: Where?

Richie: In my mouth. (Richie opens his mouth, but not too wide.)

Lillian: (Lillian looks inside Richie's mouth, but not too closely.) I don't see
anything, Richie!

Richie: Look closer, Lillian! (Richie opens his mouth wider, Lillian moves in
closer.) Don't you see the problem, Lillian?

Lillian: I don't see any cavities in your teeth, Richie.

Richie: No! No! It's not cavities--look closer! (Richie opens his mouth again.)

Lillian: I can't see anything, open wider! (Richie opens wider and Lillian stickes
her head in Richie's mouth and takes it out again.) Is it a sore throat?

Richie: What are you trying to do, floss my teeth with your hair! If you look any
further you are going to see what I had for breakfast!

Lillian: What's your problem?

Richie: I can't get the pencil to stick to my tongue.

Lillian: Are you trying to pierce your tongue? Ewww!

Richie: No, I am trying to get the pencil to stick to my tongue and it won't stay
there. I need the eraser!

Lillian: What do you need the eraser for, Richie?

Richie: Because I wasn't born with one.

Lillian: Of course you weren't born with one. Nobody was. Look out there at the
kids, Richie. (Lillian turns to the audience.) Everyone open your
mouth...wider...wider. (Lillian turns to Richie again.) See, Richie, no one has an
eraser on their tongues.

Richie: (Richie looks at the audience, turns back to Lillian, turns to the audience,
turns back to Lillian and then pauses before he speaks to her as if she is strange) I
know that, Lillian.

Lillian: Then why do you need an eraser, Richie?

Richie: Because I want to erase some words that I said. (Lillian looks at audience
and turns back to Richie.) Yes. I said some things that made my friends feel real
bad and I want to erase them.

Lillian: Richie, I'm so sorry to have to tell you...once you say something, you can't
erase it. It's not like when you write something on paper and then you can take an
eraser and erase it away. The words you speak are written into people’s hearts and
you can't take an eraser and rub those words off their heart.

Richie: You mean that it's like trying to erase something written in ink? Ink is
pretty hard to erase. Maybe I can get an ink eraser!

Lillian: No, Richie, an ink eraser will not work.

Richie: Then maybe I can get a heart eraser. Where can I get one of those Lillian?

Lillian: No, Richie, there's no such thing as a heart eraser. The only way you can
keep your words from hurting someone is to not say hurtful things.

Lillian: " Richie, always be careful with what you say because you can never erase
the things you say.

Richie: (Richie slowly turns to the audience, slowly hangs his head in shame, and
then slowly turns back to Lillian keeping his head down.) So what should I do
Lillian?

Lillian: Maybe you could begin by telling God you are sorry, and then you can go
to your friends and tell them you are sorry.

Richie: (Richie keeps his head down as he and Lillian go offstage.) Okay.

(Lillian leaves the stage after Richie. A narrator might follow up with audience
interaction about what someone can do to make up for saying hurtful things.)