Help! Hilary! Help!

By Aaron Shepard
MOM:  Hilary!

NARRATOR 1:  —said her mom.

MOM:  Can’t you be more of a help?

HILARY:  I was trying!

NARRATOR 8:  —said Hilary.

NARRATOR 2:  She went to her room and slammed the door. She played
with her toys.

MOM:  (offstage) Help! Hilary! Help!

NARRATOR 7:  It was her mom!

HILARY:  (yelling) I’m coming.

NARRATOR 3:  Two bad guys were carrying her mom away!

NARRATOR 6:  Hilary ran after them down the street.

BAD GUY 1:  Look out!

NARRATOR 4:  —said one.

BAD GUY 1:  That kid is chasing us!

BAD GUY 2:  Let’s get out of here fast.

NARRATOR 5:  —said the other.

NARRATOR 1:  They stuffed her mom in a car and drove off.

MOM:  Help! Hilary! Help!

NARRATOR 8:  Hilary got in another car and raced after them.

NARRATOR 2:  They stopped at an airport and headed for a plane.

NARRATOR 7:  Hilary was right behind them.

HILARY:  (yelling) Drop my mom! RIGHT NOW!

NARRATOR 3:  The bad guys dropped her mom and ran off.

NARRATOR 6:  But something swooped down. A giant bird!

NARRATOR 4:  It picked up her mom and flew away!

MOM:  Help! Hilary! Help!

NARRATOR 5:  Hilary got in the plane and took off after the bird.

NARRATOR 1:  She flew right above it and climbed down a rope.

NARRATOR 8:  But the bird dropped her mom!

MOM:  Help! Hilary! Help!

NARRATOR 2:  Hilary got back in the plane and flew a loop-de-loop-de-loop.

NARRATOR 7:  Her mom landed on top.

HILARY:  (yelling) Hold on!

NARRATOR 3:  But the wind blew her off!

MOM:  Help! Hilary! H-e-l-l-l-l-p!

NARRATOR 6:  Hilary jumped from the plane.

NARRATOR 4:  They landed in a river.

MOM:  SPLASH!

HILARY:  SPLASH!

NARRATOR 5:  But a waterfall was just ahead!

MOM:  Help! Blub. Hilary! Blub. Help!

NARRATOR 1:  Hilary grabbed her mom in time and started for shore.

NARRATOR 8:  But a giant serpent rose from the water.

NARRATOR 2:  It opened its mouth!

MOM:  Help! Hilary! EEEEEEEEEEK!

NARRATOR 7:  The serpent swallowed them!

NARRATOR 3:  On the way down, Hilary tickled its throat.

NARRATOR 6:  The serpent coughed, and they flew through the air.

NARRATOR 4:  They passed over the town.

NARRATOR 5:  They landed in their own backyard.

MOM:  Hilary! You’re such a great big HELP!

 Dinosaurs Reader's Theatre

Narrator
Patrick--young boy who always thinks about dinosaurs
Hank--Patrick's brother who questions everything

(Patrick was helping his brother, Hank, rake leaves.)

Patrick: Where did they go?

Hank: Who?

Patrick: Dinosaurs, of course

Narrator: Patrick never talked about anything else.

Hank: Well, some people think the world got too hot for dinosaurs. And some think it got too
cold. Maybe an asteroid hit the earth and covered it with dust.

(He showered Patrick with a pile of leaves.)

Patrick: That's not what I think.

Hank: And what do you think?

Patrick: I think that, once upon a time, dinosaurs and people were friends.

Hank: There weren't any people then. Cave men came much later.

Patrick: The people didn't live in caves. Dinosaurs built them cozy houses.

Hank: I suppose there were dinosaur houses, too.

Patrick: That's silly. Dinosaurs didn't live in houses. They just made them.

(Hank smiled.)

Hank: What happened when the dinosaurs got hungry?

(Hank begins to eat a banana.)

Patrick: They knocked down trees and planted bananas. And they always shared. Can I have a
bite?

Patrick: Then dinosaurs invented cars because people couldn't run as fast as they could.

Hank: Dinosaurs made cars? Why not airplanes?

Patrick: They did make airplanes. And they made roads for people to drive on. Dinosaurs were
big and strong so they did all the work.

Hank: If they did everything, what were the people doing all this time?

Patrick: Oh they got very bored. So dinosaurs put on shows to make them happy. Some of the
smart people learned to do tricks.

Hank: Dinosaurs taught people tricks?

Patrick: Dinosaurs wanted to teach people how everything works. But people were only
interested in recess and lunch.

(Hank lay down on a pile of leaves. Patrick lay down too.)

Patrick: Guess what happened then?

Hank: I give up!

Patrick: Dinosaurs got tired of doing all the work. And nobody would help them. So they built a
big spaceship and left.

Hank: Dinosaurs couldn't fit in a spaceship.

Patrick: Then how could they leave?

Hank: I didn't say they left.

Patrick: But they did. And they never came back.

Hank: After a while people forgot that there ever were dinosaurs. They had to take care of
themselves now, and they didn't know how.

Narrator: It grew dark and the first stars came out. Hank and Patrick watched as one bright star
moves across the sky.

Hank: You really think dinosaurs are out there?

(Patrick nodded.)

Patrick: But they miss us.

Hank: And every so often they check to see how we're doing.

ople then. Cave men came much later.