The Lantern and the Fan
Scene 1
(Evening. A man and his two sons, near a crackling fire.)
Father:
My sons -
Sons:
Yes, father?
Father: It is time for
you to go out and get married.
Sons:
(to each other) Awww!
Son 1:
(to Father) May we please wait?
Father: You have waited
too long already. You are no
longer young.
Son 2: But Father, I am younger!
Father: You are old
enough for a wife. Go to faraway villages, find good women, marry
them, and
bring them home.
Son 1: (to Son 2) Yeah,
let's find us some wives!
Son 2: Let's get some
women around here!
(all exit)
Scene 2
(Morning. 2 girls, Kyoko and Mariko, sitting and chatting.)
(Enter Sons)
Son 1: Would you like to
be our wives?
Son 2: We're rich farmers.
(Kyoko and Mariko pause, look at each other)
Kyoko: Well?
Mariko: Well?
Son 1: Well?
Son 2: Well?
(Kyoko and Mariko rush over to Son 1 and Son 2 and hug them, or, leap
into their arms)
Mariko: Oh, yes!
Oh, yes!
Kyoko: Take us away!
Mariko: Marry us!
(all exit)
Scene 3
(Back at the home of Sons and Father)(All are sitting around, chatting,
laughing, and having a good time)
Kyoko: .. and that's how
we met!
Mariko: And...
Son 2: ... here we all
are!
(everyone laughs)
Kyoko: Father-in-law, we
have been here many months.
Mariko: We miss our
friends back home.
Kyoko: May we please go
visit our friends?
Father: Do you love me?
Mariko: Of course we do,
Father-in-law!
Kyoko: Who would not love
such a fine man?
Father: You may go visit
your friends, if you truly love me.
Kyoko and Mariko: Oh,
thank you! (they hug and dance around with delight)
Father: But!
(Kyoko and Mariko pause)
Father: You must prove
your love. If you
wish to return, you must each carry out a quest!
Father: (to Kyoko) You must find, and bring
back to me,
fire wrapped in paper.
Father: (to Mariko) And
you must find, and
bring back to me, wind wrapped in paper.
Kyoko and Mariko: Oh,
yes, we will!
Son 1 and Son 2:
(mocking) Oh, yes, we will!
(all exit)
Scene 4
(Back at Mariko's and Kyoko's village. Mariko, Kyoko, and their
friends are giggling and drinking tea)
Friend 1: Is it really
that great, being married?
Kyoko: It's wonderful.
Mariko: We love our
husbands.
Kyoko: And our dear
father-in-law.
Mariko: Yes, he's a fine
man, too.
Friend 2: Let's go get
some husbands ourselves!
Friend 3: Yes!
Let's all go get married!
Everyone: Good bye!
(all friends exit)
Mariko: It's been a
wonderful visit.
Kyoko: Time to go back
to husbands and home.
Mariko: But what about
our quests?
Kyoko: What were we to
bring back to father-in-law?
Mariko: You must bring
fire wrapped in paper.
Kyoko: Oh, I
remember.
And you must bring wind wrapped in paper.
Mariko: That sounds hard.
Kyoko: Impossible, even.
(they pause)
Mariko: Let's go ask the
elders.
(all exit)
Scene 5
(Elders come on stage)
(Kyoko and Mariko come on stage)
Mariko: (to Wise Elder)
O wise one!
Wise Elder: Yes?
Kyoko: We seek paper
that holds fire.
Mariko: And paper that holds wind!
Wise Elder: I know of no
such paper. Go ask the wiser one.
(Kyoko and Mariko go over to
Wiser Elder)
Mariko: O wiser one!
Wiser Elder: Yes?
Kyoko: We seek paper
that holds fire.
Mariko: (archly, making
a face at Kyoko) And
paper that holds wind!
Wiser Elder: I know of no
such paper. Go ask the wisest one.
(Kyoko and Mariko go over to
Wisest Elder)
Mariko: O wisest one!
Wiser Elder: Yes?
Kyoko: We seek paper
that holds fire.
Mariko: (loudly, almost
shouting at Kyoko) And
paper that holds wind!
Wisest Elder: There is no
such paper in all Japan! Give up!
Kyoko and Mariko: Oh, no!
Mariko: We can't give up
our husbands!
Kyoko: And our dear
father-in-law!
Wise Elder: Leave us.
Wiser Elder: Enough
foolish questions.
Wisest Elder: (in a
haughty voice) You annoy.
(Kyoko and Mariko exit)
(Elders exit)
Scene 6
(The forest. Birds are chirping, a brook or stream is babbling)
(Kyoko and Mariko come onstage, weeping and sobbing)
(Kami comes onstage)
Kami: I do not let
people cry in my forest. My trees do not grow well in salt water.
Mariko: Is this your
forest?
Kami: I am part of this
forest and it is part
of me. I am the Kami, the wood spirit.
Kyoko: Do you eat young
wives?
Kami: No, my wild beasts
do that for me.
(Kyoko and Mariko shriek and cringe. The either hug and huddle,
or, one jumps into the other one's arms)
Kami: Don't worry;
they're all asleep right now.
(Kyoko and Mariko stop cringing/huddling. If one is holding the
other, she drops her.)
(Kyoko and Mariko stop being afraid and resume sobbing and weeping.)
Kami: Stop crying!
What are you doing
in my woods?
Kyoko: Can we help
crying? Unless I can carry to my
father-in-law fire wrapped in paper, I can never go home.
Mariko: And unless I can
carry wind wrapped in paper, I
can
never go home.
Kyoko: None of the wise
elders ever heard of such things.
Mariko: What
shall we do?
Kami: It is easy enough
to wrap fire in paper. Here
is a piece of paper. Now watch!
(All three huddle together, hiding what's going on from the audience.)
(Mariko and Kyoko occasionally burst out in exclamations of surprise
and delight.)
(Kami stands, holds up a Japanese lantern, and gives it to Kyoko)
Kami: Now put a candle
inside, and you have paper holding fire. What more could you ask?
(Mariko and Kyoko put an electric candle inside the lantern and turn it
on)
Kyoko: Hooray!
I've solved it!
Mariko: You've solved it?
Kyoko: I'm done with my
quest! I'm free to go home! Goody! Goody!
Mariko: Goody for you,
maybe. But I've
lost my husband, father-in-law, family, friends, and now you as well!
Kyoko: Now we know how
to carry fire in paper, but surely no one can carry wind!
Mariko: O dear Kami, can
any one carry wind in paper?
Kami: That is easier,
for wind does not burn holes. Watch!
(Kami pulls out a large piece of paper, with a picture on it of a tree
covered with white blossoms. Two women stand under the tree,
gathering the blossoms)
Kami: The two women are
yourselves.
Mariko: And the blossoms?
Kami: They are the gifts
that your father-in-law will give you when you go home.
Mariko: (wailing) But I
cannot go home, for I cannot carry wind wrapped in paper.
Kami: Here is the paper,
and there is always plenty of wind. Why not take them?
Mariko: (sorrowfully)
Indeed, I do not know how. (starts weeping again)
Kami: This way, of
course. Let me show you.
(All three huddle together, hiding what's going on from the audience.)
(Mariko and Kyoko occasionally burst out in exclamations of surprise
and delight.)
(Kami stands, holds up a Japanese fan decorated like the paper was, and
gives it to Mariko)
Kami: (waving the fan in
Mariko's face) Does not the wind come to your face? And
is it not the fan that has brought it?
Kyoko: The lantern
carries fire wrapped in
paper!
Mariko: And the fan
carries wind wrapped in paper!
Kami: (formally) Precisely.
(all exit)
Scene 7
(At father-in-law's house)(Father-in-law and Sons are on stage)
(Mariko and Kyoko rush onstage)
Kyoko: Hooray!
Mariko: We're home!
Sons: Hello, dear
beautiful wives! (Sons rush to wives, miss them, trip, and fall
down in a heap)
(Kyoko and Mariko walk away from Son 1 and Son 2 and cross over to
Father-in-law)
Kyoko: I have fire
wrapped in paper.
Mariko: I have wind wrapped in
paper.
Father-in-law: I am so
very glad you are back! Take these beautiful gifts! (hands gifts
to Kyoko and Mariko)
(Mariko and Kyoko sigh and exclaim)
Father-in-law: The
lantern and fan are truly marvelous. But two precious things in
this home I value even more, and that is you two, my beautiful
daughters.
Son 1 and Son 2: (still
lying in heap on floor) Yeah!
The End
Time:
8 minutes read-through time, which does not include scene
changes, stage business (pantomime building lantern and fan, "lighting
candle"), applause, bows, laughter, et cetera.
Cast:
Son 1 (male)
Son 2 (male)
Kyoko (female)
Mariko (female)
Father-in-law (male)
Friend 1 (female)
Friend 2 (female)
Friend 3 (female)
Wise elder (either male or female)
Wiser elder (either male or female)
Wisest elder (either male or female)
Kami (either male or female)
Notes:
A "Kami" is a spirit or god/goddess. "Kami" is sometimes
translated into English as "divine".
If you can, consider casting a 4-year-old girl as the Wisest
Elder. You may get a laugh when she says in a haughty voice "You
annoy."
Authors: Ashley Heska and
Leo Heska
Based on a Japanese folk tale
Distributor/Publisher: http://www.freeplays.org
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