L U N A T A L K with Eva Moon

Moon Falling Down, Mother Goose Take

June 23, 2009 on 1:03 pm | | In General Musing

Synchronicity is everywhere. My CD “Moon Falling Down” is being released this week. Sunday, an ABC mini-series about the moon crashing into the Earth aired. And also this week, my son, Eric, shared a charming scene he had written for his scriptwriting class about the moon coming down to earth in human form.

The assignment: Take a Mother Goose rhyme and use it to write a children’s play.

The Moon
by Eric Gordon (with help from Rowan Dart)

The man in the moon
Came down too soon,
And asked his way to Norwich;
He went by the south
And burnt his mouth
With supping cold plum porridge

[It is a gorgeous summer evening at the park. JACK and JILL, brother and sister, ages eight and nine, respectively, are both standing face-to-face, inches from each other, glaring, JACK’s face is smeared with BBQ sauce, Jill’s is clean. Both of them are holding onto a plate fiercely, on which is one last serving of plum pudding.]

JACK
You already had two plates!
JILL
I’m older than you, and Mommy said that I need to eat if I want to grow up and be a big girl!
JACK
Yeah, but Mom said peas and vegetables! [Yank yank yank]
JILL
You’re gonna break the plate! [Tug tug tug] If you break it I’m telling!
JACK
Noooooo, don’t be a tattle tale!
JILL
Give iiiiit!
JACK
Stooooop!
[At this dramatic juncture in the narrative, a young boy approaches. He might be glowing, it might just be that he’s very pale and wearing all white, it’s not clear. Either way, he is the MOON.]
MOON
Hello.
[JACK and JILL freeze, then look at MOON.]
JILL
[suspiciously, who does this newcomer think he is, interrupting their epic struggle?] Who’re you?
MOON
I am the moon. Please, what are you doing?
JACK
You’re the moon!? Cool!
JILL
Don’t be stupid Jack, he’s not moon! The moon is a giant ball of rock up in the sky! [She points upwards dramatically to the sky, where there is no visible moon.] That’s what Mrs. Morison said in school.
MOON
I am not a ball of rock. I’m a [slowly, as if quoting] An-thro-po-mor-fic per-son-i-fi-kay-shun.
JACK
What does-
JILL
[overriding him] What does that mean?
MOON
I…uh…It means I’m not a big ball of rock. [He shrugs]
JILL
Well if you’re the moon, what are you doing on the ground?
JACK
You’re always so bossy. He can come to the ground if he wants to! [To MOON] I’m Jack, and this is my sister Jill.
MOON
Hello Jack and Jill. I wanted to see what the Earth was like, so I hid from the Sun behind the Earth, then I hung onto a comet until I was close enough to get to the ground and fell down.
JACK
That must’ve been scary!
MOON
It was, but I landed in those trees, so it didn’t hurt.
JILL
[Determined not to be left out of the conversation.] Nuh-uh, Landing in some trees would hurt!
MOON
Have you ever felt a leaf? They don’t hurt at all, they’re really kind of soft. [JILL looks like she wants to keep arguing, but MOON powers through before she has the chance.] So what were you doing when I landed?
JILL
Jack was being stupid.
JACK
Nuh-uh! You were bein’ bossy again! AND trying to take the last plate of pudding!
[MOON sits down cross legged, and watches them argue with interest.]
JILL
Well you had the second-to-last plate!
JACK
No! Dad did!
JILL
You lying little-
MOON
Ah, I get it! This is a fight?
JILL
It wouldn’t be a fight if Jack would stop hogging all of my pudding!
JACK
[Sulkily] ‘s not your pudding…
MOON
Then, do you two…hate each other?
[The siblings are thrown off their stride]
JACK
What!?
JILL
Well…not really.
MOON
But you were yelling at each other.
JILL
Yeah, well he’s trying to take all the pudding.
MOON
You must really want that pudding
JACK
Mom makes the best plum pudding in the whole world!
MOON
What does pudding taste like?
JILL
You mean you’ve never had pudding!? [horrified]
MOON
No.
JACK
What d’you eat off in space?
MOON
Stardust, mainly.
JACK
What’s that taste like?
MOON
I don’t know, I’ve never eaten anything else. I don’t think it really tastes like anything, but it leaves you feeling nice and full.
[JACK and JILL make eye contact and come to a silent agreement. Compared to MOON’s plight, their argument seems petty and unimportant. Here is a soul who is truly more miserable than themselves, even if he doesn’t realize it.]
JILL
Hey, uh, Moon? If you’re coming all the way down here, you should at least try out people food…
[JACK hesitates until JILL gives him a nudge.]
JACK
So uh…d’you want to try our pudding?
MOON
I thought both of you wanted it.
JILL
Well, you know, we can get it all the time, but for you it’ll be sorta special like. Like your first people food.
JACK
Yeah.
MOON
Well, if you’re sure you don’t want it.
JACK
No, you can have it.
JILL
But you owe me!
[JACK gives MOON the pudding, who tries it. MOON coughs and splutters.]
MOON
Wow! It’s really hot!
JACK
It’s not that hot.
MOON
Well, stardust is really cold, like snow.
JILL
If you don’t want it can I-
[But MOON is digging back in to the pudding, making “omnomnom” noises. He eventually finishes the plate.]
MOON
Wow, people food is amazing!
JACK
Tol’ you Mommy makes the best pudding! Hey, wanna play a game?
MOON
Thanks, but I need to go back up into the sky before the sun notices I’m gone. She’d get mad.
JACK
Aw…
MOON
But I’m really glad I got to meet you!
JACK
Bye Moon!
[JILL waves. MOON exits. Scene end.]

See more like that one:

• Perfect Imperfection on V-Day
• Sibling Revelry
• Sweets to the sweet. Here, have a nut.
• Bathtub of the Black Lagoon
• It's not the heat...