One of the Gang
by
Marilyn A. Kinsella
PUPPETS: DOG and FOX
PROPS: baby powder, bottle of poison, bottle of red pills and box with a lock on it - all two-dimensional and a baggy filled with sugar. All 4 on rods; Sign (with crude printing) “The Fox and the Hound Club” a key on a string to put around fox’s neck during Act 2; a tape recorder with an explosion sound on it. Tell the story "Do Not Open" by Brinton Turkle.
ACT 1 Along the road
F. (Fox enters) Boy, I can’t wait to show Dexter some of the neat things I brought for our new club house . What a cool idea to have a club where us dogs and foxes can get together and have some fun. Here he comes now. I hope he remember out secret salutation.
D. Boom chug a lug a - boom chug a lug a …
F. Boom chug a lug a Boom! Hi, Dexter, I see you remember our secret greeting. Now, I can let you in on my BIG secret.
D. What is it, Frank?
F. Well, it is something for our club house. Something we can have a whole lot of fun playin’ with. But it’s too secret to show you here. I have them stashed away at the club house.
D. COOL! I can’t wait to see what you brought. I’ll see you at the Fox and the Hound Club in about five minutes.
F. Great! Be there or be square! ( fox exits)
D. I wonder what Frank has at the clubhouse. I bet its really cool stuff. I wish I had something to bring along. I’m just happy Frank is thinking about letting me join his club. At first he said “NO DOGS ALLOWED.” But when he found out that I was just one cool canine, he said he would ‘consider’ letting me join. After all I’m not afraid of silly stuff like the dog catcher or even 40 pound cats. I can run around the woods as fast as any fox . AND I one great howler. Just listen to this (howls). I think it will be way cool to be a member of the Fox and the Hound Club (Dog exits)
ACT 2: At the clubhouse
(Put up sign that reads “THE FOX AND THE HOUND”. Props - bottle with skull and crossbones, bottle of red pills, baggy filled with sugar, box with a lock on it and a “do not open” printed on it.)
F. Time to have some fun around this place. The members will think this is way too cool.
D. Hey, Frank, am I the first one here?
F. Yea, come on in, Dexter. I’ll give a personal sneak preview of my bag of goodies. First I brought this bottle I found under at the cabin in the woods. Pretty cool huh, Dexter? Look at that skull and crossbones. It even glows in the dark.
D. (unsure) Way cool, Frank. But that skull and crossbones looks pretty scary. Maybe we shouldn’t touch it.
F. Oh, don’t go around actin’ like a baby puppy. We’re not babies around here. We’re the fox and the hound! You’re a hound-dog, aren’t you, Dexter?
D. Sure, Frank, …a hound-dog. What else did you bring?
F. Okay, Okay, Okay. Close your eyes. (Dog puts his head down) Just listen to this. (Frank goes over to the bottle of pills and nudges it with his mouth - make a “ch, ch, ch” sound)
D. A baby rattle?
F. NO! Open your eyes. I’ve seen the old woman at the cabin take these all the time. They must be really sweet because she’s always opening them and poppin’ a couple in her mouth. I brought some of her red pills for us to eat while we decide whether or not to let you join our club. You want one now?
D. No, no, no. I just ate. Don’t open that bottle just for me. Besides…I…er…I’m allergic to red. That’s it. I’m real allergic. I break out in hives if I chew anything red - red socks, red balls, red candy canes…you name it. It’s the craziest thing, but I blow up like a balloon all right.
F. Well, next time I’ll bring some of the blue kind. Then you can have some.
D. Yeah, …well maybe. What’s in that little baggy?
F. Not really sure. I found it on the sidewalk outside the big school. Looks pretty good though. I think it’s sugar. I love sugar. It’s so sweet and so good.
D. Yeah, sugar’s pretty good stuff all right. But how do you know that that’s what’s in that bag. It could be some kind of drugs to put us dogs to sleep - forever!
F. If the big kids at the school like this stuff, it must be good.
D. Well, my stomach is a little upset right now. I think I’ll pass.
F. That’s okay. I’ve saved the biggest and the best for last. Just look at this box! (goes over to the locked box)
D. Wow that is way cool. What’s inside, Frank?
F. That’s the awesome part. I don’t know. It has some words on it. It says “Do Not Open.” Oh, isn’t that just like humans. All the cool stuff they lock up. Well, I’ll show them. Ta-Da! I’ve got the key.
D. You’ve got the key? Where did you get it?
F. Well, I watched the old man at the cabin and I saw him hide it in an old mayonnaise jar in the basement. But I saw him take it out one time and open the box. Unfortunately, I wasn’t close enough to see what was in it. But, fortunately he left the key in the lock. So I waited until he left the cabin and snuck up and grabbed the box with the key and brought it here. That’s what us foxes do best - sneak and grab.
D. Gee, what do think could be in there?
F. Knowing that old man. It could be anything.
D. I don’t know, Frank. I remember a story that the storyteller told to a group of kids I was with one day. It was called “Do Not Open”. If I use my imagination - which I’m very good at doing - I can just see her telling me that story. And it goes like this…
(Storyteller comes out and tells “Do Not Open”)
F. Wow, Dexter! You told that story great.
D. Thanks, Frank. Now don’t you see. We really shouldn’t open those bottles or that baggy, or that box. We might open up something we can’t handle.
F. Wait a minute that story wasn’t talking about this stuff. It was talking about some purple bottle on the beach.
D. What difference does it make what color it is? This stuff could really harm us.
F. Oh, I should have known better than trust you. You’re just a scairdy-cat.
D. I am not a scairdy-cat! And if you were truly a sly old fox, you wouldn’t touch this stuff either!
F. That’s it, Dexter, you’re out of here. And don’t come back.
D. My pleasure! I just hope the other foxes are able to talk some sense into you before you hurt somebody. Adios Amigo! (Dog exits)
F. Now to open this box …(exits)
(take down the props) (sprinkle the baby powder over the fox)
ACT 3 (loud explosion heard off stage - Fox returns with powder over him so it appears he was in an explosion)
F. (Fox stumbles back on stage) Wait, Dexter, wait for me. I think I get it - DO NOT OPEN! (As fox falls down in a puff of “smoke” he says…) Chicka-chicka boom BOOM!
