Ms. Nelson’s Beginning Drama Class

A young man and his family, and together they owned a large farm. On this farm, they grew all sorts vegetables and cotton. They also raised chicken and cattle. The young man also fished. And all these things, they would take to a market in the town and give away for free because the townsfolk were very poor. And because the family received no payment, they too were poor.

After the family gave what they had and closed their market stalls, the young man would wander to a fountain at the back of the market. This fountain was beneath a great oak tree. The oak tree scattered acorns all about the ground, and the young man would take an acorn and toss it into the water. When the acorn splashed, the young man would make a wish. “I wish for a miracle for our poor village to no longer be poor,” he’d say with his eyes closed tight.

While the young man was making his same wish for a miracle, a woman stepped from behind the tree. The young man jumped, startled when he opened his eyes. The woman smiled, her face radiant, almost glowing, and beautiful. “I have heard your generous wish many times, and wish to make you a generous offer.” She said sweetly. She lifted from behind her back a flowerpot. Puzzled the young man replied, “Thank you. But what shall I do with this?”

The woman replied, “Make the wish upon the pot. The same wish you make every day. Dip it in the water as you do the acorns. See what happens then.” So the young man dipped the pot in the water of the fountain, and inhaled deeply, and closed his eyes and wished for a miracle for the town not to be poor any longer. When he opened his eyes again, the mysterious woman had vanished.

After making his wish, and losing sight of the mysterious woman, the man looked again at the flowerpot. It remained an ordinary, orange flowerpot. He walked home with it in tow, looking at it now and then to see if anything was different. “What am I expecting?” he wondered to himself, “What am I expecting from an empty flowerpot?” When he got home, he put the pot on the table and continued to stare at it. “Maybe we can plant beans in the pot,” the young man’s mother suggested. “Or a tiny lemon tree sapling,” said his father. The young man started to agree when suddenly, the pot began to glow.

As the family watched the pot glowing bright orange, they felt glowing tendrils of light surrounding them. The little, modest cottage seemed to be expanding all around the family. Light flooded the room. Something was happening, but what? Suddenly the young man coughed himself awake. As his eyes fluttered, he wondered if it had all been a dream. But as his vision focused, he saw a most wondrous sight. His house had turned into a palace with beautiful rooms and a cellar with a never ending supply of money. His mother and father wore extravagant robes and gleaming crowns. The young man found himself similarly dressed.

The mysterious woman stepped from behind a curtain. “You have been kind to your city, and so you have been rewarded. Continue to be kind,” she said, “and you and your city will never be poor again.” From then on the family ruled the city kindly, and nobody felt the pang of poverty again.

Once upon a time there was… And every day… Until one day… And then… And ever since that day…