dreamhorse

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MOLLIRINA’S DREAM HORSE

(a one act play)

SETTING

Some place, somewhere

TIME

Some time, now or then

Mollirina’s Dream Horse

Once upon a time in a faraway land, there lived a happy little girl. She was
only 8 years old, but she had a smile that was so bright that when she
woke up in the morning, the glow from her face lit up the other side of the
world where it was still dark. She was happy because she had a mommy,
a daddy and lots of sisters and brothers – more than you could count
almost -- and she loved them more than any child had ever loved a
mommy, daddy and sister and brothers before and they loved her more
then any mommy, daddy, sister and brothers had ever loved a child
before.

Then one day, as the girl was happily frolicking in the meadow near her
house, a giant, but very ugly horse walked by and spoke to her. He said
in his big, gruff voice, because he had an ugly voice that matched his ugly
appearance: “Hello little girl. I have come a long distance. I have walked
and walked and I am tired now and need to rest. Would you like to rest
with me, as I could use a sweet voice to sooth my restless mind and a
warm body to relax my fatigued bones?” The little girl, whose sunny
disposition led her to be inclined to grant any request made to her, said:
“Of course I will rest with you. I will sing you a sweet lullaby to soothe
your restless mind, and I will brush your mane to relax your fatigued
bones.”

And so she did. She sang sweetly to the horse and she gently brushed
his mane. And the horse, very quickly, fell soundly asleep. During his
sleep, he had the most wonderful dream. He dreamed that he was no
longer an ugly horse with a big, gruff voice, but rather, he was a beautiful
chestnut mare with an enchanting voice that all came to listen to.

The little girl, whose name, by the way – I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet
– was Mollirina. She was such a good girl that she never wanted to
displease her mommy and daddy whom she adored and she never
wanted to disappoint her sisters and brothers whom she loved more than
even all the gifts that her family bestowed upon her. And in knowing her
love for them, she realized that it was time for her to go home. But she
was in a terrible conflict because the horse was happily asleep, leaning
his heavy weight against her – and she certainly didn’t want to have him
wake up and find her gone – and on the other hand, her mother, daddy
and sisters and brothers would be looking for her. Mollirina started to
walk away, but she realized soon enough that she didn’t know which way
was back home. She walked and walked and she got so tired. She got as
tired as the horse had been when they had their chance encounter. But
she was not as fortunate as the horse; she did not find a warm voice to
sooth her anxious mind, nor did she find a sweet body to lean her
fatigued bones against. So she sat under a tree, and leaned against the
tree pretending that the tree was a sweet body of another and she
listened to the rustling of the leaves, pretending that they were the
sounds of a gentle lullaby. Soon, too, she was fast asleep. And soon too,
she had a dream.

Mollirina dreamt that she lived with a horse. And he was a beautiful
chestnut mare who had an enchanting voice that spoke eternal wisdoms
that all in the land came to listen to. She and the horse were best friends
and they were inseparable.

But one day a terrible thing happened. A strange, strong wind came from
the north and blew everything away. All the land’s homes were gone; all
the wheat from the fields was destroyed; all the water from the nearby
ocean disappeared. The land was barren and dry. And only the bad witch
from the North remained. The girl and the horse had nowhere to go, and
had to depend on the witch for their sustenance. She was such a wicked
witch and the girl and the horse grew to hate her. But they also needed
her because without her they had no food.

But it seemed as though the more they accepted their fate that they were
stuck with the witch, the more they tried to befriend her. And the nicer
they were to her, the more hateful the witch became. She never said
good morning; she always wished them a bad morning. She never gave
them their food in good humor; she always said that she hoped that they
would choke on their food: “Two less mouths to feed.”

So the girl and the horse decided that they would try to escape. The girl
remembered that before she had come to live with the wicked witch,
when she was still with her loving mother, daddy and sister, that her
mother had often told her the tale of the magical horseshoe. The girl had
gone to sleep every night in those wonderful days of the past, dreaming
of the crystal clear horseshoe made of pure and sparkling diamonds that
would enable whatever horse wore it to fly.

So the girl fitted the horse for a new horseshoe, and she began making
this exquisite footwear for the horse. And just as she was almost finished
pounding the magical horseshoe into its final shape, the witch came upon
her and recognized what she was doing. The witch, too, had once been a
happy child who had a mother who told her magical stories at bedtime,
and she knew all about the diamond encrusted horseshoe that would
enable any horse wearing it to fly. But those days of magical bedtime
stories told by a melodious voice were over forever for the witch, and all
that remained for her was forcing people and animals to be with her
against their will; such was the curse that had been placed upon her long
ago when she had been captured by the wicked witch of the west. And so
the witch was very very angry at the thought that her captives were
going to flee. She knew if she let them go, she would be alone once again
for many centuries. So she went to grab the magical, sparkling diamond
horseshoe. She was almost too late. The horseshoe was affixed already
to the horse’s hoof, but the last nail was not yet in. The witch’s powers
were weakened because the horseshoe was already on, but they were
not completely gone because the last nail hadn’t been hammered in. She
was left with only the power of a curse; as horse and girl took flight
hurriedly, the witch pronounced upon them:
“Creatures of the night,
demons of the day;
Girl and horse shall remain apart
For as long as I shall say.
Only in their dreams shall they meet;
Because of their ill-fated crafting of the horse’s shoes for his feet.”

And, as the girl starting falling off the flying horse, separating from him as
was the witch’s curse, she suddenly awoke, and found herself in the
same meadow, under the same tree that she had fallen asleep leaning
against hours earlier.

Mollirina did find her way back home to her loving mother, daddy and her
beloved sisters and brothers. They were joyous to see her, as always,
but in their time, only a few hours had passed since she had last left the
home to frolic in the meadow. They had no idea that Mollirina had had
such an adventure with a magical horse that had seemed as though it
had lasted months and years.

As the days went on, there was a great discontent in Mollirina. Though
her days were filled with happy events, during the nights she longed for
the days of adventure and for the friendship of the horse. She longed for
the freedom that she felt when she and the horse were flying through the
air, fleeing from the wicked witch. Every night she dreamt that she and
the horse were reunited and that they were flying together; sometimes
over land, sometimes over ocean; sometimes even to other planets and
stars and universes. And then, one morning upon waking, she
remembered her dream under the tree; she remembered the curse that
had been placed on her that she was fated to only meet the horse in her
dreams.

And she determined to break the curse. She determined to find her horse
and be with him all the time, not just in her dreams.

She carved a diamond horseshoe and she set about trying to find the one
horse in the land whose hoof fit the horseshoe most perfectly.

First she tried a wonderfully majestic Palomino pony who was known
throughout the land for his very precise prance. But the horseshoe didn’t
fit.

Then she tried a fine Arabian quarter horse who was known throughout
the land for his gracious gallop. But the horseshoe didn’t fit.

Then she tried a haughty Tennessee walker who was known throughout
the land for his . gallant gait. But the horseshoe didn’t fit.

Then she tried a black stallion who was known throughout the land for his
sensational speed. But the horseshoe didn’t fit.

Finally, there was only one horse left in the land – an old and gruff horse
whose beauty had long ago vanished and who had no particular talents
left and who had been alone and neglected for years. But the girl
persisted in her quest, leaving no stone unturned. She placed the
diamond horseshoe on the horse’s hoof, and it fit perfectly. And the old
gruff horse smiled for the first time in decades. And his old arthritic bones
suddenly straightened up and he became spry and eager. And his
knotted, mangy mane became glistening and lustrous. And his dingy red-
brown fur started sparkling in the light.

And the girl recognized her chestnut mare.

Mollirina climbed on the horse; the horse whinnied – and off they went.
First walking, then trotting, then cantering, then galloping – until finally
they took off, flying with the wind – in search of new and wonderful
adventures by daylight at last.

They even visited the wicked witch, who was as ornery as ever, but who
had, at least befriended some toads to keep her company.

The World Premier (and only performance thus-far) of This Play was
Executed on June 3, 2001 on the Occasion of Molly Goldberg’s Birthday
Celebration.

THE CAST OF CHARACTERS on that day were:

Mollirina: Molly
Daddy: Daddy
Mommy: Becky, Willa’s Mom
Sisters & Brothers: Andrea, Madeline, Liam, Robert, Donald, Peter, Jake,
David,
Matt, Juliana, Brittany
Gruff horse: Isabella
Wicked witch: Robin
Palomino pony: Angela
Arabian quarter horse: Katrina
Tennessee walker: Willa
Black stallion: Martha

Director: Cathy, Isabella’s mom
Writer and Narrator: Jane, Molly’s mom

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