### Act 2, Scene 2 - Lionel's Dream

- Stage: Dream sequence, Jungle 1
- Setting: In section A is a tree with a sign saying 696, the sign can be rotated
- Section:
- Puppets: Lionel, Mika, Bad Lori, Poke, Christopher (Eisfuchs), Panda (Fairlight), Mr. Tree (Eisfuchs), Postman (o'wolf)
- Props: music stone No. 2, UPS Packet (Labeled: "Mr. Tree, No. 696, Brazil"), yellow hardhat, chainsaw, glow sticks for Lori, veils
- Music:
- SFX:

##### INTRO

light out

0601 - propeller plane flyby + wind

Lionel, Mika: "Waaaaaaaaaaahhh ....."

short pause

Lionel (off): "One ... two ... three!"

Mika (off): "Pull the cord!"

0602 - rrrrrip

Lionel (off): "Nothing's happening!"

Mika (off): "No! Lionel! Pull it again!"

Lionel (off): "It won't open! HELP! Aaaaaaah!"

0603 - branches and twigs breaking, crash, heart beating

short pause

Mika (off): "Lionel? Lionel! Can you hear me? Wake up! Lionel, you must wake up! Lionel, please! sob You must not die! Not here, not now! LIONEL!"

##### MAIN DIALOGUE

AMB-05 (Dream sequence)

backdrop for dream sequence (black light)

some fog

all puppets get lit from behind the stage by the stage hands

in this sequence all puppets have a veil draped above them

Lionel stands in the middle of the stage, looking around

Lionel: "Hello? Where am I? Is anybody here? ... Am I dead?"

0604 - poof (appearance)

Lori appears to his left side

Lori (distorted voice): "Hello, Lionel! How do you like it down here? Are you comfortable? Because now it's time to think, Lionel! Why did you go to Egypt? Was it because you cared about your father's wishes? Or was it just because you hoped your inheritage would contain more than just a dusty book? Were you hoping for money? Gold? Treasures? Would you have traveled all the way if you had known what your inheritage was? Come on! You can admit it, now that it's over! Was it worth having one of your best friends kicked out of an airplane at five thousand feet? Think, Lionel! Think!"

Lionel: "But ... I ... I was just ... Let me explain!"

0605 - poof (disappearance)

Lori disappears

Lionel: "Please! Lori!"

0604 - poof (appearance)

Poke appears to Lionel's right side

Lionel turns around

Poke (drunk): "Woo-hoo! Li-o-nel! You da man! This crash through the trees, mar-vel-lous! Your father would've been proud of you ... if you had survived, that is! Hey, come on! Now that it's over, nothing matters anymore. Let's get drunk! I'd like to bring out a toast, to the marvellous: Lionel Scruffycat, getting himself killed while foolishly attempting to make up for the failures of a lifetime in less than a week! Cheers!"

Poke disappears

0605 - poof (disappearance)

Lionel: "Poke! No! It's not true! No ... at least ... it's only partly true ... Poke! Why does nobody listen to me?"

0604 - poof (disappearance)

Christopher appears to his left side

Lionel turns around

Lionel: "Dad? Is that you? You're alive?"

Christopher: "You didn't care for the last ten years, so why would you care now?"

Lionel: "No, I ..."

Christopher: "Please, listen to me! We don't have much time. You are my son, and for me you have always been the most precious thing in the world. Leaving you alone like this was the hardest decision I ever had to make. But things were at stake that were so important, not just for you but the entire world, that I had no other choice. Please, you must trust me! It saddens me to see, that you have stopped believing in me. But it's not too late! You must fulfill my legacy, or otherwise the world may be changed forever! Trust me, Lionel! Because I am your father. I'm proud of you, Lionel. I always was. I love you."

0605 - poof (disappearance)

Christopher disappears

Lionel: "No! Dad! Come back! Don't leave me ... again! There's so much I need to tell you, which I never did, even if I should have! Dad! Please!"

0604 - poof (disappearance)

Mika appears to Lionel's right side

Lionel turns around

Mika: "Lionel! Now you see where you got yourself with logic! If only once you had followed your heart! Now you put not only yourself, but all of your friends in danger! And why? Because you are a coward! The only reason why you never talked to your father was because you were afraid to confront yourself with him! What are you? A big, strong Lion? I'll tell you what you are! You are a sheep! Baaaaah, Lionel! I bet, when you were in school, you were beaten up by the girls!"

Mika walks over to Lionel

Mika: "Na na na na na na na!"

Mika laughs dirty and hits Lionel

0606 - slap!

Lionel: "Ouch! That hurt!"

Mika: "Now, come on! Do you dare hitting me back? Come on! You don't dare hitting me? Lionel is a coward! Lionel is a coward! Baaaaah!"

Mika hits Lionel

0606 - slap!

Lionel cowers down

Lionel: "Mika, no! Stop hitting me! Please!"

Mika: "You're just getting what you deserve, Lionel! Sometimes the truth does hurt. Come on! Fight! Fight! You coward, finally learn to fight! Nobody messes with Mika!"

Mika starts strangling Lionel

Lionel gets shaken and tries to back away

Lionel: "No! No! I don't want to! No! Please! NO!"

much fog

the veils and the backdrop must be put away

AMB-06 (jungle ambience)

backstage light off

jungle light on

Lionel lies still

Mika shakes Lionel

Mika (desparate): "Lionel! Wake up! Please! Come on! You must not die! LIONEL! sob We've come this far, you can't leave us now! Don't leave me ..."

Mika lets go of Lionel and backs away a bit

Lionel flops down on stage

Mika: "No, this can't be ... Lionel! I can't live without you! And there is so much I wanted to tell you, but I never dared! Please ... sob I never had the chance to say how much I love you. What am I going to do? This is terrible ..."

Lionel stirs and groans a bit

Mika jumps up and hugs and kisses Lionel

Mika: "Lionel! You're alive! Lionel!"

Lionel tries to back away

Lionel: "Argh! Don't hit me! Don't hit me! Don't ..."

Mika lets go of Lionel

Mika: "Are you all right? I thought I had lost you forever!"

Lionel (groaning): "My head hurts like hell and I'm feeling kind of dizzy."

Mika snugs up to Lionel

0607 - soft purrr

Mika: "Oh, I'm so glad you're alive."

Lionel: "So am I ... What happened?"

Mika: "Your parachute didn't open, but the tree stopped your fall."

Lionel stretches

0608 - snap, crackle, pop

Lionel: "I must have been really lucky. No broken bones ... I think."

Lionel takes a deep breath

Lionel: "Oh Mika ... I'm feeling so miserable about how I treated my father."

Mika: "Oh, come on, Lionel. Don't be so hard on yourself. You are paying your final respect to him after all. And you even risked your life for it. What more could a father ask for?"

Lionel: "Mika, you don't understand! My father is dead! Nothing I do today can make up for the things I didn't do for the last ten years! Don't you realize, Mika? I was the one only thinking about himself all the time. Even coming here was just because of my curiosity. And I even put me and my best friends in danger! Look at me! The same could have happened to you, or Poke, or has possibly happened to Lori! I don't even see them around here! Where are they? They could be dead! And it's my fault! I ..."

Mika (whispering): "Hush! Lionel! Hush!"

Lionel sobs

Mika hugs Lionel and licks him tenderly

0607 - soft purr

Mika: "Calm down ... It's all right. Don't be so hard on yourself. We're your friends. You didn't force us to come with you, remember?"

Lionel (sobbing): "Yes ... you're right."

Mika: "There, there ... You're alive, and I'm alive, too. And I'm sure the others are doing fine as well. Oh, come on, don't cry. It's all right."

Mika keeps stroking Lionel

Lionel: "Oh, Mika ... I'm so glad that you're here."

Mika: "And I'm glad that you're here."

Lionel: "Mika, what shall I do? What shall we do now? We've crashed into the middle of the jungle and ... now I'm all confused."

Lionel walks around and stops in front of the tree

Lionel: "Until now I always thought I knew what I should do. But this time I don't have any clue at all!"

Lionel bangs his head against the tree with every word

Lionel: "What ... shall ... I ... do?"

0609 - thunk
0609 - thunk
0609 - thunk
0609 - thunk

Tree: "Stop hitting my trunk with your head for a start."

Mika and Lionel look up the tree in surprise

Lionel: "Who's talking?"

0610 - distant chainsaw noises

Tree: "The one who saved your life."

Lionel (surprised): "A talking tree?"

Tree: "Excellent observation, Mr. Holmes. And don't even think of thanking me for saving your life by sacrificing at least two branches, a dozen twigs and countless leaves! This will take years to grow back!"

Mika: "A talking tree! Lionel! Remember the line from the book? 'The trees speak to me, so I listen to them carefully'."

Lionel: "Then we must be on the right track! Hey Tree, do you have a name? And thanks for saving my life ..."

0611 - not so distant chainsaw noises

Tree: "You can call me Mr. Tree, and you're welcome."

Mika: "Alright then, uh, Mr. Tree, it seems that we need your help one more time. We're looking for something, but we don't know exactly what it is. It might be a map, a hint, an artifact or something else. It was mentioned in a book, referring to a talking tree - like you. Do you know anything that might be of help?"

Tree: "Oh, yes. How do you know? In fact, I am the guardian of a very mighty artifact. It was given to me more than a thousand years ago."

0612 - closer chainsaw noises

Mika: "Oh! What is it?"

Tree: "I can't tell you, unless you can prove, that you're the ones destined to recieve it."

Mika: "And how are we supposed to do that?"

Tree: "Well, if you are the ones, you are supposed to know."

Mika: "Shit! That means, we're stuck! Lionel, do you still have the diary?"

Lionel: "No, I must have lost it crashing into our friend, Mr. Tree."

0613 - very close chainsaw noises

Mika turns around

Mika: "Hey! I can't concentrate like this! Will you the heck stop sawing? We're trying to hold a conversation here!"

STOP 0613 - very close chainsaw noises

the panda enters the scene from section B, wearing a yellow hard-hat and carrying a chainsaw

Panda: "Hey you! Are you crazy? What are you doing here?"

Lionel: "I just wanted to ask you the same thing."

Panda: "Can't you see? I'm clearing the rain forest."

Lionel: "Clearing ... the ..."

Panda: "Chopping down trees! Cutting wood! Trimming the vegetation, you know?"

The Panda looks up the tree

Panda: "And that one is next. Number 696. Come on, people, get out of the way. This is dangerous."

The Panda swings his chainsaw

0614 - chainsaw revs

Tree: "No! You can't do this! Stop! Please!"

Mika steps between the tree and the Panda

Mika: "Put that thing down!"

Panda: "All right ... Who sent you here? Greenpeace? Robin Wood? World Wildlife Fund? The United Tree-Huggers of Oklahoma City? The concerned parents of Minnessota?"

Mika: "What are you talking about?"

Lionel: "We're from the Museum of Forgotten Arts in Cairo."

Mika: "Can't you just cut down a different tree than this one?"

Panda: "Well, there are lots of trees in the rain forest: Big ones, small ones, old ones, young ones, some have more leaves, some have less leaves, so ... for highest wood quality we have to be a tad more specific, you know?"

Lionel hits his head against the tree

0609 - thunk

Tree: "Ouch!"

Mika: "But you can't do that! He's our friend!"

Lionel: "He saved my life!"

Panda: "Uh ... what the ... uh, whatever. I've had enough. Out of my way!"

The Panda swings the chainsaw

0614 - chainsaw revs

Lionel steps between the tree and the Panda, too

Lionel: "No. You're not getting near this tree!"

Lionel turns to Mika.

Lionel: "Mika, I've learned something: There are times where logic will not get you anywhere. We can give as many explanations as we want, this guy is not going to understand."

Lionel turnd back to the Panda

Lionel: "Now listen, Panda! You can't chop down this tree, because I have to fulfill my father's legacy. I have denied my father long enough, but I tell you, I, Lionel C. Scruffycat, am proud to be the son of Christopher Scruffycat ... may he rest in peace. And I am defending this tree in the name of my father, and if you want to take it down, you'll have to take me down first!"

Panda: "What? You're the son of Christopher Scruffycat? The Christopher Scruffycat? The singer?"

Lionel: "You knew him?"

Panda: "Not in person, but when I was young I was a huge fan! I still own all his CDs, he's a childhood memory! I always wondered what happened to him after he quit."

Lionel: "Okay, then. Listen: My father passed away four days ago, and I am here to fulfill his last wish. I can't explain it to you, but this tree is a part of it. I can't let you kill it."

Panda: "Wow! You're going through all that trouble just for your father's last will? Pretty impressive! You must have hell of a respect for your father."

Mika hits her head against the tree

0609 - thunk

Tree: "Ouch!"

Lionel: "Well ... I do what I can ..."

Panda: "You know, I'd really love to spare this tree but I have to follow my orders, or I'll lose my job. Wait ... what number did this tree have again?"

Mika: "696."

The Panda walks up to the tree and turns the number plate around

0615 - creak

Panda (ironic): "Oh, look! This must be a mix-up! This tree has the number 969! And 969 is not on my list. Silly me! I nearly cut down the wrong tree. Ts!"

Lionel (relieved): "You mean ... uh ... I see. Thank you!"

Panda: "Sorry for the misunderstanding. Have a nice day!"

Mika: "Bye!"

Lionel: "Bye!"

The Panda leaves to section B

0616 - chainsaw disappear

Tree: "Phew! That was close!"

Lionel looks up the tree

Lionel: "Yes, it was."

Tree: "Okay, this time you saved my life. Thank you. Now I really owe you one. What can I do for you?"

Lionel: "You said, you were guarding a certain artifact ..."

Tree: "All right, you shall have it. Nobody wanted it for ages, so why shouldn't I give it to you."

Put up the musical stone next to the tree

0617 - stone melody 2

Lionel: "Thank you!"

Mika: "What on earth is that?"

Tree: "It's a secret artifact. The thing about secrets is, that nobody's supposed to know about them. It was handed to me by some sort of high priest, and he simply didn't tell me, what it is. So I can't tell you. Sorry."

Lionel: "We will find out eventually. But first we'll have to find the rest of our party."

Tree: "I bid you farewell, then, and thanks again for saving my life. I consider you good friends. I hope you will return one day."

Mika: "Goodbye, Mr. Tree."

Lionel: "Goodbye. Come on, Mika. Let's go."

Mika and Lionel leave to section B

Postman appears from section A, holding a package for "Mr. Tree, 696". He walks up to the tree, looks at the number, shrugs and goes back off stage to section A

Tree: "Hey! It's for me! Wait! *sigh*"

lights out