Broken Wings

A Short Play
By: Darian Goulding
 Cast of Characters

MONICA:
Played by a woman in her 20’s. A monarch butterfly, her colors
are bright orange and black. She has a broken wing.

CATHERINE:
Played by a man in his 20's
. A monarch caterpillar, her colors are brown and beige.

Place
A lilypad in a pond

Time
Daytime, Cycle of days
 Scene 1

Setting: A lily pad on a hot day the sun is beaming through the grass around the pond. The
stage is set with a painted green portion of the stage for the lilypad surrounded by blue
as the pond water. Stageright is a tree and around the back of the stage is tall grass.

At Rise: The lights rise and the sun does and MONICA flies on and lands on the lilypad she
lands and falls to her butt. She held her wing as she cannot fly anymore; this was the
final flight.

MONICA
No No No No No. I need my wing please don't die on me now.
(she grabs it and tries to bend it back crying in place.
She fails and cries in frustration and pain. She then tries to dip it in the water and almost falls in
the water.)

CAT
(walks by on the grass line and stops to look at monica on the water. She can't tell if she is ok.)
Hello? Hellllllo? Are you ok? Are you stuck?

MONICA
(turns her head)
Actually I have falle…

(they have a falling in love moment where time slows down and the lights turn purple. “We
Belong” By Pat Benetar plays; this goes on for a good 30 seconds. The fans turn on and hair
starts blowing. Time snaps back to normal.)

MONICA
Hello. Hey are you ok
(CAT is stuck in the slowdown)
hey please can you help me please.

CAT
Whats wrong?

MONICA
I Fell out of the sky onto this lilypad and as I was flying and skimmed a rock I think I broke my
wing.

CAT
I really want to help you. you are beautiful and I think you are amazing but i don't have wings
and there is no way for me to get to you I can try but i can't fly to you.
 MONICA
You think I'm beautiful?

CAT
Well ya your wings are so big and beautiful and your colors are so lovely and bright.
(Blushes)
But I can't ever be with you because you are there and I am here.

MONICA
Noone has ever been kind to me like that. You're not too bad yourself. I really would love to be
with you but I need to get off this leaf or i will die here with no food.

CAT
Well I can try to help but… oh look at that branch let me see if i can reach you from there. I'll
get over there and see what I can do.

MONICA
Thank you. Please hurry!

(CAT run off stage and you hear sounds of rustling in the grass. He appears on the other side of
the stage.)

CAT
Look out below!!!

(Cat shoves the twig. which to the audience, would be a large log because of the size of the
characters that represent creatures. It falls over and splashes in the water and floats away.)

CAT (CONT’D)
Oh no no no no no no no no. this can't be happening! Wait let me try again with this second
stick.

(he shoves over the second stick. It splashes even bigger in the water and stays a float as Cat
holds on with one leg. He crawls on and crawls to the end he reaches for monica but the stick is
not long enough. He almost falls in but saves himself.)

CAT (CONT’D)
I'm sorry I can't reach. I'll go get help. I will.

(he crawls back and gets to land he looks back at her and leaves the stage.)

BLACKOUT
 Scene 2

Setting: A lily pad on a rainy day the rain splashes on the water of the pond. The
stage is set with a painted green portion of the stage for the lilypad surrounded by blue
as the pond water. Stageright is a tree and around the back of the stage is tall grass.

At Rise: Lights up and rain falls you can see the rain falling as the lighting will show the falling
The splash of rain drops is also heard on the pond water. Monica was left alone on the lilypad.

MONICA
Hello. Hello!
(to herself)
Its been 2 days since he left I hope that he comes back soon!! Im cold and wet.

(this is the start of a seasonal shift on stage.

Under the tree branch you can see a wooded cocoon that falls down and hangs; this is Cat.
he has gone off to get help but had to go into metamorphosis.
After the cocoon hangs down the rain falls and gets harder. Monica tries to cover herself with
her wing.
Then the sun rises and the sun beats down on her. You hear birds chirping and you see
shadows of birds flying overhead.she is scared for her life.
The sun falls as the lights turn bright blue and the snow starts to fall. She is cold and is curling
up the sides of the lilypad for warmth)

MONICA (CONT’D)
(shivering)
Please. Please
i'm so cold where are you
If he doesnt come i could die.
(a gust of wind goes by. She thinks it's Cat but it is not;she is defeated.)

(the winds start to blow again and the lights change to an orange tint.
The leaves start to fall and Monica grabs a leaf and uses it as a blaket.
The orange tint changed to a sunny day.
The sun rises and we are back to a hot day.
The sun beams through the grass.
The cocoon is lit and the cocoon falls from the tree. We see Cat fly in with large beautiful wings.
He has found help after all
He flies around the pond and circles Monica and lands on the lilypad.)
 MONICA (CONT’D)
Who are you?

CAT
Its me Monica. Cat. I found help!

MONICA
Cat but how did you... I dont feel so good
(she passes out)

CAT
No no no no no no. dont leave me please.
(Cat grabs monica and flys her to safe ground.)

CAT (CONT’D)
You haven't eaten have you.
(looks around and flys off to get nectar comes back with a spoon of nectar.
He feeds it to her.
Monica coughs and wakes up.)

MONICA
(panting)
Thank you. Thank you.
(hugs him and her wing makes her fall again.)

MONICA (CONT’D)
My wing is still broken and I dont know what to do. I can't fly. I'm scared I might die.

CAT
Monica. I have an idea but it might hurt a bit. Ill be right back.
(He flys to the tree and scoops up some tree sap. He flys back to find a hawk sitting next to
monica she is scared and cant flee the scene.
Cat flys down and Sticks the sap to the hawks eyes, sticking them shut.
Threatened and freaked out the hawk flees the scene.
Monica falls flat out of weakness.
Cat flys to her)

CAT (CONT’D)
Here monica!
(He takes what sap is left and bends her wing back and sticks it so that is back to normal with
the sap.
She flapps her wings And starts to stand)

CAT (CONT’D)
Is that better? Did it work?

MONICA
I think so. There is only one way to find out.
(she stands and flaps her wings and falls.
She stands again for the second time and falls
But for the 3rd and final time she stands and soars into the air.)

CAT
Woah look at you fly!!

MONICA
Get up here silly. You can fly too.

CAT
Oh ya!! Here i come.

MONICA
Ill bet you that you cant beat me to that tree and back.

(they crash into each other and fall on eachother

Cat breaks thier fall.)

MONICA (CONT’D)
I never thanked you for saving me. Thank you.
The things you did were very brave. Very very brave. You saved my life i am eternally grateful.

CAT
Its no big deal honestly. Sorry i left you for so long.

(they grab hands and fly upward

The fly around the tree and land on a large flower together
A flower that is protruding form the tall grass.
The sun turns to night and the stars come out.
They lay on the flower facing the stars.)

CAT (CONT’D)
You know when I said you were beautiful I meant that.
(Monica blushes)

(Monica rolls to lay on his shoulder.)

END OF PLAY