I AM – The Light

WRITTEN BY WARREN SAGER

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

JOLENE: (Speaks 334 words) A master guide

GRANT: (Speaks 238 words) A master guide

AIDEN: (206 words) Leader of the group

BRIANA: (194 words) Aiden’s sister, wants to be leader

CONNOR: (176 words) Aiden’s best friend, funny, a bit slow

EVAN: (146 words) Quiet, shy, but listen when he speaks

DIANA: (137 words) Intelligent, likes to solve problems

FRANCINE: (34 words) Master guide

LOUISE: (28 words) Diana’s mother

KEITH: (21 words) Master guide

HANK: (17 words) Aiden and Briana’s father

IRENE: (6 words) Aiden and Briana’s mother
SETTING: THE GARDEN AROUND THE EMPTY TOMB.  A LARGE FAKE BOULDER IS ROLLED BACK FROM THE ENTRANCE.  THERE NEEDS TO BE AN AREA WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE COULD ENTER THE TOMB, EVEN IF JUST BEHIND THE LARGE BOULDER. A BACKDROP CAN BE PAINTED TO SHOW A ROCKY AREA, PERHAPS OTHER TOMBS.
SCENE ONE: THE KIDS ARE SEATED ON THE GROUND AND FACING GRANT AND JOLENE.
GRANT
Okay gang… this is our last lesson this week.  And I think it is the most exciting one yet!
JOLENE
That’s right, Grant!  I can’t wait to talk about the empty tomb!
GRANT
Go ahead, Jolene… tell us what happened that morning.
JOLENE
Well, as you know, Jesus had been crucified and buried in this tomb nearby.  He was crucified and buried on Friday and now it is the third day, Sunday morning.  And a bunch of women are heading there to put spices on the body.
BRIANA
(Raising her hand)
I would not want to do that.  Put spices on a dead body.
JOLENE
Well, that was their custom.  They always did it, so perhaps they did not think about it too much.  It could even be an act of worship, putting spices on Jesus’s body.
AIDEN
Those ladies must have known about the boulder and how heavy it was to move.  They should have brought some strong men with them.
JOLENE
Well, they were asking each other on the way there how they were going to get the boulder moved.
GRANT
Perhaps they knew that there would be guards there and figured that they could get the guards to move the stone for them.
BRIANA
(Walking downstage and facing the audience in a dreamy fashion)
I wonder what that was like to find the tomb empty.
LIGHTS OUT
SCENE TWO: THE GARDEN AT THE TOMB
LIGHTS UP
The five children plus Grant and Jolene enter the stage.
GRANT
Wow!  Where are we?
JOLENE
I think it is some kind of garden.
AIDEN
Look!  There is a cave up there!
CONNOR
I love caves!  We should go explore it!
GRANT
I’m not sure that is a cave.
AIDEN
Of course it is.
JOLENE
No, Grant is right.  I think it’s a tomb.
CONNOR
You mean, like a grave?
JOLENE
Yes…some graves are in caves like that, and they call them tombs.
BRIANA
So there could be someone buried in there?
DIANA
Not buried.  Just wrapped up and lying in there.
BRIANA
Wrapped up like a mummy?
CONNOR
Who’s mommy?
BRIANA
Obviously we don’t know who’s mommy… wait… no, I said mummy, not mommy.
CONNOR
Mummy???  Like in the movies?
DIANA
I think mummies are only in Egypt.
JOLENE
Really?  Are you sure?
DIANA
I think that is how Egyptians buried their dead… especially the leaders.  They were wrapped up like mummies.
BRIANA
So they only did that in Egypt?
DIANA
I think so.  And I don’t think we are in Egypt.
BRIANA
Okay,  Toto… we are not in Kansas either.
CONNOR
What??
JOLENE
It doesn’t look like Egypt or Kansas, but what does this place look like?
GRANT
I really doubt that there is a mummy in there.  The tomb is open.
AIDEN
So we should explore it, like Connor said.
EVAN
I don’t know about that.
BRIANA
I’m with Evan. Best to stay out.
DIANA
We might learn something.  There could be something really cool in there.
BRIANA
Or there could be a mummy.
CONNOR
Those mummy movies are really scary.
AIDEN
They’re just movies!  Mummies don’t really come back to life.
GRANT
Sounds like you are not afraid, Aiden.
AIDEN
Nope.  What do I have to be afraid of?
GRANT
That’s right.  So, go head and check it out.
AIDEN
What?
GRANT
Go on in.
AIDEN
Oh.  Well, you’re the master guide.  I think you should go in first.
GRANT
Not me.  I ain’t going in there.
JOLENE
Me, either.
GRANT
It’s all yours, Aiden.
DIANA
Unless you’re afraid.
AIDEN
I can go.  Sure.