The Fairy Tales Shelter

By Collena A. McMinn

                      CHARACTERS

TEDDY:  Neighborhood’sguy. Lives shelter.

BENJI: Guy that got lost, saw the shelter.

NURSE: (Page 10) Neighbor the Nurse, shelterbelongs to her.

CHANNEL5: (VO) Channel new channel alert everyoneof bad weather.

                       SETTING

Early Fall during the tornado season. Inside a storm shelterwhich is set up like a Man’s Cave with includes space for kitchen.

AT RISE:  

                                            TEDDY secondfloor looks like grass, fighting to lift a door to a shelter. Under the door isa stairway leading to a single area. Kitchen set up at the bottom of the stairway,off to the right, Livingroom, and a door leading out to somewhere. 

TEDDY: OHHH… AHHH... NOOO…DAMN… OH,COME ON. WIND LIGHTEN UP, SO I CAN OPEN THE DOOR PLEASEEEE... WHY DO YOU HAVETO BE SO HEAVY...  (Pause) 

Fightingagainst the wind to open the shelter door. Oh... oh... I think Igot it! (Grunting)

Oh... Oh... Oh. OK-OK-OK. Oh...Oh... Oh. WAIT- WAIT- WAIT- WAIT!DON'T-DON'T! (Tiredand week)

Noo…Noo! DON'T! Noo… 

                                              Eyeslight up with success, smile highly.

FINIANLY! Yes. I got it!

                                              Rush down; weakly fighting to closed door.

Whoa and wow. That wind ispowerful!

                                              Slowlylooking around, amazed, breathing heavy.

Oh- Oh-Oh, this is... Wow.

                                              Beat, walking around the room.

Oh my God. Whoa. (Deep breath, slowly breath out)

I am SOOOglad I saw my neighbor building this underground storm shelter last year.Wow! 

                                                Pause& Continuous nodding head as speaking

They did a pretty good job here. Itis stocked with food furniture, amazing. They were serious about this. It looksso comfortable. 

                                                 Laughing opens refrigerator

This reminds me ofGoldilocks and the three bears. I guess I am Goldilocks. Well, with brown hairof course. “Oh no this milk, smell, will not do. Oh, I think I am going tothrow up.” (Giggles)

I think I will take the soda, it's just right.Especially for my stomach. Well, I guess I am goanna sit down / wait this stormout.

                                                  Toss  on couch.

“Oh, oh, I can't believe myeyes / television, just right”! I might notwant to leave here even after the storm calms down. Oh, and Ihope nobody else shows up. 

                                                   At that moment you can hear hissing sound comingthrough the opening from the wind in between coming in between the lid of thestorm shelter.

BENJI: (Fighting,yelling thought the wind) HELLO? (Pause)

IS ANYBODY DOWN THERE?HELLO. CAN SOMEBODY HELP ME BEFORE THE WIND TAKES ME. HELLO? HELP. (Talking in himself)

You almost got it, Benji. Youalmost got... Come on. Use your muscles... come on.

                                                  Enter, grunting, heavy breathing,yelling.

OK. WIND,DON'T TAKE THE DOOR... DON'T TAKE THE DOOR! NO! LIGHTEN UP! PLEASEEEE... NEEDTO PULL IT DOWN. DOWN NOW! AH...  AH... AHHHHH.COME ON- COME ON- COME ONNNN. YES!!! 

                                                  Sitting down on top stair, trying to gethis breath and heartbeat to slow down.

TEDDY: Wow. Thatwas hard. Oh my God, where was the weather guy? Where were the sirens?Funkadelic! (Laughing)

I am soglad I knew what this was after I spotted it! Not that I miss mine.  

                                                   Teddy leaves couch slowly walks to Benji. Benjijumps up quickly.

TEDDY: Excuse me?Excuse me, who are you?

BENJI: Yaa. Uh-Uh- ooo-mumm. I am sorry. I did yell for help. Nobody answered. Forgive me dude,goanna be a problem I crash here until after the storm? (Pause) Please?

TEDDY: Only if eatyou with my big teeth. Kidding. Sure, I don't mind.  Welcome to Goldilocks and the three bears’shelter.

BENJI: Excuse me?

TEDDY: (Laughing, walks away) This iswhat I call this place. This is my neighbors. I saw them build itlast fall. Storms are pretty bad around here. Tornado wiped nextneighborhood down to the ground. I don't think they would mind.