Scene 2

The scene is a beach, with the sound of waves playing overhead . The stage is purely sand, and the water is where the audience is. A mat is spread out on the left side of the stage with a folding chair at one end with Hannah on it wearing sunglasses reading a book, while Greg is lying on the mat napping with his hands behind his head. Derrick is building a sandcastle beside them. He stops and picks up his turtle by one fin before going towards his mother.

Derrick: Mom?

Hannah: Hm?

Derrick: Can I go explore the beach for a while. I’m bored.

Hannah: Just take care not to get lost, dear. Stay close to us.

Derrick walks slowly to the other side. As he is doing so, Hannah, Greg, the chair, and the mat are pulled out of view, and a wooden bench is placed on the centre of the stage. An old lady, Sofia, slowly hobbles into view and sits down in the bench with her walking stick. Derrick stares at the right curtains for a while, then right at the audience, fascinated. He walks to the centre of the stage while hugging his toy turtle, and sits down in the bench beside Sofia, still staring.

Derrick: What are they doing?

Sofia: Looks down at Derrick They’re baby turtles that just hatched from their eggs and they’re trying to go into the water.

Derrick: It looks hard. Couldn’t their mommies just come get them?

Sofia: Chuckles softly their mommies leave before they hatch. They’ve got to get into the water by themselves, like the baby turtles born every year do.

Derrick: Every year?

Sofia nods

Derrick: Wow…Looks back at audience. Pause. Looks back at Sofia. Do you come watch them every year too?

Sofia: Nods Yes, it’s so nice to see them all looking at the world for the first time. They remind me of my own niece. She was just born yesterday. We haven’t even named her.

Derrick: Holds up toy turtle. I named my turtle Diana. Well actually my dad named her, but I like the name too.

Sofia: That’s a very pretty name…

A short pause. They stare at the audience for a while

Derrick: But what about those that don’t get to the water?

Sofia: Sadly They die… .

Derrick: That’s sad Bows head down. I’m going to be an animal doctor when I get older, and I won’t let any turtle die. Looks up again. I’ll carry them all back to the water if I have to.

Sofia pats Derrick’s head. Pause, they stare at the audience for a while.

Derrick: Most of them have gone into the water by now. Can I come see them next year, and every year after that? Will you be here too?

Sofia: Of course you can. And I’ll never miss this for the world. Now run along before your mother starts looking.

Derrick: Bye! Runs offstage.

Sofia picks up the stuffed toy turtle and looks at it smiling.

Sofia: I’ll give it back to him. What did he say her name was? Diana, what a pretty name…

Sofia exits the scene carrying her walking stick and the toy turtle. She pauses for a while and covers looks overhead while sheilding her face with her hand as if to shade her, and then continues. The wooden bench is pulled out of view and Hannah, Greg, the chair, and the mat are pulled back into view. Hannah and Greg get up and start putting the things back into the boxes, occasionally looking over their shoulders. Derrick comes running back.

Derrick: Mom! Dad!

Hannah gets up and hugs Derrick

Hannah: Derrick! You’re father and I were worried! Did you get lost?

Derrick: No mom, but guess what! I saw turtles, hundreds of them, all going into the sea.

Greg: So that was what I forgot! Smacks his head It’s turtle season!

Derrick: They were all so pretty, Dad. I wish you could’ve been there. I think I dropped Diana on the way back though. But it was because I was so excited to tell you!

Hannah: Well that’s all good. But we better get home before nightfall. To the car now.

The exit the scene and the lights dim.