Pelican

I lost something.

Child

What do you mean?

Pelican

What I said.

Child

Where’s my mother?

Pelican

Have you seen your mother lately?

Child

I want my mother.

Pelican

What if I said she’s my mother?

Child

You talk too much.

Pelican

It’s time for you to … help me.

Child

What’s that in your mouth? You look heavy.

Pelican

You look hungry.

Child

Do you like what you’re doing?

Pelican

My plant’s gone. I’m very concerned.

Child

I can pick one for you. What kind?

Pelican

Not that kind, a factory.

Child

But that’s my house.

Pelican

Well, it used to be right there.

Child

I don’t remember.

Pelican

You can’t remember.

Child

You lost your plant before I was born. I have a father. Who’s your father?

Pelican

I’ve never met your father.

Child

He doesn’t have to be here.

Pelican

I wish he were.

Child

If we’re friends then we’re not in the same family, we’re in different families. Where is your family?

Pelican

How’d you like to make a trade?

Child

I don’t like trades.

Pelican

Nothing? You tell me a story and I’ll tell you a story.

Child

I’ll tell you a story and you have to do what I tell. Once upon a time there were only little groups of people living on berries and other stuff. Do you remember what?

Pelican

Roots, fish, like that?

Child

Now you go over there and eat berries.

Pelican

I didn’t say I’d do it.

Child

That’s our trade. I tell you a story and you act it out.

Pelican

I didn’t agree.

Child

It won’t be difficult. Don’t worry. Just go over there and eat the berries.

Pelican pretends to follow the child’s instructions, but as the child speaks, Pelican sneaks away. Out of sight, Pelican, at the designated moment, commands Instruction to replace him.

Child

Everybody was eating berries, but someone invented magnifying glasses. They could burn things faster with magnifying glasses and they could see details that some people say we were never meant to see. They built houses, like common houses, you know them? And they kept the magnifying glasses in the common houses and people would go in them when they were sick or happy. They took the magnifying glasses with them on hunting expeditions too. They liked to look at the berries, which were hairy in the

Pelican

If you want to work, get out there and work.

Instruction “gets out there” and eventually starts “working.” Pelican exits and completes the scene from off stage.

Child

magnifying glasses and the sun can burn your eye and they looked at their wounds healing and they would make up things to look at like toys with teensy seed designs on them and they would play. They got really good at sewing because they could make things very small. Even before history we were preparing for the invention of microchips, but they didn’t need microchips and they didn’t have pollution. They wanted to see things that were different than what they’d already seen. The way they started wanting this is when they realized that when you look through a magnifying glass things look different and somehow they got this

Pelican

I must tell you that many of these

Child’s and Pelican’s voices compete, overlap, fade in and out.

idea that if things that are already there can

designs are hundred of meters long, and

change because of what you see them with

were formed in a few seconds at night!

then the thing you see through changes

Some of the seed heads have been

what’s already there, and so you can also change

Furthermore, as Pelican speaks, he comes to sound more and more like Instruction. Instruction appears to be stopped in its tracks by the co-optation of its voice.

genetically altered; radionuclides have

things into different things that you don’t know

formed in the top layer of soil; strange

about, using some other kind of invention that

sounds have been heard and recorded; and

you don’t know about. They thought things that

unusual lights have been seen. And this is

don’t exist could exist if they could figure out how

the tip of the iceberg! These formations

to make them, but also that they already existed

and designs can lead to excellent mind-

but they just didn’t know how to make them yet.

stretching exercises. You may become

Like they were already there but they couldn’t see

younger, thinner, richer and wiser from all

them. So let’s pretend my house is your factory,

this. Just try to figure it out and you’ll see.

okay? You go over there.

The child looks at Pelican. No Pelican. Instruction is standing there frozen. Fish passes carrying empty grocery bags.

Child

You know that neighbor, Pelican?

Fish

Open the door. It’s been so pleasant since he’s been away.