SCENE 3

WE OPEN ON THE GROUP STRUGGLING TO HAUL THE CANOE ASHORE IN THE STORM. RAIN AND WIND WHIP THE LAKE, AND THUNDER STILL BOOMS OMINOUSLY IN THE BACKGROUND.

DEKE: Come ON! Just pull! We’ve got to get the canoe under cover!

HAZEL: It’s filling up with water, it’s too heavy!

EVELYN: Will you quit whining and just pull?

DEKE: Oggie! Don’t just stand there, get behind the boat and start pushing!

[PAUSE]

Okay, 1 – 2 – 3 – heave!

EVERYONE STRAINS TO DRAG THE CANOE UP THE BEACH.

OGGIE: (panting) Now what’re we going to do?

DEKE: Let me think a second.

HAZEL: We’re certainly not going to find any mysterious campfires in this weather.

EVELYN: (sarcastically) Great. Thanks for the update, Hazel.

DEKE: Everyone just be quiet for a minute so I can think.

EVELYN: Why should we be quiet? There’s nothing to think about; find shelter, set up the -

DEKE: Just shut up, dammit!

HAZEL: Deke…

EVELYN: Fine! I’m taking the tent and finding a dry place to spend the night. Oggie, get the flashlights out of the backpack.

OGGIE: Evelyn’s right. We should wait this out and start hunting in the morning.

DEKE: Whatever. By time we get there the treasure will be gone anyway.

HAZEL: Come on, Deke. Whoever’s camping on the island probably isn’t looking for treasure right now, either.

THEY TROMP INTO THE WOODS. THE WHISPERING WIND FROM THE LAKE STARTS AGAIN, ALMOST TOO SOFT TO HEAR UNDER THE STORM.

OGGIE: I don’t like it…there’s something weird going on tonight.

EVELYN: You’re the one acting like a weirdo tonight, Oggie.

OGGIE: I’m not! I swear I heard something out on the lake!

HAZEL: Let’s all just try and keep it together long enough to get the tent set up and get out of the rain.

EVELYN: (ignoring Hazel) How come no one else heard it, then?

OGGIE: I don’t know! Like I said, something weird’s happening!

HAZEL: Quit bickering, you two. Fighting’s not going to help us find a place to sleep tonight.

DEKE: Will you two stop fighting already? Right now we need to just concentrate on finding a place to sleep.

HAZEL: That’s what I just said -

OGGIE: (On top of Hazel) Hey guys, stop. I think we lost Hazel.

HAZEL: What do you mean? I’m right -

DEKE: Oggie’s right. Crap! How could she have gotten lost between here and the shore?

THE EERIE WIND HAS INCREASED TO BE NOTICEABLE OVER THE STORM.

HAZEL: I’m not lost! I’m right here!

EVELYN: (calling out) Hazel! Hazel! Where are you?

OGGIE: Maybe we should go back to the canoe. If she got lost she might have headed back there.

HAZEL: (getting desperate) Look at me! I’m here! Why don’t you see me?

DEKE: Hazel!

SPECTRAL VOICE: Lovely little bug…I see you.

HAZEL: (panicking) Deke! Oggie! I don’t like this!

EVELYN: Let’s split up. We can all meet back here in ten minutes.

OGGIE: No! Then we’ll all just get lost! We need to stick together.

HAZEL: (screaming, on the brink) Don’t go! Don’t leave me! I’m so scared, please, someone…!

SPECTRAL VOICE: (getting louder as it speaks) It sings! Screams! Calling to me. Such a beautiful song. Can it hear me, little bug? Your song fills me!

HAZEL SCREAMS, AND THEN THERE IS SILENCE EXCEPT FOR THE SLACKENING RAIN.

EVELYN: (loudly) Hey! I hear something – listen.

WE CAN HEAR HAZEL SOBBING FROM A DISTANCE. THE GROUP RUNS TO HER.

HAZEL: (sobbing) Someone…Deke, anyone…please…

DEKE: Hazel!

EVELYN: What happened?

OGGIE: Was it the monster?!

HAZEL: (after a shuddering breath) I don’t know. I think it was the same thing as the voice from the lake, Oggie.

OGGIE: (whispered) I told you!

HAZEL: But you couldn’t see me! Or hear me! I was right there, right with you, and you couldn’t…

BEAT.

It started whispering to me. Horrible things. And I screamed, I tried to get your attention, but it just laughed and said we’d all be together soon…

DEKE: All together soon? What’s that supposed to mean?

OGGIE: I don’t think I want to wait around here long enough to find out.

A DEEP, HORRIBLE MOANING NOISE CUTS THROUGH THE NIGHT.

EVELYN: What the hell was that?

HAZEL: Oggie’s right, we should get off Skull Island before anything else happens.

ANOTHER MOAN, FOLLOWED BY AN AWFUL SCREECHING NOISE.

OGGIE: No way! That’s it! It’s time to go now, guys. I don’t care what anyone says, that has to be the monster.

HAZEL: (shrilly) We made up the monster!

OGGIE: You what?

EVELYN: (laughs once, unable to stop herself)

DEKE: (quickly, irritated) Yes, Oggie. We made it up ‘cuz we thought it would be funny to scare you. Can we just forget about the monster already?

HAZEL: Then what was that noise? And what’s with the voice Oggie and I heard? We didn’t make those up.

EVELYN: (belligerently) How do we know you didn’t make up the voice thing to try and scare us?

OGGIE: Oh, come on!

DEKE: Everybody shut up! I mean it!

HE PAUSES WHILE EVERYONE QUIETS DOWN, EVELYN RELUCTANTLY SO.

Okay. Listen. One: with everyone yelling at each other, whoever else is on this island has got to have heard us by now. Two, if you were them, wouldn’t you want to scare us away and take the treasure for yourself? Three: quit arguing and follow me.

HAZEL: Where?

DEKE: Where do you think?

EVELYN: (mockingly) The treasure?!

DEKE: The treasure.

DEKE WALKS OFF INTO THE WOODS.

OGGIE: Did you really make up the monster just to scare me?

HAZEL: Yeah, Oggie. Sorry about that.

EVELYN: I can’t believe you bought it for so long.

THE THREE FOLLOW DEKE DEEPER INTO THE WOODS. THE TERRIBLE NOISES CONTINUE TO SOUND INTERMITTENTLY.

END SCENE 3.

SCENE 2

WE OPEN ON THE WOODED SHORE AT DUSK – CRICKETS ARE CHIRPING, FROGS ARE CROAKING, NIGHT BIRDS ARE BEGINNING TO CALL, AND WATER LAPS AT THE SHORE. SOMEONE COMES CRASHING RECKLESSLY THROUGH THE WOODS.

EVELYN: I’m here! (beat) Where is everyone? Oh well. Hm…

WE HEAR RUSTLING AND MOVEMENT ACCOMPANIED BY OCCASSIONAL QUIET LAUGHTER FROM EVELYN. SILENCE AGAIN. AFTER A MOMENT SOMEONE ELSE APPROACHES, MORE TENTATIVELY THAN EVELYN.

OGGIE: Hey guys! Is anyone here yet? Hello? I know I know I heard someone a minute ago, so if you’re trying to trick me…(beat) Guys?

EVELYN: (leaping out noisily) RARR!

OGGIE SCREAMS SHRILLY AND STRUGGLES WITH EVELYN ON THE GROUND. EVELYN IS LAUGHING UNCONTROLLABLY.

OGGIE: AHHH! Monster! Get off get off get off!

EVELYN: (still laughing) You meatball!

DEKE: (approaching) Will you two quit making out and give me and Hazel a hand with the canoe?

HAZEL: Aww, I think they’re cute together.

EVELYN: (standing quickly) Ugh! Gross.

OGGIE: (brushing himself off) Yuck…I’d rather kiss the monster.

DEKE: Come on, I want to get in the water before the sun’s all the way down. Oggie and Evelyn, you lovebirds can uncover the canoe. Hazel, help me check our equipment.

HAZEL: Okay, Deke!

EVELYN: (mocking Hazel’s voice) Okay, Deke!

OGGIE: Lovebirds! Bleh!

WE HEAR OGGIE AND EVELYN RUSTLING AND BICKERING OFF TO THE SIDE AS THEY UNCOVER THE CANOE IN THE (LEFT) CHANNEL. SIMULTANEOUSLY, DEKE AND HAZEL CHECK THINGS OFF ON THE LIST IN THE RIGHT CHANNEL.

DEKE: Flashlights?

(EVELYN: Looking forward to meeting your new girlfriend, Oggie?)

HAZEL: Four flashlights. Check.

(OGGIE: New girlfriend?)

DEKE: Food?

(EVELYN: Monster girlfriend! Rrrr!)

HAZEL: Four PB&J sandwiches, four apples, one bag of marshmallows.

(OGGIE: Shut up, Evelyn.)

DEKE: You can just say ‘check’, Hazel.

HAZEL: Oh…check!

(EVELYN: You take the other end.)

DEKE: Tent?

(OGGIE: Hold on, I don’t have a good grip.)

HAZEL: Check.

(EVELYN: Heave…!)

DEKE: Matches?

(OGGIE: Wait wait wait!)

HAZEL: Check!

(EVELYN: HO!)

OGGIE YELLS AND FALLS INTO THE LAKE WITH A SPLASH.

EVELYN: Canoe’s ready!

OGGIE: Aww Ev, now I’m soaked.

DEKE: I call front seat!

EVELYN: Whoo! Second seat!

HAZEL: (just after EVELYN) Second – ugh, third seat.

OGGIE: I always have to sit in the back…

DEKE: You make the best ballast, Oggie!

EVELYN: (laughs)

THEY LOAD UP INTO THE CANOE AND SHOVE OFF. WE HEAR PADDLES DIPPING AND SPLASHING IN THE WATER ALONG WITH THE EVENING SOUNDS. OGGIE AND HAZEL CONVERSE IN THE LEFT CHANNEL, DEKE AND EVELYN IN THE RIGHT.

EVELYN: Let’s sing a pirate song!

DEKE: No pirate songs. Sound carries over open water, and we don’t want to lose the element of surprise.

EVELYN: (grumbling) No, wouldn’t want to lose that…

DESPITE EVELYN’S GRUMBLES, AFTER THIS POINT EVERYONE SPEAKS IN LOWER VOICES.

HAZEL: Isn’t the sunset beautiful? Like the sun’s sinking into the lake.

EVELYN: (scoffs) Like that could happen.

OGGIE: There goes the last of it.

THEY ROW IN SILENCE FOR A MOMENT. A WIND PICKS UP ON THE LAKE.

DEKE: They say that, a hundred years ago, Skull Island was a secret hideout where all the pirate crews in the area would come to drink, fight, and gamble the treasure they’d stolen.

EVELYN: Sounds better than the treehouse.

DEKE: Well, one pirate decided he wasn’t satisfied with robbing towns up and down the coast – he was going to rob the other pirates, too!

HAZEL: No honor among thieves, apparently.

DEKE: He convinced a small group of his closest allies that, one night after all the other pirates had drunk themselves to sleep, they’d -

OGGIE: Hey, do you guys see that?

DEKE: Seriously, Oggie! Did you have to wait until the best part to interrupt?

HAZEL: No, he’s right, Deke. Look over there. There’s a blue light on the water.

DEKE: Huh…must be somebody night fishing or something.

OGGIE: What if it’s the pirates!

EVELYN: They’re too far away to see us, anyway.

THE WIND HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN STRONGER. THERE’S A STRANGE, WHISPERING QUALITY TO IT.

OGGIE: Brrr…I’m freezing. Thanks a lot for pushing me in the lake, Evelyn.

EVELYN: Any time, champ.

THE WHISPERING BECOMES LOUDER, BEGINNING TO SOUND LIKE A VOICE.

OGGIE: What’s that noise?

HAZEL: What noise, Oggie?

OGGIE: Like someone whispering.

EVELYN: It must be ghosts, Oggie! Quick, jump in the lake before it’s too late!

DEKE: It’s true, ghosts hate water.

SPECTRAL VOICE: Young moths, fly to me…

OGGIE: I’m serious guys! It’s not funny.

DEKE: Really, Oggie. We’re not doing anything.

SPECTRAL VOICE: Oh! I grow so hungry!

HAZEL: Are you okay, Oggie?

SPECTRAL VOICE: (becoming louder) Pluck off your wings. Crawl to me!

OGGIE: Shut up! Stop!

DEKE: Oggie! Stop being a freak out!

EVELYN: Knock it off before you tip the canoe!

SPECTRAL VOICE: (overpowering DEKE and EVELYN) Place them in my mouth, make tribute, fill me with flight!

OGGIE: (yelling) How do you not hear that?!

THE NIGHT BECOMES COMPLETLEY SILENT. BIRDS STOP CALLING, FROGS CEASE CROAKING, THE WIND ABATES.

SPECTRAL VOICE: (quiet again) Come. Rest with me awhile.

DEKE: What the hell were you -

DEKE IS INTERRUPTED BY A LOUD CLAP OF THUNDER. HAZEL SCREAMS. RAIN BEGINS TO FALL, AND THE WIND PICKS UP AGAIN.

EVELYN: Great. First Oggie loses it, now we’ve got a thunderstorm.

DEKE: Hurry up guys. We can figure out what happened after we get to the island.

HAZEL: (quietly, to OGGIE) Are you sure you’re okay, Oggie?

OGGIE: Yeah…I guess so. I must’ve just let my imagination get the better of me, or something…

HAZEL: You don’t sound convinced.

OGGIE: Don’t worry about it. Let’s just get to the island before anything else happens.

ANOTHER LOUD CLAP OF THUNDER ROLLS ACROSS THE LAKE. WE HEAR THE FOUR INCREASING THEIR PADDLING EFFORTS AS THE WIND AND RAIN LASH THE SURFACE OF THE WATER.

END SCENE 2.

SCENE 1

THE SCENE OPENS WITH THE SOUND OF SOMEONE PANTING AND RUNNING THROUGH THE WOODS. WE HEAR THE THUNK THUNK THUNK OF THEM CLIMBING A LADDER, FOLLOWED BY BANGING ON A WOODEN DOOR. CICADAS ARE SINGING IN THE BACKGROUND, AND THE SOUND OF TREES RUSTLING DRIFTS IN AT TIMES.

OGGIE: (panting) Let me in! Come on guys, let me in!

DEKE: What’s the password, Oggie?

OGGIE: Jeez, Deke, you already know it’s me!

DEKE: You still gotta say it.

OGGIE: Ugh, fine…

(beat)

DEKE: Don’t tell me you forgot it.

OGGIE: (whining) Nuts to the password, just let me up!

HAZEL: Just let him in, Deke.

THE DOOR CREAKS OPEN AND OGGIE CLAMBERS UP.

OGGIE: Thanks, Hazel.

DEKE: (muttering) It’s the principle of the thing, you’ve gotta have a password if you’ve got a secret tree fort.

HAZEL: What’s wrong, Oggie?

OGGIE: (still panting) I saw smoke coming from Skull Island! Like a campfire or something.

DEKE: (suddenly interested) A campfire?

HAZEL: Who would camp on Skull Island?

OGGIE: I don’t know, just that Deke told me to tell him if I ever saw -

OGGIE IS INTERRUPTED BY MORE BANGING ON THE TREE HOUSE DOOR.

EVELYN: Open up!

OGGIE: You gotta say the password to get in, Evelyn!

(SLAM!)

(holding his nose) Ow! You got my nose!

EVELYN: The password is, “Let me in, dweeb.”

OGGIE: (still holding nose) Is that really the password, Deke?

DEKE: It is now!

EVELYN: What’s going on?

DEKE: Oggie thinks there’s someone camping on Skull Island.

OGGIE: I saw smoke, like from a campfire or something!

EVELYN: No way. No one in their right mind would go camping on Skull Island.

HAZEL: Maybe they’re not in their right mind.

DEKE: Maybe it’s the pirates!

EVELYN: Ugh, it’s always pirates with you, Deke. Everyone knows it’s just a story, anyway.

DEKE: Then what is on Skull Island, Miss Know-it-All?

EVELYN: I dunno. Dinosaurs.

HAZEL: Vampires?

OGGIE: (hushed) Vampires?

DEKE: (frustrated) What makes the possibility of pirate treasure so much dumber than an island full of vampires?

OGGIE: I’ve heard there’s a huge monster that eats trespassers!

DEKE: Have you ever seen a monster?

OGGIE: (deflated) No…

EVELYN: Let’s go see a monster, then!

HAZEL: I don’t think so. For all we know it could be something dangerous.

OGGIE: Isn’t a monster, by definition, kinda dangerous?

DEKE: Screw to your monster! Whoever’s on that island must be looking for the treasure. We’ve gotta beat them to it!

EVELYN: What makes you so sure there’s really treasure on Skull Island, Deke?

DEKE: If you hid treasure somewhere, wouldn’t you want people to think there was a big awful monster guarding it?

(beat)

EVELYN: He’s got a point. There’s totally treasure on Skull Island.

HAZEL: I guess so…

OGGIE: Do you think we can really get to the treasure first? I mean, they’re already on the island.

DEKE: That’s why we’re gonna go tonight!

OGGIE: No way!

EVELYN: Yeah!

HAZEL: I don’t think that’s such a good idea.

DEKE: Come on! Even if there isn’t treasure, we’ll bring the tent and be the first people to spend the night on Skull Island. It’ll be great!

HAZEL: Wouldn’t the people camping there right now be the first people to spend the night on Skull Island?

OGGIE LAUGHS LOUDLY, DISPROPORTIONATE TO THE JOKE. THERE IS A MOMENT OF SILENCE, PUNCTUATED BY DEKE CLEARING HIS THROAT.

OGGIE: (weakly) Can we bring marshmallows?

EVELYN: You would want marshmallows, Oggie.

DEKE: Alright! It’s settled. We’ll go home and get supplies -

EVELYN: (background, snidely) Like marshmallows.

DEKE: – and meet at the canoe at sundown. Sound good?

HAZEL: (resigned) Alright. Let’s at least remember to bring a flashlight this time.

OGGIE: Nobody told me! I didn’t know!

DEKE: What’s not obvious about bringing a flashlight when you go camping?

OGGIE: You forgot yours, too, Deke!

DEKE: Yeah, but if you’d brought yours it wouldn’t have mattered, goofus.

EVELYN: Goofus!

HAZEL: (sighs)

THE CONVERSATION FADES AS THE TREEHOUSE DOOR CREAKS OPEN AND THE FOUR FRIENDS THUNK THEIR WAY DOWN THE LADDER. THE SOUND OF A BIRD BURSTING FROM A TREE INTERRUPTS THE SUMMER AFTERNOON.

END SCENE 1.