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THE WOODEN PLATE

CHARACTERS:

CHARLES (Mario´s son and Old Man’s grandson)

OLD MAN (Mario’s father and Charles’ grandfather)

MARIO (Old Man’s son and Charles’ father)

SANDY (Mario’s wife, Charles’ mother, and Old Man’s daughter-in-law)

SCRIPT:

NARRATOR: Once upon a time there was a very old man who could hardly see and hear.  He lived with his son, his son´s wife, and his grandson.

CHARLES: Be careful, grandfather, you can hurt yourself.  Take my hand I will take you to the dining table so you can eat.

OLD MAN: Thank you son, my legs are shaking and I can hardly walk.  I feel terrible for all the trouble that I cause all of you.

CHARLES: You know I love you, grandfather.  Come and sit down.

NARRATOR: When the old man sat at the table he could hardly take the spoon to eat.

CHARLES: Give me the spoon, I will help you eat your meal.

SANDY: Be careful old man, you are making such a mess in the tablecloth.  And close your mouth when you eat, you are spilling everybody here at the table!.

CHARLES: Mon, please, leave him alone.

MARIO: Quiet everybody.  I come home really tired from work, and everyday it’s  the same thing here at the table!. And you, dad, this is the last time that you eat with us.  Tomorrow you will eat in that corner of the room, so that my family and I can have a little peace.  We have a lot to talk about, but we waste our time with you!.

CHARLES: But dad, please, don´t do that to him!.

SANDY: It’s your father’s decision, and you can not interfere.

MARIO: No more discussions.

NARRATOR: So next day the old man sat at the corner of the room to eat all by himself.  Then his son´s wife gave him the soup.

SANDY: Here, this is all you are going to eat.

CHARLES: Mother!.  That´s not enough food for him.

SANDY: Old people don´t need to eat a lot.  Anyway, he spills all the food on the table.

CHARLES: And what kind of  bowl is this?.  I didn´t know you had it.

SANDY: Well, that´s an old earthenware bowl I found in the kitchen.  I don´t want to serve him food in one of my fine plates.  What for?. He’s blind and  can´t even see the plate.

CHARLES:  !He’s not blind mom!.  He has trouble seeing…that’s all.

SANDY:  Come on, your father just arrived, let´s go to the table.

NARRATOR: So they went to the table and the old man just looked at them crying.

MARIO: This soup is delicious, and the meat is so tender.

SANDY: Thanks dear, I’m glad you  like it.

CHARLES: Mother, my grandfather is looking at us and his eyes are full of tears.

SANDY: Don´t worry, maybe some soup got into his eyes.

CHARLES: He needs help mother, you know he can´t eat by himself.  His hands are shaking, and look… he can´t even hold the bowl.

MARIO: Leave him alone, sure he can.

NARRATOR: Suddenly the old man´s bowl fell to the ground and broke.

SANDY: Oh no!. I don´t need this!.  Now I have to clean the floor!.

MARIO: Come on Dad!.  Help us a little!.  Now my wife has to clean all your mess!.

OLD MAN: I am so sorry.

MARIO: Don´t be sorry, just try harder!.  If you can’t help us, the least you could do is not cause any trouble.

NARRATOR: Next day his son´s wife served him the soup in a wooden bowl.

CHARLES: Mom, what kind of bowl is this?.

SANDY: This is al old wooden bowl I bought at the market.  This bowl won´t break.  Come on, your father just arrived from work.  We have to eat.

NARRATOR: And they sat at the table to eat, while the old man started struggling with the bowl to eat at least just a little.  A few days later, Mario and Sandy saw their child really busy gathering something from the floor.

MARIO: What are you doing?.

CHARLES: I need some wood sticks.

MARIO: What for?.  Is it for a school project?.

SANDY: We can help you.

CHARLES: No, mom and dad.

MARIO: Then?.  What are you going to do?.

CHARLES: I am going to make a wood bowl.

SANDY: A wood bowl?.

CHARLES: Yes, mother.   When I am big and both of you are old, you and my dad will use it to eat, just like my grandfather.

SANDY: Oh!.  What have we done?.

NARRATOR: And both parents looked at each other and started to cry.  Then they took the old man to their table.

MARIO: Come dad, from now on you will always eat with us. You are my father, I don’t know how I treated you like a stranger.

OLD MAN: Why do you say that?.

SANDY: We are sorry, please forgive us.

OLD MAN: I don´t know what are you talking about.

CHARLES: I will help you eat every day, grandfather.

SANDY: We will help you eat!.

OLD MAN: But… I make such a mess in the table, I spill it all over the floor, and I get the tablecloth dirty.

SANDY: Don´t worry about that anymore.  I can wash the tablecloth, and I can clean the floor…You are very important to us!.

MARIO:  I love you dad!.

(They hug the Old Man)

OLD MAN:  I love you too!.

THE END

Author: Brothers Grimm

Adapted by: K I D S I N C O

Moral Value:  Respect

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