A FABLE
CHARACTERS:
NARRATOR
ARTIST
CAT
FOX
SQUIRREL
BEAR
COW
DONKEY
ELEPHANT
TIGER
LION
LEOPARD
CAMEL
SCRIPT:
NARRATOR: Once upon a time an artist who had painted a small and beautiful picture, placed it in front of the mirror so that he could see it every day.
ARTIST: The reflection in the mirror softens the image, and looks twice as lovely as before.
NARRATOR: The artist had a very clever cat.
CAT: Oh, I must tell my friends what I heard.
NARRATOR: The animals, who admired the cat because he was clever and well-educated, were very excited, so they asked him what a picture was.
CAT: It is a flat thing, wonderfully flat, marvelously flat, enchantingly flat, and elegant. And, oh, it’s so beautiful!
FOX AND SQUIRREL: We want to see it!
BEAR: What is it that makes it so beautiful?
CAT: It´s how it looks.
FOX, SQUIRREL, BEAR: Oh!
COW: What is a mirror?
CAT: It is a hole in the wall. You look in it, and there you see the picture, and it is so dainty and charming and ethereal and inspiring in its unimaginable beauty that your head turns round and round, and you almost faint with ecstasy.
DONKEY: I have my doubts. There has never been anything as beautiful as this before. It seems unbelievable.
FOX: Maybe you`re right.
SQUIRREL: Yeah.
CAT: I am leaving. If you don`t believe me, it`s fine. See you!
NARRATOR: The animals forgot about it, but then they became curious.
BEAR: Maybe the Donkey wasn`t right after all.
FOX: What if the cat was telling the truth? We don`t have evidence that it isn’t beautiful.
DONKEY: There`s one way to find out who is right, me or the cat. I will go and look into that hole, and then, I will come back and tell you what I found.
COW: Fine, do it!
SQUIRREL: Go right now!
DONKEY: Goodbye my friends.
NARRATOR: He did not know where to stand, so he stood between the picture and the mirror. Unfortunately, it wasn’t reflected in the mirror, and when he returned home, he said.
DONKEY: The cat lied to us. There was nothing in that hole but a donkey. There wasn’t a sign of a flat thing visible. It was a good-looking donkey, and nothing more.
ELEPHANT: Did you see it as good and clear? Were you close to it?
DONKEY: Yes, I saw it very clearly. I was so close to it, that I even touched it.
ELEPHANT: This is very strange. It’s your turn bear, go and look into the hole, and come and tell us what you saw.
NARRATOR: So, the bear left, and when he came back, he said.
BEAR: Both the cat and the donkey have lied. There was nothing in the hole but a bear.
NARRATOR: The animals were astonished. Each of them was now anxious to find out the truth.
COW: I found nothing in the hole, but a cow.
TIGER: I found nothing in it, but a tiger.
LION: I found nothing in it, but a lion.
LEOPARD: I found nothing in it, but a leopard.
CAMEL: I found a camel, and nothing more.
ELEPHANT: Now it’s my turn. I have to know the truth!
NARRATOR: When he returned, he was angry with all the animals, especially the cat.
ELEPHANT: All of you are a bunch of liars! How can that cat be so blind? There was nothing in the hole but an elephant!
THE END
AUTHOR: MARK TWAIN
ADAPTED BY: K I D S I N C O
Click here to read Kidsinco’s Complete List of Playscripts:
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Click here to read Kidsinco’s Myths and Legends from Around the World
Please read our Terms of Use
Kidsinco play scripts are not for sale, and they may not be republished totally or partially on any other website, blog, or forum. If you want to share our scripts, please place a link to our site: kidsinco.com