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 very beautiful picture placed it so that he could see it in the mirror.
Artist: This doubles the distance and softens it, and it is twice as lovely as it was before.
Narrator: The artist had a cat who was very clever.
Cat: Oh I must tell what I heard to my friends the animals.
Narrator: The animals out in the woods who admired the cat because he was so learned, and so refined and civilized, and so polite, were very excited about this new piece of gossip, asked the cat what a picture was.
Cat: It is a flat thing, wonderfully flat, marvelously flat, enchantingly flat and elegant. And, oh, so beautiful!
Fox and Squirrel: We would give the world 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: Mmmm, I have my doubts. There has never been anything as beautiful as this before. This seems suspicious to me.
Fox: Maybe you`re right.
Squirrel: Yeah.
Cat: I am leaving. If you don`t believe me, it`s fine. See you.
Narrator: The subject was dropped for a couple of days, but in the meantime curiosity was taking a fresh start.
Bear: Maybe the Donkey wasn`t right after all.
Fox: Maybe. But, what if the cat was telling the truth? We don`t have an evidence that it wasn`t beautiful.
Donkey: Think whatever you want to think. I feel fine with myself. But there`s one way to find out who is right, me or the cat. I will go and look in that hole, and come back and tell you what I found.
Cow: We appreciate what you`re doing.
Squirrel: Go at once!
Donkey: Good-bye my friends.
Narrator: But he did not know where he should stand; and so, through error, he stood between the picture and the mirror. The result was that the picture had no chance, and didn’t show up. He returned home and said
Donkey: The cat lied. There was nothing in that hole but a Donkey. There wasn’t a sign of a flat thing visible. It was a handsome Donkey, and friendly, but just a Donkey, and nothing more.
Elephant:Did you see it good and clear? Were you close to it?
Donkey: I saw it good and clear. I was so close that I touched noses with it.
Elephant: This is very strange, the cat was always truthful before–as far as we could make out. Let another witness try. Go, Bear, look in the hole, and come and report.
Narrator: So the bear went. 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: Great was the surprise and puzzlement of the animals. Each was now anxious to make the test himself and get at the straight truth. The elephant sent them one at a time.
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: I have to know the truth. So now I will go.
Narrator: And when he came back he was really angry with all the animals, and especially with the cat.
Elephant: All of you are liars! And 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
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