Scene One
In the center of the stage are two simple chairs facing each other. Two or three feet behind the chairs is a large black wall. Hung on the wall are a painting or two. A large chair is on stage left, with a fireplace to the left of the chair. On top of the fireplace are a row of old books. The Narrator emerges onstage and walks towards the fireplace.
Narrator: Stories are curious things. Just as wind on the ocean pulls a ship where it wills, stories too pull you in - and once you're in, there's no telling where you'll end up.
Narrator grabs the large book titled "Once Upon A Christmas" and sits down in the chair, the book in their lap.
Narrator: What makes stories so magical is that by reading them, you bring the story to life. But there is one story more powerful than any other. When you read that story, you'll find it's not the story, but you that is coming to life.
The Narrator opens the book. As they continue to speak, David and Lucy run out and sit down in the chairs in the center of the stage. David is wearing a graphic tee shirt and watch, and Lucy is wearing a Christmas-themed shirt. Dad comes out to stand between them, a copy of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" in his hands. He silently pretends to read. Lucy is listening intently, but David has his phone out and is playing a game.
Narrator: Tonight's tale is about two young children who read that very story, and how their lives were forever changed...once upon a Christmas.
The title image "Once Upon A Christmas" appears on the screen. Narrator gets up with the book and exits stage left. As Dad reads from the book in the following line, Lucy notices David isn't listening and lightly nudges him with her foot. He sticks his tongue out at her, so she kicks him. David kicks her back, but puts the phone away.
Dad: He brought back their snoof and their tringlers and fuzzles, Brought back their pantookas, their dafflers and wuzzles. He brought everything back, all the food for the feast. And he, he himself, the Grinch - carved the roast beast. (Closes the book as the music fades out)
Lucy: Dad, David was on his phone the whole time.
David: What? No I wasn't!
Dad: David, that's the third time. Give me your phone.
David: That's not fair! Lucy kicked me! Why don't you punish her?
Lucy: You kicked me too!
David: You kicked me first!
Dad: (angrily) That's enough. (takes David's phone) Lucy, don't kick your brother.
Dad heads towards the fireplace and puts the Grinch book on the shelf with the other books. He then grabs a Bible and comes back to where he started.
David: This is the worst.
Dad: Alright, we still have to read a Bible verse before bed, so settle down.
Lucy: Can't we read The Grinch again? That's my favourite.
Dad: It's a fun book, Lucy, but the Bible is a very special book. It's more powerful than any other book in the world.
Lucy: But I want a FUN book!
David: When do I get my phone back?
Dad: Maybe you'll find it under the Christmas tree tomorrow if you're good. Now, tonight's Bible verse is in Matthew Chapter 19. It says, "Jesus' disciples asked him 'Who then can be saved?' But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Now, what do you think-
David: (interrupting) Okay, we read the verse. Can I go play on the TV a bit before bed?
Lucy: I still want to build a gingerbread house! (speaking to David) You said you'd build one with me and you still haven't!
Dad: Kids, I wasn't -
David: Why would I want to build a gingerbread house? That's lame.
Lucy: It's not lame! You're supposed to do it at Christmastime.
David: Who cares. I think it's lame.
Dad: David, watch your -
Lucy cuts Dad short as she stomps on David's foot. David yelps, and is about to lunge towards Lucy when Dad steps in the way. Narrator emerges back onstage to sit in the chair.
Dad: Alright, that's it! (grabbing David and Lucy) No matter what I do, you two can't seem to stop fighting.
Lucy: (tugging to get free of Dad's grip) David never wants to do any Christmas stuff with me!
David: All she wants to do is Christmas stuff! Do you want me to die of boredom?
Dad: Enough! Both of you are going to the attic. You can clean it up until you've learned to treat each other nicely.
Both David and Lucy freeze wide-eyed, facing the audience. They slowly turn their heads to face each other.
Narrator: There were many places that David and Lucy did not want to go. The dentist, detention, their aunt Millie's house...but the attic was the place they wanted to go least of all.
David: The...the - uh, the attic?
Dad: Yes, the attic. I don't know how else to get through to you.
Dad starts pushing the kids towards stage right, and then towards the back of the stage to move behind the black wall. As he does, stage hands remove the two chairs and place several old cardboard boxes and newspapers on center stage. The screen image changes to show a musty old attic. The Narrator returns to sit in their chair.
Lucy: I don't wanna go up there! It's scary!
David: And gross!
Lucy: And dark!
David: And it smells funny!
Dad: (by this point, the three should have disappeared behind the curtain) It'll build character. (The characters stomp their feet to imitate walking up a staircase, and then come out on the opposite end of the curtain, with David and Lucy first. Dad pokes his head out.) Now, if I hear either of you yelling or fighting, you're not going to like what I get you to clean next. Have fun! (He disappears back behind the curtain, and stomps his feet to imitate walking downstairs. The kids listen until the footsteps stop, and then look around the attic, scared.)
Narrator: The attic was old, musty, and dark. David and Lucy's dad had threatened to send them up there before, but this was the first time he'd actually done it. They'd never been up here on their own...and they weren't very happy about it.
David: (whisper-yelling) This is all your fault!
Lucy: (out loud) My fault? (she claps her hand over her mouth for a moment, and then speaks again, more quietly) You were the one not paying attention to Dad!
David: I've heard The Grinch story like a million times. No one cares.
Lucy: I care! Christmas stories are fun!
David: Whatever. Thanks to you we get to spend Christmas Eve cleaning.
Lucy: I don't like it up here. It's spooky.
David: Well, the sooner we clean it up, the sooner we can get out of here.
David and Lucy start looking around the attic space, moving things back and forth and examining the objects.
Narrator: David and Lucy started trying to organize things as best as they could. There were worn-out cardboard boxes full of photographs, broken appliances that Dad had always said he was getting around to fixing, and piles and piles of brown paper packages tied up with string. It was then that Lucy came across a big brown book, resting on top of a few boxes.
Lucy: Huh. What's this?
Narrator: Lucy brushed the dust off of the book.
Lucy: Ew.
Narrator: The book looked really old. Its edges were torn, its colour was faded, and it smelled like Lucy's grandma's house. But even so, there was something about it that had caught Lucy's attention.
Lucy: Hey, David, come look at this.
David: (his head is in a cardboard box and he pulls it out) If it's a Barbie, I don't care.
Lucy: (turns the book over to see the cover and gasps) It's a Christmas book!
David: Well, now I really don't care. (puts head back inside the box)
Lucy: (reading the title) Once Upon A Christmas. (she opens the book and looks at the Table of Contents) Oh, it's a book of Christmas stories!
David: Fascinating.
Lucy: (reading) The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph...
David: Sounds boring.
Lucy: (places the book down, still open.) You know, you don't have to be so negative all the time.
David: Maybe I wouldn't be so negative if you didn't stomp on my feet so much.
Lucy: You were annoying me!
David: You were annoying me! (Lucy and David start to argue)
Narrator: (the lighting starts to shift, and a magical sound begins to play and grow in volume) Little Lucy had barely any idea of the adventure that was about to unfold in front of them, but it was quickly becoming clear that it was no ordinary book Lucy had discovered.
Lucy: David...what's going on?
David: It's coming from the book!
Lucy: Well, what do we do?
David: Close it!
Lucy: (tries closing the book) I can't! It won't shut!
David: Hang on, I'm coming! (David runs over to the book and tries to help, but it's no use.)
Lucy: Do you feel that?
David: Feel what?
The light suddenly go out. David and Lucy run behind the black wall, and the lights slowly come back, revealing an empty attic.
Narrator: And suddenly, David and Lucy had disappeared completely...the attic as silent as a shadow.