PERSEPHONE

by JULIA
DONALDSON
[A meadow. Enters Persephone, picking the petals
of a daisy.]
Persephone: Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich
man, poor man, beggar man, thief oh no,
Im going to marry a thief!
[ Enters Pluto with Servants 1 and ]
Pluto: Good morning, Persephone. Well, dont you
hae a tongue! "h, I kno#, youe been told not to
talk to strangers, is that it! $ut Im not a stranger.
Im a great friend of your mother, the goddess
%emeter, and Im a god too.
Servant 1: &es Pluto.
Servant 2: The god of the under#orld.
[Persephone !acks away.]
Pluto: %ont look so shocked, my dear. The
'nder#orld is a ery beautiful place.
Persephone: (o, its not, its a horrible, dark
place.
Pluto: (o#, no#, you mustnt beliee all the
stories you hear.
Persephone: $ut there are no )o#ers, no grass!
Pluto: *aybe not, but #e hae +e#els. ,ome and
see and Ill gie you some to keep!
Persephone: (o!
Pluto: -oud loe my pet as #ell.
Persephone: Pet! What pet!
Pluto: ,erberus, my three.headed dog.
["olding his hand]# Persephone! I beg you to come
#ith me.
Persephone: (o! Go a#ay!
Pluto: Persephone, I dont #ant to force you.
Please, take my hand.
Persephone: &elp!
[She tries to run !ut the servants !lock her way.]
Pluto: %ont leae her!
Persephone: /et me go! &elp!
Servant 1: Its no use struggling.
Servant 2: -oure coming #ith us.
Pluto: &old her tight, but dont hurt her..
remember shes going to be your 0ueen.
Persephone: Im not! /et me go!
Pluto: Take her to my carriage.
[$he servants go out with Persephone. Pluto follows
them.]
[Evening of the same day. A meadow. Enter Ale%is
and his mother, who carries a !asket of apples.]
Mother: %ont eat any more or youll make
yourself sick.
[Enters &emeter.]
Mother: *y goodness, here comes the goddess
%emeter.
[She curtsies.] Greetings, *other nature. Why do
you look so sad, madam!
Demeter: $ecause I hae lost my daughter,
Persephone. &ae you seen her!
Mother: (o, madam, Im sorry.
Demeter: 1hh, I see 2
[&emeter goes o'.]
Mother: Poor #oman!
Alexis: I thought you said she #as a goddess.
Mother: 3he is, but shes a mother too. /ook at the
grass shes been #alking on its all bro#n and
#ithered.
Alexis: [!iting an apple]# This apple tastes sour!
Mother: It must be because %emeter is unhappy.
[$hey go o']
[$he (nderworld. $here is a ta!le and a throne.
Andros is setting the ta!le with a plate, knife, fork,
spoon, glass and )ug. $he cook hovers around
fussily.]
Cook: &urry up #ith the food, (icodemus!
[Enters *icodemus with a trolley. +n it are three
plates of food. A long !arking is heard o' stage.]
Nicodemus: Thats ,erberus barking! Pluto must
be back.
[Enter Pluto, Persephone, Servants 1 and and
,er!erus. Everyone else !ows.]
Pluto: %o#n, ,erberus! 3it! Well, Persephone, do
you like my under#orld palace!
Persephone: (ot much.
Pluto: What!! /ook at the golden statues! "nd,
look, that is your throne!
Persephone: I dont #ant a throne! I #ant to sit on
the grass! I #ant to go home!
Pluto: /ook! These are emeralds.. "nd these are
diamonds. ..
Persephone: Id rather see a star.
Pluto: 3apphires2
Persephone: Id rather see the sky.
Pluto: 3ee if you can cheer her up, ,erberus.
Cerberus: Woof #oof #oof #oof #oof 2 !
Persephone: Id rather hear a bird.
Cerberus: [angry and dissaponted]# Woof #oof
#oof #oof .
Persephone: Take me home, Pluto! I hate it here.
Pluto: ,ook!
Cook: -es, your ma+esty.
Pluto: $ring in the food!
Cook: ,urried snakeseggs, your ma+esty.
Pluto: "h, my faourite.
Persephone: I dont #ant any.
Pluto: Take it a#ay!
Cook: $ut, your ma+esty!
Pluto: (e4t!!
Cook: ,ockroaches in coal dust, your ma+esty.
Persephone: (o, please, take it a#ay.
Pluto: &o# about something nice and s#eet and
sticky! What is the dessert, cook!
Cook: 5ellied #orms #ith li0uorices sauce, your
ma+esty.
Persephone: Thats disgusting!
Pluto: What #ould you like then, my dear!
Persephone: I +ust #ant to go home to my mother.
[She starts to cry.]
Pluto: Please, drink this! Its some special #ater
that #ill make you forget your mother. Then you
can be happy #ith me.
Persephone: (o! Id rather be sad and remember
my mother than be happy and forget her!
Pluto: 6ery #ell, my dear, I #ont force you. ,ome,
I7ll take you on a guided tour.
[$he following morning. "pollo is singing. ..
83unshine2 #onderful sunshine, marelous
sunshine9.:
[Enter &emeter and a woman -the mother..]
Demeter: Its "pollo, the sun god.
Apollo; Good morning, ladies. What can I do for
you!
Demeter: "pollo, you see eerything that happens
by day. Tell me, #here is Persephone!
Apollo: -our daughter is seated on a throne beside
the ruler of the under#orld.
Demeter: Pluto!
Apollo: "n e4cellent match. "llo# me to
congratulate you in erse; 81h, #hat a fabulous
match! What a triumph! 1h #hat 8
Demeter: %o stop making up poetry! [towards the
mother]# ,ome, lets go and complain to <eus.
Apollo: There is little use in seeking <eus. $ecause
he #ants her to stay in the under#orld.
Demeter: &o# could he! (o! This is terrible! I #ill
hae to rescue Persephone myself.
Apollo: %emeter, dont talk nonsense. -ou #ill
neer =nd the entrance to the under#orld. "nd2 it
is guarded by Plutos three.headed dog, ,erberus.
Demeter: Id tackle a thirty.headed dog to get my
daughter back. ,ome on, lets go!
Mother: Wont you gie up!
Demeter: That #ill be neer! [$hey go o'.]
[$wo children !ring in a sign saying /Si% months
later0 Enter Ale%is and his mother, looking cold,
tired and hungry.]
Alexis: Im cold.
Mother: I kno# you are, "le4is, eeryone is.
Alexis: "nd Im hungry too.
[Enter &emeter, followed !y a group of farmers.]
Farmers: &elp us, %emeter. We are staring. ,an
you do something!
Mother: Please, %emeter, please, help us.
Farmer 1: We #ant the plants to gro# again!
Alexis: We #ant fruit on the trees!
Farmer 2: *y chickens #ant corn.
Farmer : *y co#s #ant grass.
All: &elp us, *other (ature!
Demeter: I cant help you. I am so unhappy Ie
lost my po#er to make things gro#. Why dont you
go and pray to <eus instead!
All: -es, #ell do that! <eus! $ring back the grass!
$ring back the corn! $ring back the )o#ers! $ring
back the fruit! $ring back the spring! $ring back
the summer! $ring back Persephone!
[$he chant grows louder and louder. $hey repeat it
as they march o'.]
[1n the (nderworld. Persephone and *icodemus are
playing hide and seek. $hey are laughing and
having fun.]
Persephone: I kno# you are here!
[)umping out]# $oo! [$hey !oth laugh. Pluto enters,
carrying some 2ethe water].
Nicodemus: 1h, sorry, your ma+esty, #e #ere
+ust2
Pluto: playing hide and seek, I kno#. Its good to
see you happy, Persephone. Would you drink some
#ater!
Persephone: (o, Pluto. I dont #ant to forget my
mother.
Pluto: Then only eat something. I do so #ant you
to be happy #ith me.
Persephone: I kno# you do, Pluto. -ou are so ery
nice. $ut I dont like your kind of food. I #ant
something fresh and simple.
Pluto: 3uch as!
Persephone: 3uch as a piece of my mothers fruit.
Pluto: (icodemus!
Nicodemus: -es, your ma+esty.
Pluto: Go to the 'pper #orld and pick me some
fruit.
Nicodemus: -es, your ma+esty.
[$wo children come on with a sign saying# /3ount
+lympus, "ome of the 4ods.0 Seated at a ta!le,
there are 5eus, his wife 6 "era, Apollo, Aphrodite
and Athene.]
Farmers: $ring back the grass! $ring back the
corn!
!eus: 1h, no, not that again! I cant stand it!
Farmers: $ring back the )o#ers! $ring back the
fruit! $ring back the spring! $ring back the
summer! $ring back Persephone!
!eus: Wheres my messenger!! &ermes!
"ermes: >racing in:; "t your command!
!eus: I #ant you to take a message to Pluto! Tell
him you must take Persephone back to her mother.
"ermes: I go, I go! >&e races out again.:
!eus: Plutos not going to be happy2
#oices: $ring back Persephone! $ring back
Persephone!...
!eus: "ll right, all right!
[1n the underworld, Pluto and Persephone are
playing chess.]
Persephone: ,heckmate!
Pluto: -oue #on again! -ou are too cleer for me.
Nicodemus: -our ma+esty2.
Pluto: What then!
Nicodemus: 5ust 2 this! ["e holds out the
pomegranate.]
Pluto: What is that!
Nicodemus: Its a pomegranate. I kno# it looks
strange but all the trees #ere bare and the plants
had died. People are saying that %emeter is too sad
and thats #hy 2
Persephone: 1h, no!
[,er!erus is heard !arking wildly.]
Pluto: Whats up #ith ,erberus! Id better go and
see.
[E%its].
[3eanwhile, Persephone takes a small !ite.]
[Pluto meets "ermes and they come in.]
"ermes: <eus says you must2 gie Persephone
back.
Pluto: (o! (eer! &o# dare you!
"ermes: I kno# you are angry. Its not my fault!
Im +ust the messenger2 -ou can keep Persephone
here if shes had anything to eat #hile shes been
#ith you.
Pluto: I see.
[Persephone looks at *icodemus and puts her
7nger to her lips.]
"ermes: Well, has she!
Pluto: (o2 shes refused eerything Ie o?ered
her.
"ermes: [turning to Persephone]# Then, you are to
come #ith me!
Persephone: Wait a second, I must say goodbye.
[Pluto has his !ack turned.]
Goodbye, Pluto. %ont look so sad! *aybe I can
come back and isit you.. $ye, (icodemus. &ermes,
Im ready.
>&ermes takes her hand and they race out
together.:
Persephone: *other!
Demeter: Persephone! "m I dreaming!
Persephone: (o, its really me! [hugging
&emeter.] 1h, its so good to see the grass again.
(icodemus said it had all died.
"ermes: It had, but eery#here you tread its
been springing back again.
Demeter: Im so happy to see you2
Pearl: Was it terrible in the under#orld!
Persephone: It #asnt so bad. Pluto #as ery kind
to me.
[Enters Pluto, followed !y *icodemus.]
Persephone: Pluto!
Demeter: What are you doing here!
Pluto: I hae come for Persephone.
Demeter: (o, she belongs here!
"ermes: @emember <euss command, Pluto. "nd
she had eaten nothing.
Pluto: A4cept this! ["e holds out the pomegranate
half.]
,ome #ith me, Persephone.
Demeter: (o.
!eus: [entering]# What are trying to do tear the
poor girl in half!
$ver%one: <eus!
!eus: Bor eery seed you ate you must spend one
month of each year underground #ith Pluto. $ut
for the other si4 months she shall stay here #ith
%emeter.
Persephone: %ont be sad, mother. Ill be glad to
keep Pluto company. &e is so nice. (e4t time youll
kno# that Ill be coming back.
Demeter: 6ery #ell, <eus. $ut #hen Persephone is
a#ay, the plants #ill die and the seeds #ill stay
buried in the earth. We shall call it #inter.
Pearl: %emeter Persephones si4 months on
earth are only +ust beginning.
Persephone: "nd #ee got the #hole summer.
[8armers, miller, Ale%is and his mother and two
(nderworld servants enter with 9owers, fruit and
corn.]
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Teacher of Anglish; 3imona Pop.
5ulia %onaldson
Dcoala cu clasele I.6III @oEia
P/"- TI*A.
5ud. $ihor.
Fa collection of eleen short playsG

*acmillan ,hildrens $ooks.