Treasure Island II - Searching For Another Treasure

 

ACT I

 

 

PROLOGUE

 

OJ: A year 2 months and 4 and a half days have passed since that great battle where we barely escaped with our lives. Forget what I said at the end of our last play about us all living happily ever after. THOSE things haven't happened yet.

Our wounds have mostly healed but the memories remain. Some like the star on top of your Christmas tree, others... like the ring left around the bathtub after Ben Gunn was finished. Our heroes still have the taste of adventure on their tongues and although they have plenty of treasure to last them a lifetime, they each ache to be back on the ship searching for that next destiny on the horizon...

 

SCENE 1 (ON THE DOCKS)

 

 

Livesay, Squire and Jim are walking along the docks mid afternoon.

 

LIVESAY: Jim, how is your mother doing these days? Still running the Admiral Benbow?

 

JIM: No, she burned it to the ground. Too many memories of my father... She's doing fine though. She decided she wanted to go searching for her long lost sister.

 

SQUIRE: A sister you say?

 

JIM: Yeah. A letter came while we were all on the island that told her that she was born a twin, but her mother could only keep one of them, so the other baby girl was given to a traveling blacksmith in exchange for an enormous cooking pot.

 

LIVESAY: They traded her sister for a cooking pot? Outrageous!

 

SQUIRE: Well I hope she finds her.

 

JIM: Thanks! How's the Hispanola by the way, Squire?

 

SQUIRE: Not well, I'm afraid. She sank off the coast of France while shipping a load of apples to Long John down in Africa. Crushed between the rocks I'm afraid.

 

LIVESAY: So that scoundrel moved to Africa did he?

 

SQUIRE: Yes. He specifically requested a 20 year supply of apples from me. Something about an apple a day keeping YOU away?

 

LIVESAY: That's just fine by me.

 

JIM: We're here!

 

SCENE 2 (AT SMOLLETT'S HOUSEBOAT)

 

OJ: We have arrived at an enormous houseboat moored at the pier. I knocked on the door and waited. After what seemed like an eternity of bird sounds, sea spray and fish smells, the captain arrives at the door in a lavish bathrobe, holding a martini.

 

SMOLLETT: Can I help you?

 

SQUIRE: It's us! We've come to take you on an adventure! Like... an organ grinder's monkey in a china shop!

 

JIM: Captain, what he means is that we'd like you to take us to find another treasure.

 

SMOLLETT: Another treasure hmmm? Well come in, come in. Have a seat at the table and you can tell me all about it.

 

LIVESAY: Well throughout my practice, I have 'inherited' quite a collection of treasure maps from my patients who have ceased to be with us. I've brought them with me to get your opinion on which would be the most adventurous and prosperous to go after.

 

SMOLLETT: Let's have them then.

 

LIVESAY: Quite right. Here's the first one... Captain Kidd's treasure. It seems to be buried off the south cape of...

 

SMOLLETT: We've got it.

 

SQUIRE: What did you say?

 

SMOLLETT: I said - we've got it. I've spent the last year and 2 months sailing from island to island with Ben Gunn. He seemed to have traveled with many different ships in his time. Seemed to know the locations of all the treasures. They were worth his weight in cheese to disclose the locations to us and we collected the treasures.

 

JIM: Wow!

 

SQUIRE: Jiminey!

 

LIVESAY: Well you couldn't have possibly found ALL the treasures there are to find. How about this one? Blackbeard...?

 

SMOLLETT: We've got it.

 

LIVESAY: Redbeard?

 

SMOLLETT: Got it.

 

LIVESAY: Bonney? Morganson? Roberts? Anderson III?

 

SMOLLETT: Got it. Got it. Got it. Got it.

 

JIM: How about this one Captain? The treasure of Esteemed Pirate Keeshan ?

 

SMOLLETT: DON'T got it. Let me see that! (grabs map) Yes, we could find this. Off the coast of Australia...

 

SQUIRE: When could you be ready?

 

SMOLLETT: In three hours. Where should I meet you? Aboard the Hispanola? I have to tell you- I don't like that ship, I don't like it's crew, and I don't like your shoes.

 

SQUIRE: No, I'm afraid all that's left of the Hispanola is some driftwood and quite a bit of applesauce. We have a new ship called ...

 

...The GORGONZOLA!

 

JIM: Gorgonzola? What kind of a name for a ship is that?

 

SQUIRE: It's Ben Gunn's ship sir. He's king now you know? It's his fleet. We had our choice between the Gorgonzola, the Edam, or the Sharp Cheddar. (To Smollett ) He wouldn't let us have the Baby Swiss though. Said it had some holes that needed repairs.

 

JIM: How did Ben Gunn get to be king? Isn't 'king' an inherited title?

 

LIVESAY: Of course it is Jim. But that Ben Gunn wasn't going to let that stop him. He arranged for King George to meet an untimely demise when George was playing horseshoes in the garden.

 

SQUIRE: Then his son became king...

 

LIVESAY: ...Who also met an untimely demise while chopping onions one dark night.

 

SQUIRE: So his second son became king...

 

LIVESAY: ...Who also met an untimely demise, being swallowed by an alligator who only had 3 legs.

 

SQUIRE: Then Ben Gunn killed the youngest son BEFORE he became king. He disguised himself with a fake beard and took the place of the youngest son at the coronation ceremony.

 

JIM: How did the youngest son die?

 

LIVESAY: That's not important. Boy you've really become desensitized to violence haven't you Jim?

Anyway, once he was crowned king, he took off the disguise and no one could remove him as reigning monarch.

 

JIM: So who has been running the country while he has been off to sea with Captain Smollett?

 

SQUIRE: Redroof. He has quite the nose for quietly running the country and not letting anyone know the King has been gone.

 

(Redroof appears upstage in a spotlight. He is wearing an obviously fake beard and trying to act as crazy as Ben Gunn)

REDROOF: (deadpan) I dream of cheese. Oh quick! Hide from Flint! I think he's under that ottoman!

(spotlight fades out)

 

 

SMOLLETT: Enough talk men! Pack your things and meet me at the docks in three hours. It is then we will set sail for Frog Island!

 

 

SCENE 3 (AT THE DOCKS)

Jim, Squire, and Livesay are standing on the docks before a large ship. They each have a suitcase.

 

JIM: That was Black Dog Squire! I'm sure of it!

 

SQUIRE: Black Dog?! Here? IMPOSSIBLE! That scallywag wouldn't be caught within a league of here. We put a bounty on her head that would bring a left handed parrot running!

 

JIM: I'm SURE of it. She was listening in on our conversation, pretending to be a sausage vendor.

 

LIVESAY: Are you sure you're up to this journey, Jim? I think you may be having psychological flashbacks of your previous traumatic experiences.

 

JIM: Fine! Don't believe me! I know what I saw.

 

SMOLLETT appears above them over the rail of the GORGONZOLA.

 

SMOLLETT: Well gentlemen, lets get this journey started. I've got the ship loaded up already, and my new first mate has everything shipshape!

 

Everyone joins the captain on board.

 

JIM: So, Captain, how long will it take us to get to Frog Island?

 

SMOLLETT: Not long. It's just a hop, flipper and a jump from here. I expect we will make landfall at the croak of dawn.

 

LIVESAY: Don't you mean CRACK of dawn, Captain?

 

SMOLLETT: No, I most certainly do NOT. I mean croak of dawn. There's a reason it's called Frog Island. Many years ago, before I was born, (as Grandpa Smollett used to tell me) the queen decided she'd like to be more elegant and dine on cuisine from foreign lands. This time, the one she chose was frog's legs from France. She ordered an entire shipload of giant bullfrogs to be imported from Africa so that she would have the largest and best frogs legs fit for a queen. During the journey though, the captain became quite agitated. Each night, the frogs would begin to croak. They would croak louder and louder. Sometimes in unison, until the noise became deafening. It began to drive the captain mad. One day , he heard the largest of the frogs begin to speak to him. It directed him to an island and demanded that he and his fellow frogs be released to the island and for the captain to never return.

The captain was more than happy to oblige and be rid of the loud pests as soon as possible. He sailed back to face the queen declaring that the frogs had mutinied. She of course didn't believe him, and he was thrown in the dungeon for the rest of his life. To this day, any sailor near Frog Island when the sun goes down, will be driven mad by the ribbiting thralls of the frog king and his supplicants.

 

SQUIRE: That was much more than I wanted to know.

 

The new first mate comes on deck.

 

SMOLLETT: Ah yes, there you are! I'd like you all to meet my new first mate: Red Bull!

 

Red Bull is really a woman in disguise. She looks remarkably similar to Black Dog, but is NOT Black Dog.

 

SQUIRE: A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bull.

 

REDBULL: (disguising her voice) Likewise Squire. (whispers) Captain, where should we bunk the new shipmates? Unless you'd like to empty your aft hold onto the poop deck, we've nowhere to put them.

 

SMOLLETT: Are you saying my aft hold is full?

 

REDBULL: Yes sir.

 

SMOLLETT: I'm embarrassed to tell you this gentleman, but my aft hold is full at the moment. Would you be terribly put out to sleep on deck? Although one of the fastest ships in the fleet, the GORGONZOLA is not near the size that the Hispanola was, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to sleep in the crew quarters.

 

SQUIRE: Outrageous! Sleeping outside? I never....

 

LIVESAY: That will be fine captain. Come men, let's take stock of this ship and let the captain get us underway.

 

SMOLLETT: Thank-you doctor. All hands on deck! Anchors away Mr. Bull! Raise the midden! We're off!

 

 

OJ: The day's journey was mostly uneventful. There's not much to say about it.

 

SCENE 4 (ON DECK, NIGHTTIME)

 

The stage is in complete darkness for the entire scene.

 

OJ: After the sun disappeared over the horizon, we hung hammocks out on the deck. The helmsman was the only other soul in sight.

 

JIM: It sure is dark out here.

 

LIVESAY: Go to sleep Jim.

 

SQUIRE: ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz.

 

JIM: So dark, you would never see someone sneaking up to kill you in your sleep...

 

HELMSMAN: Pirates off the port bow!

 

JIM: (jumps up) Where!

 

HELMSMAN: Just pulling your leg there Jim boy. I can't see a bloomin' thing in this darkness.

 

OJ: I didn't sleep much that night. I had nightmares upon nightmares. I dreamed of a table covered in frogs. Then the table only had 3 legs and more frogs. Sometimes the frogs had stubby arms, a tail and no legs. Still other times there were no frogs, no table, and just a bag of potatoes with the face of Long John Silver on the bag. I prayed the morning would come quickly.

 

 

SCENE 5 (ON DECK, THE NEXT MORNING)

 

OJ: The morning did finally come and I was worrisome tired. There was a knocking sound coming from the side of the ship. I was sure I was hearing things. I didn't want to wake Squire or the Doctor or they would be grouchy the rest of the day, so I decided to investigate myself.

 

JIM: (Rushes to look over the side of the boat) Who's there?

 

PARCHMENT CLERK: It's the Parchment Clerk, here to deliver the parchment. Throw me a line to come aboard.

 

Jim throws down a line and helps the clerk on the deck.

 

PARCHMENT CLERK: I've got a delivery for a James Hawkins?

 

JIM: That's me sir!

 

PARCHMENT CLERK: Well then this must be for you. (Hands him a parchment and a parcel)

 

Jim opens the parchment and begins to read:

JIM: Dearest Jim... It's from Mother! Dearest Jim... I miss you terribly...

 

MRS HAWKINS: (continues the scene upstage) ... It seems like forever since the day I left in search of your aunt (my sister). The leads were scarce to come by, but I managed to track the blacksmith's whereabouts to a small town on the coast of Portugal. At first it seemed to be a dead end, that is, until I befriended a kind old beggar lady named Bo...

 

BO: (Grabs edge of Mrs. Hawkins' dress, grunts and points to a pot.)

 

MRS HAWKINS: Pardon me?

 

BO: (repeats grunt and point) (Bo is mute)

 

MRS HAWKINS: Oh, you know something about the blacksmith?

 

BO: (grunts and nods)

 

MRS HAWKINS: Tell me everything!

 

MRS HAWKINS: (to audience) After a few hours of 'twenty questions” with Mute Bo, I had determined that the Blacksmith had indeed come to town many years ago with a young girl in-tow. The girl was feisty and challenged many of the local boys to swordfights. The blacksmith had taught her well, as she won many a treasure off those lads unsuspecting that a young lady could best them in such a sport.

The blacksmith decided to stay in this town, seeing that his new daughter needed a place to settle down and have a stable life. But alas that was not to be. As she grew, she was unhappy to stay in one place, and did not fit in well with the other girls.

One day a pirate ship came to port and she saw the opportunity to escape once and for all. She joined the pirate crew as a cabin boy and Blacksmith Anderson hasn't seen her since.

If you happen upon a pirate named Anderson in your journeys, please let her know we are looking for her. She is your Aunt. I will be staying with Blacksmith Anderson here if you need to reach me for any reason. I have also sent along clean underwear in the attached package. I'd hate to have you injured in a swordfight and not be wearing clean underwear...

 

JIM: ...Love always, Mother.

Squire and Livesay have woken up during the reading of the letter and have come up behind Jim. Jim looks at them sadly.

 

JIM: I don't have the heart to tell her.

 

SQUIRE: That we killed her sister?

 

JIM: No, that I NEVER wear underwear.

 

 

SCENE 6 ()