THERE IS A BACKDROP OF A MOSSY GLADE IN A FOREST

WITH BEHIND, AT NIGHT, A CIRCLE OF SNOWY MOUNTAINS AND A FULL MOON. 

SCENE MAKERS: USE THESE PICTURES TO INSPIRE YOU.

THE NARRATORS ARE TO THE SIDE OF THE STAGE. 

MOTHER EARTH IS STANDING CENTRE STAGE LOOKING VERY SAD. 

A SMALL BOY AND GIRL ARE LOOKING UP AT HER.

NARRATOR 1:

Mother Earth was very sad.

NARRATOR 2:

She was bowed down with grief.

BOY:

Mother Earth, are you all right?

GIRL:

You look very sad?

MOTHER EARTH:

SHE SMILES DOWN AT THEM

BOY:

I am sad.

GIRL:

Why?

MOTHER EARTH:

What can we do? Listen and you will learn.

SHE STANDS UP STRAIGHTER AND MAKES MOTIONS INVITING THE BIRDS TO COME TO HER

GIRL:

What are you doing?

MOTHER EARTH:

Wait and see.

NARRATOR 1:

She was sending a message to her birds all over the world.

NARRATOR 2:

The birds could understand she was calling them.

NARRATOR 1:

And telling them where to meet.

MOTHER EARTH:

(CALLING OUT) I need your help.

 THE HOOPOE APPEARS IN A BEAUTIFUL BIRD COSTUME WAVING ITS ARMS AS WINGS.

MOTHER EARTH:

Please will you gather together in one place; so I can speak to you?

THE HOOPOE MAKES ITS CALL AND SIGNALS TO OTHER BIRDS TO COME. 

THEY APPEAR, FLYING

(WAVING THEIR ARMS/WINGS)

AT THE SIDE OF THE STAGE.

NARRATOR 1:

They flew secretly at night.

NARRATOR 2:

So that only the boy and girl and night creatures would hear the whisper of their wings. 

BOY:

There are so many of them.

GIRL:

Aren’t they beautiful

 EACH BIRD ACTOR CAN IMITATE THE SOUND OF HIS OR HER BIRD BEFORE SPEAKING. PLEASE CLICK ON THE BIRD PICTURES BELOW TO HEAR THE CALLS THEY MAKE

NARRATOR 1:

As they flew they called to each other.

GREAT CRESTED CRANE:

(GREAT CRESTED CRANE BIRD CALL)

What does the Earth want?

PINK FLAMINGO:

(PINK FLAMINGO BIRD CALL)

What can the Earth need?

HUMMING BIRD:

(HUMMING BIRD CALL AND HUM OF WINGS) 

Why does she want to speak to us?

 THE BOY AND GIRL AND MOTHER EARTH GO TO THE SIDE OF THE STAGE

NARRATOR 2:

At last the birds reached the place the Earth had named.

NARRATOR 1:

It was a mossy glade in the middle of a forest.

NARRATOR 2: 

High above the trees a circle of snowy mountains glistened in the light of the full moon.

 MANY BIRDS ARRIVE. THEY WHISTLE AND TWEET AND MAKE THEIR BIRD CALLS. THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER IN AMAZEMENT. AS THEY ARE DESCRIBED, THEY MOVE FORWARD AND BOW OR CURTSEY AND MAKE THEIR BIRD CALLS TO THE AUDIENCE.

NARRATOR 1

They were the great crested crane and the pink flamingo from Africa.

 THE GREAT CRESTED CRANE MOVES FORWARD BOWS AND MAKES HIS NOISE. HE THEN MAKES WAY FOR THE FLAMINGO AND SHE MOVES FORWARD MAKES HER NOISE AND CURTSIES.

NARRATOR 2:

The tiny fragile humming bird and the golden crested wren.

 THEY MOVE FORWARD, BOW OR CURTSEY AND MAKE THEIR BIRD CALLS.

NARRATOR 1:

The bright parrot from South America.

NARRATOR 2:

The tree sparrow from China.

PLEASE CLICK ON THE BIRD PICTURES TO HEAR THE CALLS THEY MAKE

NARRATOR 1:

The Arctic Tern had flown many miles from the Far North.

HE OR SHE COMES FORWARD AND MAKES A BOW OR CURTSEY AND MAKES THE CORMORANT BIRD CALL.

NARRATOR 2:

The Cormorant from the sea shores and the Albatross from the far oceans.

THEY BOW OR CURTSIE AND MAKE CORMORANT AND ALBATROSS CALLS.

NARRATOR 1:

The Falcon, the Eagle and the great, gliding Condor had come from the high mountains and from wild, desolate places.

AGAIN THEY BOW OR CURTSIE AND MAKE THEIR CALLS.

NARRATOR 2:

There were birds with strange faces like the owl.

HE MAKES HIS “TOO-WIT TOO-WOO” SOUND.

NARRATOR 1:

And birds that sang beautifully like the Nightingale and the Thrush.

THEY CURTSIE AND MAKE THEIR SONGS.

NARRATOR 2:

Magical birds like the Paradise Kingfisher and the Fairy Bluebird.

 THEY TOO BOW OR CURTSIE AND MAKE THEIR SONGS.

NARRATOR 1:

And birds everyone knows like the swallows.

 IF WE HAVE ENOUGH ACTORS THERE CAN BE SEVERAL SWALLOWS

NARRATOR 2:

There were hundreds and thousands of birds from everywhere on Earth.

NARRATOR 1:

They settled down to listen to what the Earth had to say.

MOTHER EARTH, THE BOY AND THE GIRL MOVE FORWARD. THE BIRDS MOVE BACK NERVOUSLY.

MOTHER EARTH:

You are my birds. Be not afraid of me. 

You have been part of my life for millions of years.

I have given you food and shelter.

But now I need your help.

HOOPOE:

How can we help?

MOTHER EARTH:

You fly everywhere between Earth and Sky and you see everything.

You know more than people or animals because you are free to explore every hidden place.

So you know that my seas and rivers are filled with poisonous wastes, which hurt and kill my fish.

My forests are being cut down, so we can no longer breathe properly.

My sky is torn and the sun’s burning rays injure me.

My sea creatures – the whales and the dolphins and turtles – are destroyed,

BOY:

I love dolphins.

GIRL:

It’s so sad.

MOTHER EARTH:

Poisons are buried deep in my body.

THE GIRL DARES TO CALL OUT

GIRL:

They make us feel ill.

BOY:

That’s right. And we cannot grow food for all the life we love.

MOTHER EARTH:

Yes. What will happen to all the children?

BOY:

And the animals.

GIRL:

And the plants.

MOTHER EARTH:

The world will wither and die.

 THE BIRDS USE THEIR CALLS TO MAKE SAD AND SYMPATHETIC NOISES

MOTHER EARTH:

That’s not all. In many places our people are killing each other.

Because they believe that I, the Earth, belongs to them alone.

They make weapons from my body to destroy each other.

They tear my body apart with their bombs.

GIRL:

Millions of children are hungry.

BOY:

And hurt.

GIRL:

And dying,

BOY:

Because of these wars.

 MOTHER EARTH LOOKS DOWN AT THE CHILDREN

MOTHER EARTH:

That’s right. And you are taught to hate and fear each other.

Few can hear my voice, the voice of the Earth.

Only a few listen to my cry for help.

 SHE LOOKS UP AT THE BIRDS AGAIN.

You, birds have seen all these things.

Will you help me?

THE BIRDS ALL CRY TOGETHER. THEN THEY ASK EACH OTHER:

GOLDEN CRESTED WREN:

What can we do to help?

PARROT:

What does the Earth want?

THEY TURN TO THE EARTH.

CHINESE TREE SPARROW:

How can we help you?

MOTHER EARTH:

(WITH A STRONGER VOICE) 

Are you brave enough to go on a special journey to save my life?

HAWK:

(MAKES HIS CALL. UNCERTAIN) Well…….?

MOTHER EARTH:

Are you clever enough to find the place that lies east of the sun and west of the moon, over the edge of time, beyond the seven valleys?

The place that is neither here nor there, but everywhere??

OWL:

I don’t know.

MOTHER EARTH:

Are you strong enough to break the spell of the monsters of the seven valleys?

EAGLE:

I’m not sure.

MOTHER EARTH:

Will you dive to the depth of the sea and look for the garden, where there is a house with a hidden treasure?

KINGFISHER:

I’ve never dived that far.

MOTHER EARTH:

In that house there is a Great Being.

One who is never old nor ever young?

Who is the life of all life?

Speak to this Being.

Say the Earth is in danger and has sent you for help.

Then bring me back the message you are given.

THE BIRDS TURN THEIR BACK ON MOTHER EARTH AND LOOK AT EACH OTHER.

Come children. It is time for the birds to decide.

MOTHER EARTH, THE BOY AND THE GIRL LEAVE THE STAGE

NARRATOR 2:

The birds were bewildered.

NARRATOR 1:

They had never heard the voice of Mother Earth before.

CONDOR:

I’ve never heard of the Great Being..

FALCON:

Nor me. 

ARCTIC TERN:

And what are the seven valleys?

THRUSH:

And what does “beyond time” mean?

KINGFISHER:

And how can we reach a garden in the depths of the sea?

SWALLOW:

It sounds crazy.

CORMORANT:

Perhaps it’s all in a dream.

ALBATROSS:

It’s silly to fly so far to find something that might not be there.

BLUEBIRD:

I don’t think I have the strength for such a journey.

HUMMING BIRD:

We might die on the way.

 THE HOOPOE TAKES UP A POSITION TO FACE THEM ALL.

NARRATOR 2

The Hoopoe flew into the centre of the glade and addressed them all.

HOOPOE:

Dear Birds, I am a messenger of the world invisible.

I know the way to the garden beyond the edge of time.

I have entered the house of the Treasure and seen the Great Being.

FLAMINGO:

How can we get there?

HOOPOE:

I can guide you to the place that is east of the sun and west of the moon.

I have flown the lonely and dangerous way through the seven valleys to the hidden treasure hidden in the depth of the sea.

I have seen through the hundred thousand veils of light and darkness that lie between us and the Great Being.

To make this journey you will need the courage of the eagle.

EAGLE:

(MAKING HIS CALL) Thank you.

HOOPOE:

The night vision of the owl.

OWL:

(MAKING HER CALL) Thank you. I will see.

HOOPOE:

The wisdom of the raven.

RAVEN:

(MAKING HIS CALL) Thank you. Am I really that wise?

HOOPOE:

Yes. And the gentleness of the dove.

DOVE:

(MAKES HER CALL). Thank you.

HOOPOE:

Long ago, in the first days, the Great Being dropped a Golden Feather on the Earth. Every bird carried within its heart the same, magical Golden Feather;

GOLDEN CRESTED WREN:

Like the golden feathers on my crest?

HOOPOE:

Yes but each bird had a magical golden feather inside, so that each was linked to all the others as well as to the Great Being.

 THE PEACOCK MAKES A GREAT FAN OF HIS FEATHERS.

PEACOCK:

(SQUAWKS) My feathers are the best.

HOOPOE:

That’s on the outside. Many of you have forgotten the real feather inside your hearts, which links you together and to the Great Being. That’s why you fight battles with each other and forget that you are all children of Mother Earth and that without Mother Earth you will die.

THE BIRDS EXCEPT THE HOOPOE MOVE TO THE BACK OF THE STAGE AND MIME TALKING TO EACH OTHER.

NARRATOR 2:

At first they decided they would all go together. 

NARRATOR 1:

But then they began to think how long and difficult the journey might be. 

NARRATOR 2:

They began to make excuses.

THE NIGHTINGALE COMES FORWARD. SHE SINGS A LITTLE.

 NIGHTINGALE:

I love to sing all night to the rose in the gardens of the earth. 

If I go on this journey the rose might wither and die without my song.

 HOOPOE: 

What good will your singing be if there are no gardens left and no roses to fill them? 

Open your throat and sing to the birds as they face the dangers of the journey. 

Sing to them of trust and hope and courage and joy so they don’t lose heart.

THE PARROT MOVES FORWARD, MAKING HIS PARROT SQUAWK.

 PARROT:

If I leave the warm, moist jungle, how would I survive in another place?

What’s the point of my making this journey, when I may not be able to live in that garden, let alone find my way back?

HOOPOE:

Where will you live when your forests are cut down? 

Why do you have so little trust in yourself, and so little love for the Earth, who has cared for you like a mother for so long?

 THE PEACOCK WITH HIS MAGNIFICENT FEATHERS COMES FORWARD MAKING HIS PEACOCK CALL

PEACOCK:

I think the Earth is exaggerating. I am an expert. 

I know better than the Earth what is going on in the seas and forests, the deserts and cities of the world. 

This Great Being she talks of may be just a dream. 

There is no proof that what she says is true.

HOOPOE:

Foolish Peacock. Your splendor hides a cold heart.

This is the first time Mother Earth has spoken to her birds.

We do not need proof. We need to listen to her voice and trust to our hearts.

THE DUCK COMES FORWARD, QUACKING.

DUCK:

I live in ponds and rivers, where I find my food. But poisoned water from factories is pouring into them. 

Fish are dying and the water is no longer good for me. 

I will come with you for the sake of all the water birds and for the sake of the Earth.

HOOPOE:

Thank you, Duck. Your courage will give strength to others.

 THE PARTRIDGE LIMPS FORWARD, MAKING HER CALL.

PARTRIDGE:

I have been injured in the wars. 

My wife is dead; my children starving and homeless.

My heart is burnt to ashes with hate for those who did these things. 

I can understand the pain the Earth is feeling.

I will come with you to bring back a message from the Great Being to help her.

HOOPOE:

Thank you, Partridge. This journey may heal your heart.

THE HAWK SWOOPS AROUND THE STAGE AND ENDS UP BEFORE THE HOOPOE. HE MAKES HIS CALL.

NARRATOR 1:

Suddenly the hawk, fierce and proud and dressed for battle swopped towards the hoopoe.

HAWK:

I don’t know why you weep and wail about war. There’s always been war and there always will be. It’s necessary to kill one’s enemies and to suffer in order to win. Why should I face the dangers on the way when there are more glorious battles to fight here?

HOOPOE:

You stain the Earth with blood. Why not be a warrior for peace? A warrior can protect life instead of destroying it. Is it not foolish to talk of war between birds, when the life of the planet is in danger? If you are as brave as you boast, come with us on our journey.

NARRATOR 2:

Then the tall, grey heron stepped forth.

THE TALL GREY HERON STEPS FORWARD.

HERON:

I am so gentle that no one complains about me. 

I stand at the edge of the water, dreaming my dreams. 

I am too delicate for the journey you speak of.

HOOPOE:

Dreams can take you away from your true path in life.

Like lakes and rivers, dreams may be gentle and pleasant, but they may also drown you like raging flood waters.

Come with us to the sea that contains all wonders, all treasures; hen your dreams may become true.

 THE HUMMING BIRD STEPS FORWARD.

HUMMING BIRD:

Do you think a tiny bird like me, weak as butterfly, could make her way to the garden of the Great Being?

A humming bird could never do it.

HOOPOE:

How do you know what you can do, unless you start out?

Sometimes the weak have more courage and endurance than the strong.

Take heart and join us. What a story you will have to tell your children.

THE OWL COMES FORWARD, FLUFFING OUT HER FEATHERS.

OWL:

I was old before the Great Flood. 

I have witnessed many things, since the beginning of time.

It is too late for us to do anything. 

There are too few of us who care.

 HOOPOE:

Wise owl, most respected of birds. It is never too late. 

Where danger is greatest, there is the greatest hope for change. 

Mother Earth has chosen us to help her. 

As she trusts us, cannot we trust her?

The choice you make can change the past and the future.

THE BIRDS FORM A LARGE RING OR TWO AND PUT THEIR ARMS / WINGS ROUND EACH OTHER’S SHOULDERS OR WAISTS, NODDING THEIR HEADS AND MAKING THEIR CALLS.

NARRATOR 1:

After the birds made their choice, the Hoopoe spoke once more.

HOOPOE:

If you lose yourself in a glass of water, how will you dive to the depths of the sea, beyond the edge of time?

If you cannot light a tiny flame, how will you reach the blazing fire at the heart of life?

If you don’t have the energy of an atom, how will you find the strength to help the Earth?

For this quest you must have the heart of a lion.

TREE SPARROW:

It will be a miracle if we survive this journey.

ARCTIC TERN:

Could you tell us something of this Great Being?

FALCON:

Who lives east of the sun and west of the moon?

GREAT CRESTED CRANE:

Then perhaps we would have the courage to set forth.

HOOPOE:

Oh birds without memory! You have forgotten the Golden Feather in your hearts, which floats like a song on the breath of the Great Being.

If you love Mother Earth as much as she loves you, set out with fiery hearts towards the goal, making that your greater joy!

NARRATOR 2:

Now the birds felt a change of heart. Their love of Mother Earth lifted them up.

The idea of the Great Being filled them with wonder.

HOOPOE:

We have to fly into a great darkness, the darkness of the seven valleys. 

Each valley is ruled by an invisible monster, who lives inside a high mountain. Everything in each valley lies under a monster’s magic spell.

NARRATOR 1:

The Hoopoe explained how once, long ago, the monsters were one with the Great Being. But pain and fear came between them and separated them.

She explained that because they were wounded, they wounded others. 

They had become terrible and dangerous. She continued:

HOOPOE:

We shall make the journey together, but each must find his or her own path through the valleys. As you break the spell of the monster who rules each valley, you will discover skills you did not have before. You will become stronger and wiser and more loving.

NARRATOR 2:

At last the trembling birds set out.

WE SEE THEM FLAPPING THEIR WINGS AND HEAR THE SOUND OF MANY WINGS AS THE BIRDS LEAVE THE STAGE ON ONE SIDE AND THEN BEGIN TO APPEAR ON THE OTHER SIDE. FIRST COME A RAVEN, A DUCK, A PARTRIDGE, A FLAMINGO, A HAWK AND A GOLDEN CRESTED WREN. IF POSSIBLE THE STAGE GROWS DARKER.