the real orphan runnaway

orphan runaway
(Matthew, Yusif and Claudia sitting on chairs, others sitting on the floor)
Matthew: Oh I wish my parents came and picked me up.
Child 2: Me too!
Claudia: We all want our folks back, and maybe someday, they will….
Yusif: Claudia, stop telling the littl’uns (points to kids on floor) fairy tales ok! It’s no use! We don’t have any family! This is a dump, where people drop of children they don’t want.
Yusif approaches the group of kids.
Matthew: We’ve been friends for a long time now but you’re about to cross the line with me. (Gets up) You’ve never been THIS jumpy before! And I’m only a year younger than you. I’m tired of you treating me like a kid, I can take care of myself (the two are now facing each other) like I did for the 9 years before I met you.
Child 1: Shhhhhhhh…Don’t fight, it reminds me off…
Yusif interrupts saying…
Yusif: Ok, ok! Fine… I’m sorry!
Claudia: (Children pout/cry) look what you’ve done… you’ve upset the kids! You’d better help me keep them quiet!
Matthew: here, I’ll play to! Claudia
Claudia: Thanks! Yusif… come over here!
(Play dolls/cars)

Margalit: (scream from off stage) get down here. NOW!

Yusif: I wonder what “The Witch” wants now?!
Matthew: I suppose we should go- it’ll be mad if we don’t.
Claudia: it’s just about time for lunch time … still, I doubt the foods gonna be any better today then it has been for the past 10 years that I’ve been here!
Matthew: come on everyone… (Sarcastic) lets get some healthy food!

The children exit stage….
Rearrange chairs
The children enter stage later…

Matthew is sits at the head of the table
Claudia: Are you sure you wanna sit THERE?
Margalit walks in furious about this and then she smashes his face into the table.
Margalit: Get to your seat NOW!
Matthew: But nobody is sitting here, so I wanted to.
Margalit: no means NO! Only important people get to sit at the head of the table, and you are NOT important any one!
She says this and drags Matthew across the table to his chair
Margalit: (Quieter but loud) that’s why you’re here…
Child 1: (whispers) that’s gotta hurt!
Child 3: Shhhhhhh!
Margalit: Here’s your (pauses)…food. Placing the breakfast in the bowls that are in front of the children
Yusif: I don’t want to eat this, it looks disgusting pushes the bowl away from him
Matthew, Child 2: I don’t want to eat it either! Matthew pushes his bowl in front of him
Margalit: (Angry) children if you don’t eat your food the will be no more until dinner time
Yusif: (stubborn) I don’t care
Yusif throws the bowl of food at Margalit
Margalit: That was a very, very silly move, now you have to do the dishes, and you get no food even if you wanted it. (Picks up the bow)l and places it on the table with an angry expression. All right brats…if you aren’t gonna eat the food then get outa my way!
Margalit points at yusif. You, stay here!
Matthew: Come on guys let’s go.
Child 2: aww (All children but Yusif exit the stage on the left)

Margalit: your one of the elder children here, so the little ones look up to you. I can’t have you disrespecting me in front of them. Listen to me! I can’t have you influencing them to be bad. YUSIF!
Margalit slaps yusif making him fall down.
Freeze… then rearrange chairs

Matthew in their sleeping room, Yusif walks in, limping
Yusif: Man I swear this room gets smaller every time we come back here!
Matthew: tell me about it!
Yusif: You know what? I wanna go back to the times when I was a kid and didn’t understand any thing…
Matthew laughs
Matthew: yeah, like why my folks never came back from vacation… those were the good days huh. Didn’t seem like it then though…
Yusif: one day…I’m gonna run away! Just, don’t tell anyone. Keep it in your head K? ‘Cause when I do I want you to, you know how a pilot has his right hand man?
Matthew: yeah…
Yusif: well, when I run away… I want you to be my right hand man…
Matthew: Defiantly! I’ll come with you!
Claudia and Child 1 enter the room and sits down with Yusif and Matthew

Yusif: hi with a sigh
Claudia: Hey, what you guys talking about?
Child 1: how terrible this dump is?!
Matthew: yup!
Yusif: Can’t believe I ended up here.
Child 1: I know…
Claudia: but what can we do, it isn’t like we can just leave…
Freeze

(Two boys run on stage from left, Yusif stops and sits down)
Yusif: get up, hurry we have to keep on going!
Matthew: yeah I know! I need to tie my shoe lace… (Gets up and then catches his breath)
Yusif: (looks around) I think we lost her! I can’t believe it! We really ran away!
Matthew: we did? That’s amazing!
Yusif: as long as we keep a lookout we might just get lucky, and stay away from there!
Matthew: All right then. How ‘bout we take shifts sleeping?
Yusif: that’s a good idea, you sleep first- you’re younger. I’ll wake you up later.
Matthew: sounds good to me… (Yawn)
Yusif: Just one more thing-
Matthew: yeah?
Yusif: If I don’t wake you up, or you don’t find me when you wake up… because they caught me… I want you to know that I wont tell on you and you’re safe out here, just stay away from cops and drugs… and be happy… don’t worry about me. Alright – never