EPISODE 1 - A fisherman’s daughter
TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 1
Soft music.
The following podcast was made possible by the University of Texas at Austin’s Cohen New Works Festival. Be sure to support other productions in the festival and go to spellsofthesea.com for activities following each episode.
Silence, except for the ocean.
MERMAID:
Shh.
The ocean stops.
Are you listening?
Stomping and clapping from the distance. It gets closer.
Song: Spells of the Sea
MERMAID:
Settle down as I tell you a story of a
Little town by the shore
Lived a man who only dwelt in darkness
And a girl searching for a cure
They went on
A deadly journey for
The key to eternity
But they found
That to get their treasure
They’d
ALL:
Encounter
MERMAID:
The spells of the sea
ALL:
The ocean’s deep
Its riches are plenty
But don’t fall asleep
You’ll be dead in twenty
See the mermaids creep
On the ocean floor
Take sailors who weep
Steal the ones who want more
So, settle down (settle down)
As we tell you a story of a
Little town by the shore
An old, old man--he dealt with darkness
A girl searching for a death cure
They went on
A deadly journey for the
Key to eternity
So beware,
For there’s no going back
When you play with the spells of the sea
ALL:
Hm
MERMAID:
Our story starts with a girl named Finley
End of song.
MERMAID:
Finley Frankfurter was a fifteen-year-old fisherwoman. She was feisty, frank, and always
fantasizing about something. And she was in detention.
The sound of a whistle. We’re in a high school natatorium.
COACH:
Count the rest of those cans, Frankfurter!
FINLEY:
I am!
MERMAID:
Finley was from a town called Bleary, known for three things. The first was sardine packaging.
FINLEY:
...twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four. With the rest, that’s 974 cans for the sardine drive.
MERMAID:
The second was the world’s worst swim team.
COACH:
Keep counting, Frankfurter. I hope you’re happy you stole the school’s lifejackets.
Splashing and yelling in the distance.
SWIMMER:
Coach! We’re drowning!
COACH:
I have to go help the swim team.
MERMAID:
And the third...was Frankfurter Fishing. Bleary’s fishing empire.
COACH: (from off)
Keep counting, Frankfurter! Just because your father is the fishing king Ferris Frankfurter
doesn’t mean you—
SWIMMER:
She can’t even catch fish!
FINLEY:
Yes, I can!
COACH:
--Doesn’t mean you get a free pass! There you go again, ignoring me! You’ve always got your
head in the clouds, Frankfurter.
MERMAID:
But Finley’s head was almost never in the clouds. It was always in the deep, blue, endless ocean.
Song: My Dad and Me
FINLEY:
Blue skies and starry nights
Greet this old town each night and morning
I find they’re much better company
Than the chums that go to school with me
SWIMMER: (to Finley)
Hey, Freaky Fishfurter!
Finley is pushed to the ground.
Leave town.
FINLEY:
Promise my life is more than this
More than school and chums
And chums and school and this
A school bell dings.
Cause once that school bell dings I’m out of here
Once it tolls then I am free
Out of this little town into the roaring sea
Hop on a boat and then go fishing
Soaring, tumbling on the high seas
Just a fisherman and his daughter
My dad and me
(spoken) Pa!
DAD: (spoken):
There she is! Just in time for the daily catch.
MERMAID:
Finley’s father was the fastest, fittest fisherman in all of Bleary. He could catch anything from
trout to tuna to—
MERMAID & DAD:
Tilapia to twin-stripe pencilfish to tarpon to—
MERMAID:
Townspeople.
TOWNSPERSON #1 runs up to DAD.
TOWNSPERSON #1:
Ferris Frankfurter? The fishing king?! Could I get a picture? I just love Frankfurter Fishing.
DAD:
Of course.
TOWNSPERSON #1:
Oh, good! Little girl, could you hold the camera?
FINLEY:
I’m actually his daugh—
TOWNSPERSON #1:
Here you go!
FINLEY:
Oh. Well...smile.
Click!
TOWNSPERSON #1:
Thank you, thank you! I love you, Ferris!
DAD:
And I, you.
MERMAID:
But no one loved Finley’s dad more than Finley did.
FINLEY:
Fishing time, Pa?
DAD:
Fishing time.
FINLEY:
Someday I’ll be the fastest fittest fisherwoman in all of Bleary, just like you, Pa. All those kids at
school will be wrong. Just wait.
DAD:
You’ll get there, Fin. To the boat!
FINLEY:
Aye, aye, Captain!
DAD:
Grab raincoats in case
Of treacherous storms
And nets to cast for swimming treasure
FINLEY:
It’s too much fun on a boat in the sun
Sometimes catch and release until the day is done
We’ve been fishing since I was six
Know how to jab a shark with a stick
Since my dad taught me, now I’m fisherwoman Finley
Yes, I may be young but I’m dangerous
Pirates, look out, or you’ll be sorry!
Beware the fisherman and his daughter,
My Dad and me
DAD:
Ready about?
FINLEY:
Ready!
They sail.
FINLEY & DAD:
We’re the greatest team and we’ll always be
On the shore or in the blue deep
We’re the best and we’re the fastest
Duo in the entire sea
Don’t know any pals better than us on Earth
Just the two of us, we don’t need three
Look out world we’re coming for you
Cause we’re the best fishing team in the sea
DAD: (spoken)
Be right back, Fin.
Dad disappears below.
FINLEY: (sung)
Cause when we’re on our boat, we’re invincible
We’re the best team that could be
A fisherman and his daughter
My Dad and...
End of Song.
A CRASH!
DAD:
Finley! Finley, help!
FINLEY:
Pa! What’s wrong?
DAD:
My knee.
FINLEY:
I’ll help you up.
She tries. Dad winces in pain.
DAD:
You can’t—Finley. No.
FINLEY:
I can!
They try to stand up. Dad is in even more pain.
DAD:
It’s no use.
FINLEY:
But I can help, Pa--
DAD:
You need to call a doctor, Finley.
Beat.
FINLEY:
Okay. You’ll be alright, right?
DAD:
Yes. It’s nothing. We’ll be alright.
MERMAID:
But it was far from alright.
Because Pa had...
DOCTOR & MERMAID:
The Big Bad sickness
From the Big Bad Depths
Of the Sea.
Dad is asleep on a hospital bed.
Hospital sounds. The steady beat of a heart monitor.
FINLEY:
What kind of sickness is that, doctor?
DOCTOR:
One that can’t be cured.
FINLEY:
What do you mean?
DOCTOR:
It’s an extremely rare and difficult paralysis that comes from too much sea exposure. We’re
looking at three days.
FINLEY:
Three days...to live?
DOCTOR:
I’m sorry. If you need time to be alone / or need--
FINLEY:
Does he know.
DOCTOR:
He’s known for a long time.
FINLEY:
How long.
DOCTOR:
Months.
Beat.
FINLEY:
No.
DOCTOR:
I’m sorry. Take this time to spend as much—
FINLEY:
I’ll find a cure.
DOCTOR:
There is no cure.
FINLEY:
I’ll find one!
Finley runs away, out of the hospital and into the street.
MERMAID: (spoken)
Finley ran and ran and ran. She ran until her legs were sore and tired. And as she sat down on the
street, she looked behind her and saw a tiny shop she’d never seen before.
FINLEY:
“New Light Life: Open 24/7.” What is this place?
Finley enters the shop. SHOPKEEPER is behind the counter, mysterious and shrouded in
darkness.
SHOPKEEPER:
Welcome in.
FINLEY:
Hello.
SHOPKEEPER:
Looks like you could use some rest. Grab a chair.
FINLEY:
I’m fine.
SHOPKEEPER:
Really? You look weak.
FINLEY:
I’m not.
SHOPKEEPER:
Suit yourself.
FINLEY:
But...I’ll take a water, please.
SHOPKEEPER:
Sorry. We don’t sell that here.
FINLEY:
Really?
SHOPKEEPER:
Yes. But we do have potions, Eel poop, Nessie breath and Kraken spit.
FINLEY:
Juice is fine.
SHOPKEEPER:
Try some of this.
She hands Finley a bottle of Kraken Spit.
Finley takes a big gulp, then contorts her face in disgust.
FINLEY:
That’s not juice!
SHOPKEEPER:
Correct. How do you feel?
FINLEY:
I feel...
Finley wiggles her legs.
Good as new. Like I never even ran here. What is this?
SHOPKEEPER:
Kraken spit.
FINLEY:
Really?
SHOPKEEPER:
If you believe it is.
FINLEY:
I do. Wanna see me chug the whole thing?
SHOPKEEPER:
Not really.
Finley gulps down the rest of the bottle.
And, you’re chugging it.
FINLEY:
I’m invincible now.
SHOPKEEPER:
Moderately.
FINLEY:
Definitely.
I’ve never seen this shop before. Is it magic?
SHOPKEEPER:
Possibly.
FINLEY:
Good. Then, I’ll need all of your magic medicine. And another bottle of this Kraken Spit stuff.
SHOPKEEPER:
It’s not for sale, Finley.
FINLEY:
Oh, sure.
Wait, how do you know my name?
SHOPKEEPER:
Wild guess.
FINLEY:
Who are you?
SHOPKEEPER:
Whoever you want.
FINLEY:
Okay. If you’re Whoever I Want, you’ll give me a bottle of Kraken Spit.
SHOPKEEPER:
We only give our customers what they need.
FINLEY:
I need to cure my Pa. He’s sick.
SHOPKEEPER:
What does he have?
FINLEY:
The Big Bad Sickness from the Big Bad Depths of the Sea. It’s a form of paralysis.
SHOPKEEPER:
I see.
FINLEY:
So, do you have anything for it?
SHOPKEEPER:
I don’t. But I do know where you can find a cure.
FINLEY:
Really? Where?
SHOPKEEPER:
I don’t know its exact location. But I do know that finding it is dangerous.
FINLEY:
I’ll do anything.
SHOPKEEPER:
Anything?
FINLEY:
Yes.
SHOPKEEPER:
Well, then. I’ll tell you what I do know.
Song: The Elixir of Life
SHOPKEEPER:
There are many magic spells in this shop Finley, it’s true.
But the Big Bad Sickness needs a cure that I cannot give you!
There’s a tiny green potion not easy to attain
It needs three things to cure sickness,
And four if you need to resurrect the dead but I won’t get into that for quickness’ sake!
It’s called the Elixir of Life
And it will cure the Big Bad Sickness for a price
If you need to heal your Pa
Be prepared to make more than one sacrifice.
FINLEY (spoken):
What do I need?
SHOPKEEPER: (spoken):
Oh, how eager.
(sung)
You need one—
A bottle of kindness,
Two—a token of your worst fear,
Three—the soul of a princess,
And four...is only for the dead so you don’t need to know that!
FINLEY: (spoken)
Simple enough. How do I find it?
SHOPKEEPER: (spoken)
How stealthy are you?
FINLEY:
Very.
SHOPKEEPER:
There’s a map in the Old Town Lighthouse. You’ll have to take it when the lighthouse keeper
isn’t looking.
FINLEY:
And after I get the map?
SHOPKEEPER:
Say it with me!
(sung)
You’ll find one—
SHOPKEEPER & FINLEY:
A bottle of kindness,
Two—a token of your (my) worst fear,
Three—the soul of a princess,
And four...is only for the dead so you (I) don’t need to know that!
FINLEY: (spoken)
Thank you, shopkeeper!
SHOPKEEPER: (spoken)
Good luck.
End of song.
Finley exits the shop.
MERMAID:
Finley knew that The Old Town Lighthouse shut down long ago. But what she didn’t know was
that the old lighthouse keeper still lived inside of it. He was called H.S. Crank. And he spent his
days in total darkness.
The outside world shuts out as we meet H.S. CRANK--an old, senile man.
Song: This Lighthouse
CRANK:
I dwell on the ground
With darkness and that lovely old sound
Of nothing
Gotta love this house
No one inside not even a mouse
And no people
My best friend is the couch
He won’t care even if I act a grouch
Silence is my favorite sound
Isolation is my heaven
I’d buy it by the pound
You’d think I would hate the lights out
But the best part about this job is
There’s no light in this lighthouse
My wife died on the shore
She thought the ocean had sturdy floor
How simple.
And my kid died out the door
She thought sunlight could give her more
It didn’t.
They say I’m trying to hide
But at least when I die, I won’t die outside
Silence is my favorite sound
Isolation is my heaven
I’d buy it by the pound
You’d think I would hate the lights out
But the best part about this place
Is there’s no light in this lighthouse
End of song.
FINLEY, who is just entering the lighthouse, turns her lantern on.
FINLEY:
Hello? Anybody home?
CRANK:
Get out.
FINLEY:
Hey! Lighthouse keeper!
CRANK:
Get out of my house!
Finley shines her lantern around until it finds Crank. It shines in his eyes.
Agh! Turn that light off! Get out!
FINLEY:
Are you the lighthouse keeper?
CRANK:
It’s too bright! My eyes!
FINLEY:
Answer me!
CRANK:
It shut down 20 years ago!
FINLEY:
So, you are!
CRANK:
Not anymore! Turn that off!
FINLEY:
Fine.
She turns the lantern off.
It’s dark in here. Ever open a window?
She kicks out a board from a boarded-up window. Blinding daylight.
CRANK:
No, no! Why would you open the window?!
FINLEY:
I need to find your lampshade. Give it to me.
CRANK:
Why?
FINLEY:
There’s something I need inside!
She spots a lamp.
Aha, the lamp!
She inspects it.
Why does your lamp say, “I heart Clam Chowder?”
CRANK:
Stop tearing apart my furniture! This is my house! Where’s the telephone? I can’t see with all of
this light.
Crank noisily scuttles around the lighthouse.
Finley takes a piece of paper out of the lampshade.
FINLEY:
Found it! Thank you, lighthouse keeper.
And runs away.
CRANK:
No, no! I’ll call the authorities on you! What did you take from me?
FINLEY:
A map for buried treasure. Now, hush!
MERMAID:
And it was then that Finley opened the map.
Finley opens the map. It glows. Whispers. Words everywhere.
FINLEY:
Where to first, map? Tell me where I can find a bottle of kindness.
The map whispers.
ELIXIR:
Take it ship spin wood kindness
sail whirlpool
the plank bottle of kindness walk princess
mystery monster
bottle of the plank! mermaid Pirates
ship sing
Voices crescendo, until—
Crank snatches the map out of Finley’s hands.
CRANK:
Give me that, thief!
FINLEY:
My name is Finley! And no! I need it!
CRANK:
Need? Oh, well I needed some quality time with myself today, thief. But did I get that? No.
FINLEY:
It was trying to tell me something!
CRANK:
Tell you what? How not to steal? Idiot girl. This is a piece of paper.
FINLEY:
It’s not! It’s a magic map!
CRANK:
Magic, huh? Could a magic map survive this?
Crank rips up the map into a million tiny pieces.
FINLEY:
No! What are you doing?!
CRANK:
Oh, do you see how it feels now, little Finley? To see something you love get ripped into a
million tiny pieces?
FINLEY:
Stop it! Stop it right now!
CRANK: (cackling)
Oh, I don’t think I will. I like seeing you suffer.
FINLEY:
It’s not funny! I’m trying to save my Dad!
CRANK:
From what? You? Don’t try. He’s lucky to be rid of y—
FINLEY:
He’s dying of the Big Bad Sickness from the Big Bad Depths of the Sea!
Crank stops ripping.
CRANK:
What?
FINLEY:
It’s a rare form of paralysis.
He has three days to live.
CRANK:
I once had a wife with that.
FINLEY:
Oh. I’m sorry.
CRANK:
For what?
FINLEY:
For—for your wife?
CRANK:
I hated her.
FINLEY:
Oh.
CRANK:
She was a nightmare. Always wanted more. More money, more clothes, more adventure. It’s
what got her killed.
FINLEY:
Wow.
CRANK:
The only thing she left me with was an overpriced boat she filled with 70 cans of sardines. And
our daughter. But soon she left, too. So, there the boat sits. Buried in the sand. Right outside the
house.
FINLEY:
Right outside?
CRANK:
Waiting to rot.
Beat.
FINLEY:
Well...it doesn’t have to rot.
CRANK:
No, thief. I am not letting you take it.
FINLEY:
You’re not going to use it!
CRANK:
I don’t care what happens to that boat, but I will not be blamed for your very certain death at sea.
FINLEY:
But I have to find the elixir of life for my Pa!
CRANK:
That’s only a myth!
FINLEY:
Oh, really? Then why did I find the map for it in your lampshade?
CRANK:
That is not a map! It’s a useless piece of paper that I ripped up into a million tiny pieces!
FINLEY:
Then why is it sitting on the floor completely intact?!
CRANK:
That is utter non--
He sees it. Becomes dumbfounded. Picks it up.
Sense. That’s impossible.
FINLEY:
Believe me now, old man?
CRANK:
How did it reform...? I...
FINLEY:
Let me take your boat.
Crank snaps out of it.
CRANK:
No! No. It’s too dangerous.
FINLEY:
Come with me, then!
CRANK:
No! I’m too old!
FINLEY:
Then I’m too young! Come with me, old man!
CRANK:
My name is H.S. Crank. And I will never come with you!
FINLEY:
Fine. Your loss.
Finley tosses CRANK’S BOAT KEYS in the air and heads outside.
CRANK:
How--No! That’s my wife’s boat!
FINLEY:
Adieu!
Finley walks out the door.
CRANK:
No! You’ll die! And I’ll be to blame!
From off:
FINLEY:
I’m invincible, boatswain! And if you want to witness the greatness of Ferris Frankfurter’s
daughter, you’re welcome to come with!
The sound of a boat starting.
CRANK:
No! You—no! I...
Crank looks back and forth between the outside and the lighthouse. Takes one last look at his
chair. Then:
Fine. Fine! I’m coming with you!
He walks out the door.
FINLEY:
Really?
They walk to the boat.
CRANK:
I will not be responsible for any boat mishaps. Give me the keys.
FINLEY:
Aye, aye, Captain!
Finley tosses the keys to Crank.
CRANK:
Don’t call me Captain.
FINLEY:
But that’s what my dad and I always—
CRANK:
Don’t call me Captain.
FINLEY:
Aye, aye, boatswain!
Sea sounds. MERMAID enters.
MERMAID:
And so, Finley the fisherwoman and H. S. Crank the lighthouse keeper sailed away on an old,
rickety boat filled with 70 cans of sardines.
FINLEY:
Ready about, boatswain! Absolutely nothing can stand in our way!
A LOUD clap of thunder!
Except that.
CRANK:
We’re about to die, aren’t we?
Upbeat music.
Spells of the Sea was created and written by Guinevere Govea and directed by Anna Pickett,
with performances by Kathleen Guerrero, Emily Watson, Will Derden, Michael Williams
Martinez, Gabriella Bastek, Ben Cervantes, Jayla Ball, Guinevere Govea, and Anna Pickett, with
additional vocals by Christian Scheller and Alexis Williams. Mixing, score, and additional
composition by Conner Darnell. Sound design by Alex Titsworth and Kasey Durham. Website
concept and design by Anna Pickett. Dramaturg: Mallory Maybin. Music and lyrics by
Guinevere Govea. Spells of the Sea is a production made possible by The Cohen New Works
Festival. Be sure to stay tuned for our next episode.
END OF EPISODE 1.
