Little Daylight is a fairytale conceived by George MacDonald, mentor to Lewis Carroll. Hey, if Disney can take old fairytales and adapt them into new stories, why can’t I?
Here’s an except of a play I’ve written of the same name. The important bit is this: so much of what I’m reading and watching and surrounded with is dark and pessimistic and miserable. I recognize and appreciate the value of airing our trauma and unhappiness into a creative space, but when I sat down to write this play I had one goal: I want to write something happy.
Believe it or not, it’s a challenge to create a happy story that doesn’t feel clichéd or dull. Narrative thrives on conflict, little moments of joy feel especially good when they feel deserved, as if we must sit through a good deal of misery before being rewarded.
So here’s the first scene from my happy play. Enjoy!
(Contains some crude language and suggestive themes)
UPDATE: Find scene 2 here.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT BY SABRINA PARRA
Castle courtyard made of stone. There are bushes on the south side.
Always nighttime.
Note: There should be a projection of the moon displayed throughout the play, shifting to the corresponding phase of each scene.
Characters
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
A childish looking young adult (wide-eyed, maybe two short braids with flowers in hair). Not above shortcuts.
HANDSOME FELLOW
Didn’t sign up for this.
FATHER/KING
Outwardly intimidating but constantly worried.
MOTHER
Unlike everyone else, apparently, usually sleeps at night.
MAN 1
There’s a reason he’s awake at two in the morning. Intoxicated.
MAN 2
Scottish for some reason.
THE ONE THEY FORGOT
Fairy. She just wanted to go to the party.
Full Moon.
Find the best fairytale music you can. LITTLE DAYLIGHT wanders in, bored. She sits in the center of the stone courtyard, under a pool of moonlight. She retrieves some chalk from the basket, warm colors, and begins to draw a big circle around her that will eventually become a grand drawing of the sun (yellow paint could work here too; if she’s covered in paint for the entirety of the play, so be it. If she gets others covered in yellow, that can be symbolic). She hums along to the music. This goes on for a while.
We hear footsteps. She freezes.
MAN ONE and MAN TWO are heard conversing in the distance. LITTLE DAYLIGHT tosses her chalk into the basket and stands. She dusts herself off and smoothens her hair. She dashes over to a bush, picks a red berry and squishes it between her fingers, spreading the red across her lips.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
Lips as red as roses…
She cleans her hand on the leaves and, after a small hesitation, hitches her skirt up a little so it’s above her knees. Sheunbuttons the top button of her shirt. Returning to the center of her drawing, she tries different poses until MAN 1 and MAN 2 enter.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
(flirtatiously) Hello boys. MAN 1 stares but MAN 2 drags him away.
MAN 2
That’s the king’s daughter, you fancy getting yer head chopped off?
MAN 1 continues to stare. MAN 2 doesn’t even look at her.
MAN 2
She’s cursed, you sod, don’t look at her eyes.
Frightened, the men hurry off stage. LITTLE DAYLIGHT huffs in disappointment.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
I really need to figure out who’s spreading those rumors. Not that I wouldn’t turn them to stone, this castle hasn’t been redecorated for decades.
(Sigh) New plan.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT stands and pretends her basket is very heavy.
She really exaggerates.
(almost sarcastically) Oh no! My basket is oh-so-heavy! Whatever shall I do all by my lonesome?
She takes a few steps then “trips”. She falls melodramatically, plays up her pain and beauty.
Ah! I have fallen! My poor ankle, it has twisted, I may never walk again. I’ll have to lay here on the cold stone all night… (normal voice) Never done that before.
Beat.
She seems genuinely sad.
…I guess I am alone.
HANDSOME FELLOW enters, instantly runs to her side.
HANDSOME FELLOW
Are you alright?! Let me help you.
Without missing a beat, HANDSOME FELLOW lifts LITTLE DAYLIGHT into his arms, bridal style. LITTLE DAYLIGHT looks at audience over his shoulder and grins.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
Works every time.
(To HANDSOME FELLOW) Kiss me.
He almost drops her.
You find my boldness endearing. I’m ready when you are.
Beat.
She sighs.
You don’t have to kiss me on the lips if that frightens you. A peck on the cheek should do the trick.
HANDSOME MAN
(weakly) Allow me to take you back to the castle.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT smiles.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
You’re a cutie. You might actually be able to do it.
She hops out of his arms. He frowns.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
I’m going to level with you, I sort of need to break a curse. You said you wanted to help me, didn’t you? Well I can’t do it myself, which is stupid. That’s where you come in. If it doesn’t work, no hard feelings.
HANDSOME FELLOW
…A curse?
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
It’s really not that exciting. Apparently, fairies like cursing babies, I was one of them. We all know a good kiss and I’ll be on my merry way.
HANDSOME FELLOW
(Serious and concerned) What happened?
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
It’s really not important, so could we skip the sob story? It’s not super original and then things will get all…
(MOTHER, FATHER and THE ONE THEY FORGOT enter. They’ve rolled a crib in with them, there’s a little bundle of blankets inside. LITTLE DAYLIGHT sees them and groans)
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
Great, now the flashback people are here. I guess we’re doing this. Come on, let’s make it quick.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT and HANDSOME FELLOW move out of the way to watch. MOTHER and FATHER stand in the center, around the crib. THE ONE THEY FORGOT lurks in the shadows. The music stops and we hear a baby crying.
MOTHER is pacing. FATHER crouches down and looks at bundle
through the bars of the crib. Crying just won’t stop.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
It was my first new moon.
Full Moon disappears. Stage is darker. Crying suddenly stops.
MOTHER stops pacing.
FATHER gasps softly.
MOTHER runs to the crib and lowers her hand in.
MOTHER
She’s not breathing.
MOTHER sinks to the floor in despair.
FATHER gingerly takes the bundle into his arms, bouncing it hastily and singing an off-key lullaby. He sits on the ground, hugging the bundle to his chest, not stopping the bouncing and mumbling the lullaby with decreasing volume and increasing desperation. This goes on for a while.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
(clears throat) Anyway! I’m telling this in the wrong order, that happened later. First thing’s first, I was born! Happy day!
The crib is pushed off stage and FATHER and MOTHER stand side to side with big smiles. The full moon returns. Celebratory music plays. FATHER holds the bundle up proudly to the audience; we hear a baby giggle.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
To be clear, the christening wasn’t that big of an event. In the past, royalty would invite the entire kingdom to watch the little ceremony. Honestly my parents, because they know what’s up, only invited the fairies. Because they give the best gifts with their magic and all.
Exciting music. Fairies can be represented with colorful lights or sparklers. Should not be visible people (except for THE ONE THEY FORGOT).
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
Except our wise king and queen forgot one!
You’d think they would know better. We all know what happens to kids when their parents invite all the fairies but one.
THE ONE THEY FORGOT approaches. She watches.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
So, my mother is all, “This is our beautiful daughter.”
MOTHER
This is our beautiful daughter.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
And my father says, “We’ve named her Little Daylight” And, yes, we’ll be getting to that irony shortly.
FATHER
We’ve named her Little Daylight.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
And the fairies go on to give their gifts. Charisma, beauty, really pretty hair, you know, what every little girl needs. And finally, the forgotten fairy, she just… shows up. She’s not invited, but she sees all the fun in the castle and she just wants to know-
THE ONE THEY FORGOT
What the fuck?
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
…yeah. Basically.
And my mother, she replies in the kindest way, I mean that’s what she’s known for.
MOTHER
Excuse me? Guards, escort her out.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
So you can imagine that doesn’t happen. I mean, she has magic and all. Don’t get me wrong, I love our guards. Buford tells the best knock-knock jokes in the kingdom.
…But our guards have pointy sticks. They… they didn’t escort the fairy out.
And at this point she’s mad. So she goes bla bla bla curse…
THE ONE THEY FORGOT
(angrily) Blab bla bla curse!
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
Wait, I guess this part is actually important.
THE ONE THEY FORGOT
Little Daylight will never see her namesake.
At night she roams.
But once the sky lightens and the sun brushes the horizon
She will already be sleeping.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
At this point Buford tries to poke her with his stick. Bless him. It doesn’t go well, and she adds this bit:
Beat.
THE ONE THEY FORGOT
The child will wax and wane with the moon.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
And that’s the weird part! But it brings us back to this.
THE ONE THEY FORGOT exits. FATHER and MOTHER resume their positions on the ground. Full Moon disappears.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
The way it works is that the stronger the moon, the stronger I am. No moon means, well, not much of me.
(She strolls back to center stage and shoos the flashback away. FATHER and MOTHER gaze at her for a moment, then exit. Full Moon returns)
HANDSOME FELLOW
I’m so sorry. None of that was your fault.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
Well, it could be worse. People really aren’t cursed properly anymore. What’s with all the sleeping? Sleeping is great. If this were the Greeks, I’d be a tree or I’d have a killer gaze. That being said..
LITTLE DAYLIGHT walks around her drawing, looking at it curiously.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
(flatly) I don’t get it. What are these things? (She points to the lines around the sun with her foot) Does it really have tentacles coming out of it? Do people really go blind if theylook too long? People actually get burnt by it too, don’t they? Isn’t that wild? Isn’t that terrifying?
Beat.
Well that’s beside the point. We both know how it goes. A handsome fellow like you has to come around, gaze lovingly into my eyes (she makes solid eye contact. He can’t look away) and break my curse. So come on.
Beat.
COME ON!
HANDSOME FELLOW approaches tentatively. He takes her hand into his.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
For the record, this doesn’t mean I’m marrying you. The love thing only has to go one way. You can woo me afterwards if you’re determined.
HANDSOME FELLOW brings her hand closer.
FATHER
Little Daylight!
With her free hand, LITTLE DAYLIGHT hurriedly pulls her skirt back so it covers her knees, then tries to button her shirt. HANDSOME FELLOW quickly lets go of her hand but she snatches his.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
You stay right here.
FATHER enters. HANDSOME FELLOW does his best to bow as LITTLE DAYLIGHT clutches his hand. FATHER looks at them both and doesn’t comment.
FATHER
It’s time to go.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
Five more minutes, I’ve almost got it this time.
FATHER
Let the boy go now. (she does not) If you’re right, then I’m sure he’ll be back tomorrow.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT hesitates. She looks at HANDSOME FELLOW and lets go of his hand. He stays in his bowed position, not looking up.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT
Well I have less than an hour to get back and take a shower (she looks back at HANDSOME FELLOW suggestively) so I’ll see you tomorrow.
LITTLE DAYLIGHT strolls away. Exits. FATHER follows close behind. HANDSOME FELLOW stays in place until they’re both gone then exits.
Sabrina Parra Díaz 
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