Day 281: Th Girl Who Liked to Knit

The Girl Who Liked To Knit
by
Matt Zurbo

 

Elena was getting into trouble a lot at school.
“What mud?” she protested.
(Girl pouting, defiantly, while covered/standing in mud.)

When people asked her why, she said; “Because I’m BORED!”

Elena’s grandmother suggested she try knitting.
“How lame,” she moaned.
(Girl looking at ball of wool and knitting needles.)

Though, it was a good excuse to hang out.
“You tell the best stories, Nan!” Elena would say.
(Girl knitting, angry, covered in chaotic wool. Grandmother knitting a perfect quilt.)

But, soon, Elena became obsessed!
“I like doing stuff on my own, anyway,” she told Nan.
(Girl knitting pants, while covered in woollen knitted jumpers and jacket and beanie and leggings and boots. Cat beside her with knitted jumper. Other kids in background, playing.)

After a while, Elena became very good at it!
(Girl, with woollen clothes on, riding bike with woollen cover, passing stop signs with woollen covers, and seats with woollen quilts.)

“For everyone!” Elena cheered. “I like to share!”
(Everybody wrapped, smiling, in the one scarf – except bullyboy, looking annoyed, and policeman looking baffled.)

At night she would dream of knitting things…
(Girl in bed, woollen everything, looking at ceiling, imagining woollen vests for confused sheep!)

None of the other kids got it, though.
“Knitting is for old people!” they teased.
“You’re weird!”
(Girl, head down, knitting as she walks, kids teasing.)

“I don’t care!” Elena grumbled. (Which was not true.)
(Girl sitting in tree branch by herself, pouting/sad, knitting a really long scarf that is piling up on the ground under her.)

When the teacher said: “Next month each one of you has to do an act for the school performance”, everybody moaned. Except Elena.
(Class all carrying on and moaning, and standing to object, except Elena, sitting in the middle, looking up at the planet mobile hanging from ceiling – planets on circular moving sticks and strings to mimic solar system.)

“I’ll knit,” she said.
(Looking at the planet mobile.)

“You’re going to knit? On stage?” the other students laughed.
“Boring!”
“Crazy!”
“Weird!”
(Everybody laughing at girl.)

(Elena back on tree branch, pouting, knitting, scarf even longer. Half wrapped around trunk.)

Elena’s act took a lot of planning…
(Janitor on ladder, handing down planet mobile to girl.)

She even had to ask the bullies to help!
(Girl, clasping hands, pleading with boys in furry monster outfits, holding monster masks/heads, in their hands.)

And the Preps…
(Smaller/younger kids, all with new beanies, watching girl as she talks, very animatedly.)

Then, the big night came! The theatre was full! Kids sang and acted and did tricks.
(Acts crammed together backstage, waiting to go on – from bands to magicians – girl in there, looking nervous.)

Then, in the middle of all that colour and music and noise, the curtain opened on a girl who liked to knit…
(Curtains opening on girl, sitting on a stool, knitting.)

(Curtains fully open to a view of girl, knitting, surrounded by a wool world, with woollen-knitted little houses, and woollen-knitted little trees, and woollen-knitted background view, as seen through dangling woollen-knitted windows, and woollen cat and woollen photo frames.)

(Spotlight is put on Elena, so the background is black. She is surrounded by rotating woollen objects she has attached to the planet mobile. She is being circled by woollen-knitted shapes, and a woollen-knitted sun, and woollen love heart, and woollen circles, and woollen moon, and woollen flowers and woollen patterns and woollen angel. In front of her are moving woollen-knitted waves, while behind her, against the black backdrop, are woollen-knitted clouds.)

(We see the same thing – girl knitting – from the side, but you can also see the planets behind the spinning knitted objects, and the stick at the back of each cloud and wave, and the Prep kids holding the sticks up, and the crowd in the background, in awe.)

(Planet mobile keeps spinning, revealing more woollen shapes, woollen Saturn, woollen cherubs, woollen snow crystals, etc… while monsters/bullies from earlier, chase scared kids past knitting girl.)

(“Monsters” surround, growl at and raise their claws over top of knitting girl.)

(Knitting girl offers them what she has been knitting; woollen jumpers.)

(Monsters smile and admire the new jumpers and beanies they are wearing, while Elena bows.)

“Oh. Uh… and next; a song,” said the Principle.
(‘The End’ appears in front of drawn, woollen curtain, with Prep kids still knitting its base. Principle to the far right of page, reading from an act list. Odd girl with guitar walking on from the left.)

(Girl smiling as she gives a full hug to her Grandmother, while behind her/backstage, all the teachers and Prep kids and other acts are smiling, laughing, cheering. The monster boys, monster masks off, are high-fiving.)

 

The End