Big Foot Read online

  DAN

  I think we should go back home a different way, I suggest we take this, AHH!

  (Dan suddenly falls from view)

  ROGER

  This "ahh", what?

  (Turns around and doesn't see Dan, turns back and continues folding tent)

  DAN

  (From below)

  HELP!

  BRENDA

  Oh, dear!

  Brenda runs over where Dan was standing

  BRENDA

  Help! Dan fell down on that ledge!

  Everyone rushes and looks down

  ROGER

  (Yelling to Dan)

  I thought you knew this mountain like the front of your hand?

  BRENDA

  I think he's really hurt!

  DAN

  Help! I'm really hurt!

  HAROLD

  Boys, grab that rope!

  Brian hands the rope to Harold who unwinds it and lowers it down to Dan.

  HAROLD

  Okay, everybody get behind me and we will pull him up slowly!

  DAN

  I think I broke my leg!

  Brenda, Brian, Zach, Chase and Connor grab the

  rope behind Harold and get ready to pull. Roger

  and Robert just stand there looking down

  CHASE

  It's going to be okay dad! Now everybody pull!

  DAN

  I think I broke my leg!

  The group struggles, unable to get it together.

  ZACH

  It's PULL Brian, not push!

  BRIAN

  I'm not pushing!

  ZACH

  Then you must be pulling the wrong way!

  They try once more and wind up falling together in a heap

  ROGER

  Here, get back, I'll do it myself.

  DAN

  Hey, I don't think my leg is broken after all! It's okay!

  Roger moves everyone out of the way and grabs the rope to pull. Roger pushes Connor which causes

  Connor to trip over the rope as he's trying to get out of the way, Roger then trips over Connor and falls

  into ravine carrying the rope over with him.

  ROGER

  WHOA!

  DAN

  AHHH!

  ROBERT

  Dad?

  DAN

  Now my leg IS broken!

  ROBERT

  Your little baby feet made my dad fall!

  CONNOR

  No, I only tripped him because he pushed me!

  ROBERT

  Dad, are you alright?

  ROGER

  What do you think?

  BRENDA

  What are we going to do? If his leg is broken we can't hike back down the mountain tonight!

  HAROLD

  I'll try to get a cell phone signal and call for help.

  Harold walks around to various areas trying to pick up a signal. He stands on rocks, then stands

  on the tree trunk but has no luck.

  ROBERT

  This is your entire fault!

  CONNOR

  (Hangs his head, says nothing)

  BRIAN

  No it wasn't! Your dad pushed him and his shoe got tangled! I saw the whole thing!

  BRENDA

  Boys! Stop fighting!

  (Dan groans again)

 

  HAROLD

  Nothing, no signal at all! Any of you boys have a cell phone with you?

  ZACH

  The Trail Blazers said for us not to bring any electronic devices including cell phones, games,

  iPads...

  CHASE

  (Taking phone out of his pocket)

  I'd try mine but the battery died.

  (Zach gives Chase a hard look)

  What?

  HAROLD

  (To Dan)

  Dan! I need that GPS of yours! I'm going to try to go back down the mountain and get help.

  DAN

  Problem; I fell on it and broke it.

  HAROLD

  What about the back-up GPS you mentioned?

  DAN

  Roger broke that one when he fell on me!

  BRIAN

  What are we going to do mom?

  BRENDA

  What ARE we going to do Harold? It'll be dark soon and none of us know the way back.

  HAROLD

  Toss up the rope and we'll pull you up!

  ROGER

  The rope fell off the ledge and into the ravine; no way we can reach it.

  ZACH

  How are we going to get them out, dad?

  HAROLD

  I don't know yet son. It'll be dark soon, looks like we are stuck here for the night.

  (In the distance strange howl is heard. Everyone huddles together)

  HAROLD

  (Continuing)

  We need to get those tents up and a fire built now!

  Boys, start putting those tents up! Roger and Connor, you work together on that tent!

  CONNOR

  Can I just go get wood instead?

  HAROLD

  All right, but don't go far and don't take long, it's going to get dark soon.

  (Connor exits)

  HAROLD

  (Continues)

  The rest of you guys get to work on the tents, Brenda, let's see if we can find some way to get them up and out of there!

  (Another loud animal-like noise, this one different than the first)

  ZACH

  What was that?

  HAROLD

  I do not know son.

  BRIAN

  It sounded different than before, and closer.

  Harold frantically takes out his cell phone and tries again to get a signal, no luck

  (Another loud howl, even closer)

  BRENDA

  Harold, what kind of wild animals live out here?

  HAROLD

  Oh, possibly some rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, bears, wolves.

  BRENDA

  Wolves! Oh my! There can't possibly be wolves here can there? Can there?

  ROGER

  (Below)

  Wolves are scarce up on this mountain, its bears you need to watch out for, they don't fear humans at all.

  BRENDA

  You mean you led us and our children up on top of a mountain where there could be dangerous BEARS?

  DAN

  (In pain as he speaks)

  Don't worry, I checked an online site called BearFinder.com and it said there have been no sightings

  of bears on this mountain since last winter.

  BRENDA

  Last winter? Well, that was a year ago and its winter again you idiot! They're back!

  ZACH

  Sa, sa, sa, something is moving in the bushes!

  HAROLD

  Everybody freeze! Don't move!

  Brenda grabs Brian, Harold grabs Zach, Chase hides behind the others and they all huddle together and

  look toward the bushes. A rabbit pokes its head up. Nervous laughter and relief from the group.

  A large paw appears and pulls the rabbit back down into the bush. The group screams. The bush

  violently shakes.

 

 

 

  ACT 2 SCENE 1

  Connor is walking alone, looking for firewood, talking out loud to himself

  CONNOR

  I hate this club and I hate my stupid feet!

  (As Connor continues to look for firewood, a large figure slowly peers out from behind a tree in the

  background. As Connor walks the figure moves from tree to tree, watching him. Finally, Connor sits

  on a stump and props up one of his feet to get a better look at it.)

  CONNOR

  Dad said I would grow into them but I don't think I ever will. Tripping Rogers’s dad was an accident.

  (Connor rises and begins t
o pick up pieces of firewood. The figure moves closer but is still

  mostly hidden by the foliage.)

  HAROLD

  (Offstage)

  Connor! Connor! Get back here! There are bears and wolves in these woods!

  BRENDA

  And hunters and bullets!

  (Connor drops the firewood and exits quickly, the creature turns and vanishes back into the woods.)

 

  ACT 2 SCENE 2

 

  (Connor runs back to the group)

  BRENDA

  Oh, thank God, Connor slowly, slowly! There's something in the bushes.

  CHASE

  There's a wolf or a bear over there, we've got to stay together!

  ROBERT

  Who made you the boss?

  CHASE

  Since my dad is no longer here, somebody has got to take charge!

  DAN

  I'm still alive and I can hear, you know?

  ZACH

  Maybe we need to get further away from those bushes, if the bear or whatever can't get down to Mr. Dan and Mr. Roger then they are okay.

  HAROLD

  You may have a point there son.

  DAN

  You're not going to leave us down here are you?

  BRIAN

  And it's getting colder!

  (Brenda hugs Brian and rubs his arms)

  (Harold picks up a tree limb to use as a weapon and walks several feet toward the bush and stops.)

  BRENDA

  Ah, Harold, wouldn't it be a bad idea to poke a bear?

  HAROLD

  We don't know for certain it's a bear. There doesn't seem to be anything in there now.

  ZACH

  Ma...ma...maybe it was just a squirrel.

  ROBERT

  Sure, a squirrel with one giant pa, pa, paw?

  ZACH

  You don't know EVERYTHING Roger!

  ROBERT

  You don't know ANYTHING Za...Za...Zachary!

  HAROLD

  Stop it boys! Stop it! This is not the time! We are in a predicament here and we all have to work

  together! It's getting dark, we need to build a fire and get the tents erected.

  ROBERT

  Looks like Bigfoot forgot the wood.

 

  CONNOR

  I left the wood when I heard you calling for me. I'll go back and get it.

  HAROLD

  Not alone, we need to stay together.

  ROGER

  Hey, can somebody send down some water?

  (Brenda opens a backpack and removes two bottled waters and a package of aspirin and leans over and

  drops them down.)

  DAN

  Ouch!

  BRENDA

  Oops, sorry Dan, you know! Harold, I'll go get the wood with Connor and Brian, you stay here with the

  other boys and work on getting the tents up, okay?

  CHASE

  Yes, I think that's a good idea.

  (Everyone stares at Chase for a moment as he acts as if it were his idea)

  Brenda, Brian and Connor exit

  ACT 2 SCENE 3

  LEDGE WHERE ROGER AND DAN ARE TRAPPED

  (Dan lies with his leg at an odd angle and his back against the side of a large stone. Roger sits on

  the ground with his back against the side of the ledge.)

  DAN

  This was all such a bad idea.

  ROGER

  No argument from me.

  DAN

  I just wanted Chase to have a group to belong too, a group that he could fit in with.

  ROGER

  So, instead of letting him join a real group and work his way into fitting in, you invented your own group

  and let him be the leader?

  DAN

  (Ignores the question, holds his leg and groans)

  I need medical attention!

  ROGER

  (Calling up to the others)

  Hey, you figured out a way to get us outta here yet? He's hurting pretty bad down here!

  DAN

  (Rolling back and forth, holding his leg)

  I wanna ride the roller coaster mommy!

  ROGER

  And he's beginning to get a little delirious!

  (Harold, Zach and Chase are in the process of putting the tents up; this time they are more

  focused and one of the tents has already been put completely together.)

  HAROLD

  (Calling down to Robert)

  We’re getting the tents up because it's going to be dark soon.

  ROGER

  What about us?

  HAROLD

  Is there room for you to have a tent on that ledge?

  DAN

  Ponies!

  ROGER

  Just throw some sleeping bags down.

  (Harold tosses down a sleeping bag)

  DAN

  OW!

  HAROLD

  Sorry!

 

  ACT 2 SCENE 4

  (Brenda, Brian, and Connor are searching for firewood; they are each holding several pieces of

  Wood.)

  BRENDA

  Let’s get a few more pieces and get back to the group.

  (A low growl is heard coming from the deep woods)

  (continues)

  We’d better hurry boys!

  (The growling gets louder, bushes upstage shake, suddenly the outline of a bear appears! Everyone runs screaming; both boys run in the opposite direction of Brenda and become separated)

 

  A large brown bear makes his appearance from between the bushes, unsure at first who to chase,

  he finally chooses to run in the direction the boys ran. Brenda runs back to the campsite, out of breath

  BRENDA

  Tha...tha...tha...

  ZACH

  Take a breath, it helps me.

  BRENDA

  Tha...there's a bear back there!

  (She turns back and screams)

  BRENDA

  Brian! Oh, my baby! Brian!

  HAROLD

  Where are the boys?

  BRENDA

  The bear came out in between us and split us up! The boy's ran in the other direction!

  DAN

  Teddy bear?

  BRENDA

  Shut up Dan!

  CHASE

  I'll organize a search party!

  HAROLD & BRENDA IN UNISON

  Shut up Chase!

  HAROLD

  You all stay together and I'll go look.

 

  ACT 2 SCENE 5

  (Connor and Brian are out of breath and lean against opposites sides of a tree.)

  BRIAN

  Oh MY GOSH! What are we going to do? That was a bear! A REAL bear!

  CONNOR

  We need to get back to the others.

  BRIAN

  My mom is going to be worried sick!

  (The boys circle the area they are in, unsure which way to go.)

  CONNOR

  Keep it down, the bear will hear us!

  BRIAN

  I gotta rest a minute. My body's not used to running from bears!

  CONNOR

  Shut it Turkey! I mean…I'm sorry, Brian.

  (Brian becomes quiet, hangs his head)

  CONNOR

  (Continues)

  Let's climb up on these rocks, maybe it can't get up that high!

  (The boys run to a huge rock wall with a small ledge near the top. They try to climb it but

  cannot get handholds.)

  (Growling is heard)

  BRIAN

  It's close! We gotta hurry!

  CONNOR

  Here, I'll give you a boost!

  BRIAN

  But then how are you going to get up?

  CONNOR

  Maybe you can pull me u
p.

  (Brian puts his foot in Connor's interlaced fingers and gets a boost up, getting a handhold and

  manages to pull himself up to the top.)

  (Growling grows louder)

  BRIAN

  Quick, give me your hand!

  (Connor gets pulled up by Brian far enough to get a firm foothold, then makes it to the top next to

  Brian just as a bear enters. The brush, tree stumps and foliage partially hide the bear so the the entire body is not seen.)

  BRIAN

  Whoa, it's huge!

  CONNOR

  And it looks hungry!

  (The bear rears up on the rock wall and growls. The boys both scream and push themselves as far

  away from the ledge as possible.)

  BRIAN

  What are we going to do?

  CONNOR

  We're gonna stay right here, that's what we're going to do!

  (The bear circles and eventually sits on its haunches and looks up at the boys, emitting a low

  growl.)

 

  ACT 2 SCENE 6

  HAROLD SEARCHES FOR THE BOYS

  (Harold moves through the trees holding a camping shovel in one hand and a flashlight in the other.)

  HAROLD

  Brian...Connor...Boys!

  (Harold trips on something and falls. Suddenly a man jumps up where Harold fell. We realize that

  Harold fell on another man who was lying on the ground. The man is inside of a sleeping bag and

  is startled and both he and Harold are holding each other to try to keep their balance.)