Mouse in the House for Bluebell Books.

Here are two of a series of vocabulary extension plays for classroom use.

(Copyright Stafford Ray).

Mouse in the House (furniture and animals).

Characters:

Manfred/Millicent Mouse

Gertrude Grouch

Gerald Grouch

Ceefer Cat

Deefer Dog

Peter/Patricia Python

Mr/Ms Snake Catcher.

Storyteller.

Act 1. Mouse in the house.


Storyteller: Manfred Mouse is playing hide and seek with Ceefer Cat when Gertrude Grouch comes in and sees Manfred. She screams for Gerald Grouch to come and catch the mouse. He doesn’t think a mouse in the house is as serious as Gertrude thinks it is.

He thinks it would be far more serious if there was a rat in the refrigerator. He thinks a good idea to keep the house free of rats and mice would be to have a pet python, so he brings one home.

……………………………..

Scene: a kitchen/dining room with a table and several chairs.

There are cupboards labelled Pantry, Crockery, Sideboard and one labelled Refrigerator.

Action: Manfred Mouse and Ceefer Cat are playing cat and mouse (hide and seek). Manfred enters and hides under the table. Ceefer looks for him.

Manfred  : (runs across the kitchen to hide under the table) You can’t find me! You can’t find me!

Ceefer       : (looking into a cupboard labelled ‘Pantry’) Are you in the pantry?

Manfred  : No, I am not in the pantry!

Ceefer       : (looking into a cupboard labelled ‘Crockery’) Are you in the crockery cupboard?

Manfred  : No, I am not in the crockery cupboard!

Ceefer       : (looking under a cupboard labelled ‘Sideboard’) Are you under the sideboard?

Manfred : No, I am not under the sideboard!

Ceefer       : (looks under the table, sees Manfred) Is that you under the table?

Manfred  : Yes! (Scampers out and holds a chair between himself and Ceefer) You can’t catch me! (Leaves chair, runs off) You can’t catch me!

Manfred, closely pursued by Ceefer runs off as Gertrude enters. Manfred runs past her as she screams in terror but Ceefer collides with her and they both fall down.

Gertrude       : (screams in terror) Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! (calls loudly to Gerald) Gerald! (Ceefer runs into her) Ceefer! Be careful! (still on the floor, calls again to Gerald) Gerald! Come here!

Ceefer    : (scrambling to his feet) I almost had him then! (complains to Gertrude) If you hadn’t been in the way I would have caught him!

Gerald    : (running on) What are you screaming about, Gertrude?

Gertrude       : (stands and points to where Manfred went) There’s a mouse in the house!

Gerald    : (laughing) Ha ha! A mouse! (points at her in fun) Are you afraid of a little mouse! Ha ha ha!

Ceefer    : (complains to Gerald) If she hadn’t been in the way I would have caught him then!

Gerald    : (points to Ceefer) You couldn’t catch a mouse! (laughs) You couldn’t even catch a cold! (points off) get out if here, useless!

Ceefer    :  Meowwwwwww! (leaves unhappily).

Gertrude       : (angrily) Gerald Grouch! (points to Ceefer) There is no need to be disrespectful to my cat!

Gerald    : Disrespectful! (looks at Ceefer retreating) There is nothing to respect! Your cat is as useless as a two legged stool!

Mouse looks around the door cheekily and is seen by Gertrude.

Gertrude       : (pointing at Manfred) Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! There it is!

Gerald           : (looks around but Manfred has gone) I can’t see any mouse. (hands on hips) I think you imagined it!

Gertrude       : (pleading) Please Gerald, please catch the mouse for me.

Gerald           : (shaking his head) You are making a lot of fuss over one little mouse! (points to the refrigerator) What would you say if you found a rat in the refrigerator?

Gertrude       : (worried look) A rat in the refrigerator? (hands on hips) How would a rat get into the refrigerator?

Gerald           : (points to the refrigerator, nodding and smiling) There’s one in there.

Gertrude       : (indignantly) There is not! (she opens the refrigerator door, jumps back and screams) Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee! There is a rat in the refrigerator! (slams the refrigerator door) What is that rat doing in my refrigerator?

Gerald           : (laughs) Ha ha! It’s sleeping!

Gertrude       : (crossly) Don’t be silly Gerald Grouch, I am serious!

Gerald           : (Beckons Peter Python who enters as he speaks) The rat in the refrigerator is food for Peter (leads Peter on stage, arm around Peter’s shoulders) Peter is my pet python!

Gertrude       : (screams again) Eeeeeeee! Snake! (runs off) Eeeeeeeeee! It’s a snake!

Peter              : (watches Gertrude run off, turns to Gerald) What’s wrong with her?

Gerald           : I have no idea! (shakes his head) She is a strange woman!

Peter              : Yes, she is. I can’t imagine why she was so frightened!

Gerald           : Me neither!

They walk off arm in arm.

…………………………………..

Act 2. Python in the Pantry.


Storyteller: Gertrude objects to Gerald’s pet python slithering around the house and calls Snake Catcher to take  Peter Python away. 

Gertrude       : (opens the door labelled Pantry, jumps back in fright) Eeeeeeeek! Gerald! That python is in the pantry!

Gerald           : (calls from off) I know! I put it there.

Gertrude       : (angrily) Gerald! I don’t want a python in my pantry!

Gerald           : (enters and pulls Peter from the pantry) Look, it’s only Peter.

Peter              : (smiles and holds arms out to her) Look! It’s only Peter!

Gertrude       : (jump back and cringes in horror) Only Peter? (terrified) Gerald! Peter is an enormous snake!

Gerald           : (pats Peter’s head proudly) Yes he is a very big snake, isn’t he!

Gertrude       : (angrily) Gerald! (stomps out) I’m calling the Snake Catcher to take it away!

Peter              : (sadly) But I like it here!

Gerald           : (strokes his back) Don’t worry buddy, I won’t let them take you away!

Deefer runs on barking at Peter, bites him.

Deefer           : (running on barking) Bark! Bark! Bark! Don’t worry Gerald. I’ll save you from the snake. Bark! Bark!!

Peter              : Help! (jumps into the pantry as Deefer bites him) Owwwwwww!

Gerald           : (pulling Deefer off) Deefer! Let go of my Python! (closes the pantry door with Peter inside)

Deefer           : But, (panting) Huh! Huh! Huh! Bark! Bark! I thought he was going to eat you!

Gerald           : (laughs) Ha ha! Diamond pythons don’t eat people!

Deefer           : (panting happily) Huh huh huh! That’s all right then.

Gerald           : (laughs) They only eat dogs, hahaha!

Deefer           : (terrified yelp) Yow! They eat dogs? (runs off whimpering) Owwwww Owwwwww!

Peter              : (from inside the pantry) Can I come out now?

Gerald opens the pantry door as Gertrude enters with Snake Catcher who is carrying a huge sack.

Gertrude       : (points to Peter) There he is, the big brute!

Gerald slams the door shut on Peter and stands in front of the door to keep Snake Catcher away.

Gerald           : There has been a misunderstanding.

Snake Catcher: (sympathetically) I know pythons are harmless, but (shrugs) if they frighten people and dogs, perhaps they are better off in the zoo.

There is scuffling and thumping sounds, then a squeak from inside the pantry. Thumping continues for some time. They all move back, watching until the noise stops.

Gerald then opens the door and Peter staggers out with a pillow stuffed down his front. Deefer sneaks on and watches from a safe distance.

Gerald           : (horrified) Peter! Poor Peter! (holds Peter  to steady him) What happened to you?

Peter              : (burps, pats stomach) Mouse!

Gertrude       : (amazed) You ate the mouse?

Peter              : Delicious!

Snake Catcher : (taking Peter’s arm to drag him off) Come on Peter, there are lots of nice friendly pythons down at the zoo!

Gertrude       : (grabs Pete’s other arm and drags him away from Snake Catcher) Wait a minute! I think I want to keep him after all!

Peter takes Gertrude and Gerald’s arms and they dance. Deefer takes one look at Peter, yelps and follows Snake Catcher off.

…………………………..


Plays for classroom use are available for purchase. Want to know more? E-mail me.
Age range is from kindies to year 10, many with educational themes and most with music recorded on CD for teaching and performance. Free samples.


Prompt from Bluebell Books, http://bluebellbooks.blogspot.com/2011/09/short-story-slam-week-10-childrens.html


Python pic borrowed from http://www.pitt.edu/~mcs2/herp/python.html.