Perfection
By J'son M. Lee
Summary
The concern of a mother turtle for her babies plays out this version of
the parable of the lost sheep.
Scripture
(from Luke 15:4-7)
Characters
Narrator
God
Grace (a turtle)
Perfection (a baby turtle)
Other turtles
Script
Narrator: Once upon a time on the beautiful island of Eden, there
lived a turtle by the name of Grace. Grace was highly favored by God. Unlike
her counterparts, Grace had no children, and this deeply saddened her.
So every night she prayed to God to make her a mother. She specifically
asked God to give her one hundred babies. For her, this number represented
perfection. God rewarded her faithfulness and summoned her out of
the sea.
God: You have been faithful My child. Great is thy faithfulness
and great will be thy reward. Crawl to a dry part of the beach.
Dig your flippers into the sand and simultaneously wiggle your body.
Grace: (confused) That sounds a little strange, God, but
I trust you.
Narrator: Grace did as God had instructed and within a few minutes
a nest evolved.
Grace: (tired) Now what God?
God: (approvingly) Relax my child, I will do the rest.
Narrator: As Grace rested, she felt a trance come over her and
she began to lay eggs – two, sometimes three at a time until there was
a perfect one hundred.
God: Now, cover your eggs with sand, My child. Crawl back to
the sea and I will summons you in sixty days.
Narrator: On day 60, there was a ferocious rainstorm and, as
promised, God summoned Grace.
God: Grace…Grace!
Narrator: As she emerged, God appeared hovering over her nest.
Grace: (excited) Yes, God?
God: (smiling) Look at your nest.
Narrator: Instantly, the baby turtles erupted from the sand.
Orienting themselves to the bright horizon, they all dashed towards the
sea.
Turtle 16: (excited) Mommy!
Narrator: Tears filled Grace’s eyes. She continued to count
as her babies were swept up by the current. 23…42…78…99…
Grace: (deeply troubled, mumbling) Perfection…
Turtle 44: (excited) Come on mommy! Show us the sea!
Turtle 22: (agitated) Mommy!
Narrator: Grace could not hear her children calling for her as
her heart was wracked with pain. She had faithfully asked for one
hundred babies. Disappointed, she looked up at God. But, just
as he had appeared, he was gone. With tears streaming down her face,
Grace rummaged through the sand hoping to find one last egg. Then
she heard a whimper.
Perfection: (coy) Here I am, mommy.
Narrator: Startled, Grace turned to see baby number one hundred
shivering behind a rock.
Grace: (deeply concerned) What’s wrong my child?
Perfection: (shivering) I’m scared mommy. The sea
looks so big.
Turtle 15 and Turtle 4: (Impatient) Come on mommy!
Let him stay if he wants to be eaten by birds or crabs.
Grace: (lovingly) They’re right honey. If you stay here
you’ll die. Follow us to the sea. There you’ll find everything
you need to survive.
Narrator: For what seemed like hours Grace continued to share
the goodness of the sea. Her other children were becoming very impatient
and some began the journey without her guidance. Grace simply bowed
her head and prayed knowing they would be safe because they had made the
decision to follow the sea. Her primary concern now was Perfection.
What could she do?
Grace: (exhausted and optimistic) Why don’t you hold on
to my tail and we go in together?
Perfection: (apprehensive) Ok, mommy…but please don’t leave
me.
Narrator: Perfection sank his gums into Grace’s tail and she
lead him to the sea. Within minutes he was swimming with precision
and his fear subsided.
Perfection: Thank you mommy.
Grace: I’ll never leave you my child. (looking around)
I’ll never leave any of you…
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© J’son M. Lee, 2002, all rights reserved
This play may be performed free of charge, on the condition that copies
are not sold for profit in any medium, nor any
entrance fee charged. In exchange for free performance, the author
would appreciate being notified of when and for what
purpose the play is performed. He may be contacted at: jmccoylee@yahoo.com