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A Sign Written By Sherry Brandon (Sketch takes place on Noah’s ark after the dove had been sent out to find land. Noah is sitting at a desk writing in his journal. On stage is only a desk and chair. Cast includes Noah, his wife, sons Shem and Japeth and a person dressed as a sheep. Noah’s wife enters.) WIFE: Noah? NOAH: Yes, dear? WIFE: (irritated) If I may trouble you for a moment…do we have a clue as to when this flood will be over so we can leave this ark and start our lives again? NOAH: (gets up from desk to reassure her) Patience, my dear wife. Our lives are in God’s hands. He will direct our path. WIFE: Has the dove returned yet? NOAH: (hesitant) Well, no. WIFE: How do you know that he WILL return? NOAH: He will…not to worry. (Shem runs onstage) SHEM: Dad! NOAH: Yes, my son? SHEM: What do we do about the sheep pen? NOAH: What about it? SHEM: Well, it fell apart and the sheep and goats got out…remember? Japeth and I have been taking turns watching ‘em so that they don’t get out on deck. NOAH: What! I thought your brothers fixed that pen? SHEM: No, we ran out of wood after the water leaked into the lower compartment and the elephant slipped and fell and broke the staircase. We had to fix that first. NOAH: Oh my! (put his head in his hands) (Shem slaps side of neck as if swatting a mosquito. Noah looks horrified.) NOAH: Shem, what are you doing? That was a creature! SHEM: (shrugs) Ah, it’s just a mosquito. Gee Dad, they’ve already multiplied like 100 times. There’s plenty of ‘em flyin’ around bugging us. (laughs) Get it? “Bugging” us? (laughs again but sees Dad isn’t laughing and stops and shrugs then looks offstage) Hey, Japeth…what are doing? You were supposed to be making sure the sheep didn’t get on deck? (hear sheep sounds) Well, I gotta go and help him round up the flock. Oh, watch your step….the mice ate their way out of their wooden cage. We’re still trying to find ‘em. (exits) (Noah’s wife is horrified and jumps into Noah’s arms. He tries to set her down, but she won’t hear of it. He finally sets her in his chair.) NOAH: So I suppose you’re going to cook from up there? WIFE: Cook? Well, unless you’re willing to give up one of those creatures in there to extinction, we’re fresh out of food. Why do you think I asked you when this flood would be over? NOAH: Well, dear…God is the captain of this boat and our lives are in His hands. He won’t let us down. We’ll get the boys to go fishin’ off the deck, OK? It’ll be alright. (Frustrated, the wife is about to climb down from the chair…stops and looks down for the mice then gets down with Noah’s help and exits. Noah sighs to himself and prays.) NOAH: Oh Lord, please give us a sign. Please lead us to our next step before my family goes crazy. I think my wife is at her wits end. (Hear offstage scream. Noah jumps and looks in that direction.) SHEM: (offstage) Hey, Mom! Cool! You found one of the mice! Mom? Are you OK? Why are you on the roof? NOAH: Oh Lord PLEASE give us a sign! (Sound of a “thud” that nearly knocks Noah over.) SHEM: (nonchalant as though they see them all the time) Whale. (Noah looks up as if to say “why?”, then shakes his head and returns to his desk.) JAPETH: (offstage) Ohhhhh… (sounding sick) SHEM: (offstage) Oh gross! Mom! Japeth is sick! WIFE: (offstage) Again? The ark hasn’t rocked for weeks since the rains stopped. It can’t be seasickness. What’d you eat, dear? (pause while you hear Japeth mumbling) Oh no! That was spoiled! Shem, help me down from this silly roof so I can attend to your brother. Blasted mice! (pause) Shem! Come back! Where are you going!? SHEM: (runs in with a branch) Dad! Look! The dove just brought this back! NOAH: (delighted, takes the branch in his hand) Wonderful! Praise God! It’s an olive branch. SHEM: Olive? (picks the olive off of the branch and eats it) NOAH: Shem, we need to plant that olive. (puts out hand as if to receive the olive) SHEM: (spits into his hand) OK…there, we can plant the pit. (Noah wears a disgusted look…hears wife scream as she falls from the roof and hits the deck with a “thud”.) WIFE: (enters looking quite disheveled…sarcastically) Thanks so much for your help, SON!! SHEM: (clueless) No sweat, Mom. NOAH: (proudly holds up the branch) So you see, my dearest family. This is a sign from God that He would never leave us or forsake us. Our new life awaits us out there…new sights, new smells, new sounds! (hear Japeth still sick offstage…all look in that direction disgusted) It’s just a matter of time now before God will lead us in our new lives. We were obedient to God and He is faithful to fulfill His promises. The first thing we will need to do when we leave this ark is to build to God an altar. Shem, help me gather all the remaining wood. (wife exits) SHEM: Dad, we had to use it to repair the staircase. There isn’t any left. NOAH: Well, then we’ll just have to chop some more when we leave this ark. Your brother is the best at chopping. How is he? (sound of Japeth still sick) Oh, well…I guess it’s just you and me, son. SHEM: But Dad…what about the sheep pen? WIFE: (enters being pushed by a sheep) YES! What about the sheep pen?!?!?! NOAH: We can finish them both. It shouldn’t be too baaaaaad! (laughs at his joke while all others moan and exit…Noah follows) What? What’d I say?? (back to the scripts page)