Title: The skipping game
by Heather from Hertfordshire | in writing, fiction
All characters are on stage, still and in shadow. When the curtains open, we see three girls in a dim light, 7 or 8 years old wearing school uniforms, two turning a skipping rope for the third. As she skips, they all chant:
Children: England ' Ireland ' Scotland ' Wales ' inside ' outside ' inside ' scales!
On 'scales!' the girl skipping jumps and lands on the rope, stopping it turning. The light on them dims to nothing, with a bright, harsh spotlight on a teenage girl in the back corner. Very quiet, sad music. The girl is very thin, but is standing in front of a mirror which makes her appear fatter. Slowly and sadly, with watery eyes, she inspects every inch of flesh, tugging at the small amount of fat around her thighs, stomach and face despondently. Spotlight and music fade, and a dim light again shows the children. They have swapped places and a different girls skips this time.
Children: England ' Ireland ' Scotland ' Wales ' inside ' outside ' inside ' scales!
They skip as before, with her landing on the rope at 'scales!' Light on them fades, spotlight on a teenage girl sat behind an exam desk, pen in hand and exam paper on the table. But she has her head in one hand ' she doesn't know any of the answers. She looks up, running her hand over her face in despair and blinking away tears. Then she drops the pen and puts her head on the desk in defeat. Spotlight off, faint light on the young girls, now with the third girl skipping.
Children: England ' Ireland ' Scotland ' Wales ' inside ' outside ' inside ' scales!
She lands on the rope on 'scales!' and the spotlight focuses on a third teenager. She is leaning on a wall, sat huddled under an old blanket, crying quietly but every few seconds a sob shakes her body revealing that she is trying to hide her emotions. Next to her is a rucksack. She is staring at the floor. Then the spotlight fades and the children are lit again. The first girl is skipping again.
Children: England ' Ireland ' Scotland ' Wales ' inside ' outside ' inside ' scales!
As before, she lands on the rope at the word 'scales!' The spotlight falls this time on the first girl; however she is now practising a dance routine, head up, smiling. The same music as before comes on, but now it is her accompaniment as she performs a slow classical ballet routine. The light on her dims slightly and the music fades, but she continues the practice. The children are also lit up, with the second girl now skipping again.
Children: England ' Ireland ' Scotland ' Wales ' inside ' outside ' inside ' scales!
The light on them fades, and the second teenager is put into the spotlight, a brighter light than that on the first. She is still sat behind the desk, and opens an envelope and pulls a letter from it. As she reads she begins to smile and laughs a few times. The light on her fades to the same dim level as that on the dancing teenager and comes on slightly brighter to light the skipping girls; now the third girl is skipping.
Children: England ' Ireland ' Scotland ' Wales ' inside ' outside ' inside ' scales!
Light on them fades and they exit, leaving the rope; spotlight on the third teenager. She is now wearing the rucksack, with the blanket rolled up and attached to the bottom. She is wearing outdoor clothes, and a running label on her top states 'Hike 4 Charity' with a number beneath. She begins stretching, warming up before she starts the walk. Light on her dims, so there is an equal level of light on each of the three teenagers. The teenagers pick up the skipping rope, one each end and the third skipping. As the younger children did, they chant.
Children: England ' Ireland ' Scotland ' Wales ' inside ' outside ' inside ' scales!
On 'scales!' the skipping girl lands on the rope and all three laugh. Light gradually fades.
As the young girls innocently skip, we see a snapshot of what the future could hold for each of them. We first see an unhappy future, representing some of the main problems and challenges facing young people: appearance, exams and school pressure, and homelessness, perhaps representing family problems. However, the second time we see each teenager, they are a lot happier, and now represent dedication, relationships and helping others. I left it ambiguous as to whether the characters are two different possible futures for the young girls, or the same one with its elements of joy and sadness. The skipping rhyme places the play firmly in Britain, and the last word ¿scales!¿ refers to the balance of happy and painful moments in adolescence. However, in many ways teenagers are still children, hence why they take the place of the young girls skipping at the end.
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