Ep 23 – We Meet a God! Finally!

SCENE STARTS: (Mirai leaves the hotel and is walking on the main road looking for the library.)

 MIRAI: Okay, I just left the hotel… Hmm I think a good place to start would be to see if there’s a library. Jun-nii was looking for something so I assume that’d be the right place to start researching. 

JAPANESE STRANGER: あの。。。すみません。(Um, excuse me)

MIRAI: Um, excuse me, you’re really close. Can you not?

JAPANESE STRANGER: Oh, English. So you are a… tourist. 

MIRAI: Is there a problem with that? 

JAPANESE STRANGER: Hmm well, depends on what you think a problem is, but I’d recommend you put on that mask you got there. 

MIRAI: Um, thanks, but I’ll decide on my own. Bye!

JAPANESE STRANGER: Wait! Do you need help getting around? I can show you the town if you like… But really, I think you should put the mask on.

MIRAI: No thank you! I’m fine on my own.

SFX: (The stranger calls out, “You don’t understand. I’m trying to help you!” In the background as Mirai scurries away.) 

FADE OUT. 

NEXT SCENE: (Alina and the gang are at the cafe. “Proserpina Bops” plays in the background.)

ALINA: I’m so excited for you guys to meet Sam!

DREW: Great! So things are working out well then.

ALINA: Uhh… Yeah… Well… T-that’s a good word for it. He said that I was asking for too much last time…

JUN: (laughs) I mean, if you weren’t, I’d think something was wrong.

ALINA:  I’m doing better! 

JUN: Yeah… Totally…

ALINA: Hey! Where’s the vote of confidence…

FADE OUT.

NEXT SCENE: (They go to the park to meet Sam. The lion dogs are also there.)

DOG: Huh, that’s strange. I thought Sam would beat us here.

ALINA: Yeah, that’s weird… I’m supposed to be late one. Uh, let me check my messages.

SFX: (Alina receives a text and notices many unread notifications.)

ALINA: What! I can’t believe him.

DREW: Oh… did he cancel?

ALINA: Yeah! Super last minute too…Ugh what are we going to do now?

JUN: Oh no… Well the park should be safer now regardless right? And we came all this way, we might as well see some creatures.

DREW: You’re just happy you don’t have to meet Sam just yet.

JUN: I work up to things okay!

DOG: Well, how about… over there? There’s a cave further downstream that we haven’t seen yet! Do we wanna go check that out?

ALINA: Sure! What kind of creature do you think we’ll meet in a cave? I’m down for anything, but like… There’s no bugs right? No, n-no, no, no. There’s no bugs… 

ALINA: Right? Dog? Why are you walking? Dog? RIGHT?

SFX: (Dog starts walking.)

JUN: Oh my god, Dog why are we looking for bugs now? You know that’s like the top fifteen reasons why I want to go to space.

DREW: How do you know there aren’t like, space bugs out there or something?

JUN: La-la-la. Space is filled with cool things like rocks and aliens!

ALINA: Rocks are… cool?

DOG: Focus! 

MUSIC: (“False Alarm” plays.)

DREW: Spacebugs.

DOG: While I understand the consensus on likeability of bugs, technically he isn’t a bug but an arachnid. While I understand the consensus on likeability of bugs. The creature we’re looking for, isn’t exactly a bug, but he is an arachnid.

DREW: Spacebugs.

JUN: No!

ALINA: (laughs, then Dog clears her throat) Oh… sorry.

DOG: Now then, it looks like we’re here. So we might as well go in. Adventure ho!

SFX: (Everyone groans or mumbles complaints as they start walking.) 

FADE OUT.

NEXT SCENE: (Into the cave they go!)

JUN: (sighs) So, Dog. What creature is in this nice and dark and cold and scary and probably bug-filled cave?

DOG: Well, there’s one of the most famous spiders from West Africa, Anansi! 

ALINA: How famous can a spider be?

DOG: Well actually. He has a very interesting story. He’s one of the few legends that has traveled across the continents to be with his people. It’s thanks to his webs and his stories of overcoming obstacles, that he’s been able to help people survive, especially during the Transatlantic slave trade.

ALINA: Oh, uh, well now I feel bad for freaking out. He sounds like a great guy.

DOG: Yes, there are many tales about him, some good, some bad, but he has helped spread stories and knowledge to people all over the world. 

JUN: Why is he a spider of all things though? You’d think somethi– Y-You’d think someone like that would be bigger, like a dragon or lion, or at least not a bug.

DOG: Well, that’s kind of the whole point. You don’t need to be some grand beast or superhero to save the day. You can just use your brains.

DREW: Ooh, so he’s like a… bookworm? *buh dum chee* 

ALINA: Ugh, Drew.

DREW: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will be here all day. all week, and hopefully for a couple of years.

DOG: Huh well, you’re actually not wrong. He is considered to be a god of wisdom.

DREW: Yes! Drew is right, Drew is right!

ALINA: Wait, he’s a god? Hold on, is it just me or does Dog keep looking for gods?

JUN: Yeah, we tried to find another God of Wisdom the first time around… Dog, what’s going on here, why are you looking for them?

DOG: I mean, they’re gods. Don’t you guys want to meet them too? I have so many questions I want answered.

DREW: Dog, that’s what the Internet is for.

DOG: You can’t find everything online.

JUN: Wait a second, are you the one that’s been buying premium dog food on my account? I thought that was Mom this whole time…

DOG: If I have to eat dog food, I’m going to order the best one out there.

JUN: I guess that’s fair…

DREW: Okay, okay, hold on though. Dog. Dog, you know you can just talk to us if you have a problem or anything, right?

DOG: Of course! Don’t worry, this is just, pure curiosity. I heard you could meet gods here and yet, all my time in the park, I’ve yet to meet one.

ALINA: Okay… so tell us more about Anansi– Ooh! What is this.

SFX: (Alina freaks out as she smacks into Anansi’s web.) 

ANANSI: Ooph, hey, watch it!

DOG: Anansi! Oh my god, I didn’t think we’d actually meet.

SFX: (Lion Dogs start making noise. They’re curious about the little god.)

ALINA: Oh how lovely… he really is a spider…

ANANSI: Yes, well if that’s it, I need to hurry along now and do… God things. Shoo, shoo (directed at the lion dogs.)

ALINA: Wait, no. I-I’m sorry about the spider comment, um, but Dog really has a question for you.

ANANSI: Okay. How about this? The truth is, I’m looking for my sons. If you can bring all four to me, we can have a nice chat. 

DOG: What?! But how are we going to find all of your sons?

ANANSI: Hey, I had to bring a tiger, a python, and a jar of hornets to my Dad. This is nothing compared to that. 

JUN: Why’d you have to do that?

MUSIC: (“Playful Peril” plays.)

ANANSI: Ah. This was an old story. The sky god refused to share stories with the people. So I had to challenge that stubborn father of mine with a bet to capture those animals. He foolishly couldn’t believe that I would actually do it! But with a few tricks up my sleeve, I was able to capture animals big and small just like that. And because of that, I  am also the god of stories.

Now as you can see, I am a multifaceted god whose stories give people strength and laughter. Do you see now what I mean when I say I am busy? Especially when my people are scattered all over the world? 

ALINA: Oh, of course, I didn’t even know gods could travel before all of this. I guess we have no other choice then, right? We’ll look for your children. 

DREW: Yeah, of course. Oh uh, just to double-check… They’re also spiders, right? 

ANANSI: What else would they be?

DREW: Literally anything goes in mythology.

ANANSI: (laughs) Right you are my child. Well, off you go then. I’ll be here when you find them.

SFX: (Anansi slithers away.)

FADE OUT.

NEXT SCENE: (The gang walk deeper into the cave.)

ALINA: (shivers) It’s getting colder the deeper we go… Also was it just me, or did it seem like Anansi really didn’t want to talk to us?

JUN: I think it was because of the Lion Dogs. Even though there’s nothing wrong with them!

DOG: Let’s just try and figure this out quickly.

DREW: Do you already have a plan, Dog?

SFX: (The cave sounds turn into outside nighttime sounds. Trees blow in the wind as Anansi tries to hide a pot.)

DOG: There was this one time, some humans had wronged Anansi, so he decided that he would punish all of mankind.

ANANSI (off to the side): I will hide away all the knowledge in the world!

ALINA: Uh, that’s pretty messed up to punish everyone for a few people’s mistakes.

DOG: Gods have punished more for much less. Anyways, Anansi put all of knowledge into a pot and planned to hide it away up in a tree where no one could find it, not knowing that his son had followed him the entire time. 

ANANSI (off to the side): (laughs) This is the perfect spot, no one will ever find this small, but rather heavy pot!

DOG: When Anansi got to the tree, he ran into a problem. He tied the pot so that it was in front of him, but because of that, every time he tried to push it forward, the weight would push back. 

ANANSI (Off to the side): Oh, this pot is heavier than I thought! 

DOG: So, after seeing his father try and try again to no avail, Ntikuma became frustrated that his father couldn’t see the simple solution to his problem and finally gave away his hiding spot. He started yelling, “tie the pot behind you!” 

However, because he was surprised to see his son there, Anansi once again fell from the tree, causing the pot to break, and for knowledge to pour back out into the world. (ANANSI: Yells from the fall, and upset that his plan failed.) 

SFX: (A clay pot breaks as Anansi falls. The show returns to the park atmosphere.)

DREW: Ha! What a cheeky brat.

ALINA: Oh! Okay, okay, okay. I see. I see, so we gotta look like we’re stuck in a situation that we can’t get out of, and maybe that’ll draw his children out with their thirst to fix things?

DOG: It’s worth a shot, right?

JUN: Okay, um, so what “situation” are we in at the moment? 

SFX: (Alina shivers again from the cold.) 

DREW: Oh uh, are you still cold Alina?

ALINA: Oh my god, a fire would be really nice right now…

DOG: Let’s do that then! That can be our situation. 

JUN: With what? Um, everything’s damp here?

DOG: That’s the whole point, Jun. We’re pretending to be stuck, so the spiders would get curious and come out!

JUN: Oh, okay, okay. Right, right. (bad acting) Wow, it sure is cold in here. Brrr.

DREW: (bad acting) Brrr. Wow yeah, oh no. If only we could figure out how to make fire in this cave.

ALINA: (Bad acting) Look, I see some twigs, maybe we can create frict–

JESSICA: Oh, are you guys having a camping trip? Here?

ALINA: Oh my god, Jessica?!

DREW: Where did you pop up from?

JESSICA: I’m just exploring. Although if you wanted to camp, I suggest going to the fields… The stars are great at night.

JUN: Oh what! We definitely have to do that. I love space.

ALINA: Focus, Jun. We’re helping Anansi find his kids.

JESSICA: Mm-hm… Anansi… Did we see him?

JINN: (whispering) No, Anansi is no longer here.

JUN: Uh, who was that? You guys heard that too right? It wasn’t just me?

ALINA: Shh, it’s the Jinn! I wanna hear what he’s saying!

JESSICA: My Jinn says his presence has disappeared. Anansi is already gone. 

DOG: What! B-but he said he’d talk to us!

JESSICA: Well, I hate to break it to everyone, but you’re probably just wasting your time.

DOG: No! You don’t understand! He’s the first god to have appeared, Jessica, he must know what to do! About the– 

JUN: It’s okay Dog, we can come back another time.

JESSICA: Is that why you came to find him? Anansi doesn’t have answers for you, Dog. It’s not his problem. Just leave it alone and stop sticking your nose in other people’s business. 

DOG: Jessica, you know this way is much better than trusting a Jinn. 

JESSICA: Hmm, well since you know everything, I guess I’ll just leave then. I can tell when I’m not wanted.

DOG: Wait! It’s not like that please, I’m just trying to help!

JESSICA: There’s nothing to help Dog! Run along and live your life as the cute little creature that you are.

DOG: Wait, Jessica, don’t go!

SFX: (Jessica leaves. Anansi returns, guilty that he lied to everyone.)

ALINA: Dog? Is everything okay?

ANANSI: I uh, couldn’t help but overhear…

DREW: Anansi! Where did you go? 

MUSIC: (“Park in Twilight” Piano theme plays.)

ANANSI: Listen, that Jessica girl is too crazy for even me. 

ALINA: Were you really going to not answer any of our questions?

ANANSI: Child… you are dealing with not just any god, but a trickster. I am not always the hero in the stories. 

DREW: Unbelievable, so you were just going to leave us there? What if we actually caught your children?

ANANSI: I knew you’d probably let them go after a while… 

ALINA: No, you have to help us. I’ve heard your stories. Yes, you’re a bit selfish and spiteful, but you help people, so please, help us too. For Dog?

ANANSI: Alas but I’m afraid Jessica is correct. This is not a matter gods can handle. Only humans.

ALINA: What are you talking about? How could there ever be a situation where gods can’t do something but humans can?

ANANSI: A situation that was human-made. 

DREW: No offense, we’re in a park full of mythical creatures. The situation we’re in doesn’t really seem like a human-made problem.

ANANSI: And yet all creatures were made by humans. Do you understand now?

JUN: No, I am so lost…

ANANSI: I’m sorry little martian. Any answers you hear will not be the ones you want. Goodbye and good luck. 

ALINA: Wait, but you didn’t explain anything! We’re still confused! 

DOG: (Sad laughter) So there’s nothing I can do?

FADE OUT.

NEXT SCENE: (Mirai arrives at the library or is outside by the library.)

MIRAI: What am I listening to? What is going on? Gods are real and all mighty, but they are also made-up stories created by humans, so who really has all the powers? This is making my head hurt…

At least I finally made it to the library after I got away from that creep, so maybe I should look into some mythology research myself? Or… philosophy? Which one makes more sense? Oh, but I also have to look into what Jun-nii could possibly be looking for in this town. Ugh! What do I do first?!

FADE OUT.

CREDITS: Residents of Proserpina Park is a production written and produced by Angela Yeh. Directed by Angela Yeh. The voice of Mirai is Vida Shi. The voice of the Japanese stranger is Zerreth. The voice of Alina is Angela Yeh. The voice of Drew is Ashley Dawson. The voice of Jun is Ben Pollizi. The voice of Dog is Sara Roncero-Menendez. The voice of Anansi is Vincent Comegys-Davis . The voice of Jessica is Jess Syratt. And the voice of the Jinn is Ahmad “AJ” Joudeh.

Dialogue editing by Angela Yeh. Sound design by Rebecca Liu. Mixed and mastered by Angela Yeh. Script edited by Sara Roncero-Menendez. Original music by Hoa Pham. Season 3 cover art by Molly James. Series Logo by Macy Tang. For more information about the show, please go to our website residentsofproserpinapark.com 

AFTER CREDITS SCENE: (Jessica and her jinn are still lurking around the cave.)

JESSICA: Well, any creatures here that can help us?

SFX: The Jinn comes out of hiding.

JINN: It’s exceptionally quiet tonight. Perhaps we need to try a different approach. I fear everyone here is already wary of us. 

JESSICA: As they should be… but what now? I can’t give up here.

JINN: Perhaps… the other children know something? They seem to have caught up with the situation rather quickly. 

JESSICA: Yes, they did seem like they knew something didn’t they? We should have said something before… How quickly would you be able to find them?

JINN: With fire? Easily. Without… It will take a little longer. But hearing how loud they are, not much longer. 

JESSICA: Great! They seemed to enjoy your powers, so why don’t we… give them a show?

JINN: Whatever you wish.

JESSICA: Oh I’m so glad we’re a team, Jinny!

JINN: Whatever… you wish.

FADE OUT.