Dramatis Personae

Adult Parts		Kid Parts (Distinguishing costume/prop)
Narrator
Sir Perceval		Sir Perceval (helmet, breastplate, sword)
Ariel		Ariel (angel wings, halo, sunglasses)
Sinbad		Sinbad (scimitar, turban*)

*That is, if anyone has any idea how to wrap a turban

Props/Set Pieces

Costume pieces as indicated above
Sign reading "FLASHBACK"
Ship
Waves
Fire
Enormous roc talon

Summary

This time, Perceval runs into Sinbad [a character from the Arab classic A Thousand Nights and One Night]. Sinbad relates a story of a previous adventure; in the course of this, Perceval loses his helmet to a roc.

Also this week, the violation of traditional narrative boundaries! Very po-mo. Especially for chapel.

---

Narrator

Last week, in Perceval and the Holy Grail...

Perceval

"Man, that guy tricked me!"

Ariel

"Well, it's not like it was very hard..."

Narrator

Perceval and Ariel were still lost in the desert; and Perceval had lost his horse and his shield to mysterious strangers they had met along the way. This made him feel grumpy.

Perceval

"Hmph."

Narrator

But Ariel was there to cheer him up.

Ariel

"Tough beans, kid. Keep walkin'."

Narrator

They had come to a part of the wasteland where nobody seemed to live; not even the poor farmers they had found before. All around them there was nothing but rock and dirt and a few tufts of withered brown grass.

Perceval

"So what happens to this place if I never find the Grail?"

Ariel

"The rains will never come; nothing will ever grow here again. The land will be barren and waste forever."

Perceval

"What about the people?"

Ariel

"The ones who can will have to move."

Perceval

"Oh."

Narrator

One day, they saw a strange person approaching along the road...

Perceval

"Uh-oh! I know how this goes."

Narrator

The stranger wore a curved sword at this side [and a turban on his head (if we manage to figure the turban out)]. As Perceval and Ariel came near, the stranger stopped and bowed to them.

Sinbad

"Welcome, well met, fellow travelers! Praise Allah that I have had the fortune to meet you!"

Perceval

"You can't have any of my stuff."

Sinbad

"A thousand pardons, good sir; I have no intention of depriving you of any your property."

Perceval

"Come again?"

Ariel

"He means he doesn't want to take any of your stuff."

Perceval

"Oh. Well, OK, then. It's just the last couple of mysterious strangers we met ended up taking my horse and my shield; so I just thought..."

Sinbad

"I understand completely; I can see that you also have been having adventures. I trust, Inshallah, that you will come out all right in the end."

Perceval

"Yeah, me too. So how did you end up here in the middle of the desert?"

Sinbad

"Well, it began when I went to sea on one of my sailing voyages..."

Perceval

"You went to sea and ended up in the middle of the desert?"

Sinbad

"Yes, it's quite the story. Would you like to hear it?"

Perceval

"I guess."

Sinbad

"Well, it all began in a flashback sequence..."

[Little kid holds up FLASHBACK sign]

"As I said, I was a sailor on a ship that was on a trading voyage."

[Holds ship in front of himself]

"One day, a storm came up and the ship sank."

[Substitute wave strip for ship]

"This was a great surprise to me, since it had only happened every single other time I had ever gone to sea. But, praise Allah, I could see a small island in the distance, and after a while I was able to swim to it and crawl onto the beach, exhausted.

[Remove waves, collapse on floor]

"When I awoke, there was a young knight sitting next to me... a knight, by coincidence, much like yourself..."

Perceval
(Perceval is moved next to Sinbad)

"Wait... why am I in the story all of a sudden?"

Sinbad

"I could see that this knight had built a small fire on the beach, and was using his helmet as a cooking-pot. Whatever he was cooking smelled extremely good, especially since I had spent many hours in the sea; so I approached the gentle knight, and greeted him in the name of Allah."

Perceval

"Pleased to meetcha; sit down and we can eat in a couple of minutes."

Sinbad

" 'Thank you indeed, fair knight,' I said. 'May I know what it is that you have found to cook, on this barren and inhospitable island? For when I first looked about, I thought, Allah forbid, that one must surely starve here.' "

Perceval

"Yeah, I thought so too; but I was poking around back over there, and I found the biggest egg I've ever seen in my life. That sucker must have been ten feet tall; so I knocked a hole in it and I've been eating it bit by bit. It's not bad, although I am getting kind of tired of egg three meals a day."

Sinbad

"When the knight told me this, I was filled with dread. 'By the Prophet!' I said, 'do you not know what you have done? This can be none other than the egg of the Roc!' "

Perceval

"A rock? Why would a rock lay an egg?"

Sinbad

" 'Not a stone,' I said, 'but the giant bird known as the Roc, which is so huge that it can carry off elephants. And you have been eating its egg! Soon the bird will return, and then we are both doomed!' "

Perceval

"Oops."

Sinbad

"Just then, my fears were confirmed; for I heard the flapping of giant wings approaching us. 'Quickly!' I cried, 'we must flee, or the Roc will destroy us!' "

Perceval

"But my helmet..."

Sinbad

" 'Leave the helmet,' I cried, 'there is no time!' And with that, we both began to run for our very lives. But as fast as we ran, the Roc flew faster; soon it was nearly upon us! My companion tripped and fell to the ground; and then the Roc seized me in its great talon and carried me into the air!"

Perceval

"Bye! Send me a postcard when you get there! If, you know, you don't get eaten."

Sinbad

"The Roc carried me for many hours; we were so high in the air that I shuddered to think what would happen if the bird were to drop me. But finally, I saw that we were over a vast desert, and that the bird was flying low to the ground; and I knew that I must put my trust in Allah, for this was my only chance. I drew my scimitar, and I cut at the claw that was holding me... and the Roc cried out and dropped me to the ground. When I came to me senses, I was here where you see me now; and that is my story."

[Kid with FLASHBACK sign sits down again]

Perceval

"Cool."

Ariel

"That was quite a story."

Sinbad

"Thank you, my lady. If I may be so bold, you are an angel of Allah, are you not?"

Ariel

"Yup. It's nice to know that some people can figure that out..."

Sinbad

"Then when I reach my home, Inshallah, I shall tell all my family of your beauty, and we will give thanks that I was blessed to see you."

Perceval

"You keep saying that word, Inshallah. What does it mean?"

Sinbad

"It means, If God Wills. You see, I have learned one thing in my many voyages - "

Perceval

"A question? 'Cause I really need a question."

Sinbad

"No, I have learned the answer to all questions, which is this: There is no God but God; praise the name of God!"

Perceval

"Why does everybody keep giving me answers, when all I need is a question?"

Sinbad

"And now, good sir, good lady, I must resume my way; for I have far to travel. May Allah guide your journey!"

Ariel

"He is; but thanks."

Narrator

And with that, Sinbad the Sailor walked away down the road; and Perceval and Ariel were once again left by themselves.

Perceval

"Will you get annoyed if I ask a question?"

Ariel

"Probably. What is it?"

Perceval

"If all of that stuff was just a story he was telling us, why is my helmet missing?"

Narrator

Will Perceval and Ariel ever find the Grail Castle again, or will they keep meeting strange people in the wasteland forever? Will Perceval ever get any of his stuff back? Will Sinbad ever get home?

Find out... next week!