The Old Man and the Cricket 1

Tom Lee

The Old Man and the Cricket

-One Man's Quest for Sleep-
(Manuscript)
 
By Tom Lee 

 
(Setting:  It is night.  We are looking inside the living room of a small one bedroom apartment
building.  The living room is very small and it is filled with a dining table, TV stand, 2 small
dressers, a sofa, a lamp and several small items (pictures, cups, radio, etc.) neatly arranged all
over the room.  There is a fold-out floor mattress in the center of the room where an older couple
is lying in bed sleeping.  It is plain to see that the woman is peacefully asleep while the man is
awake and obviously distressed.  Amidst this scene, a cricket is loudly "chirring" away.)
 
Narration starts:
 
The past several days have been very difficult for the man lying awake on his mattress.  The
constant “chirr”ring of the cricket kept him up all night.  He would lie there thinking, “Will I go
mad, if I don’t fall asleep?” "Can a man die of cricket?" “What should I do? How can I catch this
cricket that is tormenting me so?  I’ve got to do something.  Tomorrow, I will do whatever it
takes to catch that cricket so that I can go to sleep and stop myself from going mad...”  And that
evening, the man planned and schemed to put an end to his tormentor once and for all.
 
 
 
(Setting: The man has a little green fishing net in his hand and he is looking under newspapers,
cabinets, and other small items searching for the cricket.  He eventually tires of this and he is
shown sprawled out in the sofa with the fishing net on his chest.)
 
The man searched all over for the cricket that early afternoon.  He looked under newspapers, he
looked behind cabinets, and he looked high and low.  But he could not find the cricket. 
Exhausted, he fell asleep as he decided to take a five minute break from his adventure.
 
 
(Setting:  It is night again.  The man is awake in his bed.  Still troubled.  He looks miserable. 
Chirring in the background.)
 
 
 
(Setting:  The man has built a little trap – the simple pulling-a-string-over-the-trap-kind, using
fishing strings, a pencil, a little plastic bowl to catch the cricket, and a piece of banana and corn
flakes to entice the cricket.  He has placed the trap on the floor next to the side of the cabinet.  He
is sitting on his sofa, waiting to pull the string.  But he has fallen asleep.)
 
 The Old Man and the Cricket 2
Tom Lee

The man sat on the sofa for several hours waiting for the cricket to come out, only getting up to
grab something to eat or to go to the bathroom.  He was vigilant in his watch, until the boredom
of the wait made him fall asleep….
 
 
 
(Setting:  It is night again.  The man is awake in his bed.  Still troubled.  He looks miserable. 
Chirring in the background.)
 
The man was not happy.  He was now, more determined than ever to catch the critter who would
keep him up at night.
 
 
 
 
(Setting:  The man is holding a fly swatter in his hand and digging underneath furniture to try
and scare the cricket out of wherever it is hiding.  The man has fallen asleep with the flyswatter
on his chest.  His face looks very content.)
 
The man prodded the fly swatter into every nook and cranny he could find but the cricket was
nowhere to be found.  So the man decided to take a nap.  The man dreamed of crickets jumping
into his open hands. 
 
 
 (Setting:  It is night again.  The man is awake in his bed.  Still troubled.  He looks miserable. 
Chirring in the background.)
 
 
(Setting:  The man is smiling deviously and enjoying his breakfast of rice, soup, and eggs.  And
he looks like he is thinking of something.  Wife is standing on the side with her eyes rolled up.)
 
The next day, at breakfast, the man started thinking.  “This is no longer about getting a little
sleep at night.  It is now personal.  It is a challenge that I will ultimately overcome! This is my
quest! And I will never give up!” he thought to himself, all the while feeling a renewed source of
energy. And feeling a little embarrassed for talking to himself and wearing a sneaky half-smile
that might’ve looked better on a 7 year-old.  
 
 
 
(Setting:  The whole bedroom is a mess with furniture scattered in different places.  And the man
is on the sofa having fallen asleep.  Has a content face.)
 
After breakfast, the man left no chair and cabinet unturned.  For three hours he searched.  But the
search was in vain.  The cricket was nowhere to be found.  “Maybe I couldn’t find the cricket
because it has left?” he reflected, while laying on his sofa.  But this had been a long day.  And
the man fell asleep, content with his imagining that he had scared the cricket away.
 The Old Man and the Cricket 3
Tom Lee

 
 
 
(Setting:  It is night again.  The man is awake in his bed.  Still troubled.  He looks miserable. 
Chirring in the background.  Only this time, the couple are sleeping on the corner of the room, as
all the furniture is still out of place.)
 
The man could not fall asleep that night.
 
 
 
 
(Setting:  The room is cleaned up and the man is sleeping on the sofa.  Has a content face.)
 
The man spent the early part of the next day putting everything back in its place.  It was much
harder than it was when he was first moving the furniture out of place.  His muscles were sore. 
As soon as he finished, he fell asleep on his sofa.
 
 
 
(Setting:  The man is back in his mattress, with all the furniture back in place.  His eyes are open,
and he can’t sleep.  Background: chirring)
 
The man could not fall asleep that night.
 
 
 
 
(Setting:  The man, looking very tired, is eating his breakfast of rice, soup, and bacon.)
 
The next morning, the man decided that the he wasn't going to hunt for that cricket anymore.
 
 
 
 
(Setting:  The man decided to keep himself busy, instead of searching for the cricket.  He decides
to read the paper, do the dishes, and water the plants.  But as he is watering the plants, he notices
something peculiar in his "I love Grandpa" cup that his grandchild had given him and decides to
investigate.  Upon investigation, he comes to the realization that it is the cricket!)
 
 
  
 
(Setting:  The man carefully picks up a book titled Old Man and the Sea and proceeds to
carefully, but quickly place the book on top of the cup.
 
 The Old Man and the Cricket 4
Tom Lee

The man carefully lifted the book by the sofa and quickly place it on top of the cup.  In victory,
he shouted “Yes! I’ve finally got you! I have persevered to defeat you!”  The man was beaming
with pride as he knew that he had finally completed his quest and that with victory, he would
finally get some well deserved sleep.
 
 
 
(Setting:   The man, carefully lifts the cup with the book carefully held on top and takes it to the
bathroom.  In the bathroom, he carefully places the cup on top of a cabinet above the toilet.)
 
The man had decided that he would relish his victory for a little bit longer.  He would keep his
tormentor in the bathroom.  Trapped in the cup.  Almost as a trophy.   And he would come into
the bathroom to relive his triumph and be reminded of the quest that he had completed. 
 
"Tomorrow....down the whirlpool of terror you go!" thought the man, triumphantly.
 
 
 
(Setting:  It is night.  The bathroom is dark.  But it shows that the book is still on top of the cup.
No chirring.  Everything is quiet.  The scene changes to the mattress where the couple are lying. 
The man is still unable to sleep.  The man proceeds to get up and quietly heads to the bathroom
where he grabs the cup, with the book still on top.)
 
(Setting:  The man is back in his mattress and he is sleeping soundly with a very content look on
his face.  All the while, there is a very loud chirring in the background.)
 
 
 
The End