THE GIRL FISH CASSANDRA:

Sounds good to me!

NARRATOR: [When CASSANDRA eats she turns her head from the audience and
Once upon a time in a magical place far from here, there lived a girl. shivers while slipping on a fish mask.]
This girl was named Cassandra. Cassandra’s parents had never made
her do any work, and so she was very lazy. But it so happened that
one day her mother was so tired, that even Cassandra could not fail to CASSANDRA:
notice it. Cassandra felt very sorry for her mother and offered to work (turning back to the audience) Oh, what happened? I need water,
so that her mother could rest for awhile. Her mother told her it would water!
be very helpful if she would take the fishing-net to the riverbank and MOM:
mend it. This is where our story begins. Cassandra, what’s happened to you?
[CASSANDRA enters carrying a net.] CASSANDRA:
I don’t know, but I think I have to live in the ocean now. I’ll see you
later!
CASSANDRA: [CASSANDRA jumps into the river.]
Oh, I shall do a good job on this net.
[Enter CASSANDRA’s friend, JOANNE.]
SCENE 2
[Oceanic, below the waves.]
CASSANDRA:
Joanne, hi!
JOANNE: CASSANDRA:
Hello! What are you doing? (swimming alone) Oh no! I should have listened to that dumb fish.
CASSANDRA: [FISH 1, FISH 2 and FISH 3 enter]
I’m mending a fishing net for my father to fish tonight.
JOANNE:
FISH 1:
Well, good luck! I’ve got to go get some bread from the bakers.
Who are you?
[Enter PHIL, CASSANDRA’s friend.]
CASSANDRA:
Well, I was a human, but I ate a fish and now I’m a fish too!
CASSANDRA: FISH 2:
Hi Phil! Joanne just past by. Yes, it is a sad thing, but that is how many of us have gotten here, me
PHIL: included. But I’ll take you to see the fish-queen, who lives in the
Hi Cassandra! How’re you doing? Well, talk to you later, I must be most beautiful palace in the world.
going, I’ve got an errand to run to the miller’s. FISH 3:
CASSANDRA: Come on!
See you, Phil! (to herself) All my friends are passing by, this isn’t so [FISH 1, FISH 2 and FISH 3 exit so no one hears the end of
bad after all! (bundles up the net in her arms while speaking) Well, CASSANDRA’s next line.]
anyway,  I’m glad it’s finished. (noticing a BEAUTIFUL FISH in the
water) Oh my! What a fish, I shall catch it for mother!
CASSANDRA:
[CASSANDRA catches the fish in the net.]
OK, but how far is it? I’m still new at this fish thing, and I don’t
know how far I can swim. Hello?
BEAUTIFUL FISH: [CASSSANDRA runs to catch up with FISH 1, FISH 2 and FISH 3
You’d better put me back at once, miss, or else you’ll turn into a fish and exits.]
yourself if you eat me!
CASSANDRA:
SCENE 3
Ha! Yea, Right!
[In a palace underwater with the FISH and FISH-QUEEN.]
[CASSANDRA gives the fish to her mother, who moves to the side
of the stage.]
CASSANDRA:
(staring in awe all around) Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this.
CASSANDRA:
It’s the most beautiful thing ever!
Well, Mom, I’m going to talk with Joanne.
FISH-QUEEN:
[CASSANDRA moves to the opposite side of the stage.]
Thank you Cassandra. Now tell me your story.
CASSANDRA:
MOM: Well, I was just a regular human girl until today. Today I went down
(calling) Okay, come back when you hear the bell! to the river and sat and mended my father’s fishing-net. When I was
CASSANDRA: finished, I saw a beautiful fish. I caught him because I thought that
Hey, Joanne, guess what! my mother would like to cook him for dinner. The fish told me that I
[JOANNE comes in from offstage.] would turn into a fish if I ate him, which I did not believe. Then I
turned into a fish and I had to swam to the sea. When I got there, I
was met by them. (gesturing to the other FISH)
JOANNE: FISH-QUEEN:
What? I see. My fate is similar to yours. I was once a human princess
CASSANDRA: married happily to a prince. One day, a giant encountered me in my
I caught a big fish today! gardens and grabbed my crown away. He told me that he was going
JOANNE: to give it to his own daughter, and then enchant my husband so that
Cool, can I see it? he couldn’t tell the difference between us. When this happened I was
CASSANDRA: filled with despair. I flung myself into the sea. But a kindly wizard
Sure, but my Mom has it. transformed me into a fish, and a fish I will stay until the day when
[On the other side of the stage, MOM rings a bell.] my crown is returned.
CASSANDRA:
Oh good queen, I will get back your crown!
CASSANDRA: FISH-QUEEN:
Oh, it’s dinner time! Talk to you later! Are you sure?
[JOANNE exits offstage, and CASSANDRA crosses stage to where CASSANDRA:
MOM is.] Yes!
FISH-QUEEN:
Okay. This is what you must do. First you must return to earth and go
CASSANDRA:
to the top of the highest mountain. That’s where the giant lives in a
Hi, Mom, you cooked the fish?
castle. He has the crown there now because his daughter, the queen,
MOM:
sent it to him before she died, which was recently. To help you I give
Yes I did, and I cooked it with a special sauce.
you the power to turn yourself into any animal of the forest, field or Fish-Queen. She gives the crown to the Fish-Queen in the presence of
stream, except a human. all the other fishes. The Fish-Queen turns back into a human, and so
CASSANDRA: does Cassandra.
I shall go at once! QUEEN:
SCENE 4 Cassandra, thank you very much. I am so happy to be human again.
[The GIANT’s bedroom, with CASSANDRA and the GIANT.] CASSANDRA:
As am I!
QUEEN:
NARRATOR: Then let us go to my old palace and rejoin my husband and son.
Cassandra swam to the shore, and then she changed into a deer. As a SCENE 5
deer, she ran to the castle, passing by a Prince on her way. [A palace above water, with KING, QUEEN and PRINCE.]
[CASSANDRA, changed into a deer, runs before the PRINCE, who
crosses the stage, staring at her.]
KING:
At last, it is you. I am so happy to finally be returned to you!
NARRATOR: QUEEN:
At the castle, she changed into a parrot so she could fly into the Yes, it has been long indeed since I have looked upon your face,
Giant’s bedroom. dearest.
CASSANDRA: KING:
I have been sent to get the crown from you because it is no longer Well, I have kingly matters to attend to, but I shall be back within the
yours now that your daughter is dead. hour.
GIANT: [KING exits.]
You evil bird! Why should I will give you the crown for nothing? Let
me think what I will have in exchange. (scratches his head) Ah, yes!
You shall have the crown if you bring me a collar of blue stones from PRINCE:
the Great Arch. Mother! I haven’t seen you for ages.
CASSANDRA: QUEEN:
Well, Deal! Yes, well I am home at last. But anyway, son, you seem to be
[CASSANDRA flies across the stage and lands on an arch. She pulls troubled. Tell me what is bothering you.
a dozen blue stones from the arch.] PRINCE:
It is nothing that can be helped.
QUEEN:
CASSANDRA: Well, at least tell me so I can share your grief.
Ah, well this isn’t so hard. Now I shall get the crown and be able to PRINCE:
return home. Well, I saw a beautiful deer while I was hunting, but it looked like no
[As a parrot, CASSANDRA strings the stones on a string.] deer I have every seen. I fell in love with it.
QUEEN:
(laughing out loud) That is funny!
CASSANDRA:
PRINCE:
Well, away I go!
(ashamed) You see! Now you’re laughing at me! This isn’t making
[CASSANDRA as the parrot flies back across the stage to the castle
me feel better!
and the GIANT.]
QUEEN:
No, not laughing at your falling in love with a deer but because that
CASSANDRA: deer was really a maiden. I sent her to rescue my crown. She turned
There you go. Now you give me the crown. into a deer so she could run across the land to the giant’s castle.
GIANT: PRINCE:
They are hardly as blue as I expected. You must go get a bag of stars So the deer really was a maiden! That’s what I thought.
from the sky to make up for this. QUEEN:
CASSANDRA: I shall call her in. Cassandra!
Stars from the sky? But that’s impossible! [CASSANDRA enters.]
GIANT:
Well, if you really want the crown, you’ll find a way.
CASSANDRA:
NARRATOR:
Yes?
Cassandra goes outside and says:
QUEEN:
[CASSANDRA goes to the other side of the stage, and the GIANT
I would like you to meet my son, the Prince.
turns his back but stays onstage]
CASSANDRA:
(shyly) Hello.
CASSANDRA: PRINCE:
I want to be a toad! (shyly) Hi.
NARRATOR: QUEEN:
And she turns into a toad. She goes to a pool and sees the stars I think I must go attend to wedding preparations.
reflected in the water. She fills a bag with the water and returns to the  
castle, saying…
CASSANDRA:
I want to be a parrot!
NARRATOR:
And flies into the Giant’s window.
[GIANT turns around.]

CASSANDRA:
Here are the stars you asked for.
GIANT:
Your power is greater than mine. Have the crown, I no longer need it.
CASSANDRA:
Okay, well good-bye!
NARRATOR:
Cassandra grabs the crown and flies to the shore. At the shore, she
says…
CASSANDRA:
I want to be a fish!
NARRATOR:
Then she turns into a fish, jumps into the water, and swims to the