Better off Not Knowing

By Charlie Marino

When sisters Kelly and Tina, 8 and 6, befriend an alien visiting our planet, environmental concerns gain new importance to them as their new playtime companion goes about his secret mission here on Earth. Presented as a school play in 15 short Acts, which includes the travails of their single father attempting to stay in touch with his young daughters lives at a time they learn more from the internet and their alien friend - right or wrong - than he can keep up with.

The author offers full rights to be used in live performances to any school or local theatre group with any purchase!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charlie Marino
• Release date: Jan 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005518721

Charlie Marino

Charlie J. Marino was born in the Bronx, New York and holds a BS and MS in nuclear engineering from Columbia University. His various occupations included bond and commodities trading, founding several small computer companies, and now writes sci-fi novels and short stories. He has more robots than friends, but they’re good ones. The author makes his home in the mountains of America, where he helps the nice folks at SETI & carves his own wooden chess sets.

Book preview

BETTER OFF NOT KNOWING

by Charlie Marino

To the extent possible under law, Charlie Marino has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to the work Better Off Not Knowing.

This work is published in the United States.

Better Off Not Knowing was first performed at Arbors Ad-Hoc Theatre, in the winter of 2021.

ISBN: 9781005518721

Distributed by Smashwords

cover flying saucer courtesy of AbsurdWordPreferred

***

Geoff - alien on a mission to Earth

Kelly - slightly older sister

Tina - slightly younger sister

Dad - pre-occupied but well-meaning father

Tommy - older son away at college

The Narrator = fills in the storyline for the audience

[aside] = character is thinking or talking to themselves

{ … } text = stage direction to be acted out by the players or ad-libbed

***

Setting: One summer in an American east coast suburb

Time: Present day

***

Narrator:

Your humble Narrator presents to you a science fiction play in several small acts wherein two little girls have befriended a visiting alien.

Act-1

{A father sits on his porch, slowing down his oldest daughter}

Dad:

Wait, wait. Where will you be, kiddo?

Kelly:

Going down by the bamboo swamp with my friend Geoff.

Dad:

Ok, be back by 6 for dinner.

{to his youngest daughter Tina}

Dad:

Pumpkin, Geoff is one of her classmates?

Tina:

He's from another planet studying our effect on... ecology!

Dad:

Good pronunciation pumpkin! Ok. Her imaginary friend, then, or can I assume a kid who's really into cosplay?

Tina:

Sure...that's cool. He needs to hide from the Feds.

{Dad laughs and places a quieting finger to his lips conspiratorially}

Act-2

{At the swamp's edge where the stream near their home disappears}

Kelly:

Should I be worried about what's out there?

Geoff:

Nah. You're better