For this one, you must cut through your appearance to warn an empire of threat.
CLOWN CLOTHES (any gender, mid teens through late life)
Laugh if you want to. Do you want to? Then laugh and laugh now.
[pause for any laughter]
Thank you. And now I ask that you hear what I say in all seriousness. I am the King's fool. But I am not your fool. And you all are not mine. The king is planning an attack on all things that he considers "below us." Anything that makes the kingdom look less than clean, less than organized, less than mighty.
He is planning to burn your temples because they stand awkwardly. He is planning on destroying your farms so that he can make one giant piece of land for growing. He is going to-- he is going to seize your youth and begin training them all as warriors for the other kingdoms to fear.
[pause]
It's alright. I understand, if you are smiling. I'm sure that without my clown clothes, my face and my words seem all the more silly, all the more out of place. Would it help if I made you angry?
What If I were to say that everything the King is going to destroy-- what if he had gotten those ideas after I had made him laugh at all of you?
Copyright 2016 by Matt Haynes.
If you would like to use this piece, please credit: "Courtesy of Matt Haynes and The Pulp Stage"