Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Day at the Museum

Open curtain.
Locale: The Natural History museum
Day: Today
Time: Late morning
Dramatis Personae: Senior Citizen Museum Guide, 6-year-old Raina, Age Undisclosed A Muser
(The museum guide stands among fossil displays of various animals of the Pleistocene period.)
Museum Guide (standing between two fossils): And can you tell me which one is a herbivore and which one is a carnivore?
Raina (rapidly): That one is a carnivore because it has two sharp incisors so it can bite into the meat. The other one is the herbivore because it has short flat teeth which helps it eat plants.
Museum Guide and A Muser look a little dazed. (For A Muser, this is a close to permanent facial expression.) Short pause ensues.
Museum Guide (finally): Very impressive. Do you want a job?
Curtain closes on Raina's smile.