ACT 2

The Lonesome Chronicles

Book 3: Lonesome and the Devil

Act 2

THE CHANGING TREE
Starring:

Lonesome

Lovely

The Devil

The Story Teller

The Voice

THE DEVIL

...and so you see Lonesome, we came to this place, my 13 performers and I, to start a new life in a new world. We traveled through The Sands of the Unwanted, and climbed up the cliff to The Judging Tree.

We stood there in front of the giant strange tree, not knowing what it was doing and, all of a sudden, it swallowed all of us up and pushed us through a tunnel to The Changing Tree. It started to change us into creatures but half way through the process it stopped... Then I remembered the purple wand in my pocket that I had taken from the tree when I was a boy. The tree left me this half changed thing, a creature that does not belong anywhere and it spit me into a cave under ground followed by 13 hearts, formally my 13 friends.

And so I began to live my new life under ground and took care of my 13 hearts. Over time I began to study what is known as The Ish-ness. I learned all I could about the nature of The Over There. I discovered that a seed lay inside each heart, but in order for it to grow, the heart had to be broken. I tried a thousand ways to break the hearts, but was unsuccessful.

I came to the conclusion that to break them, someone needed to carry the hearts and break them in the metaphorical sense. Then, like a dream come true, you fell into The Gate, passed out. While you were sleeping I removed your heart and replaced it with the 13 hearts. Then I sent you on your way, hoping my plan would work.

But, I could not anticipate the events of the Flood of Tears and for that I am sorry. I am truly sorry for all of this, I only wanted to save my friends. I have taken back the hearts and, thanks to you, they have started to grow. Thank you, Lonesome. I have replaced them with a new heart for you, and I have done the same for Lovely. The new hearts will allow the two of you to live here in your youth, for one hundred years.

THE STORY TELLER

And so, Lonesome and Lovely returned to the surface and started a new life together.

and the Devil watched after his growing friends and they all lived hap...

VOICE

Oh come on!

Really?

Were you just gonna say, "...and they all lived happily ever after?"

You know as well as I that The Over There is not a "happily ever after" kind of place.

THE STORY TELLER

You're right...Um...

And things went on and on...