Anything You Want

NARRATOR: (stage character or off-stage voice) JULIE

OWNER, Mr. De Ville (the Devil) ARTHUR

PROPS: bicyle, boombox, CD player, basketball, hand pump, Bible, Gospel tracts

ANYTHING YOU WANT

(Opening Scene: Store scene - two kids who are strolling in the mall pass by a store with a sign that reads, "Anything You Want.")

JULIE: I can't wait to buy that new CD of Lady Gaga. My friend, Jennifer plays that one every time I come over to her house. I'm so jealous! I've been saving my money for three months to get it.

ARTHUR: You and your boring stuff. I'm here for the Nintendo games. There's nothing better than playing "Area 51." That's what I do every time I go over to Jeff's house. Lucky kid! He's the only one in the neighborhood who has that game. But some day I'll have it too.

NARRATOR: Julie and her brother Arthur have a problem. They think that their problem is that they don't have all of the things that they deserve. But their real problem is that they aren't happy with what they have. And it's making them jealous.

JULIE: Oh brother! Hey, isn't this supposed to be the Christian book and music store?

ARTHUR: Well it's not here any more. This new store must have taken it's place. Hmm, "Anything You Want." What kind of a name is that for a store?

OWNER: A real good name, I think.

JULIE: Who are you?

OWNER: I'm Mr. DeVille, the store owner. I'm the one who named this store. I call it the "Anything You Want" store, because you can get anything you want here.

JULIE: Yeah, right. I'm so sure. Anything I want?

OWNER: Anything.

ARTHUR: All we have to do is ask?

OWNER: Just ask. JULIE: (thinking) Let's see. I want a 12-speed bicycle like Lucy's got and I want it to be green with yellow handle bars. I also want it to have those skinny tires and a bag to put things in.

OWNER: (with bike) Here you go.

JULIE: Wow! (admiring bike) This is perfect. But . . . (suddenly disappointed) it probably costs too much.

OWNER: How does a trade for your Bible sound? (JULIE and ARTHUR look at each other in shock and disbelief.)

JULIE: This bike for my Bible? Mister, you've got yourself a deal! This is a lot better than a crummy Bible anyway.

ARTHUR: How about a basketball for me?

OWNER: Sure!

ARTHUR: But it can't be just any basketball. It has to be a Spalding NBA indoor/outdoor pro basketball like Joe has.

OWNER: Got one right here (hands it over to Arthur) for $15.

ARTHUR: (suddenly sad) But I don't have any money. Julie, let me borrow $15 from you.

JULIE: (snotty attitude) No way, Arthur! You wasted all your money playing Nintendo video games. Too bad, so sad, but don't go away mad; just go away. Ha-ha!

ARTHUR: That's no fair, Julie.

OWNER: Maybe we can make a trade, Arthur.

ARTHUR: What kind of trade?

OWNER: Well, what do you have?

ARTHUR: Just a few comic book Gospel tracts. I don't like to witness, but I leave them in places for others to find somethimes.

OWNER: That will do.

ARTHUR: (surprised) Really? You'll trade me this awesome basketball for my tracts?

OWNER: Sure. ARTHUR: Mister DeVille, you've got yourself a deal (he makes the trade, takes the ball and leaves with JULIE, who walks her bike off stage as well).

OWNER: (admiring his Bible and tracts) Oh, I did pretty well with those customers, I think.

(Scene Two: The kids are enjoying their new belongings at the park.)

NARRATOR: Three days later, at the park.

ARTHUR: Watch this move, Julie. Just like Michael Jordan. (He tries to dribble, but the ball no longer bounces.) Huh? What's the matter with this dumb thing? It worked fine just a minute ago. Good thing I brought my pump. (He pumps it up and gives it a bounce: still flat.) Oh, great. It must have a hole in it.

JULIE: Ha-ha! I'll race you home. On my new bike, of course. (She starts to get on the bike, but the front wheel falls off.)

ARTHUR: Ha-ha! Last one home is a rotten egg!

JULIE: Arthur, this isn't funny! That man cheated us. It's only been three days since we bought these things and all of a sudden they don't work any more.

ARTHUR: Well, let's go back to that crummy "Anything You Want" store and see if we can get something else.

JULIE: That's a good idea.

(Scene Three: Back at the store again)

OWNER: Nice to see you two again. How can I help you?

ARTHUR: Uh, the stuff you sold us doesn't work any more.

OWNER: (false empathy) Oh my, what a pity.

JULIE: Can we get anything else instead?

OWNER: You can get anything you want. That's the name of my store, right? ARTHUR: Right. Anyway, I was hoping you might have a real pro baseball glove, with an all-star player autograph . . . and a ball. I want someone to be jealous of me for a change.

OWNER: Got it right here. (hands it to Arthur)

ARTHUR: Oh my gosh! (He starts smacking the ball into the pocket of the glove)

OWNER: And what can I get for you, Julie?

JULIE: I want a new boom box. I would like one with extra bass sound, with a CD of Lady Gaga, just like Jennifer's got.

OWNER: Coming right up! (He hands it to her)

JULIE: Wow! You really do have anything we want!

OWNER: Anything.

ARTHUR: Well, see you later, Mister. (The kids leave with their stuff.)

OWNER: Oh, I'm sure you will. Bye.

(Scene Four: The kids are again enjoying their things)

NARRATOR: Again, three days later, in that same park.

ARTHUR: Why don't you play some of that music you've been listening to . . . without the headphones this time, so I can hear it too.

JULIE: Sure. (she plays the boombox, but it doesn’t work) Oh, no! It’s broken already!

ARTHUR: Ha-ha. At least this glove is made out of tough leather. (He pounds it, but discovers that the whole top half rips right off). Oh my gosh!

JULIE: It happened again, Arthur.

ARTHUR: I can't believe it happened again.

JULIE: I guess we're going back there again.

ARTHUR: What are you going to get this time? JULIE: Something that lasts, I hope.

(Scene Five: Back at the store)

OWNER: So nice to see you two again. How can I help you this time?

JULIE: Mister, we're so tired of getting things that don't last. Do you have anything that lasts and also makes others jealous?

OWNER: Well, I did have a book that God wrote. It tells people how to get to Heaven. But I threw it out. I also had some tracts that tell people how to get to Heaven, but I threw them out too.

ARTHUR: Mr. DeVille, that Bible and those tracts used to belong to us before we traded them to you. Why did you throw them away?

OWNER: Because they made me jealous. You see, I can't get in to Heaven like you can.

(OWNER suddenly disappears in a puff of smoke due to fog machine)

JULIE: Huh? Where did he go?

NARRATOR: Mr. DeVille, also known as Mr. Devil, has the biggest jealousy problem of all. He's jealous of us because we can get into Heaven . . . unless he can keep us out of Heaven by making us as jealous as he is. Don't you let him get away with that. And I'll see you next time, in . . . the Jesus Zone.

THE END