Mossie and the Strippers

Mossie and the Strippers by Billy Edd Wheeler In the previous scene a huge boulder crashed through the living room wall of Mossie and Gid Cochran's house, shattering the silence of their sleep and their lives. After the shock of it, come morning light, they are jarred into action. Gid, to the sheriffs office. Mossie, up the mountain to confront the strip miners. In the following scene Gid is back home and is soon visited by Ginny Buckner, a newspaper reporter, then later by Sheriff Brud Shelton and Mossie. Scene VI [GID walks into the living room and starts measuring the rock with a retractable tape. He measures it across, up and down, writing the measurements on a piece ofpaper as he goes along. He is listless and hollow-eyed. Finally he gives up and sits on the couch staring out into space. GINNY runs to the door, knocks, but GID doesn't get up. Finally GID hears her second knock. He doesn't get up, just calls out] GID. Come in. GINNY. [Extremely excited, talking a mila minute] Gid! They've arrested Mossie! GID. What? They done what? GINNY. Took her to jail. GID. Mossie? GINNY. I got it on film. It was beautiful. What a story! She was magnificent. You would have been so proud of her, Gid. The sheriff was there, state troopers, coal company official . . . everybody. GID. The sheriff? But I was just with the sheriff two hours ago. GENNY. It just now happened. I'm hitting the wire services with this one. GID. They arrested Mossie? GINNY. Carried her. They had to pick her up and carry her. She wouldn't budge. What a sight, what a beautiful sight . . . what a story! GID. How come they carried her? She couldn't walk? GINNY. [Noticing the rock, shocked but also thrilled, taking out her camera] Oh, my Editor's Note. Mossie & the Strippers was performed last summer with great success at Horse Cave Theater at Horse Cave, Kentucky. The playwright sent us an excerpt of the last scene in Act I. Here things are coming to a head between Mossie and her husband, Gid. 22 goodness! I can't believe this. When did this happen? GID. Was she hurt? GINNY. No wonder she went up there. GID. How come they had to carry her? GINNY. She laid down. Right in front of those big earth movers. Gid, what a woman you've got there. Listen, I've got to phone this story in. They sabotaged my jeep, took the spark plug wires loose, so I couldn't follow them to the jail house. I'll have to walk to a phone. But I'll be back. Tell Mossie I love her. Tell her I think she's beautiful. GID. But . . . she's in jail. GINNY. They won't keep her, I wouldn't think. I'm sure they'll book her and let her go. Well, I've got to run. Don't you worry. [She dashes out the door. GID stares back into space again, unbelieving] GID. Mossie's in jail. Is this the United States of America? [He gets up] Maybe I'll go see about her. Well, no, Ginny says they'll be letting her out. I might miss 'em. [Sits back down] What's a body supposed to do when their wife's in jail? [Gets up] Reckon I'll just go fishing. No, that wouldn't look right, would it, me out there having fun while Mossie's . . . [Sits, lets out a deep breath] I'll be John Brown if I know what to do. Mossie. I reckon your mind's just pine blank give out on ye. Female trouble. I know in reason it is. They's no understanding it. Makes 'em hop up all of a sudden and do crazy things. [Stands up, pauses, shakes his head, sits back down, perplexed. He nods, then shakes his head, then nods again, as if carrying on an internal debate] Yessir, it's the mysteries. She's crazy. And crazy is as crazy does. [Within a few seconds BRUD brings MOSSIE to the door and steps inside with her. He has a...