Three Hikers
Cast: Three hikers are on their way to the Promised Land:
Hiker One- Whiny Traveler with a desire to return to the land where he was persecuted.
Hiker Two- Optimistic Traveler with a desire to stop along the way to the Promised Land and build a life on his own.
Hiker Three- Traveler who perseveres on the trip to the Promised Land in spite of the efforts of his two friends.
Scene: Three hikers walk up onto the stage, wearing hiking boots, carrying backpacks and walking sticks. They stop for a moment of rest.
_________
Hiker One: (dramatically) Whew! Can we rest a minute? This mountain is a lot more uphill than I anticipated!
Hiker Three: (putting his backpack down) Let’s not rest too long. I’m excited to get there.
Hiker Two: (enthusiastically) Wow! Look at this view! I could make a home right here!
Hiker One: (whining) Look at my new hiking boots. They’re already getting scuffed up.
Hiker Three: They ARE hiking boots. You’re aware of that, right?
Hiker One: (undeterred) Still, if we’d stayed where we were, I could have walked around all day and my boots would still look new. And people could see that I’m a hiker.
Hiker Three: But you wouldn’t have actually hiked…
Hiker Two: What’s so great about back there anyway? People laughed at us, made fun of us. We weren’t even safe.
Hiker One: But we had food, clothing, shelter, friends – such as they were. Things weren’t so – you know – UPHILL!
Hiker Two: (with idealistic zeal) I say we stay right here. The view is beautiful. There’s a little town down there for trade. Here’s a nice level spot to build a house – maybe even our own city. We could do it all on our own. We have everything we need right here!
Hiker Three: You both are forgetting the Promise.
Hiker Two: The Promise sounded great. But how much farther is it? It seems like we are always going uphill. Let’s put that energy into making our own city, right here, right now. We can always go on later.
Hiker One: (whining) My feet hurt. And I forgot my umbrella. What if it rains? And my backpack must be twice as heavy as yours.
Hiker Three: Here, let me carry it for awhile. Only let’s get going. We can’t get there if we don’t keep walking.
Hiker One: I think I’m going back. Sure people hated us, but maybe we just didn’t give them a chance.
Hiker Three: You can’t go back! What about the Promise?
Hiker One: (getting up) Maybe I won’t go all the way back, but it will sure be nice to walk down hill for awhile… (Exits)
Hiker Three: (to Hiker Two) What about you?
Hiker Two: It’s beautiful here. We’re free; we can do what we want. It’s comfortable. Who knows what waits for us around the next bend? The Promise sounds great for someday…But who knows whether the Promise is really true? We’ve only heard the rumors.
Hiker Three: The Promise was enough to make you leave home.
Hiker Two: I wanted freedom and security. There’s no reason we can’t have that here. We could make a great life for us. Stay and build with me.
Hiker Three: Not me. Everything I want is in the Promise. I’m not going back. I’m not staying here. Home is where I want to be. (Prepares to leave)
Hiker Two: I just think this place has a lot of potential. (dreamily) With a little work, I could really make something happen here.
Hiker Three: The Promise says I have a place already prepared.
Hiker Two: Maybe I’ll catch up with you later.
Hiker Three: (leaving) I’ll leave a light on for you. (Exits)
(Lights out)
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