Beware the Thunder
What if you woke up one day and the world you knew had completely changed?
Art by Guga Ferrara
CHARACTERS
*Starred characters have larger speaking parts.
- *Peter Vanderdonk,
- *Katrina Knickerbocker, elderly villagers
- Odd Fellows, men from the past (to be read by a small group)
- *Narrators 1, 2, 3 (N1, N2, N3)
- Derrick Van Bummel, schoolmaster
- Nicholas Vedder, innkeeper
- Brom Dutcher, Rip’s friend
- Cornelia Van Winkle, Rip’s wife
- *Rip Van Winkle, village man
- Wolf, Rip’s dog
- Willem, Helen, village children
- Theo, John, villagers
- Crowd (to be read by a group)
- Judith, Rip’s daughter
PROLOGUE
Peter: You won’t find this tale in history books.
Katrina: But that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
Peter: History is more than facts. History is also stories.
Katrina: Like the story of Rip Van Winkle.
Odd Fellows (whispering): Rip Van Winkle . . .
Peter: Our story begins in 1765.
Katrina: The United States did not exist yet.
Peter: New York was one of the 13 American Colonies owned by England.
Katrina: And ruled by King George III.
Peter: Soon, however, the American Revolution would change that.
Katrina: Those are the facts indeed. But let’s get back to the story.
Build Knowledge
National Galleries Of Scotland/Getty Images
A revolution means a group of people is trying to take power away from a government that they believe is treating them unfairly. The American Revolution (1775-1783) happened because U.S. colonists were fed up with King George’s rules.
SCENE ONE
A village near New York’s Catskill Mountains, 1765
N1: A painting of King George III hangs above the door of the Village Inn.
N2: Rip Van Winkle relaxes on a bench outside with his dog, Wolf. Several men share news of the day.
Derrick: Gentlemen! King George is going to make us pay another tax. It’s unfair!
N3: Nicholas turns to the painting of King George III.
Nicholas: Hear that, King George? Derrick here says your tax is unfair!
N1: Cornelia marches in, dragging two young children behind her.
Brom: Uh-oh.
Cornelia: Rip Van Winkle! Where have you been?!
N2: Rip shrugs. Wolf lies down with a sigh.
Cornelia: I asked you to milk the cow and look after the children. I come home to find neither done! Little Judith and Rip Jr. were running wild around the yard!
Rip: I was busy.
Cornelia: Busy? Sitting here?
N3: Rip looks down at his hands.
Cornelia (sighing): I am going home.
N1: Cornelia storms off with the children.
Rip: Wolf, I think tomorrow would be a fine day to go hunting in the mountains.
Wolf (wagging his tail): Woof!
SCENE TWO
Catskill Mountains, the next evening
N2: The Catskill Mountains rise high above the Hudson River. The setting sun glows orange through the forest.
N3: Rip rests against a tree, his hunting rifle by his side.
Rip: It’s beautiful up here, isn’t it, Wolf?
Wolf: Woof, woof!
Odd Fellows (offstage): Rip Van Winkle . . .
Rip (looking around): Did you hear that, Wolf?
Wolf (questioning): Aarh?
Odd Fellows (offstage): Rip Van Winkle!
N1: Wolf sits straight up.
N2: A short man with bushy hair and a white beard enters. It’s one of the Odd Fellows.
N3: He carries a barrel on one shoulder. He motions for Rip to help.
N1: The man is dressed like a Dutch explorer from some 150 years ago.
Rip: You need help? Where are you headed?
N2: The Odd Fellow points up the mountain.
Rip (nervously): All right then, up we go. Here, let me carry that.
N3: The Odd Fellow, Rip, and Wolf trudge up a rocky mountain path.
Rip (out of breath): So, what’s your name?
N1: The Odd Fellow does not respond.
Rip: Do you hear that rumbling? It’s getting louder.
Wolf (howling): Aaooh!
N2: Still the Odd Fellow says nothing.
N3: Suddenly, they come upon a clearing in the forest.
N1: The other Odd Fellows are there playing ninepins, a game similar to bowling.
N2: No one speaks. The game balls rumble like thunder as they roll.
N3: One Fellow pours liquid from the barrel into cups.
N1: The men drink silently, then return to their game.
Rip (to himself): What are these men drinking? Surely it wouldn’t hurt to have a sip.
N2: Rip sneaks a drink.
Rip: Delicious!
N3: He takes another sip . . . and then another.
N1: He sits down and falls into a deep sleep.
Build Knowledge
Jim McMahon/Mapman ®
The Dutch are people from the Netherlands. They were the first settlers in this part of New York.
Art by Guga Ferrara
Dutch Roots
The Odd Fellows are based on Dutch explorers led by Henry Hudson. In the 1600s, they settled in New York’s Hudson River Valley. (The British later took control of their colony.
SCENE THREE
Under a tree, a bright morning
N2: Rip is asleep under a tree. His beard has grown long and white.
N3: Rip starts to move, then he opens his eyes.
Rip: Did I sleep here all night? What will I tell Cornelia?!
N1: Rip looks for his hunting rifle. He finds only a rusty, useless gun.
Rip: Did those fellows take my rifle? And my dog? (calling out) Wolf! Wolf! Here, boy!
N2: Wolf does not come.
N3: Rip stands up slowly, his body sore.
Rip: I must find those fellows and end this joke!
SCENE FOUR
The Union Hotel, later that morning
N1: People are gathered in front of the inn. Its sign now reads “The Union Hotel.”
N2: The painting of King George III is gone from above the door. In its place is one of George Washington.
N3: Rip walks in, a bewildered look on his face.
N1: Two children come up to him.
Willem: Why are you wearing those old clothes, sir?
Helen: I really like your beard, mister!
N2: Rip touches his face and is shocked to find a foot-long beard.
Rip: Have I gone mad?
N3: Some adults walk over and gather around him.
Theo: Who are you, stranger? Have you lost your way?
John: Are you a spy for the British? Tell us, before we throw you in jail!
Crowd: Gasp!
Rip: I mean no harm! I fell asleep in the mountains. Some fellows in old-fashioned clothes stole my gun and my dog.
N1: Everyone looks at Rip suspiciously.
Rip: I just want to find my friends!
Theo: Who are your friends?
Rip: Nicholas Vedder? Brom Dutcher? Derrick . . .
N2: An old man cuts him off.
Peter: Nicholas has been dead 18 years. Brom went off to war and never came back.
Rip: Does anyone know Rip Van Winkle?
Theo: That’s him over there, leaning against that tree.
N3: Rip turns and sees a man who looks exactly as he once looked. Shocked, he faints.
Build Knowledge
Stock Montage/Getty Images
George Washington led the American Colonies to victory in the American Revolution (1775-1783). He later became the first president of the new United States in 1789.
SCENE FIVE
The Union Hotel, moments later
N1: When Rip awakens, he sees he is surrounded by people.
John: Listen, old man, what is your name?
Rip: I . . . I don’t think I know.
N2: A woman steps forward. The baby in her arms starts to cry.
Judith (to the baby): Hush, little Rip.
Rip: What is your name, good woman?
Judith: Judith.
Rip: And your father?
Judith: Rip Van Winkle. But no one has heard from him in 20 years.
N3: Rip’s eyes widen.
Rip: Judith, it’s me, your father! That must be Rip Jr. by the tree! Don’t you recognize me?
Judith: I was a child when my father left.
N1: Katrina looks at Rip’s face.
Katrina: Why, it is Rip Van Winkle! Where have you been?
Rip: To me, it seems that 20 years have passed in one night.
John: What nonsense.
Peter (quietly): Rip, I believe what you say.
Crowd: You do?
Peter: I do. The Catskill Mountains have always been haunted.
N2: A roll of thunder echoes.
Katrina: Captain Henry Hudson was the leader of the Dutch explorers. It is said his crew returns every 20 years to check on these parts.
Peter: My father once saw them bowling on the mountain. He said their game sounded like thunder.
Rip: Yes! Exactly!
Judith: So you are my father! You shall live with me, my husband, and baby Rip.
N3: Judith and Rip hug.
Art by Guga Ferrara
A Whole New World
When Rip fell asleep, America’s 13 Colonies were under British rule. When he woke up 20 years later, the U.S. was its own country.
EPILOGUE
Shutterstock.com
Meet the Author
Washington Irving was born in New York City in 1783. At 15, he visited the Hudson River Valley and fell in love with the area’s many ghost stories.
Katrina: It took time for Rip to grasp all that had happened while he slept.
Peter: We had a revolution.
Theo: We freed ourselves from King George.
John: We formed the United States of America.
Willem: Now Rip once again relaxes on the bench by the inn, telling his story to anyone who will listen.
Helen: Some think he is out of his head.
Theo: Others believe him.
Judith: But whenever we hear thunder, we wonder if the Odd Fellows are playing ninepins again.
ACTIVITY:
Inference
You’ve just read “Beware the Thunder.” Now it’s time to do this activity.
What to do: Imagine you’re Rip Van Winkle in 1785. Judith has questions about your strange experience. Make inferences to complete each sentence below. For clues, go back and look at the play.
Tip: An inference is something that is not stated but can be figured out from clues in the text.
Judith: When you woke up, why did you think the Odd Fellows had taken your rifle?
Rip:
Judith: Why were you surprised when you saw the Union Hotel?
Rip:
Judith: Why did you faint when you saw your son?
Rip:
Judith: What do you think caused you to sleep for 20 years?
Rip:
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