Swiss Family Robinson: A Place For All Of Us

Scene 14: Attack!

Traveling conversation. Emily has clearly become more comfortable and is talking more. Fritz on one side, Emily in the middle, and Abigail on the other.

Abigail: ...my best friend Anna. When I told her I was leaving for New Guinea, she said "I hope you don't get eaten by savages or lost in the wilderness!"

Emily: (Laughing) Well, I could be a savage. Maybe I'm just waiting for the right moment to creep up behind you-

Fritz: (Trips into a hole) Ah!

Emily: Are you alright?

Fritz: I'm just stuck in this hole.

Abigail: Here. (Emily and Abigail pull Fritz out of the hole)

A giant lizard leaps from the hole onto Fritz's leg. Bite!

All: Scream!

Fritz: (Winces in pain.) Sst! (He tries not to scream again.)

Emily: (Grabs a stick and whacks the lizard on the head)

Fritz: (Some of the teeth are left in his leg, as well as the venom) Ah!

Abigail: (Shaking from fright) How do we clean it?

Emily: (Thinking fast) Uh, lizards... we need to clean it with soap and warm water.

Abigail: Soap! We don't have soap!

Emily: Get some water from the stream over there... (She tears a piece of cloth from her bag and rolls up Fritz's pant leg)

Abigail: I've got the water. (She looks at the wound) That doesn't look good.

Emily: Help me raise his leg up so the poison doesn't spread.

Abigail: Should we take the teeth out?

Emily: Don't! I'll do it after we wash it.

Abigail: Are you sure?

Emily: My father's a doctor. He always says to wash the wound first, and then remove anything inside. Then we stitch it up. (To herself) Oh, it won't stop bleeding! (Crawling to Fritz's head) Fritz, how do you feel?

Fritz: (White from the pain.) I'll...be fine. It's just...a little...bite...

Emily: Are you dizzy?

Fritz: (Still trying to avoid crying out from pain.) No...

Abigail: How do you...plan to get the teeth out?

Fritz: (As if he barely heard her) Teeth?

Emily: You'll be fine... Do we have a knife, Abigail?

Abigail: Yes...

Emily: I'll have to use that. Fritz?

Fritz: (Faintly) Huh?

Emily: I'm really sorry... this is going to hurt...a lot.

Abigail: What should I do?

Emily: Um, go get some more water. We'll need to wash it again.

Fritz: (Gratefully) She didn't need to see.

Emily: (Nodding) Are you ready?

Fritz: (Nods and grits his teeth.)

Emily gets the teeth out of his leg as quickly as possible.

Fritz: (In pain) Hhhaah!

Emily: Almost...there!

Fritz: (Groans again, then sighs in relief)

Abigail: Here's the water.

Emily: Thank-you. (She takes the rag and quickly begins cleaning the wound again.)

Fritz: (Winces as she cleans the wound. He closes his eyes.)

Abigail: Is he going to be alright?

Emily: I don't know yet.

Abigail: (Seriously but not childishly) Is he going to die, Emily?

Emily: I don't know. (Trying to calm herself) He'll be sick for a few days, but I don't think that lizard was poisonous enough to kill Fritz.

Abigail: Do you think he's handsome?

Emily: (Blushing) Abigail! He's just been bitten by a lizard...

Abigail: It's alright. I don't mind. I just wish there were more boys here...

Emily: (Encouragingly) There might be dozens - handsome princes on white horses. We just haven't found any yet!

Abigail: (Laughing) I'm so glad you're here. My sister Jacqueline would rather throw my parasol into the river than listen to me talk about boys.

Emily: (Laughs) So your sister is Jacqueline, and then...

Abigail: Franz is the youngest. He's eight.

Emily: I'm excited to meet them!

Fritz: (Stirs)

Abigail: Are you alright?

Fritz: (Shivers) It's cold.

Emily: (Feeling his forehead) He's feverish. We'd better build a fire now... and a shelter. We might need to stay here for a while.

Abigail: Here's a blanket. I'll gather some wood. You'd better stay with him.

Emily: Hurry.

The girls scramble to make a fire. Abigail hurries off to get bigger pieces of wood. Fritz seems to slip back off to sleep.