Dawn Chorus

Act One
Scene 1

The master bedroom of a quiet, surburban house in East Dulwich. It's 6.15am and all is quiet, save for the sound of Garry the milkman tinkling peacefully along the serene empty street. Sunlight is just beginning to break over the rooftops, quietly drying the thin layer of dew covering the Audi A4’s. Harry (3 and a half) enter’s the bedroom, where his exhausted, hard working, loving parents are lying deeply asleep in their kingsize bed, dead to the world. The room smells faintly of Ralph Lauren Polo Sport and second hand Chablis. The child walks around to his fathers side of the bed, holding a slightly bedraggled fluffy dog in one hand and the thumb of his other hand firmly planted in his mouth. He stops at his fathers side, pauses and yawns, and rubbing his eyes he removes the thumb from his mouth.

Harry: Daddy?
Harry: Daddy?….Daddy?, Daddy, Daddy?, Daddy?, Daddy?, Daddy?, DADDY!
Daddy: (groans from underneath the continental duvet) What time is it honey?
Mummy: (groans from underneath the continental duvet) Quarter past six
Daddy: (still groaning) Harry, it’s still snooze time
Harry: But Daddy…..
Daddy: Back to bed mate, still snooze time….(Daddy instantly falls back into a deep coma-like sleep)
Harry: (sighs and takes a deep breath) Daddy?….Daddy?, Daddy, Daddy?, Daddy?, Daddy?, Daddy?, DADDY!
Daddy: (groans and surfaces from underneath the continental duvet) Dude, it’s quarter past six, you’ve got to be kidding me.
Harry: But DADDY!
Daddy: OK OK, what is it?
Harry: What would happen if a polar bear came into my room?
Daddy stares at Harry in disbelief
Daddy: I think that’s highly unlikely mate.
Harry: Why?
Daddy: It just is
Harry: But why?
Mummy: Harry, BED!
Harry: But what would happen Daddy
Daddy: (back under the continental duvet) I imagine it would probably rip you to shreds and eat you for breakfast.
Harry: (pauses and appears to digest this information) OK.

Holding a slightly bedraggled fluffy dog in one hand and the thumb of his other hand firmly planted back in his mouth, Harry turns and leaves the room.

Fade to black.