Twinkle Finds the Manger
by Kathy Warnes
SCENE I. Heaven. Twinkle and his friends are standing around talking.
SARAH: Here comes Twinkle, the brightest guy in the sky!
He’s so bright he even shines in his sleep.
(The rest of the stars laugh)
TWINKLE: I’m not that bright, Sarah.
SARAH: (Pointing at Twinkle) He’s even brighter than a light bulb. (She holds up a light bulb. Everyone laughs harder)
TWINKLE: I can’t help it if I shine bright. I want to shine just like the rest of you, but my light’s too strong.
BUSTER: Turn it down Twinkle, that’s all you have to do.
TWINKLE: I try Buster, but it won’t turn down. It just gets brighter.
BUSTER: Ouch, Twinkle, don’t shine in our eyes!
(The rest of the stars put their hands over their eyes and walk away from Twinkle).
TWINKLE: Oh dear, they won’t play with me again. What’s wrong with me!
SUN STAR: Twinkle, come here.
TWINKLE: What do you want with me, Sun Star?
SUNSTAR: God, the Creator of this universe, has a special job for you to do.
TWINKLE: What does He want me to do? Why doesn’t He tell me about it himself? He probably doesn’t want to be around me either.
SUNSTAR: Sometimes God lets other people or stars in our case, speak for Him. He wants you to go to earth. Look for a baby in a manger. Beside the manger are his parents, Mary and Joseph. You must stand over the manger and shine your brightest so the wise men and shepherds can find it through the dark night.
TWINKLE: Earth! Earth is so far away! Besides, if I’m too bright for heaven I’ll surely be too bright for earth. And how will I get to earth?
SUNSTAR: Twinkle, are you going to trust God or keep telling me reasons why you can’t do what He asked you to do?
TWINKLE: Let me say goodbye to my friends, and then I’ll go.
(He walks over to Sarah)
TWINKLE: Sarah, I need some advice. How does a star act on earth?
SARAH: That depends on how the people on earth act towards the star and on what there is to do down there. I hear there are lots of stores for shopping and places for eating. Could you bring me back a souvenir, Twinkle?
TWINKLE: I’ll try, Sarah. But why don’t you come with me and bring back your own souvenir?
SARAH: I wouldn’t go to earth with you if you were the last star in heaven, Twinkle!
TWINKLE: God asked me to go Sarah and I want you to come along because I need company.
SARAH: God didn’t mean He wanted you to really go to earth. You can light up any manger on earth by shining from right here in heaven. I can’t talk to you anymore, Twinkle. I have to go home and eat supper. (She flounces away)
TWINKLE: (Walks over to Buster) Buster, wanna play catch?
BUSTER: Sure, Twinkle. (They toss a baseball back and forth)
TWINKLE: Buster, would you consider taking a trip to earth with me?
BUSTER: Earth! Why on earth do you want to go to earth, Twinkle? I know me and the other stars tease you a lot, but we would miss you if you went away!
TWINKLE: God wants me to go to earth and shine on a manger with a baby in it.
BUSTER: Shine on a manger! If God wanted you to go, why would He have you shine on a manger? Wouldn’t God have you shine on a skyscraper or a church instead? After all, it says in our history book that churches are where you find God on earth.
TWINKLE: I don’t know why He wants me to shine on a manger, but I’m going to do what He says. Will you come with me?
BUSTER: My folks won’t let me go all the way to earth, Twinkle. And what are you going to tell your folks?
TWINKLE: They probably won’t even notice I’m gone, Buster. Dad’s busy at the office and mom plays with my baby sister Susie all day. They won’t miss me. But just in case, I’ll leave them a note. See yah when I get back, Buster. (Twinkle walks over to the back of the stage. He slides down a ladder)
TWINKLE: Wow, I’s a long way down to earth! (He rubs his bottom) Ouch! I ran into a splinter. I hope I’m almost there. (Twinkle lands with a thud in front of two children, Jason and Jennifer.)
TWINKLE: Oops! Sorry for landing on your foot like that!
JASON: That’s okay. You sure were going fast!
JENNY: I thought you were a shooting star you were going so fast.
TWINKLE: Actually, I’m Twinkle, a star with a big job to do. I have to find a manger with a baby in it and the baby’s parents Mary and Joseph and some shepherds and wise men. Then I have to shine on them all. Isn’t that a big job for one star? Will you help me, uh…uh…what’s your name anyway?
JASON: I’m Jason and this is my sister Jenny. Why do you have to shine on all of those people and a manger?
TWINKLE: God said that’s what He wants me to do, so I have to do it!
JENNY: We have a manger under our Christmas tree at home.
TWINKLE: I don’t think that’s the manger God meant. I’ll just have to look around for it.
JENNY: Can we help you look for it, Twinkle? After all, you’re a stranger here on earth and you might get lost or something.
JASON: We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, Twinkle.
TWINKLE: I’m so happy you’re coming I can feel my light shining extra bright! Where should we look first?
JENNY: Why don’t we look on Golden Hill? That’s where all the rich people live. They have pretty lights in front of their houses and Santa Clauses on their doors and reindeer on their lawns. That’s probably where the manger is.
(They walk to a picture of a big house with a Christmas tree in the picture window. There is a manger on the front lawn of the house with animals standing around it and Mary and Joseph guarding it.
JASON: I see a donkey and sheep and cows! And there’s Mary and Joseph. That must be the manger God wants you to shine on, Twinkle.
TWINKLE: I’ll shine as hard as I can.
(He walks up to the artificial manger scene and stands in front of it)
JASON: Maybe God’s trying to tell you something, Twinkle. I don’t think this is the manger that you’re supposed to shine on,
TWINKLE: I guess not, Jason. We’ll have to look somewhere else, but where?
JENNY: We could walk downtown, Twinkle. There’s a manger with Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus in Browning’s front window.
TWINKLE: What’s Brownings? Something to eat?
JENNY: Brownings is the biggest department store in the city. Every Christmas they have a manger scene in their front window, People come from all over the city just to see it.
JASON: They already have lights on it, jenny. They don’t need Twinkle.
JENNY: We could check it out.
JASON: Let’s go.
(They walk more and come to a set painted to resemble a department store window with a manger scene in it. But there are no lights shining.
JASON: It’s dark, Jenny. Maybe this IS where God wants Twinkle to shine.
JENNY: I wonder what happened to the lights. Maybe the power went out. Twinkle, why don’t you stand in front of the window and shine?
(Twinkle walks to the front of the window)
TWINKLE: So far, so good. My light’s still working.
JASON: It’s still working Twinkle, but it’s flashing off and on like you’re doing Morse Code. Is something wrong?
TWINKLE: I feel eyes, like a lot of people are watching me.
JENNY: They are. This man over here wants to know what you’re doing.
TWINKLE: I’m shining on the manger scene so the wise men and shepherds can find their way to it.
MAN: Shepherds! There haven’t been shepherds in this city for years and why would they come here to Brownings front window? And what are they going to do with their sheep?
TWINKLE: I don’t know. All I can do is shine like God asked me to do.
MAN: Watch out, everybody! This star’s a phony! He’s really here from Russia to spy on us!
VOICES: Go home where you belong, spy. Go home or we’ll send you home!
(The crowd throws pine cones from the manger scene at Jason, Jenny, and Twinkle.)
JASON: (A pine cone hits him in the nose) Let’s get out of here while we still can.
TWINKLE: But what about he shepherds and the wise men. How will they find their way to the manger without my light?
JASON: If they find their way to that manger, the people will throw pine cones at them, too.
TWINKLE: God must want me to shine somewhere else. Let’s keep looking for the manger, Jason.
JASON: I know somewhere there’s a manger.
JENNY: Where?
JASON: Where?
JENNY: I hope it’s not very far. My feet hurt.
JASON: It’s over at that church by the boarded up houses. Do you know where I mean?
JENNY: Jason, that’s way on the other side of town!
JASON: So what! Twinkle came all of the way here from heaven, so it’s not so far to the other side of town.
JENNY: Let’s go so we can get there fast!
TWINKLE: I just want to find Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus, shine on them, and then go home!
(They walk to a painted manger scene in front of a church. Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus are real. The animals are made of cardboard.)
JASON: Wow! I think we found it!
JENNY: Twinkle, turn your light down a little bit so you won’t wake up the baby Jesus.
TWINKLE: I’m trying to turn it down, but it keeps getting brighter.
JASON: I can throw my coat over you.
(Sound of baby crying)
JENNY: Never mind. It’s too late. The baby’s awake.
JASON: God can put him back to sleep. After all, Jesus is His son.
TWINKLE: I don’t think God will do that here, Jason. I think as long as Jesus is on earth, God will let him do things by himself, Maybe if I stand back a little way, my light will dim.
(He stands back, but his light gets brighter.)
JASON: I hear someone singing “Silent Night,”
JENNY: That was Twinkle, silly. Let’s help him! (They sing “Silent Night.” While they are singing, Spike and two other boys sneak up behind them. Spike and his en are about Jenny and Jason’s age, but tough guys.)
SPIKE: Silent Night? It might have started out silent, but it ain’t now!
(Spike and his boys yell the words at the top of their voices)
JENNY: SHHHHHH! You’ll wake up the baby!
(They yell louder and the baby Jesus wakes up. He cries)
JASON: That was a mean thing to do.
TWINKLE: I’ll rock His manger back and forth. Maybe that will make him go back to sleep.
(As Twinkle steps closer, Spike steps in front of him.)
SPIKE: You touch that manger, I’ll punch out your light!
JASON: I’d like to see you try it. Zap him, Twinkle!
TWINKLE: I’d like to see you try it!
(Spike swings at Twinkle, but Twinkle ducks. His light shines brighter than ever)
JENNY: You can’t keep His light from shining, no matter how hard you try.
SPIKE: I’m not finished yet. Come on guys, let’s show this star a thing or two!
(They surround Twinkle and hold up their hands to keep the light from shining. The wall of hands doesn’t work because the light still shines through).
TWINKLE: I can’t help it. I shine no matter who tries to cover me up. Sun Star says that’s because I love God.
SPIKE: I’ve got another idea. Come here, men.
(Spike and the boys huddle together and whisper. Then one of the boys runs and
scoops up a handful of snow. He runs over and dumps it all over Twinkle.)
SPIKE: That oughtta dim your light a little.
(Twinkle’s light shines as brightly as ever).
JASON: I told you no matter what you do, Twinkle’s light will shine.
SPIKE: I got another idea. Come here, men.
(Spike and the gang huddle again. One of Spike’s boys runs off and brings back a bushel basket. Spike throws the basket over Twinkle’s head.)
JENNY: Be careful of your points, Twinkle.
TWINKLE: I’m being careful, Jenny.
(He moves around Bits of light shine from between the slats of the basket. They get stronger and stronger until finally the entire basket is bathed in light.
SPIKE: I can’t stand all of this light What do I have to do to get it dark in here?
TWINKLE: The earth will never be dark again. The Baby Jesus will see to that.
JENNY: He’s got light around him too,
JASON: And I see some men with robes on and shepherds with their sheep beside them.
TWINKLE: I see the wise men and the shepherds too. Why don’t you argue with that shepherd over there with the big staff, Spike?
(The shepherd with the big staff chases Spike and his boys off the stage)
TWINKLE: They’re here, Baby Jesus. You can shine on them now. I have to get home before my mom and dad get too worried.
JENNY: Can we sing a lullaby to Baby Jesus before you go?
JASON: We’ll miss you, Twinkle.
TWINKLE: I’ll be watching you. I’ll wink hello at you from heaven. Goodbye Baby Jesus. I’ll see you again.
JENNY: (Kisses Twinkle) Goodbye, Twinkle.
JASON: (Shakes Twinkles hand) See you, Twinkle.
(They all sing away in the manger as Twinkle slowly climbs back to heaven and Baby Jesus sleeps in the manger. )
Everyone sinSings Away In A Manger.