Sleeping Beauty Script
Summary: Ahiru Pond is a high school drama teacher, if her students are to be believed then she has a huge crush on fellow teacher Fakir Knight. It's not true, just the gossip of teenagers.
AN: I couldn't think of suitable surnames. So we've got Fakir Knight and Duck Pond. Oops.
A dark-haired teacher approached the door. 'Hold on,' the teacher, Ms Pond said. 'I need to see this.' She rushed towards the door and opened it for him. Her jewellery jangled with her fast pace. The students' heads followed the woman immediately. They knew exactly what was happening here and it was not just a public service announcement. They saw the fluster in their cheeks and the red in their ears. These two teachers, Ahiru Pond and Fakir Knight are SO in love. This was just another moment in the slice-of-life romance story. The two teachers would disagree if they knew the thoughts of the watching students.
'Excuse me, Ms Pond. I have those hand-outs you needed. About the vaccinations taking place next month.' Mr Knight said.
'Thanks, Fakir.' Ms Pond said. She had a smile which could light up a whole room. They exchanged what they were holding.
Ms Pond then realised she had had accidentally given the fellow teacher a script. 'Oh dear, clumsy me.' she mumbled.
'I know.' Mr Knight said and he had a look at the script.
The script was bound in a blue cover and had an artistic rendition of a scene from 'Sleeping Beauty' on it. 'Is this the script we did in uni? That one time?' he asked, a curt smile manipulated his lips before he straightened it out. Mr Knight liked to pride himself on being composed and structured but he seemed to lower that persona when around one teacher who was short with freckles, blue eyes and odd pink-red hair in which was usually plaited. 'No, it's not actually. That one wouldn't be as suitable for a class of this age-group.'
'Maybe we ought to do a performance of a scene?' Mr Knight asked.
'I think that would be a much better idea than idly reading it out loud. I'm sure that would benefit the students.' Ms Pond agreed.
Ms Pond let Mr Knight into the room. Mr Knight held onto the script. Ms Pond picked up a second script off a student's table. 'I need to borrow this.' she whispered. They gravitated towards the performance space at the back of the room. Mr Knight flipped through pages of the script. 'Turn around kids.' Ms Pond announced. 'But, before we begin, how about we thank Mr Knight for doing this.' There was a chorus of thanks for Mr Knight.
Ms Pond and Mr Knight leaned in together and whispered. Ms Pond giggled then they both settled on a page to read from. 'Just like old times.' Ms Pond mumbled. She then cleared her voice. Mr Knight walked to the other side of the stage, hinting at an entrance. The students watched in anticipation. Some of them were hoping for a kiss.
Ms Pond began to wander the stage, as though she had a basket and was picking fruit. She whistled and sang a little bit. 'Hello? Hello?' Mr Knight called and he rambled onto the stage, acting confused.
'Oh goodness!' Ms Pond said, pretending to be shocked. Mr Knight held onto her shoulders for support. 'Good Sir, please unhand me! I have chores and you are impeding me.'
'Chores? Out here?' Mr Knight said, he ducked down to read his lines but he and Ms Pond seemed to know the words by heart.
Ms Pond flicked Mr Knight's hands away and stood indignantly. 'I live in this glad. Of course I have chores here. I have to get fruit for tomorrow's celebration. My Aunts and I celebrating my twenty-first tomorrow.' Ms Pond said.
'A celebration? Out here?' Mr Knight said.
'Didn't I just say that?' Ms Pond retorted.
Mr Knight shook his head. 'A celebration in the woods, how peculiar. But it doesn't matter to me, someone who is lost and not from these woods.'
'Lost? Do you need directions?' Ms Pond asked.
'Yes, directions. How do I leave these woods? I came from that direction.'
'Where are you headed?'
'To the village not too far from here. I have business there. I am going to my own celebration tomorrow. I need to bring flowers – Elegant Daisies – grown only in that village.'
'I see, so you mean Sherwood. Here, follow this path.'
Ms Pond extended her hand and grabbed Mr Knight's. 'Here let me show you.' she said again. She led Mr Knight to lower stage left. She pointed off-stage. 'Just follow this path and you shall find your way to Sherwood.'
'Thank you. However can I repay you?'
'I myself like Elegant Daisies too. You could bring me one on your way back, if you happen to travel these woods for you way back home.'
'If I bring flowers, may I get an invitation to your celebration?'
'Perhaps.' Ms Pond said then they closed their scripts. Ms Pond and Mr Knight returned to the centre of the stage and took a bow amongst the applause. There was probably one student would have really preferred something more "romance-y" in that scene. But they hid it well because neither teacher noticed, nor did another student. 'Say thank you again to Mr Knight.' Ms Pond instructed and there was another chorus of thanks. She waved goodbye and Mr Knight left the room. She smiled and handed out the sheets.
'What did you mean by "good old days"?' a student asked.
'Oh, uh, Mr Knight and I had done a similar script for a study we did in university. We were in the same English lecture and we paired up for a project and we chose a similar rendition of "Sleeping Beauty" for the project. Our professor was so not amused when he found out we had teamed-up on an assessment like that. It was "good times" in hindsight, probably not whilst in the moment though. Although, we did figure out why that particular professor had the nickname "Turnip" though. It was a complete and utter debacle and it didn't help that Rue Crowe – the famous actress – decided that... never mind. We have work to do.' Ms Pond said, she smiled and sounded like something wildly inappropriate had happened. The students, being teenagers who can sense a moment to waste time from miles away, decided they would try and investigate.
'What do you mean you almost failed? You're a bigger goody-two-shoes than Uzura.'
'Oh, well, he at first thought that we had copied and made minimal changes. I mean, yes, we did team up because we needed to lighten our workload and it had nothing to do with a party that had been coming up. Anyways! That's enough about me. Now, I've got notes on stage-directions we need to write down.'
'And why is Rue Crowe involved? How do you know her? I mean she's famous – and I mean no disrespect by this but – you're not famous.'
'Rue is a friend of mine from university but that's a story for another day. In four years' time when these stories are slightly more age appropriate. Besides, we have theory which is much more interesting than my university life.'
'Aww Miss, not more theory.'
'Yes more theory. We can have all-prac lesson tomorrow if we do.' Ms Pond bartered. She put her hands on her hips. She knew exactly what the students were trying to worm from her. She had been a teenager once too.
AN: Indefinite one-shot. I might write more, either a prologue explaining the university event in better detail or a sequel where something cutesy/shippy happens in Fakir's class.
Btw: I had the idea that in this fic we could have Ahiru, Fakir, Mytho and Rue as friends from the Academy but only Mytho and Rue were offered an opportunity to dance professionally, mostly because Ahiru and Fakir developed other interests. Later on they all go to the same university. Then, as they part ways again, Rue becomes a famous actress and Mytho goes onto become famous, international dancer. Meanwhile, Fakir and Ahiru graduate university, become teachers and "accidentally" end up working at the same high school.
