Best
Verse (Russian)
:: A
bright light is directed on the podium in the center
of the scene, leaving the remaining part of the stage practically in darkness. Lavayni and
Ruslan come to the stage. Lavayni heads for the center, Ruslan stays
off to one side.
Lavayni reaches for the tribune, adjusts her hair and attentively
looks over the auditorium. Then she starts::
Lavayni: I am glad
that you all came today here to meet me.
::The audience is a little
puzzled, but a few polite handclaps
are
heard here and there::
Lavayni: The point is that I am to announce a winner in the
nomination for the best poem in Russian. I know that some people
consider me evil and selfish, but luckily the organizers of this show
understand that only such delicate and sensible person as I
am has a right to name the winner of this undoubtedly the most romantic
nomination of tonight.
::Mistrustful rumblings are heard from the audience and Ruslan
smiles skeptically::
Lavayni: BLEEP, I lost the
list of finalists!
Lavayni (turns to Ruslan): Do you
have a copy?
::Ruslan extends a paper
sheet silently. Lavayni snatches it out and quickly
returns back to the lights::
Lavayni: Let's have a look... who we have in the final... "Furry" by Bonev.
That must be about me! I'm furry!
Ruslan: Haven't you read it?
Lavayni: Well... I did
not have time...
Ruslan: On the whole this poem is
devoted to Gadget.
::The crowd applauds as the spotlights focus on Gadget, who's sitting in the first
row. Gadget very evidently blushes::
Lavayni (angrily): I say I do not have time to read every nonsense! Surely this
poem has no chance! What's next?
::Lavayni reads the next name and looks down at her feet::
Lavayni: Barefoot...I walk
barefoot. I hope, this one [i]is[/i] about
me?
Ruslan: Nope, it's not. Gadget
also
walks barefoot. It's about her.
Lavayni (indignant): And who's the author? Bonev again? Well, why are we wasting time on him? No imagination at all! I
hope, the others will be more interesting. Oh, it
looks better! "I love" by Sergey Gris aka Gray Cat. I hope at least he is
able to think
and can choose a normal object for love!
::Lavayni closes her
eyes
and smiles to a camera in a complete confidence that all others, except
for Bonev, love only her. This time Ruslan does not even have time to
open his mouth, as the indignant voice of
Gray Cat echoes somewhere
from the hall::
Gray Cat: No way! I devoted it to Gadget!
::Lavayni opens
her eyes and smile instantly slips down from her lips::
Lavayni: Are you mocking me? You called me, ME, to choose from
this foolish verses devoted
to this foolish mouse?!
::Indignant
grumbling is heard in the audience. Lavayni tears the sheet, screams "Then
choose yourself!" to gadget and leaves the
stage. The
lights are directed again on Gadget, who does
not know what to do. Chip and Dale push her to
the stage gently and Ruslan stretches out a hand and helps the mouse to reach the tribune.
Gadget (being sorry): Somehow it
didn't go the way we planned…
Ruslan (smiles): Don't worry, now
it's much better.
::The audience applauds in agreement::
Gadget: In any case, I'm
very
glad to declare a winner in this nomination. I've read
all the poems (Gadget
blushes)
and liked them all. I think they all are worthy!
Gadget (turns to Ruslan):
Can't we reward all of them as an exception?
::Ruslan helds out an envelope to Gadget::
Ruslan: Unfortunately, the
rules don't allow for that.
Gadget (apologetic): I understand. Sorry, everyone. So, the
winner is....
::Gadget opens the envelope and fishes out a paper
sheet
with the name of a winner::
Gadget: Golly!
::Ruslan runs up to her::
Ruslan: What happened?
Gadget: A tie! We have a tie! There are two winners: "Barefoot" by Bonev and "I Love" by Gray Cat!
:;Ruslan looks at the sheet::
Ruslan: Really! Wonders happen!
::Gray Cat smiles, crazed under the flood of light::
Gray Cat: Me?
::Then, stumbling and nervously pulling a tie because of embarrassment, goes to the stage. At this moment a wild scream "Ye-s-s-s!!" is heard from other end of auditorium. It means that Bonev at last realizes what has happened.
Meanwhile Gray Cat already has
come to the podium. (He obviously feels like a round peg in a square
hole. However, his
acting lessons at the actor/producer department of the Institute were
not in vain and soon he pulls himself together).
He does not know at first where to put his hands, but
then he receives his award from Gadget. Gray Cat kisses Gadget's
hand
and does not want to release it for such a long time that
Chip and Dale begin to cough significantly.
Then Gray Cat takes a microphone::
Gray Cat:
Dear
colleagues, dear Rangers, lovely Gadget!
::The audience laughs gently at Gray Cat's enthusiasm::
Gray Cat: I
never expected that I would ever be given such an award for my modest
creation. I would like to thank my mother and dad for the creative genes. Also I
thank the patriarchs of the Russian fan community Coyote and Alex
(also known as Zumki) for their
work on the CDRR mailing list—and
also Silent Shadow and Tanka because
they didn't let the list disappear. And also all
members of the CDRR
community who
have voted for my modest poem...
Thank you, friends!!
::Gray Cat
bows and leaves to go offstage
just as Bonev reaches the stage. Unlike
Gray Cat he in no way manages to calm
down - at first he rushes to hug Gadget making her cheeks dark red. Chip and Dale cough very very loudly,
then Bonev takes his award and at last comes to the microphone::
Bonev: I wish I could say something as well as my friend Gray
Cat did... I am not sure whether Gadget needs my verses or
not but from everything that I've ever tried to do for her, they turned out to
be the best.
::The audience applauds as Bonev returns
to his place in the auditorium. Ruslan helps Gadget down the stage to
her seat in the first row between Chip and Dale, where the two eye all the rest of the males in the
place with suspicion::