Scene 1: The Beach
(ROMEO and JULIET find themselves trapped on a tropical island. The sun is shining brightly, and the weather is scorching and humid compared to summers in Verona).
ROMEO: (Worried). Where are we? And what happened to the boat?
JULIET: (Calmly). I’m not sure about the boat, my dear. Is it an island? It seems like we’re alone.
(ROMEO and JULIET take a moment to admire the view of an infinite blue ocean, an empty sandy beach, and a green tropical forest right next to it. The brief moment of happiness is abrupted by a sharp cracking sound coming from the forest).
ROMEO: (Terrified). Did you hear that? We’re not alone here. I’m sure it’s some wild animal or a The monster that’s going to attack us!
JULIET: Stay calm, Romeo. I’m going to check out the forest.
ROMEO: (Screaming). Are we going to die? Juliet, my love, don’t go there.
(Right at that moment, a boy comes out of the woods, covered in leaves and dirt, which appears to be some kind of camouflage.)
ISHMAEL: (Reaching his hand for a handshake). Hello, friends. My name is Ishmael Beah. Glad to find you here.
ROMEO: (Reluctantly shaking Ishmael’s hand). I’m Romeo, and this is my beloved Juliet. Do you live here?
ISHMAEL: No. I’ve never seen this place before. I was shocked to find myself in the forest this morning. I think it’s dangerous to stay on the beach. We need to move fast to the forest. Follow me.
(ROMEO, JULIET, and ISHMAEL are leaving the beach).
Scene 2: The Forest
ISHMAEL: (Trying to hide his tears). Before I got here, my parents and family were killed during the war, and I was forced to become a child soldier when I was 13.
ROMEO: I’m sorry to hear that.
JULIET: Me too. You are a brave young man, Ishmael.
ISHMAEL: (Smiling). I guess I was just lucky to meet the kind people. With their help, I learned to forgive myself for everything I’d done during the war. They also helped me escape and put me on a plane to a safe place. Now I want to spend my life helping other people. By the way, the plane is the last thing I remember.
(ROMEO and JULIET nod their heads in agreement as they realize that they don’t remember how they’ve managed to get to the island).
ISHMAEL: It is now your turn to share your story.
JULIET: One early morning, we left Verona. There were always feuds and conflicts between Romeo’s family and mine. Of course, they couldn’t let us be together. So, I decided to travel to the east of Italy to find a way to escape further, and Romeo supported my idea of finding a boat.
ISHMAEL: (Shocked). I’m surprised to hear that someone might want to run away from home. I would give anything in the world to see my family again. Sorry for interrupting you.
JULIET: (Smiling kindly). Oh, don’t worry about it. So, I had an idea to steal a boat from a local seaside pier. Leaving the shores of Italy was the last thing we remembered before waking up on the island.
(ROMEO, JULIET, and ISHMAEL are approaching the cave).
Scene 3: The Cave
ISHMAEL: (Proudly). This is my hideout. I disguised the entrance to the cave with palm leaves so that nobody would find me here.
(Inside, they find a campfire and some strange equipment scattered around the cave).
ROMEO: (Nervous). Is all this yours?
ISHMAEL: (Worried). No, I’ve never seen it before. There must be somebody here.
(A tall man in rugged clothes appears out of the dark).
VICTOR: Hello, boy. I’ve been waiting for you.
(ISHMAEL comes forward, holding a massive rock in his hand, ready to protect his new friends from the crazy-looking stranger).
VICTOR: I’m not going to hurt you. I need help. I’ve heard you want to help others, Ishmael.
ISHMAEL: (Suspiciously). Who are you? How do you know my name? Were you spying on me?
VICTOR: (Reluctantly). Maybe a little. Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’ve been avoiding human connection for a long time, so I might sound impolite sometimes. I’m Victor Frankenstein, a scientist.
ROMEO: (Irritated). What do you want from us?
VICTOR: The thing is, I created a monster a while ago that killed my family and destroyed my life. I found this deserted island to hide the monster here.
(Speaking of the creature, VICTOR looks proud and disappointed at the same time).
VICTOR: (Continues). I tried to lock up the creature on the island so that there would be no more victims of my mistake, but the monster managed to escape.
(Romeo gets nervous again, while brave Juliet and strong Ishmael come up with a plan).
JULIET: We might trick the creature into the volcano crater we’ve seen from afar. Victor should make a new monster to attract his creature to the edge of the crater.
(VICTOR creates a huge bird-like creature and brings it to life with his bizarre scientific skills. Both monsters fall to the deep crater leaving no sign of their existence. The characters finally find peace on the island, leaving their troubles, concerns, and past lives behind).