LILY THE LOTUS (Script)

by Falun Dafa practitioners

Characters:

Narrators
Lily
the Lotus
Mr Reed
Freddy the Fish
Thomas the Tortoise
Other fish

Narrators: Once upon a time, in a far away pond lived a little seed named Lily. She was shy and timid, but enjoyed playing with all of her friends. Lily, however, had become unhappy, as she had heard others speak of a wondrous land above the surface of the pond in which she lived. It was said that in this world a magnificent light shone upon all creatures and skies of turquoise blue stretched to every horizon.

Lily:
I wonder what it is like above these muddy waters? If only I could see the world
above!

Other fish: There’s Lily again, dreaming as usual. Can’t you
give up your dreams of the other world? This is your home Lily. Why must you seek
elsewhere? Come and play with us instead.

Freddy the Fish: (laughing)
Let’s all tease Lily!

Lily: Although Freddy is being unkind to me,
I will be patient with him as he has lost his father only a few months ago to
the line of a fisherman. I can understand that not everyone in life will share
my dreams.

Narrators: Lily’s heart still longed for something more.
One day while Lily was daydreaming, old Mr. Reed suddenly appeared.

Mr
Reed: Hello Lily.

Lily: (tearful) Hello Mr Reed.

Mr
Reed: Why, you are crying my dear? May I ask what is the matter?

Narrators:
Lily lifted her face to Mr. Reed, known as the oldest and the wisest of all in
the pond. Her tears continued as Lily shared her sadness with Mr. Reed.

Lily:
I often wonder what the world is like above these muddy waters. I long to see
the skies that are said to be filled with such beautiful light.

Mr Reed:
Lily my dear, life has certainly given you a heart well beyond your years. It
is calling you to greater things, and though your eyes may not see it, your heart
seeks further than the depths of your watery home. I must be on my way now, but
I will see you again on my return.

Narrators: Soon after, Freddy the Fish rushed by and Lily could see that he was quite angry. He deliberately began stirring up the sand at the bottom of the pond, making the water even murkier than usual. As he was busily digging into the mud, he suddenly caught his tail between the rocks. He wriggled and splashed, yet no matter how he tried, he just couldn’t free himself. Freddy cried out.

Freddy:
Help, help!

Lily: I can hear Freddy the Fish calling.

Freddy:
Help me, I’m stuck in the rocks!

Lily: Oh! Freddy is stuck and I’m
not strong enough to help. I must look for someone to help him. I can see Thomas
the Tortoise over there…Thomas, Thomas, we need your help!

Thomas:
I can hear Lily calling me. What is happening Lily?

Lily: Thomas,
I am glad to see you. Freddy is caught between the rocks and he needs someone
strong to get him out.

Narrators: Thomas, a faithful friend, but
a tortoise of few words, immediately went over to Freddy to see if he could help.
He got behind Freddy and pushed with all his might. Using his hard shell, he lifted
the rocks until Freddy was able to break free.

Freddy: Thank you
so much Thomas. If it wasn’t for you, I might have been there all night!

Thomas:
Don’t mention it. I am only happy to have been able to lend a hand. However, I
think you might owe someone else an apology. You really haven’t been very kind
to Lily.

Narrators: Thomas was right. Freddy swam over to Lily to
apologise for his behaviour.

Freddy: I am so sorry Lily! Even though
I have laughed at you and called you names, you have never talked back to me and
today you have helped to save my life. How can I ever repay you?

Lily:
Freddy, I always believed that you had a good heart, and now you have proven this
to me. Let’s be friends.

Freddy: If you can ever forgive me Lily,
I would be happy to be your friend.

Lily: Now that the mud is sinking
to the bottom of the pond, I can see that your scales are all shiny. I never realised
before that under your muddy appearance you are actually a splendid goldfish.
You have revealed your true colours at last!

Narrators: Lily could hardly believe her eyes. Freddy, feeling embarrassed now, thanked Lily and quickly said goodbye. He swam away, knowing that Lily had brought a little kindness to his heart. Sometime later, Mr. Reed returned. Lily shared with him what had happened and he was very pleased.

Mr
Reed: Lily, because you have offered your heart to help another to better
themselves and to see the truth, you too will be granted the same opportunity.
Lily, I’ll share a secret with you.

Lily: Oh yes, please do.

Mr
Reed: Though I might be the oldest here, I am far from the wisest. A reed
can indeed see the world above the water of the pond, and what a beautiful world
it is! There are so many interesting things to see. I might be tall, but having
lived through many seasons, I can truly say the wisest of all is the lotus flower.

Narrators:
Lily was surprised and looked up to Mr. Reed’s kind and gentle face.

Lily:
I don’t understand Mr. Reed! How can I be the wisest when I haven’t even seen
above the water?

Mr Reed: You are young Lily, but I believe it is
time for you to raise yourself high, stretch yourself wide so you may blossom
into whom you are destined to become.

Narrators: She slowly lifted
herself until finally her eyes emerged from the murky waters into the brilliance
of the new world above. Lily’s heart cried with joy!

Lily: (looking
around above the water) At last I can see the colour of the sky, all the beauty
I have seen only in my dreams. Here, Mr. Reed, is the light for which I have longed
for!

Mr Reed: Never again will your eyes be clouded by the muddy
waters of this pond. By the purity of your nature you have been granted the gift
of a new life. Lily, now you have seen the land above, this world of light, but
you have overlooked the most important thing of all.

Lily: Mr. Reed,
I can see so many wonderful things now. What else could there be?

Mr
Reed: (smiling) It is not what you have seen of this new world, but indeed
the beauty of whom you have grown into, the sweetest, most beautiful flower in
the pond.

Narrators: Lily turned to look at herself. She had unfolded into the splendour of a lotus flower, and as she looked further she could see all the other lotus flowers that had also raised themselves from the depths of the pond. Her dream to see beyond the waters had finally come true. Lily at last understood. The pond was a place where she could learn to raise her own heart into a land of far greater things! All, in fact, was but a reflection of what was cultivated inside her.

Mr
Reed: The beauty which has ripened within you is also that which you now see
outside of yourself and will see even beyond the horizon.

Lily: I
want to share this with all of my friends so they too can know of the beautiful
world waiting to shine within their own hearts.

Narrators: The Beginning…