The Gift of Friday Eve

Hear the Names | Aaron’s Extras
The Gifts of Friday Eve

All special features are at
A Tale of Iran
www.aaronshep.com/extras.
Told by Aaron Shepard
Reader’s Theater Edition #20

NARRATOR 1: Once in the royal city of
Adapted for reader’s theater (or readers theatre) Isfahan, there was an old woodcutter who
by the author, from his story printed lived alone with his young daughter.
in Cricket, Aug. 1998
NARRATOR 4: Every day, the woodcutter
went out to the desert to gather camel-
For more reader’s theater, visit Aaron Shepard’s
thorn bushes, then sold them in the
RT Page at marketplace as firewood. In this way, he
www.aaronshep.com/rt earned barely enough for the two of them.
Story copyright © 1997, 2017 Aaron Shepard. NARRATOR 2: One morning, the
Script copyright © 1998, 2002, 2017 Aaron woodcutter’s daughter said,
Shepard. Scripts in this series are free and may be
copied, shared, and performed for any DAUGHTER: Father, we always have
noncommercial purpose, except they may not be enough to eat. But just once, it would be
posted online without permission. nice to have something special. Do you
PREVIEW: Though a woodcutter’s luck could think you could buy us some date cakes?
hardly be worse, help is closer than he knows.
GENRE: Folktales, fables NARRATOR
READERS: 10 3: The woodcutter replied,
CULTURE: Iranian (Persian), Middle Eastern READER AGES: 9–13
THEME: Thankfulness, sharing
WOODCUTTER: I think I could do that, my
LENGTH: 8 minutes
dear. I’ll just gather some extra wood
ROLES: Narrators 1–4, Woodcutter, Daughter,
today.
Dervish, Princess, Boy, Merchant
NOTES: The custom of invoking Mushkil Gusha is
practiced in Iran especially among traditional
Muslim women. The tale is told each week on NARRATOR 1: So the woodcutter walked
Friday eve, the beginning of the Muslim holy day. farther that day to gather more thorn
(“Friday eve” comes before Friday morning—just bushes. But he took longer than he meant
as “Christmas Eve” comes before Christmas Day.)
to.
Along with telling the story goes the custom of
sharing with the poor a special snack food—a
NARRATOR 4: By the time he got back
mixture of things like roasted chickpeas, raisins,
dried dates, dried figs, nuts, and seeds. The
with the wood, darkness had fallen. It was
name Mushkil Gusha is Persian for “Remover of too late to go to the marketplace. What’s
Difficulties.” Though ideas of who he is vary, he is more, when he reached his house, he
often identified with the prophet Khidr, the “Green found that his daughter had already bolted
One,” the patron saint of the Muslim holy men the front door and gone to bed.
called dervishes. Khidr is portrayed in many
Muslim tales as the bearer of fortune—a role he NARRATOR 2: Knock as he would, there
shares with the prophet Elijah, about whom many was no answer. So he had to sleep outside
of the same stories are told by Jews. For best
on the doorstep.
effect, place NARRATORS 1 and 2 at far left, and 3
and 4 at far right, as seen from the
NARRATOR 3: Next morning, the
audience. Mushkil Gusha is pronounced “MUSH-
kil goo-SHAH,” rhyming with “push kill goo
woodcutter awoke while it was still dark.
Shah.” Isfahan is pronounced “ISS-fah-hon.” He told himself,
WOODCUTTER: I might as well go out DERVISH: That’s right, old man—the
right now and get another big load of “Remover of Difficulties.”
wood. Then I can sell twice as much and
buy even more date cakes. NARRATOR 4: The holy man took some
roasted chickpeas and raisins from his
NARRATOR 1: So he left his load and went pouch and handed them to the
back to the desert to gather more bushes. woodcutter.
But again he took longer than he meant
to, and when he got back, it was dark and DERVISH: Here, share this with me.
the door was bolted. So again he had to WOODCUTTER: Thank you, sir!
sleep on the doorstep.
DERVISH: You may not know it, but
NARRATOR 4: He awoke once more Mushkil Gusha is already helping you. If
before dawn. you want your good fortune to continue,
WOODCUTTER: There’s no sense wasting here’s what you must do. Every Friday eve,
a day. I’ll go back out for one more big find someone in need. Then share what
load. How many date cakes we’ll have you have, and tell a tale of Mushkil Gusha.
then! That way, you both will be helped.
NARRATOR 2: But yet again he took too NARRATOR 2: And with that, the holy
long, and yet again the door was bolted man vanished.
when he got back. NARRATOR 3: As the woodcutter stared
NARRATOR 3: The woodcutter sank to the at the empty spot, the door to his house
doorstep and wept. swung open.
DAUGHTER: Father, where have you

been? Oh, please come inside! I was so
DERVISH: What’s wrong, old man? worried!
NARRATOR 1: He looked up to see a ***

dervish in a long green robe and a tall
green cap. NARRATOR 1: A few days passed, while
the woodcutter and his daughter enjoyed
WOODCUTTER: Holy sir, for three days I the many date cakes he bought after
have gone out to gather thorn bushes, selling his wood. Then one morning, when
and for three days I have come home too the woodcutter had gone to the desert
late to get into my house. And in all that and his daughter had finished her
time, I’ve had nothing to eat. housework, she decided to go walking in a
DERVISH: What night is this, old man? public park.
WOODCUTTER: Why, Friday eve, of NARRATOR 4: She was strolling down a

course. broad path when a carriage stopped
beside her. A royal young lady leaned out.
DERVISH: That’s right. It’s the eve of our
holy day. And that’s the time of Mushkil PRINCESS: What a pretty little girl! I am
Gusha. the daughter of the king. Would you like
to be my handmaiden?
WOODCUTTER: Mushkil Gusha?
DAUGHTER: (bashfully) Yes, Your NARRATOR 2: Then they locked his feet in
Highness. the stocks and left him there.
NARRATOR 2: So the woodcutter’s NARRATOR 3: The woodcutter had to

daughter became a handmaiden of the suffer the taunts and jeers of the
princess. With the gifts the princess gave passersby. Some people were kinder,
her, she and her father became quite rich. though, and even threw him scraps of
He bought a nice house, and he didn’t food.
have to gather thorn bushes anymore.
NARRATOR 1: Now, that evening was
NARRATOR 3: But somehow he forgot Friday eve. As the sun set, the woodcutter
what the dervish told him. cast his thoughts over all that had
happened to him in the past weeks.
NARRATOR 1: A month went by. One day,
the princess went on a picnic to one of her NARRATOR 4: All at once, he cried out.
father’s private gardens, and she brought
along the woodcutter’s daughter. There WOODCUTTER: Oh, what a foolish,
was a small lake there, so they decided to ungrateful wretch I am! Didn’t the dervish
go for a swim. say to share what I have, each Friday eve,
and tell of Mushkil Gusha? Yet I haven’t
NARRATOR 4: The princess took off her done it once!
necklace and hung it on a branch
overlooking the water. But when she came NARRATOR 2: Just then, a packet of
out, she forgot all about it. chickpeas and raisins landed by the
woodcutter.
NARRATOR 2: A few days later at the
palace, the princess looked for the NARRATOR 3: When he looked up, he
necklace but couldn’t find it. didn’t see who had thrown it. But he did
see a beggar boy coming by.
NARRATOR 3: She turned angrily to the
woodcutter’s daughter. WOODCUTTER: Young friend! Please
share this with me while I tell you a story.
PRINCESS: You stole my necklace! You
must have taken it when we went for our NARRATOR 1: The boy sat down and
swim! gratefully took what was offered. As he
ate, the woodcutter related everything that
DAUGHTER: No, Your Highness, I had happened, from when his daughter
wouldn’t do that! asked for date cakes, to when he was put
in the stocks.
PRINCESS: You’re a thief and a liar too! I’ll
show you what happens to people of your NARRATOR 4: The boy said,
kind! Get out of my sight!
BOY: Thank you, sir. I needed the food,
NARRATOR 1: The woodcutter’s daughter and the story was good too. I hope it has a
ran home in tears. But an hour later, happy ending.
soldiers came to the door.
NARRATOR 2: The beggar boy went on
NARRATOR 4: They arrested the his way. But he’d only gone a block when a
woodcutter and carried him off to a public rich merchant stopped him.
square in front of the prison.
MERCHANT: My one and only son! Ever
since you were stolen at birth, I’ve looked
for that birthmark on your left cheek. Now
at last I’ve found you!
NARRATOR 3: But they leave our story

here.
NARRATOR 1: The next day, the princess

had another picnic in her father’s private
garden, and again she went down to the
lake for a swim.
NARRATOR 4: She was about to step into

the water when she saw the reflection of
her necklace. She looked up into the
tree—and there was the necklace itself,
right where she had left it.
PRINCESS: That woodcutter’s daughter

didn’t take it at all!
NARRATOR 2: By the end of the day, the

woodcutter was free from the stocks, and
his daughter was back in the palace.
NARRATOR 3: And every Friday eve after

that, the woodcutter always remembered
to find someone in need, share what he
had, and tell his tale of Mushkil Gusha.

The Gift of Friday Eve

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Gift of Friday Eve

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Gift of Friday Eve

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hear the Names | Aaron’s Extras

The Gifts of Friday Eve

Reader’s Theater Edition #20

DAUGHTER: Father, where have you

NARRATOR 1: He looked up to see a ***

WOODCUTTER: Why, Friday eve, of NARRATOR 4: She was strolling down a

NARRATOR 2: So the woodcutter’s NARRATOR 3: The woodcutter had to

NARRATOR 3: But they leave our story

NARRATOR 1: The next day, the princess

NARRATOR 4: She was about to step into

PRINCESS: That woodcutter’s daughter

NARRATOR 2: By the end of the day, the

NARRATOR 3: And every Friday eve after

You might also like