Page 32 - Big Idea

The Big Idea – Act 2

the river near that unknown camp of fisher folk. The women put it
on their faces, because it feels good to them; nice and cooling in the
heat of the day. And they didn’t know it, because they never see
anybody else for comparison, but that mud was drawing out all the
wrinkles and spots from their complexion. Why, if one of those
women were to come here see you ladies, she would think you were
all great-grandmothers.

WOMAN 3: Really?

ENTREPRENEUR: Amazing, but true. Well, as soon as I saw the
effects of that wonderful substance, I realized that those people had
something worth trading for, after all. So I gave them my little skin
bag of salt, and they gave me a whole crocodile hide full of that
wonderful, magical, beautifying mud.

WOMAN 4: Gave it to you? What are you going to do with it? Your
face is never going to look like a baby’s again, even if you stuck it in
the mud for the rest of your life.

WOMAN 3: Ha-ha-ha! Since when do men care about blotches?

ENTREPRENEUR: Ladies, you misunderstand my motives. I
wanted to bring this gift of nature to you, the woman of our own
progressive and enlightened society. Why should you be denied the
chance to maintain your loveliness as long as possible? To get and
hold a man’s attention, you need to be youthful and attractive—isn’t
that so?

WOMAN 2: Very profound. Well, give us some it and we’ll try it
out. Every little bit helps, I always say.

ENTREPRENEUR: Ah, at last I have aroused your interest. Now, I
will be happy to trade you a week’s supply of my magic makeup mud
for the sum of twenty-five strips of dried antelope meat.

WOMAN 2: That’s outrageous! Meat for mud? I never heard such a
ridiculous proposition.

ENTREPRENEUR: Well, as a special introductory offer, I could
let you have it for only twenty strips. But just for the first week, of
course.
31