Synopsis&Outline
What if dolphins ARE as intelligent as some believe? Do they wonder about the universe and their own existence? Do they have stories to answer their questions? The Liquid Sphere is a story within a story, focusing on a group of humans who believe dolphins are not only intelligent, but that humans are descended from these creatures. According to these characters, humans have directly inherited many characteristics from the First Dolphin, including our sense of wonder. In the Prologue, an old storyteller reveals a dolphin Creation Myth to a group of adolescents. When the tale has ended, some of the youths are interested enough in his tales to ask questions. The Storyteller decides to share with them the focus of our story another inquisitive youth named Rogare, The One Who Wonders.
ACT ONE-- Introduces Rogare, the male lead as a young teen without a family, who is often ridiculed for his dreams, and his mentor and friend, called simply The Old Man. The Old Man is also a storyteller, who believes in and shares the myths about a Liquid Sphere, a Paradise from a dolphin perspective. Humans, according to these myths, are descended from dolphins, in the original creation. Those who sing the Dolphin prayer, a song without words that connects all humanity to their Dolphin origin, return to a Paradise on Earth, the Ocean, as their bodies are transformed back into their original Dolphin form. All young children can hear and sing the Dolphin Prayer. Upon adolescence the Dolphin prayer might be heard in their dreams and may be vaguely recalled upon wakening. For a few, the memory of that dream can dominate their waking hours and they become Storytellers. For the Governors, the tyrannical ruling class, it has disappeared completely.
Scene 1--The Governors happen upon The Old Man trying to get a busy old woman to stop and listen to his stories. As they berate The Old Man, Rogare comes to his defense telling them he means no harm. The Governors threaten The Old Man and Rogare with certain death if there is one more “disturbance.” When the two of them are alone Rogare expresses his fear of losing The Old Man and sings of his own life and hunger for answers that are never revealed. In an attempt to comfort Rogare The Old Man summons the children who are heard singing the Dolphin Prayer in the background. When the children arrive The Old Man gets caught up in the joy of the music and sings and dances wildly with glee as they all sing the Dolphin Prayer together and unafraid.
Scene 2—Rogare, realizing they may have been seen by the Governors, takes The Old Man home quickly. The Old Man has a premonition of his death as the Governors come to slay him. It is a slow torturous process as Rogare, The Old Man, and the Governors each singing their own view of death.
Interlude—Believing it to be nearly impossible to stamp out every Storyteller, a group of Governors creates a religion of their own to challenge that of the Dolphin faith. The Governors now become Priests.
ACT TWO—Rogare goes on his quest, as a boy, but grows into a confident young man.
We can see the years go by as he encounters the many strange and different beliefs of others. One night Rogare awakens to the soft sounds of an apparition standing before him. As he gets up he discovers it is The Old Man. As Rogare goes to embrace his dear friend he is told he can not be touched. The Old Man is in metamorphosis, changing into humanity’s original Dolphin form. The Old Man assures Rogare that all is as it should be and that he is on his way to Paradise on Earth, the Ocean. Rogare is told that upon awakening in the morning he will never be certain if this truly happened or if it is merely a dream.
ACT THREE— Scene 1--The morning after his encounter with the old man Rogare finds himself at the edge of a small impoverished village. We see the town awakening as they sing of their love and concerns for their lives and of their labor. It is here Rogare will meet his female counterpart, Rowena, a young woman who is often playfully ridiculed by her friends for the dreams she has shared with them. They meet in the middle of the square during a speech by the Bookkeeper, an apprentice Priest, and discover they are the perfect match. We also discover that the Bookkeeper has designs of his own for Rowena.
Scene 2--With Rogare at the home of Rowena’s family the Bookkeeper makes a surprise appearance as Rogare is unexpectedly forced to challenge the Bookkeeper to a life and death contest for Rowena’s hand in marriage.
Scene 3-- Alone at the home of the Priests the Bookkeeper sings of the revenge he shall have upon Rogare for daring to challenge him. Unbeknown to him a group of returning Priests listens to his litany outside the door to his room. Finally, hearing enough, they barge into his room in an attempt to convince him not to fight this strong young man for fear he will win. Seeing they cannot convince him to forgo this folly they slay him and then agree they will present the body at the wedding with the intent of accusing Rogare of an ambush.
Scene 4—On the village square the town’s people have gathered for the contest.
When the Bookkeeper does not appear the Judges declare Rogare the winner by default.
Since the community and judges are present the young couple decide to have their wedding there. At the height of the celebration the Priests appear dropping the body of the Bookkeeper at Rogare’s feet accusing him of murder. At that moment other Priests appear as though they are expecting a confrontation. The children who were heard singing the Dolphin prayer in the distance make their presence seen as well. One by one the town’s people admit to their dreams, that they too have heard the Dolphin’s song and only thru fear were unwilling to admit it. With the town’s people joining the children the “Dolphin Song” rises to a crescendo as the Priest’s grip on the community falters until finally they are little more than grumbling, bitter men.
ACT FOUR—Scene 1-- Decades have passed. Sitting outside of a very humble home we see Rogare and Rowena talking of their lives both past and future. There are young children at play and in the distance adults working the fields. Rogare admits his own premonition that soon he too will be joining his mentor, The Old Man, in the Liquid Paradise on Earth.
Scene 2-- A man, tired from working in a field pauses to take a rest.
As he is resting an apparition from afar slowly makes it’s way closer.
When the apparition is finally upon the laborer he awakens from his rest for a moment uncertain what he sees. After a moment the laborer exclaims “Father! Mother, it is true!”as he recognizes his own Parents, Rogare & Rowena, in transformation.
Epilogue—We find ourselves back with our original Storyteller and his small group of questioning adolescents. The Storyteller assures the youths that the story of Rogare is just one of the many stories and events that has brought the world of communities back into harmony with the Liquid Sphere. Finally, among the skeptical youths, one boy asks the Storyteller that even though the story of Rogare sounds as though it might be true “…how can we be certain? The Storyteller reminds the youths that they never ask about the names of the Old. When he is finally asked his name he admits he was named after his own father, Rogare, the One Who Wonders.
Reprieve-- As the story of Rogare ends one by one the youths stands and sings a word expressing their awakened curiosity: “Dreaming!”, Hoping!”, “Learning!”, “Memory!”
Their song builds until at last in a musical crescendo they all sing together;
“My name is Rogare! I'm alive and I matter!”