(This is scene two out of seven)
Mid-morning. The sun is out in earnest. P and J and the livestock come to a paved, black asphalt road. The livestock arrive first, and cluster along the road (knowing not to cross). When P arrives behind them, he looks carefully left and right. On the opposite side of a road, a man is pushing forward a bicycle loaded up with bags of sticks for making charcoal. A rusted old car with comes down the road, bouncing as it runs into a pothole. The coast clear, P leads the sheep and goats across the road.
J comes up to the road last, looking bored. He looks over and sees a tortoise (safely) on the edge of the road. Excited he runs toward it. The tortoise stops and hunkers down as J gets closer. J touches its shell. J turns around and calls to P. P is at the edge of the road, having led all the livestock across. He looks back and runs over to J. He sees the tortoise and is excited. J is clearly happy to have found it and share it with P. P sits on his haunches next to J, and starts to reach out to touch the tortoise’s beautiful shell.
Honk honk! P and then J whip around. A big truck filled with goods is barreling down the road. His little striped lamb is walking back into the middle of the road. It bleats as the truck approaches. P gasps. The lamb decides to lie down, even as the truck draws closer. Honk honk! P freaks out and gets up, ready to run. J tries to stop him, but P goes for it, dashing down the road, picking up the lamb and getting out of the way, just as the truck zooms by. (J covers his eyes.) The truck is followed by a massive cloud of dust. Amazed, J runs across the road, through the dust, to P. P, a little shaky, breathes deeply. P and J exchange looks. P gives the lamb a withering scowl. The boys hear the squeak of the charcoal man’s bicycle and decide to climb down away from the road.
