Stumpy Comes Clean

Intended as a modern day fable. Two stories entwined; each with a relevance to a different aspect of our modern life story. STORY ONE - Worldwide, entangled, web based communications have created a society of fidgeting dissatisfiers (yes, made that word up), where the 'grass is always greener'. (that's a fluffy way of looking at it.) Looking at it in a less 'fluffy' way - we covet, we desire, we can't get no satisfaction! Meet Stumpy the Fox. He's had it up to here. (the top of his ears) He's fed up living under a pile of old rubbish and eating 'street food.' He wants to live in a real house and to eat a proper healthy diet. And he'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants. Even learning how to walk and talk, just like a human. After all, humans used to crawl around on all fours and grunt and screech just like foxes! Some still do! And just look where they are now? STORY TWO - It's not all bad, of course. We can expect to live a lot longer than our ancestors. Body parts can be replaced and welcome to your daily cocktail; no longer a colourful liquid concoction with welcoming after effects but a blend of chemicals, in tablet form, to keep us alive, well past our 'best before' date. But with that, comes an expectation of incarceration in a care home to see out our final days; Alzheimer's and Vascular Dementia our 'pound of flesh' for an over-extended life. Meet Mrs.Cumberbatch. Her daughter Millie thinks she's gone mad, 'doolally.' No wonder! Having consumed a bottle of sweet sherry on top of her prescribed tablet cocktail, she then reveals to Millie her various encounters with a walking, talking fox. Nothing for it but to put Mrs.Cumberbatch in a care home and sell up the house to pay the exorbitant care home fees. FINALE - Stumpy is racked with guilt. He realises his part in Mrs.Cumberbatch's forthcoming incarceration at Sunny Farm Care Home. So it's finally time to 'come clean;' to reveal the truth to Millie - her mother has not actually 'lost her marbles' after all. Yes he can walk, yes he can talk, just like a human. But Stumpy's family have plans of their own; to lock him up until he is cured of his human 'disease.' It's now a race against time. Stumpy must escape and hold on to his 'human qualities' in order to speak to Millie and thereby free Mrs.Cumberbatch from her wrongful incarceration. So begins a final dramatic chase across South West London to effect a happy ending.