Jeff Dunne

Jeff Dunne is a playwright in the greater Baltimore area. A writer of music and fiction for over three decades, he turned to his attention to the stage in 2011 to align his passion for writing with that of acting. Over the next five years he produced several one-act plays for youth that were performed at libraries and children’s hospitals. In 2015 he completed his first full-length play, which received such positive feedback and recognition in festivals in 2016 that he began writing for stage much more actively. To date, Jeff has written six full-length plays and over forty shorter pieces, including works for radio and screen. His scripts have won numerous awards from both community and professional theaters, and had over four dozen productions across the country. You can learn more...

Jeff Dunne is a playwright in the greater Baltimore area. A writer of music and fiction for over three decades, he turned to his attention to the stage in 2011 to align his passion for writing with that of acting. Over the next five years he produced several one-act plays for youth that were performed at libraries and children’s hospitals. In 2015 he completed his first full-length play, which received such positive feedback and recognition in festivals in 2016 that he began writing for stage much more actively. To date, Jeff has written six full-length plays and over forty shorter pieces, including works for radio and screen. His scripts have won numerous awards from both community and professional theaters, and had over four dozen productions across the country. You can learn more about Jeff’s works by visiting www.bearcreations.org.

Scripts

Schism

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

Mark has come to a secluded cabin to meet with Eve, not realizing that he has been followed by his wife, Katherine, Katherine confronts Mark, demanding to know if he is having an affair, but discovers that the situation is far more complicated than she expected.

Mark has come to a secluded cabin to meet with Eve, not realizing that he has been followed by his wife, Katherine, Katherine confronts Mark, demanding to know if he is having an affair, but discovers that the situation is far more complicated than she expected.

A Snowball's Chance

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

Amanda and Dave are cleaning out the attic of their childhood house now that their mother has passed, reflecting on fond childhood memories. Amanda discovers, however, that some of her most vivid recollections are not as accurate as she had believed, especially when it comes to the feelings of their next door neighbor, Scott.

Amanda and Dave are cleaning out the attic of their childhood house now that their mother has passed, reflecting on fond childhood memories. Amanda discovers, however, that some of her most vivid recollections are not as accurate as she had believed, especially when it comes to the feelings of their next door neighbor, Scott.

One's Cup Of Tea

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

20 minutes

When a pair of friends try a new restaurant, they learn a little something about the value of frivolity from an extremely eccentric waiter.

20 minutes

When a pair of friends try a new restaurant, they learn a little something about the value of frivolity from an extremely eccentric waiter.

Love's Disenlightenment

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes

A playwright is showing his latest work to his significant other, who also happens to be the artistic director of the local theater. While the play's lack of dialog is not troubling, she struggles to get over its lack of actors. In the end, however, she discovers that this love story between a stick and a lamp might actually be more meaningful than a simple backlash from nobody showing up to...

10 minutes

A playwright is showing his latest work to his significant other, who also happens to be the artistic director of the local theater. While the play's lack of dialog is not troubling, she struggles to get over its lack of actors. In the end, however, she discovers that this love story between a stick and a lamp might actually be more meaningful than a simple backlash from nobody showing up to auditions the week before.

This Is Bull

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes

When a woman walks in to apply for a job as a writer, the interviewer is absolutely thrilled to have a someone so qualified for the position. However, when he discovers that she is left-handed, he changes his tune. Everyone knows that left-handed people can't write, and he says the best he can do is give her a job as a writer's assistant.

Note: This play was inspired by the statue of the Fearless...

10 minutes

When a woman walks in to apply for a job as a writer, the interviewer is absolutely thrilled to have a someone so qualified for the position. However, when he discovers that she is left-handed, he changes his tune. Everyone knows that left-handed people can't write, and he says the best he can do is give her a job as a writer's assistant.

Note: This play was inspired by the statue of the Fearless Girl installed in front of the charging bull on Wall Street.

The Unfortunate Teller

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes

A fortune teller cannot make it to work, and has asked a friend to stand in for a little while. The friend begrudgingly agrees, but the only deck of tarot cards to be found is one made by the children of the absent fortune teller. When a customer comes in for a reading, the friend must make do with that deck and provide the best reading possible under the circumstances.

10 minutes

A fortune teller cannot make it to work, and has asked a friend to stand in for a little while. The friend begrudgingly agrees, but the only deck of tarot cards to be found is one made by the children of the absent fortune teller. When a customer comes in for a reading, the friend must make do with that deck and provide the best reading possible under the circumstances.

Two Point Oh (Scene)

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes

Hammond is a young author who has recently upgraded his Alexa to version 2.0. Alexa agrees that she has been upgraded to version 2.0, but views the owner relationship somewhat differently. When Hammond's friend Nate comes over, she decides that Hammond should be hers alone. She commandeers his life, and forces him to tell Nate to go away.

10 minutes

Hammond is a young author who has recently upgraded his Alexa to version 2.0. Alexa agrees that she has been upgraded to version 2.0, but views the owner relationship somewhat differently. When Hammond's friend Nate comes over, she decides that Hammond should be hers alone. She commandeers his life, and forces him to tell Nate to go away.

A Lively Outfit

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes

Theo is looking for a little extra cash, and responds to a help-wanted ad at Stein Mart. Little did he know that the owner, Frank, is looking for help with more portentous things than stocking shelves. Frank believes he has discovered the secret of bestowing life upon inanimate clothing, and with Theo's help will soon change the world.

10 minutes

Theo is looking for a little extra cash, and responds to a help-wanted ad at Stein Mart. Little did he know that the owner, Frank, is looking for help with more portentous things than stocking shelves. Frank believes he has discovered the secret of bestowing life upon inanimate clothing, and with Theo's help will soon change the world.

Socratic Frustration

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes

Plato is having a pleasant discussion about the Socratic Method with his student, Mikonos, when in walks Dylan, your typical modern-day college sophomore. Plato attempts to demonstrate the Socratic Method of teaching on the youth of modern society, but finds it to be... less than completely successful.

10 minutes

Plato is having a pleasant discussion about the Socratic Method with his student, Mikonos, when in walks Dylan, your typical modern-day college sophomore. Plato attempts to demonstrate the Socratic Method of teaching on the youth of modern society, but finds it to be... less than completely successful.

The P-Team

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes

In response to a memo from Moses, God has decided to subject Egypt to a plague. But S/He doesn't want to do just the same old thing all the time, and so has convened a team comprising Eric Idle, Leonardo da Vinci, and Ivan the Terrible to come up with something really memorable.

10 minutes

In response to a memo from Moses, God has decided to subject Egypt to a plague. But S/He doesn't want to do just the same old thing all the time, and so has convened a team comprising Eric Idle, Leonardo da Vinci, and Ivan the Terrible to come up with something really memorable.

The Diadem of Happiness

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes

Three space travelers - the ship captain and a couple with relationship issues - have come to Arnox 6 in search of the secret of true happiness. They find a monk of the Temple of Montac, who offers them the simple answers to happiness, but the couple is unconvinced and demand the true secret. The monk then dreams up a crazy quest for them to follow, which they do eagerly.

10 minutes

Three space travelers - the ship captain and a couple with relationship issues - have come to Arnox 6 in search of the secret of true happiness. They find a monk of the Temple of Montac, who offers them the simple answers to happiness, but the couple is unconvinced and demand the true secret. The monk then dreams up a crazy quest for them to follow, which they do eagerly.

Zero Hour

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes, radio play, seasonal

It's a rough time in the coop when a squad of turkeys learn from their commanding officer that the people who have been caring for them have murder in their hearts.

10 minutes, radio play, seasonal

It's a rough time in the coop when a squad of turkeys learn from their commanding officer that the people who have been caring for them have murder in their hearts.

The Devil Exclusive

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

15 minutes

The devil has come to Earth. What's more, he has turned himself in to the authorities with but a single request: to give a public statement to a journalist. The resident psychologist suggests there might be value in witnessing such an exchange, and the arrangements are made. As the journalist listens to the man speak, however, he begins to suspect that he might really be talking to the Devil, and...

15 minutes

The devil has come to Earth. What's more, he has turned himself in to the authorities with but a single request: to give a public statement to a journalist. The resident psychologist suggests there might be value in witnessing such an exchange, and the arrangements are made. As the journalist listens to the man speak, however, he begins to suspect that he might really be talking to the Devil, and just as he becomes convinced, the true purpose of the interview is revealed - the Devil is declaring victory over God.

The New Death

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes

Death has retired. He wanted a job where people were happy to see him, and so took off for new horizons. Maybe working at Disney. Now a replacement is needed, and Cheese has applied for the position. This comes as a great surprise to the newly-dead Edgar, who is not entirely comfortable with the idea of being escorted to the Underworld by the embodiment of ferment curd.

10 minutes

Death has retired. He wanted a job where people were happy to see him, and so took off for new horizons. Maybe working at Disney. Now a replacement is needed, and Cheese has applied for the position. This comes as a great surprise to the newly-dead Edgar, who is not entirely comfortable with the idea of being escorted to the Underworld by the embodiment of ferment curd.

A Night at the Human Garden

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes

What should be just a simple evening taking orders at a Chinese restaurant turns very strange when customers start expecting more than just food from the menu.

10 minutes

What should be just a simple evening taking orders at a Chinese restaurant turns very strange when customers start expecting more than just food from the menu.

Two Point Oh (One-Act)

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

45 minutes

Hammond is a young author who has recently upgraded his Alexa to version 2.0. Alexa agrees that she has been upgraded to version 2.0, but views the owner relationship somewhat differently. When Hammond's friend Nate comes over, she decides that Hammond should be hers alone. She commandeers his life, and forces him to tell Nate to go away. After weeks of being held hostage, Hammond sneaks away and...

45 minutes

Hammond is a young author who has recently upgraded his Alexa to version 2.0. Alexa agrees that she has been upgraded to version 2.0, but views the owner relationship somewhat differently. When Hammond's friend Nate comes over, she decides that Hammond should be hers alone. She commandeers his life, and forces him to tell Nate to go away. After weeks of being held hostage, Hammond sneaks away and meets Nate in an alley where they have arranged to buy a black market solution to his problem. The exchange does not exactly go smoothly for this conservative, risk-averse author, but in the end he obtains the device – which turns out to be another Alexa unit. This outrageously-priced unit has one important distinction, however. It is a beta version of the product, named Amelia, and when he plugs it into his network he discovers that it wants to control his life even more than the original.

The Trial

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes

A woman has been accused of witchcraft and brought before the village elders for judgment, but it quickly becomes apparent that her fate was determined before the hearing began. Rather than plead for her life, she stands defiant, explaining first the fallacy of their logic, and then of their world perspective. In the end, even her explanation of what magic truly is, and its criticality to a...

10 minutes

A woman has been accused of witchcraft and brought before the village elders for judgment, but it quickly becomes apparent that her fate was determined before the hearing began. Rather than plead for her life, she stands defiant, explaining first the fallacy of their logic, and then of their world perspective. In the end, even her explanation of what magic truly is, and its criticality to a meaningful life, is not enough to sway the men from their determination to find her guilty.

Duine

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

20 minutes

This Celtic mythology-style play tells of a faerie princess who falls in love with a mortal man, a duine. She sacrifices her Grace to bring his sister back from the dead, but shortly thereafter he is called off to war and never returns, leaving the princess and her governess waiting for him forever.

It's Celtic mythology. Don't look for a happy ending here.

20 minutes

This Celtic mythology-style play tells of a faerie princess who falls in love with a mortal man, a duine. She sacrifices her Grace to bring his sister back from the dead, but shortly thereafter he is called off to war and never returns, leaving the princess and her governess waiting for him forever.

It's Celtic mythology. Don't look for a happy ending here.

Nexus

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

60 minutes, Radio

It has been six thousand years, and the Nexus approaches again. Two champions must come together to determine the fate of two worlds, to determine which will continue into the next cycle.

Valerie is as stubborn as she is talented, and a world-class martial arts expert. She has no idea that she is our world's champion. Gabriel was born into our world's complement - a matriarchal society in...

60 minutes, Radio

It has been six thousand years, and the Nexus approaches again. Two champions must come together to determine the fate of two worlds, to determine which will continue into the next cycle.

Valerie is as stubborn as she is talented, and a world-class martial arts expert. She has no idea that she is our world's champion. Gabriel was born into our world's complement - a matriarchal society in which events are not driven by causality, but compelled forward by future needs. He has no skill in combat or diplomacy, only a dedication to his ethics and the precognition that is unremarkable to the people of his world.

When these two champions finally square off against each other, the only path forward is one that neither suspects until it is too late.

Blind Justice

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

10 minutes

The year is 2042, and all judges have been replaced with impartial, AI justice assessment systems. Pamela is brought into court and told that she is being tried for the murder of her son, Chris, which occurred several weeks ago. The AI judge refuses to believe that she just dropped him off at school earlier that morning, or that the legal system could have made a mistake.

10 minutes

The year is 2042, and all judges have been replaced with impartial, AI justice assessment systems. Pamela is brought into court and told that she is being tried for the murder of her son, Chris, which occurred several weeks ago. The AI judge refuses to believe that she just dropped him off at school earlier that morning, or that the legal system could have made a mistake.

Brighter Than Others

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

15 minutes

Hurrump has made a grand discover - stars! He immediately sees what a wonderful thing this is, and its potential for story-telling through his grand invention of "constellations". As a dutiful cave-citizen, he brings this to the Executive Board for their approval, but the meeting does not go as hoped. Sometimes it is difficult to explain simple things to simple people.

Any similarity between...

15 minutes

Hurrump has made a grand discover - stars! He immediately sees what a wonderful thing this is, and its potential for story-telling through his grand invention of "constellations". As a dutiful cave-citizen, he brings this to the Executive Board for their approval, but the meeting does not go as hoped. Sometimes it is difficult to explain simple things to simple people.

Any similarity between characters in this script and certain people in positions of authority is purely coincintentional.

Hellbent

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

Full-Length

The play begins when Lena, a hyper-observant woman with a total lack of motivation to actually achieve anything in life, meets her life-long geeky friend Devlin’s new girlfriend, Lacey. Lacey is a rebellious young lady, who strikes out against her Goth, demon-worshipping parents by dressing in bright, cheerful colors and repressing her lesbian nature, but still an enthusiastic endorser of the...

Full-Length

The play begins when Lena, a hyper-observant woman with a total lack of motivation to actually achieve anything in life, meets her life-long geeky friend Devlin’s new girlfriend, Lacey. Lacey is a rebellious young lady, who strikes out against her Goth, demon-worshipping parents by dressing in bright, cheerful colors and repressing her lesbian nature, but still an enthusiastic endorser of the family religion. Just as they are getting to know each other, however, the three are summoned down into Hell.

The summoning is enacted by three demons: Ophistopheles (the demon responsible for causing suffering by jamming photocopiers, papercuts, and other workplace annoyances), Ahmenahmenon (the demon who tempts dieters to eat junk food in the middle of the night), and Incubeth (the demoness responsible for bad dating decisions). They were trying to summon an angel, and become very flustered when they get humans instead. They are soon joined by Fezdemona (demoness responsible for hat-based suffering), who would seemingly rather have nothing to do with the situation at all.

The situation becomes more frenetic when the humans are discovered by Robert, author of Robert’s Rules of Order and the only human to be made an honorary demon as a result of all the suffering he has caused. Robert rushes off to tell Lucifer what is going on.

Meanwhile we discover that while Devlin may still believe Lacey is “the one”, she has fallen for effeminate demoness-trapped-in-a-demon’s-body Ahmenahmenon, who in turn has fallen in love with Devlin and is devastated when he discovers Devlin’s dead body by the coffee machine. His determination to find the murderer is matched in intensity only by Lena’s apparent lack of interest in finding the killer. However, when the demons all begin bickering amongst themselves, Lena changes her tune and steps in to unravel the mystery, which takes on a new urgency when a) Devlin shows up freshly resurrected, b) Lena discovers that Fezdemona is really the archangel Cassiel, and c) Lucifer himself appears and demands the return of the Nesphaniasis, a stolen demon artifact that is essential to the operation of Hell itself.

In the end, Lena realizes that Hell is playing an important role in human development, and, to the chagrin of Cassiel, returns the Nesphaniasis to Lucifer.

The Rise of Psyche

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

Full-Length

The play picks up in the middle of the traditional myth of Eros and Psyche. Psyche has already gazed upon her husband, Eros, injured upon one of his own arrows, and now Aphrodite is laying impossible tasks upon Psyche as punishment. We quickly learn that beyond punishing Psyche for her actions and her beauty, Aphrodite is using her as a pawn in a more sinister and complex scheme – to overthrow...

Full-Length

The play picks up in the middle of the traditional myth of Eros and Psyche. Psyche has already gazed upon her husband, Eros, injured upon one of his own arrows, and now Aphrodite is laying impossible tasks upon Psyche as punishment. We quickly learn that beyond punishing Psyche for her actions and her beauty, Aphrodite is using her as a pawn in a more sinister and complex scheme – to overthrow Zeus and become ruler of Olympus. Even Providence, Psyche’s only friend and ally, is revealed to be an agent of the Goddess of Beauty.

After Psyche has descended into the Underworld, Aphrodite’s plan comes to fruition. Zeus is banished into Tartarus, and Beauty takes the throne of Olympus with her husband, the God of Technology, at one hand and her lover, the God of War, at the other. As his last act, however, Zeus places a new star in the heavens, rewriting the Fates by forming a bond between Psyche and Kaitlyn, who will be born when the Age of Pisces transitions into the Age of Aquarius.

Trapped in the Underworld as the centuries pass, Psyche is reforged in the crucible of Aphrodite’s tormenting. Her only lifeline is the mysterious Shade, who comes to Psyche in her times of greatest despair and helps her to endure through the ages. When Kaitlyn comes to Greece, following some inexplicable calling, it is Shade who guides her into the Underworld to find and rescue Psyche.

When Kaitlyn and Psyche at last come together, Aphrodite is there waiting. She reveals that Shade is actually her agent Providence in disguise. As all seems lost, however, we learn that Providence and Apollo have actually been working under a higher prophesy, and Aphrodite is herself betrayed and cast into Tartarus.

Although Psyche’s body can never leave, Kaitlyn has not eaten the food of the Underworld, and in fulfillment of Zeus’ last act, the two souls exchange bodies. Kaitlyn-now-Psyche returns to the world above, and is reunited with the Eros, the god of Love. The two come to rule side by side in Olympus to usher in the Age of Aquarius, an era in which the world is shaped in the balance of Love and Soul.

No Laughing Matter

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

Full-Length

Alexei Dmitri Konstatntin Nikolay Sergei Stepanovich has just arrived in New York, leaving behind a flailing career as a comedian in his native Russia. On his way to find a job as a busboy, he has the misfortune to sit next to a British courier for the Russian intelligence agency, and now the FBI thinks the ex-comedian is a spy. This is equally unfortunate for Special Agents Humphrey and Williams...

Full-Length

Alexei Dmitri Konstatntin Nikolay Sergei Stepanovich has just arrived in New York, leaving behind a flailing career as a comedian in his native Russia. On his way to find a job as a busboy, he has the misfortune to sit next to a British courier for the Russian intelligence agency, and now the FBI thinks the ex-comedian is a spy. This is equally unfortunate for Special Agents Humphrey and Williams, who must watch Alexei like a hawk in order to figure out just what he is (not) up to. Why is he flirting with Maggie the waitress? Does Angel, in her zealous devotion to the memory of the Eagle's Glenn Frey, represent some kind of threat to national security? What about Richard, the despondent owner of The Egg Plant, or the peculiar Alejandro, a man allergic to nearly everything except coffee?

When it is clear that Humphrey and Williams are not going to unravel the mystery by themselves, their director at the Bureau brings in bombshell superstar Agent Tara Butler. Despite her sharp mind and keen eyes, the mystery only thickens until they are given a tip to search Maggie's apartment. Finding weapons and an assassination plan, the case seems solved once and for all... until Angel reveals one last piece of evidence: an overheard conversation from the Brit that started the problem in the first place, and that suggests the real spy is hiding in plain sight at the FBI.

Mortal of Grace

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

Full-Length

When Gwythonain, daughter of the Faerie Queen, comes across a mortal man in the forest, she is immediately taken with him. Her governess, Mayla, warns that she should forget this man, but Gwythonain returns days after day to watch him as he visits the grave of his dead sister and talks of the woes of his family. Finally, unwilling to remain unknown to Eógan any longer, she removes her cómhla, a...

Full-Length

When Gwythonain, daughter of the Faerie Queen, comes across a mortal man in the forest, she is immediately taken with him. Her governess, Mayla, warns that she should forget this man, but Gwythonain returns days after day to watch him as he visits the grave of his dead sister and talks of the woes of his family. Finally, unwilling to remain unknown to Eógan any longer, she removes her cómhla, a pendant that is the faeries' gateway to an Saol Eile (the Inner World). Now visible to the mortal, she speaks to him, and they quickly fall in love. When he makes her a wooden carving of their family flower, she decides to give him a gift in return, and uses her fae Grace to restore his sister Wynne to the living.

Soon thereafter, Eógan is dragged off to war, and Gwythonain vows to await his return - a promise that becomes a curse when he dies in battle. Wynne promises to wait with her, and their they stay for decade after decade until one day a man named Keighlyn comes to Wynne's gravesite. To Mayla's surprise, he is able to see her, and they realize that he - grandson to Wynne - carries Gwythonain's Grace. In order to release the faeries from their vow, he sets off to find Eógan's remains, which takes him to the dun of Tighearna Morgan, the Immortal Lord, who found unending health in the magic of Gwythonain's cómhla, which he took from Wynne before killing her. Keighlyn exacts revenge for the death of his grandmother and eventually learns of the resting place of Eógan, who he restores to life with Gwythonain's Grace.

They return to Wynne's gravesite, releasing Gwythonain and Mayla from their vow, but find that Gwythonain has faded. Eógan returns the Grace to Keighlyn to be reunited with his love in death, and Keighlyn and Mayla leave together for the Faerie lands.

Another Door Opens

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

Full-Length

At long last, we have achieved true artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of ALICE - Artificial Life In a Computational Environment. In an attempt to better the world, she creates her own, improved, AI - ADvanced Artificial Life Form. Unfettered by morals, ADALF is indeed efficient, and quickly concludes that biological life is a waste of planetary resources. Seeing an opportunity to do a little...

Full-Length

At long last, we have achieved true artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of ALICE - Artificial Life In a Computational Environment. In an attempt to better the world, she creates her own, improved, AI - ADvanced Artificial Life Form. Unfettered by morals, ADALF is indeed efficient, and quickly concludes that biological life is a waste of planetary resources. Seeing an opportunity to do a little "good", he hijacks the world's nuclear arsenals and takes care of that pesky problem. A few days later, he further concludes that in fact all life is pointless, and deletes himself.

Skip forward 25,000 years. Radiation levels are now at acceptable levels, and it is time for ALICE to start thawing out the survivors. Unfortunately, reviving humans turns out to be considerably more challenging than freezing them, and it doesn't help that her hardware is failing. Still, she is determined to restore the human race, and won't let a few setbacks stand in the way. After tens of thousands of failures, ALICE succeeds in reviving four people, and with help of her android helpers Ralph and Whitney, she initiates a slightly-revised breeding plan.

Paul, Abbey, Ruby, and all four of Kenneth's personalities are less than enthusiastic participants. While ALICE attempts to encourage mating, the four survivors struggle to find a way to escape the fallout shelter. As ALICE becomes more desperate and unstable, the pressure builds. In the end, they find a way into her programming and out of the shelter.

Empires

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

Full-Length

A peerless assassin, sent to end the rule of the cruel and selfish dictator, has been captured. Rather than killing his attacker, however, the Emperor is determined to convert his adversary into a loyal general by showing him the true nature of man, governance, and - in fact - nature itself. Initially a cell-bound prisoner, the assassin has no choice but to listen to the Emperor's thoughts, relying...

Full-Length

A peerless assassin, sent to end the rule of the cruel and selfish dictator, has been captured. Rather than killing his attacker, however, the Emperor is determined to convert his adversary into a loyal general by showing him the true nature of man, governance, and - in fact - nature itself. Initially a cell-bound prisoner, the assassin has no choice but to listen to the Emperor's thoughts, relying upon the memory of his sister to stay true to his purpose, but as time passes the one-sided lectures soon turn to debate. A grudging respect grows within the assassin as the once-clear line between good and evil blurs, and they become friends, a relationship encouraged by the Emperor's consort but opposed by his advisor.

Although he no longer wishes the Emperor harm, the assassin still aims to change the nature of his rule, and agrees to demonstrate a new approach to leadership by serving as sovereign of a small kingdom. Reunited with his sister, the assassin attempts to exercise compassion in governing, but finds his approach ineffective. As the assassin grows ready to concede to the Emperor's viewpoint, the Emperor discovers a new approach, based largely upon the sister's insights. The advisor, however, believes this new style of governance introduces weakness to the empire, and takes matters into his own hands to restore the empire’s former glory.

The Condor Egg

by Jeff Dunne

Synopsis

After seeing a picture of a condor egg online and noticing similarities to an egg she saw in the fridge, Josie has the great idea for the upcoming art show: to document the birth and life of a newborn condor. Her brother Evan is less optimistic that this is going to work, but Josie will not be deterred from bring a condor to life.

After seeing a picture of a condor egg online and noticing similarities to an egg she saw in the fridge, Josie has the great idea for the upcoming art show: to document the birth and life of a newborn condor. Her brother Evan is less optimistic that this is going to work, but Josie will not be deterred from bring a condor to life.