THE GIANT DESPAIR
Christians Can't Be Sissies: An Archival Radio Retelling of Bunyan’s Giant Despair
THE GIANT DESPAIR
By Ethel Barrett
MUSIC SET GAY MOOD: THEN OUT
BOY: Mommie — Mommie — what’r you doing? (FADING ON MIC)
MOTHER: Hi.
BOY: Hi.
MOTHER: I thought you were playing with Richard.
BOY: I stopped. When I saw you. May I help?
MOTHER: No. I’m going to rake up some leaves and rubbish.
BOY: Well I could be a big help. I could —
MOTHER: I want to be alone.
BOY: We could get it done twice as fast and we could talk. We—
MOTHER: Bill. Go ’way. If you’ll just let me stay here alone and rake leaves and—
BOY: …and sulk.
MOTHER: —and sulk. NO. I’m not sulking.
BOY: Oh, Excuse me. I just thought - you always say I’m sulking when I do what you’re doing, so I thought when YOU’RE doing what you’re doing, you’re sulking too. Is it something else when you do it? When grown-ups do it, mmm?
MOTHER: You win. I’m sulking. I— I have a headache. And I’m cross. You stay if you like, but just don’t talk to me.
BOY: LOOK! It’s a worm! An honest-to-real worm!
MOTHER: So it is.
BOY: What d’you know? The very first worm I’ve seen this year! Could we give him a home? Ooops. He’s gone back in. He was a lovely worm. Those leaves are wet’n soggy — What’s this? Is it flowers?
MOTHER: It’s new clover. Baby clover—all snug underneath the soggy leaves. How fresh and green it is.
BOY: Nobody knew it was there! It was secret!
MOTHER: God knew. He brought it to life.
BOY: And Cynthia! The Cynthia bush over by the fence!
MOTHER: (LAUGHING) Forsythia. Yes. I didn’t notice it was blooming. It’s lovely.
BOY: And here in our own yard—Daffodils! Look! Winter was so long, I was beginning to think summer’d never come. I was discouraged!
MOTHER: Were you? (TO HERSELF) I was.
BOY: Do YOU get discouraged?
MOTHER: Mmmm. When you see—things coming to life again—we’ve no RIGHT to get discouraged!
BOY: Boy, you’re hanging on that rake like it was a weapon.
MOTHER: I was thinking—(QUICKLY) Would you like to hear a story?
BOY: Boy, WOULD I? But we won’t get the yard straightened up.
MOTHER: Maybe not. But I’ll get a few other things straightened up.
MUSIC - NARRATIVE BRIDGE
Once upon a time there were two men. They were traveling along the King’s Highway. One was well prepared for traveling—he had on the whole armor of God: Helmet of salvation - shield of faith, sword of the spirit - breast-plate of righteousness—all the rest of it. He even had a scroll with the word of God written in it—
BOY: He sounds like a Christian.
MOTHER: He WAS a Christian. That was his name. Christian. The other one had just become a Christian—he wasn’t a real warrior yet—his name was Hopeful.
Now, when our story opens, they’d been having a wonderful time together—the traveling was easy and pleasant—green meadows - rippling brooks - soft squashy grass for their feet—It was good. It was a little too good. Their feet got tender—and their spiritual muscles got soft and flabby—and then when the road got rough again—ouch. Hmmm. Sharp stone. Ooops. Scraped my elbow. That jagged rock stuck right out there. (SUCK IN BREATH)
MOTHER: And they did go on—but as they went and the road got rougher—they talked less and less about the goodness of God—-and more and more about how tough it was. They made their first bad mistake. They GRUMBLED.
CHRISTIAN: Oh, I could do big things for God if I weren’t tied down here. This road— (SIGH). I say—a sign. BY-PATH MEADOW. Hmmm.
HOPEFUL: Christian, it’s off the King’s Highway.
CHRISTIAN: And a smooth path.
HOPEFUL: We’re supposed to stay on the King’s Highway.
CHRISTIAN: It’s easy to get to, too. There’s a stile goes over the fence.
HOPEFUL: But it’s off—
CHRISTIAN: Nonsense. It goes along in the very same direction.
HOPEFUL: But it says “By-path Meadow,” Christian. I—don’t like the sound of it.
CHRISTIAN: Well, I like the “looks” of it. Come on. Let’s give it a try, anyhow.
MOTHER: And so they did. It was lovely! So easy—so pleasant—Christian beamed.
CHRISTIAN: And it DOES go right along toward the Celestial City. You see—we were on the right track. Oh oh. There’s a fellow up ahead. Let’s ask him—then you’ll feel easier. (CALLING) Hooooo!
VAIN-CONFIDENCE: (CALLING OFF MIKE) Hooooo!
CHRISTIAN: Wait up— (ON MIKE) Pardon me. I am Christian and this is Hopeful.
VAIN-CONFIDENCE: How do you do. I’m Mr. Vain-Confidence.
CHRISTIAN: We—were wondering where this path led to.
VAIN-CONFIDENCE: To the Celestial City.
CHRISTIAN: Good—good. We just wanted to make sure. Thank you so much.
VAIN-CONFIDENCE: That’s quite alright. Now, I’m in a bit of a hurry, as night is coming on—if you’ll pardon me—
CHRISTIAN: Yes, of course. And thank you again. (To HOPEFUL) See, Hopeful. We’re alright.
HOPEFUL: Yes, Christian. It is easy walking. I must admit that. I guess it’s alright.
MOTHER: And so they walked on the nice velvet grass—and they didn’t notice that the path gradually led away from the King’s Highway—the straight and narrow way they should have walked. Then the sun went down—it got dark—pitch dark—they couldn’t see the path ahead of them now—
MUSIC - OMINOUS
HOPEFUL: Christian—ought we to go on?
CHRISTIAN: We don’t dare go back. I don’t know the way. At least, going on, we can try to follow Mr.—er—whatever his name was. (CALLING) Hoooo!
FAINT ANSWER: Hoooooo.
CHRISTIAN: See. He’s answering. We’ll be alright.
HOPEFUL: I hope so. Call him again.
CHRISTIAN: (CALLING) Hoooo.
HOPEFUL: He doesn’t answer. Call again.
CHRISTIAN: (CALLING) Hooo.
SOUND: FAINT CRY, NOISE OF SOMEONE FALLING
HOPEFUL: Christian, did you hear that? He fell in something.
CHRISTIAN: (CALLING) Hoooo. He DID fall into something.
HOPEFUL: I’m scared.
CHRISTIAN: So am I. Thunder!
MUSIC & SOUND: STORM SOUNDS, THUNDER, LIGHTNING, WIND
MOTHER: (When the lighting flashed) They saw pits and caves and crevices ahead—then it was pitch dark again. They staggered along a few feet each time the lightning came— and finally — The found a fence and some boards leaning up against it. They crawled in out of the rain.
MUSIC AND START DIMINISHING SOUND
They didn’t see the gloomy castle standing nearby. They didn’t see the sign: DOUBTING CASTLE—OWNER, GIANT DESPAIR. They fell sound asleep, exhausted.
MUSIC OUT - SOUND OUT
In the morning, out of the castle came a horrible monster, GIANT DESPAIR—and began to look around his property, poking under things with his giant club.
GIANT: (EVIL LAUGH) Ah—what’s this? Come out from there. What are you doing on my property?
MOTHER: Ohhhh. Christian backed out. Then Hopeful. Ooops. Big feet. They looked up and up—Shhhh. Club. Ohhhh. What a horrible face!
GIANT: Ho ho ho ho... Who are you?
CHRISTIAN: (HARDLY ABLE TO SPEAK) Christian. My friend, Hopeful. We—
GIANT: Yes, I know. You wanted to dabble in doubting. Well, Christians don’t just dabble in doubting without answering to me!
MOTHER: Wop! He swung his club and they jumped! He chased them into the castle, up the steps, down a cellar stairway, and oof—pushed— them into a dungeon and locked the door!
MOTHER: The dungeon of despair! There were skulls and snakes and rats. Christian sat down on a bench. And there they stayed. The whole day went by. And the next day!
And then — a key turned in the lock!
CHRISTIAN: Perhaps it’s Giant Despair—with food!
GIANT: Hoh hoh — It’s Despair alright, but not with food! My wife’s been talking to me. Never met my wife, have you? She’s almost as ugly as I am. Name’s Diffidence—call her Distrust for short. She says you might as well do away with yourself. You’ll never get out of here. So I brought a rope, a knife, some poison. Here. Think it over.
MOTHER: And with that he was gone. Christian put his head in his hands.
CHRISTIAN: I’m licked. I’m just no good—I can’t see any way out—
HOPEFUL: No, Christian—No! You fought Apollyon and licked him in the valley of humiliation, remember? You were so brave at Vanity Fair— why, it was you who made ME believe on your Savior! You CAN’T give up!
CHRISTIAN: I DO give up. I give— Hopeful. We’ve been so busy feeling sorry for ourselves—why haven’t we asked God to deliver us?
HOPEFUL: Oh Christian. Do you suppose it’s too late to ask Him now?
MOTHER: And there—in the dungeon of despair, they knelt to pray. Far into the night, they prayed—they praised God because He was faithful, tho’ they were not— “Oh God, forgive us—for grumbling—for leaving the right path and seeking our own way—and deliver us from this—”
CHRISTIAN: Hopeful. Here’s a key. Christian never knew what made him feel in his pocket.
MOTHER: They both looked at the door. They were both thinking the same thing. Christian went over to the door, quietly put the key in the lock.
CHRISTIAN: It’s a key of promise, Hopeful. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee.”
MOTHER: He turned the key. The door slowly creaked on its hinges, swung open!
SOUND: SQUEAKING DOOR
CHRISTIAN: Nobody’s in the hall. Come on, Hopeful!
MUSIC TENSE BG: swell under
HOPEFUL: Do you suppose it will open the outer door, Christian?
CHRISTIAN: I hope so. Here it is. Keep watch—let me know if you hear anyone coming. Here it goes. “Why do ye doubt, oh ye of little faith?” It turns, it turns!
SOUND: SQUEAKING DOOR
CHRISTIAN: Come on!
HOPEFUL: How can we get across the courtyard?
CHRISTIAN: We’ll have to run for it. Let’s go!
HOPEFUL: Quick, Christian! Unlock the gate!
CHRISTIAN: I’ll try. “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
HOPEFUL: Quick! The giant is coming!
CHRISTIAN: It opens! It opens! We’re out! Run, Hopeful, run!
HOPEFUL: We’ll never make it—he’s coming!
CHRISTIAN: No—he’s frothing at the mouth—he’s having a fit. He’s rolling on the ground! Oh Hopeful, we are MORE than conquerors through Christ Jesus who loved us and gave Himself for us! This way!
MOTHER: And they ran and they ran, over the meadow, past the pits, past the puddles—no more discouragement, no more despair—back on the King’s Highway again!
MUSIC QUICK BRIDGE X-3
BOY: Whew! That was a narrow escape.
MOTHER: It sure was. Oh—Christians shouldn’t go stumbling along in despair and defeat. If we’re in His army, we’ve GOT to walk in victory. He conquered DEATH! Giant Despair, you’re a boogie-man. We’ve no RIGHT to be discouraged.
BOY: But I wasn’t discouraged. YOU were.
MOTHER: We Christians thrive on trouble. It’s trouble that—
BOY: I thought you had a headache.
MOTHER: It’s trouble—what headache? It’s gone. It’s trouble that makes our spiritual muscles grow! A fighter doesn’t train by—lying around and eating chocolates, does he?
BOY: Boy, he sure doesn’t.
MOTHER: Well, Christians aren’t worth anything to God if they go off the highway into by-path meadows where the walking is soft, either.
BOY: No, I guess they sure don’t.
MOTHER: We didn’t rake up much.
BOY: Nope. Shall I go get a basket to put the stuff in so we can burn it?
MOTHER: Uh huh.
BOY: I helped you—didn’t I?
MOTHER: Yes, you helped. Get the old baskets on the back porch.
MUSIC: SNEAK IN MOOD BG
MOTHER: (TO HERSELF) Yes, you helped—more than you know. It wasn’t my head that was aching—it was my heart. I thank Thee, Father, for such a son as this—for giving me these hum-drum things to do. You knew my heart was aching—You sent me out here to find a daffodil—to uncover its perfect beauty in the soggy leaves—and in the finding, to know again that Thou art the resurrection and the life—and because Thou dost live, I will live also. I thank Thee—for helping me back on to the King’s Highway again.