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FOUR LITTLE HORSES

MARCUS
You asked earlier what they’re learning. Behold: the four times tables. Children learn through movement, through rhythm, much better than from books.

CATHERINE
I'm not all about books. Come on. I'm watching.

(MARCUS gestures to the CHILDREN to form a large ellipse. He then bends over and makes horse jockey movements. He faces left and gestures to CATHERINE and The CHILDREN to follow suit.)

MARCUS
(To CATHERINE)
This is the "rhythmic" part of the Main Lesson.

(EVERYONE imitates MARCUS's movements as he gallops in place for three beats, and on the fourth beat, advances one step.)

MARCUS
FOUR LITTLE HORSES,
RUNNING IN A RACE.
ONE'LL CROSS THE FINISH LINE
AND WIN FIRST PLACE.

(The CHILDREN join MARCUS in singing in counterpoint as EVERYONE, maintaining the ellipse formation, gallops in place for three beats and then advance leftward one step, all while maintaining a steady beat.)

MARCUS AND CHILDREN
FOUR LITTLE HORSES,
RUNNING IN A RACE.
ONE'LL CROSS THE FINISH LINE
AND WIN FIRST PLACE.
FOUR LITTLE HORSES.

CHILDREN
FOUR LITTLE HORSES. HORSES. OO.

MARCUS
IF EACH HAS FOUR LEGS
KEEPING PACE,
HOW MANY LEGS
WILL FINISH THE RACE?

MARCUS
Count with me!

(Two of the CHILDREN break formation. One stands outside the circle and the other inside as they face each other and raise their arms to form an arch. The other CHILDREN maintain the circle formation, but gallop through the arch to the steady beat. For each child that passes under the arch, ALL shout a multiple of four and clap.)

MARCUS AND CHILDREN
Four! Eight! Twelve! Sixteen!

(On sixteen everyone throws up their arms and waves their hands in the air as if crossing a finish line. They then continue galloping in a circle and singing.)

MARCUS AND CHILDREN
FOUR LITTLE HORSES RUNNING IN A RACE...ETC.

(OPHÉLIE moves clumsily and has trouble keeping a gallop going and raising her arms up. She bumps other children, eventually stopping and screaming.)

OPHÉLIE
Dammit! Shit, fuck! I can't do it!

(The CHILDREN break their movements, panicking. The circle formation breaks down. The CHILDREN part as OPHÉLIE strides downstage punching the air, screaming and swearing.)

MARCUS
Who’s this?

CATHERINE
That’s Ophélie. She’s our new student.

MARCUS
(stooping to make eye contact)
Are you now? Welcome, Ophélie. Easy, easy. You can do it. Just gallop like this.

OPHÉLIE
Oh, are we playing horsie? Okay. I’ll be the front end and you be yourself.

(CHILDREN laugh. MARCUS isn’t phazed.)

MARCUS
(with a laugh)
Sick burn. Here, follow me.

(MARCUS takes OPHÉLIE by the hand to lead her into the circle but she screams and kicks him. Music stops.)

CHARLOTTE
(coming forward)
Hey, you fucking bitch! That’s my daddy!

(MARCUS shushes CHARLOTTE while CATHERINE intervenes. She pulls OPHÉLIE away from MARCUS and cradles her.)

CATHERINE
(straining to stay calm)
Mister Doran. Is it part of your practice to touch the children without their permission?

OPHÉLIE
You're all gonna die! I'll fucking kill you!

MARCUS
Whoah, hang on, hang on, let’s all just hold our horses. I was just leading her into the circle.

CATHERINE
You frightened her.

MARCUS
I didn’t mean to. I just wanted her to join the lesson.

CATHERINE
(through gritted teeth)
Well, perhaps your "lesson" is a bit esoteric. Can't you make the movements simpler so that every child can follow them?

MARCUS
Tell you what.
(to OPHÉLIE, with a smile)
Watch this!

(flashing a wry smile at CATHERINE)

Both of you.

(MARCUS claps twice. The children pay attention. Music resumes under the following.)

MARCUS
Ten of you, circle up. The rest, sit down.

(CATHERINE and OPHÉLIE remain standing to the side. MARCUS begins stepping to a steady rhythm as the circle of children form around him and imitate his movements.)

MARCUS
Now, Everyone step in place in the circle. Those of you outside the circle pat the steady beat. That's it. Now, you in the circle, step and whisper one, two, three, now clap and shout, four! Now step and whisper, five, six, seven, and clap and shout, eight! Keep going!

(The CHILDREN repeat this all the way to sixteen.)

MARCUS
Now, say the first three numbers in your head as we step, step, step, and clap and shout, four! Step, step, step, eight! Keep going.

(The CHILDREN continue stepping and chanting.)

MARCUS
That's it, that’s it! Step and inner hear, then shout and clap every fourth number. Good!

(to CATHERINE)
And now, the "doing" part.

(The children continue these movements, chanting and clapping the multiples of four while counting the numbers in between in their heads. While the children move and count, Marcus breaks out of the circle and walks around the inside of the circle, indicating for each child to raise his or her right arm and hold up a number on his or her fingers. The child at the top of the circle holds up his fist, indicating zero. Moving clockwise to his left, the next child holds up one finger, the next child two, and so on around the circle, the second to last child holding up nine fingers. Marcus then produces a ball of red yarn. He motions for CHARLOTTE to join him in the middle of the circle.)

MARCUS
Alright, now, step silently to the beat. Keep your numbers held up. Listen first, then sing with me:

(The CHILDREN step as MARCUS sings the following:)
NIGHTFALL COVERS THIS WORLD OF OURS,
AND THE FIRST FOUR PLANETS ARE THE BRIGHTEST STARS.
MERCURY'S FIRST, THEN VENUS, EARTH, AND MARS.
THE FIRST FOUR PLANETS ARE THE BRIGHTEST STARS.
NIGHT BRINGS THE DARK.
THE FIRST FOUR PLANETS ARE THE BRIGHTEST STARS.

(The children step in place, singing the above as an infinite round. While singing they hold up their numbers on their right hands. While the children sing and step, Marcus walks up to the child holding up zero and places the ball of yarn in his left hand.)

MARCUS
Starting at zero, Charlotte, take the ball of yarn, let it unspool, and go where we tell you, like this.

(MARCUS calls out “zero” as he signals to the “zero” child to pinch the loose end of the yarn. The children resume stepping, clapping, and singing. MARCUS unspools the ball of yarn and runs up to the child who’s holding up the number four. He places ball of yarn in the left hand of the “four” child. The “zero” child and the “four” child draw the yarn tight, making a taut line of red yarn between them as MARCUS shouts out “four.” Next, MARCUS hooks the yarn on the fingers of the “four” child, unspools it again as he runs over to the child holding up the number eight and repeats everything he did with child number four. Now there are two taut lines of red yarn in the center of the circle. He hands the ball of yarn to CHARLOTTE and she takes over. CHARLOTTE shouts out “twelve” as she runs over to the “two” child and hands him or her a piece of the yarn. The dance continues in this manner. When CHARLOTTE reaches twenty, the red yarn has made a pentagram shape in the center of the circle.)

MARCUS
Lovely! Look at the beautiful star you've made! Sit down, Charlotte, honey. Hold up the star, children. That's it!

(Marcus signals to everyone to raise up the star shape. When the star shape is raised up, the children walk in a circle. Marcus motions for another child to come into the circle and run under the star, retracing Charlotte’s path through the moving circle, starting his count at 24 and going until forty. At this point MARCUS claps his hands to stop the activity.)

MARCUS
Alright! To the Rest!

(Music plays out as the CHILDREN laugh and excitedly go off to different activities. MARCUS dashes up to OPHÉLIE.)

MARCUS
You see, Ophélie? You don’t have to dance, or sing, you can just run around the circle.

OPHÉLIE
(unimpressed)
Bleah!

CATHERINE
(impressed)
Is that one of the lessons from your training?

MARCUS
Nope. I made it up.
(to OPHÉLIE)
With you in mind.

(OPHÉLIE sticks out her tongue.)

CATHERINE
Just now?

MARCUS
Just now.

CATHERINE
(genuinely impressed)
What a clever way to get them to memorize their multiplication tables.

(but...unable to help herself)
May I ask, how do you know if they really know the information?

(MARCUS stays silent.)

CATHERINE
(backpedaling)
I mean, it was a beautiful exercise. They were laughing. They were happy. May I, just...try something?

MARCUS
It's the Rest.

CATHERINE
(proceeding with caution)
Yes, I know. I just wonder if they really learned it. Are the "rhythm" and the "doing" enough? Is there an "assessing", a part where you check their understanding? May I try?

(Without waiting for an answer, CATHERINE heads to the center of the room. Just then, MONSIEUR FIENNES enters the room to observe. He occupies an unobtrusive spot in the classroom. CATHERINE makes eye contact with OPHÉLIE, smiles, then takes OPHÉLIE'S hand and leads her into the center.)

CATHERINE
Children! Gather 'round, please. Make a circle, okay?

(The CHILDREN look up from their activities. A pause. They don't budge.)

MARCUS
(reluctant, but going along with it)
Circle up.

(Some CHILDREN protest, but they all slowly make their way toward CATHERINE, who stands proudly in front. When everyone is in a circle, CATHERINE begins to tell a story, making large but simple gestures in the air, watching to make sure OPHÉLIE can perform the gestures.)

CATHERINE
Uh...There was once a princess who had a giant mirror. It was a magical mirror.
(Silence.)
One day, the princess went up to her mirror and said, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, um, who is the fairest of them all?" And the mirror said, "I will tell thee if you...er, can tell me the four times tables...all..."

(Some CHILDREN snicker. MARCUS claps. They fall silent.)

CATHERINE
And so, the princess sang,

(Music starts.)

CATHERINE
(gesticulating, encouraging the children to imitate her)
"FOUR ONE TIME MAKES..."

(The CHILDREN just stand awkwardly. Some of them mock her.)

CATHERINE
(singing)
“FOUR ONE TIME MAKES...”

(Silence.)

OPHÉLIE
(struggling to follow CATHERINE)
Four!

CATHERINE
(flashing a smile at OPHÉLIE)
Four.
(clearing her throat and singing again)
“FOUR TWO TIMES MAKES...”

(Silence. Giggles.)

OPHÉLIE
Come on, you fuckers! Four two times makes eight!

(Chaos. The CHILDREN laugh and start imitating CATHERINE in a derisive manner, mocking her. Some children take OPHÉLIE by the arm and swing her around like they're square dancing. CATHERINE tries to keep order, but can’t.)

MARCUS
(clapping)
That's enough. Alright, alright. Enough horsing around. Everybody out on the playground. Rebirth! Let's go. Let’s go.

Words and Music by Michael Johnson
© 2022, Zubsongs, Ltd.