Scene 3

A sheep pasture just outside the village where the Mazin family lives.

Envy: Sheep! Where are you, you stupid sheep? Sheep! (talks to herself) I'm the crazy one, hoping it will answer me. Oh well... (yells again) Sheep!

Layla: (sneaks up on Envy. She is breathing hard.) She... has... a name.

Envy: (startled) Layla, what are you doing here? And you know you're not supposed to run on hot days.

Layla: (trying to catch her breath) Nala... told me to find you...

Envy: Me you can find, a sheep you cannot.

Layla: Well you're pretty loud. Sheep are quiet.

Envy: Okay, what's the allusive sheep's name?

Layla: Teacup.

Envy: Teacup?! You've got to be kidding me. Why anyone would name their food is beyond me.

Layla: She's the smallest and cutest one!

Envy: You know we're gonna eat her right?

Layla: I try and not think about it.

Envy: You try and not think about alotta things. How you live your life oblivious to what's going on in the world is beyond me.

Layla: How do you live yours with the weight of the entire world on your shoulders? It must be quite heavy.

Envy: (annoyed) At least I care.

Layla: Do you?

Envy: (defensive) Yes!

Layla: You don't seem to care one bit how you treat your family.

Envy: Caring doesn't always mean rolling on your back in submission.

Layla: Ah, but showing respect for our ways does!

Envy: (rants) Our ways?! Our ways are so antiquated it'd be laughable if it wasn't so pathetic! While the rest of the world moves on, us Yazidis are going backwards. In fact, we're so out of touch, we're no better off than these sheep wandering around. We're worse: at least these sheep have us to look out for them, (looks directly at Layla) most of the time. While our people are being brutally slaughtered, with the goal of wiping every-last-Yazidi off the face of the planet, the rest of the world doesn't even know we exist—or worse, they know but they don't care!

Song: "Beyond the Mountains" (Track 03)

Envy sings:
Out there beyond the mountains, out there beyond the sky,
Out there beyond the mountains, do you know we're alive?
Out there beyond the mountains, out there beyond the sky,
Out there beyond the mountains, can you hear us die?
We're crying out for you, we're dying out here, it's true,
And genocide is such a dirty word.

Envy sings, Layla echoes:
We're a simple people (We're a simple people)
Who lead simple lives (We lead a simple life)
We're the least of these (We're the least of these)
For this we are despised (We are despised)
We're crying out for you (Out there beyond the mountains)
We're dying out here, it's true (Out there beyond the sky)

Envy: And genocide is such a dirty word.

Envy sings, Layla echoes:
Out there beyond the mountains (Out there beyond the mountains)
The world goes on (The world goes on)
Out there beyond the mountains (Out there beyond the mountains)
Would you drop a bomb? (Please don't drop a bomb...)

Envy and Layla:
We're crying out for you, we're dying out here it's true, and genocide is such a dirty word.
End of Song

Layla: Envy—I mean Grace... I know you think my head is in the clouds, but I do understand. Only, what can one Yazidi girl do about it?

Envy: I can fight.

Layla: You can die. Papa says, 'Yazidi girls are not supposed to be soldiers'.

Envy: What about being someone's slave? Are we supposed to be that?

Layla: Papa says, if we keep to ourselves—go about our own business The Sand
Monsters won't bother us... that they're just a bunch of bullies and—

Envy: Papa says, Papa says! —Papa's wrong!

Layla: How do you know that?

Envy: I just know okay? Just go home. Nala needs you.

Layla: But Envy!

Envy: (strict) Go. Home. Layla.

(Layla exits reluctantly)

Envy: (sighs heavily then once again begins looking for the sheep) Teacup... Teacup! (feeling stupid) Where are you—you stupid sh—

Malak enters wearing his Peshmerga fatigues, holding an actual teacup.

Malak: Did someone call for a teacup?

Envy: What?

Malak: You asked for a teacup. Here you go. (He proudly holds out the teacup.)

Envy: (leery) Were you spying on us?

Malak: Me? Spying? Uh... no way! I merely overheard...

Envy: While you were spying!

Malak: No! This is sorta embarrassing, you might even laugh... I was relieving myself behind that bush...

Envy: Into a teacup?!

Malak: No, NO, no!!! But when I heard you calling for Teacup I ran back to camp to get one. I thought it would be funny but I guess...

Envy and Malak: It's not.

Envy: Well, at least we agree on something.

Malak: (embarrassed) I best be going ma'am. Sorry to have bothered you. (He turns to leave.)

Envy: Wait! (Malak faces her) Do I detect an American accent?

Malak: Why yes! I'm from Texas. Howdy ma'am. (He tips his cap as if it were a cowboy hat.)

Envy: (confused) How-dy?

Malak: It's an informal way of saying hello.

Envy: Oh... What's an informal way of saying goodbye?

Malak: Bye y'all!

Envy: (mimics) Bye y'all! (She turns to exit.)

Malak: Wait! I didn't get your name.

Envy: That's because I didn't give it. We're not accustomed to talking to strangers and especially strangers of the opposite sex who are from... (She tries to remember.)

Malak: Texas!

Envy: Yes, Texas... (becoming more annoyed) Out of curiosity why would you, an American, join the Peshmerga? Don't you have your own battles to fight?

Malak: Yes, ma'am...

Envy: Stop calling me ma'am!

Malak: Gladly, if you tell me your name.

Envy: Fine, it's Grace. Now, you tell me what you're doing in Kurdistan in a Peshmerga uniform.

Malak: Well ma'am— (he catches himself) I mean, Grace... Right outta high school I joined the army but I never saw any action.

Envy: (horrified) And that's a bad thing?!

Malak: No, but I felt called to help.

Envy: Who called you?

Malak: (looks up) God.

Envy: Okay, we're done here. (She walks away)

Malak: (following Envy) You don't believe in God?

Envy: No, I don't.

Malak: But your name—it's Grace!

Envy: So?

Malak: So, how'd a Yazidi girl end up with a name like Grace?

Envy: If you must know—and it seems you must... My father was in the military. He was an officer in Kurdistan's army during Saddam Hussein's regime. Saddam—the madman—dropped chemical bombs on the Kurds. My father nearly died. Some missionary doctor named Grace saved his life. So, he named me Grace. There you have it.

Malak: Wow! It's a miracle!

Envy: I don't believe in miracles.

Malak: But grace means, "God's favor."

Envy: God's favor? Is that some sort of joke? (another rant) Where's this so-called favor
from God while my people are being systematically wiped out through genocide? We've been persecuted and hated for centuries because we're not like everyone else. Sand Monsters hate us because we don't worship their god. They believe they're doing the world a service by killing us. They think we're dirty and that we worship Satan. That's ironic since, in our religion, it's forbidden for us to even say the name Satan. There used to be 80 million Yazidis and now there's less than one million of us.

Malak: It's why I'm here.

Envy: (scoffs) You expect me to believe a lone person, from Texas, is gonna help save the Yazidi people?

Malak: Well, not alone. God sent me here. He cares about your people.

Envy: Yeah right... If there is a God, he must hate the Yazidis just like everybody else!

Malak: He doesn't hate you. He made you perfectly—my you're a spirited girl with deep convictions!

Envy: Funny...

Malak: What?

Envy: No one's ever referred to me as perfect before.

Malak: Hey, you never even asked me my name.

Envy: (takes the bait) Fine. What's your name?

Malak: Malak.

Envy: (confused) Malak from Texas?

Malak: Yeah, I was born in the US but my parents and my grandparents and my great grandparents and so on... they're all Kurdish! And get this my name, it means—

Envy: --God's messenger. Weird...

Layla re-enters out of breath.

Layla: Envy! Envy! I found Teacup! (breathing hard) I put him back... (breathing) in the pen and I ran all the way to tell— (She notices Malak and immediately stops talking.)

Malak: (suspicious) Envy huh?

Ari, another Peshmerga soldier enters.

Ari: Malak we're moving out. (He notices Layla and thinks she's pretty) Sup?

Layla: (Points to herself) Me? (Ari nods) Nothin...

Ari: I'm Ari.

Layla: (shy) My name's Layla.

Ari: Nice...

Malak: (to Envy) I gotta go. I hope we can meet again soon (to Envy) Grace.

Ari and Malak exit quickly.

Layla: Did you hear that soldier ask me, 'Sup?'

Envy: So...

Layla: So? He's so cute!

Envy: He's SO off limits.

Layla: I know...

Envy: Seriously, you're on naan duty 'til your thirty.

Malak and Ari along with "The Peshmerga" soldiers enter marching.

Song: "The Peshmerga Fight Song." (Track 04)

Peshmerga soldiers sing:
We are not a force that takes requests,
We fight to the death.
We never retreat, we go forward,
We stare death in the face.
We Peshmerga defend and strengthen,
We stop terror in its tracks.
We protect, men, women and children,
From all brutal attacks.
Peshmerga does not run in fear!
Peshmerga defends our right to be here.

Kurdistan will stand, as long as we are here.
When the enemy see us, they back up,
They run, and drop their gear.
We Peshmerga defend and strengthen,
We stop terror in its tracks.
We protect, men, women and children,
From all brutal attacks.
Peshmerga does not run in fear!
Peshmerga defends our right to be here,
Our right to be here.
End of song

They march off stage. End of scene 3.