Acho La La: A Bhutanese Folktale
Readers Theater for Four Students
Based on the traditional Bhutanese folktale
Characters:
- Narrator - Tells the story and sets scenes
- Bomed - A young girl left alone by her parents
- Sinpo - A demon who captures the girl
- Acho La La - The full moon who saves the girl
Props Needed:
- Small bag or pouch (for seeds)
- Rope or ribbon (for chain)
- Simple costumes or name tags
Scene 1: The Abandonment
NARRATOR: Dangbo... o... o, dingbo... o... o... Once upon a time, in a lonely house on a hilltop, there lived a farmer, his wife, and their daughter Bomed. The elderly couple had heard terrifying rumors of a sinpo—a malevolent demon—terrorizing the villagers. Fearing for their lives, they made a devastating decision to abandon their daughter and flee.
NARRATOR: One morning, Bomed's mother gave her a bamboo mat and said, "Spread this mat and dry the barley in the sun. Guard the grain carefully." But while Bomed worked, her parents secretly prepared to leave.
NARRATOR: As Bomed sat waving her stick to chase away hungry birds, a raven in the peach tree began cawing urgently.
BOMED: (looking up) That raven sounds different today... almost like it's trying to warn me about something.
NARRATOR: The raven seemed to say, "Bomed, stay—you must stay. Your father and mother are leaving!" Startled, Bomed ran into the house, but her parents were still there... or so it seemed.
BOMED: (relieved) Oh, they're still here. I must have imagined it.
NARRATOR: But when the raven cawed again, more frantically this time, "Bomed, you are alone! Your parents have gone away!" she ran back inside to find the house empty. Her worst fears were confirmed—she had been abandoned.
BOMED: (crying) How could they leave me here alone? What will I do now?
Scene 2: The Demon's Trap
NARRATOR: Frightened and lonely, Bomed climbed the peach tree, hoping to catch a glimpse of her parents. As she sat among the branches, weeping, a voice called from below.
SINPO: (in a deceptively friendly voice) Bomed, throw me a peach!
BOMED: (innocently) Of course! Here's a nice ripe one.
SINPO: A khai! That one fell in the pig dung. Come down a few branches and throw me another.
NARRATOR: Bomed, trusting and naive, climbed lower. But the sinpo was manipulating her, using cunning deception.
SINPO: A khai! This one went into the cow dung. Come down and hand me a peach properly.
NARRATOR: When Bomed climbed within reach, the sinpo seized her hand and shoved her into a sack. He carried her off to his home in Sinpoiyul—the land of demons.
BOMED: (terrified) Let me go! Please don't hurt me!
SINPO: (laughing evilly) You'll make a delicious meal, little girl!
Scene 3: The Escape Plan
NARRATOR: At the sinpo's house, Bomed noticed a frail, starving dog. The compassionate girl shared her food with the poor creature.
NARRATOR: In gratitude, the dog whispered, "Look in my ear. Take the three seed packets hidden there. They will help you escape." Bomed carefully retrieved the magical seeds and hid them in her clothes.
NARRATOR: Days passed. The sinpo ordered Bomed to pound rice, warning her to call out "Yes, I am here!" whenever he called her name. But a tiny louse in her hair took pity on the desperate girl.
NARRATOR: "Place me on the mortar with some of your saliva," the louse whispered. "Then run as fast as you can. I'll answer for you when the demon calls."
BOMED: (hopefully) You would do that for me? Thank you, little friend.
NARRATOR: Bomed placed the louse as instructed and fled into the forest. Each time the sinpo called, the louse responded in Bomed's voice, but growing fainter and fainter as the saliva dried up.
SINPO: (calling) Bomed! Are you still pounding rice?
NARRATOR: (in tiny voice) Yes, I am here... still pounding...
NARRATOR: When the louse finally died and could no longer answer, the sinpo discovered the escape. Enraged, he pursued Bomed with supernatural speed.
Scene 4: Divine Intervention
NARRATOR: As the sinpo gained on her, Bomed remembered the magical seeds. She threw the pepper seed behind her, and instantly a dense forest sprouted, impeding the demon's progress.
SINPO: (struggling) These thorny branches won't stop me for long!
NARRATOR: But the sinpo persevered, so Bomed threw the pine seed. A thick forest of pine trees emerged, their trunks forming a natural barrier.
NARRATOR: Still the demon advanced, so she used her final resource—the bamboo seed. A tangled maze of bamboo stalks burst from the earth.
NARRATOR: As darkness fell and the full moon rose majestically in the eastern sky, Bomed looked up desperately.
BOMED: (pleading) Acho La La, please save me! Send down your iron chain, not your woollen ladder!
ACHO LA LA: (yawning lazily) Wait a little. I am just rising.
BOMED: (frantically) Please hurry! The sinpo is approaching!
ACHO LA LA: (calmly) Hold on, I'm just washing myself.
NARRATOR: While Acho La La proceeded through his leisurely routine—washing, preparing breakfast, eating, and organizing—Bomed grew increasingly desperate.
BOMED: (gasping) I can feel the sinpo's breath! Please, please hurry!
ACHO LA LA: Just straightening out the chain now.
NARRATOR: Finally, with a metallic sound—tsahlahhk—the iron chain descended. Bomed grasped it just as the sinpo's claws brushed her feet. Acho La La pulled her to safety on the moon.
SINPO: (demanding) Throw me a chain too!
NARRATOR: But Acho La La, wise and protective, threw down the flimsy woollen ladder instead. As the sinpo climbed rapidly upward, the moon took out a rusty knife and methodically sawed through the woollen threads.
NARRATOR: With a thunderous crash—Byaaaak!—the sinpo plummeted to earth and sank deep into the ground, never to terrorize anyone again.
ACHO LA LA: (kindly) You may stay here with me, dear child, and tend my cow.
NARRATOR: And so Bomed found sanctuary on the moon. Legend says that if you look carefully at the full moon, you might glimpse the silhouette of a girl milking a cow—Bomed, safe at last with Acho La La.
ALL: (together) And that is how the full moon saved a young girl from the demon's hunger, teaching us that help can come from the most unexpected sources.
Academic Vocabulary Glossary
Tier 2 Vocabulary (General Academic Words)
- Abandon - to leave someone or something behind permanently
- Advancing - moving forward, often in a threatening way
- Barrier - something that blocks or prevents movement
- Compassionate - showing kindness and concern for others
- Confirmed - proved to be true
- Cunning - clever in a sly or deceptive way
- Deception - the act of misleading or tricking someone
- Desperate - having lost hope; in urgent need
- Devastating - extremely upsetting or harmful
- Emerging - coming into view; appearing
- Frantically - in a panicked, hurried manner
- Gratitude - the feeling of being thankful
- Impeding - slowing down or blocking progress
- Manipulating - controlling someone in a dishonest way
- Naive - innocent; lacking experience or judgment
- Persevered - continued trying despite difficulties
- Pursued - chased after; followed
- Refuge/Sanctuary - a safe place of protection
- Retrieved - got back; recovered
- Rumors - unconfirmed stories or reports
- Silhouette - a dark shape seen against a light background
- Supernatural - beyond natural or scientific explanation
- Terrifying - extremely frightening
Tier 3 Vocabulary (Domain-Specific Academic Words)
- Allegory - a story with hidden meaning or moral lesson
- Antagonist - the main character who opposes the hero
- Characterization - how an author develops characters' personalities
- Climax - the turning point or most exciting part of a story
- Conflict - the main problem or struggle in a story
- Foreshadowing - hints about what will happen later in a story
- Folktale - a traditional story passed down through generations
- Intervention - the act of stepping in to help or change a situation
- Malevolent - having evil intentions; wishing harm to others
- Oral tradition - stories passed down by word of mouth
- Protagonist - the main character of a story
- Resolution - the solution to the conflict; how the story ends
- Symbolism - using objects or actions to represent deeper meanings
- Theme - the main message or lesson of a story
Literary Terms Glossary
Folktale Elements Found in This Story:
- Magical helpers - The dog, louse, and moon who assist Bomed
- Magical objects - The three seeds that create forests
- Supernatural beings - The sinpo (demon) and Acho La La (moon)
- Moral lesson - Good triumphs over evil; help comes to the innocent
- Repetition - The pattern of three (three seeds, three attempts to catch Bomed)
- Transformation - Bomed's journey from victim to protected person
Story Structure:
- Exposition - Introduction of characters and setting
- Rising Action - The series of events leading to the climax (abandonment, capture, escape)
- Climax - Bomed's rescue by Acho La La
- Falling Action - The sinpo's defeat
- Resolution - Bomed finding safety on the moon
Discussion Questions:
- How does this folktale reflect important values in Bhutanese culture?
- What role does divine intervention play in the story's resolution?
- How do the magical elements enhance the story's themes?
- What does Bomed's character development teach us about resilience?
Performance Tips:
- Use different vocal tones for each character
- Emphasize the contrast between the sinpo's evil and Acho La La's wisdom
- Show Bomed's emotional journey from innocence to desperation to relief
- Create suspense during the chase scenes through pacing and voice
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