The joke on stage

**PANEL 1** *A cramped apartment kitchen. Dishes piled in the sink. MARGO (40s, frazzled, mug in hand) stands at the counter. Her husband DEV (40s, reading glasses pushed up on his head) leans in the doorway.* **DEV:** Did you get the little tub of yogurt I asked for? **MARGO:** I got a little tub. It was the little tub they had. **PANEL 2** *Close on the fridge. A single tub sits on the top shelf, lonely.* **DEV:** Margo, that's the single-serving one. I needed the family size for the kids' lunches. **MARGO:** Then the little guy should've been more specific. **PANEL 3** *DEV picks up the tub, squints at the label.* **DEV:** Honey, you know the kids call the yogurt "Little Dragon." It's a whole thing with them. **MARGO:** Oh, I didn't know that. Maybe I should've bought the big one for Little Dragon's family. **PANEL 4** *A small voice from off-panel. Kitchen door creaks open. LUCAS (8) peeks in, pajamas on, holding a stuffed animal.* **LUCAS:** Mom? Dad? Can I have a little more milk? **PANEL 5** *DEV and MARGO look at each other, then at the clock.* **DEV:** It's almost midnight, buddy. Why are you awake? **LUCAS:** There's a little man in my closet. **PANEL 6** *Silence. MARGO sets down her mug slowly. DEV's glasses slide off his head and clatter onto the counter.* **MARGO:** Lucas, sweetheart, that's just your coat. **LUCAS:** It's a little man. He's wearing a tiny yellow hat. **PANEL 7** *Wide shot. The closet door hangs open. Inside, a small figure in a tiny yellow hat peeks out from behind the winter coats, holding a tiny tub of yogurt.* **TINY MAN:** Sorry. I only came for the little tub. **PANEL 8** *Final panel. DEV turns slowly toward the fridge. The top shelf is empty. A single spoon rests on the floor.* **DEV:** Margo... where's the family-size one? **MARGO:** *(whispering)* I thought you bought it. **PANEL 9** *Full-page splash. From the kitchen window, a faint glow of dozens of tiny lanterns drifts over the rooftops. A tiny voice echoes from the dark: "Thank you for the big one, Little Dragon's family!"* **CAPTION:** The yogurt had been a diplomatic gift all along.