The Terrible Tattoo Parlor
by Mary Chase

Linda and Julie, two twelve year olds, delight in calling strangers on the phone and then terrifying them by breathing heavily and chewing ice cubes in their ears.

One of their victims is Vivian Lucas, a very nice lady who quickly catches on to what they are up to and, having done the same sort of thing when she was a girl, invites Linda to lunch at the Clermont Hotel.

But then they call the La Strange Tattoo Parlor, where the reaction is quite different.

Madam La Strange is furious and, abetted by her ugly son Heinrich, vows to catch Linda and tattoo her forehead.

Discovering Linda's plan to meet Mrs. Lucas for lunch, Madam and Heinrich arrive at the hotel first and explain to Linda that Mrs. Lucas has asked them to drive her to the Lucas home—whereupon they all repair to the tattoo parlor.

Luckily Linda's friends, having uncovered the plot, make their own crank call to Madam La Strange, Linda slips away in the confusion, and all agree, with a pronounced sigh of relief, that the "fun" phone calls are over for good!

Written specifically for younger groups, this fast-paced, whimsically humorous play details the misadventures of two young girls who make crank phone calls to strangers—with results they hadn't bargained for.