SPIRITED, Scene II

And here we go, the second scene! Not much to say, just a shortened version of her meet-up with Kamaji and Rin.

P.S. sorry for the spacing. Still not used to Blogger tabbing.

Scene 2 – Under the Bathhouse

[Kamaji the old man is working in front of a boiler, his back to the audience. Chihiro walks in nervously.]

Chihiro         : [nervous] Um… Excuse me? [Louder] Sir? I’m looking for work. [long pause] Excuse me, Mister? I’m looking for work…

Kamaji        : [mumbles] Three pinches. What? Out already? Geez… Blast this rain, people are having cramps.

Chihiro            : Um… Kamaji?            Could I have a job here? Please?

Kamaji             : No, no, no, watch out, watch out! I’m still workin’ me back off here…

[A loud steam whistle sounds. Rin, a young woman, enters with a bowl of fish.]

Rin                   : Alright, you old geezer, food’s here.

Kamaji            : About time ye showed up, Rin. How many times I’ve told ye not to call your old man that? [picks up fish]

Rin                   : [glances around at dirty drawers] You seriously need to clean up. See: spider webs and dragon spit. Why is there dragon spit here? And a human.

Chihiro            : Uh… hi? I’m looking for work here.

Rin                   : [recoils and screams] Kamaji—why, why is there a human here?

Kamaji             : A human. A human? Seems I heard a lass screamin’… oh! A human.

Rin                   : [Tries to shoo away] Get out here! Geez, if the Witch finds out…

Chihiro            : Haku says I should get a job here. Could I? Please?

Kamaji             : Did he, now? Interestin’, interestin’.

Rin                   : It’s always him. It must be him. Didn’t he appear right here not that long ago?

Chihiro            : Wait, Haku wasn’t always here?

Kamaji            : [mumbles] Yes... yes… righ’. Perhaps I could smuggle ye in. If it’s Young Master that wants it, eh.

Rin                   : You can’t be serious—not the second time.

Kamaji            : Look, Rin, I would rather not disagree with Young Master, not now. Get her whatever work ye can. Lass, ye could follow me daughter.

Rin                   : Seems it’s better when there’s only the Witch around. We’d just get in trouble again! We don’t have use for a useless brat! That Haku—

Chihiro            : [confused, small voice] Haku? Trouble?

Kamaji            :  Come on, not even for a roasted newt found in the boiler? [holds up a charred lizard]

Rin                   : [thinks, then submits.] Fine. But you still owe me. Geezer. Come on, girl.

[Rin exits, Kamaji goes back to work. Chihiro is still nervous.]

Rin                   : Are you coming, or what?

Chihiro            : O…okay!

[Blackout, exeunt.]

SPIRITED, Scene I

Let me present, SPIRITED. As my final project for my school's drama class, we have been tasked to create our own drama based on a theme we picked together: Disney. Now, I did not really know a real good Disney movie to my liking, but I recently finished Spirited away, so...

Hey, technically it was a Disney Production. In the US. Anyway people don't care in class.

Here we go with the first scene. Notes in the end for sake of spoiler freedom.

SPIRITED

An adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away

by Nathan Hartanto

Scene 1 – Abandoned Amusement Park, near sunset

[Chihiro the young girl wakes up on a dry riverbed.]

Chihiro          : Ugh, my head… Mom? Dad? [Stumbles to her feet. After hesitating for a while, she crosses the riverbed to the amusement park.] Mom…? Dad…? Where am I? [Starts panicking as she moves through empty stalls. Finally, collapses in front of a large building, the Bathhouse, where she stops.] A… Bathhouse?

[Enter Haku the young boy.]

Haku              : [approaches, eyes widening] What are you doing here? [approaches closer] You must return!

Chihiro            : I’m lost, please, Sir, you must—

Haku                : There’s no time—look! They’re opening, they will be here soon!

[Sounds of opening doors, soft murmurs of people]

Chihiro            : [increasingly confused] Who—who are they… what is this place?

Haku             : No time to explain. Cross the river before the sun sets. I’ll hold them off for a little while.

Chihiro            : Hold who… why? Please, I’m—

Haku                : Just go before it’s too late! Now!

[Haku rushes out to exit. Chihiro runs back, past several spirits in black robes, to find the river is already filling up.]

Chihiro            : [Screams] The water! No, no! No… This must be a dream. A dream. [Pinches and slaps her face] Just a dream… come on, wake up. Wake up! [slumps down, defeated, sobbing] Wake… up…

[Re-enter Haku, who suddenly grabs Chihiro’s shoulder, embracing her]

Haku             : Shh… It’s okay. It’s okay. We’ll try again tomorrow. But now, come, follow me, before the witch finds out! Come on!

[Chihiro, still sobbing, nods, and they run back near the front of the bathhouse.]

Haku                : Now, look at me. Chihiro.

Chihiro            : Yes, Sir?

Haku                : Do I really look that old? Call me Haku.

Chihiro            : Haku. Okay…

Haku                : Chihiro, listen. Go under this bathhouse and look for Kamaji. He’s a friend of mine. Go there and ask for work.

Chihiro            : Work?

Haku              : You must, so that the Witch can’t touch you. She doesn’t like people from the Outside.

[Chihiro nods. Rain starts softly.]

Haku                : Get it? If he doesn’t listen, ask and ask again. Now, you really should go. It’s raining. Quick, quick, before the Witch finds out!

[someone off-set calls for Master Haku and he turns around.]

Haku             : Yes! I’m here. Look, I’ve never met someone from the Outside before, and… [sighs] it would be a pleasure to work with you, even for a day.

Chihiro            : [grabs Haku’s shirt] Wait, before you go, how did you know my name?

Haku                : I… don’t know, actually.

Chihiro            : Oh well. But I’ve never met anyone here… could you be my friend here? I have no one else I could trust.

Haku               : [looks as if thinking hard] I… I will. But really, you must go. Be brave. You could do it.

[Chihiro runs off, calmer and even smiling. Blackout, Haku exits.]

___

So, there you go. I thought to remove Chihiro's parents from the story as I only got to write a 30-40 minute show, and I just thought I would better develop other parts of the story. Does feel rushed, though.

By the way, I have no use for this script--no one would perform it, in the end, as it would only be made as a compilation book. So, if anyone wants to use this for their school drama, or any drama with consent from Ghibli, go ahead.

Spirited Away © Hayao Miyazaki / Studio Ghibli

Fanfic: Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso - Encore

As I said once, I still could not get over with this show. Perhaps, after posting this very short story; as a longer one will go against my own policy to never mess with the canonical story (and drag me with the feels for even longer).

And I would need to finish the manga. And forget about the songs.

Wow. That will be hard.

Encore

Story by Nathan Hartanto

Disclaimer: This is a fan fiction in the universe and with the characters of Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, property of Naoshi Arakawa and Kodansha.

With a gentle press of the last key of Chopin’s Ballade no.1, tears of joy in his eyes, he whispred one word: Arigatou.

He just knew, he had reached her.

-o-

For Arima Kousei, child prodigy of the piano, winner of many, many prestigious competitions, everything had settled down. Everything had come back to normal after that day.

It has been over a month since his return to this musical world, after the glorious applause after his most moving performance of the year has passed along with the coming of the cold frosts of winter, and with it, the second grade did as well. He can feel the cold through his new school uniform as he walked through the hallway of his new school.

To think of it, everything has changed since last spring. The spring where I met you.

Not only that he is now a senior. Nor only that his world has become colorful. Nor even only that he can play the piano once more, and leaving the painful rigidness of music. No, the best part is—

“Kousei!”

He was just at the door to his new classroom when he heard the voice. That voice. That voice of a girl, forceful and inspiring at times, stern or threatening at others, but cheerful and charming for the rest. And it seems that now is one of the times the voice is very cheerful.

The girl that sat all the way on the other side of the class, beside the window was happily waving at him. Kousei’s legs, almost in a trance, took him through the rows of chairs, still not believing what he saw. He put his bag on the seat behind the blonde-haired girl, as his electric-blue eyes met stormy grey.

—the best part is that the girl that is staring back at him is Miyazono Kaori.

-o-

“So, you also enlisted here?”

They stared at each other in shock of the question they launched at the same time. Then, without skipping a heartbeat, Kaori went up in flames. Threatening. “Why did you only rarely answer my phone calls? Where were you all day? Did you really think I’ll stay put being ignored?”

She flung perhaps a dozen more questions at him, but he stayed there, silent, the ghost of a smile on his lips. Just like then, the first time we met. The person in front of him is still the same Kaori.

“Answer. Me.”

There he goes again, the trance. “S-sorry… It was hard work practicing the piano!”

She could have scolded him, hated him, ignored him back at the time, but the bell rang.

The spring is coming. The spring where I met you.

Another spring with you.