CHARACTERS

AMÉLIE POND -  dramatic, kind, nerdy, fangirl

AMY SCAMANDER - 13-year-old, Hogwarts year 3, character of AMÉLIE; shy, nice, awkward

LACEY YOO - 12-year-old, 7th grade, character of AMÉLIE; sarcastic, easy-going, funny

PAYTON ELMINE - 13-year-old, 8th grade, friend of SKYE, character of AMÉLIE; outgoing, kind, friendly

SKYE KINTON - 14-year-old, homeschooled, friend of PAYTON, character of AMÉLIE; kind, shy, humorous

TIME

7th January 2017

PLACE

POND household, AMÉLIE’S bedroom

SCENE 1

(Curtain opens to AMÉLIE sitting on a chair in her bedroom, hopelessly staring at her laptop)

AMÉLIE

(sighs)

Ideas. So easy to express in one’s mind, yet so tough on paper.

(buries her head in her hands, exasperated)

Why can’t it be easier to just write something down? Too many plots, too many characters! How am I supposed to figure anything out? J.K. Rowling. How did she do it? How did they all do it? All those great authors, the ones I admire. How do they cope? I just don’t have the patience, or the time, for that matter! Sitting here monologuing to myself is too time consuming. Like eating a clock! (chuckles to herself, but quickly pulls herself together) (clears her throat) Anyway. It won’t help me get rid of my writer’s block. (types into the computer) ‘how… to… get rid… of… writer’s… block.’ Enter. (looks frustrated and groans) You weren’t much help anyway, Google. At least Word still works. (sigh) What’s the use, if I can’t come up with anything?

(types a few things onto her computer, but then shakes her head and closes it)

Well, it’s already pretty late. (yawn) I guess it’s not the first time I’ve tried to write past midnight.

(rests her head on her hands and her elbows on the shut computer, and slowly drifts off to

sleep)

(Fade to black)

SCENE 2

(The lights turn back on and we see AMÉLIE wake up and look around, confused. Around her stand LACEY, AMY, PAYTON and SKYE. They all look angry. AMÉLIE looks up at them, nervous)

AMÉLIE

(cautiously takes the computer off of her lap and puts it on the ground, not looking away from the visitors) Wh-who are you guys? What are you doing here? (seems uncomfortable and stands up; it’s awkward to stay seated)

LACEY

I think you know very well, AMÉLIE. (realises that she sounds rude and looks a bit regretful, but quickly attempts to hide it)

AMÉLIE

How do you know my-- wait. (a look of realisation dawns upon her face but it quickly changes to extreme confusion) I-- you’re-- but-- you’re not-- real! You don’t exist! I haven’t written your stories yet!

SKYE

Who said we don’t exist?

PAYTON

Yeah! That was a bit rude, Am!

AMÉLIE

S-sorry, but how? How are you all here?

AMY

I think we should all be asking you that. You’re the one who created us.

LACEY

You tell ‘er, Amy!

SKYE

You are her favourite, you know.

AMÉLIE

(still starstruck) B-but I don’t pick favourites!

PAYTON

She’s the one you think about most often.

LACEY

She shows up in practically all of your story ideas!

AMY

(really embarrassed) N-not all…

SKYE

Yeah, Lacey, that was a biiiit of an exaggeration. What about all of our stories?

LACEY

N Well, they’re slowly being forgotten, y’know. Just like that one about Rainbow Cat. He was a nice guy.

AMÉLIE

I was eight when I came up with him!

PAYTON

That’s no excuse! He’s a story just like any one of us!

AMY

Guys, let’s get back on track, okay?

SKYE

Right. Listen, Amélie, we don’t have much time.

LACEY

We just need to ask one thing of you.

PAYTON

Write our stories down. If you don’t, we’ll be forgotten. Gone forever.

AMY

Please. (a pleading look is in her eyes. She looks desperate)

(EVERYONE looks up at AMÉLIE [which is ironic, because the only one shorter than AMÉLIE is SKYE], the center of their small circle. They seem to respect her. AMÉLIE fidgets uncomfortably. She wants to help, but doesn’t know how)

AMÉLIE

So… er… what do I do?

LACEY

...Did you not just listen to a thing we said? Write our stories down!

AMÉLIE

I-- I would, but…

PAYTON

But what?

AMÉLIE

...I have writer's block. (looks down, ashamed)

LACEY

You can’t be serious!

SKYE

Seems like our path to fame and fortune is pretty BLOCKED off, huh. (she seems pleased with herself at the bad joke)

PAYTON

Skye, now’s not the time!

SKYE

Sorry for TICKING you off, Payton!

PAYTON

(groans, looks extremely frustrated and waves her arms around with an angry expression)

AMÉLIE

(looks discouraged but surprised; her characters are acting exactly like she thought they would in real life)

But how are you guys here?

LACEY

(waves her off) Unimportant.

SKYE

Come on, Lacey, you, of all people, should tell her.

PAYTON

Yeah! This is just like your sto-

LACEY

(cuts her off) -Spoilers! I’m not allowed to know the ending yet!

AMÉLIE

I’m sorry I can’t help you… but… maybe… I can promise to think about you guys every day and not forget you? (a small and slightly doubtful smile at her feeble attempt)

AMY

(shakes her head) No… I wish it worked that way, but the only thing you can do to help is to write our stories down before sunset.

AMÉLIE

But I don’t have any good ideas--!

LACEY

If you don’t have any inspiration--(wide, mischievous grin)--then we’ll just have to inspire you ourselves!

PAYTON

Great idea, Lace!

LACEY

Thank you, thank you. (mock bow) I try.

SKYE

But how’re we going to do that?

AMY

It’s a really good idea and all, but writer’s block is extremely hard to get rid of…

AMÉLIE

I appreciate your attempts, but I think I just need to wait it out.

LACEY

You don’t understand. We don’t have time to wait it out.

SKYE

When we’re forgotten, even you won’t remember us.

AMY

(hands AMÉLIE her laptop) You’re gonna need this.

AMÉLIE

Thanks, Amy. (she pauses, then the realization sinks in) ...you guys are real. You guys are ACTUALLY REAL!! Oh my gosh, I’m actually talking to you! This is sooooo exciting!

LACEY

There she goes… (sighs and watches AMÉLIE as she continues to fangirl)

(suddenly, she gets an idea) (whispers) Wait, guys…

SKYE and PAYTON

(whispering) What?

AMY

(looks at LACEY curiously)

LACEY

I know exactly how to get rid of her writer’s block.

AMÉLIE

(puts her computer down beside her) Alright, deep breaths… (tries to calm herself down, motioning with her arms in a yoga-type style) breathe in, breathe out. (takes a moment and finally relaxes) So… I have so many things I want to tell you guys! So much I want to do!

LACEY

Yeah, let’s just relax and be normal teens for a while. (winks at SKYE, PAYTON, and AMY)

AMY

(gulps nervously, [she doesn’t know what LACEY is planning], but gives LACEY a feeble smile)

(fade to black)

SCENE 3

(EVERYONE is sitting in a circle, playing a boardgame)

LACEY

(moving her game piece forward)-And he was just like ‘you better not fall asleep’! But, I mean, it was geography class. How can anyone stay awake through all that?

(EVERYONE laughs)

LACEY

Your turn, Amy!

AMY

(rolls two dice) I got snake eyes! Cool!

PAYTON

Lucky! Now you move forward ten spaces.

AMY

Yay! (moves her game piece) I never knew that non-magical games could be this fun!

LACEY

Just ‘cause you’re a witch doesn’t mean that your board games are better than our’s!

SKYE

We don’t have games at all where I’m from.

PAYTON

I know your tribe is weird and all that, but no board games is an outrage!

AMÉLIE

You can’t just skip family game night!

AMY

I agree! Although we usually play exploding snap.

SKYE

Well, we’re having game night right now, aren’t we?

AMÉLIE

True, true.

PAYTON

(gasps)

(EVERYONE looks at her)

AMY

What’s wrong?

PAYTON

L-look! (points at a clock)

SKYE

It-it’s almost six in the morning! We don’t have much time!

AMÉLIE

Don’t you have until sunset?

LACEY

Until sunset for you to write us, but we have to go when the sun rises!

AMÉLIE

B-but why? Can’t you stay?

AMY

You were right when you first saw us… We only exist in your imagination.

AMÉLIE

But how are you here? ...I’m not hallucinating, am I? I think I got enough sleep this week…

PAYTON

Not hallucinating, but dreaming.

AMÉLIE

Oh, good, I thought I was going mad for a moment there. (pauses) So, do I still have to write your stories?

LACEY

Of course you do! Just because we only exist in your imagination doesn’t mean that we’re not real!

AMY

That’s the reason we came. So you could save us.

AMÉLIE

I will write your stories. (sincerely) I promise.

LACEY

See? What did I tell you? All she needed was some time to relax and get to know us better.

PAYTON

Well, I guess this is goodbye. (shrugs and holds her arms out for a hug, which EVERYONE returns)

AMY

Group hug!

(they stay like that for a moment and then let go)

LACEY

Buh-bye, until next time. (walks off-stage)

PAYTON

Bye!

SKYE

See ya! (walks off with PAYTON)

AMY

(she’s the last one left with AMÉLIE)

(looks at AMÉLIE awkwardly)

B-bye, I guess.

AMÉLIE

(looks at her)

Bye, Amy. I’ll miss you.

AMY

Me too, Am, me too.

(they hug for a bit, then AMY breaks away awkwardly)

AMY

(starts to leave, and stops)

(looks back)

(takes a deep breath, and briskly walks off-scene)

AMÉLIE

(waves until AMY is off-stage, and then slowly brings her hand down, staring off into the distance)

(fade to black)

SCENE 4

(AMÉLIE wakes up in her chair, in the same position as she fell asleep in)

(She rubs her eyes, and finds a note on the computer)

(As AMÉLIE reads in her head, we hear her characters’ voices from off-stage reading out loud with her)

LACEY

Dear Amélie.

PAYTON

We had a great time with you today, and we’re really happy to finally meet you!

SKYE

I’m glad that we helped get rid of your writer’s block, and that you can finally write our stories.

AMY

Don’t worry, this won’t be the last time we get together. We’ll be with you in written form, after all!

LACEY

Don’t forget to publish us! It would be cool to be famous, wouldn’t it?

PAYTON

Anyway, we’re glad that we could help each other in just the ways we needed.

SKYE

Now, what’re ya waiting for? Go start writing!

AMY

And if you ever need some inspiration, you know where to find us.

(fade to black)

SCENE 5

ONE YEAR LATER

AMÉLIE

Wow, I can’t believe it, I got nominated for the awards again! People actually like my writing! I knew it, I knew that dream meant something! It was a sign, I know it! (looks at a clock nearby) I’ve been writing for quite a while now, and there’s school tomorrow. I think I should rest a little. (closes her eyes, falling asleep)

(LACEY, PAYTON, SKYE and AMY walk in, smiling. They are proud of AMÉLIE)

LACEY

Amélie definitely did a great job.

PAYTON

I love how our story turned out, huh, Skye?

SKYE

Yep! Now, we should let her rest. She deserves it.

AMY

Sweet dreams, Amélie. Sweet dreams.

(fade to black)

THE END