Episode 11
Beach Vacation
***Special***
Part 1
(a little girl, about 4, is picking flowers in a garden. A man and another girl, about 16, are talking
in the background)
Man: Why don’t you take care of her? She should be your responsibility.
Girl 16: You need her and she needs you! She calls you ‘father,’ so you should start
acting like one!
Man: I do not want to be her father.
Girl 16: Father!
Man: When you are older, you will be the one to
take care of her. I do not want her here
anymore.
Girl 4: (holds a bouquet of flowers up) Daddy! Look what I picked for you!
Man: (angrily slaps flowers out of girl’s hands) I don’t want your
stupid flowers! (girl
looks up at him, teary eyed)
******************************************
(morning; Mika’s house.
Mika, the 4 year old girl, is now 10 years old. She gets out of bed and looks out the window
to see a field of flowers covered in the morning dew. She looks at it admiringly, and then suddenly
remembers her morning duties and quickly dashes away from the window)
(Now dressed, Mika rushes around, washing dishes, cleaning the
floor, dusting shelves, and vacuuming. She vacuums under a table with a picture on
it. The picture is of the man, a woman,
and a baby. Mika hears a clang from the
vacuum which she quickly turns off. She
pulls the vacuum from under the table and notices something gold that didn’t
get sucked up. She pulls it out. It’s a ring.
She drops the vacuum and stares at it.
In the center of the ring there is a symbol that appears to be a closed
lock. Mika looks at it curiously, until
the doorbell suddenly rings. Mika
quickly slips the ring in her pocket and runs to the door)
Mika: Coming!
(opens the door. It’s her (much) older sister, Girl 16,
Klora. Klora is now 22)
Klora: Good-morning, Mika. I brought some treats for you. (hands Mika a
box. Mika takes a peak inside to see
some yummy candies.)
Mika: (smiling) Thank-you, Klora! (sets box down)
Klora: Sharno and I will be picking you up at 4, so
make sure you get your things packed.
Mika: (excited) You mean I get to stay with you guys
this weekend?! Yah!
Klora: (smiles) I knew you would be happy. Now you’d better go finish your chores and I
have to go back to work. See you later,
Mika.
Mika: (waves) Bye!
(closes the door. Mika happily continues her vacuuming. While vacuuming, she sucks up something else
that won’t go through. She pulls out the
vacuum to see … a snail! The snail looks
up at her and smiles)
Snail: Koochee!
(Mika looks at it with a puzzled look)
******************************************************************
(outside of Noelle’s house.
Noelle slips her suitcase into the back of a mini van)
Tsuta: This is going to be so much fun! I love the beach!
Noelle: My grandparents take us to a beach house they
rent every year. I am so glad that you
and your brother could come with us.
Tsuta: Yeah, because Zaisan will now leave you alone
and Chinou will leave me alone!
(Noelle’s mother steps out of the house)
Mother: Are you girls ready to go?
Noelle: (smiles) Yup!
(gives her mother a hug. Zaisan and Chinou come rushing out of the
house. They take their seats in the back
of the van.)
Mother: Well, I’m going to relax for a bit. (sighs) Another busy day of work
tomorrow. (smiles) Have fun, you guys! (goes into the house
as Noelle’s grandparents come out.
Noelle rushes to them)
Noelle: Did you pack the tent?
Grandmother: Noelle, it is not polite to speak to your
elders like that when you greet them.
Noelle: (blushes) Sorry, Grandmother.
Grandmother: You are forgiven. And the answer to your question is ‘no.’ Humans sleep
inside and animals sleep outside. You
are a human, Noelle, so you will not be sleeping outside. (walks
to the van)
Grandfather: (whispers into Noelle’s ear) I put the tent under the seat so your
grandmother would not see it.
Noelle: (smiles) Thank-you, Grandfather. (runs to Tsuta. Both girls get into the van. Noelle suddenly realizes something) Tsuta, do you think
my horses will be all right being left alone for a couple of days?
Tsuta: They should be fine, Noelle. You did put plenty of food in the cabin, so
that should hold them.
Noelle: (nods head in agreement) Thanks, Tsuta.
**********************************************
(Tsuta
and Noelle are wading their feet in the water while Zaisan and Chinou are
surfing. Zaisan falls off his surf
board. In a life guard chair, Mika, with
sunglasses on, is watching the people swimming.
A 20-year old approaches her)
Chod: Mika, why don’t you take a break and go have
some fun?
Mika: No, that’s ok. I like watching the people swimming. I don’t mind.
Chod: Ten-year olds should not have to be life
guards. Hey, why don’t you talk to those
kids over there (points to Noelle and Tsuta)?
They look very nice. (Mika pulls
her sunglasses down her nose to see a little better. She looks at Noelle and Tsuta for a bit) Come on, Mika. Go have some fun for a change.
Mika: (slides down her chair) Ok, I’ll talk for a bit. But then I want my chair back.
Chod: (smiles) Sure thing, Mika.
Mika: (looks at her right shoulder) Let’s go,
Spirey. (Chod, surprised, pauses to
notice a huge snail on the back of Mika’s right shoulder)
Spirey: Koochee!
Koochee!
Noelle: (splashes Tsuta) Got you! (Tsuta splashes back. The two girls giggle)
Mika: (sunglasses on forehead; shyly) Um…excuse me… (Noelle and Tsuta both stop splashing and
turn around. They’re a bit surprised to
see a girl their age so well-developed) (shows hand) I am Mika and this is Spirey.
Spirey: (crawls onto her shoulder) Koochee!
Noelle: (standing up; holds her hand out as well) I am Noelle (they
shake hands) and that is my friend, Tsuta.
Tsuta: (not getting up) Hi.
Mika: Do you come to the beach often?
Noelle: Well, my family and I come here once a
year. This is Tsuta’s first time,
though.
Tsuta: (snaps) First time with you, you mean.
Mika: Do you guys want to play a little volleyball?
Noelle: Yeah, sure!
(she and Mika take off)
Tsuta: (grumbley gets up) She meets a new friend and already
leaves me behind. Nothing hurts more
than being ditched by a so-called friend.
Kaigara: (waving excitedly) Tsuta!
You’re here, too!!!
Tsuta: (roles eyes) I spoke too soon.
************************************************
(volleyball court; Noelle and Mika are hitting the ball back
and forth while talking)
Noelle: So how often do you come here? (looks up to see a
quick glimpse of Daraku running in the background)
Mika: (hits ball) Not to brag, but my family is pretty
wealthy. My sister’s husband, Sharno,
works with my father’s private business.
My sister, Klora, works on the beach; cleaning it up and studying
it. That is why Klora and Sharno have a
house on the beach. I come often to
visit them.
Noelle: That must be nice. (hits ball)
Mika: It is.
It really is. (the
ball hits Mika’s court and roles to the side)
Noelle: Is something wrong? (walks over to her)
Mika: No…well…it’s kind of a long story.
Noelle: Oh. (looks up at Mika and notices a peculiar ring hanging on a
chain from Mika’s neck) What an
interesting ring…
Mika: (grabs ring) It was my mother’s.
Noelle: You’re mother’s?
Mika: My father would be furious if he saw me
wearing it. That is why I can only have
it on when I am at my sister’s house.
Noelle: Did you’re mother…
Mika: (sadly) She was much older when she had
me... (sighs)
I’d better go. (takes
off crying)
Noelle: Mika!
Wait up!
Tsuta: (from behind) Noelle!
Noelle: (stops and quickly turns around) Tsuta! I am sooo sorry…hello Kaigara.
Kaigara: Hi, Noelle!
Tsuta and I have been having lots of fun! We built a unicorn in the sand, and then we
got some ice cream…
Tsuta: (ignoring Kaigara) You
two left without me.
Noelle: I really did not mean to do that. Tsuta, I’m…
Tsuta: What?
You’re sorry? I got stuck with
obsessed unicorn girl all day! (Tsuta
points to Kaigara who is drawing a picture of a unicorn with her finger in the
sand. Tsuta and Noelle both get a worry
drop on their foreheads)
Noelle: Things could be worse.
Tsuta: How could things be worse when hearing
non-stop talk about unicorns right after going on a
vacation trip and being ignored by my best friend. (Tsuta starts walking in the opposite
direction) Why don’t you go hang out
with your new big-boobed friend. (leaves)
Noelle: Tsuta, wait!
(starts to follow Tsuta when she realizes her
foot hit something hard in the sand. She
bends down and picks up Mika’s ring. She
stares at the closed lock symbol in the ring) (thoughts) Why does this look so…familiar?
TO
BE CONTINUED…