The Adventures of Yumi
Theatre play for children
Maxim Titovets
© Maxim Titovets, 2020
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
www.maximtitovets.com
maxtitovets@mail.ru
Maksim Titovets
The Adventures of Yumi
Theatre play for children
The Adventures of Yumi
To Sofia, Alexandra and Yumi.
Maksim Titovets
The Adventures of Yumi
Theatre play for children
Translated by Ekaterina Zudova
Success is a measure of persons decisions. Dreams come true. You should wish for something with your whole heart, believe in yourself and keep moving towards your desirable goal. Maxim Titovets, 2020.
CHARACTERS
Yumi, a puppy.
Greta, his mother.
Pirate, a stray dog.
Titmouse, a gossipy neighbor.
Lord, a boss of the cat gang.
Toy, a kitten burglar.
Melisa, his mother.
Malyshev, the mayor of the city.
Nyuta, his daughter, 10 years old
Suvorov, a major, a local police officer.
Yin, a little field mouse.
Yang, her brother.
Crow, a black bird.
Khorkov, the house manager and the leader of the animal tormentor gang.
Corkscrew, his henchman.
Karabasov, a director of a construction company.
ACT I
Scene 1.
Christmas Eve. Early morning. Light frost.
A wasteland on the outskirts of the city. The house of Greta and Yumi is in the foreground, it is a small dugout blanketed in snow. A metal mesh fence is on the left, and an apartment block yard is behind it. On the right there are thickets of bushes followed by a deep gully.
Yumi and the field mice play tag.
Yin. Yumi!
Yumi. Grr
Yang. Yumi!
Yumi. Woof!
Yin. Yumi, we are here!
Yumi. Wont I just catch you!
Yang. Uh-huh.
Yumi. Tadpoles!
Yang. Ha-ha. What a clumsy puppy!
Yin. Its not a puppy, but a snail!
Yumi. So thats what youre saying! Woof! (He comes for the little mouse, who stands on a small heap of snow and pulls it all down).
Yang. Its not a snail, but a jumbo.
Yin. Fat clumsy jumbo Yumi.
Yumi. Woof! I will catch you and I will eat you!
The little mice laugh and scatter in all directions.
Yin. Yumi, eat me!
Yang. Yumi, youd better eat me!
Yumi. Woof!
Yin. Yumi, I taste better.
Yumi. Grr
A crow flies up to them, pounces at one of the mice and tries to carry it away. Yumi bites the crows tail. The crow sets the little mouse free, wriggles out of Yumi and flies away.
Crow(on the wing). Caw!!! Caw!!! Just hold on, you pup! Well be quits yet! You wont forget me. Caw!!! Caw
Yang. Yumi, thank you!
Yin. Thank you, Yumi. You are my hero.
The mice run away.
Yumi. A hero. Are there even such heroes? (He looks at his reflection in a lump of ice).
Pause.
Yumi. No. I dont look like a hero. Im just a little puppy. Now, when will my mom be back? I am hungry.
A window sash opens on the first floor, and Toy peeps out from the opening with a Сracow sausage between his teeth. Yumi catches a sight of Toy. He scrapes through a hole in the fence to the yard of the apartment block and runs up to the kitten.
Yumi. Hold on!
Toy. Im holding on.
Yumi. Got you, petty burglar!
Toy. Who are you?
Yumi. I guard this yard! Woof!
Toy. Shoo, tadpole.
Yumi. You are another.
Toy. Let me go.
Yumi. Put back what youve stolen!
Toy. Yeah, right.
Yumi. I mean it!
Toy. Oh, Im so scared.
Yumi. Put the sausage back!
Toy. Whats next! What are you going to do?
Yumi. Grrr
Toy. Fffhhh!!!
Toy jumps down, still keeping hold of his trophy. Yumi takes after him. They both run across the yard. Toy makes his way to the wasteland through the hole in the fence. Yumi stays on his tail. Toy rushes to the thickets of bushes and falls into a trap: he finds himself enmeshed in an old trammel.
Yumi. Ive got you there.
Toy. Fffhhh!!!
Yumi. Serves you right!
Toy. Oh.
The kitten tries to free himself but only gets more enmeshed.
Yumi. Ill show you how to steal sausages.
Toy. Go teach a fish to swim.
The dog named Pirate emerges from the bushes.
Pirate. Grrr!!! Hey, tadpoles! Whos shouting here?
Yumi(to Toy). It is Pirate, run! (He runs away towards his dugout house).
Pirate. Freeze!
Toy. Fffhhh
Pirate. Ah! Its you, petty burglar. Got you in the end.
Toy. Fffhhh!!!
Pirate. This is the end for you.
Yumi comes back and stands behind Pirates back. A titmouse flies to the wasteland.
Yumi. Dont move, you coward!
Pirate. Eh?!!
Yumi. You are a coward if you hurt the weak.
Pirate. What have you just said?
Yumi. You are a coward if you hurt the weak.
Pirate. You are barking up the wrong tree, you pup.
Yumi. Dont you touch the kitten!
Pirate. Grrr!!! You just say it
Pirate takes a couple of steps towards Yumi. The puppy stands still. Greta enters into the picture, starts forward and steps between Pirate and Yumi.
Greta. Grrr!!! Dont you dare touch him, Pirate!
Pirate. Grrr!!!
Greta. Grrr!!!
Pirate. And you are the same old brass neck, Greta.
Pirate moves back, comes to Toy and takes the sausage from him.
Pirate. Id finish you off but Ive got no time for this.
Pirate goes back to the bushes. Yumi approaches Toy and helps him get free. Toy runs off. Yumi steps up to Greta, and she hugs her son.
Greta. Yumi, my boy. You scared me so much.
Yumi. Mommy, Im sorry.
Greta. You left our housing and ran into danger.
Yumi. But Pirate could have killed the kitten!
Greta. These wrangles have nothing to do with you. Lets go home. (She heads for the dugout).
Yumi. One should not leave the weak to their fate!
Greta. Oh, Yumi. You are just like your father when he was young.
Yumi. My father? When he was young?
Greta. Time spares no one Yumi, keep up.
Yumi. My father, what was he like?
Greta. Dont ask me about it.
Yumi. Mom, please do tell!
Titmouse. Your father was the strongest and the bravest dog in the whole neighborhood.
Yumi. Oh really?
Titmouse. He was a police dog and fought with the cat burglar gang.
Yumi. Fought with the cat burglar gang?
Titmouse. Yes. And then somebody shot your father with a gun.
Yumi. With a gun?
Titmouse. Exactly, I saw it with my own eyes when they were taking him to the hospital.
Yumi. Aunt Titmouse, and where is my father now?
Titmouse. Half a year ago he was pensioned off on health grounds
Greta. Off you go! Dont mess with the boys head. (She shoos the titmouse away).
Titmouse. You are one to talk. You are one to talk (She flies away). Thunder! Your fathers name was Thunder!
Yumi. Thunder. Mom! My fathers name was Thunder.
Greta. Dont listen to this old twister, son. Your father disappeared.
Yumi. Disappeared?
Greta. Vanished into thin air.
Yumi. Vanished?
Greta. Had abandoned his family a month before you were born.
Yumi. Abandoned? My father? No, he couldnt do that.
Greta. Titmouse. Old scandalmonger. If I ever get a hold of you.
Yumi. My father is a real hero! I wish I could meet him.
Yumi and Greta get into their dugout house.
Scene 2.
Morning. The same wasteland. Light snow is falling.
Yumi, Greta.
Greta. What have I just said, Yumi?
Yumi. Yes, I know, mom, I know.
Greta. Repeat it please!
Yumi. The first rule: never go far from our home.
Greta. In case of any danger run right hereinto. Whats next?
Yumi. The second rule: dont go to the gully, since Pirate, the evil dog, lives there.
Greta. Watch out for him, son! What else?
Yumi. Look, Ive come by some berries. (He shows Greta a bunch of frozen red berries).
Greta. What is the third rule?
Yumi. The third rule: never trust people.
Greta. Especially those, who try to treat you to something nice and yummy.
Yumi. Yummy?
Greta. Its a trap, Yumi!
Yumi. Yes, I know, I know. Lets eat finally. Here you are, take it.
Yumi splits off a twiglet with red berries from the bunch and gives it to Greta. Then he throws the rest of the berries into his mouth and starts chewing them actively. Greta watches him carefully.
Yumi.(Stops chewing, screws up his face and spits). Yuk, how disgusting! Mom, they are so bitter
Greta. My little silly boy. These berries are called viburnum.
Yumi. Ugh gross.
Greta. Here, have some of this. (She gives Yumi a piece of frozen bread).
Yumi. Bread!
Greta. Unfortunately, I wasnt able to get anything else in the town.
Yumi gulps down his whole piece so that there is not a mite left.
Yumi. Mmm so tasty. But not enough.
Pause.
Yumi. And here we go again.
Greta. What happened, son?
Yumi. Ive eaten everything.
Greta. Well done.
Yumi. I forgot to share it with you!
Greta. Nevermind, darling. You need to eat well in order to be strong.
Yumi. But what about you, mom?
Greta. I can put up with it, Yumi. The only thing that matters is that you can live through this winter.
Yumi. When I get older, I will be the strongest and the bravest. Just like my father.
Greta. My little dreamer.
Yumi. And you will be happy, mommy.
Greta. I am happy now, darling.
Yumi. Are you happy, mom? Here, on the wasteland?
Greta. Yes, Yumi. I am happy because you are here with me. And nothing can stop me from loving you.
Yumi. We will have our own home for sure. A real home!
Greta. Today is Christmas Eve. May all your dreams come true, son.
Yumi. What is Christmas Eve?
Greta. It is time when you can make wishes.
Yumi. Will my wishes be fulfilled?
Greta. If you really want it. With your whole heart. You will do just fine. Believe in your success and keep moving towards your desirable goal.
Yumi. First, wish for something with my whole heart. Second, believe in my success and keep moving towards my goal. Thats it!
Greta. I need some rest now. Im going to head for the town again in the evening to find at least some food.
Yumi. Im so hungry, my tummy is rumbling.
Greta. Be patient, Yumi. And never go far from our home!
Yumi. Alright, mommy. I will guard your sleep.
Greta gets into the dugout. Yumi stays outside.
Scene 3.
Noon. Fair weather.
Karabasov and Khorkov come into the apartment block yard. They approach the fence near the wasteland. Yumi hides from them.
Khorkov. All set, mister Karabasov.
Karabasov. Keep a close watch on the girl.
Khorkov. Its not the first time we pull off a job.
Karabasov. You answer for this with your life, Khorkov.
Khorkov. My lads work without a hitch.
Karabasov. The key point here is not to let Malyshev smell a rat ahead of time.
Khorkov. Well put a good screw on him, so hell be putty in hands.
Karabasov. Are you sure that when we kidnap the mayors daughter, he will sign all the necessary papers and give away this land to us for building up? (He points to the wasteland).