© Maxim Titovets, 2020

ISBN 978-5-0051-5436-1

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 person’s 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. Won’t I just catch you!

Yang. Uh-huh.

Yumi. Tadpoles!

Yang. Ha-ha. What a clumsy puppy!

Yin. It’s not a puppy, but a snail!

Yumi. So that’s what you’re saying! Woof! (He comes for the little mouse, who stands on a small heap of snow and pulls it all down).

Yang. It’s 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, you’d 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 crow’s 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! We’ll be quits yet! You won’t 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 don’t look like a hero. I’m 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. I’m 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 you’ve stolen!

Toy. Yeah, right.

Yumi. I mean it!

Toy. Oh, I’m so scared.

Yumi. Put the sausage back!

Toy. What’s 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. I’ve got you there.

Toy. Fffhhh!!!

Yumi. Serves you right!

Toy. Oh.

The kitten tries to free himself but only gets more enmeshed.

Yumi. I’ll 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! Who’s shouting here?

Yumi (to Toy). It is Pirate, run! (He runs away towards his dugout house).

Pirate. Freeze!

Toy. Fffhhh…

Pirate. Ah! It’s you, petty burglar. Got you in the end.

Toy. Fffhhh!!!

Pirate. This is the end for you.

Yumi comes back and stands behind Pirate’s back. A titmouse flies to the wasteland.

Yumi. Don’t 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. Don’t 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!!! Don’t 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. I’d finish you off but I’ve 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, I’m 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. Let’s 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. Don’t 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! Don’t mess with the boy’s head. (She shoos the titmouse away).

Titmouse. You are one to talk. You are one to talk… (She flies away). Thunder! Your father’s name was Thunder!

Yumi. Thunder. Mom! My father’s name was Thunder.

Greta. Don’t 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 couldn’t 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. What’s next?

Yumi. The second rule: don’t go to the gully, since Pirate, the evil dog, lives there.

Greta. Watch out for him, son! What else?

Yumi. Look, I’ve 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. It’s a trap, Yumi!

Yumi. Yes, I know, I know. Let’s 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 wasn’t 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. I’ve 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. That’s it!

Greta. I need some rest now. I’m going to head for the town again in the evening to find at least some food.

Yumi. I’m 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. It’s 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. We’ll put a good screw on him, so he’ll be putty in hands.

Karabasov. Are you sure that when we kidnap the mayor’s daughter, he will sign all the necessary papers and give away this land to us for building up? (He points to the wasteland).

Khorkov. As if he had a choice. Malyshev thinks the world of his daughter.

Karabasov. I heard his wife died last winter.

Khorkov. Right. The girl lost her mother. And now she is our only chance to make the mayor of the city work for the welfare of your construction company.

Karabasov. Khorkov. I need this land!

Khorkov. I’ll do everything, boss.

A group of people enter the yard: Malyshev, Nyuta, a local newspaper reporter, city representatives.

Malyshev. Okay, let me see, Karabasov. What do you have here?

Karabasov.