The Missing Piece // Scarlett Johansson x Daughter

The Found Piece

The rain hadn't stopped since the night before. The constant tapping of the drops on the plywood roof gently mixed with the laughter and conversations of children sharing stories about their favorite cartoons, recently acquired toys, and family outings. June, with her face pressed against the glass, watched the schoolyard melancholically. The swings, beaten by the downpour, swayed softly with each gust of wind. Beside her, Amanda shared the same somber contemplation.

"It's not working," Amanda whispered, her voice so faint it seemed she feared even her soft murmur might break the delicate charm of the ritual they had attempted.

"But we followed all the steps exactly," June replied, moving away from the window with resignation. The tip of her nose, reddened from the cold, retained a crimson hue for a few more seconds.

Amanda turned to her, her eyes reflecting a mix of frustration that soon gave way to a glimmer of hope. "What if we got it wrong?" Her question caught June's attention. "Maybe instead of doing the dance to stop the rain, we did the rain dance. Look, it's raining even more now," she whispered cautiously, worried if any classmate might scold them.

June blinked thoughtfully. "It's possible, but I followed all the steps Uncle Chris taught me."

Amanda frowned silently, and June shrugged. "Did he trick me?" she said with a furrowed brow, showing her irritation. "He once told me he was Santa Claus, and that was a lie. When I see him, I'll tell him he's a liar."

"My moms watched a movie called 'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.' If that boy could tame the wind, why couldn't we tame the clouds?" Amanda suggested. "You can ask your mom if you can stay over at my house on Friday, and we can watch it together."

June's little blonde head nodded enthusiastically.

The end-of-recess bell rang, drawing complaints from the children, even though the bad weather had kept them from playing outside. June and Amanda returned to their seats just as the teacher began to erase the blackboard.

"Does anyone have a pencil sharpener?" whispered a child's voice.

Before Amanda could react, June searched her own case and passed the sharpener to the girl. It was the third one she had left in class, and it always disappeared. Discreetly, her green eyes followed the girl to the trash bin, keeping watch until she returned to hand back the sharpener.

"Thank you, June."

"You're welcome, Brenda," June smiled, storing her small possession back in the case. Beside her, a laugh made her turn to see Amanda, chuckling under her breath.

"Stuart, it's your turn to read the first three paragraphs. The rest of you, get your pencils and notebooks ready. We're going to write."

Scarlett was in a meeting with her talent agent, a meeting she had postponed twice because she already knew the topic of discussion: her recent rejection of several film offers that, according to her agent, promised to be blockbuster hits. Scarlett didn't doubt the commercial potential of these projects, but she was reluctant to accept the roles.

"I understand your fee has gone up, but he's a good director. He always generates box office hits, and the role isn't bad—you'd give it spark," her agent argued.

"It's not about the fee, Bryan. I've spent years fighting for roles that allow me to demonstrate my acting ability beyond my physical appearance. These roles would be a step backward, and they don't even have an interesting backstory," Scarlett replied firmly.

Bryan remained silent while listening to his client. He understood her point of view, but his duty was always to point out the potential box office success of a film. Seeing how certain Scarlett was and knowing she wouldn't change her mind, he closed the folder, ending the discussion about the rejected roles.