The Plum Tree on the Hill [Screenplay]

Scene 3: To Meet Again

NARRATOR: The day was warm and sunny; and the heavens must have been smiling upon the fox spirit, for the moment she came to the plum tree on the hill, she saw the boy—who had now grown into a man—sitting beneath it with another jar of pickled plums at his side. Straightening her kimono, the fox spirit approached, and watched as his eyes moved up to connect with hers.

YOUNG BOY: Oh, pardon me.
[The boy stands up.]
YOUNG BOY: Good afternoon, miss.
[The boy bows.]

NARRATOR: He seemed nervous and uncertain. The fox spirit wondered if he could recognize her, for she looked very little as she had the last time they had met. Bowing, she offered him her best smile, and said:

[The fox spirit bows politely.]
FOX SPIRIT: Good afternoon, sir. Do you have any plums?

NARRATOR: She hoped that her words would serve to remind him of who she was. After a few moments of silent contemplation, where his eyes traveled all over her human form as if searching for a clue to her identity, recognition dawned on his face as he stared at her.

YOUNG BOY: It's you!

NARRATOR: The boy approached her, a smile upon his round face. Modestly, the fox spirit returned it.

FOX SPIRIT: Yes, it is me. It has been such a long time since we last met.

YOUNG BOY: It has! I thought you had left me! I would come to our tree every day for a while, just hoping to see you again, but you never came!

FOX SPIRIT: I did not want to leave you, and I would never leave you forever. But there were many things that I had to do.

YOUNG BOY: How is it possible that you appear before me as you do now?

FOX SPIRIT: I have spent many years becoming like you. So that we can be together.

NARRATOR: The boy stared at her for a few moments, the elation shining clear in his eyes. Coming closer, she felt him reach out and take her hands.

[The boy takes the fox spirit's hands in his.]
YOUNG BOY: You must come and meet my parents! They will be delighted to meet you! Come! We live right down the hill!

NARRATOR: Offering the boy a second bow, the fox spirit agreed, and together they set off down the hill. Her heart soaring in her chest as she listened to the boy tell her about his family, she hoped beyond all hope that they would find her as delightful as the young ladies she had modeled herself after.