WRiting Contest #3 - Story Script

Senior Category Winning SUbmissions

The Perfect Reputation
By Cadence Siu
First Place, Senior Category

Some say a new school unleashes a new persona. But tell me, (tilt head) if you change your name, your face, your personality, your silence, are you really new? Or just…heard? Maybe seen? (beat)

On my first day, I promised myself three main things. Literally only three.

(Counting on fingers)

Be seen.

Stand up tall.

Strive for the top.

My name is Elena, Elena Lee, the girl who used to be invisible, unheard, and unseen. At my old school, I learned what it took to hold a strong reputation, and the rules quickly registered in my head. They want you to be perfect, always have a smile on your face, consistently be on time, and never, NEVER talk back to anyone. Ever since that day, I have been practicing…practicing to fit in. Even though my eyes constantly scurried to the floor and my face aching from constantly smiling, I still practiced.

I knew I would never be the girl whose voice was never heard. So, from the moment I stepped foot in the hallway of the brand-new school carrying the aroma of sugary baked goods, I made a deal with myself. I would NEVER (project voice) be the girl people overlooked. Instead, I will be the girl people stop to listen to in the hallways. The only thing stopping me was fear–the feeling of being ashamed, making a mistake and ruining my whole plan. My eyes twitched, fingers shook, voice crackling, but… I continued on with my plan. I often found myself fiddling with my fingers when talking to my classmates and I don’t really know why I do it. I guess it's a habit? Maybe because confidence feels heavy when it's not truly yours to begin with.

Later on into the school day, I realized there was another obstacle in my way of gaining the perfect reputation. There she was, Amara, the perfect girl. She had immaculate grades, many friends, and was the captain of the Cheerleading Team. She was the type of girl who could care less about attention, except she attracts everyone effortlessly through her tactics and expertise. (In mind) Oh, well… I guess this role won’t be that easy to achieve, but never let fear conclude your story without resisting.

Suddenly, I heard a thump in the hallway, I looked over my shoulder to see three girls around my age, struggling to carry their textbooks. (In mind) Oh my gosh. This is perfect! I can go assist them and maybe make new friends. (Stretches out hand) I grabbed a stack of textbooks, only to trip over my own shoelace. (Enraged, yelling) IS THE UNIVERSE TRYING TO MAKE ME MESS UP? Books scattered across the sticky floors. I tried to pick up the books only for them to fall again and again.

(Beat, look at audience) Have you ever tried so hard to be perfect, only for it to backfire?

Then came Amara, she walked past me, looking peaceful, and not in a rush even though the next period was going to start in two minutes. What if I compliment her? Hi! Uh- I really like your… socks? She laughed. Not at me, but it was light, natural, perfect, and I was flustered out of embarrassment. At that moment, I realized something odd… The harder I tried to control every situation, the more I tripped, fumbled, and failed. Yet, somehow despite all these flaws, people noticed me. Not for being perfect, but for being normal. It was through this moment I realized all individuals have their flaws, (smiling), and maybe that’s the real reputation worth embracing.

The Nutella Tale
By Alex Liao
Second Place, Senior Category

Mr. Hendricks worked hard as a nutella jar inspector. Every day he would drive to work and passionately inspect and screw on the caps to nutella jars, twenty-six hours a day, eight days a week. According to him there was a perfect way to do it. He would carefully place on the lid then screw it exactly five times.

One morning he was eating his breakfast which of course was two pieces of nutella on toast, when he received an email. It was an invitation to deliver a speech at the International Nutella Jar Inspection Convention. He was so excited that he immediately began writing his speech. He practiced for weeks filling blank sheets of paper, revising and staying up late into the night.

Finally the day arrived, Mr. Hendricks prepared his best suit, straightened his tie, and got onto the plane. Eventually he got to the nutella convention, and stepped onto the stage, he opened his mouth, and suddenly met with hundreds of passionate nutella jar screwers all staring at him his mind went blank. You see Mr. Hendricks had two fears, people's opinions of him, and people staring at him. He wanted to run off the stage and go back to his hotel room, but he couldn't. What would everyone think of him? He couldn't bear the humiliation so he tentatively tested the mic.

After a few seconds of stuttering he found a flow. He realized that talking about what he loved wasn't that bad, in fact he sort of got carried away. Many maaaany MANY long hours later security came on stage to escort him to the exit so the next speakers could talk, but the audience stopped them. They had never heard someone talk so passionately about nutella jars. The precision! The detail! The passion!

The CEO Mr. Nue Tella walked onto the stage and intervened. “That was absolutely magnificent!” he raved. “I believe you have a future in speaking and nutella!”

And so Mr. Hendricks was hired as an employee trainer and got to speak passionately about how to screw nutella jars just right, exactly five times.

The Green Man
By Aariv Khanna
Third Place, Senior Category

There was once a man named Ronald who had nothing to his name but a lot of bad luck. Every night, he went through the streets, down alleys, across bridges, dumpster diving, hoping to find anything worth selling.

“Night after night, dumpster after dumpster, nothing! Just trash. I give up! What's that? Hmmm… a mysterious golden whistle.”

(Blows into it; sound of weird whistle)

The trash began to shake. A tiny green man crawled out from between the bags.

“Hey! Big man! That whistle belongs to me! Ye does not know what powers this whistle possesses! Give it to me, or I will pry it out of thy hands!!”

“No, I need to sell it for money! This whistle will prolly make me a millionaire!"

“If thy giveth this whistle to me, the recipient of a yearning ye shall be.”

“Huh?”

(Sighing) “If you give me the whistle I can grant you a wish.”

“I wish to be rich and famous!”

The green man snatched the whistle out of Ronald's hands and dove back into the trash. Ronald then went to the store and bought a lottery ticket to see if the green man was truthful. Somehow, Ronald won one billion dollars. His face was instantly everywhere, on TVs, phones, billboards.

“Yes! My wish has come true, I am rich and famous!”

But then he changed the channel.

(TV Reporter holding microphone) “Breaking news! A man named Ronald has cheated and rigged the biggest lottery of all time to win a billion dollars.”

Soon, a mob formed outside his house. They chased him through the streets, down alleys, across bridges, screaming his name, voices filled with rage.

Ronald ran until he couldn't feel his legs. Finally, he found the dumpster where he made the wish. The tiny green man appeared once more.

“Hey green guy, please reverse my wish. I am begging you!”

“Thy wish has been granted. Ye shall be grateful.”

Then the Green Man disappeared again,

There was now a man named Ronald alone with his riches, his fame, and the consequences he could never undo.

Lucky Farmer Jerry
By Cayden Du
Honourable Mention, Senior Category

Farmer Jerry was about to find out that the soil on his farm was quite unique after a large meteorite had crashed into his land the night before.

While investigating the site, Farmer Jerry accidentally dropped a bone from the fried chicken he had been eating into the soil. The next morning he woke to find a small tree that had chicken bones hanging from each branch.

“What in the name of Colonel Sanders is going on here?!” Farmer Jerry exclaimed.

Then Farmer Jerry got an idea.

“What if I drop a whole fried chicken into this here soil?”

So he did.

Plunk

And the very next morning, to his delight, there in the field was a large tree and from each branch hung a beautiful, crispy fried chicken.

“Eureka!! I’ve got enough fried chicken for 6 or seven weeks!” cried Farmer Jerry.

Then Farmer Jerry’s wife came out and screamed,

“You fool, we should plant something valuable.” So she dropped her diamond ring into the soil and they skipped back home happily anticipating their treasure.

Sure enough the next morning there before them was a massive tree with diamond rings hanging like cherries on every branch. Farmer Jerry’s wife plucked a few rings off the tree and they went back to the farmhouse to celebrate. Unbeknownst to them she had dropped her pocket mirror into the soil.

The next morning as the sun beat down on the farm they awoke to find the field, the barn and their farmhouse engulfed in flames. A tree of mirrors had grown and lit the area on fire from the sunlight’s beams. They lost everything. With the diamonds tey plucked from the tree they had enough money to buy a small apartment in the city and they never set foot on a farm again.

The Egotistical hare and the Tortoise
By Alan Chen
Honourable Mention, Senior Category

The Hare was bragging of his speed to the other animals.

‘I have never been beaten, when I use all my strength. I challenge anyone here to race with me.’

The Tortoise poked his head out of his shell.

(Clears his throat) ‘I accept your challenge.’

‘That is a good joke, I could dance round you all the way.’

‘Keep your boasting till you've been beaten. Shall we race?’

So a course was fixed and a start was made. Instantly the hare darted almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped for a snack in his burrow - crunch, crunch, crunch. And some television. He flipped through the channels - click, click, click. Finally , he found one he liked. Eventually, looking out his window, he spied the tortoise creeping across his lawn - plop, plop, plop…

“This tortoise is so pooped, he will never catch up to me. Time is due for a nap.” (Snoring)

The Tortoise plodded on - plop, plop, plop - and when the Hare awoke from his nap, he saw the Tortoise just inches from the finish line.

(Taking out his phone) “I need an Uber right away to uhhh… (looks up at imaginary sign)

17 Burrow Avenue.” (Sounds of car arriving, driving, then stopping)

Plop, plop, plop. (Tortoise) “Yay, I win!”

(Hare) “I certainly won’t be giving this driver a good review.”

(Tortoise) ‘Slow and steady wins the race.’