CHARACTERS:
Henry, boy, around the age of 12.
Charles, boy, about the same age as Henry.

SETTING:
Outside playground

TIME:
Afternoon at around 1 to 3 P.M.

BACKGROUND:
How the two children developed a friend relationship over an afternoon.

(Outside, in the playground, Henry is standing in shade, watching as the other children play happily. As he watches, another boy approaches him slowly.)

Charles: Hey!
Henry: Oh, hi.
Charles: Why are you standing here?
Henry: ….. I don’t know.
Charles: Don’t you feel lonely? Let’s go! You are my friend now!
Henry: Huh? Go where? Where go? What? We’re not fri—
Charles: Come on!
(Charles drags Henry by hand and takes him into the playground)
Henry: Hey, stop pulling me, my arm hurts so much!
Charles: Oh, sorry.
Henry: I don’t want to be friends with you.
Charles: But we can have so much fun together!
Henry: My daddy says not to play with rude people
Charles: Huh?
Henry: He says not to play with mean people too.
Charles: I’m not mean! I’m Charles.
Henry: Sure, Charles, but you are still mean
Charles: But we can have so much fun with each other!
Henry: I said—
Charles: Let’s go to the slides!
(Charles drag Henry to the slides and starts jumping around/playing)
Charles: Isn’t it so fun!
Henry: Sure.
Charles: Isn’t it so great!
Henry: Sure.
Charles: Isn’t this so cool!
Henry: Sure
Charles: Do you want to go to the swing?
Henry: Sure….. Wait I didn’t mean to say—
Charles: Yes! Let’s go!
(Charles suddenly stopped and stared at a huge tree)
Charles: Look at the leaves!
(Charles holds out a hand for the leaves to fall on his hand)
Henry: Yeah, it’s fall.
Charles: Do you think it’s called fall because the leaves fall?
Henry: Sure.
(Charles puts a leaf on Henry’s head)
Charles: Look! It looks so good!
Henry: Ewww take it off!
Charles: No, it looks so good on you!
Henry: Stop!
(The children starts chasing each other under the falling leaves)
Charles: See! I know you would play with me.

Henry: No.
Charles: Why were you standing there anyway if you are not doing anything?
Henry: I just wanted to.
Charles: For what? You are weird.
Henry: It’s not about me standing there, Charles.

Charles: What’s it about?
Henry: It’s about the others here.

Charles: Huh? They are nice

Henry: Perhaps they are

Charles: What do you mean? Just say what you want to say

Henry: Perhaps they are, to you.

Charles: To me?

Henry: Yeah, to you. Everyone likes you in the neighborhood, my dad always says you are a ‘likable’ kid, whatever that means.

Charles: I think he just means I’m a good kid.

Henry: Yeah, everyone just likes you, everyone plays with you.

Charles: And?

Henry: And, ummm.

Charles: And they ignore you?

Henry: Sure.

Charles: Well, it’s not your fault, you know. If they don’t like you, then you don’t like them

Henry: It’s not that simple.

Charles: Why are you so difficult?

Henry: They don’t like me, I can tell.

Charles: Oh I think I’ve heard about it.

Henry: Heard about me? Sure, everyone hears about me. They say I’m mean and not cool and don’t talk to anyone and yeah ummm sure, I don’t care.

Charles: If you don’t care you won’t be standing there alone.

Henry: What?

Charles: You care, obviously, you want them to hang out with you.

Henry: Is it that obvious?

Charles: I can even see. Come on, you are just staring at them like you are jealous.

Henry: Jealous of what?

Charles: Jealous of them, jealous of this good weather. Do you hate the leaves? Why are you always hiding from the leaves? They don’t stop falling, you know, and if you don’t like the weather, you shouldn’t even be here in the first place.
Henry: Just, ugh.
Charles: What?
Henry: I never liked this season, it’s so cold.
Charles: But the leaves fall.
Henry: It’s not about the leaves, Charles.
Charles: Then what is it about? Wait, what’s your name?
Henry: Henry.
Charles: What’s it about, Henry?
Henry: It’s about something else.
Charles: No tell me tell me!
Henry: My dad says not to talk to strangers.
Charles: But I’m not “stranger”, am I? I’m your friend, so you can tell me about it.
Henry: No thank you.
Charles: Fine, then I will give you this leaf.
Henry: For what?
Charles: For us to recognize each other when we meet in the future.
Henry: That kind of thing will never happen, and I don’t want to see you again.
Charles: Who knows Henry
Henry: I need to go.
Charles: Wait! You keep the leaf, and if I meet you in the future, and when we recognize each other, can you tell me about your story?
Henry: Sure.

Charles: Even if you hate this weather, even if you hate the leaves, even if you hate the entire season, even if they don’t like you for whatever reason. Please know that I still exist in this hateful fall season, and I’m a good reason for you to start liking it!

(Henry listens, freezes, and smiles)
(Charles give Henry the leaf, and they separate in opposite directions)

5 years later, in a coffee shop, a young man enters, looking inside the shop, and walks toward a table.
Charles: Excuse me, sir, may I sit here? There are no other seats.
Henry: Sure.
Charles: Oh I love the weather today, don’t you?
Henry: It’s a bit cold.
Charles: True, but the leaves fall, don’t they?
Henry: Yes.
Charles: They look pretty. I wonder if this season is called fall because the leaves fall.
Henry: Sure……
Charles: The leaf’s color would look good on your head, or actually, it would look good on anyone’s head.
Henry: Great imagination, sir.
Charles: I feel like I have seen you somewhere.
Henry: Me too.
Charles: May I know your name?
Henry: Henry, you?
Charles: I’m Charles. Wait.
Henry: Aren’t you the guy that put leaves on my head when I was little?
Charles: Wait, yes, now I remember!
Henry: What a coincidence.
Charles: Yes yes, it’s been, what, almost 5 years now?
Henry: Yes.
Charles: Would you mind, telling me the story you kept for 10 years?
Henry: I can’t believe you still remember that.
Charles: But would you?
Henry: Sure.

Charles: Wait, what’s that on your neck?

(Henry suddenly wraps his hands around his necklace tightly and wouldn’t let Charles see it)

Henry: It’s nothing, I thought you wanted to know the story? I can start right now.

Charles: No, wait, wait. Your necklace has such a good color.

Henry: What?

(He looks down and sees a corner of his necklace showing)

Charles: Also it has a good shape.

Henry: Poking your nose around is not a great thing to do, sir.

Charles: Oh, I’m sorry if I insulted your private space, I sincerely apologize.

Henry: You have become…. Very serious, and well, has a better manner.

Charles: I did.

Henry: Perhaps it’s not a big thing to show you my necklace anyways, well, you definitely should see it.

Charles: The reason?

Henry: The reason being, it was owned by you originally.

Charles: Wait, is that what I think it is?

Henry: Yes, sure.

Charles: Awww were you too shy to let me see it? Don’t be shy. Let me see it!

Henry: Ugh.

(He releases his hands and reveals his necklace, an orange leaf that is flattened and dried, wrapped in plastic)

Charles: I never thought you would keep that!

Henry: Really. Sure.

Charles: No, I mean, I never thought you would keep it for so long.

Henry: It means a lot to me, you know.

(Silence for 5-10 seconds)

Charles: Yes. I know.

Henry: I thought you wanted to hear the story.

Charles: Yes, continue.

Henry: Why so serious? My friend?

Charles: Wait.

Henry: What.

Charles: We are friends now? Really?

Henry: Of course we are! You said it 5 years ago, didn’t you?
Charles: Yes! Of course I did. Shall we pursue the story?

(Henry smiles, and sips his coffee, starts talking)
(Scene ends).