Work Text:
May 5th, 1991
(The waiting room was quiet until it was suddenly shattered by a loud echoing scream from the delivery ward. Inside, Ms. Anderson lets out an exhausted breath. The toon doctor- a friendly hound wearing thick glasses carefully steps forward.)
Hound Doctor: (Smiling warmly) Congratulations, Ms. Anderson! It’s a beautiful healthy baby girl!
Cat Nurse: (Cradles a clean baby gently) It’s actually a boy, it has something between the legs.
Hound Doctor: Say is there a boyfriend for us to call from the waiting room?
Ms. Anderson: (huffs) Oh… no… I have a girlfriend who is transgender… she is… coming back on an out-of-town trip right now…
(The toon doctor and nurse blink for a brief second, before their faces light up with enthusiastic smiles)
Hound Doctor: Ah, wonderful! A massive congratulations to both of you mothers.
Cat Nurse: (gently handing the baby over) Here she is, Ms. Anderson. You’re beautiful daughter. Do you have a name in mind?
(Ms. Anderson cradles the baby girl close to her chest. She looks down seeing black hair on the baby’s head, watching her eyes open, she thinks about the names her transgender girlfriend gave her before she suggested a better name before giggling softly.)
Ms. Anderson: (gently rocking the baby) Well… her other mommy gave me some names…. But… I think… Amitie should be the name since it’s friendly!
(The baby girl, Amitie, coos softly in response as her tiny fingers reach up to touch her mother’s hand… and with her girlfriend not present, Ms. Anderson will be the best single mother she’ll ever be.)
June 5th, 1991
(One month later, hidden deep within the shadows of the overgrown bushes and trees, an unnamed woman with vibrant cyan hair stands perfectly still. She wears a heavy disguise, her hood pulled low as her eyes dart around the neighborhood. Clutched tightly in her arms is a tiny bundle wrapped in a soft warm blanket. It is a newborn baby girl, peaceful and sound asleep. Through the leaves, the woman watches the Wumtashi couple walking up their front driveway, a young couple smiling warmly talking softly to one another.)
Ms. Wumtashi: You know… since I can’t get pregnant… I always wonder what our own child would be like one day. A boy, a girl… I just hope they’re full of life and healthy.
Mr. Wumtashi: Whatever the future holds, they will be loved more than anything in the world, but for now we should go inside our house where it’s warm.
(They open their front door and step into the warm glowing light of their home, closing the door softly behind them. The cyan-haired woman waits until the streets are completely silent, moving swiftly and quietly slipped out from behind the bushes and darts up the porch and places the basket and then settles the baby girl and slides the folded note between the blanket and places her finger on the doorbell.)
DING-DONG
(After ringing the doorbell, the woman ran off into the dark startling the sleeping infant, the baby girl wrinkles her tiny face, opens her eyes, and begins to cry softly into the cool night air, footsteps were heard inside as Mr. and Ms. Wumtashi opens the door together, looking around the empty porch in confusion.)
Mr. Wumtashi: Hello? Is anyone there?
Ms. Wumtashi: (gasping, looking down at her feet, seeing a basket with a baby inside) Oh my goodness! Dear, look!
(She kneels down immediately, her heart pounds as she sees the crying baby girl wriggling in the basket, gently scooping the infant up into her arms, rocking her close to her chest to soothe the crying. Mr. Wumtashi picks up the folded paper left inside the basket.)
Mr. Wumtashi: (reads the notes) Please… take care of this sweet baby girl. Give her the life and safety she deserves.
(The couple exchange a look of pure, utter bewilderment, which instantly melts into a rush of overwhelming excitement and joy. Tears well up into Ms. Wumtashi’s eyes as the baby girl stops crying, looking up at her with big, curious eyes.)
Ms. Wumtashi: A baby girl… she even has blue hair! She’s so beautiful. We were just talking about having a kid one day, and now… she’s here!
Mr. Wumtashi: Well, we have a daughter to take care of. We should think of a name.
(They step back inside, locking the door behind them, sitting together on the living room couch as they cradle the newborn, gently touching her tiny hands.)
Ms. Wumtashi: Hmm… I know, we should name her like a beautiful gemstone… Let’s name her Amber!
Mr. Wumtashi: That is a beautiful name! It’s strong, bright, and precious!
(As the two welcomed their bundle of joy into the house, meanwhile with the cyan-haired woman who is watching behind the tree lets out a quiet heavy sigh of relief)
???: She is safe with them. They’ll give her a wonderful life… besides, one child is enough to take care of for me and my husband to handle.
(A few months have passed, and the living room is warm but cluttered with baby toys, pacifiers, and formula bottles. On the floor, baby Amitie is now a few months old sitting on the play mat and coos softly and reaches for a plush toy. Ms. Anderson steps into the room carrying a laundry basket, she looks exhausted but smiles down on her daughter.)
DING-DONG
(The front doorbell echoes as Amitie blinks startled by the sound as Ms. Anderson sets the laundry basket down on the couch)
Ms. Anderson: (sighs softly) Hold on, sweetie. Mommy’s gonna take care of something.
(She walks to the front door and swings it open to which the porch is completely empty as she raises her eyebrow looking left and right down the sidewalk as she looks down and spots a small box sitting on the welcome mat.)
Ms. Anderson: Whoever delivers this package is getting faster and faster…
(She leans down to pick up the box and steps inside closing the door with her foot and carries the box over the kitchen counter as she uses a house key to slice through the packing tape and pulls the cardboard flaps open and inside nestled by bubble warp, sits a single sleep canister.)
(It’s a can of hair color spray as Ms. Anderson blinks below the brand label reading “ACME: PERMANENT BLONDE-SUNSHINE YELLOW HAIR SPRAY” turning the spray can around as underneath the instructions, a tiny label in microscopic print reads: Caution: Side effects may include sudden cartoonish transformation, explosive reaction, or attracting coyotes. Use at your own risk.)
Ms. Anderson: An ACME product? Making cosmetics?
(From the living room, Amitie lets out a happy coo as Ms. Anderson looks from the yellow spray can over towards her dark-haired daughter as a sudden caution thought crossed her mind. Ms. Anderson walks to the living room holding the spray can and kneels down on the pay mat next to Amitie who is still happily playing.)
Ms. Anderson: Let’s see if this stuff actually works, sweetie. Just a little touch-up…
(She gently guards Amitie’s eyes with one hand and presses down on the nozzle)
PFFFT!
(A soft cloud of vibrant, sparkling sunshine-yellow mist blankets Amitie’s hair as the mist clears instantly as Ms. Anderson gasps in pure delight as Amitie’s black hair begins to transform into a bright blonde color, not a single dark strand is left as the color locks completely naturally, full of shine and bounce.)
Ms. Anderson: (beaming with happiness) Oh look at you! It actually worked! You look absolutely beautiful, Amitie!
(Amitie giggles as she is completely unfazed by her new hair color as she turns her attention back to a colorful plastic shape sorter ou sitting on the mat in front of her as Ms. Anderson watches closely, leaning in as Amitie’s tiny fingers grip a bright blue square shape and moves it over the top of the toy and examines the different openings and with a surprise focus for a baby her age and she lines up the edges perfectly and pushes it right into the square home.)
CLINK
(The square block drops perfectly inside as Amitie lets out a victorious coo and claps her tiny hands together as Ms. Anderson’s eyes light up with immense joy and scoops Amitie up into her arms, pressing a big kiss to her head)
Ms. Anderson: (laughs happily) Smart girl! My beautiful smart blonde baby girl! You’re gonna do amazing things one day. With a mind bright as yours, and cheerful… You're gonna be a magician one day. Nothing what life throws at us, nothing is gonna take our joy away from you.
(Amitie lets out a soft, contented sigh, leaning her head against her mother’s chest as Ms. Anderson holds her tight as the camera shifts to the spray can as there is one little label under the caution label saying “Blonde hair color MAY last in thirty years after first use”.)
(Meanwhile at the Wumtashi residence and in the kitchen as Baby Amber sits strapped securely in her high chair, wearing a bib covered in blue stains and in front of her is a small bowl filled with blueberries.)
(Amber scoops up a handful of berries with her tiny fingers and shoves them into her mouth chewing happily, getting dark blue juice all over her cheeks, chin, and hands. A few feet away, Mr. and Ms. Wumtashi stood side by side, leaning against the counter as they watched their newly adopted daughter with their wide eyes.)
Mr. Wumtashi: She really loves these blueberries. (squinting) Say, her hair is blue and her bowl has blueberries.
Ms. Wumtashi: (nodding slowly) I see it, dear. It all makes perfect sense!
Mr. Wumtashi: Well, our hair is different from her, so it’s possible that her hair was changed by the blueberries she consumes. Before arriving at our household!
Ms. Wumtashi: (relieved) Science is truly beautiful.
(Amber lets out a joyful giggle, holding up a single squished berry towards her parents as if confirming their theory is true as their parents happily watch)
(Eight years has passed, the playground is filled with families and kids playing around the park as we see Amitie who is now eight years old wearing a cute sunhat over her blonde hair sits on her knees making the perfect sandcastle. With intense focus, she used a plastic trowel and bucket to construct a massive, perfect sandcastle, featuring a tower, a hollow moat, and a delicately carved drawbridge.)
(A few feet away, a trio of troublemakers struts into the sandbox area as Yakko Warner, Petey, and Ren comes in as they notice the blonde girl with a perfect sandcastle)
Yakko: Hey, fellas, look! A new kid on the sandbox.
Petey: (steps closer, squinting his eyes locking on the blonde hair) Heh, look at her hair, someone must’ve put mustard on this kid's hair!
Ren Hoek: Mustard? It looks like scrambled eggs!
Amitie: Wha- look, my hair isn’t mustard or scrambled eggs, and I’m in the middle of making the sandbox and-
Yakko: You mean this? That’s a nice castle. But it's missing something.
Amitie: What could be missing? It looks perfect.
Yakko: This! (He jumps onto the sandcastle destroying it)
CRUNCH
(The sandcastle collapse into a flat mound of sand as the three laughs as Amitie watched her sandcastle completely destroyed)
Yakko: (laughs hysterically) I think that’s enough messing with the dumb blond’s castle. Let’s go fellas!
(The three high-five each other laughing loudly as they turn around and carelessly walk away from the sandbox. Amitie’s eyes filled with tears after her sandcastle was destroyed as her bottom lip trembles as she looks across the park toward a nearby bench.)
(Ms. Anderson stands near the bench completely distracted as she has a conversation with the other adults with a fancy looking woman and a shy polite-looking woman as they’re laughing and chatting completely missing what just happened.)
(Amitie pulls her knees to her chest, not wanting to interrupt her mom, and just buries her face into her arms and sobs quietly, her small shoulders shaking. Suddenly, a loud energetic voice cuts through the air as Amitie looks up.)
Mr. Wumtashi: Now play nice, sweetie.
Amber: Yatta!
(She sprints to the sandcastle ready to put her hands onto the sand in excitement)
Amber: Yatta! Koko nara saikou no oshiro ga tsukureru! (Translation: Alright! I can build the ultimate castle right here!)
(She notices Amitie goes back into crying as Amber crawls towards Amitie as she introduces herself to the blond girl)
Amber: Hajimemashite! Watashi wa Anbaa da yo! Yoroshiku ne! Kimi no namae wa? (Translation: Nice to meet you! I'm Amber Wumtashi! I look forward to getting to know you! What's your name?)
Amitie: (she looks up to the blue haired girl in confusion) Huh?
(Amber tilts her head thinking Amitie didn’t hear her over the noisy playground as Amber tries to speak louder and slaps her own chest proudly)
Amber: Mhm! An-ba-a! Watashi wa Anbaa! Issho ni oshiro tsukuro? (Translation: Amber! I’m Amber Wumtashi! Should we build the castle together?)
Amitie: (confused) …what?
(Amber begins to think for a second as her parents taught her english as she begins to speak to Amitie to understand her)
Amber: Hello, my name is Amber Wumtashi! What’s your name?
Amitie: Oh, it’s Amitie… Amitie Anderson…
Amber: Oh hi, Amitie. Do you wanna play with me building a sandcastle?
(She notice Amitie’s blond hair as Amitie flinches slightly waiting for a joke Amber is about to make fun of her)
Amitie: Go ahead… tell me my hair looks like mustard or scrambled eggs… tell me if I’m just a dumb blonde!
(Amber blinks in utter confusion, her head tilting to the side, she gently reaches out and taps Amitie’s arm to cheer her up)
Amber: Why would I say that? Your hair looks perfect the way it is. It’s just like warm sunshine!
Amitie: You… love my hair…? You’re not gonna make fun of me?
Amber: (shaking her head aggressively) No way! (she points at her hair) My hair is blue because my parents think I eat too many blueberries! We have some awesome hair colors! (reaches her hand to Amitie) Wanna be friends?
(Amitie begins to smile completely wiping away her sadness from earlier as she feels incredibly happy, reaching out and shakes Amber’s hand)
Amitie: You’re really nice. Thank you, Amber!
Amber: (giggles) Heck yeah! Let’s build a sandcastle together.
Amitie: Okay!
(Ms. Anderson pauses her conversation with the other adults as she notices her daughter playing in the sandbox seeing Amitie made a new friend)
Ms. Anderson: Excuse me, ladies… My girl made her very first friend.
(Ms. Anderson walks across the grass and steps up to the edge of the sandbox)
Ms. Anderson: (to Amber) Why hello there, little girl. Are you the first friend of Amitie?
Amitie: That’s right, this is Amber Wumtashi. She loves my hair.
Amber: Hello ma’am! I am Amber Wumtashi.
Ms. Anderson: It is wonderful to meet you, Amber.
(Just then, Mr. and Ms. Wumtashi walks up to see her daughter playing with Amitie building a sand castle and they see Ms. Anderson)
Ms. Wumtashi: Aw… look at them. They match perfectly.
Mr. Wumtashi: Exactly. A bond like that will be everlasting.
Ms. Anderson: I just know these two will have a bright future coming.
(Amitie and Amber built the sandcastle as they high-five each other as they laugh echoes across the park, completely ready to face whatever adventures the future holds…)