Tulpa

Synopsis:   Wanting a companion and someone to talk to, Maxine creates Anna, an imaginary friend who becomes real and starts to become violent.   She tries to steal Maxine from her parents and lead her into a perfect world.   All she has to say is that she belongs to her.  

~*~CAST~*~

Maxine ‘Maxie’ Gibson:

Henrietta ‘Hetty’ Gibson: (her mom)

Arnold ‘Arnie’ Gibson: (her dad) 

Clara Gibson: (her grandmother)

Matthias ‘Matt’ Gibson: (her grandfather) 

Mean Girl #1 (Bea):

Mean Girl #2 (Christine):

Bully Boy #1 (Dominick, aka ‘Dom’):

Bully Boy #2 (Chewy): 

Asthmatic (Craig): 

Anna: (imaginary friend)

Natalie Hanson:  (Gabby’s mom)

Andrew ‘Andy’ Hanson: (Gabby’s dad)

Gabriella Hanson: (Maxine’s new friend)

Caldara Hanson:  (Gabby’s grandma) 

Chapter 1—Misunderstood

Henrietta:  (seeing Maxine come home from school, no friends by her side, as she has for a few days now)  How was school, Maxi ?

Maxine:  (a bit sadly)  Ah, I don’t know mommy.   The other kids won’t talk to me.  They think I’m weird.   

Arnie:   You aren’t weird at all.   Sounds like your classmates might be bullies.  

Maxine:  I did everything you said, plus I tried all my best jokes.   They still ignore me. 

Arnie:   Those no humor loonies ! 

Henrietta:  (drawing Maxine close)  Say, I know what will make you feel better ?

Maxine:   (still a little down)  What’s that mommy ? 

Henrietta:  (scooping Maxine up, raising up her shirt and giving her a big raspberry)  Belly blow !  

Maxine:  Not fair !   You raspberried me when I wasn’t prepared !  

Arnie:  But it’s such a cute belly.  Neither mommy nor myself can resist.   (takes his turn, blows on it too)   I got a better idea though.   How about my homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream ?

Maxine:  (avidly)  Oooo, yes, yes, yes !  Daddy, you have the best ideas, ever !  (she jumps up and down and hugs his leg while doing a cute little dance)  

(They eat ice cream after he whips it up rapidly, and he takes her to bed, sings her ‘All The Pretty Little Horses’, kisses her, and Hetty kisses her goodnight too, flipping off the light. They head out of the room into the den, sitting down on their family couch together to have a little chat. ) 

Hetty:  Arnie, I’m concerned. 

Arnie:  About what, Hetty ?   

Hetty:  (holding onto his arm, gently, resting her head on his shoulder)  About Maxi.   She’s such a likeable kid.  Why wouldn’t anyone even bother to talk to her ?  

Arnie:  Heck, I dunno !   Kids these days are strange. 

Hetty:  (with an ounce of bitterness in her tone)  And cruel.  I remember when I was young I didn’t have many friends either.   Just because I was different from others. 

Arnie:  You turned out to be a real winner though.   I’m sure Maxine will too !  (pats her hand) 

Hetty:  (light-hearted laugh)  I’m probably worried over nothing then.   What a relief ! 

Arnie:  She’ll be fine.   Don’t fret, my pet.   (kisses her cheek) 

(They head to bed.  Maxine who was in bed somehow overheard their conversation.  She holds her stuffed unicorn close.) 

Maxine:  I’ll be just like everyone else.   Tomorrow, I am going to make some friends.   I’ll put on my best a game and slay ‘em from the get go.   They’ll see.   (yawning)  They’ll all see. 

(Scene fade) 

Scene 2—Kids Can Be Cruel

(It’s recess.  All the kids are playing in the playground.   Maxine wants to play double dutch with a couple other kids.) 

Maxine:  (wants to jump in)   Hey, can I play ?

Mean Girl #1:  What ?  You ?  No way !

Mean Girl #2:   Not wearing those clothes you can’t.   Where’d you get ‘em ?  A dumpster ?

(They both laugh) 

Maxine:  Who needs you.   I’ll find someone else to play with.

Mean Girl #1:  Good luck with that, Garbage Pail Kid. 

Maxine:  (shakes her head, walking away determinedly)

Bully Boy #1:  I said, give us your lunch money.  

Bully Boy #2:  Don’t make us take your inhaler again, Craig. 

Asthmatic:  Just let me go, Dom ! 

Dom:  Not until you give Chewy and I our well-earned greenbacks.

Maxine:  Dom !  Chewy !  Put Craig down !  He didn’t do anything to you. 

Dom:  Would ya just look at that ?   Little weird girl’s come to save you, Craig.  Didn’t know you had a girlfriend. 

Craig:  Shut your pie hole, Dom !   I wouldn’t play with her if she were the last girl on earth.  

(They let him go and come to harass her.  The bell rings.) 

Chewy:  You got lucky, chica.  

Dom:  Next time, you might not be AS lucky. (They both laugh, Dom pushes her so hard that she falls into the gravel and skins her arm.)

Maxine:  (getting up)  Jerks.  All of them.   I’ll make my own friend out of my imagination.   What’s that, Anna ?   Yes, I was quite brave, wasn’t I ?   No, they have no idea what they’re talking about.   Yes, Craig should be grateful, but his loss.  (laughing)  You’re funny, Anna !  

(scene shift) 

Hetty:  There’s my little milkshake !  How was school ? 

Maxi:   Hi mom, hi dad !  (She goes up to hug them)  I dealt with some bullies.  They were trying to get Craig’s lunch money but I stopped them. 

Arnie: That was awfully brave !   I’m proud of you.   Hey, are you holding someone’s hand ?  There’s no one there. 

Maxi:  No, I’m sure he didn’t mean that.   Oh, that’s right !  I need to introduce you.

Hetty:  (gives Arnie a quizzical look but dismisses it anyway.  She feels that Maxine’s just being imaginative)  Introduce us ? 

Arnie:  To whom ?

Maxi:  (laughing)  Anna !  She’s my new friend !   I just met her today !  She’s slightly older than me but we like all the same things.   She loves vegetables, music, sweets and soft, cute furry things like the kitten down the road that sometimes follows me home.  I’ve named her Nebula because it just seems to suit her for some odd reason. 

Hetty:  (whispering to Arnie)  I don’t know if I like this.   Isn’t Maxine a little old to be having an imaginary friend ? 

Arnie:   I don’t see anything wrong with it, doll.   I mean, she is a very creative child.   When I was her age, I had imaginary friends before I met Chris.   He’s still the closest thing I have to a brother. 

Hetty:  (she starts to feel more at ease with him stroking her arm)   I guess there’s nothing strange about her having an imaginary friend.   (warmly) Hello, Anna.  Welcome to the family. 

Arnie: Good to have you on board. 

Maxi:  (gleefully)  Fantastic !  

(Scene shift) 

Scene 3—Sleepover

(As Maxine speaks more and more to Anna she begins to take form and become more corporeal, she begins to show her true nature.) 

Anna:  I never really understood why watching movies is so entertaining, but since you like it, I’ll indulge myself.

Maxine:  You were never like this before.  You’re so pretty ! 

Anna:  Ah, yes.  It’s how you imagined me, dearest.  I find this dress positively ravishing. 

Maxine:   How does it  to have a body to walk around in ?

Anna:  A little claustrophobic, but I can still do whatever I wish.   Speaking of, I was wondering, do you ever get curious as to where I am from ?

Maxine: (leaning in, head in her hands, completely captivated)  Yes.  

Anna:  Let me show you.  (phases out of the normal world with her into her own dimension)  This is my realm.   Others like me come and go and they please and they come back for mortals like you to befriend. 

Maxine:  That sounds nice. 

Anna:  It works out for the both of us, darling.   Anyway, I can’t stand being in this plane by my lonesome like you were back in your world for so long.  I think it would be far too tragic. 

Maxine:  Certainly not…  We all need friendship to survive. 

Anna:  That’s exactly why I brought you here. 

(Meanwhile back in her room, Maxine’s parents are frantically searching for her, and she can hear their cries.) 

Hetty:  Maxine !   Where are you, sweety ?  

Arnie:  This is no time to be playing hide-and-seek, hon.  Tomorrow’s a school day.  Enough antics.  

Maxine:  Mommy and daddy are worried about me. 

Anna:  Yes, that might be true.  Think of this though.  Do you really want to return to a place where kids push you, knock you down and call you names ?  All because you were unlike them ?

Maxine:  (looking hurt at remembering that, she gets slightly teary eyed)  I don’t think so.  Those kids can be so mean sometimes.   Some of them are just big bullies.  

Anna:  (hugging her)  So, why don’t you stay here with me ?  You can stick with me forever, never get hurt again and I’ll give you whatever you want.  

Maxine:   Anything ? 

Anna:  Oh, I’m capable of a many number of extraordinary things, Maxine.   (mischievous, darker tone) You’d be surprised.  So.  What do you say ?  Stay with me ?

Maxine: I just met you in your new form not too long ago and I still don’t know you.  I like this place.  It’s perfect, beautiful and spacious but…

(Maxine’s parents call out, crying) 

Arnie:  Where are you, baby girl ?

Hetty:  Please.  Come back to us !  

Maxine:  My parents need me.   So what if I don’t have any friends now.  I’m certain that will change.  

Anna:  (huffy)  Alright.   You made your choice.   You’re missing out if you’re asking me.   (takes the form of a sparkly silver wisp)   To think we could’ve lived in harmony eternally.  Ah, well.   There are others.  I’ll find a willing participant soon enough.  

(appears back in her room) 

(Scene shift) 

Scene 4—What Just Happened ?

Hetty:  (hugging her daughter tightly as she appears out of thin air) What happened ? 

Arnie:  Where did you go ?

Hetty:  Where’s Anna ?

Maxine:  She’s gone.   She wasn’t really a ‘friend’ after all.  

Arnie:  (confused)  Huh ?  What do you mean ?  I’m lost.

Hetty:  She was a tulpa.  Something completely created.  Apparently a trickster too from the way Maxi is reacting to it.   I’m sorry.   I’m glad you knew not to give her a spoken aggrement.  

Maxine:  It was a bad deal, mama.   I would’ve been stuck with her.  She was sweet and all, but I want to stay with you guys. 

Arnie:  You are one smart cookie, cookie.   (he kisses her and tweaks her nose) 

Maxine:  I was taught by the best.   (narrating)  It had been a close call with what mom and dad called ‘the trickster’.  I never saw her even though I tried imagining her back.  Seems though the charm had worn away.   I went back to school like typical kids my age do, and the most incredible thing happened…

(Scene shift) 

Scene 5—Some New Friends

Craig:  (walking up to her a little embarrassed to do so)  Hey, Maxi.   Sorry about what I said yesterday. 

Maxi:  Hey, no trouble really, Craig.    (laughs) 

Craig:  Those bullies won’t touch me if they see me playing with you.  

Maxi:  Maybe this acquaintance is a good thing then ?

Craig:  Don’t think of it as that.  You’re my friend.  I owe you my life, girl.

Maxi:  (nearly busts a gut laughing)  Yeah, cuz I rescued your inhaler from them ! 

(They laugh for a while) 

Craig:  Wanna play catch with me ?

Maxi:  Sure thing !  

(They play catch for a while and the bullies stay away.   Bea and Christine walk up.)

Bea:  Hey, you’re pretty good at that. 

Maxi:  (a bit irritated)  Why would we want you to play with us ? 

Christine: Yeah, Bea.  You denied her the fundamental right of double dutch.  Not cool, boo.  Not cool.  

Bea:  Fine.   We saw how you scared those big bullies away. 

Christine:  That gives you street cred in our book.   You’re a tough nut.  I like that.

Bea:  Consider yourself one of us.

Maxi:  That would make me a mean girl like you though. 

Bea:  Only on the surface.  We’re not so mean as the others say.  We were just being small minded before. 

Maxi:  On one condition. 

Bea:  Ooh, too cold, girl.

Craig:  Hear her out. 

Maxi:  Let me play jump rope with you. 

Gabriella:  Can I join in with you ? 

Maxi:   Yeah, sure !  The more the merrier.  What’s your name ?

Gabriella:  Gabby.  I’m new to the neighborhood and you’re the first friendly face I’ve seen in a while.   You don’t mind, do you ?

Maxi:  Mind ?  No !  Come on !  Let’s jump ! 

Bea/Christine:  (Starting a rhyme)  Cinderella dressed in yellow went upstairs to kiss her fella.  Made a mistake.  Kissed a snake.  How many doctors will it take ? 

Maxi:  Funny how everything is provided just at the right moment.   In that awesome second, I had a whole platoon of friends.  Not only that but after school, I got to meet Gabby’s grandma, Caldera.  She took us out for ice cream.  I’ve got a feeling that this is the beginning of some many wonderful years ahead. 

(A very beautiful symphonic rendition of ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ plays in the background as the scene fades.   A jazzy version of ‘Best of Friends’ plays as the credits roll, followed by Queen’s ‘Best Friend’.   Bloopers, gaffs and some looks behind the scenes are shown.   Credit goes to books I have read by Sylvia Browne and tales from my beautiful friend Tem, who let me know just to simply let tricksters be.)