Yumi. Disappeared?
Greta. Vanished into thin air.
Yumi. Vanished?
Greta. Had abandoned his family a month before you were born.
Yumi. Abandoned? My father? No, he couldn’t do that.
Greta. Titmouse. Old scandalmonger. If I ever get a hold of you.
Yumi. My father is a real hero! I wish I could meet him.
Yumi and Greta get into their dugout house.
Scene 2.
Morning. The same wasteland. Light snow is falling.
Yumi, Greta.
Greta. What have I just said, Yumi?
Yumi. Yes, I know, mom, I know.
Greta. Repeat it please!
Yumi. The first rule: never go far from our home.
Greta. In case of any danger run right hereinto. What’s next?
Yumi. The second rule: don’t go to the gully, since Pirate, the evil dog, lives there.
Greta. Watch out for him, son! What else?
Yumi. Look, I’ve come by some berries. (He shows Greta a bunch of frozen red berries.)
Greta. What is the third rule?
Yumi. The third rule: never trust people.
Greta. Especially those, who try to treat you to something nice and yummy.
Yumi. Yummy?
Greta. It’s a trap, Yumi!
Yumi. Yes, I know, I know. Let’s eat finally. Here you are, take it.
Yumi splits off a twiglet with red berries from the bunch and gives it to Greta. Then he throws the rest of the berries into his mouth and starts chewing them actively. Greta watches him carefully.
Yumi. (Stops chewing, screws up his face and spits.) Yuk, how disgusting! Mom, they are so bitter…
Greta. My little silly boy. These berries are called viburnum.
Yumi. Ugh… gross.
Greta. Here, have some of this. (She gives Yumi a piece of frozen bread.)
Yumi. Bread!
Greta. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get anything else in the town.
Yumi gulps down his whole piece so that there is not a mite left.
Yumi. Mmm… so tasty. But not enough.
Pause.
Yumi. And here we go again.
Greta. What happened, son?
Yumi. I’ve eaten everything.
Greta. Well done.
Yumi. I forgot to share it with you!
Greta. Nevermind, darling. You need to eat well in order to be strong.
Yumi. But what about you, mom?
Greta. I can put up with it, Yumi. The only thing that matters is that you can live through this winter.
Yumi. When I get older, I will be the strongest and the bravest. Just like my father.
Greta. My little dreamer.
Yumi. And you will be happy, mommy.
Greta. I am happy now, darling.
Yumi. Are you happy, mom? Here, on the wasteland?
Greta. Yes, Yumi. I am happy because you are here with me. And nothing can stop me from loving you.
Yumi. We will have our own home for sure. A real home!
Greta. Today is Christmas Eve. May all your dreams come true, son.
Yumi. What is Christmas Eve?
Greta. It is time when you can make wishes.
Yumi. Will my wishes be fulfilled?
Greta. If you really want it. With your whole heart. You will do just fine. Believe in your success and keep moving towards your desirable goal.
Yumi. First, wish for something with my whole heart. Second, believe in my success and keep moving towards my goal. That’s it!
Greta. I need some rest now. I’m going to head for the town again in the evening to find at least some food.
Yumi. I’m so hungry, my tummy is rumbling.
Greta. Be patient, Yumi. And never go far from our home!
Yumi. Alright, mommy. I will guard your sleep.
Greta gets into the dugout. Yumi stays outside.
Scene 3.
Noon. Fair weather.
Karabasov and Khorkov come into the apartment block yard. They approach the fence near the wasteland. Yumi hides from them.
Khorkov. All set, mister Karabasov.
Karabasov. Keep a close watch on the girl.
Khorkov. It’s not the first time we pull off a job.
Karabasov. You answer for this with your life, Khorkov.
Khorkov. My lads work without a hitch.
Karabasov. The key point here is not to let Malyshev smell a rat ahead of time.
Khorkov. We’ll put a good screw on him, so he’ll be putty in hands.
Karabasov. Are you sure that when we kidnap the mayor’s daughter, he will sign all the necessary papers and give away this land to us for building up? (He points to the wasteland.)
Khorkov. As if he had a choice. Malyshev thinks the world of his daughter.
Karabasov. I heard his wife died last winter.
Khorkov. Right. The girl lost her mother. And now she is our only chance to make the mayor of the city work for the welfare of your construction company.
Karabasov. Khorkov. I need this land!
Khorkov. I’ll do everything, boss.
A group of people enter the yard: Malyshev, Nyuta, a local newspaper reporter, city representatives.
Malyshev. Okay, let me see, Karabasov. What do you have here?
Karabasov. Good afternoon, mister Mayor. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming. Our construction company has been engaged in building up and development of this district for three years now. There was a time when it was a slum area. This is the place which spawned all the organized crime activity. With our company coming to this area, everything changed. We straightened things out and made these streets safe for the citizens.
A round of applause from