SADAKO From the manga "Birthday," a collection of illustrated stories based upon the novels by Suzuki Koji. This manuscript is intended for informational purposes only, and is a fair usage of copyrighted material. SADAKO and Birthday are (c) MEIMU, Suzuki Koji 1999 Published by Kadokawa Shoten Adapted/Translated by J Lopez www.theringworld.com For simplicity's sake, this translation has been rendered in a semi-screenplay fashion. --- VOICE (Sadako) I wonder when it first was... that I felt my body, my spirit to Be different from what we call "human." EXT. IZU OSHIMA - NIGHT CAPTION - "Late summer, 1946" GENJI, an unshaven man wearing a HEADBAND, sits at the helm of small boat, OAR in hand. Next to him in the boat sits YAMAMURA SHIZUKO, who is clad in a light summer YUKATA. GENJI Shizu? What're you hopin' to catch out here in the middle of the night? Shizuko looks out at the water, fierce determination on her face. SHIZUKO The statuette of the holy ascetic, En no Ozunu. GENJI (Repeating) "Holy ascetic"? SHIZUKO It was thrown out into the ocean by the soldiers of the Occupation Forces. GENJI But how do you expect to find it out there in the middle of the ocean? The water's so dark... Shizuko says nothing for a moment, then sits bolt upright at attention. SHIZUKO (Yelling) Here! Stop the boat. Pause. SHIZUKO (cont'd) Turn around! Genji winces, startled at the forcefulness of her voice. He does as she commands, and behind him Shizuko stands upright. She pulls on the sash encircling her waist and the yukata falls to the boat. She is now completely nude. Shizuko reaches to down and retrieves a coil of ROPE from the bottom of the boat. She places one end of the rope firmly between her teeth and then dives out into the cold, dark water. EXT. UNDERWATER - NIGHT Shizuko, rope still in her mouth, dives forcefully toward the ocean floor. SADAKO (VO) As part of the anti-Buddhist and Shinto policies put into place just following the end of the Pacific War, the statuette of En no Ozunu was snatched from its resting place in the Cavern of Ascetics and tossed into the ocean by Occupation Forces. Shizuko sees something GLITTER in the darkness before her. SADAKO (VO) It was almost as if it was calling out to Shizuko: My mother. Shizuko draws closer, sees the blank, emotionless expression written on the face of the STATUETTE. SADAKO (VO) She said that its emerald-green eyes had sparkled... After she brought that statue up from the sea, my mother was a changed person. CLOSEUP - Shizuko's face. She is dressed in a KIMONO, her hair pulled into a ponytail. SADAKO (VO) Though she'd never had any problems before then, suddenly Shizuko began to suffer from sharp, painful headaches. And with the headaches came the visions. On several occasions, images of things she had never seen before would form unbidden in her mind. And without fail, what she had seen would come true shortly thereafter. EXT. UNIVERSITY - DAY SADAKO (VO) The next year, Shizuko left her hometown of Sashikiji on Oshima Island, bound for Tokyo. Once there, however, she collapsed from the onset of a sudden, intense migraine. Shizuko was taken to a hospital, where one of the doctors introduced her to Ikuma Heihachiro,assistant professor of psychiatry at T University. CLOSEUP on the face of IKUMA HEIHACHIRO, a man with close-cropped hair and round glasses. His hand is to his chin in contemplation. SADAKO (VO) In other words, she met the man who would become my father. INT. LABORATORY - DAY (?) Ikuma and Shizuko sit at a TABLE. Shizuko's eyes are closed, her hands just short of five CARDS lined up in a row on the table. SADAKO (VO) Ikuma devoted himself to the study of ESP when he discovered that my mother possessed extraordinary clairvoyant ability. CUT to Ikuma grasping Shizuko by the shoulders, gazing into her eyes. SADAKO (VO) But their relationship went beyond that of mere subject and researcher. Though Ikuma was already married and had a family, by year's end Shizuko was with child. EXT. SASHIKIJI - DAY Simple exterior shot. SADAKO (VO) Shizuko returned to her hometown of Sashikiji in order to escape from the public eye. It was there that she gave birth to Sadako. Me. CUT to Sadako as a young girl. Her hair is cut in a short BOB, and she's dressed in a pair of OVERALLS. SADAKO (VO) Soon afterward she returned to Tokyo, leaving me behind. Three years later she came back to Sashikiji, and we went to Tokyo together. CLOSEUP on scattered MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS. SADAKO (VO) In the 1950s, my father and mother found themselves the topic of conversation in newspapers and weekly magazines. CLOSEUP on one magazine in particular. SADAKO (VO) Suddenly, the scientific basis behind the paranormal found itself under intense scrutiny. CUT to Ikuma Heihachiro, expressionless behind his glasses. SADAKO (VO) Not to mention my father's standing as assistant professor. At first, mass media and public opinion were favorable toward the paranormal... INT. OFFICE (?) - DAY A line of angry-looking CRITICS scream at something off to one side. SADAKO (VO) ...but something happened. A certain influential authority criticized the experiments, calling them fraudulent. This single comment was enough to sway previously deep-rooted beliefs, and public sentiment toward my parents began to falter. CRITIC #1 This is highly suspect! INT. DEMONSTRATION HALL - DAY Row after row of seated SPECTATORS face a STAGE. To the right of the stage is a DESK, at which are seated two JUDGES. A second desk and chair are located in the center of the stage. INT. BACKSTAGE - DAY SHIZUKO, dressed in a tightly wrapped formal KIMONO, is heading toward the stage. Sadako regards her mother anxiously. Shizuko notices, turns to face her. SHIZUKO Sadako... SADAKO Mommy, no! Those people out there, they're hoping you fail! CUT to a sea of blank-faced people, a twisted representation of the audience. SADAKO They want it... Those people want you to fail, and it'll just get in the way! CLOSEUP on Sadako, looking worried. SADAKO (cont'd) Why do they want to get in your way, mommy? CUT to Shizuko looking sad. SHIZUKO Sadako... Shizuko walks onstage, leaving Sadako alone and frightened-looking. SADAKO (VO) It was like she already knew... CLOSEUP on Sadako's eye SADAKO (VO) ...but even knowing she would fail, my mother had no choice but to go on with the experiment. CUT to two DICE lying inside a shallow BOWL. SADAKO (VO) There would've been no problem if only she could muster the power she usually commanded. There were two dice in a leaden container, and all she had to do was say what number they would come up. A simple enough experiment. Shizuko closes her eyes, a defeated look on her face. SADAKO (VO) But in the end, she couldn't do it. The members of the audience rise to their feet, shouting. CRITIC #1 [Top right] Fake! CRITIC #2 [Bottom right] Liar! CRITIC #3 [middle left] Fraud! Shizuko runs backstage and into Ikuma's arms. Sadako looks on in wide- eyed concern. Voices continue to echo from out in the audience. CRITIC #4 T University's "Associate Professor" is nothing but a cheap fraud! CRITIC #5 I knew you weren't for real! CLOSEUP on Sadako, her eyes open wide in shock. CRITIC #6 Faker! CRITIC #7 Liar! CRITIC #8 Charlatan! CUT to Ikuma, head bowed and hand clutched to his heart. SADAKO (VO) After that my father was driven out of academic circles. He drove himself to the brink, and was eventually hospitalized for tuberculosis of the lungs. CUT to Shizuko staring off blankly. SADAKO (VO) As for Shizuko, the public censure was a terrible blow for her psychologically. Shizuko and Sadako walk off, arm in arm. SADAKO (VO) We returned to Sashikiji in order to remove ourselves from the public eye. Time passed. CUT to Shizuko's limp body falling. SADAKO (VO) And then, when my mother threw herself into the heart of Mt. Mihara. I was left all alone. CUT to Samara looking blankly over at the crater of Mt. Mihara. SADAKO (VO) Looking out at the crater that had swallowed up my mother, a vision came unbidden to my mind. CLOSEUP on the MAGMA SADAKO (VO) That magma that could burn and swallow up anything in its path. That wondrous energy of the earth itself... An energy that must be released. CUT to Mt. Mihara erupting. SADAKO (VO) When I was touched by the overpowering force of that vision, I thought-- CLOSEUP on young Sadako, looking determined SADAKO (VO) --that one day I would get back at the world, at its people. Get back at them with this power that they had denied existed. EXT. BUILDING - DAY Exterior shot of an impressive, almost academic-looking building. A SIGN above the entrance proclaims it to be the "Okura Theater." SADAKO (VO) I graduated a few years later, and immediately moved to Tokyo. There, I joined the Hisho Acting Troupe. CUT to Sadako, now in her late teens. Her long hair flows past her shoulders and onto her chest, though the bangs remain cut short as they did in her youth. SADAKO (VO) Though at the time the exact details of my plan remained vague, it had already begun to take shape. No matter what, I had to succeed here, at the Hisho Acting Troupe. INT. OKURA THEATER - DAY CLOSEUP ON TOYAMA, a thin doe eyed young man with longish hair. He has a friendly, slightly embarrassed-looking smile on his face. TOYAMA You're really pretty good at that. Dancing. CUT to a shot of the room. Sadako, dressed in LEOTARDS and a loose- fitting TOP stands in front of a long WASHBASIN, with Toyama a short ways away from her. CLOSEUP on Sadako with her head tilted, her eyes softening. SADAKO (VO) It was the first time I'd ever been told something like that... Toyama stands with his lanky arms hang at his sides and continues to smile at Sadako. SADAKO (VO) Mr. Toyama Hiroshi. INT. OKURA THEATER - DAY Sadako and Toyama's clothes have changed, indicating the passage of time. CLOSEUP on Sadako as her mouth curls into a half-smile. SADAKO (VO) You were different. Toyama, laughing, places a friendly hand on Sadako's shoulder. SADAKO (VO) There was something about you that wasn't like other men. Sadako looks thoughtful. SADAKO (VO) I felt... a warmth flowing through my heart. CUT to a closeup of Toyama, his face and hair unnaturally bleached of color. He looks naked from at least the waist up. SADAKO (VO) Oh, Toyama! I cannot accept you...not in my heart, nor into my body. CUT to a profile of Sadako. She is naked and clenching herself weakly. SADAKO (VO) If you were to know me... I would surely lose you. So please, you mustn't love me any more than this. CLOSEUP on Sadako's unblinking eye. SADAKO (VO) And what's more, soon... INT. BACKSTAGE - DAY (?) Sadako stands alone in one of the rooms of the Okura Theater. There's a BLACKBOARD on one wall and a small TV sitting atop a DRESSER. Sadako regards the television intently. SADAKO (VO) Soon I will lose my very life. Suddenly the television cuts into loud, crazy static. PAN to show that the television is unplugged. SADAKO (VO) I can't help but feel that this is so. Which is why before I die... INT. OKURA THEATER - NIGHT Sadako and Toyama stand alone in a darkened room. Sadako wears her stage costume, a BLACK VELVET DRESS with a CHOKER, while Toyama is similarly clad completely in black. The two stand with their arms around one another. SADAKO Toyama... TOYAMA Yes? SADAKO What happens to people when they die? CUT to a surprised-looking Toyama. TOYAMA When they die? Well that's it, isn't it? SADAKO (imploringly) But what about feelings? Memories? What happens to them? TOYAMA Feelings. Memories. Well, these are things that we can't see... SADAKO But that doesn't mean they aren't real! Sadako stares at Toyama, a blank expression on her face. SADAKO Toyama. Even if a person dies, they will continue to stay alive so long as the memory of them remains. INT. MAH-JONGG PARLOR - NIGHT CLOSEUP on Mah-Jongg tiles, then pull back to reveal the rest of the TABLE. At the head of the table sits SHIGEMORI, mustachioed director of the Hisho Acting Troupe. He is surrounded by three male CRONIES. Shigemori holds a nearly empty glass in his hand, and his cheeks are flushed. He takes an unsteady sip of his drink. SHIGEMORI God damn it! That bitch has got some fuckin' nerve. Shigemori holds his empty glass out angrily to a bowtied WAITER. SHIGEMORI Hey! Gimme another whiskey. CRONIE #! Mr. Shigemori, maybe you've had enough... SHIGEMORI I'm fuckin' marchin' over to Sadako's right now! EXT. SADAKO'S APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT A very drunk Shigemori lurches up the steps of Sadako's apartment. INT. SADAKO'S APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Shigemori bangs a meaty fist against the door to Sadako's room. SHIGEMORI (yelling) Sadako! He leans his drunken body heavily against the door. SHIGEMORI Hey! Sadako! CLOSEUP on Shigemori's face. Spittle flies from his mouth as he yells loudly, insanely. SHIGEMORI SADAKO! The door suddenly opens, and we catch a glimpse of Sadako's left eye. A sleepy, evil-looking eye. SADAKO Go ahead. Pull back to show Sadako standing in the doorway. She's wearing a robe that's been intentionally left open. Far from looking pleased, however, Shigemori's eyes widen and his mouth drops open into a silent scream. SADAKO (CONT.) If you like what you see, feel free to help yourself. CLOSEUP on Shigemori's face. The mouth drops lower, and his face is drenched in sweat. EXT. OKURA THEATER - DAY SADAKO (VO) After that, I left the Hisho Acting Troupe. My dreams to become an actress remained unfulfilled. A deep darkness fills my heart... The darkness of despair. EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY SADAKO (VO) I watched as my father, Ikuma Heihachiro, was hospitalized. I went to visit him in south Hakone, at a clinic for the treatment of tuberculosis. EXT. HOSPITAL GROUNDS - DAY CLOSEUP on Sadako. SADAKO (VO) I already knew the exact day my father would die, but his death meant nothing to me one way or the other. INT. HOSPITAL OFFICE - DAY NAGAO JOTARO, a doctor wearing a LAB COAT and STETHOSCOPE around his neck, sits at his desk. He's slouched forward in his chair and his forehead is beaded with SWEAT. CLOSEUP on Nagao as he puts a hand to his damp forehead. NAGAO I feel like I might have a fever. Well, a good doctor always follows his own advice. EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY Nagao, still wearing his lab coat, exists the hospital. He stops, surprised, when he sees Sadako leaning against one of the TREES located a short distance from the hospital entrance. She's wearing a white sleeveless dress with a plunging neckline. Her face is blank yet intense. NAGAO Miss Yamamura...Sadako, isn't it? How is your father doing? CLOSEUP on Sadako's face as she smiles sweetly at Nagao. Nagao reaches out, places a hand on Sadako's shoulder. NAGAO Why don't we talk in the shade somewhere, where it's cooler? Nagao's eyes fall involuntarily to Sadako's chest, taking in the swell of her bosom. He swallows loudly, the sound of it echoing in his ears. The insistent whine of the cicadas pierces the air as the two continue walking into the forest. By now Nagao has removed his lab coat to reveal the thin sleeveless SHIRT beneath. They come to rest before an open WELL that has a chunk missing from one side. Sadako leans forward and peers intently into its gloom. SADAKO I'm so thirsty... Nagao suddenly rushes up behind Sadako and throws his arms around her, his hands cupping her breasts tightly. Sadako's mouth opens in surprise as Nagao forces her to the ground and pulls her PANTIES down to her ankle. He undoes his trousers, and keeping her wrists pinned he thrusts himself into her. His face is like that of an animal, flushes and drenched with sweat. When he is finished he stands, eyes widening with surprise while Sadako shamefacedly lowers her gaze. Her dress has hiked up above her waist, exposing the secret which in his lust Nagao hadn't noticed. NAGAO Testicular...Feminization Syndrome? CUT to Nagao, looking stunned. NAGAO (cont'd) I never thought I'd see it for myself. Outwardly you appear female in every way, but in fact... CUT to Sadako. She sits crumpled and leaning against the well, her eyes beginning to smolder with hatred. NAGAO (O.S.) ...but your sex chromosomes are XY! Which means... you're a man! CLOSEUP on Sadako, her eyes little more than slits. Suddenly Nagao hears Sadako's voice echoing in his mind. SADAKO (VO) I'll kill you! Nagao shudders, his eyes widening in shock. He feels his hands curling into claws, and a tortured sounding scream erupts from his mouth. NAGAO Eaarrrghhhh!! Nagao rushes forward, his hands to Sadako's throat. He pushes her back against the well, tilting his head upwards and howling to the sky. He continues to push Sadako forward, and slowly she slides over the lip of the well. Her legs disappear over the edge, and she hits the water below with a loud SPLASH. Her body is motionless as it sinks under that brackish water. CLOSEUP on one of her eyes as it slowly closes. SADAKO (VO) At that moment I felt resolved to my fate, that this would be the end of Yamamura Sadako. This is what I thought. CLOSEUP on one of Sadako's eyes as it suddenly blinks open in surprise. SADAKO (VO) And the moment I thought this I felt some new power inside me, calling to me. It was the intense survival instinct of the smallpox virus, which teetered now on the brink of extinction. The face of Nagao comes unbidden to Sadako's mind. SADAKO (VO) Through his own carelessness, Dr. Nagao had become infected with the smallpox virus via one of his own patients. That virus had now entered me, and it called out to me, "Live!" Sadako's body continues to sink beneath the water. SADAKO (VO) I want to live! It can't just end like this! Sadako's eyes are now wide open and staring intently. SADAKO (VO) I will fuse my power with the virus. Though I cannot bear a child, I will have my children! A flurry of images fills Sadako's mind: molten lava; a pair of dice; A volcano erupting; angry faces; Nagao's snarling, sweaty face. SADAKO (VO) And as I sank deeper and deeper into the darkness, I recalled a story that my grandmother had told me... and wondered if the statuette of the ascetic En no Ozunu had felt the same way as it sank to the bottom of the ocean. Darkness. Then, focus on a CIRCLE with a single round point on its surface. SADAKO (VO) How much time has passed? The circle becomes a RECTANGLE, still with the same round point. SADAKO (VO) The round space I'd been looking up at had become a rectangle. A tiny HAND covered in blood reaches tremblingly upward. SADAKO (VO) I use my own strength to crawl up and out to the world beyond. EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT Arial view of the rooftop. A large rectangular area is clouded in Darkness.: an air vent. The meaning of the earlier shapes now becomes Clear. At first it was Sadako looking up from the circular well and seeing the moon, a sight which was then replaced by the moon as seen from the rectangular vent. SADAKO (VO) This is my ordeal, the baptism of my crossing over from the dead to the living. And what will become of Takano Mai's body? Much like a chrysalis, perhaps, it will be cast off as little more than an empty shell. CLOSEUP on a tiny eye surrounded by blood. SADAKO (VO) In a week's time, my body will have matured to its former age. But this body will be me and yet not me: an entirely new species. CUT to a rear view of a fully grown Sadako, again clad in a white sleeveless DRESS, walking down a crowded city street. SADAKO (VO) Yes... It's been a long time, and I think I'll pay that man a visit. The man who loved me--Toyama Hiroshi. THE END