Seeing the little girl's mix of surprise and confusion, Nancy was percent sure that the person who wrote to her was indeed Catherine, but it seemed almost impossible. How could an 11-year-old girl have written such an impressive script?
"I'm Nancy Meyers. You must be Catherine Mason," Nancy said with a smile, despite her inner turmoil.
"Yes, I am Catherine. But why are you here at my house?" The little girl suddenly gasped, "Oh my gosh, you received my letter! Did you like it? It's my first script! I've read a lot of books, but I feel like something is missing. Could you help me?"
The excitement and enthusiasm in her voice were evident, and she didn't realize the shock she had just given Nancy and George. Especially Nancy, who, despite being prepared, was still amazed to hear that this outstanding script was truly written by such a young girl. She couldn't help but wonder if Catherine had perhaps found a story somewhere and copied it.
George, while equally astonished, was more focused on the potential. From the moment he saw Catherine, he noticed a unique charm about her, especially her bright green eyes, which were as captivating as those of Vivien Leigh. He thought that with proper guidance, she could become a popular child star. And if this talented young girl really did write the script, launching her career could greatly benefit the studio.
At that moment, Catherine's mother, Susan, cleared her throat, prompting Catherine to fall silent immediately. Then, remembering her manners, she warmly invited Nancy to sit down, while looking curiously at George.
Before Nancy could speak, George introduced himself, "Hello, Miss Mason. I'm George from the Disney Studios' script review team. I'm here to discuss your script."
Seeing Catherine's confusion, he quickly added, "Generally, unless it's a low-budget film, a producer can't make a movie alone."
Not fully understanding, Catherine asked, "Can we sit down and talk about it?" George, appreciating her politeness, sat down with Nancy on the couch.
With Susan's permission, George explained further, "Usually, when a screenwriter has a good script, they submit it directly to the studio. If the script reviewers find it worth producing, they propose it to the management for funding, then purchase the script from the writer, and finally work with producers to select the director and cast. Most companies have contracted writers, but they also accept submissions from freelance writers and non-professionals." He paused, slightly embarrassed, "It's very unusual for a script to be sent directly to a producer."
Catherine stuck out her tongue, "I'm sorry if that caused any trouble. I just really admire Mrs. Meyers' work in romantic comedies."
George chuckled, "That's understandable. In fact, I agree with you, which is why we're here."
"Does that mean you're going to produce my script, and Mrs. Meyers will make the movie?" Catherine asked, eyes wide with excitement.
"I can't decide that myself, but it looks promising," George replied, glancing at Nancy.
As Catherine looked at Nancy expectantly, she asked, "Before we proceed, may I ask you two questions, Miss Mason?"
"Sure, you can call me Cathrine," the girl replied cheerfully.
"Okay, Cathrine. How did you find my address?" Nancy asked.
"From the April issue of *Film Journal* this year," Catherine answered succinctly, surprising Nancy.
"Was it the one that featured 'Father of the Bride'?" she asked, uncertain.
"Yes. It wasn't very detailed, but the mailman still managed to deliver my letter to you, didn't he? Maybe the President should give him a medal," Cathrine joked.
Nancy laughed and, after a glance at Mrs. Mason, asked her second question, "Could you tell me about your inspiration for this script?"
"Inspiration? You mean why I wrote it," Cathrine glanced at her mother and then, a bit embarrassed, said, "It all started because I wanted a sibling. Being an only child can be boring sometimes. I have friends, but they can't always be at my house. My parents love me, but they have their own things to do. I often wished I had a twin; it would make life more interesting."
Then she sneaked another glance at her mother, and seeing that Susan's expression hadn't changed, she continued. It seemed like she was a bit "afraid" of her mom. Nancy couldn't help but smile inwardly, feeling a growing sense of trust toward the little girl.
"Initially, I wanted to write a story about twins causing mischief at home, something like 'Growing Pains.' But I realized I didn't know enough about that. Then I thought, what if these twins were separated at birth because of their parents' divorce and accidentally met later? They'd want to reunite their parents. How would they do it? By switching places, living with the other parent, finding out why their parents divorced, and trying to get them back together. The idea seemed fun, so I rewrote everything."
The little girl paused, took a sip of water, and continued, "It was much faster to rewrite because I had a lot of material right in front of me. My dad is American, and my mom is British. Every year during the holidays, we visit my grandparents in London or Bristol, so I set the main scenes there. Also, some of the characters in the script are based on people in my family. You see, Josie in the script is based on Aunt Jennifer, who has worked for my family since my dad was a kid. And Martin the butler is modeled after Gerard, my grandfather's butler. He's charming and funny, but most of the time he's quite strict."
Nancy's last doubts vanished as she listened to Cathrine. Indeed, geniuses do exist in this world. George, on the other hand, was worried about another issue. Given Cathrine's family background, her guardians might not allow her to act in a film. Even if they agreed, they might prefer established studios like Universal or Paramount over Disney. The only advantage Disney had was Cathrine's admiration for Nancy.
"Excuse me, may I interrupt?" Mrs. Mason, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up. She looked at her daughter with a knowing smile. "Catherine, I think there's something else you haven't shown them, isn't there?"
Something else? Nancy was puzzled at first, but then she realized that Mrs. Mason might also have doubts about whether her daughter had written the script. Nancy smiled inwardly, understanding this kind of protective skepticism as a mother of two herself.
Cathrine's face fell slightly. She hesitated, then sighed, "Okay, Mom."
Girl hopped off the couch, ran upstairs, and returned with a large folder. She first took out an envelope and handed it to her mother. Mrs. Mason calmly accepted the envelope, and as she read the address on it, her eyebrows unconsciously raised. After glancing briefly at the letter inside, her typically composed expression turned to one of surprise. She murmured softly:
"Dear Miss Mason, We are pleased to inform you that your short story 'They Are Made Out of Meat' published in our magazine last year has been nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Short Story. Please respond by the end of April. Sincerely, *Astounding* Magazine."
The room fell silent with shock. *Astounding* was the oldest science fiction magazine in the U.S., and the Nebula Award was one of the highest honors in sci-fi, alongside the Hugo Award. An 11-year-old girl's story had not only been published but also nominated for the Nebula Award? George rubbed his forehead, feeling like he was in a dream.
Nancy and Mrs. Mason were equally astonished, especially Mrs. Mason, who looked at her daughter with disbelief.
Before they could ask more questions, Cathrine pulled out more items from the folder: "This is the acceptance letter, this is the issue of *Astounding* with my story, and this is the receipt for the payment."
When the last thing was taken out, everyone was in a state of dizziness. It was a thick stack of paper with pictures and manuscripts. Catherine handed it to George, saying, "Mr. Wells, this is an animated script I wrote last year. It's based on *Hamlet*, set in the African savannah, and there are some concept maps I drew inside. I call it - The Lion King."