THE

GIFT OF THE MAGI

By
CHI ZHENG

Based on a novel by
O. HENRY









FIRST DRAFT
May 2015
Copyright Chi Zheng
555 Swanston Street, Carlton
VIC, 3053 Australia.
Ph: (61) 0426707776
Email: chiz1@student.unimelb.edu.au

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1. INT. HOMEDINING ROOM. DAY

It was the day before Christmas. Some people were walking through the street and
noticed a young girl sitting near the window. They had an expression of disgust.
DELLA counted the money at the windowsill several times. She looked very sad.

Della
(sadly)
Pennies saved one and two at a time by negotiating
with the men at the market who sold vegetables and
meatIt was three times I counted the money. One
dollar and eight-seven cents. That was all. And the
next day would be Christmas.

There was clearly nothing to do but sit down and cry. So Della cried. Which led to the
thought that life is made up of little cries and smiles, with no little cries than smiles.

Della sat down and looked around. This was an old house. Everything in this house was
so old, the old desk, the old shelf and the old bed.

Della finished her crying and dried her face. She stood by the window and looked out
unhappily at a gray cat walking along a gray fence in a grey back yard.

Della (V/O)
Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and I had only one
dollar and eighty-seven cents to buy my husband Jim a
gift. I had been saving every penny I could for months,
with this result. Expenses had been greater than I had
expected. Many a happy hour I had spent planning to
buy something nice for him. Something fine and rare --
something close to being worthy of the honor of

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belonging to Jim.

There was a tall glass mirror between the windows of the room. Suddenly Della
turned from the window and stood before the glass mirror and looked at herself.

DELLA (V/O)
OH, How beautiful my hair is. Its just like
waterfall. OH, my god. I can sell my hair for
some money.

Della stroked her hair for three seconds, then she put on her shabby coat and
raincoat, then walked out.

2. EXT. STREET. DAY

JIM was walking on the street.

JIM (V/O)
Tomorrow was Christmas. And I want to give
my darling Della a big surprise.

Jim stopped walking and started pondering.

JIM (V/O)
What can I do for Della?
Suddenly Jim saw a watch shop.
JIM
I see, I can sell my watch, and buy a
headband for Della.

Jim nodded.

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3EXTINT. HAIR GOODS OF ALL KINDS. DAY
Della stopped walking when she saw the sign read: Mne. Sofronie. Hair Good of All

Kinds. Then Della walked into it.

MADAME
(sweetly)
Welcome to Madame Sofronie. What can I
do for you?

DELLA
(quickly)
Will you buy my hair?

MADAME
I buy hair, take off your hat and let's have a
sight at the looks of it.

Della took off her hat, and her hair dropped from her shoulder.
STORE MAN
(ecstatic)
Is that real hair? I have never seen the hair
like this! I want to have the hair like this.


MADAME
(hastily)
AH, he told a lie. I dont think your hair is good
enough ,so ,20 dollars.

DELLA (O/S)
Thats all right. Give me the money quickly!

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MADAME
Why you need so much money?
DELLA
Its a secret.
MADAM
What a shame. (contemptuously) I cant
share it with you. (Madam was cutting Dellas
hair for a while) ..Ok. Its be finished.
DELLA
(amusedly)
Thank you very much.

Della left the store happily.
MADAME
(artfully)
Foolish woman This hair is worthy 200
dollars at least..laugh

4. EXT. STREET. AFTERNOON

Della searched all the stores for Jims present. Suddenly Della stopped at a chain
store.

DELLA
(ecstatic)
I found it. It surely had been made for Jim and
no one else. -- A chain -- simple round rings of
silver. It was perfect for Jim's gold watch. As
soon as I saw it I knew that it must be for him. It
was like him. Quiet and with great value.

5. INT. CHAIN STORE. AFTERNOON

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Della walked into the store.
The BOSS was sitting on a rocking chair and crossing his legs and he was reading
newspapers.
BOSS
Welcome and have a look around.

DELLA
warily
How much is it?
Della pointed a shining chain and asked. The boss raised his head and looked at
Dellas scruffy coat for a little while, eyes filled with disdain.
BOSS
Only 20 dollars ,but I dont think somebody
could afford it.

The Boss continued reading newspaper.
DELLA
May I have a look at this?

BOSS
frigidly
But I dont want to waste time.
DELLA
angrily
Are you sure? I have enough money.

Della threw 20 dollars to the Boss severely.

BOSS
fervidly
Ok, Ok. It is yours, it is really good quality, and it
made of the real gold.

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Della took the watch chain and left.

6. INT. HOME. NIGHT

When Della reached home, she became very excited and even lost herself. Within
forty minutes her head was covered with tiny round curls of hair that made her look
wonderfully like a schoolboy. She looked at herself in the glass mirror for a long
while and carefully.
DELLAV/O
If Jim doesn't kill me, before he takes a second
look at me, he'll say I look like an ugly girl. But
what could I do--oh! What could I do with a
dollar and eighty- seven cents?

Jim was never late. Della put the gold chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the
table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair
away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment.
And now she whispered:
DELLA
Please god, make him think I am still pretty!

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious.
Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two--and to be burdened with a family! He needed
a new overcoat and he was without gloves.

JIM
amazingly
Oh My Gosh!

Della got off the table and went for him.

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DELLA
(crying)
Jim, darling, do not look at me that way. I had
my hair cut off and sold because I couldn't
have lived through Christmas without giving
you a present. It'll grow out again--you won't
mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair
grows awfully fast. Say `Merry Christmas!' Jim,
and let's be happy. You don't know what a
nice-- what a beautiful, nice gift I've got for
you.

JIM
You say your hair is gone?

DELLA
You needn't look for it, it's sold, I tell you--sold
and gone, too. It's Christmas Eve, boy. Be good
to me, for it went for you.

Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della.
JIM
I don't think there's anything in the way of a
haircut could make me reduce my love for
my girl. But if you'll open that box you may
see the reason.
Jim took out a gift box. Della opened it then screamed. There was a beautiful headband.

DELLA
ecstatic
My hair grows so fast, Jim!

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Della jumped. Then Della brought out the watch chain.
DELLA
Isn't it wonderful Jim? I hunted all over town to
find it. You'll have to look at the time a hundred
times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to
see how it looks on it.


JIM
Della, let's put our Christmas presents away and
keep them for a while. They're too nice to use
just at present.
Della was puzzled.
JIM(CONTD)
I had sold the watch to get the money to buy this.
And now I suppose that we can have the dinner
now.

Della cried, and hugged Jim for a while and kissed, they moved to the table and sat down.
JIM&DELLA
Cheers! (END)


Title is the story of a young couple prepared Christmas gifts for each another and they both
sold their most valuable stuff to satisfy each other.
The Gift of The Magi is a drama about a young girl who wanted to give her husband a
memorable Christmas gift but lacked of money, she sold her hair, which was her most proud
stuff to cater for her wishcollected enough money to buy her husband a gifta watch
chain. However, her husband sold the gold watch in order to buy her a nice headband to foil
her beautiful hair.