INT. ROGER EL SAYAD’S BEDROOM- BEFORE DAWN
Gray morning light illuminates a room cluttered with clothes, colored pencils, and crumpled paper. On a nightstand squashed between a twin-sized bed and the wall, an alarm vibrates. Stretching his arm from beneath the bed covers, ROGER, eighteen, slams the alarm, interrupting its buzzing. Roger glances at the time and groans. His head drops onto the pillow. ROGER Why now... He lies still momentarily, staring at the dark ceiling before pushing himself out of bed. ROGER Time to check on Minnie. EXT. BACKYARD- TEN MINUTES LATER The red-tinted indigo sky gleams above a small backyard, bordered in the back by a row trees leading to a forest and empty except for a shed across from the house. The light chirping of birds flits through the air. Roger creaks open the screen door and exits his house, careful the door doesn’t slam behind him. He tiptoes over to a shed with his arms wrapped around two bowls of cereal. ROGER (whispering) Minnie! A low groan sounds from the wooden structure. ROGER I know it’s early, but you gotta eat! A snort from within. Roger sighs and looks around him. A few beats pass and then the shed door creaks open and a minotaur appears, towering over Roger. Roger grins. ROGER There you are, Minnie! EXT. FOREST- A FEW MINUTES LATER Roger and Minnie sit side-by-side on a log in the forest munching on cereal. Fall leaves lay scattered around them. ROGER I have to say, even though it's been a couple of months now, I’m still not used to doing all of this alone. Minnie pauses in his eating to glance at the boy. ROGER I know I should be happy that Aziza has started college and Loli is working now, but...I don’t know...I guess I sound kind of stupid. MINNIE You don’t to me. I miss them, too. They sit in silence. A yellow-speckled gray bird flits to the ground before them. ROGER I’m surprised this little guy hasn’t left yet for migration. MINNIE Maybe he’s like us, not ready to leave home yet. Roger smiles at his friend. ROGER So how should we make the most of this fine day? The two friends sit side-by-side laughing as the yellow-speckled bird lifts off the ground and follows the breeze into the sunrise.
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INT. SANDHYA’S BEDROOM- MORNING
A pink lamp illuminates eight-year-old SANDHYA sitting at her desk staring into space. Above her bed scattered with chapter books and plastic toys, an astronomy-themed analog clock ticks. The hour hand jerks to eight and the clock chimes. Sandhya jolts. While her back is turned to her desk, a bottle of play-doh rolls onto the center of the desk’s surface. Sandhya twists back around and peers at the yellow play-doh container. The second-hand clicks in the background. Grimacing, she snatches the bottle and opens it. Colors ooze onto her hand. Sandhya shakes her wrist and the play-doh transforms into a clay waterfall that wriggles and crawls on its own. The waterfall dips down onto the desk, where it forms a pool. A mountain range builds itself along the length of her arm. Wide-eyed, Sandhya stills. Her gaze flickers to the lamp and a lightbulb (imaginary) appears above her head. Sandhya grins. She squeezes her eyes shut and the play-doh squirms, fusing together into a floating vibrant ball before bursting. Sandhya’s eyes open to see little clay planets revolving around yellow and orange stars drifting by her head. A clay rocketship swoops around the planets before landing on Sandhya’s desk. Sandhya rests her chin on the wooden surface and smiles at the figurine. Plummeting from the asteroids and comets above, white specks of clay tumble around the spaceship. As each speck strikes the desk, they sprout into flowers and critters that sway and frolic beside the vessel. A knock on the door. SANDHYA’S MOTHER (Outside room) Sandhya, help set the table, please! The clay figurines in the air and on the desk fall still before collapsing into a single ball that rolls back into the yellow container. Sighing, Sandhya snaps the cap back on. SANDHYA Coming! Sandhya ambles out of her chair and takes one last glance at the container sitting at her desk. SANDHYA Don’t worry, I’ll be back later. INT. THRONE ROOM OF KINGDOM OF CHOKATII- MORNING
Light illuminates a young pixie, ESPERANZA, sitting on a cushion. Bzzzz. A bee flutters into view with a parcel dangling from its foreleg. ESPERANZA Another? She untangles the paper from the messenger and unravels the note. ESPERANZA They really need a break. She glances at the letter before laying it down beside her. ESPERANZA (to messenger) ZZZbzz, what would you do if I gave a day off, hmm, starting now? ZZZbzz gives a short buzz. ESPERANZA Okay, I formally declare a day off for all workers starting now. Could you pass that message on to everyone? ZZZbzz nods and ducks out of the room. ESPERANZA There we go. Now everyone will get a well-deserved rest. EXT. OUTSIDE- TWO HOURS LATER Dust collects on Esperanza’s sauntering heels. Behind her, the sun glowers above the palace, and around her, bees zip flower to flower. Esperanza pauses beside one of the bees. ESPERANZA Excuse me, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you still working? Didn’t you hear the message I sent out? The bee buzzes at her. ESPERANZA You have to? The bee bobs in the air before turning back to pollinating. Frowning, Esperanza continues along the pathway. ESPERANZA I haven’t felt this isolated since my parents sent me to that snowglobe. Her sandals scuff against weeds as the road opens into a field where even more bees flutter around. ESPERANZA Wow. Um, I guess no one took my declaration seriously. Beside her, another bee hums. ESPERANZA They have to? Why does everyone keep saying that to me! No one should have to be doing this. When I say it’s break time, they should be having a break. The bee shakes its head and clicks its mandibles. ESPERANZA I can’t understand? Then help me to understand! The bee drifts off. ESPERANZA This sucks. Esperanza flops down. Dust billows around her and onto the flowers. The sun sets and as the moon rises, the bees trickle off to be replaced by dancing fireflies. Esperanza, now collapsed on the dirt road, her cheek pressed against the gravel, stares at the dark green flower stalks. The wind sways the blossoms and brushes her hair into her face. Groaning, Esperanza stirs and rubs hair and dust out of her eyes. Blinking, her gaze follows the fireflies’ movements. She nods. Breathing out with the wind, she picks herself off the ground and heads back the way she came. Bzzz. ZZZbzz appears beside her. She offers him a smile. ESPERANZA Thank you for delivering my message, ZZZbzz. You’re free to be who you want now. I’m leaving. ZZZbzz vanishes into the night, leaving Esperanza alone on the path. INT. LUCIA’S BEDROOM- MORNING
LUCIA (blonde-haired tween) snores. Click. An alarm clock’s screen flickers “6:30” followed by ribbits. Lucia groans. Two beats. She shoves her covers off and pushes herself out of bed. INT. MATH CLASSROOM- TWO HOURS LATER In a room of colorful tables, Lucia sits in the corner with DAMIAN. DAMIAN This better be the last time I have to draw Mr. Trapezoid. I never knew I could hate a shape so much. LUCIA I think the directions say you have to rotate Mr. Trapezoid. DAMIAN Sh- A ribbit. Lucia jolts. She peeks at her classmates continuing to chat. LUCIA Damian, did you hear that noise? As Damian erases, his page tears. DAMIAN Come on! Yeah, Lucia? LUCIA Nevermind. Lucia peers at teacher MS. MEI bent over grading. She grips her pencil and grimaces. Three more ribbits. DAMIAN I think I do hear something. Was that a frog? Four more ribbits. Lucia’s cheeks flush. LUCIA I-I don’t know what’s going on! The other students freeze. Their stares penetrate Lucia. Ms. Mei glances up. A chorus of ribbits. Along bookshelves and table surfaces, frogs materialize. One hops onto Damian’s head and the boy jumps. DAMIAN What’s going on? Shrieking, the students swat at the frogs with their textbooks. MS. MEI I-I don’t know what’s happening, but-but please sit- A student clobbers a frog into Ms. Mei’s chest. Two more spring up from the teacher’s head. As the screaming continues, more frogs appear. Below her desk, Lucia curls into a ball. A sea of frogs form around her. LUCIA This is all my fault. This is all my fault. My anxiety is doing this to everybody. Damian ducks down beside her. DAMIAN AH! Why’s there so many here!? LUCIA Leave me alone. Another frog pops up from the floor and lands on Damian’s knee. DAMIAN If you’re the one who’s causing all this, you need to figure out how to get rid of this. I would rather redraw Mr. Trapezoid ten times than keep getting attacked by these stupid frogs. LUCIA Stop, Lucia. Stop. Stop. DAMIAN They’re just frogs, Lucia. How hard can they possibly be to get rid of? LUCIA Just frogs. They’re just frogs. Lucia’s eyes squeeze shut. She lets out a breath before opening her eyes. She stands. LUCIA Everyone. I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I can fix this. The students pause. The frogs keep ribbitting. Damian stands. DAMIAN How can you? Lucia closes her eyes. She takes a breath. Lets it out. Takes a breath. Lets it out. DAMIAN Oh. Damian follows Lucia’s example and a few of the frogs around them disappear. Lucia’s classmates shrug and glance at one another and slowly, each student along with Ms. Mei takes part in the breathing exercise. After a few moments, the frogs are gone. The school bell rings. Lucia smiles and opens her eyes. INT. FIRST GRADE CLASSROOM- AFTERNOON
Two girls squat side-by-side on the carpet. One girl, MADDI VIANA-GOVEA, plays with a plastic horse with a broken leg. The other girl, COLLETTE ZONG, shifts around a collection of toy people. A teacher stomps by to reprimand two students tugging on a small train. A fly swoops by Maddi’s head. Maddi’s gaze tracks the creature as it flits towards Collette’s direction. Collette reaches to grasp the insect. It floats away and out an open window. Maddi grins. A beat. Collette smiles back. The school bell rings. The two girls turn away from one another. INT. MADDI’S MOM’S CAR- TWENTY MINUTES LATER Maddi fiddles with her toy horse. MADDI’S MOTHER (in Argentinian Spanish) Did the second day of school go better? MADDI (in Argentinian Spanish) Yeah. MADDI’S MOTHER (in Argentinian Spanish) Did you talk to anyone? Maddi gives a slight smile. MADDI (in Argentinian Spanish) No, but I think I might have made a friend. MADDI’S MOTHER (in Argentinian Spanish) You have to talk to people, Maddi. The only people you ever talk to are Dad and me. If you want to keep this friend of yours that you’re making, you better start speaking to them with words. INT. FIRST GRADE CLASSROOM- NEXT AFTERNOON Maddi and Collette play side-by-side on the carpet. Collette clutches a small airplane. She makes it woosh around Maddi’s head. Maddi’s eyes sparkle. She taps her hands together. She picks up a plastic green snake and slips it onto Collette’s vehicle. Her hand clasps Collette’s fingers. Collette’s hand pauses. The airplane and snake hover in the air with the two girls grasping them. Collette smiles at Maddi. A beat. Maddi grins back. INT. MEI-BEAS APARTMENT’S LIVING ROOM- NEW YEAR’S EVE MORNING
Through the window, the sun lights up a living room. A fourteen-year-old girl of East Asian descent, HELLEN, squats on a sofa with a photo album. As she turns each page, specks of dust sparkle in the air. Images of two mothers, one East Asian, MEGAN, and the other Latina, JULIA, stare up at the girl. Sprinkled within these photographs of the mothers are snapshots of two girls. One child, Hellen, is East Asian, yet this girl is not physically similar to either parent. Meanwhile, the other child, ADRIJANA, appears to be biologically related to the second mother. Chinese, English, and Spanish words for love and family outline the photos. The fourteen-year-old grins at each page and as she traces the images’ perimeters with her finger, the pictures glimmer. One image of the two girls at the beach glows especially strong while the setting of the living room fades. EXT. BUCHTTON BEACH- DAY- FIVE YEARS EARLIER The two mothers from the photograph chat with one another while their nine-year-old daughters build a sandcastle. Hellen sprinkles water from a bucket onto the fortress. Adrijana scowls. ADRIJANA Why’d you do that, Hellen? HELLEN It looks prettier this way. ADRIJANA No, it doesn’t. It looks like a dog peed on it. HELLEN No, the water makes it shine more with the sun. The mothers pause in their conversation to stare at their daughters. They glance at one another and then sigh. JULIA Girls, we’re having fun at the beach today. You should be enjoying your time together. ADRIJANA You argue with your sister. JULIA Why are you bringing Aunt Lily into this? Megan reaches into her tote bag and brings out her smartphone. MEGAN Picture time! The two girls groan, but they get into position beside their sandcastle. The camera snaps and the scene fades back into the living room. INT. MEI-BEAS APARTMENT’S LIVING ROOM- PRESENT Hellen flips the page of the scrapbook, a grin still lingering on her face. She pauses to stare at a selfie of her and her mother Julia sitting at a kitchen table with bowls of ice cream laying before them. The image glows and the living room fades again. INT. MEI-BEAS APARTMENT’S KITCHEN- NIGHT- TWO YEARS EARLIER The fluorescent kitchen light gleams down at a sobbing Julia who is slumped over the table. Outside the window, snow drums the glass. HELLEN Mom? Hellen, in pajamas, stands at the edge of the tiny kitchen. She steps into the light to take a seat beside her mother. Julia picks up her head and wipes her eyes. JULIA (In Spanish) It’s just the two of us tonight. Mama and Adrijana went to that Korean culture festival. HELLEN (In Spanish) I heard you on the phone...with Aunt Lily. Is everything okay? JULIA (In English) Yes, of course. How about we treat ourselves tonight. I think we have some ice-cream in the fridge? Hellen nods and leaves to get the dessert. Julia sighs and dabs her eyes with a tissue. Hellen returns with bowls and ice-cream. Mother and daughter slurp on the treat together. JULIA (in Spanish) You have no idea how blessed you are to have a good relationship with your sister, Hellen. HELLEN (in Spanish) Adrijana annoys me sometimes. She’s so bossy and it doesn’t make any sense. I’m older than her by six months. Julia laughs and takes a scoop out of Hellen’s bowl. HELLEN Hey! JULIA (in Spanish) Let’s take a picture to commemorate this moment. Julia takes out her phone and the camera snaps. INT. MEI-BEAS APARTMENT’S LIVING ROOM- PRESENT Hellen closes the photo album and places the book on the coffee table. She then turns to stare out the window as the sun continues to rise, saturating the room with light. It’s almost as if the sun itself is trying to take a picture. INT. TRAIN- SUNSET
An empty commuter train car is illuminated by the setting sun. Dust billows around the blue seats and the rumbling of train wheels murmurs in the background. Outside, fields of orange, red, and green highlight the country. Pink clouds glide across the sky and a hint of night peeks through the horizon’s upper edges. The landscape transforms into mountain ranges and, along with the scenery metamorphosis, time transitions into night. Glasses clink and the train car is now filled with people from all over the world. These people sit at different wooden benches eating a diverse range of foods and speaking distinguishable languages. At a center table protruding from the carriage wall, two sixteen-year-olds speaking in English are laughing with one another. One of the teenagers is a girl, Zaya, and the other is an enby, Taylor. ZAYA This is just incredible! How did this place even pop up? There’re no trains in Buchtton. TAYLOR Like I said, I just saw the train-stop appear next to my house and called you over. ZAYA Thank goodness you did, Taylor. I was getting so bored of Mr. Das’ chemistry homework. He gave us way too many summer assignments. TAYLOR I’m glad I did, Zaya. I love being with you. ZAYA You do? I swear I’m your only friend. TAYLOR That’s not true. I’m friendly with other people. ZAYA That’s exactly it, Taylor. You’re friendly with other people, not necessarily friends. For a moment the two teens sit at their bench in silence. Taylor peers out the window and at the mountains rearing in the distance. A full moon floats above two peaks. TAYLOR I think...at this point, Zaya, you’re more than my friend. INT. TRAIN- NINE MONTHS LATER- SUNRISE The train’s interior has altered again to be unfurnished except for a lone wooden bench in the center of the car. Taylor is hunched over on the seat with their face buried in their hands. TAYLOR (muffled) I’m sorry, Zaya. The overhead lighting above Taylor dims while the sunlight outside intensifies. The wailing of a baby can be heard in the distance. INT. TRAIN- A MONTH LATER- MID-DAY The train horn bellows and the car is now inhabited by two parallel benches that are perpendicular to the wall. Zaya and Taylor sit on each bench with their backs toward one another. Outside, snow floats down on barren fields. The mountains in the background appear jagged and endless. ZAYA We’re back on this train. A silence settles in the room. Taylor fiddles with the strings of their dark red hoodie. ZAYA Maybe it’s better this way. Neither of us will know her now. Zaya twists her body around to face Taylor’s back. She wears a green winter jacket and a tan hat. Her hair splays around her shoulders. Bags hang under her puffy eyes. ZAYA Maybe we now have a chance to be “normal” again. TAYLOR (back still turned) It’s wrong. We abandoned a child. Zaya sighs. She turns her head to stare out the window. ZAYA I know that. Maybe even more than you, I know that. TAYLOR We didn’t have to either. Our parents have money. We could have figured something out. It's like history is repeating itself. I was abandoned as a baby in India and now I'm abandoning a baby. ZAYA It’s this world, Taylor. It’s this world and its obsession with status. I hate this place. I really hate this place. Taylor shifts around to face Zaya. Tears slip down their face and drop onto their jeans. TAYLOR I do, too, Zaya... but what good has hating this place ever done? Zaya and Taylor peer into each other's eyes. TAYLOR This is all my fault. I should never have invited you onto this train in the first place. ZAYA Taylor, everything we did...it was the both of us. I don’t hate you, Taylor. Taylor smiles at Zaya. TAYLOR Do you think there’s still hope for us? Zaya grins and the winter sun shimmers down on her through the train window. ZAYA Do you know where this train is taking us? The two teenagers turn to stare out the window at the limitless mountains. They keep to their separate benches, but their bodies lean toward one another just slightly. EXT. TRAIN- DUSK A white train rumbles down worn brown tracks. Multi-colored fields line the route and lights from little towns glitter in the distance beyond the train. Only one car window is lit and an empty wooden table is in view. Although no one is there, indistinct voices can be heard echoing from the car as the train lumbers on toward night. EXT. BUCHTTON WOODS- MORNING Two foxes slink out from behind bare dark brown trees that protrude from the white snow. Their amber eyes reflect the early morning sun and their paws make barely a sound against the frost. One of them, a female with fur slightly more orange than the other, pauses. She tilts her head toward the wind and breathes in the frosty air. She nods to her companion and the two pick up their pace and dash out of sight. INT. GOLD FAMILY DINING ROOM- MORNING A large dark brown dining table sits in the center of a bright, spacious room. Light shimmers through the glass windows and focuses on two children, a nine-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl. AMELIE Ezra, we should check on them. EZRA Mom and Dad are going to kill us if we go outside. AMELIE Yeah, but we can't just stay in this ginormous house all day when they need our help! EZRA We should stay, Amelie. Amelie groans and stares out the window at the trees. EXT. CLEARING OF BUCHTTON WOODS- LATE MORNING Large human footprints are stamped into the snow, yet no person is visible. A tree shivers as a squirrel scurries across its limbs. A low growl can be heard coming from the forest floor. The squirrel freezes before leaping from tree to tree. AMETHYST (O.S.) We've already gotten three squirrels. I don't think I have the energy to hunt anymore. The two foxes from earlier stop at the bottom of the tree. The squirrel peers down at them and chatters at them. The darker orange fox, Amethyst, snarls. AMETHYST Now this one is mocking us. CRYSTAL Well, we have a whole pack to feed, Amethyst. AMETHYST Right, Crystal...and I just chased away that squirrel. Sorry. CRYSTAL It's okay. Remember to pause. It'll give you clarity. We must go find more prey. Crystal turns around. Her fur bristles as her gaze washes over the footprints before her. AMETHYST A human. CRYSTAL Let's walk away slowly. INT. GOLD FAMILY DINING ROOM- LATE MORNING Amelie and Ezra are still sitting at the dark brown dining table. Ezra now has a book, Aru Shah and the End of Time, open, but Amelie continues to stare out the window. EZRA Ah, this part is so funny. Aru is saying she's an "A student" because her first name starts with an "A." AMELIE Who cares, Ezra? I'm going to check on the foxes. EZRA Oh, and she's also saying she's a "genius" just because her teacher called her that sarcastically. Amelie is shaking her head at her brother. Sighing, she gets up from the table and leaves Ezra alone in the sunlit room. EXT. BUCHTTON WOODS- LATE MORNING The two foxes are padding away from the footprints. Their feet create little marks in the snow. AMETHYST Why are we heading in this direction? This isn't toward home. CRYSTAL The human will follow our footsteps. We must lead them in one direction and then flee. AMETHYST What about our prey? CRYSTAL We'll get them later. For now, we survive. The foxes continue weaving through the trees. The sun rises around them and the trees become more starkly contrasted against the white snow. A MALE VOICE (O.S.) Stop there, foxes! EXT. CLEARING OF BUCHTTON WOODS- SAME TIME Amelie stomps through the snow in a bright purple coat. The woods embrace her, but the outline of her house, a mansion, can be seen in the distance. AMELIE Where could those foxes be? She pauses and looks around her. She is in the same clearing as the large human footprints. There are more of them now and they trace the direction of Crystal's and Amethyst's pawprints. Amelie kneels down and peers at the foxes' little footprints. Smiling, she stands and follows the tracks. Her own steps leave imprints beside the foxes'. Moments after Amelie leaves the clearing, the trees tremble as Ezra rushes into the scene. His black winter jacket is unzipped and his gray hat is lopsided on his head. His eyes wash over the four sets of footprints, all heading in the same direction. EZRA Who made those big ones? He looks up and sees Amelie walking in the distance. He scurries off after his sister, whose purple jacket is quite visible against the brown trees. EZRA Amelie! Stop! Amelie twists around to see her brother dashing toward her. AMELIE Ezra! I thought you were reading your book. EZRA I was, but I noticed you had disappeared. AMELIE I had to check on the foxes. Growling breaks through the atmosphere. The two siblings share a glance before racing off into the trees. EXT. BUCHTTON WOODS- SECONDS LATER Amelie and Ezra scamper through the trees and almost collide with a large man with big brown boots standing in front of the two foxes. Crystal and Amethyst cower to the ground with their fur on edge. MAN I was wondering when I would run into you foxes again. You ruined everything for my wife and me when you ran away. AMELIE Dad! Leave them alone! The man twists around to face his children. MAN Ezra, Amelie? Go back inside. AMELIE Dad, you can't hurt Crystal and Amethyst. You've already caused them enough pain. MAN How do you know their names? EZRA We're the ones that freed them last Summer from where you held them captive. MAN They're just animals. Because of my experimenting, they can now talk like humans. The man turns back to the foxes and approaches them with his gloved hands reaching out to grab their scruffs. Crystal and Amethyst stay in their positions, their bodies shivering. Ezra and Amelie glance at one another, both their eyes wide. In unison, they lunge for their father and knock him onto his right side. The man howls. The two foxes peer up at Ezra and Amelie, but then gallop deeper into the woods until their orange fur are just specks in the distance. The man pushes himself off of the ground and into a sitting position. Snow and dirt coats his jacket and gloves. He stares at his children who stand above him. A glint of a tear can be seen in his eye . MAN Why would you do that? I'm your father. Ezra and Amelie stay silent. The man and his children stay in the clearing as the sun brightens the trees around them. Birds can be heard twittering in the background and the amber eyes of foxes surround them. Thank you for reading! If you like my screenplay, please don't be afraid to give it a share. Comments are always welcome and I love hearing your thoughts. Question: What would you have done if you were Ezra or Amelie?
INT. HINRIK'S BEDROOM- MORNING A fourteen-year-old boy, Hinrik, sits in the middle of his bedroom. Brown walls surround him and a bed lays to his left. Behind him, a window peers out at a grove of trees standing in the sunrise. Snow floats down from the sky. Hinrik looks at a candle that perches on his empty nightstand to his bed's right. The candle lays below the window and its glow can just be seen reflected in the glass. The candle's luminescence grows brighter and brighter until it is all that can be seen. INT. HINRIK'S BEDROOM- FIVE YEARS AGO Hinrik, now nine-years-old, sits on the floor of his bedroom with two friends, Heimo and Horst. HEIMO Mr. Brenten gave us so much work today. We have to finish a whole packet. HINRIK I'm glad that Horst and I don't have him as a teacher this year. I would hate having to do that much work. Horst fiddles with the fringes of his green shirt. He looks out the window. Snow has swallowed the whole world in white. Hinrik peers at his friend. HINRIK Everything okay, Horst? HORST I'm just thinking about how cold it is outside. Heimo's and Hinrik's eyes meet. They both refocus on Horst. HINRIK Do you and your mom need a place to stay? Horst blushes and stares at the wooden floor. HORST (mumbling) No. We'll be okay. We're fine. Hinrik peers behind the three boys and out the door of his bedroom. HINRIK This isn't going to fix everything, but it might be helpful. Hinrik stands up and leaves the room. Horst and Heimo glance at one another. In the background, the scuffling of drawers can be heard. A few seconds later, Hinrik comes back with three small white candles. HORST (scoffs) You want me to set the shelter on fire? That's barely enough to keep me warm. HINRIK It's so all of us have each other. I made these a while ago at a craft event. Horst nods and then sighs. HORST I'm going to make us some pancakes. Hinrik, you have the ingredients, right? HINRIK Of course. Heimo giggles and Horst smiles. HEIMO Horst, you always make the best pancakes. The three boys exit the room with Horst first and then Heimo and Hinrik close behind. The candles lay on the wooden floor in front of the spots each boy previously sat. INT. HINRIK'S BEDROOM- NOW Hinrik sits in his room with his gaze still on the candle on the nightstand. Outside, the sun has risen and the sky is now a creamy blue. In another room, the creak of a door opening can be heard. HINRIK'S MOTHER (O.S.) Hinrik, your friends are here! A grin spreads onto Hinrik's face and he steps over to the candle to blow it out. Still smiling, he exits his bedroom. His footsteps can be heard sprinting to the living room. HINRIK (O.S.) Heimo, Horst! HEIMO (O.S.) Hi, Hinrik! HORST (O.S) What's up? HINRIK (O.S.) Not much. How's the apartment, Horst? Heimo, we miss you so much. I hate that you moved away. We have a lot to catch up on... A tiny stream of smoke from the candle's tip spills out into the air, but the sun's glow paints the candle's white surface gold. Thank you for reading! If you like my screenplay, please don't be afraid to give it a share. Comments are always welcome and I love hearing your thoughts. Question: When was a time a gift from a friend cheered you up?
TW: quick mention of suicide "Stars" was such a cute screenplay to write. Like many other of my stories, "Stars" focused on family, but while my other stories centered around finding and enjoying family, the bulk of "Stars" is about the loss of family. Crystal, the main character of "Stars," lost her mom when she was two years old and now lives in a commune with her father and Pavel. I originally wanted to share the character Crystal during my Lucia series. [TW] I was going to have a book about Pavel and his worries about Crystal's suicidal thoughts [TW end]. I didn't go on with the story, but I still couldn't bear leaving Crystal behind. And so came "Stars." The questions Crystal and Pavel discuss are those that I often struggle with. Does my birth family miss me? Think about me? The honest answer, I can never really know unless I meet and ask them myself. That is scary and is what Crystal is on the verge of doing. She's going to learn the answers to her questions wether she likes them or not. Well, thanks for reading. What are your thoughts behind "Stars?" See you in December!
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AuthorI'm Darcy Ridge, creating stories that all revolve around family and identity in a myriad of ways. In the past, I have shared multiple stories and published a novella online. You can find me on Wattpad and many other social media websites. They/them [Image Description: black background with the words "Social Justice and Mental Health Resources" in white in the center /end ID]
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