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.
0 Comments
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. 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?
|
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]
Click image for a list of social justice and mental health resources. Archives
January 2024
Categories
All
|