———–<.thom.>———–

THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT

a puppet play in many parts

Season 01, Episode 06

By Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2020

———–<:type:>———–

FADE IN TO BLACK

Across a dark field the following text scrolls up: 01-01. It scrolls up from the center of the bottom of the frame, ascending vertically untill finally exiting the center of the top of the frame.

FADE OUT

FADE IN

A LS OF HIGH-STAGE OF THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE.

We open on the Abstract Typewriter Puppet Stage. We join it already in progress. The Unroom is not visible.

PAN IN TOWARD THE HIGH-STAGE.

HIGH-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED

The curtains open.

PAN IN, MATCHING THE SPEED OF THE CURTAINS’ SLOW REVEAL, TILL THE STAGE AREA OF THE HIGH-STAGE FILLS THE FRAME

The stage lights turn on with the sound of a COMPUTER TURNING ON revealing…

HIGH-STAGE: INT. BIFF’S BEDROOM, RAINY DAY

A bed sits center in the room, flanked by an end table on one side and a steamer trunk on the other. Posters of various characters from the Cosmic League comic books and the Babysitter Tails television show adorn the walls. A window sits to the side. Rain clouds can be seen drifting by outside. Biff sits on the floor coloring while Rockey watches. We have caught them in the midst of a day of fun and pretend.

ROCKEY
“So is this the Palace of Moonlight?”

BIFF
“No. Sunlight.”

ROCKEY
“Right. The Palace of Sunlight”

BIFF
“Yup.”

Rockey looks at the drawing as Biff reaches back for a crayon from the box.

ROCKEY
“How do you come up with these ideas?”

BIFF
“Don’t know. Just do.”

ROCKEY
“Yeah, but how do you know. You could pretend anything. Palace of Dust, Diamonds, Storms…but you didn’t.”

Biff grabs a crayon and then sits up. He looks off into the distance as if thinking purposefully on the answer.

BIFF
“Sure I could but they didn’t feel right.(thinks a moment) Inside me(gestures to area just above and in front of forehead)is a big space. Like a giant river.”

TRANSITION FROM HIGH-STAGE TO INNER-ILLUSTRATION

CUT TO THE CIRCULAR RIVER

EXT. THE CIRCULAR RIVER. NIGHT

Biff sits in a small boat floating on a river of dark water. Tall canyon walls can be seen, many layers of colors frame the shoreline. Biff leans over and looks into the water.

BIFF
(voice-over) “Things drift pass and I sit and watch. Something catches my eye and I pull it out.”

Biff watches some items float by in the water. One glitters.

INSERT CS OF A LEAF FLOATING IN THE WATER, SUNLIGHT GLITTERING ACROSS IT.

CUT BACK

Biff pulls out the leaf. A string of yarn can be seen going from the leaf back into the water. Biff examines the leaf.

BIFF
(voice-over) “Everything has a string or connects to something else and I just follow the string to the next thing. Sometimes the string runs along the surface, sometimes it goes to something stuck at the bottom, in the mud.”

Biff notices the string on his leaf and pulls on it. He pulls the string pulling up other objects tied on the line. The third object he pulls up has two strings tied to it. Biff looks at the two stings, each going in a different direction, and ponders which string to follow.

TRANSITION FROM INNER-ILLUSTRATION TO HIGH-STAGE

CUT BACK TO THE HIGH-STAGE

HIGH-STAGE: INT. BIFF’S BEDROOM, RAINY DAY

Rockey leans into Biff in a gesture of affection. Biff hugs him back before returning to drawing. After a moment he stops. Biff brings his crayon up to his face.

ROCKEY
“Why’d you stop?”

BIFF
(looking at crayon) “My crayon has turned black. It was purple when I took it out but now it is black.”

ROCKEY
“Maybe you grabbed the wrong crayon.”

Biff turns and inspects the box of crayons. He pours it out in front of Rockey.

BIFF
“No. They’re all changed. They’re all black now.”

ROCKEY
“The whole box! Now what do we do?”

Biff and Rockey look at each other, but then Biff arcs an eyebrow. Rockey looks at him puzzled. Biff gestures his head toward the stage-front. It dawns on Rockey what he means and he nods agreement. They both scoot over closer and closer to the stage-front, ultimately peering over the edge of the HIGH-STAGE.

TRANSITION FROM HIGH-STAGE TO MID-STAGE

THE CAMERA PANS DOWNWARD ALONG THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS, DOWN OVER THE TOPS OF THE MID-STAGE SETS TO THE MID-STAGE ITSELF.

MID-STAGE: INT. THOMAS TYPEWRITER’S STUDIO, DAYTIME

Thomas sits at his desk staring at his typewriter. The ideas which seemed to be pouring out of him earlier have faded away. Hoping physical movement will transform to artistic inspiration, Thomas stands. He paces the stage, mumbling to himself working through his script hoping to grab onto the clue of creativity. The stage lights turn off with the sound of a LIGHT SWITCH CLICKING OFF, though Thomas keeps pacing. The Mid-stage curtains close.

TRANSITION FROM MID-STAGE TO HIGH-STAGE

THE CAMERA PANS UPWARD ALONG THE CLOUD CURTAIN. AS IT CRESTS THE MID-STAGE SETS, IT TILTS UPWARD SO THAT WE CAN SEE BIFF AND ROCKEY PEEKING OVER THE EDGE OF THE HIGH-STAGE.

HIGH-STAGE: INT. BIFF’S BEDROOM, RAINY DAY

THE CAMERA TILTS BACK TO ITS REGULAR POSITION AS IT REACHES HIGH-STAGE.

We find Biff and Rockey leaning over the edge of the stage, watching Thomas pace.

BIFF
“Well that was anti-climatic. Guess we know where the black crayon business is coming from.”

ROCKEY
“Seems so. Well, what do we do now?”

BIFF
“I don’t know. He’s not writing anything so I guess we wait till he figures it out and finishes the script.”

Biff swings his legs over the edge of stage. Absent-mindedly he swings his legs. They sit in silence for a moment or three.

BIFF
“I’m bored.”

ROCKEY
“Me too. I wish we could keep drawing.”

BIFF
“Me too.”

They both sigh.

BIFF
“Wait. Why don’t we.”

ROCKEY
“What do you mean.”

BIFF
“Why don’t we choose what we do next. Not him.”

ROCKEY
“Yeah. Why does he get to decide our fate. We decide what we do.”

BIFF
“Exactly. Where you having fun drawing?”

ROCKEY
“The best.”

BIFF
“Me too. So, let’s just keep drawing.”

ROCKEY
“Yeah, it’s not like the crayons are broken.”

BIFF
“Absolutely. They’re just black.”

ROCKEY
“Still a color”

BIFF
“Still a color indeed. A thousand things could be drawn with a black crayon.”

ROCKEY
“Like depression.”

BIFF
“What. No. Real things, not metaphors. Like zebras or onions.”

ROCKEY
“Oh, I get what you mean now. Like clouds at night.”

BIFF
“Exactly.”

ROCKEY
“Or penguins.

BIFF
“You’re getting it now.”

ROCKEY
“Or clams”

BIFF
“Right. Or like skunks.”

ROCKEY
“Or magpies.”

BIFF
“And crows.”

ROCKEY
“Or black crayons.”

BIFF
“Newspapers.”

ROCKEY
“Old books.”

BIFF
“Old movies.”

ROCKEY
“Like an atomic monster movie?”

BIFF
“Or like a detective film.”

Biff and Rockey look at each other.

BIFF AND ROCKEY
(shouting) “Atomic Monster Detective movie!”

BIFF
“Staring the Softboiled Detective.”

ROCKEY
“And the Big Bad Bug!”

They hop off the stage edge and start drawing feverishly. The High-stage’s stage lights turn off with the sound of a COMPUTER TURNING OFF. The curtains close.

PAN OUT TO A LS OF THE HIGH-STAGE AS WE FADE OUT

FADE OUT