———–<.thom.>———–

THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT

a puppet play in many parts

Season Two, Episode Two

By Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2020

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FADE IN TO BLACK

From the bottom of the screen scrolls up the following text: 02-02. It moves upwards, pausing a moment in the center of the frame, then continues upward, exiting the frame at the top edge

FADE OUT

FADE IN

INT. UNROOM NOT.SEVEN

In the large cavernous space of the Unroom, THE OUTER ONE sits on one of many grey carpet squares lost in thought. The carpet squares radiate out from a wooden disc in the center of the unroom. Spindly metal lamps stand at the ends of the rows of carpets barely able to illuminate the room. The carpet squares bathe in light while the wooden disc swims in shadows.

THE CAMERA IS THE POV OF THE OUTER ONE LOOKING AT THE CARPET SQUARE THEY ARE SITTING ON.

The sound of TYPEWRITER KEYS CLICKING AND CLACKING drifts in from off-screen.

THE CAMERA TILTS UP AS THE OUTER ONE SHIFTS THEIR GAZE FROM THE CARPET SQUARES TO THE WOODEN DISC.

The wooden disc sits empty in the dark. Unseen lamps flip on. THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE manifests in the newly cast light splashing across the wooden disc.

PAN IN TOWARDS THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE

TRANSITION FROM THE UNROOM TO THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE
PAN IN ON MID-STAGE

TRANSITION FROM THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE TO THE MID-STAGE

MID-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED

The Mid-Stage sits silent and still. Once the camera properly frames Mid-stage the curtains part. The stage-lights turn on with the sound of a LIGHT SWITCH CLICKING ON, revealing…

MID-STAGE: INT. THE SLICE-O-PIE RESTAURANT

Three restaurant style booths run across the stage. Various sized photos of pies and fruits, all ornately framed, hang on the wall above the booths. A small framed photo of a rabbit next to a rock sits off to the stage left. Over on the stage right hangs a small framed photo of a still from the Patterson Bigfoot footage.

The center booth is the only booth currently occupied, though the MURMUR OF A CROWD can be heard. Sitting in the booth are THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING, THE LADY, THE LANCE, and THE LOCH. Thomas is looking at the menu, while the Lance and the Lady are looking around the restaurant. The Loch is sniffing the salt and pepper shakers.

THE LADY
“Busy night.”

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING
“Yup.”

THE LANCE
“More than yup. A full night indeed. I mean look at all these gorgeous ladies. Sure working up my appetite, if you catch my drift.”

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING
“Yeah right. Can we just eat dinner tonight. No woman here is interested in talking to us.”

THE LANCE
“Not with your head buried in that menu.”

The Loch sneezes from sniffing the pepper. Thomas leans over and puts his hand over the salt and pepper shaker in the Loch’s paws. Thomas shakes his head. The Loch sets them down. Thomas returns to his menu while the Loch reads over his shoulder.

THE LADY
“None of that Lance, you leave him alone.”

THE LANCE
“Why are you always defending him. You know as well as me if he just tried he’s succeed. He’s a good looking guy and he’s wasting it. Wasting his chances, no our chances. I’m tired of waiting on the sidelines.”

The Lance looks off stage-right and raises his hand waving to someone off-stage. A come here kind of wave. When he does this, Thomas does the same exact motion. Thomas merely looks up from his menu and frowns. The Loch reaches over and puts his paw on the Lance’s chest then shakes his head no. The Lance puts his hand down. Thomas is then able to lower his hand.

THE LADY
(glaring at the Lance) “We agreed we were not going to do that unless it was an emergency.”

THE LANCE
“Whatever.”

The Lance sinks into his seat pouting. THE WAITRESS enters from stage-right.

THE WAITRESS
(to Thomas) “Are we ready to order.”

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING
“Sure thing. I’ll have a Crispy Bird Special, a bowl of Mickey-Stronney soup and a Squirrelly Temple.”

THE WAITRESS
(playfully) “Someone’s got a big appetite tonight.”

THE LANCE
“Ohhh…she’s hitting on you. Don’t blow it.”

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING
(acting shy) “Maybe.”

The Waitress writes down the order and leaves.

THE LADY
“Why didn’t you talk more to her?”

Thomas shrugs. They fall into an awkward silence. The Waitress reemerges bringing a Squirrelly Temple soda and a bowl of soup. She sets them down on the table.

THE WAITRESS
“Here you go, and your Crispy Bird will be ready soon. Anything else I can get you right now.”

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING
“No thank you, we’re good.”

The Waitress makes a funny face then leaves. Thomas takes a sip of his soda.

THE LADY
(reaches over and takes hold of his hand)”Thomas we need to talk.”

Thomas immediately stops sipping.

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING
“Okay.”

THE LADY
“We will be leaving.”

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING
“Really? But I haven’t even got my order yet.”

The Lance and the Loch reach over putting their hand and paw on top of The Lady’s.

THE LANCE
“No, Thomas. We’re leaving. Us. (gestures to The Lady, The Loch and himself) We’re going away.”

Thomas looks at all of them. Each nods yes.

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING
“Oh.”

THE LADY
(starting to cry) “We’ll miss you and maybe you’ll miss us, but the cracks in you that made us are healing. You don’t need us anymore.”

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING
“When.”

THE LANCE
(looks at watch)”Judging from the speed of service tonight, when the Crispy Bird arrives.”

TRANSITION FROM THE MID-STAGE TO HIGH-STAGE

THE CAMERA PANS UPWARD, UP OVER THE TOPS OF THE MID-STAGE SETS, TO THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS. IT CONTINUES PANNING FOLLOWING THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS TO THE HIGH-STAGE AT THE TOP OF THE CURTAIN. THE CAMERA SLOWS AND STOPS ONCE PROPERLY FRAMING HIGH-STAGE.

HIGH-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED

The High-stage curtains sit closed. A small shudder moves across the curtain preceding their parting. The High-stage stage-lights turn on with the sound of a COMPUTER BOOTING ON revealing…

HIGH-STAGE: EXT. THE MULTI-COLORED HIGHER PLANES OF REALITY

The stage is filled with a backdrop of swirling colors. From stage-left enters a miniature of THE SPACE EGG. It is rapidly flying across the stage leaving chromatic waves trailing in its wake. When it reaches mid-stage, there is a LOUD THUNDEROUS CLAP and the Space Egg flies even faster, exiting stage-left. The curtains close and then reopen revealing…

HIGH-STAGE: INT. THE SPACE EGG

THE INNER-SPACE MAN sits in a sleek astronaut’s chair. In front of him sits a curved console and curved view screen. The console has a center monitor in the shape of a circle bisected by a long rectangle. This is the Space Egg’s text display. All of the Space Egg’s dialogue will scroll across the text display at the same time as it is heard by the Inner-Space Man and audience.  Around the text display sit various sized hexagonal buttons. The view screen sits on a curved wall coming off the console. It bears the same circle bisected by a rectangle design, only much larger. It is currently displaying the many colors of the Higher Planes of Reality outside the ship. Given the ship’s current speeds, the colors are blurring together

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“Status Update.”

THE SPACE EGG
“Current speed exceeds the Speed of Thought. We have broken through the Reality Barrier.”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“Tip top. The infinite canvas of what could and what was spreads out before us.”

THE SPACE EGG
“Since we have exceeded three-dimensionality shouldn’t you use more than two metrics in describing our current options.”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“Excellent point my friend. Or should I say egg-scellent point.”

THE SPACE EGG
“Maybe don’t.”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“Noted. Now lets see…what did and what didn’t spreads out before us. Where to first?” (pulls out travel brochures from a storage compartment under his chair, though if you wanted to have him grab the brochures from a glove box in the Space Egg’s console that is fine as well.) “Do we sail the salt-spired Oceans of Tears? Navigate the Streams of Thought? Watch the sun set on an Era? Explore the hidden tombs of the Food Pyramid?”

THE SPACE EGG
“Maybe it’s my programming but I sure love myself a salt spire, so I vote Ocean of Tears.”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“Fantastic choice. Says in this brochure that its far shores have the best Halls of Memories of any higher dimensional space.”

THE SPACE EGG
“Now we have to go. Put in the coordinates.”

The Inner-Space Man enters the coordinates. He makes BEEP BEEP BOOP sounds as he presses the buttons on the console.

THE SPACE EGG
“New route entered. Rerouting. Rerouting. Rerouting. Route set. Oceans of Tears here we come.”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“Maybe some travel tunes?”

THE SPACE EGG
“You know it!”

The Inner-Space Man presses a button. At that exact same moment the High-stage stage lights turn off with the sound of A COMPUTER BOOTING OFF. The curtains close.

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
(voice over. It slows down and drawls out as it goes)”What just happened?”

TRANSITION FROM THE HIGH-STAGE TO THE MID-STAGE

THE CAMERA PANS DOWNWARD. FROM THE HIGH-STAGE IT MOVES TO THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS CONTINUING ON DOWNWARD. IT FOLLOWS THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS TO THE MID-STAGE, STOPPING ONCE IT IS FRAMED PROPERLY.

MID-STAGE: INT. THE SLICE-O-PIE RESTAURANT

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING is sitting at the center booth with THE LANCE, THE LADY and THE LOCH. THE WAITRESS enters with the food and sets it down on the table. She looks at his sad face and feels for him.

THE LANCE
“Speak of the devil.”

THE WAITRESS
“Oh don’t be so sad looking. Maybe a slice of pie before you go. Always cheers me up.”

Thomas looks up at the waitress. He studies her a moment, letting her words sink in.

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING
“Maybe one slice before we go.”

THE WAITRESS
“Great, I’ll be back in a little bit to find out what kind you’d like.”

Thomas nods. He turns and looks at the Lady, the Lance, and the Loch one last time before they leave. The Lady gets up first, walks around to Thomas and hugs him before exiting stage-left. The Lance follows next, hugging Thomas and then exiting. Finally the Loch gets up, bear hugs Thomas, then exits. Thomas sets down his fork, puts his head in his hands. He wipes his eyes with his napkin. The Waitress reenters from stage-right with a pie menu. She walks it over to Thomas

THE WAITRESS
“Do you know what you want, or do you need a moment.”

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING
(avoiding eye contact with the Waitress) “A moment. If possible.”

THE WAITRESS
“Don’t worry about it Hon. Take your time, you’ll figure out what you want eventually.”

The Waitress exits stage-right.

THOMAS TWENTYSOMETHING
(to self)”Will I?”

The Mid-stage stage lights turn of with the sound of a LIGHT SWITCH CLICKING OFF as the curtains close.

FADE OUT