My words were never magnificent,
too full of awkward pauses.
too distant from the Muses’ golden songs
Until then
Until I reach that beautiful chorus
And words explode from my vibrating bones
fully formed
graceful
dancing
Across the page.
Until then I repeat
repeat
repeat
Stacking phrases and random words like building blocks
into towers lopsided, and not always lasting
more wreckage for the next
———–<.thom.>———–
THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT
a puppet play in many parts
Season 05, Episode 04
By Thomas Typewriter
(c) 2023 thomas typewriter
———–<:type:>———–
FADE IN TO BLACK
From the bottom of the screen scrolls up the following text: “05-04”. 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
LS OF THE TYPEWRITER PUPPET STAGE
The Typewriter Puppet Stage slowly appears under unseen lamps as they power on. The sound of TYPEWRITER KEYS CLICK CLACKING sounds out.
TRANSITION FROM THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE TO MID-STAGE
PAN IN ON THE TYPEWRITER PUPPET STAGE
PAN IN ON THE MID-STAGE AREA UNTIL IT IS PROPERLY FRAMED
MID-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED
The Mid-Stage curtains part. The stage-lights turn on to the sound of A LIGHTSWITCH CLICKING ON revealing…
MID-STAGE: THOMAS TYPEWRITER’S APARTMENT’S LIVING ROOM, LATE AFTERNOON
A small table sits front stage, just stage-left of the center. Across the back of the stage rests two tall bookshelves, filled with various books, graphic novels, CDs, artwork, and houseplants. Off to stage-right stands a bookshelf half as tall, topped by houseplants. It is also crammed with books, graphic novels, CDs, and artwork. THOMAS TYPEWRITER enters through the front door hidden behind the center’s tall bookshelf. He emerges from behind the bookshelf and sets his mail down on a shelf. He takes off his shoes. He then walks over to the desk. Taking out a sheet of paper and a pen from a drawer, he stoops to write.
THOMAS TYPEWRITER
(voiceover) “To do: 1. Notify the landlord company moving out of the apartment. 2. Cancel cable. 3. Cancel phone line. 4. Close bank accounts 5. Get moving boxes to pack up belongings. Question: Do we need everything we have? 6. Give Ophidia a final answer to her question.”
Thomas exits stage-right.
TRANSITION FROM MID-STAGE TO HIGH-STAGE
THE CAMERA DISCONNECTS FROM FRAMING THE MID-STAGE AND PANS UPWARD. IT SLIDES OVER THE SETS TO THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS ALONG THE BACK OF THE STAGE. IT CONTINUES PANNING UPWARD ACROSS THE CURTAINS OF CLOUD TO THE HIGH-STAGE AT THE TOP OF THE CURTAIN. THE CAMERA CONTINUES ONTO THE HIGH-STAGE UNTIL PROPERLY FRAMING THE HIGH-STAGE.
HIGH-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED
The High-Stage curtains open and the stage-lights turn on with the sound of A COMPUTER BOOTING ON revealing…
HIGH-STAGE: INT. CORRIDOR 505 OF THE FLUTE
A long corridor stretches across the stage. Recessed light panels fill the curve where the wall meets the ceiling. Along the walls, thick lines of red, blue, yellow, and brown run along the wall. A fifth dotted black line runs underneath the other four. One line for each color. 505 is painted in thick black stencil lettering on the side of the corridor. PANACEA FLAUTO enters stage-left. She walks across the stage and stands facing stage-left. She is holding up her Medi-scanner. Panacea is holding the Medi-scanner in one hand and with the other hand she is holding the sensor wand. She is holding the sensor wand against the Medi-scanner in a way very similar as if it was a joystick. Three Medi-pods, containing LUCIDO OBSIDIAN, CEDAR WAXWINGS, and the brainbox of CARRO emerge stage-left. They move awkwardly and jerkily bumping into each other and the walls before resting in the center of the stage.
PANACEA FLAUTO
“Gentlemen if I may have a moment of your attention. The Flauto is a very large ship. To help you navigate the walls are marked with colored lines, each color denoting a different area in the ship. The red line leads to the Medical sections. The blue line leads to the residences or patient rooms. The yellow leads to the cafeteria and the observation dome. And the brown is for staff only.”
CEDAR WAXWINGS
“What is that?”
PANACEA FLAUTO
“Staff only means offices, supply closets, engineering. Things the patients don’t need to go to.”
CEDAR WAXWINGS
“No, not the brown line. The dotted line.”
PANACEA FLAUTO
“That’s not important.”
CEDAR WAXWINGS
“But where does it lead to?”
LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“Yeah. Does it go anywhere?”
CARRO
“Maybe it’s a fold line.”
PANACEA FLAUTO
“Now gentlemen we should…”
CARRO
“Like the place where what looks like two things but are actually one thing overlap.”
LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“Maybe it’s merely decorative”
CEDAR WAXWING
“Or graffiti.”
LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“Seems too utilitarian to be graffiti.”
CARRRO
“I still say fold line. A ship this old could be a Caregiver. They have other versions stacked on top of it.”
LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“That’s not exactly true.”
CEDAR WAXWINGS
“Oh yeah, then why do we have like eight bosses for a company owned by two people?
PANACEA FLAUTO
“Gentlemen. If we could get back on subject.”
LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“I’m just saying they are not all like that.”
CARRO
“Wonder what makes up this space? Who else?”
CEDAR WAXWINGS
“Of course you’d jump to their defense.”
PANACEA FLAUTO
“Gentlemen.”
LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“Now that’s not fair.”
CEDAR WAXWINGS
“Oh it isn’t now.”
Panacea, visibly frustrated, presses a button on the Medi-scanner. The center light on the top of each Medi-pod turns blue. The three go silent and Panacea drives them off-screen exiting stage-right. She follows behind them.
They exit stage-right. The High-stage lights turn off with the sound of A COMPUTER BOOTING OFF.
TRANSITION FROM THE HIGH-STAGE TO THE MID-STAGE
THE CAMERA PANS DOWNWARD, DETACHING FROM THE HIGH-STAGE AND MOVING TOWARDS THE MID-STAGE BELOW. IT GLIDES LOWER AND LOWER ALONG THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS. THE TOPS OF THE MID-STAGE SETS POP INTO VIEW AS THE CAMERA SLOWS COMING TO REST PROPERLY FRAMING MID-STAGE.
MID-STAGE: INT. THOMAS TYPEWRITER’S APARTMENT’S LIVING ROOM. MORNING
The living room stands dark. In the dim, we can make out three bookshelves across the back of the stage, at angles to each other. The stage-left and center bookshelves are tall and joined to each other. A gap separates the two from the third. It is shorter than the others. All three are loaded with books, graphic novels, music CDs, artwork, and houseplants. A beam of sunlight casts its way across the living room from stage-left. SONGBIRDS CHIRPING drifts in from off-stage. The stage-lights slowly rise as the sun rises on this new day. THOMAS TYPEWRITER enters from stage-right. He walks across the stage to stage-left. He exits. He returns eating a bagel. He walks back across the stage and exits stage-right. A longer moment passes before he reenters. This time he is dressed, with a jacket, hat and gloves. The bagel was in his mouth as he entered so he could finish putting on the jacket. He takes it out of his mouth and finishes the last bit. He walks over to his desk, the same desk he wrote the note on previously. He picks up the note and moves to leave the apartment. The stage-lights turn off to the sound of A LIGHTSWITCH CLICKING OFF. The Mid-Stage curtains close.
FADE OUT
———–<.thom.>———–
THE NOT SO PUPPET SHOW
Tract #001
“The Skipping Stone”
By Thomas Typewriter
(c) 2023 thomas typewriter
———–<:type:>———–
FADE IN
Title Sequence plays
FADE OUT
FADE IN
EXT. LAKESIDE, DAYTIME
The front of the stage is the shoreline of a lake. The back of the stage is high grass transitioning into a thick forest. There is a pebble-laden path off to stage left. A fallen log sits on the shoreline.
LS OF THE BEACH
From the path enters THOMAS TYPEWRITER. He walks over to the shoreline and looks out at the water.
CUT TO MS OF THOMAS TYPEWRITER
THOMAS TYPEWRITER
(narration) “As a child, I grew up close to a river, a short bike from the water’s edge. Something I liked doing was skipping stones. My mind was always too loud and my inner self too large. It all went away as I watched the rocks fly, the waves ripple out.”
As Thomas narrates a piece of background music which is noisy and unpleasant starts to increase in volume. He looks out to the water. When the volume of the cacophony becomes louder than the background sounds of animals and birds, Thomas turns his attention to the shoreline. He scans the beach and finds some rocks. With a flick of his arm, the rock sails out. The background noise stops.
CUT TO LS OF THOMAS ON THE SHORE.
The rock flies out and bounces across the water. It flies towards the camera before sinking under the water. He tosses a second.
CUT TO MS OF THOMAS TYPEWRITER
THOMAS TYPEWRITER
(narration) “Now that I am back here, something occurs to me. Something always occurs to me in those moments when my thoughts slip away, when I no longer feel too big on the inside, too small on the outside.”
CUT TO LS OF THOMAS TYPEWRITER
Thomas tosses another stone.
THOMAS TYPEWRITER
(narration) “ It occurs to me, I am like this stone. I am propelled by some force traveling across a surface making waves until my arc ends and I disappear.”
CUT TO A SHOT OF STONE ENDING ITS FLIGHT AND SLIPPING UNDER THE WATER
CUT TO CS OF THE WAVES FROM THE ROCK SLIPPING UNDER THE WATER SPREADING OUT
THOMAS TYPEWRITER
(narration) “And in my flight across this world, I have an effect. The waves of my effect will continue long after my flight has ended. Yet, they are not infinite. They too will eventually run out and disappear. And as all this unfolds I find myself a bystander watching the waves of my actions rippling out, captivated by the patterns of my life but at the same time unable to find any grand purpose to the whole affair.”
CUT BACK TO CS OF THOMAS’S FACE
CUT TO MS OF THOMAS THROWING A TONE
TRANSITION TO THE WAVE SCREEN SEQUENCE.
FADE TO THE WAVE SCREEN BOARD
The Water Shadow Board is a screen, a transparent water tank, and a set of bright lights. The three elements are arranged in a way that the bright lights project through the water tank onto the screen. The screen is filmed so that the shadow of any object moving across or through the water is cast onto the screen. Additionally, the inference patterns caused by the water in motion or waves across the surface of the water are also cast onto the screen. The camera will be positioned to film the screen and the shadows cast, not the tank of water or bright lights. Those will always remain out of frame.
THOMAS TYPEWRITER
(narration) “What is the measure of my life, of my stone’s throw?”
As Thomas narrates, stones are thrown across the surface of the water in the clear tank creating a shadow pattern on the screen.”
THOMAS TYPEWRITER
(narration) “Is it the number of years I live? The number of seconds I remain in flight? The distance traveled? The size or number of waves?”
The shadow patterns flow out to stop.
THOMAS TYPEWRITER
(narration) “Maybe it is something else.”
INSERT TO CS OF A THROWN ROCK BOUNCING OFF THE WATER’S SURFACE, IN SLOW-MOTION.
SLOW THE SLOW MOTION OF THE ROCK BOUNCING OFF THE WATER UNTIL FREEZING AT THE MOMENT OF IMPACT. THEN PLAY IN REVERSE UNTIL THE ROCK IS BACK IN THOMAS’ HAND
CS OF THE ROCK IN THOMAS’ HAND
THE SKIPPING STONE
“The answer is simpler than you would believe. I have no control over the duration of my flight or the waves I make. I have no awareness of my path. All I have is the brief moments of contact with the surface. To me, there is only a lifespan of kisses with the water. I only have control over how I kiss, as in the sweet or bitter things I say at that moment and in turn how I take the sweet or bitter things the water says to me. That is my life and that by extension is your life.”
CUT TO CS OF THOMAS CONTEMPLATING WHAT THE SKIPPING STONE SAID.
THE SKIPPING STONE
(off-camera) “Ahem.”
Thomas looks down.
CUT TO A CLOSE SHOT OF THE ROCK IN THOMAS’ HAND
THE SKIPPING STONE
“Don’t you think it is time we both lived?”
CUT TO THOMAS NODDING HIS HEAD YES.
Thomas throws the rock. It skips out across the water. Thomas stands and watches the waves spread out and eventually disappear. He then pulls out his phone and dials a number. After a few RINGS, it picks up.
THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Hey, honey. Yeah, I’m feeling better. How about you. How are you doing? I’d like to listen to whatever you have to say.”
Thomas Typewriter exits.
FADE OUT
———–<.thom.>———–
THE BROKEN BOOK OF BEASTIES
“Book I: A Book by Any Other Cover”
Part Three of Three
By Thomas Typewriter and Primo Operahouse-Typewriter & Secondo Operahouse-Typewriter
(c) 2023
———–<:type:>———–
FADE IN
INT. THE ALCOVE OF THE TRILIBRIS IN THE TRILIBRIS MAGICAL LIBRARY, DAYTIME
CS OF THE OPEN PAGES OF THE TRILIBRIS.
The TRILIBRIS is open to a double-page illustration of the Bakery from part two of Book I: A Book by Any Other Cover. The illustration is still in the woodblock meets flowing lines style. The Bakery itself has changed from the last time it was seen. It now has changed its name to “Books and Buns” and there is a long line of citizens waiting to get in. Additionally, in the frame some of the stand the TRILIBRIS rests on can be seen along with the Grey Mouse leaning on the edge of the book curious as to the latest turn of events in the story.
THE CODEXIAN
“The news of the Baker’s new discovery quickly spread. Soon people from all over the settlement came to her for a spellbook, for access to this new land, access to this new magic.”
CUT TO THE GREY MOUSE
The Grey Mouse SQUEAKS a question.
THE CODEXIAN
“Yes, it does seem at first glance odd that those who fled magic would so willingly embrace magic again. Though you must remember that the Baker was not the only person yearning for the past. Rapid change, especially when brought on by tragedy and disaster, has a way of amplifying nostalgia.”
The Grey Mouse SQUEAKS in understanding. The TRILIBRIS turns the page. On the next page is a picture of the Beastlands. There are people everywhere. With more zapping in and appearing. Use some of the same people from the bakery line and have them eating buns.
PAN IN ON THE ILLUSTRATION
THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “Soon this new land, this Beastland, was filled with people capturing the beasts, filling spellbooks with beasties and magic.”
The page turns and now see a view of the settlement
THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “Magic which they used to grow their settlement into a large city.”
Show the settlement growing larger and larger with a montage of construction. Then the page turns and shows a sprawling city, a street scene. Wizards and walking down the street, with some flying, and such. See Wizards using magic in the street vendors, while shopkeepers are using magic to clean windows, dust shops, and craft items. Up in the apartments people are using magic to cook and entertain. See a Wizard take off for work and start to fly. His magic fades out and he drifts down to the ground confused. Soon everyone’s magic starts to fade out. They all grab their spellbooks and look through the pages or shake the books. The spellbooks are all empty. They turn and start talking to each other equally confused and concerned about what is happening.
THE CODEXIAN
“Like most things, everything was going great until it wasn’t.”
The page turns and from here on out the illustrations on the page will have a full animation movement. The wizards on the street murmur to each other trying to figure out what has happened to the magic. In the windows, we can see the various wizards of the businesses and apartments retrying their spells and rummaging through the spellbooks. The wizards in the seating for the cafes on the streets and the pedestrians are discussing with each other confused about what is happening. Then a bright prismatic light that shifts to pure white pulses from the sky. The wizards on the street shield their eyes. Once the pulse has passed they look up. In the background, the wizards inside the buildings step outside or lean out their windows.
The page turns revealing an illustration of the sky above the settlement from the perspective of someone on the street. The tops of buildings can be seen at the edge. In the sky, there is a glowing nimbus. The glow starts to fade as a face begins to materialize. THE KING OF BEASTIES has arrived. He is a large humanoid lion with a large single eye, a thick mane and beard making a multi-colored halo, and a large ornate crown. The crown is made up of a series of various-sized pentagons across a background of repeating smaller pentagons. Sharp short multi-pointed horns emerge from the forehead just below the crown.
THE KING OF BEASTIES
“I am the King of Beasties, and you may have noticed your magic is cut off. You have no rights nor permission to my kingdom, my people, or our gifts. You are trespassers and kidnappers. No more. I will return in one week to discuss the terms of re-entry to my kingdom and the use of its resources. Until then you are cut off. Use this time to appreciate what you have lost so as you may appreciate its true value if it returns.”
The King of Beasties face fades away. The page turns and now it shows a silhouette of the city with fires and buildings falling over. Sirens can be heard inside the city.
THE CODEXIAN
(narrating) “The citizens coped the best they could but still it was one of the longest weeks they had been through.”
The page turns again. Across the page is the caption “One week later…” It fades away leaving a view of the sky from street-level looking up similar to the previous page where the King of Beasts appeared in the previous page. Along the edges of the frame, various citizens gather looking up. They watch and watch but nothing happens. They start to murmur to each other.
CITIZEN #1
“It has been one week right.”
CITIZEN #2
“Yes.”
CITIZEN #3
“Then why isn’t he appearing?”
THE CODEXIAN
(narration) “Why indeed. As the hours passed, the citizens worried that maybe the magic would never return. Cursed to forever stumble through life with only what they could do themselves.”
The sky starts to spark and a burst of fireworks goes off and MARMALADE UMBER, singed and mildly burnt, falls out of the sky. He tumbles through the air yelling, gripping a book tight to his chest. He thuds to the ground, surprisingly surviving, and skidding down the street.
CAMERA TRACKS HIS FALL AND SKID
The dust settles over the crater and the crowds slowly trickle in to investigate. Marmalade pops up, singed and burned holding up a thick tome: THE BOOK OF BEASTIES.
THE CODEXIAN
“The crowd was surprised to find Marmalade Umber yelling “I DID IT! I DID IT!” especially after falling out of the sky. He should have died, but then again Marmalade was always disappearing and reappearing in the weirdest places.
The page turns. The new illustration shows a younger Marmalade Umber on his family’s farm. He is holding a spell book and concentrating really hard.
THE CODEXIAN
“Marmalade was easily the worst wizard in the entire community, constantly screwing up the most basic of spells and never once capturing any beasties.”
Marmalade starts to strain and sweat then disappears. He reappears over an animal pen and falls in spooking all the animals. He stands and tries to concentrate again disappearing and then reappearing somewhere else. He gets up and concentrates a third time. He disappears and then reappears but is split in two. His upper torso sits on the ground while his legs are walking around the spooked animals. He screams in shock and then poofs out reappearing as complete. He runs over to the side and vomits. The page turns with the new page having an illustration of the adult Marmalade Umber having just crashed and holding up the Book of Beasties. A crowd has gathered around him.
THE CODEXIAN
(narration) “The crowd did not know what to make of the village idiot falling out of the sky and shouting wildly. Eventually, they understood that he was claiming to have captured the King of Beasties.”
PERSON IN CROWD #1
“So you’re saying you captured the King of Beasties in that spellbook?”
MARMALADE UMBER
“I did it.”
PERSON IN CROWD #2
“But you’re like the worst magician.”
MARMALADE UMBER
“Yes, but I did it.”
PERSON IN CROWD #3
“Okay, so lets say you did it and the King is truly bound in that book, wouldn’t that mean…”
PERSON IN CROWD #4
“The Beastlands is open again?”
PERSON IN THE CROWD #5
“The Beastlands is open again.”
PERSON IN THE CROWD #6
“The Beastlands is open again!”
The people in the crowd look at each other and then pull out their spellbooks and disappear. Marmalade hugs the Book of Beasties to his chest.
THE CODEXIAN
(narration) “The Beastlands was indeed open again and magic returned. Only not quite the same as before. The King of Beasts had apparently made some changes to the Beastland before he was captured. No longer could you just capture a beastie and use its magic. You had to get the Beastie’s permission. Additionally, where before a Wizard could teleport to any part of the Beastlands, now entry and exit was tied to geographical area. When a wizard entered the Beastland, they entered in a spot that more or less matched where they were in the physical world.”
The page turns. The new illustration shows an overhead type of the city. The city is divided into five outer neighborhoods surrounding a central inner neighborhood.
THE CODEXIAN
(narration) “The return of magic sparked a regrowth. The city expanded again but since the magic had changed the city did as well. Since entry and exit out of the Beastlands were tied to corresponding points in the physical world, the city developed five distinct neighborhoods, each corresponding to one of the realms. Ultimately growing into a city of prismatic wonders and colorful characters, especially one of Marmalade’s descendants.”
The page turns and the new illustration is of a close-up of RAWLSTON UMBER. It is in the style of a static pencil sketch or ink illustration. The page starts blank and as the Codexian narrates it fills in. Rawlston will appear very bored and indifferent.
THE CODEXIAN
(narration) “Whose lack of magical skill, utter lack of talent, makes him the least likely candidate to be the hero of any story…”
The sketch or illustration of Rawlston turns into an actual moving image, with an effect similar to where a static picture snaps into a live image of the subject moving. A transition from picture to video or illustration to live motion recording. Rawlston exhales a sigh of discontent.
RAWLSTON UMBER
“This is sooooo boring.”
THE CODEXIAN
(narration) “…And yet this is who we find ourselves with.”
The Codexian shuts its pages. The eye-like symbols on the side of the cover look at the Grey Mouse.
THE CODEXIAN
“And thus ends today’s portion of the tale.”
THE GREY MOUSE
“Squeek Squeik?”
THE CODEXIAN
“No, there is more to the story. A story that ended there would not be very good. It’s just that I have not had an audience in a long long time and am a bit out of practice. Let me rest and I’ll be ready to continue the story.”
The Grey Mouse nods at the Codexian and then turns. He takes a few steps and then turns back and waves at the Codexian. He then runs off the edge of the podium and out of frame. The Codexian closes its eye-like symbols and starts to sleep.
PAN BACK FROM THE CODEXIAN AND ITS ALCOVE
FADE OUT
Thomas Typewriter 
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