On the playground we were wed.
I was waiting for your sister,
but found you instead.
We exchanged vows of self-defeat.
We threw a bouquet no one could eat.
For us, everyday went on repeat.
I still think of that day.
You and I clad in grey,
every raindrop waiting for its day.
And I say:
Was it always destined to float away?
———–<.thom.>———–
THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT
a puppet play in many parts
Season 04, Episode 06
By Thomas Typewriter
(c) 2022
———–<:type:>———–
FADE IN TO BLACK
From the bottom center of the screen scrolls up the following text: “04-06”. It continues upward, pausing briefly in the center then exits off the top of the frame.
FADE OUT
FADE IN
INT. L-MOUSE’S OFFICE, EVENING
Large metal racks for spools of fabric line the side walls. A single rack sits stage-left side while multiple racks sit stage-right. The stage-left racks hold multiple spools of thread of a rainbow of colors. The center of the office is a shared space between a small sewing desk, a hanging lamp, and a large loom. Threads feed off the stage-right racks to the loom supplying thread for a long unfinished tapestry. On the back wall stage-left corner, hangs a woven version of a motivational poster. It depicts a Llama and a lamb hanging on a tree branch with the words “LOVE LUCKS LEFT” in a gothic script. A door to L-Mouse’s apartment stands next to the motivational tapestry, with hooks for a broom and large dustpan. The lights in the space are dim as we join the scene but they quickly brighten to full strength illumination.
L-Mouse enters through the apartment door, dressed in a smock and a flip down magnifying lens on a headband, carrying a glass of water. He takes a drink, then sets the glass down on his desk. He walks over to the stage-left side of the loom and looks underneath.
INSERT CS OF LOOSE THREADS HANGING OFF THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TAPESTRY ON THE LOOM
He gathers up the loose threads and pulls them over to his desk. A large rock is placed on top of them to secure them. He then walks over to the stage-right wall and looks for broken threads. Finding one, he follows the thread back to the spools stage-right. Picking up the spool of thread he carries it over to the other racks. Then he pulls the end of thread from the moved spool and pulls it over to his desk securing it in place with a rock. He repeats this five more times before returning to his desk to take a drink of water.
Moving around behind his desk, L-Mouse sits down. He counts the number of threads from stage-left. He then counts the number of threads from the loom. Not the same. He’s missing one. He walks back over to the loom and runs his fingers across the fabric. He finds a tiny loose thread and pulls it to the desk. He secures it under the rock with the others from the loom. Then he walks over to the stage-right thread spindles/spools. He goes through them one at a time. Finally on a back rack he finds the broken thread. He swings out the front rack and takes off the spool. He leans it against the loom, then moves the front rack back into place. L-Mouse carries the spool to the other side. Placing it in an open rack, he pulls out the end of the thread and pulls it over to his desk with the others.
He sits down, takes a drink of water, placing his glass in a different spot off to the side. He gathers one of the threads from spools to stage-left. He flips down the magnifying lens on his headband to examine the ends of threads. He compares the ends of the threads from the stage-left spools with the ends of thread from the loom. KNOCK KNOCK at the door.
L-MOUSE
“Come in.”
A-Mouse enters from stage-right.
A-MOUSE
“Have you seen K-Mouse? I am suppose to ask him something, well ask everyone really, but his office was empty.”
L-MOUSE
“Did you try C-Mouse’s.”
A-MOUSE
“No. Can I use your phone to call over there?”
L-MOUSE
“Sure. It’s over there.”
L-Mouse points behind the loom. A-Mouse walks behind it and returns holding an old-time rotary phone on a long cord. L-Mouse returns to examining the thread ends. He finds two ends that match and ties them together in a knot. He tugs on the knot testing its solidness. He then checks the thread feeding to the loom and the spool tugging on them. Satisfied he moves over to the loom. He sits down and moves the loom arms threading a few lines. He follows the thread from the loom to the spool on the stage-left. Picks up the spool and works his way to the other side, A-Mouse ducking under the line, returning it to the stage-right rack. He returns to his desk to continue on the next one. At the same time A-Mouse dials C-Mouse.
A-MOUSE
(into phone) “Hi. (pause) It’s A-Mouse. Is K-Mouse there? (pause) Good. Y-Mouse has called an all-nighter. I need to find out what he wants to eat. What both of you want. (pause)I don’t know. (pause) The Gutenberg Bagel. (pause) A Kirby and an Eisner special. Got it. Thanks.”
A-Mouse hangs up the phone as E-Mouse peeks her head in from stage-right.
E-MOUSE
“What’s taking so long? I’ve been waiting by the elevators for you.”
A-MOUSE
(to E-Mouse) “I’ll be ready when I’m ready.”
E-MOUSE
“Fine.”
A-MOUSE
(to L-Mouse) “We’re going on a food run. What do you want.”
L-MOUSE
“Bagel or noodle?”
E-MOUSE
“Bagel.”
L-MOUSE
“An Ariadne.”
A-MOUSE
“Got it.”
E-MOUSE
“Good. Now let’s go.”
They exit stage-right.
A-MOUSE
(off-camera and fading away) “Why you being so bossy?”
E-MOUSE
(off-camera and fading away) “Sorry, I am just excited to drive. The scripts do not have me driving very often.”
A-MOUSE
(off-camera and faint) “”Fine. Let’s just get this done.”
L-Mouse takes a drink of water savoring the peacefulness of his office. Then POP as another thread in the tapestry on the loom breaks. L-Mouse winces. He takes a breath before standing and going to find the new loose thread.
FADE OUT
Trash can, Trash can
Too full
Too ripe
Too much
I’ll see myself out
Broken Vases never heal
All that you pour in will spill
Broken Vases never heal
The only flowers they grow
are artificial and still
———–<.thom.>———–
THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT
a puppet play in many parts
Season 04, Episode 05
By Thomas Typewriter
(c) 2022 thomas typewriter
———–<:type:>———–
FADE IN TO BLACK
From the bottom center of the screen scrolls up the following text: “04-05”. It continues upward, pausing briefly in the center then exits off the top of the frame.
FADE OUT
FADE IN
INT. C-MOUSE’S OFFICE
C-Mouse’s office feels ready to burst. The walls are lined with shelves overflowing with stacks of comic books and graphic novels. The only gap in wall shelves is a door off to the side, with the door covered in a motivational poster of an anthropomorphic comic book dressed in a superhero costume bombastically punching through a tree branch. Printed on the poster is “COMICS COMPLETE COMPLETELY”. Even the floor is covered in stacks of comics and graphic novels. Walkways are visible, snaking through the room, all branching out from an L-shaped desk at the center of the room. The desk in the center of the room is made up of a writing table and drawing table connected at right angles. Currently C-MOUSE sits at the drawing table speaking with K-MOUSE seated at the writing desk.
FADE IN SLOWLY TO A CS OF A STACK OF COMIC BOOKS ON C-MOUSE’S DESK
K-MOUSE
(voice-over) “Okay, so we open in the Space Museum. Then what. Like we know we need to get to the big cosmic problem that draws everyone together.”
C-MOUSE
(voice-over) “The unraveling of space-time?”
K-MOUSE
(voice-over) “Right, but how do we get there? And where is everybody when this happens? Is it right after Beta Dog forms the Cosmic League or have they been around awhile.”
C-MOUSE
(voice-over) “A while. This is like their final story, so they have been around awhile.”
K-MOUSE
(voice-over) “A twilight of the gods scenario. So years then?”
C-MOUSE
(voice-over) “Yup. Years.”
PAN OUT FROM STACK OF COMICS TO MS OF C-MOUSE’S DESK
C-MOUSE sits at his desk, in front of the drawing desk covered with sheets of paper, pens and pencils. He swivels his chair to face K-MOUSE sitting at the writing desk with an open laptop.
K-MOUSE
“Well if that’s the case, what have they been doing all these years? Because, this whole time I assumed it was months later.”
C-MOUSE
“No way. We have a list of over a hundred villains. That is a maniac pace of crime if they have defeated that many villains in a few months. Plus Beta Dog and Sigma Badger are married and have a kid.”
K-MOUSE
“True. I don’t know why I thought it was only a few months into the story. Go on.”
C-MOUSE
“We’ll figure out more of the how once we get the basic plot plotted out.”
K-MOUSE
“Okay. So how does space-time get broken?”
C-MOUSE
“Does it need to be space-time. Couldn’t it be something else like alien invasion. I’d love to draw a bunch of space battles. Maybe those spikey living suits.”
K-MOUSE
“No. It needs to be space-time.”
C-MOUSE
“Well, the only time powered villains are the Anachist and Time Laird.”
K-MOUSE
“Not exactly Time Lairds thing, and he’s not technically a villain anyway. The Anachrist it is.”
C-MOUSE
“He’s kinda klutzy, not exactly a master villain and his schemes usually never work out.”
K-MOUSE
“Right, like what if something he did breaks the space-time continuum. Not a planned thing but a screw-up.”
C-MOUSE
“Okay but how does one break the space-time continuum. It’s an abstract thing.”
K-MOUSE
“Good point.”
They think a moment until a notion occurs to K-Mouse
K-MOUSE
“Let’s work through this. Extend it out. So we need something to break. So how do things break.”
C-MOUSE
“They’re hit.”
K-MOUSE
“Right. Hit…or when something collides with it.”
C-MOUSE
“True. Hitting and collision.”
K-MOUSE
“Isn’t he always stealing things? The Anachrist.”
C-MOUSE
“Okay, I see where you’re going with this. Yes he does.
K-MOUSE
“And what if something he steals breaks the space-time.”
C-MOUSE
“Sure but what would he steal?”
K-MOUSE
“Well his time-doors are only person size…wait…what if he tried to steal something larger than his time-doorway.”
C-MOUSE
“And it collides with the edge of the time-door cracking it, cracking space-time.”
K-MOUSE
“I like it. It totally fits his personality. So what big thing would he try to steal. A pyramid, a tomb, a dinosaur, a train? I’d steal a dinosaur if I could.”
C-MOUSE
“Really. What kind.”
K-MOUSE
“Triceratops.”
C-MOUSE
“Really, a triceratops.”
K-MOUSE
“I like the horns.”
C-MOUSE
“Okay, but back to the story. What if he stole a boat.”
K-MOUSE
“A boat? Those are tiny.”
C-MOUSE
“Not the Titanic.”
K-MOUSE
“Oh… So we do a riff on it striking that iceberg but instead our twist is that this C-Grade super villain tries to steal it but it strikes the edge of his portal, cracking the space-time continuum dooming the universe.”
C-MOUSE
“So he is the cause of the Titanic sinking, and also destroying the universe. The guy no one takes seriously ends up being the most destructive.”
K-MOUSE
“I like it.”
C-MOUSE
“Me too.”
K-MOUSE
“Work up some drawings, and I’ll rough out some plot.”
C-Mouse swivels to face his drawing board and starts to draw. K-Mouse starts to type. After a moment, a phone hidden in the piles of comics on the bookcase next to the desk RINGS knocking over a pile of comics. C-Mouse turns and walks over to the phone. He answers the phone.
C-MOUSE
“C-Mouse here. (pause) Yes. Sure, he’s here. What’s up.”
C-Mouse listens then puts his hand over the phone’s receiver to ask K-Mouse a question.
C-MOUSE
“A-Mouse says Y-Mouse is calling a meeting tonight and she’s going to get some food. What do you want.
K-MOUSE
“Another all-nighter?”
C-MOUSE
“Appears so.”
K-MOUSE
“Are we in trouble?”
C-MOUSE
(into phone) “K wants to know how bad it is?” (listens then talks to K-MOUSE) “She doesn’t know.”
K-MOUSE
“That answers nothing. Where are they going then?”
C-MOUSE
(into phone) “Where are you going?” (listens then talks to K-Mouse) “The Gutenberg Bagel”
K-MOUSE
“Oh, then definitely the Kirby Special.”
C-MOUSE
(into phone) “He’ll have the Kirby and I’ll have the Eisner. Okay. Good. We’ll be there. Bye.”
C-Mouse hangs up the phone. He walks over and sits back down at the drawing table.
C-MOUSE
“Okay, here is what I was thinking.”
PAN OUT
C-Mouse leans over and hands a drawing to K-Mouse
K-MOUSE
“Nice. What else you got?”
C-Mouse shows K-Mouse some more drawings.
FADE OUT
———–<.thom.>———–
THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT
a puppet play in many parts
Season 04, Episode 04
By Thomas Typewriter
(c) 2022 Thomas Typewriter
———–<:type:>———–
FADE IN TO BLACK
From the bottom center of the screen scrolls up the following text: “04-04”. It continues upward, pausing briefly in the center, and exits off the top of the frame.
FADE OUT
FADE IN
INT. THE DEEPER HALLWAY, EVENING
A hallway of wood paneling, soft fluorescence, and frosted glass spreads out before us as we view the Deeper or the third floor of offices under the Alphabet Mice Writer’s Room. Stairwells bookend the hallway with A-Mouse’s, S-Mouse’s, D-Mouse’s, F-Mouse’s, G-Mouse’s, H-Mouse’s, J-Mouse’s and K-Mouse’s offices in between.
MS OF S-MOUSE’S OFFICE DOOR
The door opens and out walks A-Mouse. She walks down the hallway to D-Mouse’s door.
PAN TO FOLLOW
A-Mouse KNOCKS on the door of D-Mouse’s office.
D-MOUSE
(off-camera) “Come in.”
A-Mouse enters D-Mouse’s office.
CUT TO SHOT OF D-MOUSE’S OFFICE FROM THE DOORWAY
D-Mouse’s office is like a dance studio with a delicatessen in the back. The left and right side walls are floor to ceiling mirrors with a dancer’s beam across the middle. A deli counter with display case fills the majority of the back wall except for a space to the left for an entryway to the deli and doorway. The doorway is solid wood. It leads to D-Mouse’s apartment. On the doorway is a poster of an anthropomorphic donut hanging from a tree branch with the following caption: “Don’t discount determination”. The entire space is brightly illuminated by rows of recessed ceiling lights. The deli counter’s lights, by contrast, are turned off. On top of the deli counter’s display case is a CD Stereo. As A-Mouse enters the office, she finds D-MOUSE stretching his legs on the beam.
D-MOUSE
“What brings you to my humble studio?”
A-MOUSE
“Y-Mouse is calling an all-nighter so I am on food. You want anything.”
D-MOUSE
“No thanks. I’ll make myself something later.”
A-MOUSE
“Okay.”
A-Mouse leaves. D-Mouse goes over to the stereo and presses play. A LOW RUMBLING CHANT emerges from the speakers. He starts to spin on one leg. He spins and spins.
CUT TO HALLWAY
A-Mouse reemerges from D-Mouse’s office and walks to the next office. She KNOCKS on the door to F-Mouse’s office..
F-MOUSE
(off-camera) “Come in.”
A-Mouse opens the door and enters.
CUT TO SHOT OF D-MOUSE’S OFFICE FROM THE DOORWAY
The inside of the office is dominated by a large table covered in various books and maps. A globe stands to the side of the table. The walls of the office are wooden shelves covered in a selection of books, maps, anatomy diagrams of mythical beasts, and illustrations of various fey folk. F-MOUSE stands at his desk looking through a magnifying glass at stills from the Patterson Bigfoot film. A-Mouse enters.
F-MOUSE
(without looking up) “What is so important that you disturbed my research.”
A-MOUSE
“Y-Mouse is calling a writer’s conference.”
F-MOUSE
(looks up) “That is serious. I take it you have been tasked with retrieving our food orders.”
A-MOUSE
“Yes.”
F-MOUSE
“And where are you going?”
A-MOUSE
“Guttenberg’s Deli.”
F-MOUSE
“A little pedestrian, but it will have to do. I’ll take a Farro salad.”
A-MOUSE
“Farro Salad? Nothing else.”
F-MOUSE
“If I wanted more I would have said more. Just a Farro Salad if you please.”
A-MOUSE
“Okay, Farro Salad.”
A-Mouse writes it down and exits.
CUT TO LS OF HALLWAY
She enters, reemerging a moment later, then walks to the next office, G-Mouse’s. She KNOCKS on the door.
G-MOUSE
“Come in.”
CUT TO OVER SHOULDER SHOT OF G-MOUSE’S OFFICE
G-Mouse’s Office has a look very similar to a greenhouse. Frosted glass panels make up the left and right walls. Poles run along the sides filled with many plants in hanging planters. Under the hanging plants are wooden greenhouse benches. The stage-right side has a a collection of gardenia seedlings in small pots, a few bags of potting soil, and a few tools. One can see that G-Mouse is in the process of replanting the seedlings into larger pots. The stage-left bench bears a few finished replanted seedlings in their larger pot. G-MOUSE, dressed in a smock and wearing gardening gloves, is in the process of moving some more larger pots over to the stage-right bench.
G-MOUSE
“Hey A-Mouse. What’s up.”
A-MOUSE
“I’m going on a food run. What would you like?”
G-MOUSE
“Where you going?”
A-MOUSE
“The Guttenburg Bagel”
G-MOUSE
“Ok. I’ll have a Gyro and Garden Salad.”
A-MOUSE
(writing in notepad) “Got it.”-she writes it down.
A-Mouse turns to leave.
G-MOUSE
“Could you make sure you shut the door on your way out. The seedlings are sensitive to the cold when I transplant them.”
A-MOUSE
“Absolutely.”
A-Mouse exits.
CUT TO LS OF HALLWAY
She reemerges and walks to H-Mouse’s office. She knocks on the door.
H-MOUSE
“Hold on, I’m not decent.”
A-MOUSE
“I don’t need to come in, I just need to know what you want to eat tonight.”
H-MOUSE opens the door dressed in a Santa’s costume and holding a jack o’lantern.
H-MOUSE
“Why, is something going on?”
A-MOUSE
“Wait. Why are dressed like that.”
H-MOUSE
“Like what?”
A-MOUSE
“The suit and the pumpkin.”
H-MOUSE
“Oh, this. I’m stuck on idea and doing some research to hope I can get unstuck.”
A-MOUSE
“What’s the idea?”
H-MOUSE
“The King of Mars comes to earth.”
A-MOUSE
“Sounds interesting.”
H-MOUSE
“Yeah, it is suppose to be a holiday story but I can not decide what holiday. You got any ideas.”
A-MOUSE
“Oh no. I’m stuck myself. In fact I was trying to unstuck myself when Y-Mouse called.”
H-MOUSE
“What was your story idea and also what did Y-Mouse want.”
A-MOUSE
“Y-Mouse is calling an all-nighter abnd wants me to get food orders.”
H-MOUSE
“Hoagie with cheese and chips.”
A-MOUSE
“Got it.”
H-MOUSE
“What was your story idea?”
A-MOUSE
“There was a brother and sister and the sister was in a band. And that is where I got stuck. I can see them clearly and how it opens but I can not see what happens after that.”
H-MOUSE
“Maybe we should help each other out. Compare notes.”
A-Mouse smiles.
A-MOUSE
“Serious.”
H-MOUSE
“Sure. It couldn’t be any worse than this suit. It is itchy like crazy. I’m dying in here.”
A-MOUSE
(giggles) “Sure, I’d like that.”
H-MOUSE
“Awesome. Let’s see how late this meeting goes and then we’ll figure out a time to get together.”
A-MOUSE
“Got it.”
H-MOUSE
“Well, I need to change.”
A-MOUSE
“And I have to get the other orders.”
H-Mouse closes the door. A-Mouse does a little skip of joy and moves down the hallway.
J-MOUSE
(off-camera) “You getting food?”
CUT TO SHOT OF H-MOUSE’S AND J-MOUSE’S OFFICE DOORS
J-Mouse is leaning in the door to his office, looking at A-Mouse.
A-MOUSE
“You saw that?”
J-MOUSE
“Oh yeah.”
A-Mouse’s expression shifts to embarrassment.
J-MOUSE
“It’ll be our secret and good luck.
A-MOUSE
“Thank you.”
J-MOUSE
Where you going?”
A-MOUSE
“Guttenberg Bagel.”
J-MOUSE
“Bagels and lox.”
A-Mouse writes the order down. She then walks past J-Mouse.
A-MOUSE
“Got it.”
J-MOUSE
“And some of those potato squares.”
A-MOUSE
“Potato squares, got it.”
J-MOUSE
“Better make it a triple order. I know people are going to want me to share.”
A-MOUSE
“Triple potato squares.”
AS A-MOUSE REACHES THE EDGE OF THE FRAME THE CAMERA PANS LEFT SO AS TO FRAME J-MOUSE’S OFFICE AND K-MOUSE’S OFFICE.
J-Mouse goes back into his office and shuts the door. A-Mouse KNOCKS on K-Mouse’s door. There is no response. She tries again with still no response. Opening the door, she peeks inside.
A-MOUSE
“Hmmm.”
She closes the door and walks over to L-Mouse’s office. KNOCK KNOCK go her knuckles on the door.
L-MOUSE
“It’s open.”
A-Mouse walks inside, shutting the door behind her.
A-MOUSE
(off-camera) “Have you seen K-Mouse?”
FADE OUT
Thomas Typewriter 
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