———–<.thom.>———–

THE NOT SO PUPPET SHOW

Season One, Episode Four

“The Broken Book of Beasties: Book 1, Part 2”

By Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2025 jason arcand

———–<:type:>———–

FADE IN

Title sequence plays

FADE OUT
FADE IN

INT. BORDERTOWNE MIDDLE SCHOOL LUNCHROOM, MID-DAY
A long cafeteria table spreads across the stage. Behind the table are tall frosted windows in utilitarian frames. Shapes of trees and a general daylight illumination can be seen through the frosted glass. In the upper portions are small round dents and circling cracks from various kids in the neighborhood next to the school shooting the windows with BB guns. Even though there is some daylight coming through the windows, the Lunchroom is bathed in strong fluorescent lighting. CHADWELL BAGPIPES, ANTWELL CONCRETE, MIKEWELL LETTERS, and ARROWELL RAILROAD are sitting at the table eating their school lunches.

LS OF THE GROUP

THOMAS TYPEWRITER enters from stage-left. He is carrying his metal lunchbox, decorated in characters from the “Peanuts” comic strip, and the latest issue of The Not So Zine. He sits down next to Chadwell. All four of the boys are friends and exchange hellos. Thomas opens his lunchbox and pulls out a bag of chips. He quickly eats all the chips. He then folds the bag flat and places it in front of him on the table. Chadwell, Antwell, Mikewell, and Aaywell all notice this and turn their heads to watch what Thomas is doing. From stage-left enters GREG RASHES. Greg is a tall, lean, blonde teen with acne in the grade above Thomas. He walks over to the area in front of Thomas, avoiding blocking Thomas from view.

CUT TO MS OF THOMAS AND GREG

GREG RASHES
“Hey, nerd.”

THOMAS TOPHAT
“I am not a nerd Greg. You will find my grades preclude me from qualifying as a nerd.”

GREG RASHES
“Whatever. Let me have your chips. I’m hungry.”

THOMAS TOPHAT
“Sorry, Greg. I already ate them.”

GREG RASHES
“What? But you did that yesterday and I asked you to not do that. How can I eat your chips if you eat them first.”

THOMAS TOPHAT
“I don’t know what to tell you, Greg. (flatly) I just can’t control myself when it comes to chips.”

GREG RASHES
“Me either. Okay. But tomorrow save them so I can take them.”

Greg exits stage-right.

CUT BACK TO LS OF TABLE

ANTWELL CONCRETE
“Thomas, what was that about.”

THOMAS TOPHAT
“It is just Greg trying to bully me into giving him my chips.”

MIKEWELL LETTERS
“And he just accepts that you ate them before he got there.”

THOMAS TOPHAT
“Yeah, he’s not a very good bully.”

ARROWELL RAILROAD
“I’d say so.”

CHADWELL BAGPIPES
“Well, if he tries anything we’re with you.”

MIKEWELL LETTERS
“Yes.”

ANTWELL CONCRETE
“Yes.”

ARROWELL RAILROAD
“Maybe. Anyways, what does everyone think of using my map for Zonepoints today?”

Arrowell pulls out a notebook and flips it open. Chadwell and Antwell lean in and start discussing it with him. Thomas lets out a gentle and soft sigh to himself. Mikewell notices and looks at Thomas. Pulling a sandwich out from his lunch, Thomas starts to read the Not So zine. Mikewell is unsure of Thomas’ mood but ultimately joins the others in looking at Arrowell’s notes.

CUT TO MS OF THOMAS EATING HIS SANDWICH AND READING THE NOT SO.

CUT TO CS OF THE NOT SO ZINE

TRANSITION FROM THE BORDERTOWNE MIDDLE SCHOOL TO THE BOOK OF BROKEN BEASTS
FADE INTO THE NEXT

———–<.thom.>———–

THE BROKEN BOOK OF BEASTIES

“Book I: A Book by Any Other Cover”

Part Two of Three

By Thomas Typewriter and Primo Operahouse-Typewriter & Secondo Operahouse-Typewriter

(c) 2XYZ thomas typewriter

————-<:type:>———–

FADE IN

TITLE SEQUENCE

The title “The Broken Book of Beasties” appears far off in the dark screen, written in bright red flowing script. The word Beasties, unlike the rest of the title, is written in a thick slashing font. The title flies towards the camera and past the edge of the frame. The dark screen is filled with a shimmer as the following text appears in white block letters: “Book I: A Book by Any Other Cover”. It fades away in a shimmer. In the absence appears the following test: “Part Two.”

PAN DOWN

The dark screen fades to light grey as the “Part Two” slides off the top of the screen from the camera panning

TRANSITION FROM TITLE TO THE TRILIBRIS

INT. THE ALCOVE AT THE BACK OF THE TRILIBRIS’ MAIN ROOM, DAYTIME

The Alcove is a dark wood wall decorated with gold and brass metal in long blocky snaking patterns illuminated by two torches. In the center of the alcove is a podium holding THE CODEXIAN. The Codexian is a thick book, with covers of a purple stone and thick leather binding. The front cover has a vertical row of three circles made from gold wire on the binding side. The other side is a snaking angular pattern similar to the patterns on the alcove walls. The pattern snakes down to two horizontal lines across the bottom portion of the front cover. It is currently open to the middle of its binding with THE GREY MOUSE off to the corner looking in at the illustrations on the page.

MS OF THE CODEXIAN

CUT TO CS OF THE CODEXIAN

Golden scroll-work forms a border around a central image across the two pages. Inside the border is an image of THE BAKER leaning on her counter looking forlorn. The image is done in a style combining woodblock prints and illuminated manuscripts. Small hands of THE GREY MOUSE enter the bottom of the frame followed by the head and body. The Grey Mouse is leaning over the page.

THE GREY MOUSE
“Squeak”

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “That is funny. It almost sounded as if you asked why she was sad.”

THE GREY MOUSE
“Squeak.”

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “Oh, you did. I’ll unpack that later. Back to the story and your question, maybe the Baker was sad because they had spent so much time fleeing and surviving that they had forgotten how to live. Or maybe something simpler. While she was a good baker and well respected in the community, baking was something she never considered very glamorous.”

THE GREY MOUSE
“Squeak.”

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “I understand that makes no sense to you and how amazing bread is, but if you could lean off the page I can continue the story.”

The Grey Mouse moves out of the frame.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “Thank you.”

The page turns. The illustration shifts between a series of images of The Baker mixing dough and baking bread.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “The Baker would find her mind wandering to certain thoughts repeatedly. I used to be someone who mattered. I used to be the best bookbinder in the city. Now I bake bread. Now I don’t know my value. Anyone can bake bread. Where is the specialness in that.”

The page turns. The illustration shows The Baker at her counter. At this point, the illustrations start to show some basic animation. Where before they would fade from one static drawing to another, each picture now has a little bit of animation in each sequence. The Baker leans on her counters and sighs. The sigh appears as a written sound effect on the page. The Baker then starts to think, with her thoughts written out in thought bubbles over her head. The Codexian narrates her thoughts as they write across her thought balloon.

THE CODEXIAN
(Voice-over) “I used to be one of the best. Now I just make bread. Bread. Ugh. People used to come from all over the city to buy one of my spell books. I was respected. I was important. I was a true artist. Now, what am I? I make bread. Ugh. So common. So pedestrian. What is the value of a common thing? More importantly, what is the value in those who make common things?”

The thought bubbles fade away and the Baker leaves her counter. The empty counter fills the page momentarily before the Codexian continues the story.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “And so she would have continued self-flagellating if not for a simple moment.”

It changes to The Baker at her counter. A MOTHER and YOUNG DAUGHTER enter the shop. The Baker waves hello. The Mother approaches the counter and purchases one loaf of bread. She breaks off a bit of the heel of the loaf, steam rises from it, and hands it to her daughter. The image shifts to the daughter eating the bread, closing her eyes, and smiling. The illustration shifts to the Mother shocked at the smile quickly shifting to smiling and turning to speak to The Baker.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “The mother said something so simple it cut through all the Baker’s doubts and disappointments. She said this is the first time she’s smiled since the fleeing. Thank you. You have no idea how much that is worth to me. How much better that makes my day.”

The Mother and her daughter leave the bakery. The illustration shifts to the Baker at her counter visibly moved and affected by the Mother’s words.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “The Baker, as the mother and her daughter left the bakery, realized that maybe there is something worthwhile in baking bread. She also realized that as great as she felt about her current situation now, she was still dwelling on the past. It was a poison and she needed to let go.”

The page turns. The new page shows an illustration of The Baker at the front window of her bakery. She rotates the open sign to close. She then locks the door before walking to a table in the back room. The table is laid out with bookbinding tools and supplies.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “The Baker decided she would make one last book and then move on, putting that part of her life behind her.”

In a series of vignettes, the Baker makes a book. Note that the Baker incorporates some extra steps not usually included in bookbinding. The prestigious bookbinding career she has been remembering was binding spell-books. She rubs each page with various herbs. Once all the pages are rubbed, she places the remaining herbs in a pan and burns them. The ashes she mixes with oil into a paste. She then messages some of the paste into the leather cover and binding strings. She then continues building the book. At the end, she pulls back the oil and ash mix. She dips a small brand into it and then heats it over a flame. The oil flares with streaks of red, blue, yellow, orange, and green. Then she presses the hot brand onto the cover of the book. Smoke rises from where the brand touches the leather. When she removes the brand, the Baker sees that five colors are leaking from the brand into the leather: red, blue, yellow, orange, and green. She sees the bleeding colors and is surprised. She runs her fingers over the colors and the book starts to shimmer. The Baker disappears from the room in a flash of light.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “The Baker soon discovered that the world has a way of surprising you.”

The page turns. The Beastlands fill the new page. A landscape of orange grass and prairie fills the foreground while in the background blue mountains, green forests, red forests, and yellow sand dunes spread out. In the bottom corner of the illustration, a sparkle appears fading out becoming an image of the Baker. She looks around, confused as to what just happened.

CUT TO CS OF THE BAKER

THE BAKER
“Well, this is a surprise.”

CUT BACK

Hold a moment as The Baker stands in the vast new realm. The page turns to reveal a closer image of the Baker standing with the orange grassland behind her. She is looking around with a face of pure joy. In the grass behind her comes a “rustle” sound effect. The Baker turns to look for the source of the noise. From the grass emerges a Furocerous. It is a large rhino-like creature covered in very thick fur. The fur is longer on the head and shoulders than the rest of the body. It charges towards the Baker. The fur on its head stiffens into a kind of plate armor. The Baker screams in surprise and fear with the words of her scream drifting out across the page. The illustration cuts to a close-shot of the Furocerous running. It then cuts to a medium-shot of the Baker backing up then falling down and scrambling backward. She pulls up the spellbook in a feeble attempt to shield herself. The illustration then changes to the Furocerous colliding with the Baker and her spellbook in a bright flash of orange light.

The page turns and now the illustration is of a long shot of the outside of the Bakery. There is a flash of orange light. The illustration shifts to the inside of the Bakery. The Baker materializes in the air in a flash of orange light and flies backwards against the display. Her spellbook goes flying in another direction. The Baker shakes her head and slowly gets up. She checks her body for injury and does not find any. She starts to laugh to herself.

THE BAKER
“Did that just really happen? That is too wild.”

She walks over to the spellbook and retrieves it from under a table. The spellbook looks different. She examines the changes. The front cover branding now has a line of orange in it. She then opens the book and sees an image of the Furocerous surrounded by a circle of runic patterns and scroll-work.

THE BAKER
“Wow.”

She runs her fingers over the image. The illustration changes to a close-shot of the spellbook’s page. She then runs her fingers in a circle along the scroll-work and runes. The image shifts to a very close-shot of her fingers moving over the ink. The SCAPING OF HER FINGER OVER THE PAGE follows. Thee ink starts to softly glow orange. The orange light starts running up her fingers, creating a brighter and brighter glow. The illustration shifts back to the bakery. As the Baker runs her fingers over the page a spectral glowing version of the Furocerous explodes out and into the bakery display pushing it back. The spectral disappears. The Baker looks back and forth between the spellbook and the display case. A large smile spreads across her lips. She starts to run her fingers over the page again. The illustration cuts back to the longer shot of the Bakery from outside. A bright orange light flashes out and then the entire bakery shakes.

FADE OUT
TRANSITION FROM THE STORY INSIDE THE NOT SO TO THE CAFETERIA
FADE IN

INT. BORDERTOWNE MIDDLE SCHOOL CAFETERIA, MID-DAY
A long cafeteria table spreads across the stage. Behind the table are tall frosted windows in utilitarian frames. Shapes of trees and a general daylight illumination can be seen through the frosted glass. In the upper portions are small round dents and circling cracks from various kids in the neighborhood next to the school shooting the windows with BB guns. Even though some daylight is coming through the windows, the Lunchroom is bathed in strong fluorescent lighting. CHADWELL BAGPIPES, ANTWELL CONCRETE, MIKEWELL LETTERS, and ARROWELL RAILROAD are sitting at the table leaning in to look at a notebook Arrowell is holding. THOMAS TOPHAT sits to the side of them reading the Not So zine.

CS OF THE SCRIPT IN THE NOT SO ZINE

CUT TO LS OF THE GROUP AT THE TABLE

Chadwell and Antwell are writing some notes on Arrowell’s Zonepoints map. A TEACHER’S WHISTLE blows from off-screen. Everyone except Thomas gathers up their lunches and belongings. Antwell, Mikewell, and Arrowell exit stage-left. Chadwell stands and walks over to Thomas, tapping Thomas on the shoulder. Thomas looks up and Chadwell points off-stage stage-left.

CHADWELL BAGPIPE
“Lunch is over. If you would rather read than play Zonepoints, that is okay. You can keep score instead of playing.”

Thomas nods yes. He gathers up his belongings and exits stage-left with Chadwell.

FADE OUT