Those who Don't See

was inspired to write a screenplay, so I did with no knowledge of formatting.

 

Scene One

A car drives up and stops in front of Leda’s house. It’s night-time in the spring. Leda gets out of the car. She walks away, abruptly stops at a man quietly saying “Hang on” and goes back to the car, she hesitantly gets in. A while passes. The sound of just the town goes away while she’s in there, and it’s dead silent. When the door opens the sound comes back, and she gets out of the car. She walks into her heavily decorated house. Paintings/pictures are all over the walls. She walks into her decorated room. Takes off her layer #1 shirt, there’s a tank top underneath. She’s already wearing shorts. Her phone rings. She looks at the caller ID; it says “Ben Calling.” She doesn’t pick up. She takes a picture off her end table of her and a man in front of a big tree. His hand is on her shoulder. He disappears from the picture, and then she disappears from it. It’s just a picture of a tree. She puts it back on the end table, gets into bed and sleeps.

Leda wakes up. Her room is empty. There’s only her bed, end table and bare dresser. The books are still on the shelves.

A door opens by itself.

Voice of her sister Molly: Hey Leda, how was staying at dad’s for the summer? You got back so late that I never got to say hi. (Leda doesn’t answer, continues doing her makeup.) Hello? (Long Pause) Okay well I’m going to work. (Door Closes)

Leda just stares at herself in the mirror.

Leda walks out of her house towards an empty field. Dull clothes. Walks down the sidewalk.

Voice: Leda, is that you?! I haven’t seen you all summer, how have you been? (Fading out as Leda walks past.)

There’s a chair sitting all alone in the middle of the field. Leda walks up to it and sits. She takes out a cigarette and her lighter, starts smoking. She just sits there for the credits, and every once in a while somebody walks by. A man with a dog, pause, two guys playing football, pause, a couple playing, someone riding their bike, etc.  

 

For bold: Credits and play song “Emerald Mountains " Charles Buchanan”

 

Credits/Song over. It’s now dusk and Leda’s still sitting there. She’s alone. Her phone rings, and she picks it up without looking at who it is and then hangs up. She doesn’t want to talk to anybody. She gets up to head home. Someone walks by her on the sidewalk.

Person with a dog: Good Evening.

Leda: Good Evening.

 

She walks into her empty house and goes into her room. The door opens loudly and her mother walks in. It’s just the sounds again.

Mother’s Voice: Where have you been all day, and why don’t you answer your phone?!

Leda: (Says to the whole room) My phone never rang.

Mother’s Voice: Don’t give me that! I haven’t even seen you all summer, and now you disappear like this... (Voice fades out)

Leda: I’m going to bed.

Mother’s Voice: Don’t do this again... promise? (Silence)...Good night, I’m glad you’re home sweetie.

Leda gets in bed, lies there, facing the wall with eyes wide open. The lights turn out and there’s a sound of a door closing in the darkness. 

 Scene Two:

Leda is sitting in an empty classroom, with empty desks all around her.

Teachers’ Voice: And why class didn’t Ms. Greenwood come out from inside the wall after she realized her life wasn’t finished yet?

Leda: (To herself) She didn’t want to be found...

Teacher’s Voice: What was that Leda?

Leda: She just didn’t want to be found.

Teacher’s Voice: Interesting, why not?

Knock at the door. Sounds of footsteps walking towards it, and the door opens. A girl is standing there, fancy clothes and hair and makeup.

Teacher’s Voice: Oh if it isn’t our new student. This class is our new student. And her name is.... what’s your name again?

Esther: It’s Esther.

Teacher’s Voice: Well take a seat right beside Leda there, I’m sure everyone will give you a warm welcome.

Esther walks to the desk beside Leda, Leda gives a small smile. Esther’s just staring at the big class, and doesn’t look at Leda.

Teacher’s Voice: So for the weekend, I expect you all to have read up to chapter nine, and on Monday we will discuss-"

Bell rings. Esther gets her things quickly and cuts Leda off just as she’s standing up. Just as Leda gets into the hallway, Esther scurries around the corner. She stands there alone in the middle of the noises of rushing students, very loud. She stands against the wall and then heads for the door and stands in the parking lot. She sees an empty tennis court across the parking lot. She walks over to it. She sits on the ground.

Ben’s voice from Behind her: Leda.

Leda looks up.

Ben’s voice: It’s just me...I tried calling you two nights ago but you didn’t answer. You didn’t call all summer like you promised you would, and I waited... I was worried.

Leda just stares ahead.

Ben’s voice: I missed you and I thought you’d missed me, or at least I hoped I was relevant enough for you to miss me... If something bad happened you know you can tell me right? ... Leda...You could at least look at me, even if you don’t want to talk, instead of acting as if I don’t exist. Leda?? ... please just say something, because I don’t know what to think okay? You didn’t call that whole time, and I waited there like an idiot...All summer!...Leda, Why won’t you look at me?

Leda doesn’t do anything. 

Ben’s voice: Okay fine I’ll leave you be now since you clearly want nothing else to do with me. I hope you had a great summer. 

Leda tries to look at where the footsteps are going, as if to imagine where he was right then and to look at him.

There’s a glimpse of Ben walking away in front of her with other students and cars and people, he’s not looking at her.

Leda shakes her head and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, it’s all empty, but Esther is standing against a tree on the grass, laughing as if talking to someone. She walks back into the school and holds the door open for the person behind her. Leda is sitting completely alone in the tennis court.

 

Scene Three:

Leda leaves the school and is walking home across the empty field with her eyes closed. Her arms are outspread like an airplane, and she nearly hits the football post, but swerves out of the way just in time. There are sounds of rushing students all around her. She starts humming.

She squints her eyes while they’re still closed, and then opens them for a second, and looks at the sky. For a second after she opens her eyes the sky is purple, then she looks ahead and still hears the sounds of rushing students, but there’s no one. She sits down against the football pole and takes out her notebook. She writes something and while she does, hums the same tune. She stops to think a few times, picking out the words. She briefly smiles after writing it, and carries her notebook as she walks home, and puts her backpack on her back. She closes her eyes and walks again like before, never hitting anyone.

Once she steps onto her driveway, she opens her eyes again. She goes inside and heads up to her room. She sits on her bed and tears the page out of her notebook. She pins it on the wall behind her bed. 

She sits there staring at the paper on the wall. The paper slowly disappears from the wall in a fading motion, and then fades back in. 

Scene 4:

Leda is sitting on the bleachers by her school, eating and squinting her closed eyes then looking at the sky over and over again. There are sounds of someone walking and sitting next to her.

Voice of Ben: Hi

Leda: ...Hi.

Voice of Ben: I know I said I’d leave you alone the other day, but everyone in school is talking about how different and distant you are, and I can’t just leave it like we did. Can you please tell me what’s happening? You’ve changed, and I don’t think you even see it.

Leda: Everyone changes Ben.

Voice of Ben: You know what I mean... Come on, turn around.

Leda: No, I can’t.

Voice of Ben: Look at me Leda... why won’t you look at me?

Leda: I can’t see you.

Voice of Ben: Then turn around!

Ben turns her around. The camera shows his hand turning her around, but once she’s turned around she can’t see anything. Leda is looking right into where his eyes would be.

Voice of Ben: Why won’t you hold my hand? I’m holding yours...

Leda looks down and says:

Leda: I can’t feel you.

Voice of Ben: Leda....looks at me, at me. Now, even when you look at me, your eyes are just dead. It looks like you’re looking right through me. Look.

Leda turns around, away from him.

Leda: I can’t see you Ben and I can’t feel you... please just go away. You shouldn’t see me or feel me either, no one should.

Voice of Ben: Leda, you’re scaring me. What the hell are you talking about? 

Leda just stares at the sky.

Voice of Ben: Do you still love me?

Leda looks ahead for a second, then down.

Voice of Ben: I know you do, and even though I don’t know why you’re forcing yourself to forget everything we had, or everything you were, I know that much. And you can’t do that. You can block it out, sure, but it’s there...and you know it. Don’t fool yourself out of happiness Leda; you do deserve it, no matter how much you may try to convince yourself that you don’t.

A few tears weld up in her eyes, but then she wipes them off and looks up at the sky again, trying to forget everything.

Voice of Ben: I do still love you Leda, and I always will, and I know you still love me. It’s enough. If what you want is a goodbye, then fine. I just hope you come to your senses soon and be you again... Goodbye.

He kisses her cheek, she sees him. She looks in his eyes for a second and then he looks away. Ben leaves. She looks away from him and doesn’t watch him walk away.

Leda is walking home on the sidewalk.

Scene 5:

Leda gets home, and right before she steps on the driveway she sees the door open and close. Her mom just went in. She sits underneath the tree in her front yard. The sound of traffic keeps getting louder.

Things quiet down, and she leans against the tree. Tears well up in her eyes. She sits for a minute, calming down.... She looks up into the tree and a tiny bit of snow falls on her head. She sees a snowball in the tree, next to a doll. She pops her head out of the trees, no voices, everything is empty. She looks up into the tree, stands to see. She climbs up to get the doll/snowball. It’s springtime, so she’s confused about the snowball... she squeezes it but it’s solid, and when she wipes all the snow away, it’s an hourglass. She looks at it oddly, and then turns it upside down. The tree shakes for a minute; she’s scared/confused. She climbs down, and she’s wearing a beautiful dress and make-up. She looks down at her dress, smiles in joy while wiping away her tears. She steps out from under the tree, brushing the snowy pine branches away from her face and she’s in the middle of a winter forest. She hesitates stepping in the snow, but when she does, she smiles in relief.

Leda: I feel it

On the right side of the path there’s a row of dolls. She follows the pathway for a while, and on the way there are streamers hanging down from the trees and balloons, like a party that’s long over.

She sees some gift boxes with torn ribbons. She opens them, they’re empty. In the far distance she hears a haunting song. It’s the poem thing she wrote that’s on her wall, in the creepy tune she was humming earlier. She follows the voice, following the creek until see sees a girl sitting there. She’s holding on to a strange scarf, and she’s gripping it very tightly. Once she’s done singing the lyrics, she hums the tune. The girl is in a beautiful dress and curled hair. She has a river painted on her leg, and she rests her feet on top of the ice. The girl sees Leda, and she stops humming for a second, smiles at her nicely/mysteriously, as if she’s been waiting for her, and then looks back at her feet/the ice and continues humming.

Leda: Excuse me, but where am I?

The girl by the lake puts her finger up to her mouth and says “Sh,” smiles like she has a secret and then looks away. There’s a rustle in the trees behind Leda, and she looks. The branches move a bit, and she walks over to it. There’s nothing there so she turns around, she hears another rustle, and a small girl in a black, dotted dress and bow in her hair peeps out from behind a tree for a second and then hides again.

Leda: Hello?

Senora hides, and Leda moves around the tree to see her but Senora keeps running around it.

Leda: Come on, come out.

Senora just keeps doing it and giggling. Leda quickly jumps out at the other direction,

Leda: Ha!

Senora’s not there anymore.

Leda: Where are you?

She looks around, and Senora’s by a tree way in the distance.

Leda: How do you do that?

Senora: Not telling.

Leda: But what is this place, where am I?

Senora: You have to find me first!

Leda walks towards the voice, and then Senora pops out of the tree right in front of her. Leda jumps.

Leda: Ah! How do you get around like that, seriously?

Senora smiles at her, grabs her arm and they spin around. When they turn around, they’re on a little bridge over a freezing creek. Leda stares in wonder for a few seconds.

Leda: Oh my goodness, look at this "

She looks at Senora, but she’s gone.

Leda: Stop doing that!

Senora’s laughs a cute laugh from far away.

Leda: I’ll find you this time...

Leda walks towards the sound, and sneakily picks up a snowball. Senora taps her shoulder. Leda turns around quickly and dumps the snowball on her head. They laugh and have a mini snowball fight. They fall down during it, and end up lying in the snow, looking at the sky.

Leda: So? I caught you...What is this place?

Senora: How should I know?

Leda: What do you mean...don’t you live here?

Senora: Of course I live here, just like I always have. That doesn’t mean I know where it is.

Leda: So you’ve never been anywhere else?

Senora: No, why would I? I have all I need.

Leda: Trust me, you’re not missing anything anyways, seeing new things is useless, where you started is where you should stay, but sometimes leaving things behind is the only way to move forward.

Senora: We don’t need to move forward here though, we just be. (Pause)

Leda: (smiles) Hm... Just be. I like that. (Long pause. They just lie there in the snow, happy.) I can’t even believe this place. Why doesn’t everyone know about this?

Senora:  Not everybody ever finds it here; in fact hardly anyone does (little smile.)

Leda: Than why me?

Senora looks over at her and smiles.

Senora: You should know that.

Leda just kind of looks at Senora, and then looks back up at the sky.

Leda: Well what do you do here?

Senora: Anything we want, anything at all.

They sit up. Not at the exact same time, whenever during the conversation.

Leda: (Smiles) It’s just magical....

They hear the humming again.

Leda: Who is that? The girl who sings by the creek? How can we still hear her all the way over here, or wherever it is that you took us? (Smile)

Senora: The creek carries her song. She doesn’t have a name, and she’s always been there. She follows the rivers from forest to forest, supposedly a drifter. But she’s been here for as long as I have, and she just keeps waiting for the snow to melt so she can move on again.

Leda: That’s the only way she can leave? If she wants to leave so much, why does she look so happy and peaceful?

Senora: It’s daytime. During the day, the forest IS peaceful. Who knows if she’s really happy, but that doesn’t matter. Being hurt in a whole realm of happiness is more hurtful than just pretending all in its own. The snow will melt someday, and she’ll never stop waiting.

Leda: That’s so sad... (Looks to the side)

Senora: (Smiles big) Not here it isn’t.

Senora stands up and grabs Leda’s hand to help her up. They’re both smiling and they run off. Leda takes a bit longer to smile, but she does...gradually.

 

Leda and Senora are walking along a path. It’s getting darker, and there’s a frozen hourglass on the ground. Leda and Senora step around it, but then its right in front of them again.

Senora: Is the sand moving?

Leda picks it up and examines it.

Leda: A little, it’s pretty frozen.

The hourglass sand starts moving. Senora looks shocked and scared.

Senora: Okay, you need to get back home quick, where did you come in?

Leda: I don’t know... I was just under some tree, a little ahead of the girl by the creek.

Senora: Alright, follow me, hurry!

Senora grabs Leda’s hand and they run back. They pass the girl by the lake, and she watches them leave, with a peaceful look on her face. She’s still gripping the scarf. Right next to her is an hourglass, sand falling down. They pass the streamers and balloons, and in the tree is another hourglass with less sand in it.

Leda: Why can’t I stay? What happens here at night?

Senora: You just can’t stay. That’s all I’ll tell you, because if you stay, you may never get back home.

Leda: That would be perfect, this place is all I could ever dream of!

Senora: I can’t say anything more, but you’ve got to go back to your real home.

Leda: What is home anyways? That place doesn’t feel like a home. I barely even saw anything here, I need to see more!

There’s an hourglass just in front of the tree, almost completely gone.

Senora: Go Leda!

Senora shoves Leda under the tree.

Leda: Wait, what’s your name?

Senora: Senora! Hurry up, you’re running out of time!

Leda: Can I come back?!

Senora: Yes, but not until the hourglass in your tree thaws. Go!

Leda climbs the tree and there’s an hourglass right there and she’s still holding the doll. The tree shakes, and she’s back in the tree in her yard. She climbs down, and she’s wearing her old clothes again. Snowflakes in her hair. She smiles, and when she peeks out from beneath the tree into the empty world, her smile partially fades, but partially stays. She goes back beneath the tree and just sits there, smiling a bit, but sad that it’s over.

For bold:

1.Hunt Gather Repeat " Emily West

2.Hiding Place " Charles Buchanan

3. Intense part of “Hiding Place”

 

Scene 6:

Leda’s walking to school, about 3 people on the sidewalk with her. One car. Leda’s leaving the school and walking back, same thing. She does this a few times; there are some shots of her sitting in the classroom with Esther beside/behind her. She’s standing alone in a hallway. She’s sitting completely alone in a school bus that’s driving down an empty road. There’s a piece of paper beside Leda saying “Field trip consent form.” She passes the field with the chair in the middle, and there’s someone sitting on it. She goes home and quickly climbs the tree to see if the hourglass if thawed. It’s still frozen. Just shots of her all alone, but when she’s in public...there are gradually more people. A shot of her sitting in the alley behind her house, smoking. She’s staring at the poem in her room. She keeps checking the hourglass, it’s always frozen.

For Bold:

This Strange Effect " Mob of God

Scene 7:

Leda just got back from checking the hourglass again. She angrily goes into her house, closes the door.  

Voice of Molly: Leda, do you have my curling iron?

Leda: No.

Leda walks into her room. It’s still just as empty as before, but now there’s the doll on her bed. Molly walks in, door kind of shifts on its own. Leda lies down on the bed hugging the doll.

Voice of Molly: Are you sure? I really need it, Nate’s taking me out.

Leda: I don’t have it, what the hell would I curl? Look how short my hair is.

Voice of Molly: I don’t know, I’m just asking...Hey, why doesn’t Ben ever come around here anymore? What happened with you guys?

Leda doesn’t say anything, just stares at the wall.

Voice of Molly: Did you guys break up or something?

Leda: ... please just go away.

Voice of Molly: ... Ok. If you ever want to talk about anything you know "

Leda: I don’t.

Voice of Molly: Okay then...

Molly leaves and the door closes.

 

Leda walks back down into the hallway.

Leda’s Mother’s Voice: Where are you going Leda??

Leda: Out again.

Leda’s Mother’s Voice: You have GOT to stop leaving so much young lady, after this you know you have to "

Leda closes the door and cuts her off. She walks over to the field the chair was in. There’s another chair beside it and there’s two people sitting in them, a girl and a boy. They’re wearing mainly black, the misfit types. Leda abruptly stops on her way to the chair, and then sits down on the ground. She takes out a cigarette, starts smoking. After a bit she lies down and stares up at the clouds. Very, very cloudy day.

The boy, Liam walks up to Leda.

Liam: Hey, can I bum one?

Leda: Sure.

Leda passes him the cigarette/lighter. He lights it and sits next to her, smokes with her.

Liam: I’m Liam.

Leda: Hi, I’m Leda.

The girl, Kali walks up afterwards.

Kali: Actually, is it okay if I have one too?

Leda hands her a cigarette and a lighter.

Liam: What, Kali? I thought you quit.

Kali: Yeah well, life is short.

Liam: Yeah, so why shorten it even more?

Kali: Because I don’t want to waste time trying to stop a certain pleasure that’s just going to end anyways. I might as well just be destructive and enjoy it while I can, before it gets taken away.

Liam: That’s a positive attitude there...

Kali: And what are you doing right now Liam?

Liam: Alright, alright.

They both chuckle.

They sit there smoking for a few seconds. Leda lies down again, still staring at the sky.

Leda: (Squints at the white sky, trying to find a shape and whispers to herself: ) A unicorn?

Liam: What?

Leda: What? Oh...I was just trying to find shapes in the clouds.

Liam: Oh, I like that game.

Liam lies down and squints.

Liam: Kali, you should join us.

Kali: Ok.

Kali lies down with them in a triangle of heads.

Kali: There are no shapes in these clouds...it’s just a giant block of white over the sky.

Liam: Yeah... I see a few little lines but no pictures. What did you say you saw Leda?

Leda: A unicorn. I just always expect to see one for some reason and eventually I’ll see it in there, even though there’s nothing looking anything like one.

Kali: I guess in clouds you can find anything though, so many tiny lines.

Liam: Yeah.....why unicorns?

Leda: I don’t know... I don’t actually remember doing it before now, but I guess I did.

Liam: Hm...

Kali: I see it! Its right over to the right, isn’t it?

Leda: Ohh, I saw it somewhere else, but it’s there too, yeah.

Liam: Where??

Leda: Right there. (Points)

Liam squints for a minute.

Liam: I got nothing. I see someone’s face over there though. (Points to the left.)

Leda: I just see unicorns.

Kali: Maybe it’s God Liam.

Liam: Oh yeah, definitely.

Kali: Do you believe in God?

Liam: Mmm...I think so, do you?

Kali: Nope.

Liam: How come?

Kali: Because the whole idea of God is just one giant contradiction. He loves us all the way we are, but if we don’t follow his strict and narrow minded rules we burn for all eternity... it’s just fear, that’s not belief. If he loved us all through all our innocence and all of our sins, then why is the world so unfair, and why are so many undeserving people suffering? He says do unto others what you’d want done to yourself, but what about if you’ve already been treated like s**t, do you just have to lay back and treat others well, even though they never gave you that luxury? As if they have more of a right to treat people badly than you do.

Liam: ...S**t Kali, how can I respond to that?

Kali: I’m done, don’t worry.

Liam: Alrighty... what about you Leda?

Leda is just staring at the clouds.

Liam: Leda?

She’s still staring at the clouds.....after a while she says:

Leda: Who would’ve thought they were so uninviting?

Liam: Who is..?

Leda’s cigarette is almost completely burned out, just a string of ash from just letting it sit there. She didn’t smoke it almost that whole time. Liam and Kali did though, but Kali stops now, Liam doesn’t.

Leda: The clouds.

Kali: What do you mean? They seem pretty inviting to me.

Leda: Yeah once you’re on the ground they do, but as soon as you get there.... there’s nothing you want more than the ground you were running from.

Kali: Isn’t that how all things work though? We’re always running from ground to clouds, then running from clouds to ground. Always stuck in the center, never just staying put, because we always miss what we thought we had...when all the while those impressions were all it ever was, nothing more whatsoever.

Leda: But you can’t tell because they’re thoughts...they’re in your head. When you invent something in your mind, the rest of your body believes it whether you like it or not.

Kali: We’re just floating heads...

Leda: Stuck in the clouds.

Kali: Or on the ground.

They all just lie there for a while. Liam smokes.

 

Kali: Ouch, Jesus!

Kali sits up, so does Liam.

Liam: What is it?

Kali: I just burned my goddamn hand.

Liam: How?

Kali: I guess the cigarette just burned out and I didn’t notice.

Kali and Liam stand up. Liam’s either done his cigarette now or puts it out when he stands up.

Liam: Yet another reason to actually quit starting up again.

Kali: You mean quit smoking?

Liam: Yeah, but now you need to quit starting over too, you better quit that now before you have to quit even more. (Little laugh)

Kali: Quit, quit, quit. Aye aye grandpa ... We should probably go though.

Liam: Yeah, we should. Thanks for the smokes Leda.

Kali: Yeah, nice meeting you.

Leda: Same here.

Leda puts out her almost totally wasted cigarette, just a bunch of ash she left to burn there. She looks over at the empty chairs and sits up and looks at them, and she’s about to stand up, but stops at the voices.  

Ben’s overlapping voice: Look at me; your eyes are just dead, I do still love you.  (A little bit quieter than usual)

She puts her hands over her ears whispering quietly

Leda: Shut up, shut up... (The voices keep repeating themselves) Silence...silence...

The voices die down. She looks over to the chairs, the second one disappears. Lily and Kali are walking along the side in the background and as the chair disappears, so do they. She stands up, walks for a second and then stops, and just stands there in the middle for a second, looking back and forth. She thinks for a second, stares at the chair and the second one reappears, as do Liam and Kali. She turns around and heads home.

 

Scene Eight:

Leda is sitting on her bed holding the doll. She hears the girl singing the poem very quietly in her head...she’s just sitting there listening. She looks at the poem hanging on her wall. It’s a bit faded, the pencil’s lighter. She’s just staring at the wall....she sees a quick flash/glimpse of an hourglass. She sees a few flashes of snowflakes, the girl by the creek smiling, Senora peeking from behind the tree and the hourglass sand falling. She gets up and leaves her room to check the hourglass, still holding the doll, but as soon as she reaches the door, her father’s overlapping voice comes into her head.

Overlapping Voices of her father: Go to sleep, go to sleep, shut your eyes, black it out, black it out.

She covers her ears trying to make it go away, but the voices get louder.

Overlapping Voices of her father: Go to sleep, go to sleep, (over and over again) Sweet dreams, Sleep tight, go to sleep.

She walks back up to her room and gets in bed, and the voices get quieter, but don’t go away. Fade out shot into her dream.

 

She goes to check the hourglass in the tree, and it’s thawed. She turns it over and ends up in her world, in her same dress again. The voices are still saying go to sleep very quietly. She gets to the winter forest, but when she passes the girl by the river, she won’t look at her. She sees Senora standing in a tree, staring into the distance. Leda can’t see either of their faces. The doll she carried before is on the path in front of her, in a puddle of red (blood). She looks confused and afraid. It gets darker in a matter of seconds, and she panics and then runs back to the tree. While she’s running she keeps getting glimpses of a girl under a cliff in the dark with candles and with a bowl of black water. She’s staring into it. Leda’s still running. There are alternating flashes of Leda running and the girl beneath the cliff, and the girl beneath the cliff is staring with a sinister, evil stare. She tilts the bowl towards Leda and the black water spills all down the cliff. Leda is still running and she runs past Ben standing on the side.

Ben: I love you, Leda.

Leda stops running and turns around. He’s gone

Leda: Ben? Ben?!

Overlapping voices get louder, and she turns towards the tree which is just in front of her now. The hourglass is almost out of sand and she runs for the tree. Overlapping voices get REALLY loud and Leda jerks awake. She sits up in her bed, and everything goes quiet right away. She looks over at the doll next to her, and it is fine. It’s morning.

For bold: Repeating of the voices, varying in loudness.

 

Leda walks out of the house quickly, and immediately heads to the tree, still carrying the doll. She starts to climb the tree, and the branch is wet. It gets on her hand and she smiles. She climbs up, and the hourglass is there, dripping wet but thawed. She smiles, turns over the hourglass. The tree shakes like before, and once again, she climbs down already smiling hugely, very excited, and is in the same dress again. It’s the same atmosphere as before. She walks down the pathway like the first time.

Leda: Senora? The hourglass thawed! ... Are you here?

She keeps walking, passes party decorations again, and some balloons are popped.

Senora’s voice in the distance: Leda? I’m over here!

Her voice is coming from the opposite direction. Leda looks behind her, and heads back.

Leda: Senora!

Senora (from right next to her, much louder now.): You’re back!

Leda jumps, and then sees Senora sitting on the hill next to the path she’s on in some kind of a snow fort.

Leda: God, you have to stop doing that. (Giggle)

Senora: Sorry, just habit I guess.

Leda sits right next to her.

Leda: What are you doing?

Senora: Just wandering through the hills, watching the valley.

Leda looks to where Senora’s looking.

Leda: How big is it anyway?

Senora: Huge. I’m not sure; I haven’t seen all of it.

Leda: Wow... have you ever been up on that hill? (Points to hill.)

Senora: (Looks) No... I haven’t.

Leda: Really? Well it’s not even far, we could go right now.

Leda starts to stand up. Senora pulls her back down.

Senora: Not now, maybe later.

Leda: How much of the valley have you been to?

Senora: Not much I suppose, I just don’t want to leave this side. I wouldn’t know where to start or anything. This is my home, and I like watching the rest of it from afar.

Leda: I guess so... But just look at that...I bet there’s hundreds of other places in there to be, don’t you want to see them?

Senora: Not now.

They just sit there for a bit. Leda looks around and then gets a suspicious, familiar look when she sees a certain cliff. She has a flash of the person beneath the cliff from her dream, and she sees the cliff again, and it’s the same one. Leda points and nudges Senora.

Leda: That cliff....do you know what’s there?

Senora: What do you mean? It’s just a cliff.

She just stares, curiously.

Leda: I’m going to go see, sure you don’t want to come?

Senora: I’m sure, I’ll be right here if you need me.

Leda: Okay.

Leda walks down the hill her and Senora were sitting on and walks down the path a bit more. She leaves the doll next to Senora, by accident. There are snowmen on the sides of the paths/ just randomly all over. There are dolls between the snowmen and in the trees, and just more childish toys. She almost walks right into a snowman that’s right in front of her while she’s looking at the cliff/dolls/just...around. She stops quickly.  She hears a few hushed whispers, not really saying anything specific, but she keeps turning towards the sound and they’re snowmen. This happens a few times.

Whisper again of Ben’s Voice: I love you Leda

Leda turns around again, but more shocked/intensely this time.

Leda: Who said that??

Ben’s Voice from behind: Leda.

Leda turns around, and this time Ben is standing there. She looks sad but happy. She doesn’t think it’s real.

Leda: Ben?

He just stands there. Leda walks up slowly, an amazed look on her face.

Leda: Ben...it can’t be you, can it?

Ben just looks at her. His smile fades and he looks sad.

Ben: Why don’t you ever look at me?

She stops walking, she’s pretty close in front of him now, and her eyes look very hurt.

Leda: I...I can’t Ben, I... I still can’t (She looks down and won’t look at him.). This isn’t you, I can’t pretend.

She turns away, but Ben takes her hand and turns her around.

Ben: It’s me Leda.

He just looks at her, after a few seconds she looks up at him. She touches his face and just stares at him. She smiles a tiny smile.

Leda: I... I see you, I feel you. (As she says it, a tear trickles down her cheek.)

She looks down, takes her hand off of his face, and presses it against his chest. Her other hand is on his arm. She looks at her hand that’s on his arm, and she moves it to his upper arm.

Leda: This isn’t you, but then how can I see you? I feel your warmth.  

He tilts her chin up to his, and he wipes her tear off.

Ben: I feel you too Leda, I’m right here.

She looks in his eyes while he touches her face, she feels so happy, but so sad that she knows it isn’t real. Her eyes are still tearing a bit.

Leda: I don’t...  

She doesn’t know what to say anymore. He moves his hand down to her neck, and kisses her softly where her tear was (or where his hand was), and then slowly kisses her lips. They kiss tenderly/ romantically for a few seconds. They finish, and they just look in each other’s eyes for a second.

Leda moves her eyes a tiny bit to the sun/sky.

Leda: We don’t have much time.

Ben: I know.

He’s stroking her cheek with his thumb.

For Bold

1. Wait " Alanna Clarke

2.Fire in your eyes" New Fight Scene

Scene 9

Leda and Ben are walking down a path, Ben has his arm around her shoulder, and her arm is around his waist. They come to a pathway bordered by trees. Leda stops walking and looks up to where the cliff is...it’s on the other side, the pathway looks like it could lead to it.

Leda: Let’s go in here.

Ben: Through this pathway?

Leda: Yeah.

Leda starts walking... Ben hesitates but then goes with her.

Leda: Have you been to that cliff?

She points, and Ben looks. They come up to a bridge, and they hear the girl’s singing again. Leda walks up to the edge of the bridge, looks for the girl.

Ben: She’s not there.

Ben walks up next to her, puts his hand on her hand which is on the ledge of the bridge.

Leda: I know. The water carries the sound; it’s just nice to hear something real. Do you know why she’s always singing?

Ben: I don’t think she wants to forget where she’s going, or how to wait.

Leda: Oh... and what about Senora? Why won’t she go to the other side? Do you know about her?

Ben puts his finger up to her mouth.

Ben: Shh... So many questions, can’t you just like it here? You created it.

He puts his hand to her back now.

Leda: Of course I like it, it’s unbelievable; I can’t even...

She realizes something. The singing slowly fades to silence.

Leda: What do you mean I created it?

Ben doesn’t say anything.

Leda: I just came upon this place one day, how could I have made it?

Ben: (It takes him a second to think of how to answer.) Leda... you have to stop questioning it. You know all the answers.

Leda: What? Ben, what are you...

She realizes the singing’s gone.

Leda: The music... it’s "

It slowly comes back.

Ben: What?

Leda: Oh, never mind I guess.

Ben: Alright, let’s keep going then.

They leave the bridge and as they walk away from the creek, the singing slowly fades out.

Some time passes.

 

They walk to the very bottom of a hill, with the little crevice from under the cliff right above them. It’s a bit darker. They hear someone repeating a strange chant.

Leda: So you really don’t know what’s up there?

Ben looks worried/scared. He backs away a little bit.

Ben: We shouldn’t go up there, let’s go back. Come on, now.

He’s motions her to follow him, and then stops. Leda looks up at it again.

Leda: It can’t be too bad; I mean we walked this far right? We can always leave if something’s up.

There’s no answer. She turns around, he’s gone. She searches for him, and she looks at her footsteps next to his. There’s some for where Ben backed up, but then none, as if he just disappeared. She walks up the hill a bit, and while she’s looking around, she steps on a twig and makes a sound. The chants stop.

Voice from above: Who is it?! Who’s down there?

Leda tries to be quiet for a second, and then she walks up the hill quietly and cautiously, and as she does, the chanting starts again. Leda sees a girl standing there with pretty hair and make-up, and a black dress. She’s standing in front of her bowl with black water in it. There’s candles all over, and in the corner is a staff. There’s a stick of ash on the side for drawing symbols. There are strange symbols all over the rocks and the roof of the cliff above her. She’s chanting again and staring frantically into the bowl. Leda’s just looking around.

Leda: Is this your "

Witch: (Jumps, then looks back into the water.) Sh! Sh! I can almost see it.

She keeps staring/ chanting. She stops chanting and stares into it, getting happier.

Witch: I see....I see! (She looks up at Leda, who looks very confused now.) You, Leda, come over here...what do you see?

Leda looks shocked.

Leda: How did you know"?

Witch: Hurry, before it scurries off, here, here!

Leda walks up still confused/nervously. She looks into the bowl. She gets a strange vision of her face, looking confused. It’s a vision of her reflection.

Witch: Do you see it? Do you see?

Leda: I just see my reflection.

Witch: I’m here too, am I in it?

Leda: No, you’re not.

Her strange vision ends, and Leda looks confused. She looks over to the witch, and she’s smiling hugely.

Witch: Do you know what this means?!

She grabs Leda by the shoulders and is very shaky/excited.

Leda: No, what does it mean?

Witch: It means I can finally see, I can finally tell what’s going to happen to us, to everything and everywhere!

Leda: What did you see in it?

Witch: We all see the same, we are all the same.

As she says it, she turns around, searching for the ash stick. She finds it and starts writing something on the wall/roof.  

Leda: (confused for a second.) You saw me? What does that say about the future?

 Witch: (As she’s writing) Look deeper, the water’s deeper, ask the answer, not the question.

Leda just looks at her and then around, and then the witch starts whispering something, and Leda looks at her. She looks back into the black water, and she gets another vision. It’s Senora standing on the bridge, trying to step across, but can’t. She’s holding Leda’s doll. She looks frightened, and then looks up at Leda. She mouths “Leda!”

Leda looks up, and she sees that on the bridge, Senora’s standing there. She’s motioning her to follow quickly, and Leda looks up at the sky, which is darker now, and she didn’t realize it until now.

She looks quickly at what the witch is drawing, and it’s an hourglass. Leda turns around and an hourglass is right in front of her. It’s on its side and the sand isn’t moving yet. Leda looks down the hill and thinks of how she can get down it so quickly. There’s an hourglass in a tree in front of her, tilted a bit more. It’s frozen, but less. She runs out of the little cavern and runs down the hill. The witch turns around and she sees a vision of her own reflection in the bowl.

Witch: Come back here, there’s time still, I need you!

Leda just looks back and keeps running.

Leda: (yelling back) I’m sorry, I have to get back!

She gets to the bottom and starts running for the bridge. There’s an hourglass on the ledge of the bridge.

Senora: There you are what took you so long? You have to go!

She grabs her hand and they run back to where the tree is.

Leda: Where’s Ben?!

She looks around while she’s running.

More hourglasses pop up. The sand’s falling now. She’s just running, hourglasses running out of sand. She reaches the tree, and Senora shoves her under.

Leda: Wait! I need to find Ben before I leave!

Senora: Leda, there’s no time, just come back.

Leda: No, I can’t, I "

The hourglass is almost completely out.

Senora: Go!!

She climbs the tree, but doesn’t want to. It shakes, and she climbs back down. She’s in her PJs again in her front yard. She looks down at her PJs. She comes out from behind the tree into the entire nothing. There’s a sound of a hose thing turning. The sprinkler turns on and hits her. She just stands there staring at the hose, and the door to her house opens/closes.  

For Bold:

No Curtains " Claudio Ianni, or the intense part of “Lust Condemns " Mob of God”

 

Scene 10:

Leda’s sitting on the doorstep. She sits there for a bit, a little bit wet (not much...from the sprinkler.) She stands up, and goes over to the door. She opens the screen one, and tries to open the bigger one and it’s locked. She rings the doorbell, and in the process closes the screen one, then knocks.

Leda: Molly! Let me in!

Molly opens the big door, and they’re talking through the screen one (Leda still can’t see her).

Molly’s voice from inside: Can I help you?

Leda: Move out of the way.

She tries to open the door, but Molly holds it shut.

Leda: What did I even do?

Molly’s voice from inside: You know what you did, don’t even play that.

Leda: I don’t, and I want to come in now.

Molly’s voice from inside: You know I needed your help. I only asked you fifty times and you wouldn’t budge from that tree. You’re useless.

Leda: What? Molly...I couldn’t help it.

Molly’s voice from inside: and I can’t help locking the door.

The big door slams, and the door locks.

Leda sits down angrily. She sits there for a second, then gets up and knocks on the door again.

Leda: Can you at least give me my smokes??

Molly’s voice from inside: Piss off!

Leda turns around, she’s frustrated. She leaves and walks towards Elizabeth Barrett. Just walks. She sees Esther getting her mail right at the end of Leda’s driveway. She stops and looks at her, Esther looks for a second and then looks away and gets her mail.

Leda: Hey, you go to my school.

Esther: Yeah (rudely)

She takes her mail, gets in her car, closes the door loudly and drives off.

Leda just looks at the car drive away.

Leda: God... (To herself)

She keeps walking, and crosses over the field to Elizabeth Barrett. She looks up at a ladder going up to the top of the school on the roof, and looks up at the sky. She looks at her feet, and then she goes over to the portable and climbs up onto the roof. She climbs up higher and goes to the ladder. She’s looking down at the world as she’s walking. She climbs up the ladder and has reached the highest point of the school. She sits right by the edge of the school, looks down. She looks up. She just sits there along the edge, between the ground and the sky for a bit.

She’s climbing down the ladder, it’s now darker. She’s walking towards where she came up, and she sees a tree on the side. She sees something strange in it, and she walks over. There’s a bit of snow on the branch, and she reaches out and grabs it. It melts in her hand in a matter of seconds. She looks confused but intrigued, and she wipes the wetness onto her pant leg. She walks over to where she came up, and climbs back down. As she’s walking down the alley towards her house, there’s another voice.

Girl’s voice fading in and then out (passing by): What? I never said that, you’re lying.  

Guy’s voice: No I’m not, you just don’t remember because it was so long ago.

Girl’s Voice: Long ago? It was three months! Some of us have a memory lasting longer than...

 (Cut that off whenever)

She gets home, the door is unlocked, and she goes into her room. She checks her purse for cigarettes, but she just finds an empty box. She’s angry.

She walks down the empty hallway of her basement, and opens the door to an empty room. Just a bed, dresser, TV and empty shelves/ tables.

Molly’s voice: What the hell do you want?

Leda: What did you do with my cigarettes Molly?

Molly’s voice: Don’t blame me, you have to stop smoking. Mom agrees.

Leda: Where did you put them?! This isn’t your choice!

Molly’s Voice: They’re in the storage room, that’s where they should stay. Don’t go get them. Everyone’s worried about you.

Leda: Because I smoke? Half the world smokes, this isn’t news to people.

Molly’s Voice: It’s not just that, and you know it.

Leda just stands there.

Leda: What does that mean?

Molly’s Voice: You know what it means; go get your precious cigarettes.

Leda stands there for a second, then leaves the room and goes to the door on the other end of the hall. She opens the storage room door. There are some cigarettes on the shelf, and other than that it’s empty except for some boxes against the back wall. One says “Leda’s Baby Things”; the others say “Leda’s middle school things”, and “Family Vacation ’99.” The last two (other than Leda’s baby things) are crossed out with one line, so you can still read what they say, and the boxes are taped shut VERY tightly, the one that isn’t crossed out is just sitting open. Leda looks at it for a second, takes a cigarette and goes upstairs.

She goes out the door, sits on the front porch and smokes her cigarette for a few seconds.

 

She’s standing up and putting out her cigarette. She hears the door open.

Her mother’s Voice: Leda... The school called. They say you’ve been missing classes and you haven’t been handing in work.

Leda doesn’t look, just kind of stands there.

Her mother’s Voice: And that... you’re smoking? What changed suddenly? I should never have let you leave this summer (slowly gets quieter to silence, then fades up)... and you can’t let your marks slip like this. Step it up. Now go to bed, and go to school early for help. Now!

Leda just walks into the house and goes up to her room.

For Bold:

Forward " Emily West

 

Scene 11:

Leda’s closing her eyes and doing the airplane thing with her arms towards the school again. There are sounds of students all around. She slows down, walks cautiously, and a random boy is walking by, there’s one other student walking around. Esther’s in the background too. Leda hits the random boy.  

Random boy just looks at Leda angrily.

Random Boy: My God, can’t you watch where you’re going?

Leda: Sorry, I didn’t see you.

Random Boy: Maybe open your eyes than.

He storms off towards the school.

Leda starts walking towards school, closes her eyes again, gets to the door, opens it and goes in the door by the parking lot. She walks up the ramp to the right, and hits someone coming around the corner. The girl drops her books / a bunch of artwork. Leda opens her eyes confused, wondering why she can’t dodge people anymore.

She bends down to help her pick up her artwork, and she looks at one, and it’s a painting with unicorn clouds and a ladder going up to it, with the ladder broken in the middle. Leda looks at the girl picking up her books; her hood’s on so she can’t see who it is.

Kali: Thanks for helping.

She sees a bit of her blonde hair.

Leda: Is that you Kali?

Kali looks up and looks shocked and pleased.

Kali: Leda! I was kind of hoping you’d go to this school.

Leda: Yeah, did you just start going here?

Kali: Yeah just a few days ago.

Kali looks at the art that Leda’s holding.

Kali: Oh, that. (Chuckle) Look familiar?

Leda: Yeah, the unicorn clouds.

Kali: Right, that whole conversation really got me inspired for some reason, so I painted that as soon as I got home.

Leda: It’s beautiful.

Kali: Oh thanks, I didn’t do it in much time, I just wanted to get my ideas down so it’s really not that great...you know, you can have it.

Leda: Really?

Kali: Yeah, you’re the reason I made it anyways, and I’ve painted other unicorn clouds, they keep showing up in all my work now. I guess they really mean something.

Leda: Thanks

She smiles kind of shyly and looks at the art. She sees a strange face in the clouds in the corner.

Leda: Is that the person in the sky Liam was talking about?

Kali: What person?

Kali looks, looks a bit confused.

Kali: Oh, I never even noticed that. It could be.....Wait, no. It’s a girl.

Leda looks more closely.

Kali: It could be you; you were the motivation behind this whole thing.

Leda: Her hair’s too long.

Kali: Well I don’t know, maybe you’ll find out sometime. But listen, I have to get to class, thanks for helping me clean up.

Kali gets up and walks away.

Leda: Okay, see ya, thanks for the painting.

Kali: See you around

Leda just looks at the painting, gets up and walks down the hallway, and there’s a painting lying on the ground where Kali came from, but Leda doesn’t notice it.

 

Leda gets home and quickly runs to check the hourglass which is still in a snowball. She goes into her room, and next to the poem, she puts the painting. She touches the person in the corner, but since she’s so vague and surreal can’t figure out who it is. She looks confused, thinking. Her phone rings. She looks at it, picks it up and looks at the caller ID. Dad calling. She looks up and the room is full.

Overlapping Voices: Close your eyes, Open your eyes, (dad) Sleep tight, you’re only dreaming, (voices again) Never dream.

She plugs her ears, keeps seeing flashes of boxes opening and the witch beneath the cliff, the vision she had of her reflection. She looks up at the painting, stares at the unicorn, voices are still very loud. There’s a tap on her shoulder and she jerks around, but no one’s there, and the voices quiet down completely.

Molly’s Voice: What is that?

Leda stumbles on her words a little bit.

Leda: It’s a painting a girl gave me.

Molly’s Voice: Who?

Leda: Just a friend from school.

Molly’s Voice: I thought you like shunned all your friends.

Leda: ....What do you want Molly?

Molly’s Voice: Nothing, I’m just bored waiting for Nate, just wanted to come up here.

Sound of Molly sitting on the bed.

Molly’s Voice: So what’s new?

Leda: Nothing at all....You? ...

Molly’s Voice: Nothing, I was looking through boxes in the storage room earlier. There’s so much random crap in there.

Leda: Yeah.

Molly’s Voice: And I was walking to the car and I saw water dripping from the tree. It wasn’t even raining...I wonder what that could be"

Leda gets up quickly and runs to the tree.

Molly’s Voice (As she’s running out the door): Leda, what the hell?

 

Scene Twelve:

Leda runs outside to the tree, and there is water dripping down. She looks back at the house briefly, then goes under the tree and climbs it quickly and the hourglass is thawed and dripping. The doll’s not there. (Senora still has it.) She turns the hourglass, tree shakes, and she climbs down. She steps out from the branches, looks around for people. She goes to the creek, hears the singing. She goes back to Senora’s snow fort, and she’s in it, but she’s sleeping with her doll, under a blanket of snow.

Leda: (Whispers) Senora!

She nudges her slightly, but Senora just takes a deep breath and keeps sleeping, hugs the doll closer. Leda leaves her be. She looks down into the path and sees a bit of a snowman. She remembers that’s where she saw Ben and then looks excited and heads for the snowmen. She hears the whispers again, but there’s no Ben. She just looks around in a circle. There’s a quick glimpse of a girl in a dress standing there, and Leda looks back, but she’s gone. It was the girl by the creek. There’s an especially loud whisper behind her, and she turns around quickly. She can see the bridge from where she is, (and if not, she’ll walk around searching until she does) and she sees Ben sitting on the ledge/railing. She smiles, runs for it but when she gets there he doesn’t look at her, he’s just staring into the river.

Leda: Ben!

Ben looks then and smiles

Ben: Leda you’re here, come up here with me.

Leda sits on the ledge next to him and he grabs her hand in his hands.

Ben: You’re freezing!

Leda: I haven’t noticed.

He puts his hand on her face and kisses her quickly but sweetly.

Ben: I’ve been waiting for you.

He holds her hand now.

Leda: Have you? (Smiles) I was wondering what happened at the cliff, where you went.

Ben looks confused.

Ben: What cliff?

Leda: That cliff (points) we walked there and there was a woman under it, and before we went to see her you just left or disappeared or something. The girl up there said she needed me, we should go back there.

She starts to get off the ledge, but Ben sits her back down.

Ben: Leda...you can’t ever go up there again, okay? I don’t know who’s up there exactly, but she’s dangerous.

Leda: What do you mean? If you don’t know who she is"

Ben: (interrupts) Leda, promise me.

Leda: But why?

Ben just looks at her.

Leda: Okay...If that’s what you want.

Ben: It is.

He strokes her arm, gets down from the ledge and helps her down.

Ben: There’s something I want to show you

They start walking.

Leda: What is it?

 

 

Scene Thirteen:

Ben and Leda arrive to a big tree, and around it is a child-like atmosphere. Almost like a bedroom/playhouse. There’s a cradle there with a doll in it, a baby blanket, and just child-like things. They arrive there, and Ben is holding his hands to Leda’s eyes and she’s smiling, so is he.

Ben (As he takes his hands away): Okay, here we are.

Leda was smiling, and as she sees it she looks happy and shocked. The kind of happy that brings tears of joy, but she’s not crying.

Leda: Ben... what is this?

Ben: This is why you’re here.

Leda: Well how did you...

She just stares at it for a bit. They’re holding hands, and after staring for a bit, she lets go and walks over to it. She sits on the blanket. Ben comes up and sits next to her, rubs her back.

Ben: Do you like it?

Leda: Of course I like it, I don’t even know what to say...  

Ben: Just be here, that’s all you wanted.

She looks at Ben thankfully.

Leda: You are real, aren’t you?

Ben: What do you think?

Leda smiles, walks to the other side of the tree, looking up into the forest.

Ben walks to where she did, and she looks at him. Behind him she sees the girl by the creek, and as she does, she leans her back against the trunk, and he puts his hands beside each side of her, on the trunk, and he touches her neck and kisses her for a bit, then looks at her.

Ben: Do you know how lucky we are?

She looks happy, then sad.

Leda: ... It won’t last.

Ben looks confused.

Leda: How much longer do you think I’ll be able to come here?

Ben: Whenever you want.

Leda: No Ben, look at the sun. It’s going to set and I’m going to have to leave here again. Even if it always rises again, I can’t keep coming and then going. This won’t last...nothing does.

For a second he just thinks, and then says...

Ben: Leda, I don’t know. I’m just here like you are, I don’t know how long this lasts, or how long forever is, but we’re here.

Leda: It’s gone. (She looks down.)

Ben: You’re here aren’t you?

Leda: I shouldn’t be.

Ben: Do you want to leave?

Leda shakes her head.

Ben: Than stay here, and be. Look, the sun’s high in the sky, we have all day. What do you want to do?

She looks up at him and slowly smiles.

 

Fade into a montage type thing. First they’re just walking, down the pathway, and see the party decorations. There’s a balloon there that isn’t popped, and Leda just looks at it. More are popped now than past times she’s been there. Fade into them walking but Ben’s giving Leda a piggy back ride and they see Senora sleeping again. Leda looks up at her, then Ben starts running and Leda laughs. She gets off his back and then walks in front of him backwards, and by that time they’re amongst the snowmen. She falls into one of the snowmen. She looks all shocked and wipes the snow off but he laughs. She picks up a piece of one of the snowmen and throws / dumps it on him for laughing at her, and they have a mini snowball fight. They both end up pretty covered in snow and on the ground in ruined snowmen just sitting there laughing. Leda looks at him. Fade into them in the trees up on the hill, the thin ones. She’s hiding from him, and he’s looking for her. He sees her and she starts running and he chases her. They do that for a bit, and then he catches her and picks her up by her stomach dragging her back. They disappear into the trees. Fade out of the music.

 

They walk up to the bridge (by the rope things). Leda sits down on the bridge with her feet dangling down. She’s leaning her head on the middle rail. She looks down at the ice beneath her. Ben sits next to her and does the same thing.

Leda: I want to be a fish.

Ben: A fish?

Leda: Yeah, so carefree and shimmery, just swimming. That’s all.

Ben: But they don’t feel.

Leda: Feelings are overrated.

She smiles.

Ben: You wouldn’t feel that way if you didn’t have them.

Leda: If I didn’t have them I wouldn’t feel anything. (Laugh.)

Ben: Right, I guess that’s true.

Leda: Just swim. Do you ever find it strange to think there’s fish beneath the ice?

Ben: Sometimes. I never really thought about it.

Leda: Hmm... They’re there.

She turns her head, and sees a strange house just behind a tree in front of her.

Leda: Look, there’s a house!

Ben: Oh, there is.

Leda stands up and heads for it. She turns back.

Leda: Come on!

Ben gets up and follows her. She heads up the stairs and stops in the middle of them.

Leda: There’s someone in there!

She sees the shadow in the window.

Ben: He’s looking at us.

She walks up to the window, looking in.

Leda: He’s so still...

She looks around and the emptiness of the rest of the house. She looks closer at the person. She touches the window.

Leda: He’s not real, he’s just a mannequin.

Ben walks up and looks.

Ben: That’s odd.

Leda: Hmm...

She tries to open the door, but it’s locked.

Leda: It’s locked. I wonder why.

Ben: I don’t know, I guess he doesn’t want us in.

Leda: The mannequin? Yeah I’m sure he’s really concerned. (Smile/Laugh.)

Leda walks to the side so she can see the backyard.

Leda: Let’s go back here.

Ben: It’s just a backyard.

Leda: It’s OUR backyard, it’s our house.

Ben laughs,

Ben: We can’t even go inside

Leda: It’s still ours.

Ben: If you say so.

They laugh.

They go to the backyard, explore a bit. On the picnic table there’s a table cloth and hot chocolate, a treat of some kind. There’s a flower in frozen water in the middle.

Ben: Hey, look at that!

Leda: Wow, it’s still steaming even.

They look at each other and smile. They sit down and drink the hot chocolate and eat the treat.

Leda: Does this place ever seem too good to be true? I mean look at this, this doesn’t happen.

Ben: Apparently it does. Just enjoy it Leda.

Leda: While it lasts at least.

Ben looks up at her sadly.

Ben: Don’t think like that Leda, it sours everything. Listen to me and trust me when I say... Enjoy it.

Leda smiles.

Leda: Okay.

 

Fades from them at the table to a table with empty plates and finished drinks, and the flower in the frozen water is gone, there’s some laughing in the background. The camera moves to the ground, and Leda and Ben are sitting in the snow, cuddling and laughing. Leda’s holding up the flower.

Leda: What kind of flower grows out of ice?

Ben: This one I guess, it reminds me of you.

Leda looks confused / laugh-y.

Leda: I remind you of a flower growing out of ice?

Ben: Mhm.

Leda: What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Laughs. Ben laughs too.

Ben: I don’t know, but it’s a good thing.

Leda: How?

Ben: Because it’s so rare that hardly anyone sees it, but it’s just as beautiful.

He brushes the hair from her face and kisses her. She looks up at him. She sighs happily and lies back on the ground, still holding the flower. She makes a snow angel.

Leda: It’s been so long since I’ve made a snow angel. Make one with me.

He moves a bit away and makes one. While they’re both making them, their hands touch. He keeps going but she takes his hand, and while holding hands they keep connecting the wings. They sit up and look down at the connected snow angels.

Leda: Now we’re just one giant snow angel. Two heads, four legs and three wings.

They smile. Just look at each other for a bit. Leda looks over at the cliff. (Stands if she has to.)

Leda turns and looks at Ben.

Leda: So you really think I can come back any time I want?

Ben: I know it.

Leda thinks for a second.

Leda: I think I want to explore for a bit alone, just to get a sense of this place myself.

Ben looks a little bit shocked.

Ben: Alright.

Leda stands up and takes the flower with her; she smiles and leaves the backyard. Ben is sitting in his snow angel, looking at hers. He watches her leave.

 

For Bold:

Fire in your Eyes " New Fight Scene

For Bold and Italics: “Slow " Alanna Clarke”

 

Scene Fourteen:

Leda’s walking towards the cliff, and she goes up the hill and sees the same thing she saw before, but the witch isn’t there.

Leda: Hello?

She walks in, looks around and tries to read the symbols, they’re too foreign, and she can’t read them. She turns around to see the bowl. She moves to the side of the cliff and climbs on the top of it. She looks for her, and then looks at the entire valley. (She’s holding her flower over her shoulder and doing the same thing as “the fool” tarot card.) She goes back into the cavern.

Leda: Are you here? Look, I’m sorry I left before, it’s just I had to get back"

There’s a sound from behind her. She turns around to see, but there’s nothing. She turns around again, and the witch is standing right there with a crazy excited look on her face. Leda’s startled.

Witch: You’re back! I thought you’d vanish and never return.

Leda: Why wouldn’t I come back?

The witch ignores her and moves the bowl off of the table and puts it on the ground, she takes some cards from the corner of the cavern.

Witch: Kneel, there.

Leda: For what?

Witch: Kneel, before time runs out again, hurry up now!

Leda kneels quickly. The witch shuffles the cards frantically, and lays them out in the traditional way. Her significator card (The card representing the person) is “The Fool.” (It means new beginnings).

Witch: The fool. You created a new beginning, a new journey, but impulsively and imprudently. That’s your card, is it not?

Leda just looks at the card

Witch: Is it not?! We can’t waste time!

Leda jumps.

Leda: Yes, it is.

The witch lays out the tarot cards. As the witch lays them out she mumbles, partially to Leda but mostly just to herself.

Witch: Seven of cups covers you...illusionary success. The moon crosses you...awakening chaos of the unconscious life.

Leda: What does it mean if it covers me?

Witch: The base of your situation, crossing is your struggles.... Your goal is the star, to mend, to renew.

Leda just looks at her, shocked as to how she knows so much.

Witch: Your past is raining in ruin, the ten of swords. Your present radiates in hope, the eight of wands.  

Leda: What about my future?

The witch flips over the tower. She just looks at Leda

Witch: Things are not as they appear.

She just looks at her. There’s a pause.

Leda: Is that all?

Witch: No... You must leave here. And don’t come back, understand?

Leda: What, why? What did the card say?

Witch: This realm seems to be a miracle, a fairytale, does it not?

Leda nods.

Witch: But it’s drowning you. It soothes your head, but although you can’t see, you’re losing control. You’re not healing any wounds by being here; you’re just creating hidden ones. If you stay...

She looks down, then up at Leda.

Leda: What? What will happen? (Pause. She starts to sound desperate.) I can’t leave here, you don’t understand"

Witch: I do understand! You do too but you can’t see. You’re blinded; now give me your hand!

Leda: I’m not blinded; I’m just searching for "

Witch: Give me your hand!

Leda hesitates, stubborn/frightened, but the witch grabs it. She takes the candle burning in the corner (it is blue) and she puts it on the table. She takes some lavender from the ground and also puts it on the table. She takes out a dirty box with crystals inside. She takes out an “Aquamarine” (It means protection...so does blue and Lavender.) She pours candle wax on the stone and sprinkles some lavender on it. She takes Leda’s hand and pours candle wax on it. Leda flinches.

Leda: Ah!

She tries to pull her hand back, but the witch holds it. She sprinkles some lavender on it.

Witch: Clasp the stone tightly.

Leda does it.

Leda: It hurts.

Leda loosens her hands a bit, but the witch takes her hand and makes her squeeze it. Leda makes a painful face. It eventually calms down. She opens her hand, it’s all waxy but there’s the stone.

Witch: Never let this go, and whatever you do, do not come back here after today. Never.

Leda: But what will happen? What did the card mean? Why can’t I know that, or see it?

Leda looks over at the bowl. She reaches for it.

The witch jumps up and blocks her.

Witch: Don’t you toy with that, you can’t see right now.

Leda: But it tells my future, you told me last time I was here, I need to see it to understand.

She tries to reach for it again, but the witch gets down at her eye level and stares at her.

Overlapping Voices: (The Witch) Ask the answer, not the question, (random voices) you’ll never dream again, never shut your eyes, escape to your mind, escape to the cold. (Gradually getting louder.)

Leda covers her ears. The witch stands up, the voices stop. Leda looks up at the witch.

Leda: They never talk when I’m here.  

Witch: Not all is as it seems. The gone can be just as nearby as the present.

The witch sits down. She’s gathering the tarot cards.

Leda: Who are you?

A tarot card falls out of the deck on the ground. Leda looks. It’s “The Hermit.” (It means a wise guide or spiritual mentor.) The witch just keeps gathering, as if she didn’t hear her.

Leda: I have to come back. How do I know you’re telling the truth?

Leda looks up at the witch, the witch is just staring at her kind of evilly, and Leda looks conflicted. Leda looks at her hands. The charm is in one hand, the flower in the other. She looks back up again, and the witch is gone. She looks over, and the bowl is gone too. She sits there for a second, and then gets up to leave. She steps forward but she sees another card in front of her. “The Devil.” She looks up, looks back, and “The Hermit” is still there. She steps over the devil and leaves the cavern.

 

For Bold: Wakey Wakey " Claudio Ianni. (Continue into the bold in the next scene.)

Scene Fifteen:

Leda is walking back to the roots of the tree. She passes the destroyed snowmen; Senora’s awake now, cradling the doll.

Leda: Senora, you’re up!

Senora looks up at Leda, smiles then speaks to the doll.

Senora: Look who’s here, it’s Leda!

Senora smiles at Leda, but then she looks confused, she’s still smiling though.

Senora: Where’d you come from?

Leda stumbles on her words a little bit, then says

Leda: I " I came from that house down there with Ben.

Senora: Who? (Pause) What are you holding?

Leda pretends to scratch her back with her one hand and holds up the other one.

Leda: It’s a flower, it grows out of ice.

Senora: No, your other hand.

Leda takes it out from behind her back, and looks at it.

Leda: I... just found it on the bridge.

Senora: If you were at that house why were you on the bridge?

(From behind her)

Ben: The Bridge?

Leda turns around and sees Ben.

Leda smiles and walks towards him.

Leda: Ben, you’re "

Ben: Why were you on the bridge Leda? The only place that leads to is the cliff.

Leda just kind of stands there, opening her mouth but nothing comes out. Ben takes her hand and sees the charm. He drops her hand angrily.

Ben: You promised me!

Leda: Ben, she isn’t bad, she was helping me "

Ben: That’s what she does! That’s why you can’t go there, she convinces you to stop doing what’s best for yourself, and aside from that, you swore you wouldn’t go up there.

Leda: If you just met her...

Ben: I don’t need to; everyone here knows she’s evil. You’re starting believe her aren’t you?

Leda just looks down.

Leda: I don’t know. I wish I knew what to believe...

Ben: Believe yourself Leda.

Leda: What if I don’t know who that is? (Long pause as she looks up at him)

Ben: What did she give you?

He grabs it.

Leda: No"

She tries to take it back but he backs up and examines it.

Ben: What is this? Some kind of charm? How could you accept this? It’s probably cursed.

Leda: It’s not cursed, she told me to never let it go. It’ll protect me.

Ben: What on earth do you need protecting from here Leda? Look at this place! Name one danger here.

Leda: Well what happens at night? (Long Pause.)

Ben: You lied to me Leda, I thought I trusted you.

Ben throws the charm into the distance. He walks towards the general direction of the big tree. Leda looks out to where he threw the charm. She turns to face Senora. Senora’s just looking at her, and she’s smiling strangely, she looks too happy.

Senora: Leda??

Leda: Yeah?

Senora: What was all that? Who were you talking to?

Leda: I was talking to Ben...

Senora: Huh, I didn’t see anyone.

Leda: Really? He was right there. Didn’t you see him throw the charm?

Senora: No.

Leda: What? He was right there Senora...

Senora: Hmm, well that’s odd.

She starts rocking the doll, then puts it on the ground, covers it in a blanket of snow.

Senora: Ni-Night.

She kisses its forehead. She looks up at Leda.

Senora: Oh, you’re still here?

Leda just looks very confused, and she walks towards where Ben went. Senora watches happily, smiling creepily.

 

Scene Sixteen:

Leda’s just walking by looking for Ben, the party decorations are still there. All the balloons are popped, and the dolls are still there. The girl at the creek is humming again. She arrives to the tree, and Ben is sitting in the roots. Leda walks up slowly. As she goes up the hill the humming fades out.

Leda: Sorry I lied to you Ben. I was just curious.

Ben: Curiosity has a limit.

Leda: I know, and I’m sorry. You’re right, I won’t go back there. I was noticing she was getting weird near the end anyways.

Ben: The end of what? What did she do?

Leda sits down next to him.

Leda: She read my tarot cards and then gave me that charm, she burned my hand too.

Ben takes her hand; there are traces of wax on it.

Ben: Ahh, does it hurt?

Leda: A little.

He kisses it and then puts her hand in a fist, and holds it.

Ben: It’s okay, just don’t go back there. I know what I’m talking about.

Leda: Okay.

 

Fade into them lying in the roots, on the ground. Her head is on his chest.

Leda: She told me to never come back here also.

Ben: Why? What was her reason?

Leda: She didn’t even have one.

Ben: Well that’s convincing.

They both laugh. It’s a bit darker out. They slowly stop laughing, and he kisses her forehead, but she looks sad.

Leda: The sun’s going down.

Ben: I know, let’s just cherish this as long as we can.

Leda: I’m tired of leaving. I never know when I can come back, and waiting is such a waste.

Ben: I know it is, but that’s just how it goes. There’s nothing we can do.

The flower is a little past Ben, in the cradle with a doll. The doll is lying down, looking up at the sky. Leda looks at it.

Leda: What if I didn’t leave?

Ben: You have to; we don’t know what happens at night.

Leda: Well you live here, so what does happen?

Ben: I’m only here when you are, I have no idea. It’s just too risky to try.

Leda: There’s nothing for me back there though, all I am is this. If I stayed would you be here?

Ben: I don’t know; you’ve never been here at night so maybe I would be.

Leda thinks for a minute.

Leda: I’m staying. It’s not like I have anything to lose anyways.

Ben: People always say that, there’s always something.

Leda: All there would be is this place, and you, but if I stay here with you, then I can’t lose it can I?

Ben: I suppose not. But it really is too risky Leda; I can’t decide for you... that’s all up to you. But I don’t think it’s worth the risk. We don’t know what could happen.

Leda: What is worth the risk? If anything is worth risking it’s this... the occasional, sporadic visit isn’t enough. And what if we slept through the night? We’d just wake up in the morning and the sun would be up again.

Ben doesn’t answer.

Leda: Ben?

Leda looks up at Ben, he’s sleeping.

Leda: That was quick (to herself), alright.

Leda gets comfortable on his chest, and then closes her eyes. There’s a shot from faraway of them, a very quiet voice is whispering

Voice: “Never shut your eyes never live again.” 

 

Scene Seventeen:

Leda wakes up, it’s just before it gets dark, darker than she always left by. She looks over to the flower in the crib, and the doll is lying down, but facing towards her this time. There’s a broken hourglass next to the crib. She looks over at Ben, who is still sleeping. She shakes him.

Leda: Ben, wake up, it’s getting dark.

He doesn’t move. She shakes him more.

Leda: Ben!

She hears a whimpering hum in the distance. She looks at Ben, still motionless, and she goes down to the creek. She starts walking towards where the hum is. When she gets halfway down the hill, she looks back at Ben, and she sees something in the tree. She looks, and it’s Senora. She’s looking at the tree, so Leda can’t see her face.

Leda: Is that you Senora?

There’s no answer.

Leda walks up a little bit, but then Senora drops something. It tumbles down the hill and lands right in front of Leda’s feet. It’s the doll Senora took. Leda picks it up. The doll is covered in dirt and snow, just really messed up and ruined. She looks up at Senora cautiously.  

Senora turns her head slowly, and she just stares at her with no expression at all. Leda looks scared, and she walks up to Senora.

Leda: What is all this? What happened to it? (Holds up the doll.)

Senora just stares at her.

Leda: Why is this happening? Can you answer me?

Senora just stares right at her, she can’t move. Leda looks down at Ben, shakes him again, but a lot harder this time.

Leda: Ben! Wake up!

He doesn’t wake up. She hears the humming again. She turns around, and heads for it. She’s walking quickly along the path, and all the childish things are soaked in snow, some are buried in it, just splattered all over. She reaches the point where the girl by the river always is. She’s humming the song, but as she does, her voice trembles. Leda sees the girl trying to rub the paint off of her leg with the snow, but it isn’t working, so she’s using a sharp rock and she’s bleeding. She tries scraping it off and then whimpers in pain from it. She looks over at the creek, and she climbs on it, digs through the snow to see the ice. She lies in the snow on her stomach, trying to sink into it, some of the snow stained red now from her blood.

Girl by river: Can’t remember, can’t remember...

She sings the song crying, and by the time she gets to “Those who don’t see”, Leda makes a sound with the twig. The girl jerks her head up, and kind of kneels.

Girl by river: Who is that? No one should be here!

She cautiously sits up on her knees, and Leda comes out.

Leda: I’m sorry, I just heard you, and...

The girl looks very shocked / afraid.

Girl by river: Why are you still here?!

She stands up and runs over to Leda and puts her hands on her shoulders.

Girl by river: Look at the sun!

The girl looks at the sky and takes her hands off of Leda’s shoulders.

Girl by river: It’s too late now... you can’t get back.

Leda: I just wanted to sleep through the night "

Girl by river: Sleep! There is no sleep here for you; don’t you ever listen?

Leda looks confused. It gets a bit darker.

Girl by river: The sky.... You can’t be here with me.

The girl walks back to the river, looks calm / blankly into the valley. Her real self is draining.

Leda: Well where will I go?! Help me!

Girl by River: I can’t, all I do is remember. And the sun is fading; it’s out of my power.

Leda: What do you need to remember, what can’t you remember?

Girl by River: How to get where I’m going, where I’m going.

Leda: You move on through the river once it melts, don’t you?

Girl by River: It won’t melt, I know... but I wait. It’s what I do. (Long pause.)

The girl looks at Leda, and her eyes are teary, but she still looks blank.

Girl by River: I wonder if I’ll remember how to swim.

She turns back, just looks forward blankly more.

Girl by River: You must leave. It’s what you do. Leave.

Leda looks at her shoulder, and the blood quickly dries/ vanishes. She backs away slowly, watching the girl.

Girl by River: Swim... swim... swim...

It’s night now, and Leda runs back to Ben and Senora. Ben’s gone; Senora’s facing the tree again on the branch. Leda runs up to Senora and looks at where Ben was. There’s no mark of him being there in the snow / on the blanket.

Leda: Senora, where’s Ben?

Senora doesn’t move, just stares at the tree.

Leda: Senora!

Still nothing. Leda turns her around herself.

Leda: Senora, why won’t you "

She sees her. Senora’s face is made up like a doll. Long, fake eyelashes, a white face and pink blush, and doll lips. She just stares at her, her eyes don’t move. She doesn’t blink. Leda stares in shock.

Leda: Senora?

She still just stares. Senora smiles a tiny, creepy smile, and Leda backs away. As she’s backing away she slips on the snow and slides down the hill a little bit, then gets up and runs towards the bridge that leads to the cliff. She sees the girl by the lake, but there’s no singing or humming. There’s still blood all around her from her leg. Leda slowly stops.

Leda: Please help me; I don’t know where to go.

The girl turns to her, but her mouth has black lines on it, it’s just closed. She stares at her, puts her finger up to her mouth in a “Sh” motion.

Overlapping Voices: Silence, silence, silence...

Leda backs away from her, and then runs for the cliff.

 

She’s climbing up the hill, and she gets to the cliff. There’s nothing there, just the symbols on the walls. The tarot card “The Hermit” is still on the ground. She doesn’t know where to go or what to do. She just stands there for a minute. She sits on the ledge of the cliff.

Overlapping voices of Ben: You promised me! What do you need protecting from?

She sits there, not trying to block it out, sadly.

Overlapping Voices of the Witch: Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, follow the light, follow my steps.

She looks up and searches for somebody, but she doesn’t see anyone. There’s a lantern next to her. She picks it up, and she sees footprints leading down the hill. She follows the footsteps down the hill.

 

She’s now somewhere where she hasn’t been yet. She’s just walking, and following the steps. She’s walks for a bit down this path, and the footsteps go up a hill. Right in front of the first footstep to go, there is a doll buried in the snow, her face just poking out. She looks, then steps over it. She walks up the hill and there’s a ruined house. She turns around and looks at the path, then back and for a second she sees Ben standing there on the path. She jerks her head back to the path and he’s there, shaking his head in sad disapproval. She’s still looking, and then he disappears. She looks for him, and he’s completely gone. She stands there for a moment, not knowing where to go. She goes to the house. She walks up to it, there’s a ripped open window, and a ruined door hanging a bit open. She opens the door silently, and the witch is staring into the fireplace clutching her wand. She slowly turns her head and looks towards the place where Leda is. She raises her wand there, but can’t see exactly where it is, so it waves around. She’s blind and her eyes are pure white. Leda puts her lantern by the door. The witch’s hair is messed up, her dress tattered. She’s wrapped in a blanket. She puts her wand down, stands up, and walks to the door, she leans on the door frame, and Leda backs up so the witch doesn’t hit her. Leda just stares at her, just observing. The witch stares out into the world, her glazed over eyes making it seem as if she’s seeing it all at once.

Witch: The wind, the night...the world.

She touches the air in front of her, just before touching Leda.

Witch: I sense someone here; I can’t see you. It can’t be her. It’s no one.

She stares right at Leda.

Witch: He’s still asleep now, and he can’t wake until she awakes him. She won’t. She had a family, she had a life. Where is it now? Buried away, frozen away, grains of dirt peeling and fading in forever glacial ice. She can’t see, I can’t see. Only he. 

Leda is just staring at her, she has no idea what she’s saying, but gathers that the witch is talking about her. The witch steps out of the cabin, Leda backs up a bit more, doesn’t make a sound yet.

Witch: The present, what a lonely land. The future, I can’t glimpse. The past...

She doesn’t say anymore.

Witch: Here.

She steps forward a bit more.

Witch: Who is there? I can vaguely see a cloud ... No, it’s gone. Light, I need light.

The witch looks down towards the lantern, and she senses the light, but doesn’t see it. She feels around a bit, and finds the lantern. She picks it up. She holds it up searching, (Like the card the hermit) but she can’t see.

She walks back inside, and sits by the fireplace and puts the lantern next to her.

Leda walks up to the door, the door makes a sound and the witch turns around quickly, startled.

Witch: You’re here, who is it? What do you want?!

Leda: It’s me...

The witch’s eyes open more, looking sad and afraid. 

Witch: Leda....

Witch: It’s dark, is it not?

Leda: Yes, can’t you see that?

Witch: Not when it’s dark... only in the light.

She looks at the fire yearningly.

Witch: Why are you here?

Leda: I heard your voice saying to follow the footsteps, and "

Witch: That was your voice, not mine, and not here in this house, here in this world. You aren’t meant to be here at night.

Leda: I couldn’t leave, this place is all I have, and I just wanted to sleep through the night.

The witch just shakes her head.

Witch: You should have left. I knew you wouldn’t, but I hoped I was wrong.

Leda: Are you ever wrong?

Witch: No.

The witch looks to where she could be, and stands up.

Witch: I keep trying to be, but I’m the portal....to what never changes.

Leda: What is that?

Witch: You.

The witch stares for a second, and then walks over to a table with the bowl on it. She feels her way there and sits down. Tarot cards are spread all throughout the room. There are candles all over. There are two chairs with the table. The witch looks towards Leda, motions her to follow.

Witch: Come, sit.

Leda sits on the chair.

Leda: Please tell me what to do; I didn’t know so much would change here.

Witch: Yes you did, that wasn’t unawareness; that was hoping.

Leda looks down.

Leda: Yes... it was.

Witch: Hope can be blinding, I know that.

Leda looks at her.

Witch: I can’t see the future now, I can’t help you, but perhaps you can. Look into the water.

Leda looks into it. She doesn’t see anything. She waits for a little bit.

Leda: I see nothing.

The witch nods. She saw this coming.

Witch: Yes, the night. When we can’t see what’s in front of us, as we can in the daylight, that’s when we truly see.

Leda: Those who don’t see do see much more.

The witch looks towards her, nods slowly.

Overlapping Voices: Blindness, blindness, blindness...

For Bold:

1.Something Eerie.

2.Something creepier than 1, or just the same thing continuing. Garage band time.

3.For Bold #2: The Others " Claudio Ianni

 

Scene Eighteen:

Fade into shot of Leda looking out the broken window at the darkness. She turns to the witch, who is staring into the fire again.

Leda: Is the sun going to come up again?

Witch: No. Not as long as you’re here.

Leda: Well how can I leave so that it does?

Witch: It’s too late for that.

Leda walks over to the witch and sits next to her.

Leda: It can’t be too late! It just can’t be. Life doesn’t alter that easily.

Witch: This is not life, this is exactly where you came trying to escape from it.

Leda just looks at her.

Leda: So there’s nothing I can do? I can’t just stay here.

Witch: I know you can’t, but that’s what you chose, that’s what it is.

Leda: The sun has to rise, it can’t just vanish forever.

Witch: Can’t, can’t, can’t... erase that word. Erase it. It does, even if the physical sun rises again, in you it never will. It’s just too late. You waited too long. Erase that word, erasing is what you do.

Leda: I thought leaving is what I do. That’s what the girl by the creek said.

Witch: Was. Not anymore. We will things to change without knowing it far more often than we intentionally do.

Leda just looks at her for a moment.

Leda: So what do I do? Do I stay here? Do I go somewhere?

The witch looks up, she sensed something. She looks over at Leda with desperation in her eyes. She disappears.

Leda looks around, scared.

Leda: Hello? What happened? Where do I go?

Voice from the window: You should know that.

She looks over; Senora’s face is in the window. Her face is still made up like a doll. It wasn’t her voice; it was the voice in her head that said it. Leda looks at the window, terrified. Leda looks to the side for a second, then back at the window. Senora’s gone. Leda walks up to the window, looks out of it. She turns around; Senora is sitting in the corner looking at the fire. She slowly turns her face and stares at Leda. Leda just backs up and runs for the door. She runs down the hill, and is running down the pathway, unaware where she’s going. She gets near the creek, and she sees the girl by the creek for a second sitting in a tree by it or on a log, blood dripping from her leg. Her mouth still has the black lines. Leda keeps running. She keeps running, and she keeps seeing Senora popping up behind trees, right next to where she’s running, and just everywhere.

Senora stops popping up after a bit. Leda stops running, she looks around. She hides along the path behind a tree, and she peeks out, and she sees Senora walking towards her. She sees a pine tree close to her, and she hides beneath it. She sits at the base of it, waits for a second in silence, and she turns her head to the other side of the tree, there’s nothing. She turns back to where she was before, still nothing. She hears some rustling behind her. She slowly looks to the back of the tree, and she sees Senora staring at her through the back of the pine tree. She quickly lifts up the branches and comes under with her, Leda runs out of the tree, and when she leaves it, she crashes into the shrub of her front yard. She’s back home. She looks around for a moment, catching her breath and processing what happened. She goes under the tree again, to see if the hourglass snowball is there. It isn’t. Neither is the doll.

 

For Bold:

Sheets and Chains " Claudio Ianni

Or

Son et Lumiere " The Mars Volta. (Little bits of it that isn’t the singing.)

Or

Intense part of “Fire in your eyes " New fight Scene”

Scene Nineteen:

Leda is walking out of the school with her binder hugged to her chest and wearing her backpack. Her hair is messed up and she just looks tired, confused. She hears students all around. Kali’s behind her, she comes running up. She taps her shoulder. Leda turns around.

Leda: Kali, hey.

Kali: Hey Leda, look, I hate to ask this but, my ride home bailed on me and I was thinking since you live so close could you give me a ride?

Leda: Well I don’t have a car, sorry.

She turns to walk away. Kali turns her around by grabbing her shoulder.

Kali: Well could I just hang at your house until someone can come get me then? Sorry, I just have nowhere to go.

Leda: Okay.

They walk home together, and there are still sounds of students around them. Esther walks by at one point.

 

They go inside and shut the door. Kali takes out a cigarette.

Kali: Is it okay if I smoke in here?

Leda: No, absolutely not, my mom would kill me. But I want one too; let’s go get some then go outside.

Leda heads downstairs, Kali follows.

Kali: Okay.

 

They get into the storage room, and Leda grabs a cigarette off the shelf. She’s about to just leave, but Kali stops her. The baby box is still open, but the other boxes are crossed out with so much black now that you can’t even read what they say.

Kali: Wait, what’s that?

Leda: What’s what?

Kali: Your baby stuff? Aww let’s look at it, it’ll be cute.

Kali sits down in front of it. Leda hesitates.

Leda: I don’t know, I haven’t actually looked at that stuff in so long "

Kali: Than it’ll just be cuter. Come on.

Kali pats the spot next to Leda, and Leda sits there.

Kali: Go on.

Leda opens the box, and firstly takes out a unicorn figurine, and a unicorn thing that plays music.

Kali: Unicorns ha, maybe that’s why you keep seeing them. Did you really like them as a kid?

Leda: Yeah, I guess I did.

Kali: You guess? Don’t you remember?

Leda: I don’t really remember that much from my childhood.

Kali: Yeah me neither, but reminiscing is definitely one of my favourite things.

Kali looks at the unicorn as Leda puts it down.

Kali: Does it play music?

Leda: I think so. I don’t know what this is even...

Kali takes out a snow globe that’s the same as the unicorn, but with a duck in it.

Kali: I think it used to be a snow globe, but then it broke I guess.

Leda: Yeah, that must be it.

Leda turns the music on, and it plays for a bit. It’s the tune the girl by the creek sings all the time. Leda looks up with a look of recognition, sings quietly.

Leda: The blind swim downstream from the purple skies...

Kali: What?

Leda: Oh, just a song. I recognized it from ... somewhere.

Kali: Oh, cool.

Kali looks confused by Leda’s behaviour but just looks in the box again.

Kali: Aw, look at this.

Kali just looks at some dolls and Leda looks at the broken unicorn snow globe again. The unicorn had wings, but they’re torn off. She takes the top off, and inside she sees a tiny key. She looks at it, and then hides it in her pocket so Kali doesn’t see it.

Kali takes out a picture of Leda in a room with the same decorations as beneath the tree. Leda just stares at it.

Leda: The room!

Kali just looks at her strangely.

Kali: Yeah, it’s a room.

Leda: No, you don’t understand, this room was in "

She looks at her and then realizes how crazy it would sound if she told her.

Kali: What is it?

Leda sees a flash of her and Ben sitting at the roots of the tree with that atmosphere, and then Leda just looks at the picture. She’s about 7. She’s remembering what happened as they took the picture.

Scene Twenty:

Leda’s sitting in front of her bed and her mother is taking the picture of her.

Leda’s Mother: Smile Leda!

Leda giggles and smiles.

Leda’s Mother: Perfect! That will be adorable.

Leda: Mommy?

Leda’s Mother: Yes honey?

Leda: Senora wants you to have a tea party with us.

Leda’s Mother: Senora does?

Leda nods.

Leda’s Mother: Well baby I would love to, but I have all this work to do, how about later? Daddy’s coming soon too, and don’t you want to see him?

Leda: I don’t think I like him. We have to have the tea party now, Senora’s thirsty.

Leda’s Mother: Well you two can still have it without me, can’t you?

Leda leans over and whispers in “Senora’s” ear, then listens to what she says back.

Leda: Senora doesn’t like daddy. She doesn’t want him to come.

Leda’s Mother: Well he’s not Senora’s daddy, he’s yours. And you have to give him a chance Leda, he wants to know you too, he’s been away until now, and he just wants to be your daddy.

They hear a car driving up into the driveway. Leda stands on her bed, looking out the window. Her mother comes up next to her.

Leda’s Mother: He’s here, come say hello to him Leda.

Her mother starts walking towards the door. Leda looks a little bit scared.

Leda: I don’t want to.

Leda’s mother stops as she’s walking to the door.

Leda’s Mother: Come on baby, this isn’t a choice. You have to be nice to him, and he’s here now.

Leda shakes her head, but her mother sighs, frustrated, and takes her arm and they go. The doorbell rings.

Leda’s Mother: He’s your father Leda, give him a chance.

They go down the stairs. The door closes on its own.

 

Leda’s sitting up in her bed. It’s dark, but her bedside lamp is on.

Leda: Senora, where are you?

Leda just sits there, hugging her doll to her chest, looking around. She hears footsteps. She quickly turns out the light and pretends to sleep. She’s afraid. A crack of light opens on her face, her eyes are closed, but her eye lids are shaking.

 

Leda’s her own age again, sitting in the storage room. Kali is looking at her strangely, and the storage room is packed with things. Leda looks at Kali.

Kali: What’s so special about that room?

Leda looks around, and the room’s empty again, except for the boxes.

Leda: Nothing, let’s just keep looking.

She’s looking through things for a bit, and it’s just toys and pictures. The toys are the ones that were from her world. She looks in the box, takes out a toy and looks at it, but then beneath the toy she notices something. She takes it out, and it’s a rock with blue wax on it. She takes it out and looks at it, shocked.

Kali: What the hell is that?

Leda looks at her, then at the charm again.

Leda: It’s a charm, it was ... a charm I carried as a kid.

Kali: The wax looks so fresh though, is it really from that long ago?

Leda: You see the wax? You can see this whole thing?

Kali: ...The whole rock? Yeah I see it, you’re holding it. Why wouldn’t I?

Leda: No reason...

She smiles a little smile; she realizes everything couldn’t have been fake if Kali could see it.

Leda takes out a drawing. There’s a picture of her, holding the hand of a girl in a black, dotted dress with a bow in her hair. It’s Senora. Leda looks up in shock. She touches the picture.

Leda: Senora...

She hears the door open.

Molly’s Voice: What are you guys doing in here?

Kali: Looking through Leda’s baby things. Hi, I’m Kali.

Molly’s Voice: Hey, I’m Molly. Which one’s this?

There’s a sound of Molly sitting beside Leda.

Molly’s Voice: Oh, her. Man, you never shut up about her. Little... what was her name?

Leda looks at Molly.

Leda: You know about her?

Molly’s Voice: Yeah, you were obsessed with her. Really, what was her name though? Shelby, Susie...

Leda: Senora.

Molly’s Voice: That’s it! Senora. Yeah you know, little kids don’t usually have imaginary friends for as long as you did, mom was concerned. I think you stopped talking to her when you were about.... eight or so. Yeah that year that you stayed with (Fades out to silence for a bit) ... got you to accept reality or something I’m not sure, but that’s when you stopped seeing her.

Leda: Imaginary friend...

Molly’s Voice: Yeah. I wonder why I never had one. Did you Kali?

Kali: Yeah, I did. He wasn’t a person though; he was a gnome who lived in my piggy bank.

Molly laughs.

Molly’s Voice: What? That has got to be the most random thing!

Kali: Yeah I know, I was a pretty messed up kid though, I mean I would "

Leda searches through the box some more, so loudly that Kali stops talking, and just finds dolls and toys from the world.

Molly’s Voice: What’s your rush?

Leda: I’m trying to find my doll. Senora must still have her.

Molly’s Voice: Yeah, good one.

Molly laughs.

Molly’s Voice: I’m off though. Have fun children.

There’s the sound of Molly leaving.

Kali: So I guess that’s it. That was fun, right?

Leda pauses, looking at the drawing of Senora, then looks over to Kali abruptly.

Leda: Yeah, it was. Let’s get those smokes though.

Leda stands up and takes a cigarette off the shelf and puts it in her pocket, and Kali and her walk up the stairs, Leda goes slowly, looking back.

They leave the house, and hear a car running.

Kali: I can just get a ride from Molly; do you think she’d mind?

Leda: I’m sure it’s fine.

Kali: Do you want to come with me? I’ve been so bored lately, I don’t know anyone but you and I was just wondering...

Leda: Sure, I guess that would be okay.

Kali runs to the car.

Kali: Molly, would you mind giving us a ride to my place?

Molly’s Voice: Oh no, of course not, hop in.

Kali and Leda get in the backseat of the car.

 

For Bold:

Old Times " Claudio Ianni (By the time that plays, the music from the broken snow globe is finished.)

 

Scene Twenty One:

Kali and Leda walk into a house, very open and very full. They go downstairs, and into Kali’s room. There are paintings all over the walls, an easel with paints on a desk in the corner, and the room is just a mess. A cat (or if not, bunny) is in the room as well, on the bed.

Kali: Home sweet home. Sorry about the mess, I barely even notice anymore, so I’m sorry if it’s rude or something. People always say that about having guests over. I don’t get it.

Kali sits on the bed and pets her cat.

Leda: I don’t care at all, I don’t really get it either.

Kali: Good, we’re on the same page.

Leda’s looking at Kali’s paintings on the walls / some on the ground.

Leda: Your paintings are really interesting.

Kali: Mm, thanks. I have a fairly screwed up head, but I never see the images I feel like I should. I guess I’m just too grounded. I usually just make them up out of nowhere, and I wish they were genuine. They scare some people.  

Leda: No, not at all. I have a screwed up head too...very screwed up.

Kali: Good, people with normal, clear heads are boring I find. No variety there whatsoever.

Leda laughs.

Leda: I like that attitude (Pause.)

Kali: Look, sorry if this sounds weird, but can I draw you? I need practise on people, and you’re a pretty cool subject. You’re hard to read, and I like that, it suits my mind; I feel like I don’t have to pretend to see you in a strange light. (Laugh)

Leda: Um, sure.

Kali: Okay, great! Just sit on that couch I guess.

Kali goes over to the desk where her isle is, and Leda sits on the couch.

Kali takes out a sketchbook and pencil. She turns to a blank page, and starts sketching.

Leda: Should I do anything?

Kali: Mm, no. Just the way you are is fine.

Leda: Okay.

She sees a sketch of a tarot card in the background. “Strength.” Next to it is a sketch/ painting of a strange box with a lock on it.

Leda: What’s that box?

Kali: Oh, just nothing. I had a dream about it I think.

Leda: What happened in the dream?

Kali: I don’t completely remember. It was one of those dreams that just puts you in this surreal mood, but you can’t actually remember what exactly happened, just feeling and pinpricks. Kind of like everything with me.

Leda: I’ve had those, what mood did it put you in? Sometimes you can tell just by that.

Kali: It was like... I felt like I really missed something that I couldn’t even remember happening, and that box had the entire contents of this past that was completely out of my reach. Like a past life or something. I felt desperate because I couldn’t find the key, I couldn’t open this strange box, and I just wouldn’t let myself move on from it, even though I didn’t know what I had missed. If that even makes any sense.

(For that whole little speech, Leda sees flashes of her and Ben, her and Senora, and just her in the winter world, with some glimpses of a box under leaves and the key in the unicorn globe.) Leda just looks down for a bit. Pauses.

Leda: That makes perfect sense.

Leda moves her hand to her pocket, feels the key, and takes it out just enough to see it, and the cigarette accidentally falls out.

Leda: I forgot about this. We never smoked before, is it okay if I smoke it in here?

Kali: Um, sure. I don’t think my parents really care. If they’re even home.

Leda: Are they not home a lot?

Kali: Yeah, they kind of come and go as they please.

Leda: Oh.

Leda takes out her lighter and lights her cigarette. She just sits there smoking for a bit. Kali’s just drawing her. Leda looks down most of the time. There’s an ashtray on the windowsill, and Leda uses that.

Kali: Could you look to the side, or up or something? I want to see your eyes.

Leda: Okay, sorry.

Leda looks up to the side.

Kali: You have really captivating eyes, you can just tell what you see is so much different from what other people do.

Leda: Really? No one’s ever said that.

Kali: Yeah, well most people don’t bother to try to notice little things.

Leda: That’s true.

Kali: Do you see things differently from other people? I’m curious now.

Leda: I don’t know.

Kali: You can tell me you know; I’m like the least judgemental person there is, you don’t have to hold back.

Leda: Yeah I know, but neither am I and sometimes I think that if I was someone else I would even think I was crazy.

Kali: Crazy’s better than people think. Go on...

Leda: I don’t know...I kind of " live in my head sometimes. But now I’m not so sure. It feels real enough when I’m in there, so who are other people to say it isn’t?

Kali just looks up at her, not worried or anything, just interested.

Kali: What is it like in there?

Leda: Perfect. Everything that got left behind. And that charm...you saw it. I was given that while I was there.

Kali: The rock with wax on it? Yeah I definitely saw that.

Leda: Yeah, see? How else could I have gotten that? I never looked in that box when I wasn’t with you, how could it get there?

Kali: Hm, certainly something to think about.

Leda: Mmm...

Kali just draws her, Leda looks into the distance and just thinks. She sees a sketch under Kali’s bed of a man holding what looks like a lantern.

Leda: What’s that under your bed?

Kali looks.

Kali: Oh, just a sketch I did of a tarot card my mom left lying around.

Leda: Can I see it?

Kali: Um, sure.

She takes it, and gives it to Leda. Leda looks at it, and it’s “The Hermit.” Leda looks shocked.

Leda: Do you know what this card means?

Kali: Yeah, it’s like...a spiritual advisor or mentor or something. It was supposed to be my mom...stupid...

Leda just looks at the picture, sees a flash of the hermit card, then the witch by the door with the lantern, then the card the devil. She then looks at Kali. Zooms on Kali’s sketch of Leda’s eyes, or Leda’s actual eyes.

 

Scene Twenty Two:

Leda walks into her room, and puts the sketch of herself on the wall next to the unicorn clouds painting. She sees something on the end table, and it’s the childish drawing of Senora. She puts that up on the wall too. She looks at the slowly crowding wall, looks worried. Her new life is filling up.

Leda: Only a matter of time...

She just stares at the wall.

 

Leda’s leaving her house to go to school, and she slows down when she sees the tree. She stands there wondering if she should check it or not. She sees a flash of her and Ben kissing against the tree, then a flash of the tarot card “the fool,” and she takes some steps over to the tree. Then she sees a flash of Senora’s doll face staring through the broken window. She stops walking. She reluctantly heads towards the school, leaving the tree behind.

 

Leda’s sitting on the bleachers with her binder, looking awful and tired, disturbed. There are the sounds of students all around her.

Leda: Silence, silence...

She sees a flash of the girl by the creek’s closed mouth. Esther is in the field, along with some other new people.

Leda: Blindness, blindness...

She sees a flash of the witch staring forward with her white out eyes, not seeing. Leda just sits there. She looks at the sky, squints, but the sky doesn’t change colours. She walks home, discouraged.

 

Leda’s sitting on a chair outside of her house, smoking. She’s just looking at the tree.

Overlapping Voices: (The Witch) In you the sun will never rise again, (Girl by the creek) The sky...  (Leda) Nothing Lasts...(Random Voice) The unexpected awakes.

Leda looks at the sun, it’s up, and she looks at the tree. She figures that if the sun is up, she can go back. She puts out her cigarette, and goes over to the tree. She looks at the street; there are cars and people all over. She goes underneath the tree. She climbs to where the hourglass usually is, but it isn’t there. Neither is the doll, or anything. It’s just a tree. She just stands up on the tree, waiting for something to happen. Nothing does. She climbs down, sits at the base for a bit like she did the first time she went there. Nothing happens. She leaves the tree. She looks at it, she’s hopeless. She sits down in front of it, and hugs her knees to her chest. She just sits there.

She walks into her house, goes up to her room. There’s a canopy over her bed. She can see everything she hung on the wall behind the veil of the canopy, and she just stands there wondering why there’s a canopy in her room. She looks at the vagueness and filter between her and the pictures and drawings etc, and she smiles a tiny smile. She goes into the canopy, staring at them. She closes her eyes and smiles. It’s like starting over again. After a few seconds of closing her eyes, she opens them. She’s in the valley again, but it’s not winter anymore. It’s spring, but she’s dressed up as she always is. She’s on top of a cliff (The Indian bathtubs cliff) and she just looks below her, and down and over the valley. She smiles, and looks at the sun. She sits on the cliff with either her feet dangling or in one of the Indian bathtubs (if it’s dry) and just smiles. She sees a staircase going down into the valley, and she gets up and goes down it.

She comes to the cliff where the witch was, and it’s empty. There’s nothing.

She gets to the tree where she usually comes in through, but there are no dolls or anything anymore. She comes by the spot where the girl by the creek usually is, and she’s sitting there. Leda stops walking. She just looks at her. The girl is standing up, slowly stepping into the water. She looks over and sees Leda. She looks at her with a frightened face for a moment, and then she smiles a tiny smile, but it’s more like a goodbye smile. She waves at her, and walks down the creek. Leda just watches. 

Leda walks by the spot where Senora usually is, but she’s not there. By the time she gets to where the snowmen were there are none.

Ben’s Voice: I love you Leda

Leda turns around frantically, looking for him and smiling.

Leda: Ben, I knew you’d be here!

She can’t find him anywhere.

Leda: Ben?

Her smile fades, and he’s not there. She’s all alone. She just keeps on walking, looking for anything. She’s running back to where she came from, and she comes to the spot where the girl by the creek just left. She sees something poking out of a pile of leaves, it’s a box. She takes it out of the pile, and it’s the box Kali drew. There’s a lock on it. She remembers she had the key, but she doesn’t have those pants on. She’s feeling her dress, and it’s nowhere. She finds it on the ground next to the box. She opens the chest, and inside is a picture facing downwards. She picks it up, and it’s the picture of the tree from the beginning. She looks at it confused; she doesn’t realize what it means.

Ben’s Voice: Come find me.

Leda smiles

Leda: Ben.

She gets up holding the picture, and she runs down the path, towards the tree, she’s smiling and excited, and when she finally looks at the tree, her smile fades. There’s no snow on it. She looks at the picture, she appears in it " there’s a hand on her shoulder, and she sees it. Her face fills with dread. Somebody walks up behind her wearing the same clothes as the man in the picture, and puts his hand on her shoulder. She looks down at the hand, and then looks up at the tree. Ben’s asleep in the roots just like he was at night. Senora appears in the tree, and she’s sitting on the branch, staring with her doll face. Leda stares up at the tree, and a tear falls from her eye. The man’s hand turns her around quickly, and when she turns around, she’s staring at Molly. She sees her. She’s on her bed again.

Molly: Hello?! I’m talking to you...what’s wrong? Why are you crying?

Leda: Molly? You’re there...

Leda looks around the room, and it’s full. The pictures from Kali and the one of Senora are still there, but the canopy isn’t. She looks around, very confused.

Molly: Jesus Leda what are you talking about? Get it together, we have to go!

Leda: Where are we going? What do you mean?

Molly: Are you joking? That’s what I’ve been telling you for the past five minutes. You’re like an empty corpse sometimes, my God... we need to go see grandmas grave. It’s May 6^th.

Leda is just staring at everything, she can’t believe it.

Molly: Leda!

Leda jumps.

Leda: Okay, let’s go than.

Molly: Alright...

They go out to the car, and Leda gets in the front seat. Molly gets in the driver’s seat.

Leda: You’re driving? What about mom?

Molly: She has to work late, but she called and said we should still go.

Leda: It’s her mom’s grave we’re seeing...

Molly: Don’t be a b***h, she wants to be here but she just can’t. Some of us actually have jobs to worry about.

They drive off.

For Bold:
1. "Bedroom Window -- Alanna Clarke"

2. Moments with Oliver " Rachael Yamagata, or Fire in your eyes " New Fight Scene.

 

 

 

Scene Twenty Three:

Molly and Leda walk into a graveyard, and they sit by a gravestone by some trees.

Molly: Crap...we forgot flowers. (Pause) Oh well... at least we’re here I guess.

Leda just looks down, Molly looks at the tombstone.

Molly: Should we say something?

Leda: Like what? It’s all been said already. She can’t hear us anyways.

Molly: Leda, why do you have to be such a pessimist? Maybe she can. You should really stop acting like you know everything.

Leda picks at the grass.

Molly: I’m going to see if I can find any flowers up there.

Molly looks behind her at an area of grass. She gets up and walks into it. Leda keeps picking at the grass for a bit, then she looks up. She sees a glimpse of the girl by the river lying down in front of a tombstone across the cemetery; her leg is bleeding. She looks again, and she’s gone. Molly comes back with some dandelions.

Molly: This was all I could find, but they’ll do.

Molly puts the flowers by the grave, and the two of them sit there awkwardly for a moment.

Leda: Do you think that’s it?

Molly: Um, probably. We don’t really do anything else any other years. I suppose we can leave.

Leda: Okay.

Leda and Molly get up to leave, and Leda’s looking around the graveyard afterwards, looking for the girl. She’s not there.

 

Leda’s lying on her bed, just staring up at the sky. It’s another day. Her mom walks into her room.

Leda’s Mom: Leda, some girl’s on the phone for you.

Leda sits up and takes the phone. Leda’s mom leaves.

Leda: Hello?

Kali: Hey, it’s Kali.

Leda: Oh, hi.

Kali: Yeah, I was just sitting at home bored, and I was about to go out to draw, and I was wondering if you wanted to come.

Leda: Where are you going?

Kali: Mm not sure yet, probably the valley. You know it?

Leda just sits there. She remembers what the valley is.

Kali: Hello?

Leda: Yes (whisper)

She clears her throat quickly.

Leda: (Louder) Yes.

Kali: Have you been there before? Like do you know your way around? Because I have no clue.

Leda: Yeah I used to go there when I was little.

Kali: Okay, should we meet there?

Leda: Um, okay. The parking lot?

Kali: Sure, that works. See you then.

Leda hangs up. The picture of her and the tree is on the end table, with the hand on her shoulder. She just looks at it.

 

Scene Twenty Four:

Leda’s sitting on the railing just outside the Cochrane Ranche, just looking into the parking lot. A car drives up, and Kali gets out of the passenger seat.

Kali: Thanks for the ride.

Driver: No problem.

He drives off. Kali walks up to Leda and sits on the rail with her.

Kali: Hey.

Leda: Hi. So what do you want to draw?

Kali: Not too sure, I guess we’ll see. Let’s just look around; I haven’t actually really seen this place yet.

Leda: Okay.

Kali gets off the rail and walks into the valley, and Leda slowly does. She’s nervous. They walk up to the wood thing with the rope, and Leda stops there.

Leda: Why don’t you draw this?

Kali: Maybe, I don’t know. We should see the rest first. Look how much more there is to see.

Leda looks at where the trees start nervously. She looks at the house to the right, the one with the mannequin in the window. Kali sees her looking there, and she looks there too.

Kali: Oh my god, there’s some guy watching us through the window.

Leda: It’s not real. It’s a mannequin.

Kali: Really? Oh. Well that’s good I guess, that would be really creepy.

Kali laughs. Leda smiles a bit, but it’s fake. 

Kali: ... should we move on?

Leda looks up.

Leda: Okay.

They walk for where the trees start. They go inside.

 

They come by this place where you have to walk a bit lower down to see the creek. There’s a strange fence there. Kali goes down to the creek.

Kali: Look at this scarf.

It’s the scarf the girl by the creek always held on to. Leda looks at it, shocked, then at Kali.

Leda: I know this scarf.

Kali: Whose is it?

Leda: It’s the girl’s fro"

Kali just looks at her; Leda realizes what she’s saying.

Leda: Never mind. I just recognize it from somewhere.

Kali: Hm, I wonder what it’s doing here.

Leda knows what it means. She just looks at it, and she realizes the girl didn’t make it.

Leda: Do you see anything you want to draw here?

Kali: I don’t think so, let’s just keep going.

They come to the bridge that led to the cliff. Kali stops at the rail, leans over it, and just looks at the trees and everything.

Kali: Don’t you love the quiet here? Not many places have true silence like this place does.

 

Leda just looks down; the absence of the girl’s singing is hitting her.

Leda: It wasn’t always this quiet.

Kali: Really? What was different?

Leda doesn’t say anything, just looks down at the water. Kali looks at her for a bit, looks confused, and then just looks on at the landscape.

Kali: Maybe I’ll draw this. It’s beautiful.

Leda: Yeah.

Leda sees some red water coming from under the bridge, flowing in the stream. Leda just looks down. The girl by the creek comes floating with it, facing upwards. Her leg is still bleeding. Leda looks down in horror.

Leda: Oh my god.

Kali: What is it?

Leda just stares down at the body. Kali looks down, and she doesn’t see anything. The girl’s hair is flowing to the side, just like in Kali’s painting. The girl just floats down the stream with her bleeding leg and open, dead eyes.

 

Scene Twenty Five:

Leda is sitting in the tennis court. There’s some students around, but not too many. It’s between classes. There are some guys in the corner laughing and talking. She’s just sitting with her back against the fence. There are students all around, and she looks to her side. She sees Ben, and she looks closer. He has his arm around another girl, and they’re laughing. He looks at Leda for a second, and then keeps walking, indifferent. She sees a dead rose in the middle of the tennis court in a vase of water. It’s in a puddle of water, like the ice it was in melted.

Leda’s sitting on a bench by the Elizabeth Barrett playground and on the bench across from her, she sees the witch, staring into nothing. She’s holding her wand, clutching it tightly. Leda looks to her side, and the witch is sitting on the bench next to her now. She just sees her face staring blankly at Leda with her entirely white eyes. Leda just looks distant and indifferent when seeing all this, like it’s almost expected.

 

Leda’s smoking in the park, sitting on a bench, and there’s some people lounging on the grass. Cars drive by. Leda gets up to leave, but she turns back, and she sees the girl from the creek standing a few feet away from her. The girl starts walking, her foot still red and her mouth still “sewn” shut, and Leda looks down; she’s holding the scarf the girl clung to by the creek all the time. The girl walks towards her, reaching for it, but when she gets a little bit close to Leda, she’s still walking, but from the middle of the field. When she gets to the spot where she was the first time she was standing by Leda, she ends up even farther back, and so on a few times.

 

Leda’s walking to school on a different day and a few random people walk past her. Senora walks past, still with her doll face. She passes the stairs leading up to the middle school, and the girl by the creek is sitting there, blood dripping down the stairs. People are around them, just walking around normally, not seeing any of it.

 

Leda is leaving Kali’s house. She’s smoking, and she stops at the end of her driveway. She sees Senora, the witch and the girl by the creek sitting in a tree across the street from her. Senora ‘s sitting and staring, the girl from the creek is lying on a branch and still dripping in blood with her shut mouth, and the witch stares blankly at the tree trunk, feeling it. Leda just looks at them, then crosses the street and walks down the sidewalk. Ben’s lifeless body is lying there, but she just steps over it. She sees Senora walking a dog past her. Throughout all of this there’s some random people just being completely normal. Leda doesn’t pay any notice to it anymore.

 

Leda’s sleeping in her bed. Everything is black. Molly walks in and turns on the light. The girl from the creek is lying in her bed with her, her eyes wide open staring at Molly, Ben’s lying dead on the floor, and Senora’s sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at Molly also. The witch is looking out the window. Leda opens her eyes, sits up sleepily and looks at Molly.

Molly: It’s time to get up.

Fade to white, then black. Roll credits.

 

For Bold: Sawdust and Diamonds " Joanna Newsom.

 

 

Author's Note

September / October '09