Walrus

When a kid becomes apathetic, there's usually a culprit. Maybe Grandma can flesh it out.

Van Scene

(3 children in the van. One baby wailing, 6 yr.old playing noisily with toys trying to comfort baby unsuccessfully, and the 9 yr.old slumped in her seat. The lap belt is across her chest and her face is drooping into the joint of her seat. Mom driving distractedly)

Van is zipping haphazardly through the neighborhood, a blur across a treelined median up until it reaches a red light. At the red light, Mom is scrolling through her do list task app on her tablet strategically balanced on her lap at the wheel. Her phone is playing an annoying ringtone docked responsibly on the dashboard. With one hand on the wheel she drives while trying to engage her youngest with a musical googly eyed bear. She jiggles it enough for the eyes to wobble.

::the van turns onto a cozy neighborhood lane::

Mom jabbering on the phone pushes the overhead sliding door button upon parking in the driveway.

::noises barely audible over the tv in the car playing nat geo, baby's wailing, and toys::

Thea/Theadora (Child)- on the small side of 9 wearing a stripped hooded zip-up and jeans. She has dark hair and light brown eyes. 

Thea is revealed snaking down to the floor from her captains chair seat with the lap belt across her chest. She struggles to reposition herself on the seat with her head pushed against the chair. 

Mother unbuckles

Thea rebuckles brings her knees to her chin and mumbles

Mother sighs and unbuckles

Thea buckles herself in and proceeds to biting her seatbelt. She growls

Mother unbuckles and begins pulling Thea out of her seat while Thea is still biting the belt.

Thea scrambles a bit releasing her bite and switches to grabbing the inner door handle of the sliding door.

Mother cleverly tickles Thea on the back of her leg for a quick release into a football hold. There's a quick giggle coupled with immediate remorse as Theas hood drops. A triumphant smile plays upon the mothers face. Thea forces her hood up standing on the driveway facing the van as it's zooming comically away. Mom incoherently singing along with the radio as the baby coos.

A hooded Thea sits on driveway slumped and slouched (sounds of kids playing and dog barking far off)

The wind picks up some flower petals and leaves on the sidewalk which swirl past a lady bug crawling along a crack in the driveway. Thea slides onto her stomach to investigate. Creeping along, she follows it into the grass lawn. While low to the ground, she watches the lady bug climb up a blade of grass right to the tip of the blade. The lady bug pauses and bounces a bit in the light breeze. Thea waits and watches hopefully, as the lady bug spreads her wings and launches itself into the sky past the sidewalk, trees, and above the houses.

It rises above a nest perched on top of the across the street neighbor's house and out of sight. Thea sighs and plants her face into the grass. Some kids buzz past on their riding toys and a bike. She makes a brief attempt to lift her head, and fails. Mailman comes by and kicks the girl's shoes. Without looking up, Thea gives him a thumbs up to show she's alive. A dog comes by, sniffs around, and then lifts its leg to pee. Thea snatches its leg suddenly, and scratches the dog for a little while until the dog is called away by its owner's whistle. Thea reaches out but no longer feels the dog and sighs.

::bossa nova plays through earbuds dangling in the grip of a wrinkled hand wearing a few rings and a charm bracelet. Keys, also in the same hand, jingle with a metal heart engraved with intials L.R.::

Thea in the grass is holding down her hood, breathing in deeply.

Old woman taps Thea's shoulder

Thea gives another thumbs up

Old woman taps again

Thea taps the woman's shoe

Old woman lifts Thea's face and squeezes her cheeks together forcing child to look across the street at an old man standing on a porch voraciously waving. Toothlessly he jeers flashing his stamp collection labeled Vol. 14 as wiry cats in socks prowl around his feet. Waiving his arms in his wife beater and mismatched socks, coke bottle glasses, and surplus of armpit hair he pokes towards his stamp book.

Old woman lends an open suggesting gesture and look

:: Errands::

(either drawn out as a scene of its own or a gradual accumulation of the objects acquired)

-blocks being built

-dry cleaning

- brown paper parcel and string

-gardening equipment and large leaf plant

-steady decline from Thea's upright posture to significantly slouching and sliding down

Grandma takes earphones out briefly to ask if everything is fine back there. She doesn't get the words out before a long low grumble comes from Thea's stomach and she agrees it's time for lunch

Together in the park it's a nice day allowing for many to be out enjoying the sun, open spaces, and soft cool grass. There is a deli cart on the path selling hoagies where Grandma and Thea have picked up their sandwiches, chips, drink and fruit. Seated at a wrought iron table we get a closer look at an overview of the park action. 

:: background::

-couple arguing by the larger fountain

-kids playing frisbee

-moms wearing baby carriers sipping puree from their kids' fruit packs

-female jogger stretching by the fence

-dog instructor and class large number of dogs and owners

-a couple under a tree reading a book

-a group of young adults playing music together and relaxing

-a woman in a suit resting under her report papers

-a man and a baby/ toddler having a snack out on a blanket

-an old woman walking next to her friend

-an old man riding a bicycle

-someone asleep behind a bench

- a few kids dipping their hands into the water of the fountain

Thea has been sitting awkwardly in the wrought iron chair as if she is melting into the fleur de lis. With the last slip of her hand of the table, comes the wrapper from her sandwich and a deep sigh and a new attempt to reposition herself. 

Grandma has been listening to bossa nova the entire time they've been together and calmly pulls a pen from her purse and brings an unused napkin toward her. She begins doodling folds it in half and then slides the napkin across to Thea. Thea is watching out of her periphery and humors grandma by opening the napkin revealing a drawing of a rhino charging a ringing phone.

::cut scenes::

Old woman seated on the couch with her head back bracing herself, fearful of the ringing phone. A Rhinoceros charges across as soon as the ringing turns to voicemail.

- lumbers over to paint supplies and sits upon them, breaking the canvas

- eats purse, keys end up on his horn as the old woman attempts to leave the house.

Back to the park where we now see a few more rough drawings made by grandma opened by Thea. A quick pass across is shown after perplexed looks on Thea's face upon opening the napkins.

Grandma then takes yet another napkin and her pen sliding both over to Thea. Thea graces us with a skeptical look as she apprehensively picks up the pen and draws on the napkin before cautiously passing it back to Grandma

Grandma opens it up and finds a simple portrait of the judgmental walrus bearing a top hat and monocle.

Flash back to van 

-walrus sprawled across Thea in her seat

-walrus laying across Thea in the grass, turning over for an even tan

-walrus blocking Thea from joining in the game at school during recess where the kids are playing kickball

-walrus lolling in the doorway of child's bedroom keeping it from joining in on family time

While the napkins are being passed back and forth across the table 

We follow the old man riding a bicycle down over to where the kids are playing frisbee and a wild throw lends to a series of events. 

The frisbee soars towards the angry couple arguing>jogger> picked up by a mom is waving it high above where her eager child cannot reach it and as her child begins screaming it grabs the dogs' attention. The pack of dogs sprint to catch the thrown frisbee 

which is making a beeline for the deli cart. Both the suit and dad attempt to stop the frisbee. She tries swatting it with her reports. To no avail the dogs completely overturn the deli cart.

In their excitement of being understood they start drawing in closer to each other until they are seated side by side. Thea casually removes her hood to keep drawing and in authentic synchronicity they look over to where the walrus would be, (just out of view, and now that he's seen gets a panicked look on his face, quick mustache ruffle and pops out of existence. Just then the frisbee lands near the leg of Thea's chair. 

People from all over the park starting with the young adults playing music and relaxing come to help out the deli cart guy and the dog owners. As more of the people come together, they begin chatting and Thea notice's just out of their site, their own personified conflicts arise and pop! out of existence. Thea gives the frisbee to the kids it belongs to. The kids invite her to play with them. Thea waves the frisbee excitedly to her grandma  and then blows her a kiss.

Grandma chuckles, catches the kiss and holds it to her heart.

Moving the view slightly over we catch the Rhino who pops and becomes a translucent presence of Grandma's late husband with his guitar. They dance together to the bossa nova.

Author's Note

any criticism is welcomed