< previous

7. INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT

Emyli, Jon, Lark, Dan and Dave sit in a circle under a light.

DAN
I hope all of you guys know how
special this is for us. For the two
of us, Emyli and I.

He puts a hand on Emyli's shoulder and whispers something in
her ear.

DAN (cont'd)
We had this plan from the
beginning. And it never really felt
wrong or right as we went along.
I'm just glad we're all here. What
brought you here is something very
powerful that I felt that night,
when I was in your company, when
the five of us gathered for the
first time. It was something so
powerful that it called for the
rejection of any and all social
rules. Those that tell us we are
most comfortable with people we've
grown up with, friends we've had
since childhood, people of our own
status, background, tastes and
mentality. Those same rules tell us
the stranger is unwelcome, the
instinctive feeling of love is
dangerous and the purpose of the
intellect is to repress it rather
than detect and cultivate it. We've
lived too long in a world where the
prejudices of race and color extend
themselves to the differences of
interest, personality, familiarity,
popularity and even gender. I think
that, in the wake of millennial
catastrophe, the slate is wiped
clear for a renewal of maturity
that calls for nothing more,
nothing less...

Dan pauses to look around in the room.

DAN (cont'd)
...Than friendship.

EMYLI
It's pretty simple.

JON
That is interesting. It feels
strange, but everything you're
saying makes sense. I'd be the last
to admit this, but I felt something
like that when I was in the train.
What does it mean? Like, some kind
of empowerment. Through knowledge.
Very strange.

LARK
But very logical too, I mean I felt
almost the same thing. It was more
like a dream. When I fell asleep on
your shoulder, I woke up kind of
disoriented because I thought I was
in a building, and the building was
moving, like in an earthquake. And
I looked out the window and it was
like a boat, navigating out of
place, floating on the asphalt
almost, making way for a large
highway that was being created. All
the buildings around me were doing
this. Everything just moving.

Dan looks over at Dave. Dave has tears about to run from his
eyes.

DAN
I think Dave would like to read
what he wrote. He told me about
this. These are the words that came
to him exactly when we were
together in the train. He said it
just poured out of him... Are you
ready Dave?

Dave nods.

DAVE
It's stream of conscious.

He clears his throat, and with some difficulty, begins to
read out loud.

DAVE (cont'd)
Our lives now in the year of
evenness, emptiness, white.
A relieving, not frustrating
emptiness. Slightly beyond the turn
of a chaotic century, early enough
that the responsibilities aren't
too great, mature enough that we
won't buy into anything anymore,
quiet and peaceful enough that
violence is not necessary.
Everything else seems so
overwhelming, now surreal, we're
just glad the worst is over and we
do our part not to drag it on. No
more indulgences into darkness, no
regretting, no promises, no
revenge. No fulfillment because
it's been fulfilled. We're not
starting completely anew because
there is too much to ignore. The
past is wrapped preciously with
thin, blank paper. No words. We're
growing inside and the world is
growing under our feet. Entire
buildings are slowly shifting and
making way... for us.

The room is silent. They absorb the words as thought each one
contains a special meaning to them.

FADE TO:

 

8. EXT. TRAIN STATION - DAY

The five friends stand together, next to the train tracks.
They see the train coming in the distance and decide it is
time to say goodbye to Dan.

LARK
I'm so glad you did this,
seriously.

JON
Yes, thank you very much.

DAN
Thank you all for coming, you guys
are amazing.

Emyli gives Dan a long hug.

DAN (cont'd)
You're so wonderful.

EMYLI
See you soon.

Dave approaches Dan with a handshake.

DAVE
Now you know.

DAN
Yes.

DAVE
Just how much?

DAN
I think, everything.

They smile at each other.

The train stops in front of them, Lark, Jon, Dave and Emyli
get on and ride into the distance.

FADE TO BLACK.

back to writing