Greg Stahlhut
Version 1: Tuesday August 21, 2011
Version 2: Tuesday, September 9, 2011
Light and Dark
Characters:
Sol- Light
Void- Dark
Draft-Wind
Grit-Earth
Ripple-Water
The world is a monotone without many features. There is a gray moving fog that covers the ground and does slowly change colors of gray. There is a space for the characters to move and interact, but everything else is covered in layers (light and heavy) of the moving fog.
The sky is black with stars.
We see SOL arrive on a beam of light. He walks around enjoying what the world has to offer. After he has explored a little, he is met by DRAFT.
DRAFT is WIND, he must always be moving. If the WIND stops it dies.
DRAFT: Who are you?
SOL: I am a traveler, I have stopped here to rest for a moment if I may.
DRAFT: Traveler? I don’t think so, your not moving. I am a traveler, and I have traveled all over this world. I don’t have time to deal with you, I’ve got somewhere to be. Talk to my sister. She will love to talk to you. Maybe if she talks to you, she won’t talk to me so much.
SOL: Thank you.
DRAFT hears this, but ignores it because he is already moving away.
SOL travels a little further. RIPPLE “attacks” him by excitedly hugging him. This causes SOL to move backwards like a candle flame in the lightest breeze. He accepts the hug. RIPPLE has a bubbly personality.
RIPPLE: I can’t believe you’re here! Wow, you’re neat. Do you want me to show you around? OK. Here it is. Have you met anybody else yet?
SOL smiles, listens and lets her go on until she stops.
SOL: Yes I met someone, but he didn’t have time to give me his name.
RIPPLE: That would be DRAFT, he always has somewhere to go. I try to keep up, but he always moves faster then I can go. I try to keep up because don’t tell anyone, but his memory is really bad, and he is always getting lost. Not really a good thing for a “traveler” like him huh? I have a great memory, I could tell him exactly where to go, but I can’t keep up. Hey, do you want to see what I can do? Do you? OK watch this.
RIPPLE concentrates and part of her WATER becomes clear beautiful ice. She gets excited and looses control. The ice continues to travel turning into a white ice like on the surface of a lake in winter. RIPPLE panics. SOL takes her hand and give her enough HEAT to distract her from the ice, but not to melt what she has created. RIPPLE is struck speechless for a beat, then recovers. The enthusiasm has been tempered by awe.
RIPPLE: What was that? I call it ICE. Sometimes I can’t create it at all, but I can’t control it, as you can see. I’m sorry, I started out good, but look at this. I’m a mess. What did you just do?
SOL: I call it HEAT. I can’t remove the ice, but I can show you how. Feel your FLOW around the ICE? Make the ICE like the FLOW.
As RIPPLE relaxes, the ICE turns to water.
RIPPLE: Wow. I won’t do that again. It’s too dangerous.
SOL: The ICE was beautiful. Would you show me again?
RIPPLE: I don’t know if I should, but OK.
RIPPLE creates a beautiful flowing ICE SCULPURE in the form of a wave..
SOL: Thank you for sharing your gift. I feel I must give a gift in return.
SOL removes his traveling cloak, which is clear until Ripple puts it on.
SOL: This is my Cloak of Reflection, it has help me to see things better on my journey. When you are calm as you were when you released the ice, you might use it. You were able to remember what I showed you after seeing it only once. Practice with it, and it will show you and others many things.
RIPPLE: I’ll have to show it to Grit. Come on!
RIPPLE takes SOL’s hand and drags him at a fast pace to the next area. GRIT sits very still on a bench. GRIT is broad, solid, and powerful, He is a thinker who moves slowly, but with purpose. GRIT is molding shapes with the fog.
RIPPLE plops on the bench.
RIPPLE: Hey Grit! Look at my reflection!
GRIT loses his concentration. The forms collapse into fog.
GRIT: (sighs) Hello RIPPLE. Yes that is very beautiful.
RIPPLE: Thanks GRIT. My new friend SOL gave it to me. Isn’t that great!
GRIT notices SOL for the first time.
GRIT: Hello SOL. RIPPLE could you do your dance and sing your song. It always helps me to work.
RIPPLE. Sure!
RIPPLE moves to side where she becomes a pool. In the center she becomes a bubbling column of water. Her song is the sound of WATER. SOL sits on the bench next to GRIT and watches.. As Grit molds, after a beat he begins to talk slowly to SOL.
GRIT: I see you have met RIPPLE. She is sweet even if she and DRAFT move around way more than can be good for them. How can you see anything if you don’t stay still and look around?
SOL: I see.
GRIT: Do you? Take this piece I’m making. I work on it, knowing that when I stop focusing on it, it will fall into nothing.
SOL: How many times have you made this?
GRIT: It doesn’t matter. I just have to keep making, and maybe it will stay.
SOL: Thank you for sharing your gift. I feel I must give a gift in return.
SOL removes a seed.
SOL: This is the SEED of GROWTH. I have had it a long time, but I have traveled and I wasn’t able to give it the care it needed. I know you have the patience to help this seed grow into something beautiful. I warn you, the things the SEED creates do not last forever. Are you willing to wait until the GROWTH returns? It must be allowed to go at it’s own pace.
SOL offers the SEED. GRIT takes the SEED and places it inside himself. HIS immobile stone exterior softens to rich brown dirt. He places his hand on the form, it collapses, but a small green plant shoot can be seen. He lift his finger and turns away. He turns back and discovers that the shoot is still there.
GRIT: Thank you. I will use it well.
SOL: I know my friend.
DRAFT forcefully lands among the group, still floating and moving. He has destroyed the quiet of the meeting. RIPPLE returns to her regular form in surprise.
DRAFT: Why are you here? I see what you’re doing. Giving your “gifts.” My brother and sister like you because you tell them what they want to hear. I will not accept any gift from you. I don’t want you here! You call yourself a traveler? I challenge you to a race. If you loose you must leave.
RIPPLE and GRIT try to calm the situation, but DRAFT will not listen. The stand in defense of SOL and tell him he doesn’t have to accept.
SOL: I accept. I will wager my Orb of Orgin. The first one back here wins it.
SOL removes an orb which he places on the ground. It glows white.
DRAFT: The first one around the world then.
DRAFT and SOL rise into the fog. DRAFT’s wake creates a clear path for SOL. A few times DRAFT gests confused. He looks around and always see SOL behind him. DRAFT moves so fast that the world starts to spin. The RACE ends with DRAFT arriving back with RIPPLE and GRIT.
DRAFT: I knew it! I’m better than you!
SOL: You won the race. The ORB is a beacon. It will always reflect the light around it. Place it above your home and it will always shine as much as you need it to.
DRAFT: That means I win the Orb. You will tell me how to use it.
DRAFT takes the orb and places high in the sky. He returns to the group.
SOL: I must go now. Thank you all for sharing your gifts with me today. My gifts are small in comparison to your own. Please keep working on them. They are beautiful.
DRAFT leaves. The gray begins to darken.
RIPPLE: Oh, hi VOID. SOL, this is our sister VOID. She is really shy.
GRIT gets up.
RIPPLE: Oh right. We have to go home when it gets dark.
RIPPLE hugs SOL, longer this time because it is goodbye. GRIT offers his hand to SOL after the hug. They shake hands, GRIT holding both his hands on SOL’s hand. GRIT then offers his hand to RIPPLE and they walk into the darkening gray fog. SOL sits on the bench waiting.
SOL: Hello old friend.
We see VOID sit with SOL on the bench, Darkness and Light together. VOID never speaks, but communicates through body language.
SOL: I’m glad you led me here. It is a good place to end my journey. You have always been with me. When I awoke, you were there, and you never left. Thank you.
SOL: Everywhere I went I left my light
SOL indicates the stars
SOL: But now that I have found this place I wish I could help them grow.
VOID supportively cradles SOL as he talks. His light is getting smaller
SOL: I have one request dear friend, please put my light in a place where it can be of the most use.
VOID holds SOL until he is a very bright star. VOID carries the light to the sky. She makes a space for it. Then, she reaches out across SPACE and brings each of the lights to join SOL. The SUN ignights. The force throws all the stars back to their original positions. The shock tilts the world as it spins.
THE END
NOTES:
The end sequence should be similar to the ITunes visualizer with streaks of light and movement of stars.
Each of the characters are created by a clipping mask in the form of a human with the element filling the outline (water, earth, and wind.) The characters are both form and formless, as their element is. They are their element and it is what they do. DRAFT is the pure element of AIR, and he able to manipulate WIND to suit his needs. They have expressions that are reflected in element we see and their interactions with each other (RIPPLE will show moisture where she interacts with GRIT for examples)
The elments are represented by actual elements in the world. When RIPPLE is sad we will see rain on water, like her falling tears.
We do see a transparent form of a person with expression, but they do not distract the viewer. They are firm when they are needed, but fade into the background when not used.
