Written by
Tracy Egbas
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
It is completely dark, save the light from a tiny flashlight.
We are under the blanket of TRACY, 8.
In her hand is A COLORING PENCIL- Yellow. She holds it so it stands upright, like a person.
TRACY
(whispers)
Wait! Tracy!
The Yellow Pencil swivels around, and a RED PENCIL ‘scurries’ up to it.
TRACY (CONT’D)
(as red pencil, panting)
I... I’ve been meaning to tell you something...
TRACY (CONT’D)
(as yellow pencil)
...yes?
Under the blanket, Tracy blushes sheepishly.
Another Pencil comes into the scene- A BROWN ONE.
TRACY (CONT’D)
(as brown pencil)
Tobi! Let’s go to the playground.
TRACY (CONT’D)
(as Red pencil)
No, Ada. I want to go with Tracy.
She tosses the Brown Pencil aside and makes the Red and Yellow face each other.
TRACY (CONT’D)
(as Red pencil)
I wanted to say, your... your eyes are beautiful, Tracy.
Tracy chuckles.
TRACY (CONT’D)
(as Yellow pencil)
You too, Tobi.
TRACY (CONT’D)
(as Red pencil)
I think I love you.
TRACY (CONT’D)
(as Yellow pencil)
Me too...
The two pencils slowly move closer and closer, until they ‘kiss’. She presses the pencils together. Begins to rub them against each other.
Suddenly, the room door FLIES open.
Chaos, as Tracy panics, fumbles with the flashlight. Turns it off.
HER FATHER stands at the doorway. He does not buy.
FATHER
I don’t want to hear any more
sounds from this room. Go to bed!
She lays still, unmoving. He leaves the door open a crack and walks away, his footsteps resounding down the hallway.
EXT. PLAYGROUND - DAY
High-pitched laughter and commotion, as all the energy that had been contained in several tiny classrooms is now released upon the two sets of slides and swings.
A small group is congregated near the back- including Tracy, TOBI and ADA (pencils from previous scene). They form a rough circle.
One of the boys- the tallest of them- EBUKA, pants heavily.
He crouches down to catch his breath.
EBUKA
I know you guys cheated! You
looked!
ADA laughs contemptuously. She is famous for her hair- long, like her legs.
ADA
Shut up, Ebuka. Your shiny head
makes you so easy to find.
TOBI sits next to her. He laughs too loudly at her joke.
Tracy, on the other side of him, shifts closer.
TRACY
Who is hiding next?
Rose, a shrill-voiced girl, bossy for her size, gets up.
ROSE
Tobi found them, so he’s hiding
next. Who is hiding with him? Who
has not gone yet?
A group of hands shoot up- all girls- including Ada and Tracy.
Rose darts over to the middle of the circle and points at each girl in rhythm with the song--
ROSE (CONT’D)
Tum-bom Tum-bom, baska-laba,
Susan went to Sokoto to find the
sun in Soweto,
Rain fell and wind blew,
then she began her search again.
Her finger lands on MIMI, the girl right before Tracy.
ROSE (CONT’D)
Mimi, you already went!
Mimi smiles sheepishly, slipping her hand down.
TRACY
(desperate)
But you didn’t do the song right.
You didn’t count Aisha...
Rose glares at her, petulant.
ROSE
Yes I did! You just want to be the one to hide with Tobi!
Tracy stares at her, speechless.
Ebuka raises his arms in resignation.
EBUKA
Tobi, just choose somebody! The
break is almost over.
All look over at Tobi, eyes brimming over with expectation, dread. Tobi shrugs.
TOBI
Ada.
She jumps up, and the rest cover their eyes while the two hurry away together excitedly.
ALL
10...9...8...7...
Tracy does not cover her eyes. She does not count. She stares, morose, in the direction they disappear.
The kids stomp in rhythm with the countdown. In rhythm with the wild beating of Tracy’s heart.
ALL (CONT’D)
3...2...1...
No comments:
Post a Comment