Film Amateura version 0.90

"Film Amateura" by William Matheson and Michael Fox famscr.txt Version 0.90 Copyright 2001 William Matheson DEDICATION: To my grandfather, Harold Matheson. He was a very kind man. This script, plus my other works, are available at http://willmatheson.com Please obtain my permission before re-posting this document on your own website. Print-publishing and screen-publishing rights reserved. You can contact William via e-mail at w_matheson@willmatheson.com Michael can be found at http://www.angelfire.com/ns/michaelfox or e-mailed at hinox@hotmail.com NOTES: FA - This designates that the described scene is actually part of the finished product "Film Amateura;" here, we see what they shot, but not the shooting of it. TELEPLAY: BLANK SCREEN We see a green "THIS PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR ALL AUDIENCES..." screen, then the White Lance films logo as the music rises. In comes the cool TRAILER VOICE. I guess we'll have matching text too. TRAILER VOICE Coming this fall from White Lance Films... INT. JOEY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY We see an image of JOEY CAMPBELL. TRAILER VOICE The sequel you thought you'd never see... INT. JOEY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY JOEY and his CLONE are seated at the kitchen table. (NOTE: This section of the script assumes that Joey is the evil one, but his clone is nice.) CLONE (to JOEY) You know what? We need a girlfriend. JOEY *A* girlfriend? TRAILER VOICE The story that just won't stop... EXT. JOEY'S DRIVEWAY - DAY Joey is standing on the driveway watching the girls go by. He sees CHARLOTTE JEWER walk past. JOEY (voice-over thought) Her! TRAILER VOICE The romance you thought would never happen... INT. JOEY'S BASEMENT - DARKNESS We don't see much in this scene, save for some wild scrambling in relative darkness. Little detail. This clip is rushed. Joey and the clone are trying to stuff Charlotte into some sort of cloning machine, but this is difficult to discern. JOEY Get her in the machine! CHARLOTTE Nooo! TRAILER VOICE The story that almost wrote itself... INT. CLONE'S BEDROOM - DARKNESS Clone (good) and CHARLOTTE'S CLONE (evil) are seated on the bed together; Charlotte's clone in her undergarments and holding a knife to Clone's neck. Clone is shaking with terror, while Charlotte's clone is very calm, sinister, and in complete control of the situation. CHARLOTTE'S CLONE Okay, this has gone on long enough. I'm calling the shots now. You're going to kill - The screen goes blank before we find out who she wants Clone to kill. We see the "I Think I'm A Clone Now 3" logo. TRAILER VOICE I Think I'm A Clone Now 3! We see the film fine print, simultaneous with a music cue: "I Think I'm A Clone Now," by "Weird Al" Yankovic. We just get the line "Isn't it strange..," very briefly. Then we might squeeze in "Part of some geneticist's plan..," before we fade the music. TRAILER VOICE (rushed) Special sneak preview November 16th in Michael Fox's basement. Everything settles down again, and after staring at a blank screen for a few seconds, the White Lance Films logo comes back again, then fades. Text on screen: THE SCANDAL THAT ROCKED THE FILM WORLD... INT. INTERVIEW ROOM - DARKNESS All the following "interview" clips take place in the same dark, black room. A spotlight shines on the partcipants, as they sit on a chair, face the camera, and tell us their stories. CONNOR MACKENZIE (brightly) The spring of 2000 was a tumultous time for me. I had just lost my part as the Sackville High ambassador in "The Artifact" to Erika Laurie... We fade out again. Text on screen: AND CHANGED THE LIVES OF A FEW ACTORS FOREVER... CHARLOTTE (brightly) When I finished "The Artifact," I was on this unbelievable emotional high. In between my modelling sessions, this great film was made, with me in it! I also had a new boyfriend, and my ex- was coming back from England so I could flaunt him right in his face! (She saddens.) Life was going great, until... Fade again. Text on screen: SOME WERE JUST TRYING TO GET AHEAD... JONATHAN SAUNDERS (sadly) I thought that this was going to be my big break into the movie business. I hadn't had a lead role in a Michael Fox film since 1998, when we did "Melon Street Money Pit 2." When we didn't make part three, I was really disappointed. When this- (he breaks down in tears) Why, Mike? Whyyyy?! Fade to Craig. CRAIG ANNAND (seriously) "Stalker," in my opinion, was one of the greatest films ever made. But I thought that this particular film had what it takes to top... yes, top even Ryan Cox's masterpiece. I joined the crew with great excitement and great expectations. Text on screen: EVERYTHING WAS GOING FINE... Text on screen to follow underneath: UNTIL... ? - ? - DARKNESS KRISTI, illuminated from the front, is standing and screaming. Tears are streaming down her face. KRISTI (hysterical) If you don't tell me you love me, I'm not letting you use my camera!! Quick to black. Text on screen: WHY VINNIE CARPONZO HATES TRAINS: THE REAL STORY We see the film fine print. INT. INTERVIEW ROOM - DARKNESS We go back to the interview room to talk with MICHAEL FOX. MICHAEL FOX I'm surpised that we finished as much as we did. The train only went by for a few minutes a day. Text on screen: STARTS FRIDAY IN SELECTED LIVING ROOMS Fade out. Alright, now we're ready for the real show. Cue some trumpets. Maybe some graphics would be nice, too. TRAILER VOICE And now... White Lane Films is pleased to bring you... our feature presentation. (da da da *da* da-da-da-da!) Text on screen: WHITE LANCE FILMS PRESENTS... INT. MIKE'S CAR - NARROW STREETS OF BEDFORD - DAY MICHAEL FOX is driving; WILLIAM MATHESON is in the passenger seat to his right. They are driving through the peaceful town of Bedford, Nova Scotia. MICHAEL So what's this new script you have to show me? WILLIAM It's one of my greatest works yet. (he snatches the SCRIPT from his pack, which has "Film Amateura" written on the front page in large, Vivaldi-type letters.) I call it "Film Amateura..." Fade. The music, "Sky City Shevat," by Yasunori Mitsuda, begins quietly. Text on screen: A MICHAEL FOX FILM... We fade back in. MICHAEL (glancing at script while driving) And you want me to film this? WILLIAM Mike, you're the only one who can bring Zachary and Jessica to life on the screen! Of course I want you to film this for me! Music gets louder, then quiets down after we return to the actors and underscores the next few scenes. Fade. Text on screen: FILM AMATEURA INT. MIKE'S CAR - BASINVIEW (Mike's neighborhood) - DAY Mike is now driving around Basinview. WILLIAM This area is the perfect place to film a movie. No one would ever suspect that everything actually took place in your neighborhood. MICHAEL Yeah, isn't it? It's worked for me tons of times. WILLIAM So who else do we need to make the movie? MICHAEL Well, I can be the executive producer, the director, the cameraperson, and the editor. We'll get Chris Spencer to do the effects since he's still single. You're already the writer, but you can also be the producer, continuity person, and artistic director. All we need now are some technical crew and a few actors. WILLIAM How 'bout we run around CPA and cast from the bottom of the barrel like we did for "The Artifact?" MICHAEL Nah. I want this to be a quality film. I'll get my friends to play all the parts. Fade out. The music dies down. INT. JESSICA'S HOME - SALEEN VILLAGE - DAY - FA Now we are watching a scene from the actual "Film Amateura." We're inside one of the HOUSES. There is no sign that this is actually a film within a film. There are many people inside the room - all VILLAGERS in a VILLAGE taken out of some legendary adventure story. You know, it would be really nice if we could shoot this part of the movie on the "Lillian True" sets. There is a girl resting on a SMALL BED in a corner, she is JESSICA, and she has taken ill to some sort of ailment. The villagers huddled in the room include an ELDER; ZACHARY (a kid who likes Jessica); and a whole bunch of other EXTRAS whose stories aren't important to me at the moment. Zachary is as far away from Jessica as he can get, but sill in the crowd; the Elder stands very close to Jessica's bedside. ELDER It has been many years since I have seen someone afflicted with this disease in our village. VILLAGE PEOPLE #1 ("In the navy...") You mean you know what it is? This has happened before? ELDER Yes. (pauses) It was almost three score ago. I was but a child, when my eldest cousin took ill to a mysterious ailment. Only now do I recognize that this must be the same thing, for they share exactly the same symptoms. Jessica here sleeps nearly all the time, and she cannot eat. She also has a high fever and she groans when she wakes - just like poor Gwendolyn. VILLAGE PEOPLE #2 ("It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A...") Are you certain that she's not sporting with us? ELDER Not entirely, but her condition bears such remarkable resemblance to Gwendolyn's that I doubt that she is simply trying to fool us. ZACHARY (speaking up, though hesitant) What happened to Gwendolyn? ELDER (surprised) Eh? What's that, boy? ZACHARY (approaches the Elder) What happened to Gwendolyn? ELDER Gwendolyn? (saddens) Oh, the poor girl; she died, son. Gone - in three days. The crowd gasps. VILLAGE PEOPLE #3 ("Protect the Motherland!") Isn't there anything you can do? ELDER I am not sure. I will have to go over my books; and perhaps talk with the Elder of West Point. With this, the Elder leaves the house, followed by the other villagers. Zachary hesitantly follows, but pauses in the doorway to take one long, last, ligering look at his love. Then he leaves as well. We follow him outside to find... EXT. SALEEN VILLAGE SQUARE - DAY "Film Amateura" is no longer in progress, and most of the ACTORS are sitting around talking, and Jessica comes out of the building to join them. We can see the CAMERAS and TECHNICAL ASSISTANTS about, as well as Michael and William near the FOUNTAIN / STATUE THING in the middle of the SQUARE, looking over the script. WILLIAM I think we need to know how he feels for Jessica, but he can't tell her anymore because she's sick. MICHAEL We could do a daydream sequence. WILLIAM That sounds like a good- (he suddenly looks across the square) Hey! Corey! COREY STRONG is off in the fringe, looking really depressed and angry. He wanted to write "Film Amateura" as his big follow-up to "Wackbirds" but he was never given the chance, and his only way to be involved with the movie was to be William's assistant. He glances towards William. WILLIAM (shaking an empty glass in his hand) How 'bout some more soda, eh? Corey skulks off into one of the houses. MICHAEL Alright, let's check up on our crew. (looks across the square) Hey! Sound! We see SOUND relaxing on a COLLAPSABLE LAWN CHAIR far away, wearing HEADPHONES. LONG WIRES lead from the MICROPHONES and cameras over to the front of his chair. He barely realizes that Mike is shouting for his attention. MICHAEL How are we doing for sound? Are you getting everything? The sound guy just nods. MICHAEL Yeah? Okay. (he goes back to William again) Now here's what I want to see here... Michael's voice fades into nothing as we cut to another shot: a side-view close-up shot of the sound guy sitting in his lawn chair. We see the wires leading up to his chair, but his headphones are not plugged into any of them. Then we see him lay back and reach into his pocket, revealing a PORTABLE CASSETTE PLAYER, and that his headphones are plugged into it. He rotates the volume knob to a louder setting, then leans back in the chair and closes his eyes. He has no intention of doing his job. We cut back to William and Mike. WILLIAM Okay. Time for the big confession of love daydream scene? MICHAEL Yeah, I want it up there. (he points up a TREELESS, GRASSY SLOPE) WILLIAM Fifty feet away? MICHAEL Yeah, fifty feet. Perfect. (louder) Okay, quiet on the set! I need Zack and Jessica up on top of that hill! (looks around) Sound? (We look at Sound; Sound does not flinch) Sound!! SOUND Wha? Huh? MICHAEL Get over here by the camera! We need to take care of this wind situation! SOUND Oh, yeah, okay. Sound slowly gets up and saunters over beside the MAIN CAMERA where Mike and Will are standing. MICHAEL Alright, quiet everyone! Looking from behind the camera, we now see Zack and Jessica are in position up the hill. Zack is to the right, and Jessica to the left, but with her back turned towards him. MICHAEL Ready? Okay! (he pushes a button and flips out the LCD VIEWFINDER) Camera on! Sound? As if on a cue, Sound leans toward the camera and begins making wind noises into the microphone. MICHAEL And... action! Several things happen at once, from our view behind the camera. First, every person on the set seems to begin talking quietly even as Zack and Jessica exchange words, looking really small and quiet in both the viewfinder and our 'real' view (see the scene after next for their specific movements). The wind noises are being blown into the camera. For a second, we take on a reverse angle and see Mike and Will near the camera, but also Corey very obviously walking out of the houses directly behind them carrying a can of soda. (Since "Film Amateura" is being made on the cheap, it's a can of Big8.) Then we cut to the scene "footage" in progress: EXT. SALEEN VILLAGE HILLSIDE - DAY - FA Zack and Jessica are speaking on the hill, and they look very small to our view since the camera obviously hasn't been zoomed in any. We can't hear a word that they're saying over the din of the wind and the 'cooperative' cast and crew. After a second or two, Zachary reaches an arm out to touch Jessica, then she turns her back to him, then he walks away. After that: COREY (recorded, loud) Hey *loser*! Here's your soda! We hear a loud thunk. WILLIAM (recorded, loud) Ouch!! Arrghh! MICHAEL (recorded, loud) Settle down, Corey. After about another second of the video feed, we fade out. EXT. SALEEN VILLAGE HILLTOP - DAY This scene is from a reverse angle, at the top of the hill looking down upon the rabble below. Zachary is to the right, and Jessica to the left, her back turned towards him. Neither is looking very happy. Note that this scene isn't of the "Film Amateura" as the last scene was; this is just another way for us to see the dialouge between Zachary and Jessica. MICHAEL (very faint) And... Action! ZACHARY Hello, Jessica. JESSICA (distantly) Hello. ZACHARY Um... I like your dress. JESSICA (turns to face him, almost angry) What kind of comment is that? ZACHARY I don't know! It just felt like something I'd say to you! I really mean it though! JESSICA Yeah, you and half the other guys in the village. Why are you coming out of the woodwork all of a sudden? At this moment, we switch to our original viewing direction, but of course we are a *lot* closer to the action. ZACHARY Uh - I - I - I - I like you! JESSICA Oh, well that's just great. You harbor your secret affections for me for years, but wait until I'm going to die in three days before you say anything. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were attempting to violate me while I'm unconsicous. (brutally) You're really wonderful, Zack. ZACHARY But - but Jessica, I thought- JESSICA Yes Zachary, I liked you too - once. (darkly) But I gave up on you a long time ago. ZACHARY (reaching out an arm to her) Jessica! JESSICA (turns her back to him again, then speaks with coldness) Leave me alone, Zachary. Unless you plan to save my life, we have nothing more to talk about. Zachary then slumps his shoulders and starts to walk away slowly. JESSICA (to herself, quietly) Maybe now you'll know what it's like to be told to leave you alone. COREY (very faint) Hey *loser*! Here's your soda! WILLIAM (very faint) Ouch!! Arrghh! MICHAEL (very faint) Settle down, Corey. JESSICA (to herself, quietly) I wish he wouldn't give up so damn easily. If he continues to behave like that, he'll never save me. Zachary sort of hears Jessica's two comments and he scampers back to her. ZACHARY I will save you, Jessica! I will! JESSICA (half-turning, succintly) Then prove it. Fade out. INT. ELDER'S HOME - SALEEN VILLAGE - NIGHT - FA It's dark outside, and the crickets are chirping. Zachary walks inside the door of the ELDER'S CANDLELIT HOME. He knocks quietly on the DOORFRAME. ELDER (from his DESK where he is working) Come in. Zachary comes in, and walks toward the Elder's desk and MINI-LIBRARY. ELDER Oh, it's you, Zachary, my boy. What brings you here tonight? ZACHARY I was wondering if you had found a cure for Jessica's ailment in your books yet. ELDER Oh, Jessica? (saddens) Oh, no, no, my boy. There is no cure for her disease at all that I can find, at least not here and now. ZACHARY What? Isn't there anything you can do for her? ELDER I'm afraid not. However, my colleauge in West Point has sent me this. The Elder takes a SHEET OF PAPER off the top of his desk and shows it to Zachary. On it is drawn a MENACING, YET BEAUTIFUL SNAKE; coloured black with some faint red lines added in. The drawing is labelled "Rose Viper." There is some EXPLANATORY TEXT in two columns below, which William will type up at a later date if necessary. ZACHARY A Rose Viper? What's that? ELDER It is the rarest species of snake on this continent. Extremely intelligent and long-lived - they are said to live for a hundred years or more. I myself have never seen one; nor has anyone I know, so that rules out getting an antivenin prepared, because we need the original venom of an actual Rose Viper. ZACHARY Can't we find a Rose Viper, even if they are rare? ELDER I doubt it. They are only sighted every few decades. Jessica must have taken a bite while she was tending the garden. Check her left wrist the next time you see her - it says here that they always go for the left wrist. In fact, there's lots of strange things about this snake: They have only been known to bite human females who have not yet borne children. A Rose Viper was captured one hundred and ten years ago in Celena - but as soon as the man *with* the brave woman who caught it touched it himself, it withered and died on the spot. And of course, the bite victim inevitably dies after three days, but there is a persistent legend that these women do not suffer at all during that time; that they have a dream where they - (he coughs loudly, then decides not to finish the sentence) Some of the religions in the Outer Islands regard the Rose Viper as a deliverance for mistreated women. ZACHARY Mistreated? What have I ever done to Jessica? ELDER Pardon me, lad, but I don't seem to recall you ever having done anything towards her. You've just answered your own question. ZACHARY (head in hands) Oh no... ELDER I wouldn't worry about her at all, Zachary. Though I have no proof, and I've never been one to put a lot of stock in legends - she's probably having the ti- well, it's out of your hands, child. Let her go. ZACHARY No! I'm not letting her go for anything! I'm not going to hesitate any more! ELDER Brave words. What do you intend to do to help her? ZACHARY I - uh - well, I'll... well, what should I do, sir? ELDER (sadly) I don't have any conventional solutions for you, Zachary. (he switches to a neutral tone of voice, and gets up to take a BOOK down off one of his BOOKSHELVES) In fact, what I was going to do was send someone to find and utilize... (he flips pages while looking through the book, then he finds a PAGE) this. The Elder shows Zachary the page, which has a PENCIL DRAWING of a large, irregularly-shaped pool of water surrounded by trees. Underneath the drawing is the EXPLANATORY TEXT entitled "The Forest Pond Gateway." ZACHARY A gateway? Where does it lead? ELDER I do not know. This particular gate lies a hundred kilometres to the northeast of here, near a place called the Northern Village. The journey there is difficult, and very few have attempted it in the last few decades because no one has ever actually come *out* of the gateway; people only go in, and they don't come back. And no one ever goes up the coast that far for any other reason - it's a scary place, most say. ZACHARY Then, why- ELDER I wasn't actually going to tell you about this, you know. I was thinking, perhaps, of sending her father... (he smiles) Ah well, you'd almost be more enthused. How would you like a head start? Keep in mind now, I have absolutely no idea what lies beyond that gate, or how you'll be able to get back, if it's even possible. I'm just seeing that you're about to lose your true love to the Rose Viper Dream, and that you have nothing more to lose. ZACHARY (with determination) I'll do it. I'll go. ELDER Then you'd best leave tonight so that you can get out ahead of any other villagers that might try to follow you or stop you. ZACHARY Okay. ELDER (moving towards a 'closet') I think I'll loan you a few things that might help you. (opens door, takes up COMPASS and MAP) Here's a compass, and a map (he gives them to Zachary). Remember, you're going northeast. (Zachary nods, then the Elder reaches for a TINDER BOX.) That's in case you need to see something in the dark, but be cautious, for there is precious little tinder (he gives Zachary the tinder box). And here... (he grabs a SMALL PACK) you'll need a pack to put all this stuff into. (he gives Zachary the pack, Zack puts his new things in it and sligs the pack over his back, then the Elder takes a deep breath) Okay, I guess all you'll need now is your wits. Good luck. ZACHARY Aren't you going to give me a sword? ELDER (closing the door) I own no swords, boy! I am a man of the letters and numbers! I need no sword! (firmly) And neither should you, if you're smart enough. ZACHARY (sighing) Yes, sir. Well, I guess I'll be off then. With that, Zachary waves 'goodbye' and walks out the door into the cold night air. The Elder calls out behind him: ELDER (calling) Good luck, my boy! I'll try and stall the other villagers as long as I can! Cut to an outside shot: EXT. SALEEN VILLAGE SQUARE - NIGHT - FA This is just a short scene of Zachary walking through the village. The only LIT WINDOWS are in the Elder's house that Zachary just left. He is trying to sneak towards Jessica's house without being caught. He furtively reaches the DOORFRAME, then tiptoes inside. Cut inside. INT. JESSICA'S HOME - SALEEN VILLAGE - NIGHT - FA Zachary walks inside and tries to make his way in the dark through to Jessica's bed without waking anybody up. He quietly reaches out and touches Jessica's left arm, then softly and gently turns it over to see the inside of her left wrist. He quickly notices TWO BLOOD-RED DOTS next to each other on her beautiful skin. Zachary is at the same time saddened and determined, but before he leaves, he also notices JESSICA'S HAIRPIN laying on a TINY BEDSIDE TABLE. He looks at it for a moment, looks around the room, then gently places the hairpin in his pack. After another brief pause, he walks out of the house. Fade. EXT. SALEEN VILLAGE SQUARE - NIGHT - FA Zachary emerges from HIS OWN HOME, differentiated from Jessica's house by a CRUDE SIGN next to the DOORFRAME that says "Zack's Shack." He is carrying a SMALL BAG containing SILVER COINS. He stops outside his window to put the bag inside his pack. ZACHARY (voice-over) Now to get out of here. Zachary walks away from the village and towards the nearby TREELINE, then into the WOODS. Our position remains inside the village as we see him disappear into the night. Fade out. EXT. FOREST - NIGHT, THEN DAY - FA Cue music: "Field To Tomorrow" by Isao Mizoguchi This scene is a long (2:39 - about the length of the song, really) montage of clips featuring Zachary journeying through the forests. The first bunch of clips are during the night, then there are some pre-dawn clips, then dawn, then morning, then mid-morning, etc.. The montage ends in the late afternoon. Try to vary the types of trees a bit - ie: have him hike through some birch trees, then pine, then spruce, then maple, etc.. Basically, make it look like he's covering some distance. The way this works is that Zachary starts out with a lot of energy, going as fast as he can. But soon, he looks quite tired and slows down quite a bit, stumbling often. Going into the afternoon clips, he is suddenly carrying a fine-looking STAFF and wearing an ARMLET (this as opposed to a sword/shield combo). Finally, in the last late afternoon clip, he collapses to the ground. Fade out, and fade the music. EXT. FOREST - LATE AFTERNOON - FA Zachary is sound asleep on the forest floor, not stirring. He is quietly approached by a MYSTERIOUS FIGURE in STRANGE CLOTHING, who eventually works up enough courage to poke at him with a SMALL STICK. ZACHARY (murmuring) Zzzzzzz... wha? MYSTERIOUS FIGURE Oh! You're alive! ZACHARY (distantly, tired) ugh... Jessica... Rose Viper... dream... portal... MYSTERIOUS FIGURE A Rose Viper? We haven't seen a Rose Viper around here for a hundred years! ZACHARY (waking up, sitting up to face his mysterious visitor) No... no, not around here. Back in Saleen. *My* home. MYSTERIOUS FIGURE Saleen? That's a few days hard travel from here. ZACHARY Why? Where am I now? MYSTERIOUS FIGURE You're just outside Northern Village. ZACHARY Northern Village! (he quickly gets on his feet) Then I'm almost there! I can do it! One day to find a cure, and the next day to make the trip back to Saleen! I can- (he tries to move, then collapses to the ground) ... I am... so... very tired. MYSTERIOUS FIGURE I think I can help you with that. Come with me. ZACHARY (tired) Thank... you... Zachary stands up with the assistance of his new friend. Together, they stumble over a rise, and the NORTHERN VILLAGE comes into view. EXT. NORTHERN VILLAGE FOREST EDGE - LATE AFTERNOON - FA Cue music for the rest of the Northern Village segueway: "Gypsy Heart [Jean's Theme]" by Isao Mizoguchi. About 1:36 into the track (2:48 remaning), the music stops, then resumes again as a different tune. What I'd like to see is this: Run the first 1:36 now, and then the last 2:38 when I put in the next music cue. We are following Zachary and the new guy into Northern Village, which is a much larger settlement than Saleen, but more isolated. The numerous EXTRAS around the many HOUSES are dressed in FAIRLY ODD, BUT STILL FUNCTIONAL CLOTHING. Zack and the kid work their way through the SQUARE and eventually reach the ELDER'S HOUSE. The kid knocks on the DOORFRAME. ELDER (voice, cheerfully) Come in! INT. ELDER'S HOUSE - NORTHERN VILLAGE - LATE AFTERNOON - FA Now we're on the inside of the house looking out. Zack and the kid walk into the GRAYISH LARGE ROOM (that's all these houses are, really; just one big room). The ELDER, a slightly younger man than the guy in Saleen Village, rushes up to greet his visitors. ELDER (enthusiastically) Jeremy! You've brought a friend with you this time! What's his name? Still holding onto Jeremy, Zachary looks faintly at the Elder, then mouths: ZACHARY (barely audible) Zachary... ELDER (concerned) He doesn't look very well. JEREMY He isn't, father. I think he's overtired. He walked all the way up here from Saleen. ELDER (surprised) You're kidding! Oh, well take him to my spare cot there in the corner (he points at said SPARE COT). What he needs is a good day's sleep. ZACHARY (faintly, half-asleep) Nooo... ELDER You look like a man in need of sleep, son. Why don't you want to have a snooze here in my house? It's cheaper than the inn! ZACHARY (trying to be more coherent) No... thank you, sir, but it's not that... My... uh, I mean, this girl in my village was bitten by a Rose Viper, and- ELDER A Rose Viper! That's beyond my expertise! I can't help you, son. ZACHARY (sighing) No, the elder back home told me that noone had any antivenin or knew the cure. What I'd... (he nearly collapses again) ... like to do is go through the Forest Pond Gateway- Jeremy and the Elder both gasp in disbelief. ELDER Don't tell me your Elder suggested such an absurdity! ZACHARY Well, it's my only hope, and I have nothing to lose. ELDER (resignedly) Well... I guess I should help you, shouldn't I? (turns to Jeremy) Jeremy, go to the cupboard and fetch me the awakening powder, will you? While Jeremy goes across the room to the CUPBOARD for the SMALL CONTAINER OF AWAKENING POWDER, Zachary perks up visibly at the prospect of an "Awakening Powder." Jeremy soon comes back with the powder. ELDER Ah! This is what you need, since you're probably running out of time. (he scoops up a handful of the powder in his HAND, then slips it into Zachary's open MOUTH. Zachary then appears quite alert, awake, and refreshed.) Now I should tell you something: This powder will keep you wide awake until the very *moment* you lie down and close your eyes. As soon as you do that, you'll sleep for a night, a day, and then another night. ZACHARY Wow. ELDER Yes, and you shouldn't stay awake any longer than you have to. This powder is useful beyond measure, but it is also dangerous. The most important thing to remember is that sooner or later you'll have to decide to go to sleep yourself. Otherwise, you'll simply stay awake and all freshened up like you just got out of bed until the moment you keel over and die. (Zachary gulps. The Elder then turns to Jeremy.) Here. (he gives Jeremy a mouthful as well) If you're going with him, you'd better take some too. JEREMY Thank you! ELDER Now I suppose you want to go to the Forest Gateway, correct? Zachary nods. ELDER Well, the problem is - as I'm sure your elder would have told you if he knew - that this portal isn't just in the woods here. It's actually at the end of Abel's Cape. ZACHARY Well, that doesn't sound so bad. ELDER No, that's the easy part, because first you have to cross the north bridge of the Garrison Tower to get to the small island where Abel's Cape and the portal are. ZACHARY Well, how big is the tower? ELDER It's not *big* so much as that it's designed so you have to go all the way up to the top from the south entrance and all the way back down again just to get out on the bridge. ZACHARY Oh, no... Well, it doesn't sound as bad as the trip it took to get here. How far away is the tower and the bridge? ELDER Just a few kilometres northwest of here. ZACHARY (turning to leave, looking at Jeremy) Great, then; let's go. ELDER But you need the Ameythyst Key to get into the tower. ZACHARY And where's the key? ELDER (thinks) Umm... I *think* it's in the Jerome Hills, in a cave. ZACHARY Ergghh... Where are the Jerome Hills? ELDER They're just west of here, actually. Just follow the paths through the grasslands. ZACHARY Great... but I'm almost afraid to ask... ELDER Yeah, there are a few traps and mazes guarding the key. ZACHARY Oh, crap. ELDER (brightening) But you're in luck, because I broke through them myself when I was a boy. Okay, time to fire up the last 2:48 of "Gypsy Heart." Meanwhile, Zachary's jaw drops in disbelief while the Elder loosens his SHIRT COLLAR a little, revealing a LEATHER NECKLACE with the AMETHYST KEY. (A short note to Mike: Amethyst is *purple*.) He disconnects the key and hands it to Zachary. ELDER I've actually been to the pond a couple of times, but I knew better than to try and go through it. ZACHARY (enthused) Wow... Thank you, sir. I'm starting to think I might be able to find a cure for Jessica! Then she'll *like* me and everything will be great! Both the Elder and Jeremy stare wide-eyed at Zachary. ZACHARY (nervous) Uh - that is, I mean... Jessica will *love* me even *more*. The Elder and Jeremy are somewhat reassured by this restatement, and then the Elder speaks. ELDER Yes, of course. But remember, no one has ever come back from wherever the portal leads! And there's no assurance that you'll be able to find a cure. Just don't get your hopes up. ZACHARY Of course not. But I've got to go through with this. ELDER Good. The Elder looks Jeremy and Zachary over, noticing that Zachary is well-equipped with a staff and armlet while Jeremy has no fighting equippment whatsoever. ELDER (to Jeremy) You know, if you're going to go with him you'll need a weapon. JEREMY Thanks, but- The Elder goes back to a CLOSET, and fetches a SHORT SWORD and SHIELD, and gives them to Jeremy. ELDER Here, you can use mine. JEREMY (equipping the items) Thank you, father. ELDER Well, I guess you'd best be off. No doubt you'll encounter a few... *surprises*... along the way. (he winks at Zack and Jeremy, and grins knowingly) Have fun. ZACHARY (as he and Jeremy exit) Bye! And thanks for everything! ELDER (waving slightly) My pleasure. Goodbye. Zachary and Jeremy leave to the village. EXT. NORTHERN VILLAGE SQUARE - LATE AFTERNOON - FA Zachary and Jeremy hike through the rest of the village until "Gypsy Heart [Jean's Theme]" finally expires... they walk into the WOODS at the northwest end of the village as the music dies down. Fade out. EXT. GARRISON TOWER BASE - EARLY EVENING - FA Zachary and Jeremy emerge from the woods and find themselves at the base of a SMALL FIVE-STOREY STONE TOWER. Beyond the tower lies the CLIFFS and the SEA, and they can see a little bit of a small ISLAND in the nearby sea, surrounded by SANDSTONE CLIFFS. The bridge to that island is out of sight at the moment, behind the tower. Zachary and Jeremy timidly approach the tower, soon coming to the LARGE DOUBLE WOODEN DOORS. Zachary inserts the Amethyst Key in the KEYHOLE; a creak is heard, then Zachary tries the door, which swings open. Zachary and Jeremy enter the dark stony gloom inside. INT. GARRISON TOWER - EARLY EVENING - FA Cue music: "Growing Fear" by Isao Mizoguchi Zachary and Jeremy look up the STONE STAIRS and, being cautious folks, they ready their weapons. Zachary takes the inititave and starts up the stairs, followed closely by Jeremy. They pass through the SECOND and THIRD FLOORS without incident, perhaps, though pausing to look out the small windows at the landings to see the cliffs and the sea. At the top of the stairs to the FOURTH floor, though, there is a WOODEN HATCH impeding further progress. When Zachary reaches the hatch, the music dies off. Zachary tries to push it up, but the hatch does not budge. JEREMY Maybe it's locked. ZACHARY Perhaps... Zachary pokes around the hatch's surface in the faint light, looking for something like a latch or a lock. He finds the LOCK, which is a simple keyhole beside the LATCH. ZACHARY I think I have something in my pack to help me deal with this. Hold on a moment. Zachary unslings his pack, then searches inside it. After a moment, he finds Jessica's hairpin. He then starts to fiddle with the lock using the hairpin. Jeremy stands behind him, somewhat curious. He decides that this is a good time to ask Zachary some questions. JEREMY Zachary, can I ask you something? ZACHARY (busy with the lock, but still interested in talking) Shoot. JEREMY Where'd you get that staff and armlet? ZACHARY (pausing) These? (resumes work) I bought them in Salyent, a village about halfway between mine and yours. JEREMY Oh. They're quite nice. ZACHARY Thank you. JEREMY What's that you're using on the lock? ZACHARY It's Jes- my girlfriends hairpin. She, uh... gave it to me for good luck on this trip. JEREMY. Wow, that was thoughtful of her. ZACHARY (sighing) Yeah, wasn't it? <sigh> JEREMY (confessing) There's this girl in my village who I've always liked, but I haven't been able to talk to her much. I used to play with her and her friends, but then the other kids started making fun of me. ZACHARY Hmm... Well, I couldn't recommend not talking to her. You never know when something might happen that will jeapordize any hope of a relationship. JEREMY Yeah! Yeah, when I get back, I'm going to be like you, Zachary. I'm going to hang around with Jean and her friends as soon as I get back! ZACHARY (voice-over) Don't you think it might be too late? You're probably too old to play your childhood games now. Oh well, at he's on the right track. I just hope that girl's friends don't drive him away... He continues to mess around with the lock, and eventually a loud click is heard. He pushes up the hatch, and it is seen and heard to crash against the FLOOR of the FOURTH LEVEL, and the music picks up again as he does this. Zachary replaces the hairpin, then climbs up through the hatch, and we switch to a view on the fourth floor. Zachary bends down and reaches an arm out to Jeremy; we see Jeremy's hand clasp Zachary's, and up he comes. Now that they're both standing in the dim WINDOW light of the fourth floor, they climb the stairs to the FIFTH. JEREMY You think there might be something up there? ZACHARY (shuddering) I sincerely hope not. They quickly reach the fifth floor, which also has but one WINDOW, but another SET OF STAIRS going back down. ZACHARY (stepping forward) That must lead to the bridge. The music stops, dead. DISEMBODIED VOICE (really deep) Not so fast. Zachary and Jeremy are very startled. ZACHARY Who's there? DISEMBODIED VOICE (really deep) It's meeeeee, Zachary. Your 'girlfriend', Jessica. ZACHARY You're not Jessica! DISEMBODIED VOICE (normal - sort of Kelsey Grammar-ish) Of *course* I'm not Jessica, you idiot! But you've never had a girlfriend either! Jeremy gasps. ZACHARY Yes, Jeremy - I lied to you about how Jessica was my girlfriend. I still love her, though! I just was afraid you'd think I was an obsessed lunatic or something. JEREMY Well... uh, don't worry about it. I've exaggerated my 'relationship' with Jean from time to time. DISEMBODIED VOICE Yes. It's bad enough that you stupid travellers have to keep tromping up and down through me, but you also have the gall to tell bold-faced lies within my walls! I don't appreciate that, Zachary. This tower is to be a beacon of *truth*! ZACHARY I'm sorry. TOWER Well, you'll be even sorrier once I get finished with you! ZACHARY (quietly and succintly, to Jeremy) Uh, run. Cue music: "Go! Go! Go!" by Isao Mizoguchi Zachary and Jeremy take off down the other set of stairs as fast as they can. They pass through the fourth floor, then the third. While they run: TOWER (very loudly) Ha ha ha!! How would you like to stay in here for a few years so I can teach you some decent behaviour! First, we'll start with rule number one: No lies!! ZACHARY (while running) I'm sorry, already!! TOWER (very loudly) What's the hurry? We have much to discuss, young one! ZACHARY (while running) My g- Jessica! She's going to die in two days! She was bitten by a Rose Viper! TOWER (very loudly) That's unfortunate. That almost makes me want to let you escape. Zachary and Jeremy are at the first floor now, and headed for the BACK DOORS, which are seen to be slowly closing. Zachary and Jeremy make a last ditch effort to pick up their speed, and they leap outside onto the STONE BRIDGE OVER THE SEA as the door closes behind them. EXT. BRIDGE OVER THE SEA - SUNSET - FA The music stops. Zachary and Jeremy roll out onto the bridge, the doors closing just behind them. JEREMY (relieved) Whew! We made it! TOWER (indignant) Aw, c'mon! I *let* you get out! ZACHARY Um, let's just get out of here. Zachary and Jeremy pick themselves up and start to cross the beautiful stone bridge over the quietly churning sea. We can see the island they're headed to in the distance, and also the BEAUTIFUL SUNSET. ZACHARY That must have been one of the 'surprises' your father warned us about. JEREMY No doubt. They continue across the bridge, eventually reaching the island. The island is edged by sandstone cliffs, and covered with SPRUCE TREES and a few PATHS. I'm thinking of the cliffside path leading up to the real-life Abell's Cape (note the second 'l') - in Fortune, Prince Edward Island. I can't think of any metro-Halifax subsitute for such seaside wooded splendor and mystery, but I guess we'll have to make do. (Someday, I'll have to do a Prince Edward Island movie - that would just be too cool!) Anyway, the boys pick a path arbitarily and set out on it. ZACHARY (heading down said path) I guess this path is as good as any other. Cue music: "Field to Tomorrow" by Isao Mizoguchi (hey, it's our journeying theme!) Cut to a new scene. EXT. ABEL'S CAPE - SUNSET - FA Zachary and Jeremy are now walking quite close to the cliffs. We see them from many viewpoints, including below and behind and in front of them. They occaisionally have to part a BRANCH or two, but the path is reasonably clear, and they make good progress. At times, the path they are on comes to a sudden end where the CLIFFSIDE has completely fell away; in these cases, they backtrack a few steps and take another, inner, path. Oh yeah - BE CAREFUL, EVERYONE!! I don't want to have to dedicate this script to someone's memory, if you know what I mean. Stop the music for the next scene. EXT. ABEL'S CAPE FOREST - GROWING DARK - FA Our viewpoint is situated in the middle of a TINY CLEARING, next to a - well, you'll see in a minute. Zachary and Jeremy are walking on a path behind some trees. They round a corner and enter the clearing. We now see that in the middle of the clearing stands a BROKEN SUNDIAL (the acutal part that casts the shadow is missing). ZACHARY (in admiration) Wow. JEREMY My father said something about having to pass through here to get to the pond. ZACHARY Well, it's good we're on the right track. Maybe the pond is through the woods there- As Zachary steps past the sundial, a TRANSULCENT FIGURE appears standing atop of it, armed with a FIGHTING STAFF. Zachary and Jeremy draw their weapons and jump back, and the figure jumps down. It is female, wearing a black cloak and hood. FIGURE Hello. ZACHARY (somewhat scared) Uh... hi. FIGURE What is your business at Abel's Cape? ZACHARY We... we want to travel through the Forest Pond Gateway! (Jeremy nods vigorously) FIGURE You can't possibly want to go to- there. None return. ZACHARY Why not? Is it because they absolutely can't, or are they just unable to? FIGURE Not... absolutely. The area... is simply too distracting. If you want to make it in and out again, you must have a clear goal in your heart. Those who enter looking for riches never make it. Either something on the other side does them in... or I do. JEREMY Why would you want to kill them? (more pressingly) Or kill us? FIGURE (waves them off) Don't jump to conclusions; I haven't decided yet. But as to a why... well, it is my pond. ZACHARY How is it yours? FIGURE Well... sit down for a moment, and I'll tell you. Jeremy and Zachary stare at her, extremely skeptical. FIGURE Do not fear me now! I will not hurt you! (she drops her weapon on the forest floor to indicate this) Hesitantly, Zachary and Jeremy sit down. The figure sits down in front of them, and throws back her hood. She is beautiful, yet deadly. FIGURE Now let us speak to each other. My name is Anaceron. What are your names? ZACHARY I am Zachary, and he is- JEREMY (speaking up) Jeremy. ANACERON Ah. Well, you asked me a question and I shall answer it as best I can. (she smiles for a moment) Not many of the men who come here ask me questions. They usually try to fight me right away. You're different. I like that. Anyway, here is my story... EXT. ABEL'S CAPE CLIFFSIDE PATH - DAY - FLASHBACK - FA Through something of a mist effect, we are watching a silent flashback from Anaceron's memory. The music "Somber Memories" by Isao Mizoguchi plays in the background. Anaceron and a MAN are walking along the cliffside path towards our point of view. The man is equipped for battle with SHINING ARMOR and SWORD, as is Anaceron, who wears no black nor a hood, and of course a staff instead of a sword. ANACERON (voice-over) Several millenia ago, my love Abel and I were here seeking the Crown of the Mists. This crown was said to hold many powers, and so we came here to unearth it. EXT. ABEL'S CAPE FOREST CLEARING - DAY - FLASHBACK - FA Anaceron and Abel enter a CLEARING similar to the one that contains the sundial. They see a SMALL BOULDER resting in the middle of the clearing. Anaceron and Abel quickly fall to their knees in front of it, and start digging into the EARTH with their HANDS. ANACERON (voice-over) With the Crown, we hoped to restore my cousin, Mistress Alice, to Entherance's Throne. JEREMY (voice-over) The Kingdom of Entherance has been lost for centuries! My father told me stories about it. ANACERON (voice-over) Yes, and my cousin was to be the last of Celes' decendants to rule there. For when we found the Crown of the Mists... Anaceron and Abel suddenly stop digging, and they lift out a SMALL BOX. Anaceron anxiously opens the box, and removes the CROWN OF THE MISTS, a simple silver and gold headpiece with a crystal-sky-blue water droplet mounted in the front and center. She immeadiately places the crown on her head, and her body convulses with a sudden surge of power. She stands up, her clothes fluttering behind with the immense energy. Abel stares in wonder. ANACERON (voice-over) ... my sister's friends ambushed us. Many ARMED MEN suddenly leap out of the woods, and Anaceron and Abel barely manage to draw their weapons and defend themselves in time. Fighting breaks out. The men concentrate on Anaceron, but a few go after Abel. It is a desparate fight, and they are driven back. Anaceron, an incredible fighter to begin with, but now aided by the Crown of the Mists, does a remarkable job of defending herself, facing and slaying even three or four attakers at once. However, the sheer numbers of the armed men are quite depressing. There are probably hundreds of them. ANACERON (voice-over) How she was able to send so many men to this small island, I still do not know. My sister had fallen in love with my cousin Alice's archenemy - Leto. With Leto, she planned to overthrow Alice. Her armies became allied with Leto's, and she became unstopable. Our trek to retrieve the Crown was probably a fool's errand, but it was our only hope. It is clear by now that Anaceron and Abel are in serious trouble. They turn and run together to the cliffs. The minions follow close behind. At the open cliffside, they run onto another, less-used path that carries them back into some bush, and then the woods again. After a moment, they reach a place where the trees are older and larger, the brush sparser, and in the middle of a brown-needled clearing lies a POND, with some GRASSES and LILY-PADS. This pond somewhat connects to a STREAM, such that the water isn't stagnant and yucky. Anaceron (left in our POV facing the pond) and Abel (right) stop for a moment, wondering how to cross it. However, in their moment of hesitation, the men bear down behind them. The first to get to them reaches out and snatches Anaceron's crown right off her head. Anaceron, collecting her wits, turns around and gives the man's arm a good strike with her staff, probably breaking the arm. The hurting fellow lets go of the Crown, and it drops to the ground. ANACERON (voice-over) At a critical point in the battle, the Crown was lifted off my head. I reacted quickly, but I wasn't paying enough attention to my actions. Anaceron reaches for the Crown with her left arm, grabs it in mid-air, and swings her left arm back as hard as she can. Unfortunately, Abel is in the midst of making a lunge at yet another man who is attacking the distracted Anaceron. Anaceron stabs Abel in the chest with the Crown of the Mists. The crown disappears into Abel's armor, and blue waves emenate from the impact. Abel, stunned dead, falls back into the pond. The pond's surface then shines blue, and Abel disappears. Anaceron can't believe this, and neither can the many attackers. However, the fighting doesn't stall for long, and the man who Abel had tried to defend against gets a good strike at Anaceron. His sword pierces her clean through in the stomach, emerging from her back. Anaceron's head jerks back, her hair waving in the slight breeze. The man draws his sword back out of Anaceron's body in such a way that she also falls into the pond, though Anaceron, as a point of difference, is still slightly alive when her body splashes against the crystal-blue water. As she sinks beneath the surface, her body is surrounded by a blue shimmer. Fade out. The music stops. EXT. ABEL'S CAPE FOREST - GROWING DARK - FA ANACERON When Abel rushed forward to defend me, I accidently stabbed him with the Crown, which seemed to be absorbed into his body. He was killed instantly, and he fell into the pond, creating the Gateway. Then I myself was run through with a sword, and I fell into the pond. Somehow, I remained alive here, but I cannot leave this island. In my lover's honor, I named this area Abel's Cape. A few men over the years have wisely decided not to challenge me, and they are the ones who undoubtedly pass on more legends about this place. The last person to visit me was a strange man who said he came from a place called Northern Village. He came to me three times, but on his third visit I told him that if he was to set foot on this island again, I would kill him immeadiately. JEREMY That's my father! ANACERON (slightly annoyed) Really, now. I should have known. (normally) Anyway, I have told you my story, which I rarely have an opportunity to tell. It would please me to hear yours. ZACHARY My gi- A girl I like, Jessica, got bitten by a Rose Viper. I'm looking for a cure. Upon hearing this, Anaceron stands up and nearly strikes Zachary with her staff. She is *incredibly* angry, but she does pause before killing Zachary. ANACERON (seething in anger) You're just a boy. You probably don't know any better. ZACHARY (frightened) Why? What did I do? Anaceron drops her weapon once again and sits down. ANACERON (dimly) The Rose Viper only strikes women who are extremely unhappy in love. She was probably bitten due to your own inaction. ZACHARY So the legend is true... ANACERON (calmer now) Well, I've never been one to hold much faith in legends and myths I haven't seen firsthand. But yes, this 'legend,' as you put it, is quite 'true.' ZACHARY Then I must find a cure for Jessica! ANACERON (slightly angry again) *Cure* the Rose Viper Dream?! You are either the cruelest or most ignorant man I have ever known! Even if you *could* cure the venom, you'd be bringing Jessica out of- Ah, well I don't wish to elaborate so in front of younger ears. But you will have to profess your love for her right away if you manage to go through with this, otherwise you'll simply be cruel in awakening her. JEREMY Do you know if there's a cure beyond the Gateway? ANACERON I am slightly familiar with the nature of the world beyond, and I doubt that they even *have* Rose Vipers. But it is definitely worth a try. In all my existence I have never heard of a woman being awakened from the Rose Viper Dream, but if your intentions are good, I will support you in any way I can. You are quite welcome to use the Gateway for the purpose of healing your true love, but there is a slight problem. ZACHARY What is the problem? ANACERON The gate, to the best of my knowledge, provides no provision for returning. I may be exaggerating when I say that things in the other world do every traveler in, for I really have no way of knowing. But since no one has come back for so many years, I have come to that conclusion. As I have said, you may go through the Gateway, but you will not be able to return. I am sorry I could not help you. Have a safe journey home... (she begins to disappear) ZACHARY Wait! Anaceron returns. ZACHARY You *must* know of a way to get back! What's the point of a Gateway if it doesn't work both ways? ANACERON The point, indeed... ZACHARY What do you mean? ANACERON Unfortunately for me, there is a way for the gate to function 'both ways.' (she takes up her staff and stands) You will need to kill me, because I am linked to the Gateway. Zachary and Jeremy quickly stand, deeply alarmed. ANACERON (standing with her arms at her sides and eyes closed, slightly trembling) When I am killed, the Gateway will probably only exist for a short while longer, as the person who *is* the Gateway is dead; I am the one supplying the power. But when the Gateway disappears from here, I believe it will appear somewhere in the other world for a short time as a reflection of what it was doing here. This relfection, though, won't last long, because reflected power is weaker than real power. You'll have to act quickly. (she smiles) Oh, and as an added positive point... there'll be a lovely crown lying on the bottom of the pond when you return. ZACHARY (frightened) What do you want us to *do*? Run you through or something? ANACERON (eyes suddenly opening) Of course not! You must prove to me that I am ready to die! (arms herself, then points to Jeremy) You! Stand aside, this is this boy's love, and this boy's fight! (lunging at Zachary, *very* loudly) Rahhhhh... Bring up the music, "Boss Battle" by Isao Mizoguchi. Anaceron's staff strikes Zachary's staff, and for a second her eyes flutter in surprise. They whack at each other for a few moments, Zachary getting a few decent melees in, but Anaceron having the upper hand by far. Zachary will stumble three or four times and get up again; Anaceron will not falter once. The back-and-forth fighting goes on for a minute or two, until Anaceron gets a good hit to Zachary's stomach, knocking the wind out of Zachary as he falls to the ground. Our point of view switches to a close up of Zachary's frightened and sweaty face. He is going to die. But then we look up at Anaceron from Zachary's point of view, and her face suddenly changes from grim determination to a gentle sadness. ANACERON (very sadly) Love is, indeed, a very human thing. Zachary looks at her quizically, but before he can say anything Anaceron stands bolt upright, screams incredibly, then gives *herself* a *really* powerful knock from her fighting staff across her chest, probably breaking several ribs. The staff actually breaks in two with the impact. She collapses to the ground, quivering in pain. ZACHARY (sitting up, staring at Anaceron) Anaceron? ANACERON (gasping) <ah> You've... <ah> Go... <ah> Save your true love... <ah> hurry... <ah> I am not much longer for this world... <ah> Jeremy rushes up and grabs Zachary by the arm, taking him away from his enraptured stare. They race off into the woods. JEREMY (running) We need to find this Gateway before it disappears! Charging forth desparately and mindlessly, they eventually reach an area with older trees and thinner brush. Then they see the pond, which is still blue, but flickering, and they run towards it even faster. As they get close to the pond, we take a side-view of the action. Reaching the edge of solid ground, they dive in headfirst (Note to Mike: Yeah, that's probably too dangerous to do. Let's play it safe, okay?), and disappear beneath the surface. Then we take a shot from above the pond looking down. They've *completely* disappeared! EXT. ABEL'S CAPE END-OF-PATH CLIFFSIDE - AFTERGLOW - FA It is almost completely dark outside on the lonely Abel's Cape. Looking from behind, we watch as poor Anaceron slowly stumbles to the cliffedge. Wearing her cloak, she looks like a walking shadow. Reaching the edge, she dives. Fade out. INT. LION'S DEN PREMIERE ROOM - BEDFORD - NIGHT We've been so long in "Film Amateura" that people have probably forgotten that it was a film within a film. This quiet scene with little camera movement in Bedford's Lion's Den will probably jar the audience considerably, so play that up a little. The room is in relative disarray, and it looks like it is being used as a meeting place for MIKE'S CREW. However, the only people in the room at the moment are William, Michael, and the actor playing Zachary, who is not in costume. Zachary is seated off to the side, while William and Michael are standing up in the middle of the room, having a brief chat. WILLIAM Man, was that ever a hard day's shooting! MICHAEL Yes, and the worst is yet to come, what with these adventures in the other dimension to find the antivenin. WILLIAM Oh... (recovering) oh, yeah, of course. Uh... I thought we filmed that part three days ago. MICHAEL Uh, no. We didn't. WILLIAM (akwardly) Heh! Yeah! You're right! Let me go get my script... William softly runs out of the room, leaving Michael and Zachary. Zachary then stands up and stretches. ZACHARY I've got to go take a leak. I'll be back in a second. Michael nods, and Zachary departs. Michael remains in the middle of the room, staring at the projection screen. After a moment, a loud crashing noise is heard from a room behind that wall. Michael, startled, runs to the door of that room to investigate, but someone on the other side opens the door for him. When that person emerges, we see that it is just Zachary. In costume. MICHAEL (relieved) Oh, it's just you, <name of actor playing Zachary>! But why did you get into your costume? We're finished shooting for today. Zachary walks further into the room, extremely confused. ZACHARY Where am I? MICHAEL Come again? Suddenly, some more crashing is heard. Jeremy then walks out of the same room. He is also in costume. JEREMY What is this place? William comes back into the room, carrying the script. WILLIAM Oh, there's <name of actor playing Zachary> and <name of actor playing Jeremy> in costume. (to Mike) I thought we were finished for tonight. MICHAEL And I thought <name of actor playing Zachary> was in the bathroom. To break up this scene, Zachary comes walking onto the scene- Wait a moment. Let's bring in a note of clairification. Is what you think is happening actually going on? Probably yes. Anyway, from this point forward, we will need to differentiate the actors from the characters, so to speak. Zachary, for instance, is simply Zachary, but when I need to call up the actor playing him, I'll call him <Zachary>. So anytime you see the greater-than or less-than symbols, you'll know that I'm referring to the real name of the actor who plays said character in the actual "Film Amateura." Say, for instance, an actress named Aidrienne Junek was playing the part of Anaceron. If I write <Anaceron>, I really mean "Aidrienne." If I write <Anaceron-L>, I mean "Junek," and an -FL means "Aidrienne Junek." Alright, now back to the script. To break up this scene, <Zachary> comes walking onto the scene, stretching out his arms. <ZACHARY> Man, did I ever have to go! I had to piss like a- <Zachary> suddenly sees Zachary, and he jumps, as does Zachary when he sees <Zachary>. ZACHARY (scared) Who are you? WILLIAM Oh no. <ZACHARY> Uh... my name's <Zachary>. You're wearing my costume. ZACHARY Costume? These are my clothes. I have journeyed here from another world. I am looking for some Rose Viper antivenin to awaken my true love from the Rose Viper Dream. MICHAEL Forgive me if I'm wrong, but that sounds a lot like our movie. WILLIAM (slightly distressed) It *is* our movie. JEREMY What's a 'movie'? WILLIAM (leaning towards Jeremy) Uh... a moving picture. In this world we have a way to capture images one after the other really fast, and if you set up a light and project them again really fast, it looks as though the people in the pictures are moving. JEREMY Wow! And you have one? WILLIAM We're making one. It's about you. ZACHARY About Jeremy? WILLIAM No, about both of you. All of you. (he sighs) I was afraid this might happen. You two are characters in a movie I have written, but now you've come to life, strangely enough. ZACHARY I - I don't understand this stuff! All I want is the antivenin! Do any of you know where I can find it? WILLIAM I'm sorry, but Anaceron was right. There are no Rose Vipers here. ZACHARY Well then, I'm going back- WILLIAM Wait! I'm sure we can think of something if you hang around here for a bit! The Gateway won't close until this time tomorrow night! I wrote the movie, so I know that for sure! ZACHARY Really? Well, I guess it's our only hope. What do you think, Jeremy? JEREMY Sounds good to me. (to Mike) Do I have a twin too? MICHAEL You should. I think he's gone home, though. JEREMY Wow! MICHAEL Will, I have just one question. Why did this happen? WILLIAM (scared) Well... I, uh, well... you see... Suddenly though, William is off the hook, because there is another loud noise, this time in the room behind them. Everyone races into said room. INT. LION'S DEN RECEPTION AREA - BEDFORD - NIGHT The gang of William, Michael, Jeremy, Zachary, and <Zachary> rushes into the reception room in front of the video room. Connor MacKenzie and his girlfriend JANICE TOWNSEND are standing in the middle of the room, startled by something at the window. NOTE: Janice played a character named Adia Lockheart in Michael Fox's movie "Cronica." Suddenly, the window smashes open, and AARDVARK GROSSER (a villian from "Cronica") leaps inside. MICHAEL Joey! Glad you could join us! Instead of acknowledging Mike, however, Aardvark simply pulls a KNIFE and makes a lunge at poor Janice, probably thinking she is Adia. JANICE (slightly screaming) Aiee! Connor and Janice run to a corner of the room, trying to get away from Aardvark. William and Mike get into Aardvark's way. He knocks them over and continues his mindless pursuit of Adia. WILLIAM (in pain) You know... if Jeremy and Zachary came here from "Film Amateura," then it's possible that this is Aardvark Grosser from "Cronica," and he thinks that Janice here is actually "Adia," the character she played in that film who was Grosser's arch-nemisis. MICHAEL (in pain) Yeah, that sounds about right. JANICE (pleading) I'm *not* Adia Lockheart! I just played her in the movie! AARDVARK *Movie*?!?! *What* movie?! MICHAEL Cronica! AARDVARK (suprised) The Cronica still exists? (he then abandons Janice and rushes up to Mike, where he puts his knife to Mike's neck) Where is it?! The Cronica, where is it?! MICHAEL I *told* you... Cronica was just a movie! While Aardvark is absorbed with Mike, Connor rushes up and gives Aardvark a good kick in the head, knocking him out. Together, everyone drags him to the window and throws him back outside, sans the knife, which Connor keeps for himself. CONNOR What's going on? WILLIAM I think the characters from all of Mike's movies are coming to life. JANICE But Aardvark was killed in "Cronica!" Why is he still here? MICHAEL Yeah, that *is* weird. WILLIAM I hope that not *all* your characters are coming to life. You've made a lot of films over the years. JANICE Well, the only ones we'd really need to worry about are the villians from each movie. MICHAEL Yeah, and they still have to be able to find us. I think Grosser was just lucky. CONNOR (to Mike) If any of your other characters came into the real world, where would they be? WILLIAM (suddenly realizing something) Oh no! Joe! INT. MIKE'S VAN - DRIVING FROM HOLLAND AVENUE TO PERTH STREET - BEDFORD - NIGHT It's a race against time to arrive at Joe Chisolm's house before something terrible happens to him! Inside the van, we have William Matheson, of all people, driving because he knows the way and it is an emergency. Mike is in the passenger seat. In the middle bench are Janice on the left and Connor on the right. On the rear bench, we have Zachary, Jeremy, and then <Zachary>. The camera is lodged directly between the front "Captain's Chairs." JEREMY (from the rear) This is amazing! Look at all of these lights! CONNOR (to William) So let me get this straight. You think that Joe's in trouble because he played Theadore in "The Artifact?" JANICE I read about that. Wasn't Theadore the botched clone character from "Sages of Time?" WILLIAM (half-aware, driving) Yes... well... I've just got this awful hunch, and we'll see if I'm right when we arrive. MICHAEL (bitterly) The gas is on you. WILLIAM Yes, of course. EXT. PERTH STREET - BEDFORD - NIGHT Outside JOE CHISOLM'S HOUSE (#27), Mike's Van comes to a halt on the curb. From the house, we hear screaming. So that we can see better, we'll be sure to call Joe ahead of time and ask him to turn the outside lights on for us. WILLIAM (running to the door) Run! Inside! Let's go! Everyone runs up to the door. ZACHARY This is just one person's *house*?! WILLIAM (making up a story) Uh... they're the Chisolms. They probably have mob connections or something. William rings the doorbell. CONNOR So how was Theadore handled in "The Artifact?" WILLIAM Well he ended up destroying the high school that he was attending because another character Meghan, a Master Psionic, saw that he was going to and made his life really miserable. Sort of a manifest destiny thing. Anyway, they both got zapped into nothing in the end, because they were both inside the school when it was destroyed. And he turned out to be a telepath too, so we'll just have to see... Joe's GRANDMOTHER answers the door. WILLIAM Hi, is Joe around? GRANDMA CHISOLM Sorry, you've got the wrong door. Joeseph and his family are over there. WILLIAM (apolegetically) Whoops. My fault. I'm very sorry to disturb you. Uh... later! Joe's grandmother shuts the door, and the party moves around the house to an alternate entrance. JANICE Poor Joe! I almost think we're abusing him. William is too afraid to acknowledge that remark, so instead he rings the other doorbell. The screaming becomes louder. There is no response at the door. GRANDMA CHISOLM (knocking from an upstairs window) I think his parents have gone out! WILLIAM (looking up) I think he's in trouble! Is it alright if we come inside for a moment? GRANDMA CHISOLM (through the window) That should be alright, just be sure to leave if he asks you to. WILLIAM (up) Alright. (level) Okay, let's go inside. William opens the door and cautiously steps inside, followed by the rest of the party. The sounds of screaming are now even louder. INT. SOMEWHERE INSIDE JOE'S HOUSE - NIGHT Since I haven't seen the inside of Joe's house yet, we'll leave the choreography to be done "on the fly." But frantic camera movement will probably make the scene even funnier. Anyhow, we somehow see poor Joe (hatless) zip right past us, followed closely by Charlotte Jewer. CHARLOTTE (deranged) Theadore! We're finally out of the Singularity! Now we can take over the world! JOE (aggravated) Aaaaarrrggghhh! For the hundredth time, I'm *not* Theadore! I am Joe Chisolm, the actor who played him! WILLIAM Uh-oh, that must be Meghan, not Charlotte. NOTE: Charlotte Jewer played "Meghan" in "William Matheson's 'The Artifact.'" Meghan finally catches up to Joe and pins him squarely against the wall. MEGHAN What are you talking about? (she runs her fingers through his hair - Joe shudders) Your hair is even exactly the same length! My Theadore hasn't had a haircut since he destoryed CPA by smashing "The Artifact!" JOE (pausing, calmly, intoned) You know, I hadn't thought of that. (to himself) Damn, I wish Chad Branton hadn't stolen my hat! NOTE: The real Joe Chisolm did not have have a haircut between the filming of "The Artifact" and "Film Amateura." That is a period of over one year. His hair is very, very long. The hat he refers to is his trademark black fedora, which he took to wearing during the school year leading up to "Film Amateura." I have decided that it would be better for him not to wear it during this scene because then Meghan wouldn't recognize "Theadore" as easily. CONNOR The Artifact caused people to view their soulmates holographically, right? WILLIAM Correct. But Meghan and Joe didn't see anything because they were each other's. It was really hilarious in the movie. JOE (overhearing, then noticing Mike and Will) Well that was the movie, and this is real life! (to William) What is going *on?!* WILLIAM Well we're sort of having a problem with all the characters from Mike's movies coming to life. MICHAEL Yeah, it's like I don't even need *actors* anymore. MEGHAN Actors? What are you talking about? I am here for one thing, and one thing only: (very loud) I want my Theadore!! JOE (answering back in the same tone) And I want my life back! WILLIAM But if she was really a psionic, then wouldn't she know that she was a movie character that came to life? Joe, can you tell if she's in your head? Meghan suddenly looks around for a moment, then her expression saddens. MEGHAN (sadly) Oh no... I really *am* a movie character! But... She looks around again, and then up at William. Instantly, a look of realization comes across her face. MEGHAN (deeply, sharply, realizing something) *You!* You're the one that's *behind* this whole mess! Of course! It all makes sense! (*VERY* loud) THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, WILLIAM!!! WILLIAM Uh-oh. William runs away, and Meghan chases after him. They disappear deeper into the house. Now we here the sounds of William screaming instead of Joe. JANICE (to Mike) How would it be *his* fault? MICHAEL (shruging his shoulders) I dunno. JOE (darkly) Well at least Will's getting his just desserts now. MICHAEL (rolls his eyes when thinking about William's general idiocy) Amen to that. ZACHARY There's something I don't understand. You say that we're not real, but I still *feel* that I'm real. I'm still in love with Jessica... or at least I think I am. And what about everything I've ever known... Saleen Village, or Anaceron? Do we even exist? JANICE (sweetly) But you must exist! Think about it, would we be having to deal with the problems that we are dealing with now if you weren't real? ZACHARY (thoughtfully) I suppose not. Thank you. (to Mike) Well, pardon me, but since everything is real shouldn't we be either solving the problems with the characters in your stories or finding something to help Jessica? MICHAEL Yeah, you're right. Let's get out of here. (to Joe) Hey, Joe, you wanna come with us? JOE Thanks, but I'd rather not. It's late, and I need to get back to my meditations. MICHAEL Okay, suit yourself. Michael and most of the others head for the door. Jeremy pauses. JEREMY What about that William fellow? Shouldn't we wait for him? MICHAEL Oh, he'll catch up with us. Let's roll. Michael and the party (sans Joe, William, and Meghan) head out to the van and get inside. They drive off into the night. Fade out. INT. MIKE'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - MORNING It's the next morning, and Mike is sitting at the kitchen table in his house having breakfast. There is a knock at the door. MICHAEL (calling loudly) Come in! The creaking noise of the front doors opening and closing are heard, then the sounds of footsteps plodding slowly towards the kitchen. William walks into the kitchen. He is wearing the same clothes he had on the previous night, which are disheveled, slightly dirty, and torn now. His hair is messed up, and he looks like he's been up all night. MICHAEL Oh, hey Will. How are you doing? WILLIAM Ah... well not *great*. Where is everyone? MICHAEL Oh, I drove them home last night. WILLIAM Oh. (aprehensively) Listen, can I get something to eat if it's not too much trouble? MICHAEL Oh, go ahead. William heads to the cupboards and starts looking for breakfast cereal, a bowl, etc.. MICHAEL How'd things go with Meghan? WILLIAM (looking for milk in the fridge) Well I shook her off eventually... though I don't think I'm in the clear just yet. I mean, she could be in my head right now for all I know. (frustrated) You know, she just wanted to have sex with *Joe*, but she wants to *kill* me. (sighs) Things were more difficult. MICHAEL Wow. By the way, you still owe me for last night's gas. WILLIAM (walking over, reaching into his wallet, paying Mike with a $5) Oh yeah, here. MICHAEL What about the food you're eating? William forks over another $5. MICHAEL That's better. William goes and fetches his spartan breakfast of Bran Flakes and milk and brings it to the table. He then sits down and begins to eat across from Mike. MICHAEL So, have you figured out what's going on yet? WILLIAM (slightly annoyed) What do you take me for? some sort of genius who can figure everything out for you? MICHAEL Well, yeah. WILLIAM Argh. Okay, well while I was running around all night, I was doing some thinking. First, I was wishing that *I* was the failed William Matheson clone from "Sages of Time" that Charlotte Jewer's likeness wanted to have sex with. But it wasn't so much for the sex as it was that she would be less likely to kill me. MICHAEL By the way, why was *your* clone defective? Why did the rest of the clones work out alright? And how come you never wrote about me or Michaell Fox? WILLIAM Well, the Theadore concept was cool and I didn't know you! Eh... I had a lot of silly things going through my mind back then. Hmm... maybe I should finish the series sometime. But anyway, like I was saying, I was doing some thinking, and I think I've figured out what may have gone wrong. MICHAEL What? WILLIAM I think there is a "hole" in one of your scripts. MICHAEL A hole? You mean like a plot hole? WILLIAM Oh, no, of course not! Mike, there are plot holes in most of your movies that you could drive a Freightliner through! No, I'm just talking about plain unfinished business. MICHAEL (intrigued) How's that work? WILLIAM Well right now we have to accept the fact that your characters are real. Assuming this, let's also assume that one of your characters unleashed this whole curse upon us because you didn't kill him off in the movie. He or she would probably have to be very powerful... hmm... well the FBRT Comm Officer in "The Artifact" sure was, but I can't see her doing this to us. And besides, *I* wrote her, and not you, and she's dead anyway. Maybe... MICHAEL What about Rainus from the Zelda movies? WILLIAM (brighter) He'd work. (down again) But you killed him off in "The Hyrulean Adventure." MICHAEL Yeah, but I killed off Aardvark Grosser in "Cronica," but he still showed up! WILLIAM Hmm... you're right. Okay, so we'll forget about death. Maybe we should just look at the movie. INT. MIKE'S BASEMENT - MORNING Michael and William are seated on the floor watching "The Hyrulean Adventure" through a small television set. They are watching the scene of battle between Link (Tim Conway) and Rainus' second form (Ryan Cox). WILLIAM This guy is awesome. Where'd you dig him up? MICHAEL (deadpan) Drama class. WILLIAM (after a moment) Well, this bit where Rainus' second form is killed is okay. He's definitely *gone*... Maybe we should look at somebody else. MICHAEL Perhaps. But I'm tired of this. I'm going back over to the Lion's Den. We need to get back to shooting this movie of yours. WILLIAM (scared) Uh... right. Yeah, let's go. They turn off the TV and VCR, then get up and leave. INT. LION'S DEN PREMIERE ROOM - MORNING William and Mike walk in to gather up some equipment. Behind them, Janice walks in. JANICE William, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to seeing the second part of this film! WILLIAM Neither can I. JANICE Ha-ha! Anyway, I think everyone'll be here soon. We just need to wait for a few minutes. (to Mike) Did you figure out why people were coming out of your movies yet? MICHAEL No. At that moment, CRAIG ANNAND, a famed "Michael Fox film" producer, walks into the room. CRAIG I heard you were having some problems. MICHAEL Sort of. Over the next few moments, everyone we can get our hands on enters the room. MICHAEL Okay, we've got everyone we need. Let's go. Suddenly, though, SIMON (Steve Yorke) and THE ROSE (Adam Maher) from "Death's Apprentice" enter the room. THE ROSE Hey, I thought we were dead. MICHAEL You are. THE ROSE Hey! It's Fredrick! Death's Apprentice! MICHAEL Uh, no... actually, I just made and acted in that film... You guys were *characters* in "Death's Apprentice." THE ROSE Hey! We're not characters in some stupid move! You were there! You brought Dallas back! MICHAEL Yes, but it was a *MOVIE*! See all our filming gear? You're now in the White Lance Studios. SIMON (in a funky affected accent) Hmm... wait! I have my accent back! (hugs Michael) Thank you! THE ROSE This isn't real, is it? MICHAEL I'm afraid so. But you guys are good in a fight, so you could help us out, right? SIMON I don't see why we couldn't. MICHAEL Great, then let's head off to the set- Suddenly, a WHOLE BUNCH OF VILLAINS FROM VIRTUALLY EVERY MICHAEL FOX FILM appear, led by RAINUS in his second form (Ryan Cox). AARDVARK We're going to kill (points at Mike) - him! He put us into this mess by making these movies! RAINUS SECOND FORM Attack!! MICHAEL (scared) No, wait- MEGHAN You're going about it all wrong, Rainus! He's not the real problem- Then, ZACHARY and JEREMY return. ZACHARY (drawing staff) Fox, we fight with you! JEREMY (drawing sword) Yeah! Cue music "Hiro's Fight," by Isao Mizoguchi. Fighting ensues, a lot of it between characters and their real-life counterparts. Since there are so many of these people, I'll just let Mike handle the messy details of the match-ups, and I'll stick with the story. After a second, William conspicuously runs off. MICHAEL (over the din) I always knew he was a coward! INT. LION'S DEN RECEPTION AREA - MORNING Our point of view is facing the door to the premiere room, which William runs out of at full speed. As he passes by our point of view, the music fades. EXT. PANORAMA LANE - BEDFORD - MID-MORNING William runs down onto this street (running downhill from Douglas Drive) as fast as he can. He rounds the corner and approaches THE STRONG HOUSEHOLD. As we watch from a side angle from the street, William runs up and knocks on the door. COREY (inside, muffled) Hold on a minute! William stands outside, impatient. After a moment, our point of view is a close-up on the door. Corey opens it. COREY (instantly) Oh, it's you. Go away. Without skipping a beat, he slams the door in William's face. Then our point of view changes back to a side angle. WILLIAM (shouting to the house) But wait! Mike and the others are in trouble! They're fighting their characters from all of Mike's movies, and you must be able to do something! You *wrote* most of those movies! COREY (inside, muffled) I don't give a crap about those stupid movies anymore! WILLIAM (shouting to the house) But that doesn't matter anymore! They're in real danger! COREY (inside, muffled) Your point? JEREMY (inside, muffled) Oh, just let him in!! We hear the sound of feet approaching the door again. It opens. COREY Alright, you can come in. But if you touch any of my stuff, I'll kill you. WILLIAM (accepting this) Fair enough. INT. STRONG HOUSEHOLD - KITCHEN - DAY William and Corey reach the kitchen, then they lean against the counters facing each other with cold stares. COREY So, loser, what's your problem? Why do you need me? WILLIAM Well, I was wondering if there was a problem with one of the scripts you wrote. You see, Rainus came back to the Lion's Den followed by a whole bunch of bad guys from Mike's other movies. I was thinking that if there was a problem in either the script or the movie, he could come back to haunt us since he was a bit of a sorcerer. COREY Hmm... well, I don't believe it, but I guess I'll humour you this time. Let's go check out my computer. If you touch it, I'll kill you. WILLIAM Of course. INT. COREY'S DOWNSTAIRS STUDY - DAY Corey sits down in front of his computer and calls up a folder or Program Group labeled "Movies." He selects "The Hyrulean Adventure" from a long list. They look at the text file, which ends with Link still battling Rainus' second form. WILLIAM (looking over, desparately careful not to lay his fingers upon anything in the room) That's *it*? Where's the rest of the script? COREY (confused) Didn't I write an ending? I'm pretty *sure* that I did... WILLIAM Well if *he's* not dead, anything can happen! COREY Yeah... I basically gave him the power to change forms at will, raise the dead... WILLIAM That explains Grosser and some of the others. COREY This is bad. I'll have to find the ending and put this script back together. He must have taken advantage of the effects related to that portal you used in "Film Amateura." WILLIAM (nervously) Yeah... I wonder how he did that... COREY Anyway, this was probably just a disk error. We'll fix it and go back to the Lion's Den. WILLIAM Sounds good to me... INT. LION'S DEN PREMIERE ROOM - DAY Bring back "Hiro's Fight." The fighting continues, but the evil movie characters look to be winning. Many of the real-life actors have been knocked unconcious, or perhaps they have been wounded. MICHAEL (scared) We're dead! ZACHARY (determined) Of course not. I think we can remove this "Rainus" if we set our minds to it. We'll jump him together. MICHAEL (scared) Uh, right. As they prepare their suicidal assault, Corey and William enter the room and take up a position standing on a table (or better yet, looking down from a balcony on the action if there is a balcony). Corey is holding two thick stacks of paper together and a stapler. WILLIAM (enthusiastic) We've got it! COREY (triumphantly) I have here the completed script to "The Hyrulean Adventure!" Magestically, Corey staples the two halves together. The enemies* instantly fade, leaving only the 'good guys,' plus Meghan. * People who fade: Grosser, Rainus, Drake, Ostaz, Murray, Old Man MacEachern. The only non-enemies who fade are Simon and The Rose. Basically, if you were dead, you're gone. Therefore, Meghan is left behind as the only remaining enemy. Everyone else stays, because their characters were alive when they 'came over.' RAINUS SECOND FORM (while fading into nothing) Nooo!... WILLIAM We did it! We sent all the dead people back to their movies! By sending Rainus back, everything he did is now undone! MEGHAN Hmm... it's almost as if William here is trying to redeem himself. WILLIAM (quick, nervous, trying to change the subject) No, Corey did all the work! MICHAEL Redeem himself from what? WILLIAM I don't know what she's talking about. MEGHAN Of course you know what I'm talking about! You just- ZACHARY Everyone! Please! Please be quiet! WILLIAM Sure. MICHAEL (to William) Shut up. (to Zachary) Okay, it looks like we're in the clear. Now we just need find a cure for Jessica's ailment. COREY Not so fast, losers. ALL BUT COREY (looking up to Corey) Huh? COREY You've *forgotten* about me! After all I went through to recover the ending of "The Hyrulean Adventure" and save all your rotten lives, you don't even thank me! MICHAEL Corey, we- COREY (to Mike) Silence! I don't want to hear another word from you! I basically *launched* your whole filmmaking carrer! Without me, you'd be *nothing*! MICHAEL Of course, and I thank you, but- COREY Shut up! (with a triumphant sort of evil menace) Now you shall all witness the power I wield over your miserable souls! CONNOR Aw, come on! What can you possibly do- COREY (ignoring him) Behold! (he unveils a LARGE SCRIPT entitled "FILM CIZ ORY") I present to you "Film Ciz Ory!" As of now, it relegates "Film Amateura" to the trash heap! See ya, suckers! Corey disappears in a flash. That being done, the room that Our Heroes (plus Meghan) are standing in changes to the inside of a dark, dilapidated STONE HOUSE with one window. INT. ABANDONED HOUSE - CORELLA VILLAGE - DAY Corella Village is somewhat 'greener' than the Saleen or Northern villages and surrounded by deciduous trees and tall mountains. It is largely an agricultural settlement, where most villagers can be seen working on their gardens. MICHAEL What just happened? WILLIAM It appears we are now in Corey's movie. ZACHARY (optomistically) Maybe the Rose Viper antivenin is here! WILLIAM You know, it just might be here. Corey can write whatever he wants into this world, so he might have created antivenin to tantalize us. I guess that's our only hope now. JANICE Let's go look around this place. MICHAEL Okay, but stick together. I don't want any of us to get lost in here. MEGHAN Not a chance. I can keep track of all of you. Everyone looks at Meghan. MICHAEL Why are you still with us? MEGHAN What, and miss a chance to see this guy (indicating William) look like an idiot? I'm staying with you guys until this is over! William sort of sighs. Everyone walks out of the house and into the village. EXT. CORELLA VILLAGE - DAY ZACHARY We need to find out where we are. Zachary walks up to a FARMER tending a small garden patch in front of his house. ZACHARY Excuse me, sir! The farmer turns around. He looks just like Ryan Cox. FARMER RYAN Yes? MICHAEL Ryan? FARMER RYAN Ryan? Who is Ryan? I am Joeseph. ZACHARY Sir, we wish to inquire as to our whereabouts. RYAN/JOESEPH Your whereabouts? You from away? MICHAEL You might say that. RYAN/JOESEPH Well you've wandered into Corella Village, good people. We're the closest Liosa settlement to the Nisa border frontier. ZACHARY Liosa? Nisa? Those lands are across the Earth from my homeland! There's no way I can get back to Jessica in time now! WILLIAM As I see it, you're probably lucky to have wound up back in the same world. JEREMY But I don't remember Liosa or Nisa ever having a frontier. Are you at war? RYAN/JOESEPH Unfortunately, yes. Fortunately, this region in the mountains is far away from the battle on the plains. ZACHARY Why is there fighting? Liosa and Nisa have been at peace for generations! RYAN/JOESEPH There is a new leader in Nisa. His name is Ory of House Ciz. WILLIAM Oh no! Corey wrote *himself* into Film Amateura! This is *my* movie, not his!! RYAN/JOESEPH Come again? What is a 'movie?' MICHAEL (hastily) Uh, you don't want to know. Thanks for helping us. RYAN/JOESEPH Any time, good sir. Michael and the others leave the immeadiate vicinity. WILLIAM Now that Corey's running a whole country, there's no telling what he could do to us. MEGHAN Honestly, William, I think he doesn't care... unless we try to get in his way. MICHAEL Yes! Let's get in his way! JEREMY How? MICHAEL I dunno. Let's make William think of something. MEGHAN That's a great idea. William, go into that house we were just in and think of something, or I'll break your mind to me forever. WILLIAM Uh... MEGHAN I'd torture you, you idiot. Now get in there. William rushes inside the abandoned house. Everyone else breathes a slight sigh of relief. MICHAEL Thanks for getting rid of him. MEGHAN Don't mention it. JANICE I don't know why you're so cruel to him. He created the character that you're living as. MEGHAN Shut up. Fade out. INT. NISO TOWER GREAT HALL - DAY The Great Hall of Niso Tower is a large, dark, empty hall that is quite 'blue' - there is a narrow blue carpet leading through the darkness from the stairs to the throne, and blue curtains hanging from the ceiling. There is little ornamentation. Corey is seated on a THRONE, dressed in a MAJESTIC ROYAL ROBE and wearing a nifty GOLDEN CROWN. Tucked beside him in his seat is the "Film Ciz Ory" script. At this moment, he has a ORNATE GOLDER SCEPTER in his hand, and he strikes the stone floor of the huge hall with it twice. COREY (loudly, while striking the floor) Quaselo! Get in here! (quitely, to himself) Now those losers shall regret the day Mike stopped making Zelda movies! QUASELO enters the room. He looks just like Adam Maher, but dressed up for this locale. COREY Have the party of strange-dressed people arrived in Liosa yet? ADAM/QUASELO Yes, they have, your majesty. Our scouts have sighted a group of the people you have described in Corella Village. Shall we eliminate them? COREY No. Let them come to us. In fact, as far as everyone else in Liosa besides myself, you, and the scouting network is concerned, we don't even know they've reached this continent. ADAM/QUASELO But our people at the borders could be hurt if they are not warned- COREY Silence! Do as you're told and keep this information to yourself. ADAM/QUASELO (gulping) Yes, sir. Adam/Quaselo leaves the Hall. Corey is now alone. COREY (quietly, to himself) Now... now you shall all know the true meaning of revenge. Fade out. INT. ABANDONED HOUSE - CORELLA VILLAGE - DAY William is seated at a table with his head in his hands. Suddenly, he comes up with an idea, as indicated by his sudden change in demeanor. Still, he does not say anything, even to himself. He runs outside to meet the others... EXT. CORELLA VILLAGE - DAY ... but after a quick glance around, he sees no one else besides Meghan. She is standing in the shade beside the door, tapping her foot. MEGHAN (staring, indignant) That idea sucks! WILLIAM I don't think we can do any better. MEGHAN (sighing) I suppose not. (looking at William) Your punishment will come in its time. I'll round up the others. Meghan closes her eyes, then opens them again. After a few seconds, everyone else comes running in from different parts of the village. MICHAEL (to Meghan) Well, what did Will think of? MEGHAN All he knows to do is to try and reach Corey. ZACHARY That could take days! The Niso Tower in Nisa is nearly three hundred kilometres from here! JEREMY What we really need is some sort of a shortcut. MEGHAN Well, he sort of has one. What he's going to do is this - he'll write one addition to Film Ciz Ory from here. WILLIAM I think I can do that, because from what I can tell, Corey mostly just took *my* script and re-titled it. MICHAEL Well, that's great then. William, send us home. MEGHAN He can't do that. MICHAEL Why not? MEGHAN Corey would notice that his script is changing before we could finish. You think that he's not watching it like a hawk? For a moment, we take a cloudy fade back to a scene looking over Corey's shoulder while he is seated on his throne in the Great Hall of Niso Tower. He is flipping through the pages, carefully checking to make sure everything is in place. Then we fade back to Corella. MEGHAN If we're going to change the story while he's still in action, we need to make a very small change, like moving us all to the tower. That would only require one or two lines. If we write in a way to leave this place, he'll probably notice our disappearance from the end of the script. MICHAEL I never thought of that. So now William's going to move us all to the tower? WILLIAM Correct. Let me get back to work. I'll have us there in no time. ZACHARY Maybe the cure is up there to! I know I'm back in my own world again, but maybe he brought it here with him! JEREMY Maybe. We'll just have to hope. MEGHAN Alright, William. Back to work. William retreats back into the abandoned house. INT. ABANDONED HOUSE - EARLY EVENING The sun and sky have turned to a beautiful golden color in this lovely Corella evening. William is seated at the same table as he was before, scribbling some text onto a few crinkled sheets of ruled loose-leaf paper with a blue-ink pen. WILLIAM (to himself) Okay... I think this will slip in rather seamlessly. Let me just add the proper title... He is interrupted by a knock at the door frame. WILLIAM (to the door, looking to see who it is) Come in! Ryan/Joeseph walks inside, carrying a GLASS OF WATER. WILLIAM Oh, hello sir Joeseph! RYAN/JOESEPH Hello. I thought you might want some water. WILLIAM (eagerly) Thank you! William recieves the water and drinks it down speedily. WILLIAM (relieved) Whew! I needed that! Thank you! RYAN/JOESEPH You are welcome, sir. I have heard that you and your friends are about to embark upon a heroic journey. WILLIAM Well, there's not so much the embarking as the getting there. As soon as I put the right title on this script, we'll all find ourselves at the base of Niso Tower in the Kingdom of Nisa. RYAN/JOESEPH Pardon me, but if it's Ory of House Ciz that you're after, why not just send yourselves directly to the Great Hall? WILLIAM Well, I don't know what floor it's on. Do you? Ryan/Joeseph shakes his head in a negative. WILLIAM Exactly. I might end up rewriting the tower just to get us in there, and he'd *definitely* notice that. This way is much safer. RYAN/JOESEPH I see your point, good sir. (he takes his glass back) It has been a pleasure to meet all of you. WILLIAM My pleasure to meet you and see this beautiful village. Thank you for your help and information. RYAN/JOESEPH Again, my pleasure. (breathes) Well, if you'll excuse me, I must be off to my fields before nightfall. Good luck. WILLIAM You too. Ryan/Joeseph nods, William does the same, then Ryan/Joeseph leaves. WILLIAM (quietly, to himself) Hmm... if Ryan Cox is here, I wonder if anything else has changed. Oh well. Just as William is about to put his pen to the top of the page, running and a shout are heard from outside. FEMALE VOICE Wait! William quickly puts aside the pen and paper. The woman runs inside. She is wearing a black cloak. She is Anaceron, and very slightly out of breath. (Note to Mike: She has no staff; it broke back at Abel's Cape, remember?) WILLIAM Anaceron? ANACERON How do you know who I am? WILLIAM You were in- oh, forget it. It's a pleasure to meet you. What brings you here? ANACERON If you are going to combat the forces of House Ciz, you must bring me with you! WILLIAM Uh... who told you we- who said I was going to Nisa at all? ANACERON A young man out there - Michael. WILLIAM Oh. Why are you joining us? What about the Gateway at Abel's Cape? ANACERON I sent two young boys through it, then I died. WILLIAM (deeply) Oh. (pauses) Then how are you here? ANACERON I don't know! I just woke up to find myself here in the mountains of Entherance, my ancestral kingdom! WILLIAM I think it's been divided up into six or seven countries - plus some uninhabited parts - since then. ANACERON (sighing) I know. But perhaps if I can eliminate the evil from Nisa, maybe someday Entherance will rise again. (she clenches her fist against her heart) The spirit of my cousin Mistress Alice lives on in my heart. I am ready to eliminate Ory and all of House Ciz forever. WILLIAM That's our goal too. Plus, we're looking for some Rose Viper antivenin. ANACERON (shocked) *You*! You miserable piece of male swine! I thought that- WILLIAM (quickly) No, no, it's not for my gir- I don't even have a girlfriend. ANACERON (loud, hysteric) Neither does the boy I've sent through the Gateway! WILLIAM Well my situation is different! Besides, the antivenin is for Zachary's lady love, Jessica. ANACERON (calmed, but increduously excited) Zachary?! (brighter) Zachary's with you? WILLIAM Yep. He came into our little world. Then we came here. ANACERON Amazing! So we really are characters in a Great Story! WILLIAM (brightly, smiling) I guess you could say that. ANACERON Then let us be on with the matters ahead! Add my name to your alteration! WILLIAM (happily) No problem! William reaches for the pen and paper, and then we look at the sheet from directly above. William makes a quick scribble into one of his paragraphs - the name "Anaceron." ANACERON (encouraging) Go ahead, finish it. William reaches his hand up to the top margin and carefully writes in the letters "Film Ciz Ory - ADDENDUM." Then there is a great flash. EXT. OUTSIDE NISO TOWER ENTRANCE - EARLY EVENING William and the others appear in a great flash, basically the same as they were back in Corella, but now Anaceron is carrying her (intact) staff. They are standing in a narrowish path that both leads inside the door of Niso Tower (to the camera's right) and far down into the green mounds, hills, and bushes (right). They seem to be at an even higher elevation than before, and they are surrounded by mountains, though these ones have trees as far as you can see. The whole tower appears to be situated partway down the face of the ridge of an enormous river valley. It is a beautiful place, but Zachary and Jeremy are especially reminded that the sun is only a few hours away from setting. ZACHARY (quietly) Jessica is going to die tomorrow afternoon if we don't do something. ANACERON (patting Zachary on the shoulder) Don't worry. I'm sure we'll succeed in all our missions. JEREMY (looking up at the tower) I wonder where Ciz Ory keeps the antivenin? At that moment, the characters and the camera look up the front face of the tower. Immense would not be an adequate word to describe it. The tall, narrowish stone structure seems to reach up to the cloud tops; indeed, the exact top of the tower is obscured to our vision. This current Crown Castle of Nisa, Niso Tower, appears to be at least fifty stories tall. As the camera returns to Our Heroes, some of them gulp. WILLIAM We can do it. We can do it. ANACERON (clutching her staff) Then let's do it. (to William) Thanks for giving me back my staff. WILLIAM (coyly) No problem. They file into the tower. INT. NISO TOWER FOYER - EARLY EVENING (1F) Inside, Our Heroes try to navigate in the relative darkness. JANICE I wonder why there weren't any guards right there at the entrance. JEREMY My father told me that this tower is impossible to approach by any other route than through the mountain path. They probably keep more guards on the path guardhouses than in the actual tower. CONNOR Yeah, but I betcha there's still hundreds of soldiers in here. We'll have to stay on our toes. ANACERON Good. I like a challenge. I haven't been able to use my stealth skills for over a millenia. Anaceron sort of takes the lead as they head for the SPIRAL STONE STAIRCASE going up. The party hears the sound of running footsteps going down, and a few people take fright. Our point of view is near the back of the pack, so Anaceron is out of sight. ANACERON (warning shout from up ahead) Watch out! Lower yourselves! Our Heroes do as instructed, and we hear a loud thump. In the next moment, a GUARD goes flying over their heads, landing on the floor below. He is knocked out cold. WILLIAM Wow. INT. NISO TOWER - VARIOUS LOCATIONS - EARLY EVENING Cue music: "Magical Weapon Nash" by Isao Mizoguchi This is a montage of shots featuring the party led by Anaceron rushing up through the levels of the tower, sometimes fighting guards. Anaceron does most of the heroics, but Zachary and Jeremy get a few good knocks in one in a while. The music is fast-paced, and so is the action accompanying it. Remember, these people are in a bit of hurry, and the tower is something like fifty stories tall. After a long while of running up, the music ends. Fade. INT. NISO TOWER - 25F - EARLY EVENING Eventually they run up onto a small floor with a lower ceiling, and into a room with a soldier guarding a door into some sort of storage room, where the evening sun streams in through a window, and there is another staircase (shut off by a large black door) going up, but it is closer to the middle of the tower structure this time, indicating that the tower narrows from here on up. The soldier attacks Anaceron. She beats him cleanly. The party looks and notices that the sign next to the room says "Medicinal Storage - 25F." WILLIAM (out of breath from the workout of getting there) Hey (he points at the room)... maybe your antivenin is in there! Zachary and Jeremy eagerly run inside the room, which is seen from outside to be small, yet it contains many shelves filled with all kinds of mysterious items. MICHAEL Something just occoured to me. Why didn't you just write that we had the antivenin already and that Zachary and Jeremy were back home on their own continent? WILLIAM Well where's the fun in that? William elicits some strange looks from his companions. WILLIAM Besides, we have no guarantee he wouldn't notice that - and then he'd really put us into a rough position. The others nod reluctantly. Zachary and Jeremy come rushing out carrying a SMALL VIAL. ZACHARY We've got it! Everyone (and the camera) sees that the label reads "Antivenin of the Rose Viper. Collected at the end of the last Age by Selenea. The Viper's appearance in her village convinced the Matroness to drive her husband away. - Grand Doctor of the Nisa Crown" ANACERON I don't believe it. This antivenin should never have been collected. At least the Viper did serve some purpose in its appearance. MICHAEL Alright, now let's continue on. They move towards the black door guarding the staircase up. Anaceron tries the handle. It is locked. ANACERON Hmm... ZACHARY We'll have to break down the door. ANACERON No... I don't think we'll have to break it down. Everyone looks at Anaceron. ANACERON I had my doubts before, but now I know what this place is for certain; it is the Starlight Tower. JEREMY Starlight tower? That was one of the fortresses in the lost kingdom of Entherance! ANACERON Which once occupied these lands. I remember seeing the foundations being laid before the rise of Leto. The tower was finished under Leto - two days before he was assasinated. ZACHARY (looking around) Wow. ANACERON Mistress Alice commisioned this tower. It was meant to be a defense and supply stronghold for this valley; it was never meant to be a palace. MICHAEL Then why is this the Crown Palace of Nisa? ANACERON This tower is probably the only surviving structure from the days of Entherance. I doubt that the Nisa were ever able to build anything nearly as massive, so they used the Starlight Tower as their Crown Palace. Anaceron re-examines the door. ANACERON I'm remembering the plans for this place now. All the floors from here on up are narrower, and they are also more heavily guarded. The Great Hall that we are seeking lies on the fiftieth floor. Everyone else groans. ANACERON But you do have some reason to be cheerful. This door looks to have been forged by Mistress Alice's original smiths. (she reaches into her cloak) Fortunately, I happen to have the master key that once opened every door in every fortress in Entherance except for the command chambers. Everyone is sort of 'wowed'. Anaceron pulls out her MASTER KEY and inserts it into the keyhole. She twists the key, then pulls open the door. WILLIAM Maybe House Ciz should have the Crown Staff change the locks more often. ANACERON "Changing this lock" would be far beyond the abilites of anyone in Nisa in this day. Anyway, let us continue with our journey. The party begins to hike up the second staircase. INT. STARLIGHT TOWER SECOND SECTION - VARIOUS LOCATIONS - EVENING Cue music: "Star Dragon Theme ['95 Mix]" by Isao Mizoguchi This second section of the tower has narrower floors and is much whiter, brighter, and cleaner - somewhat more like a real palace. Anaceron and the others make their way up through it in this montage of shots, and this time most of the party is involved in fighting off enemies since there are so many. As they proceed, dusk approaches, and things get quite a bit darker. By the time they reach the next scene, the sun is setting. The montage ends when the party climbs onto the forty-ninth floor, which is largely empty space with little illumination. The music ends. INT. STARLIGHT TOWER FORECHAMBER - EVENING (49F) The characters look around, wondering where to go next. MICHAEL What floor are we on? WILLIAM The forty-ninth, by my count. ZACHARY Wow, we're almost there! Maybe I will be able to cure Jessica! ANACERON There is always the hope. My friends, we are now standing in the Forechamber to the Great Hall. I'm sure that now it is only a matter of seconds before someone- At that moment, a highly decorated soldier runs down from the upper level via a small staircase, brandishing a rod and sword. The party prepares to fight. As the soldier steps forward, we see that he bears a remarkable resemblance to Steve Yorke. MICHAEL Steve? MYSTERIOUS SOLDIER Steve? Fools, my name is not Steve. I am Lansing of House Ciz. King Ory has sent me down to deal with you before you get any further. He knows that you're here now! He discovered your alterations to the Sacred Book of House Ory! Your sacrilege will not go unpunished! MEGHAN It's a flaming movie script! STEVE/LANSING "Movie script?!" Do not attempt to confuse me with your foreign words! MEGHAN Yeah, well what can *you* possibly do to us? We've got the greatest warrior in all of the Universe with us now! We've hacked our way through hundreds of troops to get up here, and it was as easy as- Before Meghan can finish, she is struck down by a blow from Steve/Lansing's rod. She gasps on the floor. STEVE/LANSING Now... prepare to fight! Cue music: "Hiro's Fight" by Isao Mizoguchi He lunges at Anaceron with his sword, but Anaceron instead ducks and trips him up with her staff. Then the fight takes off in earnest. Anaceron is clearly the better fighter, and she eventually knocks him out. Boom! Music ends. STEVE/LANSING (gasping, faint) It's... not... over... yet... Then that's all for Steve/Lansing. Meghan picks herself up off the floor, then the party heads for the next set of stairs. INT. STARLIGHT TOWER GREAT HALL - LATE EVENING (50F) For a short description of this area, see the earlier scene with Corey and Adam/Quaselo. The camera rises up over the last step and we are now looking directly at Corey, seated on the throne, and Adam/Quaselo, standing beside him. The party slowly approaches Corey on the throne. MICHAEL Alright Corey, we've had enough. Send us back to Bedford. COREY 'Back' to Bedford? Ha ha ha! I am sorry Michael, but there is no 'Bedford' to go back *to*. MICHAEL (angry) Why not?! COREY Haven't you noticed yet? The 'real world' is gone! In fact, everyone you know is now a part of my great film! Look at Adam Maher here for instance. (he indicates Adam/Quaselo) The party looks at Adam/Quaselo and gasps, realizing that it is Adam Maher. ADAM/QUASELO My name isn't Adam Maher, it's- COREY Oh, do shut up, Quaselo. (to the party) And I trust you've also met my 'cousin' Lansing. MEGHAN We killed him! COREY Oh, that's too bad. I guess I shall have to write him back to life. But first I'd like to deal with you. MICHAEL Corey, this isn't funny anymore. Just destroy that script so we can all go home. COREY Oh no! Not so soon! Stay, and let's have some fun! I know some great parlor games we all can play! MEGHAN Yeah, like what? COREY Well... how about... I've got it! Let's play "Disappear!" ANACERON "Disappear?" I've never heard of- Corey grabs a sheet and inserts it into his script. Suddenly, everyone except for William and Corey (even Adam/Quaselo) disappear in a great blinding flash. Then Corey stands. Cue music: "Lucia vs. Zophar" by Isao Mizoguchi. WILLIAM Hey! What did you- COREY Oh what do you *think* I did? WILLIAM You didn't kill them did you? COREY So what if I did? If you defeat me, you'll just write them back to life! WILLIAM Well, I'd try - but I don't know if it would work. COREY But enough about them - let's discuss this movie of mine. It doesn't have an ending! WILLIAM Well that's your problem because it's your movie! COREY Oh ho, not so fast! Now it's my movie, is it? You can't get away from your problems that easily! WILLIAM They're your problems now because you took over my movie! COREY (waving the script meanacingly in William's face) How would you like me to force you to write me an ending!? WILLIAM I'd hate it! COREY Then how would you like me to kick you in the teeth!? Rahh! (he lunges for William's face with a kick) The fighting begins. William ducks out of the way and rushes behind the throne. Corey tumbles on the carpet, draws a SWORD, then goes after him. William is now quite outclassed, as he has never really been in a fight before in his life. This is going to be a problem. William grabs a BLUE CURTAIN and desparately throws it over Corey. It slows him up for a minute as he is trapped underneath. But he crawls out in a few seconds, and so William is in the same position he was in before. Then William tries a kick too, and somehow he gets lucky and strikes Corey's wrist, knocking the sword out of his hand. Corey grabs that hand and wrist in pain. William doesn't really run for the sword, but rather, he tries to keep Corey away from it. He kicks Corey in the shin. Then Corey gets *angry*, and begins to punch the living crap out of William. William rolls out of his way in severe pain after several bad hits. He gets up, and they try to kick each other again. That second, William gets a look of cold fire in his eyes, and he makes a desparate lunge for Corey's neck, knocking both to the ground. If the music hasn't finished by now, stop it. WILLIAM Now, now you're going to hand back that script! It's mine! COREY (gasping) Why should I do that? He takes the script out of his coat, and before William can react, he begins tearing it to pieces. WILLIAM Nooooo... Greyish fade out. INT. UNKNOWN STUDY - DAY William finds himself in a grey, misty room. There is absolutely no sound besides William's movements. He looks around and notices that he is in some sort of an isolated old-style study room with string-bound books on the shelves and a stack of paper on the desk. He goes to look at some of the books. The titles include: The Kingdom of Solaria Sages of Time The Artifact WILLIAM (voice-over, quiet) Hmm... is this my study? Those are my stories... He reaches over onto another shelf and finds another story: Entherance He picks up "Entherance" and flips through the pages. He notices that it is a story written in novel form. Looking over his shoulder, we can see the name Anaceron in the text a couple of times. WILLIAM (voice-over, quiet) Hmm... William approaches the table, and sits in the seat. He sets "Entherance" down on the desk. He then takes a few sheets of paper from the stack, then he notices that he'll have to work with a quill and ink bottle. He dips the quill in the ink and begins to write. The first word written on the page is "Anaceron." Now we flip through a montage of shots from various angles of William writing. Time seems to have frozen still inside this study, and William writes page after page after page, occaisionaly referring to "Entherance," and never tiring. After a while, he picks up the papers he was writing, binds them together with string, and titles the front blank page "Film Amateura." Then everything fades again. INT. STARLIGHT TOWER GREAT HALL - NIGHT - (50F) We fade in, and William finds himself seated on the throne, wearing the royal garments but not the crown or scepter. He then finds his sting-bound script beside him, which he places on his lap. He looks down at a page and smiles. After a few moments, the party walks into the throne room, but we see it from the throne itself this time. The party is shocked to see William seated on the throne instead of Corey. MICHAEL You disappeared right after we found the Rose Viper Antivenin! We looked all over for you, but you weren't around! ANACERON Maybe *he's* Ory of House Ciz! WILLIAM (hastily) No, no... I'm not. I'm the William you know and l- I'm the William you know. MICHAEL How did you get here? WILLIAM Ah... well, a screenwriter has to keep a few secrets to himself, doesn't he? MEGHAN Why can't I read your thoughts anymore!? I can get everybody else's but yours! JEREMY You know what else was weird, sir William? There wasn't a single guard from the twenty-sixth floor up here to the fiftieth! What happened to them all? WILLIAM Hmm... yes, it's strange, isn't it? Well, who wants to go back to Bedford? ZACHARY Would the portal to get back to Abel's Cape still be open? WILLIAM It should be. We'll have to hurry, though. You guys need to make it back to Saleen Village by tomorrow afternoon. ZACHARY Yes, and then I shall lie down for a great sleep. In another second or two, a great blue portal opens up beside the throne. WILLIAM We need to hurry and leave this world! If we are still here when it reverts back to being the real world, we will lose any memory of having been here! MICHAEL So, in other words, Ryan Cox isn't going to remember that he was a farmer here. WILLIAM Unfortunately, no. We must hurry. Now that "Film Ciz Ory" no longer exists, this world is falling apart. As William speaks those words, several objects in the room begin to fade in and out of existence. At this, the party rushes through the portal one by one. William is the last to leave. Fade out black. INT. LION'S DEN PREMIERE ROOM - NIGHT Fade in grey. First the room completely materializes, then the blue portal opens. The characters leap out rapidly, William last, then the portal closes. We see Corey sitting on one of the stacks of chairs. COREY Where *were* you people? I was thinking of finishing "Film Amateura" on my own! WILLIAM Good luck doing it without an e- I mean... well, I guess that would have been interesting. COREY The heck with you people! I should just go make my *own* movies! Corey leaves the room in a huff. MICHAEL Well it looks like everything is as it should be again. ZACHARY Yes, and now Jeremy and I can begin our great journey back! JANICE Wow, and at night too. Watch out for animals. JEREMY We'll be fine. Thank you all so much for helping us. MICHAEL No problem. It's all been kind of fun, really. ZACHARY Yes, and now I look forward to a life of relative peace and quiet. WILLIAM Don't worry, that's what you'll get if you want it. ZACHARY Thank you. Good bye, everyone, and good luck with your... 'movie,' as you put it. MICHAEL Thank you! Everyone nods and waves at each other, and Jeremy and Zachary head into a storage room. After a second, there is a bright flash and a WOOOOSH! sound. ANACERON Perhaps I should go back through that portal as well, and work my way back to the far continent. WILLIAM You could stay here. ANACERON Yes, but my place is to restore the kingdom of Entherance. I must go. Farewell to you all, it has been a pleasure to journey with you. MICHAEL Likewise. A few tears are shed, and then Anaceron also heads inside the storage room. ANACERON (shrieks) No! Everyone rushes inside the storage room. INT. LION'S DEN STORAGE ROOM - DAY We haven't seen the Storage Room yet, so it's probably time to describe it, though it's basically a dark room filled with tables and chairs. We see poor Anaceron leaned up against a far wall, lightly pounding and crying. ANACERON The portal! It closed just as I was stepping into it! I'm stuck here forever!! MICHAEL Can't William take you back in a script rewrite? WILLIAM (sighing) I'm afraid not. The brief mirror existence of that portal is most of the reason all of these crazy things happened. ANACERON Faugh! All is lost! CRAIG Well wait now, there's all kinds of fun things to do *here*. You could produce a film for instance. ANACERON AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!! WILLIAM I think we might all need to take a break from films for a while when this is all over. CONNOR Amen to that. ANACERON (catching her breath) It's okay... I'll find something to do or someone to be. MICHAEL I'm tired. Let's go home and get some rest for tomorrow's shoot. JANICE Right. Let's do that. Everyone except William, Anaceron, and Meghan leave the room. ANACERON This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I would rather be dead than to have to spend the rest of my life in this horrid world. WILLIAM But this is the *real*- ANACERON I don't want to hear it. I know that already. Someday, I will be able to accept that fact. (slight pause) But not today. Anaceron slowly leaves the room, in a dim mood. William and Meghan follow her out, back to the premiere room. Anaceron continues her silent exit, but Meghan pulls William to a stop in the middle of the room. William casts a passing glance at Anaceron. MEGHAN Forget it. She won't like you that way, ever. WILLIAM (sighing) I guessed as much. MEGHAN I'm not going to tell any of the others this, but now that I'm out of any of your films, I can read you mind again as well as anyone else's. She approaches William slowly on this. William kind of nods, as if he were expecting this. MEGHAN And I know what really happened back in the other world. (quietly) It was nice, really... It almost - almost - makes up for your other dirty little secret. Thank you. WILLIAM It was... my pleasure. MEGHAN Look, you're a quasi-intelligent male, but don't flatter yourself in front of me. And quit thinking all those dirty thoughts about every girl you run into! WILLIAM Every guy in the world does that! And my thoughts are pretty good compared to most people's, I'll bet! MEGHAN Yes, but you've got a higher standard to live up to! <sigh> Well, I shouldn't complain about you too much. Theadore is worse in his way. Anyway... (gravely) just remember that I know why this whole mess happened. (brighter) But you know something? Unless you screw up royally, I'll never tell anyone but my soulmate about it. I see it this way: Your utter laziness got me out of the Singularity! For that, I'll always be sort of thankful. I've learned a lesson in all of this - I thought I was "all-that" as a telepath if you know what I mean, and I ended up being trapped inside the essence of the Artifact! So I guess I've pretty much abandoned any designs for ruling anyone's life. WILLIAM That's a good idea. The only problem you have now is that you have no soulmate here. Not that I really believe in soulmates anymore, but there were definitely soulmates in "The Artifact." So what are you going to do here? MEGHAN Oh, I dunno... (sly smile) Maybe I'll call in on this Joe Chisolm. Meghan leaves while William shakes his head and shudders. WILLIAM Oh no... Poor Joe... Fade out. BLACK SCREEN - FA The credits to "Film Amateura" roll, accompanied by "Eternal Blue [Instrumental]" by Isao Mizoguchi. <I will include the Film Amateura credits in a future update. Right now I want to get this script finished.> INT. CHRIS SPENCER MEMORIAL EDITING ROOM - LOKEVIEW HIGH SCHOOL - DAY (1F) As the last few words of the "Film Amateura" credits finish, we pull out to see them being displayed on one of the editing room's many computer monitors. The room is stocked with a few Apple PowerMacintosh G4 film editing workstations. CHRIS SPENCER and Michael are watching the credits together. (NOTE: Chris Spencer is a Mac wizzard known lately for his work in the local amateur movie scene.) CHRIS Score! We did it! MICHAEL Yes... and it only took one month to shoot and edit. Not bad at all. CHRIS Yeah. Well, make sure to call me first for editing your next film. It's been great. MICHAEL Of course. INT. LION'S DEN PREMIERE ROOM - DAY Michael walks into the room and sees William setting up the video equippment for the premiere of "Film Amateura" to take place that evening. MICHAEL Almost ready for the premiere tonight? WILLIAM (plugging in some wires) Of course. MICHAEL It sure took you long enough to come up with the second part of "Film Amateura." What were you thinking? WILLIAM Well... I got a little bit behind, I guess. Sorry. MICHAEL Well we got the movie done so it doesn't matter, but 'sorry?' WILLIAM Well I just didn't think that what happened would happen. It seemed like something taken out of a comic book! MICHAEL Okay, I'm tired of all this. You want to know what I think happened? WILLIAM What? MICHAEL I think that because you didn't have the second part of the script written, there was no other world for Zachary and Jeremy to transport themselves into, and they arrived here by default. WILLIAM (nervous) That, uh... seems like a reasonable summation of events. MICHAEL Essentially, we went though all of this because you were too lazy to finish a script! WILLIAM Well, I suppose so... MICHAEL You jerk! William looks at Michael, slightly shocked. MICHAEL (jubilantly) Ah, relax, I'm only kidding! Besides, it'll make a great movie someday. Fade out. BLANK SCREEN Cue music: "The End of the Tour" by They Might Be Giants Text on screen We hope you enjoyed "Film Amateura," quite possibly the last of the traditional Michael Fox amateur films. Without you, an audience who is interested in stuff like this, poor Mike would probably have stopped with "The Legend of Zelda." Thank you all for your many years of support. After that, the credits roll. <I'll compose the credits at a later date - probably after the production phase is complete.> Fade out. It's over. famscr.txt Version 0.90 Copyright 2001 William Matheson This script, plus my other works, are available at http://willmatheson.com Please obtain my permission before re-posting this document on your own website. Print-publishing and screen-publishing rights reserved. You can contact William via e-mail at w_matheson@willmatheson.com Michael can be found at http://www.angelfire.com/ns/michaelfox or e-mailed at hinox@hotmail.com EXTENDED VERSION OF THE ABOVE: You're allowed to save, copy and distribute this script however you like, except for three restrictions: You're *not* allowed to modify this document in any way except if you're playing around with it locally; You're *not* allowed to make any movies or other work based on what I've written; and, finally, you're not encouraged to put this up on your own website without contacting me first (but as soon as you contact me, I'll likely as not give you permission).

*** Version 0.90 FINALLY finished (more or less) Sunday, May 27th, 2001 around 3:46am in the MacClure household in Souris using JG Soft's EditPad Lite 4.2.1 (to download the best text editor on earth, go to http://www.jgsoft.com right now!). ***