FADE IN:
int. pit of despair – montage – music
Beatrice, 22, lays at the bottom of a pit while her life plays out above her.
The pit of despair looks like a rock cavern with jagged rocks. Sometimes the rocks are solid but they can easily disintegrate. However there are different levels. Beatrice is at the very bottom. There would be an echo. at the very top there is a circular opening – there is light and you can see the outside world. this is a montage of beatrice’s daily life unfolding at the top. sometimes she tries to climb out but the rock crumbles and she falls back to the bottom.
Beatrice’s life consists of her boyfriend, grayson, classes and her off-campus apartment and her job at a coffee shop. The various scenes of her life – play out in the opening of the pit. sometimes people lean over the pit and talk directly to her and she answers. we also see beatrice’s reflection in mirrors – which shows what everyone else sees – which is a functioning adult. she does not look like she is living in a pit of despair from the outside. she is an english major at a university in her second year.
the montage is underscored by music that perfectly encapsulates the feeling of looking alright but not really.
the montage ends with a close up of beatrice’s looking in a bathroom mirror and a single tear falling down her cheek leading into the bottom of the pit.
TRANSITION
int. bedroom – Morning
A couple in bed. One side of the bed looks ‘normal’ – a bed with a duvet and Grayson laying in bed – asleep. Grayson wakes up naturally with a smile. he Stretches and yawns and is all around good spirited. He looks beside him with a bit of concern but he is used to this. The other side of the bed is the ‘pit of despair’. Beatrice lays at the bottom with her eyes are open – she has been awake all night. There are tears that have dried and she looks stressed out. there is an echo when beatrice speaks. grayson does not see the pit – he just sees beatrice.
grayson
Morning.
beatrice
Is it morning already?
grayson
Yeah, its 7am.
beatrice
You slept well.
grayson
Sure did. You should try it.
Beatrice is hurt by grayson’s lack of compassion.
beatrice
Ok.
grayson
Are you ok?
beatrice
Not really.
grayson
Are you going to class today?
beatrice
I don’t know how.
grayson
Can’t you just try to choose to be happy?
beatrice
I’ve tried. You know this.
grayson
I know I don’t want to upset you more but did you read that book on law of attraction I got you?
beatrice
Been reading it all night and am anxious as fuck now that I know I’m completely doomed to keep law of attracting despair in an endless loop that never, ever ends.
grayson
You didn’t read it right. You’re supposed to see that you really do choose every experience that comes to you with how you feel.
Beatrice
Oh right.
Suddenly an anvil falls on Grayson’s head (like a cartoon). 1 falls unconscious. Little bird sound effect to indicate unconscious.
grayson
What the heck just happened?
beatrice
I’m don’t know. Why did you choose that?
grayson
I didn’t choose that. Something fell and hit me square on the forehead.
beatrice
Well, you choose every experience so – shouldn’t you be like really thankful that you’re manifestations happen so quickly.
grayson
That’s not what I meant. Ow.
beatrice
Pain is just an illusion. Just be aware of it. Witness it. Come into the Power of Now.
Another anvil falls – on grayson’s foot And grayson falls into the pit of despair. he lands on a level. beatrice is below him.
grayson
Are you doing this?
beatrice
From down here?
grayson
Stop.
beatrice
Stop playing the victim role.
grayson
Why does this keep happening to me?
beatrice
You really need to start telling a new story. Everything you see and experience is just a reflection of you.
grayson tries to get up loses his balance and falls into the pit with beatrice.
grayson
Ah!
grayson makes a pathetic noise.
beatrice
Wow you must be off balance in y our life in general to have fallen down here with me. You also must have some trauma related to heavy objects falling from the sky.
grayson
I can’t stay down here. I need to get out.
grayson TRIES TO CLIMB OUT BUT THE rock crumbles and he falls to beatrice’s level of the pit of despair.
beatrice
That’s just your ego talking. Ego is the enemy.
grayson
Oh no this is really awful.
beatrice
Anger and judgements are inferior emotions. There is never anyone to blame but yourself.
grayson
I can’t believe I let this happen again. I was just trying to help you.
beatrice
Why haven’t you learned to see the world through such a limited lens? We are after all living in the matrix.
grayson
You can stop. I get it. I can see now how this book isn’t all that helpful from down here.
beatrice
You were just trying to help.
grayson
You can only be where you are.
beatrice
At least I’m not alone anymore. We can try to help each other out of here.
the pit opens up a bit – becomes a bit less claustraphobic.
grayson
The only way out is through.
fade out.
the end
I wrote the above thinking I would submit it to this contest or whatever. But the contest you couldn’t just upload what you wrote you had answer all these questions that I may or may not ever answer. I’m just starting to let myself write. Inspiration is great and everything. Obviously I would prefer to be a hopeful the for the most part but when you hit bottom – the inner critic makes a convincing argument that the reason you are in the pit of despair is because you dared to feel the good feeling – the hope, the excitement, inspired. Also the above was formatted correctly but copy and pasting into this did not go well so…this is me trying not to apologize for anything.
Waking Dreams Up 