A Work in Progress

Written By: Parker Inglis

CIRCLE FADE IN:

A young half-Korean girl sits on the side of the road with a big yellow house behind her. She looks tiny next to it. 

CUT TO:

The little girl delicately moves rocks all around the grass. She has two rocks in her hands and they seem to be interacting. The audience only sees a girl playing with rocks, but to the girl, the rocks are two best friends talking. She mumbles to herself happily. 

A car approaches the intersection near the house. The right turn signal turns on. The light blinks and the sound invades the narrative that the little girl has created. 

Click, click, click (turn signal). 

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM

Click (light switch). The screen goes bright as her mom turns on the light. (Now 4 years later in her bedroom)

The room is cluttered with objects: doll-sized crutches made of chopsticks, mini to-go condiment bottles, shoe box beds, homemade cardboard furniture, overpriced American Girl doll furniture, and piles of doll clothes. The girl had taken the world that she had created in her head and made it real. Slow pan the entirety of the room to reveal a homemade American Girl doll town that covered every inch of the room. The little girl is in the center of the room holding two dolls who are in deep conversation. 

MOTHER

Parker, dinner has been ready for 15 minutes. 

PARKER

Just 5 more minutes. Please!

MOTHER

 Parker… Put the dolls away. Now. 

CUT TO:

(Girl now 15 years old)

INT. CLASSROOM

The girl looks very dazed and in her own head. The teacher is speaking, but the audio slowly becomes more muffled. Close-up shot of the girl’s eyes as she blinks. 

INT. HALLWAY (daydream)

When her eyes she is now surrounded by people in the halls all walking in the same direction and pushing past her. As all of the people clear, there is one big red ball at the end of the hall. 

The girl looks both ways, confused. She slowly walks towards the ball. She tentatively approaches the ball. Once she is in front of the ball, she slowly reaches out to pick it up. Just as she is about to touch the ball, *bam*

CUT:

INT. CLASSROOM

The teacher picks up the textbook that she just slammed onto Parker’s desk.

TEACHER

Are you with us Parker?

PARKER

Umm… Yea. Sorry.

Parker pulls out her laptop and opens a blank document. She begins to type feverishly. It’s a script of the daydream she just had.  

*Voiceover as she types*

At what age did it stop being “socially acceptable” for people to play with dolls? I wasn’t quite ready to give up that part of my childhood. Just like every kid, I had a huge imagination. But, my imagination didn’t diminish with age, it simply evolved. I brought my ideas to life with toys, and once I felt “too old” for them, I turned to a new thing, film. 

CUT TO ANOTHER 4 YEARS LATER:

Shot of dolls tucked away in the basement as the girl and her friends are gathered and chatting in the background. They are arguing over how to get the scene right. The girl looks at the dolls and slowly approaches them. She picks one up and smiles to herself.

Still a work in progress…

THE END.