Act 1 Script
ACT 1
INT. ALICE P'S APARTMENT - MORNING
ALICE P, 20 years old, actress, red hair. She has an audition and she is running a little late.
ALICE P
Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late. That is curious because I am never late. This is going to be a curious day.
She checks her hair and makeup in a mirror, grabs her keys and purse, and hurries out the door.
EXT. APARTMENT PARKING LOT
She hurries to her car, an older VW beetle. She unlocks the door, gets into the car, and puts the key in the ignition.
ALICE P
Please start, oh please start. If you don’t, I shall be late.
The car does not start. This is an ongoing problem, so the car is parked on a slight incline.
She puts the transmission in neutral, releases the hand brake, and steps out of the car to give it a push. As the car starts to move, she gets back in, puts the transmission in 1st gear, and at just the right moment, she engages the clutch, and the car starts. (She has done this many times)
ALICE P (CONT’D)
Thank you, oh thank you.
She drives out onto the street, up the onramp, and onto a crowded, slow moving freeway.
ALICE P (CONT’D)
Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late! I shall be late!
She works her way to the far left lane.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS IN
Note: The “Through The Looking Glass” events are a subtle but noticeable ripple in the time/space continuum similar to “Alice Through The Looking Glass” developed for this movie.
ALICE P (CONT’D)
Oh dear, oh dear. Please not now! I shall be late!
This has happened to Alice before. She is not afraid, but concerned about being late and curious to see what will happen.
The traffic has been slow, but now was slowing to slow motion.
MAJOR MESSENGER is an authoritarian woman.
Alice sees a woman dressed in an old style military uniform, hitchhiking along the center divider. (The intent here is to avoid the guardian angel, fairy godmother, good witch image. The Major is patterned after a Salvation Army Officer.)
ALICE P (CONT’D)
That is dangerous place to be hitchhiking.
As she approaches the woman, traffic slows to a stop. Time also stops.
The woman smiles at Alice, walks in front of the car around to the passenger door, and gets in. She looks at Alice.
ALICE P (CONT’D)
How did you get in? That door was locked.
MAJOR MESSENGER
I don’t think I broke anything.
Alice notices a small birdlike creature sitting on the woman’s left shoulder.
MAJOR MESSENGER (CONT’D)
Hi Alice. I am Major Messenger. I am happy to meet you, and meeting you makes me very happy. You may call me Major or The Major.
ALICE P
How do you know who I am?
MAJOR MESSENGER
I have a message for you. In order to deliver the message, I had to know who you are. Now you know who I am, so now we know each other.
The small creature on Major’s shoulder has been looking at Alice and all around the vehicle. The creature spots a spider on a web just under the dash board. The creature flies over to the spider, grabs it, flies back to The Major’s shoulder, and eats the spider with great gusto.
Alice notices the creature is not a bird but a small dragon like reptile.
ALICE P
(To the creature)
Thank you. I have been trying to catch that spider for a long time.
The creature flies over to Alice’s right shoulder, nuzzles Alice’s cheek in an affectionate manner, and flies back to The Major’s shoulder.
ALICE P (CONT’D)
What sort of creature is that?
MAJOR MESSENGER
This is the JABBERWOCK.
ALICE P
“The” Jabberwock? That is impossible. The Jabberwock got his head cut off, and he was much bigger.
MAJOR MESSENGER
Before I tell you about the Jabberwock, I need to remind you that impossible is a word we do not use.
ALICE P
OK. You are right. It’s the “believing six impossible things before breakfast” thing.
MAJOR MESSENGER
The Jabberwock is a sort of a reptile. Some reptiles, mostly lizards, are able to regenerate lost parts of their bodies. The regenerated parts are never the same as the lost parts. The Jabberwock was able to regenerate the lost head. As you can see, the new head is very different from the old one.
ALICE P
I see. He looks like sort of a happy, reptilian dog.
MAJOR MESSENGER
You should say “she”.
ALICE P
How did that happen?
MAJOR MESSENGER
Along with a new head came a new brain. This Jabberwock is not mean and nasty like the old one. She is sweet and kind, happy and very lovable. I am not sure, but I have a feeling he is now a she.
The Jabberwock nuzzles The Major’s cheek as if to agree with what she just said.
ALICE P
Why did she eat that spider?
MAJOR MESSENGER
Spiders are her favorite food.
ALICE P
That is a good thing. I don’t like spiders.
MAJOR MESSENGER
This Jabberwock has learned how to adjust her body size according to what is happening. So if she finds a large spider, she can increase her size so she can eat it.
ALICE P
How big of a spider can she eat?
MAJOR MESSENGER
I don’t know. I have seen her eat some very big spiders, and I have seen her become very, very large.
ALICE P
I know someone that needs to know about this Jabberwock.
MAJOR MESSENGER
Focus on your driving!
Time restarts and traffic is moving. Alice struggles to get control of the car. Again, traffic slows down to a crawl and Alice begins to fret.
ALICE P
Oh dear, oh dear! I shall be late.
MAJOR MESSENGER
No worries. The Jabberwock is with us. Watch this! (To the Jabberwock) You know what to do!
The Major rolls down the window and the Jabberwock flies out. A moment later a large shadow covers the car. A giant clawed foot grabs the car. With a powerful beat of her wings, the Jabberwock lifts the car and flies over the freeway toward a wooded area. It is a wild ride. The car pitches around as the Jabberwock beats her wings.
MAJOR MESSENGER (CONT’D)
This is your Captain speaking. You may call me Captain Major. I would like to welcome you to Jabberwock Airlines and Transportation Services. Please place the transmission in neutral, take your hands off the steering wheel, move your feet away from the peddles, turn the engine off, and enjoy the ride.
ALICE P
Oh my oh my. What a curious day this has become. Where are we going?
MAJOR MESSENGER
We have an appointment with Father Time and his wife.
ALICE P
I am not sure I have the time to visit anyone. I am going to be late for my audition.
MAJOR MESSENGER
Don’t worry about the time. I am sure Father Time will make some time for our appointment. Don’t worry about your audition. You will be on time.
ALICE P
Oookkk.
Alive settles back into her seat and tries to relax
MAJOR MESSENGER
We are almost there.
The Jabberwock circles over a clearing in the woods and glides in for a landing. She gently sits the car down and lands nearby. She shrinks down to a small size and flies off into the woods to get something (spiders) to eat.
Alice and The Major get out of the car. Father Time and his wife are approaching.
FATHER TIME and MRS. TIME are computerized, digitalized, holographic versions of the older, traditional, mechanical Father Time.
MAJOR MESSENGER (CONT’D)
Greetings. I hope we are on time for our appointment.
FATHER TIME
Greetings. Yes, you are precisely on time. (Looking at Alice) This must be Alice P.
MAJOR MESSENGER
Yes, she is. Alice, this is Father Time and his wife, Mrs. Time.
ALICE P
I am happy to meet you both.
FATHER TIME
Please do not worry about the time. I have made some time for this meeting so you will be on time for your audition.
ALICE P
Thank you.
Alice notices a familiar scene a short distance away. It is the Tea Party with all the regular characters siting around the table all looking at Alice.
ALICE P (CONT’D)
(To Father Time) Is that Tea Party still going on?
FATHER TIME
Yes, it is. Don’t concern yourself about that. We have other important business to attend to.
Father Time waves his hand to produce a holographic image of the Venus Clock.
The VENUS CLOCK is a computer program that measures a woman’s life. Each woman has one. It appears as a holographic projection in the shape of the Venus symbol. (A circle with the plus sign + at the bottom). The program is able to chart a woman’s monthly cycle, measure a woman’s temperature and integrate the readings into the monthly chart. The program charts a woman’s fertility over her lifetime. The program contains a searchable data base of information about fertility. It is also available as a material clock complete with screen and internet connection.
FATHER TIME (CONT’D)
Every woman has a life clock just like this one. This one is yours. You can see the clock display is in years. We can drill down to the month, week, day, hour, minute, and down to the present second.
He demonstrates and then returns the display to years. He points to the “you are here” mark on the display at age 20.
FATHER TIME (CONT’D)
You are here. My wife is responsible for women’s fertility time.
MRS. TIME
You are at the beginning of your most fertile time in your life. The best time for women to have children is age 20 to 28. Most women’s fertility will remain stable until about age 28. Then their fertility slowly starts to decline.
Mrs. Time points to the 30 year mark on the display.
MRS. TIME (CONT’D)
This is a very important point in every woman’s life. This is when a woman’s fertility begins to decline at a faster pace. If you reach 30 and you have no children, you will have some very important decisions to make. You will have to decide if you would rather be a famous actress with children, or a famous actress without children. If you decide you want children, you will need to make this your priority over all other things in your life. I am saying “Full Stop” to everything else in your life and focus on building your family. At age 30, you will have about 5 years before your fertility begins to decline rapidly.
Mrs. Time waves her hand across the screen to display the Mitochondria clock.
MRS. TIME (CONT’D)
This is the Mitochondria clock. It measures a woman’s fertility time in a graph. As you can see you have already begun your most fertile time. The line usually remains steady through age 28. At age 28, the line starts to decline slightly to 30. At 30, the rate of decline increases even more to 35. From 35 on, the rate of decline in fertility increases at a rapid rate.
FATHER TIME
You are on your way to becoming a famous and successful actress. Your time will seem to go by very quickly. If you want to have children, you will need to measure your time carefully.
MAJOR MESSENGER
(To Alice) It is time to go.
ALICE P
Father Time and Mrs. Time, thank you for showing me my Venus clock. I appreciate your time and this valuable information.
FATHER TIME
We will see you in about 10 years, 9.8596 years to be exactly on time. Good bye for now.
Father Time and his wife turn and walk toward the Tea Party.
MAJOR MESSENGER
Here comes the Jabberwock. Quick! Back to the car!
Alice sees the Jabberwock flying out of the woods. Alice watches in amazement as she circles above the car and grows back to her giant size. The turbulence from her wings makes it difficult for Alice and The Major to walk and get back into the car. Just as Alice and The Major close the doors, the car is again covered by the shadow of the Jabberwock as she carefully picks up the car and flies off in the direction of Alice’s audition. In just a few moments, the Jabberwock sits the car down in the parking lot of the building where Alice will have her audition. As she gets out of the car, Alice notices a van marked “Major’s Mobile Auto Repair”. There are two large, overweight boys getting out of the van. They are identical but mirror images of each other. They look at Alice and giggle as they proceed to unload tools.
MAJOR MESSENGER (CONT’D)
Alice, you have just enough time to be on time for your audition. The boys will fix your car. Congratulations for getting the part! See you in about 10 years.
ALICE P
9.8596 years to be exact. Thank you for the day and for all you and your friends have done for me.
Alice hurries to her audition. She pauses at the door and looks back to see The Major giving the boys directions with the Jabberwock standing guard over the operation.
Alice enters the building and introduces herself to the receptionist. The receptionist asks Alice to sign in, and then directs her to the waiting room. As Alice enters the room, she sees several girls that look just like her. They could all be her sisters! Alice is not discouraged. In light of all that has happened, Alice is confident the audition will go well, and it does. On her way out, the receptionist checks her contact information for accuracy. As Alice walks out the door, she sees The Major’s van pulling out of the parking lot. The Jabberwock is flying over the van. Alice walks to her car and is delighted to see the car has been completely restored to new condition. She gets in, and the car starts immediately. Alice pauses for a moment to contemplate all that has happened. Tears are welling up in her eyes.
ALICE P (CONT’D)
This has been a most curious and happy day. I am grateful for all the good things that came to me. So much has happened since I got up this morning, I feel like a different person.
Alice drives out of the parking lot.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS OUT
As Alice drives home, she contemplates the day. She knows she has had another through the looking glass experience. She is wondering what is real, and what is not. She parks her car and gets out. It is completely restored to new condition. She puts her hand on it as if to assure herself it is real.
ALICE P (CONT’D)
This seems real. At least I think it is real. I hope the rest the day was real.
End of Act 1.