Night

KEVIN and JAMES commence with putting up their two tents as Beth scopes out the area and occupies the foreground of the shot.

JAMES: You’re sure you’re fine with the smaller tent, Beth?

BETH: Oh, yeah Dad. There are two of you. Yeah I’m fine.

JAMES: Okay. (to KEVIN) Alright, let’s set up the canopy um… I guess just over the table.

KEVIN: (following JAMES offscreen) Dad, it’s not gonna rain.

JAMES: (offscreen) I know. Don’t worry. (trying to sound hip facetiously) It’s cool.

BETH walks over to the van and grabs a propane tank from the back seat.

BETH: (starting loudly then trailing off) Dad! Dad, what should I…

Ryan’s vehicle pulls in to the adjacent camp-site and collapses noisily in the background, catching BETH’s attention.

*INSERT SHORT SCENE OF THE BOYS GETTING SETTLED.  FOR PACING PURPOSES.*

CUT TO Goodliving Campsite. Night. A shot of two tents side-by-side, lit from the inside by a single flashlight, revealing the sillouhettes of KEVIN and JAMES in the big one, and BETH in the small one. KEVIN turns off the light, leaving them all in pitch black.

KEVIN: Okay I’ll start. A peculiar Frenchman, as Frenchmen usually are, was sitting on his pattio one morning when his cat started to speak.

BETH: Are there pattios in France?

KEVIN: Yes, but they call them Pah-twaa.

JAMES: This particular Frenchman, who was both usual and peculiar, noticed that his cat was speaking Chinese and he didn’t understand a word of it.

BETH: “How did you learn Chinese?!” said the Frenchman to his cat, nearly falling off his seat.

KEVIN: And that’s when our Frenchman did something so unnexpected, so relentlessly creative and fascinating that one is likely to have a heart attack just hearing about it!

JAMES: He… went… He… went… swimming…

(silence)

KEVIN: Dad?

JAMES: Hmm?

KEVIN: I think I just had a heart attack.

CUT TO The Boy’s Campsite, that night. The three of them are sitting around the campfire. TOPHER and MORDECAI are wrapped in large quilts, sitting on a blue tarp. RYAN occupies the only chair they have, a pink one of the lawn variety.

TOPHER laughs to himself.

TOPHER: She thinks she can get away with it.

MORDECAI: Dude, she’s already gotten away with it.

TOPHER:  Yeah but soon, or maybe unsoon… either way – karma’s gonna do its thing.

RYAN:  You use the phrase “either way” like it’s nobody’s business.

TOPHER:  That’s because it is nobody’s business.

MORDECAI:  What about Leah? Karma hasn’t gotten her yet, she’s dating that guy.

TOPHER: You mean Lex Luther? He is her bad karma. He’s a diver, I rest my case.

RYAN:  There’s no way he’s as accomplished a napper as us.

TOPHER:  Exactly.  He’s not a part of the Nap Culture.

MORDECAI:  (to himself)  Nap Culture…

RYAN takes a thermis from a bag lying next to him.

TOPHER:  I think it’s my turn, right?

RYAN stands up.

RYAN:  (gesturing to the chair)  She’s all yours, I’m gonna go get something to drink.

RYAN starts to walk away.

MORDECAI:  We have green tea.

RYAN:  (walking off screen)  I feel like some rusty water.

CUT TO The Public Bathroom.  RYAN rinses out his thermis in the sink and notices a red lighter someone left on the adjacent sink.  He puts it in his pocket, fills his thermis with water and walks outside.  He leans against the restroom wall facing their neighbor’s camp, takes a few sips and then dumps the rest on the ground.  He takes out the found lighter and plays with it a bit, elliciting it’s final two flames and prompt retirement.  He sees the shape of someone exit the otherwise dormant tents and run to the nearby minivan.  He stops playing with the lighter, sits on the ground, watches and listens.  Sobbing is heard very softly from the van.  A sudden rustling in the bushes right next to him startles the previously transfixed RYAN and he stands up.  He looks around and catches a glimpse of a rabbit just before it dashes into the desert.  He sighs, glances once more toward the van and then walks off.

CUT TO The Boys’ Camp.  TOPHER is snoozing on the lawn chair.  MORDECAI is staring into the fire.  RYAN enters the frame, sits down in TOPHER’s old spot, exhumes the lighter, drops it in his thermis, and places the lid on.  MORDECAI gives him an inquizitive look.

RYAN:  A time capsule.

MORDECAI:  Where you gonna barry it?

RYAN unrolls his sleeping bag on the tarp and climbs in.

RYAN:  We’ll scope out some spots tomorrow.

They both settle down for bed.

FADE TO  Wide shot of The Boys’ Camp, later that night.  The three have assumed more comfortable and sprawled positions and the fire is considerably lower.

CUT TO  The inside of JAMES and KEVIN’s tent.  Close up on JAMES’ sleeping face.  The sound of the minivan’s sliding door shutting wakes him.  Footsteps, and then the sound of the tent flap being unzipped.  A slightly hunched and heaving BETH appears under the arch of the opening, looking for her dad.

BETH:  Dad?

JAMES:  What Sweety?

BETH:  Can I have the big tent?

JAMES:  Yeah.

JAMES gets to his feet as quickly as the grips of sleep will release him.  He nudges KEVIN with his foot.

KEVIN:  (waking abruptly, apparently from the middle of a dream)  What?!  I can’t…

JAMES:  Sure you can Kev, we’re moving to the other tent, Beth needs space.

KEVIN fades into comprehension, then silently assembles his blankets and vacates the tent.

CUT TO outside of the tent.  JAMES follows KEVIN out.  KEVIN walks off screen, JAMES turns and faces his sniffling daughter.

BETH:  I’m sorry…

JAMES:  (overlapping)  No no no no no.

JAMES hugs her.  BETH cries freely.

BETH:  I don’t understand…

JAMES:  What?

BETH:  Mom’s been gone for a year, but I don’t miss her.  I wish I missed her.  At least it’d be better than this.

Another burst of tears.  (Note:  The audience is not supposed to be feeling much of this with her.  This is more informational crying (to establish her situation) which is why it can be so open.  For later scenes meant to engage the audience, let’s keep in mind the observation of Orson Scott Card that usually if the characters are crying the audience is not.)

JAMES:  Shhhh.  Understanding is overrated.  Just remember…  Beth?

BETH:  Hmmm?

JAMES concludes their hug and looks into her eyes.

JAMES:  This too shall pass.

What JAME’s comfort lacks in understanding it makes up for in sincere delivery and succeeds in eliciting a curtious, if not short-lived, smile from BETH just before she retires to her tent and JAMES walks off-screen.

CUT TO Sunrise the next morning.