Above the Scepter'd Sway (AKA - A Gentle Rain)
by Linda Campanelli & MM Shelly Moore
Key:
INT= Interior
O.C,. = Off Camera
POV = Point Of View
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
INT. KANIN'S WORKSHOP - DAY
ESTABLISH various images in the workshop, DISSOLVING from one to the next: tools.. .a doll waiting for repair... .paint pots.. .a baby swing hung from the ceiling with Sock Monkey sitting in it (it swings slightly from being bumped)...a kite...a jar of marbles...marionettes, including one resembling Vincent.. .watercolor masterpieces (at least a couple clearly about "Kanin -- arrows drawn to help out the unenlightened). . .an elaborate castle the size of a large dollhouse. . water-wheel-powered generator that drives a train that circles the workshop near the ceiling.. .crystals growing in a glass container.. .a Victorian dollhouse. . .a gyroscope...
OVER THESE IMAGES, we hear CHILDREN (ages four to six)
flying to stifle their giggles.. children whispering AD-LIBS:
"Over here, "Hey, here---here, "Hey, Samuel, in here
-- come on, "Vincent, shut this for me ... things being scooted, cabinet
doors opening and closing, etc., and a MAN (Kanin) counting:
KANIN'S VOICE:
fifteen .sixteen.. .seventeen... eighteen. twenty-nine..
LUKE'S VOICE: ---Nun-uh-
--nineteen--
MAURA'S VOICE SAMUEL'S VOICE (simultaneous) --it's not twenty-nine--it's nineteen.
KANIN'S VOICE
---oh, right, right., nineteen twenty. twenty-one.. twenty-two twenty-three twenty-four twenty-five okay, ready or not, here I --
CHARLES' VOICE --No. You have to go to thirty, Kanin –
CASSIE'S VOICE
(clearly hidden near Charles) --Shhhh!
LUKE'S VOICE --Yeah, you have to go to thirty.
MAURA'S VOICE Yeah.
KANIN'S VOICE Thirty? Are you guys sure? I thought we said twenty-five.
LUKE'S VOICE No, thirty
NICOLE'S VOICE (a sweet little voice! simultaneous to Luke) I'm ready.
CHARLES' VOICE Huh-uh, thirty.
CASSIE'S VOICE Shhhh!
NICOLE'S VOICE Kanin, I'm ready
The DISSOLVES from one workshop image to another finally bring up to KANIN who sits at his work table, his hands covering his eyes. Kanin is about thirty-six years old, the type of personality children eat up. Amidst all the other noises and voices, he hears little Nicole; he smiles to himself
KANIN Okay, twenty-five.. twenty-six.. twenty-seven.. .everybody better be ready...
We see LUKE scramble behind the marionette drape. VINCENT, halfway into stepping into a tall, skinny cabinet, reaches his arm out for:
VINCENT Catherine...
Catherine, helping MAURA hide by positioning one last crate in front of the little girl, looks back to Vincent, hurries over.
CATHY Is there room?
VINCENT (nodding/bringing her in with him) This is where I always hide.
Vincent has pulled the door shut, finding himself facing Cathy; they are snugly pressed against each other.
VINCENT There used to be more room in here.
Cathy smiles as they work to find a more comfortable position, to no real avail.
During Cathy and Vincent's dialogue and action, Kanin, the Children, and the hide-and-seek game has continued simultaneous and will continue to do so:
KANIN'S VOICE
(continuing non-stop from above)
.ready or not.. .twenty-eight. . .here I come.. .twenty-nine.
twenty-nine.. .hey, kids, I can't remember what comes after twenty-nine
CHILDREN'S CHORUS
Thirty!
CASSIE'S VOICE (to Charles) Shhhh!
It sounds as if Cassie gives Charles a sock in the arm
for not being quiet.
CHARLES' VOICE
(muttered)
Ouch...
KANIN'S VOICE Oh,right--right--(quickly) twenty-nine, thirty
GO OUTSIDE CABINET as Kanin peeks through his fingers...
KANIN Okay.. .who am I going to find first...?
Kanin uncovers his eyes and starts to look around. He is animated, fun.
KANIN Is there somebody... (suddenly looking under the table where obviously no one is) under this table? (No one) Is there somebody.. hanging from this light? .Nope. (Sneaking up to a cabinet) How. about here...
Kanin throws open the cabinet suddenly with a villainous laugh...to the absolute surprise of SAMUEL who screams.
INSIDE VINCENT'S CABINET -- CATHY AND VINCENT
O.C.., Samuel's scream turns into a delighted giggle. Cathy smiles, glances up at Vincent.
CATHY Samuel...
Vincent smiles. Vincent's look lingers on Cathy even after she has turned her attention back to intent listening.
WORKSHOP -- KANIN AND SAMUEL
Kanin helping Samuel out of his hiding place.
KANIN (continuing from above) Okay, Samuel's the first one found -- Samuel gets to help me test out my new rocket ship. Now, who are we going to find next?
SAMUEL Vincent.
KANIN Oh, well, that's easy. Vincent's right.. .over. . .here...
Kanin has tiptoed to the crates. He peers over, sees Maura who giggles. As he lifts her over the crates...
KANIN Hey, wait a minute -- you're not Vincent! What'd you do with Vincent?
MAURA (amidst delighted giggles) Nothing...
KANIN I think Maura ate Vincent.
INSIDE CABINET -- CATHY AND VINCENT
MAURA'S VOICE (giggling) Nun-uh.
Cathy's giggle overlaps Maura's. Vincent shushes Cathy, gently pressing his fingers to her lips. STAY with Cathy and Vincent, no room to move, listening as Kanin finds other children, AD-LIBBING each find. Luke...
VINCENT (leaning close to her ear) Perhaps we should've hidden behind the crates.
Cathy shakes her head then shyly looks up at him, her eyes telling him she likes it here just fine.
NICOLE'S VOICE (in background/sweet) Find me, Kanin.
O.C. Kanin AD-LIBS finding Nicole. .then Charles and Cassie...
Meanwhile, Cathy has broken the look with Vincent to look away. Vincent's look again lingers, then he resituates his arms to a more comfortable position, wrapping them loosely around Cathy's neck.
VINCENT Is that all right?
CATHY That's fine.
Their eyes meet again and this time they hold the look.., studying each other...
CATHY (her eyes on his lips) Are you always the last one found?
VINCENT
...Always.
As their eyes connect again..
THE WORK SHOP--KANIN AND THE CHILDREN
Kanin is about to open an overhead cupboard.
KANIN Ok, where're Vincent and Catherine hiding? Maybe they're...
Kanin opens the cupboard. ARTHUR is in there, Kanin closes the cupboard as if that's not unusual.
KANIN
Nope, not in there --
The children's glances indicate they think they know where Vincent is; he always hides in the same place, but Kanin never remembers.
CHARLES (tugging at Kanin) Over here -- over here, Kanin.
NICOLE (mimicking Charles) Yeah, over here.
KANIN No, I've already checked over there. (crouching down to their level, thinking) Let's see... Could they be -- (gets a great idea!) In Samuel's ear?! Hey, Vincent, (looking in Samuel's ear) are you and Catherine hiding in Samuel's ear?
The children all giggle, thinking Kanin is a real goofball
LUKE No, they're in Cassie's ear!
KANIN (moving to Cassie's ear)
Vincent's in Cassie's ear?!
As the kids get caught up AD-LIBBING ear stuff, checking each others ears and mimicking Kanin:
INSIDE CABINET -- CATHY AND VINCENT, their eyes still on each other. Finally
CATHY How long can this go on?
A long beat.
VINCENT As long as Kanin wants it to go on.
CATHY (an inner smile) ...I love Kanin.
As we move to the edge of our seats, hoping...we hear Kanin whispering just outside the cabinet door:
KANIN'S VOICE I'm telling you, there's not room for Vincent and Catherine in here.
CHARLES' VOICE (simultaneous whisper) Uh-huh.
CASSIE'S VOICE (simultaneous whisper) They're in there.
LUKE'S VOICE (simultaneous whisper) Open it.
MAURA'S VOICE (simultaneous whisper) Vincent always hides in there.
THE WORKSHOP -- KANIN AND THE CHILDREN
LUKE
Come on -- open it.
KANIN Okay, but I still think Maura ate -- (opening door) Vincent -- (gasps)
CATHY Boo.
KANIN (simultaneous to Cathy) You guys were right!
The children immediately start AD-LIBBING: “Let's do it again,” “Yeah, let's play again,” “Yeah, KANIN, Let's play again,” etc, as Cathy and Vincent exit the cabinet.
KANIN Okay, okay, everybody start thinking about where you're going to hide while I show Catherine and Vincent something.
The kids disperse to investigate hiding spots. As KANIN heads for a cabinet, he glances back to Cathy and Vincent, his delight growing:
KANIN (more to Vincent) Remember those clackers I made last year, everybody was clacking them everywhere---?
VINCENT (remembers all too well) Yes.
KANIN These --
KANIN whips a whirlybird out of a drawer-- a simple wooden aeronautical toy made with one piece of balsa wood and one dowel stick..
KANIN ---are even better.
CATHY What is it?
VINCENT (simultaneous to Cathy/groaning) KANIN...
KANIN It's a whirlybird -- I'm going to make one for everybody --watch -- it's great.
Kanin launches the whirlybird.
KANIN Isn't that great?
CATHY (a little gasp) How does it do that?
KANIN It's great, isn't it?
CATHY I love it I want to try. Can I try it?
KANIN Yeah. You just hold one hand still and slide the other one out. (demonstrating with whirlybird) Like that.
Kanin catches the whirlybird and hands it to Cathy
KANIN (Cathy starts trying during following) I'm making a trade for the dowel sticks and balsa wood with the guy at the hardware store. (watching Cathy fly the whirlybird his voice and face full of impish delight) Father's gonna hate these.
As Cathy continues to launch the whirlybird...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. HARDWARE STORE - DAY
Kanin picks several long dowel sticks from a bin, sliding his hand along each to make sure it is smooth and eye balling each to make sure it is straight. GO WITH KANIN to the paint section where he scans the rows of paint cans looking for the appropriate stain. Through the shelving we notice a WOMAN (MRS. DAVIS, late forties, Tyne Daly-
shopping, scanning the items on her aisle's side of the shelf. She casually glances up, catching a glimpse of Kanin, Kanin at the same time glancing up, each going immediately back to their shopping. But something registers with each person, the woman's reaction less covert. She looks up at Kanin again, but now there is a recognition in her eyes, the feelings of an immediate cold sweat, of being suddenly sick to her stomach, of literal shock. She freezes, staring at Kanin through the shelves. Only now does Kanin glance back up again then quickly back down, trying with every atom of his being to hide his own feelings of panic, to appear like any other shopper.
Momentarily, Mrs. Davis forces herself to think, to decide what to do. In this instant, she looks away, and when she looks back
POV - ACROSS THE SHELF
Kanin is not there.
Alarmed, Mrs. Davis panics, and WE FOLLOW her down the aisle, around the corner, to the next aisle.
POV - THE EMPTY AISLE
Mrs. Davis glances in all directions. As she hurries OUT OF FRAME...
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