EXT. THE STREETS OF NEW YORK CITY - DAY
It is a blizzard and a lone man, ESTEBAN, wrapped thick in a
parka and scarf, makes his way through the deserted streets.
ESTEBAN:
(v.o.)
Down Avenue B toward Houston
Street. I take this path every day
since I saw the birds come to life
and then kill themselves.
FLASHBACK TO:
EXT. HOUSTON STREET - DAY
Springtime now, the streets are crowded with people. ESTEBAN
is sitting against a wall, smoking a cigarette. As he looks
around him, he sees diagrams describing the patterns that
people walk.
ESTEBAN : (V.O.)
That is me, Esteban, on the day
that the birds killed themselves.
I had been on the south side of the
island to talk to a literary agent
that was interested in my novel,
Angels of Stolen Kisses. It is a
very good book about the reluctance
to fall in love after you have been
hurt.
Suddenly, the color drains from the scene except for the
pigeons. They fly up as one and then burst into flames and
rocket down at the people walking below them, all apparently
unaware of what is coming. The scene freezes. ESTEBAN is
the only one that can move. He walks carefully through the
crowd, laying a comforting hand on shoulders as he passes.
He spots a child in a stroller about to be hit by one of the
flaming pigeons. He hurries over to the child and grabs the
pigeon. He plucks it from the air and tosses it aside. He
leans down and touches the child's crying face. Suddenly,
the scene unfreezes and the child's mother SCREAMS. ESTEBAN
rears back from the sudden noise and darts left, right into
the path of an oncoming bus. The bus SCREECHES to an abrupt
halt and HONKS ITS HORN. ESTEBAN stumbles backwards and
sideways and finally trips over the curb. People step around
him.
ESTEBAN:
(v.o.)
People fear contact in this city.
Maybe it's germs or the discomfort
of a stranger's embrace. They do
not want to touch anyone.
A young woman, TESSA, steps up to ESTEBAN. She is wearing a
skirt and cardigan sweater. She remains motionless but a
phantom image of her overlaying the still form says:
TESSA:
Are you all right?
ESTEBAN stares at her. Continuing to remain motionless with
the image overlaid:
TESSA:
I said, "Are you all right?"
ESTEBAN: (V.O.)
I find it hard to talk to others.
I was raised in America but I have
never fit in. I miscommunicate.
TESSA LAUGHS, but the underlying form does not move.
TESSA:
Would you like to stand up again?
ESTEBAN:
Why don't you move? Are you dead
under there?
TESSA decides that ESTEBAN is crazy and merely walks away.
As she walks, the overlaid TESSA turns around and stares back
at him.
ESTEBAN:
Come back! I have to know what you
know!
The sun suddenly moves quite quickly behind the buildings and
the street is shrouded in darkness in a matter of seconds.
ESTEBAN: (V.O.)
I have not talked to a girl since
Mercury. We had found our varicose
passageways of language. For that
short time, she had defined my life
for me.
BACK TO:
EXT. THE STREETS OF NEW YORK CITY - DAY
The blizzard continues as ESTEBAN trudges through the snow
drifts. He MUMBLES to himself as he walks. A man, SILAS,
steps out of a doorway a few meters away. ESTEBAN reacts
with joy.
ESTEBAN:
Silas!
SILAS:
I'm losing my balls out here.
Global warming my ass.
ESTEBAN: (V.O.)
I've almost confirmed that Silas
actually exists. Someone else
mentioned him to me once and said
that he had slept with his wife and
his cousin. From the way he said
it, it was not clear whether Silas
had slept with the man's wife and
cousin or his own. Silas is the
only interesting person I know.
SILAS:
Let's go to the Astoria for drinks.
ESTEBAN:
I can not. I am on the hunt.
SILAS:
Whatever you're looking for, you
won't find it in this weather.
This is bear weather.
ESTEBAN:
I would still rather go alone.
OVERHEAD
We pull above them and show that for several blocks,
ESTEBAN'S footprints are the only pair in the snow.
ESTEBAN: (V.O.)
I am an artist because the world
does not make sense to me. I do
not write to express something
inside myself.
I write to reconcile the world I do
not understand with the person I do
not understand.
INT. ESTEBAN'S LOFT - NIGHT
ESTEBAN stands on a ladder, writing on the wall with marker.
It is a complicated equation filled with esoteric words.
ENTITLEMENT leads to GREED leads to FEAR leads to WEAKNESS
leads to SPOKEN IMAGES, etc.
ESTEBAN: (V.O.)
If you were at a point in your life
where you saw your loved ones being
ripped into the blackness, would
you fall apart? Or would you
retreat into yourself? I was
choosing to reach out to someone
else. But I had to find her.
There is a BUZZING SOUND. ESTEBAN goes to the buzzer.
ESTEBAN:
Who is it, please?
MERCURY:
It is Mercury, Esteban.
ESTEBAN:
I do not want to see you.
MERCURY:
I got your letter.
ESTEBAN:
I did not write the letter. The
typewriter wrote it.
MERCURY:
Esteban, I have the police with me
here.
ESTEBAN:
Good. Tell them to take you away.
MERCURY:
They will kick in the door and drag
you away.
ESTEBAN walks away from the intercom system and looks out the
window. He can not see the entrance from his window.
ESTEBAN: (V.O.)
She had taunted me with her beauty.
I gave her everything and she slept
with another man.
There is the sound of A DOOR BEING KICKED IN THE DISTANCE.
ESTEBAN climbs out the window and instantly finds himself at
street level, in an alley. He sees police officers at either
end. He stares up at the window and sees MERCURY, a
beautiful redhead, standing with an ANONYMOUS MAN.
ESTEBAN: (V.O.)
He was everything I was not. He
was rich and accomplished and he
satisfied her. He did not argue or
ask for space. He was not a
depressed phobic. I hate
everything about this man I have
never met.
The police begin approaching ESTEBAN.
ESTEBAN:
Stay back! I have a bomb!
ESTEBAN reaches down his pants and pulls out a tangle of
wires.
MERCURY:
(from the window)
Esteban, we just want to help you!
ESTEBAN: (V.O.)
I felt unattractive. It was the
first time I had ever thought of
it. Suddenly, I was the most
hideous person in the city because
she did not want to be with me.
How could I talk to her again?
What was there to say?
ESTEBAN:
Stay back, all of you! I will
destroy this whole neighborhood!
The police take a few more steps towards him and ESTEBAN
pushes a button. Suddenly, he is in a movie theater. It is
full of children and many parents.
ESTEBAN: (V.O.)
No, no, no! It was not a bomb, it
was my time travel machine.
A child kicks the back of ESTEBAN'S seat. He turns on him
violently. The boy's mother, HOLLY, puts a hand on ESTEBAN'S
arm to calm him.
ESTEBAN:
What is his name?
HOLLY:
Matthew.
ESTEBAN:
What is your name?
HOLLY:
Holly.
ESTEBAN:
I am Esteban and I am a writer.
HOLLY:
How long have you been here?
ESTEBAN:
I can't tell you. I time traveled.
HOLLY:
Is that a joke?
ESTEBAN turns back to face the screen.
HOLLY:
(leaning into his ear)
Don't you want to be my friend?
ESTEBAN:
I want to see how the movie ends.
HOLLY:
Do you know what movie this is?
On the screen, it is showing ESTEBAN arguing with MERCURY.
ESTEBAN:
We said forever! Forever, Mercury!
MERCURY:
It's not that I don't love you-
ESTEBAN:
You don't! You never did! You had
your mind made up!
MERCURY:
You are unbearable. You go into
your own head- I'm not sure you're
ever present.
ESTEBAN:
Why didn't you just stab me? Why
didn't you kill me instead of
sleeping with him?
MERCURY:
Why would I kill you?
ESTEBAN:
Why would you sleep with him? My
work? Because I have to keep the
world at a distance to study it?
MERCURY:
Your work brings in no money! You
are bankrupting me! I try to go to
school, I try to work full time,
and we are barely getting by! Do
not call it work if you are not
paid for it, Esteban!
HOLLY leans in again, pulling his attention away.
HOLLY:
There's something familiar about
this movie, isn't there?
ESTEBAN:
I'm pretty sure I've seen it.
HOLLY:
Well, I think it's a remake of
something else.
ESTEBAN:
There are no new stories.
ESTEBAN leans back in his seat and the back gives way,
spilling him onto a mat at a yoga parlor. He sits up, unsure
of what has happened. The instructor is talking but the
words are coming out backwards. A beautiful blonde, WHITNEY,
turns to ESTEBAN.
WHITNEY:
He said that what we don't know
about ourselves is more important
than what we do.
ESTEBAN:
We know what he does. He is a yoga
instructor. I am a writer. And
you are a femme fatale.
WHITNEY laughs.
WHITNEY:
You misunderstood me. What we
don't know about ourselves is more
important than what we do know
about ourselves. I take it you're
new here. Would you like to get a
cup of coffee?
ESTEBAN:
How do I know this is real?
WHITNEY stares at him.
ESTEBAN:
I am sorry. Did I do something
wrong?
WHITNEY:
I'm throwing myself at you and
you're questioning reality.
ESTEBAN:
I am sorry. I have trouble saying
what I intend.
WHITNEY:
I think you're doing okay. But I
can't place your accent.
ESTEBAN:
I do not have one, I just speak
weird.
WHITNEY LAUGHS.
ESTEBAN:
It is a terrible secret that
everyone knows. Sometimes I do not
talk so that it will not be
revealed.
INT. A COFFEE SHOP - SOON AFTER
ESTEBAN is filling his coffee cup with sugar. WHITNEY stirs
her drink.
WHITNEY:
Would you like a little coffee with
your sugar?
ESTEBAN:
I have never been able to drink
straight coffee. I like sugary
drinks, sodas, things like that. A
milkshake. I would prefer a
milkshake, but you did not invite
me to that.
WHITNEY:
You're very weird, you know that?
ESTEBAN:
It is hard to not take that
personally. Although you did buy
me coffee.
WHITNEY:
I thought you paid for it.
ESTEBAN:
(beat)
I guess we just don't pay for food
anymore.
WHITNEY:
What do you do?
ESTEBAN:
I am an explorer of the
theoretical.
WHITNEY:
What does that mean?
ESTEBAN:
As a concept, have you considered
that reality is formed by your
perception of it?
WHITNEY:
What do you mean?
ESTEBAN:
If we are here, having this coffee
together and talking, it is really
happening. Do you see what I mean?
But if we were over there-
(he points to another
table where they are also
sitting)
-and we are watching us here, then
it is a different reality.
WHITNEY:
Yes, you are very strange. May I
have your number?
ESTEBAN:
I am recently out of a
relationship. It was terrible.
She cheated on me, broke my heart,
destroyed me. I am not a good
person to know, right now.
WHITNEY:
All I want is your number, to call
you and ask the price of coffee.
ESTEBAN:
It is free, remember? No. We are
not meant to continue. I do not
dislike you enough to subject you
to me.
WHITNEY:
You make yourself sound so
terrible. It's a relief, to be
honest. I'm tired of the parts all
the men play. You know, the macho
boasting bullshit.
ESTEBAN:
I have to go to the bathroom and
play with my man parts.
ESTEBAN stands and walks to the back of the coffee shop.
When he exits the restroom, he finds that WHITNEY is gone.
He walks out of the shop and into the street, which is filled
with snow again.
INT. ESTEBAN'S LOFT - DAY
ESTEBAN, in pajama pants and no shirt, is painting a picture
onto a canvas. He steps back from it and looks. It is a
bizarre, child-like image, with vivid colors. He notices
something. He reaches out and plucks a hair from the canvas.
ESTEBAN: (V.O.)
It is hers. It is now covered with
red paint but I know it is hers.
Three months later, her hair is
everywhere. It finds its way into
my work. I find it in my clothes.
I find it in the sheets. I just
want her to be gone.
ESTEBAN places the hair on a framed picture of MERCURY.
There are many other hairs on the picture frame.
ESTEBAN:
(v.o.)
It looks like a spiderweb. She has
trapped me here.
The intercom BUZZES. ESTEBAN answers it.
ESTEBAN:
Who is there, please?
WHITNEY:
Esteban, it's Whitney.
ESTEBAN:
How do you know where I live?
WHITNEY:
You told me.
ESTEBAN:
I did not. I did not even tell you
my last name.
WHITNEY:
Can you just let me up? I'm
freezing down here.
ESTEBAN buzzes her in. He then rushes to get his loft
somewhat less cluttered. There is a KNOCK at the door.
ESTEBAN pulls on a t-shirt and answers the door. WHITNEY
stands there. She does not enter.
ESTEBAN:
What are you waiting for?
WHITNEY:
Do you have someone else up here?
ESTEBAN:
No.
WHITNEY:
Are you lying to me?
ESTEBAN:
No.
She finally steps into the loft. She looks around. She
notices the equations on the wall.
WHITNEY:
Who did that?
ESTEBAN:
I did.
WHITNEY:
What is it?
ESTEBAN:
Let me show you something.
He reaches under the bed and pulls out a tray of half-filled
wine glasses. He lays this on a stool.
WHITNEY:
What are you-
ESTEBAN:
Just watch.
ESTEBAN begins to rub a finger over the edge of the glasses,
produces a BEAUTIFUL NOTE. As he does each glass, a
different part of the equation lights up.
WHITNEY:
It's very pretty.
ESTEBAN:
The words, see, have an intrinsic
musical weight. If you hit the
right note, magic happens. I
discovered it while whistling and
then tried a guitar and a violin
and finally the wine glasses. The
wine glasses work best.
WHITNEY drops her coat, revealing a white slip and nothing
else.
ESTEBAN:
No wonder you were cold! You're
walking around nearly naked!
WHITNEY:
I came to seduce you.
ESTEBAN pushes too hard on a wine glass and it breaks,
cutting him.
WHITNEY:
Oh, let me see! Is it bad?
ESTEBAN holds his hand out to her. She inspects the cut on
his middle finger.
WHITNEY:
Well, you won't be playing wine
glasses for a while.
ESTEBAN:
That is the middle finger. When we
were kids, we called it the fuck
finger.
WHITNEY:
(sarcastically)
You're so romantic. Let me bandage
it.
They sit on his bed and bandage the finger. ESTEBAN looks
her over as she does this.
ESTEBAN:
I think I should tell you that I am
a liar.
WHITNEY:
We're all liars.
ESTEBAN:
No, I tell people I am a writer.
WHITNEY:
You're not?
ESTEBAN:
It is the worst type of cowardice
to lie about yourself for your own
ego.
WHITNEY:
Then maybe it's okay. I mean,
yeah, it's stupid. But it's a lie
that makes you feel better about
yourself. And maybe that illusion
of reality is important enough to
bend the truth for.
ESTEBAN:
That is a very comforting way to
look at it.
WHITNEY:
Is that all you've lied about?
ESTEBAN leans forward and kisses her beside her mouth. She
draws away.
ESTEBAN:
I am sorry.
WHITNEY:
No, it was just unexpected.
ESTEBAN:
I just wanted to know what it would
be like to kiss you.
WHITNEY:
How was it?
ESTEBAN:
You're not her.
There is a long pause.
WHITNEY:
Will you sleep with me?
ESTEBAN:
I do not want to have sex.
WHITNEY:
I understand that. I meant that we
should sleep in the same bed.
ESTEBAN:
Why?
WHITNEY:
Because it's cold and I get lonely.
It feels nice to sleep next to
someone.
ESTEBAN:
It upsets me. I can't get
comfortable. I can't do my routine
that I always do.
WHITNEY:
What do you do?
ESTEBAN:
No, I will not tell.
She leans her head down and kisses his bandaged finger.
WHITNEY:
For good luck.
ESTEBAN:
I could hold you. Sometimes it is
easier to sleep when someone is
holding you.
CUT TO:
INT. ESTEBAN'S LOFT - LATER
ESTEBAN and WHITNEY lay in bed, holding each other. ESTEBAN
is uncomfortable and talks to fill in the space.
ESTEBAN:
I do not know that I could give
second chances anymore. All my
compassion is used up. And I know
that you are asleep now, and
probably dreaming of the man you
will marry, but I hope that I will
not mess this up so that we have to
do it again. I am not ready. For
anything. I don't know what you're
doing here. I don't know why-
The phone RINGS. ESTEBAN looks at it. It RINGS again. He
softly pushes WHITNEY away and off his arm. He answers the
phone.
ESTEBAN:
Yes, who is this, please?
(pause)
How can that be? You are sleeping
here beside me.
(pause)
You must run. Get out of the
plane.
(pause)
I will try to help.
ESTEBAN hangs up the phone and closes his eyes tightly.
Nothing happens. He rolls over and places his arm around
WHITNEY and kisses her on the cheek. He closes his eyes.
CUT TO:
EXT. A LAVA FIELD IN ICELAND - MORNING
A plane has crashed on the lava field, partly covered with
snow. The front of the plane is on fire, the rear section
missing, and the wings missing. There is MUFFLED SCREAMING
from within the plane. ESTEBAN appears on the field.
ESTEBAN:
Whitney! Can you hear me?
The MUFFLED SHOUTING continues within the plane.
ESTEBAN:
Whitney! I am coming to save you!
He rushes to the rear section with its gaping hole. Black
smoke is pouring out of it. He claps his hands once and the
smoke begins to suck back into the plane.
ESTEBAN:
Whitney, do not breath!
ESTEBAN jumps into the plane.
INT.
The wrecked plane Same time
The plane is empty of seats. There are small groups of
people huddled together throughout the cabin. ESTEBAN makes
his way through the plane, looking for WHITNEY. He finds
her, pinned under some luggage. A man is laughing at her.
ESTEBAN collars the man and punches him. The man fights back
and knocks ESTEBAN to the ground.
ESTEBAN:
I do not want to fight you, sir.
Look, we are on tv!
The man looks to where ESTEBAN is pointing, a large
television screen covering the cockpit, that shows these
three. There is the SOUND OF A MUSIC BOX. ESTEBAN grabs
WHITNEY and pulls her free from the luggage.
WHITNEY:
I knew you'd come!
ESTEBAN:
Hurry, we must leave!
ESTEBAN wraps her arm around his neck and carries her outside
the plane's wreckage. They collapse onto the ground, sitting
on the lava field. They look at the barren emptiness around
them.
WHITNEY:
Thank you so much.
ESTEBAN:
If I have saved your life, that
means that I am in your debt. I
must make yours a life worth
living.
WHITNEY:
Shouldn't it be the other way
around?
The ground begins to shift beneath them. It is reeling
backwards.
ESTEBAN:
Hold on!
They grip the strange ridges that the lava has formed. The
plane slides away from them with a METALLIC TEARING SOUND.
Water begins to wash over them.
WHITNEY:
Esteban! I can not hold on!
ESTEBAN:
We must wake up, Whitney!
WHITNEY:
We are not asleep!
ESTEBAN:
We are! I followed you into your
dream!
They are now hanging from a wall, the world has tilted 90
degrees. ESTEBAN looks down below him and sees that strange
man climbing up on legs that are ten feet long and have two
sets of knees per leg.
WHITNEY:
What do we do?
ESTEBAN:
Call me again! Wake me up!
ESTEBAN lets go and begins falling. He lands in a large
white room that overlooks Central Park. There is a giant
phone in the room and it beings to RING, deafening.
CUT TO:
INT. ESTEBAN'S LOFT - SAME TIME
ESTEBAN jolts up in his now empty bed. The phone continues
to RING. He answers it.
WHITNEY:
Thank you for letting me stay,
Esteban. I'm sorry I had to sneak
out on you.
ESTEBAN:
I saved you.
WHITNEY laughs.
ESTEBAN:
I did. I saved you. Do not forget
that.
WHITNEY:
Well, if you did, then you now owe
me a good life. Make it worth
saving.
She hangs up and ESTEBAN throws a pillow at the window. It
freezes in the air after bouncing off the glass. It slowly
rotates. ESTEBAN crawls to it and touches it with his
outstretched hand. There is a blue glow that runs down his
bandaged finger. The blood spots on the bandage dissolve and
disappear. He removes the bandage to find his finger uncut.
INT. A BOOK STORE - DAY
ESTEBAN talks excitedly to SILAS as SILAS browses the
shelves.
ESTEBAN:
She called me from her dream and I
was able to enter it and become a
part of her story.
SILAS:
But how did you get her into bed?
ESTEBAN:
She came there to seduce me.
SILAS:
I don't buy it.
SILAS is re-arranging books on the shelves.
ESTEBAN:
Stop that. The store will kick us
out.
SILAS:
Their method is for shit, Esteban.
Look at how they have these
arranged. Alphabetically, how
pedestrian.
ESTEBAN:
How are you arranging them?
SILAS:
By color. I'm on periwinkle.
ESTEBAN:
I was shocked. She was practically
naked.
SILAS:
Did you nail her?
ESTEBAN:
Silas, this is deeper than sex.
Sex is for younger men, men with no
morals. I do not want my lovers to
be numbers on a scorecard.
SILAS:
Let me see your finger.
ESTEBAN:
Why?
SILAS:
You said you cut it on the wine
glass.
ESTEBAN:
It healed itself.
SILAS stops re-arranging the books.
ESTEBAN:
What? What is it?
SILAS:
Esteban, you know how you are
sometimes not in reality?
ESTEBAN:
Yes, it can be very difficult. I
was not in reality when I met her.
SILAS:
And you weren't in reality when she
spent the night.
ESTEBAN:
No, I think I was. I still have
paint on my t-shirt.
SILAS pulls out a book and opens the cover. He takes out a
pen and begins to sign it.
ESTEBAN:
Stop that.
SILAS:
It is my book, I will do what I
want with it.
A female salesperson sees what is happening and shouts at
SILAS to stop it.
SILAS:
Do you know who I am?
ESTEBAN:
Silas, they will ask us to leave.
SILAS flips to the back cover, which shows a picture of him
smiling, and begins to draw devil horns over the picture.
EXT.
The streets of New York Day
The snow is gone and SILAS is leading ESTEBAN.
SILAS:
So you have no evidence that she
was ever there?
ESTEBAN:
I could not even find a hair. Only
Mercury's.
SILAS:
I think what you must do is devise
a series of questions to test how
concrete these girls are.
ESTEBAN:
To determine if they are real or in
my head?
SILAS:
Yes, exactly.
ESTEBAN:
That is a great idea.
SILAS:
I stole it from Blade Runner. A
series of questions to test if a
person is a robot. But the
principle is the same.
ESTEBAN:
What questions would I ask?
SILAS:
Make them choose between a retarded
child and a pregnant kitten. Ask
them when their birthday is and
what they got five years ago. Ask
them if their parents are still
alive.
ESTEBAN:
What if my mind invents the answers
for them?
SILAS:
Then you'll have a hell of a book
on your hands.
ESTEBAN:
I don't want to do that. I don't
want my art to be an extension of
my psychosis.
(beat)
Would you choose a retarded child
or a pregnant kitten?
SILAS:
I decline both.
INT.
A barber shop Day
SILAS is getting a shave, with a straight razor. His hair is
slicked back on his head.
ESTEBAN:
What other questions will I ask?
SILAS:
Ask about their prom and their prom
date. Ask what he was like. Ask
if they went with another girl to
shake up the establishment. Give
them leading questions to see if
they pick it up from there.
BARBER:
Would you like a haircut, son?
ESTEBAN:
No, my hair is perfect.
The BARBER and SILAS look at each other for a beat and then
begin to laugh.
INT.
A department store Day
SILAS and ESTEBAN are in the men's section, looking at suits.
ESTEBAN:
I have no money for suits.
SILAS:
But what if you meet one of these
girls again and ask them to dinner?
What will you do, take them out for
pizza?
ESTEBAN:
I would ask them to come to my loft
and watch movies.
SILAS studies him for a second.
ESTEBAN:
It is not a bad plan.
SILAS:
Have you ever tried to raise
someone from the dead, Esteban?
ESTEBAN:
That is what my novel is about.
SILAS:
I thought it was about Mercury.
ESTEBAN:
I wanted everyone to think that.
SILAS:
Good. It worked. What is your
next novel?
ESTEBAN:
It is about a man who wakes up to
discover that his hobbies are
essential to the defense of the
planet from invaders. And it has
been kept secret from him so that
he does not have the power to
bargain with his leaders. It is a
comedy about the middle class.
The room begins to shake.
ESTEBAN:
It is an earthquake! Run to a safe
place!
ESTEBAN and SILAS run in opposite directions as the ground
shakes beneath them. ESTEBAN ends up in the home furnishing
section of the store and crawls under a table. The shaking
eventually stops. ESTEBAN peeks out from under the table and
finds himself in his childhood home. His mother is mixing
batter at the counter. ESTEBAN slides out from under the
table.
ESTEBAN:
Mother, is that you?
REGINA:
You are so thin and pale. What
have you been eating?
ESTEBAN:
Things have been difficult, mother.
REGINA:
You never call or visit. We hear
from Mercury that you're in that
loft trying to kill yourself every
day.
She SLAMS HER HAND ON THE COUNTER.
REGINA:
I brought you into this world.
ESTEBAN:
You said I was an accident!
REGINA:
I did not!
ESTEBAN:
You said I was unwanted and that
you were too poor to abort me!
REGINA:
(regaining her composure)
Then every day must be a gift. You
are lucky to be alive. Do not
throw that away.
Cellophane flames begin to rise up the wall of the kitchen.
ESTEBAN:
Mother, there is a fire!
REGINA:
Just go somewhere else, Esteban.
Go to a place that is cold.
ESTEBAN shuts his eyes and concentrates. When he opens them
he is
EXT.
A ski slope Day
ESTEBAN is sitting in a chair that is attached to two skis.
He finds himself hurtling down the mountain at a brisk pace.
He finds levers on either side that control his movement.
ESTEBAN:
(v.o.)
I do not think this is what she
meant.
As the chair reaches the bottom of the slope, it slides into
the streets of New York, once again covered with snow. As he
slides, ESTEBAN catches sight of TESSA walking the other
direction. He maneuvers the chair to a stop in front of a
fire hydrant. A police officer is eating a bagel there.
OFFICER:
You can't park that here, sir.
ESTEBAN:
Tow it if there's a fire.
And then ESTEBAN is running. He catches up with TESSA and
grabs her shoulder. She spins away and crouches into a
defensive stance. ESTEBAN puts his hands up in a gesture of
placation.
ESTEBAN:
I will not hurt you.
(small pause)
Do you remember me? From the
gutter when the bus almost hit me?
TESSA:
Yes, I think so.
ESTEBAN:
We were about to have an
interesting conversation about the
perception of reality, I think.
But I frightened you away.
TESSA:
That's not a very good way to
introduce yourself to a girl.
ESTEBAN:
You are right. I am Esteban, the
writer. Would you like to join me
for a cup of sugar with a little
coffee in it?
INT.
A diner Day
This diner looks as though it belongs in a Norman Rockwell
painting. Everyone is dressed in 1950's style. The
waitresses are on roller-skates. ESTEBAN and TESSA share a
booth.
ESTEBAN:
Would you like a slice of pie?
TESSA:
Yes, of course.
ESTEBAN:
I am Esteban, the writer. Who are
you?
TESSA:
My name is Tessa.
ESTEBAN:
What do you do, Tessa?
TESSA:
I am a special needs counselor with
a focus on autism.
ESTEBAN:
When is your birthday?
TESSA:
April 11th.
ESTEBAN:
What year?
TESSA:
Every year.
ESTEBAN laughs.
TESSA:
Why the third degree?
ESTEBAN reaches up and grabs the light fixture, turning it to
focus on her face.
ESTEBAN:
We want names, see? That's how
it's gonna be, see?
TESSA laughs.
TESSA:
What do you write?
ESTEBAN:
I wrote a story about a boy with no
heart.
TESSA:
Was the boy you?
ESTEBAN:
(silent, considering)
No, I have a heart. It is just
damaged.
TESSA:
What happened to the boy?
ESTEBAN:
He got old and died. They buried
him upside down. I like the idea
that it would rain. It would rain
and wash away the top soil over the
years and eventually his feet would
be sticking out of the dirt. Like
he was growing, like a crop.
(beat)
Would you like to be my friend,
Tessa?
TESSA:
Sure, you seem interesting.
ESTEBAN:
Do you find me attractive?
TESSA:
I'm not going to answer that.
ESTEBAN:
Because I don't think you are.
TESSA:
Excuse me?
ESTEBAN:
You're not very pretty. You're
mousy. Your nose is too long and
your hair is-
TESSA:
I'm going to leave now.
ESTEBAN:
But I did not get to the good part.
What I mean to say is that you are
a good person. You are someone who
would donate a kidney to a
stranger.
TESSA:
What does one have to do with the
other?
ESTEBAN:
Because I am the opposite. I am
beautiful on the outside and many
girls admire me, but inside I am
terrible. I treat people rudely
and I do not do nice things for
strangers.
TESSA:
That's a strange confession.
ESTEBAN:
I am a strange and interesting
person.
TESSA:
How did you end up here?
ESTEBAN:
There was an earthquake. And then
a fire. And then I was skiing.
TESSA:
That doesn't make sense.
ESTEBAN looks up, thinking of how to explain, when he notices
something.
TESSA:
Are you joking with me? It's hard
to tell.
ESTEBAN:
Shhhhhh.
He holds up a finger to tell her to hold on. He climbs up
onto the booth's seat and inspects the light fixture.
TESSA:
What are you-
ESTEBAN:
Just a second.
He takes a small, round metal magnet that is attached to the
lighting fixture. He inspects it carefully. And then sets it
down on the table.
TESSA:
What is-
ESTEBAN:
Shhhhh.
He writes on his paper place mat: WE ARE BEING SPIED ON. He
pushes it to her side of the table so she can read it. She
gives him a worried look. He holds up his finger again and
then rummages inside the pocket of his coat. He pulls out a
tape recorder and pushes play. ESTEBAN'S and TESSA'S voice
comes out of the player.
TESSA:
I think Halloween is my favorite
season because it fits with the
season it represents.
ESTEBAN:
It is actually the festival of
Samhain, a celebration of the
gathering of crops. Don't you
think Christmas fits the season as
well?
TESSA:
Easter is the worst.
ESTEBAN grabs her hand and leads her out of the booth,
leaving the tape recorder behind to spin out its conversation
for the bug.
EXT.
The streets of New York Moments later
TESSA and ESTEBAN walk out of the diner.
TESSA:
Who would be spying on us?
ESTEBAN:
It is impossible to say, really.
TESSA:
How did you have a conversation
with me recorded?
ESTEBAN:
I have a time travel machine. It
only goes three hours forward or
backward.
TESSA:
I do not understand.
ESTEBAN:
Time is not constant. It is
malleable. A black hole can warp
space and time. A minute at the
outer edge of the solar system is
up to three milliseconds longer
than a minute on Earth.
TESSA:
But how did you-
ESTEBAN:
Have you seen fish in a shallow
lake?
A diagram appears explaining this all.
TESSA:
Yes.
ESTEBAN:
They think the world is flat like
that. It's two dimensions, there
is nothing outside it. They could
not believe there is something
other than the lake. But if you
pull one out, it is in the third
dimension. It is like a magical
land to them, now.
TESSA:
What?
ESTEBAN:
Time is our fourth dimension. And
outside of that, there are more
dimensions. If you were two
dimensional, you could be
imprisoned by a circle. But if
you're three dimensional, you can
just step over the circle and be
free. That is what I do with time.
(beat)
May I ask, what was the theme of
your prom?
TESSA:
I don't remember.
ESTEBAN:
Who was your date?
ESTEBAN:
(v.o.)
Don't say Silas. Don't say Silas.
TESSA:
Ricky Gaultierre.
ESTEBAN:
Did you kiss him?
TESSA:
I think so.
ESTEBAN:
Did you screw him?
TESSA begins to walk away.
ESTEBAN:
But how will I find you again?
TESSA:
(while walking)
You probably won't.
ESTEBAN:
I was not finished with my
questions.
(v.o.)
I see her leave. I see her return
to that form that does not move,
but another moves over it.
As she walks away, the projection of her turns back to face
ESTEBAN and smiles.
ESTEBAN:
(v.o.)
Whatever it was, I think it was a
miracle.
INT.
ESTEBAN'S apartment Day
ESTEBAN sits at a desk, typing.
ESTEBAN:
(v.o.)
I had set out to be the greatest
minimalist writer in the history of
the world. I would write and then
give my work to Silas and he would
draw red lines through passages
that did not need to be there. We
reduced it to bones. I began to
refine my sentences to the smallest
possible length. Eventually, I was
left with sentences like "I have."
"I am." "I will." And then, the
shortest sentence in the English
language, "Go." I thought maybe-
The typewriter DINGS.
ESTEBAN:
(v.o.)
Was I done? Was I typing what I
was saying?
The typewriter DINGS again. ESTEBAN looks at it carefully.
He reaches out and touches the space bar. Nothing happens.
ESTEBAN:
(v.o.)
What is going on here?
The typewriter DINGS. ESTEBAN studies the page and finds
that it bears the words he has just spoken. He picks up a
screwdriver and pries open the case of the typewriter. He
can not see inside because of the darkness. He opens a
drawer and pulls out a flashlight. He looks inside again.
He finds cartoonish words in balloons sitting in a line.
They read "This is unusual."
ESTEBAN:
(v.o.)
This-
(the first balloon goes up
onto the page)
Is-
(the second)
Unusual.
(the third)
ESTEBAN lifts the typewriter and tosses it across the room.
It lands upside down and dozens of little word balloons spill
from it. The intercom buzzes. ESTEBAN answers it.
SILAS:
This is the prize committee! You
have won ten thousand rubles!
ESTEBAN:
Now is not a good time, Silas.
SILAS:
I have Mercury with me. She wants
to see you.
ESTEBAN:
I do not want to see her.
SILAS:
Then I'm alone. Let us up.
ESTEBAN:
I will let you up, but not her.
SILAS:
(talking to MERCURY)
He says I may come up but not you.
(inaudible words)
Esteban, I am coming up alone.
ESTEBAN pushes the buzzer and begins to sweep up the
typewriter and its words. There is a knock at the door.
ESTEBAN opens the door. SILAS stands with his trench coat
open, as though he is flashing ESTEBAN. A large gold cross
hangs outside his shirt.
ESTEBAN:
Is she behind you?
SILAS:
It was the only way.
He drops his coat and MERCURY steps out from behind him.
ESTEBAN:
I did not want to see her.
MERCURY:
I am just worried, Esteban.
ESTEBAN:
It is no good anymore, Mercury.
It's dirty now. It's just dirty.
SILAS:
Salvation lies within, Esteban.
ESTEBAN:
And you are a traitor! Why did you
bring her here?
SILAS:
What have you done to your
typewriter?
ESTEBAN:
It was some kind of mind-reading
machine. I have disabled it.
MERCURY:
(to SILAS)
You see? You see what I mean?
ESTEBAN turns his back and walks away.
MERCURY:
Esteban, I just want to help you.
I've called your parents, I've
called psychiatrists, I don't know
what else to do. I can't help you
if you won't let me.
ESTEBAN:
When we met, I was a drug addict.
MERCURY:
I remember.
ESTEBAN:
You made me quit.
MERCURY:
Yes.
ESTEBAN:
You made me go straight and then
you turned my insides all crooked.
MERCURY:
What?
ESTEBAN:
My heart, Mercury! You broke it
into pieces and now they cut me up
from the inside.
(to SILAS)
Are you fucking her? Did you come
up here to apologize?
MERCURY:
He just wants to help you. We all
want to help you.
ESTEBAN:
I had another woman here. She
slept in my bed with me.
MERCURY does not respond.
ESTEBAN:
And I saved her.
MERCURY:
Let me save you.
ESTEBAN:
Save me? You broke me. Did it mean
nothing? Am I nothing to you?
MERCURY:
If that were true, I wouldn't be
here.
ESTEBAN:
I don't WANT you here!
He turns and SMASHES the window with his fist.
MERCURY:
My god! Are you okay? Are you
bleeding?
There is a LOUD BUT INAUDIBLE VOICE SPEAKING on the other
side of the loft's wall. ESTEBAN POUNDS ON THE WALL and
CALLS FOR QUIET.
MERCURY:
Esteban, let me look at it.
ESTEBAN:
I do not want you to! I do not
want to be your friend! I do not
want you to be a part of my life!
You are gone! You've been banished
from my life!
ESTEBAN looks at her and she begins to waver and flicker,
fade out.
MERCURY:
But why? What have I done?
ESTEBAN:
You cheated! You are a cheater!
MERCURY:
You have no right to call me-
ESTEBAN:
She does not even deny it!
SILAS:
(trying to stay neutral)
You both had problems. You're both
young. You maybe did the wrong
thing, but-
ESTEBAN:
And you can go to hell too, then.
You're a co-conspirator now.
SILAS:
That's so arbitrary.
(looking at the wall and
noticing the word
diagram)
What is this? A literary equation?
ESTEBAN:
I want to be alone. I am cold and
I am bleeding. You have both let
me down and I would like to be
alone now.
REWIND.
ESTEBAN:
I would like to be alone now.
REWIND.
ESTEBAN:
I would like to be alone now.
SILAS:
(to MERCURY)
We should go. This hasn't
been...well...
SILAS walks out the door. MERCURY walks up to ESTEBAN and
embraces him from behind.
MERCURY:
I still love you more than I love
myself.
ESTEBAN:
I meet many girls now. I sleep
with many girls. Now please let
go.
MERCURY withdraws and walks away. ESTEBAN turns back and
watches her feet. They are not touching the ground. The
LOUD AND INAUDIBLE VOICE continues to MUMBLE. ESTEBAN picks
up the telephone.
ESTEBAN:
Mr. Burnstein, it is Esteban, the
writer. The man in the next
apartment is making a lot of noise.
ESTEBAN hangs up the phone. From the next apartment we hear
the phone RINGING. After a few seconds, we hear it SLAMMED
INTO THE RECEIVER. There is the POUNDING OF FEET into the
hall and then over to ESTEBAN'S door. The KNOCKING IS VERY
LOUD. ESTEBAN wipes sweat from his face. He slowly walks
over and opens the door. A slim, dapper man faces him.
GEORGES:
(in a European accent)
I'm sorry, but did you call the
superintendant about the noise?
ESTEBAN:
I maybe called someone. It's hard
to keep track.
GEORGES:
I am so sorry. I was rehearsing a
scene.
ESTEBAN:
You're an actor?
GEORGES:
Actor?
(laughing)
No. Oh, Lord, no.
ESTEBAN:
I am Esteban, the writer. Who are
you?
GEORGES:
My name is Georges Simenon.
ESTEBAN seems to recognize the name.
ESTEBAN:
Really?
GEORGES:
Yes.
ESTEBAN:
But you died.
GEORGES:
You heard that too? I thought I
was dead for a while. Turned out I
was just in the Bronx. Tell me,
Esteban the writer, what have you
written?
ESTEBAN:
Oh, I could not share my work with
you. You are Georges Simenon! You
write a novel every eleven days!
GEORGES:
Don't make fun of me.
ESTEBAN:
No, I have read! You wrote over
550 novels in thirty years!
GEORGES:
I try not to think of myself as a
writer. I don't let it define me.
(looking at the words on
the wall)
I like these. They have an
emotional weight. Have you tried
playing a piano with them?
ESTEBAN:
(excitedly)
Yes! You understand! Words do
have emotional weight! Try the
wine glasses!
GEORGES:
I'm sorry, but I really must get
back.
(beat)
I work at a shoe store. You should
come visit me.
ESTEBAN:
Why would you work at a shoe store?
GEORGES:
(smiling)
Everybody needs shoes.
ESTEBAN:
Not everybody.
GEORGES:
Even the disabled wear shoes,
Esteban the writer.
ESTEBAN ponders for a second. Then he blurts out:
ESTEBAN:
I sleep with many women now!
GEORGES:
Is that right?
ESTEBAN:
Yes. She thinks she has won but I
will be the victor.
GEORGES:
The victor often spoils.
GEORGES shuts the door.
EXT.
The streets of New York Day
ESTEBAN is carefully watching a child eat a caramel apple on
the sidewalk. With each bite, words spill out from the apple
and litter the ground. ESTEBAN is entranced by this.
WHITNEY taps him on the shoulder and he jumps.
WHITNEY:
Don't be a Nervous Pervous.
ESTEBAN:
You frightened me. I have been on
edge.
WHITNEY:
Well, here I am.
ESTEBAN:
And I am here as well.
WHITNEY:
You said you wanted to meet.
ESTEBAN:
When did I say that? Are you sure
it was not in a dream?
WHITNEY reaches out and puts a comforting hand on his
shoulder.
WHITNEY:
Esteban. It is not your fault.
ESTEBAN:
Maybe not.
WHITNEY:
No, it is not. You are sick and
that makes life difficult and she
made the wrong choice because of
that.
ESTEBAN:
That is what everyone says.
WHITNEY:
Believe it. You did not do
anything wrong.
ESTEBAN:
I wish it were so simple. That
wrong and right could be tallied
like a judge's scorecard. Do you
know there is no absolute good or
evil?
WHITNEY:
Oh, Esteban. A writer must always
put things into context, I guess.
ESTEBAN:
I defy you to name something. Name
one indefensible action.
WHITNEY:
Rape.
ESTEBAN:
Okay, so you thought of one.
WHITNEY:
And cheating.
ESTEBAN:
Isn't it funny how you can find a
way to justify killing another man,
but cheating is never excusable?
WHITNEY:
You're trying to live a life in
black and whites when you should
focus on the grays, Esteban.
ESTEBAN:
What have you done to your hair?
WHITNEY:
Nothing.
ESTEBAN:
I don't like it.
WHITNEY:
Nothing has changed.
ESTEBAN:
Then maybe I don't like you.
A passenger jet flying very low suddenly hits the World Trade
Center tower a few blocks away. ESTEBAN is not fazed by
this. WHITNEY reacts with horror.
WHITNEY:
Oh. My god.
ESTEBAN:
Did that really happen?
There is SCREAMING up and down the street. Paper rains down
on everyone. ESTEBAN is laughing and dancing in the falling
paper as though it were rain.
WHITNEY:
Esteban, this isn't funny.
ESTEBAN:
Of course it is. My dreams have
crossed over!
(v.o.)
Dreams. It was all a dream. No
one could fly a plane into a
building. This can not be reality.