EXT. FOREST — LATE AFTERNOON
A dimly-lit forest path. Warm, fading light through the barren trees. A few remaining leaves dance gently on a soft breeze, clinging to their branches. A stillness that’s occasionally broken by signs and sounds of birds and other wildlife.
As the camera tracks along the path, we gradually hear muffled crying, and we see a small, balled-up human form, at the spot where our path joins another. We approach closer yet, and twigs snap underfoot as we draw near, startling this huddled form.
A young woman looks up, eyes suddenly wide and alert, still red with tears. Reverse shot to another young woman, peering down with wide, curious, sensitive eyes of her own. Their eyes locked together, the startled expression of the first woman gives way to an intense gaze, met unbroken by that of the second woman. They search each other’s eyes from a slight distance, the breeze very gently enveloping them.
SECOND WOMAN
(extending her hand, helping the first woman to her feet)
Come walk with me, for a little while.
The opening chords of “Eclosion” by Tony Anderson drift softly in, as the two women walk together along the path.
We track with these two along their shared path, sometimes close to them, and sometimes from a distance. Intercut with forest vignettes: water flowing over stones in a nearby stream; a deer staring at the camera, tense and alert, then bounding away; a bird chirping in a tree; the wind blowing through late autumn grasses.
As the women walk together, at last their fingers meet, and they continue hand in hand. They speak quietly to each other, and we catch occasional words and phrases, but nothing in particular.
Increasingly their conversation turns light-hearted and laughter-filled, until they stop on the path and face each other intensely once more. Their bodies press together and they tremble in each other’s arms, their lips finally touching, softly at first. Then desperate, passionate, their hands through each other’s hair and around each other’s waists.
Caught up madly together for a moment. And then gradually they pull apart, and peer deeply into each other once more. No words spoken, no movement. Eye contact that’s intense, but almost shy this time–breaking once or twice. A breeze ever-so-softly tugging at them.
The second woman draws close to the first woman one last time, whispering at length into her ear, unheard by us. As she whispers, a smile gradually brightens her face, and then she kisses the first woman hard on the mouth.
The camera pulls back and we see they’ve reached a fork in the path. The second woman pushes playfully away, and retreats into the distance, leaving the first woman dazed, smiling. Fade out.
THE END.
