1 INT. CAMMIE’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Cammie stares, in shock, at the small drone hovering in the sliding glass doorway to her verandah. Synth music creeps in.
ARDALAN (voice over)
The drone stalking Cammie?
A small ziplock bag hangs from the drone.
ARDALAN (voice over)
I don’t know how that drone fits in.
The camera on the drone swivels to take in Cammie’s room.
ARDALAN (voice over)
Or even if it fits in. That’s a question for Li Na.
The synth music continues over:
2 EXT. PITTWATER. SUNSET
Drone shot: skimming low over Pittwater bay, inches from the water, heading towards Lion Island. A ‘window’ appears within the dominant moving image: Li Na speaks directly to camera.
LI NA
Would I have even met Cammie if it hadn’t been for my drone? No way.
3 EXT. GOLF COURSE. SUNSET
Li Na sits hidden in a copse of trees; drone control device in her hand; a laptop computer resting on her lap.
In one ‘window’ onscreen Gabriel, wearing headphones, sits at his synthesizer playing the music we are listening to.
In another, the drone’s POV, rising from the water, swerving a wide arc that reveals Barrenjoey headland, topped with a lighthouse.
4 EXT. PITTWATER. SUNSET
Drone shot: To the accompaniment of Gabriel’s synth music we continue to arc towards the headland and its lighthouse.
5 INT. GABRIEL’S LIVING ROOM. SUNSET
A mid shot of Gabriel sitting at his synthesizer in a cluttered space, playing music in sync with the movements of the drone - seen in a ‘window’ on his computer monitor:
A majestic view aerial view of Barrenjoey headland.
GABRIEL (voice over)
At first we thought Cammie was putting together some kind of online music ensemble...
In another ‘window’, Li Na, control device in hand, (seen from the POV of her laptop camera) looks directly at Gabriel, nodding her head in sync with the music.
GABRIEL (voice over)
...to help her with her ‘musical problem’...
In another window:
Flashback/forward - very brief. Cammie, violin tucked between her neck and shoulder, bow hovering above the strings, her hand shaking, sweats profusely: a panic attack.
GABRIEL (voice over)
...but Sandy couldn’t play music, so...that theory didn’t hold up for long.
A window with Fatima talking directly to camera pops up - not on either Gabriel’s or Li Na’s screens but into the shot that contains Gabriel at his synth, in his cluttered Living Room.
NOTE: Traditional script formatting does not make it easy to deal with 3 or more ‘windows open at the same time onscreen!
FATIMA
Sandy does have a great six pack. No question. And... let’s face it....he was...is...a ...’hunk’.
Gabriel’s music slows, over beautiful aerial images.
NOTE: We dip in and out of the windows onscreen as well as observe Gabriel and Li Na marrying drone images and music.
A sedate, lyrical musical passage builds towards another crescendo as we fly directly towards a copse of trees; in the middle of which sits Li Na with her computer and drone control device.
Sandy pops up in his own window, speaking to camera; laughing.
SANDY (laughs)
That six pack thing...yeah, I can understand why the others focus on that...but it wasn’t like that with me and Cammie.
We fly fast between two boughs of a tree, just inches to spare on either side, then along a line of trees, weaving between them at dizzying stomach churning speed.
SANDY (laughs)
No....it was...fuck...I’m not all that good with words...
In sync with the music, we shoot up into the sky in a matter of seconds and hover quietly in 100 feet off the ground. The tempo of the music slows, diminishes in volume as we spin 360 degrees, slowly, revealing Barrenjoey headland, Palm Beach and Pittwater Bay in all their glory.
6 EXT. GOLF COURSE. SUNSET
Li Na sits in the copse of trees, controlling her drone.
Onscreen, we see the completion of the 360 degree drone pan, settling on a shot of the sun setting over Pittwater. In one ‘window’ onscreen Gabriel, wearing headphones, sits at his synthesizer playing music. In another, Sandy has finally found some words:
SANDY
We just clicked. Cammie and me. Don’t ask me why. We just did.
7 INT. GABRIEL’S LIVING ROOM. SUNSET
Gabriel plays music in sync with the movements of the drone. In one ‘window’ onscreen is the image recorded by the drone: the sun, just about to slip behind the hills on the western aside of Pittwater. The music now is a repeated phrase, building in volume.
Li Na, control device in hand, looks directly at Gabriel, nodding her head in sync with the music. She gestures ‘now’ to Gabriel. He increases the speed and tempo of the music, building towards a crescendo. Gabriel then nods vigorously to Li Na, who nods in return.
8 EXT. PITTWATER. SUNSET
As the music builds to a climax, the drone shot tilts from the sunset to the water below. Water fills the fame. As we speed towards the water, so too does the music speed up; intensify. Just as it seems that we will hit the water, Gabriel hits a key on his synth to produce a loud ‘splash’ sound as the frame freezes just inches from the water.
9 EXT. GOLF COURSE. SUNSET
On the screen of Li Na’s computer we see that the drone is, again, flying at water level.
Li Na and Gabriel, ecstatic at what they have pulled off, hi-fiving each other (hand to camera); laughing happily.
Suddenly, another ‘window’ opens up onscreen. It is Cammie, up close; smiling happily.
CAMMIE
That was fucking awesome.
Li Na and Gabriel are both shocked.
GABRIEL
Who to fuck are you?
CAMMIE
That’s a question I ask myself a lot. Don’t you? Why am I here? What is the meaning of life?
LI NA
How the fuck did you get in here. This a secure network.
CAMMIE
There’s no such thing as a secure network, Li Na. No such thing...
LI NA
How the fuck do you know my name?
CAMMIE
I’ve been a fan of your drone work for a while.
LI NA
My drone work!?
CAMMIE
Do you mind if I call you Leena?
Cammie gives Gabriel a double thumbs up.
CAMMIE
And, hey, whoever you are, Mr Synth Man, you rule. Cool music.
Li Na and Gabriel stare at Cammie in disbelief.
CAMMIE
Welcome to Zoomers TV.
Cammie beams a happy smile.
10 INT. LI NA’S BEDROOM. DAY
Flashforward
Li Na looks directly at the camera on her computer monitor. There is no sign of who she is talking to.
LI NA
That’s how I met her. ‘Hurricane Cammie’. I don’t even know what the right word is to describe her. (A BEAT) You know, right, that Cammie is short for Chameleon.
(sarcasm)
If this confuses you, as Cammie would say, “Google it.”
A mellifluous female voice emanates from speakers.
‘MELLIFLUOUS’
You didn’t know she’d had been stalking you?
LI NA
No.
(defensive)
Hey, the drone stalking her wasn’t mine, if that’s what you’re thinking. No way.
There is a long silence, which makes Li Na nervous.
11 INT. FATIMA’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Back in the present.
Fatima, in a state of shock, looks at the images being live-streamed onto her computer:
The tiny drone hovers just a few feet from Cammie. She screams loudly.
LI NA (voice over)
I mean...I hadn’t even met her yet. You think I...?
MALE VOICE
Olivia, are you OK. Open up...
Cammie freezes, terrified; caught between the drone and the pounding at her bedroom door, unsure what to do.
LI NA (voice over)
Are you still there?
The door to Cammie’s bedroom bursts open. A slight person wearing a yellow t-shirt and a hoodie, his face hidden from view, stumbles into the room; having clearly just forced the door with his shoulder. He drops the parcel in his hands; wrapped in blue plastic.
Cammie is freaking out. ‘HOODIE’ picks up the parcel; sees the drone.
‘HOODIE’
What the fuck!
Cammie, panicking, points both remote devises in her hand at the smartphone on the gimble; at Fatima.
Fatima’s computer monitor goes blank.
Fatima sits in shock for a moment, unsure what to do; what to make of what she has seen.
She picks up her phone, locates Cammie’s number; is in two minds whether or not to call her.
A ringing from her computer announces a Zoom call. A window opens up on screen. In it:
Fatima’s singing partner - AMELIA - from the Tik Tok clip, wearing a pink wig and pink lipstick.
AMELIA
You ready?
FATIMA
Sorry...got caught up...
Fatima picks up a red and blonde wig, holds them up:
FATIMA
Red or blonde?
AMELIA
Blonde. You seen the stats. 1.2 Million and growing fast.
FATIMA (excited)
Hey.
Another Zoom window opens on Fatima’s monitor.
AMELIA
I’ve got some great ideas I want to run by you for this next one...
In the new ‘window’: Li Na’s elderly grandmother.
FATIMA
Can I call you back? I’m...
AMELIA (excited)
No worries. More than a million hits. Yay!
Nai Nai, in her window, speaks in Mandarin.
NAI NAI (subtitled)
Hello my treasure.
Li Na’s face lights up with a smile.
LI NA (subtitled)
Hello Nai Nai. How are you?
12 INT. ROOM IN AGED CARE FACILITY. NIGHT
Nai Nai sits alone in a wheelchair in a small room; a small dog curled up in her lap. She speaks in broken English to the digital device propped up in front of her.
NAI NAI
Bored. There’s no-one to talk to. Just old people. Everywhere I look, old people.
Li Na appears in her own Zoom window.
NAI NAI
And most of them have lost their marbles.
(Li Na laughs)
When are you coming to visit me?
LI NA
You know I can’t.
NAI NAI
You could sneak in late at night. I could let you in my window.
LI NA
I would love to but...we would both get into trouble.
NAI NAI
I would like some trouble in my life, Li Na. It’s been a long time since I had any trouble. I’m bored.
LI NA
How’s Minnie?
Nai Nai smiles, strokes the dog in her lap.
NAI NAI
I need more than a dog to keep me company.
LI NA
I know. I’m so sorry, Nai Nai.
NAI NAI
I want to die, but not before you come to visit me.
LI NA
You’re not going to die. No.
NAI NAI
I’m tired, Li Na. I’m ready. I’ve had a good life but...please come and visit me. Hold my hand. One last time.
Tears well in Li Na’s eyes. She shakes her head.
LI NA
I don’t want you to die.
Nai Nai reaches out with her hand, holds it close to the camera, so that it is large in frame on Li Na’s monitor. Li Nar reaches out, places her hand on Nai Nai’s.
NAI NAI
Are you talking to your mother?
13 INT. FATIMA’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Li Na grimaces; evades the question.
LI NA
A little.
Nai Nai, in her window:
NAI NAI
She’s a stubborn woman.
LI NA (smiles)
I wonder where she got that from.
Nai Nai laughs, speaks in Mandarin
NAI NAI (subtitled)
Wherever you go, my darling, go with all your heart.
Li Na replies in Mandarin
LI NA (subtitled)
With all my heart.
Nai Nai, blows Li Na a kiss; terminates the Zoom call.
Li Na wipes tears from her eyes. It takes her a moment to regain her emotional equilibrium. She calls Cammie on her smartphone; gets her message bank:
CAMMIE’S VOICE
Hi there...
Fatima terminates the call.
A LITTLE LATER
Fatima sits at her computer, scrolling through a timeline; stopping at:
Cammie unbuttoning her school uniform shirt; taking it off; holding her arms protectively over her breasts for a moment before removing them; sitting in her bra, looking at Sandy shyly.
CAMMIE
Well?
SANDY
You fishing for a compliment?
CAMMIE
Yes.
SANDY
You have a beautiful body. (A BEAT) The bit I can see of it, that is.
Close on Fatima, watching
CAMMIE (voice off)
You want to see more?
SANDY (voice off)
You want to show me more?
CAMMIE (flirty)
If you ask politely.
Fatima’s smartphone rings. She presses ‘pause’ looks at the screen: Cammie
Her face reveals the relief she feels.
FATIMA
Phew!
CAMMIE (whispering)
Sorry about...before.
FATIMA
You OK?
CAMMIE
Yes. (A BEAT) I’m...good.
14 INT. CAMMIE’S BATHROOM. NIGHT
Cammie stands in her bathroom, looking at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. She is alone. The door is shut and she is in a nervous state.
FATIMA (voice off)
Why are you whispering?
CAMMIE
Can’t explain now, but, hey...
15 INT. FATIMA’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
CAMMIE (voice off)
I really didn’t want you to see any of that...my ‘date’. Sandy. I picked up the wrong ‘remote’. Embarrassing. Duhhh
FATIMA
What didn’t you want me to see?
16 INT. CAMMIE’S BATHROOM. NIGHT
Cammie’e brow is creased with worry.
CAMMIE (confused)
Me and...you didn’t see...? (A BEAT) What was the last thing you saw? Before I turned the camera off?
17 INT. FATIMA’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Fatima hesitates for a moment; makes a decision.
FATIMA
You said something like...your computer went ‘ding’ and you said “gotta go. More later” or something like that, and....’terminated’ me.
18 INT. CAMMIE’S BATHROOM. NIGHT
Cammie is both confused and relieved.
FATIMA (voice off)
I figured you had some... ‘situation’ you had to deal with.
CAMMIE
Oh, that’s...Mmmm. I thought... never mind. I just wanted...hey, Can’t talk now. Will call in the morning. OK?
FATIMA
Are you OK?
CAMMIE (terse)
Yes. (A BEAT) Why wouldn’t I be?
Cammie hangs up.
19 INT. FATIMA’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Fatima raises her eyebrows, shakes her head; unable to make sense of the live-streamed scene she had been privy to.
20 INT. SANDY’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Sandy, sweating profusely, wearing boxer shorts only, works out in his bedroom, to the sound of pumping music. In a window, a reprise of Sandy’s POV of the end of his and Cammie’s recent Zoom encounter.
Sandy and Cammie kiss their cameras; lips meeting in cyberspace.
SANDY (voice over)
I had no idea what had shocked Cammie so much...
Cammie looks a directly at the smart phone on the gimble; realizes it is still filming. She leaps to her feet; shocked.
CAMMIE
Oh, fuck!
SANDY (voice over)
...but I figured she had ‘terminated’...
Cammie grabs a remote device; turns her computer off.
SANDY (voice over)
’...me by mistake...and that’ she’d Zoom back.
Sandy stares at the now blank ‘Cammie’ Zoom window; puzzled; talks to himself.
SANDY
Crazy girl!
Sandy lifts weights, does abdominal scrunches, squats, push-ups, skips, uses his running machine.
SANDY (voice over)
She didn’t call back, so I figured.... I don’t know what I figured but I wasn’t going to chase her.
Sandy’s body glistens with sweat as he pushes himself harder and harder. Sandy is lean, all muscle, well-built.
SANDY (voice over)
I thought, “Let her chase me.” I like being chased.
Posters, a football jersey hanging on a wall, a signed football, press clippings and a couple of trophies on his dresser suggest that Sandy is a champion footballer.
SANDY (voice over)
I know it’s not OK to say that these days, but...hey...I like being chased.
His computer announces the arrival of a message. He turns off his running machine, picks up a towel, wipes his face, dries his hands, walks to his computer, sits; activates Zoom.
Imogen, early 30s, smiles out at him.
IMOGEN
Hi, Gabriel. Is this a good time?
SANDY
As good as any.
IMOGEN
You look as though you’ve been working out?
SANDY
Sorry, I’ve completely forgotten your name.
IMOGEN
Imogen. From “The Footy Show”. Writing that article about...
SANDY
That’s right. Of course. “Football and social distancing”?
(gestures to his running machine)
Yes, two hours a day. Minimum.
IMOGEN (flirting)
Looks like you’re in pretty good shape?
SANDY (flirting)
And you? Are you in good shape, Imogen?
IMOGEN (laughs)
Let’s hope they lift the ban soon.
SANDY
Fingers crossed.
He crosses his fingers.
IMOGEN
Do you mind if I record this?
SANDY
No worries.
IMOGEN
What do you miss the most?
SANDY
I miss playing, of course. The games. But I reckon I miss hanging out with my mates the most.
IMOGEN
Do you zoom them?
SANDY
Yeah, but it’s not the same.
IMOGEN
So, how do you fill your days now? (A BEAT) Catch up on your reading?
SANDY
No...reading’s not really my thing. I’m dyslexic, so...
IMOGEN
Oh...Movies?
SANDY (laughs)
There’s nothing on Netflix I haven’t seen.
IMOGEN (laughs)
So, you keep fit, watch a lot of TV and...?
SANDY
I’m on the computer a lot. Facebook. Wasting time. Surfing.
IMOGEN
What do you search for?
SANDY
Look, I don’t want to be rude, Imogen, but...I love football, hate that I can’t play, hope they open the season up soon, but I don’t really have anything intelligent to say. I’m just a guy who likes football...with no opinions about anything.
IMOGEN
That’s not what came out in “Celebrity Survivor”.
A window pops up. From a TV screen with ‘Celebrity Survivor’ written in bold letters in one corner of the frame:
A scantily clad and very pretty young woman (MICHELLE), scowling angrily, looks up a deserted beach.
SANDY
That was a mistake. A big mistake.
Michelle’s POV: Further up the beach, Sandy removes his bathing costume, close to some tall beach grass, from which two legs extend.
IMOGEN
Why?
Sandy stands naked for a moment, smiling. Two arms are held up to him. He falls into them, laughing.
Sandy laughs, shakes his head; grimaces; holds his hands up; doesn’t want to talk about it.
IMOGEN
What?
SANDY
Fucking invasion of privacy.
A promo for next week’s episode. Over a close shot of an angry (and scantily clad) Michelle, breathless voice over.
VOICE OVER
Michelle fumes as her hot Italian stallion cheats on her with mystery lover.
MICHELLE
He’s not going to get way with...(words bleeped out) that slut.
SANDY
If I’d known how powerful those telescopic lenses are...
IMOGEN
Michelle was not impressed.
Sandy smiles, grimaces; face-palms.
IMOGEN
So, you going to tell me which contestant it was?
SANDY
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that...
Sandy holds his hands up: end of subject.
IMOGEN
OK. It was worth a try.
SANDY
Next question?
IMOGEN
Another personal question? Not for publication. Off the record. This is just me....asking.
SANDY
Mmmm, depends on the question. Fire away.
IMOGEN
You’re an attractive man...
SANDY (smiles)
Thank you, Imogen. ( BEAT) And you are an attractive woman.
IMOGEN (smiles)
And...well, you have had a few girlfriends...
SANDY
Not as many as you journalists think.
IMOGEN
Still, a few...high profile... partners...including Michelle.
(Sandy nods)
And now you’re locked in your room and...well, it’s kind of difficult to meet new...partners when you can’t go out...except online, of course... and you’re single now, right?
SANDY (laughs)
So, what’s your personal question, Imogen?
IMOGEN
Do you miss...female company?
SANDY
Do you miss male company? I’m guessing you don’t have a boyfriend?
IMOGEN
What makes you think that?
SANDY
The questions you’re asking me.
Imogen looks at him for a long moment; blushes.
IMOGEN
Well, no...I don’t have a boyfriend and...yes...I miss male company.
SANDY
What do you miss?
IMOGEN
Hey, I’m supposed to be interviewing you.
SANDY
Come, out with it, Imogen. What do you miss the most? Don’t be shy.
Imogen is lost for words. Sandy smiles. His phone rings. He picks it up, looks to see who is calling.
SANDY
Can I call you back?
IMOGEN
Sure. Please.
Sandy terminates the conversation; presses ‘speaker’.
SANDY
Woman of mystery?
CAMMIE (whispering)
Sorry about cutting you off like that. I...suddenly realized that I’d fucked up badly...
SANDY
How? Why are you whispering? Zoom me.
CAMMIE
I can’t right now. I’ll call you in the morning. Sorry.
SANDY
For what?
CAMMIE
Being a woman of mystery.
SANDY (laughs)
I love mysteries.
21 INT. COMPUTER. DARK ROOM
Close on a computer screen.
Cammie’s bedroom as seen by a wide-angle fish-eye lens, hidden high in a corner. CCTV footage.
Cammie and Sandy kiss their cameras.
Cammie leaps to her feet; looks at the smart phone on the gimble; filming.
CAMMIE
Oh, fuck!
She grabs a remote, points it, presses a button.
In a slightly wider shot, and as the images onscreen fast-forward, we see, resting on the desk around the computer, various printed documents. Onscreen now:
Cammie putting on a t-shirt emblazoned with an ‘Eye of Horus’ icon.
One document alongside the computer is marked ‘Toxicology Analysis’. Another: ‘Police Incident Report’.
The image on the computer screen fast-forwards to:
Cammie seeing the tiny drone hovering in the verandah doorway. She screams.
MALE VOICE
Olivia, are you OK. Open up...
In yet a wider shot we see a photo of a body lying on a footpath, face down, wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the ‘Eye of Horus’ symbol. Onscreen:
The door to Cammie’s room bursts open. A man wearing a yellow t-shirt and a hoodie, his face hidden from view, stumbles into the room; drops the blue parcel in his hands.
Cammie is freaking out. The man in the hoodie picks up the parcel; sees the drone.
‘HOODIE’
What the fuck!
The frame onscreen freezes.
A surgically gloved hand manipulates a mouse to cause the image onscreen to move backwards at speed, freezing at a moment when the drone can most clearly be seen. A cursor onscreen draws a box around the drone, opens the box.
Close on:
The blown up image of the drone on the computer screen. It is ‘grainy’ but there is clearly something hanging from the bottom of it.
Freeze frame.
Reflected in the computer screen: A figure wearing a surgical mask. It is not possible to tell if s/he is male or female.
A gentle melody, hummed softly, intrudes.
22 EXT. HEADLAND. PRE-DAWN
The humming continues over:
A profusion of overgrown green shrubbery, dotted with yellow and purple flowers, seen up close in soft pre-dawn light. Above, a powder blue sky streaked with orange clouds.
Gabriel hums to himself as he films with his smart phone.
23 INT. ROOM IN AGED CARE FACILITY. PRE DAWN
Gabriel’s humming continues over:
Nai Nai turning pages of a weather-beaten photo album resting on her lap, savouring the memories the photos evoke. Minnie is curled up asleep on her bed. It has not been slept in.
24 INT. RAMSHACKLE BEACH COTTAGE. EARLY MORNING
Gabriel, humming his melody, walks into a messy Living Room littered with a variety of musical instruments, books, old newspapers, photos, clothes etc. A bachelor’s pad.
He heads straight for his synth, sits and plays the melody he has been humming on the keyboard.
25 INT. ROOM IN AGED CARE FACILITY. EARLY MORNING
Gabriel’s melody continues over:
A neo-realist poster of a smiling Chairman Mao.
Nai Nai turns pages filled with:
Cultural Revolution photos, press clippings, faded coloured leaflets of communist propaganda.
26 INT. RAMSHACKLE BEACH COTTAGE. EARLY MORNING
Gabriel connects his smart phone to his computer via a cable, opens ‘photos’. We see, onscreen, slow motion footage of:
Green shrubbery, dotted with yellow and purple flowers beneath a powder blue sky streaked with orange clouds.
Gabriel begins to play a more advanced version of his melody.
27 INT. ROOM IN AGED CARE FACILITY. EARLY MORNING
Gabriel’s developing melody continues over:
Nai Nai looking at page after page of photos of the times, mixed with family photos; stops on one of:
A young woman, in Chairman Mao uniform, sitting alongside a young man, in an identical uniform, on the day of their marriage; both smiling happily.
28 INT. RAMSHACKLE BEACH COTTAGE. EARLY MORNING
Gabriel plays his melody over a slow motion pan across the ocean, reflecting orange clouds and powder blue sky, to a horizon exploding gold as the sun moves to burst into the sky.
29 INT. ROOM IN AGED CARE FACILITY. EARLY MORNING
Gabriel’s music continues over, Nai Nai kissing her fingers:
Placing them on the lips of the young man (her husband) in the photo.
Nai Nai turns the page; looks at:
Photos of herself, a happy young mother, with her baby daughter.
Nai Nai’s eyes fill with happy tears of remembrance. She looks out the window to see:
The sun, just risen, filtered through the leaves of a flowering Frangipani tree.
Gabriel’s music continues over an extreme close up of Nai Nai’s lined old face, the first rays of morning sun falling on it; tears streaming down her cheeks.
30 INT. CAMMIE’S BEDROOM. DAY
Gabriel’s music continues over:
Cammie, hair a mess, wearing sweat pants, yellow t-shirt and earphone, looking at a news report on her computer as she opens the parcel wrapped in blue plastic.
NEWS REPORTER
Drones used to be weapons of war, but now they can be found in every department store.
A battered old violin with a sticker on it rests alongside her computer. One sticker on it reads: ‘Train Advise Assist’ Another: ‘Uruzgan 2015’. Another: ‘Fighting For Peace is Like Fucking for Chastity’. Many texta signiatures cover the violin .
NEWS REPORTER
Are they just for fun or could creeps be recording your private moments to post online?
On the table beside the bed behind her, two empty wine glasses and an empty Rosé bottle.
Alongside these: a photo of a young Australian soldier, in uniform, kissing a young (20’ish) woman; one hand affectionately placed on her 6 month pregnant belly.
Two other windows re open on Cammie’s computer:
Sleuth Syndicate
Web Sleuth
A dramatized sequence: Young woman sun-baking in her back yard; drone in the sky filming her.
NEWS REPORTER
They’re the eyes in the sky with their sights set on you.
Cammie finishes unwrapping the blue parcel; takes out a box with a photo of a Go Pro on it.
Onscreen, a montage:
NEWS REPORTER
Remember the days when your biggest problem was a neighbour peering over the back fence.
Close on young woman in bikini, sunbaking.
A ‘ding’ from her computer, alerts Cammie to a newly opened Zoom window: Fatima. She mutes the sound on the news report.
FATIMA
Good morning, Miss Cammie.
CAMMIE
Good morning, Miss Fattie!
FATIMA (laughs)
Hey, you can sure can talk up a storm.
CAMMIE
Motor mouth. No ‘pause button’ is what my dad says. Said.
FATIMA
How did your ‘date’ go?
Cammie frowns, makes a ‘so so’ gesture with her hands.
CAMMIE
So so...nothing to write home about. Or wherever you write to when you’re at home all the time. (laughs) So, I didn’t scare you off?
FATIMA
No, I need...want...some excitement in my life.
CAMMIE
You play an oud, right?
FATIMA
Yes.
CAMMIE
We’re looking for musical... collaborators. You play good, right?
FATIMA
I’ll send you a link.
CAMMIE
No need. I’ve already checked you out. Better than ‘good’. Wow! Where did you learn to play like that?
FATIMA
Obsessive compulsive...
CAMMIE (laughs)
A beautiful obsession.
FATIMA (laughs)
I’m going to record my ‘audition tape’ for you today. I’ll include some oud.
CAMMIE
We could do it as a...sort of interview, if you like.
FATIMA
An interview?
CAMMIE
I ask you some questions, you answer them.
FATIMA
Um, OK, I guess, but...this just between you and me, right?
CAMMIE
Of course.
FATIMA
But what about the other Zoomers?
CAMMIE
I could record it for them.
FATIMA
Um...I’m not sure I’m ready for that.
CAMMIE
No worries. Let’s just chat. You got a few minutes?
FATIMA (smiles)
No, my social diary is so so fully full...but I guess I could squeeze you in. For just a few minutes.
They both laugh.
CAMMIE
We’re trying to form a sort of musical tribe. You know, a bunch of strangers who jam together and support each other in whatever way we can. Emotional support.
FATIMA
I’d certainly like some of that.
CAMMIE
We have some rules.
FATIMA
Hey, I’m a Muslim I know about rules. Tell me more.
CAMMIE (laughs)
One of our rules is...we never lie to each other. Total truth-telling. No lies.
FATIMA
Mmmm...Really!?
CAMMIE
Almost total.
FATIMA (laughs)
Is letting someone think something is true when you know it’s not true, the same as lying?
CAMMIE
Depends. It’s OK to have secrets, but...I don’t know. Like?
FATIMA
If you ask me if I like...like, what you are wearing or something, and I don’t like it but don’t want to hurt your feelings and say, “Hey, I really like that,” is that lying? I mean, of course it is, but is that kind of lie OK?
CAMMIE
I guess white lies are OK.
FATIMA
But the black ones are banned, right?
Cammie laughs; thinks for a long moment:
CAMMIE
Okay, here’s a white lie I told you. (A BEAT) Or maybe it’s a grey one.
FATIMA (laughs)
A grey lie!
CAMMIE
My ‘date’ was not really...just ‘so so’.
(Fatima laughs)
It was a guy...I won’t tell you his name...who seems very...
FATIMA
You already told me....Sandy, right?
CAMMIE
Oh, that’s right, I did! So... Sandy is sincere... honest... solid...fuck, what’s the right word? Not a flake, let me put it that way. Someone who really touched me, in a way...
FATIMA
Touched you? In cyberspace?
CAMMIE
Obviously not in...the flesh, though I wouldn’t mind if he touched...my flesh. My body. I miss that. Don’t you? Miss being touched? (A BEAT) I never really thought about it when it was so easy to be...to be touched. To touch. I can’t even hug my mother now...
FATIMA
Cammie, sorry to interrupt but...
CAMMIE
What?
FATIMA
I saw what happened. Between you and Sandy. And the drone. I’m sorry. I don’t know why...I just thought....maybe It would be easier if you thought I hadn’t seen it. But...Sorry.
CAMMIE
Oh, fuck. Well....fuck! I’m...
FATIMA
I’m sorry…
CAMMIE
You didn’t record it, did you? You did, right? Hang on.
Cammie’s mum, LINDA, early 40s, pops up in a Zoom window: clothed; washing her hands in the bathroom. Cammie is happy to see her.
LINDA
I’m home, sweetheart. Want to chat?
CAMMIE
Yes.
Cammie ‘mutes’ her mum. To Fatima:
CAMMIE
You have to delete it. Please. Promise.
FATIMA
Promise
CAMMIE
Have to go.
Cammie terminates her conversation with Fatima; opens her conversation with her mum to full screen:
CAMMIE
Hi
LINDA
Hi
CAMMIE
How’s work?
LINDA
I’d prefer not to talk about it. (A BEAT) You had a visitor last night.
Cammie is deflated. This is not the conversation she wants to have with her mother.
CAMMIE
How do you know that?
LINDA
Men leave a very distinctive smell behind them. Someone I know?
CAMMIE
No.
LINDA
Does he have a name?
CAMMIE
No.
LINDA
Is it OK to ask why ‘No’ visited you?
CAMMIE
No...He just came to give me a parcel.
LINDA
Did he come into your room?
CAMMIE
No, he stood in the doorway, gave me the parcel, we talked for a bit and he left. End of story.
LINDA
What was in the parcel?
31 INT. COMPUTER MONITOR. DARK ROOM
Seen through the wide angle lens of the camera hidden high in Cammie’s room:
CAMMIE
Mum, get off my back for fuck’s sake. Do I interrogate you about... everything? Fuck.
LINDA’S VOICE
You use that word far too much, darling
CAMMIE
You respect my privacy and I won’t need to say ‘fuck’ all the time.
32 INT. LINDA IN BATHROOM/ CAMMIE IN HER BEDROOM. DAY
A little later; cutting between two locations:
Linda, wearing a dressing gown, her hair wet, having just got out of the shower, throws her clothes into a washing machine as she looks at the digital slate propped up on the sink. She looks closely the window with Cammie in it.
LINDA
Your mystery visitor didn’t stay for a glass of wine?
CAMMIE (indignant)
No, he didn’t.
Linda, in her window, turns her head to one side; raises her eyebrows: “Really!?”
Cammie turns, sees the two empty wine glasses, realizes that Linda has seen them.
CAMMIE
OK, he did, but we were never closer than 6 feet.
LINDA
OK, darling. Just be careful, OK? I worry.
CAMMIE
You’re the one who needs to be careful. I hate that you work in that hospital.
LINDA
If you got sick, you’d want someone to take good care of you, wouldn’t you?
CAMMIE
Yes, but not you.
LINDA
Someone else’s mum? Or dad?
CAMMIE
How was your day?
LINDA
Sad. Very sad.
CAMMIE
Oh. I’m sorry. I wish I could see you.
LINDA
I wish I could see you too, darling heart. (A BEAT) Now...I need to sleep. Love you.
CAMMIE
Love you, too. Hug?
Cammie holds out her arms. Linda does likewise. They both hug their digital devices.
CAMMIE
Oh, mum!
LINDA
Yes?
CAMMIE
I had an accident with my door. I’ll fix it, don’t worry.
LINDA
What kind of accident?
CAMMIE
You don’t want to know.
Linda laughs, shakes her head.
LINDA
OK, deal, as long as you tell me what was in the parcel?
CAMMIE
An anthropology book. Margaret Mead.
LINDA
Which one?
CAMMIE
“The Adolescent Girl.”
Cammie picks the book up from her desk; holds it up:
LINDA
Wonderful book. I read it at...about your age. Goodnight darling.
33 INT. CAMMIE’S ROOM. DAY
Cammie finishes making her bed, picks up the two empty wine glasses and empty bottle of Rosé, puts the bottle in a garbage bin; carries the glasses into the ensuite bathroom.
She emerges a moment later, walks back into her bedroom; sits at her computer; activates Zoom.
34 INT. BATHROOM. DAY
Linda looks at her reflection in the mirror; at the grey circles under her eyes. She coughs; looks at herself with concern.
35 INT. CAMMIE’S BEDROOM/SANDY’S BEDROOM. DAY
SANDY
The last thing I heard before you cut me off was “Fuck, fuck, fuck...”
CAMMIE
Sorry. I picked up the wrong remote. I....you don’t want to know...first world problem.
SANDY
I do want to know, actually.
CAMMIE
But if I told you...I’d have to lie.
SANDY (laughs)
God forbid.
CAMMIE
I’m sorry.
SANDY
Not a problem.
CAMMIE
I’d like to do this again. And you?
SANDY
This?
CAMMIE
Whatever it is.
SANDY
Yes, me too.
CAMMIE
I should go.
SANDY
Where? Back to your school work?
(Cammie grimaces)
Gotcha.
CAMMIE
There was me thinking I was a pretty good liar. I can explain.
SANDY
You don’t have to.
CAMMIE
I want to.
(Sandy nods, smiles)
My mum’s just arrived home, so...I’m going to hang up now.
SANDY
OK.
CAMMIE
You first.
SANDY
Together....five, four, three, two one...
They both turn off at the same time.
Sandy sits in front of his computer, smiling.
Cammie sits in front of her computer for a moment, her face broken by a happy smile. Suddenly she leaps to her feet, reaches for her mp4, find the tune she is looking for (“Im Listening” by Chris McClarney), turns it up full volume and dances around her room to it.
MCCLARNEY (sings)
When You speak, confusion fades;
just a word and suddenly I'm not afraid,
'Cause You speak and freedom reigns
There is hope in every single word You say
Cammie’s eyes fall on the battered violin. She stops dancing, walks up to it.
MCCLARNEY (sings)
I don't wanna miss one word you speak
'Cause everything You say is life to me
Cammie picks up the violin.
MCCLARNEY (sings)
I don't wanna miss one word you speak
Quiet my heart, I'm listening
She caresses the violin; her eyes filling with tears.
MCCLARNEY (sings)
When sorrows roar and troubles rage
You whisper peace when I don't have the words to say.
Tears stream down Cammie’s face as she tucks the violin between her chin and neck; readies the bow above the strings and prepares to play.
End of Episode Two
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