apples & radishes

by
adam andrusiak
2014-07-23

EXT. RUINED BUNKER - DAY
A sunny summer day. Forest branches sway in a warm breeze.
Beneath the trees, an abandoned bunker is half buried by
decaying leaves and branches.
INT. RUINED BUNKER - CONTINUOUS
A bare concrete room where everything is cracked and
crumbling. The only light comes from a small window. A beam
of sunlight cuts through the darkness and reflects off a
puddle on the floor.
Kneeling in the sunlight is ARIEL, a girl in her late teens.
She's been living rough for a long time. Her clothes would
probably fall apart if she ever tried to clean them.
Dirt streaked face intent, she concentrates on the work
before her.
A small pile of fresh radishes lays beside her. Like
everything else in the bunker, they are filthy.
Ariel takes a radish from the pile and washes it in the
puddle. Most of the dirt comes off in the murky water.
She holds up the radish and inspects it. Reflected sunlight
ripples over her. The bright red radish almost seems to glow
in the light.
She rubs at a spot, then rinses it off and adds it to a pile
of clean radishes.
Behind her, in the dark, TERRA (middle aged woman, clothing
as rough as Ariel's) shuffles back and forth against the
bunker wall.
TERRA
Aren't you done?
ARIEL
(not looking up)
No. Not yet. There's a few left.
TERRA
Just leave them. I'll eat those.
Ariel continues washing. She takes her time with the
remaining radishes, reluctant to leave the sun.
2.
Terra becomes more and more frustrated. She looks from Ariel
to the window, then back again. Eventually she steps away
from the wall but she's unwilling to move into the sunlight.
TERRA (CONTD)
C'mon, that's enou...
Her voice, hushed to begin with, trails off as she speaks.
Her eyes are fixed on the window. The light is dimming, as
if storm clouds were gathering.
Ariel doesn't notice.
Terra tries to talk again but it's an inaudible whisper. She
makes abortive movements to touch Ariel but she can't make
herself put a hand into the light.
She starts to step around Ariel to get her attention but the
light suddenly seem to drain from the room and a sound like a
rising roar builds outside.
Ariel freezes, wide eyes snapping up to the window.
Behind her, Terra falls to the ground and scrambles against
the wall. Panicky kicks pushes her to the far corner.
Dark shapes move outside the window.
Ariel is petrified. She's in plain view but moving could
attract attention.
She notices the clean radishes beside her. Even in the
drained light, their color stands out.
Slowly, she lets herself collapse forward so she covers the
radishes with her body.
Now she faces away from window and she can only listen to the
overwhelming roar as she lays exposed. Trembling.
Then... the presence passes.
Light slowly returns to the bunker and the sound fades away.
Ariel is still trembling. Finally she holds her breath and
turns over to look at the window. Bright sunshine.
She clutches both piles of radishes and retreats to the far
corner of the bunker with Terra. They huddle together.
Ariel can't stand to look at the sun anymore. Terra watches
it warily.
3.
TIME PASSES: The sunlight slowly moves across the floor as
they remain in corner, barely moving. The light moves closer
and closer to them.
Finally, when it almost touches them, they rouse themselves
and move to another corner. They sit facing each other with
the radishes scattered between them.
Ariel keeps her face down, avoiding Terra. She reaches out
and takes a radish. It's one of the unwashed ones and she
rubs at it halfheartedly before raising it to take a bite.
TERRA (CONTD)
No!
She grabs Ariel's arm.
TERRA (CONTD)
That one's mine.
She takes the radish out of her hand and rapidly picks
through the others, taking the few that were left unwashed.
TERRA (CONTD)
The rest are yours. You eat them!
She settles back and pointedly takes a bite of an unwashed
radish.
Ariel, abashed, takes one of the clean radishes.
They eat in silence.
Terra soon finishes the one that she took. Ariel, eating
slower, carefully eats exactly the same number as Terra. The
majority of the clean ones are left scattered between them
and she collects them.
TERRA (CONTD)
I think we should scavenge
separately tonight.
Ariel pauses.
ARIEL
But you always say that it's safer
together.
TERRA
It should be.
ARIEL
Look, I'm sorry...
4.
TERRA
Sorry?! You're sorry... It isn't
about that, anyway.
ARIEL
Then why? Why now?
Terra looks away.
TERRA
Things happen. There's no
guarantee we'll always be together.
You need to be ready if that
happens.
Ariel is tearing the leaves off a radish.
ARIEL
You never said anything like this
before.
TERRA
You're getting older. So am I.
The leaves completely removed, Ariel starts tearing a leaf to
pieces.
ARIEL
You're coming back?
TERRA
Of course.
Her tone is matter of fact but she still doesn't look at
Ariel.
ARIEL
Okay.
She crushes the pieces of leaf between her fingers, reducing
it to pulp.
INT./EXT. RUINED BUNKER - NIGHT
Terra leaves the bunker and silently disappears into the
moonlit forest.
Ariel watches her go and leaves the bunker herself but all
she does is circle the bunker. She watches the woods.
Waiting.
5.
EXT. RUINED BUNKER - PREDAWN
Ariel is still waiting as the sky grows lighter.
She moves restlessly, scanning her surroundings. Finally,
she climbs up on top of the bunker so that she can look
around freely.
At some point she stops watching the forest and just looks at
the colouring horizon.
She sits down to watch the sunrise and chews on a radish.
TERRA
Looks like it's going to be
spectacular.
Ariel stops eating. She doesn't look away from the sunrise.
ARIEL
Does it? I haven't seen one in so
long. I don't even know anymore.
TERRA
Yeah... it does. I guess I took
them for granted when I saw them
everyday. But they've always been
spectacular.
The sun is beginning to peak over the horizon.
TERRA (CONTD)
C'mon, we better get inside.
ARIEL
I guess.
Ariel watches the sunrise. Terra watches the light on
Ariel's face.
TERRA
We can watch from the window.
ARIEL
(surprised)
Really?
TERRA
Sure. And I found some apples.
Trade you for a couple of your
radishes.
ARIEL
Sure.