BACK DOOR01 23' DOOR TO ADVENTURE: pilot episode: training day EXT AFTERNOON WIDE: VACATION HOME (two minivans enter frame and stop in front of the house, both families exit minivans, yawn, stretch) MOTHER (approaches back hatch, opens it) Okay, everybody grab something. DORAH (heading toward the woods) Can't we look around first? MOTHER No. You may not. Vacation doesn't start until everything is out of the cars and put away into the house. DORAH That's no fun. DAD We can't even get into the house until the rental agent gets here. Can't the kids look around first? MOTHER We did that last year and "I" ended up carrying EVERYTHING into the cabin. That's not much of a vacation for me, you know. So,... (raises voice) everybody grab something. The rental agent will be here any minute. DAD (to kids) You heard what she said. Everybody grab something. (both families empty their minivans and pile the stuff by the front door of the house as the rental agent drives up) SIS Here comes somebody. (points) AGENT (exits car, approaches front door, carrying a briefcase) Hello, city dwellers. Welcome to the country! (shakes hands with all adults) I'm Agnus Henderson. I see you're anxious to get started on your vacation. SIS Mom won't let us go down to the lake until after we put all this stuff away. AGENT (pulling a paper and pen out of her briefcase, and, using the briefcase as a desk, she offers the pen) Well, then, let's get things rolling. Who's going to sign the rental agreement? DAD (pulls a check out of his shirt pocket, offers it) That would be me. (takes the pen and signs the contract) It's kind of quiet out here. We didn't see a single car on the road for the last ten miles. AGENT (points to contract) And the date. Here. (points) DAD (writes) The kids were kind of hoping for a theme park atmosphere. This was a rather popular lake when I was a teenager. AGENT (takes contract, tears off copy, offers copy) Yes. It was. (offers a ring of keys) And here are your keys. DAD Was? Did you say it WAS popular? AGENT Not since the... incident. ALL Incident? AGENT (backing away) About ten years ago, a twelve-year-old boy disappeared. He went into those... (points) woods and was never seen again. (all grumble) DAD You mean this place is dangerous?! DORAH Ooo! Cool! Or haunted maybe! AGENT (gets into car, talks out the window) No. The lake is fine. The fishing is good. The hills and valleys are good for hiking. If you stay out of those woods, you'll be fine. (starts car, forced smile) Have a wonderful vacation. (drives off hurriedly) DAD Well, I guess that explains why we didn't see a single car for ten miles. AUNTIE Do you think we should stay here? DAD We don't have any choice. I just gave her... (points) our vacation money. Anyway, you know how people are. It's like that whispering game you play at birthday parties. You know, by the time the story gets retold a dozen times, it doesn't sound anything like the original story. I'm sure if we're careful, we'll be fine. (all grumble) MOTHER Alright, listen up. We need to make some rules. First, noone goes into those woods. (points) Got it? (all nod) Second, noone goes anywhere alone. SIS Not even to the bathroom? (giggles) MOTHER This is serious. If you go fishing, you take someone with you. If you go hiking, you take someone with you. If you go ANYWHERE outside of this house, you take someone with you. Understood? (all nod and verbally affirm in mumbles) SIS So, we can go ANYWHERE except into the woods? MOTHER As long as you take someone with you. SIS Who wants to go down to the lake with me? (exits frame running) COUSIN I do! (follows) DAD (picks up fishing rod and tackle, exits running) Who wants to go fishing with me? UNCLE (picks up fishing rod and tackle box, exits running) I do! AUNTIE (exits running) I saw some beautiful wildflowers over this way. COUSIN (follows) I'll go with you. MOTHER (looks around, points to the pile of luggage and groceries) This is not quite what I meant. (unlocks door, opens it, picks up two suitcases) DORAH (enters frame with tote bag over shoulder) Let me help you with those, Mother. MOTHER (turns) Oh. I thought everyone deserted me. DORAH (exiting into house with suitcases) Not me, Mother, I'm the helpful one, remember? (time passes: the pile of luggage is gone) DORAH (exits house, looks around) I guess that's the last of it, Mother. MOTHER (voiceover) Okay. Be careful out there. (Dorah looks both ways, smirks, runs into the woods) EXT AFTERNOON WIDE: DOOR IN THE WOODS (Dorah weaves her way around bushes and trees. Suddenly, THUD, she slams face first into an invisible obstacle, falls backward unconscious to the ground) (blackout) (moments later) (POV: Dorah opens her eyes and looks straight up toward the sky through the canopy of trees. A moment later Dorman bends over her) DORMAN Are you alright? DORAH You hit me! Why did you hit me?! DORMAN I didn't hit you. DORAH You punched me in the face! DORMAN I swear, I didn't touch you. DORAH Then, what hit me? DORMAN You ran into the door. (points) DORMAN (looks left and right) DORAH Nice try, buddy. We're in the middle of the woods. There are no doors in the middle of the woods. DORMAN (offers hand) Come, let me show you. DORAH (takes his hand) There had better be a door, buddy, or I'm bopping you in the nose. (sits up, then stands up) DORMAN What are you doing in the woods, anyway? Don't you know a boy disappeared from these woods ten years ago? Nobody comes into the woods alone anymore. DORAH Then, why are YOU here? DORMAN I kind of live here. DORAH Yeah, right. (looks around) Now, where is this door you think I ran into? DORMAN (points) Right here. DORAH (walking in the direction Dorman is pointing at, looking at him) We'll see about that... (thud, she slams into an invisible obstacle, falls backward unconscious to the ground) (blackout) (moments later) (POV: Dorah opens her eyes and looks straight up toward the sky through the canopy of trees. A moment later, Dorman bends over her) DORMAN Are you alright? DORAH You hit me AGAIN! DORMAN You were looking right at me. Did you SEE me hit you? DORAH I don't know. All I know is I never saw any door. DORMAN That's because it's an invisible door. DORAH I feel like Alice In Wonderland. Is there a Cheshire cat here too. DORMAN (offers hand) Come, let me show you. DORAH This is all a big dream. I'm asleep. Right? DORMAN Sorry to disappoint you. You are very much awake and you walked into an invisible door TWICE. (offers hand) Maybe you should let me show you. DORAH (takes his hand) Well, alright, but if there is no door in the middle of the woods, you are in big trouble. (sits up, stands up) Now where is this invisible door, buddy?! DORMAN (grabs her wrist, pulls her gently toward the door) It's right... here. DORAH (feels the flat surface) Well, I'll be... What is this? DORMAN I think I mentioned that it's a door. DORAH How did a door get into the middle of the woods?! DORMAN Well, it's a little hard to explain. DORAH Try me. DORMAN Well, it's not really a door... DORAH I knew it! DORMAN It's really a portal. DORAH A what? DORMAN It's a portal. It's a constantly moving opening in the space-time continuum. DORAH If you say so. (feels for a door knob) Okay, its a high-tech door. Where is the door knob? DORMAN I don't recommend that you touch the door knob. DORAH Why not? DORMAN Because you'll probably use it to open the door. DORAH That's what you do with a door, isn't it? DORMAN It's not that simple. This door comes with strings attached. The rule is, if you open the door, you have to go through it. DORAH I can live with that. Where is the door knob? DORMAN I don't think you realize what you're saying. DORAH Then, let me put it another way. If you don't show me the door knob, I'll bop you in the nose. DORMAN (sighs) Well, okay, but don't say I didn't warn you. (grabs her wrist and guides her hand to the knob) Here you go. Now, remember, you don't HAVE to open the door, but if you do... DORAH I know. I have to go through the door. (pushes door open) EXT AFTERNOON WIDE: FRONT DECK OF A FAST-MOVING SPEEDBOAT (wind whips Dorah's hair as she steps through the now-visible open door) (POV: Dorah looks past the bow of the boat to the water beyond and the petroleum tank farm beyond) DORAH We're on the deck of a boat. Where are we? DORMAN (pushes her through) No time for tourism. We have less than a minute before this boat crashes into those gasoline storage tanks. (points, closes door, revealing back half of the boat. A canvas tarp covers a mound behind the driver's seat) DORAH There's nobody driving this boat! DORMAN No kidding. (jumps over the windshield, points at canvas) Look under that canvas, see if there's a knife or a scissors under there. DORAH (follows) Why? DORMAN (bends and examines the steering wheel and throttle lever) Don't ask questions. Just do it! DORAH (steps toward canvas) You don't have to be rude. (pulls back canvas) Oh! This is not good! (points) DORMAN (whirls around) What? (notices the dozens of sticks of dynamite and a black detonator box with red LEDs counting backward from 39 seconds) Forget that. Find me a knife! DORAH What's the matter with you?! That's a bomb! DORMAN (trying to untie the ropes that are tied to the steering wheel and the throttle lever) What's the matter with you, girl?! If I can't cut these ropes, this boat will crash into those gasoline storage tanks and that bomb will be the least of your worries! Find me a knife! DORAH (lifting corners of the canvas) There's nothing under here but the bomb. DORMAN (pauses from pulling at the rope knots with his teeth) Try the tackle box. DORAH Can't you just turn off the key? DORMAN They broke the key off. (shouts) The tackle box! Now! DORAH (spins in circles) Tackle box. Tackle box. Tackle box. Found it. (stoops near stern, opens tackle box) Maybe we should just go back through the door and forget the bomb. DORMAN It's against the rules. Where's my knife?! DORAH (pulls out pocket knife) Found it! (tosses knife) DORMAN (catches knife, opens it, begins cutting ropes that hold the steering wheel) You go to the door. DORAH I thought you said... DORMAN Forget the door, you stupid girl! I'll just throw you overboard! DORAH (hurries to door) This is me going to the door. DORMAN (finished cutting, turns the wheel, the boat turns out to sea, Dorman stands, jumps over the windshield and around to the door) Let's go! Go! (they exit through the open door) EXT AFTERNOON WIDE: DOOR IN THE WOODS (Boom, door flies open, Dorman and Dorah fly out and land in the bushes, followed by a tongue of flames, door flaps shut, sudden silence) DORAH Wow! That was a close one, huh? DORMAN (stands, dusts himself off, approaches the door) That's what I get for bringing a GIRL through the door with me! (opens the door, on the other side is a peaceful aviary with songbirds chirping, walks through, slams the door behind him) DORAH (stands, dusts herself off, approaches the door, shouts) You don't have to be rude! (reaches for knob, hesitates, withdraws, exits) No. I'd better not. INT EVENING WIDE: VACATION HOME LIVING ROOM (Most family members play board games or card games in groups of two or three as Dorah enters stealthily, side-steps to the back of the room and watches wide-eyed as a news video on television shows the bomb-boat making a u-turn, heading out to sea, then exploding) ANNOUNCER This video footage of the speedboat with the bomb onboard was recorded from shore by a bystander with a cell phone. The quality of the recording is not very good, but the FBI is examining the footage to determine how the terrorists carried out the attempted destruction of the oil depot at Huntington Beach and how the boat happened to swerved out to sea just seconds before the bomb went off. Unconfirmed reports from the scene said that two children were sighted onboard the speedboat moments before the bomb exploded. (boom) As yet, no bodies were found near the wreckage. MOTHER (side-steps into frame near Dorah, points at television, softly) That was YOU, wasn't it? DORAH (wide-eyed) I can explain! I... He... MOTHER (finger to lips) You don't have to explain. (points to exit) Walk with me. EXT EVENING WIDE: OUTSIDE VACATION HOME (Mother and Dorah exit house) DORAH Am I in trouble? MOTHER Not at all. DORAH But you said we weren't supposed to go into the woods. MOTHER I just said that to keep the other kids out of the woods. DORAH What about the story of that boy who disappeared? MOTHER Agnus Henderson concocted that story to keep other people out of the woods. DORAH The real estate lady? Why would she do that? MOTHER That boy you met in the woods... that's her son. He's been assigned to train you. DORAH Train me? For what? MOTHER Where do I begin? Well, let me just come out and say it: YOU are the next doorkeeper, if you want the job. DORAH You mean you WANTED me to go into the woods?! MOTHER That's how I became a doorkeeper when I was your age. DORAH You mean YOU did stuff like that when you were my age?! MOTHER Yes. DORAH You... I... I... So, you knew I would... How did you know I would... (points to woods) MOTHER You are a chosen one. You were called... by the door. DORAH Called?! By a door?! MOTHER The door is not a thing. It's a person... a very smart person. His job on earth is to help those who need help, to stop crime and to protect the innocent. He uses a handful of chosen people throughout the world to help him. And now YOU are one of the chosen ones. DORAH (points) That boy. The one in the woods... MOTHER His name is Dorman. He's one of the chosen ones. The door selected him to train you in the ways of the door. DORAH Dorman? Did you say his name is Dorman? MOTHER Yes. All the chosen ones are named Dorman or Dorah. DORAH But you said YOU were one of the chosen ones. But YOUR name isn't Dorah. MOTHER Actually, it is. The name on my birth certificate is Dorah Dierdre Jacobson. But I change my name to Deedee after I finished my service to the door. DORAH But I thought I was named after Grandma Dorah. I was named after YOU? MOTHER Actually, you were named after the door. And so were Grandma and I. DORAH You mean you did stuff... like that? (points) MOTHER (nods) Sure. DORAH And it's alright with you if I do dangerous stuff like that? MOTHER It's not dangerous... IF you do what the door wants you to do. DORAH Well, yeah. It was kind of exciting. But you were always so protective before. You would never let me do stuff like that. MOTHER You never had the protection of the door before. He'll keep you safe. DORAH Are you sure about this? I mean, I don't want to talk you out of this, but, Some of the fire from the explosion came through the door and singed my hair. (turns head, pulls hair) MOTHER If you were burned, it means you didn't do everything Dorman told you to do WHEN he said to do it. DORAH Oh. That's why he yelled at me. I just thought he was being rude. MOTHER The two most important rules for doorkeepers are: First, you must put all your trust in the door. Second, you must do everything your trainer tells you to do without asking questions. DORAH I don't think that boy will ever talk to me again. MOTHER He'll talk to you, because Dorman does what the door tells him to do. But you have to make things right with Dorman. DORAH What do you mean? MOTHER You need to confess to him what you did that caused the fire from the explosion to come through the door and singe your hair. DORAH Yeah, but he's got to apologize to me for yelling at me. MOTHER Dorah, if you want to serve the door, you need to keep YOUR slate clean first. You can't have anger, guilt and regrets cloud your judgement. Do you really WANT to serve the door? DORAH Yeah! It was like riding a roller coaster with your hands off the bar! We saved people's lives today! MOTHER The third rule of the door is that you can't claim any credit for doing your good deeds. DORAH You mean I can't tell anyone? MOTHER Only another chosen one. DORAH (shrugs) Oh. MOTHER Dorah, some people just aren't cut out to do good deeds without thanks. Noone would blame you for dropping out. (returns to house) DORAH (follows) I'm not dropping out. I think this is what I should be doing. It feels right for me. When do I get to go again? MOTHER (holds door open as Dorah enters) When the door calls you. Stay alert. He'll call you when you least expect it. INT NIGHT CLOSE-UP: DORAH'S BEDROOM DORAH (sleeps in a darkened room with the moon lighting up her face, suddenly Dorah sits up, wide awake, whispers) Huh? Who said that? (looks around, looks up, down, goes over to Sis's bed, finds her sleeping, looks under the bed, looks out window, shrugs, falls back to sleep) (Time passes) DORMAN (rubs Dorah's shoulder, whispers) Dorah. Dorah, wake up. DORAH (awakens, gasps) How did you get in here?! DORMAN (covers her mouth) You missed your call. You need to get dressed and come right away. (runs and dives out the open window) DORAH (sits up, looks in amazement at the window, closes eyes tightly, reopens them, whispers) Am I still dreaming?! (throws back covers) The call! EXT NIGHT WIDE: DOOR IN THE WOODS DORMAN (stands impatiently with his hand on the door knob) Took you long enough! DORAH (enters frame running) I'm sorry. I thought I was dreaming. I had no idea.... DORMAN Apologize later, we have a mission to do. (opens door) EXT NIGHT WIDE: ROCK CREEK PARK ENTRANCE (the door opens in front of the ROCK CREEK PARK sign next to a flagpole with the flag removed. The only lighting is the floodlights for the sign and a full moon) DORAH (looks around, looks up, looks down as she walks toward the abyss beyond the sign) I don't see anyone who needs help. I don't see any bad guys who need arresting. Maybe the door brought us to the wrong place. (yelps, loses balance, looks down, sees she's at the edge of the abyss) Wo! (regains balance) DORMAN The door NEVER makes mistakes. Never. You have to trust the door. DORAH Well, then, smart guy, why are we here? EMILY (a younger girl, off camera) Help! Help! Help me! DORMAN Maybe there's someone down there... (points to abyss) who needs help. What do you think? DORAH (shouts, down) Hello? Who's down there? EMILY I'm Emily. Please help me. DORAH Where are you, Emily? I can't see you. (a cloud slides away from the moon revealing a younger girl standing on a rock ledge ten feet below) DORMAN (points at Emily) There! There she is! (to Dorah) Hold my hand. DORAH Why? She's out of reach. DORMAN (grabs Dorah's hand) Just do it. (backs away from Dorah down the steep slope toward Emily, reaches, grunts) No. She's too far down. DORAH Told you so. DORMAN (pulls himself up to Dorah) Alright, genious. How do we get her up? DORAH We need a rope. DORMAN (pats pocket) Sorry, no ropes here, GENIOUS. DORAH The flag pole! (points) DORMAN Well, the flagpole is certainly long enough to reach her. But it's bolted to the ground, genious. DORAH Not the flagpole. All flagpoles have ropes. DORMAN (turns, hurries to the flagpole) Oh! Good idea! (unwinds the ropes from the cleat, walks toward Dorah, but is soon yanked back when the ropes reach full length) Oh oh! Not long enough. DORAH (approaches, unhooks the two clips from each other, takes one end of the rope) It's plenty long. Give me one end and go back to the flagpole and hang on. DORMAN (retreating toward flagpole) Well, okay, but, I don't see what good it will.... DORAH Hold tight. (leans back, pulling rope and lifting Dorman off the ground) DORMAN Wo! This is not what I expected. DORAH Don't let go. (pulls hand over hand on the rope until she has enough slack to reach Emily) DORMAN (riding higher and higher on the flagpole) Remind me again why we're doing this. DORAH (dropping the rope down the slope to Emily) We're going to use your weight to lift Emily up. (to Emily) Can you reach the rope, Emily? EMILY (grabs the rope) Got it. DORAH Wrap the rope around you under your armpits and fasten the clip. EMILY Okay. (tries to comply, grunts) There's not enough rope. DORAH (pulling hand over hand, raising Dorman farther up the flagpole) Okay... let... me... give... you... a... little... more. EMILY (successfully wraps the rope around her) Okay. That's enough. I'm ready. DORAH Are you sure the clip on the end is secure? EMILY (tugs on rope) I think so. DORAH Okay, Emily, grab the rope and hold on tight, then just walk up the rocks. Okay? EMILY Okay. I'm ready. DORAH Okay... here... we... go. (holding the rope with both hands, walks the rope back toward the flagpole) How we doing, Emily? EMILY (walking up the steep rocks) Okay. I'm doing good. Like a mountain climber. (finally appears over the edge of the abyss as Dorman touches down) DORAH (unhooking the clip and removing Emily's rope) Would you like to do it again? EMILY & DORMAN No thanks! EMILY'S MOM (out of frame) Emily! Emily, where are you?! DORMAN She's over here. EMILY'S MOM (enters frame running, kneels near Emily, hugs her) What happened?! EMILY I had to go potty, but I slipped and fell down there. (points to abyss) Then these kids came and pulled me up. DORMAN (reattaching rope to the flagpole cleat) Fortunately, she landed on a narrow rock ledge. (points to invisible door, nods to Dorah) EMILY'S MOM (guides Emily toward the campsite) It's more than two hundred feet to the bottom. You could have been killed! DORAH (nods to Dorman, heads toward door) She'll be okay now. (Dorah and Dorman exit through the door and disappear when it closes behind them) EMILY'S MOM (now beyond the flagpole with her back to Dorah and Dorman) Can you say thank you to those nice people? EMILY (stops, turns) Thank you. EMILY'S MOM (stops, turns) Where did they go? (both look in all directions) EXT NIGHT WIDE: DOOR IN THE WOODS (exiting door) DORMAN Hey, you're getting pretty good at this business. I'm impressed! DORAH (sighs) Listen, my mom says I have to... I'm sorry I disrespected you. I'm sorry I didn't do what you said. I almost got us killed last time. You're my trainer. I promise I'll be nicer to you from now on. DORMAN Well, I guess it's not all that bad working with a girl after all. INT MORNING WIDE: DORAH'S BEDROOM DORAH (wakes up to see Mother sitting on the bed, yawns, stretches) Morning, Mother. MOTHER Good morning. It's time for breakfast. But if you want to sleep in, it would be alright, since you were on a mission. (stands) DORAH (Sits up) How did you know?! Did I wake you?! MOTHER No. You were in the morning news this morning. DORAH They got us on tape?! MOTHER No. This little girl and her mother were on a remote broadcast from Rock Creek Park. The little girl said two older kids rescued her. But the kids disappeared. I figured it was you. (pats her arm, stands, exits) Nice work, kiddo! DORAH Yeah, I guess it was, wasn't it? MOTHER Did you make things right with Dorman? DORAH Yeah. He's kind of nice. We do good together. MOTHER (exiting) Do I hear wedding bells? DORAH Mother! (flops back) �2013 Bob Snook. Conditions for use: Do not sell any part of this script, even if you rewrite it. Pay no royalties, even if you make money from performances. You may reproduce and distribute this script freely, but all copies must contain this copyright statement. http://www.bobsnook.org email: [email protected] BACK |