BACK DOOR02 23' DOOR TO ADVENTURE: episode: going solo EXT MORNING WIDE: VACATION HOME LAWN (A few of the family members are playing lawn darts and a few are playing badminton) DORAH (holds up badminton racket, forms a "T" with her other hand) Time out. (exiting) I've got to go. SIS Dorah! We only need three more points to win! DORAH (turns) I'm sorry. MOTHER (enters, takes racquet) I'll fill in for you. DORAH Mom, I have to... (exits) MOTHER I know. Go. Hurry. EXT MORNING WIDE: THE WOODS (Dorah runs through the woods as Dorman enters frame running) DORMAN Good morning, Dorah. DORAH (suppresses a warm smile) Good morning, Dorman. DORMAN Do you know what this day is? DORAH No. What? DORMAN It's graduation day. DORAH What does that mean? DORMAN It means that during this next mission, YOU will be in command. And if you do well, you'll be given your own door to keep. DORAH You mean, I won't be able to work with you anymore? DORMAN Lots of missions require two or three doorkeepers. We'll probably work together soon. But most of your missions from now on will be solo missions. DORAH Just me? DORMAN You and the door. This mission we're on now is really a solo mission, but I'm going along to see how well you assess the situation and how efficiently you get the job done. DORAH What if I mess up? DORMAN You won't mess up. You're really good at this stuff. (they stop at the invisible door, Dorman opens it, but only the bottom half of the opening emits light) Duck your head. (both exit through the door stooping) INT MORNING WIDE: BANK LOBBY (Dorah and Dorman emerge from the door under an island-counter and look in all directions, customers in teller lines huddle in fear as four robbers point shotguns menacingly) ROBBER1 (standing on a nearby island-counter with shotgun pointing in all directions) This is a bank robbery. Get down on the floor. Get down on the floor or I'll start shooting! (as he points the gun the people recoil and drop to the floor) ROBBER2 (standing on a teller counter behind the teller windows, points shotgun at groups of employees) You heard what he said! Get down on the floor! ROBBER3 (standing on the floor with Robber4 behind the teller windows, grabs the bank manager and pushes him toward the vault) Not you. We need you to open the vault for us. Let's go. ROBBER4 (just before exiting the area, turns, points shotgun in all directions) If anybody moves, somebody bleeds. Don't even breathe. (exits backward to vault area) DORAH (whispers) How do you want to handle this? DORMAN You're in command, remember? DORAH (looks in all directions, deep breath) Oh. Sure. First, we need to get these customers out of here. Then, we need to get the employees out of here. Then we need to stop the bad guys. DORMAN I agree. What do you want me to do? DORAH We'll rescue them in three groups: (points) First, the customers waiting in line there, (points) second, the customers and employees by the desks there, (points) third, the employees behind the teller windows. I'll create a diversion (points) by that desk over there. When the robbers turn their backs, you get those customers out. (points) Then I'll do the same on the opposite end (points) so you can clear the customers and employees by the desks, (points) then I'll make them look this way so you can rescue the employees behind the teller windows. How's that? DORMAN That's what I would do. DORAH (creeping out) Here we go. DORMAN (stops her) Wait. Use the door. (points over shoulder) DORAH (retreats) I don't want to go back to the woods. DORMAN If you trust the door, he will take you SAFELY anywhere you want to go. DORAH (shrugs, realization) Oh! Of course. (opens door under counter, exits on hands and knees, closes door) (Jump cut: Dorah enters through door under manager's desk, looks around, smiles, reaches around, opens the desk drawer overhead, slams it shut, hides) ROBBER1 (turns quickly toward desk, points gun) What was that?! Who's there?! (jumps down, cautiously moves toward desk) ROBBER2 (turns, jumps down, to Robber2) What's going on? (moves cautiously toward teller's window) ROBBER1 I don't know. I think I heard something over in this direction. ROBBER2 (approaching teller window) You need help? ROBBER1 (approaches desk, aims gun) I'll check it out myself. You stand guard. ROBBER2 Oh. Sure. Okay. (turns, returns to counter, hops up, points gun in all directions) DORMAN (when both robbers turn their backs, motions to the customers on the floor between the rope-lines, whispers) Psst! Psst! This way! Over here! It's okay! Quickly! (opens door under counter, guides the customers out through the door, exits and closes door behind them) ROBBER1 (steps suddenly in front of the desk, points the gun under the desk) Alright you, come out of there or I'll... (points gun in all directions) I would have sworn I heard something. ROBBER2 You better get back to your position. ROBBER1 (hurries back to original position, hops up) Alright, you people, nobody moves or I'll.... (discovers customers in line have vanished, points gun in all directions) What the... ROBBER2 (turns) What's the matter? ROBBER1 (frantically pointing gun in all directions) Where did they go? ROBBER2 Where did WHO go? ROBBER1 Those customers are gone. ROBBER2 Gone? You mean, like missing?! ROBBER1 (shouts) Alright, come out of there or I'll fill you full of buckshot! ROBBER2 Come out of where?! Where did they go? ROBBER1 I don't know. I just turned my back and now they're gone! ROBBER2 Well, they've got to be here somewhere. The doors are all locked. Find them! ROBBER1 (hops down, moves cautiously toward the rope lines, shouts) Come out of there or you're dead. Do you hear me?! (Dorah immerges from under the receptionist's desk near the main entrance, reaches up, presses a key on the computer, then hides. The lazer printer near the desk noisily starts up and prints a page) (Robber1 turns quickly toward the printer, aims gun) Who's there? ROBBER2 Did you find them? ROBBER1 I don't know how they got way over here, but if they did, they'll be sorry! (jumps around desk, points gun) Gotcha! ROBBER2 Did you get them? ROBBER1 Nobody's here. DORMAN (when both robbers turn their backs, Dorman emerges from under a desk in the new accounts department, motions to the employees and customers on the floor between the desks, whispers) Psst! Psst! This way! Over here! It's okay! Hurry. (opens door under desk, guides the customers and employees out through the door, exits, closes behind him) ROBBER1 I don't understand this. Those customers disappeared into thin air! (shrugs, backs away) I don't know what's going on here, but this bank is really freaking me out! ROBBER2 Get back to your position. ROBBER1 (hops up on his perch, shouts) Alright, all you people,... (points gun at new accounts area) nobody move... Holy Smoke! ROBBER2 What's the matter now?! ROBBER1 All the customers are gone! ROBBER2 (hops down, moves toward the lobby) That's ridiculous! How could you lose a dozen customers? The doors are locked! (unlocks teller's access door, walks through, looks around) Holy Smoke! The customers are gone! ROBBER1 That's what I said. ROBBER2 Yeah, but the employees are gone too! Where did they go?! ROBBER1 This is way to spooky for me! I didn't sign up for this. ROBBER2 Find them, they've got to be in here somewhere! INT MORNING WIDE: BANK JANITOR'S CLOSET (Dorah enters from darkened area between shelves, removes a box of plastic bags from shelf, smiles, drops it dramatically from shoulder height) INT MORNING WIDE: BANK LOBBY (sound cue: a thud) ROBBER1 (panicked, turns) What was that? ROBBER2 (sneaks toward janitor's closet) We've got to get those customers back or the boss will have our heads. (points) Open the door. ROBBER1 I'm not opening no door! This place freaks me out. ROBBER2 Alright, then, I'll do it. You cover me. ROBBER1 (hops down, approaches, gun ready) I'm right behind you. DORMAN (when both robbers turn their backs, Dorman emerges from under a desk behind the teller windows, motions to the employees on the floor between the desks, whispers) Psst! Psst! This way! Over here! It's okay! (opens door under counter, guides the employees out through the door) TELLER1 (crawling under counter, whispers) I didn't know there was a trap door here. TELLER2 (following, whispers) Me either. DORMAN (fingers to lips) Shshsh. (exits under counter, closes door) ROBBER2 (counts down with fingers, mouths the numbers: 3, 2, 1 pulls open janitor's closet door, points gun) ROBBER1 There's nobody here either! Where the heck did they all go?! (turns, points) Check on the tellers behind the counter. ROBBER1 (runs to teller window, looks beyond) Oh oh! The tellers are all gone! ROBBER2 (approaching) That's impossible! They were laying on the floor, right... (points to an empty space between desks) Well, I'll be! ROBBER1 (runs thru the access door to the teller area, searches under counters) Maybe they all went back into the vault. ROBBER2 (follows, searches under desks and counters) That's the dummest thing you've said all day. There's two guys with shotguns in the vault. Why would the tellers go there? ROBBER1 Alright, smart guy, where do YOU think they went?! ROBBER2 I don't know. ROBBER1 This place is really freaking me out. Let's get out of here. (exits toward the vault) ROBBER2 (follows) I wouldn't go back there. The boss will get mad that we're not guarding the hostages. ROBBER1 That would be a problem if we had hostages. But let me give you the news: (passing by the bank manager who is lying face-down on the floor outside the vault, shouts) There are no hostages! INT MORNING WIDE: BANK VAULT ROBBER4 What did he say? Did I hear him right? ROBBER3 (filling bags with money, shouts toward door) What do you mean there are no hostages?! ROBBER4 (filling bags with money) You stupid jerk! Don't tell me the hostages got away! ROBBER1 (enters vault) It wasn't our fault, Boss. They just disappeared. ROBBER3 All of them?! ROBBER4 Have you been drinking again?! ROBBER1 I'm sober as a judge, boss. We just turned our backs and the customers disappeared. ROBBER4 You stupid fool! What about the employees, the tellers?! ROBBER2 (enters vault) Same thing, boss. ROBBER4 What do you mean, same thing?! ROBBER2 We went to investigate the disappearance of the customers and as soon as we turned our backs the employees disappeared. ROBBER4 You idiots! Can't you do any thing right?! (vault door clanks shut) INT MORNING WIDE: OUTSIDE BANK VAULT (Dorah leans against vault door as Dorman turns lock wheel, both dusk off their hands) DORAH (to bank manager) It's okay, you can get up now and tell the police to come in and arrest the bad guys. MANAGER (gets up, dusts himself off) Oh, sure. (points over shoulder while moving toward tellers windows) Did I hear them say that the hostages disappeared? DORAH Yes. MANAGER (exiting) Where did they go? DORAH It's complicated. INT MORNING WIDE: CLOTHING BOUTIQUE BACKROOM (an attractive woman exits changing room wearing a dress with the tags still attached, stands in front of the mirror, looks at self from all angles. The reflection in the mirror shows a dozen customers from the bank exiting her changing room one at a time in a continuous stream. She turns and approaches the changing room as the last half of them exit, then she tries to peek into the room as the tellers and bank employees begin to exit the changing room. TELLER1 (exiting) Excuse me. Sorry for the intrusion. TELLER2 (follows) Where are we?! TELLER1 I have no idea. (the woman stands back and waits in awe as ten employees stream from her changing room. Finally, the woman steps into the doorway of the changing room and looks high and low and knocks on the walls for a back door in the changing room, finally closes eyes tightly, then reopens them, shakes head) EXT MORNING WIDE: THE WOODS DORMAN (running with Dorah) Well, I thought that went well. It looks like you get your own door. DORAH Were you serious when you said that I could have done that whole thing all by myself? DORMAN Sure. Remember, after we started, only one of us was visible at a time. That means you could have done it all alone. DORAH Oh. Yeah. I suppose I could have. DORMAN You are definitely ready to go out on your own. (stops, turns, runs the other way) DORAH I hope we can work together again sometime. (discovers he's missing, stops, turns, shouts) Where are you going? DORMAN (shouts) I just got another call. I'm on standby. You're on your own now! Trust the door! DORAH (turns, runs) See ya! (stops suddenly) Oh, wait! I just got another call too. (turns and runs toward door. In the distance, Dorman opens the door revealing a red brick wall beyond, he runs through slamming the door behind him. When Dorah arrives, she opens the door revealing nothing but blue sky and clouds) EXT MORNING WIDE: THE ROOF OF A MOVING MOTORHOME (wind blows through Dorah's hair as she closes the door behind her and looks around) DORAH Dorman? Dorman? Are you here. What on earth?! Am I flying?! (ducks as she passes under a large yellow sign: "Freeway Ends 1 mile ahead") I'm on the roof of a motor home! But why am I here?! (motor home shatters a black and white striped "LANE CLOSED" barrier) There's something wrong with the driver! I need to do something. A phone! I need to get to a phone! (suddenly motorhome under her feet swerves, Dorah falls over the side, but she stops her fall by grabbing the rail around the rooftop luggage rack, dangles over the side) DORMAN (enters through door, looks around frantically, closes door) Dorah?! Dorah?! DORAH I'm here. DORMAN (kneels, reaches) Let me help you. DORAH No. I've got this. DORMAN I don't think so. Give me your hand. DORAH Dorman! Today is solo day! I'm supposed to do this myself. (clambers toward the rear) DORMAN Come on, Dorah! It's no big deal to receive help when you need help. DORAH (hooks foot around rear ladder of the motor home) If you want to help, find a phone and call 911. I think the guy who's driving this motorhome is in trouble. (transfers her feed to the ladder, feels the rear window in the motorhome) I'm fine. Go! DORMAN (stands, returns to door) Well, okay, have it your way. DORAH Tell them to send an ambulance to the end of the 101 freeway. If this guy doesn't need medical help now, he'll need it in a few seconds. DORMAN (exiting through door) I'm on it. (Dorah grabs the rail around rooftop luggage rack, jumps out and away from the window for momentum, then crashes feet-first through the window screen and disappears into the motorhome) INT MORNING WIDE: MOTORHOME'S REAR BEDROOM (Dorah bounces off the bed and lands on her feet on the floor, hurries to the door and down the hallway toward the driver) INT MORNING TWO-SHOT: MOTORHOME'S DRIVER'S SEAT (as Dorah approaches from the rear, it's obvious that the old man driving the motorhome is gasping and gurgling in discomfort, with both hands off the wheel) ANNOUNCER (radio music is interrupted by voiceover) This just in from the news desk: during a daring daylight armed robbery at Merchants Bank downtown, two preteen children were credited with rescuing the hostages and capturing all four of the armed robbers. Details are still unclear, but... DORAH (turns off the radio) Hey, Mister. Are you okay? OLD MAN (gasps and gurgles as he moves his shakey hand toward the passenger seat, points weakly) DORAH I... I don't understand. Do you want me to sit down? We don't have time. You need to stop this thing! OLD MAN (gasps and gurgles as he moves his hand toward the passenger seat) DORAH (bends over the passenger seat) Nobody's here. Are you wondering where your wife is? (looks out the windshield with alarm as the motorhome splinters another wooden barricade in front of the windshield) Listen, I hate to be rude, but we have to stop this motor home now! Then we can play charades, okay? I'll just sit in your lap for a second and push the brake pedal, okay? (grabs the steering wheel, tries to sit in his lap. Not enough room, stands, kneels next to seat, points to the levers) There's not enough room for both of us behind the wheel. Let's see, which of these levers... (grabs one lever) This one! (puts foot on dashboard for leverage, pulls the seat rearward with a grunt, seat slides back, stands) That's better! (grabs the wheel, sits in his lap, slides down until her foot touches the brake, grimaces as she pulls the wheel with both hands and presses the brake with all her might, grunts) I think that's the brake. (looks out the window as the motorhome crashes through another wooden "ROAD CLOSED" barricade, then another, then another, then a sand-filled barricade explodes all over the windshield and the brakes grind to a stop, after a few seconds of silence, sirens are heard in the distance) Now, let's see,... how do I put this thing into PARK... (moves the gear shift lever to park, turns off the ignition switch) I've seen my mom and dad do this all the time... And now I turn this thingy off. There you go. (Dorah climbs off of the old man's lap, bends over him) Now we can find out what's wrong with you. Did you have a heart attack or something? (old man nods subtly, tries to point toward the passenger's seat) What are you trying to say? (Dorah crawls over the passenger seat looking all around it) What were you pointing at? Was it a lost dog, or a cell phone maybe or a picture of your wife or maybe... (retrieves a prescription bottle) Aha! Your medicine! You dropped your medicine! Here it is! (reads label as she twists off the cap) Let's see. One tablet as needed. (pours out one tablet) I'd say one tablet is needed, wouldn't you, Mister? (pulls down on his chin, slips the pill between his lips) Here you go. Can you swallow that? Swallow? (moves toward faucet) Let me get you some water. (finds a coffee cup in the sink, fills it part way with water from the faucet, offers it) Can you swallow now? (he sips, swallows, almost immediately ceases gasping) That's the way! OLD MAN Thank you. DORAH (screws the top onto the bottle and leaves it on the dashboard) Now, the ambulance is on the way. You be sure and tell them that you already took a pill, huh, Mister? (he nods) Because too much medicine can be just as bad as not enough, huh? (opens door, goes down the steps) Okay, well, it was nice to meet you, Mister. Hope you feel better soon! Bye bye! EXT MORNING WIDE: OUTSIDE THE MOTORHOME (Dorah looks over the edge of a partially completed bridge looking down at a twenty-foot drop off) That was a close one! (runs to the rear of the motorhome, climbs the ladder, finds the door and opens it, walks through as the fire truck and ambulance arrive) EXT MORNING WIDE: DOOR IN THE WOODS DORAH (exits through door, closes it, turns, gasps when she sees Mother) Mother! I didn't expect to see you here! MOTHER How was your first solo? DORAH (shrugs) It wasn't really a solo. Dorman came because he thought I needed help. MOTHER Well, did you? DORAH Yeah. I had Dorman call 911 for this guy who was having a heart attack. I kind of blew it. I should have gone back through the door right away to make the phone call myself. MOTHER Don't be so hard on yourself, sweetie, nobody hits a homerun the first time at bat. The question is: did you save a life today? DORAH (smiles) Yeah! He's alive because of us. I love being a doorkeeper! INT NIGHT CLOSE-UP: DORAH'S BEDROOM (Dorah wakes up in the moonlight, sits up quickly, blinks twice, throws back the covers, springs out of bed, runs across the room and dives out the window with her pajamas on) EXT NIGHT WIDE: LAWN NEXT TO A LAKE (Dorah enters through the door, closes the door, looks around, turns back to the door) DORAH Did you take me to the wrong place? There's nobody here! (reaches for the knob) Maybe I should... (turns away) Wait. I have to trust the door. Somebody here needs help or the door wouldn't have brought me here. Let's look for some clues. (looks down, sees that she's standing between two muddy tire tracks which lead to the edge of the lake in the otherwise uniformly smooth lawn ) Are those tire marks? Somebody drove across the grass to the... (runs toward the lake) Somebody drove into the lake! (at the edge of the lake, sees dim tail lights underwater and bubbles breaking the surface) Somebody is probably trapped in that car! (looks both ways along the shoreline) No way I'm going to be able to open up the car door with all that water pressing against it. (sees a large rock, runs, picks it up, walks into the lake with the rock over her head until she and the rock disappear) INT NIGHT WIDE: UNDERWATER NEAR SUBMERGED CAR (Dorah walks on the bottom to the right of the car until she reaches the passenger side window, she smashes the window with the rock, shattering it, she pulls herself into the car and sees an unconscious woman strapped into the driver's seat. She unfastens the belt, grabs the woman by her collar and pulls her out the broken window) EXT NIGHT WIDE: LAKE SHORE (Dorah pulls the woman's body 2/3 of the way out of the water, then, turns the body on its side, then kneels on the ribs with both knees) DORAH Come on, breathe! (the woman coughs, gags, then coughs again, then gasps for air) Are you okay? WOMAN (begins to shiver) I... (coughs) I... thought I was going to die. DORAH (helps woman to a sitting position, looks in all directions) We need to get you some medical attention. Where is Dorman when I need him? (man enters frame with his dog on a leash) MAN What's going on there?! Is everything alright?! DORAH This woman's car ran off the road and into the lake. If you have a cell phone, it would be helpful if you could call 911. (sound cue: sirens in the distance) MAN I called 911 a few minutes ago, when I first heard the tires screeching and the splash. They're on the way. DORAH Well, I guess that's why Dorman isn't here. MAN Who's Dorman? DORAH Oh, ah, he's a friend of mine. (stands) MAN (points at Dorah) Are you wearing pajamas? DORAH (looks down at self) Oh, ah, yeah, I guess I.... (points to ambulance) Oh, here comes the ambulance. (runs to door and exits before Man turns back) MAN (turns and walks quickly toward the approaching ambulance, shouts) She's right over here. (points over shoulder) Her car ran off the road and into the lake. She looks okay, (turns toward Woman) but she's shivering. I think she was underwater for a couple minutes before she was rescued by that little girl in the pajamas.... (points over shoulder, looks in all directions) Where did she go?! EXT MORNING WIDE: DOOR IN THE WOODS DORAH (gasps, retreats a step as she comes through the door and sees Dorman in the dark) Oh! It's you! (closes door behind her) DORMAN (offers towel) I thought you might need this. DORAH (wraps towel around shoulders, dries hair as she walks) Oh, thanks. This is a little embarrassing. I didn't realize I was still wearing my pajamas until that man... (points over shoulder) ...reminded me. Should I have changed clothes first? DORMAN You tell me. Did your victim have time to wait for you to change clothes? DORAH Oh. No, I guess not. Her car was completely under water when I got there. DORMAN So, you did the right thing. DORAH Yeah, I guess I did. DORMAN So, how did it go? DORAH Good. This woman would have drowned without us. DORMAN Us? DORAH Me and the door. I guess the door is how I knew that I didn't have time to change clothes. DORMAN You're really getting good at this stuff. DORMAN But I still have questions. I wish you could go with me all the time. DORMAN (exiting frame) I'll see you again soon. Good night. DORAH Good night. EXT AFTERNOON WIDE: VACATION HOME PATIO DECK (Both families are seated and standing around the picnic table singing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" to Dorah as Mother enters frame carrying birthday cake with twelve lighted candles and sets it in front of Dorah) MOTHER (when the song is complete and after everyone applauds) Make a wish. (Dorah, closes her eyes, smiles for a moment of silence, opens her eyes and blows out the candles, more applause. Mother cuts the cake) Dorah, say hello to your new guest. DORMAN (enters frame from behind Dorah with a wrapped gift) Happy birthday, Dorah. DORAH (stands, turns, gasps) I got what I wished for! (both smile) �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 |