by Fin Kennedy
NEVERBORN. Logic dictates
The lizards await
Monsters in vermilion
A trillion reptilians
Creators of the Multiverse
Hear
Them
ROAR.
A trillion lizards roar.
Tongues like a meteorite
Red in tooth
Red in claw
Feel
Them
BITE.
On screen, the lizards prepare to bite.
MACK. No!
Suddenly the screen cuts out and the room returns to normal.
MACK exhales.
Whoa. That was intense.
AMELIA. That was just as scary as mine!
MACK. I didn’t say it wouldn’t be scary, did I?
JAYDEN. Lizards?
MACK. Yeah.
JAYDEN. What the hell?
ALI. Man, that is deep.
NASIMA. That made no sense.
SURAYA. So how does any of that help us work out what’s going on?
MACK. I’ll tell you how: because that was a dream I sometimes have.
MADGE. What?
NASIMA. These are old movies, Mack.
MACK. No. This – (Points to the projector.) is not a movie projector. It’s a Somnagraph.
MADGE. A what?
MACK. I’ve been thinking about it for ages, but I think I’ve worked it out.
RAPHAEL. Worked what out?
MACK. Somna means sleep.
SURAYA. Like insomnia!
MACK. Exactly. And graph means write.
AMELIA. Like photograph. To write with light.
MACK. Right. So this isn’t a film projector. It’s a machine for screening your dreams.
They all turn to look at the Somnagraph.
Pause.
Then:
ALI. I want a go!
SURAYA. My turn next!
NASIMA. I’m going next!
RAPHAEL. I got my coin ready!
MADGE. Get away from it!
They all scramble to get to the Somnagraph. MADGE gets to it first and puts her coin in.
ALI. Madge!
SURAYA. I wanted a go!
AMELIA. Are you mad? It’s horrible.
MADGE. I wanna see for myself.
The lights darken, the organ plays, and the projector whirrs. On screen, a version of MADGE fades into view. There is a buzzing, clicking noise.
Oh my God. It’s me.
MACK. What’s all that buzzing?
NEVERBORN. Praying mantis
Termites
Ticks
Legs go scuttle
Jaws go click.
On screen, thousands of insects appear.
Spiders
Hornets
Mites and fleas
Aphids
Bedbugs
Beetles
Bees.
The insects swarm over MADGE.
MADGE. This is horrible!
NEVERBORN. Swarming hordes and flying clouds
Plagues of locusts overcrowd
Hair and skin contamination
Teeming thriving infestation.
MADGE. Get them off me!
NASIMA. It’s like I’m a Celebrity!
MADGE. I don’t care!
NEVERBORN. Let the amphibians feast!
Ribbit!
Let the amphibians feast!
On screen, a giant frog appears and licks all the insects off MADGE.
MADGE. Slimy!
NEVERBORN. Death
Death
Death to the frog
Death
Death
Death to the frog.
A giant insect appears and eats the frog.
Daddy longlegs has to die
Mummy frog won’t let this lie.
An even bigger frog appears and eats the giant insect.
MADGE. Stop killing each other!!
The screen flickers off and ‘Insert Coin’ comes back on.
JAYDEN. That was stupid.
MACK. No it wasn’t.
NASIMA. I think you need to give up the zoo job.
MADGE. Is that what it means?
NASIMA. Pfff, who the hell knows.
MACK. It’s a dream, innit.
ALI. My turn!
ALI gets to the Somnagraph first and puts in his coin.
A version of himself appears on screen, sitting on a throne, tossing sweets to the crowd below.
NEVERBORN. Ali Sugar
Ali Sugar
Saccharine king
Caliph of confectionery
And every sweet thing
With a heart of stone
He rules his candy throne
Except
Except
In this province of plenty
Famine stalks the land.
Some NEVERBORN appear to be starving.
Sweets sweets
But nothing to eat
Sweets sweets
But nothing to eat.
A female NEVERBORN approaches ALI on his throne.
ALI. That’s my mum. What’s she doing there?
NEVERBORN. Ali, Ali, what have you done?
Ali, Ali, what have you done?
Another NEVERBORN plays ALI’s brother.
ALI. That’s my little brother. They’re starving, why are they starving?
NEVERBORN. Sweets sweets
But nothing to eat
Sweets sweets
But nothing to eat.
ALI. I thought I made us rich!
NEVERBORN. There’s nothing inside
So they died
Nothing inside
So they died
(Fades out.) Nothing inside so they died.
The screen flickers off. Everyone sits in silence for a moment.
ALI is trying not to cry.
MACK. Mate…
JAYDEN. Yeah…
RAPHAEL. Are you –
ALI. I don’t wanna talk about it.
MACK. But –
ALI. I DON’T. (Pause.) Alright?
MACK. Whatever you say, man. Whatever you say.
Pause.
AMELIA. This is getting kinda weird.
MADGE. Yeah.
AMELIA. I mean maybe we should, you know.
RAPHAEL. Yeah.
AMELIA. Get out of here.
SURAYA. I want a go.
MADGE. Really?
SURAYA. Yeah.
AMELIA. Why?
SURAYA. I have to know. Have to see.
MACK. But it doesn’t mean anything.
SURAYA. It does! Look at Ali.
ALI is sitting in silence on his own.
His dream meant something to him, didn’t it? Well, I wanna see mine.
SURAYA puts her coin in the Somnagraph.
Underwater sounds begin.
Some pink blobs fade into view.
Are those… prawns?
Music plays.
On screen, the prawns do a synchronised dance.
The dance is gentle and soothing.
The dance ends.
The prawns take a bow.
The movie ends, the lights go up and the ‘Insert Coin’ screen comes back on.
MACK. What, is that it?
JAYDEN. Yeah, that was rubbish, man.
MADGE. Oh, I liked it.
AMELIA. Me too.
MADGE. They did a little dance.
NASIMA. Yeah, it was funny.
ALI. You need to lay off them crisps, Suraya.
MACK. Too right, they’re messing with your head.
SURAYA. But I wanna know what it means.
JAYDEN. Means you’re crazy.
MADGE. No it don’t.
RAPHAEL. I thought you said you’d know.
SURAYA. I thought I would too. But I don’t. Why don’t you have a go?
RAPHAEL. I don’t really want to.
NASIMA. I’ll do it.
JAYDEN. This’ll be good.
ALI. Yeah, no one knows what’s going
on in Nasima’s head.
JAYDEN. No one wants to.
NASIMA. Shut up, mine’s gonna be the best dream ever.
NASIMA goes over to the Somnagraph and puts her coin in.
The lights dim and NASIMA’s dream begins.
On screen, NASIMA is relaxing on a tropical beach.
NEVERBORN. Queen Nasima
On the beach
Sun and sand
Stress can’t reach.
NASIMA. Niiiice. Told you.
ALI. Wait a sec. What’s that?
NASIMA. Where?
ALI. Something’s in the water.
NEVERBORN. Haha
Heehee
There’s clowns in the sea
Haha
Heehee
There’s clowns in the sea.
Clowns walk out of the sea and towards NASIMA.
NASIMA. I hate clowns!
NEVERBORN. Shoot them dead
Shoot them dead
Shoot them dead with a Fisherman’s Friend.
On screen, NASIMA takes out a gun and loads it up with Fisherman’s Friends. She fires at the clowns and they crumple. Their clown masks fall off to reveal a woman’s face beneath each.
But faces fall
Revealing Auntie Zora.
NASIMA. Oh my God.
NEVERBORN. Who’s the clown now, Nasima?
Who’s the clown now?
NASIMA. Auntie Zora! I’m sorry.
As the clown masks hit the sand, they transform into newborn babies.
Their crying fills the air.
NEVERBORN. Faces fall
And babies start to call
Faces fall
And babies start to call.
NASIMA. What?
NEVERBORN. Babies on the beach
Too many to reach
Too many
Too many
Too many to reach.
The movie ends, the lights go up and the ‘Insert Coin’ screen comes back on.
MACK. That was the weirdest one yet.
ALI. I know, innit.
MACK. I mean, clowns?
ALI. Yeah, and babies?
RAPHAEL. My heart’s going like the clappers – that’s not good.
JAYDEN. And why was your auntie in it?
ALI. I know why.
NASIMA. Yeah, shut up, Ali.
JAYDEN. It was like a computer game.
MACK. Not any game I’ve played.
JAYDEN. Except for I’d have shot all the babies as well.
AMELIA. Shut up, Jayden.
JAYDEN. They were making a horrible noise.
AMELIA. You’re a horrible noise.
NASIMA (to JAYDEN). Why don’t you go next then?
JAYDEN. Nah, man.
SURAYA. Yeah, you haven’t been yet.
JAYDEN. Neither has Raphael.
ALI. Why not you?
JAYDEN. It’s Raph’s turn.
AMELIA. Well, I wanna see your dream.
ALI. Yeah.
JAYDEN. Well, I don’t.
RAPHAEL. It’s fine, I know what mine will be.
RAPHAEL goes to the machine and takes out his coin.
SURAYA. You sure about this?
RAPHAEL. Yeah. It’ll be the two boys.
SURAYA. Two boys?
RAPHAEL. Twins. In the forest.
RAPHAEL puts his coin in and the movie starts.
On screen, two boys appear, both look like RAPHAEL.
They are walking through a forest.
NEVERBORN. Sssssh
Through the silent forest
The twins go slow
Where are they headed?
Nobody knows.
The twins reach the edge of a lake.
See them walking
To the edge of the lake
One keeps walking
The other just waits.
On screen, one of the boys walks into the lake, while the other waits on the bank.
He watches his brother
Go up to his waist
Up to his chest
And up to his face
Opens his mouth
But he can’t make a sound
Just watches his brother
Sink down and down
Sink down and down.
The twin in the lake disappears from view.
The movie ends, the lights go up and the ‘Insert Coin’ screen comes back on.
MACK. How did you know it would be that?
RAPHAEL. Cos I dream it every night.
AMELIA. What does it mean?
RAPHAEL shrugs.
JAYDEN. We should get out of here.
MACK. Yeah, it’ll be late.
AMELIA. Yeah, teachers might notice we’ve gone.
MADGE. Wait – Jayden hasn’t been yet.
ALI. Oh yeah.
SURAYA. Have we all done it except you?
JAYDEN. I dunno.
NASIMA. Yeah we have.
AMELIA. Come on, ninja, we wanna see yours.
JAYDEN. Well, I don’t.
MACK. Why not?
JAYDEN. I just don’t.
AMELIA. We all did it.
ALI. Yeah, you scared or something?
JAYDEN. No.
SURAYA. What then?
JAYDEN. I don’t wanna.
RAPHAEL. Look, if he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t have to.
NASIMA. It’s cos he’s scared.
JAYDEN. No it’s not.
AMELIA. Jayden’s scared!
ALI. Jayden’s scared!
MACK. Jayden’s scared!
JAYDEN. No I’m not!
AMELIA. Well, why not do it then?
NASIMA. Yeah, why not?
ALL (chanting). WHY NOT, WHY NOT, WHY NOT.
JAYDEN (yells). COS I KNOW WHAT IT’LL BE!
Pause.
ALI. Alright, man.
MACK. Sorry.
AMELIA. No need to shout.
JAYDEN. Just leave it, yeah.
MACK. Right.
ALI. Alright.
Pause.
MACK. Let’s get out of here.
AMELIA. Yeah.
They get up.
JAYDEN. Whoa. Where’s the door gone?
MADGE. Oh my God.
ALI. It was right there.
NEVERBORN (whisper). The screen.
AMELIA. Did you say something?
SURAYA. No.
RAPHAEL. Where the hell is the door?
NASIMA. Mack?
MACK. I dunno, let me think.
MACK consults his PSP.
The screen shimmers at one end of the room.
NEVERBORN (whisper). The screen.
AMELIA. There!
MADGE. Ssh!
ALI. Yeah, I definitely heard something then.
MADGE. SSH! Mack’s thinking.
MACK. The PSP’s pointing…
MADGE. Where?
MACK. Over there.
MACK points to the screen.
AMELIA. Oh, man.
RAPHAEL. Oh no – no way.
ALI. That’s not out, Mack. That’s in.
JAYDEN. What choice do we have?
AMELIA. Jayden’s right. And who knows, maybe we’ll even find out what our crazy dreams were all about.
NEVERBORN. Yeeessss.
They take each other’s hands.
MACK. Then let’s do this. Ready?
AMELIA/JAYDEN. Yeah.
MADGE. Not really.
SURAYA. No.
RAPHAEL. Ready as I’ll ever be I spose.
AMELIA. One. Two. Three. Run!
ALI. Run?
AMELIA. Run!
ALL. RUN!
RUUUUUUUUN!!
They run through the screen [possibly in slow motion].
There is a blast of white noise, like static, and the cinema disappears.
They scream.
Wind rushes past them.
They land with a jolt.
AMELIA. Everyone okay?
MACK. Yeah.
&
nbsp; MADGE. Think so.
ALI. Are we alive?
JAYDEN. What is this place?
They are in a black-and-white movie studio.
Everything is in black and white around them – including props, costumes and other objects from the dreams they watched earlier.
Perhaps there is a director’s chair, clapperboard and old-fashioned camera.
The NEVERBORN appear. The REAL-WORLD CAST can see them fully now.
NEVERBORN. Welcome
Welcome
Welcome…
To our world.
MADGE. It’s the cast! The black-and-white cast from the dreams!
NEVERBORN. You are us
And we are you
We know exactly what
You’re going to do.
Each NEVERBORN examines their double.
JAYDEN. Crazy. Like looking in the mirror.
The black-and-white cast mirror the movements of the REAL-WORLD CAST exactly.
[This could become a short movement sequence featuring all sixteen actors, as if the black-and-white cast are hypnotising the REAL-WORLD CAST, shaping and twisting them around like puppets.]
AMELIA. Wait. They’re hypnotising us. Snap out of it, everyone!
They snap out of it.
MACK (to NEVERBORN). What’s going on?
NASIMA. Where are we?
AMELIA. Who are you lot?
MADGE. How come you know our dreams?
ALI. And how the hell do we get out of here?
NEVERBORN. Calm yourselves, young ones
You are beyond dreaming
This – is Somna City
Where dreams are made.
The NEVERBORN smile.
AMELIA. Who are you then?
NEVERBORN. We are the Neverborn.
ALI. The what?
NEVERBORN. Once, we were just like you
Young
Curious
Ignorant
Foolish.
AMELIA. Speak for yourself.
NEVERBORN. A school group
Invited by Charles Somna himself
Into his house
Into his cinema
Into his world
It was 1929.
SURAYA. No way.
RAPHAEL. You’re school students?
NASIMA. From 1929? Get out. That means you’d be about, like, a hundred years old or something.
NEVERBORN. Yesssss
But the Neverborn do not grow old.
AMELIA. Mack, please tell me you understand this.
MACK. I don’t understand anything.
ALI. What does your PSP say?
MACK. It’s blank. We’re totally off the map.
NEVERBORN. Like you, we were tempted inside
Like you, we stepped through the screen
Like you, we disappeared.
ALI. Uh-oh.
The NEVERBORN click their fingers and an hourglass appears and starts counting down.
NEVERBORN. In Somna City
Memories of you fade
You become un-missed
Unknown
Until all trace of you has gone
As if you were never born
Out there – already your families are waking up
Getting ready
Going about their day
Not having noticed