TheCorridorPilot

FADE IN:

INT. CASS’S APARTMENT – NIGHT.

The one-room efficiency is dark. On a single bed lies CASSANDRA, an attractive woman in her late 20’s. Her head rests on a pillow as she surrenders to sleep.

EXT. STAIRWAY – NIGHT. (dream sequence)

Cassandra, with care, climbs a dark, narrow, stone stairway suspended in what appears to be a black sky.

The steps take her higher and higher.

EXT. TOP OF STAIRWAY - NIGHT.

Cassandra reaches a heavy, wooden door. She lifts the wrought iron latch and pushes the door open.

INT. THE CORRIDOR.

The door opens into a small foyer that contains an uncluttered ornate desk and matching chair. Off the foyer, to the right, runs an endless stone corridor with many doorways along either side. A few feet from the foyer, another corridor — mostly unseen — intersects the first.

Cassandra waits in the foyer.

The door near the intersection opens and out steps EMORY, a bulky man, aged but robust, with white and wiry shoulder-length hair. He wears a beige, one-piece robe with a leather belt.

EMORY

Welcome again, Cassandra.

CASS

Hello, Emory.

EMORY

And what is your quest this evening?

CASS

I don’t know...

EMORY

Well, then let us travel the

corridor until you feel inspired to

open a particular door.

Cass nods and Emory starts down the hallway. As they pass the intersection, she pauses. Emory stops and follows her gaze down the intersecting corridor.

EMORY (CONT’D)

That hallway is for another time.

CASS

I thought I could go anywhere in

the corridor?

EMORY

In this corridor.

He gestures for her to continue. Cass follows. Just before the third door, he pauses.

EMORY (CONT’D)

May I make a suggestion?

CASS

Sure.

EMORY

Let us return to the first room.

You were rather – foggy that night.

CASS

I don’t remember much about it. But

there are so many rooms, Emory!

I’ll never explore them all at this

rate!

EMORY

That remains to be seen. However,

the first room does contain a

basic point of view that will

assist you in all of the areas.

They go back down the corridor toward the foyer.

CASS

Was I late tonight?

EMORY

Cassandra Morgan, time does not

exist in the corridor.

They have reached the first door.

EMORY (CONT’D)

Sadiki and Kaleb will assist you,

here, in the Room of Belief.

He opens the door and they walk through.

INT. ROOM OF BELIEF.

The setting is in fact not a room, but a space near the door occupied by two people and several rock-shaped, draped objects for seating. The scene beyond that is dark and without end.

SADIKI is a beautiful, middle-aged black woman who wears flowing apparel. KALEB, a white boy about ten-years-old, dressed only in shorts, sits on one of the rock-shaped structures.

Emory stands near the door.

SADIKI

Greetings, Cassandra.

CASS

Hello.

Cass returns Kaleb’s smile.

SADIKI

Sit down, young woman. Wherever

you feel most at ease.

Cass moves to a “seat” and is somewhat surprised to find it quite comfortable.

Kaleb comes forward, stops, puts his hands on his hips, cocks his head and addresses Cass.

KALEB

I thought your name was Eshana.

Cass doesn’t understand. Emory and Sadiki exchange looks.

SADIKI

Kaleb, she only knows herself as

Cassandra.

Kaleb accepts that and then sits on the floor near Sadiki.

SADIKI (CONT’D)

In your waking world, my dear,

there are two manners of viewing

things; from the exterior and from

the interior. Your culture is

based primarily on the exterior

method, on logic and objectivity.

But there is much to learn from the

interior method, from intuition and

the subjective.

Sadiki moves closer to Cass.

SADIKI (CONT’D)

Do you know that you are more

responsible for what happens to you

than most people believe? Your

thoughts, your beliefs, create your

experience.

CASS

If I’ve been here before, shouldn’t

I know that?

SADIKI

A part of you has always known.

Beyond the portals of the back of

your mind. Let us assist the front

of your mind in remembering when

you return to your waking self. –

Look over there, Cassandra.

Sadiki points to the right where only darkness exists.

SADIKI (CONT’D)

Envision something. Anything.

Whatever you imagine will appear

there.

Cass looks into the darkness and what comes into shape is her bedroom at home. She is startled and delighted.

She closes her eyes, thinks a moment and then looks back to the space. Now a taxi appears with the lettering “West L.A. Cab” and the number “65” on it. The vehicle is several years old with a few dints and not recently washed.

CASS

Wait! I don’t want to think about

work!

She thinks again, looks into the space and sees a man behind a desk. Her form stands before the desk as she hands him a manuscript. He smiles and hands her a check.

SADIKI

That seems a pleasant creation.

CASS

I’m selling a book there. I’m

going to be published. I mean I’m

not really, I’m just – imagining it.

Cass likes the idea very much, but soon her expression clouds.

CASS (CONT’D)

But, Sadiki, I don’t live in this

room. I can’t – can’t take the –

the visions with me.

SADIKI

What you think about “there” as

your waking self, is just as

powerful as what you think about

here. You create your reality on

earth as surely as you just created

these visions. But because it’s a

physical reality, thoughts take

longer to materialize. However,

the contents of your thoughts, what

you believe, create your experience.

Kaleb comes to sit on the floor before Cass.

KALEB

But you have a lot of beliefs and

sometimes they fight each other.

CASS

Fight?

SADIKI

You may hold two very conflicting

beliefs, Cassandra, but the one

with the most intensity will

prevail.

Kaleb runs and jumps on one of the “seats” and then to another and another until he reaches the tallest “seat” which is about four feet off the ground. He stands there.

KALEB

(points to where

he stands)

Pretend I live here.

(points to the

ground)

But I want to go there. Very much.

But my father, and his father before

him, taught that it’s wrong to go

there. Many things he’s taught me

are true, so I believe this must be

true, too. But I want to go there!

And I don’t want to go there! Do

you see?

CASS

Yes! So when I want something,

and I can’t seem to get it,

but I keep trying to – to –

SADIKI

Manifest.

CASS

To “manifest” it – but it doesn’t

happen...Well, that could be

because I really believe something

else more strongly? Even though

I don’t know it?

Kaleb jumps down from his perch and claps.

SADIKI

And therein lies the wisdom of

examining your beliefs.

CASS

But I’m 27! I must have a million

beliefs by now!

SADIKI

There is a simple exercise you

need to learn.

CASS

Tell me!

SADIKI

The Room of Transformation will

show you. Emory will guide you

there momentarily. First, I want

you to look at this.

Near Cassandra, Sadiki manifests a table, a simple table like the one near Cassandra’s bedroom window at home.

SADIKI (CONT’D)

You call that a table. In a room

alone or with other people, you can

all see that table. It seems to be

quite solid indeed. Now look again.

The table shows the millions of atoms in movement that form a table.

SADIKI (CONT’D)

It’s solidness is an illusion, even

your scientists have realized that.

But this composition of ever-moving

atoms is an agreed-upon illusion in

your reality. Now –

Cassandra begins having difficulty hearing Sadiki, then difficulty seeing her. The room fades, a buzzing is heard in the distance. The buzzing grows closer and more insistent.

INT. CASS’S APARTMENT – MORNING. (end of dream sequence)

An alarm clock’s buzzing brings Cass out of her sleep. She’s disoriented and then comprehends the sound. She stops the alarm and looks around trying to remember something...but can’t. Her eyes fall on the table at the window. Her expression is one of puzzlement.

EXT. WEST L.A. CAB DISPATCH OFFICE – DAY.

Cass is gassing up cab #65 at the pumps. Another driver has just finished. He crosses to her; NASH, in his mid-20’s, has the demeanor of a bookworm, but dresses like a beachcomber.

NASH

Hey! How’d it go?

CASS

I can’t remember.

NASH

Not any of it?

CASS

Well, I get the sense of climbing

and then – then – I think I sold

a book! And there’s a table...

Nash takes off his thick-rimmed glasses and cleans them on his shirt.

NASH

I dreamed I saw you.

CASS

Last night?

NASH

(nods)

You and another woman. Talking.

CASS

About what?

NASH

I don’t know. I was barefoot -

A horn honks as another driver pulls up behind Cass.

CASS (CONT’D)

I don’t remember anyone barefoot

...Meet you on the roof, tonight,

okay?

He nods. As he walks off, Cass stares at his shorts (very much like Kaleb’s) and for a moment starts to call out to him, but doesn’t. She just watches him get in his cab.

GORDON, a handsome, hard-boiled fellow in his 30’s, leans out the door of the dispatch office, hollering at Cass.

GORDON

Hey! Can’t make any money standing

at the pump!

CASS

(calling back)

There’s more to life than money,

Gordon!

GORDON

There’d better be or you’d have

nothing!

She shakes her head and then gets in the cab and pulls over to the dispatch office.

INT. DISPATCH OFFICE – DAY.

Gordon sits on a stool before a counter with a desk, a phone and a computer. He shoves a small piece of paper over to her. She signs it.

GORDON

There’s cheaper gas all over town.

CASS

But they don’t let me charge it.

Listen, I’ve got to ask you

something – and I don’t mean to be –

offensive, but –

GORDON

Spit it out.

CASS

Am I supposed to tip you?

He doesn’t answer.

CASS (CONT’D)

You know, give you some money.

Like - $10 or – something?

GORDON

That sort of thing gets people

fired.

CASS

Well, one of the night drivers told

me that. Herbert, I think.

GORDON

What does Herbert know? He and the

bud are too close.

CASS

The bud...?

GORDON

Mary Jane. Weed. God, what

planet did you step off of?

CASS

(doggedly)

Herbert said I get all the garbage

runs, you know, like grocery stores,

because I don’t tip the dispatchers.

GORDON

Herbert works nights. So when do

you two get together for these

conversations?

CASS

I work graveyard on Thursdays.

GORDON

Look, kid, we run by computer. In

the good old days, what you’re

talking about – the tipping. That’s

the way it was. These days the

computer calls it.

CASS

I hear you’re a computer genius.

GORDON

So? Get out of here. Keep your

radio on.

Cass walks out. Gordon gets off his stool and comes to the door.

GORDON (CONT’D)

Listen. They did tell you about –

about protecting yourself and all?

CASS

I rent the cab from Ahmad. He doesn’t

talk about that. - Whose ‘they’?

GORDON

The guys, you know. Herbert. The

rest of ‘em. Don’t you hang around

the better hotels when you don’t

have a dispatch call?

CASS

Sure.

GORDON

So Herbert didn’t tell you the

basics?

CASS

Sure. He said if I get a fare who

wants a prostitute, have the

dispatcher radio Porter to meet me.

And if I have someone who wants an

after hours liquor purchase, call –

GORDON

Are you for real?

CASS

Nobody’s going to ask me for that

stuff, for goodness sakes! I don’t

drive nights most of the time

anyway and what guy would want a

prostitute in the middle of the day?

He is silent, as if waiting for her to answer her own question.

CASS (CONT’D)

(finally)

Oh...

GORDON

You need a keeper. Look, you’ve

been out here for months. You

should know this already! There

are three signs that you’re probably

about to be robbed. Now, they don’t

cover every contingency, but they’re

good to remember. Okay?

She nods. Inside the phone rings. He motions for her to wait and goes inside, answers the phone.

GORDON

West L.A. Cab...Got it. Sure.

(clicks on the

radio mike)

81?

RADIO

81.

GORDON

The Hillcrest.

RADIO

Check.

Gordon motions for Cass to come back in the office. She does so.

GORDON

(to Cass)

Okay, when you get a fare from

“nowhere”, be extra careful. You

know the kind that get in your cab

and you can’t tell where they’ve

come from? Didn’t call for a cab.

Didn’t walk out a particular

doorway or store entrance. Okay,

then they get in the cab, see, and

they don’t tell you where they’re

going. “Downtown,” they might say.

“The Valley.” Don’t give you an

address. You call it in here, but

hey, you just got someone from

nowhere whose not really giving you

or us the info on where he’s going.

See? Now, they’re in the cab and

what do they ask you about?

CASS

Well –

GORDON

I’m not really asking you. I’m

telling you. When they ask, “so, do

you carry a gun” or something like

that, they’re checking to see if

you can defend yourself. If these

three things happen to you at one

time – be extra alert. If I were

dispatching, I’d be paying attention

to the addresses, or lack of them,

but –

MEL walks up, a pretty boy who carries a small mirror in his back pocket at all times.

MEL

Hey, Gordon. Sorry I’m late. So

where we at?

GORDON

(to Mel)

It’s quiet.

(to Cass)

You hear me? Do you hear me?

Cass nods again. Then she reaches in her pocket and puts a $10 bill on the dispatch counter. Gordon just stares at it. Mel snatches it up.

MEL

So somebody set you straight, huh.

Cass, after getting over the shock of Mel taking the money, walks out. Gordon watches her a moment and then turns back to Mel. Mel has pulled out a pocket mirror and is checking his hair.

The phone RINGS again.

EXT. RALPH’S GROCERY ON BEVERLY BLVD. – DAY.

Cass’s cab is pulling in.

INT. CAB – DAY.

Cass has the radio mike in her hand.

RADIO (Mel)

She’s in a blue pants suit, 65.

CASS

(into the radio)

Check.

An older woman wearing an expensive, blue pants suit stands near the front door. Cass pulls up and exits the cab, opening the trunk. The woman wheels the cart to the cab and Cass loads four large bags into the trunk. The elderly woman, LORETTA ROLAND, sour in appearance, gets in the back seat. Cass gets behind the wheel.

LORETTA

Take me down Beverly to the Encore

Apartments.

CASS

Okay.

She pulls out and they start down the street.

LORETTA

You have to carry my bags up to the

third floor.

Cass looks a little surprised at the woman’s tone of command.

LORETTA (CONT’D)

Do you understand? There is an

elevator, of course. But you will

carry the bags to my kitchen.

CASS

Ma’am, I don’t have to do any such

thing.

Loretta looks shocked.

CASS (CONT’D)

(with great warmth)

But I’ll be glad to help.

Loretta’s composure crumbles. She fights tears. Cass keeps driving, but in the rearview mirror she sees pain on Loretta’s face.

EXT. ENCORE APARTMENTS – DAY.

Cass pulls up to a modest building. The two exit the cab and Cass opens the trunk. She’s able to manage three of the bags and Loretta takes the fourth.

INT. ENCORE APARTMENTS ELEVATOR – DAY.

The two women ride the elevator, not speaking.

INT. LORETTA’S KITCHEN – DAY.

The women walk into a decently appointed kitchen, and set down the bags. Loretta opens a coin purse and pulls out several bills and hands them to Cass.

CASS

Thank you.

Cass starts out.

LORETTA

I apologize for my rudeness.

Cass stops.

CASS

It’s okay. I guess something else

is – is going on with you. And you

just, well – took it out on me...

LORETTA

It has nothing to do with you.

CASS

But maybe I can help.

LORETTA

Ha. Unless you possess the means to

motivate my son to call me...you

can’t help me.

Cass reenters the kitchen.

CASS

Grown children are usually too busy

to call their parents.

LORETTA

When is the last time you called

your mother?

CASS

Christmas. Mother’s Day.

LORETTA

Her birthday?

Cass nods.

LORETTA (CONT’D)

You have a fortunate mother.

Cass, doubting, can only shrug.

CASS

(finally)

...It must be very – hard for you.

LORETTA

You wouldn’t know, young lady.

CASS

You’re right. I don’t know. I’m –

I’m just...sorry.

LORETTA

I probably wasn’t there enough when

he was growing up and needed me.

So he’s not here now when – when I

need him.

CASS

(gently)

Are you going to spend the rest of

your life waiting for his call?

LORETTA

Of course not.

CASS

You’ve been around awhile – don’t

you have friends?

LORETTA

I have to go to the cemetery to

visit most of them.

CASS

...Neighbors?

LORETTA

Go on now, Miss – Miss whatever

your name is. Thank you for your

concern. I am recovered.

CASS

My name is Cassandra Morgan.

Yours?

LORETTA

Mine is a forgotten name. Run

along now.

Cass can see that the conversation is over. She starts out the kitchen door, walking backwards.

CASS

May I come back sometimes? To

say hello?

LORETTA

Certainly.

(ironically)

I’m sure you have nothing else

to do.

Cass smiles. She exits the kitchen. Loretta listens as the front door closes. She begins unpacking the grocery bags.

EXT. CENTURY BLVD. NEAR THE AIRPORT – AFTERNOON.

Cass is caught in traffic. The day’s hot and she’s rolled down all the windows. Up the street, crisscrossing through traffic comes an older man with a sour expression, poorly dressed, who weaves across the lanes. Cass is tired. Sweating. She idly watches him until it dawns on her that he’s headed to the cab. She finally leans across the front seat to start locking the doors and rolling up windows.

The man suddenly moves more quickly, walks around stopped vehicles and arrives at her taxi. He gets in the back and slams the door closed.

MAN

Take me to the industrial area.

CASS

Where?

MAN

You know, over by Slausen.

The traffic lightens up enough for Cass to resume driving.

CASS

Slausen and what?

MAN

I’ll tell you when we get there.

Cass stares ahead, driving, somewhat annoyed. Then she picks up the mike.

CASS

(into the mike)

65.

RADIO (Mel’s voice)

82, Check. 88, pick up at the

Ranchero on Pico....67, go ahead...

Check 67, when you drop, call your

X2.

The radio is quiet for a moment.

CASS

(into the mike

again)

65.

RADIO

70, what’s your 20?...Okay, never

mind.

CASS

(into the mike)

65.

RADIO

65.

CASS

(into the mike)

Picked up on Century Boulevard. My

blue’s the Industrial area.

RADIO

That’s clear 65. 80, you got a

personal at The Whip. He’ll be

coming out the front door in

fifteen.

MAN

Doesn’t pay much attention to you,

huh.

She turns the radio down.

CASS

If I put a mirror on my forehead

he would.

Cass glances back at the man and smiles, expecting him to smile in return. He stares out the side window, darkly.

MAN

What are you doing on this side

of town?

CASS

Just dropped a fare at the airport.

MAN

So what ‘cha got for protection in

this hack?

Cass almost freezes. Then she recovers.

CASS

A tire iron for starters. And

dispatch.

MAN

I wouldn’t count on that dispatcher

if I were you.

CASS

(her imagination

goes into overdrive)

I don’t have to! There’s a button

here I just hit and dispatch knows

I’m in trouble and where I am.

MAN

Never heard of that.

CASS

A lot of the drivers have them.

It’s not my cab, belongs to a guy

who really has it loaded.

MAN

All that trouble and he don’t have

no air conditioning?

CASS

(stumped for a

moment)

Well, he’s from the Middle East and

he misses the desert.

Cass looks in the rearview mirror to see if the man has bought it. He hasn’t.

CASS (CONT’D)

His name is Ahmad.

MAN

And my name’s Jimmy Cagney.

He turns and stares out the window again, sourly.

Now they drive in silence.

Soon they approach the industrial area. The man is now leaning forward, hands on the back of the front seat. Cass is more and more uncomfortable.

They drive down Slausen. To the left of them the side streets go to the many warehouses. Traffic is heavy on Slausen but the streets heading to the warehouses look empty.

CASS

So where do I turn?

MAN

The next left.

CASS

It’s almost six now. Doesn’t look

like anybody’s at the warehouses.

MAN

Take the next left.

Cass puts on the left blinker. The traffic is heavy behind her, before her, and from the right, but the side street she’s to turn into is empty. She enters the large and busy intersection. Suddenly she turns off the engine, though it’s not apparent to the man that she’s done so deliberately.

She starts pushing and pushing on the gas pedal. The car is dead in the middle of the busy intersection. Vehicles honk. Drivers holler at her. The man is red-faced.

MAN (CONT’D)

Hey! Let’s go! Get this son-of-

a-bitch started. Hey!

CASS

I’m so sorry! It’s dead! I can’t

move it. You’ll have to get out

here! I’m sorry!

He thinks a moment and then starts out the door. She points at the meter. He is amazed and then pulls some bills out of his pocket, tosses them on the front seat and exits the cab. Cars keep honking and Cass keeps shaking her head at them and throwing up her hands to indicate her helplessness.

The man gets across the intersection and starts down the street. He stops and looks back at her. She turns on the ignition and drives straight ahead.

EXT. CASS’S APARTMENT BUILDING ROOF. – NIGHT.

The flat roof of the two-story building is flanked by a sturdy rail on all four sides. In the center sits a small enclosure with the exit door.

Nash lays on his back, hands behind his head, near the railing. Cassandra sits near him, arms wrapped around her knees. The sky is clear and lit with stars. Lying near them are two spiral notebooks, some pencils, bottled water and a bag of chips.

NASH

I can’t believe the guy paid the

fare, too.

CASS

Maybe I just imagined that he was –

well, “a bad guy”.

NASH

After what Gordon told you, yeah.

CASS

But maybe Gordon told me because I

needed to know it, later in the day!

NASH

Gordon’s no prophet, Cass.

CASS

I don’t mean that he knew I needed

to know, I mean – well, something...

NASH

Couldn’t it just be coincidence?

CASS

I don’t think there’s any such

thing, Nash. There’s – there’s so

much more –

(waves her arms

to the universe)

than we dream! I mean, think!

Nash picks up his bottle and takes a drink. They both stare in silence at the starry night.

CASS (CONT’D)

I wonder if that’s where home is?

NASH

Which one?

Cass points to one of the many stars. Nash squints, thinks about it.

NASH (CONT’D)

I think that’s Mercury. It fits.

(pushes her

playfully)

That could be your home.

CASS

(longingly)

Sometimes I just want to go home.

NASH

You are home, Cass.

CASS

My body is! But my mind...

NASH

The mind’s in the body.

CASS

The brain’s in the body. The mind

is everywhere!

Nash sits up and pulls over one of the notebooks and a pencil.

NASH

So, this corridor you dream, it’s a

place you go to, somewhere “out

there”, you think?

CASS

No. I think I just made it up

because – well, because I need it.

NASH

So if someone else hunted for it in

their dreams, they couldn’t find it?

CASS

I don’t know.

NASH

Then you could have imagined

anything? A gigantic university in

the sky, and that’s what would have

been – ?

CASS

But I manifested a corridor.

NASH

Manifested! Wow, what a word.

Where’d you hear that?

CASS

I don’t know.

Nash sets down the notebook and pencil.

NASH

So do you think you’re getting,

like, secrets of the universe?

CASS

No. Emory said – I remember this

from last week, the first time I

dreamed the corridor – he said

that – that what I’m told there

is ancient knowledge. That it’s

all been said before through the

centuries. It’s just not in the –

mainstream of our – culture.

NASH

Wow, again!

CASS

It’d be a real wow if I could

remember more. I just have bits and

pieces...Emory...a table...I’m not

using that damned alarm clock

anymore. It blasts me out of the

dream.

NASH

Don’t be late for Ahmad’s cab.

CASS

He doesn’t care if I’m late. He

gets the same money whatever I do.

NASH

Paid your rent this month?

CASS

Almost.

Nash smiles and shakes his head. She gives him an affectionate punch. He rises, stretches, walks around.

CASS (CONT’D)

You seen Noel lately?

Nash shakes his head no.

CASS (CONT’D)

Why not?

NASH

We’re busy with classes and work.

CASS

...It’s hard, huh.

NASH

What? Loving somebody who can

never see you the same way? Naw.

I’m into self-torture. - I do know

I’d rather be around him and – hurt

some – than not be around him at

all.

CASS

You think if he knows you’re gay,

he won’t be your friend anymore?

NASH

That’s not what I think. It’s

what I know.

CASS

Give him some credit, Nash.

NASH

I give him all the credit in the

world.

CASS

But not enough to make his own

decision about – about who you

really are.

NASH

You don’t understand.

CASS

I do understand.

She rises.

CASS (CONT’D)

You’re you and instead of living

as if you have the right to be you,

as if you’re okay – and you are

okay – you’re a wonderful person! –

you hide yourself. Yeah, I get it!

You don’t accept yourself! No

wonder you think somebody else won’t

accept you either.

NASH

Cass, you’re one of the smartest

people I’ve ever met, but you don’t

have a clue about this! – I’m not

coming out! It’d kill my father!

CASS

It might be tough on him, but truth

is truth.

NASH

You need to walk a mile in my

shoes before you – you go on with

this.

CASS

I’m sorry, Nash. I’m not you.

You’re right. I’ve no business

telling you what to do.

She bends down and gathers her things.

NASH

Listen, no matter what’s going on

here

(points to his head)

or here

(hand over heart)

I’m keeping my feet on the ground.

Something you oughta consider

yourself.

Cass drops down and lays on her back, sticking her feet in the air, shaking them, laughing at him. He pushes her legs down and then gets a foot and holds it firmly on the ground.

CASS

All right! All right!

She stands.

CASS (CONT’D)

There! My feet are firmly on the

ground.

She raises her face and her arms to the sky.

CASS (CONT’D)

But, oh, I can almost touch the

sky!

INT. CASS’S APARTMENT – NIGHT.

Cass, in her nightshirt, is working at her computer. She types for a minute, then saves and then exits; then shuts down the computer. She rises and goes to the window, looking out

at the stars. Then she picks a pen off the table and writes on a tablet “Remember”. She writes it again. She looks up at the stars again. Finally, she goes to bed, placing the pad and pen on her nightstand.

EXT. ALLEY – NIGHT. (dream sequence)

Cass runs through a dark alley, zigzagging through scattered trash and debris. Pounding on her heels follows the man she let out of her cab on Slausen. Tripping on rubble, she skids and stumbles. He leaps in front of her and takes a threatening posture as she falls and screams.

INT. CASS’S APARTMENT – NIGHT. (end of dream sequence)

Cass sits up abruptly, sweating and frightened. Shaking. As she calms down, a rueful smile appears on her face.

CASS

(whispering to herself)

Well, I remember that dream.

She lies back on the bed, thinking. Then she closes her eyes and mumbles.

CASS (CONT’D)

To the corridor. The corridor.

She fades back into sleep.

EXT. STAIRCASE – NIGHT. (dream sequence)

Cass climbs the stairs, swiftly and eagerly.

EXT. DOOR AT THE TOP – NIGHT.

Cass arrives and opens the door.

INT. THE CORRIDOR’S FOYER.

Cass stands in the foyer. Emory comes around the corner from the unseen corridor. He smiles at her.

EMORY

I see that you met with a detour on

your way here.

CASS

Was he going to hurt me?

EMORY

In the physical world or in your

dream?

CASS

Either place.

EMORY

Follow me to the Room of Dreams.

He turns and Cass follows him down the corridor some distance. They enter the fifth door on the left.

INT. ROOM OF DREAMS.

An ancient woman, regal and warm in bearing, American Indian in facial features, sits at a spinning wheel.

ZINAH

Greetings, Emory.

EMORY

Zinah.

He stands beside the door. Cass goes to Zinah. Zinah indicates a stool near her and Cass sits. Zinah, surrounded by miles of what she has spun, continues spinning the cloth.

ZINAH

You ask if the man was going to harm

you. In the cab that was his plan.

However, your warmth made it

difficult for him. Still, he

maintained his intent. You

prevented him from making the final

decision. Once he was out of your

vehicle, you felt relief. But you

also felt a nagging fear as to what

might have been. An uneasiness you

tried to alleviate in your dream.

And in your dream, you succumbed to

your fear, even though your waking

self had over-ridden that fear and

focused on attaining the best

possible outcome.

CASS

Then I – I failed in some way in

the dream?

ZINAH

On the contrary. You successfully

released much of the fear. A good

use of dreams.

CASS

Can you tell me why Gordon warned

me today?

Zinah pulls a gossamer-type cloth from a large basket near her.

ZINAH

Gordon is a man of many defenses.

Zinah begins loosely winding the cloth around Cass.

ZINAH (CONT’D)

Some might even say that ice runs

in his veins. But he is merely

protecting himself. For a moment,

he “saw” you. Saw your appeal,

your vulnerability. He responded

to what he saw.

Zinah now resumes spinning.

ZINAH (CONT’D)

It was no coincidence, Cassandra,

but when anything occurs, it is

multi-purposed. His telling you

accomplished much more than just

preparing you for a difficult

situation. It impacted him as well.

And therefore, everyone he came in

contact with for the rest of the

day. And they in turn impacted

everyone they came in contact with.

CASS

It was a good impact?

ZINAH

In this instance.

Emory opens the door for Cass and she follows him out into the corridor.

INT. CORRIDOR.

Emory starts back to the foyer, Cass walking with him.

CASS

How can I remember this when I wake?

EMORY

You do remember, Cassandra. A part

of you does. What you do here has

to be translated by your mind, has

to be decoded into symbols that

suit the physical plane on which

you live.

Emory stops and turns to her.

EMORY (CONT’D)

The information here works its way

from your psyche to the back of

your mind and finally to the front.

In inspiration. Revelation.

Intuition. It’s very accessible.

He starts down the corridor again, Cass following.

CASS

But I want to know it all in the

front of my mind!

EMORY

Then you shall.

CASS

When?!

EMORY

When you have better weeded the

garden in your mind.

Emory stops again to talk to her.

EMORY (CONT’D)

Your mind must be cleansed of

beliefs which contradict the true

nature of your existence. Examine

your beliefs and make some

adjustments.

CASS

Sadiki said there’s an exercise for

that.

EMORY

You remember Sadiki?

CASS

Just now. Yes, I do!

INT. ROOM OF TRANSFORMATION.

A man in a suit stands near a blackboard. Again, as in all the rooms, the scene itself encompasses only a cozy space near the door surrounded by an endless area of darkness.

An older man, dressed in wizard’s attire, sits in a chair, arms resting on his chest, relaxed.

A grandmotherly person sits in a rocker, knitting.

The door opens and Cass enters, followed by Emory who stands by the door. She still wears the cloth that Zinah gave her.

MAN IN SUIT

Welcome to the Room of

Transformation.

CASS

Hello.

MAN IN SUIT (CONT’D)

With whom would you be most

comfortable?

He points to himself, then the wizard, and then the grandmother. Cass, finally, points to the wizard.

MAN IN SUIT (CONT’D)

But, of course.

He sits down and the Wizard goes to the blackboard. He points his wand and the blackboard disappears, all background becoming a huge starry sky.

WIZARD

Think of something which you wish

to manifest. Perhaps more wealth?

Let that be our example; more

wealth. We must “ask”, then

“imagine”, then “act”. Ask why you

do not have the wealth you desire.

With the point of his wand he writes the word “ASK” in the sky.

WIZARD (CONT’D)

Perhaps you’re too busy writing to

earn more money at work. And you

believe that a way to obtain greater

wealth is to drive many more hours,

but you want that time to write your

precious books. So you believe you

will never have enough money unless

you sell a book.

The wizard walks closer to Cass.

WIZARD (CONT’D)

You may have a few – or many –

beliefs which prevent you from

wealth. You do not need to know

every belief that’s in your way.

But you do need to ask yourself why

what you want is not so. Do not

dwell on the answer or answers.

They simply begin the process of

weeding out the beliefs you do not

want. Loosen them, shake them up,

prepare them to be discarded. Then –

Under the world “Ask”, he writes the word “Imagine” in the sky.

WIZARD (CONT’D)

Then imagine you have what you want.

In our example, and it is only an

example, we speak of all the funds

you might desire for your purposes.

Funds to cover your living expenses

so that you may write full-time.

IMAGINE. Your bank account has a

healthy balance. Perhaps your wallet

is full and heavy. IMAGINE that you

have the wealth you believe you

desire. Visualize yourself and the

particulars of your life with the

wealth to which you aspire.

He then adds the word “Act” in the sky.

WIZARD (CONT’D)

Now, take an action you would take

if you had the wealth you wish.

Any action. A small action is quite

acceptable. Perhaps you go out for

dinner tonight. And at such a time

your tab is quite modest. But this

time, you order a larger portion.

Or a more expensive beverage. You

take an action that you would take

if you had the wealth to which you

aspire.

The wizard takes on a great height.

WIZARD (CONT’D)

ASK WHY NOT. IMAGINE WHAT IF. ACT

AS IF IT WERE SO.

The wizard returns to his former height.

WIZARD (CONT’D)

Perform this simple routine daily

in your waking world. Spend a few

minutes on it and then let it go.

Your psyche will do the rest.

CASS

But then all the rest of the day

I’ll doubt it!

WIZARD

The rest of the day will begin to

change. The exercise will make a

great difference, Cassandra Morgan.

CASS

How can I remember this formula

when I can’t even remember my

dreams?

WIZARD

Put out your hands.

Cass puts out her hands to him, palms up, close together.

He points his wand at her hands.

WIZARD (CONT’D)

ASK why not.

Made of tiny stars, the word “ask” appears in her hands.

WIZARD (CONT’D)

IMAGINE what if.

Tiny stars now create the word “imagine” in her hands.

WIZARD (CONT’D)

ACT as if it were so.

And in her hands appears the word “act” made of stars.

Emory opens the door, waiting for Cass. She stands, holding the words in her hands, afraid to lose them.

WIZARD (CONT’D)

Put them in your pocket.

CASS

I don’t have a pocket.

The wizard points his wand at her dressing gown and creates a pocket. The words lift and disappear into the pocket.

Emory beckons to Cass again and they exit the room.

INT. THE CORRIDOR.

As Cass follows Emory down the corridor, she keeps a hand over the pocket, and her lips are shaping the words, “Ask, Imagine, Act”. As they pass the second corridor that intersects the first near the foyer, Cass stops. She looks down the second corridor, longingly.

EMORY

You created the corridors that you

might glimpse the many aspects of

your psyche, Cassandra, not just in

your dreams but in your waking life.

It’s a wonderful creation, but it’s

not essential to your understanding.

It is merely a tool.

CASS

I want to know everything!

EMORY

You already do.

Emory’s face begins to blur and then to become distant.

INT. CASS’S APARTMENT – NIGHT.

Cass’s astral body hovers over her sleeping body, looks down on it, then swoops inside.

INT. CASS’S BEDROOM WINDOW – DAY. (end of dream sequence)

Sunlight filters in.

Cass stirs, smiles, rests again.

Then opens her eyes, focusing on the table by the window.

The wizard fades in and out of her vision.

Cass sits up. Alert. She looks around for the pad and pencil near her bed. Finds them. Starts writing. Quickly.

As she writes she does not see the apparition of Kaleb who stands near the window, by the table. Kaleb is trying to appear in the physical plane and his efforts are those of a beginner. Finally, he maintains at least a ghostly image. He then sits on a chair by the table and watches Cass.

She stops writing and then feels her shoulders for a wrap that isn’t there, her gown for a pocket that doesn’t exist. Then she sees Kaleb. His astral form fades in and out for a moment...She puts down the pad and pen, focuses on him. His image wavers, then maintains an impression.

KALEB

We come here knowing everything.

And then spend the rest of our lives

trying to remember.

Cass listens and feels a sorrow at his words.

KALEB (CONT’D)

But some of us – while we’re still

here – do remember.

Cass’s expression welcomes that idea. The vision of Kaleb fades away. Cass looks down on the pad and softly reads aloud what she has written.

CASS

“ASK why not. IMAGINE what if.

ACT as if it’s so.”