our epic screenplay

FADE IN

SCENE: a comfortable house in a pastoral setting, more country than suburban. Crepe paper and decorations float from the porch railing and the trees in the front garden. As the camera pans in closer, we see little children running around with Easter baskets, hunting for eggs. Tracking shot brings us to the back of the house, a wide green lawn that slopes down toward a pond. About a dozen adults of various ages are standing together. It's a family party, obviously.

EMILY (or insert your character name of choice) is standing next to a card table that has food and party ephemera strewn all over it. She is filling up more plastic eggs with candy. An OLDER WOMAN, an aunt or somebody of that ilk, comes up to her.

OLDER WOMAN: It wasn't that long ago that you were hunting for eggs like them.

EMILY: (laughs) Almost twenty years. Not that long?

OLDER WOMAN: No! How old are you now?

EMILY: Twenty-three.

OLDER WOMAN: Really? My! I always see you as younger, somehow.

EMILY: Well, that's fine with...

OLDER WOMAN: Let's see, when I was twenty-three, I had just had Lucy and was pregnant with George.

EMILY: Yeah, that would make me feel old, too.

OLDER WOMAN: So, any men in your life yet?

EMILY: (with a good sense of humor, but a little annoyed) None. Ever.

OLDER WOMAN: None at all? Goodness, honey, what are you doing?

EMILY: (holds up the plastic eggs) Hiding my eggs.

(She heads toward a group of little children; CATHERINE, the cute little one whom we meet later, runs to meet her.)

SCENE: The family has gathered in. The children are opening their eggs and comparing results. The adults are half playing with them, half talking together.

OLDER WOMAN: But really, Emily, don't you think it's time to face real life? You're going to have to sometime.

EMILY: (playing with CATHERINE, who sits in her lap) I know. It's just so easy to hide in the shelter of going to college, working full time and paying bills, you know?

CATHERINE: Look, I found a ring! (She tries it on her finger.) Emily, where's your ring?

EMILY: What ring?

CATHERINE: Your wedding ring.

EMILY: Um. I lost it.

CATHERINE: Well where's your husband?

EMILY: (laughs, but notices the aunt staring at her) He's parking the car, Catherine.

CATHERINE: That's what you said before. It's taking a long time.

EMILY: Well, I guess he must be lost, then.

CATHERINE: Well, did you look all around the car? Did you look under it? Did you look over it?

EMILY: (looking straight at OLDER AUNT) You know what? I'll go look right now, Catherine, okay? I'm just going to go look right now. (She gets up and walks around the side of the house.

...TO BE CONTINUED...