Heart of Clouds
by Adrienne D. Wilson
(adaptation from my novel, for the screen, for Walter Halsey Davis, my teacher at the SB Writers Conference)
*page 50 – chapter “Touchstone”
INT. DEVLIN’S BEDROOM. NIGHT, WARM LIGHT
Devlin climbs into bed, but is restless. Hard to fall asleep, he tosses and turns. First thoughts of “a girl” that he has seen in Teenie, and excitement over wondering what will happen next. He wants to ask her why she is sad, feels like he said to much about himself already. His mind races, boyish nervousness.
DEVLIN
(fingering the notes she left him)
(whispers)
Maybe we are connected for a reason, by our hearts
(looks to ceiling, pulls his mother’s face up like a vision, she appears like a mirage on the ceiling, giant, beautiful, smiling down at him, blurry edges, watery illusion)
DEVLIN
Mom, I saw this girl on the beach. She’s totally cool too.
(he pauses watching his mother’s expressions)
I don’t know what her name is yet, but I left her this note and I told her what mine was. She wanted to know. You should have seen the little note she left me the first day
(unfolds the note with the heart and the clouds, so his mother can see)
(his mother beams and nods down at him in joyous watery mirage fashion)
DEVLIN
(slowly unfolds her note with the heart and the clouds, presents it to ceiling where his mother’s face hovers, we see her beaming down at him)
Check it out, Mom. I think she might be an artist. She did this one too.
Devlin glides the paper airplane through the air, then unfolds.
DEVLIN
Look what she wrote inside
FLASHBACK. GRANDMA JESS. NIGHT OF FUNERAL, (tucking Devlin in)
GRANDMA JESS
Devlin, all you have to do is think of her face and she’ll be here for you. That’s what I did after my mother was gone. Try it and see.
Grandma Jess smoothes the blankets, kisses Devlin on forehead.
GRANDMA JESS
(nodding at the doorway)
See you in the morning
Close in on Devlin’s face, blurry with tears.
DEVLIN’S MOTHER SAYS (from cieling mirage)
Put those someplace special, Devlin
Devlin tucks the notes inside his pillowcase. We hear the sound of an owl softly hooting, as he drifts off to sleep.
(soft, lulling sounds of the owl)
INT. TEENIE’S BEDROOM, DAWN LIGHT, FOGGED IN
Teenie wakes up with a start. She’s had a strange dream. The apartment is quiet, as Christina is still asleep, stayed up all night watching the news. Teenie makes herself a hot chocolate and piece of raisin toast. She plans to slip away before her mother wakes up and go back down to the beach. She makes gestures of being freezing cold, chooses a warm plaid jacket.
to page 55, Chapter is “Fogbanks”
Adrienne Wilson 