The next time I saw the "Into Gray" screenplay, it was summer and Steve had radically changed the direction of the storyline. He had in essence turned the entire meaning of the story around 180 degrees -- now Patty, previously the wounded soul who couldn't see the colors of life, was the only person who could see them. So we now had a story that ended with hope, that the new generation could learn from the horrible mistakes of the past.
I had a problem with the way Steve had done it -- he told me little or nothing about what had been going on with the screenplay, and I felt more and more as if control of my story was being wrested from me. But Steve's idea itself, of inverting the message of "Into Gray" and making it a positive message, sounded fine.
With one catch.
I'm not much of a religious person, you see, and if I were to write an optimistic version of "Into Gray," I wouldn't ever go so far as to suggest that religion was a way of holding on to the good things about society. But Steve, being religious, felt that way and wanted his film -- it was less my story and more his film now -- to have a religious message.
I didn't. And so when I took a version of the screenplay had he had written (seemingly ignoring, rightly or wrongly, my original screenplay), I tried to tone down the religion as much as possible. My idea was this: that the reason the "old-timers" had lost their ability to feel and to see the colors of life was because they'd lost faith in the world and in themselves. I was taking a secular and humanistic approach to things. I was talking about faith, but I wasn't limiting it to faith in God. I thought that my way would allow both people with religious faith and people who believed more in self-reliance than reliance on any deity to identify with the meaning of the film.
And I swallowed hard and allowed one reference to God in the dialogue, right at the end. In retrospect, that was a mistake -- it doesn't belong there. But I guess that I hoped that by including it and repeatedly using the word faith, even in a humanistic context, that I'd be able to slip one past Steve. I even left in his image of a cross on a chain, which I considered somewhat heavy-handed. At least, I thought, we didn't have any dialogue referring to the crucifix: it was just there, and when the members of the commune's council saw it, they were puzzled. I had to write fast and furious to find a way and avoid referring to a rainbow as "God's rainbow," which is how Steve's version read.
Essentially my problem was that I didn't want "Into Gray" to sound like propaganda. I thought this was a story worth telling, obviously, or I would have never written it. But by making it into a sermon, Steve was risking severely curtailing his audience. People who weren't religious and people who might be religious but certainly didn't want to be preached to would have real problems with Steve's religious message delivered with sledgehammer subtlety.
Now, some of Steve's changes were ones I had no real problem with. For instance, there was now a mother with Patty's father, and neither of them ended up surviving to make it to the commune. The idea of a commune council was reasonable, and I actually enjoyed working with Steve on fleshing out an idea I had only mentioned in passing in the story -- the idea that this group of survivors was banded together in a commune.
After I had finished altering and rewriting Steve's rewrite of my initial screenplay, I was quite satisfied with the result. Now, looking back, I see that it was too wordy and a bit too melodramatic. Still, this is the version I wish I had been closely followed when it came time to shoot the film. There's a lot of good writing in the "courtroom" scenes, especially Patty's defense and the Councilwoman's realization. It's not as understated as it should be, granted, but it's work that I'm still proud of, and I regret that nobody ever got to see it.
Nobody got to see it because there was one problem with my attempts to pull a fast one on Steve -- they failed.
"Into Gray"
Screenplay by Jason Snell and Steve Warner
based on the short story by Jason Snell
1 EXT. LANDSCAPES - DAY 1
ANGLE ON CLEAR, UNTOUCHED FIELD ANGLE ON RUNNING CREEK ANGLE ON DEER GENTLY MOVING IN FOREST ANGLE ON HIGH SNOWCAPPED MOUNTAINS ANGLE ON SHORE OF BEACH WITH TIDE ANGLE ON ORANGE SUNSET WITH SEA IN FOREFRONT
The beautiful, serene ocean and its shore seem lonely despite the warmth of the sun. The sunset slowly fades and the last light of its glow gives way to the red of a man-made instrument. A crackling sound is heard.
2 EXT. FALLOUT SHELTER - 2
CLOSE-UP OF A GEIGER COUNTER REGISTERING HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF RADIATION.
Its warning light flashes ominously.
PATTY (v.o.)
My beginning was four months after the end of the rest of it.The low drone of the Geiger counter blends with Patty's narrative.
3 INT. FALLOUT SHELTER - (PATTY'S BIRTH) 3
PATTY (v.o.)
I was brought out of my mother's womb into a 100 square foot world. A gray world.
We momentarily see the internal Geiger counter which serves as the monitor for the outside radiation. A woman is screaming as she is guided by her husband for the delivery of their child.
PATTY (v.o.)
While I was inside my mother, it was all red, red and orange. I still remember the color. And then, suddenly, it was gone. The color was gone, and the world was gone.
Patty's line ends with the fading of the Geiger counter and its drone. (FADE OUT).
4 INT. SHELTER- A LATER DATE 4
The glow from the battery operated lanterns sparsely light the shelter's cold dimensions. The interior Geiger counter's needle moves slightly at a low level. Through the door within the shelter which leads to a passageway to another door at ground level, wind can faintly be heard.
ANGLE ON FLOOR
Three figures, two adult, are asleep.
The wind grows stronger outside, sending a chill through the shelter. The gray figures on the floor shiver from the cold. Deep coughing is heard from both of the adults.
ANGLE ON BLACK METAL DOOR
Barely audible above the wind is a pounding which can only be coming from the outside door, heard faintly through the heavy metal of the inner door. The figures on the floor stir. A voice is then heard, faint and almost unintelligible.
VOICE
Help me.. please.. (coughs).. let me.. let me in.. please.. help.. (coughs).
One of the adults, Mark, puts on another lantern which defines the shelter. Sarah, Patty's mother, sits up to watch Mark near the door. The faint pounding continues.
VOICE
Please.. help...
The voice is lost in the wind. Mark touches the door momentarily, reacting to its coldness and the pounding of the stranger. Sarah runs to his side, seemingly terrified.
SARAH
Oh God, Mark, there's someone out there! Let him in-- he's sick!
MARK
We can't do that. If we go through there and open the upper door, we'll contaminate the whole shelter.
Ignoring him, she begins to pull the metal door open. She manages to get it about halfway open when Mark pushes her away and slams the door shut.
MARK
No! We can't! I wish we could help him, but it's just not safe. I don't want to take a chance and make things even worse than they are.
Sarah painfully moves away from the door, returning to Patty. The pounding again becomes lost in the wind. Mark returns to Sarah's side, covering up with thick blankets. Sarah is facing away from Mark, comforting Patty. Mark touches her shoulder.
MARK
Sarah?
Sarah strokes back Patty's hair. Patty looks frightened and cold, staring off as the distant wind drowns out the moans of the stranger.
MARK
Sarah... we'll be fine. You've got to believe that. We'll never be alone as long as we have faith.
Sarah turns from Patty and into the warm arms of Mark. He kisses her, first on the forehead, then the lips. Patty continues to stare and slowly closes her eyes to the distant howl of the wind.
MARK
Don't lose hope, Sarah. We'll be fine.
The wind fades into their sleep. Their coughing is deep.
5 INT. SHELTER- DAY 5
ANGLE ON LANTERN
Mark turns on the lantern and carries it over to Sarah and Patty, who are eating gray nutrition wafers.
MARK
How are you, Patty? Feel good?
Patty nods. Sarah looks tired, but smiles. Mark grabs a wafer and starts to eat. He coughs deeply, with great fatigue. Patty sets down her wafer and stares at the door. Sarah looks at mark with concern.
SARAH
Come sit with mom, sweetheart.
Patty crawls over to her mother and sits on her lap. Mark moves closer to them, grabbing a napkin and wiping some food from Patty's mouth.
SARAH
I know last night seemed really scary, darling, but you have to understand that we can't go outside-- at least, not just yet.
PATTY
Outside seems scary.
MARK
Yes-- but, Patty, soon that will be different. The world is changing.Patty looks around the room for signs of change.
PATTY
Nothing different in the world.
SARAH
No, outside!
PATTY
Outside?
Sarah coughs harshly, trying her best to be strong in front of Patty. Mark displays a weak smile of support. Sarah holds Patty closer, stroking her hair. Patty toys with Sarah's crucifix.
SARAH
Yes, honey.. outside. Soon we'll be able to leave here.. this awful place.
Sarah continues to stroke Patty's hair, but her gaze is fixed on Mark. Patty stares at the crucifix's shine. Sarah starts to cry.
SARAH
You'll be able to run free, look up at the sun during the day and the stars at night. You'll be able to see the colors, the blue sky, the beautiful flowers.. And you'll even be able to eat real food. Why, we've been eating these nutrient bars since...
Sarah looks over to mark and she hugs Patty tightly.
Patty stares at the shelter's black, mysterious door.
SARAH
...before you were born.
6 INT. SHELTER - NIGHTTIME 6
PATTY IS IN HER SLEEPING BAG, STARING AT THE CEILING.
Patty looks over at her mother and father, who cough deeply in their sleep. She looks over to the shelter door. Patty gazes back up to the ceiling.
SARAH (v.o.)
...look up at the sun during the day and the stars at night...
Sarah coughs violently, causing Patty to turn her gaze toward her parents. Mark moves closer and comforts Sarah. Patty stares back up into the blackness, soon falling asleep to the thoughts of outside and the coughs of her parents.
7 INT. SHELTER - LATE MORNING 7
ANGLE ON PATTY
A light alternates slowly over Patty's darkened face. She slowly awakens to the sound of `rain' and the howl of the wind controlling the movement of the now open shelter door. Faint flashes of LIGHTNING and THUNDER are present with the downpour. Sitting up, Patty notices that her parents are gone, and quickly looks to the door. Frightened by the thought of going outside, Patty cowers for a moment on her mom's sleeping bag. Something cold touches her knee, causing her to move back. Patty finds that it is her mother's crucifix; she looks toward the door and hears her mother's voice in her memory.
SARAH (v.o.)
..we'll be able to leave here, this awful place...Patty stands up, holding her mom's crucifix. The mysterious door is now open for her, but it seems frightening. Decided that her parents must have gone out there, Patty approaches the door with slow steps, unsure of what to expect. Before exiting, Patty looks around the shelter, feeling the tug of her `home'. Dropping the crucifix and zipping up the vest of her hooded parka, she steps out.
8 EXT. - FRONT OF SHELTER - LATE MORNING
The rain beats down steadily.
Stepping out, Patty's eyes grow wide with frightened wonder. She drops the hood of her Parka, letting the rain soak her tender, young face. Patty is literally reborn into a new life from the gray shelter, and finally set free into the world. The roar of the ocean and all its grandeur send her running around the shore of the beach, free to play.
PATTY
Mommy! Daddy! Isn't it pretty?Patty runs near the rear of the shelter, along the beach front, and sees her father. He is sitting up against the shelter wall. As Patty runs closer, moving away from the beach, she notices her father is motionless, more slumped than sitting. He is dead. He barely holds a shovel that seems very old and small in size. The tip of the spade is touching a mound of dirt to the right of Mark. Patty starts to panic, realizing something is very wrong with her parents. The security with them and in the shelter is all that she has known. Frightened, Patty races toward the shelter door, but is too slow to reach it before the wind slams it shut. She is too small to open it. The excitement of the outside world and its freedom are now one of terror. Patty sits, crying, her back to the shelter door, afraid and very alone. Through her tears and the rain, a soft, orange glow approaches. Growing closer, Patty thinks of the man pounding for help. She shivers with cold as the glow grows brighter and brighter.
9 EXT. FIELDS - DAY 9
ANGLE ON SKY
Thick clouds are breaking up, revealing some blue sky.
PATTY (v.o.)
Ever since my parents died, the other members of the Eastern Valley Commune have been my only family.ANGLE ON ROAD
A line of children, all younger than sixteen, is walking toward their work in the fields. Walking at the end of the line, set apart from the rest of the children, is Patty, now seventeen years old. Doug, acting as their elder supervisor, leads the group toward a field.
PATTY (v.o.)
They were the ones who found me outside our shelter. They took me in and raised me as one of them. I guess my father radioed to them before he.. died.The worker children reach the field. They are given machetes and begin to walk into the field where they will cut the tall weeds.
PATTY (v.o.)
The commune was made up of survivalists, people who saw the war coming. And they've survived. And now, the elders say, we can begin to plant again. According to them, we must return to the agricultural ways of the past in order to make it to the future.They all begin to cut the weeds with their machetes. Patty begins cutting with hers, as well. The sound of the machetes is quite distinct.
PATTY (v.o.)
We clear the fields because the elders say it is necessary for survival. The elders have been good to us. Without them, the commune wouldn't exist, and we'd all be dead.Patty continues cutting, but begins to stray from the rest of the workers. Again, she is set apart from all the rest.
PATTY (v.o.)
But I'm not like my fellow workers, the ones who were born and raised by the commune. My parents raised me by themselves. And we survived. My parents were always survivors. I don't remember much about them, but I do remember their hope. They always had hope, and longed to be free.Patty continues working, cutting through the field, feeling a bit tired, but continuing to cut.
PATTY (v.o.)
Maybe they are... now.Patty keeps cutting with her machete, hacking away at the tall grass which is in her path. Then, suddenly, she cuts through a stand of grass, and sees a field of bright, colorful flowers beyond. The world around Patty ceases as Patty focuses all of her attention on the beauty and color of the flowers. Slowly, with a sense of wonder, she picks a flower. She looks at it in appreciation, and then, carefully, she smells it. After she smells it, she smiles slightly. She keeps looking at the flower in appreciation.
SARAH (v.o.)
...you'll be able to see the colors, the blue sky, the beautiful flowers...Then, suddenly, the world and sound roar back in, as the other workers pass Patty and begin cutting away at the field of flowers with their machetes. Her concentration on the flower is suddenly broken. She stares on with shock as the other children cut at the flowers with no care for the beauty that Patty sees in them.
10 EXT. FIELDS - AFTERNOON 10
ANGLE ON ROAD AT EDGE OF FIELD
The worker children are coming out of the field at the end of their day's work. As they leave the field, Patty is again set apart from them, standing a bit behind them. One by one, they drop off their machetes in a pile. Doug, their supervisor, stands and watches as they do this. Patty drops hers off and Doug notices the flower she carries with her. As other workers continue to drop their machetes off, Doug's attention remains fixed on Patty as she begins her walk back to the commune. He doesn't understand her strange emotion and sentiment, something which nobody else seems to have.
11 INT. CHILDREN'S DORMITORY - NIGHT 11
A GIRL ENTERS THE DORMITORY AND GETS BACK INTO HER COT.
A few cots down, Patty is already in bed. She is holding her flower, looking at it. She then carefully places it under her pillow, and goes to sleep.
12 EXT. FIELD - MID-MORNING 12
ANGLE ON COLORFUL FLOWERS.
The flowers are peacefully blowing in the wind. That wind fans the flames which are overtaking them. The fire has been set by one group of workers, led by an elder. Yet another group is heading off in another direction to set fire to the field. Doug's group is near another area of the field, Patty among them. The group is lined up, shoulder to shoulder, with Patty slightly set apart at the end of the line, furthest from Doug. Patty reacts to the flames and to the burning of the beautiful flowers. She turns and sees the second group begin to burn another part of the field. Doug is soaking torches in gasoline. When he is done, he begins to pass them to the nearest person in line. They begin passing down the torches. When the next-to-last person in line turns to give Patty her torch, Patty is no longer there.
13 BEACH NEAR FALLOUT SHELTER-- MIDDAY 13
Patty is running out of the woods, back down to the beach where the shelter she grew up in is located. She runs along the deserted beach, finally stopping in front of the shelter door. She does not think to go anywhere near the graves of her parents, nor does she even think of the graves. Too small to open the door when the wind blew it closed as a child, Patty is now big enough to open it. With some trepidation, she opens the door. Staring down into the darkness, Patty plunges through the doorway and down into the passage which leads to her birthplace.
14 INT. SHELTER - MIDDAY 14
Patty enters the fallout shelter, dimly lit by the light coming down the passageway from the entrance. Everything in the shelter is as it was when she left, but Patty is obviously quite different. Patty kneels down and picks up a pillow which is lying on the floor on a sleeping bag. It is the pillow she slept on as a baby. Still holding the pillow, she stands back up, and walks over to a chair next to a table. She runs her hands along the chair, remembering the place where her father used to sit, and then carefully sits down. She turns to look at the table, and sees a gray nutrient wafer lying on it. She picks it up, and turns it over in her hands, running her fingers along the edges of the thin wafer. She stops and stares at the wafer for a moment, before starting to stand up again. Patty stands up and walks back to the sleeping bag. She kneels down and places the pillow at the head of the bag. Then she lays down. With her head on the pillow, she stares up at the black ceiling above her.
ANGLE ON OPEN INTERIOR SHELTER DOOR
A wind from outside makes the door creak slightly.
Patty turns to look at the door. She sees that it is just the wind. The light coming from outside reflects off of something metal lying on the floor by the doorway.
Patty moves forward, onto her knees, and crawls over the short distance to the metal object. She picks it up and finds that it is her mother's crucifix, which she dropped by the doorway before leaving the shelter.
Seeing the crucifix brings a flood of memories back to Patty, more than any of the other items in the shelter. Holding back tears, Patty puts the cross on around her neck. She then stands up and walks back up the passageway.
15 EXT. FALLOUT SHELTER - MIDDAY 15
Patty comes out of the shelter door and turns to look at where both of her parents are buried. She had not noticed the graves when she entered the shelter the last time. The graves are two small mounds of dirt, with no markings whatsoever. Patty begins to cry.
Doug is standing off to the side, watching Patty looking at the graves and crying. He views the scene with no apparent emotions, except perhaps a slight sign of disapproval for Patty's actions, running away from her work. He evidently does not understand the feelings that Patty is experiencing.
Patty notices that Doug is there, and she turns and looks at him. She is still crying, and now realizes that she is also in big trouble for running away like she did.
16 INT. COUNCIL CHAMBER - 16
Patty is standing before the Council of Elders, five older adults who form the ruling body of the commune. They are seated behind a table. Doug is one of the five. Of the other four, five are men and one is a woman. Patty stands across the table from them, head slightly down, like a pet which knows that it has done something wrong.
FIRST COUNCILMAN
Now, please remember that this is a disciplinary hearing, and not a trial. We must have discipline in order to keep the commune running.
DOUG
Patty, you've been harming the community. You haven't been doing your work. Work supervisors report that you often stop in the middle of working, and when you do work, you do so reluctantly.Patty does not disagree with any of the charges, and quietly listens as Doug reads them with little emotion, save for his zealous belief in the commune itself.
DOUG
You haven't contributed to the harmony of the community. You don't associate with others, not even the members of your own work group.The other council members view Patty with the same sort of slight disdain and lack of understanding as Doug does. They don't like the fact that she doesn't seem to fit into the ideals of their community, and they don't understand why she's acting that way.
DOUG
Others in your group say you've been acting strangely, concentrating on strange objects.. picking and keeping a flower from a field which you were supposed to clear, for instance. And this...He holds up Patty's mother's crucifix and chain.
DOUG
You were wearing this when you came out of the fallout shelter. And you've had outbursts... crying, yelling..Doug does not understand the outbursts, crying, and yelling, and is almost puzzled as he reads those words. He passes the crucifix down the table. As he speaks, all of them look at it with puzzlement, and pass it down. The councilwoman sets it down in front of her when she is done looking at it.
DOUG
On top of all that, you ran off from your work group, and out of the Commune's security-patrolled area.Another council member immediately picks up where Doug has left off, again with little or no emotion, save for a zealous belief in the rules of the commune.
SECOND COUNCILMAN
The rules of the commune are clear. You are not supposed to leave the security patrolled areas. Every member of the community is valuable. You, as a female, are doubly valuable-- both as a worker, and as a future mother.A third council member picks up, again exactly where the second council member left off.
THIRD COUNCILMAN
In a small community such as ours, with a tiny population trying to remain viable, every individual as vitally important. We can not afford to lose anyone.Again, the fourth and final man on the council picks up where the third left off.
FIRST COUNCILMAN
When you stray from your work, when your mind is on other things, you can cause a distraction and slow down the progress of the commune's workers. That could jeopardize all of us.The councilwoman begins to speak, but not as immediately as the others did. She also seems a little less sure of her words.
COUNCILWOMAN
Your acts could destroy the harmony of the commune and the camaraderie within your own work group. That is why we have our rules. We must follow them.She pauses, waiting for someone else to pick up where she left off. After a moment, Doug begins, speaking coldly and unemotionally.
DOUG
You have distracted fellow workers, neglected your work, and left a security-patrolled area-- all actions which might harm the commune. So it has been charged. Do you have anything to say for yourself?He asks the question in a technical fashion, as if he must ask it in order to stay within the rules. Patty begins to speak coldly, unemotionally.
PATTY
I have done the things that you say that I've done. In the past few months, I've felt strange-- different. I don't know why I've done these things.She begins to show more emotion, and is somewhat confused.
PATTY
I've always felt like I've been outside of the community. Like I'm not really a part of it. And it's been more and more like that recently. I seem to have these.. feelings. I feel about things that I shouldn't feel about. I can't help wondering, sometimes, if all of you are missing something wonderful.. these things that I'm feeling, the beauty that I see around me.Patty becomes more and more forceful with her words.
PATTY
It's almost as if you don't want to see it, or are afraid to look. It's almost as if, when the war came, you lost something. And now, you're afraid to check and see if it's back, because you might find out that it's gone forever.Patty begins to cry as she speaks.
PATTY
But my parents were down in that shelter, and they never saw it go away. They always had faith that it was still there. To them, there was no gray sky, no gray land, no emptiness in a gray-on-gray world. The sky was still blue, the trees and flowers were still colorful. And they raised me that way, too. I can see it. So why can't you?She pauses, and then begins to sound more confused and less forceful. She looks away from them, and focuses her attention on the ground in front of her.
PATTY
I don't know why. I don't know why I can't be like everyone else. I love what I'm feeling, but you say I'm doing the wrong thing. She begins to cry again.PATTY
And I'm scared... most of the time, I'm very, very scared. I don't understand what I'm feeling, but I'm afraid that I am becoming more and more like the rest of you.She looks at all of them, one by one. The faces of the council remain stoic, except for the woman, who shows some feeling as Patty continues.
PATTY
You treat life as something to maintain, that it's an accomplishment just to live. But there's got to be more. I know there's more to life than just living. I wish you'd see it.She pauses, and looks at their blank faces.
PATTY
I guess that's all I have to say.The councilmembers then begin to discuss, in a subdued tone and directed to each other, what they should do with her.
FIRST COUNCILMAN
It's clear that she's done this, and it's clear that she's very confused about what she wants, and what she wants to give to the community.The second councilman speaks with a little more aggression against Patty.
SECOND COUNCILMAN
I don't understand this rambling of hers-- I think she's just trying to cover up her contempt for our system.The councilwoman speaks questioningly of the second councilman's statements.
COUNCILWOMAN
Covering up? Isn't it clear that she's just a confused girl, feeling things that she's never felt before? I know that I wasn't as inscrutable as we all seem to be now-- I assume that none of us were. When I was her age, I had...She pauses, remembering her feelings from the past. The councilwoman is doing what Patty said the others could not do: she is looking straight into what she has been afraid was lost. Feeling and belief.
COUNCILWOMAN
...feelings just like hers.The other councilmen are oblivious to the councilwoman's feelings and her revelation.
THIRD COUNCILMAN
Just because she's confused doesn't mean she shouldn't be disciplined. We have to keep discipline. Besides, maybe the discipline will make her less confused. Maybe some time as a teacher, or assistant. She could help teach the children the way of the commune.The second councilman displays his opinion without much emotion. He is not arguing with the third councilman, just expressing an opinion.
SECOND COUNCILMAN
I don't know if I would trust her with the children. The way she talks-- she could have them all being "confused"... crying! No. That would be bad for the commune.
FIRST COUNCILMAN
I think I'd also feel that way.The councilwoman can't believe what she is hearing from her fellow council members. She show more emotion than the rest of them, but is still mostly businesslike.
COUNCILWOMAN
What are you saying? She's not a poison. She's a confused seventeen- year-old. She has feelings of her own. That's individuality. Individuality is not necessarily a bad thing.Doug defends the other men's approach. He is unemotional.
DOUG
She might try to tell the children about her.. feelings. They should hear one voice, the voice of the commune as a whole. Nothing more.The first councilman speaks directly to Patty, with a raised, more formal voice. As he begins, all of the others turn to look at her, too. Only the councilwoman shows signs of emotion-- she looks on with disapproval.
FIRST COUNCILMAN
I think your punishment, then, should involve restricted access to facilities, more work time, and more meditation time.
SECOND COUNCILMAN
Agreed. Perhaps you can stop your own confusion that way.
DOUG
I also agree. Also, if your work should falter again, we may have to take further disciplinary action. Every person is important. We can not afford to lose you as a worker and citizen.
THIRD COUNCILMAN
Agreed. I hope you can get these.. feelings of yours under control. They are to the detriment of the commune, and to your place in it.There is a pause, as the council waits for the councilwoman to speak. After a moment, they all begin to turn and look at her. She stands up, with a flash of emotion.
COUNCILWOMAN
I can't agree with this. What Patty said meant something to me. And none of you saw it. What she said was right-- I looked inside myself, and found something that I had thought was gone. I guess I was too afraid to look for myself.She picks up the crucifix, and begins to walk around the table, to join Patty.
COUNCILWOMAN
You see things that we all used to see, Patty. I remember how it was, before you were born, before there was a commune or a Council of Elders.She places the crucifix around Patty's neck and smiles at her.
COUNCILWOMAN
Maybe you're right, Patty. I'm afraid that we're most definitely wrong.She turns to face the council, who looks on, shocked.
COUNCILWOMAN
We're trying to save what was, with this commune of ours. We're trying to bring back the world that was here before. Civilization.Somewhat confused and stunned, a councilman responds to her.
THIRD COUNCILMAN
You know that's what we want. To keep humanity alive.She responds to him icily.
COUNCILWOMAN
We haven't been doing that. We've been keeping the human race alive, breeding, working, but we've lost all of our humanity. We've lost sight of what it really was like before. That's something we can't lose sight of!She has begun to be very passionate, trying to convince the council. Unlike Patty, who was confused and unsure, the councilwoman is sure of herself.
COUNCILWOMAN
We've been working, trying to restore the world to what it was. But some things, we never lost. There have to be some fundamental things in life that nothing can change. Not even something as widespread and as horrible as the near-destruction of our planet, and the end of all life on it. It's still here. And we've been ignoring it.The councilmen are puzzled, and seem to be thinking more to themselves than listening to the councilwoman. The councilwoman turns to speak to Patty.
COUNCILWOMAN
When you said you appreciated the things we've lost sight of, Patty, like the beauty of the sky, the color of the trees and flowers... I remembered, Patty. I looked into my heart, into my memory, and saw what I'd put out of my mind.Patty and the Councilwoman both begin to cry.
COUNCILWOMAN
When the war came, I gave up. I lost hope. I thought I was alone, alone in an empty gray world. But it was there all along. If I just looked into my heart.They both turn back to the councilmen, who are still stunned, though showing a bit more emotion. They are remembering the pain that has plagued them, the despair of losing their world, and believing that it was gone forever-- but they also feel the joy of realizing that it wasn't gone after all.
COUNCILWOMAN
If I hadn't given up-- if we all hadn't given up, hadn't lost faith, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe we just need to have faith, and make our hope come from that faith.The councilwoman pauses, and then, still crying, speaks softly.
COUNCILWOMAN
Maybe we need to see the colors again.The first councilman stands up and speaks somewhat distantly.
FIRST COUNCILMAN
It is fairly clear that neither of you is willing to work for what we want to achieve. You refuse to follow our system. You talk about things that could distract us from our goal of survival.The councilwoman tries to speak, but is interrupted.
COUNCILWOMAN
But haven't you heard what we've..
FIRST COUNCILMAN
You are both summarily banished from the commune. You'll be provided with what supplies we can afford to give you. You should be able to survive, if you work. Maybe then you'll understand what we're trying to do here.He begins to walk out of the room quickly.
FIRST COUNCILMAN
This hearing is over.Patty and the Councilwoman look at each other with sadness.
17 EXT. SHELTER GRAVES - MIDDAY 17
THE GRAVES ARE BARREN, TWO MOUNDS OF DIRT.
18 EXT. SHELTER GRAVES - MONTHS LATER 18
THE GRAVES NOW HAVE CROSSES MARKING THEM, AND ARE SURROUNDED BY FLOWERS.
Patty and the councilwoman are working at a small garden which gives them food to live. As they work, a little girl walks up to them, carrying a bundle of flowers, the same kind that Patty recognized as beautiful when working in the field. The girl gives the flowers to Patty. Standing at a distance on the beach are the second and third councilmen. They stand with a somewhat cold expression, but it is clear that they recognize that Patty was right, after all. They just don't know how to express their feeling. The young child, however, is smiling. Patty and the Councilwoman look at each other with puzzlement, but then they both begin to smile, ever so slightly.
19 EXT. FIELD - SUNSET 19
FLOWERS ARE GROWING FROM THE BURNED FIELD.
PATTY (v.o.)
The skies have finally cleared. Life is resuming-- the world is showing itself in a way I've never seen before. To most of the elders, the world has ceased to be gray-on-gray. They're beginning to open up, realizing how beautiful things look. And more life returns every day. I think we'll make it.
20 EXT. SHELTER GRAVES - SUNSET 20
Patty stands, holding flowers, looking at her parents' graves. As the voice-over is heard, she sets flowers on each of the two graves.
PATTY (v.o.)
We're in the process of finding the peace that my parents had all along. They always had hope, and faith. And now they're with God. They were always there for me, and He was always there for us.Patty stands and begins to walk away from the graves, down the beach.
PATTY (v.o.)
The crops are planted, and soon rain will fall. The rain will bring back life to the world we almost destroyed. And, after the rain, will come the rainbow. Then, for the first time in a long time, we'll be able to appreciate its color and beauty. It's been there for us all along.(pause)
Now life can begin again.
FADE OUT.