I wrote this screenplay in one day (about 6 hours). It was my first attempt at screenwriting, it is a rough draft. There was just so much energy inside my body that needed an outlet. Originally it was called "Consumption" because it is about what happens when we try to heal what's on the inside with what's outside of us. At the time, I was watching a lot of David Lynch films and this was heavily influenced by his style.
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Click on my imagined movie poster for a readable PDF of the screenplay.

In alchemy there is a masculine and a feminine energy that lives within us called the divine masculine and feminine. They can be seen as a sun and moon in traditional alchemical representation. The sun being masculine and the moon feminine. These energies start out pure, untainted by our life experiences. ​

During the course of our lives we alter, forget, and sometimes even replace them with imposters. The result is a sun that burns too hot (anger), and a moon that withdrawals completely (depression). I call it the angry sun/sad moon dynamic. But this is also a part of the alchemical process that transforms us.

Art Credit: Vickie Wade


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​The only way out is through and the only way to heal those parts of ourselves is to identify the seeds of fear and doubt that we bury deep within our subconscious and love them anyway. 

I recognize that I have been in an alchemical transformation for many years. Trying to understand who I really am. I decided to honor my inner masculine and feminine by telling the story of how they found one another. I hope that this short story awakens the true masculine and feminine fires that are aglow within you.  

Samuel and Isabella: A Love Story

Samuel opened the blinds. It was morning and the sun pierced through the blinds illuminating his face; he greeted it with a gentle grin. It had only been a week since moving into his new apartment, but he was already settled. He kept his things to a bare minimum giving him the resources he needed to travel and experience all that life had to offer. He didn’t spend much time watching television, though he enjoyed a good film from time to time. He spent his childhood exploring the outdoors and observing both animals and plants. He reflected on it often, keeping many journals that he had started crafting as early as nine years old.

He wasn’t antisocial or withdrawn, having many supportive friends with whom he spent a lot of time laughing. He just didn’t need to be surrounded by people all the time. He felt comfortable in his own skin and enjoyed his own company. One of his absolute favorite activities was going camping under the stars, finding solace in the stillness and a kinship with the stars. He was outgoing and kind and often found himself losing track of time sharing stories with people of all ages. He was grateful for the time he got to spend with his family and loved them dearly. He enjoyed music and dancing. It was almost as important to him as sleeping. He felt equal love for the beach and the forest spending his time in both when he could. He had a deep love of horses and felt drawn to them, not just for the pleasure of riding but for the mystical connection they seemed to have with each other. Samuel felt complete within himself. He never felt alone even when he was physically so, knowing that his angels, guides, and ancestors kept him company in his heart. He was guided by love and grateful for every breath he could muster in his human body. Samuel only had one solitary goal in life, to find happiness wherever he found himself.
           
Isabella sat quietly on her deck wrapped in her favorite blanket looking up at the stars, sipping her warm spiced apple cider. The fall brought early darkness to the earth, slowly and gently preparing her for winter’s slumber and Isabella loved it. The full moon revealed the stillness of the night around her. Her small fire table providing enough warmth and light for her to sit outside every night before bed, weather permitting.  

Isabella had always been fond of the night, the quiet calm. Even as a little girl she wanted to be outside with evening’s creatures – the bats, owls, and other nocturnal wonders that were hidden at morning’s light. She felt the rhythms of nature, and knew that fall was coming when the fireflies stopped dancing and the frogs stopped sharing their stories.  

She stayed up way too late in the summers chasing the moon through the fields, sometimes being caught in the rain intentionally. All of the seasons meant something to her, but fall was her favorite. It was calming and relaxing – a nice change from the hectic daily life that so many of Isabella’s friends endured. She loved to sing and dance and found herself doing so when no one was watching. She was a very private gentle soul that exuded a sort of strength just by being. She always seemed to make people feel at home no matter where they were. People loved her and she loved them, but she always found her best moments were when she sat quietly one-on-one with someone in the silence. Peace was all she wanted in life and she made it wherever she went, it made her happy.
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Isabella felt something familiar when she started walking in the woods, the moon guided her to a clearing where the trees had covered the forest floor with leaves of gold and red. She giggled as a fox dashed off from its hiding place, seemingly laughing that it had been discovered. She sat on a log that nature had left nearly hollow for the foragers that would certainly go to bed for the winter. The evening was bright and Isabella could still see her fire pit from the distance. She heard her keys drop and frantically searched for them, but it was no use. She would need to return in the morning to look for them.   

Samuel decided to go for a walk in the woods one morning, but he didn’t understand why. He just felt the need to go and be with the trees. That’s when he saw Isabella for the very first time on her hands and knees in a small clearing digging in the leaves. When she looked up at him, he thought his heart would leap out of his chest as it wanted nothing more than to be a part of her world. She smiled at him gently and he became immediately connected to something invisible. She was mysterious and still and exuded a quiet strength that seemed familiar. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid his eyes upon. The softness of her face and the curves of her body seemed to call him home. He wanted to share everything with her and he knew immediately that she felt something, too.

“I know this looks funny, right? I came out to this clearing last night and dropped my keys. They’re here somewhere unless that silly fox came back and put them somewhere.”

“Fox?”

“Yes, I startled a fox last night. I think it was probably getting ready to get up anyway, but it was laughing. They’re so clever.”

Isabella looked up at Sam and noticed the warmth of his face and the kindness behind his eyes. It was a familiar warmth. It reminded her of her father when she was a girl. The man who had shaped her life and given her mother the support and love she wanted and needed. The man who had given her the courage to be completely genuine. He was the reason she had become a writer. He saw something in her – a reflection of himself and his potential and had encouraged her all her life to seek her joy. He had taught her about the constellations and all the creatures of the earth. Her mother had taught her things, too. Her love was dancing and music and she shared her gifts with Isabella. She knew her parents were gifts to her – and her gratitude swelled for them even now as they had begun to age.

Isabella couldn’t take her eyes off of Samuel. She was mesmerized. He was the perfect embodiment of a man. He seemed strong and confident and sure of his footing. He seemed to know exactly where he was going and then he found her keys.

“Are these your keys?” Samuel held them up almost laughing.

“Yes, those are my keys. Thank you…”

“Samuel, I’m Samuel.”

I’m Isabella.” As Samuel handed Isabella her keys, their hands brushed and she got an electric wave of energy surging through her. A tear escaped from her right eye. Samuel noticed but didn’t call it out, thinking how beautiful it was that she felt so deeply. As she started to leave the clearing she turned to him.

“This may sound a bit odd, but would you want to share a cup of coffee with me? I started the pot before I came out here. You can see my home from here.”

“Yes, I would love that. I have a little time this morning.”

“May I ask what you were doing in the woods this morning?”

Samuel pulled out a small leather journal from his pocket, “Oh, sure. I just moved here about a week ago. I was collecting leaves and documenting the plant life here. I’ve been studying plants and animals since I was a boy. I wanted to get a few together before I got too busy today. Saturdays are my day for exploring and errands. Why were you in the woods at night?”

“I was following the moon. It sounds crazy, right? I love the night sky. There’s nothing more peaceful.”

Samuel and Isabella arrived at her home and she walked into the kitchen from the deck the smell of freshly brewed coffee lingering in the air. They stood face to face in the kitchen in a moment of silence and knew it was the beginning of their happily ever after.
                  

I remember when this young woman came to see me. It was a slow day and the rest of the readers had gone home. I had agreed to stay and put things in order, so that the Romanov Tea Room could open the next morning to the same high standards the people of Moscow had given it.

I had just pulled my coat from the closet, when I heard the front door being pushed open. I put the coat back and headed for the front room, because I got a light-headed feeling and knew it would be my last reading for the day. I walked into the foyer to find a very pretty woman with a short modern haircut and brown eyes that could hold many secrets, though she seemed as fragile and elegant as a Faberge Egg.
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Excuse me ma’am, I realize it is very much past your closing, but if I could…”She looked down and shifted her weight from one foot to the other and her words had begun to dissipate as my senses were tuning themselves to her.

“Please, I will read for you. I must have you relax. Follow me.”

I led her into the main parlor and seated her in a chair across from me at the fireplace, because she had gotten chilled, and I knew without her comfortable, my senses would be interrupted and I too would become too cold. She shifted her weight gently, smiled and placed a generous donation into the wooden box on the stand beside me.

My sight went completely blurry, and I began to feel my clairvoyance become sharper. The pictures of very large names swirled above her head amongst a pair of intertwined gold bands.
 
“You have the appearance of a person to be married into fame.”

I could feel her interest rising as a warmth of vibrations danced up from my feet into my stomach. Images of brightly-colored splashes of paint, canvas and gemstones invaded my mind space.
 
“The person you are to marry will have a great appreciation of art and jewelry. He could even possibly be a collector.”

My physical sight had begun returning. I could see that this lady was serious in her inquiry, even though she kept a smile on her face and her legs crossed. She rarely looked into my eyes. She straightened her back, and brushed her hair behind her right ear. This was a gesture I was taught indicated the inquirer had full intentions of keeping my words in her memory.

A strong smell of expensive tobacco smoke entered into my nostrils, causing a tingly, bubbly feeling to shift from the top of my head into my heart. My heart then began to pound feverishly, my vision changed from first to second sight, and I saw a very happy man at a desk in a classroom with this young lady at his side.

“You will make him very happy and have a dramatic effect on his work. He will be a highly-respected man and a very effective teacher. He is much older than you…”

The image became clearer, and I saw a ladies tiara on top of his head.“…and he is of royal descent.”

At that point she became excited, but she remained a lady and covered her mouth as she giggled.

“Can you tell me more about this man?” She spoke direct and politely, but her desire for his name overwhelmed my senses. I too became desperate for the name of this man, an action that impairs my ability to see. I had no idea who he was. I concentrated vigorously draining every last bit of energy that I had left. Scenes of cities, towns and countrysides flashed apace and violently through my head, and a view of Paris lingered. It was raining there, and the entire image changed as the rain turned red and covered it in a blood-like film. I became overwhelmingly sad for her.

“You will travel a lot and will inevitably leave your homeland. I think you should stay away from Paris though, I can see no happiness there.”
 
We sat there for a few moments, and I had one last vision. It was of many people taking paintings, money and jewelry from her. The last and final image was of two burial caskets; one old and one new.

“You need to be careful with your possessions. You will probably have things stolen from you, and you also have the tendency to spend too much. There is quite a bit of danger involving this. It is important that you take extra precautions.”

For one second she had stopped smiling. She took in a deep breath and returned to her composure, and her smile. My visions had completely diminished and so had my energy and strength.

“I believe that is all I can do for you today, but please young lady, do this old woman a favor and promise to me that you will return for future readings, I so much want to help you.”

​She shook her head yes once gently. She stood up from her chair, smiled and thanked me. I walked her to the door and watched her walk away. I could tell she wondered if my predictions were true and I too wondered this. When she left my sight, I closed the door and hoped that she would return. Like her, I also wanted to know his name. I went back to my coat, took it off the hanger, and my sight went blurry. His name…Kandinsky. I didn’t know where to find her. I didn’t know who she was, and she never returned to find out.