The Cosmic Mill

Ext. The Cosmic Meadow - Sunrise

A PLUMP OLD MAN with fair skin and a round shape is running inside of what looks like a wooden water mill.

ECU on his rosy pink cheeks.

CU on his large round belly.

ECU on the few strands of grey and one strand of jet black hair that is left on his head.

The Mill sits in the middle of a forest. Wild flowers are juxtaposed by a sky of thick grey clouds and snowfall.

On every tree and every dark corner of the forest, an owl is perched, watching Plump Old Man run in the mill as a hamster would in its wheel.

CU on the owls' eyes. One after another. Yellow cat-like eyes. Dark intense eyes with a large and angry furrowed brow.

MCU on a WHITE BARN OWL as it tilts its head at a 90 degree angle.

CU on what looks to be an owl's face with beady red eyes and a fierce expression. Zoom out as this owl turns its head around to reveal its actual face. This endearingly CUTE OWL has noticeably simpler features that starkly contrast the rest. Two dots for eyes and a drawn-hamster-like squiggled mouth. It lets out an abrasive squawk.

Beads of sweat run down Plump Old Man's face. His running slows.

As the sun rises, the owls close their eyes. Cute Owl simply turns it's head back around to the more frightening side.

Plump Old Man climbs out of the mill, pulls his hood over his head, and leaves

Ext. Apri City - Day

PANDA, a black and white lamb, runs in the snow, leaving small hoof prints behind her.

Overhead a hawk flies. The hawk lunges down toward Panda, but misses and hits beak-first into a tree as Panda leaps out of the way to catch a snowflake.

CU of Panda. She gulps down the snowflake, hiccups out mini snowflakes, and reacts with a surprised expression that squishes her neck into a plethora of soft and wooly double chins.

Panda races past a box house made entirely of windows. The warm light shines through the windows out into the fog and snow.

The perspective shifts from Panda and zooms into the home.

INT. Amber's House - DAY

Nearly every wall, table, and appliance in this house is a shade of sleek white or grey.

AMBER, a fifteen year old girl with long jet black hair, rosy cheeks as pink as a tulip, and dark eyes that are nearly the shade of obsidian, sits in front of an unlit fireplace.

Amber holds a high-tech lighter that is round and circular. She throws it to the fireplace, it stops, hovers, and spins until the friction sparks and lights the fireplace with an array of mini colorful fireworks.

BRANDO, Amber's four year old little brother, whose cheeks are just as pink as hers, eyes just as dark, and hair that is just as black, somersaults into frame beside Amber. His pupils dilate and his eyes grow wide as he looks at the mini firework display.

CU on the reflection in his eyes, every color of the rainbow sparking and flashing before him.

Ext. APRI CITY - DAY

CU and zoom out from Panda's eyes, which reflect a sparkling CHERRY BOMB hanging from a tree. Green stems, shiny red fruit, growing from a tree. Just like your average cherry, except it explodes.

Panda runs up to the tree and slams it's little hooves against the trunk. The cherry bombs shake, but they don't fall.

Panda takes several steps back, and runs full-speed into the tree. The cherry bombs fall deep into the snow. Muffled booms. Puffs of smoke twirl up from where they fell in the snow.

A squirrel climbs out from where one of the cherry bombs had fallen and shakes it's fist at Panda while it vocalizes angry clicks at her. Baby squirrels climb out from the other exploded pockets of snow, shaking their small fists and utter small clicks at Panda. The large squirrel scurries the little ones away.

CUT TO:

Ext. Apri City - Eira's apartment building - DAY

A fully-windowed building that reaches up to the sky. It displays sleek tones of white and light blue, and is illuminated. Pan up and zoom into an upper story apartment.

Int. Eira's Home

Much like Amber's house, the interior is filled with spotless décor of white and grey. From the kitchen to the living area and then to the hallway. However, a door stands out in this hall. From the shiny metal knob hangs a makeshift wooden sign that reads "E". Zoom past this door to the inside of this room.

Rocks, sticks, leaves, a bonsai cherry-bomb tree..this room is cluttered with dirt, plants, and shrubbery.

EIRA, a fifteen year old girl with deep brown skin and auburn hair that falls in curled ribbons of dark red, sits up in her bed and stretches. She feels around her end-table, her eyes half open, and slaps her hand on a remote. The shades on her window lift up to reveal a landscape of the city covered in snow.

Upon seeing this, Eira immediately springs out of bed, brushes her curls into a high front-facing ponytail, which pushes her hair to fall in front of her face. Her dark eyes are now framed by spirals of red. She runs into her closet and emerges wearing an oversized sky-blue jumpsuit over a long sleeved sweater.

Eira pulls on a pair of large muddy boots as she looks out the window.

EIRA (SINGING)

The first snowfall

The first snowflake

Could this mean

A new adventure awaits?

There is now a figure standing outside in the window's view. It's Panda.

Ext. APRI CITY - Eira'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY

Both sides of an electric sliding glass door open and out jumps Eira. She scans the area. No sign of Panda, only snow.

CU of two lamb ears wiggling out from the snow.

Eira pulls Panda out the snow pile and swings her around in a hug. Panda flails her hooves and rubs her face against Eira's.

Eira unzips her backpack. Panda climbs over Eira and into the backpack, kicking Eira's face in the process, which causes her cheek to squish up to her eye.

ECU of Eira's face being squished. For this shot only, her eyes are beady and her face is puffed and contorted into an expression of distress, forming an unnatural amount of folds and creases in a strange and pliable way that's akin to Play-Doh.

EXT. APRI CITY - DAY

Hills of sparkling white gleam as far as the eye can see. Eira marches on with a bounce to her step.

EIRA (singing)

The first snowfall

The first snowflake

I move forward

I will wander

To see this first winter

I am not just a little girl

I will go and see the world

It’s sparkling all around me

Panda won't you look and see?

Eira takes off her backpack and holds it up toward the horizon, but there is no Panda in the backpack.

EXT. THE COSMIC MEADOW - DAY

A spotted wood owl, OTIS, opens its eyes.

POV of Otis, who views his surroundings with a sleepy blurred sight.

The mill is empty.

CU on Otis. His eyes widen as he inhales deeply, his neck bulging outward with air.

The mill moves as it did when Plump old Man was running on it. Otis exhales loudly, and with a relieved delicate squawk, he closes his eyes again.

Otis furrows his brow as if to resist checking one more time, then opens his eyes to see a crisp and clear sight of a BABY BEAR tumbling around clumsily inside of the mill.

DAD BEAR approaches Baby Bear and scolds it in gibberish. Dad Bear's voice is deep and gravely. MOTHER BEAR appears from the trees and calmly yet firmly speaks a high pitched gibberish. Baby Bear tumbles out of the mill, and hangs it's head low. Mother Bear's arm is around Baby Bear, her large paw on it's back as she gently coaxes it forward. Dad Bear mumbles gibberish to himself as the three bears walk off into the distance.

Otis flies inside of the mill, then inside the cabin it is attached to. No sign of Plump Old Man.

Otis shoots up high into the sky and squawks loudly as he flies overhead.

Grassy Meadows quickly turn into snowy mountains.

CU on Otis. His eyes turn grey. The previously brown feathers that are a staple of spotted wood owls are now a shade of pale blue.

Ext. APRI CITY - DAY

EIRA

Panda! Panda?? Panda, where are you!?

INT. Amber's House - DAY

Amber shakes as she holds her hands close to the fire.

AMBER

Brando, come here and warm up, I don't want you to catch a cold.

(pause)

...Brando?

Ext. APRI CITY - DAY

Eira smiles at a pair of wooly sheep ears peeking out from a pile of snow. She slowly approaches, then yanks the ears up.

EIRA

Gotcha!

To her surprise, she pulls Brando out from the snow. He is bundled up in a white fluffy winter coat with ears on the hood. Only his round rosy baby-face peeks out, It's surrounded by layers of bulky fluffy fabric.

EIRA

Brando..?

Brando flails out of Eira's grasp and she steps back. He rolls in the snow a few feet forward and holds up a forked carrot.

BRANDO

Ahah!

Brando sticks the forked carrot into a lumpy mound of snow. He takes two mismatched buttons out from his pocket and places them above the carrot nose as eyes.

Brando hums an out-of-tune melody.

EIRA

Is Amber with you?

Eira looks around at a vast expanse of white snow.

EIRA

Guess not. Listen, have you seen Panda anywhere?

Brando marches around in circles, as he continues his humming.

Eira sighs. Then cocks her head to the side to see that Brando's marching has created a design of a lamb in the snow.

Brando nods his head and puffs his cheeks while he continues his strained hums.

They walk into the snowy brush as Brando leads the way. Brando's hums fade into off-screen instrumentals.

Eira and Brando (Singing)

Where are you?

EIRA (Singing)

We've got to find you,

The world is new since you've been gone,

Best we find you before dawn,

EXT. APRI CITY - Afternoon

Amber hikes up snowy hills, her arms crossed and shaking, her hands are blue.

AMBER (Singing)

Where are you? Little Brother?

I'm always cleaning up your mess!

Where are you? Mother and father?

I wouldn't know, I could only guess!

This strange snow has come,

And I hope it doesn't stay long,

Or I might just get going, get gone!

Amber snaps her head back. Otis dodges her gaze behind a nearby tree.

AMBER (Singing) Harmonizing with Eira (Off Screen)

Where are you?

Otis flies off into the sky.

CUT TO:

Otis sees Brando. From Otis's POV: ECU on Brando's rosy pink cheeks.

CU on the belly of his round and puffy coat.

ECU on the tuft of thick jet black hair that peeks out of Brando's hood.

Otis screeches an abrasive echoing sound that waves through the trees.

CUT TO:

Panda stops at the echo as she walks atop the snow.

CUT TO:

Amber shields her eyes from the sun and looks into the sky as the echo of this sound waves through her hair.

CUT BACK TO:

Otis looks at Brando. He lunges for him and tears at the wooly ears of Brando's hood with his talons.

Eira wacks Otis away with her backpack. The velocity of her hit sends Otis whooshing into the sky.

Eira and Brando lift up rocks, dig through snow, and climb up trees in search of Panda, but to no avail.

Brando shoves his head into a hole of a large tree.

BRANDO

Hellloooooooo!?

Brando looks like a round fluffy animal as his legs dangle from the tree.

BRANDO

Here you are!

Eira runs to Brando.

EIRA

You found Panda? Do you see her? Oh, she must've been so scared in there!

Brando falls out of the tree and pops a large blue bubble of gum.

BRANDO

I thought I'd never find these!

My hiding spot was so good, even I couldn't find them..

Brando shakes his head.

With a frustrated expression, Eira opens her mouth to speak

Brando outstretches his tiny hand to her. He holds unwrapped blue circles of gum in his palm.

Eira smiles and takes the gum. The two blow bubbles together.

CUT TO:

EXT. APRI CITY - SUNSET

Amber lifts her shoe up to find a splatter of chewed blue gum. She takes this shoe off and throws it into the snow. The iced blue of her hands has spread up to her arms.

CUT TO:

Otis sees Panda overhead.

POV of Otis: the view of panda cuts between his previous view of Brando.

Otis dives down full speed and pushes Panda into the snow.

Otis pecks around to find Panda, then grabs her up by the scruff.

He falls back in surprise when Panda reveals herself.

CU on Panda, who is gasping and sniffling.

An array of snowflakes emerge from her powerful sneeze. Otis flies away.

As Panda walks, her snowy sneezes send her flying around.

She violently sneezes herself into Amber.

AMBER

Panda?

Panda and Amber lose balance as snow falls off a cliff in clumps. They fall and tumble down until they crash land into Eira and Brando.

Brando wraps his tiny arms around Amber.

BRANDO

Amber!

Amber rolls her eyes and blows her wet snowy hair out of her face.

Amber looks up to see Eira lending a hand.

She blushes as Eira helps her up.

The two girls smile and look away.

Zoom out into the snowy cityscape.

BRANDO

GUM?

AMBER

Uh, no thanks

EIRA

Sure

The silhouettes of the four friends contrast with the lowering red sun and the snowy white hills.

INT. Amber's House - Night

Amber bursts through the door and dives toward the fire. Shaking, she tosses her lighter into the fireplace and it bursts into fireworks. She breathes a sigh of relief as her icy blue skin returns to its original color.

Amber looks back to see Brando sleeping on the floor. She smiles and carries him upstairs to his room.

Amber snaps her fingers to activate several wall heaters in the room. She tucks Brando in and closes the door.

As Amber walks down the stairs, she jumps, startled at the sound of harsh wind whistling and rattling the windows.

This time, a loud THUMP!

Amber runs down the stairs and peaks outside the front door. A shattered lantern with a crumpled up note sits atop the snow.

A red, glowing, fire-like object trails off out of view and into the distance.

Amber wipes her eyes. The glowing object is gone.

She unfolds the note.

CU on Amber's eyes as she reads.

INT. EIRA'S HOME

CU on Eira's face. Her eyelashes are now white, and her hair, a pale blue. Her skin is still a deep shade of brown and so are her eyes, though in the light of her window, a faint blue now shimmers on her cheek bones.

Eira sits up in bed and feels around her face.

POV of Eira. She stretches taught a blue-ribboned curl of hair in front of her eyes. She screams and exhales an icy wind. She covers her mouth, and hiccups. Her hands can no longer contain her hiccups, and snowflakes push their way out of her mouth in front of her.

Eira immediately springs out of bed and brushes her curls into a pineapple bun. This time, her dark eyes which are contrasted by white lashes are now framed by spirals of blue. She runs into her closet and emerges wearing her signature oversized sky-blue jumpsuit over a long sleeved sweater.

Eira pulls on her large muddy boots and races toward the door when HEATHER, Eira's mother, a middle aged woman with light orange-brown-eyes, deep brown skin, and thick braided hair, walks into the living area where Eira stands. She is wearing pajamas and brushing her teeth, her eyes closed.

HEATHER

Is it just me or is it as cold as the north pole in this apartment?

She holds the back of her hand to her forehead.

HEATHER

I hope I'm not running a fever. Oh, Eira, I had the most terrible dream last night. I was bundled up in a pile of blankets.

CUT TO:

A lump of layers upon layers of blankets envelope Heather, so that just her head peaks through. She is shivering and can see her breath.

HEATHER (Off Screen)

And no matter how much I tried to get warm, I felt as cold as ice.

CUT BACK TO:

INT. EIRA'S HOME - DAY

She sits on the couch as she continues to brush her teeth.

Eira cocks her head to the side and stares at her mother.

EIRA

Um, Mom? I think..your hair is white.

HEATHER

I know, I know, I've been getting older. I haven't been into the salon to cover these greys.

EIRA

No, I mean it's REALLY white. Like, all of it.

Heather opens her eyes.

POV of heather: CU on Eira's blue curls and white lashes.

Eira hiccups a snowflake.

HEATHER

What the -

Heather is interrupted by a hiccup of her own, which also emits a snowflake.

EIRA

Isn't this great!? My whole life, I've never been outside this city, and I've never seen an ounce of snow. And now, it's a winter wonderland here, and we're practically snow ourselves!

Heather opens her mouth to speak but Eira interrupts.

EIRA

Sorry, mom! I have to go tell Amber. She is going to flip! Oh man this is so exciting!

Heather reaches toward Eira and tries to speak once more but hiccups a snowflake again.

Eira runs out of the door.

Heather pauses for a moment, then shrugs and goes back to her teeth brushing, hiccupping while she brushes.

EXT. Amber's House - DAY

Eira knocks on the door.

EIRA

Amber! Brando! Hurry up and open the door! You're not going to believe thi-

BRANDO (from behind the door)

Beep Boop. Bop. Beeeeeeep. Amber can't come to the door right now, but I can take your message.

EIRA

Brando! Come on. Let me in. You guys are going to FLIP!

Brando lets Eira in. Brando's hair is still jet black, his eyes dark, but his skin is blue.

BRANDO

You too!? Yay! Now we can become one with the snow.

Brando falls on his back and makes snow angel shapes on the hardwood floor.

Eira walks further in the house and tilts her head up toward the staircase.

EIRA

Has Amber changed, too? Where is she?

BRANDO

Oh, she left forever.

Brando starts humming.

EIRA

What do you mean she left forever??

BRANDO

She left forever! See?

Brando hands Eira an envelope and note with pictures scribbled on it that illustrate a girl (Amber) leaving the house wearing an oversized backpack. There is also a picture of the fridge drawn that has the word "food" scribbled over it.

Brando empties the envelope which is full of coins.

BRANDO

I'm rich!

Brando pauses

BRANDO

I do miss Amber, though. I hope she's not actually gone forever.

Eira unzips her backpack and fills it with food from the fridge.

She opens the door and whistles loudly.

Panda flies to Eira with wings made of ice.

Eira holds onto her hooves and swings her around.

EIRA

Brando, grab those coins, we're going to go find Amber.

Brando scoops up the coins in his t-shirt.

CUT TO:

Ext. Desert - DAY

Intricate hills of orange and brown encompass a huge expanse of cracked and dried earth.

OTS of Amber. She holds a map up in front of the desert - it's a perfect match.

Amber is revealed.

Her eyes are a deep red. Her hair emits a faint outline of smoke.

She crumples up the map, and engulfs it in flames with her hands.

FADE TO CREDITS.