EMBER AND THE WATERLOONS Historical Comedy Treyson Hunt Original Script WaterlooNation@gmail.com 2023 EXT. FOREST - DAY EXT. FOREST - DAY The scene opens with a wide shot of a lush green forest, with sunlight filtering through the leaves. The sound of birds and insects can be heard. A cheerful tune plays in the background. EMBER (VOICE OVER) I guess you're wondering what a Waterloon is. Don't worry, you'll see. It all started years ago, when I still lived in Pancake, Nevada. I was going to make history. But I didn't know that until I met a certain group of kids. Together, we did the impossible. We created a nation. And this is how it happened. Story time! The camera pans to reveal three kids walking through the forest. They are Journey, Bess, and Nixon. They are wearing casual clothes. Journey carries a backpack. Bess carries a sketchbook. Nixon carries a camera. JOURNEY ...and then he said, "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Can you believe it? He's so sweet! BESS Wow, Journey, that's amazing! He really likes you! NIXON Yeah, he's a lucky guy. EMBER (VOICE OVER) That's my sister, Journey. She had always been popular, confident, and adventurous. She has a way with words that makes people listen to her. She was the leader of the group. BESS So, where are we going today? JOURNEY Well, I thought we could explore this part of the forest. It looks so mysterious and magical. NIXON 1. NIXON Yeah, it does. EMBER (VOICE OVER) That's Bess. She had been Journey's best friend since third grade. She's artistic, friendly, and loyal. She loves to draw everything she sees. She was the creative one of the group. NIXON Do you think there are any animals here? JOURNEY Maybe. I hope we see some. BESS Me too. EMBER (VOICE OVER) And that's Nixon. He's... well, he's Nixon. The three kids stop at a fence that separates the forest from a meadow. JOURNEY Look at that! It's a meadow! BESS It's beautiful! NIXON It's awesome! JOURNEY Let's go check it out! EXT. MEADOW - CONTINUOUS The three kids climb over the fence and enter the meadow. EMBER (VOICE OVER) They were always looking for new adventures, and that day, they found one. The three kids walk through the meadow. They see some old junk scattered around, such as tires, a trough, wood, and cans. JOURNEY 2. 2. JOURNEY Wow! Look at all this stuff! BESS What do you think it is? NIXON I don't know. JOURNEY Maybe it's treasure! BESS Or trash. NIXON Or both. JOURNEY Let's find out! BESS Wait! Shouldn't we be careful? NIXON Yeah, maybe we should. JOURNEY Come on, guys! Don't be scared! It'll be fun! EMBER (VOICE OVER) That was Journey for you. Always ready to take risks and have fun. She never thought about the consequences. JOURNEY Follow me! Adventure awaits! Journey runs towards the junk pile. BESS Journey! Wait! NIXON Journey! Bess and Nixon look at each other nervously. BESS Should we go after her? NIXON 3. NIXON I guess we have to. Bess and Nixon run after Journey. EMBER (VOICE OVER) And that was how they discovered it. The hidden world beyond the fence. The world that would change everything. FADE TO BLACK. EMBER (VOICE OVER) But they didn't do it alone. They needed one more person to complete their team. One more person who had something they didn't have. A pause. EMBER (VOICE OVER) Me. The title "Ember and the Waterloons" appears on the screen. EXT. MEADOW - JUNK PILE - MOMENTS LATER The scene resumes with the three kids rummaging through the junk pile. JOURNEY This stuff is so cool! Look at this. This could be useful. She holds up a random item. Bess and Nixon shrug. JOURNEY Okay, maybe not this. But there's gotta be some treasure in this pile somewhere. We can split up and search it. Journey takes her backpack off and sets it on the ground. She opens it up and looks around inside. BESS What are you looking for? JOURNEY I brought the walkie talkies. If we split up, we'll wanna have those. She searches the backpack for a few seconds. 3. 4. She searches the backpack for a few seconds. NIXON Hey, look at this! It's a crown! He picks up a rusty metal ring from the junk pile and puts it on his head. BESS Wow, you look so regal. JOURNEY Yeah, you're the king of the junk pile! NIXON Thank you, thank you. I hereby declare this land Nixonia! BESS Nixonia? That sounds like a disease. JOURNEY Yeah, a very contagious one. Journey pretends to sneeze. NIXON Hey! That's not nice! BESS (laughs) Just kidding! Journey looks into her backpack again. JOURNEY I can't seem to find the walkie talkies. Nixon grabs the backpack and takes out some items, such as a water bottle, a sandwich, a flashlight, and a book. NIXON There's a water bottle, a sandwich, a flashlight, and a book. BESS What's the book? NIXON It's called "Fablehaven". BESS 5. BESS What's it about? NIXON I don't know. Let's see. Nixon opens the book and flips through the pages. JOURNEY Hey, that's my book! Bess and Nixon look at Journey. BESS Your book? JOURNEY Yeah! Journey reaches for the book. BESS Wait a minute. Since when do you read books? JOURNEY What do you mean? I like books. BESS Since when? JOURNEY Since always. BESS Really? JOURNEY Uh... yeah. A pause. BESS Then how come you never told us? JOURNEY I don't know. I guess I never thought it was important. NIXON Or maybe you were embarrassed. You know, for letting Ember get to you. A pause. NIXON 6. NIXON You know, your sister. JOURNEY Yeah, I know who Ember is. NIXON She's always reading those fantasy books. BESS She's always reading, period. NIXON She's always in her own world. BESS She's always by herself. NIXON She's always... JOURNEY Okay, okay, I get it. You don't like her. NIXON No, no, we don't dislike her. BESS We just don't understand her. NIXON Yeah, she's kind of weird. BESS Kind of? NIXON Okay, very weird. BESS Very very weird. NIXON Extremely weird. BESS Super duper weird. Nixon and Bess laugh. JOURNEY Hey! Stop it! She's not that weird! Nixon and Bess stop laughing and look at Journey. 7. Nixon and Bess stop laughing and look at Journey. NIXON Sorry, Journey. We didn't mean to offend you. BESS Yeah, sorry. We were just joking. JOURNEY Well, it's not funny. Ember is my sister. And she's not weird. She's just... different. BESS Different how? JOURNEY Different in a good way. She's smart, and funny, and creative. She has a big imagination. She sees things that we don't see. She knows things that we don't know. She's amazing. NIXON Really? JOURNEY Yes, really. You just don't know her like I do. You never talk to her. You never try to be her friend. You just judge her from afar. NIXON I tried to talk to her... once. BESS Maybe she doesn't want to be our friend. Maybe she doesn't want to talk to us. JOURNEY That's not true. She does want to be your friend. She does want to talk to you. She just doesn't know how. She's shy, and awkward, and lonely. She needs someone to reach out to her. Someone to show her that she belongs. EMBER (VOICE OVER) 8. EMBER (VOICE OVER) That was the first time anyone ever stood up for me. The first time anyone ever saw me for who I really was. The first time anyone ever cared about me. Nixon and Bess look at Journey with surprise and admiration. NIXON Wow, Journey. You really love your sister. BESS Yeah, you do. Journey smiles and hugs the book. JOURNEY I do. I love her more than anything in the world. And I want you to love her too. I want you to meet her. I want you to be her friend. Nixon and Bess exchange glances. NIXON Well... BESS Um... Journey looks at them with hopeful eyes. JOURNEY Please? Nixon and Bess sigh. NIXON Okay, okay. We'll meet her. BESS Yeah. JOURNEY Really? You will? NIXON Yeah, sure. BESS Why not? JOURNEY 9. JOURNEY Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! You won't regret it! Journey hugs Nixon and Bess. Nixon and Bess smile awkwardly. EMBER (VOICE OVER) And that was how they decided to involve me in their adventure. The adventure that would change our lives forever. EXT. EMBER'S HOUSE - LATER Ember, (dressed in a hoodie and jeans, wearing glasses, hair in a ponytail) walks towards the house, with the fourth Fablehaven book in hand, not watching where she is going. A random kid on a bike approaches her on the road. BIKE KID Hey! Move out of the way! Ember quickly dashes out of the way, startled. The kid stops and turns to her. BIKE KID Watch it next time, nerd. Do you really have to have your head in that book all day long? I'm sure you're breaking traffic laws by doing it on the street. EMBER (bites her lip and adjusts her glasses) I'm sorry, I wasn't looking. BIKE KID Yeah, exactly! Journey, Bess, and Nixon approach the house, laughing. Journey frowns when she sees the kid on the bike. JOURNEY Hey! What do you want? BIKE KID Just teaching your nerdy sister traffic laws. EMBER Journey, stay out of it, I already apologized. JOURNEY 4. 10. JOURNEY (frowns) Well you did nothing wrong, he should watch where he's going, too. BIKE KID (hisses) I'm out of here. He exits. JOURNEY (sticks out her tongue) Yeah, run along, loser! EMBER (sighs) Journey, stop. It was my fault. JOURNEY (crosses her arms) Were you reading while walking again? EMBER (clears her throat) Sort of... Ember looks at Journey's friends, who are standing behind her and saying nothing. EMBER I‘ll just go in now and let you have fun with your friends. Ember tries to walk in but Journey stops her by jumping in front of her. JOURNEY Wait! EMBER (frowns) What? JOURNEY Actually, we need to talk to you. Ember looks from Nixon to Bess and back to Journey. EMBER Is something wrong? JOURNEY 11. JOURNEY Absolutely not. I just want you to meet my friends. EMBER (surprised) Wait... what? Why? JOURNEY Well, they want to meet you. EMBER Yes... but why? JOURNEY (shrugs) I told them you're cool. EMBER You really said that? JOURNEY Well, are you not? EMBER I don't know about cool, Journey, and I'm not sure your friends really do want to meet me. JOURNEY Come on, Ember. It will only be a minute. EMBER What am I supposed to say to them? They probably think I'm a weirdo. JOURNEY Everyone thinks you are a weirdo. EMBER Gee... thanks. Ember tries to go back in again. Journey stops her. JOURNEY Ember, wait... I didn't mean it the way you think I do, I'm sorry, okay? They really want to meet you. Ember sighs. EMBER 12. EMBER Fine, but I'm going inside as soon as I meet them. JOURNEY (grins) Sure! Ember sighs but lets her sister drag her to Bess and Nixon, who straighten up. JOURNEY Ember, meet Bess and Nixon, my best friends. EMBER (smiles awkwardly) Hey. BESS Hey. NIXON (grins) Hi, Ember. JOURNEY Nixon is really good with music. If you want a playlist, he's your guy. NIXON (winks) You bet. EMBER Right... JOURNEY (smiles) Bess makes really cool stuff! Journey shows Ember her colorful bracelet. JOURNEY She made this. BESS (shyly but proudly) Oh... it's not a big deal. EMBER It's really pretty. BESS 13. BESS (smiles) Thanks. EMBER Well, it's nice to meet both of you. I'm gonna go back inside now. JOURNEY Not so fast! EMBER You said I could go in after I meet them. JOURNEY Right after I show you this. Journey takes Nixon's camera out of her backpack but the Fablehaven book falls out. Ember stares at the book. EMBER Fablehaven? Is that mine? Journey, did you take my book? JOURNEY (giggles) Oh, relax, it's not yours. It's mine, from the library. EMBER Since when did you read books? NIXON Exactly what we said! BESS Yeah. They laugh but Journey doesn't find it funny. JOURNEY Not funny guys. BESS (coughs) Hey, we were only kidding. NIXON Don't get mad now, Journey. JOURNEY Whatever. EMBER 14. EMBER Did you really read the book, Journey? JOURNEY Maybe a few pages. Nixon and Bess laugh. Ember smirks. JOURNEY Hey! NIXON Sorry. JOURNEY I got bored while reading and fell asleep but that's not the point. We found a really fun place. She puts the book away and looks at Nixon's camera. EMBER Why are you telling me this? JOURNEY Because you love things like that. It's like an entirely new world. It's just behind our house, but it's not the same as home. EMBER Everywhere is like that, Journey. Nowhere is the same as home. JOURNEY You don't get it, Ember. It's so cool. BESS She's right, Ember. Nixon and I went there too. EMBER Fine, where is this “cool” place? NIXON It's close to the forest. EMBER What were you doing close to the forest? It's dangerous. JOURNEY 15. JOURNEY Oh, no it's not. You can see our house the whole time. We can show you if you'll come with us. EMBER I don't really want to. JOURNEY Come on, Ember. It will be fun, I promise. EMBER I don't- NIXON She's right, Ember. It‘s gonna be fun. I could show you my playlist on the way. EMBER Fine. The others cheer. EMBER But not today. JOURNEY Really? How about tomorrow after school? BESS Yes! We can meet outside the school and head there together. NIXON Great idea. JOURNEY What do you say, Ember? EMBER Okay. JOURNEY Great. Nixon and Bess prepare to leave. BESS Goodbye, see you tomorrow. JOURNEY 16. JOURNEY See ya! EMBER Bye. Bess and Nixon leave as Journey and Ember go into their house. EXT. MIDDLE SCHOOL - DAY The scene opens with the sounds of a bell ringing and voices of kids. Bess, Nixon and Journey wait outside for Ember. NIXON What if she changed her mind? BESS Or maybe she forgot. JOURNEY Ember isn't like that. BESS You keep saying that. If she's so eager to hang out with us, then where is she? JOURNEY Calm down, okay? She'll be here any minute, I'm sure. Nixon and Bess exchange looks, while Journey anxiously waits for her sister to arrive. She spots Ember walking in their direction, dressed in her usual hoodie and jeans. JOURNEY There she is! (Calls out) Ember! Here! Ember spots them and walks over to them. EMBER Hey. NIXON Hi, Ember! Cool hoodie. BESS We almost thought you changed your mind. EMBER 5. 17. EMBER No, I had to pick up the new Fablehaven book at the library. JOURNEY Right, you were reading again, but are you ready to go now? EMBER Yes, let's go. They begin to leave when they are stopped by Rosie Plum, dressed in a stylish outfit, flanked by her friends Misty, Tina, and Jacqueline. Ember backs away and looks at the ground, while the others prepare to face Rosie Plum. ROSIE PLUM Well well. What's going on here? JOURNEY (rolls her eyes) What do you want, Rosie Plum? ROSIE PLUM I see you've added your sister to your friend group, Journey. You must really be desperate. BESS Mind your business, Rosie, and go home. ROSIE PLUM (Sneers) I wasn't talking to you. NIXON Talking to one of us means you are talking to all of us. Rosie Plum and her friends giggle. ROSIE PLUM (giggles) Such loyalty. JOURNEY Listen, Rosie Plum. We have better things to do than talk to you right now. ROSIE PLUM (scoffs) Ugh, whatever. She snaps her fingers. 18. She snaps her fingers. ROSIE PLUM Come on, girls, let's go! Rosie Plum and her friends march off. JOURNEY Let's get outta here. EXT. FOREST - MOMENTS LATER The four children walk through the same beautiful and bright forest the three had gone through at the beginning. They help each other climb the fence. A cheerful tune plays in the background. Ember looks hesitant but the others encourage her until they get to the meadow. EXT. MEADOW - CONTINUOUS EMBER Wow, it is beautiful. JOURNEY See? I told you. EMBER How did you find this? BESS Let's just say we were lucky. EMBER What is all this stuff? They approach the junk pile, and Ember finds the rusty metal ring. NIXON (grins) You found the crown. EMBER Crown? BESS Don't mind him. EMBER Wow, there are so many things here. It feels like a different world. JOURNEY 6. 7. 19.