CATCH-ALL 1: December-January-February

[starswink]

[The world continues. By now, everyone will have settled in to the places they've made themselves, whether they've truly become like a home or not. It may seem like a lot of time has passed or none. But wherever you've found yourself by now, a reminder that life yet continues graces your morning.

The sky above the simulation is programmed for weather. And now, it's snowing... the first snow falls delicately in the night, and by the time the sun rises, the evergreens in the tree city are all glittering from the white covers sticking to their branches. At first there's only thin layers on everything, but as the month of December begins and goes on, you can be sure there will be more snow to come.

So, are you thinking about the holidays? It may be a good time to start... Not like there's much else to do in the simulation, talks with the outside nonwithstanding.]

Comments

please feel free to use the hide comment command

[lovedanime]

FADE IN:

EXT. SANTA'S WORKSHOP - DUSK

In the endless snowfall of the Arctic tundra, one beacon stands out. A cozy little cottage with perpindicular candy canes for windowpanes.

NATURAL TRANSITION TO:

INT. SANTA'S WORKSHOP - DUSK

The cabin is one large room under the gabled roof. A roll of wrapping paper suspended from the ceiling serves as a curtain rod separating a bed and other simple necessities from the rest of the building. This was clearly constructed with a purpose as the wall space is dominated by bookshelves and filing cabinets for the purpose of research. Photographs on the walls suggest a family of SANTAS. Despite the spaciousness of the room, there are no chairs for visitors; just letter trays on--

THE DESK

Primary workplace of our hero, addressed formally by just his surname of SANTA. Like all the main characters he is represented by a stop-motion doll with a blank face that has 2D large anime eyes and other features drawn on. A twelve year old boy who has not yet grown into his britches, his red suit looks more like a blazer uniform, and the curly white hair under the red cap does not even reach his neck, let alone form a beard. His rosy cheeks and twinkling eyes are unmistakable, though.

Santa is writing out some kind of list. He checks it once. Then he starts to check twice, faster this time, but stops at something near the bottom. He puts down his pen and holds up the paper with both hands to squint.

LIST
10th toy from 34th workshop, nurse, missing.

Santa puts the list back down, sits for a moment, and then begins to pack up his things into the SLEIGH.

EXT. ELVES' WORKSHOP - MOONRISE

The sleigh is flown by exactly one reindeer and lands in front of a moderately sized building similar to a lumberjacks' dormitory. When Santa disembarks and knocks on the door, someone opens it for him, timed to the score's tinkle of bells.

INT. ELVES' WORKSHOP

Bright flame lamps on the ceiling illuminate an extremely tidy workshop. Several elves are waiting lined up in the back, played by stop-motion dolls with preexisting static faces. The elf who has opened the door for him is PRISCILLA, who wears lip gloss and stands taller than Santa but in the end has simply been first to look "grown up" and is also 12 years old.

PRISCILLA
Merry Christmas, Santa!

SANTA
We still have one day, Priscilla.

PRISCILLA
You never change.

Priscilla introduces her contribution as one of the first five elves. They have worked together on the population of a dollhouse: papa, mama, son, daughter, and baby. Elves eleven through fifteen then present their stuffed animals: Bear, bunny, cat, dog, horse. Then right in the middle are a series of occupation oriented dolls: a librarian, a teacher, a secretary, a baker...

SANTA
But the tenth one is missing.

PRISCILLA
Typical Gerard.

SCORE CUTS OUT.

On the wall behind the two youths is a vent. Cover falls off the vents and a tangled black mass falls out. Cut to all the other elves coughing.

While Priscilla stands in the background putting one hand to her temples as if she has a migraine, Santa kneels and extends a hand, as if to go "are you okay?"

Close up on the inky lump that MOVES - it's alive - it's a boy! Twelve years old, just incredibly gangly. He is obviously an elf yet most of his hues are black, complete with smoky-eye makeup. Rearranging himself to lay on his stomach with his chin in his hands and his ankles folded in the air behind him, he offers an extremely cheeky grin and laugh, obviously the scolded GERARD.

GERARD
You rang?

Score resumes, lively. The other elves make various expressions of displeasure. Priscilla has launched into some kind of rant. Santa is quite overwhelmed and trying to actually talk to Gerard, but Gerard makes a "look at the time" gesture, fingerguns, and moonwalks into some kind of CHUTE.

INTERCUT

Santa torn between all his options until finally he dives into the chute too--

HURTLING DOWN

Falls into...

A pile of stuffed animal stuffing?

ELVES' BASEMENT - MIDNIGHT

Obviously Santa's POV as we peer through a number of dolls. Some are smaller, others "life size" relative to the main characters, all broken in multiple ways, for example a grim reaper doll that also has a fractured skull, and most importantly, very still to the point where it's creepy...

Santa begins walking closer. One of the life-size dolls is... an elf in black...?

GERARD goes "Boo!"

SANTA goes "Aaaaaaaaah!"

GERARD laughs uproariously, clutching his stomach.

SANTA put out a bit.

GERARD continues to laugh in close-up, wipes single tear from his eye.

SANTA reaches over to get a hold of his shoulder...

SANTA'S HAND comes away with coal smudge?

GERARD'S COSTUME is actually a deep pine green underneath some layer of black grime?

SANTA'S FACE calculating again... Is even that color explainable by only one layer of coal dust? GERALD'S HANDS sneak into frame, clap clap.

Since he's down here, Gerald might as well show him SOMETHING--

Scale equivalent of 18-inches, a NURSE DOLL. She has squishy latex gloves for hands and is holding what gleams like an evidently real HYPODERMIC NEEDLE.

Santa looks back and forth between the doll and something else.

SANTA
Didn't you break this?

Gerard's melancholy smile as he taps the side of his head:

GERARD
The only thing I've broken is this.

Santa has never heard anything sadder in his life. He looks around, finally understanding that the dolls were all made by Gerard, broken by the others, and fixed in secret here. He looks DETERMINED, picks up the nurse doll in his arms, and returns upstairs somehow.

INT. ELVES' WORKSHOP - 3AM

Santa is gathering all the toys into his sack, including the nurse doll. Priscilla struts out and seems distraught at this - "just what do you think you're doing?"

SANTA
If you hadn't broken it, the quota would never--

PRISCILLA
It's dangerous! That wasn't a joke, you know?

She pulls down her sleeve and reveals an angry red needle mark on the inside of her wrist.

Santa's face goes through several stages of grief.

SANTA
But it should be safe for kids over--

Priscilla takes the doll from him and puts it on a workshop table out of frame.

PRISCILLA
I'll just put in a fake needle instead, OK?

Santa nods glumly and stands there until Priscilla presents him with a little sack.

EXT. ELVES' WORKSHOP - 4:30 AM

Santa loading items into his sleigh. Checking the items. Then checking them twice. Finally he checks inside the sack.

A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NURSE DOLL. Nine inches, earrings, no gloves, wearing a stethoscope that obviously doesn't do anything.

SANTA'S FACE twisting in disgust.

TIMESKIP - SUN JUST BARELY RISING

The workshop door opens. Priscilla walks out in great excitement, makes eye contact with Santa; "you're really sure?" Santa extends his hand towards the sleigh "by all means". Priscilla takes the reins.

CUT TO

Gerard poking head out of vent - "Is it safe to come out now?"

INT. SANTA'S WORKSHOP - BACK

Gerard is in here, fixing the kettle. He brings out two piping mugs of real hot cocoa, one for Santa sitting cross-legged on the bed, who receives it eagerly despite a drop spilling out onto his hand during the incredibly delicate motion. Gerard is worried but Santa offers a reassuring smile.

ARCTIC TUNDRA - DAWN

Priscilla flying the sleigh but looking increasingly unsure until finally the reindeer rebels and she's thrown out of the sleigh into--

ARCTIC OCEAN - DAWN

Bobbing upright here. Seems to be just CGI water.

SANTA'S WORKSHOP - BACK

Santa and Gerard are watching through the window, sipping their hot cocoa, and sitting together cozy as two bugs in a rug.

FADE OUT