messy •indignant•vulnerable•
Would You like to be my friend? - Lucy
EXT. NARNIAN WOODS – WINTER SUNSET
WIDE SHOT – LUCY STEPS OUT OF THE WARDROBE INTO THE WINTER LANDSCAPE
LUCY (9, a young Black girl) steps into the snow-covered landscape. The icy cold air makes her breath visible. She tightens her coat, her eyes wide with awe and a touch of fear, as she takes cautious steps into this unfamiliar world.
MEDIUM SHOT – LUCY CROUCHES
Lucy crouches down, her gaze drawn to a ballerina orchid encased in a perfect crystalline layer of ice. It appears frozen inside the ice mid-turn, as though caught in a moment of dance. The sunset reflects off the ice, causing the flower's white and orange petals to shimmer in a kaleidoscope of colors.
CLOSE-UP – THE ORCHID
The orchid glows in the light, a delicate work of nature, beautiful and fragile in its icy prison. The FLower should be dead under these conditions. Lucy’s small hand hovers above it, curious but not daring to touch.
CLOSE-UP – LUCY’S FACE
Her eyes are wide, reflecting the light from the orchid. She leans in closer, mesmerized, when suddenly—
SOMEONE TAPS HER SHOULDER
Lucy’s eyes widen in fear. She slowly turns, her breath catching in her throat.
CLOSE UP – LUCY AND THE ORCHID
The ballerina orchid, still frozen, is centered in the frame as Lucy looks to her right. The focus shifts slightly, keeping the flower in the background as MR. TUMNUS appears. He crouches down beside her, his face gentle, curious, as he observes the orchid.
CLOSE UP – MR. TUMNUS AND LUCY
Lucy turns back to the orchid, her heart racing but curiosity winning over fear. She and Mr. Tumnus croutch together in silence for a moment, their shared gaze on the delicate frozen flower.
CLOSE-UP – LUCY AND MR. TUMNUS’ FACES
Lucy’s face, full of wonder, tilts up as she turns to look at Mr. Tumnus. Her eyes lock on his strange, kind face. He turns to her, mirroring her expression, studying this small, brave girl who has ventured into his world.
WIDE SHOT – LUCY AND MR. TUMNUS STAND
Both stand slowly, facing each other. The camera remains wide, no close-ups or fragmented body shots, showing them in full against the backdrop of the icy woods. They observe each other for a long moment, taking each other in.
LUCY EXTENDS A HAND
Lucy extends her hand toward Mr. Tumnus, her body language cautious but friendly. He hesitates, unsure of the gesture.
MEDIUM SHOT – LUCY DEMONSTRATES
Lucy, noticing his hesitation, illustrates a handshake by shaking her own hand, then offering her hand to Mr. Tumnus again.
MR. TUMNUS SHAKES HER HAND
Mr. Tumnus, still unsure but following her lead, reaches out and shakes her hand. A look of soft surprise crosses his face at this human custom.
MR. TUMNUS PLACES HIS HAND ON HIS HEART
After the handshake, Mr. Tumnus places his hand over his heart, bowing slightly. Lucy watches him, then mirrors the gesture, placing her hand on her heart and bowing in return.
MEDIUM SHOT – THE NARNIAN RITUAL
They both place their hands on their hearts, then extend them outward toward one another, palms open, shaking hadns again. Combining greetings.
FADE OUT
The White Witch's Winter has freezes all the flore in Narnia Narnians food in the bulk of this rule resort to food perservation in order to sustain themselves.
Peter cleans his sword.
EXT. SNOWY FOREST – DUSK
CLOSE-UP:
A cotton cloth drags slowly across the cold, curved blade of a scythe. The metal gleams under the low light of the setting sun, orange hues reflecting off the surface. Each pass of the cloth is deliberate, rhythmic, almost ritualistic. The only sound is the faint scraping of fabric against steel.
The camera lingers for 10 minutes, watching the blade being polished with meticulous care. No music, just the scraping sound, blending with the faint rustling of wind in the trees.
CLOSE-UP:
The camera shifts to the reflection in the scythe's surface. In the blade’s mirror-like polish, we now see PETER's face. His jaw is tight, focused, blood splattered across his cheek and ear. He wipes a trail of blood off his earlobe with the same sleeve used to clean the blade.
CUT TO: MEDIUM SHOT
The scythe lowers, revealing a wide-angle view of Peter. He sits on his knees in the snow, the still body of a wolf lying at his feet. The wolf has a distinctive snowflake-shaped burn mark on its flank—the mark of Maurgin, a loyal guard of the White Witch. Blood has pooled around the wolf, its dark red stark against the pristine white snow.
LOW ANGLE SHOT:
Peter’s face remains composed as he rolls up his sleeves. The camera follows his hands, showing the subtle tension in his fingers as he gently turns the wolf’s body over. The snowflakes fall softly in the background.
CLOSE-UP:
Peter uses the tip of his scythe to cut off his bloodstained sleeve. The cloth falls to the ground, soaked and ragged. He drapes the fabric over the wolf’s eyes, giving the fallen creature dignity in death.
WIDE SHOT:
Peter stands in silence for a moment, the scythe resting against his shoulder. Snow begins to fall heavier now, each flake reflecting the dim light of the dying day. Peter’s breath fogs in the cold air, but he doesn’t move.
MEDIUM SHOT – PROFILE
Peter swings the hilt of his scythe with a dull thud against a nearby tree. The hollow knock echoes through the forest, a soft call in the vast emptiness of the snow-covered landscape. The silence returns.
CUT TO: LONG SHOT – TREE LINE
LUCY, SUSAN and PETER appear at the top of a snowy ridge, silhouetted against the darkening sky. They move cautiously, stepping down through the uneven snow.
TRACKING SHOT:
Peter descends slowly, then reaches out to help Lucy down the steep slope, his hand steady, protective. Lucy lands next to him softly, her gaze flicking to the lifeless wolf. Peter gestures her body away from it. She says nothing.
CLOSE-UP:
Peter looks down at Lucy, his face unreadable, the orange glow of the sunset catching the edge of his profile. He gestures forward, his hand slightly trembling, indicating for Lucy to lead the way.
MEDIUM SHOT – FOLLOWING
Lucy nods, her face resolute, and she starts to walk, Susan follows, the camera panning as they move into the deepening shadows of the forest. Peter follows, the camera lingering on the blade of the scythe reflecting the wolfs body in the bloody snow.
asy.
Comfort Of The Throat - Edmund
EXT. NARNIA – DAY
The sky was twisting into itself, the dark gray clouds pulsing and churning into each with the occasional crack of blue and pink lighting breaking out. Times like these made something inside EDMUND twist, a sensation similar to when cold fleshes out an old injury. Reminding you were the hurt was. Edmund was not supposed to know what that felt like. Wounds heal quick in Narnia. So he kept what he ws feeling to himself.
Everyone had moved on. And tonight everyone has something to do because of the weather.
SUSAN, the gentle, makes sure defenseless Narnians are sheltered from the storm, housed by nymphs and fauns. LUCY sets out to capture a lightning bolt. PETER goes to train. But Edmund, 25, a Black man, is tormented by this weather that everyone else treats as an opportunity.
INT. PETER’S CHAMBERS – NIGHT
During nights like these, sleep evades both Edmund and Peter. To the rest of Narnia, days like these are supercharged with potential, but for Edmund, they tug at him, pulling on old wounds.
FLASHBACK – BATTLE
Blunt force memory. The blood spilling out of his 11 year old body. The sungomas and physicians had cleared him, and told him he was healed. The magic healers’ potions, drained, refused a healed man more.
Around fires and parties, they spoke of him—Edmund the Just, the boy who shattered the White Witch’s sceptre. The volta of the battle who turned the tide in their favour. He let them talk. Let them have it, so he could hear what he needed.
EXT. FORD OF BERUNA – NIGHT
Edmund went out into that good night. He stood at the Ford of Beruna, at the boundary line. The heavens hovered close suffocating the horizon, weighed down and ready to break. The water under him was black, the trees were black; he hoped that he would be reduced to nothing but a shadow. He feared what people would say if they saw him now.
Edmund the Just—always comfortable yet stoic, his face composed, pensive, and pulled back. But now, his expression was different. His smile, usually earnest and stern, was skewed and unsettled.
He stood on Narnia’s side of the ford, staring at what had once been her territory. From behind him, ASLAN appeared, walking past him into her lands. Edmund had never communicated much with Aslan. Maybe it was reverence, maybe fear.
But now he pursued.
EDMUND TRANSPORTED FIRST DAY IN NARNIA
Edmund walks through icy leaves, realizing where he is. This is the place he first met the White Witch.
He watches, from behind a tree, as his younger self—a Black boy of 11, dressed in a light shirt —approachesThe White Witch. She is in her twenties, with soft black hair and doe-like eyes, a reminiscent of Snow White.
She is frightened by him. Carrying the disposition of a victim already wounded. Her hands raise, defensive. Edmund the boy looks alarmed. Slowly, the White Witch realises something.. Her demeanor softens. She circles him, offers him a seat in her sleigh, pouring something steaming into a cup.
Older Edmund watches from a distance, seeing the silent exchange of words. Their mouths move, but no sound comes. The White Witch steps into her sleigh, wrapping her fur coat around the younger Edmund—a soft, white fur coat. Older Edmundis surprised by how young he had been. He was made to believe that this small boy - the russian doll 4 layer down inside him had been a petty, dangerous, whim-driven, jealous tratior. But oh: he was just a boy, a child, a child a child,
The boy leans into ithe coat, comforted and warm. But the older Edmund feels a creeping sense of distortion and unease, watching this moment replay itself. He watches as the White Witch feeds the young boy Turkish Delight.
INT. WHITE WITCH’S SLEIGH
The younger Edmund’s hunger is palpable. His hand rises to his mouth, wide-jawed as he bites into a brick of Turkish Delight. His face is young giving away his hunger.
At the same time, older Edmund’s jaw unhinges. He wretches. The sight of his younger self indulging in the witch’s sweet turns his stomach. The contents spill out of him violently. The violent bright pink _ the same colour as the turkish delights - against the white snow. He spews spews spews. The noise coming from his gut.
EXT. FORD OF BERUNA – NIGHT (PRESENT)
Edmund stumbles back, disoriented, and when he looks up, Aslan is gone. He is alone. Lightning cracks above, pulling him back to the present.
He runs blindly through the trees, desperate, and collides into PETER. Peter catches him, embracing his trembling brother. The storm continues to rumble overhead. He leans in warm and comforted.
The sky breaks. Edmund and Peter separate from the embrace. Peter rubs his stomach indicating it’s time for a home cooked meal. Edmund nods.
FADE OUT.
EXT. WATERFALL – GOLDEN HOUR
The camera opens on a wide shot of a breathtaking waterfall pit in Narnia’s lush landscape. Sunlight filters through the canopy, casting golden beams onto the flowing water. Birds sing from the trees, their melodies blending with the soft rush of the river below.
MEDIUM SHOT – THE WATER
SUSAN (27, dark-skinned, waist-length dreadlocks) kneels by the water’s edge, gently cradling a larg fish with silver and blue wings and an orange body. She dips the fish back into the water, where it glides away.
FISH (gurgly/ bubbly):
Thank you!
WIDE SHOT – SUSAN AT THE WATER’S EDGE
Susan watches as the fish vanishes, her expression thoughtful. She stands slowly, dusting her hands, and walks back to where a picnic blanket lies, a serene scene with flowers, drinks, and food carefully laid out.
CLOSE-UP – RUTH
RUTH (30, dark-skinned, braided hair) lies on the blanket, her face upturned to the sun, eyes closed, soaking in its warmth.
CLOSE-UP – SUSAN
Susan kneels down beside Ruth, her hand gently tracing Ruth’s face with tender affection. Ruth stirs, her lips forming a small, peaceful smile.
SUSAN:
(quietly, almost to herself)
"I can’t believe I need to return... to a world that doesn’t have this kind of magnificence."
CLOSE-UP – RUTH'S EYES
Ruth opens her eyes, curious. Her body shifts slightly toward Susan, silently asking for more.
RUTH:
(softly)
"What do you mean?"
SUSAN:
(stuttering, hesitant)
"I... I mean..."
(shakes her head, troubled)
"I don’t know."
CLOSE-UP – RUTH'S HAND:
Ruth reaches out and gently runs her thumb across Susan’s furrowed brow, easing the tension.
RUTH:
"Whatever it is, it should come out. Things left in the dark grow like mushrooms."
MEDIUM SHOT – SUSAN AND RUTH, INTIMATE
Susan’s face softens but remains troubled.
SUSAN:
"My brothers... and Lucy. They’ve taken to Narnia so well. When they talk about Earth, it’s like they’re remembering a dream—fragmented, nonsensical... infactual."
RUTH:
(slight chuckle)
"Infactual?"
SUSAN:
(sighs)
"I know it’s wrong because I remember it all vividly. Every detail."
RUTH:
(studying her, voice gentle)
"Do you still have ties there?"
SUSAN:
(shaking her head slowly)
"No... but I’ll have to go back. When the White Stag taunts us, we’ll be called."
RUTH:
(teasing, smirking)
"And how do you know this, hmm? Have you the gift of foresight, child?"
CLOSE-UP – SUSAN'S SMILE:
Susan smiles faintly, but her eyes remain shadowed with something deeper.
SUSAN:
"Aslan told me."
RUTH SITS UP – MEDIUM SHOT
Ruth sits up, her curiosity piqued, body language open as she leans in closer to Susan.
RUTH:
"I’ve noticed that Aslan... confides in you, unlike your siblings. With them, he’s a mentor. But with you..."
SUSAN:
(tightening her jaw, hands fidgeting)
"At the Stone Table... when Aslan was killed... I did something."
RUTH:
(soft, concerned)
"What did you do?"
SUSAN:
(voice trembling, eyes glistening)
"I stole some of Lucy’s healing potion... mixed it with alabaster oil... and poured it onto him."
CLOSE-UP – SUSAN’S EYES
Her gaze drops, guilt washing over her.
SUSAN (CONT’D)
"I towelled him with my hair. And then... Aslan resurrected."
RUTH:
(surprised, listening intently)
SUSAN (CONT’D):
"I was so afraid to confess. Narnians take life and death so seriously, and to interfere with their god... I thought there would be consequences."
CLOSE-UP – RUTH TAKES SUSAN'S HAND
Ruth takes Susan’s hand, squeezing it gently, her voice calm and filled with love.
RUTH
"You saved him."
MEDIUM SHOT – THE TWO WOMEN CLOSE, INTIMATE
Susan looks down, her voice heavy.
SUSAN
"But I don’t know how I’ll go back to Earth... without you. Earth is... it’s full of greed, anger. Relationships collapse in on themselves - no one has any .. care for each other. Power dynamics infect and pervet everything, and - and love- Ruth. you would not believewhat they’ve done to love"
RUTH
(silent, watching her closely)
SUSAN (CONT’D)
"They call everything love there, obsession, lust, need. Sex is perverted. Knowledge is hoarded. .And it made me- it just - It’s like something inside me always wanted to burn out."
CLOSE-UP – SUSAN’S FACE IN PAIN
Susan’s face contorts with grief, eyes brimming with unspoken rage.
SUSAN (CONT’D)
"I don’t know how to be there and leave you, my peace, here."
MEDIUM SHOT – RUTH TAKES SUSAN’S FACE
Ruth, unwavering, takes Susan’s face in her hands, her eyes full of love and resolve.
RUTH
"Then let me come with you."
CLOSE-UP – SUSAN, SURPRISED
Susan’s eyes widen, taken aback by Ruth’s words.
RUTH (CONT’D)
"Let me see this other dimension of yours - of you. I want to understand you... all of you. Maybe your world can bring out the strength I see in you, in me."
SUSAN
(shakes head, voice soft and trembling)
"I can’t... I can’t subject you to that."
RUTH
(gently, determined)
"Entreat me not to leave thee... or to return from following after thee. For whither thou goest, I will go. Where thou lodgest, I will lodge."
CLOSE-UP – RUTH’S HANDS HOLDING SUSAN’S
Their hands intertwine, Ruth’s voice steady.
RUTH (CONT’D)
"Thy people shall be my people. And thy God, my God.Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me."
WIDE SHOT – EMBRACE
Susan’s eyes well with tears. She leans into Ruth, and they embrace tightly, holding on to one another as the camera pulls back to reveal the waterfall cascading down, the sunlight casting a golden hue over the scene.
FADE OUT.
