Act 1 Scene 1
(Prologue)
Through a camera lens we see a dark haired, tan WOMAN sitting in a high-backed armchair, with a lady's posture, straight back, shoulders straight, knees together angled slightly below her hips, bare feet flat on the floor, her simple white dress tucked delicately under her, with her hands folded in her lap. Her eyes are closed; a MAKEUP ARTIST hesitantly sweeps a powder brush over her face.
The WOMAN has thick dark brown locks, long eyelashes, and a small mouth with thin lips. The MAKEUP ARTIST sports a nervous expression with sweat beading on her brow. The WOMAN is undoubtedly attractive, but otherwise appears average. No particular feature stands out.
The camera shifts over to a tall, dark, classically handsome MAN in a smart grey suit, chatting confidently to a HAIR STYLIST, who is combing and hairspraying his short hair, and another member of the camera crew, making themselves busy with adjusting and testing lights behind the man.. He appears excited, and flashes a bright-white smile and winks at the camera;
MAN
Getting my good side, Jimbo?
JIMBO turns the camera again, back to the woman who is seen snatching a liquid eyeliner and hand mirror from the make up artist's hand and applies her own eyeliner in a perfect black sweep and flick. She now fully opens her eyes, revealed to be almond shaped and yellow-green in colour. She gives the eyeliner over. The artist nods slowly and pockets the eyeliner, a blush on her cheeks. She then pulls out a lip colour palette and sheepishly shows the woman.
WOMAN(not bothering to look at the palette)
Dark red, no visible liner, matte. Thank you, dear.
As the artist begins to colour the woman's lips, the hair stylist comes into frame and smiles brightly at the woman;
HAIR STYLIST
Is there anything you'd like done with your hair, Ma'am?
The WOMAN holds up a finger to the HAIR STYLIST while the MAKE UP ARTIST finishes applying a deep read pigment to her lips then takes the hand mirror from the MAKE UP ARTIST again - who flinches at the movement - and looks at herself, turning her head slightly to get a look at her hair. She frowns and reaches her thumb and index finger into her hair, pulling out a bobby-pin. A large tanned skin shape springs up from her hair. The MAKEUP ARTIST and HAIR STYLIST gasp and stare. The WOMAN does not react. She places the bobby-pin in her lap, swaps hands holding the mirror and pulls another pin out the other side of her hair, where another tan shape springs up - from this angle the camera can see that the shapes are large animal-like ears, or, more specifically, they are cat-like.
Hurried footsteps can be heard approaching and the smartly dressed MAN's torso blocks the view;
MAN (urgently)
Jimbo, are you recording?
JIMBO (stuttering)
Uhh, n-no sir, we're still doing our, uh, light and sound checks.
MAN
Start recording right now.
JIMBO
Yessir
A red dot and three letters, 'REC', pops into the top corner of the lens. The MAN steps back and we see the WOMAN, now standing in front of the HAIR STYLIST, having given her the hand mirror to hold up, is brushing her thick black hair over and around the large cat-like ears protruding from under her hair. She smiles slightly as she brushes, and glances over to the camera, acknowledging the recording-red light, then back to the mirror.
YOU ARE READING
The Shadow Beneath the Dunes
Fantasy"Just as the sun sets to give way to the night, the light must also give way to the dark." A TV company receives a mysterious letter from a woman claiming to be an ancient and immortal being, and requesting said TV company record a documentary of h...
