365. The Dollmaker's Heart - Leslie

• FADE IN:


• INT. THE DOLLMAKER'S SHOP - NIGHT


• The shop is a small, crowded place, filled with strange tools, tubs of miniature clothing of all sorts, spools of hair, and shelves upon shelves of unfinished dolls.


• NARRATOR (V.O.)
• In a little village, not too far from where you are sitting, lived The Dollmaker. Nobody knew much about him, for they rarely saw him leave his shop. When he did, they knew he would always give a gentle smile, and have some magnificent present for the village children, before he rushed away - and to where? No one knew.


• In the corner of the shop there is a sprawling miniature, stretching from wall to wall, complete with forests, rivers, lakes, and a town.


• NARRATOR (V.O.)
• What no one would ever know, was that the gifts he gave to the village children were mere trifles, the work that stayed within his shop was his true genius. A world for his special creations.


• EXT. MINIATURE WORLD: LAKE - NIGHT


• ARIEL, a doll within the tiny world, sits by the lake, digging into the soft dirt.


• Beside her rests a small glass jar, gleaming in the starlight.


• She looks up, weary, and puts the shovel aside, the hole is deep enough.


• Her articulated wrists are covered in small leather bracelets and beaded strings.


• She has an impressive mohawk that rises high above her head, and a single strand of spike that is carefully placed in front of each ear.


• She wears a dark t-shirt, a skirt, and diamond-patterned fishnet stockings.


• Ariel straightens and pulls off her shirt, shiny plastic skin reflecting in the moonlight.


• She pulls a tiny latch at the center of her ribcage and her chest opens, like two, small wardrobe doors.


• Within her chest, nestled within delicately arched ribs, lies a small, glowing heart.


• She reaches inside and pulls it out, placing in the jar, then closes her chest and pulls her shirt back on.


• She holds the jar up to the light.


• The heart is battered, bits of duct tape and twine holding it together.


• She stares at it for a long moment and then places it in the hole, covering it with dirt and patting it down.


• She stands and walks woodenly back to the town.


• INT. THE DOLLMAKER'S SHOP - NIGHT


• THE DOLLMAKER watches sadly, on his stool, perched above his created world.


• He watches his world through hundreds of small lenses which descend from his ceiling, each calibrated for a different degree of detail.


• EXT. MINIATURE WORLD: ARIEL'S HOUSE - MONTAGE


• Ariel sits in the corner of her home, eyes blank, body still as time passes, day into night and back again, never moving, eyes empty.


• END MONTAGE


• INT. THE DOLLMAKER'S SHOP - NIGHT


• The Dollmaker is sitting on his stool again, watching Ariel through one of his glasses.


• NARRATOR (V.O.)
• The Dollmaker usually left his creations to their own devices, watching, but careful not to interfere too much. But every once in a while...


• As he watches, he sees a tiny rat crawl across the apartment, around Ariel's chair, and over her lap, and she does nothing.


• He purses his lips, then reaches into his world and taps gently on her door with a finger.


• She doesn't move.


• He whispers.


• THE DOLLMAKER
• Little One? Open the door.


• She turns, face pallid from weeks of inactivity and stiffly moves to the door.


• ARIEL
• Why should I open the door?


• THE DOLLMAKER
• Why did you bury the heart I made for you?


• ARIEL
• I'm so tired of it breaking. And nothing I tried helped.


• THE DOLLMAKER
• Would you let me try?


• She pauses then opens the door a crack and sees his hand there, waiting.


• ARIEL
• Alright.


• INT. THE DOLLMAKER'S SHOP - NIGHT


• The Dollmaker walks to a corner of the room where strange, frightening-looking tools hang.


• He pulls off his apron and his shirt, revealing a thick scar that runs down his chest.


• He turns to the wall, removing a large knife, and in a smooth, practiced motion takes a breath, then slices his chest open, crying out.


• He takes a smaller tool, and reaching into his chest, cuts away a piece of flesh.


• He places it in a small jar.


• Taking another heavy breath, he cleans his wound and begins stitching closed his wound, his needle tracing a familiar path up his chest.


• INT. THE DOLLMAKER'S SHOP - NIGHT


• The Dollmaker sits at his work bench, working hard with his tiny tools, crafting a heart from the flesh.


• He leans back in his chair, grimacing for a moment with the pain, then relaxes.


• He holds the tiny heart up to the light, turns a final screw and it begins to glow.


• EXT. MINIATURE WORLD: ARIEL'S HOUSE - DAY


• Ariel blinks awake, still in her chair, as sunlight begins to bathe the room.


• She looks down, surprised; in her lap is a beautiful leather case.


• She opens it carefully and finds the heart, beautiful and brilliant with light.


• A small note is attached to the box.


• THE DOLLMAKER (V.O.)
• Dear One, I cannot promise that it will never break again, but is a safe life worth the emptiness?


• She looks around at the cobwebs that have formed around the room and the chair itself, threatening to make their move on her body.


• THE DOLLMAKER (V.O.)
• Guard your heart, but don't lose it. I can promise that I will always repair it for you. Just ask.


• She pulls it out of the box and with just her touch, light pulses from it into her hand, the warmth of life spreading into her face.


• She turns upward looking out the window and nods.


• INT. THE DOLLMAKER'S SHOP - DAY


• The Dollmaker pulls away from his lenses, a smile on his face.


• He stands up and walks away, leaving the small world to wake up to a new morning.


• FADE TO BLACK.