Day 14: Into the Lonely Night

Into the Lonely Night
by
Matt Zurbo

Oscar had a big secret. So big, it scared him. Whenever he thought too hard, his head would fill with lightening!

As a result of this Oscar kept mostly to himself, and only thought outside, in the rain.

It was horrible! The slightest idea, and he would set bird nests on fire. He even fried a cat or two by mistake. 

Poor Oscar couldn’t take much more… 

Then, one day, he met a girl holding a balloon. 
(That was dark, but held a crescent shape, that glowed like the moon.)

“It drags me across the sky,” she said. “Once a month, when it’s full.”

Other kids would have laughed, but Oscar knew better. It would be cruel to not believe her when he had secrets all his own. 

So Oscar and the girl with the moon for a balloon sailed away together.
(on a boat, with flying fish.)

This was fun…!
(Girl hunched, laughing, as boy, standing in boat, has arms wide, as if flying, lightening coming from head.)

Freedom…
(Mermaids and mermen jumping from water around them, lit by moonlight.)

Adventure, scary and wild!
(Rough seas. Boy, arse in air, holding onto end of boat, looking at dragon, head poking out of wave. Girl paddling.)

But not everyone likes things fun, free or wild. Two of the teachers from their school, Miss Grump and Mr Rough, stamped their feet!

“We’ll have no more of this!” they boomed, and set off, hunting to get them back. (Using voodoo sniffer dogs, and asking passing bats.)
(Sequence of paintings of dogs leading teachers while Oscar and girl flee)

“We’ve done nothing wrong!” Oscar cried. “What’s our big crime?”
(Oscar, hands out, protecting huddled girl, the rain, in the night, standing in the ruins of an old brick farm house)

“Being different is enough,” Miss Grump insisted.

“Now come along!” Mr Rough huffed.

But, suddenly, sparks began to fly. Oscar felt an idea brewing in his head… (Everybody else’s hair standing on end)

“I’ve got it!” he shouted to the girl (lightening bolts all around). “Let the moon take you to the sky!”  

“Sing songs as you pass each night, sooth the restless,
give them warm, spooky dreams,
release them while they sleep.”

“While I’ll stay on the ground,” Oscar said, “and become an inventor.”
(Powered by his own electricity)

“One day, to keep track of you, I’ll build a telescope. Then invent an electric plane to come to your rescue.”

“And if that takes too long,” the girl said, as she began to drift with the cold wind. “When there is no moon, I’ll look for you by foot at day.”

There was only time left for a sigh and a hug, to fortify themselves…
(as Miss Grump and Mr Rough moved in).

So, with good deeds planned in the dark, while in flight, Oscar and the moon girl,

took off, 

into the lonely night…

 

The End.