Kaji: My Great Escape

1. FADE IN

3. Act 1

5. INT. HOME - DAY

7. KAJI sits by the door. Keys jingle outside. Kaji's ears perk up, eyes sharpening.

8. 
   

9. KAJI (V.O.): The Pack Leader returns. Time for the sacred rituals.

10. 
    

11. The door opens. The PACK LEADER stumbles in, eyes glued to her smartphone. Kaji performs a graceful spin.

12. 
    

13. KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): Oh, she didn't see it. The spin! How?

14. 
    

15. The Pack Leader shuffles past, oblivious.

16. 
    

17. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me take advantage of this opportunity.

18. 
    

19. Kaji nudges the closing door, slipping quietly into the corridor.

20. 
    

21. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Adventure is out there!

22. 
    

23. Pausing.

24. 
    

25. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Curiosity won't kill the dog.

26. 
    

27. Act 2

28. 
    

29. EXT. CORRIDOR/LIFT LOBBY - CONTINUOUS

30. 
    

31. Kaji wanders in the corridor.

32. 
    

33. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): It extends like a food street.

34. 
    

35. Pausing.

36. 
    

37. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm outside, but not on a leash, and neither the Pack Leader nor Peter is here.

38. 
    

39. Pausing.

40. 
    

41. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): A leash is just a suggestion.

42. 
    

43. Pausing.

44. 
    

45. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Rules are for humans. I'm a Shiba Inu - I make my own.

46. 
    

47. Pausing.

48. 
    

49. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd):They can take me out of the adventure...but they can't take the adventure out of me.

50. 
    

51. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Why fit in when I was born to stand out.

52. 
    

53. Pausing.

54. 
    

55. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.

56. 
    

57. Kaji enters the lift lobby.

58. 
    

59. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Joy is found in the forbidden corridor and lift lobby,

60. 
    

61. We can hear loud panic exchanges between the Pack Leader and PETER coming from inside the apartment.

62. 
    

63. PETER: She's not home? She was with me a moment ago, and I haven't opened the door.

64. 
    

65. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Home is where the treats are, but adventure is where the smells are.

66. 
    

67. Kaji waits in front of the lift doors.

68. 
    

69. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Since no one is here, should I try pressing the lift button to go down?

70. 
    

71. Pausing.

72. 
    

73. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): More importantly, should I run away and never look back?

74. 
    

75. Daydreaming.

76. 
    

77. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Unless there're better treats...

78. 
    

79. Then, the panicking Pack Leader spots Kaji, collapsing at her knees.

80. 
    

81. PACK LEADER: Oh dear! You're here!

82. 
    

83. Kaji trots over, head bowed, tail wagging faintly. The Pack Leader scoops her up.

84. 
    

85. PACK LEADER: Never do that again!

86. 
    

87. We can hear Peter's voice coming from inside the apartment.

88. 
    

89. PETER: Found?

90. 
    

91. PACK LEADER: Yes, she wasn't lost. She was just...temporaily misplaced.

92. 
    

93. KAJI (V.O)(Cont'd): Not all who wander are lost.

94. 
    

95. Pausing.

96. 
    

97. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Was it my great escape?

98. 
    

99. Pausing.

100. 
     

101. KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): No, it was just my harmless self-expression.

102. 
     

103. Act 3

105. INT. HOME - CONTINUOUS

107. Kaji rests calmly on a sofa beside the Pack Leader.

108. 
     

109. KAJI (V.O): I embrace spontaneity and find wonder in the ordinary.

110. 
     

111. The Pack Leader gently strokes Kaji's fur.

112. 
     

113. KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): True bonds are stronger then fleeting thrills.

114. 
     

115. Thinking.

116. 
     

117. KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): I didn't escape. I...upgraded my day!

118. 
     

119. FADE OUT

121. THE END