Kaji: The Days the World Got Big (And Then Small Again)
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. HOME - MORNING
Sunlight streams onto the floor. Kaji lies in the massage chair, nose resting on paws. PETER sits at a large, black piece of furniture.
KAJI (V.O.): We've just had breakfast together.
Peter starts to hit the white and black keys.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): We're sharing space without demanding anything from each other.
The notes are slow, hesitant. Clumsy.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I always find the sound strange.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's not a bark. It's not birdsong. It's...something else.
Kaji just closes her eyes.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Actually, I'm keeping him company. It's a very important job.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
EXT. BEACH FRONT - AFTERNOON (YESTERDAY)
The car stops. Kaji is helped out, he paws hitting a path.
KAJI (V.O.): The air smells of salt. It's the most glorious smell in the world. Peter has already left us.
Kaji walks with the PACK LEADER.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): We're in a strange place. Lots of two-legs. Lots of noise.
But then, they enter a quiet area.
INT. PET AREA, ARCADE, REPULSE BAY - CONTINUOUS
A colourful playground structure. Kaji is off-leash. The Pack Leader sits on a bench, watching her.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): The thing smells of many other dogs.
Later, when Peter rejoins them, Kaji stands confidently on the colourful gateway.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm the Queen of this place now.
INT/EXT - BEACHFRONT RESTAURANT - CONTINUOUS
Kaji is resting near the Pack Leader and Peter.
KAJI (V.O.): I can see their legs, the legs of the passers-by, and the sand.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I feel safe, loved and present in the moment.
RETURN TO PRESENT
INT. THE OTHER HOME - AFTERNOON
Kaji is with the Pack Leader. She wields a long stick with a cloth on the end.
KAJI (V.O.): I stay out of her way.
Kaji spots her favourte ball on the floor.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): As the Pack Leader is busy, let me play with the ball on my own.
She nudges it with her nose. It rolls a few inches. She pounces on it, her front paws pinning it. She picks it up and drops it.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): It bounces!
She watches it roll to a stop. She trots over, nudges it again. It rolls further. She chases it and grabs the ball.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): This is my game. I'm the player, the chaser, the winner!
From the kitchen, the Pack Leader watches, a tired but genuine smile on her face.
PACK LEADER: It seems like you're having fun, right?
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): The world doesn't have to be big to be full. Sometimes, a ball in a room is enough.
Recalling.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was by myself when the pack including the maid cheerfully left home without me days ago.
MONTAGE OF KAJI ALONE (2ND & 3RD DAYS OF THE YEAR OF THE HORSE)
A. Kaji lies by the front door. She sniffs the cracks underneath. Dust and the faint, fading scent of the pack.
B. Kaji selects a stuffed monkey toy from her toy box. She drops it. She stares at it. It does nothing. She lies down, chin on the monkey.
C. Kaji is at the window. The light has changed. The sun has set. It's evening.
END MONTAGE
Act 3
INT. HOME - NIGHT
Kaji relaxes on a sofa while the Pack Leader gently pats her fur.
KAJI (V.O.): I don't understand why some days stretched long and empty, why others exploded with adventures and strangers, but I end up exactly where I belong.
Thinking.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): The days the world got big (and then small again) teaches me something I keep on forgetting: that bigness is temporary, but smallness - a ball, a hand patting me - is where peace lives.
Reflecting.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Yesterday was an adventure. Today is a treasure. Tomorrow, I'll be happy with whatever comes - as long as the pack is with me.
FADE OUT
THE END
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