Kaji: The Den-Stealers
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. HOME - DAY - (Five days ago)
Sound of a door opening. Twisting her nose, KAJI hurries to the door and leaps onto the person entering.
KAJI (V.O.): My beloved Den Maker has returned; the long cold wait is finally over.
The DEN MAKER kneels, her face appearing in Kaji's view.
DEN MAKER: My good girl. You're holding the fort?.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): When you last returned, I had just undergone surgery on my left leg. Now, I can move as agile as I like!
IN. HOME - NIGHT (Two days ago)
Human chatter at the door. Kaji's ears perk up.
.
KAJI (V.O): The Den Maker is returning with someone.
Spotting the Den Maker's smiling COMPANION, Kaji eagerly welcomes him.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): It has been a long time since he last visited.
Act 2
INT. NEW DEN - DAY (Yesterday)
Accompanied by the Den Maker and her companion, Kaji catches sight of a new den.
KAJI (V.O): I visited here once or twice before, but now it looks and feels different.
Checking around.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): It's spacious than before, and the smell is sweet and innocent.
Kaji spots her floor bed.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): Oh, they've moved it here already.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): I think I'll take a rest.
INT. NEW DEN - DAY
It's now decorated in vibrant red. Red paper cuttings with strange symbols on the walls. The table is draped in a red cloth with mysterious symbols. Kaji is bewildered.
KAJI (V.O): The Pack Leader and Peter look very busy.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): The Den Maker hides in a room.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): I don't know where's her companion?
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): What's going on?
The doorbell rings. Led by the Den Maker's companion, a procession of PEOPLE carrying large gift boxes follow. Cheers fill the air. Kaji looks perplexed.
Pasuing.'O) (Cont'd): If they'd like to join me in the new den, it might get quite crowded.
Kaji observes that the Den Maker's companion presents the gift boxes to the PACK LEADER and PETER.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): It appears that they're performing the ritual of the gift boxes.
Photo sessions follow.
DEN MAKER (to Kaji): Come and join us!
PHOTOGRAPHER: Smile...
Kaji follows OTHERS and smiles widely in delight.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): I enjoy celebrations like this. The world is perfect!
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): This is my extended family. This is my den!
Later, the others are gone. The silence is sudden.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): The ritual is over. The good smells are fading.
Then, the Den Maker and her companion open two large hollow shells. They fold their clothes and put them neatly inside the shells.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): The Den Maker and her companion are putting their smell away. Into the Stealers.
Kaji abandons her floor bed, walks over and sniffs the edge of the open suitcases.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): They smell like uncertainties.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): They aren't luggage. They're portable goodbyes.
Act 3
INT. HOME - NIGHT
Kaji rests between the Pack Leader and Peter on a sofa.
KAJI (V.O): Love is building a den. Loss is watching it get packed away.
Thinking.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): The Den-Stealers are hollow shells that carry away a piece of my heart, all while pretending to be innocent.
Reflecting.
KAJI (V.O) (Cont'd): The utimate irony: the ones who build the den are the very ones who summon the Stealers to take it apart.
FADE OUT
THE END
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