Swipe Right!
EXT. ZION NAT FOREST – HOT AIR BALLOON – MORNING
The only balloon in the field, The last tie down is hurled up
into JACK NIGHT’s rough hands. By his twin brother JAMES
(jesse), who is videoing twith his Phone.
JAMES
up up and away…
His niece, REBECCA “BECK” NIGHT, 13 (going on 30), is a tom
boy, and wiz-kid, chomps on a box of cracker-jacks, exchanges
smiles with UNCLE JACK, who tosses a couple pieces into his
mouth. She looks over the edge of the basket in wonderment.
BECK
Finally.
BECK is torn between the hidden prize, the descending earth,
and waves of see-ya-later to her PARENTS and AUNT FLORENCE,
who wave in return from their deminishing SUV below.
INT. SUV – CONT
Beck’s dad, JAMES (in his white shirt and tie) and her mom,
MELINDA (in pearls) fret and dote at Beck, overly dressed
next to the box trailor. (?there’d be a 2nd crew and vehicle)
MELINDA
Quite a birthday gift.
JAMES
(jealous)
Look how big her smile is…
He looks past the monitor on his phone/camera, to see the
ascending balloon with his naked eye. Waves.
MELINDA
(thru her smile, to James)
the whole thing is so precarious.
FLORENCE
no negative thoughts… “a ship is
safe in its – “
JAMES
(finishes her sentence)
– harbor” yep. no negative thoughts.
MELINDA
We were just hoping her Rite of
passage would be a pagent or tea
party…
James doesn’t quite agree, but doesn’t quibble.
Florence, rustic and comfortable, gets into the back seat,
rolls down her window, blows a kiss to Uncle Jack who catches
it and hands it like a butterfly to Beck.
FLORENCE
It was only a matter of time… your
brother and she are so alike.
EXT. PARKING LOT.
The balloon drifts upward.
FLORENCE
Jimbo. Mel. this car Isn’t going to
drive it self.
James and Melinda hop into the SUV, James strarts forward,
hestitates, lurches forward, then slams to a stop, just
missing a van that hestantly pulls into the lot for a view of
the rising balloon. Japanese toursts snap photos through the
windows of the van.
INT. SUV
MELINDA
(clutching her pearls)
James! Give me the camera. Watch
where you’re driving.
FLORENCE
(namaste hands)
If we hurry, we can see them fly by
at Turner’s nch overlook…
EXT. PARKING LOT.
Extreme wide shot of SUV cutiously exits the lot onto now
empty backwoods road. The crew van and trailer follow.
EXT. HOT AIR BALLOON – MORNING
UNCLE JACK
Ready to take her up?
BECK
Higher?
UNCLE JACK
Oh yes…
Jack takes her hand and helps her get a feel for the
controls. Beck tunes into the importance, opportunity, and
stuffs the box of CJs into her back pocket and focuses her
attention, like the captain of a ship.
UNCLE JACK
Steady as she goes capt’n.
BECK
where ar we going?
UNCLE JACK
where ever the wind blows.
BECK
We follow the jetstreams.
UNCLE JACK
thats right.
BECK
i went online
UNCLE JACK
this takes us over turners place and
down ro the river.
BECK
then out red rock. where we’ll meet
up with the rents.
UNCLE JACK
Rents and ‘rence.
BECK
Jimbo and M?
UNCLE JACK
and Flow. He hates that you call him
Jimbo. You should show respect.
BECK
I know.
UNCLE JACK
You’re a rebel.
(shows her a control)
You’re a natural.
Beck takes in the view, Jack points out landmarks, and uses
the compass…
UNCLE JACK
you have to respect the controls,
feel the craft, in the air, your life
is in your own hands up here,
(wrecklessness can kill you…true
for down there too.)
BECK
Wish he were more like you.
UNCLE JACK
No, you don’t.
BECK
You’d be an awesome dad.
UNCLE JACK
I make an awesome uncle, Flo an
awesome aunt. Parents need to be
stable. We like our freedom… but
that has had a cost too. ( his mind
drifts to some regret.)
BECK
(too heavy for her)
oh-kay…(changing the subject) I can
see the car up ahead…
UNCLE JACK
Turner Ranch, see the row of
Norfolks? They create a kind of wind
shield to the south… so, we catch
the up draft and that’ll send us down
the valley towards Red Rock and town.
EXT. WID VISTA
FLY-BY POV: At the end of the ridge of trees, the SUV. Her
parents and aunt wave from the edge of a modest canyon. James
recording their fly-by with his phone. Melinda trys not to be
distracted by the disheveling wind. Her Sunday-best paying
the cost of her daughter’s joy. The sun shines bright over
the horizon.
INT. BALLOON BASKET
Uncle Jack presents a wrapped gift to Beck that he kept
hidden in the soda cooler at thier feet.
Beck’s eyes swell to twice their size, going from captain to
litte girl, then ceremoniously unties the ribbon and
wrapping-paper. The carvings on the antique box esclates the
mystery and her anticiption.
The brass latch CLINKS open with a SLOW MOTION push from her
thumb. The patina’d and etched telescope inside catches a
sunbeam, that sparks, that inpires visions of voyages from
numerous novels and childhood stories… she surveys the
distance, assesses the compass, points to their destination.
Jack beams proud at his protege.
Beck hugs her uncle, then presses the scope to her eye, eager
to see into the future.
The balloon drifts serene along the the canyon, it diminishes
in to the distance, as a storm gathers ahead.
INT. BALLOON BASKET
UNCLE JACK
Odd, the forecast was clear.
BECK
What’ll we do?
UNCLE JACK
(through the telescope)
It’s a long way off, we’ll be on the
ground soon.
BECK
I’m not afraid.
Jack adjusts the balloons fuel altitude. Beck eyes the storm,
then they’re landing sight. Then sees the SUV negotiating the
curving road along the canyon’s edge.
Her father steers with one hand, holds the camera/phone with
the other.
INT. SUV
MELINDA
James! Pay attention to the road! My
nerves are shot already!
Florence offers a swig of a flask to Melinda, who, almost
without hesitation, eagerly takes a swig, then a second
prolonged sip.
INT. BALLOON BASKET
Beck pulls the telescope from her eye, clears her vision,
then takes a look into the distance, the landing area, the
storm, a carvan of busses leaving the wilderness park.
Lightning strikes in the distance. The thunder rolls towards
them.
BECK
Thats not good.
UNCLE JACK
No… it’ll be okay.
Jack pulls out his cell phone… still far away, lightning
strikes again. His cell phone fails. He tries again.
UNCLE JACK
(into phone)
Yep. ASAP. I’m taking us down.
Lightning, thunder.
INT. SUV
the suv stops to make a u-turn, the trailer, this isn’t good,
the busses, the SUV, mid four point turn, the storm, the bus
INT. BALLOON BASKET
through the telescope, Beck watches events unfold, The storm,
the busses, the SUV, her dad and the camera, Florence on the
phone,
UNCLE JACK
Flow… take the camera…
BECK
Jack, that tell them to hurry..
UNCLE JACK
what?
BECK
there are buses coming!
UNCLE JACK
Beck says hurry, there are busses
coming.
BECK
hurry hurry hurry
UNCLE JACK
she can see you, there are busses
heading your way.
BECK
come on…
The storm, flashes of lightning, the phone goes dead, thunder
shatters, his cofidence, dials the phone, Jack pulls out
binoculars from a holster hanging in the basket, the busses,
James gets the SUV stuck.
UNCLE JACK
(calls out)
move move, oh god! Florence…?
BECK
get, stop… this my
UNCLE JACK
no, no no, GET OUT, JUMP OUT!
He turns Beck’s head to avert her eyes, but she resists.
INT. SUV
Florence opens her door, attempts to escape… on the phone,
finally sees what Jack has failed to convey… the oncoming
buses. She looks to the sky searches for a finsl glimpse of
the distant balloon.
SLOW MOTION, the two buses one after the other, smash into
the jack-knifed/t-boned SUV.
Beck screams in as much disbelief as utter and complete
horror, drops the telescope to the floor of the basket, the
nightmare, the terror, in her panic she starts to climb the
walls of the basket, (Jackie o-like, reaching, escaping,
looking for a crack in reality.)
Jack grabs Beck from her vain effort, a certain death. she
falls to her knees.
Jack attempts to pilot the balloon… the horror of the
moment not lost, blinding flash of lightning, the instant
crack of thunder stops the already shattered heart of Uncle
Jack.
His body collapses to floor in front of Beck, he partly
dangles from his grip of the torch control, the flame blazes,
the balloon acelerates still higher toward space, away from
the tradegy below, up through the storm.
His body limp, Beck struggles to release his death grip,
emotionally spent, like a soldier into hell.
EXT. CLOUDS
Extreme wide. Accelerated pull out… Beck stares out of the
basket, out, beyond, the balloon rises up over the storm
front, whipping up a whisp of cloud as it narrowly misses.
beautiful, epic, biblical lightning below.
INT. BALLOON BASKET
beck looks back at the tiny rising smoke from the accident
behind. here uncle lays lifeless at her feet.
She sobs. little girl sobs. uncontrollable cries…
Through the tears and the terror,
BECK
This has got to be a bad dream. Uncle
Jack… wake up…(to herself) wake
up, wake up. Beck!
The realtiy of this most extreme of predicaments,the basket
sways as it now drifts at the whim of the winds.
Beck becomes conscious of te exreme cold. She spots the cell
phone… 911,
BECK
(to other end)
police? oh my god, i need help, …i
don’t know, we’re In my uncle’s hot
air balloon…heading toward Red
Rock… hello? …He’s had a heart
attack or something.. there was
lightning, and my parents, there was
a bus, I think they… hello? hello?
Tears stream down her face, she tries the gps, google maps,
it’s dead. She starts to panic.
BECK
(upward, outward)
what! what do i do? i don’t
understand. this doesnt make sense.
Looks to her uncle.
She resolves to take charge, attempts to pilot the balloon..
She fires up the torch, seems to recover… for a while.
BECK
oh my god, the altitude! there’s less
air, We’re too high! How do I go
down?
She looks around for some clue on how to descend.
BECK
more weight… less air… a release
valve….
Looks up into the swollen balloon still inflated overhead.
it’s got to be just right, too
much…. too fast…
she starts reaching randomly, touches various parts, hoping
her hands discover what to do. Not thinking clearly
(to herself) …I plummet to my
death.
She accidently feeds the flame, the balloon jolts up. Her own
screeetch suprises herself.
She releases the handle as she struggles to not hyper
ventilate.
Just regaining her composure. She blacks out. Collapsing to
the basket floor, face to face with her uncle. eye to eye.
he blinks.
EXT. CLOUDS
The balloon drifts, tiny in the vast sky.
INT. BALLOON BASKET
Beck Wakes up… seems like hours, but it is only minutes.
Jack’s waiting eye meets her eye,
UNCLE JACK
(barely)
There she is…
Beck screetches and jolts up.
then brings her head back down to make sure… he smiles.
BECK
Uncle Jack? your okay!!!
UNCLE JACK
(barely)
I don’t think so, I can’t move.
Beck attempts to roll him over, but his size and position
make it impossible.
UNCLE JACK
tablecloth
BECK
table cloth?
UNCLE JACK
trick… (attempts to use his eye to
show her), TaaDaa…
BECK
table cloth trick?
She realizes what he means, then grabs the underside of his
jacket, and pulls the fabric in a sudden and fluid move he is
facing upward. Half his face embossed with the floor of the
basket is almost horrific. She falls back from the momenum
and fright.
Jack half smiles with relief, he looks up into the
tear-filled eyes of Beck.
UNCLE JACK
9:30 Beck
Beck cocks her head, bewildered til it hits her.
INT. BALLOON BASKET
Beck throws herself to the floor of the basket her head right
next to Jack’s, gaining his upward perspective.
UNCLE JACK
9:30 left hand, righty tighty…(Beck
starts), wait, and right hand, 3:00,
nose down…
EXT. PARKING LOT. (RED ROCK FURTHER) – HOURS LATER
the basket crashes hard but safely, the balloon deflates, but
drags the basket, Beck tumbles out, devastated. relieved. she
is met with several EMTs.
The balloon crew remove Jack, someone covers his head and
torso with a their jacket… they are distraught – in disbelief.