Frog and Mouse V.2; SYNOPSIS Mouse explains at length the events that led up to the world's destruction, and more importantly exactly why they find themselves holed up in an old oil drum with nothing to eat but a shoe. Sitting in an old oil drum eating shoe is no life for two gay bachelors. They must leave the drum towards the sign in the heavens. (A huge golden arrow in the distance) Frog is not impressed. He enjoys eating shoe in an old oil drum. Mouse makes wild promises of a better experience, better food, better quality of life, better adventure. The sign is a sign, but also a sign while still being a sign. Frog insists to know why this is so important. Mouse replies that it is to be able to stay cool when he dies. Mouse fails to coerce Frog into taking the leap. Instead he pees on the shoe, picking a fight with frog that brings them outside. They encounter many hardships, (Horrible mutants, robots and war debris) and whenever Frog feels disheartened Mouse will show a silver lining, an opportunity. By wit and luck they press on. They finally reach the sign (huge arrow sign- Las Vegas style) and Mouse discreetly marks an "X" location. They start digging, but no matter how deep they dig no "gold" is found. Frog is hungry and sad, Mouse is turning manic. It is impossible that his spirit animal (the sign sign) should lead him wrong. Things are turning bad and sour. Frog leaves the dig site swearing and crying. Mouse curses but finally follows him. Mouse catches up to him and notices Frog is perfectly still. Frog points into the mist, and when Mouse looks he sees Death. Mouse looses his senses which causes Frog to take action. He steps forward and screams to Death "Go away, or take us with pride, for we are ready, for we are ones who lived to the fullest!" Death shakes his head, looks at his wristwatch, then dissappears. The two stand still awhile. Upon returning to the digsite, Mouse is quiet. He sees the hole he made and starts crying. He begins to apologize, when suddenly Frog smells something. Frog grabs the shovel and jumps into the hole and yells "Eureka!". At the bottom of the hole is a shoe. They carry the shoe homewards while agreeing that Mouse has learned a bit of the bad, and Frog has learned a bit of the good. They're best friends even if they don't always get along, and together they make up one almost complete and functional being. ****************************************************** VOICE SCRIPT --- segment 1, ca 45 s (A pair of hands re-enact the fate of the world by props, toys and illustrations) --- Mouse: OK, so in beginning God said something about light, and then there was light. Then life evolve into society, and things was all swell. Then someone invented thing called "conflict" and then things were less swell; and when someone say thing like "Oi! You scratch my... toaster; is brand new!" and someone else say "You toaster is ugly and I kill you!" is all good and fine, but when such aggression come between great supernations, then they will say "Who needs God? We are God now!" and then they will say something about light, and then there was light. Again. In this great silence our mamas meet our papas and then there was we, and all our life we scavenge and fight. That is why we endure so many hardship, and for what? To sit in old oil drum and eat shoe!" --- segment 2, ca 1,45 m (Frog and Mouse are within an old oil drum. Frog sits on a disgusting shoe and eats merrily. Through the rusted out opening daylight is seen.) --- Frog: Tha' was oddly expositional, tha' was. I don' need an 'istory lesson. 'Ave some more shoe. Mouse: Shoe shoe, always with the shoe! This no life for gay bachelors such as ourselves. Don't you see Frog? The world look empty and barren, but out there is rewards unfathomable for the one with bravery enough to grab shovel! Frog: Out there? Like, there's demons out there! Mouse: No no no, only survivors such as ourselves Frog, all busy surviving. Come along, the sign beckons to us. (Through the opening, Mouse points dramatically towards the huge downward-pointing arrow sign in the far distance.) Frog: I'm quite aware of the sign thanks, and also you know, you're insane. Mouse: Well of course, but the sign... is neigh restricted to be just a sign, a sign can be a sign while also being... a sign! Frog: A sign? Mouse: A sign. Frog: A sign. Mouse: A sign! It is a sign of signs, a portent, a good omen, my spirit animal! Golden opportunity await us, Frog. Golden, I say. Life can be... so much more! Frog: Pass. Mouse: Only thing certain in life, Frog, is death. When he comes for me, I shall neigh go quietly into that good night. I shall look him in the eye and say "Go away, or take me with pride, for I am ready, for I am one who lived to the fullest." Frog... (Mouse makes humongous googly-eyes) Frog: Whoa, tha's a bad look for you tha'. Tha's like a puppy's look tha' is. You oughtta not do that look. 'S horrible. Don' do tha'. (Mouse shrugs and then piddles on the shoe) Frog: Oh, wha, you... I'll bloody murder you! Mouse: Come, come, Frog. Wise ferret of bottle mountain says-*- (Frog hurls himself at mouse and they fight themselves outside, into the bright radio-active desert) Mouse: Frog, mine dear. If you... Who then will you play rock-paper-lazerbeam with? Frog: I dunno. Me shadow? A nice pebble? Pro'lly not that there fellow. (The mutant/cyborg badger grins menacingly at them) ---------------- segment 3, ca 2 m (montage-style action. They walk/sneak/run through a myriad of dangers and different situations/hardships) (The pair are sitting in a cage while the mutant badger stirs a huge cauldron) Mouse: Ah, to cast off the shackles of mundanity, to suck the marrow of life. To arms, mi hermano, against raging sea of mediocrity. Fieth upon oil drums and shoes. (Mouse manages to pick the lock and they sneak away) Frog: I like living in a drum an' eatin' shoe. Besides, I was right I was, it's dangerous out here. We might catch tetanus or something. (the mutant badger is following them, guns ablaze) Mouse: Danger smanger, feel the rush of blood and adrenaline, run with the wind, acknowledge life when it knocks upon you head. (they throw themselves down a concrete crack opening, entering an old bomb-shelter) Frog: Life didn't knock, you knocked! (Mouse taps an old rat-trap, stealing, sniffing and discarding the cheese) Mouse: Knock on wood, Frog! (Frog stares at an ruined old pinup magazine "Frogue") Frog: You go' a way with words, I admit, but sometimes I don't think you're right in the 'ead, like. (They climb a human skeleton and gets chased by tentacles) Mouse: Thing is, Frog, You look around and you see only radioactive wasteland. I say, look beneath! Where glass is half-full. Under the dust lie the glory of old, and by exhuming these glory, we bring to fruition a future just as wonderful as the past! (They ride cockroaches like cowboys on horses) Frog: I don' see what's so great about the past. Most people who lived in it are dead, y'know. I don' really care for the future either, since I don' know if I'll be in it. (Camping out in an old accordeon) Mouse: But you should be in it. We go in search of better tomorrow, where the oil drums are proper oil houses and where the shoes taste of cinnamon buns instead of long dead feet. (Hunted by radioactive vermin cult) Frog: And piddle. Mouse: Dead feet and piddle. Frog: I reckon you should'n try to improve wha's not broken, nor should you break stuff jes' 'cause it's not perfect. I mean, s' all rather subjective in the end, innit? And all o' this is making me real uncomfortable, like. (Ruin everywhere) Mouse: I beg of you; try to look at this graveyard as more than mere deposit of bones, More like grand boutique carrying material to make... things you make from bones... Like glue! Glue is good, unequalled for bonding. Frog: Unless you're rubber. Mouse: ... That is true. --------------------------- segment 4, ca 3 m (they reach the huge Las-Vegas style arrow, on top of a huge desolate dune) Frog: Told you. It's just an old sign! Mouse: Behold the sign-sign! Is it neigh beautiful? To think we finally made it here! Ah, puts hair on your back! Frog: And then what? Mouse: The treasure! Frog: What treasure? How do you know there's treasure here? Mouse: Look! You can see the drum from here. How insignificant it seems. (Frog looks for the drum, Mouse quickly marks an "X" on the ground and produces a shovel) Mouse: Here! Downward ho! Ho heigh ho! (Mouse digs for a long time. Day turns to night and back to day) Frog: Mouse... We're all alone in the middle of nowhere... that's probably in the middle of somewhere, just... shifting dirt. I don' wanna do this no more. We 'ad it good. Mouse: Fear neigh, mine brother, for soon our dreams shall come true. They must come true. There canneigh be an unfulfillment of destiny here. The glory has spoken! Frog: You're not gonna find treasure. We 'ad it good. Mouse: Of course I find treasure! No treasure? You are pulling me leg. Besides, what of sucking marrow and making the glue of glory and such...? Frog: You've 'ad me crawl around the blasted heath for days, gotten me nearly killed, maimed, or worse, jus' so you can make a bleedin' 'hole in the ground? I'm 'ungry! I'm tired! I'm cold and scared and jus' want to go back 'ome! We 'ad it good! We 'ad it good! I'm goin' 'ome an' I don' give a blimey if you come or not. (Frog angrily stomps away) Mouse: You're going the wrong way, you... you stupidhead! (Mouse looks angrily after Frog, kicks the sign and throws away the shovel) Mouse: Me cago en la leche! Frog! Frog! Where are you Frog? Come now, if really you please, I might make apologies. In death is neither cinnamon bun nor shoe! (Mouse enters the foggy realm and finds Frog in the mist. Frog points silently towards death. Mouse freezes and makes thegoogly-eyes. Frog looks between death and Mouse) Frog: Go away, or take us with pride, for we are ready, for we are ones who lived to the fullest! (Death coughs, looks at his wrist-watch, and dissappears in the mist) Mouse: ... Neigh with a bang. Frog: No bang... A whimper. ----------------------- segment 5, ca 1½ minutes (They return to the sign) Mouse: Look at this mess. I... got so caught up in the thing of doing the thing that I... lost perspective on the other thing that... Frog: Quiet! Mouse: Scusido? Frog: I smell something. (Mouse sniffs himself) Frog: I know that smell! (Frog leaps into the hole and starts digging furiousely) Mouse: Frog? There is nothing down there. The glass is all empty. Frog: Oh it's glorious Mouse! It's just what you said it'd be! Jus' look at it, marvel and lavish! (At the bottom of the hole is a shiny new shoe) Mouse: ... Hijole! Frog: I say! The sign really was a sign. Let's hurry up 'ome. I can't like wait to see the ole drum again. (They get the shoe to surface and lifts it up between them) Mouse: Let's!.. and... thank you, Frog. For things. Frog: Don' it smell just like a cinnamon bun, Mouse? Don' it? Mouse: Peculiar... It does! (their silhouettes with the shoe between them walks into the sunset) Frog: 'S jus' push to shove, we make a darn good team, Mouse. Mouse: Certainly Frog. You're never alone in good company. END