EXT. PALM DESERT HOUSE - DAY
TOM, early 30's, fit, exits the house from a sliding glass
door to the backyard swimming pool. He wears swimming trunks
and a T-shirt that reads "ABOUT TO BE TOSSED".
He removes shirt and walks on to the diving board.
He dives in.
I/E. POOL - CONTINUOUS
UNDERWATER SHOT.
Tom swims down, down, down.
He keeps swimming downwards; the pool is impossibly deep and
he never reaches bottom.
He suddenly stops; looks concerned.
He looks up.
SHOT OF WATER'S SURFACE, VERY FAR AWAY.
The last bubbles of breath escape his mouth.
He looks around, panicked.
He sees what looks like a lemonade stand attached to the side
of the pool's wall, at which another man, REGGIE, late 20's,
sits.
Tom reads the sign above the stand. It says "FRESH LEMONADE &
OXYGEN TANKS, 50¢"
Tom swims over.
I/E. LEMONADE & OXYGEN STAND - CONTINUOUS
He points to the sign and then himself.
Reggie smiles and nods.
He begins to pour a glass of lemonade.
Tom urgently shakes his head "No!" and points to "OXYGEN
TANKS".
Reggie shrugs and stops pouring glass; pulls out an oxygen
tank and hands it to Tom, who quickly puts it on.
Tom is relieved. He can breath again.
Reggie smiles, then clears his throat.
Tom senses that Reggie is waiting for something.
Reggie points to "50¢".
Tom self-consciously checks his swimsuit pockets.
Reggie begins to look annoyed.
Tom finds some coins! He pulls them out; lays them down on
the counter.
There is exactly 49¢.
Tom shrugs and smiles stupidly, hoping it's enough.
Reggie is not amused. He points at "50¢" again and crosses
his arms.
Tom, unsure as to what to do, looks around.
He spots another stand with a sign that reads "HOMEMADE
BROWNIES & LOANS".
He gestures to Reggie to wait just a moment.
Reggie glares as Tom swims over to the other stand.
I/E. BROWNIES & LOANS STAND - CONTINUOUS
Sitting at the stand is VERONICA, late 20's. She is pretty,
if somewhat stern-looking; wears glasses.
She smiles, professional.
Tom smiles awkward; points to "BROWNIES" and shakes his head
"No", then to "LOANS" and nods "Yes".
Veronica, comprehending, smiles.
She pulls out a clipboard full of papers and hands it to
him.
She hands him a pen and points to a row of chairs that float
around nearby.
Sitting in one of the chairs is a beautiful MERMAID, waiting
patiently.
Tom raises his eyebrows, a little taken aback by her beauty.
He swims over and sits in one of the chairs.
As he begins to fill out the forms, he steals glances at the
Mermaid, he doesn't pay any attention to him.
Finally, he timidly waves to get her attention.
She looks over at him.
He half-shows her the forms, shrugs comically and makes a
face as if to say, "How about all this paperwork, huh?"
She flips him off and turns away again.
Tom, shocked and humiliated, sinks in his seat and focuses on
the paperwork.
Suddenly, someone swims right past him, fast.
He looks through the bubbles to see a ROBBER, masked and
wearing one of those black-and-white stripped shirts that
robbers probably never once wore in all of history, though we
have collectively, as a society, decided they do.
The Robber holds a gun to Veronica's head and hands her an
empty bag to fill.
The Mermaid screams.
Reggie hides behind his stand.
Tom, at first uncertain, suddenly gets an idea!
He swims up, up, up to the surface.
EXT. POOL - CONTINUOUS
Sticking only his hand out of the water, he feels around the
ground until he finds the long-poled net for skimming leaves.
He swims back down.
I/E. POOL - CONTINUOUS
Tom, fierce determination, swims up to the back of the
Robber, who is molesting the Mermaid, who fights back.
Tom drops the net over the Robber, and while the net up until
now looked average in girth, it now proves big enough to
encompass the Robber's entire body.
The Mermaid, grateful, kisses Tom on the cheek.
He pushes her face away.
She pouts, lip quivering, then she swims away in tears.
Veronica and a POLICE OFFICER swim to either side of him and
shake his hand.
Flash! A REPORTER has taken their picture.
The Police Officer puts his arm around Tom and shakes him
heartily; Tom is a little overwhelmed by the attention;
Veronica hands him a check.
INSERT SHOT OF CHECK.
In big letters it reads "REWARD"; the check is for one penny.
Maybe a little off-put by this small sum, Tom nevertheless is
pleased things have worked out.
He swims over to the brownie & loans stand.
I/E. BROWNIES & LOANS STAND - CONTINUOUS
Once there, he turns around to see if Veronica's coming, but
she and the Officer have vanished.
He looks back at the counter and sees a sign on it reading
"Next Window Please".
He looks over and sees another stand, at which a second
BANKER is typing something into a computer.
He swims over and slides the check onto the counter.
Without even looking at Tom, the Banker points away.
Tom looks to see a line of very annoyed looking swimmers, all
wearing only bathing suits, eyeing him.
He sheepishly swims to the back of the line.
Left to wait, Tom absentmindedly looks around.
Something at the bottom of the pool catches his eye.
Something small and glistening in the sunlight.
He looks at the unmoving line and decides to swim down to
investigate.
It's a penny!
TRIUMPHANT MUSIC PLAYS.
Tom smiles.
He swims over to the lemonade stand.
I/E. LEMONADE & OXYGEN STAND - CONTINUOUS
Reggie is leaning back in his chair, feet on the desk,
reading an issue of "The Advocate".
Tom, beaming with accomplishment, slaps the coin onto the
counter.
Reggie picks it up and looks. Furrows his brow.
Tom looks on, expectantly.
Reggie holds up coin.
ZOOM-IN ON COIN.
It's a peso.
ZOOM-IN ON TOM.
His face falls.
TRIUMPHANT MUSIC SLOWS, SLURS, AND STOPS.
Tom is at a loss.
He looks around.
There's a booth that reads "TAROT CARD READINGS & FOREIGN
CURRENCY EXCHANGE", but it has a big "CLOSED" sign on it.
Tom looks to Reggie, but Reggie is back reading his magazine.
Now angry, Tom swims even deeper, deeper, straight to a booth
that reads "HORCHATA Y FUENTES DE LA CABINA".
I/E. FUENTES DE LA CABINA - CONTINUOUS
Working the stand is CARLOS, late 40's, Mexican.
Tom slams the peso onto the counter and points to the sign.
Carlos nods and excuses himself.
Tom waits impatiently.
Carlos returns soon, though, lugging a booth with blank sign,
which he hands to Tom.
Tom nods a thank you and swims away with the booth.
I/E. TOM'S BOOTH - MOMENTS LATER
Tom now sits at his very own booth, which reads "KISSING
BOOTH 1¢".
Across the way, Reggie looks up from his magazine to see
this.
Tom plays it cool; looks around nonchalantly.
Reggie swims over, looking skeptical.
He reads Tom's sign.
Reggie pulls a penny out of his pocket and hands it to Tom.
CLOSE-UP PROFILE SHOT OF TOM AND REGGIE KISSING.
Reggie, looking coolly satisfied, nods his head politely and
swims back to his lemonade stand.
Tom, cocky, takes his earnings and swims over to Reggie's
booth.
I/E. LEMONADE & OXYGEN STAND - CONTINUOUS
Reggie is back in his seat.
Tom, dignified but pleased with himself, hands Reggie the
penny.
Reggie, smiling professionally, drops the penny in his cash
drawer and hands Tom a receipt for the oxygen tank.
Tom smiles and swims away.
Up, up, up...
EXT. PALM DESERT HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Tom surfaces and climbs out of the pool.
He removes the oxygen tank.
He grabs a towel and, drying his head, enters through the
sliding glass door, back inside the house.
END
TOM, early 30's, fit, exits the house from a sliding glass
door to the backyard swimming pool. He wears swimming trunks
and a T-shirt that reads "ABOUT TO BE TOSSED".
He removes shirt and walks on to the diving board.
He dives in.
I/E. POOL - CONTINUOUS
UNDERWATER SHOT.
Tom swims down, down, down.
He keeps swimming downwards; the pool is impossibly deep and
he never reaches bottom.
He suddenly stops; looks concerned.
He looks up.
SHOT OF WATER'S SURFACE, VERY FAR AWAY.
The last bubbles of breath escape his mouth.
He looks around, panicked.
He sees what looks like a lemonade stand attached to the side
of the pool's wall, at which another man, REGGIE, late 20's,
sits.
Tom reads the sign above the stand. It says "FRESH LEMONADE &
OXYGEN TANKS, 50¢"
Tom swims over.
I/E. LEMONADE & OXYGEN STAND - CONTINUOUS
He points to the sign and then himself.
Reggie smiles and nods.
He begins to pour a glass of lemonade.
Tom urgently shakes his head "No!" and points to "OXYGEN
TANKS".
Reggie shrugs and stops pouring glass; pulls out an oxygen
tank and hands it to Tom, who quickly puts it on.
Tom is relieved. He can breath again.
Reggie smiles, then clears his throat.
Tom senses that Reggie is waiting for something.
Reggie points to "50¢".
Tom self-consciously checks his swimsuit pockets.
Reggie begins to look annoyed.
Tom finds some coins! He pulls them out; lays them down on
the counter.
There is exactly 49¢.
Tom shrugs and smiles stupidly, hoping it's enough.
Reggie is not amused. He points at "50¢" again and crosses
his arms.
Tom, unsure as to what to do, looks around.
He spots another stand with a sign that reads "HOMEMADE
BROWNIES & LOANS".
He gestures to Reggie to wait just a moment.
Reggie glares as Tom swims over to the other stand.
I/E. BROWNIES & LOANS STAND - CONTINUOUS
Sitting at the stand is VERONICA, late 20's. She is pretty,
if somewhat stern-looking; wears glasses.
She smiles, professional.
Tom smiles awkward; points to "BROWNIES" and shakes his head
"No", then to "LOANS" and nods "Yes".
Veronica, comprehending, smiles.
She pulls out a clipboard full of papers and hands it to
him.
She hands him a pen and points to a row of chairs that float
around nearby.
Sitting in one of the chairs is a beautiful MERMAID, waiting
patiently.
Tom raises his eyebrows, a little taken aback by her beauty.
He swims over and sits in one of the chairs.
As he begins to fill out the forms, he steals glances at the
Mermaid, he doesn't pay any attention to him.
Finally, he timidly waves to get her attention.
She looks over at him.
He half-shows her the forms, shrugs comically and makes a
face as if to say, "How about all this paperwork, huh?"
She flips him off and turns away again.
Tom, shocked and humiliated, sinks in his seat and focuses on
the paperwork.
Suddenly, someone swims right past him, fast.
He looks through the bubbles to see a ROBBER, masked and
wearing one of those black-and-white stripped shirts that
robbers probably never once wore in all of history, though we
have collectively, as a society, decided they do.
The Robber holds a gun to Veronica's head and hands her an
empty bag to fill.
The Mermaid screams.
Reggie hides behind his stand.
Tom, at first uncertain, suddenly gets an idea!
He swims up, up, up to the surface.
EXT. POOL - CONTINUOUS
Sticking only his hand out of the water, he feels around the
ground until he finds the long-poled net for skimming leaves.
He swims back down.
I/E. POOL - CONTINUOUS
Tom, fierce determination, swims up to the back of the
Robber, who is molesting the Mermaid, who fights back.
Tom drops the net over the Robber, and while the net up until
now looked average in girth, it now proves big enough to
encompass the Robber's entire body.
The Mermaid, grateful, kisses Tom on the cheek.
He pushes her face away.
She pouts, lip quivering, then she swims away in tears.
Veronica and a POLICE OFFICER swim to either side of him and
shake his hand.
Flash! A REPORTER has taken their picture.
The Police Officer puts his arm around Tom and shakes him
heartily; Tom is a little overwhelmed by the attention;
Veronica hands him a check.
INSERT SHOT OF CHECK.
In big letters it reads "REWARD"; the check is for one penny.
Maybe a little off-put by this small sum, Tom nevertheless is
pleased things have worked out.
He swims over to the brownie & loans stand.
I/E. BROWNIES & LOANS STAND - CONTINUOUS
Once there, he turns around to see if Veronica's coming, but
she and the Officer have vanished.
He looks back at the counter and sees a sign on it reading
"Next Window Please".
He looks over and sees another stand, at which a second
BANKER is typing something into a computer.
He swims over and slides the check onto the counter.
Without even looking at Tom, the Banker points away.
Tom looks to see a line of very annoyed looking swimmers, all
wearing only bathing suits, eyeing him.
He sheepishly swims to the back of the line.
Left to wait, Tom absentmindedly looks around.
Something at the bottom of the pool catches his eye.
Something small and glistening in the sunlight.
He looks at the unmoving line and decides to swim down to
investigate.
It's a penny!
TRIUMPHANT MUSIC PLAYS.
Tom smiles.
He swims over to the lemonade stand.
I/E. LEMONADE & OXYGEN STAND - CONTINUOUS
Reggie is leaning back in his chair, feet on the desk,
reading an issue of "The Advocate".
Tom, beaming with accomplishment, slaps the coin onto the
counter.
Reggie picks it up and looks. Furrows his brow.
Tom looks on, expectantly.
Reggie holds up coin.
ZOOM-IN ON COIN.
It's a peso.
ZOOM-IN ON TOM.
His face falls.
TRIUMPHANT MUSIC SLOWS, SLURS, AND STOPS.
Tom is at a loss.
He looks around.
There's a booth that reads "TAROT CARD READINGS & FOREIGN
CURRENCY EXCHANGE", but it has a big "CLOSED" sign on it.
Tom looks to Reggie, but Reggie is back reading his magazine.
Now angry, Tom swims even deeper, deeper, straight to a booth
that reads "HORCHATA Y FUENTES DE LA CABINA".
I/E. FUENTES DE LA CABINA - CONTINUOUS
Working the stand is CARLOS, late 40's, Mexican.
Tom slams the peso onto the counter and points to the sign.
Carlos nods and excuses himself.
Tom waits impatiently.
Carlos returns soon, though, lugging a booth with blank sign,
which he hands to Tom.
Tom nods a thank you and swims away with the booth.
I/E. TOM'S BOOTH - MOMENTS LATER
Tom now sits at his very own booth, which reads "KISSING
BOOTH 1¢".
Across the way, Reggie looks up from his magazine to see
this.
Tom plays it cool; looks around nonchalantly.
Reggie swims over, looking skeptical.
He reads Tom's sign.
Reggie pulls a penny out of his pocket and hands it to Tom.
CLOSE-UP PROFILE SHOT OF TOM AND REGGIE KISSING.
Reggie, looking coolly satisfied, nods his head politely and
swims back to his lemonade stand.
Tom, cocky, takes his earnings and swims over to Reggie's
booth.
I/E. LEMONADE & OXYGEN STAND - CONTINUOUS
Reggie is back in his seat.
Tom, dignified but pleased with himself, hands Reggie the
penny.
Reggie, smiling professionally, drops the penny in his cash
drawer and hands Tom a receipt for the oxygen tank.
Tom smiles and swims away.
Up, up, up...
EXT. PALM DESERT HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Tom surfaces and climbs out of the pool.
He removes the oxygen tank.
He grabs a towel and, drying his head, enters through the
sliding glass door, back inside the house.
END
