My Time Away from Home

by Eliza Sullivan

ACT I
“A sheep and a girl ponder how they are alike: ACT 1”- title
card
FADE TO:
EXT. SHEEP FIELD- DAY
W.S.
5-ish Sheep scattered and grazing in a pleasant meadow.

SALLY (V.O.)

The sheep scared me. As a child, I
remember thinking that they knew too
much, how I wouldn’t have been
surprised if they were human. Well,
maybe I would have,

C.U.
Sheep staring just past the camera, slow zoom out.

SALLY (V.O.)

but only because I had made such soul-
exploding eye contact with them,

nothing two people could conjure.

C.U.
SALLY staring into the camera, slow zoom out. She is at eye
level with the sheep, sitting in the grass.

SALLY (V.O.)

So in a sense, I trusted the sheep,
not to be sheep, but maybe something
biblical… I trusted them the way a
human can trust an animal.

C.U.
Sally scratching her wrist and fidgeting, an aerial view of
this.

SALLY (V.O.)

Now I’ve always had an unhealthy
lifestyle with unhealthy,

2.

Created using Celtx
INT. KITCHEN TABLE- DAY
E.C.U.
Sally runs her hand through the grass
SALLY (V.O.)

cravings,
INT. BATHROOM- DAY
M.S.
Sally twirls her fingers around in the grass

SALLY (V.O.)

wants,
INT. BEDROOM- DAY
M.S.
Sally starts to grab the grass, not pulling it out

SALLY (V.O.)
and desires of certain

INT. BATHROOM- DAY
M.S.
Sally rips the grass from the ground
SALLY (V.O.)

unhealthy,
INT. BATHROOM- DAY
C.U.
Sally quickly rips the grass from the ground

SALLY (V.O.)

artificial,
INT. BATHROOM- DAY
M.S.
Sally grossly eating a handful of grass.

3.

Created using Celtx

SALLY (V.O.)
or harmful things.

EXT. FARM- DAY
W.S.
The barn is symmetrical in this shot, Sally opens the big
barn door, slowly zooms in
SALLY (V.O.)

My habits have always waxed and waned,
but this time was different, life felt
real and volatile.

INT. BARN ROOM- DAY
C.U.
Sally opens the fridge, gets milk, and pours it into a cup
Sally puts away the milk and leaves the room with the full
cup.

SALLY (V.O.)

And I had dug myself so far down into
my own world that somewhere I reached
reality and it felt lonely.

INT. BARN ROOM- DAY
M.S.
Sally leans over the wooden half-wall and pours the milk cup
into the sheep’s mouth/ face.
Milk drips all over the sheep’s face
SALLY (V.O.)

Lonely enough for me to run back to my
hometown and move in with my parents.
And lonely enough to work on the
family-owned sheep farm.

4.

Created using Celtx
ACT II __
“My time at home: ACT 2”- title card
EXT. SHEEP FIELD- DAY
M.S.
Sally and Dad walk side by side in the field, herding sheep.
Dad is clapping.
The sheep are running over each other and bonking around

SALLY (V.O.)

My parents could tell I was lonely.

M.S.

SALLY

When is two-twelve due?

DAD
(clapping)
Anytime now.
SALLY

Yeah, I’d say… Do you think she’d be
a good mom?
DAD
(slowly stops clapping)
Maybe…

They walk in silence and watch the sheep run in front of them

DAD
… I love you.
SALLY

… I- I know, but be quiet…
(Sally glances at Dad and the
sheep)
I don’t want them to hear.

DAD

Them?
(Sally’s eyes start to tear)
SALLY
The sheep.

5.

Created using Celtx
W.S.
The sheep running over each other and baa-ing
EXT. SHEEP FIELD- SUNSET
W.S.
still frame of the sheep pasture around 5 PM.

SALLY (V.O.)

One night for dinner my mom poured me
a glass of wine.
(wine pouring)
INT. KITCHEN- EVENING
E.C.U.
wine pouring into a glass, Sally holding the glass and
swishing it around.

SALLY (V.O.)

It felt alien to drink in front of my
parents, I had spent my time as a teen
hiding bottles under my bed…

W.S.
Mom, Dad, and Sally are laughing and eating off of a
charcuterie board

SALLY (V.O.)

And yet, by the finale of the evening,
our faces were red and eyes were
watery

SALLY (V.O.)

and the tension that only a daughter
can create was gone.
SALLY

What do you want from Santa this year?

DAD

I’d say… for two-twelve to have a
healthy baby.
SALLY
Yeah, what about you?

6.

Created using Celtx
MOM

hmmm… I need a time machine… I
don’t actually know what I need it
for, but I suppose I would do
everything differently. Well, not
everything. I would go to college,
make the same friends, I would still
marry your father, and live on the
farm…

SALLY

… Would you still have me?

MOM

No!
(laughing)
If I knew what motherhood would be
like… just no.
SALLY
(upset)
Well, I wish you figured that out
sooner.

Sally gets up and leaves, slamming the door behind her.

MOM
(scoffs)
…God

7.

Created using Celtx
ACT III _
“Divine intervention: ACT 3”- title card
EXT. SHEEP FIELD- DAY
M.S.
Sally laying in the sheep field, two-twelve is asleep next to
her
two-twelve starts panting and nudging Sally
Sally wakes up
INT. KITCHEN- DAY
M.S.
Mom and Dad sitting at the table

DAD

You think she’s snapped out of it by
now?

MOM

I don’t know, I haven’t seen her
today.
EXT. SHEEP FIELD- DAY
M.S.
eerily quiet
Sally pets two-twelve, who is in labor.
Sally is worried and starts to cry with the sheep
INT. KITCHEN- DAY
M.S.

DAD

Hmm… you know, I don’t think she
came home last night.

MOM

So? Come on Jim, she does this all the
time.

8.

Created using Celtx
EXT. SHEEP FIELD- DAY
M.S.
Sally and two-twelve start to scream/ cry at eachother (like
in Midsommar)
INT. KITCHEN- DAY
M.S.

MOM

She has no direction

EXT. SHEEP FIELD- DAY
M.S.
two-twelve gives birth now but is losing a lot of blood
Blood spatters
INT. KITCHEN- DAY
M.S.

MOM
or ambition
EXT. SHEEP FIELD DAY
M.S.
two-twelve gets quiet and limp
Sally puts the baby doll in the two-twelve’s arms
two-twelve dies
INT. KITCHEN- DAY
M.S.

MOM
or care.
EXT. SHEEP FIELD- DAY
M.S.
Sally starts to shake the sheep

9.

Created using Celtx
INT. KITCHEN- DAY
M.S.

MOM

And I worry about her,

EXT. SHEEP FIELD- DAY
M.S.
the shaking turns into ripping two-twelve’s clothes
two-twelve’s wooly top layer comes off
Sally hugs the material, smelling it
She wraps the sheepskin around her head
INT. KITCHEN- DAY
M.S.

MOM

but she’ll grow out of it.

EXT. SHEEP FIELD- DAY
M.S.
Sally cradles the baby doll in her arms

SALLY
I’ll protect you

Sally kisses the baby doll’s forehead
INT. KITCHEN- DAY
M.S.

MOM

She will grow up and everything will
be different.
EXT. SHEEP FIELD- DAY
C.U.
Sally walking, carrying the baby doll in her arms

10.

Created using Celtx
C.U.
Sally reaches for the door handle
INT. KITCHEN- DAY
W.S.
Sally opens the door and is backlit
Sally steps into the kitchen light
Mom screams and cries
DAD
(muffled)
What did you do?!
SALLY (V.O.)

The animal inside me died, one I did
not love.
MOM
(muffled)
Oh my god, oh my god!

E.C.U.
Sally has an enormous smile on her blood-speckled face.
Her eyes are wide and questioning and she is staring just
past the camera,
breathing heavily.
The lighting is biblical.
SALLY (V.O.)

And I was seen as I was meant to be.
On a stage above stages as a being
above beings.

FADE TO BLACK
credits roll

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