(Working Title)
This is the project I discussed with UC-Irvine neuroscientist, James Fallon. The related article can be found here.
EXT. SIDEWALK - DAY
The sky is overcast as Seth walks with his hands thrust in
his pockets, lost in thought.
As he passes a cafe, he notices a BEAUTIFUL YOUNG GIRL with
very short hair. He admires her as she sits at a table
reading a book. Her head is bent, the line of her neck
graceful.
As he stares, he realizes there's something unusual about her
neck. The vertebrae are JUTTING through her skin, like a
column of jagged white rocks puncturing the surface of a
lake.
A large TRUCK rumbles by, distracting him, and when Seth
turns back to the girl, the appearance of her neck is NORMAL
once more.
Seth gives himself a shake before continuing on, but stops
short when the door of a SHOP opens and a WOMAN exits in
front of him.
WOMAN
Pardon me.
SETH
No problem.
He remains standing there after she walks away, staring into
the window.
INSIDE
Books line the walls. A YOUNG WOMAN sits at a table behind
several candles and a deck of cards.
SIDEWALK
Seth takes a deep breath then pushes the door open and goes
inside.
INT. BOOKSTORE - MOMENTS LATER
The young woman, CARRIE, early 20's, looks up with a smile.
CARRIE
Hi.
SETH
Hi.
CARRIE
Are you here for a reading?
SETH
I don't know. I've never done
anything like this before.
CARRIE
Tell you what. I'll give you ten
minutes for free. If you don't
like what I have to say, there's no
obligation. If you do, I go on the
clock for twenty more minutes.
(beat)
Deal?
Seth hesitates near the door.
SETH
Uh...
He looks outside. Cars and people pass by, anchoring him to
what he knows.
CARRIE
Come on. I happen to be between
clients so I figure this time slot
was meant for you.
Seth steps forward and slips into the chair across from her.
SETH
Oh, what the hell.
MOMENTS LATER
Carrie SHUFFLES the cards and chooses several from the top of
the deck, setting them down systematically.
She frowns.
CARRIE
Hmmm...
SETH
What?
CARRIE
You've had a pretty rough year,
haven't you?
SETH
You could say that about most
people.
CARRIE
You could, but not everyone's been
in a plane crash.
Seth SNORTS.
SETH
Watch a lot of news, do you?
CARRIE
Not everyone sees their dead
sister.
Seth freezes. He's speechless.
SETH
(carefully)
What did you say?
CARRIE
Your dead sister. She's been
visiting you.
SETH
How did you know about that?
CARRIE
They don't call me a psychic for
nothing.
She flips another card.
CARRIE (CONT'D)
Lots of changes for you. You're
changing. Physically, of course,
but also spiritually and
emotionally. Your spiritual
experiences are changing you so
much that you are almost
unrecognizable from your old self.
Seth is leaning forward now.
SETH
Yes.
CARRIE
Your experiences are real. Don't
listen to the doctors. They
worship science, but without the
spirit, they are limited in their
ability to understand the whole
nature of reality.
Seth's eyes fill with tears. He struggles to speak, but
can't.
CARRIE (CONT'D)
Don't worry. You don't have to say
anything. I know that's why you
came here. You wanted an answer to
that question.
He can speak at last, his voice husky with emotion.
SETH
Yes.
Carrie leans back, studying him carefully.
CARRIE
Your ten minutes are almost up, but
the rest of this is on me, Mister.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone
need a reading so badly before.
She reaches for her purse and removes a pack of cigarettes.
CARRIE (CONT'D)
But first, I need a smoke. Care to
join me outside for a chat?
Seth nods, still finding it difficult to speak.
EXT. SIDEWALK - MOMENTS LATER
A plume of smoke hangs over Carrie's head as they talk.
Seth COUGHS.
CARRIE
Non-smoker, huh?
SETH
Not exactly. Ex-smoker. Reformed.
CARRIE
(grinning)
Same thing.
SETH
So how can I know my experiences
are real?
CARRIE
How can science know they're not?
SETH
The doctors said they're caused by
chemical changes in my brain due to
the head injury.
CARRIE
Well, sure. I don't doubt there's
a correlation.
SETH
What do you mean? You can't have
it both ways.
CARRIE
Why not?
(beat)
Just because they're caused by some
abnormal firing in your brain cells
doesn't mean they can't still be
real. Maybe those little chemical
changes are the thing that allows
you to see a deeper reality.
SETH
Holy shit! I never thought of it
that way.
Carrie takes a long last drag on her cigarette, then crushes
it out, dropping it in an ashtray.
CARRIE
Yeah. Don't beat yourself up. I
don't think they did either.
As they turn to go back inside, she thrusts out her hand.
CARRIE (CONT'D)
I'm Carrie, by the way.
SETH
Seth.
INT. COFFEE HOUSE - LATER
Seth and Carrie sit over some coffee, intent on their
conversation.
SETH
So what about my negative
experiences? Are they real too?
CARRIE
I think it's highly likely. Life
isn't just for shits and giggles.
It's full of suffering too.
SETH
Great. So expanded reality is just
like normal reality.
CARRIE
(grinning)
Only far more psychedelic.
SETH
You can say that again.
CARRIE
Look-- if we didn't suffer and die,
we wouldn't appreciate life or
have the understanding and ability
to value the good things when they
happen. Death and suffering help
us define life and the positive
events in it. There is union in
the duality. And vice versa.
SETH
Good God. You're all of what--
twenty-three?
CARRIE
(nodding)
Thereabout.
SETH
How does someone your age become so
wise?
CARRIE
Nursing school, I guess. And
coffee.
She lifts her cup.
CARRIE (CONT'D)
Lots and lots of coffee.
SETH
You're in nursing school?
CARRIE
Yeah. The psychic gig helps pay
the bills while I get through it.
SETH
Do you ever sleep?
CARRIE
Not much.
SETH
Well, I predict a bright future as
a full-time psychic if the nursing
thing doesn't pan out.
CARRIE
Oh, it will. I'm psychic,
remember?
