A Home for Curiosities

By
Ben Tobin

Ben Tobin 2018

SCENE 1
EXT. WALLACE SPAULDING’S HOUSE-DAY

The sun is beating down on an old Victorian home. A young

boy in a checkered shirt, this is WALLACE, is sitting on the
front steps. Squinting into the light. He’s holding a
bouquet of wilted flowers in one hand, and a pocket watch in
the other.

He looks down to check the time.

When he looks up, a girl about his age, this is ALICE, is
standing in front of him holding a crumpled note in her
hand.

ALICE
I got your note.
WALLACE
I can see that.

ALICE
So, where is she then?
WALLACE
I think we should go inside.

ALICE
What? So you can put gum in my hair
or trip me at the door. No thank
you!

WALLACE
Why would I put gum in your hair?
ALICE
Avery Johnson tried to put gum in
my hair last week. I socked him
right in the nose. He’s
probably bled out by now.
WALLACE
I’m not Avery, and I won’t put gum
in your hair...or trip you.
Alice lowers her defensive posture slightly.
ALICE
Well...alright...but if you try
anything...
She punches her fist into the note in her hand.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 2.

WALLACE
I got
it...nose...blood...waterworks.
Wallace gestures for Alice to enter his home. She
begrudgingly moves toward the door.
Wallace offers her the flowers, but she slaps them out of
his hand.
THE SCENE FREEZES

CUT TO:

SCENE 2

INT. WALLACE’S ROOM-DAY

Wallace is sitting at his desk drawing a picture of an old
house.
WALLACE (VO)
You might be wondering how I came
to have a girl over at my house. In
broad daylight. Why I’d risk a
bloody nose, and hurt feelings.
Wallace makes an especially sharp line with his pencil.

WALLACE (VO)
It’s going to sound like
balderdash...phoey...and childish
nonsense to say the least. Really,
inviting a girl over is the least
confusing thing about it. It all
started the day I found the house.
CUT TO:

SCENE 3
EXT. WOODS-DAY
Wallace is walking in the woods with a large map and a
compass in hand.
He’s not doing a great job of keeping his balance while
looking at the map.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 3.

WALLACE (VO)
I was lost in the woods that day. I
would like to say I was going to
play ball in the park or punch
Avery Johnson in the nose...but
no...I was out bird watching. I was
trying to find a rose breasted
grosbeak of all things. That’s when
I found it.
Wallace comes to a stop, lowers the map, and reveals a
palatial mansion surrounded by a garden.
WALLACE (VO)
I had a very dignified response to
my discovery.

We see Wallace standing with his mouth hanging open.

WALLACE (VO)
Eh...fine...not so dignified.
Wallace in the story closes his mouth and turns to camera.

WALLACE
Who’s side are you on?
WALLACE (VO)
[coughs] sorry...carry on.

Wallace starts to approach the house.

WALLACE (VO)
Every fiber of my being was telling
me to stay away from that house.
Nothing good has ever come from
entering strange houses in the
woods.
CUT TO:

SCENE 4
INT. THE HOUSE-DAY

Wallace peaks through the front door. He’s greeted by a

spacious foyer. It almost looks like it’s out of a
fairytale.
Wallace steps farther into the otherworldly space.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 4.

WALLACE
Hello!
He doesn’t receive a response.
WALLACE
Hello! Is anyone here! I’m lost. I
could use some help.
He’s met by a ringing silence.

Wallace moves farther into the house. Scanning the

cloistered hall. He touches some of the woodwork with great
interest.
ADELAIDE
Hello! I say! Hello there! Little
boy!
Wallace looks up the staircase and sees an elegant woman in
an old fashioned dress at the top of the stairs.
WALLACE
Hello! My name’s Wally!
ADELAIDE
I thought you said your name was
Lost.

WALLACE
No that’s my present state.
ADELAIDE
Oh...well...my name’s Adelaide.

The woman dashes down the stairs rather abruptly and comes
very close to Wallace. uncomfortably close. She starts to
examine him with a critical eye. She pokes his forehead two
or three times.

WALLACE (CONT’D)
Excuse me?
ADELAIDE
Fascinating!

She pulls up his arm and flops it around.

WALLACE
Do you...know the way...back to
town?

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 5.

ADELAIDE
Oh that won’t be
necessary...fascinating!
WALLACE
Are you...going to eat me?
Adelaide snaps out of her distracted examination, and lets
Wallace’s arm flop back to his side.
ADELAIDE
Why would I want to eat you?
WALLACE
I feel I should warn you...my
father is a detective...a police
detective...with the police...

Adelaide gives him a blank stare and taps her chin.

ADELAIDE
You’re not lost Lost. You’re in
your own head...you’re...what’s the
word...
She starts to claw at the air, searching for the word.
WALLACE
Dreaming? I’m dreaming?

Adelaide perks up very quickly.

ADELAIDE
Yes! That’s the one! You’re
dreaming!

WALLACE
Oh thank God!
He breathes a loud sigh of relief.

CUT TO:

SCENE 5

INT. DINING ROOM-DAY

Adelaide and Wallace are sitting at a grand table. Their
clothing has changed. He looks down at himself in disbelief.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 6.

WALLACE
What...how...
ADELAIDE
I thought this would be more
comfortable.

WALLACE
What is...this?
He gestures at the surroundings and Adelaide herself. For
her part, Adelaide looks very confused.
ADELAIDE
Well this is the Home for
Curiosities of course. It’s where
we all go when we’ve gotten lost.

WALLACE
There’s more of...you?
Adelaide prepares to launch into an explanation.

WALLACE (VO)
As it turned out I stumbled onto a
boarding house of sorts for
curiosities who’d lost their human
companions. A less refined term
would be imaginary friend...a more
scientific one would be paracosm.
Adelaide explained the entire sad
story to me.
ADELAIDE
And that’s how I lost my Alice. Now
shall we play a game. I know a
great one.
WALLACE (VO)
I barely had time to tell her that
I knew an Alice, or let her know
how lost and confused I felt.
CUT TO:

SCENE 6
INT. PARLOR-DAY
Adelaide and Wallace are now standing side by side.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 7.

ADELAIDE
Now I’ll sing the main bit, and you
follow along as best you can.
Adelaide launches into an opera song. She stops when she
realizes that Wallace isn’t following along.
ADELAIDE
Alice would always sing along with
me. That’s what we’d do. That’s
what we ALWAYS did. Together.

WALLACE
I’m sorry but I don’t know how to
sing.
ADELAIDE
Oh I’m so terribly sorry.
She looks truly crestfallen.
ADELAIDE (CONT’D)
I suppose you’ll want to bring back
one of the others then? One who
won’t make you sing.
WALLACE
There are...others?

ADELAIDE
Well there’s just Mr. Hellywell and
Nightenjill at the moment. Why
don’t we try something
else...before you meet them? I’m
sure we can find something to do
together.
Adelaide holds out how hand and a glowing energy sphere
materializes. The air ripples with the heat of it.

ADELAIDE
We could play catch.
WALLACE
Ahhhhh!!!!

The energy sphere vanishes, and Adelaide sinks to the

ground.
CUT TO:
 8.

SCENE 7
Int. Living Room-Day
Wallace and Adelaide are sitting on a couch now. Wallace
looks around bewildered.

ADELAIDE
You didn’t like it did you?
WALLACE
No, no. It was great. Really.
Adelaide sniffles and perks up ever so slightly.
ADELAIDE
Do you mean it? You want to play
with me?
WALLACE
Well maybe...maybe a different
game. One without...fire.

ADELAIDE
Oh you did hate it. That’s how I
lost the last one too.
WALLACE
I mean...what if I could help
you...find your Alice. I know a
very nice one...well she did punch
another boy in the nose last
week...but she’s nice...I think.
Adelaide sniffles very loudly, and wipes her nose across her
arm.
ADELAIDE
Let me show you around...before we
go. You can meet the others.

WALLACE
I’d like that.
MONTAGE:

1. Wallace and Adelaide running through the hall.

2. Wallace and Adelaide meet a bird girl named Nightenjill.
3. Wallace and Adelaide meet Mr. Hellywell.

4. Wallace and Adelaide play outside

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 9.

END MONTAGE
WALLACE (VO)
I brought Adelaide back with
me...through the woods. She hadn’t
been where we come from for a long
time. And that’s how I found a
paracosm, and established a notable
community service. I like to think
I’m a mediator...an imaginary
friend’s friend.

CUT TO:

SCENE 8

Wallace finishes his story as Alice stands in front of an

empty chair.
She inspects the empty space carefully, as if looking over a
rare artifact.

WALLACE
You know my friend was a bear who
lived in a tree on top of a
mountain. He had a whole family...a
daughter named Jenny...

ALICE
Well that’s not her. My friend was
called Sofia and she was a fire
eater.
Wallace looks a bit disappointed.

ALICE (CONT’D)
I’ll bring her back with me though.
Lord knows I need a new friend.

She turns to Wallace and sizes him up. She nods with
approval.
ALICE (CONT’D)
You can walk me home and carry my
books from now on.

Wallace perks up right away.

ALICE (CONT’D)
On Tuesdays and Thursdays.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 10.

Alice reaches out her hand, and takes an invisible one. She
gives Wallace another nod, and then gracefully exits the
dining room with her hand holding onto thin air.
WALLACE (VO)
And that’s how I came to open a
service for reuniting people with
their imaginary friends. I’ve taken
to calling them curiosities though.
That’s what they like to be called,
and it suits them. It’s hard work,
and rarely rewarding. Sometimes I
get it right, and sometimes I get
it wrong. Avery Johnson’s really
threw me for a loop.

SCENE 9
EXT. WOODS-DAY
Wallace knocks on Alice’s door. She passes him her books,
and the two holds hands as they walk toward school.

INSERT We see the inside of the home for curiosities, and

various creatures have emerged from their rooms. It’s
starting to fill up.