TONY
How you doing?
MIKKI (neutrally)
I'm fine. Kind of tired.
TONY
Yeah, me too.
The car sails down a quiet street.
DISSOLVE TO
EXT. RIVER
The CAMERA DOLLIES with a tree floating down a swollen river.
Cottonwood trees cover the far bank.
MIKKI (v.o.)
We hid out In the wilderness,down by a river in a grove of
cottonwoods. It being the flood season we built our house in the
trees, with tamarisk walls and willows laid side by side to make
a floor. There wasn't a plant in the forest that didn't come in
handy.
CLOSEUPS OF PLAIQTS - SERIES OF ANGLES
Details of the cottonwoods, willow and tamarisk. Music continues
under.
EXT. TREEHOUSE - SERIES OF ANGLES
Details of Tony and Mikki building the treehouse. Tony pounds a log
into place with a tomahawk; Mikki scrapes the bark off a log with
a piece of flint; Tony weaves tamarisk branches through the frame
of the house. This MONTAGE ends with a PAN DOWN the four stories
of the completed treehouse.
MIKKI (v.o.)
We planned a huge network of tunnels under the forest floor, and
our first order of business every morning was to decide on a new
password for the day.then we'd sneak out at night and
steal a chicken or a bunch of corn or some melons from a melon
patch... Mostly. though, we just lay on our backs and stared at
the clouds and sometimes it was like being in a big marble hall.
the way we talked in low voices and heard the tiniest sound.
INT. TREEHOUSE
The CAMERA PANS off Mikki's painting, a Maxwell Parrish, onto Tony
asleep with his pistol beside him. then onto Mikki under a quilt
with a box of shells beside him. His hand quivers once.
EXT. TREE TOPS
Tony lifts an egg out of a bird's nest at the top of a tree. He
drops it down to Mikki, fifty feet below.
MIKKI (v.o.)
They hadn't found but one set of bones in the ashes of the house.
so we knew they'd be looking for us. Tony made sure we'd be
prepared.
EXT. TRAIL - SERIES OF ANGLES
Tony cuts a piece of twine that lies across a trail, whereupon a
ball full of spikes comes swinging down out of the trees. with
lethal force. Tony ducks out of the way. We next see Tony with a
dew rag around his forehead, running laps through the woods as
part of his training. He exhorts himself to greater effort.
MIKKI (v.o.)
He gave me lectures on how a gun works, how to take it apart and
put it back together again. in case 1 had to carry on without
him. He said that if the Devil came at me, I could shoot him with
a gun.
EXT. TAMARISK
Mikki struggles through the undergrowth witha yoke over his
shoulders, carrying wood back to the teahouse.
/SCENE
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