Home Sweet Home
The following, based on a true story, will soon be appearing at a mini-screen phone/podcast video player near you.
OPEN TO A SUBURBAN STREET:
Two women in a car are stopping in front of an old clapboard house. They get out and walk up the driveway.
Peg
This is it! I can feel it, our grandfather’s house, the place we grew up loving as kids. Wow, I’m getting goosebumps.
Mindy
I think you’re right! Look at the porch! I remember that porch!
Peg
Do you remember when grandpa was forced to sell this valley to a developer? They demolished all those little houses belonging to our family.
Mindy
Yeah, all except grandpa's house. She gazes at it. This beautiful old place was worth saving.
Peg
The valley was so magical… our very own paradise – it had everything - a pond and a little stream with a bridge across it. Big weeping willow trees. We’d pick bushels of wild raspberries from the bushes that grew along the river. (she points excitedly) Look, isn’t that a raspberry bush?
They run over, gesticulating wildly talking over each other..“I can’t believe it….Oh, my God, look here’s a raspberry!” They pick them and stuff them in their mouths.
A man comes out from the house.
Man
Excuse me? Can I help you?
They walk up the driveway, happy and excited.
Mindy
We’re sorry to bother you but this was our grandfather’s home – he owned this whole valley a long time ago.
Man
Really?
Peg
Wow, I can’t tell you, this is so exciting – we thought everything was gone except grandpa's place and we've been trying to find it for, like, forever. But they paved over everything and put in a lot of tacky suburban houses and everything we knew was swallowed up.
Mindy
Yeah, these stupid developments are a nightmare.
Peg
But this house - it’s like a little bit of lost heaven. We haven’t been here for so long…..we didn’t know how to find it. We’ve been driving for hours. Looking for years, actually.
The man looks puzzled but neutral. Peg and Mindy look out over the property.
Mindy
Do you……she looks over at Mindy in rising excitement….do you have a stream in the back?
Man
Well yes, we do, just look down at the edge of our property and you can just see it.
Peg and Mindy start screaming, jumping up and down holding each other. Oh, I can’t believe it! We found it, we really found it!! They look over at the man.
Peg
Would you….would you mind if we went back there and took a look?
Man
Okay, sure.
Mindy
It’s just….it’s just that this place holds so many memories for us. She turns and looks back at the house. Remember how we used to run in and out of that room when we were told to be quiet? Peg nods.
Peg
Those floors are still the same scratched hardwood. And the porch, it was screened in back then, we sat there and drank lemonade at our great-aunt’s funeral. She turns and looks off. “Look! You can still see the big willow tree between here and where Uncle Bud lived. She starts to cry. They are both blubbering now. Oh, this is so amazing!!
Mindy
Peg!
Peg looks over at her.
Mindy
OmiGod....Do you see what I see?
Peg
Following her pointing finger, breathless…hand over mouth…..Yes, oh yes, it’s….it’s….an apple tree!!!!
They hug and jump up and down again. The man looks questioningly at them.
Peg
We used to get to this house on a long winding lane through an apple orchard. It's probably the only tree left!!!
They run down to where the tree is and Mindy takes out her camera and starts snapping pictures. They are going crazy pointing out things – posing for photographs by the tree, the stream, the pond, back at the house, gazing up at it. The man is standing there and the door opens and he is joined by his wife. Peg and Mindy trudge back up to the house, flushed and happy.
Peg
Gosh, it’s like a dream come true. After all these years I feel like a missing piece is finally back in our lives.
They look up and see the wife with her husband. Mindy puts out her hand.
Mindy
Hi. We used to own this house. Woman looks puzzled. When we were kids. Our grandfather lost this land to the bank when he got sick. It was a terrible tragedy. Peg nods. It left a huge hole in our hearts. Split our family up. We really missed this place (gestures with the sweep of her hand) This valley. Our hearts are home now. They look at each other in teary communion.
Woman
Yeah, well this house was built in 1999. It just looks old because my do-nothing husband hasn’t painted it like I asked. soundtrack screech. The girls freeze.
I think you’re looking for Lilac Lane. She points. It’s a few miles that way.
Mindy
Oh. A moment of dead silence. (brightly) Okay, then. You take care, now!
They walk off down the driveway, pulling out a map. As they move away from camera we hear them….
Peg
I think we made a wrong turn here…..
Mindy
Yeah, there is a railroad track I remember….maybe this way.
The couple on the porch stare after them.
OPEN TO A SUBURBAN STREET:
Two women in a car are stopping in front of an old clapboard house. They get out and walk up the driveway.
Peg
This is it! I can feel it, our grandfather’s house, the place we grew up loving as kids. Wow, I’m getting goosebumps.
Mindy
I think you’re right! Look at the porch! I remember that porch!
Peg
Do you remember when grandpa was forced to sell this valley to a developer? They demolished all those little houses belonging to our family.
Mindy
Yeah, all except grandpa's house. She gazes at it. This beautiful old place was worth saving.
Peg
The valley was so magical… our very own paradise – it had everything - a pond and a little stream with a bridge across it. Big weeping willow trees. We’d pick bushels of wild raspberries from the bushes that grew along the river. (she points excitedly) Look, isn’t that a raspberry bush?
They run over, gesticulating wildly talking over each other..“I can’t believe it….Oh, my God, look here’s a raspberry!” They pick them and stuff them in their mouths.
A man comes out from the house.
Man
Excuse me? Can I help you?
They walk up the driveway, happy and excited.
Mindy
We’re sorry to bother you but this was our grandfather’s home – he owned this whole valley a long time ago.
Man
Really?
Peg
Wow, I can’t tell you, this is so exciting – we thought everything was gone except grandpa's place and we've been trying to find it for, like, forever. But they paved over everything and put in a lot of tacky suburban houses and everything we knew was swallowed up.
Mindy
Yeah, these stupid developments are a nightmare.
Peg
But this house - it’s like a little bit of lost heaven. We haven’t been here for so long…..we didn’t know how to find it. We’ve been driving for hours. Looking for years, actually.
The man looks puzzled but neutral. Peg and Mindy look out over the property.
Mindy
Do you……she looks over at Mindy in rising excitement….do you have a stream in the back?
Man
Well yes, we do, just look down at the edge of our property and you can just see it.
Peg and Mindy start screaming, jumping up and down holding each other. Oh, I can’t believe it! We found it, we really found it!! They look over at the man.
Peg
Would you….would you mind if we went back there and took a look?
Man
Okay, sure.
Mindy
It’s just….it’s just that this place holds so many memories for us. She turns and looks back at the house. Remember how we used to run in and out of that room when we were told to be quiet? Peg nods.
Peg
Those floors are still the same scratched hardwood. And the porch, it was screened in back then, we sat there and drank lemonade at our great-aunt’s funeral. She turns and looks off. “Look! You can still see the big willow tree between here and where Uncle Bud lived. She starts to cry. They are both blubbering now. Oh, this is so amazing!!
Mindy
Peg!
Peg looks over at her.
Mindy
OmiGod....Do you see what I see?
Peg
Following her pointing finger, breathless…hand over mouth…..Yes, oh yes, it’s….it’s….an apple tree!!!!
They hug and jump up and down again. The man looks questioningly at them.
Peg
We used to get to this house on a long winding lane through an apple orchard. It's probably the only tree left!!!
They run down to where the tree is and Mindy takes out her camera and starts snapping pictures. They are going crazy pointing out things – posing for photographs by the tree, the stream, the pond, back at the house, gazing up at it. The man is standing there and the door opens and he is joined by his wife. Peg and Mindy trudge back up to the house, flushed and happy.
Peg
Gosh, it’s like a dream come true. After all these years I feel like a missing piece is finally back in our lives.
They look up and see the wife with her husband. Mindy puts out her hand.
Mindy
Hi. We used to own this house. Woman looks puzzled. When we were kids. Our grandfather lost this land to the bank when he got sick. It was a terrible tragedy. Peg nods. It left a huge hole in our hearts. Split our family up. We really missed this place (gestures with the sweep of her hand) This valley. Our hearts are home now. They look at each other in teary communion.
Woman
Yeah, well this house was built in 1999. It just looks old because my do-nothing husband hasn’t painted it like I asked. soundtrack screech. The girls freeze.
I think you’re looking for Lilac Lane. She points. It’s a few miles that way.
Mindy
Oh. A moment of dead silence. (brightly) Okay, then. You take care, now!
They walk off down the driveway, pulling out a map. As they move away from camera we hear them….
Peg
I think we made a wrong turn here…..
Mindy
Yeah, there is a railroad track I remember….maybe this way.
The couple on the porch stare after them.
posted by vallie at 12:31 PM
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