Rejected to Reinvigorated...
Sam walked through the alley, cursing all the way. For the umpteenth time had he been rejected for a role in a movie. The last six auditions, he’d walked in, ready to play absolutely any role, but not one had he got.
"This is just not my thing", he muttered, as he had finally begun to consider giving up. He flung his drooping backpack back onto his shoulder and resumed griping about the bad auditions, the doltish casting directors, the actors and well the film industry. The alley opened into the main road and Sam stopped at the crossing, now cursing the traffic.
A taxi driver caught his attention. The yellow car was parked on the side and the driver stood against it, talking to someone on his phone. Well, not talking exactly, because he was shouting on the phone, continuously, leaving no window for the person on the other end to reply.
Sam couldn’t help but overhear. It seemed that the driver had just taken somebody famous, apparently David Hadflyd, a screenplay writer, to the studio.
"That’s good for him! What’s he shouting for ?", Sam wondered. He listened to the driver intently and got to know that the writer had forgotten his briefcase in the taxi and had left the studio before the driver had gone to return it. The briefcase had a very important script, a new one that the writer had just started.
"That’s good for him! What’s he shouting for ?", Sam wondered. He listened to the driver intently and got to know that the writer had forgotten his briefcase in the taxi and had left the studio before the driver had gone to return it. The briefcase had a very important script, a new one that the writer had just started.
The driver, whose tone had now softened, looked worried and was asking the person on the phone to help him find Mr. Hadflyd. Suddenly, Sam got an idea, "Genius Sam!", he exclaimed to himself and walked over to the taxi driver who had just got off the phone. "I’m sorry, I’m not driving anyone right now.", the driver said as soon as he saw Sam. "Oh no. I don’t want to go anywhere.", Sam said. The driver looked confused. "I couldn’t help overhearing you, about umm David Hadflyd’s briefcase. Looks like you need some help. I’m Sam by the way." For a second, his eyes light up but then he looked at Sam suspiciously. "I’m Travis. Do you know Mr. Hadflyd?", he enquired.
"I don’t know him personally...but I’ve been auditioning for a lot of roles recently and I was wondering if I could get a role by...you know, getting Mr. Hadflyd his script." Sam replied.
Travis was eager to get the script’s responsibility off his shoulders. Besides, Sam looked like a decent fellow. "Ok. So will you find Mr. Hadflyd and return this briefcase to him?", he asked Sam. "You can count on it", Sam assured him and walked away with his backpack and the briefcase.
Sam was tired, but a new trickle of hope had perked him up. He wandered around for a while, thinking about how he was going to get to David Hadflyd. His first cogitation lead him to the studio where Travis had dropped Mr. Hadflyd. Sam decided to walk as it wasn’t much farther.
But, when he reached the studio, he found it closed and the guard asked him to come tomorrow.
Tired and annoyed, Sam walked into what looked like a shop that was being renovated and sat down on a small carton. Cans of paints and brushes, bottles of glue and wood planks littered the floor which was covered with newspaper. Sam looked around and decided to leave in a few minutes. He was deciding where to go next when a girl entered the shop. He assumed that she hadn’t seen him from outside because she almost jumped when she saw him. As she jumped, she slipped over some spilt paint and gripped a lever on the wall to gain her balance. Unluckily for Sam, as soon as she left it, a loud bang made both of them jump and to his horror, he saw the shutter of the shop fall and a soft click told him that they were locked.
The girl froze and stared at Sam. Sam froze and stared at the shutter. How was he going to get the briefcase to Mr. David Hadflyd? He looked at the girl and saw her staring at him."I’m not going to hurt you or something...you know?", he told her tentatively. Without a word she turned around and sat on the carton closest to the shutter. Sam walked over to the shutter and the girl looked away. He banged it hard and shouted for help but no one seemed to have heard him. His phone wouldn’t work because of no network. Defeated, he went over and sat down and looked around again. He saw nothing that would help him get out and realised that he was stuck there till someone opened the shutter which didn’t seem very probable till the next morning. He looked at the girl. "What’s your name?", he asked, but did not get a reply.
Sam opened the briefcase and took the script. The girl looked at him again, now with eyes wide with surprise. She didn’t say anything to justify that look so Sam drew his attention back to the script. He opened the first page and began to read.
It was about a young boy who wanted to become an actor. He had faced many rejections but was determined to get a role. After many more rejections though, he was on the verge of giving up when-
-"When what?", Sam said, for the script was incomplete and ended with the word 'when'. The girl looked at him and he realised that he had said it out loud. "Sorry", he said quickly and the girl looked away.
Instinctively, Sam fished out a pen from his backpack and began completing the story. It was quite simple actually, because it was his story and words came to him as easily music to a young bird. He wrote about his childhood...his life was quite a story. All night, he wrote the script, not pausing for a single minute. He wrote about the protagonist, his first audition, his boundless efforts that had all gone in vain, everything. He wrote right up to his last audition, meeting Travis and being locked inside a renovating shop.
The golden red rays of dawn entered the room through a small opening in a wall. Sam looked at the script he had written with disbelief. He hadn’t given it an ending because he couldn’t think of one. The girl was still sitting near the shutter, leaning against the wall.
Sam was about to put the script back into the briefcase when he heard hurried footsteps growing louder and louder. Then, he heard the same clicking sound he had heard the night before. Someone lifted the shutter and a tall man in a brown suit rushed in. He hugged the girl and asked her if she was alright. "I’m fine Dad" she said and then whispered something in his ear. The man turned towards Sam and it was Sam’s turn to stare now.
His eyes wide with surprise, Sam found himself looking directly at David Hadflyd. "Holy Cricket!" Sam thought. He tried to speak, but no words came out of his mouth. As Mr. Hadflyd took a step towards him, eyeing his briefcase and the script in Sam’s hand, Sam found his voice and said, "Sir, actually I got the briefcase and I was going to give it to you. But I got stuck here and I’m really really sorry, but I wrote the rest of the script. I didn’t mean to...I mean-"
Mr Hadflyd asked for the script before Sam could finish and Sam obliged. He looked at Sam and then opened the script and began to read. The girl, Mr. Hadflyd’s daughter looked at Sam and then her Dad ,Sam again and her Dad again and kept doing this once every few minutes. Sam stood there, looking at a famous screenwriter reading his script for what seemed to him and eternity. When he reached the last page Sam muttered, "I couldn’t think of an end" and looked away quickly.
Mr Hadflyd asked him for a pen and Sam quickly gave him one. He scribbled something on the next page and gave it to Sam. It read
"I don’t know him personally...but I’ve been auditioning for a lot of roles recently and I was wondering if I could get a role by...you know, getting Mr. Hadflyd his script." Sam replied.
Travis was eager to get the script’s responsibility off his shoulders. Besides, Sam looked like a decent fellow. "Ok. So will you find Mr. Hadflyd and return this briefcase to him?", he asked Sam. "You can count on it", Sam assured him and walked away with his backpack and the briefcase.
Sam was tired, but a new trickle of hope had perked him up. He wandered around for a while, thinking about how he was going to get to David Hadflyd. His first cogitation lead him to the studio where Travis had dropped Mr. Hadflyd. Sam decided to walk as it wasn’t much farther.
But, when he reached the studio, he found it closed and the guard asked him to come tomorrow.
Tired and annoyed, Sam walked into what looked like a shop that was being renovated and sat down on a small carton. Cans of paints and brushes, bottles of glue and wood planks littered the floor which was covered with newspaper. Sam looked around and decided to leave in a few minutes. He was deciding where to go next when a girl entered the shop. He assumed that she hadn’t seen him from outside because she almost jumped when she saw him. As she jumped, she slipped over some spilt paint and gripped a lever on the wall to gain her balance. Unluckily for Sam, as soon as she left it, a loud bang made both of them jump and to his horror, he saw the shutter of the shop fall and a soft click told him that they were locked.
The girl froze and stared at Sam. Sam froze and stared at the shutter. How was he going to get the briefcase to Mr. David Hadflyd? He looked at the girl and saw her staring at him."I’m not going to hurt you or something...you know?", he told her tentatively. Without a word she turned around and sat on the carton closest to the shutter. Sam walked over to the shutter and the girl looked away. He banged it hard and shouted for help but no one seemed to have heard him. His phone wouldn’t work because of no network. Defeated, he went over and sat down and looked around again. He saw nothing that would help him get out and realised that he was stuck there till someone opened the shutter which didn’t seem very probable till the next morning. He looked at the girl. "What’s your name?", he asked, but did not get a reply.
Sam opened the briefcase and took the script. The girl looked at him again, now with eyes wide with surprise. She didn’t say anything to justify that look so Sam drew his attention back to the script. He opened the first page and began to read.
It was about a young boy who wanted to become an actor. He had faced many rejections but was determined to get a role. After many more rejections though, he was on the verge of giving up when-
-"When what?", Sam said, for the script was incomplete and ended with the word 'when'. The girl looked at him and he realised that he had said it out loud. "Sorry", he said quickly and the girl looked away.
Instinctively, Sam fished out a pen from his backpack and began completing the story. It was quite simple actually, because it was his story and words came to him as easily music to a young bird. He wrote about his childhood...his life was quite a story. All night, he wrote the script, not pausing for a single minute. He wrote about the protagonist, his first audition, his boundless efforts that had all gone in vain, everything. He wrote right up to his last audition, meeting Travis and being locked inside a renovating shop.
The golden red rays of dawn entered the room through a small opening in a wall. Sam looked at the script he had written with disbelief. He hadn’t given it an ending because he couldn’t think of one. The girl was still sitting near the shutter, leaning against the wall.
Sam was about to put the script back into the briefcase when he heard hurried footsteps growing louder and louder. Then, he heard the same clicking sound he had heard the night before. Someone lifted the shutter and a tall man in a brown suit rushed in. He hugged the girl and asked her if she was alright. "I’m fine Dad" she said and then whispered something in his ear. The man turned towards Sam and it was Sam’s turn to stare now.
His eyes wide with surprise, Sam found himself looking directly at David Hadflyd. "Holy Cricket!" Sam thought. He tried to speak, but no words came out of his mouth. As Mr. Hadflyd took a step towards him, eyeing his briefcase and the script in Sam’s hand, Sam found his voice and said, "Sir, actually I got the briefcase and I was going to give it to you. But I got stuck here and I’m really really sorry, but I wrote the rest of the script. I didn’t mean to...I mean-"
Mr Hadflyd asked for the script before Sam could finish and Sam obliged. He looked at Sam and then opened the script and began to read. The girl, Mr. Hadflyd’s daughter looked at Sam and then her Dad ,Sam again and her Dad again and kept doing this once every few minutes. Sam stood there, looking at a famous screenwriter reading his script for what seemed to him and eternity. When he reached the last page Sam muttered, "I couldn’t think of an end" and looked away quickly.
Mr Hadflyd asked him for a pen and Sam quickly gave him one. He scribbled something on the next page and gave it to Sam. It read
The script was just the beginning.
He became one of the best writers I’ve ever known.
