INT. PRINTING HOUSE STORAGE BASEMENT - EVENING

 

The doors to a storage room bang open, and a man in a white dress shirt and khaki pants, ALLEN, (21) enters pushing an overfilled cart of Wylden Wyrm picture books down a cramped hallway of box-laden shelves. He is breathing hard. His face is dower. He continues deeper into a maze of shelves, taking great effort to turn his cart. In the second bend, the cart gets away from him and crashes into an old shelf. The impact sends boxes falling off the shelf, books spilling out of them as they hit the floor. Allen lets out a deep sigh.

 

ALLEN

Oh come on.

 

Allen crouches down and starts picking up the books. Their covers are weathered and old. He stops as he spies a blue one in the pile, then sweeps the others aside to pull it out. He gives it a warm smile as he looks over the image of a green dragon peering into a closet that has red eyes shining out of it. The cover says “Wylden and the Creepy Closet Beast.” The sound of a child’s distant laughter.

 

YOUNG ALLEN (V.O.)

Are there monsters in my closet, mommy?

 

ALLEN’S MOTHER (V.O.)

No Allen, but if there were, just do what Wylden did and make a new friend. Appearances aren’t everything.

 

Allen’s phone buzzes and his face falls. He looks at the screen to see an incoming call from SEBASTIAN. He looks around the dim and cramped storage room with a bitter scowl.

 

ALLEN

Appearances aren’t everything.

 

Allen huffs and hits accept as he brings the phone to his ear.

​

ALLEN

(Into phone)

​

Hel—

 

 

INTERCUT PHONE CONVERSATION

Sebastian (30’s) sits at his desk with his feet on the table.

 

SEBASTIAN

Allen where have you been? We have three carts waiting on you and I still don’t have the inventory list from this morning.

 

ALLEN

I’ve been restocking like you asked.

 

SEBASTIAN

Well, you better stock faster because you’re behind.

 

ALLEN

If you’re on such a tight schedule, you could send help.

 

SEBASTIAN

Allen, must I remind you of how great of an opportunity you have? You were brought here, under Adrian’s good graces, and as his VP, it is my job to ensure you earn your keep while he is gone. So, when you’re done down there, I want to see the other carts gone and that report on my desk.

 

ALLEN

Yes sir. Will do sir.

SEBASTIAN

Good. Now be careful with those books, you’re still liable for them as an intern. Whether you are on the pay roll or not.

 

The phone call ends and Allen puts his phone away in irritation. He packs the books back in a box and sets it back on the shelf. As he lays down the box he stops, noticing a mess of boards nailed to the wall behind the shelf. There is a large gap between two boards that open up into darkness.

 

ALLEN

What?

 

Allen pulls out his phone and turns on the flashlight, shining it into the gap. He sees a dusty room with a desk in the back and an old manual printing press in the middle of the room. He looks around the shelf, then turns off his flashlight and starts taking boxes off the shelf.

 

INT. PRINTING HOUSE STORAGE BASEMENT - LATER

 

Metal shrieks as Allen scoots a now empty shelf out into the hall. Allen squeezes his way back past the shelf and takes a look at the boarded-up wall. The boards are old, thin, and covered in dust. Allen pulls on one of the boards and it crackles but doesn’t break. He huffs and dusts off his hands, then begins to kick at the boards. They crack and break, the wood is dry rotted. Allen continues to kick until there is a hole into the room. He wipes his brow, then his phone buzzes. He pulls it out and sees a message from Sebastian. “Where are you? You’re on thin ice.” Allen rolls his eyes and dismisses the message before turning on his flashlight. He crouches down and enters the dark room.

 

INT. OLD PRINT ROOM - CONTINUOUS

 

Allen looks around the dusty room. There are shelves filled with paper and jars of printing ink on either side of the entrance. He scans his phone across the dust-covered floor, noticing that there are wood shavings scattered all over. The shavings get denser near the right corner of the room where a workbench sits with a wooden block in its vice. Allen moves up to it and his flashlight shines across several woodworking tools on the workbench. The block has an image of Wylden dressed in a knight’s helmet carved in it. Allen smiles and rubs his hand across it’s surface.

 

ALLEN

Cool.

 

Allen turns his flashlight up to a framed black and white photo of a smiling old man with a mustache above the work bench. This is WILLIAM. He is leaning against a printing press and holding a Wylden picture book in his hand. Allen reaches up and rubs the dust off of a small gold plate on the frame, revealing “William Fisher, recipient of the 1946 Caldecott Medal for Wylden the Wonderous Wyrm.” Allen looks at the press in the picture then turns to the printing press in the room. They are the same.

 

ALLEN

So it’s an antique.

 

Allen walks up to it and lifts its rusty handle. The top rises to reveal another wooden block of Wylden set into the press, plates of lettering sit beside it. The block is stained black from ink. In the print tray is an aged sheet of paper with a print of Wylden holding up a knight’s helmet.

Allen reaches for the paper, but as he touches the page, it shimmers and ripples. He staggers back in surprise as the page rises into the air, the ink swirling into a spiral on the page.

 

The page grows brighter until it lets out a blinding flash. Allen disappears in the flash and his phone falls to the floor. His phone starts to buzz as a call from Sebastian comes in before being covered by the paper, the image of Wylden’s winking face looking upwards.

 

EXT  VALLEY - AFTERNOON

 

After a flash of light and Allen comes tumbling onto the grass. He rolls down a small incline before coming to a stop on a dirt path. He pushes himself up sputtering, his white shirt grass-stained.

 

ALLEN

What the hell was that?

 

Allen looks around the open valley. His eyes grow wide and panicked. He turns towards a castle in the distance and stops. He blinks a few times then pinches himself. He winces.

 

ALLEN

Ok, not a dream.

 

Allen dusts off his pants before turning towards the castle. The sound of flapping from behind catches Allen’s attention and he turns. His eyes go wide and he dives off the road into the grass as a large green creature flies overhead. Allen rises and looks towards where the creature had gone, watching it circle back, something on its head shining in the daylight. Allen starts to back up, but before he can run, the creature comes flapping down, stirring up dirt as it lands.

Allen’s jaw drops as he comes face to face with WYLDEN in a Knight helmet with a satchel at his side, a huge grin on the dragon’s face.

 

WYLDEN

Hello human, my name is Wylden Wyrm. What brings you out to the countryside?

 

Allen blinks.

 

ALLEN

W, Wylden?

 

Wylden raises his visor and gives Allen a confused look.

WYLDEN

That’s what I said. And your name?

 

Allen continues to stare. He clutches his head and lets out a chuckle.

 

ALLEN

I’ve snapped.

WYLDEN

Hi, Snapped. Are you going to meet the king as well?

 

Allen shakes his head to clear it.

ALLEN

No, my name’s Allen. Sorry, I think I’m going crazy.

 

WYLDEN

You’re not crazy. You’re weird, and weird is ok.

 

Allen laughs, real mirth this time.

ALLEN

You’re quoting Helga the Witch right? From Witchy Washy?

 

Wylden blinks at him.

WYLDEN

Yes, she taught me a lot, but I don’t understand the rest of what you said.

 

ALLEN

Never mind. It’s just good to meet you. How are you?

 

Wylden smiles.

 

WYLDEN

It’s nice to meet you too, Allen. I’m doing well. I’m on my way to return this key to the king.

 

Wylden fishes around in a satchel on his side and pulls out a comically large golden key. A tag hangs off the ring saying “Property of the King.”

 

WYLDEN

I found it in a chest in a cave and now I’m almost to the castle. I found this there, too.

 

Wylden pulls the visor of the helmet down over his eyes.

WYLDEN

Now I’m a knight-errant!