Through large windows, the morning sun rays shine though the room. There are promotional posters on the wall of theatrical plays. The room is a collection of light color that accentuate the beautiful sun and perhaps the personality of its owner.
SHAYNA, a young 20 something year old girl with blonde curly hair, is sitting at a desk in the corner in pajama bottoms and a white T-shirt. She is using a laptop and clicking on her mouse.
GUY,a man, begins to wake up in the bed behind her.
He stretches and yawns.
Shayna looks back for a second but quickly turns her focus back on the computer.
SHAYNA
(looking at the laptop)
Did you sleep okay?
GUY
Yeah, I guess.
(pause)
I kept having a weird dream.
SHAYNA
What was it about?
GUY
(confused)
I can't remember... that's so weird. All I can
remember was that I was scared for someone. Why
can't I remember?
SHAYNA
(still looking at the computer)
Yeah, That's pretty weird.
GUY
What are you doing?
SHAYNA
I'm trying to find a place to stay.
GUY
Stay? Where are you going?
Shayna turns to look at Guy.
SHAYNA
You never listen, do you?
Guy pauses to think for a second.
GUY
Your play? Is that already coming up?
SHAYNA
Coming up? It's already come up.
I leave for Chicago in two days!
GUY
So what places are you looking at?
SHAYNA
I've actually stopped looking for a moment.
I ran into this hotel called "World's Fair Hotel"
and it has no reviews. I mean, the pictures
of the place look nice. How is it that a hotel
in downtown Chicago has literally zero reviews?
GUY
How much does it cost?
SHAYNA
It's toward the lower end of the price range.
It's not in a bad neighbor hood. It is right
across the street from the university biology
building . . . Why does it have no reviews?
GUY
Well, you should be the first.
SHAYNA
That would be kind of fun.
Shayna pauses to think for a moment.
SHAYNA
(CONT.)
I'm going to do it.
Can you pass me my credit card?
Guy reaches down to the side of the bed.
INT. KITCHEN - LATER
Guy is cooking dinner while Shayna reads a book at the counter.
GUY
Can you watch the food while I
go to the bathroom?
SHAYNA
(inattentively)
Yep.
GUY
Okay. I'll try to be back quick.
Shayna continues to read as smoke starts to come from the pan.
Guy runs back into the kitchen a few seconds later just as the fire alarm begins to go off.
Shayna looks up from her book and sees Guy moving the pan off the burner and fanning the fire alarm.
SHAYNA
Burning down the house are we?
GUY
You were supposed to be watching it!
SHAYNA
Says who?
GUY
Says you. You said you would watch it for me.
SHAYNA
That doesn't sound like me. You know I
don't like to cook.
Shayna lays down her book on the table and pulls out her phone.
She scrolls on her screen and taps it a few times.
SHAYNA
It's gone.
GUY
What's gone?
SHAYNA
The hotel. I went on the website to see if
the price had went down since I made the reservation,
and it's gone.
GUY
Maybe it filled up.
SHAYNA
Yeah, I guess so. Means I'll probably
have some competition to give the first review.
GUY
Well it's time to put your phone
down. Dinner is ready.
SHAYNA
Yeah I kind of got that impression
when our house was telling us the
food was done.
GUY
Maybe my dream was about a fire?
I do seem to vaguely remember seeing fire.
SHAYNA
So your a fortune teller and a chef.
Boy, did I get a catch finding you.
EXT. SKY - DAY
A plane flies across the screen.
EXT. DOWNTOWN CHICAGO
A taxi pulls up to the front of an old brick hotel.
Shayna gets out of the car.
She grabs her bags from the trunk and walks into the building.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY
Shayna walks her way across a bright red carpet to the front desk, manned by a man in his forties. He is wearing a bell hop outfit from the early 1900's.
The man behind the counter isn't the only thing that looks out of date. The entire decor of the place is designed to look like it was lost in time. Black and white pictures of large crowds in front of the building are hanging from the wall. There are also pictures of men in lab coats standing in the lobby, some old and some new.
Besides Shayna and the smiling bell hop, there is no one in the lobby.
SHAYNA
Is this the World's Fair Motel?
BELL HOP
Yep. The one and only.
SHAYNA
You guys seem pretty busy.
BELL HOP
Yes. We are in a bit of a slow period right
now. We just re-opened not that long ago.
SHAYNA
Re-opened? It looks like this place has been
open since the beginning of time.
BELL HOP
(laughing)
You wouldn't be entirely wrong. This
hotel is one of the oldest buildings
in Chicago. The owner bought this
place when it was scheduled to be demolished.
He restored it to it's original state that
it was in back during the 1893 World's Fair.
SHAYNA
That's kind of cool . . . I guess.
The bell hop turns around to the wall behind him covered with room numbers and key hooks. One key hangs from the wall under room 327.
BELL HOP
Let me show you to your room.
TO BE CONTINUED...
No comments:
Post a Comment