502. Director's Cut: John's Good Night

John stands in the hallway, light dim, director and camera on a rail to his left (George Clooney plays John). His suit looks like something out of the movie Dune. John's hair is cut short, his face lined, dark, but his eyes appear unnaturally bright. He is standing before the door. The camera zooms in upon his face, his eyes, and then, like a camera finding focus, zooms out to a full body shot and the sound of a camera clicking is heard and on the screen is the still shot of John before the door. Everything freezes just for a moment as the still shot fades from view and we are back to live action, John's hand on the door, hesitating.

The door opens and John rides the shaft of light into the room, closing the door quickly, standing still while his eyes adusted to the starlight in Ariel's room. A cool bluish light fills the room and as the camera, like John's eyes, adjusts to the light and we start to see shapes, we hear two sounds. John breathing and, very faintly, a heartbeat and then, as the tension builds, the sneeze.

John walks to the bed as the camera flips from a rear low level view to the view from Ariel watching him come forward. We hear the squish of his suit, the bed shifting as he sits and we feel (I'm not sure how) but we feel the fear that Ariel has that not all is as it should be. Words are spoken but we can't hear them. Ariel sits up. We see John's hand reach for her forehead and the camera moves from his face to hers, two sets of eyes, both looking, for different reasons, uncomfortable, out of place, odd. After a few more words, John leaves and the camera shows him walking away, the door opening, a shaft of light, then closing and it is dark again.

Our final image is of Ariel, still, sitting up in bed, her knees pulled to her chest and her arms roped around the front of them with her chin nestled between the tops. The camera starts dead-on with her face and then rotates ninety degrees to the left and we see her ghostly bluish profile, primrose hair looking white, apprearing smooth and cold as marble--unmoving, eyes wide and unblinking. The camera then floats to a cutaway view of the ship and the soundtrack becomes noticiable as we watch within the frame Ariel sitting still in her bed as the small figure of John walks deliberately to the bay and the waiting pod. Soundtrack picks up as the scene fades to black. End of chapter.

Soundtrack:

Details in the Fabric
Jason Mraz (featuring James Morrison)

Calm down
Deep breaths
And get yourself dressed instead
Of running around
And pulling all your threads saying
Breaking yourself up

If it's a broken part, replace it
If it’s a broken arm then brace it
If it's a broken heart then face it

And hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything will be fine

Hang on
Help is on the way
Stay strong
I'm doing everything

Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything
Everything will be fine
Everything

Are the details in the fabric
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling?

Are the things that make you blow
Hell, no reason, go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault
Of faulty manufacturing.

Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Everything

Hold your own
And know your name
Go your own way

Are the details in the fabric
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling?

Hold your own
Know your name
Go your own way.

Are the details in the fabric
Are the things that make you panic
Is it Mother Nature's sewing machine?
Are the things that make you blow
Hell no reason go on and scream
If you’re shocked it's just the fault
Of faulty manufacturing

Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Hearts will hold