ACT ONE

SCENE 1

EXT. SUBURBAN STREET – DAY (DAWN) The sky is a monstrous, bruised gray — the kind that swallows a Saturday morning without apology. FAT, HEAVY RAINDROPS splatter across cracked asphalt.

The frantic thumping of SNEAKERS cuts through the quiet street.

A blur of floral‑printed LEGGINGS and a faded GREEN SHIRT barrels forward. This is YOU (16, desperate, determined). Your hair, usually neat, is plastered to your forehead.

You leap over a growing PUDDLE, barely clearing the splash. Your eyes flick across the horizon, searching for salvation.

YOU (V.O.) Every week, I visit the library. A quick, pleasant stroll. But not today. Today, if I dawdled, I’d get struck by lightning. Or drown. A legitimate concern, apparently.

The ground is slick. The brown, thirsty grass looks defeated under the storm clouds. Growing flowers here is pointless.

You weave through bewildered pedestrians, muttering apologies as you jostle past. They stare after you like they’ve been shoved by a rogue gust of wind.

YOU (V.O.) Saturday. And bad news. Rain. In a desert state. People panic. Think it’s the apocalypse. School’s cancelled. “Rain day.” No fun like a snow day. No swimming. Never built a snowman. And I never will unless I leave this state.

Your breath hitches from the sprint.

YOU (V.O.) Drowning, or facing my parents’ anger? Which death to choose? They’d murder me if they got another late return notice. Teenagers, right? Always forgetting. I read the eight books. Just forgot to drop them off. Why didn’t I listen?

You glance down at your thin clothing, then up at the sky. A fresh wave of rain slams into you, soaking you instantly.

YOU (V.O.) Would they be angrier if I got sick? Had to pay for a doctor? Or the price of eight overdue books? Sickness wasn’t guaranteed. Overdue book debt? Nightmares.

Through the sheets of rain, the worn‑brick LIBRARY looms — massive, fortress‑like.

SCENE 2 EXT. LIBRARY – DAY You cross the street carefully, reaching the LIBRARY’S doorstep. The building, usually warm and inviting, now resembles a deserted castle. Rain hammers the windows.

Bright YELLOW CAUTION SIGNS are taped inside every window: early closure.

YOU (muttering) Desperate.

You pull on the DOUBLE DOORS. Miraculously, they’re not locked. You slip inside.

SCENE 3 INT. LIBRARY – DAY The air inside is cool, damp, eerily still. You should drop the EIGHT BOOKS and leave. But curiosity — your oldest, most reckless habit — tugs at you.

You walk through the familiar maze of SHELVES. Outside, the rain intensifies.

YOU (V.O.) I knew I should leave. Before it got worse. Too late.

SCENE 4 INT. LIBRARY – CIRCULATION DESK – DAY A WOMAN’S ARM suddenly stretches across your path. You look up into the stern face of the NEW LIBRARIAN. She wears a BLACK RAINCOAT and carries a matching UMBRELLA.

LIBRARIAN (polite, irritated) Why did you come today? I’d think the weather app on your phone would’ve warned you. Clearly, it failed.

She lowers her hand. You stutter.

YOU P‑please… my parents… infuriated! Just a tiny moment! I’m begging you!

You just need her to mark the BOOKS as returned.

The LIBRARIAN sighs, softening slightly.

LIBRARIAN Your reputation precedes you. I was warned you frequently return large numbers of books late.

She gestures to the DESK. You unload the EIGHT BOOKS, grateful they’re still dry. As you dig for your LIBRARY CARD, you realize — no JACKET, no UMBRELLA.

The LIBRARIAN snatches the CARD, irritated. She swipes it through the COMPUTER.

YOU (apologetic) Sorry.

The COMPUTER L.O.A.D.S. painfully slowly. The lights flicker.

LIBRARIAN It’s going to take a while. You can browse the shelves if you like.

SCENE 5 INT. LIBRARY – STACKS – DAY You wander deeper into the shelves. You’re amused — and horrified — that the NEW LIBRARIAN (only a week on the job) was warned about you.

Your fingers trail along spines. An unusual book catches your eye. Thin. Worn. The title: “CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE — A WALK IN THE WOODS.”

You’ve heard of the series but never read one. Choices that alter the story. A relic.

You lift the ancient BOOK. Its scratchy pages threaten to disintegrate.

YOU (V.O.) Most kids probably don’t even know libraries still exist. By the time I have children, they probably won’t. Online services are taking over.

SCENE 6 INT. LIBRARY – CIRCULATION DESK – DAY (CONTINUOUS) BAM! The lights flicker, then die. The COMPUTER screen goes black. The only light comes from the rain‑lashed windows.

YOU (to yourself) Oh, SH–.

The LIBRARIAN remains calm.

LIBRARIAN Staying until the rain dies down is probably best.

YOU (V.O.) No book fee. But missing dinner? My parents would be furious.

You check your SMARTPHONE. Dead battery.

LIBRARIAN Wanna read like in the old‑fashioned days? Take one of my flashlights.

She hands you a small FLASHLIGHT.

You sit at an old wooden desk. The thin beam dances across the tabletop. You open the BOOK.

The first page: “Your car broke down in the middle of the night…” No cell phones then. The choice: walk down the deserted road or head into the forest.

You consider the title.

Your finger hovers over the page.

END OF ACT ONE.

ACT TWO

SCENE 1 INT. LIBRARY – CIRCULATION DESK – DAY A sputtering FLASHLIGHT beam slices through the dark. It trembles in YOUR hand.

The old wooden DESK is rough beneath your fingers. You’ve just opened “CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE — A WALK IN THE WOODS.”

As your eyes skim the first sentence, the words ripple. The FLASHLIGHT beam warps. The air thickens — no longer old paper and dust, but damp earth and pine.

Your heart leaps. A nauseating PULL grips you. The LIBRARY shelves, the DESK, even the LIBRARIAN smear into streaks of brown and green before disappearing.

EXT. DENSE FOREST – NIGHT (BOOK WORLD) You hit the ground hard, landing on damp, leaf‑strewn earth. The FLASHLIGHT is still in your hand, but its beam is swallowed by the overwhelming darkness of a primeval forest.

The rainstorm is gone. In its place: rustling LEAVES, dripping WATER, distant nocturnal CREATURES.

Panic claws at you — but curiosity pushes back. This is real. This is the book.

YOU (V.O.) My car broke down. No cell phone. No help. Just a road… or a dark forest.

You lift the FLASHLIGHT. Its weak beam makes the choice stark. You remember the title.

YOU Forest it is.

You step forward, swallowed by darkness.

SCENE 2 EXT. DENSE FOREST – NIGHT (BOOK WORLD) You pick your way through undergrowth, the FLASHLIGHT bouncing. A root snags your foot. You pitch forward, dropping into a deep HOLE. Your teeth clack.

YOU Ow!

The HOLE smells of rot and decay.

YOU (V.O.) Call for help, or climb out?

You remember the brutal CYOA deaths.

YOU Call for help is probably a trap. I’ll climb.

You claw at the muddy walls. Loose DIRT showers down. The ground shifts.

YOU Oh, no—!

The HOLE collapses. BLACK.

INT. LIBRARY – CIRCULATION DESK – DAY You gasp, lurching upright. The FLASHLIGHT sits on the DESK. The LIBRARIAN mutters at the dead COMPUTER, oblivious.

Your heart hammers.

YOU (muttering) This is insane. I just… I died.

You flip back to the HOLE scenario.

SCENE 3 EXT. DENSE FOREST – NIGHT (BOOK WORLD) You’re back in the HOLE. No dirt on your clothes.

YOU (yelling) H‑HELP!

Rustling. A long, green SLIMY SNAKE slithers to the edge. Beside it, a FLUFFY BLACK‑AND‑WHITE RABBIT twitches its nose.

YOU (V.O.) Ask the rabbit and snake team for help, or ask the bear?

A distant GROWL. No BEAR.

YOU You two. Help. Please.

The SNAKE and RABBIT exchange a look.

SNAKE For you, dear reader.

The RABBIT digs, creating a ramp. The SNAKE lowers its body.

SNAKE Pull tightly, but not too tightly. I am sensitive.

You grab the SNAKE, use the ramp, and scramble out.

YOU Thank you! I… didn’t think you’d talk.

RABBIT You’re welcome! You looked quite stuck!

SNAKE (puffing up) We are quite the team.

They guide you through the forest.

SCENE 4 EXT. DENSE FOREST – NIGHT (BOOK WORLD) The forest becomes a maze of choices. You reach a FORK.

YOU (V.O.) Follow the rabbit (left) or the snake (right)?

You hesitate. The Snake tempts you — morbid curiosity — but the book hinted at something darker.

You choose the Rabbit. The BOOK confirms the Snake’s Path: swallowed whole.

The Rabbit leads you to a hidden CAVE. Inside, CREATURES murmur — some friendly, some wary. You choose to stay.

Later, shimmering FAERIES appear. Their smiles are too wide. Panic ripples through the cave. The book offers a choice: flee or ask for help.

You flee. The book confirms your fear — those who asked were turned to STONE.

INT. LIBRARY – CIRCULATION DESK – DAY You blink back into existence. The LIBRARIAN turns.

LIBRARIAN Still nothing from the computer. It’s quite old, like this storm. And like that book.

She gestures to the CYOA BOOK. Its pages are more worn now.

LIBRARIAN Frankly, that book is so damaged, you can have it.

You grip the BOOK. Frustration burns.

SCENE 5 INT. LIBRARY – CIRCULATION DESK – DAY You look from the BOOK to the LIBRARIAN, then to your dead SMARTPHONE. No escape. Just this ridiculous, death‑trap book.

YOU (frustrated) This is stupid. You just die. Over and over. No way out.

LIBRARIAN Sometimes the path isn’t clear.

You stare at the scribbles and scratched‑out ink.

A spark ignites. Why follow the book? Why die?

You can write.

YOU Do you have a pen?

The LIBRARIAN blinks, then hands you a black BALLPOINT PEN.

You open the damaged BOOK to a blank page — right after a death trap.

You hesitate, then press the PEN to the paper.

The INK glows — soft, then brighter, pulsing, engulfing your hand, your arm, your entire body.

The library, the THUNDER, the LIBRARIAN — all fade into shimmering silence.

Light swells, consuming the frame.

END OF ACT TWO.

ACT THREE

SCENE 1 EXT. ENCHANTED FOREST – DAY (BOOK WORLD) The blinding light softens into a lush ENCHANTED FOREST. Sunlight filters through an emerald CANOPY. The air hums with unseen BIRDS.

YOU stands there, the PEN glowing faintly. Awe blooms across her face. This place feels different. It feels… hers.

A calm, friendly CROCODILE — emerald scales, gentle eyes — ambles toward her, as if expecting her.

CROCODILE At last. The Teller of Tales has arrived. This realm has awaited your touch.

You stare, wide‑eyed. Her words made him. She glances at the PEN, then scribbles a small FLOWER on bare ground. A glowing BLOOM springs up.

YOU (whispered) Whoa.

CROCODILE Your thoughts shape us. But not always as you intend. The Faeries have grown bold since our last Teller departed. They seek to unravel what you weave.

YOU Faeries? What are they doing?

CROCODILE Disrupting harmony. Stealing our light. Sour waters. They’re drawn to power — especially new power.

You looks around, resolve settling.

YOU So, we’ve got a problem. Can you help me find them?

CROCODILE To the end of your tale, Teller.

SCENE 2 EXT. ENCHANTED FOREST – PATH – DAY (BOOK WORLD) You and the CROCODILE walk along a winding path. The forest is beautiful, but something underneath feels… off. Shadows flicker at the edges.

YOU They’re not subtle, are they?

CROCODILE Patience. They savor the fear they weave.

Ahead, a tree TWISTS, branches contorting into grasping ARMS.

FAERIE (O.S.) (whispering, singsong) Lost, little dreamer?

You flinch. You try to write “Tree dissolves,” but the PEN’S glow flickers.

CROCODILE Direct commands rarely work, Teller. Your essence guides — it doesn’t dictate.

You scribble: “A shimmering light bursts from the path, illuminating the way.”

The path brightens, revealing a clear passage.

YOU (grinning) Got it. Creative problem‑solving.

They move past the tree as it unwinds.

SCENE 3 EXT. ENCHANTED FOREST – GLADE – DAY (BOOK WORLD) The FAERIES appear — bold, glittering shadows. Four of them, all sharp teeth and too‑wide grins.

FAERIE 1 The new weaver. Such fragile strings.

FAERIE 2 Your little friend won’t save you.

CROCODILE Begone, tricksters! Her tale is not yours to unravel!

The FAERIES laugh — chimes made of broken glass. They hurl shimmering ORBS of dark energy. The CROCODILE steps in front, scales deflecting the blasts.

YOU (to Crocodile) They want the pen! Get us to the clearing — the one with the crystal flowers!

The CROCODILE charges — surprisingly nimble — breaking through their formation. You scribble not solutions, but momentum.

YOU (V.O.) The ground beneath us was firm, the air crisp. Nothing slowed their pace.

The ground solidifies, granting speed. The Faeries struggle to keep up.

SCENE 4 EXT. ENCHANTED FOREST – CRYSTAL CLEARING – DAY (BOOK WORLD) You and the CROCODILE burst into a clearing filled with tall, glowing CRYSTAL FLOWERS. The air crackles with energy.

The FAERIES hover at the edge, hesitant.

FAERIE 3 This place… it hums too loudly.

FAERIE 4 We will find your weakness, Teller! This is not the end!

You stand firm. You scribble: “The light within the crystals growing,” “the air becoming too pure for malice.”

The CRYSTAL FLOWERS HUM, vibrating. Light pulses outward — bright, pure.

The FAERIES shriek, dissolving into smoke.

You look at the CROCODILE, breathless.

YOU That was… intense.

CROCODILE Your will shines brightly. The forest is at peace again.

SCENE 5 INT. LIBRARY – CIRCULATION DESK – DAY A sharp sting. You GASP, jolting upright at the DESK.

The PEN slips from your hand. You touch your cheek — a tiny bead of blood where the rough edge of the BOOK brushed your skin.

The library is quiet. The storm has passed. Sunlight streams through the windows.

You look at the BOOK, then your hand, then your cheek. The forest, the Crocodile, the Faeries — all feel more vivid than the stillness around you.

SCENE 6 INT. LIBRARY – ENTRANCE – DAY The LIBRARIAN enters with a tote bag. She offers a soft smile.

LIBRARIAN Storm’s over. I’m heading out. Want a ride home?

You look up, startled. Relief, then anxiety. You pull out your SMARTPHONE. Dead.

You look at the LIBRARIAN — a near‑stranger, but your only way out.

LIBRARIAN Your folks will be worried. My car’s outside.

You hesitate. Trust a stranger, or walk home alone and face your parents later? Your adventure taught you the weight of choices — but this one is real.

You glance at the CYOA BOOK, then back at her.

You place the BOOK down gently. You don’t pick it up.

YOU Yeah. Thank you.

You follow her. She opens the DOUBLE DOORS.

EXT. LIBRARY – DAY Sunlight spills across wet pavement. You step out, blinking. Water rushes into storm drains.

You glance back at the LIBRARY. The doors swing shut, hiding the interior. The CYOA BOOK disappears from view.

You walk toward the LIBRARIAN’S CAR, a thoughtful furrow in your brow. The immediate crisis is over — but something new has begun.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT THREE.