Character notes :
Olivia : 10 year old child who represents the mystical … She never speaks , instead we hear the narrator speaking for her . At crucial times in the plot , Olivia enters the scene .
Establishing her character :
music playing … Intermezzo from Mascagni Opera , Cavalleria Rusticana
Olivia dances alone on a stage …. note to cameraman , slow motion
Narrator : ” She is here to bear witness “. ( bells chime 3 times ) Place changes from stage to room on Orcas Island where Olivia remains thru the entire scene slightly out of focus in a foreground corner of the frame … here enters Tavisha .
voice of narrator continues , ” Tavisha hasn’t slept , Eric took up all the air in the room . After she leaves him a shift will appear , after the blush of her own company wears off .
Note to cameraman : close – up of objects , curtains , flowers in room
” She is aware of his absence as if the lack of him moved into the room with her like a shadow hanging from the bedroom curtains at breakfast “.
” She is here to bear witness “. ( bells chime )
note to cameraman : clear focus on Olivia’s bright eyes as the scene now changes to a room in Hawaii where a tropical breeze pushes the curtains swaying out the window . Olivia sees beyond the breakers , waves that bleed from grey to white , a white horizon where everything melts into everything else .
” She is here to bear witness “. ( bells chime )
Note to cameraman : beach scene view of Olivia from the back , watching Tavisha
” Tavisha folds Eric’s letter , wades into the surf and releases it like a paper boat . It bobs and dips , words on paper gradually taken by the current of ocean waves “.
Tavisha silently cries watching it float into the distance .
Camera close-up of Olivia’s face .
“She is here to bear witness “. ( bells chime ) Intermezzo music fades …
Personal note : the writer goes out to search for small video camera !
