Lake Happiness Third Revision

OLMINOR AND SHARIYA “LAKE HAPPINESS”

By Fer Basbas

Final draft

May 2007 Naga City, Philippines

OLMINOR AND SHARIYA: LAKE HAPPINESS Cast List: Olminor, a noble warrior Shariya, the princess who was sad Raboni, a shaman Lake Brugano Monster of the lake

Notes:

This story is set in the time after the appearance of Handiong, main hero of the Bikolano epic. Ibalon is Bikol’s ancient name. The region’s literary landscape is rich with colorful myths legends. It is hoped that this little tale will form part of a bigger effort to tell the world our own stories.

To a friend, Whose ‘adventures’ Inspired this story To my Sheila and Gaby, With whom I share A continuing journey To my yet unborn child... May our lives be filled with Happy stories.

1 OLMINOR AND SHARIYA "Lake Happiness" FADE IN EXT. KINGDOM – BRIGHT EARLY MORNING CAMERA takes us across a panorama of a mythical Bikolano kingdom. BIRDS fly across the landscape. In the foreground ANIMALS prance across richly planted fields of grain and fruits. PAN and ZOOM IN to palace of thick wood and bamboo, adorned with gold and various ornaments. CHILDREN enter frame from left, laughing as they run. CAMERA follows them as they enter the gate and pass by the main buildings of the palace. NARRATOR (V.O) In the golden years after Handiong's rule, when Ibalon, following many years of peace, was a land of plenty and wealth - lived the beautiful Princess Shariya and the noble warrior Olminor. This is their story...

FADE IN TO: INT. SHARIYA'S ROOM - DAY SHARIYA is alone in her room, holding a pendant of pearl and gold, weeping. NARRATOR (V.O) Since the death of her mother, whom she loved so much, Shariya had imprisoned herself in sadness. The golden pendant is her link to her mother, who has long joined their ancestors. She refuses to answer the LOUD KNOCKS on her door and ignores the VOICES (OS) calling her name.

2 NARRATOR (CONT'D) Nothing seemed to make the princess happy. They tried tickling her with feathers, tried all the jokes, gave her precious jewels and the finest silks from foreign lands. But even when she managed a smile, her sadness showed. CAMERA moves out of the room through the window and out of the royal grounds to show OLMINOR entering a small hut some distance from the palace. NARRATOR (V.O. - CONT'D) Olminor, already chief among warriors of the kingdom despite his youth, has loved the princess since childhood. Today he seeks the help of the shaman Raboni. He has heard of a mystical lake whose waters can cure Shariya's deep sadness. FADE IN INT. SHAMAN'S HUT - DAY OLMINOR is talking with Raboni. Before him lies his offering to the spirits of the forest: a freshly killed deer. OLMINOR You are wise dear shaman, tell me what I must do. Should I take her to the Lake and risk forever losing her? Or should I just let her remain in the palace imprisoned in her sadness? RABONI You are too young to take the Princess on this dangerous journey! OLMINOR

3

I may be young but I am chief among warriors! What should I be afraid of?

RABONI The things that the heart must face can be far more dangerous than wild beasts...If you must go, promise not to leave without my blessings... FADE IN TO: EXT. SHAMAN'S HUT - JUST BEFORE DAWN SHARIYA and OLMINOR are outside RABONI's hut, getting ready for their journey. NARRATOR (V.O.) Wishing his beloved princess to be happy again, OLMINOR persuades SHARIYA to undertake such a dangerous journey. They leave just before daybreak, passing by the old man's home.

RABONI gives OLMINOR three magical seeds, bigger than ordinary seeds in size and each of a different color, contained in a small leather pouch. As the two leave, RABONI raises his hands in blessing and calls out a reminder: RABONI Remember, these are only seeds. To use their power, you must plant and nurture each one of them. CUT TO: EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Princess SHARIYA and OLMINOR come across a raging river. They survey the river's length and realize they cannot cross it without help.

4 OLMINOR feels the pouch, tied around his waist, shaking. Opening it, he sees one of the seeds glowing. Remembering the shaman's words, he digs a small hole on the ground and pours some water into it. He has to wait a long time before seeing anything happen. Finally, the seed grows into a giant tree whose branches form a bridge over the raging waters. INT. CAVE - STORMY NIGHT Wet from chilling rain, SHARIYA and OLMINOR huddle in a cave. NARRATOR (V.O.) Caught in a sudden storm, SHARIYA and OLMINOR find a cave to shelter them. Everything they carried had become wet and they could not find anything to make fire with. Dark ghostly shadows creep around them, taunting them with visions of despair. Drenched and cold, OLMINOR tries to set fire to a heap of sticks and leaves on the cave floor. He fails. HOWLING SOUNDS terrify SHARIYA. Even OLMINOR looks worried. SHARIYA sees one of the magic seeds glowing. the pouch and cries to Olminor:

She grabs

SHARIYA Look! Perhaps, this one could help us! SHARIYA hurriedly digs a small hole near the fire pit OLMINOR was trying to make and puts the seed in it. Suddenly, the cave is filled with warmth and light. The howling stops and the terrifying shapes that gathered around them disappear.

FADE IN EXT. AT THE EDGE OF THE FOREST, NEAR THE LAKE - LATE IN THE AFTERNOON NARRATOR(V.O.) The two finally reach the magical lake. Shariya is at once enchanted with it, more

5 certain than ever that it will really make her happy again. WIDE ON LAKE as SHARIYA runs towards it then MOVE TO SHARIYA as she takes a step into its waters. OLMINOR stands watch from the embankment. The waters move as a voice is heard: BRUGANO (V.O.) I am Lake Brugano... For your happiness, you must pay a small price...I must take your soul. She hesitates. But remembering all her unhappiness, she takes a step into the lake and cups her hand to drink: SHARIYA I just want to be happy, even for a while. Around the lake, fireflies light up the surroundings. SWEET MUSIC is heard. The waters of the Lake move in time with the music. She begins to float as the waters of Broganu, forming like soft petals around her, lifts her up. SHARIYA dances, humming along. excited. SHARIYA laughs.

The dance becomes more

Soon after, however, she begins to feel weak. The petal-like fingers of the lake reaches out towards her mouth. Water shaped like tentacles wrap around SHARIYA's body. BRUGANO You know that I must take your soul... SHARIYA I know. But I love you. Only you can make me happy. BRUGANO Did you know you also created me? Look! Looking at the waters, she saw herself again, crying after the death of her mother, whom she loved so much. She was never again happy. And she also saw that for every tear she shed, Lake Broganu grew tenfold.

6 SHARIYA I want to be happy again. SHARIYA reaches down to take another drink from the lake. Can I not just stay with you forever? BRUGANO Then, you must give your soul to me. SHARIYA begins to have doubts. But the mystical lake holds her now in a powerful spell. She lets her arms, folded around her bosom in a defensive posture, fall by her side. The waters of Broganu begin to look dark and ominous. The soft water petals that surrounded her become like tentacles that pull her down, sucking her life force. OLMINOR, watching from a distance, sees the dark figures that have gathered around the princess. SHARIYA is in trouble! He rushes to her aid but is stopped by the thick bushes that suddenly grow and block his way. Princess SHARIYA begins to be afraid. Even OLMINOR cannot help her now. She struggles. She realizes she does not want to lose her soul, after all. The tentacles grow stronger. Pulling and tugging she fights back but the cold fingers of the lake were now grasping at her arms, trying to pull her deeper into the lake. OLMINOR, using his sword, is finally able to free himself from the thorny bushes that have held him back. He cuts down a tree branch. OLMINOR Grab this! With one free hand, SHARIYA reaches out and pulls, but the branch breaks. She falls into the water. OLMINOR dives in and swims. The waters churn, trying to drown him. As he is pulled down into its depths, he sees SHARIYA, now quietly cradled among underwater plants and weeds. The magic seed in his pouch glows and OLMINOR tries to takes it out. Lake Broganu's tentacles however knock it from his hand and the seed falls.

7 Trying not to lose hope, OLMINOR swims back to the surface and draws deep breaths. He plunges back into the churning waters, swimming with all his might, determined to save the princess. Hacking through the thick underwater vegetation that held SHARIYA imprisoned, OLMINOR is finally able to bring the princess back to surface. He takes SHARIYA's limp body to the shore, fighting watery tentacles that rise from the lake. The princess is still breathing. Her paleness however tells OLMINOR that Lake Broganu has already taken part of her soul. OLMINOR is enraged: OLMINOR I am Olminor, chief of the warriors of the land, I challenge you to a duel! Take me on instead of the helpless Princess!

The waters of Lake Broganu swirl. Out of its depths rise a monster, half human and half water creature, slimy weeds covering his body. BRUGANO Olminor! Your youth and brashness betray you! I am Broganu! You cannot defeat me! I send you instead my own warrior! (EVIL LAUGHTER) The monster stands there waiting for him, green eyes penetrating the darkness. BRUGANO (CONT'D) Defeat the monster of Lake Broganu and I will return Princess Shariya's soul. Fail, and you too shall be mine! The slimy monster lunges at OLMINOR, sharp metallic claws exposed and raised, ready to slash the young warrior into pieces. The warrior also moves, drawing his sword as he rushed forward to meet the enemy. They clash. OLMINOR is quick and strong but the monster's hide is thick. His sword wounds the monster but they quickly heal. He also has difficult time avoiding its sharp claws. The monster's GROWLS echo through the nearby hillsides as they fight. OLMINOR

8 knows he was facing an enemy that could not be easily defeated. He also knew he must win. Both monster and warrior pause, gathering strength. The lake creature, perhaps thinking OLMINOR to be growing weak, attacks again. OLMINOR steps sideways as he swings his sword. The monster stumbles and falls. The warrior misses. He raises his sword to strike again, seeing that the monster has lost its balance. But the monster, turning quickly, uses its claws to block OLMINOR's weapon. OLMINOR has the monster pinned down for a while but with a powerful shove from the monster, OLMINOR is thrown far back into lake. A multitude of arms pulls him down again. As he sinks, he spots the one remaining seed given to him by the shaman, lying on a rock near the bottom of the lake, gleaming with magic. OLMINOR There's the magic seed! It's my only hope! But where do I plant it? Lake Broganu is strangling him. Thinking quickly, OLMINOR swallows the seed. All at once, OLMINOR feels extremely strong. New air fills his lungs. OLMINOR (CONT'D) SHARIYA! I must save the princess! He swims quickly back to the shore and finds the monster now bending over SHARIYA, picking her lovely but lifeless form with its black, slimy hands. ROARING like a lion, OLMINOR grabs the monster's limbs and throws it into the trunk of a nearby tree, knocking it unconscious. The warrior now binds the monster with thick, heavy vines from the tree and hangs its hideous body on an overhanging branch. The monster, which drew its strength from the water, dies. OLMINOR hurries up to SHARIYA’S side and holds her in his arms. He touches her face, afraid he has lost her forever. But as the sun rises, color returns to SHARIYA's pale face. Slowly, she regains consciousness.

9 SHARIYA (Looking around and realizing what happened, gives OLMINOR a big hug.) Thank you, Olminor, for saving my life! OLMINOR We must go now my princess. As long as we are near the lake, you will always be in danger. The Lake, still looked angry and black. SHARIYA Yes, we must leave... As they turn to leave, she remembers the pendant she has kept to remember her dead mother. She turns around to throw it into the lake saying: SHARIYA (CONT'D) With this I let go of my sadness. Goodbye, mother! And then little by little the lake grows quieter, more peaceful, as it also grows smaller until it was no more than a small pool. Around it, flowers of great variety and color appear. And as the flowers spread their scent, butterflies gather. CAMERA follows one of the butterfles as it approaches SHARIYA, who holds out her hand. She smiles at it touches her palm. CAMERA pulls back to a LONG SHOT of the scene as the butterfly flies away and SHARIYA, laughing sweetly, chases it. OLMINOR follows her, also laughing.

FADE OUT. THE END