First Last Day

by

Gunter O. Swoboda

Gunter O. Swoboda
P.O Box 655
Mona Vale NSW 2103
+61299990429
0412 371 503
[email protected]
Registered WGA
INT. A TEENAGER’S BEDROOM - EARLY MORNING.

A sharp beam of sunlight streams through the window

into the bedroom straight onto SEAN’S face. Blinking,
he strains to open his eyes. Squinting in the bright
light, he stretches his lanky body out.

SEAN
Computer, what’s the time?

A disembodied, female voice replies in dulcet tones.

COMPUTER
It is six o’clock, Sean. Your first
day of summer holidays.

Like lightening, Sean leaps out of bed, landing on a

pile of discarded books, clothes and other odds and
ends cluttering the floor.

SEAN
Shit!

He hobbles over to the window. It’s a beautiful, crisp

morning. Below in the driveway Sean’s father, MIKE, a
fit man in his late thirties, is busy packing the
family SUV.

MIKE
Time to give me a hand, Sean!

SEAN
But, Dad...

MIKE
You can have breakfast with me
once the car’s packed.

SEAN
OK, I’ll be down in a minute.

Sean throws on a pair of boardshorts and a T-shirt.

 2.

INT. ON THE STAIRS.

Sean is running down the stairs, past his mother, JO,

an attractive mid-thirties woman with a blond bob. He
calls out.

SEAN
Hi, Mum, back in a sec!

JO
But what about breakfast?

EXT. IN THE DRIVEWAY.

Strapped to the roof of the SUV are several short-

boards and longboards. Both the side and back-door of
the SUV are open.

On the ground around it are bits of camping gear, bags

and bikes.

While Mike’s talking, he keeps packing the SUV.

MIKE
So, Sean, excited?

SEAN
Sure! Can’t wait to get going!

MIKE
Well, the sooner we get this thing
packed, the sooner we can have brekky
and get on the way.

He lifts another bag into the vehicle.

MIKE (CONT’D)
Your sister and mother are all
organised.

At that moment, SARA, Sean’s ten year old sister comes

out of the garage carrying her bag. She can barely lift
 3.

it let alone carry it. One end is dragging on the

ground making a scraping sound on the concrete
driveway.

SEAN
Here, let me!

Sean hands the bag to his father who stows it in the

SUV.

SARA
Thanks, it was ripping my arms
off!

Sara turns and runs into the house.

SEAN
Where we stopping first, Dad?

MIKE
I thought we just go straight to
Crescent. The latest is that by the
time we get there a three to four foot
swell will be wrapping around the
point, and it’ll have a nice off-shore
breeze.

Mike grins.

MIKE (CONT’D)
Just enough to feather the lip.

SEAN
Great! I can’t wait!

INT. THE SUV - SOME TIME LATER.

The auto-pilot has taken control of the SUV and they

are cruising comfortable along the freeway. Jo is
sitting in the driver’s seat.
 4.

She has a relaxed and a casual air about her. Mike is

busy with his mobile phone.

MIKE
There’s been a cancellation at the
camping ground. Remember the cabin
close to the point, Cabin eight... you
know... the last one in that row?
They’ve just offered it to us.

Mike looks across at Jo.

MIKE (CONT’D)
Do you want to take it?

JO
Sure, why not?

Mike taps a few times on the mobile and then puts it

into the glovebox. He sits back and casually looks out
the window.

MIKE
I can’t tell you how much I need this
break.
(sighs)
The warming seems to be accelerating.
The reactors aren't doing the job.
Just like we told them. (pauses) It’s
unbelievable, after all we’ve been
talking about.

Concerned Jo looks across at her husband.

JO
Mike, you did the best you could. All
of you did. Now, promise me, no more
work, OK? We’re here to have a great
time with the kids and just unwind.
 5.

MIKE
(sighs)
Promise.

Mike leans back in the seat. He turns to look at the

passing scenery.

EXT. CRESCENT HEAD, NSW, AUSTRALIA - SOMETIME LATER.

As the SUV’s auto-pilot pulls the vehicle into the

cabin’s carport, the excited voices from the back seat
fill the car.

SARA
Can we paddle out now!! We can unpack
later, Mum! Look at that wave!

SEAN
Yeah, Dad! Let’s go now we can get the
SUV unpacked after our surf!

JO
HEY, KIDS! Slow down. We need to
unpack some of the things because we
need to get at the gear. We don’t have
to do the lot, but some of it needs to
be done now, OK?

SEAN
All right.

SARA
OK.

EXT. THE DRIVEWAY BY THE CABIN.

Eagerly Sean and Sara run to the back of the SUV and
start unloading some of the bags, looking for their
surf gear. Meanwhile Mike unstraps the boards from the
roof.
 6.

He then takes a couple of bags and steps on to the

porch.

MIKE
Mike Turner, unlock.

The auto-system of the cabin obediently slides the door

open.

EXT. ON THE ROCKS AT CRESCENT - LATER.

The whole Turner family is lined up on the rocks

waiting for a lull in the waves to jump into the surf.
Sara first, then Jo, Sean and finally Mike.

EXT. IN THE LINE-UP.

Despite being the first day of the school holidays, the

point is uncrowded. Sean sits and waits for his first
wave. A set builds up on the horizon. Excited, Sean
looks around. Sitting deeper than anyone else, he turns
the board and quickly paddles into the wave. He fades
left and then swings the longboard to the right.

He lets the board drop down the face a little and then
stalls it. Two quicks steps and he is riding the nose.
Sean continues to trim the board, then takes a couple
of steps back and flicks off.

EXT. BACK OUT IN THE LINE-UP.

As Sean is paddling back out, he sees his mother take

off on a wave. Elegantly she trims the board into the
curl.

Sara, on the other hand, paddles into a wave and as she

is just about to get to her feet the wave pitches
forward and she is buried by the white water. Seconds
later she surfaces.
 7.

SEAN
Bad luck!

Irritated, Sara just sticks her tongue out to her

brother. Sean grins back and gives her the finger.

EXT. CLOSE TO THE ROCKS.

Mike watched his two kids’ exchange.

MIKE

Don’t be a smart ass, Sean! You know she hates that.

SEAN
Just kidding, Dad!

EXT. THE TAKE-OFF ZONE - MOMENTS LATER.

Another set rolls in and Mike punches in for a late

take off. He takes the drop and smoothly trims the
board along the wall. A drop knee turn into the foam
and then he swings the board back into the wall of the
wave.

Just behind his father, Sean takes off on the wave

behind.

As he sets up the drop for a long bottom hand turn,

Sean suddenly gets caught by the lip. As he gets
churned by the white water the light turns from a green-
blue to black.

INT. A CLINIC ROOM.

It’s black.

TECHNICIAN (O.S.)
Sean, it’s me, Jenny.

With effort, Sean squints.

 8.

SEAN
Oh, no, not yet!

JENNY
Come on, you’ve got another session
tomorrow.

Sean reluctantly opens his eyes. His focus rests on

Jenny’s voluptuous cleavage. The words
“HypnoTechSolutions” glows from the fabric of her
blouse.

He looks around. The two walls are lined with modular

recliner units, some of which are occupied with
“sleeping” children and teenagers. At the end of the
room is a large empty wall.

JENNY (CONT’D)
Come on, up you get.

SEAN
OK, OK! I’m getting there.

JENNY
Good. I’ll just be next door.

Jenny tussles Sean’s hair, then leaves the room.

Sean sits up and stretches.

INT. AN ADJOINING ROOM.

Jenny and DR. JOHNSON are quietly observing Sean.

DR. JOHNSON
What do you think?

JENNY
He’s been through a lot.
(pauses)
The evacuation was tough, but with the
virtual program I think he’ll adjust.
(MORE)
 9.

JENNY (CONT'D)
He... they’ve lost everything;
parents; home; a whole planet.

INT. THE CLINIC ROOM.

Sean slides of the side of the unit and slowly walks

across the room to the empty wall. He stands close to
the wall and touches it. The white wall turns opaque
and then clear.

A breath-taking view emerges in front of Sean. He steps

back. The red dusty landscape of Mars sprawls before
him.

In the distance is a large domed city that stretches

across a valley. On the horizon a large spaceship is
coming in for a landing. Sean puts his hand in his
pocket and pulls a handheld out.

He touches the screen and a hologram flickers into life

in front of his face. The face of an attractive
newsreader appears. As she reads the news graphic
images of a devastated environment flashes before Sean.

NEWSREADER
Wednesday, 8th of August, 2188.
Continuing earthquakes and extreme
tidal waves continue to devastate vast
tracks of Earth. The eight super-
reactors designed to stabilise global
warming more than a century ago have
proven an on-going liability. As
Earth’s climate degradation
accelerated in the past eighty years,
rising sea levels and geological
disturbances have continued to wreak
havoc and several of the reactors have
been compromised.
 10.

The newsreader pauses. She puts her hand to her ear,

listening.

NEWSREADER (CONT’D)
In devastating news just to hand the
super-reactor on the Australian
continent has exceeded critical limits
and has gone into meltdown. Federation
leaders have now come to the most
difficult of all decisions. Final
evacuations are now taking place with
Moon and Mars bases and cities
preparing for a flood of evacuees.
Sadly there are currently no reports
of survivors from any of the major
population centres in Oceania.
(pauses)
This ends our current news bulletin
for the Eighth. We now return you to
our scheduled programme but will
continue to keep you breast of any
further news.

Sean, tears streaming down his face, stares silently at

the disappearing hologram.

THE END