Synopsis & Script

Synopsis

The story is about a caterpillar who dreams of flying as high as the birds of the sky. The story takes the viewers through the emotions of the young ambitious caterpillar who is rejected by his society and has to leave the colony only to end up in a forbidden forest which was struck by a meteor. In the end the caterpillar becomes a butterfly which is much larger then the others and is not only able to fly as high as the birds but also becomes a savior to the society protecting them from predatorial birds.

Scriptory

Eggs here. Eggs there. Eggs everywhere. So many translucent, slimy little pillars of gelatin like shells glowing in the moon lit hour of the midnight. Spread like slums on green cabbage leaves. New and soft cabbage leaves that will cater to the pillars, so they’ll one day forget they were caterpillars and find themselves transformed into something absolutely different. The grubs inside, stirring, waiting for tomorrow to come, when the night gives way to day, so will they give way to a new life.

Suddenly! Up in the sky! A falling star! Swoosh! It went right past the colony. And when it touched the surface, light as bright as a supernova. And so the place where the stars touched the earth was now to become a forbidden land.

It was morning. The next day. The tiny caterpillars were already out. Busy. Eating. Moving. Eating and…..eating!

KAAAIIIIIYYYYEEEEE!!! A bird in the sky. Danger on the high. The colony of the caterpillars went helter skelter. Hiding behind leaves. Trying to be still, like stones so they won’t be seen. But one of the very curious ones kept looking in the open. Star struck to see a creature that could fly so high. Fascinated. He wanted to fly too. As high as the birds can do. A child as he was, he thought he should eat more then the others to grow as big as a bird.

And so it began eating, and eating, and eating, aaand eating….The others soon got irritated. The innocence of the young caterpillar got misunderstood. The others saw greed instead of ambition in the young caterpillar. Then one day, the elders decided to send him away. To cast him out. They were forced to. No one liked the poor fellow. And with the increasing bird attacks, things were getting a little tense in the colony.

And so he had to leave. He walked north. Walked and walked. And walked. Until finally he reached somewhere. The beginning of a vegetation. But Zooop!! He remembered this was the forbidden land. For he had witnessed the great white light from within its egg shell. Hesitant he waited to think. But there was no time to think. The bird from the sky had seen the young caterpillar making its way all alone. A prey he had become, for the evil bird’s hunger to succumb. Dangerous claws dived down on the tiny little caterpillar. Adrenalin rush. Directions became the last priority. He ran into the forbidden jungle. There he waited for a while, in hope the bird would give up and leave. But nothing was too far for the creature who could fly. And so the caterpillar made its way deeper into the jungle. He kept sinking deeper. And forgot it was a forbidden venture. The journey became a quest. As if it was meant to be. The jungle was calling him to enter its womb. It was night fall. Pitch black. The caterpillar couldn’t see where it was headed. Just then, it saw a shimmering light. Like a light tower in a solitary sea. Over the thorny bushes and rumbling stones, it made its way towards the light. And when it reached the source; Star struck! And indeed star struck. For it was the very place where the star had struck the earth. Leaves that gave light. Radiance more beautiful then the morning sun. The caterpillar took a bite. So sweet the taste. He forgot all his bitterness for the one’s who cast him out. And so he ate, and ate, and ate. And time passed.

It was cocoon making time now at the ancestral tree. With the evil bird out in the sky and no one to protect them, only a few were left to make the chrysalis. The young caterpillar was now of age too, and needed to form its own cocoon too. So it made its way to the ancestral tree. And when it reached, all the branches except the ones hanging over the cliff were already occupied. The branches to the side of the cliff were dangerous for making a cocoon. But the caterpillars hated him still and would not make room for him on the other side. And so the young and now grown up caterpillar made its cocoon on the other side. Hanging into the void of the cliff, the caterpillar was now a chrysalis.

And time passed. And while the other caterpillars were transforming themselves into butterflies, the cocoon on the side of the cliff was growing larger and larger and larger. And the tree bent itself into the void, so heavy was the cocoon on the other side. The radiance of the mystical leaves from the forbidden jungle was now in the chrysalis.

Seasons changed. Flowers bloomed. And the time for the butterflies to suck up the nectar from the new born flowers was near.

Butterflies started emerging from the ancestral tree. With so many butterflies flying out, it was a beautiful view. But also luring for the evil bird. And so the evil bird made its plunge towards the tree of preys. And did it find one? Yes it did. It saw the huge cocoon. And attacked it. The cocoon fell from the cliff into the deeps of the void. The eagle swiped around and pounced back at the tree looking for a prey. And there was one that was still struggling to get out of its cocoon. What better prey then one served hot on a plate! The bird rocketed onto the poor creature. But suddenly! WAAASHHAA!!! The bird was thrown back! By a LASH! It was the butterfly which had fallen. But had risen! How can the radiance of the leaves be confounded into the voids of death. For it had hatched in mid air. And when the bird saw what hit it, it was SHOCKED! SCARED TO DEATH! For it saw not a butterfly, but a dragon. The butterfly was bigger then an elephant. Flapping its wings it created tornadoes of swirling winds. So powerful was its wings, that the tree was taken aback in humility. The bird ran for its life and never returned to the tree.

The caterpillar who wished it could fly high, was now a butterfly who could challenge even the eagle. And it was so huge and so powerful, that no predator would even dream of attacking the colony again. The butterfly was now a savior for all. And also the highest flying creature known.

The End.

-Nithin Davis Nanthikkara