Imaginary Rooms

Jinnwoo

INT. KITCHEN. DAY.

The set is an imaginary kitchen; not based on anywhere in particular, more of a mishmash of various kitchens you’ve known through your life – like your childhood kitchen, or a very close friend’s kitchen. Maybe the wallpaper has a slight 80’s feel. Maybe frying pans and little milk pans hang from a rack on the wall.

The light is dull, through the rain outside. TINY sits on a stool by the window. He isn’t thinking anything, but feels incredibly content. The feeling you get when you’re home sick from school and get to hang around aimlessly all day, even though you’re actually well enough to have gone in. Or maybe you’re not sick at all, but just good at pretending.

The TV is on — cooking channels or morning TV — but TINY isn’t really focussing — it’s just sort of an audio mist. The TV show presenters’ voices are gentle and happy.

Another character walks in and out of the imaginary kitchen, busy with something or other. They have a purpose, but don’t seem rushed or stressed, just sort of floating to the fridge, to the cooker, to the work surface, the washing-up bowl — wiping surfaces down sometimes. They’re not really a person, just a blurry presence that’s nice to be around.

TINY thinks about having a fish finger sandwich for lunch, with red sauce and mayo, but he also considers just eating more cereal for lunch. Later he will take a mid-afternoon nap on the newly made bed, and then watch episodes of Friends in no particular order. TINY knows every episode by heart, but they’re still funny. Re-watching episodes, TINY often realises he uses phrases and jokes from the show in his day-to-day life without even realising—leaked into his subconscious, and then re-presented themselves as original thoughts authored by TINY. TINY thinks about this and thinks life is strange.

TINY wishes every day was like this.

End Scene.