THE ELEVATOR
SCENE 1. INT. ELEVATOR
RAY steps into the elevator, the doors close with a soft ding, and as they start to ascend, he can’t help but feel a strange sense of unease.
CINDY, on the other hand, is oblivious to any impending danger. She is deep in thought, her mind consumed by the latest romance novel she had been reading. Suddenly, the elevator comes to an abrupt stop, jolting her out of her reverie.
CINDY
“What the…?”
The silence that follows is deafening. Ray shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, his muscles tensing as he tries to gauge the situation. He glances at Cindy, noticing for the first time how close they are standing. Despite his reservations about being stuck in the elevator with a stranger, he can’t help but feel a strange sense of kinship with her. After all, they are in this together.
CINDY
(Beginning to panic and shouting into the intercom)
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
(Start pounding on the elevator doors.)
There is no response. The only sound that fills the confined space is the ticking of the clock above their heads and the occasional creak of the metal walls.
RAY
(Steps forward, his movements fluid and confident.)
“Hey, it’s going to be okay, I’ve been in situations like this before. We just need to stay calm and think it through clearly.”
Cindy nods, feeling a sense of relief wash over her as she realized that she’s not alone.
RAY
“Okay, let’s start by checking the emergency release. Maybe we can get the doors open that way.”
He walks over to the panel by the elevator doors and begins to examine it, his hands moving with precision and purpose.
Cindy watches him intently, trying to absorb any information she can about surviving this situation. As Ray works, he looks at Cindy from the corner of his eye. Something about her strikes him as different from the other women he has known. She doesn’t seem like the scared or hysterical type.
RAY
”Hey, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself while I see if I can get this door open?”
CINDY
(Smiles shyly and thinks for a moment.)
”Well, I’ve always been an avid reader, so I started working in the library a few years ago, and I just love being surrounded by all these books.”
(Pauses and looks around the cramped elevator.)
”I’m also very close to my family. They mean the world to me.”
RAY
”It’s really nice, I can’t say I have much family to speak of. I’ve been lonely for a while now.”
There is a brief silence as they both ponder their respective situations.
RAY
(Smiles)
”So, what’s the best book you’ve read lately?”
CINDY
(Her face lits up)
”Oh, I just finished this amazing historical romance. It’s set in the Regency era and has the oddest hero ever! Sorry, I didn’t mean to pick on you.”
RAY
”No, no, I don’t mind. It’s kind of refreshing to talk to someone who’s passionate about something. It’s easy to forget how that feels sometimes.”
They keep talking about books and movies, and they lose track of time.
The silence that follows is deafening. Ray shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot.
He glances at Cindy and notices for the first time how close they are to each other. Despite his reservations about being stuck in the elevator with a stranger, he can’t help but feel a strange sense of kinship with her.
CINDY (Starts to feel panic.)
”Hello? Is anyone there?”
(She shouts into the intercom and bangs hard on the elevator doors.)
There is no answer.
Ray looks at Cindy and notices how she nervously clasps her hands together. He wishes there was something more he could do to calm her down.
RAY
”Listen, I need you to trust me on this. I know what I’m doing and I’m going to get us out of here. Just give me a second to figure out what’s going on.”
As he continues to examine the panel, his mind races with possibilities. He had seen this happen before, usually when someone pressed a button in the wrong order or tried to force open the doors. He needs to find a way to reset the system and get the elevator back online. Cindy looks at Ray intently, her heart pounding as she tries to imagine the worst-case scenarios.
CINDY
”Ray, what if…what if we’re really stuck here? What if we don’t get out?”
RAY
(Looks up at her, gravely.)
”I’m doing everything I can, Cindy. We’ll be fine. Just stay calm and wait.”
As Ray continues to work on the panel, Cindy tries to distract herself by looking around the elevator car. It’s smaller than she expected, and she feels trapped in the cramped space. She wonders if there is anything she can do to help Ray.
CINDY
”Hey Ray, do you think I could…I don’t know, maybe see if there’s a manual or something we can look at?”
RAY
(Looks up from the panel with a small smile on the corner of his mouth.)
”Yeah, that might help. There’s probably one in the maintenance closet. Just give me a second to figure out how to open it.”
Cindy gets up and walks over to the elevator car door, feeling around the frame until she finds a small lever. With a click, the door slides open to reveal a cramped maintenance closet filled with tools and spare parts.
She steps carefully out of the elevator and into the closet, feeling along the wall as she goes.
CINDY
(Calls out.)
”Okay, I think I found something!”
(She appears a moment later with a thick manual in her hand. Give it to Ray.)
”This should have everything we need to know.”
Studying the manual together, they discover that the elevator is part of a larger system that serves several buildings. There is a backup generator on the roof in case of power outages and a secondary control panel in the basement that can be used to manually override the elevator’s movements.
Ray and Cindy quickly make it to the roof and find the generator. Ray checks the fuel levels and finds that there is enough to power the elevator for several hours. They then proceed to the basement and find the secondary control panel. Ray carefully studies the controls and begins inputting commands in hopes of restoring power to the elevator. Some minutes later, the control panel starts to buzz, indicating that it is online. Ray smiles contentedly and punches in the command to bring the elevator back up. As they wait, Cindy notices a group of people gathering outside the elevator, with expressions of a mixture of worry and relief.
When the elevator doors finally slide open, they are greeted by a crowd of people who have been trapped in the other elevator cars. The relief on their faces is palpable when they realize they are finally free. As they begin to exit the elevator, several people thank Ray and Cindy for their quick bravery.
Ray is very surprised when Cindy asks him if they can have a cup of coffee or something to celebrate their achievement together, he happily agrees and the two walk out of the building hand in hand feeling like they have just conquered the world.
SCENE 2. INT. COFFEE SHOP
They sit together at a cozy little table, and each has a cup of coffee on the table. They share stories about their lives, their dreams, and their fears. They laugh together and occasionally they touch each other’s hands in comfort and good feeling. Cindy tells Ray about her passion for painting and how she hopes to one day open her own art gallery. Ray tells Cindy about his love for computers and how he wants to start his own tech company.
They lean over the table and kiss each other.
Author: Roger