Reflection 5: The Red Cabinet

MUSIC CUE

INTERIOR HOSPITAL ROOM AMBIENCE

WOMAN

Like a trickle of rain that seeps into the soft dirt, birthing rivulets that gather in to streams, gaining speed and volume until miles away it builds into a raging river, it had started long before I got involved. I was just a splash in the rapids. Not that I shun my responsibility. I was no angel...

Am no angel.

MUSIC THEME

ANNOUNCER

This is 13 Reflections.

Reflection 5: The Red Cabinet

MUSIC CUE - SHERIFF STATION

NARRATOR

The Sheriff stands in the hallway peeking through the small glass window of a door.

FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

AGENT LEE

I came as soon as I could, Sheriff. What have you learned?

SHERIFF

Well, Agent Lee, I’ve learned that the world I thought I knew is truly screwed up.

AGENT LEE

Why don’t we start with the facts.

SHERIFF

Okay. I went to Mina’s place, the door was opened, so I enter and I guess what I find? Mrs. Harker standing over a dead body.

AGENT LEE

Was it Mina?

SHERIFF

No. The body had both her arms.

AGENT LEE

How was she killed?

SHERIFF

You might not think this is odd but she was missing half of her head.

Sliced clean off like a watermelon in summer.

AGENT LEE

But how is that possible?

SHERIFF

Beats me. You think we should ask the arm?

AGENT LEE

But she IS dead?

SHERIFF

If you’re asking if she got up and shook my hand without half a brain. No. As a doornail level dead.

AGENT LEE

Cause of death?

SHERIFF

What the hell do you think?

AGENT LEE

I have my theories but what is the official cause of death?

SHERIFF

The coroner ain’t got nothing else to do so he’s all over this but it might be a couple hours yet.

AGENT LEE

I see. What did Mrs. Harker have to say?

SHERIFF

Not much but then again, I’m just a small town Sheriff. Why don’t you, the FBI agent go interview her and see what you can find out?

INTERIOR DOOR OPENS FOOTSTEPS ON LINOLEUM CHAIRS SLIDE

BUTTS SIT DOWN

SHERIFF

Mrs. Harker, Agent Lee would like to ask you a few questions.

AGENT LEE

I know it’s been a difficult day can you tell me what happened?

ASHLEY

Why don’t you tell me what happened to Lucy?

AGENT LEE

Do you mean the dead girl? That was Lucy?

ASHLEY

Don’t you people talk to each other? When I got there she was already like that.

AGENT LEE

But I thought you didn’t know Mina Chu.

ASHLEY

I don’t. Who’s Mina Chu?

AGENT LEE

The missing girl who lives at that apartment.

ASHLEY

That’s Lucy’s place.

SHERIFF

Oh. Didn’t I mention that? Lucy and Mina were roommates.

Jesus.

ASHLEY

AGENT LEE

Okay. Then what were you doing there?

ASHLEY

I went to speak to Lucy. She’s my babysitter.

AGENT LEE

The same babysitter on the night your daughter went missing?

ASHLEY

Yes.

AGENT LEE

What did you want to talk to her about?

ASHLEY

I uh. Just if she remembered anything from that night.

AGENT LEE

Like?

ASHLEY

I don’t know. Strangers outside or noises.

AGENT LEE

Wasn’t she already questioned?

SHERIFF

Yupper. She was. Deputy talked to her the night Polly went missing. Didn’t come up with anything odd.

AGENT LEE

So let’s see if I understand this, Mrs. Harker’s babysitter Lucy is the roommate of missing Mina Chu?

SHERIFF

Correct-a-mundo.

AGENT LEE

And Mina Chu...

SHERIFF

The one armed bandit? She is the girlfriend of non other than the screaming meanie Billy Hazelbob.

AGENT LEE

So there is the link.

SHERIFF

There’s A link. But where’s Mina?

ASHLEY

And where’s Polly?

AGENT LEE

Both important questions. But the most important answer is how do we get them back?

KNOCK ON THE DOOR

SHERIFF

Yeah?

DEPUTY

Call for you Sheriff. It’s the coroner.

SHERIFF

I’ll take it in here.

CHAIR SLIDES BACK PHONE HANDSET PICKS UP

SHERIFF

Yeah. Hi Barney. What’d you find?

ASHLEY

Can I go now?

AGENT LEE

I believe we have what we need.

SHERIFF

What are you saying? What do you mean her heart’s gone? Hang on.

BUTTONS PUSHED

PHONE HANDSET PUT DOWN

SHERIFF

You’re on speaker with the FBI.

CORNER

Like I was telling the Sheriff. I opened her chest cavity and her heart wasn’t there.

SHERIFF

Did you check under the table?

CORONER

I didn’t drop it. It wasn’t there. It was as if someone just reached in and yanked it out.

SHERIFF

But there wasn’t a mark on her. Yeah Okay. Except for her head but there wasn’t a mark on her body. No cuts. No wounds. Nothing.

CORONER

I think I’d remember cutting out her heart. I’m telling you it was just gone.

SHERIFF

Damn it Barney. Check the floor.

CORONER

I looked.

SHERIFF

Look again.

SHERIFF SLAMS PHONE DOWN

ASHLEY

Her heart is missing?

AGENT LEE

That’s impossible.

SHERIFF

Like an arm grabbing your ankle?

ASHLEY

What are you talking about?

AGENT LEE

Nothing, Mrs. Harker. You should go.

CHAIRS SLIDE BACK FOOTSTEPS

SHERIFF STATION AMBIENCE

SHERIFF

What the fuck is going on here?

AGENT LEE

That is exactly what we’re going to figure out.

NARRATOR

Ashley steps out just as Billy is being led down the hallway in a straightjacket.

BILLY

You. You know.

ASHLEY

Excuse me?

BILLY

You’ve touched the thirteenth reflection. You’re going to die.

SHERIFF

Deputy. Get him out of here.

AGENT LEE

Where are they taking him?

SHERIFF

Treasure Valley Psychiatric Asylum. Maybe they can make some sense of his rantings.

AGENT LEE

Yes, let’s hope so.

SHERIFF

Does he look familiar Mrs. Harker?

ASHLEY

No. I’ve never seen him before.

CUT TO

OUTDOOR VILLAGE AMBIENCE TRAFFIC

JOGGERS

DOG WALKERS

NARRATOR

Ashley walks down the main street of the village. She pauses to cross the street when a poster taped to a light post catches her eye.

PAPER FLAPS IN THE BREEZE

ASHLEY

Have you seen Mina Chu? Volunteers needed

Hi Loy Antiques

2965 Looking Glass Lane

PAPER RIPS TAPE PULLS AWAY

NARRATOR

Ashley peers through the front window of Hi Loy Antique shop. It’s more like a warehouse filled with jade trees, Chinese porcelain vases and oriental rose wood chairs.

EXTERIOR AMBIENCE FOOTSTEPS EXTERIOR AMBIENCE FOOTSTEPS

DOOR OPENS INTERIOR AMBIENCE

NARRATOR

A group of college students hover around an antique table now the center of the Find Mina campaign. A very old Chinese woman cocks her head at Ashley. She is WAIPOH. If she were green, she'd be Yoda.

Ashley glances up at the mirror behind the counter. In the reflection Polly darts behind Ashley and heads for the dark warehouse. Ashley spins around but Polly is gone.

ASHLEY

Polly wait.

NARRATOR

Ashley chases after Polly but struggles to keep up. Polly is only visible in reflections off of old mirrors and shiny antiques. At every turn there is something new. Five toed Imperial Dragon statues glare from shelves. Foo dogs protect doorways. Terra-cotta soldiers brandish spears atop horses with flared nostrils.

ASHLEY

Polly? Where did you go?

NARRATOR

Ashley stops in front of a six foot tall old red lacquered cabinet with inlaid mother of pearl.

ASHLEY

Is this what you want me to see, Polly?

NARRATOR

Ashley runs her fingers over the in laid mother of pearl then opens the cabinet doors.

CREAKING HINGES

NARRATOR

Inside is a large ornate mirror framed by a silver dragon that snakes around the entire edge. For a moment Polly looks out at Ashley.

ASHLEY

Polly?

WAIPOH

It's based on an old Mongolian fable.

ASHLEY

What? What are you talking about?

WAIPOH

The carvings inside the doors there. This piece is very old.

How old?

ASHLEY

WAIPOH

Ancient I should say but I hate using that word. Sounds like I'm talking about a secret recipe for soup. The fable is told in these panels about a Mongol Prince who used the secret of the two mirrors to woo a Chinese Princess.

The jealous King trapped an evil demon in the mirror to ambush the Prince and snatch out his heart.

ASHLEY

Wait. What? Did you say snatch out his heart?

WAIPOH

Yes. That is where the soul resides.

PAGES FLIP

ASHLEY

How was the demon trapped?

WAIPOH

The King tricked the demon into touching the 13th reflection, once inside the mirror world, the King broke a hand mirror closing the gate behind it.

ASHLEY

But this is a fable, just a story.

WAIPOH

Yes, but I have been researching the Mongolian spiritual belief system and there is possibly more to this myth.

ASHLEY

What do you have there?

WAIPOH

Borjigen’s book of curses, hexes and dark magic. She was a blue wolf and mother of Genghis Khan. This book contains the sacred rules of the Ongons - Powerful Mongolian spirits.

PAGES FLIP

PAGES FLIP

PAGES FLIP

ASHLEY

What’s an Ongon?

WAIPOH

An Ongon was once a human that died tragically and have become unhappy and vengeful in the afterlife.

ASHLEY

Like the demon in the fable?

WAIPOH

Yes, an Ongon will take residence in spirit vessels, often a bronze figurine or a shaman’s toli.

ASHLEY

Shaman’s Toli?

WAIPOH

A mirror, Mongolian Shamans practice their magic with spirit mirrors.

NARRATOR

Ashley runs her fingers over the silver dragon framing the mirror.

EERIE WHOOSH SUCKING NOISE

SWIRLING

NARRATOR

Suddenly Ashley’s hand is sucked to the mirror like a magnet. She struggles to remove her hand but tiny mirrored tendrils dig into Ashley’s skin and fuse her hand to the mirror’s surface.

NARRATOR

The reflections in the mirror begin to SWIRL.

ASHLEY

What’s happening?

WAIPOH

What do you see?

ASHLEY

There’s a girl. I think it’s Mina. She’s walking her fingers across the mirror. She’s counting. She’s pushing her hand into the mirror.

WAIPOH

Oh no. She’s opened the gate.

ASHLEY

Did you see that?

WAIPOH

I saw nothing.

ASHLEY

The reflections, they...

WAIPOH

Mirrors have memories.

ASHLEY

Maybe that’s what it showed me. I saw Mina, I think. She pulled that mirror in front of this cabinet.

WAIPOH

Then she is lost.

ASHLEY

How does the fable end?

WAIPOH

The demon demanded seven hearts. If the Princess did as he asked, the Prince would be released.

ASHLEY

Seven hearts. How much for this cabinet?

WAIPOH

I can’t sell it. This cabinet was sent here for refinishing and the owner has yet to come for it.

ASHLEY

I must have this cabinet.

WAIPOH

The myth of the mirrors works with all mirrors.

ASHLEY

This cabinet is the key. It must be.

WAIPOH

But I fear it is cursed.

ASHLEY

And that’s exactly why I need it. I know that sounds crazy but you didn’t see what it showed me.

WAIPOH

Just because you see things that other's don't, does not make you crazy.

ASHLEY

How’s ten thousand? I can transfer the money right now. Here’s where you can deliver it.

WAIPOH

As you wish. But you’ve been warned.

MAIN THEME

ANNOUNCER

13 Reflections.