Jumanji Page #5

ERIC:

How long do you think this has been

in the attic?

KRYSTYL:

More importantly, who put it there?

ERIC:

And even more importantly, what’s

inside?

KRYSTYL:

Inside?

ERIC:

Yeah. See these little hinges here?

This box opens up.

KRYSTYL:

(in awe)

Say, if this thing is as old as we

think, there might be something really

valuable in there!

ERIC:

Why don’t we see for ourselves?

He picks up the game and gives it a tantalizing little SHAKE.

Something is heard RATTLING. He grins.

Krystyl eagerly smiles back and nods. Eric sets the game down,

and he and Krystyl grab an opposite end to open.

ERIC:

Ready?

KRYSTYL:

Ready.

ERIC:

On “Three.” One... two... two

and a half... three!

They open the hinged doors. Krystyl’s excitement turns to

curiosity, while Eric’s turns to confusion.

KRYSTYL:

Wow...

ERIC:

Huh?

It is Felix’s hinged game with the same black orb directly in

the center, but the game appears different... altered. On

either hinged flap, there are written instructions.

KRYSTYL:

It’s a board game!

ERIC:

Yeah... Pre-modern Parker Brothers.

KRYSTYL:

Hey, check out the cool game pieces!

She holds up two carved IVORY FIGURINES: a centaurus beetle and

a parrot.

ERIC:

Those look hand-carved to me...

Totally authentic.

KRYSTYL:

And look! Dice!

She points to two IVORY DICE on the game’s surface.

KRYSTYL:

I can’t believe someone would try to

hide something like this.

They stare at the game for a moment. Krystyl suddenly looks

straight at Eric, grinning.

KRYSTYL:

Let’s play!

ERIC:

(caught off-guard)

What?

KRYSTYL:

Let’s play a game!

ERIC:

Are you serious?

KRYSTYL:

Come on! It’ll be fun! We could be

the only two players this game has

ever had! Besides...

She playfully KICKS at his foot under the table.

KRYSTYL (CONT’D)

We may never get to hang out like this

again when you leave...

Eric looks at her and finally relents with a smile.

ERIC:

Okay, one game.

KRYSTYL:

Great! I call parrot!

She takes the parrot figurine and places it on her end. Eric

takes the beetle for himself.

ERIC:

How do we even play...?

He rotates the game slightly to better read what is written.

ERIC (CONT’D)

(reading the instructions)

Okay... “Each player rolls the dice.

Doubles do not receive an additional

turn. The first player to reach the

center is the winner.” Hmm. Simple

enough.

KRYSTYL:

I like these kinds of games.

ERIC:

Why’s that?

Krystyl SHRUGS.

KRYSTYL:

There’s no gray area. You have one

winner, and one loser. Can I go

first?

ERIC:

Why you?

KRYSTYL:

(haughtily)

Because the girl always goes first.

She picks up the dice and SHAKES them in her hand. She TOSSES

them onto the board.

She rolls a THREE and a SIX, totaling NINE.

Krystyl reaches to move her game piece, but THE FIGURINE BEGINS

TO MOVE ALL ON ITS OWN! Eric and Krystyl stare, amazed.

ERIC:

Hey... it’s moving!

KRYSTYL:

I can see that...

ERIC:

How’s it doing that?

KRYSTYL:

(uneasy)

There must be magnets underneath...

ERIC:

(unconvinced)

Maybe...

The figurine stops. Within the black orb, GREEN LETTERS begin

to SWIRL and MATERIALIZE. Krystyl and Eric lean in closer.

KRYSTYL:

(reading)

“With tails that sting

and claws that pinch,

they skitter about.

Don’t move an inch.”

(to Eric)

What’s making those words appear?

ERIC:

I don’t know... I didn’t think

technology went hand in hand with

antiquated wood. This is a weird

game.

Krystyl shakes her head. Suddenly, she sees something off-

screen and lets out a SHRIEK.

ERIC:

(startled)

What?! What is it?

Krystyl clamps a hand over her mouth and jumps out of her chair.

She frantically POINTS to something.

Eric looks down. Mere inches away from his hand is a reddish

black SCORPION moving closer.

ERIC:

(jumping up)

Whoa!

KRYSTYL:

(hysterical)

Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!

Eric backs away from the table, and then points to something on

the ground.

ERIC:

There’s another one!

KRYSTYL looks at the floor. Another SCORPION is crawling near

her foot. She SCREAMS and jumps up onto the chair, paralyzed

with fear.

KRYSTYL:

Eric! Help me!

Eric quickly surveys the situation and runs out of the room.

Krystyl is bracing herself against the back of the chair. She

spies a third SCORPION on the chair’s arm.

She leans back, and the entire chair topples over backward with

a CRASH.

Krystyl scoots as far back as she can, until her back is braced

against the wall. The SCORPION is on her stomach, slowly

inching its way closer to her face.

CLOSE UP on Krystyl’s face. Her bottom lip is trembling; TEARS

have begun to form in her eyes.

The SCORPION is just below her neck. It readies its tail to

strike.

Krystyl shuts her eyes tightly, waiting for the sting.

A VACUUM CLEANER is heard starting up.

A tube attachment appears and SUCKS up the scorpion off of

Krystyl. She opens her eyes and breathes a sigh of relief.

Eric stands with the vacuum.

ERIC:

Where are they?

Krystyl points behind him.

Eric turns and SUCKS up the first scorpion on the table and the

second one on the floor underneath his chair. CLATTERING is

heard as they tumble into the vacuum cleaner’s bag.

Eric shuts off the vacuum, breathing hard.

ERIC:

“Who ya gonna call...?”

He helps Krystyl to her feet. She immediately WRAPS her arms

around him in a tight hug. He holds her close.

KRYSTYL:

(sobbing)

I... hate... bugs...

A tearful pause follows.

ERIC:

Scorpions aren’t bugs; they’re

arachnids.

Krystyl looks up at him, upset that he has spoiled the moment.

INT. ERIC’S HOUSE – LIVING ROOM – AFTERNOON

Krystyl is on her hands and knees inspecting every edge and

corner of the room. Eric is seated, PAGING through a book

(“Arthropods of the World”).

KRYSTYL:

I don’t see how they could have gotten

in. There are no cracks for them to

sneak in through.

Eric doesn’t respond. He pages through his book more slowly.

KRYSTYL (CONT’D)

I didn’t think there were any

scorpions native to Pennsylvania,

anyway.

ERIC (O.S.)

There aren’t.

He sets down the book. Krystyl walks over.

Eric points to a picture of the scorpions they just finished

dealing with.

ERIC:

Look.

KRYSTYL:

Eww... that looks like them.

ERIC:

Those were Tanzanian Red Claw

scorpions.

(reading)

“About four inches long, red-black

in color, highly aggressive...”

KRYSTYL:

No kidding!

ERIC:

(reading)

“...Popular among advanced hobbyists,

their natural habitat is confined to

the tropical rainforests of Africa.”

KRYSTYL:

Africa?

Eric and Krystyl glance at the Jumanji game, then at each other.

They are thinking the same thing.

KRYSTYL:

...No! No way! Not a chance! No!

That’s crazy! Eric... that’s crazy!

ERIC:

“Tails that sting, claws that

pinch...” and then scorpions pop up

in my living room? It’s a hell of a

coincidence, Krystyl!

KRYSTYL:

But that’s all it is! A coincidence!

Here, I’ll show you...

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