Work Text:
INT. AQUARIUM - DAY
Establishing shot of an enormous viewing TANK at a public aquarium. People stand watching in front of the glass window. Schools of moonfish undulate in unseen currents. Nurse sharks glide gracefully through the water.
Two GIRLS stand in the center of the room, outlined by the massive azure view. One wears a flowing summer dress that seems almost an extension of her long, wavy hair. She watches the marine life, enraptured.
TAWNA (V.O.):
So beautiful…
The other, modest and boyish, in a hoodie and pants, is also enraptured, not by the aquarium but by the girl next to her. She gazes longingly at the other girl’s face, her dress, her exposed shoulders.
TAWNA (V.O.):
All the different colors…
The view SLOW ZOOM s in, towards the girls and the tank. The girl in the dress turns to her companion. Their eyes meet.
TAWNA (V.O.):
I wish this day would last forever…
The SLOW ZOOM continues, towards the girls’ faces. The girl in the hoodie steps forward. The one in the dress closes the rest of the distance. Their faces get closer. There’s no one else in the world.
The SLOW ZOOM continues. Our view is so close now we can only see their lips, getting closer.
The SLOW ZOOM continues.
Past their lips. Into the tank.
Towards a pair of FISH.
ELAINE, a black and white striped moorish idol , and TAWNA, a fairy wrasse with purple scales, float in place and watch the lesbians through the glass.
ELAINE:
But it’s not gonna last forever, they’re closing in a few minutes. Do it, kid, kiss her! Kiss. Her.
TAWNA:
No, no no no. Don’t do it, it’s too soon! Buy her dinner first!
ELAINE:
You’re meant to be together!
The view cuts back to the girls. They are about to kiss when the girl in the hoodie hesitates and pulls back. The girl in the dress seems to accept this with a bit of disappointment.
ELAINE:
No! Come on, grow a spine, kid!
TAWNA:
Yes! You owe me five shells!
ELAINE:
They’re not closing yet, I’ve got a chance.
DAVE (O.S.):
Are you two watching humans again?
DAVE, a grouper with spotted dull gray skin, swims above the two smaller fish. He is so large that they’re completely in his shadow.
DAVE:
Isn’t it rude to pry on their intimate moments?
ELAINE:
They came here to watch us, how is it rude to watch them back?
DAVE:
Okay, you have me there. But taking bets ?
ELAINE:
Oh, you’ve got to try it, Dave. It’s really fun.
TAWNA:
Yeah, it’s one point for hand holding, three for a kiss on the cheek, five for a kiss on the lips.
ELAINE:
Then every day one of us guesses the total, and the other guesses if we’ll go over or under for that day. It’s great.
DAVE:
…You’re both insane.
ELAINE:
Oh, come on, Dave, what else is there to do? We literally live in a fish tank.
DAVE:
It’s a big tank. And they’re always adding new fish. I just met Ernesto the other day. He was very polite. Seemed a bit shy, though.
ELAINE:
He’s an eel, Dave. They’re all shy. Barely ever come out of their shoals.
DAVE:
What are you even betting with? Shells?
TAWNA:
And rocks, sometimes. I found a nice one this morning.
DAVE:
Uh-huh. And those rocks and shells get you… what?
They pause to consider the question.
ELAINE:
Well, they’re nice to have.
TAWNA:
And I’m about to have five more, because they’re closing and we haven’t hit 20 points yet.
ELAINE:
I told you we still have a few minutes!
DAVE (sighing):
Well, there’s a couple kissing over there.
TAWNA, ELAINE (simultaneous):
Where!?
Elaine and Tawna excitedly swim to the glass. Outside, a man kisses his wife as they walk by.
TAWNA (disappointed):
False alarm.
ELAINE:
They’re a straight couple, Dave. They don’t count.
DAVE (exasperated):
What.
TAWNA:
Only lesbian couples score.
DAVE:
…How?
ELAINE:
What do you mean, “how”?
DAVE:
How are there enough lesbians for you to do this?
ELAINE:
Oh, please, Dave.
ELAINE, TAWNA (simultaneous):
We live in an aquarium.
The lights dim outside of the tank. An ANNOUNCEMENT over the PA is muffled from the water.
ELAINE:
Dammit.
TAWNA:
Yes! I want the shiny glass pebble you found this morning.
ELAINE (laughing):
Over my dead body!
DAVE:
Well, you two have fun. I’ll see you at the next feeding.
TAWNA:
Bye, Dave.
Dave swims away. Elaine and Tawna watch the glass. Outside, aquarium staff begin to clean the area with mops and brooms.
TAWNA:
Hey, Elaine?
ELAINE:
Yeah?
TAWNA:
Do you really only watch the humans because there’s nothing else to do?
ELAINE:
Well, that’s one reason. But I do enjoy it.
TAWNA (disappointed):
Hmm.
ELAINE:
Why? What’s wrong?
TAWNA:
I just thought, you know, it was because you liked my company.
ELAINE:
I do! But- watch out!
Elaine swims into Tawna and pushes her out of the way of a PINK DIVER entering the water with a huge SPLASH. The two fish swim away frantically.
A few seconds later a BLACK DIVER splashes in. They carry various camera and scientific equipment.
ELAINE:
Tawna! Are you okay?
TAWNA:
I’m fine, are you?
ELAINE:
Yeah. I wish they’d warn us before they do that!
The two divers go about their work. Both are women. One, in a pink wetsuit and swim cap, replaces a camera for live streaming. The other, in a black wetsuit with red trim, takes water samples.
The two fish swim around the divers for a little while and then settle among some kelp.
ELAINE:
… don’t you ever want to see a world beyond this tank, Tawna?
TAWNA:
Not really… the ocean sounds pretty scary. Marta was born there and says she never wants to go back.
EXT. AQUARIUM PARKING LOT – DAY
Wide overhead shot of the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. People leave the main entrance, heading home.
ELAINE (V.O.):
I’m just saying it’s a big world out there. And there are other tanks in this aquarium.
INT. AQUARIUM TUNNEL – DAY
A few remaining guests make their way through an underwater tunnel towards the exit. The lesbian couple from earlier holds hands.
ELAINE (V.O.):
There’s even one with a tunnel. It’s even bigger than this. I’d love to see it.
TAWNA (V.O.):
How would we even get there?
INT. LABORATORY – DAY
A few marine biologists work in a laboratory. Around them are a variety of fish in smaller tanks.
ELAINE (V.O.):
Sometimes they take samples from one tank and some fish get transferred to others. Maybe we could sneak into one of those.
TAWNA (V.O.):
I don’t know. That doesn’t sound safe. We could die!
ELAINE (V.O.):
Nothing good comes without a little risk.
INT. AQUARIUM – DAY
The two fish swim back to the glass and watch the staff. One staff member wipes the glass and watches them back.
TAWNA:
Would you go, even without me?
ELAINE:
Well, I-
TAWNA:
Hey, what’s going on?
The fish look through the glass. Some of the staff members are setting up a camera on the other side. The black diver comes up from behind the fish and makes a few hand signs to the staff outside the tank. The fish swim out of the way.
ELAINE:
Looks like a photo shoot. For advertisements.
The diver in black signals to the diver in pink and beckons her over to the camera.
TAWNA:
I don’t know, something feels… off.
The two fish watch as the pink diver joins the black diver by the glass. She holds up her hand with a standard dive sign: “You OK?”
“I’m OK.” The black diver signs back. Then she reaches into her wet suit.
She pulls out a RING.
TAWNA:
Is this what I think it is?
ELAINE:
Holy crap, no way!
The black diver holds the pink’s hand and pulls herself down with her fins, towards the bottom of the tank, to descend to a knee.
Behind her dive mask the pink diver’s eyes go wide. The staff behind the glass cheer inaudibly and take pictures.
TAWNA:
Come on, say yes!
ELAINE:
Do it!
The pink diver pulls the black diver up towards her and nods. The black diver puts the ring on her fiancee’s finger.
The staff outside go wild. Elaine and Tawna swim excitedly up to the divers.
Our view follows Tawna as she races in circles around the black diver. Elaine swims figure-8’s around both of them.
ELAINE:
Woo-hoo! Yes!
The rest of the fish in the tank swim rings around the two humans, blessing their union.
Elaine and Tawna are so excited they don’t see they’re about to collide head-on until it’s too late.
TAWNA:
Woah!
ELAINE:
Ah!
A soft THUMP in the water as the two fish collide. They laugh, circling one another. Then they swim up to the divers’ masks.
TAWNA (into mask):
Congratulations!
ELAINE (into mask):
We’re so happy for you!
The pink diver brings her hand up to Tawna, who floats for a moment above her palm. The two fish are right between the divers’ faces.
Wide shot of the four of them together, watching each other. Beat.
The black diver removes her mask and regulator. The pink one does the same. They start to move closer.
ELAINE:
Whoops, sorry!
TAWNA:
We’re in the way.
The fish swim off and turn around to watch. The newly engaged couple share a brief kiss before they put their regulators back in.
ELAINE:
That’s got to be worth like a million points.
TAWNA:
Definitely.
ELAINE:
So you owe me five shells?
TAWNA:
Just five? For that, I’d give you everything I have.
The divers make a few hand signs and then gather their equipment. Elaine and Tawna watch on.
ELAINE:
… I’d give you everything I have, too.
The fish turn to look at one another.
TAWNA:
Hey, look.
The fish turn their attention back to the divers. They work together to capture a few fish with handheld NETS and put them in small sampling tanks.
ELAINE:
I can just stay here. I don’t want to leave you behind.
TAWNA:
No. I’m ready. I’ll follow you. Anywhere.
They share a silence, then they grasp fins as best they can.
ELAINE:
In that case… don’t let go.
Tawna and Elaine do just that as they swim towards the divers and their sampling tanks.