NANNY

Written by

Nikyatu Jusu

September 06.2022
“For the mouths of her children quickly forgot the taste of her nipples, and years ago they had begun to look past her
face into the nearest stretch of sky.” --Toni Morrison, Sula
 FYC 2.

1 INT. HAVS CONDO - AISHA’S ROOM - NIGHT 1

We linger on the face of a jarringly pretty dark skinned

woman. AISHA [26], sleeps soundly. A halo of water ripples
around her, threatening to engulf her.

A SPIDER, emerging from nowhere, ambles across her cheek.

Startled, Aisha’s doleful griot eyes pop open. Her ragged
inhalations straddle fear and the cave mouths of memories as
of yet unseen...

2 INT. HARLEM APARTMENT - AISHA’S ROOM - EVENING 2

Aisha, buried in a twin sized bed pressed against a wall,

glued to her cellphone.

We scan her room: quaint as to be expected, but not without

brush strokes of style. Shards of African fabric peek from
nooks. A small pile of books nestle in a corner of the room.

Pictures encased in baroque frames intimate a life before

this.

In one photo Aisha grins happily with a boy in her arms. Her
mini me: LAMINE.

Just outside her door, Aisha hears movement. She pops her
head out.

3 INT. HARLEM APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS 3

AUNTY SARAH [55], dressed in nurse scrubs, wearily shuffles

towards the door. A ragged breath escapes her as though
steeling herself for the long shift ahead.

AISHA
Aunty, do you need anything?

AUNT SARAH
No no, just your share for the
month.

AISHA
Yes, soon I will have it.

AUNT SARAH
How is it?

AISHA
I start tomorrow. The mother Amy,
she’s nice.
 FYC 3.

AUNT SARAH
I pray for you. Just work hard to
keep it. Jobs like this - they
don't’ fall from the sky.

AISHA
Yes. Have a good night.

AUNT SARAH
Bonsoir chérie.

She disappears out the door.

4 INT./EXT. HAVS CONDO - ENTRANCE - DAY 4

Aisha enters, peeling away from the crowd of commuters.

5 INT. HAVS CONDO - LOBBY - CONTINUOUS 5

Her gaze lands on a DOOR MAN [31] behind the desk. He double
takes, standing up instinctively, allowing her to take all of
him in--muscly, lithe, formidable.

This man, cognizant of his beauty, is MALIK: fully aware of

his effect on Women...and men. He flashes a pearly smile
meant solely for Aisha.

She pulls out her passport before he can ask for I.D. He
studies it.

MALIK
I-SHA. New Nanny for the HAVS
right? You know where you goin’?

AISHA
Yes. Thank you.

Aisha tucks away her passport, makes her way to the

elevators...

POV OF SECURITY MONITORS. Aisha’s pixelated black and white

image enter the elevator.

6 INT. HAVS CONDO - ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS 6

Aisha stares at her reflection in the mirrored elevator doors

as she ascends. She glides chapstick over her lips.
 FYC 4.

7 INT. HAVS CONDO - CONTINUOUS 7

Elevator doors open into the condo. AMY [36] An ageless

beauty belying a tightly wound undercurrent of nerves.

AMY
Aisha! Welcome.

Amy studies Aisha as she takes off her shoes and unloads her
bag.

We see the condo in all its glory: sterile, modern, spacious.

Lower upper class by New York standards, relative wealth by
national standards. A pristine box encased in floor to
ceiling windows.

Aisha knowingly makes her way to the...

KITCHEN SINK

She washes her hands meticulously. The women grant each other
tight, but warm smiles.

AMY (CONT'D)
How was the commute?

AISHA
Not too bad.

AMY
Great.

Aisha turns off the faucet and dries her hands.

AMY (CONT'D)
Thank you.

AISHA
Yes...How are you?

AMY
I’m well, but I think Rose is a
little better. She’s very excited.

AISHA
Aww, I am too. I am very excited.

AMY
Well, these are for you.

Amy presses condo keys into Aisha’s palm. Aisha closes her
hand around them.
 FYC 5.

AMY (CONT'D)
Now that it’s official let me give
you the full tour...

AISHA
Yes.

AMY
Excellent. Ok, follow me.....

Aisha trails Amy--her eyes swimming with curiosity as she

takes in the impressive space more closely this time.

Contemporary Art riddles walls traveling up sky high

ceilings. Various exotic house plants sprinkle the clinical
space with life. A Bird of Paradise plant sprawls upwards,
branches reaching out for dear life among schefflera amate
and monstera plants.

The inhabitants of this space are collectors of resplendent,

peculiar things.

They pass a slightly ajar door...

Aisha furtively peeks through the sliver of access. A 30x45

FRAMED PHOTOGRAPH of a WAILING AFRICAN WOMAN slumped on her
knees SCREAMS back at Aisha. The image is mesmerizing--
whoever exists behind the lens is clearly skilled.

Amy closes the door abruptly.

AMY (CONT'D)
Adam’s office. We civilians aren’t
allowed.

GUEST BEDROOM

Amy flicks on a light.

AMY (CONT'D)
And this is yours. Nothing fancy.

Aisha walks in. Quite fancy, actually.

AMY (CONT'D)
For overnights. Please, please make
this space yours. Bring whatever
you need to feel at home: pictures,
books, your favorite pillow. Just
one small request: no candles or
incense. Rose is hyper sensitive to
certain smells.
 FYC 6.

8 INT. HAVS CONDO - ROSE'S ROOM - DAY 8

ROSE [5], a blonde haired blue eyed cherubic bundle of

cheeks, plays with her Venus Fly Trap.

AMY (O.S.)
Rose, we’re coming in!

Amy enters.

AMY (CONT'D)
Honey, Aisha’s here.

Aisha peeks in with a smile.

ROSE
Hi Aisha!

AISHA
Salut petit amour.

Amy crouches in front of Rose, and takes both of her hands in

hers.

AMY
I want you to be a good girl for
mommy.

Rose looks to Aisha.

ROSE
Ok.

9 INT. HAVS CONDO - LIVING ROOM - DAY 9

Amy slides a binder towards Aisha.

AMY
Please, I don’t want you to feel
overwhelmed. Think of this as a
loose guide: basic schedule,
emergency contacts, a list of where
things are...

Aisha peruses the meticulous multi tabbed planner.

AMY (CONT'D)
All phone numbers you’ll ever need.
Even her therapist...some blank
pages for you to fill in and make
it yours...

Aisha lingers on a tentative schedule with end times “TBD”.

 FYC 7.

AISHA
Thank you.

Amy gathers her belongings, willing herself to leave.

AMY
Ok...

She lingers a beat too long.

AMY (CONT'D)
Is this weird? It’s kinda weird.

AISHA
No.

AMY
I mean, it’ll be a little bumpy at
the beginning but we’ll catch our
stride.

AISHA
Yes, I’m sure.

Amy approaches Aisha.

AMY
May I?

Amy dives in for the embrace, wrapping herself around Aisha.

Aisha hugs her back.

AISHA
Of course.

AMY
Thank you.

Amy scoops up her bag and blazer, and heads out.

10 INT. HAVS CONDO - KITCHEN - DAY 10

A FRIDGE OPENS meticulously organized with labels, color

coded stickies--

“gluten free”,

"fermented kimchee - do not touch",

"help yourself"...etc.
 FYC 8.

Aisha scans the fridge landing on a pre-packaged meal labeled

“ROSE”.

CUT TO:

Settled in a kiddie chair with personalized plastic utensils,

Rose turns her face defiantly away from an approaching spoon
of organic, gluten free slop.

ROSE
No.

AISHA
Your mommy made this just for you.
Don't you want to eat the healthy
food Mommy made?

ROSE
I don’t want it.

AISHA
Encore en français. Again in
french. Je ne-

ROSE
Je ne...

AISHA
Veux.

ROSE
Voo.

AISHA
Pas.

ROSE
PAH!

ROSE (CONT'D)
What does that mean?

AISHA
I don’t want.

ROSE
Je ne veux pas!

Aisha holds her hand out for a high five. Rose leaps up
eagerly, slapping Aisha’s hand.

AISHA
Good girl! Ok...
 FYC 9.

Aisha looks at the slop, braces herself, and shoves a

spoonful into her mouth.

Fighting her gag reflex, she forces a pained smile as she

swallows.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Mmm. Yum.

Rose giggles at Aisha's pathetic performance. Shakes her head

no. She watches Aisha unpack her own carefully packaged
lunch: rice, stew, plantains. Rose sniffs the air
dramatically. She squinches her nose, curious.

The two are in a stare off. Aisha finally relents.

She scoops a tiny morsel of jollof rice onto a spoon and

hovers it before Rose who snaps it up like a baby alligator.

Rose's eyes light up.

CUT TO:

Rose dances happily. She scoops a large spoonful of rice off

Aisha's plate into her mouth.

Aisha does the same.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Happy now? C’est délicieux?

Rose nods.

ROSE
Say deli-see-you.

AISHA
Your french is so good!

Aisha and Rose hi-five.

11 INT. HARLEM APARTMENT - BATHROOM - DAY 11

Aisha puts on makeup as an attempted WhatsApp video call

rings endlessly--just as she's about to give up an image
flashes on the screen:

A WOMAN: blurry but decipherable. Her name, we will learn, is

MARIATOU. She’s approximately Aisha’s age.

They alternate between their tribal language and English.

 FYC 10.

MARIATOU
Hello, Hello, Aisha--

Aisha holds the phone up.

AISHA
Yes! Mariatou? Hello?

Jumbled conversation of people in distant lands struggling to

communicate, words tumbling on top of each other, delayed
seconds of understanding--

AISHA (CONT'D)
Can you hear me?

MARIATOU
Loud and clear!

AISHA
Is Lamine near you?

MARIATOU
You know your son is slippery. Hold
on...

Aisha waits for what feels like an eternity. She watches as

Mariatou scurries off screen, then...

Aisha’s son LAMINE[6] appears, in digital flesh. Aisha

visibly softens at the sight and sound of him.

LAMINE
Hi mamma!

AISHA
Lamine, my baby. Are you being a
good boy? Aunty Mariatou tells me
you’re not listening.

LAMINE
She’s lying.

AISHA
Ah Ah! You call your aunty a liar?

Lamine shakes his head, No.

AISHA (CONT'D)
I heard you went to Musa’s birthday
party. Was it fun?

LAMINE
They had so much food. I ate too
much.
 FYC 11.

AISHA
Is there anything you want to tell
me?

Lamine pretends not to hear his mother.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Hello. Lamine, did you bite Musa?

LAMINE
He took my toy!

AISHA
I don’t want to hear about anymore
trouble. When you come we will have
so many toys you won’t want
anymore.

LAMINE
Ok...will it be cold?

AISHA
Very cold. There will be snow on
the ground. Remember the pictures I
sent you.

LAMINE
White cotton candy.

Aisha laughs.

AISHA
White cotton candy. I will have a
very warm coat waiting for you.
When you come to New York we’ll go
to Ray’s Pizza. Lamine it’s the
best pizza you will ever have...

LAMINE
When will we go to the beach?

AISHA
When it’s hot. The water is not as
clear...

Lamine is distracted. He talks to someone off screen.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Lamine, I’m talking to you. We
don’t have much time.

Lamine's voice dissipates into a crackling sound. His image

freezes on screen.
 FYC 12.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Lamine? Hello? Lamine...

Aisha stares at Lamine's frozen image.

AISHA (CONT'D)
I don’t know if you hear me but
I’ll see you soon, my love.

12 EXT. HARLEM - BACKYARD - DAY 12

We follow Aisha, eyeing the nape of her neck as she saunters

into the bustle. She’s dressed in traditional African wear.

An AFRICAN WOMAN carrying a brimming pan of food darts past

as Aisha surveys the space.

A sign strung on a wall reads: “HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY ROMANO”.

Ribbons and balloons hang haphazardly. West African music
blares from speakers.

Aisha places a carefully wrapped box in a pile of gifts--each

distinct wrapping paper an ode from its gift giver.

SALLAY (O.S.)
AISHA!

SALLAY [30], bright eyed with a permanently mischievous grin

bee-lines towards Aisha. Her bright red blush matches her
crimson lipstick.

AISHA
Sallay! As late as I am they’re
still setting up?

SALLAY
You know how things go. Time is the
white man’s invention.

Sallay envelopes Aisha in a warm hug.

SALLAY (CONT'D)
Besides, Sierra Leoneans know how
to party. You know!

Sallay whisks Aisha away, enveloping her in infectious

energy.

13 EXT. HARLEM - BACKYARD - CONTINUOUS 13

ROMANO [5 today], an effusive child sits at the helm of a

table flanked by COUSINS and FRIENDS.
 FYC 13.

Children wear various superhero party masks,stark American

contrasts colliding with continental flair.

A multi-tiered cake is placed before Romano aglow with six

candles.

Taking in the scene from her perch, Aisha smiles to herself

observing the boy’s contagious joy. Fire dances in his eyes.

Revelry plays in slow motion as the crowd rises in a Happy

Birthday song. Some sing the African version.

CROWD
Appy birtday to you! Appy birtday
to you! Everybody like you!
Everybody like you!

Romano leans in to blow out his candles.

Aisha closes her eyes and inhales, making a silent wish

alongside the boy.

She opens her eyes.

In Romano’s place sits another child--Lamine, Aisha’s son.

Lamine grants Aisha a dazzling smile before blowing out

candles with all his might.

Back to reality, Aisha watches Romano bounce in his chair.

14 INT. HAVS CONDO - DAY 14

Aisha rummages for her cell.

She sees a face-time call from 'AMY' on the screen, deflating

a bit as she accepts the call. Rose, glued to her ipad, is
lost in her own world.

AMY
Hi Girls! What are you two up to?

AISHA
We’re in the middle of French
lessons.

AMY
Did Rose finish her food?

AISHA
Every last drop.
 FYC 14.

Off the cell phone screen Aisha extends her pinkie to Rose
who hooks her pinkie finger in Aisha’s, promising to keep
their culinary adventure a secret.

AMY
Thank god. Picky doesn’t even begin
to describe that child’s eating
habits. Adam gets here sooner than
expected so I’ll need your help
getting everything together
tomorrow. Can’t wait for him to
meet you!

AISHA
Looking forward.

AMY
Ok, see you ladies soon.

AISHA
Ok bye bye.

Aisha cups her chin, momentarily lost elsewhere. Rose mirrors

her body language. Aisha forces a smile, putting a thread of
Rose's hair behind her ear.

15 INT. HAVS CONDO - LATER 15

Aisha glances at a clock. The minute hand ticks. 7pm. Her

phone is painfully silent.

The sound of KEYS JANGLING grants a reprieve. Amy barrels

into the apartment.

AMY
Sorry I’m late! Things got crazy.

Aisha flips her work binder open, scribbling the date and her
hours 8am-7pm.

As bubbly as Aisha can muster--

AISHA
Rose is in bed.

AMY
Everything was smooth. No tantrums?

AISHA
None at all.

AMY
You kept all the receipts?
 FYC 15.

Aisha flips to a nook in the binder with carefully paper-

clipped receipts.

AMY (CONT'D)
You are amazing.

Reciprocal smiles. Aisha gathers her belongings.

AMY (CONT'D)
One more thing. Sorry for the last
minute request but can you do an
overnight tomorrow? Things will
probably go late. We agreed on 100
for overnights right?

Aisha hesitates.

AISHA
No, it was um..It was 150.

AMY
Oh, ok. 150. Okay.

AISHA
Okay, good night Amy.

AMY
Alright, have a good night.

Aisha leaves.

16 INT. HARLEM APARTMENT - AISHA’S ROOM - NIGHT 16

Laughter emanates from a cellphone--

MARIATOU
(on the phone screen)
Noooo Lamine!

LAMINE
(on the phone screen)
Hi Mommy. Sing AYO NENE.

Aisha, sprawled on her bed stares at a pre-recorded video of

her son on her cellphone. She loops it back. We see phone
imagery--faces that accompany the voices.

LAMINE (O.S.) (CONT'D)

Mommy is in the computer.

MARIATOU
Nooo Kofi!
 FYC 16.

KOFI
She in America. Hi Mommy! Sing AYO
NENE.

As though responding to Kofi in the flesh, Aisha sleepily

sings a lullaby, AYO NENE--rocking herself to sleep.

AISHA
(tribal language)
Oh my baby, my little baby, who can
calm you down? Oh my baby, my
little baby who can calm you down
and bring you to Saloum--

17 INT. HARLEM APARTMENT - AISHA'S ROOM - DAY 17

ANGLE ON a duffel bag: A pair of clothes. Panties. Shoes

wrapped in an old grocery bag.

Aisha eyes her favorite pillow. Brings it with her.

She grabs a framed image of Kofi, sliding the photo from

glass and tucking it into her bag before leaving.

18 INT. HAVS CONDO - VARIOUS ROOMS - EARLY EVENING 18

--Aisha opens the door for CATERERS.

--Aisha helps lay out platters of food. She glances at her

phone.

AISHA
Rose?

Aisha peeks around corners, and through doors. She hears

RUNNING WATER and towards it

19 INT. HAVS CONDO - MASTER BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS 19

The shower is running as Aisha enters. She turns it off, and

hears a child’s laughter behind her in...

20 INT. HAVS CONDO - MASTER BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS 20

The Master Bedroom.

AISHA (O.S.)
I’m coming to get you!
 FYC 17.

As Aisha enters her eyes flick across the room, resting on

various curated portraits of the All American Family: Amy,
Adam and Rose--poised like artfully designed photos you’d see
in a TIME magazine spread.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Rose?

Two small hands peek out from under the bed. Aisha kneels on
the floor beside them and they quickly disappear beneath the
skirted bed.

AISHA (CONT'D)
I wonder where she is?

Aisha lifts the bedskirt revealing a beaming Rose.

ROSE
You found me!

Rose shimmers out from under the bed in a Pink fluffy dress
and sequined jacket, and jumps into Aisha’s arms.

AISHA
I did! I found you. You were under
the bed. So smart.

21 INT. HAVS CONDO - ROSE'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS 21

Aisha playfully dumps Rose in her bed and the two sprawl on
their backs alongside each other, gleefully exhausted.

A KNOCK.

Aisha props herself up as Amy enters. Amy’s steely expression

expands into a warm smile too quickly.

AMY
You two are having fun.

Aisha squeezes Rose's arm, whispers in her ear.

AISHA
Go to Mommy.

A twitch in Amy's saccharine smile as Rose flops back on the

bed passive aggressively.

ROSE
I’m tired.

Aisha stands, making room for Amy to sit beside her daughter.
As Amy swaps with Aisha she gently squeezes Aisha's hand.
 FYC 18.

AMY
Don’t go far.

Aisha leaves the two, catching a fleeting moment of Amy

clinically smelling strands of Rose's hair...

CUT TO:

22 INT. HAVS CONDO - LIVING BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS 22

The Pregnant Latina, dangerously pregnant to be engaging in

physical labor, vacuums an opulent rug.

Our gaze lingers on her a beat too long. She looks up,
locking eyes with Aisha.

Aisha smiles. Looks away. Shame blooms under her skin--caught

in the act of pity, or projection...

23 INT. HAVS CONDO - MASTER BEDROOM - EVENING 23

Aisha tries not to look directly at Amy's half naked

reflection in a mirror.

AMY (O.S.)
Thank you for picking up the dry
cleaning.

AISHA
I didn’t think to bring anything
fancy

AMY
Oh gosh, it’s my fault. I should
have told you. There’s always so
much going on at work now. My brain
is in a million different places...

Amy balances a glass of red wine in one hand as she slides

her naked body into a dress in a

WALK IN CLOSET OFFSHOOT.

Amy is like a moth. Frantic. Evanescent. Perpetually in

multiple places at once.

AMY (CONT'D)
No worries. I have the perfect
dress.

Amy explodes from her closet. Poised. Manicured.

 FYC 19.

She presses a red dress against Aisha’s frame.

AMY (CONT'D)
I swear this dress was made for
your skin. Mahogany red, Imperial
red, Wine red, the whole family.

CUT TO:

Amy zips Aisha into the dress with finality. It clings to her
every curve for dear life--a complimentary second skin.

Amy places her hands on Aisha’s hips to turn her around.

AMY (CONT'D)
Oh wow...

AISHA
It’s a little tight.

AMY
Oh it’s perfect.

The RISING MURMUR of a dinner party well underway SWELLS TO A

CRESCENDO.

24 INT. HAVS CONDO - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 24

Shrouded in the shadows, lingering in the space where the

living room meets the hallway, Aisha takes in the gathering.

FOUR HANDSOME COUPLES in their late 30’s, early 40's.

Aisha hones in on the sole Black body in the white space:

SANDRA [35], a pretty African American woman framed by a nest
of natural hair.

Her ease and grace are palpable. She throws her head back in
laughter.

Then Amy, a little too drunk a little too soon. Aisha catches
slivers of their conversation.

AMY
...When are we getting another book
out of you?!

SANDRA
Oh honey, stay tuned. The
apocalypse is not exactly a salve
for my writer’s block...
 FYC 20.

Sandra catches Aisha staring and grants her a genuine smile.

Aisha smiles back.

At the sound of the elevator opening onto the floor - Amy

hushes the crowd as she heads around the corner towards it.

MUFFLED VOICES. A sharp conversation discernible in pieces.

Aisha’s POV:

AMY
Well hello there. Nice to see you.

Amy is all over ADAM [37] Rugged and weary. A bundle of

repressed emotion comforted by a mask of logic. He turns away
as Amy kisses him.

MAN
Stop. Just let me put my shit down.

Amy takes a step back and laughs as she sips her wine.

MAN (CONT'D)
Why are you dressed like that

Amy heads towards their friends.

MAN (CONT'D)
I’m sorry we haven’t even-

Amy’s FOOTSTEPS inch closer to the group, who instinctively

yell-

EVERYONE
SURPRISE!

But it’s just Amy. Alone.

She strolls to a nearby table and refills her empty wine

glass. Moments behind her...

ADAM

Genuine surprise drains his face as he drops his bags, taking

in the small crowd.

AMY
Surprise.

ROSE
Daddy!
 FYC 21.

Rose leaps from Aisha’s arms, sprinting to her father. The

room buzzes with renewed vigor. He immediately wears a mask
of civility belying an impatience reserved for Amy.

Adam embraces familiar faces, making the rounds. He was

missed.

Adam hoists Rose in his arms, whispering in her ear. Rose

giggles as he places her down. He reveals a thin hardcover
book brought back from his travels--hands it to Rose. She
clutches it tightly.

Adam notices Aisha just before a BOB [38] tackles him in a

bear hug. Amy looks on with a scowl as Adam effortlessly
charms the room.

25 INT. HAVS CONDO - ROSE'S ROOM - NIGHT 25

Rose is fast asleep, clinging to Aisha like a koala. Aisha

sits on the edge of her bed, painstakingly peeling the girl
off her body without waking her.

She still clutches the book Adam gave her: Anansi the Spider:
A Tale from the Ashanti by Gerald McDermott.

Aisha plucks the book from Rose's hand. She studies it,
flipping through its pages.

A CORNER OF ROSE'S ROOM...

A SHELF OF TEEMING WITH CHILDREN’S BOOKS FROM AROUND THE

WORLD. Aisha’s fingers scan the books. She wedges Rose's new
book in between books.

Nearby her eye catches an ever so slight movement. Something

mechanical hiding between stuffed animals.

She walks closer to see a NANNY CAM.

The head swivels as she moves, tracking her. Aisha bristles

at the discovery.

26 INT. HAVS CONDO - BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS 26

Aisha peels the red dress off and slips into pajamas as the
conversation spills in from the next room.

BOB (O.S.)
Seriously, tell me how burning shit
down helps the cause.
 FYC 22.

SANDRA (O.S.)
Are you cool....

27 INT. HAVS CONDO - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 27

Aisha looks on from the fringes of the room, waiting to be

noticed.

As the group engages in a heated debate, Adam’s gaze lands on

Aisha--still salient in spite of her outfit change.

SANDRA (O.S.)
(To Bob)
.....waxing philosophical and being
the devil’s advocate? Listen the
Devils got enough help. You didn’t
care about the message in the first
place.

AMY (O.S.)
Exactly.

Adam balances Amy on his lap. She’s tipsy and he’s jet-lagged
but catching his second wind.

Adam nudges Amy who looks over at Aisha. The two engage in a
tension laced whispered exchange.

BOB (O.S.)
Tell me how burning shit down and
looting stores in your own fucking
neighborhood help the cause.

Amy smirks and slinks away, leaving Aisha to Adam.

BOB (CONT'D)
This is not a rhetorical question
people.

CHUBBY GUY
Ok save the PC bullshit. How does
burning shit down and looting
stores help their cause? This is
not a rhetorical question.

Adam finally stands decisively.

28 INT. HAVS CONDO - ADAM’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 28

Aisha enters reverently, eager to see this space.

 FYC 23.

Walls are littered with award winning photojournalistic

imagery...MAIMED children...PIERCING eyes...MEN darting away
from fire...GIRLS covered in burkas, their backs cagily
turned to the camera.

Aisha revisits the PHOTOGRAPH of the WAILING AFRICAN WOMAN

slumped on her knees, allows her curious gaze to finally
return to Adam.

As Adam rifles through his wallet, Aisha watches the bills

flit between his fingers. She silently counts with him.

Satisfied, he hands her the small stack of cash, along with a

metro card.

ADAM
I’m sorry you’ll have to bear with
me a little bit. Amy and I had
talked about hiring someone but I
didn’t know that she had. It’s
lovely to meet you but it’s a
little bit of a surprise. But she
asked me to pay you for tonight.
Anyway, I think from hear on out
she’ll keep track of everything.

AISHA
Thank you.

ADAM
Je parle français aussi.

Aisha suppresses a giggle. Adam’s pronunciation is ugly. He

smiles, able to poke fun at himself.

ADAM (CONT'D)
Yea ok, you can laugh.

AISHA
It’s not bad.

Aisha’s attention drifts as a photo beckons to Aisha, pulling

her by some invisible thread...FLAMES dance behind a BLACK
TEENAGER.

ADAM
I was just in Lille, France, they
had an uprising there around police
violence.

AISHA
Oh.
 FYC 24.

ADAM
Yea.

A building on fire casts an ominous glow on the Black teen’s

face. His arms are outstretched, God like. He’s elevated on a
structure--half his face shrouded in a surgical mask.
Protestors gaze up at him.

Adam shares Aisha’s fixation.

ADAM (CONT'D)
Yea, that kid had a rare fire in
him. Maybe the best public speaker
I ever seen, he was like Malcolm X.
They hung on his every word.
(beat)
He’s dead now.

Unnerved by his matter of factness.

AISHA
What happened?

Adam shakes his head. The weight of seeing too much heavy on
his shoulders.

ADAM
They said it was gang related...

Aisha returns to the image. Struck by its poignancy. Struck

that the boy’s extinguished life is now immortalized by the
confines of the photograph. They lock eyes long enough for
Aisha to turn away. A momentary barely detectable break in
the air.

AISHA
I’m going to go to bed now.

ADAM
Please go to sleep.

AISHA
Ok.

ADAM
I wish I could.

AISHA
Bonne nuit.

ADAM
Bonne nuit.
 FYC 25.

Aisha, well versed in granting smiles that never quite reach

her eyes, slides past Adam...

29 INT. HAVS CONDO - GUEST ROOM - NIGHT 29

THREE MISSED CALLS. Aisha’s finger flicks through her phone’s

call history:

MARIATOU.

MARIATOU.

MARIATOU.

Aisha listens to a voicemail from Lamine.

LAMINE (O.S.)
I just called to say goodnight
mama. Love you.

It’s late in New York but even later in Senegal. Aisha takes
a chance, pressing the ringing phone to her ear, silently
wishing for contact.

The phone rings, endlessly. Aisha gives up.

She unpacks her overnight bag, sliding Lamine's photograph

into the groove of a dresser mirror.

CUT TO:

Light sleep finally takes its rightful place. Aisha’s chest

rises and falls in the darkness--a momentary respite.

An other worldly GUTTURAL GROAN resonates, growing louder...

Aisha opens her eyes. She darts up.

PITTER PATTER--the scurrying of feet echo just outside her

door.

AISHA
(whispering)
Rose?

Clammy silence.

She pulls her covers to her chest, creating a thin wall.

Heart rate rising. She stares at the door, honing in on the
knob...

Scrambling for her cell phone, Aisha activates the

flashlight, pointing it at the door.
 FYC 26.

Just as she’s about to turn the flashlight off, the knob

turns--ever so slowly.

Aisha sinks into her bed throwing her covers over her head.

She pants for some time under the sheets, struggling to make
sense of what she’s seeing and hearing.

FEET PAD deeper into the room, settling just inches from her.

Steeling herself, she wrenches the sheets off her head--

WATER CASCADES into her room as an INHUMAN MOAN rises to a

piercing crescendo.

30 INT. HAVS CONDO - GUEST ROOM - MORNING 30

Aisha darts out of bed, remembering...She takes inventory of

her room.

Glancing at her phone, Aisha checks the time - 8:04.

She hurries over to Lamine's photograph and flips it over

inspecting for damage, it is unfazed.

31 EXT. MOVING CAR - LATER 31

Aisha stares out at the passing city from the back seat. New
York: perpetually teeming with life. Passing bodies dance on
the car’s windows.

She closes her eyes.

around Aisha’s neck. Holding onto her for dear life.

32 INT. WESTERN UNION - DAY 32

LONG intricately designed NAILS click clack with every bill

flitting through deft fingers.‘NIKKI, THE TELLER’[30’s]
counts out two hundred dollars in twenties.

Aisha watches her behind murky glass, counting silently with

her.

NIKKI
Dakar, Senegal.

AISHA
Yes. When will they get it?
 FYC 27.

NIKKI
Two business days. Cool?

AISHA
Yes. Thanks Nikki.

NIKKI
How’s your little chocolate drop?

AISHA
He’s coming to America, finally! I
want him to celebrate his birthday
with me.

NIKKI
Oh shit?! You got his ticket and
everything?!

AISHA
Not yet. I almost have enough.

NIKKI
He comin to live or just visit?

AISHA
To live, thank God.

NIKKI
Word. African boy comin’ to the big
apple! He gonna fit right in.

AISHA
How’s Nigel?

NIKKI
A raggedy mess. I told him if I
gotta come up to that school one
more time those teachers gonna have
to start a gofundme for his casket.

The women laugh warmly, temporarily in the presence of one

another--peripheral mothers forever in the background of
privileged mother’s highlight reels.

SOMEONE IN LINE coughs loudly.

NIKKI (CONT'D)
AIGHT YALL AINT GOT NO JOB TO GO
TO! RELAX! You all set Aisha. Kiss
those cheeks for me.
 FYC 28.

33 INT. AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING SALON - DAY 33

OVERMODULATED SOUND of a Nollywood movie drones in the

background. Exaggerated Nigerian dialects ebb and flow.

Sallay returns to her CUSTOMER, an annoyed African American

Girl getting individual braids.

Aisha settles into a salon chair.

The American girl scrolls through her phone. She has a small
tuft of hair left to be braided, which she touches hopefully.

Every time we think the tuft is finally too small to part,

Sallay parts another smaller tuft to braid.

Sallay and Aisha speak in their native language, sprinkled

with English.

SALLAY
I was like, this girl has forgot
about me. No call, no text, no
visit...

AISHA
No no no. They own me, Sallay. I
have no life.

SALLAY
My dear who are you telling? I’ve
been braiding since last night.
This is my only customer today then
I’m going to sleep! Work until you
die. The American dream, right?

The girl looks up from her phone.

ANNOYED AMERICAN GIRL

Sallay, I told you about pulling on
my edges.

Sallay loosens her grip a bit.

SALLAY
(back to Aisha)
Have you ever thought about going
back...to live?

AISHA
To live where? With what money?
What are you talking about?
 FYC 29.

SALLAY
I know. Nigeria has definitely seen
the last of me. I’d rather be a
slave in America, than a slave in
Africa. Atleast here when you work,
you see the money.

AISHA
Do we?

SALLAY
You think maybe if you apologize to
Lamine’s father and his
wife...Maybe they can help you.
Send you money or something.

AISHA
Apologize for what?! It is him who
should apologize for impregnating
every teen girl on her way to
school. He knew he was married when
he paid for my school fees, when he
gave me money for food, clothes,
for my sick mother.

SALLAY
Trust me, I know how it is? Big men
play with little girls and it’s
always the girls who are punished.

AISHA
He doesn’t care whether his own son
lives or dies--He’s not met him.
Can you imagine? cut me off when I
was pregnant.
(beat)
I remember the night I found out. I
went to the beach. The moon was so
big. The water was so cold at my
feet...

Aisha shakes off the memory.

AISHA (CONT'D)
This one I would keep. Lamine is
the best thing that happened to me,
Sallay. He is my greatest work.

Aisha wipes a lone tear from her eye.

SALLAY
He’s a beautiful boy.
 FYC 30.

AISHA
I can’t wait for him to meet his
new girlfriend.

Sallay knowingly erupts with laughter.

AISHA (CONT'D)
He will love you, I know. He’s a
ladies man.

34 EXT. AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING SALON - DAY 34

Sallay and Aisha pull down the metal gate, closing up shop
with the strength of five men.

AISHA
I’ve missed you.

SALLAY
I just want you to be happy Aisha.
You can’t just work from morning
till night, night till morning. You
need to get out.

AISHA
I’m ok Sallay, I’m fine.

Sallay looks at her, unconvinced.

AISHA (CONT'D)
I am.

SALLAY
I love you.

Aisha wraps her arms around Sallay.

AISHA
I love you.

They cling to each other, rocking back and forth.

35 INT. HAVS CONDO - VARIOUS ROOMS - DAY 35

KITCHEN

Aisha helps Rose wash her hands, sudsing Rose's small hands
in hers as they sing.
 FYC 31.

AISHA
Wash your hands, wash your hands,
in between, in between, don’t
forget the backs, don’t forget the
backs, and your wrists, and your
wrists.

ROSE
Wash your hands, wash your hands,
in between, in between, don’t
forget the backs, don’t forget the
backs, and your wrists, and your
wrists.

CUT TO:

Aisha opens and peers into a sparse fridge. Sighs. She grabs
a few items in an attempt to whip something up.

Rose plops her coloring book on the counter and begins to

color.

AISHA
What are you drawing?

ROSE
A unicorn.

AISHA
A Unicorn?

Aisha turns her back, open cupboards in search of something

to spruce up this sad lunch.

She turns back to the counter, and Rose is gone.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Rose?

HALLWAY

Aisha peeks into rooms as she walks down the hallway.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Rose?.....Rose?

She walks towards the sound of RUNNING WATER.

MASTER BATHROOM

Aisha follow’s Rose’s gaze, to find Amy in the shower with

her arms wrapped around her tucked legs. Her eyes are blank,
her face expressionless.
 FYC 32.

ROSE
(whispering to Aisha)
Mommy’s meditating.

Aisha scoops her up.

AISHA
Come.

36 INT. HAVS CONDO - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS 36

AISHA (O.S.)
OK, it’s time to eat now Rose.

Eye’s ablaze, Rose sees something behind Aisha.

ROSE
Daddy!

Aisha turns to see Adam smiling at them.

ADAM
Hey piglet. You two hungry?

ROSE
Yes!

ADAM
Hi Aisha.

AISHA
Hi.

ADAM
What time are you off today?

She glances at her phone never quite knowing when she’s free
to leave.

AISHA
Um, I’m not sure. I was going to
ask. Amy is here but she is
umm....resting.

ADAM
You wanna come to dinner with us?

ROSE
Yay!

Aisha barely has time to protest as Rose leaps in her

father’s arms.
 FYC 33.

37 EXT. RESTAURANT - DAY 37

The trio sits outside of the restaurant Aisha and Rose

previously passed. A half eaten plate of doro wat among other
Ethiopian dishes in various states of having been eaten.

Rose claps her hands--giddy.

ADAM
I don’t know what you did to her,
but she hasn’t eaten this much in
months.

Rose is glued to her ipad, as her plate sits near empty on

the table in front of her.

AISHA
Really?

ADAM
It’s nice.

AISHA
She loves to eat.

ADAM
Who’s child are you talking about.

AISHA
I make her some Senegalese food,
and she loves it. Rose you like the
Ceebu jen, Se bonne?

Rose peeks over her Ipad at Aisha.

ROSE
Se bonne?

ADAM
What did you do before you came
here?

AISHA
I was a teacher in Senegal.

ADAM
Of course you were.

AISHA
I studied english and french in
school.
 FYC 34.

ADAM
You’re a wonderful teacher, and
you’re clearly very smart. I know.
I can tell you won’t be with us for
very long.....much as I’d like to
keep you.

Aisha blushes at Adam’s direct gaze.

AISHA
Can I ask you a question...

ADAM
Sure.

AISHA
I am having a difficult time with
the hours.

The Waiter hands the bill to Adam.

ADAM
(to the waiter)
Thank you.

AISHA
I don’t mind working the hours. But
I think maybe sometimes Amy
forgets....to pay me...Um, there
are many hours I’ve not been paid.
About a weeks worth of pay.

ADAM
I’m sorry. I’ll talk to her. I
won’t say you brought it up. I’ll
talk to her.

AISHA
Well I was wondering if it’s
possible, if you could be in charge
of my pay. Since your hours seem
more flexible.

ADAM
Uh... I would like to but.....

WOMAN’S VOICE
Adam is that you?!

A MODELESQUE ASIAN AMERICAN WOMAN in form fitting yoga gear

approaches.

ADAM
Christie?!
 FYC 35.

Aisha looks on as Adam stands to embrace the woman, CHRISTIE

[mid 30’s]. Aisha notes the woman’s effervescent laugh, the
glide of Adam’s hand intimately pressed to the woman’s lower
back, the kisses on both cheeks that linger dangerously close
to the lips...

They talk closely, in whispers. Eyes locked on one another.

Aisha looks away, embarrassed, for what she’s not sure.

Christie squeals at the sight of Rose.

She kneels beside the table to speak to her, close enough for
Aisha to smell her perfume.

CHRISTIE
Remember me, Rose?! Oh my god, look
at how big you are now. I saw you
when you were just a teeny tiny
thing.

ROSE
Bonjour.

CHRISTIE
Ohmygawdsocute! Look at those
lashes.

The Woman unceremoniously turns to Aisha.

CHRISTIE (CONT'D)
Hi....

Before Aisha can respond, the Woman returns to Adam. Adam

glances at Aisha self consciously.

The waiter places the bill on the table. Adam blindly tosses
a credit card down.

ADAM
You two go ahead. Aisha, don’t
worry about it. But I will talk to
her at home...

Adam and Christie take off.

AISHA
Alright Rose, ready to go?
 FYC 36.

38 EXT. HARLEM STREET - NIGHT 38

Aisha emerges out of a train station slowly, tired, and spots

Malik a few steps ahead. The kind of NYC coincidence that
makes perfect sense.

Aisha watches Malik, debating. He nods to the music in his

headphones. She decides against breaking her voyeuristic
perch, and quickens her stride to catch up to him.

At the site of Aisha, a smile spreads wide across his face.

MALIK
Hello.

AISHA
Hi.

MALIK
So you following me or what?

AISHA
Do you want me to be following you?

Malik is giddy, this is the most they’ve ever talked.

MALIK
I like how you said that.

Aisha smiles in spite of her exhaustion.

MALIK (CONT'D)
So you gonna tell me where you’re
from or you think I’m a dumb
American who thinks Africa is one
big ass country?

AISHA
It starts with an S.

MALIK
(singing Frank Ocean song)
Ok, it starts with an S.
Sieeerrrraaaa Leoooone.

Aisha shakes her head no.

AISHA
No.

MALIK
South Africa?

Wrong again.
 FYC 37.

MALIK (CONT'D)
Senegal!

Aisha’s face lights up. She grants Malik an affirmative

smile.

MALIK (CONT'D)
Okay! We got a winner.

Malik breaks into a little victory dance as they both erupt

with laughter.

MALIK (CONT'D)
Yo! You didn’t think I knew that,
huh?...But let me ask you this
though. Who has the best jollof
rice? Cause let Nigerians tell
it...

AISHA
Let Nigerians tell it, they have
the best of everything.

MALIK
(jokingly parroting Aisha)
Let Nigerian’s tell it they have
the best of - Oh, Ok

Aisha laughs.

AISHA
What do you know about jollof
rice?!

MALIK
(licking his lips)
What don’t I know about jollof
rice? Jollof rice over here, jollof
rice over there.

Malik points to Aisha’s bag.

MALIK (CONT'D)
Jollof rice in that bag. Yea, I
know you snuck it in there.

Aisha throws her head back and laughs, utterly disarmed by

his charms. They lock eyes and she walks away.

MALIK (CONT'D)
That’s ok. Good to see you.....Good
Night Miss Aisha.
 FYC 38.

Aisha looks back at Malik’s warm smiling face, and waves

goodbye.

39 EXT. WEST HARLEM PIERS PARK - DAY 39

Aisha, settled on a bench, checks her cellphone - multiple

missed calls from Mariatou

She call her back and listens intently--the familiar ring of

an unanswered call--Her ear buds pressed in her ears.

REVELERS flit past, along the pier.

MARIATOU’S VOICE (O.S.)

...Ha just kidding! You’ve reached
Mariatou. Leave a message after the-

Aisha ends the call. She eyes Lamine's new coat, propped
beside her on the empty bench.

She removes her headphones and gazes out at the expanse of

water. Barely blinking, Aisha appears to be mesmerized by a
nebulous force pulling her attention to the dark murky water.

A PIERCING RING fills her ears along with the sound of WOMEN
WAILING--visceral cries of suffering.

CLOSE ON dark waves crashing into one another.

As she peers into the water, she sees a WOMAN...The Woman’s

head rises just above the water surrounded by a halo of
thick, black hair. The Woman’s sclera, the whites of her
eyes, are as black as her pupils, peering through Aisha with
an unnerving gaze.

SOUND FILTERS AWAY as Aisha locks eyes with the creature...

SUDDENLY A CHILD’S CRY jolts Aisha back to.

She exhales, unwittingly holding her breath. She turns back

to the water, and the woman is gone.

40 INT. HARLEM APARTMENT - AISHA'S ROOM - MORNING 40

The sound of an alarm wakes Aisha. She rouses and drags

herself to the edge of her bed, head bowed, eyes closed, a
whisper of a prayer only she knows slips from Aisha’s lips.
 FYC 39.

41 INT. HAVS CONDO - LOBBY - DAY 41

As Aisha steps off the elevator she sees a BLACK BOY standing
eerily still at the end of a long hallway. His back to her.

The boy looks faintly like Lamine....?

She walks towards him, puzzled but mesmerized...

Malik appears from no where, breaking her trance. He scoops

the rambunctious boy in his arms--his son--BISHOP [6].

MALIK
What I tell you about running
around, knucklehead? We almost out.
I need you to sit still so I’m not
unemployed like you.

Malik studies Aisha.

MALIK (CONT'D)
You ok? Look like you saw a ghost.

Aisha laughs it off.

AISHA
How old are you, handsome?

The boy looks at Aisha annoyed.

MALIK
Bishop is 6 going on 25.

AISHA
They let you bring him?

MALIK
(laughing)
Let me? Shit happens. I brought
him.

Bishop wriggles aggressively out of Malik’s slippery grasp.

BISHOP
My daddy has a crush on you!

Malik laughs awkwardly.

MALIK
This guy...

Aisha searches Malik’s face for confirmation.

 FYC 40.

MALIK (CONT'D)
I mean. He ain’t lying.

Aisha sees her uber in her periphery.

MALIK (CONT'D)
You think I could...see you
outside of here.

Aisha studies Malik’s hands noting the absence of a ring.

AISHA
I think you could.

Malik’s phone is out and ready to go. Aisha punches her

number into his phone and darts off.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Bye Bishop.

42 INT. HARLEM APARTMENT - BATHROOM - AFTERNOON 42

Aisha sits on the edge of her bathtub, alone with her

thoughts.

AISHA (V.O.)
(voicemail)
Hello. You’ve reached Aisha. I
can’t come to the phone but leave a
message and I will call you back as
soon as possible. Thank you.

MALIK (V.O.)
(leaving a message)
Wow,see....I can’t believe you got
me leaving voicemails. When you
gonna let me take you out finally.
Come through. We’ll have a good
time, and my grandmother won’t take
no for an answer

CUT TO:

43 INT. HARLEM BROWNSTONE - PARLOR - EVENING 43

Aisha takes in the welcoming space as she nestles into a

couch. The brownstone is a relic, a menagerie of African
artifacts and plants.

These are the types of preserved, protected Brownstones a

transplant could never discover; kept in the family. Passed
down.
 FYC 41.

She notes framed photographs: progressions of Malik

burgeoning from child to man. His son Bishop...

In Malik’s childhood pictures he’s flanked by a SMILING WOMAN

with empty eyes.

The woman is absent as Malik transitions from teen to Man.

Suddenly, Malik is alone in his portraits. His smile no

longer meeting his eyes.

KATHLEEN (O.S.)
Tea? I have hibiscus, ginger
turmeric, Lipton...

Kathleen emerges with a platter of tea anyway. She places it

gingerly before Aisha. Aisha takes the offering, plucking a
choice from the array.

She can’t shake the feeling...

AISHA
I feel like I’ve met you before.

KATHLEEN
It’s very possible.

They study each other, two formerly acquainted spirits

reunited in this liminal space called life--the present.

KATHLEEN (CONT'D)
I learned about heart-ache in
Dakar. Lived all over West Africa
for 10 years. Fell in love with the
continent. Unrivaled style and a
certain--a certain pulsating
vibrance I wish I could bottle and
sell over here. A dash of Nigerian
bravado with a sprinkle of Ghanaian
pride and a heaping serving of
Sierra Leonean humility...

AISHA
I miss my country. Every day. The
good parts.

KATHLEEN
Do tell about the bad parts?

Aisha fiddles. Glances down at her tea. Unnerved by her

compulsive desire to tell unfettered truth in the presence of
this woman.
 FYC 42.

AISHA
We are supposed to make babies to
settle--even for men who don’t want
us, but some of us would rather
make ourselves.

Kathleen takes Aisha in with an agreeable “hmm”.

Aisha’s curiosity moves to a collage painting on vinyl. She

approaches the piece--losing herself in the image of a
grotesque but beautiful half woman half fish underwater
creature with bared teeth sharp as nails.

The Mer-woman’s claws sink into the head of a limp human

figure succumbing to the creature’s power...

Kathleen’s voice cuts through like a salve.

KATHLEEN
One of my favorites. It’s called
“Killing you softly” by Kenyan
Arist: Wangechi Mutu. It’s an
interpretation of Mami Wata, La
Siréne, Yemayá, River
Mamma...whatever name a culture
chooses, they are genderless
ancient water gods. Some believe
the mermaid lures with sexuality,
money and promises of fertility,
but they can also be dangerous,
unpredictable and impermanent.
Enslaved West Africans brought
tales of Mami Wata with them.
They’re as unpredictable as the
water that swallowed too many of us
whole--or rather, liberated us...

Aisha faces Kathleen, worry etched in her face.

AISHA
I think I saw her...them.

KATHLEEN
Mami Wata?

Aisha nods, tears welling in her eyes.

AISHA
Am I sick? The kind you can’t see.
Am I losing my mind?

Kathleen presses her hand to Aisha’s cheek as though

transferring strength into her body.
 FYC 43.

KATHLEEN
Oh no no no dear don’t cry. You’re
perfectly fine. Mami Wata feeds on
whatever you give--whether it’s
fear or rage or vengeance. The
spirits are calling you, trying to
communicate something.

AISHA
But, why me?

Kathleen tilts her head, raises her shoulders - her eyes

searching Aisha’s with sympathy and a deep resignation.

KATHLEEN
Ancestors remind women like us how
to survive. It’s up to us to answer
the call.

An omniscient glimmer in Kathleen’s eyes. Kathleen backs

away. Relaxes. Sips her tea.

KATHLEEN (CONT'D)
On to happier things. What’s your
boy’s name?

AISHA
How do you...

KATHLEEN
Aisha, mothers know other mothers.
Children are like ghosts, clinging
to your body even when they’re not
physically present.

MALIK (O.S.)
You two done with the intro course
to African gods?

Malik approaches the Women. All smiles. Oozing charisma.

MALIK (CONT'D)
Gram always asks too many
questions.

AISHA
She asks them of all the Women who
pass through?

A nervous laugh from Malik.

 FYC 44.

KATHLEEN
Only the one’s with a story that
piques my interest. There haven’t
been many...

AISHA
That pique your interest or--

MALIK
Time to go.

Malik kisses Kathleen on the forehead, whisking Aisha away as

he hooks his arm in hers.

MALIK (CONT'D)
Love you Gram, stay outta trouble!

Aisha turns back to Kathleen briefly.

AISHA
Lamine.

Kathleen closes the door behind them. She sighs a sigh bone
marrow deep, staring at the space Aisha inhabited. Her mind’s
fingers touch the intagible...The presence of life... The
coming of violence...

KATHLEEN
Lamine.

Kathleen grabs the tea tray and leaves, passing the haunting
Mami Wata painting, but we don’t pass with her.

We linger on the Mer-woman, pushing closer to her...

44 EXT. HARLEM BROWNSTONE - EVENING 44

Malik holds his car door open, and Aisha slips into the front
seat.

45 INT. SYLVIA'S RESTAURANT - EVENING 45

Malik and Aisha are tucked into a booth, as a WAITER places a

plate of New York’s finest cheesecake on the table.

AISHA
Oh no. I can’t eat anymore.

MALIK
Just one bite. Best cheesecake on
the East Coast.
 FYC 45.

Malik helps himself. Aisha sips wine from a straw.

AISHA
Malik.

MALIK
What’s up?

AISHA
How did she know? How did your
grandmother know?

MALIK
Know what?

AISHA
I didn’t tell you I have a son.

MALIK
I mean everybody, all of us, were
born with the ability to see. Most
folks start to close those eyes to
survive adulthood.

AISHA
She’s...a witch.

Malik almost chokes on his cheesecake.

MALIK
A witch?! Naw. She’s clairvoyant. A
Priestess.

AISHA
Psychic?

MALIK
Yeah but Gram prefers “Intuitive
Consultant” I’m not gonna lie,
gives me the heeby jeebies
sometimes. Had to let her know I
don’t wanna know. Let me live it as
it comes.

A synaptic breach in Aisha’s belief system, crumbling before

our eyes, in real time.

MALIK (CONT'D)
Can I see little man?

Aisha pulls out her phone, scrolling. She unveils a digital

image of Lamine smiling at the person behind the camera.
 FYC 46.

MALIK (CONT'D)
That’s a lady killer right there--
or...whoever he wants to kill.

Aisha laughs.

AISHA
He’s coming soon. For his birthday.
I haven’t seen him in almost a
year.

MALIK
That’s like forever for a kid.

AISHA
I know...

The weight of time lost hangs in the air. Aisha inhales the
rest of her wine.

AISHA (CONT'D)
And you?

MALIK
And me.

AISHA
You have how many kids?

MALIK
Five.

AISHA
Really? Four plus Bishop?!

Malik nods, pushing a morsel of cheesecake in his mouth.

AISHA (CONT'D)
How many mothers?

MALIK
Five. I don’t like to double dip.

A mischievous smile creeps over Malik’s face. Aisha punches

him in the shoulder.

MALIK (CONT'D)
Ow. Damn!

AISHA
I knew you were lying.
 FYC 47.

MALIK
Just my knucklehead Bishop. You
really thought I was a procreatin’
ass nigga out here with mad kids
huh? Ain’t no Future here. Call me
Present.
(off Aisha’s oblivious
look)
You know...the rapper...Future.

Aisha just stares at Malik. He shakes his head in mock

disappointment.

AISHA
I try not to judge. Don’t want
people judging me.

Aisha and Malik lock eyes. Unspoken secrets lurk just behind
their gazes.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Is the woman in the pictures your
mother?

Malik clears his throat. His veneer of charisma falters for

the first time. He picks at his cheesecake.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Sorry.

That impenetrable grin again.

MALIK
What you sorry for?

Aisha notes Malik’s hand on the table. Places hers on his. He

pulls it away casually placing it on the back of his neck.

MALIK (CONT'D)
My mom been talking to herself,
laughing at the jokes in her head
since I could remember. Used to
hate when she came to pick me up
from school.

He’s struck by the memory. Hell is a place of remembering.

MALIK (CONT'D)
Kids used to see her before I did.
Pacing back and forth in the lobby
in front of everybody. I dressed
fly--started pumping weights so no
one could say shit to my face about
my schizophrenic Mamma.
 FYC 48.

AISHA
Is she-

MALIK
Dead. Killed herself when I was 8.
Pops been around as much as he
could, still is, but Grams raised
me.

At this Malik looks Aisha straight in her eyes, devoid of his

cape of humor--naked without his shield of comedy.

Aisha moves food around her plate.

AISHA
I was 12 when my mother died.

MALIK
What happened?

AISHA
She kept her sickness from us for
as long as she could. She got
thinner and thinner, stopped
eating. Then one day she couldn’t
walk. Cancer...

Aisha trails off. This time Malik holds her hand. She takes a
good look at this man--his wet, rueful eyes...the sharp edge
of desire cuts through her like a knife.

Strangers inexorably linked by loss.

46 EXT. HARLEM STREETS - MALIK’S CAR - NIGHT 46

Malik steers with one hand, and slides the other behind Aisha
as they drive through traffic.

47 INT. HARLEM BROWNSTONE - MALIK’S ROOM - NIGHT 47

Aisha and Malik, both naked, face each other as they lie in
bed...His eyes closed...Aisha’s open. She watches him for
some time before pressing her lips to his.

He opens his eyes. Looks at her.

She kisses him again.

Harder.

Pushes him onto his back as she straddles him.

 FYC 49.

He stops her, breathing hard. She grips him harder with her
thighs.

MALIK
You sure?

She takes his hand, guiding it under her top to the skin of
her breasts.

He squeezes.

She moans.

He moves his hands down her stomach, tugging at her waist

beads.

He fingers the beads curiously then they both take off each
other close. Their bodies connect. Aisha is on top setting
their pace.

She holds onto him, moaning a prayer to ecstacy.

48 EXT. GRAND CENTRAL PARK - DAY 48

The United Nations of Nanny-dom overtake the park as BROWN

AND BLACK CAREGIVERS tend to white and racially ambiguous
CHILDREN of varying ages.

LATINA NANNIES populate one corner of the park speaking

Spanish.

WEST INDIAN WOMEN chattering in English on park benches keep

their charges in their eye-lines.

FRANCOPHONE WEST AFRICAN and HAITIAN WOMEN stick together

bonded by their French tinged english.

Aisha, phone pressed to her ear, watches Rose bossily guide a

new friend up a ladder.

MARIATOU (O.S.)
Hi, how are you?

AISHA
Mari, how are you--

MARIATOU (O.S.)
Ha just kidding! You’ve reached
Mariatou. Leave a message after the-

BEEEEEEEEEEP.
 FYC 50.

AISHA
What kind of voicemail message is
that, Mari? Tell Kofi I called.

CYNTHIA and FLORENCE [50’s], JAMAICAN NANNIES, one heavyset,

one thin, both soul deep weary and wise, settle beside Aisha
with their CHARGES.

They nod warmly at Aisha, scrutinizing her intensely but

innocently as older Caribbean women are wont to do.

CYNTHIA FLORENCE
Hello. Hello.

AISHA
Hi.

CYNTHIA
Cynthia.

FLORENCE
Florence. And you are?

AISHA
Aisha.

Cynthia furiously wipes snot from the nose of an OVERWEIGHT

RED HEADED BOY [5] shoveling a cinnabun into his mouth.

He stares at Aisha with an unnerving focus as Cynthia jerks

his head back and forth.

RED HEADED BOY

Shit, Cynthia!

Florence gasps.

CYNTHIA
You watch your mouth, David!

She pushes him towards the park, smacking his behind.

CYNTHIA (CONT'D)
Go on and play now! You can use the
exercise.
(to Florence)
No manners. Parents too busy
letting him eat junk. I try to cook
real food but everything too spicy.
Curry too spicy. Salt too spicy.
Air too spicy...
 FYC 51.

FLORENCE
Why you let that boy call you by
your first name?!

Cynthia shakes her head, defeated.

FLORENCE (CONT'D)
Well, my baby Elizabeth: she know
better.

CYNTHIA
She not gonna know a thing once she
keel over dead!

ELIZABETH [6], a half korean/half white cherub carefully

scoops dirt in an unseasonably thin t-shirt.

CYNTHIA (CONT'D)
You better put a real coat on dear
Lizzie. Police will lock you up
quick fast if you make them people
children sick. You know them quick
to say “abuse.”...

Florence drops to a whisper.

FLORENCE
Too soon, Cynthia. Remember that
Dominican nanny, Arlenis.

Cynthia’s eyes go big. She shakes her head, clucking in

dismay.

CYNTHIA
(to Aisha)
You heard about Arlenis?

Aisha shakes her head no.

FLORENCE
Had a breakdown. Her employers
fired everybody else: cleaners,
night nanny, kept her but worked
her to the bone and wouldn’t pay
what they owed...then her daughter
got ill back home.

CYNTHIA
(tapping her temple)
Arlenis was sick. The kind you
can’t see...

Cynthia and Florence’s voices fade into an inaudible babble

as Aisha’s gaze locks on something in the distance.
 FYC 52.

CYNTHIA (CONT'D)
...slit her employers’ child throat
from ear to ear...

Aisha stands--propelled towards some unseen object. Aisha

approaches slowly. Gingerly. Her eyes glossy with dead focus.

We finally see what captivates her...A BOY singing a familiar

tune: his back to us.

BOY
Oh my baby, my little baby, who can
calm you down? Oh my baby, my
little baby who can calm you down
and bring you to Saloum...

Aisha approaches the child.

Inching closer.

She crouches behind the boy.

He turns to her slowly.

Is it Kofi?

She reaches out for the boy.

AISHA
Kofi?

A WOMAN’S SCREAM penetrates the air. Car’s SCREECH.

WOMAN (O.S.)
OH MY GOD!

Horns BLARE DEAFENINGLY LOUD.

Aisha darts up.

Her eyes search for the source of the chaos, landing on...

...A NANNY cradling Rose, consoling her. Chloe’s beet red

face is contorted in a wail of despair.

Aisha turns back to the boy.

He’s gone.

Lucid, she takes in the DISAPPROVING GLARES OF NANNIES

throughout the park enveloping her like an inescapable wall.

The FILIPINA NANNY holding Rose stomps up to Aisha, handing

the red faced child to her.
 FYC 53.

FILLIPINA NANNY
You better pay attention. Someone
will report you. How could you let
her get out of the park?!

Aisha grips Chloe’s hand, maybe too tightly, as the little

girl wipes fresh tears from her eyes.

AISHA
Thank you.

Aisha scoops Rose in her arms, making her way out of the
park, escorted by the heavy weight of judgement.

49 EXT. HAVS CONDO - KITCHEN - DAY 49

Rose sits at the table mesmerized by Aisha scooping hefty

mounds of ice cream into a bowl.

Aisha hands her the ice cream and she eagerly tucks in with
her spoon.

The innocence of puerile amnesia seems to wash away the

previous incident...

50 INT. HAVS CONDO - ROSE'S ROOM - EVENING 50

Rose’s small finger scans the books on the shelf, finally

landing on a selection. She pulls the book from the shelf.

CUT TO:

A fabric fort illuminated by a flashlight. Two figures

inside: Aisha and Rose. The silhouette of Aisha’s hand,
formed into a makeshift shadow spider, dances on the tent
walls, growing ominously.

Rose fights sleep--hanging on Aisha’s every word as she reads

from Chloe’s selected book: Anansi The Spider by Gerald
McDermott.

AISHA
"Hold on son, for if you fall Death
is going to get you," Anansi the
spider said to his child. However,
the boy could not hold on any
longer. Therefore, he fell.”

Rose gasps. Aisha’s makeshift spider hand climbs up Chloe’s

arm. Rose bristles.
 FYC 54.

ROSE
Anansi’s son died?!

AISHA
Death caught the boy and opened the
burlap bag. "It is your father I
want… not you.” Then he placed the
child into the burlap bag. Another
of Anansi's daughters cried out to
her father. "Puppa, please…my hands
are tired. I am going to fall...”

ROSE
Is Anansi bad, Aisha?

Aisha thinks, flipping through the pages.

AISHA
Do you know the word filou?

ROSE
Fee. Loo.

AISHA
Trickster.

ROSE
Trickster.

Making a small circle with her thumb and pointer finger.

AISHA
Anansi is this big.

Rose mimics Aisha with her small fingers.

AISHA (CONT'D)
And most of the people who bother
Anansi are as big as me, so he uses
his intelligence, sometimes good
sometimes bad, to survive. He is a
survivor. Survivant

ROSE
SYUR. VEE. VANT. Survivor.

AISHA
Are you ready to tell me why you
left the park?

Rose’s lids are heavy. She rubs her eyes.

ROSE
Anansi told me to.
 FYC 55.

At this, Rose unceremoniously curls into a ball, falling

asleep in the warm fort. Aisha watches her chest rise and
fall.

51 INT. HAVS CONDO - EVENING 51

All is quiet as Aisha waits alone in the dark. She plays back
the voicemail from Lamine over and over in her head.

AISHA (V.O.)
I know it’s late. I just wanted to
hear your voice. I mis you....very
soon.

LAMINE (V.O.)
Very soon. Always very soon.

AISHA (V.O.)
It’s true Lamine. I love you.

LAMINE (V.O.)
Love you too mommy.

THE ELEVATOR DINGS in the distance. Aisha darts up,

methodically gathering her belongings.

Stands still as she watches Amy’s dark figure stumble into

the condo.

Something CLANGS loudly hitting the floor.

AMY
Fuck.

AISHA
Amy.

AMY
Homygawd! Aisha?! You scared the
shit out of me. How long have you
been standing there?

AISHA
Not long.

AMY
Why are you still here? I told Adam
to let you leave. Where is he?

At this, Aisha flicks the lights on, cocooning the Women in

brightness.
 FYC 56.

AISHA
I don’t know where he is? I haven’t
seen him today.

Amy is visibly drunk. She grants Aisha a lipstick smeared

smile as she fumbles with her purse. She pulls out a wad of
cash, gripping it tightly.

AMY
It’s so hard when you’re the Woman
overseeing everything: expected to
get drinks with the guys every
Friday to prove I’m one of them
but...we’ll never be one of them.
It’s a boy’s club. A serious
fucking boy’s club--And when you’re
a Mom on top of that...

Amy creeps closer to Aisha. Aisha smells wine on her

breath...

AMY (CONT'D)
Guess who got a promotion?!

Amy jumps up and down, giddy. She dances around Aisha to

music only she can hear, intertwining her fingers in Aisha’s
as she forces her to sway with her in celebration.

Aisha let’s her use her body as a prop until she doesn’t,
gently pulling away. Amy won’t let her go, embracing Aisha
tightly. Aisha’s hands hang limply at her sides.

The hug lingers, uncomfortably long. Aisha rips away.

AISHA
Enough!

AMY
(whispering)
Aren’t you happy for me?

AISHA
I need a set schedule. I need you
to stick to the times you tell me.

Amy’s face contorts. Her lip quivers. Weaponized tears stream

down her face.

AMY
I’m sorry. I...I mean this with all
my heart: you’re like family to us
now, Aisha. Rose loves you so
much...we’ll work out a clear
schedule. Promise.
 FYC 57.

AISHA
Ok...

Amy follows Aisha as she makes her way to the door. She
presses the balled up bills in Aisha’s hand.

AMY
Do me a favor...Watch Adam for me.

AISHA
(stern)
Goodnight, Amy.

52 INT. HARLEM APARTMENT - BATHROOM - DAY 52

Wet feet step out of the shower.

A hand wipes steam off of a mirror.

Aisha stares at her reflection, a towel wrapped around her

damp body.

Invasive whispers of a woman calling her name forces her to

turn towards the bathroom door, away from the mirror.

AISHA
Aunty?

Her reflection in the mirror--its back still to us--stands

eerily still in spite of Aisha turning to face herself. Her
eyes widen...a twinge of dread plucking at her belly. Her
reflection lingers backwards, beads of water forming on its
moist shoulders.

Aisha retreats as the mirror figure slowly turns to face her,

its nebulous features coming into view.

Aisha blinks and looks again to see her reflection staring

back at her - all is normal again.

53 INT. HAVS CONDO - EVENING 53

As soon as Aisha takes Rose's shoes off, the girl slips

through her fingers, darting into the condo.

ROSE
Dad? Daddy are you here?!

AISHA
Rose!
 FYC 58.

Aisha runs after Rose but loses her as she disappears into a
nearby room.

54 INT. HAVS CONDO - ADAM’S OFFICE - EVENING 54

Aisha pauses at the door’s threshold. Light cascades from the

room and the sound of ADAM’S VOICE intimates a very important
phone call.

Aisha knocks.

ADAM
Come in.

Aisha steps in to see Rose bouncing on her father’s lap.

AISHA
(re: Rose)
She’s tired.

ADAM
Wanna nap, piglet

Rose shakes her head no but her weary eyes betray her.

Adam hands Rose to Aisha’s outstretched arms.

ADAM (CONT'D)
Before I forget...

Adam rifles through paperwork. Finds it. Hands a white

envelope to Aisha.

ADAM (CONT'D)
Amy’s working late but I know today
is supposed to be payday?

AISHA
Yes. Thank you.

She balances Rose in one hand and the envelope in the other.

55 INT. HAVS CONDO - ROSE'S ROOM - LATER 55

Aisha tucks rose under the covers. She whisper sings the
familiar native lullaby to Rose, stroking the girl’s cheek.

AISHA
(Wolof)
Oh my baby, my little baby, who can
calm you down?
(MORE)
 FYC 59.
AISHA (CONT'D)
Oh my baby, my little baby who can
calm you down and bring you to
Saloum...

Long-legs reach out from behind a bookshelf, 2 legs, 4 legs,

and finally six legs: spider claws climb along the wall.
Unwitting to its presence, Aisha finally beckons Rose to
sleep. Stealing a moment to herself, Aisha rifles through the
envelope containing her pay. She shakes her head in
disbelief.

Her pay is still short.

56 INT. HAVS CONDO - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 56

Aisha and Adam collide in the dark hallway. He catches her.

Their proximity tense.

AISHA
Sorry...

ADAM
I was just about to come get you.
Hungry?

57 INT. HAVS CONDO - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS 57

A feast. Thai food beckons from the counter. Aisha’s stomach

growls.

ADAM
Can’t finish this all myself.

AISHA
Are you sure?

ADAM
Eat. Please.

They stand-eat, neither getting too comfortable.

ADAM (CONT'D)
Got it extra spicy. Amy swears
spicy food is bad. “Dulls the
tastebuds.”

AISHA
Adam...

Adam stops mid chew to look at Aisha.

 FYC 60.

ADAM
Uh oh. Why does it sound like I’m
in trouble?

AISHA
Were you able to talk to Amy? She’s
hard to get a hold of.

ADAM
What is it?

Aisha moves food around the plate--her appetite waning. She

reveals her work binder. Flips to her meticulous note taking:
hours of overtime unaccounted for.

AISHA
The thing is...I need the rest of
the money to bring my son here.

Adam stops eating mid chew.

ADAM
Your son?

AISHA
His name is Lamine.

ADAM
Holy shit. What else don’t we know
about you?

AISHA
He will be 7 in a few days.

Aisha studies Adam. Defiant. Fearless.

Adam rubs his jaw. Thinks.

ADAM
Tell you what, I’ll advance you
some of the money until we figure
this out. Things have been a little
tight...for everyone.

Aisha beams as Adam momentarily disappears. She catches her

reflection in a nearby mirror. Studies herself.

Adam returns with cash.

ADAM (CONT'D)
I could go to the ATM but this is a
start...
 FYC 61.

Aisha hesitates, takes the cash. Without thinking she hugs

Adam. He hugs her back.

AISHA
Thank you. Thank you. You have no
idea...

They part too slowly. Adam seizes the opportunity, leans in

for a long desired kiss, pressing his lips to Aisha’s.

Stunned, Aisha let’s him for a few seconds, but something

overtakes her--

Adam pulls away sharply, touching his lip. She bit him. Hard.

ADAM
Shit. I guess I deserved that, huh?
(beat)
You can’t tell Amy about this...the
money. She’s a little too by the
book sometimes. Might complicate
things for you.

A PHONE RINGS. Aisha instinctively checks hers but it’s

Adam’s. He presses the phone to his ear, seamlessly falling
into work mode, unfazed. He sucks the soreness of his bottom
lip.

ADAM (CONT'D)
Hey Scott. Yeah. The exhibit would
be a huge step...

Searching for Nanny Cams, Aisha steals the opportunity to

leave.

58 INT. HAVS CONDO - MOVING ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS 58

Hands count money. Aisha mouths the amount as she flips

through the bills.

She smiles to herself, closer to her goal.

Aisha stares at her reflection. Her face fractured by the

elevator mirrors. She wipes the residue of guilt off her
mouth.

59 INT. YMCA POOL - DAY 59

Swimming lessons for BABIES.

 FYC 62.

Aisha participates hands on. She trails through the water,

behind Rose's SWIMMING TEACHER, snaking their way among OTHER
SWIMMERS.

Rose's small legs kick in and out of the water.

Momentarily distracted, Aisha drifts away. Compelled to be

underwater, she sinks lower in the pool until her eyes are
all we see above water.

Looking out at the disjointed world: fractured by a slice of

water, Aisha submerges herself fully-- pushing herself to the
bottom of the pool.

8...7...6...5...4...

She holds her breath for as long as she can, then thrusts
herself up--EXPLODING OUT OF WATER. As she sucks in air.

She Turns 360 degrees, realizing she’s suddenly alone in the

blue water of the pool.

A MURKY FIGURE appears behind her. Aisha turns to face it.

Finally recognizing her in all her glory:

MAMI WATA.

Closer now.

The Mer-Woman’s amphibious EYES kick back light, like a

coyote caught in headlights.

Aisha closes her eyes, wills herself to control her

breathing.

She opens them again, startled to see a monstrous but eerily

beautiful mirror reflection of herself peering back at her
with those telltale, wet alien eyes.

She tries to keep one eye on the Mer-Woman’s dark, iridescent

tail snaking beneath the water.

The mermaid woman leans in closer to Aisha, as though she’s

about to kiss her.

Unable to move, Aisha looks in horror at the nictitating

membrane that flicks across the creature’s eye as it blinks.

The Mer-woman wraps her tale around Aisha’s legs, SUDDENLY

RIPPING HER BENEATH THE WATER’S SURFACE.

Two bodies. Intertwined. Jolted underwater. Descending to the

bottom of a depthless sea, the creature’s tail envelopes
Aisha, like an anaconda squeezing life from her body.
 FYC 63.

Bubbles rise to the surface as Aisha screams, being dragged

deeper and deeper and deeper...

QUICK POP:

Aisha curled in fetal position in a clawfoot tub.

QUICK POP:

A full brown stomach marked with the a black line from navel
to vagina--the pregnant belly of a woman half immersed in
water.

QUICK POP:

A PLUMP BROWN BABY, fat wrists and ankles adorned with gold
bracelets that ring out with every jerk of her new movements.

The baby yawns and stretches with life.

CUT TO:

Aisha jolts up from the clammy cement of the poolside,

desperately coughing up water. A LIFEGUARD leans away from
her. His work done. He breathes a sigh of relief.

Disoriented, catching her breath, unsure of how much time

passed, her searching eyes find Rose, shivering under a
strangers towel.

60 INT. HARLEM BROWNSTONE - LIVING ROOM - DAY 60

Aisha raises a glass of ice cold water to her lips. She

drinks for some time surprised at the magnitude of her own
thirst.

KATHLEEN
Anansi, Mami Wata--They are figures
of survival and resistance for
oppressed people. They challenge
the dominant order, subverting it
through chaos, anarchy...creative
energy. They refuse to be ruled by
the human or the divine and operate
on the boundaries between two
worlds, refusing to submit to the
laws of either...

AISHA
I just...wish I knew what they
wanted from me.
 FYC 64.

KATHLEEN
That, my dear, I can’t tell you.
(beat)
I had to learn the hard way.

Aisha glances at a photograph of MALIK’S MOTHER/KATHLEEN’S

DAUGHTER. Kathleen follows Aisha’s gaze.

AISHA
She was beautiful.

KATHLEEN
Losing her almost broke me, but I
had to forgive myself. I didn’t
fail her. The system did. She
wasn’t meant to be held down here.
She was meant to fly...

Kathleen knows Aisha wants more, needs to hear more...

KATHLEEN (CONT'D)
She started threatening to hurt
others, herself. A manic episode
like I’d never seen. I wasn’t so
much scared for myself. I was
scared for Malik. He was just a
small boy then.

Kathleen swallows.

KATHLEEN (CONT'D)
So, I called the police...

Aisha’s presence no longer registering, Kathleen’s mind slips

into the cave mouths of memory.

KATHLEEN (CONT'D)
Cops didn’t ask questions, didn’t
care. Stormed in with their
preconceived notions ready to rage.
Slammed Gloria down like a rabid
animal, exposed her body.
Handcuffed her. Started to tase her
so I threw myself between them.
Tried to use my body as a shield.
(beat)
As they drove off in that car, in
her eyes I saw something had
shifted that was never coming back.

Tears in Aisha’s eyes, little fragments of diamond.

AISHA
I’m sorry Kathleen. I am so sorry.
 FYC 65.

KATHLEEN
The spirits can equip us with
resilience...escape...

61 EXT. MANHATTAN - DAY 61

Perched on a park bench, Aisha stares straight ahead.

KATHERINE (V.O.)
...but the spirits’ tools aren’t
always kind....

62 INT. HARLEM APARTMENT - AISHA’S ROOM - DAY 62

A spider crawls along the ceiling just above Aisha as she

sleeps deeply, her chest rising and falling in the warm
embrace of rest.

KATHLEEN (V.O.)
Some want an eye for an eye. Some
just want you rebirthed so you can
persist. One can never really
define good and evil....

The Spider drops onto Aisha’s cheek. She flinches. The spider
pauses, thinking, before slipping into her slightly parted
lips.

Aisha jerks awake gasping for air.

KATHLEEN (V.O.)
...My question for you, Aisha: How
do you use your rage?

63 INT. HAVS CONDO - KITCHEN - DAY 63

Aisha peers into a sparse fridge. Rose by her side.

AISHA
Que Voulez-vous manger? Tell me
what you want to eat?

ROSE
Chebu jën!

Aisha shakes her head, closing the fridge.

CUT TO:

Aisha pulls her African food out of the oven. Rose can’t
contain her excitement as she bangs her fork on the counter.
 FYC 66.

ROSE (CONT'D)
Manger! Manger!

Aisha blows on a steaming spoonful of rice before hovering it

before Rose's mouth. Rose opens wide, happily cleaning the
spoon.

Drained of color, Rose stops chewing. She stares at

something, someone behind Aisha.

Aisha turns behind her to see what Rose sees...

AMY.

Puffy, bloodshot eyes. Amy’s made up face can’t hide the fact
that she’s been crying.

AMY
What are you feeding her?

Aisha, unable to hide her surprise, is momentarily frozen.

AISHA
I didn’t know you were here.

AMY
That’s not what I asked you, Aisha.

ROSE
I like it, Mommy.

Rose innocently holds up a heaping spoonful of rice. Amy

snatches the spoon from Rose's hand, sending rice flying
everywhere.

AMY
One of the few times I’m home sick
and I find you feeding my daughter
food that is one: way too spicy for
her tummy and two: blowing germs on
her food? What is in this? What if
she’s allergic? How long has this
been going on? When you have your
own kids you can feed them whatever
you want!

Aisha stares at Amy.

AMY (CONT'D)
Say something!

Instead of saying anything Aisha wrenches open the empty

fridge and yanks out molded blueberries, wilted kale, a
bottle of Gluten Free Kids Multivitamins...
 FYC 67.

AISHA
Should I feed her this, or this, or
this...?

Amy opens her mouth to speak but stops. Aisha rifles through
her purse and pulls out a small stack of receipts paper
clipped together.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Since I started I’ve been buying
her food or giving her some of my
own. Didn’t you ever wonder how
your child was eating or you were
too busy to care?

Amy crouches down to Rose's eye level.

AMY
Go pick a book for Mommy to read to
you. Any country you want.

Rose looks at Aisha for reassurance. The sting of this is not

lost on Amy.

AISHA
Va dans ta chambre. Let Mommy and I
talk.

Rose nods, scooping up her ipad. The women wait for Rose to
disappear.

Aisha pulls out her work binder.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Now that I have your attention,
I’ve documented all my overtime
hours--

AMY
Did you subtract the hours you
spent having lunch and dinner with
my husband?

AISHA
My time is not free, you know.

AMY
This is a small community and
Nannies and Mothers talk.

AISHA
I am a mother too.

Amy really looks at Aisha. Lucid. Truly sees her.

 FYC 68.

AMY
I thought so. I knew that from the
moment I met you.

Amy plops down on a nearby chair. She stares into space.

AMY (CONT'D)
It can’t happen again.

AISHA
It won’t.

AMY
I need an overnight from you
tomorrow.

AISHA
No.

AMY
I need to get out of here. I need
to get away. I can’t think clearly
in this fucking overpriced shoebox.

Aisha shakes her head no, at the end of her rope...

AMY (CONT'D)
Seven to seven. One fifty flat rate
is very reasonable.

AISHA
Two fifty.

AMY
You drive a hard bargain my lady.

AISHA
(emboldened)
In advance.

Amy scoffs.

AMY
You think we just have cash laying
around.

AISHA
Plus unpaid overtime.

Fine. I’ll withdraw money for Adam

to pay you in the morning. It all
comes from me, anyway. Pinky swear.
 FYC 69.

Aisha slides into her shoes, unceremoniously. Amy stares

ahead vacantly.

Rose explodes from nowhere, as if she was lurking in the

shadows. She clings to Aisha’s leg. Holding on for dear life.

AMY
That’s enough, Rose. Come here to
Mommy.

ROSE
NO!

Aisha nudges Rose towards her mother.

AISHA
I’ll be back Rose. Écoute ta mère

AMY
Come to Mommy please! Don’t you
want me to take you to the
dollhouse?

ROSE
NO! Aisha Don’t leave! Don’t leave
me! He can’t have you!

Rose clings to Aisha defiantly. Aisha tries to pry the child

off but she won’t let go. Amy finally wrenches Rose off Aisha
as the child kicks and punches her mother. She’s throwing a
full blown tantrum unlike any we’ve seen before. Tears stream
down her red face.

ROSE (CONT'D)
I don’t want you! I want Aisha! I
want grandmaaaaa...

Aisha cringes, sliding into the elevator.

64 INT. HARLEM APARTMENT - AISHA’S ROOM - EVENING 64

Aisha packs an overnight bag. She stops, frozen in her tracks

by Lamine's framed photo resting among his gifts--his face
mysteriously water stained beyond recognition.

65 INT. HARLEM BROWNSTONE - MALIK’S ROOM - NIGHT 65

Malik. Deep in sleep. Aisha wide awake. Restless.

She stares at the back of Malik’s head, then at his still

chest, searching for indicators of life.
 FYC 70.

She hovers her hand in front of his mouth as he exhales,

feeling his breath on her hand.

She turns away from him draped in the relentlessness of

insomnia.

She closes her eyes, willing sleep.

CUT TO:

The CREAK of a door. Aisha’s eyes dart open, unsure of how

long she slept.

Aisha stares at Malik’s bedroom entrance, fixating on the

door...it doesn’t move.

Aisha’s petrified gaze follows the direction of a sick

CRUNCHING SOUND. She glides sheets off her body.

She makes to scream but can’t muster a sound as a SNAKE COILS

AROUND HER THIGH, CURLING BETWEEN HER LEGS as it SHEDS its
SKIN.

An aborted gasp dissipates as tears stream down her face.

She turns to Malik--reaching. A silent plea for help, but

stops short...

In lieu of Malik’s body is a writhing mass of hair-like

tendrils: brimming, throbbing. The mass gives way to unveil
daddy long leg spiders, running over one another--toppling
onto the bed, climbing over Aisha’s skin...

Aisha kicks at the spiders, fighting air as she falls

backwards off the bed.

MALIK (O.S.)
Hey! Hey!

66 INT. HARLEM BROWNSTONE - MALIK’S ROOM - DAY 66

Malik leans over the edge of his bed looking down at Aisha on
the floor still scrambling backwards, shoving invisible
spiders off her.

He grips her wrists, fists still balled.

Aisha comes to, breathless. Tears stream down her face.

Malik stands her upright, hugging her tightly.

 FYC 71.

MALIK
Shh. It’s ok. You’re good. Your
feet are on the ground...ten toes
on the floor. Say it.

AISHA
(sucking air)
Ten...toes...on the floor.

Malik notes bruises on Aisha’s inner thighs--visible in the

sunlight streaming into his room.

67 INT. HAVS CONDO - DAY 67

From inside the condo, the JANGLE of KEYS resonates--condo

entrance being unlocked. Aisha pushes the door open,
surveying the eerily quiet space.

Shoes robotically peel off feet. Aisha braces herself for the
night ahead.

68 INT. HAVS CONDO - VARIOUS ROOMS - DAY 68

The work binder flips open. Aisha scrolls through pages,

finally landing on one demarcated by Amy. Aisha scans the
evening to-do list.

CUT TO:

Aisha washes a small pile of dishes, mindlessly humming to

herself.

She scrubs marble countertops meticulously.

Aisha loads laundry into a drier. She lingers before the

machine, staring at her reflection in the spinning abyss of
strangers’ clothes.

69 INT. HAVS CONDO - GUEST ROOM - DAY 69

Aisha falls back on the bed, closing her eyes momentarily--

her body salient against white sheets.

The ceiling water stain actively snakes its way along the
plaster, sprawling outwards like a web. Black mold throbs as
a lone spider crawls from the mass, ambling its way down the
wall towards Aisha’s sleeping body.

The spider creeps over Aisha’s face, crawling into Aisha’s

open mouth.
 FYC 72.

Aisha darts awake choking as small arms wrap around Aisha’s

neck too tightly. Rose clings to her, seemingly leaping from
no where.

ROSE
Aisha!

Aisha pries Rose off her. Instantly looking to the ceiling.

ADAM (O.S.)
That’s enough Clo! Let Aisha
breathe for a sec.

Rose releases her grasp, plopping down beside Aisha. Adam

lingers in the doorway of the guest room.

ADAM (CONT'D)
Yeah. That’s getting pretty bad.

AISHA
You see it right?

ADAM
The mold. Yeah. Sorry about that.
Didn’t realize it had gotten that
bad. It comes and goes. Totally get
if you want to sleep on the couch
tonight? Gonna have someone look at
it tomorrow.

AISHA
I might do that.

ADAM
I’ll lay out some sheets for you.
Gonna run some errands.

Adam makes to leave, but backtracks.

ADAM (CONT'D)
By any chance, did Amy mention
where she was going?

AISHA
She didn’t tell me.

A perfunctory smile from Adam. He leaves without speaking,

moving in the liquid way that is his custom.

ROSE
J’ai faim, Aisha!

Aisha, exhausted, faces the small child beside her.

 FYC 73.

ROSE (PRELAP) (CONT'D)

LA LA LA LA! LAAAAAAA....

70 INT. HAVS CONDO - KITCHEN - EVENING 70

Socked feet slide back and forth on bamboo hardwood floors.

Rose SCREAMS at the top of her lungs--her shrill yells
battling with COMMERCIALS BLARING on TV as she sprints.

Freshly boiled red lentil pasta trickles into a kiddie bowl.

ROSE
LAAAA LAAAAA LAAAAAA!

Aisha pours homemade tomato sauce on top of the slimy

fusilli. She rubs her temple, eyeing Rose sliding back and
forth...

Aisha turns her attention to a detailed note clipped to the

fridge. She grabs a box of nutritional yeast and sprinkles it
on top of the concoction.

Steam rises from the slop.

Rose turns the volume up even higher.

CUT TO:

71 INT. HAVS CONDO - KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER 71

Rose hovers a spoon of pasta to her face. She sniffs it,

pursing her lips in disdain.

ROSE
Je ne veux--

AISHA
This is what your Mommy wants you
to eat tonight. This is what you’re
eating. Pas de dispute.

ROSE
(whiny)
But I want your food!

AISHA
Please.

ROSE
No!
 FYC 74.

AISHA
Rose you have to--

Rose shoves the bowl of food, sending it crashing to the

floor, sending morsels of red slop splattering on Aisha’s
face like viscous blood.

Aisha gasps. Rose just stares at her.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Pick it up!

Rose folds her arms, defiant.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Pick it up now! I am not your maid.

Aisha extends a rag. Rose turns her back to Aisha. Rage

simmering to the surface, Aisha reaches out to grab Rose but
stops herself--hands hovering in a liminal space of
indecision.

Aisha scans the space for visible Nanny cams.

Weary, impatient, Aisha takes Rose's hand, forcing her to

grasp the rag. She controls Rose like a puppeteer, using her
limbs to manually clean the mess...

SOUND OF RUNNING WATER.

72 INT. HAVS CONDO - GUEST BATHROOM - EVENING 72

Rose, wrapped in her kiddie bathrobe, quietly sulks as she

watches Aisha run her bath.

BENEATH THE WATER’S SURFACE: Aisha’s hand submerges. Her

fingers graze the bottom of the tub, testing the temperature.

AISHA
Ok, Rose time for...

Aisha turns to find Rose gone.

Behind Aisha, an oversized arthropod leg curls from the tub,

gripping ceramic...

73 INT. HAVS CONDO - VARIOUS - CONTINUOUS 73

Aisha searches for Rose, progressively getting more frantic.

AISHA
Rose!
 FYC 75.

She rifles through Rose's room, tossing stuffed animals

aside. Aisha peeks into various rooms. She rips open
cabinets.

74 INT. HAVS CONDO - HALLWAY - NIGHT 74

Rising panic, Aisha stares into the empty hallway.

A CHILD’S MEWLING CRY stops Aisha in her tracks. Sends her

hurtling back into...

75 INT. HAVS CONDO - VARIOUS - NIGHT 75

Aisha grabs a knife, terror riding her face.

She creeps towards the child’s cry emanating from--

ADAM’S OFFICE.

It sounds like Rose's voice, at first...

76 INT. HAVS CONDO - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 76

Chest heaving, knife outstretched, Aisha walks in the

direction of the child’s pleas.

AISHA
Rose?

The pleas rise to a deafening crescendo, morphing into a

sickening symphony of sound.

Aisha forces herself to breathe as she creeps closer to the

door.

77 INT./EXT. HAVS CONDO - ADAM’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 77

Steeling herself, Aisha touches the knob...turning it ever so

slightly. Knife still clenched in her other hand.

The door creaks open as she slides into the room.

Aisha’s gaze hones in on the ominous photo of the BLACK TEEN

PROTESTOR surrounding by a halo of fire--his arms
outstretched as though nailed to an invisible cross.

An intangible thread pulls her closer to the image.

 FYC 76.

The TEEN is drenched in sweat and moon, unwavering,

ascendant, all movement and muscle--fearless.

His mouth is contorted in a soundless battle cry.

A NETWORK OF OTHERWORLDLY BLOOD CURDLING SCREAMS DEAFEN AISHA

...

Hypnotized, Aisha stares at the still image, her face

contorted in torment.

We hold on the eerie image. Fire dances in Aisha’s eyes--

reflected back at her. Flames leap from the still image
breaking the fourth wall.

Blood drips at Aisha’s feet, snapping her out of this waking

nightmare.

She looks down to see her hand wrapped around the blade of
the knife, the softness of her palm sliced by sharpness.

AISHA
No...no...no...

Aisha runs out of Adam’s office, slipping on overflowing

water trickling out of the...

78 INT. HAVS CONDO - GUEST BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS 78

FALLING HARD against the wet tile floor.

CUT TO:

Surroundings gradually fade into focus. Aisha props herself

up--remembering. Water overflows onto the bathroom floor,
pooling around her feet.

Aisha approaches the brimming tub. Turns off the water.

A crimson viscus of blood at the bottom of the tub catches

Aisha’s eye.

An UNSEEN FORCE sucks her into water’s surface, thrusting

Aisha’ head beneath the water. She screams underwater,
sending bubbles rising in a suffocating frenzy.

The force yanks her head up, allowing her to suck in oxygen.

She spots the bloody knife on the floor. Grabs it, before
being plunged underneath again.

Aisha flails, raising the knife.

 FYC 77.

Her CELL PHONE RINGS SHRILLY from another room, snapping her
to. The INCESSENT RING TONE grants a gift of lucidity.

Teeth chattering, body shivering, Aisha holds the knife mid

air. A drop of water pools at the blade’s sharp tip hovering
just above...

ROSE.

Whimpering. In a corner of the tub. Directly in the knife’s

path.

VOICE (O.S.)
Aisha.....Aisha...

Aisha drops the knife, scooping Rose out of the tub.

She turns off the tub.

She studies Rose desperately. Rose peers back at her,

surprisingly fearless. Aisha spins her around, touches her
face. She’s unharmed. Aisha chokes back tears, cocooning Rose
in a warm towel. She hugs the small child.

79 INT. HAVS CONDO - ROSE'S ROOM - NIGHT 79

Sleep chasing her, Rose's small chest rises and falls. Aisha
watches her intently.

AISHA
Are you ok Rose?.....I Was
confused.

ROSE
He made you do it. He’s just
jealous.

AISHA
Who is jealous?

ROSE
Lamine.

Rose's eyes become tiny slits. She’s falling asleep.

AISHA
What do you know about Lamine? Why
would you say that?

Rose turns away.

 FYC 78.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Rose, what do you know about
Lamine?...

Rose turns back to Aisha.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Why did you say that?

ROSE
Anansi told me. He said it’s my
fault.

Aisha let’s Rose sleep--allows her to shut her eyes, leaving

Aisha alone with a myriad of swirling questions.

80 INT. HAVS CONDO - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 80

Her cell phone the sole source of light, Aisha stares up at

the condo ceiling, sleeplessness tormenting her. Her bandaged
hand hangs off the couch.

MARIATOU (O.S.)
(a voicemail)
Aisha, Sorry. We keep missing your
call. My cell-I had to...You know
you never ask about me. My mother
isn’t doing well, she’s getting
worse. But anyway, I’ll call you
back. Talk soon.

Aisha’s eyelids gradually draw closed.

81 INT. HAVS CONDO - LIVING ROOM - MORNING 81

Aggressive sunlight pervades the curtain-less, window

ensconced room. Aisha sits up. Stretches and yawns. Lingers
on the edge of the couch for some time, remembering...

A long EERIE SILENCE broken by the buzz of an incoming voice

message. Aisha listens to it.

ADAM: “Took Rosie to breakfast. Didn’t want to wake you. Pay

is on the table. Get that hand checked out.”

82 INT. HAVS CONDO - KITCHEN - MORNING 82

A white envelope and a letter linger on the kitchen counter.

ON CASH as Aisha rifles through the envelope. She counts out

money. Beams in triumph.
 FYC 79.

Overnight bag in hand, Aisha wrangles the condo keys out of

her pocket, placing them on the counter decisively.

Her eyes search the room, landing on a Nanny cam. She stares
directly into it. We see her pixelated image from the
camera’s POV.

She leaves the frame.

83 INT. WESTERN UNION - MORNING 83

Long acrylic nails click clack against one another as they

count out hundred dollar bills.

Nikki the Teller smiles at Aisha through the glass.

NIKKI
You good, girl!

Giddy, Aisha skips out of the Western Union.

84 EXT. HARLEM STREETS - DAY 84

On Malik’s bike, Aisha grips him tightly as they ride in slow

motion.

We hear the following conversation in Voice Over.

AISHA
Is there anything else you need.

MARI
No. Tickets are booked...Lamine
wanted to speak to you but he’s
napping now.

AISHA
Don’t wake him. Call before you
take off.

MARIATOU
I will try.

AISHA
See you soon.

MARIATOU
Aisha...

MARIATOU (CONT'D)
Yes?
 FYC 80.

MARIATOU (CONT'D)
See you soon.

85 INT. JFK AIRPORT - MORNING 85

Malik flanks Aisha.

She clutches Lamine's thick bubble coat, lingering at the

gate where Lamine and Mariatou are expected to arrive.

She looks on as families greet loved ones with perishable

gifts and nostalgic embraces.

She waits.

And waits.

Malik paces, helping her search for Mariatou and Lamine in

the crowd.

Finally her gaze lands on a child in the crowd who resembles

Lamine.

As she darts through a mass of people dread washes over her

as she realizes it’s not him.

She looks on as the boy is scooped away by his mother.

Evening turns to night. Aisha listens to her call ring

endlessly--

MARIATOU (O.S.)
Hi, how are you...

AISHA
Mari--

MARIATOU (O.S.)
Ha just kidding! You’ve reached
Mariatou. Leave a message after the-

86 INT. JFK AIRPORT - VARIOUS - DAY 86

Aisha approaches a series of AIRPORT WORKERS. She shows them

pictures of Lamine on her phone. They all grant her various
renditions of unknowing.

87 INT. JFK AIRPORT - CUSTOMS - AFTERNOON 87

Aisha paces as an AIRLINE REPRESENTATIVE types information

into a computer.
 FYC 81.

AIRLINE REPRESENTATIVE
The flight arrived on time. Some of
the luggage was delayed so there
might be some stragglers but
everyone was cleared. No one was
detained.

AISHA
But my son and my cousin were on
the flight...

AIRLINE REPRESENTATIVE
Miss, there’s not much else I can
do. Is there any other family--

Aisha grabs her bag and storms out of the office. Malik runs
behind her, quietly thanking the representative.

88 EXT. JFK AIRPORT - PICKUP - LATER 88

Aisha stares into space. Malik beside her, unsure of what to

say or do. A quiet urge overcomes her.

She tries Mariatou again, pressing the phone to her ear.

Listening.

The sound of a phone ringing nearby arrests her attention.

Instinctively Aisha stands up, floating towards the ring.

Eyes searching. The distinct ring stops suddenly. just as
Mari’s familiar voicemail sings out--

MARIATOU (V.O.)
Hi, how are you...Ha just kidding!
You’ve reached Mariatou. Leave a
message...

But Aisha has already dropped the phone away from her ear.
Eyes widening in disbelief--impossibility roaring through her
mind.

Her gaze lands on MARIATOU. In the flesh. Rueful but real.

The woman we’ve come to recognize in Aisha’s phone, a chimera
materialized--the very personification of Aisha’s past
colliding with her present.

Mariatou is too busy struggling with her oversized suitcase

to notice Aisha breathlessly approaching her. She locks eyes
with Aisha just as an Airtrain approaches, thrumming closer.

Palpable fear etched in Mariatou’s face as she stands to face

Aisha, close enough to touch her...
 FYC 82.

AISHA
Where is he?

Mariatou tries to back away, her gargantuan suitcase impeding

her path.

MARIATOU
Aisha...I...

Desperation plucks at both women.

AISHA
Mari, where is he? Where is Lamine?

Tears stream down Mariatou’s face. Aisha lost in a colorless

rage grabs Mariatou by the collar of her flimsy jacket.

MARIATOU
Please!...Aisha...wanted to tell
you...

AISHA
WHERE IS HE?

Mariatou drops to her knees before Aisha. Begging for

forgiveness.

MARIATOU
We looked away only for a little
time...

QUICK POP:

Soundlessness.

Aisha, pressing BABY Lamine's head against her chest,

sunlight drenching them in a veil of protection. Baby Lamine
coos in response to his mother’s loving touch.

QUICK POP:

Aisha’s hands loosening their grasp on Mariatou. Looking up.

The canopy of sky above them staggering.

Mariatou. Breathless. Wet with tears, sputtering words...

MARIATOU (CONT'D)
...when we went to the
Beach...waves were too
strong...didn’t know how to tell
you...He drowned...We looked for
him...

QUICK POP:
 FYC 83.

Soundlessness.

Bath water trickles from Aisha’s fingertips onto Baby

Lamine's glowing face. He gifts his mother the most loving of
smiles. She kisses his escarpment of cheeks, like plots of
land.

QUICK POP:

Life teeming around her dissipates to noiselessness--Mariatou

seemingly in a faraway place still pleads as Aisha floats
away.

A synaptic breach of the soul.

Aisha collapses.

CUT TO BLACK.

89 INT. HARLEM BROWNSTONE - MALIK’S ROOM - DAY 89

Aisha groggily opens her eyes, remembering. She hears a soft

susurrus of whispers. Real or imagined, she’s not sure. She
drifts back to sleep, clutching Lamine's winter coat against
her chest.

AISHA (PRELAP)
I just need some air.

90 INT. HARLEM BROWNSTONE - PARLOR - DAY 90

Aisha drinks tea. Puffy, mournful eyes betray her attempt at

a consoling smile. Kathleen studies her before sharing a
concerned look with Malik.

KATHLEEN
What you need is rest.

AISHA
After this walk. I promise.

Aisha places the tea down. Malik and Kathleen on her heels as
she makes her way to the door.

Malik makes to go with her, but Aisha firmly presses her hand
to his chest.

AISHA (CONT'D)
Please.

Malik concedes, lingering on brownstone steps. Aisha turns

back to grant an affirming smile.
 FYC 84.

Kathleen watches her through glass.

91 EXT. HARLEM STREETS - DAY 91

Aisha takes in the air. Stares up at sun in the sky.

92 EXT. WEST HARLEM PIERS PARK - DAY 92

Bucolic, expansive water. Lenticular clouds roll through a

blue sky.

Aisha: eyes closed, a backpack strapped to her back, steps

off a ledge. Her body collides with water, fracturing its
surface.

Sunlight refracts off bubbles forming just above the water’s

surface as Aisha sinks...

93 INT. UNDERWATER - DAY 93

Aisha descends, her hair dancing weightlessly around her.

Whispers rise to a crescendo as she looks down into endless
blackness.

Something grazes her face. She looks up. Lamine gazes back at
her hovering above her but beneath the water like an aqua
angel.

He extends a small hand. She reaches for his hand, gripping

it with every fiber of her being. She wriggles her body out
of the heavy backpack sending it falling to the water’s
depths...

Aisha EXPLODES FROM THE WATER’S SURFACE, gripping a hand that

belongs to KATHLEEN: teeth gritted, gripping Aisha by the
skin of her clothes. Kathleen struggles with Aisha’s weight.
Malik helps guide her drenched body onto land as MEDICS
surround Aisha...

KATHLEEN
She’s pregnant, please be
careful...

CUT TO:

QUICK POP:

Aisha caresses her Pregnant belly

QUICK POP:
 FYC 85.

Kathleen, Aisha, Malik and Bishop at home together in

momentary joy, in their peaceful familial microcosm.

QUICK POP:

Aisha playing with her and Malik’s newborn daughter.

94 INT. HARLEM APARTMENT - BATHROOM - DAY 94

Swaddled in water’s warm embrace, Aisha lies at the bottom of

a clawfoot tub. The familiar cocoon of fetal position lulls
her as she closes her eyes. Grief held a shape within her,
something big and loud and so very insistent, finally
dissolving to forgiveness.

A nagging, ancestral insistence on survival rests in her

curled body...

FADE TO BLACK.

THE END