Everything Must Go
It's all fun and games until it's not.
Hoarders are interesting folk. You can never be sure why they keep the things they do. What makes certain possessions so darned valuable in their eyes? Items so “unique” they can’t be thrown out – and are worth guarding with one’s life.
But life inevitably brings changes. Particularly when the “keepers of things” die.
Such is the all-too-familiar starting premise of Christopher Stewart’s “Everything Must Go”: a yard sale held by Martha, 55. Her grandfather’s recently passed on, so the family’s off-loading all his allegedly precious stuff. Though in harsh sunlight, some of Grandpa’s goods look pretty sad and mundane.
In search of a special find, passerby Gabriel sifts through odds and ends, trinkets, toys and eventually picks up: a MAGIC EIGHT BALL. Remember those? So cool! Well, we once all thought eight balls were cool. And they’ve at least still got some value in bringing back childhood memories… right?
Sensing his interest, Martha angles for a sale.
GABRIEL
How much do you want for it?
MARTHA
Hard to say. It's just a toy, but
it was clearly special to him.
He kept it locked away and never let
us play with it.
GABRIEL
Why?
MARTHA
You got me.
I'm not even sure if it works.
GABRIEL
Only one way to find out.
Record scratch. Everything Must Go is only TWO pages long, so how’s about you read this quick n’ sassy riff to discover what happens next? Without hitting you with spoilers, let this be said: you’ll need a bit of stock footage and careful edits in post to pull THIS one off. (Or animation, that works too!)
But if you pick this one up for your next project (much like Gabriel picked up the toy), it’ll be the most fun you’ve had with a Magic Eight Ball in quite some time!