EXT. MOONSHINE, BC, CANADA – DAY
Summer, 1954

Fade in to an overhead shot of Moonshine, a quiet mountain town on the Alaskan Highway. Low peaks on the skyline, few clouds, and the sun above. Meager homes with paint-stripped wooden fences. Only some houses have cars, and not all of those homes have driveways. The grass is green and wild, threatening to erase the gravel roads.

Cut to a wide view of a backyard. This one lays behind the Anand home, where Gavrial has set up an interview using milk crates as chairs. He is dressed in a white button-up and khakis, with little dress shoes, too. He holds a wooden toy microphone in his hand. He looks up at a window on the house, where Aarav is studying at his desk. Aarav pushes up his glasses, and sees Gavrial looking up. Then he pulls the curtain to cover the window. Gavrial looks back down at the toy microphone.

Gavrial
(Holding the microphone to his mouth.) Gavrial Anand, reporter for Channel 3 News. Ultra Blue, is it true you saved the city from aliens?

Cut to an action figure of Ultra Blue on the opposite chair, sitting stiffly with his arms rotated upwards.

Gavrial
(As Ultra Blue.) Yes, that's true. A flying saucer invaded our atmosphere, and several passengers unboarded the vehicle. I approached them with a freshly baked blueberry pie, but they drew their weapons and opened fire.

REEL CHANGE

As Gavrial speaks, the scene transitions from the reality we know to a world just parallel to it: Gavrial's imagination. One film reel is changed out for another, the very edges of the film itself wobbling into place as the parallel world settles into view.

EXT. FANTASY LANDING SITE

In technicolor widescreen, Ultra Blue flies through the sky holding a blueberry pie by the tin in one hand. He approaches the flying saucer, and aliens pour out of it. An eerie twilight theremin scores the scene. They have tentacles for hands, and clawed feet, with bulbous mushroom heads and red, beady eyes. They arm themselves with round-looking silver ray guns, with disc-kabobbed antennae for chambers.

Gavrial
(Voicing over the other reel.) I did what anyone would have... I set the pie on fire with my fire breath, and threw it at the flying saucer! It was so hot, the whole thing exploded and melted into a puddle of goo!

Ultra Blue
(In degraded stereo sound.) Here's your just desserts!

Ultra Blue sets the pie ablaze, and hucks it at the ship. It catches fire and explodes, killing the aliens before melting the whole mess into mercurial slime. A triumphant clatter of trumpets celebrate his victory. A cigarette burn flashes at the top-right side, as the parallel reel flickers away.

REEL RETURN

The real world's film aligns on its track. Back to the reporter...

Gavrial
That's incredible. Like, holy shit-

Gavrial's grandfather, Aditya, snaps his fingers at Gavrial from the rear door of his house. He's wearing an old bath robe over his thick-clothed pajamas, and speaks in a thick Persian accent.

Aditya
(Commanding.) Gavrial! No swearing. That's not what journalism is about.

Gavrial
It's what movies are about!

Aditya
I don't make movies, I write the news. This interview is unpublishable!

Gavrial
Fine.

Aditya
Anyway, aren't you a little old for playing with action figures?

Gavrial
But this is helping me visualize, my uh... my ideas. It's a visual aid.

Aditya
(Nodding slowly, with a smile.) Suuuure it is. Alright then.

Gavrial returns to form as the reporter, and straightens his shirt collar.

Gavrial
You've done a commendable deed, Ultra Blue. Truly astounding!

Aditya
That's better. Come inside, the pie is done. Be careful, it's still hot.

Gavrial
Can it melt a spaceship?

Aditya
...on second thought, better wait five minutes.

Priyanka, Aditya's second wife and Gavrial's grandmother, yells from the kitchen.

Priyanka
What are you two saying about my cooking?

Aditya
Nothing, my dear! It's delicious!

Gavrial
Your food's good, didhimaan!

Priyanka
Uh-huh.

Aditya closes the door, and Gavrial sighs, still sitting on the milk crate. On the other one sits the towel and paper bag. The wind blows the bag away, and Gavrial watches it go. The view zooms out slowly, focused on the same point. A wide shot cuts to a far shot. A far shot cuts to a long shot. Each shot zooming slowly outward, until it's back overhead. Cut to black.