*fades in* Fae enters her bedroom on the phone to her best friend, wearing her pyjamas and ready for bed. Fae: Yeah, yeah I'm in my bed now, but... I don't wanna go to sleep. (Pause) Fae: No, it's just, I'm pretty scared right now. (Pause) Fae: I've been having a lot of nightmares recently. (Pause) Fae: Yeah... yeah it's been happening since Katy... Y'know. (Pause) Fae: No, it's really creepy. I've been having the same nightmare. (Pause) Fae: I'm serious! So, I'm at home, or what looks like home — no like, it looks like home, but its all, dark, and worn down like no one's lived here in decades. (Pause) Fae: Yeah, like a haunted house, and then this man jumps out of nowhere, and he chases me. (Pause) Fae: Well he's all burned, like heavily burned, and he wears this red and green striped sweater, this old brown hat, and he has this... glove, and get this, it has knives on the fingers. (Pause) Fae: That's not even the worst part, no. The worst part is... (sighs) he keeps taunting me with balloons. (Pause) Fae: Hey, don't laugh! C'mon, you know I'm scared of balloons. (Pause) Fae: I'm serious, I hate when people even threaten to pop balloons! (Pause) Fae: Ok, well here's something you'll laugh at. Sometimes, it feels like the nightmares are, um, really happening. (Pause) Fae: I'm not joking! When I wake up, there's this ringing in my ears like I just heard something go boom right next to my head! (Pause) Fae: C'mon, you heard what happened to Katy, right? (Pause) Yeah, she died in her sleep. (Pause) Fae: Yeah well before, she kept having nightmares. She kept talking about spiders crawling all over her. And I heard when her Dad found her, there were spiders crawling out of her mouth or something. (Pause) Fae: Seriously, stop laughing, I'm really scared over here. (Pause) Fae: Yeah, I did talk to my Mom, but she didn't take me seriously either. (Pause) Fae: Yeah, I know how crazy it sounds, but I can't help it. I don't like that I keep having the same nightmares about balloons, I have this feeling something bad's gonna happen. (Pause) Fae: Yeah, yeah you're right I just need to keep telling myself that it's not real. (Pause) Fae: No, I'm not gonna ditch school. (Pause) No I'm serious, you know I don't play hooky. (Pause) Fae: Ok, I'll see you at school tomorrow. (Pause) If I'm not in, I'm either sick or dead, okay? (Pause) Bye. Fae puts her phone on her dresser, and proceeds to wrap up in her bed covers. Fae: (sighs) Ok, it's ok. I'll be fine, it's just a nightmare. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real. Fae eventually falls asleep. A few minutes go by and her sleep appears to be very peaceful. As she sleeps she starts wriggling about, tossing and turning. She can be heard muttering in her sleep, protesting against balloons. As time passes by, there are beads of sweat on her chest as she turns her head side to side. *cuts to the dream* Fae seemingly wakes up in her room, but she notices that everything looks very different. Everything is darker, the wallpaper is worn and almost falling apart, her mirror is cracked, and the lights are flickering. But worst of all, there are balloons everywhere. Fae: Oh God. It's another nightmare. Fae removes her covers and discovers that she's not in her pyjamas anymore, instead she's wearing a big long-sleeved dress, gloves, and heels on her feet. Fae: Woah! What the fuck? What am I wearing? Fae stands up off of the bed, constantly checking out what it is, and still being disgusted by it. Fae: Ugh! I mean the dress is cute, but the color? And the gloves? They do not go at all. What's gonna happen this time? Then she takes a moment to breathe. Fae: Ok. It's ok. Just calm down, Fae. You know it's a nightmare. Just wait until you wake up, or just wait for the burned man to show up and chase you around again, but just remember... It's... Not... Real. Fae confidently sits back on the bed and waits patiently for the burned man to appear in front of her. A few minutes go by and she's getting bored. She starts twiddling her thumbs, whistling and even rocking back and forth. All of a sudden she feels something strange from within her torso. Her belly suddenly starts making strange noises, like gurgling sounds. She places her hands on her belly to inspect. Fae: Mmmph. Woah. Now I'm starting to feel weird. Ooooooh, my belly feels really funny. Fae cradles her belly like she has a stomach ache or she has butterflies in there. Then she notices a rise in her body temperature. Fae: Oh God, it's getting really hot. The bubbling in her belly intensifies. Fae: Oh! Oh, my belly! (Pause) Fae: What is wrong with me? I know I'm dreaming, but it feels so - Fae doubles over and grunts as the bubbling gets even worse, it makes her feel nauseous. Fae: Uuuuugh. Oh God, I feel sick. The bubbling begins to subside, but Fae feels an unusual pressure build up, it makes her worry. Fae: Oh God. Oh God, something's happening. Fae pants and moans as her belly forcefully grows outwards, accompanied by the sound of a balloon creaking. A close up shot shows the visible inflation. Fae: Oh my God! What's happening? Oh God, there's so much pressure in there! It becomes apparent that it's not just her belly pushing outwards, but the rest of her body seems to be swelling up. Her skin is creaking very audibly. Fae stands on her feet as she begins to freak out. Fae: I'm swelling up! Oh God! I'm already so big! What do I do? Fae frantically moves her hands up and down her body as she tries to process what's transpiring. She's already so big it's getting difficult to move arms as much. Fae presses against her chest, noticing that it's not giving much. Fae: Woah, what is that? My skin feels so strange. I mean, it's stretching like it's... Latex. (Pause) What am I filling up with? Am I getting fat? Am I filling up with juice? Or.... Her eyes widen as she realizes. Fae: Oh fuck! It's air! I'm blowing up like a balloon! No, no, no, wake up! Wake up! Please, wake up! *cuts to reality* Fae is still asleep in her room. Visibly tossing and turning under her covers, to the point where she removes the covers from her torso. Suddenly, Fae starts moaning as her body spontaneously inflates, just like in her dream. The inflation is already spreading to her arms as it maintains the same pace as it happens in her dream. *cuts to the dream* Fae tries pinching herself to try and get herself to wake up. Pinching her hands rather than her arms to avoid the possibility of making herself pop. Fae: Oh, come on! Please, wake up! (Pause) Fae: Fuck! Why am I not waking up? (Pause) Ok, don't give up, just keep trying. Soon her body is so inflated that her hands can barely touch each other anymore. Fae: No! I can't reach anymore. Ugh! Mr arms are getting so stiff! (Pause) Well, now what happens?! Fae doesn't know what to do. From a low camera angle, Fae looks down at herself as her torso fills her dress, and her arms slowly straighten out. All she can do is watch hopelessly as her body swells up like a giant balloon. Fae: *pants* Oh god, my skin! My skin's stretching so much! I don't know how much of this I can take! A close up shot of her feet as the straps on her heels visibly tighten, showing that her feet are swelling up too. Fae: Aah! Oh God, my feet! Are my feet blowing up too? *pants* Ah, it's too much! Fae's feet start bulging out so much it looks like they're throbbing. Fae tries to look further down, but she can't see her feet. Fae: Ah, it's hopeless. I can't even see past my... my belly? Or my boobs? Oh no, I don't even have boobs anymore, it's like a giant belly in front of me. Then a close up of her hands shows that her gloves are tightening just as much. Fae: Oh no! My hands too?! What the fuck?! Just then, Fae starts to hear ripping coming from her torso. Fae: Oh no! I'm busting out of this thing! Ah! The camera focuses sections of Fae's dress ripping around her body as she screams in protest. Fae: Oh my God! I'm huge! Her fingers have popped out of her gloves like she's wearing fingerless gloves. Fae: Ah! My fingers are so fat! More parts of Fae's dress are ripping off of her, even the sleeves around her arms. Another close up shot of her feet shows her feet are now fully bulging out of her shoes. Fae: Ow! My feet hurt so much! (Pause) Fae: What the fuck is happening to me? *cuts to reality* Fae's body has swollen up so much that her entire torso has filled her pyjama top, straining the buttons very tightly as her moans continue, and her arms are stuck outwards and fully blown up just like in her dream. The buttons start popping off of her one by one, each pop causes Fae to moan as her sleeves start ripping at her arms. *cuts to the dream* Fae's feet are still swelling up, but there's no sign of her straps giving way. Fae: Oh, come on! Snap you stupid things! *pants* Eventually, after a long time, the straps bust off and her feet slip out of her heels, causing Fae to lose her balance and wobble slightly. Fae: Woah! Fae has swollen up so much that it looks like she getting rounder, and her limbs are being absorbed by her ballooning body. What's left of her dress is just sitting on what used to be her shoulders and could fall off at any moment. Other parts of her dress are in tatters on the floor along with her torn up gloves. Fae's fingers are barely moving but they are stuck outwards like they've been inflated too much. Fae: Ooooh! I'm so huge! I just keep blowing up like a giant balloon! And my hands... I can't even bend my fingers or anything. (Pauses) *pants* I can't even imagine how my feet look right now! They just feel so plump! Fae: Ah, I can't keep thinking about that! I've gotta get outta here! Fae tries to walk out of her room, but finds that all she can do is waddle, which is even harder than she suspected it would be. This causes the last remnants of her dress to fall off. Fae: Ughh! Walking is so hard now! My skin's stretching so much, it's exhausting! (Pause) On no! The door! I'm not gonna fit through that! Well, I could try... but what if I get stuck? I could just keep blowing in the doorway until I... Ah! Just the thought of popping was enough to make her speechless. Admitting defeat, Fae waddles back to where she was and just stays there. Fae: Of course it doesn't work! It's literally a nightmare. *cuts to reality* Fae has swollen up so much that her bed covers are barely covering her body anymore, just sitting on her inflated belly. Her pyjama bottoms have fallen off the front of the bed. Her moans have intensified. Clearly she can feel how tight her skin is. She can almost be heard talking in her sleep again. Fae: No. No. No. *cuts to the dream* Fae is fully round now, but it's clear that she hasn't stopped inflating. Fae's eyes are shut and she's shaking her head. Fae: This is just a dream! This isn't real! This is just a dream! This isn't real! This is just a dream! This isn't real! Fae opens her eyes to see she hasn't woken up. Fae: No! No! I can't be still inflating and getting bigger! Fae's swollen hands are beginning to sink further into her ballooning body, causing divots to be formed. Her eyes dart around as she realizes the same thing is happening to her head. Her neck is no longer visible. Fae: Oh no! The creaking from her skin is intensifying, like her skin is getting too tight, it's causing a strain on her. Fae: *panting* Ooooooooooh! I don't think I can take much more! I don't think my skin has much give left! At this point, Fae is so scared she starts crying. Fae: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! MOM! MOM! MOM, PLEASE HELP ME! I CAN'T STRETCH ANYMORE! Suddenly, Fae can hear someone enter the room, her eyes widen with terror as it is the burned man (POV). Fae: You! What have you done to me? You sick bastard! (Pause) Fae: Yeah, I huge! I'm a fucking balloon! Why would you do this to me?! (Pause) Fae: This is how you get your kicks? Using people's fears to attack them in their dreams? (Pause) Fae: But why? Why me? What did I do to deserve this? POV shows the clawed glove to the camera, and moves towards Fae. Fae: What are you doing? No! No, don't do that! NO! POV strokes the blades slowly across Fae's bloated belly. Fae: AHHHH! Stop it! Stop, please! Stop it! POV starts making poke gestures, like he's about to poke her with one of the blades. Fae: NO! AH! AH! Stop it! Please, no more! No more! POV continues to stroke Fae's belly with the blades. Fae: No, please! Please, let me go! Don't pop me! Please! Fae cries as POV continues taunting her. *cuts to reality* Fae is tossing and turning much more aggressively despite her inflated state. Her moans are even louder that anyone could hear her cries. Fae: Help! Help! *moans* Mom! Mom, help me! Help me! Ending Scenario One (Pop Version): *cuts to the dream* Fae: AAAAAAAAHHH! PLEASE STOP! PLEASE! MOM, HELP ME! I WANNA WAKE UP! (Pause) Fae: What do you mean there's only one way I can wake up? (Pause) Fae: I tried pinching you asshole.... Fae's eyes widen as she catches on to what POV means. Fae: No! No! Don't! Don't you fucking dare! POV moves closer with the clawed glove, preparing to pop Fae. Fae: NO! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING! (Pause) Fae: You want me to beg? (Pause) You want me to beg, one more time? Then you'll let me go? POV nods. Fae: Ok. Please, please, please don't pawmmmmmmmmpphh. MMMMMMMMMMMPPPPHH! Fae's plea for mercy is cut off as the swelling finally reaches her head. Her cheeks have puffed out so tight that she cannot open her mouth. POV waits for a full response, but all of Fae's pleas are now muffled. The clawed glove is now in close proximity to Fae's body. Fae: MMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPHHHHHHHH! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPPPHHHHHHHHHHNNHH! Fae shakes her head and tears are streaming down her face as she continues to cry out for help, but to no avail. POV moves to lightly poke Fae's belly. The blade presses into her belly Fae's final screams are muffled as she pops. *cuts to reality* Fae screams out loud as she swells just a little more until her body spontaneously explodes just like she did in her dream. *fades to black* Ending Scenario Two (Non-Pop Version): Fae's mother (Taylor Banks) walks into her bedroom having heard Fae's cries for help. She screams as she sees what has become of her daughter. Taylor: Oh my God! Oh my God, Fae! Fae, what happened to you?! She gets no response, soon she realizes Fae is asleep and tries waking her up. Taylor: Wake up, Fae! Wake up! Fae! Wake up! *cuts to the dream* Fae: AAAAAAAAHHH! PLEASE STOP! PLEASE! MOM, HELP ME! I WANNA WAKE UP! (Pause) Fae: What do you mean there's only one way I can wake up? (Pause) Fae: I tried pinching you asshole.... Fae's eyes widen as she catches on to what POV means. Fae: No! No! Don't! Don't you dare! POV moves closer with the clawed glove, preparing to pop Fae. Fae: NO! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING! (Pause) Fae: You want me to beg? (Pause) You want me to beg, one more time? Then you'll let me go? POV nods. Fae: Ok. Please, please, please don't pawmmmmmmmmpphh. MMMMMMMMMMMPPPPHH! Fae's plea for mercy is cut off as the swelling finally reaches her head. Her cheeks have puffed out so tight that she cannot open her mouth. POV waits for a full response, but all of Fae's pleas are now muffled. The clawed glove is now in close proximity to Fae's body. Fae: MMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPHHHHHHHH! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPPPHHHHHHHHHHNNHH! Fae shakes her head and tears are streaming down her face as she continues to cry out for help, but to no avail. POV moves to lightly poke Fae's belly. The blade presses into her belly. Fae's final screams are muffled as... *cuts to reality* Taylor: FAE, WAKE UP! Fae hears her mother's cries which suddenly snaps her awake. Taylor: Oh, thank God! Fae starts hyper ventilating like she couldn't breathe for a moment. She looks down at herself and sees what has become of her. Fae: OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! Taylor: Sweetheart, what happened to you?! Fae: That man! The burned man! He... He did this, but I thought it was just a nightmare! I thought I was just blowing up in my nightmare! Fae cries even more, overwhelmed by the realization that her nightmare just became a reality. Fae: Oh God! Oh God! This is real! Taylor: C'mom, honey, let me help you up. Taylor gently lifts Fae out of her bed and helps her stand up, noticing how big Fae's feet have gotten. Taylor: Oh God, Fae! Your feet are huge! Fae: No! Not my feet! Fae: Oh my God! I'm so huge! I'm a giant balloon! (Pause) Fae: Am I... Am I still inflating? Taylor: No, I - I think it stopped when you woke up. Taylor puts a hand on Fae's body and feels how tight it is. Taylor: Oh my God! She thinks for a moment while Fae is still overwhelmed. Taylor: Honey, it's gonna be ok. It's gonna be ok. Just wait here, I'm gonna phone an ambulance! Fae: NOOOO! DON'T LEAVE ME ON MY OWN! PLEASE! Taylor hugs Fae, as best she can, and carefully rubs her belly. Taylor: It's gonna be ok. I will be RIGHT back. I promise. I promise. Taylor leaves the room to phone an ambulance. Fae is left on her own, crying. Fae: What am I gonna do? I've blown up bigger than a balloon! Am I gonna pop? Am I gonna be like this forever? Too many possible scenarios are going through Fae's head, that it's only making her even more scared. Fae suddenly feels something inside. Fae: What is that? What's happening? Fae suddenly starts feeling relief as the tightness of her skin is starting to ease down, the main sign that Fae is now deflating. Fae: Aaaaaaaaaah. Ooooooh. Oh my God! That feels so much better. Fae continues to wait as her body very slowly deflates itself. *fades to black*