Crapshot or short sketch "Have you seen my keys?"

[corvus7corax]

“Have you seen my keys?”

Potential crapshot, or slightly longer sketch. (Characters are swap-able as necessary.)

Cast: 2 main characters (Paul and Graham) and a handful of supporting LRR cast near the end.

Setting: At someone’s house (and later their driveway), in the living room/ entrance area. Both people are getting ready to leave, grabbing coats, putting on shoes etc.

Paul walks casually in to the room where Graham is focused on getting ready to go. Camera is a side-view of Paul moderately close-up. Paul seems to be scanning the room looking for something.

Paul: “Oh hey Graham, have you seen my keys?”

Graham: “Your keys?” *thinking look to himself* “hmm.”

*Graham turns towards Paul*
Graham: “Weren’t they in your...?”

*Graham looks directly at Paul.
Standing just behind Paul is a, ominous human figure camouflaged completely in the color of the wall behind, silent and still except for its piercing eyes which dart to Graham. It holds a lakitu style stick/fishing rod (also camouflaged to blend in the room), and just off the end of the stick on a thin cord dangles Paul’s keys tantalisingly just above his head. Both the figure and his keys are carefully just outside Paul’s peripheral perception, and he has no idea they’re there.

Graham is shocked at what he sees, and his eyes bug out, and he just manages to refrain from calling out. Then, just as quickly, Graham forces the shock to pass and he makes an effort to re-adopt a normal demeanor and finish his sentence*

Graham: “...kitchen.... I think I saw them in the kitchen.”

*with increasing helpfulness, and haste to exit the room*

Graham: “On top of the fridge! ...I’ll go look for them right now!”

*Graham hastily heads to the kitchen, and rattles around intentionally
banging cupboards and drawers open and closed, so the noises of his “search” will carry through to Paul.*

* Graham’s voice is pitched to carry to the other room.*

Graham: “Well, they’re not on the fridge... or anywhere in the kitchen ... any luck Paul?”

*Graham fears for the worst.*

*Paul’s voice carries from the other room.*

Paul: “Found them!”

*a visibly relieved Graham returns to Paul’s side, the ominous spirit has vanished.*

Graham: “Where were they?”

*Paul points to a small side table just behind him*
Paul: “I could have sworn I left them on my desk, but when I turned around, they were right there.”

* Paul shakes his head slightly*
Paul: “I must be losing my mind.”

Graham *In sympathetic agreement with Paul about the situation, but also questioning his own sanity.*
Graham: “Yeah...crazy.”

*Graham is back to the business at hand.*
Graham: “We should go. Everyone’s waiting for us at the car.”

*Stinger:*

*Paul is the last one left, and locks the door of the house, then we follow Paul out to the car, where Graham and a few LRR regulars are standing around the car, facing Paul waiting for him to unlock the doors.

Each person waiting to get in the car (including Graham) is shadowed by a different camouflaged being/spirit that looms slightly over them, dangling a lost item above their heads. The objects are some normal stuff like glasses, or a single sock, or inappropriate underwear, but also some sight gags like, a tiny brain or a bag of marbles dangled above Alex’s head to symbolize that he’s lost his mind.)

All the eyes of the spirits turn ominously towards Paul.*

*Paul is visibly shocked, but recovers quickly*
Paul: “Uh...I forgot my coat...Sorry!...Won’t be a minute....”

*Paul swiftly heads back to the house, ostensibly to “get his coat”*

-------End------

“WTF?” you may ask.

This is a Hayao Miyazakiesque parallel universe in which humans have a symbiotic relationship with spirits/beings/souls that shadow them, and “borrow” things from time to time. Rather than humans forgetfully misplacing common items, the items are actually stolen (and the humans taunted) by supernatural beings. The spirits have adapted to blend in with their surroundings and try their best to camouflage with the surrounding environment.

The spirits are like inverted Santa – something real that everyone tries to pretend doesn’t exist. No one speaks of the spirits openly, and most people in this world pretend the spirits are just a myth or superstition as the spirits are invisible 99% of the time. Individuals cannot see their own spirits. Many people who see them may think they are going mad, and question their sanity but the spirits are real.

Social conventions for this universe: If you do notice someone’s shadowing spirit, you must not startle it or alert the human associated with it. If you startle the spirit and it flees, its associated human could suddenly drop dead. If you see the spirit and it notices you and finds you a preferable symbiont, it could challenge your existing spirit/soul and you would become possessed. In any case, the best thing to do if you accidently see a spirit is to react as you would with a bear: back away slowly and leave the area to let it finish its business and vanish. If you see a spirit, leave the room and give it time to vanish.

If you see several spirits at once, heaven help you.

I think LRR could really bring this world to life.

Cheers,
c7c

[mikeyjh]

Just now seeing.

It might work.

With your explination the skit makes more sense.

It might work.

I would call the skit, something like, "Ghost Keys".

[Aviator Moonshine]

Sounds like it could be a fun Sketch. Though I feel like after reading your script that it may be a bit long.

I feel like it could cut at:
Graham: “On top of the fridge! ...I’ll go look for them right now!”

The kind of sudden stop inside a scene. Kinda like the Toast sketch.

Then the stinger would fit in nicely though as it is.
It'd also get the viewer to think about how Paul survived.