# 5 "Ever Hear of Personal Space?"

[open with Echo sitting on top of a ladder appearing squirlish. Surrounded by country men and women trying to get him down. He peers around, but looks directly at Anomaly stunned when he sees her and hops down the ladder. Beelines straights towards her. She straightens up and is nervous about the close distance. Raised eyebrows stunned at his proximity.]

#4 Ten Foot Ladder

[Not long after Anomaly leaves the bar, a man approaches with urgency]

Country Man: “Truth seeker, I and my men need your help. There be an odd man that came with the merchants that is causing mischief. He will not speak, and we thought that perhaps you could understand him. Ya know, read him if ya willing?”

ANOMALY: [begins following him]“I would only be able to guess at his mind”

Country Man: “Well he’s just a strange one and well perhaps you’d know how to talk with him because…. I just want my ladder back and he won’t get off it!”

[Anomaly is puzzled by seeing a young man with a mask of curiosity perched upon a ten-foot ladder as men try to call him down]

# 3 "You better Believe it!"

[Anomaly is sitting alone at the bar with a half empty glass of (green!)beer. Rolf is off talking with various other men and women at the bar. Her gaze is casually directed toward two men sitting in a corner bartering for land]

Stranger: It’s got a well already built and it has very fertile ground. You can grow whatever you and your family want. It’s a great piece of land!

Country Man: It sounds great. How much for it?

Stranger: [peers towards man’s purse; country man is downcast] uh I think 3000 gold will be good

ANOMALY: [snorts and the men glance her way] You do know his lying right? He doesn’t even think that the land is worth 3000 gold. [turns back to drink]

Stranger: [grins cheezily] Are you really going to believe a woman like that?

Country Man: [glares] You are Lying! You were going to cheat me out of my fortune.

Stranger: No harm right?

Country Man: [hand grasping stranger’s shirt and threatening to punch] You were going to have me and my family live on a DIRT FARM!

Stranger: [lifts arms to shrug] yah, no harm

[bar fight erupts as other traveling merchants work to protect the stranger, while country men fight traveling merchants. Anomaly flips a coin to the counter and saunters out with her beer in hand amidst hateful glares towards her]

#2 Baker's Test

[Anomaly walking down the street of a town with her head bent low, her hair and head shielded by the hood of her cloak. Those who pass by briefly look her way and then quickly turn away. Some crossing her path, turn to walk away, while others will cross the street away from her. Some children will stare at her until her their parents chide them. Anomaly continues on her way smirking to herself as each person averts themselves away from her. On the main road she enters upon the store front of a bakery. A very large rotund man peers through the crowd holding onto the scruff of a young boys neck, while a few others stand among themselves vigorously discussing something. The rotund man spots Anomaly and calls out to her .]

Rölf: “You have come! Come, come, come closer I am in need of your services. They say you are a truth teller and possible can read the minds of many by simply looking them in they eye. Many have claimed that you have your skills in disputes always knowing the truth and sometimes more. Are you not this person?”

ANOMALY:[She looks him square in the eye and notices her different colored eyes and takes a step back. She smirks in response]. “So they say. I seem to have my skills.”

Rölf: “Well, well then… I have here [pulls the young boy in his hand forward towards Anomaly. The boy refuses to look her in the eye.] this boy. Look up at her boy. You can’t hide your mistake now. This boy has stolen from my store, but he claims he is innocent. Now you know the high price better than I and I’d rather not mistreat this boy if he is telling the truth. Yet, these men here have said they have seen him take from me while my back was turned. What say you, truth teller?

ANOMALY: “Whatever your witnesses say will be truth, and in his own way the boy is telling the truth.”

Rölf: “How can both be right?”

ANOMALY: “Simple, the liar isn’t any of them. It’s you” [Incredulous looks on crowds face]. You paid for the boy to steal from you. Now that you’ve tested my abilities, will you pay me or not?”

Rölf: [chuckles] “Ah, you are a good one and have solved my puzzle! It is true that I paid the boy and now he and you will get your dues. I think you and I will get along right fine! For now, let me buy you a beer for my little trick.”

[Anomaly and Rolf depart from the crowd and the crowd drifts away some in amazement and others in discomfort]

#1 Late Morning

[Mid- morning; a young woman in night clothes sits on the edge of a bed of rumpled blankets with her head bowed over her knees. Her arms cross over her knees and her hands balled in agitation (fighting a nightmare)

A knock on the door and she raises her head. Through the fringe of her hair you can see one eye a deep violet and the other green—a stark contrast]

ANOMALY: “Enter”

Landlady: “Madam, there is a visitor here for you” [Looks concerned at the distressed appearance of Anomaly and the unmade bed. (culturally she would be awakening pretty late)]

ANOMALY: [ignores the glance of the landlady] Who is it?

Landlady: “It be Rölf…the new baker that arrived in town a few weeks ago. You remember? You met him at the festival last week.

ANOMALY: [eyes sharpen] and what does he want of me?

Landlady: “He… he wouldn’t say”

ANOMALY: [sighs] “Tell him I’ll meet with him shortly”

Landlady: “Yes, Madam” [Exits quietly]

ANOMALY: [standing and stretching] “Yet, to another must I prove my skills? Why can no one take the word of others and trust in truth? Then again, not everyone can understand the difference between a lie and a truth like I can.”