Fade in:

 

          End scene first.  A foggy night.  The roar of

          a prop plane.  You are perfect as Ilsa.

          I can smoke just like Rick.

 

Ilsa    No Richard no, what has happened to you.

          Last night we said ...

 

Rick   Last night we said a great many things.

          You said I was to do the thinking for both of

          us.  Well, I've done a lot of it since then and

          it all adds up to one thing.  You're getting on

          that plane ...

 

 

          The transport plane taxis away from the

          hangar and the engines roar louder.

          I will hear the sound in my mind forever.

          And here I am alone in the world and no

          one to yell cut, it's a print, you were

          beautiful.  It isn't easy doing Casablanca.

          You are perfect as Ilsa.  I can smoke just

          like Rick.

 

          Falling in love with you was like

          appearing in the movies.  It was larger

          than life, scripted, tragic.  Everyone warned

          us about the unhappy ending.  Falling in

          love with you transported me out of the

          darkened theatre where all of us mortals

          live and onto a giant silvery screen.

 

          Falling in love with you meant leaving

          where we were, it was no longer Calgary,

          the place of our love.  Loving you made it

          Paris, I fell in love with you in Paris.

          You were the perfect Ilsa.  I can smoke just

          like Rick.

 

          Sam starts to play "as time goes by."

 

          The camera closes in on Rick.  From his

          expression we know he is thinking of the past.

          Slowly the sounds of an orchestra join into

          Sam's playing as the scene dissolves.

 

          It is Paris in the spring.  A shot of the Arc

          de Triomphe is followed by one of Rick driving

          a small open car slowly along the boulevard.

          Close beside him, with her arm linked in his,

          sits Ilsa.

 

          In our love we travelled around the world

          and through time.  It was the beginning of

          the war.  Paris fell to the Germans.  I fled to

          Casablanca and drank to hide my shame.

          You stayed in my heart.  You stayed in my

          heart and it is like the scene when the

          Germans begin singing Reichland Uber

          Alles in my bar and I nodded to the band

          who struck up the Marsellaise.  It's my

          favourite scene.  I cry every time and you

          always laughed.  It occurs to me you don't

          even like Casablanca. You laughed every

          time I cried in that scene.  Loving you is my

          favourite scene.

 

 

Cut back to ending.

 

 

          You phoned and said will you take me

          to the airport.  You said airport, not

          hangar and had I known I never would

          have gone.  We drove around for a while,

          directionless, neither of us knew our lines.

          Howard Koch would have known what to

          make me say.  He'd hand me my script

          and I'd read to you:

 

          I'm sorry, for everything, except loving

          you.  Loving you is like travelling around

          the world and through time.  Loving you

          is my favourite scene.

 

 

And you would read:

 

          Murdoch, I mean Rick, I'm sorry.

          I'm sorry for everything except loving

          you.  Loving you is like travelling around

          the world and through time.  Loving you

          is my favourite scene and it shall never

          end.

 

 

Cut to:

 

          Shot of plane ticket fluttering out of car

          window.

 

 

          Scriptless, we drove out near the airport.

          You said airport.  I never would have

          gone.  Why didn't you tell me your

          father's friend, the pilot, was taking you

          away on a transport, from a hangar.

 

 

          As we drove onto the set, I recognized it

          immediately.  No, this is wrong, we are doing

          Casablanca and you don't even like this

          movie and laugh every time I cry.  I hate the

          ending.  Screw Victor Lazlo, let him save the

          free world on somebody else's time and with

          some other Ilsa.  You were prefect as Ilsa.

          It was a foggy night.  We stood outside the

          hangar in exactly the right spot.  The ligting

          was perfect.  I smoked just like Rick.  We were

          there on the set of Casablanca, it was the

          final scene.  We had no scripts, we were

          directionless.  The transport plane taxied up

          to the hangar.  There was no music, Sam was

          nowhere to be seen.  I have always hated the

          ending.  Everytime I see it I want to scream

          Rick, don't be stupid, get on the plane and

          travel with Ilsa around the world and

          through time.

 

Cut to:

 

 

          Me grabbing your ticket and tearing it up.

 

 

I say:

           

          We will be together all around the world

          and through time.

 

 

You said:

 

 

          You can write me some time, if you like.

 

 

Sound of engines.  Fade to black.

 

 

                                  The End.