Light of Day, by Herschel Sterling

Scene 3: Where we learn about the heretical professor and the foundation of this script's theory.Features AI generated photo.

INT. BW

Professor: WE ALL KNOW THIS SYMBOL, RIGHT? WE'VE BEEN SEEING IT ALL OUR LIVES.

In a fully attended, partially darkened college classroom, Eron is sitting on the left side of the lecture near the front with a good view of the professor and the overhead projector screen. This is a favorite class for many students. It's always packed, and the professor is notorious for controversy. He always wears jeans with a black belt and a crisp dress shirt. He holds a small wooden cross as a prop for today’s lecture.

Professor: WHETHER WE WERE BORN INTO A CHRISTIAN FAMILY OR NOT, THIS IS A SYMBOL THAT WE HAVE ALL COME TO KNOW, AND IT IS SOMETHING SEEMINGLY SYNONYMOUS WITH WESTERN CULTURE. BUT THE FACT IS THAT THIS SYMBOL HAD BEEN INGRAINED INTO THE MINDS OF PEOPLE LONG BEFORE CHRISTIANITY OR "THE WEST” WERE EVEN IDEAS. IN FACT, IT'S LIKELY THAT OTHER HOMINIDS WHO ULTIMATELY DID NOT SURVIVE EVOLUTION WERE FAMILIAR WITH THIS SYMBOL.

This subject matter is perking up some of the students. A couple of them pull their heads up from the pages on their desks, one student sits up on the edge of their seat, and a couple of them start smiling as though they know this is going to be fun.

Professor: THIS WAS THE SYMBOL OF LIFE; IT WAS THE SYMBOL OF THE HUMAN, STANDING UPRIGHT, WITH OUTSTRETCHED ARMS, GREETING THE SUN. IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER, ALL OVER THE WORLD THIS SYMBOL WAS USED FOR ANY NUMBER OF PURPOSES, FOR EVERYTHING FROM THE FOUR SEASONS, THE FOUR DIRECTIONS, THE CARDINAL POINTS, FERTILITY, DEATH AND REBIRTH, THE CONSUMMATION OF MAN AND WOMAN, AND THE UNION OF HEAVEN AND EARTH; SPIRIT AND MATTER. WHEN NON-HUMAN HOMINIDS SAW THIS SYMBOL ON A CAVE, THEY KNEW IT WAS BETTER NOT TO ENTER THE DWELLING BECAUSE THERE WERE CUNNING, VICIOUS CREATURES INSIDE.