Her Ice Cream Starts Melting Before She Remembers To Move
Cone in hand, frozen in place, ice cream dripping down her fingers. She didn’t notice the dripping until it hit her shoe. That’s how locked in she was.
About this scene
Outdoor courtyard, summer afternoon, full sun. She's on a bench with a vanilla cone, mid-eat. The flash happens at her ten o'clock about fifteen feet away. She freezes mid-lick. The ice cream begins melting at normal summer rate. A drip forms at the bottom of the cone and runs down the back of her hand. She does not move. The drip continues onto her wrist. She is fully transfixed and not in any hurry to do anything about the cone.
What to watch for
The melt is the visible timer. You can watch the ice cream lose structural integrity in real time. The first drip is at the eight-second mark. By twenty seconds there are four. She still has not moved. The ice cream eventually begins separating from the cone and drops onto her thigh. That is the moment that finally breaks her stare. She looks down at her leg, sees the mess, and laughs once. The cone goes into the trash uneaten.