Characters:

- MR. VAN LOON (a Bureau officer)
- ASSISTANT

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PROLOGUE

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Amsterdam, November 1926.

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Office of Mr Van Loon's assistant.
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Bureau tot Bevordering van het Kinine-gebruik
(Bureau for the Promotion of the Use of Quinine).
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INT. OFFICE. SUNRISE

(ASSISTANT, MR VAN LOON)
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The office is narrow and poorly lit, swamped with publications of the Bureau. Stacks of pamphlets pile up everywhere: covering the floor, overflowing the shelves, concealing the assistant's tiny desk. As the camera moves, a crooked lamp reveals Mr. van Loon's ASSISTANT behind a heap of books, sitting in front of the typewriter. This weak bulb is the only light source in the whole office. The rest of the space is still dark, tinted in the purple hue of sunrise. It is way too early for the sun to reach that tiny window up above in the corner.

MR VAN LOON walks carefully across the room, tiptoeing around a tower of red cloth books, their new release. We can barely see the black inscription "Malaria en Kinine." MR VAN LOON is looking for a spot where he can read his notes. Suddenly, he stops. He caught some light. Adopting a complicated pose to avoid blocking the source, he clears his throat and starts dictating.

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MR VAN LOON:

EHEM EHEM! Okay, let's start with the letters for Italy, shall we?
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(Turning his pages)

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This one is very important. Hear me out.

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(Reading)
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Dear Sir—COMMA—we know very well that no country has been as badly attacked by the fevers of malaria as Italy—COMMA

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(Brief pause)
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Perhaps with the only exception of our own nation—FULL STOP.

For this reason—COMMA—the Bureau is compelled to establish a form of collaboration that goes beyond mere commercial transactions—FULL STOP.

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Some...
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(Crossing his notes)
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Remove that. EHEM!

For some years—COMMA—our competitors around the world have been working on a smear campaign—FULL STOP.

They have questioned our presence in Java and the very industry of quinine—FULL STOP.

But as our dealings with you will prove—COMMA—the marketing of quinine from our colonies is guided by a genuine humane concern for the health of people everywhere—FULL STOP!
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(Flipping the page)

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Ten years ago—COMMA—during my studies here at the University of Amsterdam—COMMA—I had the pleasure of working for people trained by Dr Shoo—COMMA—one of the most respected figures in the field of malariology in the Netherlands—FULL STOP!

Not many people know that Dr. Shoo's career started in a small village—COMMA—as a rural physician—COMMA—but thanks to his knowledge of the Italian language and sciences—COMMA—he was able to establish a rapport with your Dr Celli and other eminent Italian doctors—FULL STOP!

As a matter of fact—COMMA—Dr. Shoo himself also wrote a handful of medical papers in Italian—FULL STOP.
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(Moving his notes again)
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Following the spirit of this special partnership—COMMA—we extend our proposal for your purchase of the next five shipments of quinine—FULL STOP.

We hope you will find these reasonable given the current state of the market—FULL STOP.

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(Looking at his ASSISTANT)

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Let me see that.
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(Extending his arm)

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Give it here.
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MR VAN LOON moves behind the desk and takes the paper from the typewriter. He starts going through the text, mumbling the words he reads to himself. He has only read half when he stops and gives it back to his ASSISTANT.
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MR VAN LOON:

Send it to translation and bring it back
so I can sign it when it's done.

ASSISTANT:

Yes, sir, right away.
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FADE TO BLACK

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_{This film script was first published in Intermittent Fevers (2023), a project and book by Stichting Prom Run. Republished with permission of the authors.}