EXT. UPPER EAST SIDE -- AFTERNOON

A young boy, clutching a huge lollipop, is led down the busy street by his father. As they pass a fruit barrow, an apple suddenly levitates, bobbing along beside him. The boy gazes in wonder as the apple is eaten by something invisible, then the smile fades as his lollipop is snatched by the same unseen hands.

ANGLE ON THE ROOF OF A DEPARTMENT STORE -- we see a thin blue tail slither inside a small attic window. Suddenly the building shakes and tiles break away as the creature's size expands to fill the whole room.

At a newsstand, the eyes of a lady on an advertisement blink open. The outline of a creature becomes visible, camouflage-like, before it peels away from the poster. It moves along the street, invisible again, only locatable by the lollipop it holds, seemingly suspended in midair. A dog barks in its direction, and the creature scuttles on, knocking over newspaper stands, causing bikes and cars to swerve.