EVENING GALLERY
by
Lanny Maude
FADE IN:
A busy downtown avenue. It's early evening and everyone is out
having a good time.
JOE and CARLA are walking along, holding hands, looking in shop
windows.
They come to an open door with a small sign next to it. The
sign reads,
Evening Gallery
Special Showing
One Night Only.
CARLA
I don't remember seeing this place before.
JOE
It must've just opened. Wanna take a look?
CARLA
It says one night only. I guess it's now or
never.
JOE
Good. Let's see.
He leads the way, pulling Carla along.
INT. GALLERY FOYER CONTINUOUS
The foyer is very small, draped or painted in black, and
completely empty. There is a draped opening on the side
opposite the door.
Joe and Carla look around. It takes no time at all because
there's so little to see.
JOE
Wow! Talk about weird.
Carla is starting to have second thoughts.
CARLA
I don't know, Joe. Maybe we should leave.
JOE
C'mon. We're already here. We might as
well take a look.
CARLA
Okay, but you go first.
JOE
Of course, m'lady.
He gives a mock bow, and Carla slaps him on the shoulder. He
smiles and leads the way through the opening.
IN THE FIRST PICTURE ROOM CONTINUOUS
Joe and Carla enter a room that is about the same size as the
foyer. It is also decorated in black, but the room is not
empty. There is a medium-sized picture on one wall. The
picture is lit with a spotlight and has a title card under it.
Joe reads the card.
JOE
Return of the Wizard. What a strange title.
The two look at the picture. It's a picture of an English
community in the late 19th century.
ZOOM IN on picture.
MATCH FADE TO:
A small community on the outskirts of London in the late 1800s.
People are going about their daily activities. There is one
house that is set apart a little bit from the rest of the
houses.
INT. WIZARD HOUSE - DAY
It's small and neat. One thing that is remarkable is a full
bookshelf against one wall.
DAVID WOLFE bursts through the door. He's obviously worried.
He grabs a book from the shelf and sits at his writing table.
He opens the book to a blank page at the back and prepares to go
to work with pen and ink.
He draws a complex diagram on the blank page, being careful not
to smear the ink. Once the diagram is finished, he takes a
small knife and pricks a finger tip. He squeezes a drop of
blood into the ink bottle.
He switches to a very fine-nib pen and a magnifying glass. He
draws a circle around the diagram, but it's not a simple circle.
He's writing a string of words all around the diagram. Without
the magnifying glass, it just looks like a ragged circle.
When he finishes the circle he caps the ink, but he doesn't even
bother putting away his writing stuff. He blows on the page to
make sure the ink is dry.
When he's satisfied, he closes the book and rushes out of the
house.
EXT./INT. BOOKSELLER - DAY
It's later in the day. It took a little time for Wolfe to reach
the shop in London. He looks around quickly to see if he's
being followed before ducking into the book shop. He's no
longer holding the book in his hand. He goes into the shop.
It's a small shop that sells a variety of new and used books.
The SHOPKEEPER, an older man, is sitting on a stool, reading a
book. There are no other people in the shop. The shopkeeper
looks up when Wolfe enters.
SHOPKEEPER
Good day, sir. How may I help you?
WOLFE
I'm just browsing, thank you.
SHOPKEEPER
We've just received volume 31 of Routledge's
Pocket Library, if you're interested.
WOLFE
No, thank you. I'm just going to look
through your used books.
SHOPKEEPER
Very well. Let me know if you require any
assistance.
WOLFE
Of course.
He heads for the shelves away from the shopkeeper. While
pretending to study the titles, he pulls his book out from under
his coat. He hides the book behind the ones on a shelf. He
stalls a little longer before heading back to the entrance.
SHOPKEEPER
Find anything you like, sir?
WOLFE
Not today, thank you.
He continues out the door. The shopkeeper calls after Wolfe.
SHOPKEEPER
Come again.
He returns to his book.
INT. WIZARD HOUSE - NIGHT
Wolfe enters his house. He shrugs off his coat and tosses it
out of the way and unbuttons his collar. He sweeps an area rug
out of the way to clear a large space on the floor. He takes
his ink bottle and a brush and kneels on the floor.
He carefully duplicates the diagram that he had drawn in the
book onto the floor...all except the outer circle of writing.
He lights and places candles around the diagram before kneeling
in the center of it.
He starts speaking in a low and unintelligible voice. He is
reciting a Latin incantation. As he recites, he fades from view
until he is no longer there.
Soon, the roar of voices can be heard from outside the house.
The door is kicked open and a MOB streams into the house. They
brandish various weapons and verbally whip each other into a
frenzy. The impromptu mob LEADER shouts above the rest.
LEADER
Come out, Wolfe!
They spread out and quickly determine that Wolfe is not there.
LEADER
Burn it!
The mob pulls the books and papers from the shelves and dumps
them on the diagram. The leader lights the pile; the mob
cheers.
LEADER
Everyone out!
EXT. WIZARD HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
The mob streams out of the house as the flames take hold. They
cheer at first, but eventually they just watch the house burn in
silence.
INT. BOOKSELLER - CONTINUOUS
A little bit of light smoke or mist is sucked behind the used
books that are hiding Wolfe's book. Once the mist is gone, all
is quiet and still.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
A present day used book store somewhere in America. The CLERK,
a young woman, is sorting some books on the shelves. SAM
BARRETT enters the store. He's in his late 30s or early 40s.
CLERK
Hi.
BARRETT
Hi.
CLERK
Can I help you with something?
BARRETT
No, I just thought I'd take a look and see
if anything catches my eye.
CLERK
Okay. Let me know if you need help.
BARRETT
Thanks.
The clerk returns to her sorting. Barrett heads back to some
shelves labeled "CLASSIC." What that really means is old
hardcover books that are not valuable enough to lock in a case.
Something does indeed catch Barrett's eye. It's an eleven
volume set of encyclopedias. They stand out because the leather
spines are highly decorated. Barrett pulls one from the shelf
to inspect it. He exclaims quietly, to himself.
BARRETT
Wow...
It's the 1921 edition of Collier's New Encyclopedia. Barrett
peruses a few of the volumes before deciding to buy the set. He
grabs a few of them and takes them to the counter. The clerk
sees him.
CLERK
Let me help you with that.
BARRETT
Thanks.
Between the two of them, they get the set to the counter.
CLERK
I'll get a box for them.
She disappears into the back room and returns with an
appropriate box. Barrett continues to admire the books as she
puts them in the box.
BARRETT
They're beautiful. I don't think I've ever
seen anything quite like them.
The clerk indicates a glass display case.
CLERK
There's some more old books in there.
Barrett goes to look. There's an assortment of books: some old,
some new, some labeled "FIRST EDITION." He turns to the clerk.
BARRETT
May I see some of them?
CLERK
Sure.
She gets the key and unlocks the case. He looks at some of the
books, eventually coming to an old volume. The title is
"HISTORIES OF THE WIZARDS."
Barrett turns some of the pages carefully. It appears to be a
mix of stories, much of it in English. But there are also many
passages in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and the occasional diagram
or illustration.
He closes the book and looks at it all over. He hands it to the
clerk.
BARRETT
I'll take this too.
CLERK
I'll put it in the box.
She leaves to do just that. Barrett looks at a few more books,
but nothing else is interesting enough. He returns to the
counter and holds out a credit card.
BARRETT
That'll do it.
The clerk takes the card and begins processing.
INT. BARRETT HOME - DAY
It looks spacious without being too large. Barrett isn't
concerned with fancy furniture and a complex home entertainment
system.
The front door opens and Barrett drops his keys on the table by
the door. He then picks up the box of books from the porch and
enters the house, pulling the door closed with his foot. He
carries the box
IN THE LIBRARY
Barrett has two bedrooms, but he's converted one of them to a
library. This is what's important to him. All four walls are
covered with shelves full of books. He sets the box on the
floor, pulls out the history book, and leaves.
IN THE LIVING ROOM
Barrett sits on the couch to look at the book. He kicks off his
shoes so he can swing his legs up onto the couch.
He flips randomly through the book, reading bits and pieces.
BARRETT
(reading)
Hunc igitur terrorem animi, tenebrasque
necessest non radii solis, neque lucida tela
diei discutiant, sed naturae species
ratioque.
He flips some more and stops.
BARRETT
(reading)
The most striking case of levitation which I
have witnessed has been with Mr. Home. On
three separate occasions have I seen him
raised completely from the floor of the
room.
He turns closer to the back of the book.
BARRETT
(reading)
Not even their alliances are made without
shedding of blood: the partners in the
compact wound themselves, and when the blood
gushes out they mingle the stream and taste
of it when it is mixed.
He finally turns to the back of the book. There's the hand-
drawn diagram in the circle. He looks at for a moment, then he
squints and looks more closely. He sets the book on the coffee
table and leaves the room.
He returns shortly with a magnifying glass, paper, and pen.
The transcription is time consuming. He reads a few words by
carefully cradling the book in one hand and holding the
magnifying glass in the other. Then he puts the magnifying
glass down, picks up the pen, and writes what he read.
LATER
Eventually, he gets the entire circle transcribed onto the
paper. He starts to read from the paper.
BARRETT
(reading)
Sed antequam ad conflictum ueniamus, de cibo
illo, qui coelestis ab illis dicebatur,
quali arte conficiebatur nescientibus
demonstrare eurabo. Congregabantur si
quidem certis noctibus in domo denominata,
singuli...
Barrett begins to fade out, just like Wolfe did. He doesn't
notice any difference, though, so he keeps reading. He also
doesn't notice the light mist emanating from the book.
BARRETT
(reading)
...lucernas tenentes in manibus, ad instar
letaniae demonum nomina declamabant, donec
subito Daemonem in similitudine cuiuslibet
bestiolae inter eos uiderent descendere.
Qui statim, ut uisibilis ille uidebatur
uisio,...
He continues to fade as he reads, oblivious of what is happening
to him. His voice fades with him. The book continues to
produce a mist that's heavier now.
BARRETT
(reading)
...omnibus extinctis luminaribus, quamprimum
quisque poterat, mulierem, quae ad manum
sibi ueniebat, ad abutendum arripiebat, sine
peccati respectu, et utrum mater, aut soror,
aut monacha haberetur, pro sanctitate et...
And poof, he's gone. The mist that's hugging the floor wraps up
into the shape of a man. Then the mist solidifies into Wolfe.
He's wearing the same outfit as when he faded away. He looks
around to see that he's alone and notices the book.
He picks up the book, touches it to his forehead, kisses it,
then clutches it to his chest.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. EVENING GALLERY, FIRST PICTURE ROOM NIGHT
CARLA
I don't get it.
JOE
Maybe we're not supposed to.
They look at it for a few more seconds. Joe tugs at Carla a
little.
JOE
Let's keep going. Maybe the next one will
be better.
They head for the opening in the opposite wall.
IN THE SECOND PICTURE ROOM CONTINUOUS
The room looks like the others, but it has a small picture on
one wall. Joe and Carla move close enough to read the title
card.
CARLA
Alone.
She looks around the small room.
CARLA
It seems to fit.
They look at the painting, which is a picture of space station
Alpha.
ZOOM IN on picture.
MATCH FADE TO:
EXT. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION DAY
Well, technically it's day because it's not on the dark side of
the earth right now; but in space, day and night are mostly
artificial.
An airlock door opens and LIEUTENANT PETROFSKI leaves the space
station. Unfortunately, she's not wearing a space suit. She
screams soundlessly and convulses violently before exploding
into pink mist.
INT. SPACE STATION, AIRLOCK CONTINUOUS
CAPTAIN TERRIL looks through the small view port in the inner
airlock hatch. He looks in horror at the cloud that used to be
Petrofski.
TERRIL
Oh, Anna...
He pulls back from the hatch and pauses briefly before hitting
the switch to close the outer airlock hatch. He turns away from
the airlock, takes a deep breath to calm himself, and heads for
his quarters.
IN TERRIL'S QUARTERS CONTINUOUS
Terril heads straight for his closet. He pulls out his space
suit and goes through the time consuming task of donning it.
With helmet in hand he heads for the hatch...
But wait. He goes to his bunk. Beside it is a framed picture.
Terril, his wife, and his two kids are smiling for the camera.
He smashes the picture against the nightstand to break the glass
so he can take the photo.
That's all he needs. He heads for the command center.
IN THE COMMAND CENTER CONTINUOUS
Terril sits in the command chair. He pauses to gather his
thoughts before flipping a switch.
TERRIL
Captain's log: final entry. I'm the last
one on Alpha. Lieutenant Anastasia
Petrofski chose to space herself this
morning.
He pinches the space between his eyes.
TERRIL
I almost got there in time to stop her, but
she probably would have just been pissed at
me if I did. You have to admit she chose a
unique method.
He looks at the photograph of his family then tucks it inside
his helmet.
TERRIL
Lieutenant Harris hanging himself was
mundane by comparison. I'll take my chances
with the X-38 and attempt to return to
earth.
He stands, too anxious to stay seated.
TERRIL
No external communication for three months
doesn't mean everyone's dead down there, but
I'd rather die there than alone up here.
He flips the switch to close the log then heads for the escape
pod.
IN THE ESCAPE POD CONTINUOUS
Terril straps himself in and puts on his helmet. He energizes
the control panels and checks the gauges.
TERRIL
I never thought I would be the first to test
this thing.
He pushes the button labeled RELEASE.
EXT. SPACE STATION CONTINUOUS
The X-38 is pushed away from the space station with a blast of
compressed air and begins its long glide to earth.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. EVENING GALLERY, SECOND PICTURE ROOM NIGHT
JOE
It has kind of a depressing feel to it.
CARLA
Yeah.
They wander together through the next opening.
IN THE THIRD PICTURE ROOM CONTINUOUS
Joe and Carla enter. This room has a large picture on the wall.
Joe reads the card.
JOE
Salem.
He looks up at a picture of a New England town.
JOE
Now this one at least makes some sense.
They look at the picture.
ZOOM IN on picture.
MATCH FADE TO:
EXT. DANVERS, MASSACHUSETTS - PRESENT - DAY - ESTABLISHING
The words "Danvers, Massachusetts" FILTER INTO VIEW.
A beat.
The words "Formerly known as..." FILTER INTO VIEW.
FADE TO:
EXT. SALEM VILLAGE - 1692 - DAY - ESTABLISHING
The words "Salem Village" FILTER INTO VIEW.
A beat.
The words FADE AWAY.
A beat.
The date "1692" FILTERS INTO VIEW.
A beat.
The date FADES AWAY.
HANNAH CHAPMAN is being dragged down the street by EPHRAIM
TUTTLE as some of the villagers watch. No one intervenes.
Hannah's wrists have been tied behind her back. Her blonde hair
is ratty and she's streaked with dirt, as if she's tripped a
couple of times. If she was cleaned up, she'd be an attractive
young woman.
Ephraim is the Witch Finder General. He's dressed a bit more
flamboyantly than the other villagers. He looks straight ahead,
not concerning himself with the activities of mere mortals.
HANNAH
Somebody, please help me. I have done
nothing wrong.
The villagers do their best to ignore her. They don't want to
get involved.
EXT. COURT HOUSE - DAY
Ephraim pulls Hannah to the court house.
HANNAH
Please let me go. This must be a mistake.
He opens the door and roughly shoves her through.
HANNAH
NO!
He follows, closing the door behind himself.
EXT. SALEM VILLAGE - DAY
Just another day in Salem. Life goes on...at least for the
other villagers.
INT. COURT HOUSE - DAY
The three village magistrates, JOHN MINOR, NATHAN FOX, and JAMES
BURROWS, are sitting in front of Hannah.
Hannah is standing. She has no choice. She's been tied to a
rope threaded through a pulley in the rafters. If the rope was
pulled much tighter, it would lift her feet off of the floor.
Ephraim is standing next to Hannah. He's making his case with
the magistrates against Hannah.
EPHRAIM
I have been performing my duties as Witch
Finder General for long enough to know when
I encounter a witch.
HANNAH
'Tis a false accusation. I have done none
of things he claims.
EPHRAIM
Silence, witch.
Nathan stands.
NATHAN
We have heard the evidence presented by Mr.
Tuttle.
Ephraim nods. As far as he's concerned, the case is closed.
Nathan continues.
NATHAN
But the accused continues to deny the
charges. There is one sure method to
determine guilt or innocence.
Hannah and Ephraim look at Nathan, wondering where this is
going.
NATHAN
We must look for the mark of Satan.
Ephraim is quick to agree.
EPHRAIM
I will abide by your findings.
Hannah, on the other hand, is mortified.
HANNAH
No. You can not do this. I am innocent.
Please do not do this.
John and James stand and start to advance toward Hannah.
NATHAN
If you are innocent child, you have nothing
to fear.
He nods to Ephraim, who pulls out a knife and closes on Hannah.
HANNAH
No...no...please, no...
Ephraim cuts her clothes and tears them off to expose he body.
Hannah hangs her head in shame and despair.
HANNAH
...no...no...no...
The four men investigate Hannah's skin, looking for the mark of
Satan. It doesn't take them very long to see that she has
unusually flawless skin. They move away from her and huddle
together to determine the next step. They speak quietly.
JOHN
I've never seen anything like it.
JAMES
Her skin is so perfect. Not a mark to be
found.
NATHAN
I agree. This looks like one case where Mr.
Tuttle is wrong.
Ephraim is rattled. He is never wrong. He must always win. He
quickly devises a new plan.
EPHRAIM
My dear magistrates. I put it to you that
what you see proves that she is a witch.
NATHAN
On what do you base that.
EPHRAIM
On the fact that perfection is not possible.
JOHN
Explain.
EPHRAIM
That her skin is perfect is the work of
Satan. Rather than leave his mark, which we
might find, he has removed all marks.
They think about it.
JAMES
You may have something.
They all turn to look at Hannah, who's head still hangs, shaking
in denial. Her voice is almost inaudible.
HANNAH
...no...no...no...
EXT. DUCKING STOOL - DAY
Hannah has been tied to the ducking stool. It is a device used
to hold a person under water. It is sometimes used to determine
guilt or innocence. It is sometimes used for torture to force a
confession.
This time it is being used for an execution.
The three magistrates and Ephraim stand by the main support of
the ducking stool.
An EXECUTIONER is holding the other end of the ducking stool
arm, keeping Hannah suspended above the river.
There are a number of villagers watching, but none of them want
to get too close. No one wants to come under the notice of the
Witch Finder General.
NATHAN
Hannah Chapman, you have been found guilty
of the crime of being a witch.
Hannah's face is obscured by her hair because her head is
hanging. Her head is no longer shaking. She's accepted her
fate.
NATHAN
You are sentenced to die by drowning, the
sentence to be carried out immediately.
No response from Hannah.
NATHAN
May God have mercy on your soul, even though
you turned your back on Him in this life.
Hannah looks up at the four men who have condemned her.
Nathan looks at the executioner and gives a slight nod.
The executioner releases the mechanism to send Hannah plunging
into the river.
HANNAH
You basta--
SPLASH!
Hannah goes under.
Everyone is absolutely silent.
When the bubbles cease rising to the surface, Nathan signals the
executioner to raise Hannah.
The executioner raises the stool, but to everyone's shock, the
stool is empty.
The men on the riverbank look at each other as nervous sounds
come from the villagers.
The executioner swings the stool to the riverbank and rushes to
inspect it. He finds the ropes still tied to the stool. He
addresses the magistrates.
EXECUTIONER
I don't understand. The ropes are intact.
Ephraim thinks quickly. He faces the villages and raises his
voice.
EPHRAIM
This proves she was a witch. Behold...
He gestures toward the stool.
EPHRAIM
...Satan has reclaimed her for his own.
The nervous villagers want nothing to do with it. They start to
disperse.
The men on the riverbank look at the stool. They are not really
sure what has just happened.
EXT. RIVER - DAY
Meanwhile, down river, Hannah quietly surfaces near the bank.
She looks up river to make sure that she has escaped undetected.
She climbs out of the water and sneaks into the woods to hide.
EXT./INT. CAVE - DAY
She comes across a small cave. She's wet and cold so she
collects some wood for a fire. She takes the wood into the cave
and organizes it into a pile.
She sits in front of the wood pile and closes her eyes. She
holds her hands together in front of herself, concentrating.
She suddenly spreads her hands then claps them together.
The wood pile bursts into flames.
She huddles in next to the fire to warm and dry herself.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT. WOODS - DAY
Nathan is riding a horse. He's on his way to another village to
conduct some business. He comes around a bend to find Hannah on
the trail. He reins the horse to a stop.
NATHAN
Whoa...
He doesn't recognize her. For one, she's cleaner than she was
the last time he saw her. And her hair is no longer blonde,
it's dark.
They look at each other.
HANNAH
Good day to you, sir.
NATHAN
Might I ask, young lady, what you are doing
out here. And without an escort.
HANNAH
I was merely taking a walk. It is such a
fine day.
NATHAN
You know you are a long way from town.
HANNAH
I don't mind. I enjoy the woods.
He looks more closely at her. Is that recognition in his eyes?
NATHAN
I don't believe I've seen you around here
before.
HANNAH
I have only just recently moved to the area.
He studies her a bit more.
NATHAN
You shouldn't be out here by yourself.
He licks his lips without even realizing it.
NATHAN
You are a very attractive young lady.
HANNAH
Sir, think of your wife.
NATHAN
Why should I? I don't see her here.
She gets playful.
HANNAH
Would you like to see a trick?
NATHAN
A trick? Take care. Someone may accuse you
of witchcraft.
She laughs.
HANNAH
Don't be silly. Come down here so I can
show you.
NATHAN
As you wish.
He slides down off of the horse.
HANNAH
Now hold your hands out in front of you...
She demonstrates, holding her arms straight out, palms together.
HANNAH
...like this.
He complies.
NATHAN
Like this?
HANNAH
Yes.
She puts her hands over his hands. The effect on him is almost
electric.
HANNAH
Now close your eyes.
He just looks at her a moment.
She rubs his hands and pushes a little more.
HANNAH
Close them...
He finally closes his eyes.
She continues rubbing his hands
HANNAH
Now just relax.
He does what he's told. Of course, it helps that he has fallen
under her spell.
She looks up and a rope starts snaking its way down from a thick
branch to where she's standing. The rope reaches her. She
makes a quick circular motion around his hands before moving
closer to him and putting her hands on his face.
The rope wraps around his wrists as she soothes him.
HANNAH
Relax...relax...relax...
She steps back. She raises her hands and the rope tightens,
pulling his hands over his head. It continues until his feet
are a few inches above the ground.
She undoes his trousers and lets them bunch down to his feet.
She pulls out a small metal device from one of her pockets. She
holds it in one hand while waving the other hand over it. She
then blows on the end. The end glows bright red.
She takes the device and presses it onto one of his buttocks.
He gives no indication that he's being branded.
When she pulls the device away, there's a horned figure branded
onto his skin.
HANNAH
How's that for the mark of Satan?
She blows on the device again, and it immediately cools enough
so that she can put it away.
She walks around to face him again.
HANNAH
Don't worry. I'll be sure to report that I
saw a witch bound in the woods.
She reaches back and lets forth with a mighty slap across his
face. This breaks the spell.
As he's fighting his way to full consciousness, she takes the
reins of the horse and leaves. He's left there alone, hanging
in the woods with his trousers down at his ankles.
And with the mark of Satan on his ass.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT. BRIDGE - DAY
John is crossing the bridge that spans the river. He sees
someone, he can't make out who, coming from the other direction.
The two meet in the center of the bridge. The other person is
Hannah.
HANNAH
Good day to you, sir.
JOHN
Good day--
He really looks at her.
JOHN
Do I know you?
She smiles at him.
HANNAH
You should. You sentenced me to die for
being a witch.
His eyes grow wide.
JOHN
Oh my--
She draws a hand across her mouth.
His mouth keeps moving, but no sound comes from it. He stops
trying to talk and looks at her, terrified.
HANNAH
No need to let everyone know I'm back.
We'll keep this between the two of us.
She motions with one hand and he flips off of the bridge, into
the river. She clenches her fist over the water. She looks
down so she can see him trapped, eyes wide, looking back at her.
She holds him there until his body shudders in death. She
unclenches her fist and he floats away down river.
She continues across the bridge as if nothing happened.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT./INT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Hannah approaches James' house. She's carrying a bag. She
finds an open window then hunkers down and opens the bag. She
pulls out a snake.
She rubs the snake's head, then she closes her eyes and rubs her
eyelids. She keeps her eyes closed.
POV the snake as she holds it up and drops it in the house
through the open window. It crawls along until it finds James'
hand on the floor next to the bed.
Outside, Hannah smiles. This is too easy. Her eyes are still
closed.
Inside, the snake bites James on the wrist.
James yells as the snake slithers under the bed. He holds his
wrist as he gets out of bed. He goes to the window so he can
look at his wrist in the moonlight.
The two puncture wounds are oozing blood.
James howls again and tries to run from the house. He crashes a
couple of times, but he finally makes it to the door. He opens
the door and Hannah is standing there.
JAMES
Help me! A snake bit me. Get the doctor.
Hannah holds out her hand.
HANNAH
Let me see.
He extends his wrist so she can see.
She takes his hand and looks briefly at his wrist. Then she
looks up.
HANNAH
You don't need a doctor.
He is panicking.
JAMES
What? What do you mean?
She is calm when giving her response.
HANNAH
'Tis too late. By the time a doctor sees
this, you will be dead.
JAMES
What?
HANNAH
Yes, the only one who can help you now is a
witch.
JAMES
A witch?
HANNAH
Too bad you had them all killed.
JAMES
Wha--
He starts convulsing.
She lets go of his hand as he sinks to the ground. She kneels
next to him and extends her hand into his house. When she pulls
her hand back, she's got the snake. She holds the snake where
he can see it with his dying eyes.
HANNAH
Thank you for caring for my snake, kind sir.
His only response is a gurgle before he dies.
She takes her snake and disappears into the darkness.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Ephraim is sleeping, snoring only slightly.
There is a movement in the darkness in his room.
Hannah appears to separate herself from the darkness and walks
to the bed. She looks down on the cause of her recent troubles.
HANNAH
I've saved something special for you.
She very lightly touches a spot between his eyes. She waves her
hands over his face.
He no longer snores.
She continues, moving her hands back and forth a few inches
above his body. She works her way from his head to his feet.
When finished, she returns to his head where she once again
touches a spot between his eyes.
She bends down and listens for breathing. Nothing.
HANNAH
Perfect.
EXT. GRAVEYARD - DAY
A GRAVE DIGGER is putting the finishing touches on the grave
that he's just filled.
GRAVE DIGGER
Dying in your sleep must be the easiest way
to go. Wouldn't you agree Mr. Tuttle?
He collect all of his gear and leaves.
Soon, Hannah detaches from the trees bordering the graveyard and
approaches Ephraim's grave. She's carrying a black flower.
She reaches the grave and lays the flower on it.
HANNAH
Are you ready, Mr. Tuttle?
She closes her eyes. She puts out her hands and waves them over
the grave.
INT. COFFIN - CONTINUOUS
All is quiet in Ephraim's coffin...until Ephraim starts snoring.
Then the snoring stops and Ephraim makes a slight moaning noise.
Just the sounds of waking.
EPHRAIM
How can it be so damn dark?
He tries to sit up and...
WHAM!
He hits his head on the coffin lid.
EPHRAIM
Ow!
He feels around, discovers his confinement. His next words are
shaky with terror.
EPHRAIM
What's happening? Where the hell am I?
HANNAH (O.S.)
I hope you find death as much fun as I have.
She laughs.
EPHRAIM
What? No! Nooo...
EXT. GRAVEYARD - CONTINUOUS
She's the only one who can hear Ephraim.
EPHRAIM (O.S.)
...Nooo...
She smiles and stands.
HANNAH
I hope that teaches you not to interfere in
things that you do not understand.
EPHRAIM (O.S.)
...Nooo...
She starts to walk away, but stops. She turns to face the grave
again.
HANNAH
Of course, for you the lesson is a bit late.
EPHRAIM (O.S.)
...Nooo...
She walks away, ignoring the cries that only she can hear.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. EVENING GALLERY, THIRD PICTURE ROOM NIGHT
CARLA
Let keep going.
She pulls Joe to the other opening.
IN THE FOURTH PICTURE ROOM CONTINUOUS
Joe and Carla enter another room with a small picture. It's a
picture of a shopping mall.
Carla reads the card.
CARLA
The Amulet. Oh, come on. How is this
supposed to mean anything?
ZOOM IN on the picture.
MATCH FADE TO:
EXT. SHOPPING MALL - DAY
It's a big, popular place. All the big anchors on the ends.
Lots of interesting filler in between.
INT. SHOPPING MALL, FOOD COURT - DAY
It's lunchtime, so the place is packed. Everyone is searching
out their favorite overly-processed meal to wolf down so they
can get back to shopping.
JASON GRIBLEY sits alone at a small table. He's sporting a few
days worth of stubble and his clothes are rumpled, like he been
in them for a while. He looks like he hasn't slept in a while.
No one pays any attention to him.
But then, HANS KRUPHAUS sits in the chair opposite Gribley.
They don't look at each other.
KRUPHAUS
You have it?
GRIBLEY
Yeah.
KRUPHAUS
With you?
GRIBLEY
Uh huh. Let me see it.
Kruphaus places an envelope on the table and quickly slides it
toward Gribley.
Gribley grabs the envelope into his lap. He opens it and
briefly stares at the money, all of it hundreds.
He closes the envelope and tucks it in his pocket. When he
removes his hand, it's holding a small leather draw-string
pouch. He places the pouch on the table.
Kruphaus takes the pouch, opens it, and dumps the contents into
the palm of one hand. It's a small rectangle of green jade.
CLOSE UP on the amulet. On it is a picture of a winged hound
with an incredibly ferocious look on its face. The detail is
amazing for something so small. Under the hound there are
characters from an unknown language, and under that a skull.
BACK TO SCENE
KRUPHAUS
I can't believe it. It's incredible.
GRIBLEY
Good luck running.
Kruphaus looks up.
KRUPHAUS
Wha--
But Gribley is already up and on the move.
Kruphaus watches him leave. He shrugs and looks at the amulet
one more time before returning it to its pouch. He tucks the
pouch in an inside pocket in his jacket, then looks around
before leaving.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
It's a small bedroom with old books and papers stacked here and
there.
Kruphaus is asleep. The leather pouch containing the amulet is
on his night stand.
Kruphaus is suddenly awakened by a loud howling noise.
He sits up in bed, listening for all he's worth. He hears
nothing, so he lies back in his bed. He looks over at the
window where there are two glowing red eyes looking back at him.
He lets out a terrific yell, which is matched by the howl of the
beast on the other side of the glass.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. EVENING GALLERY, FOURTH PICTURE ROOM NIGHT
Joe and Carla look at each other. Joe raises his shoulders in
an "I don't know" gesture.
They look back at the picture briefly before continuing to the
next room.
IN THE FIFTH PICTURE ROOM CONTINUOUS
Joe and Carla enter to see a large picture in this room. It's a
picture of a '60s suburb.
Joe reads the card.
JOE
The House at the End of the Street.
They look more closely at the picture.
JOE
I wonder which house they're talking about.
ZOOM IN on the picture.
MATCH FADE TO:
This is one of the thousands of suburbs that can be found
everywhere in the 1960s. The streets are relatively safe. Life
is uncomplicated, if your a kid on summer vacation.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD, GARY'S HOUSE - DAY
One house here is like all of the others. At least they weren't
all built on the same plans like modern housing tracts. There
is a bicycle laying on its side in the front yard.
The front door opens and TONY runs out. He's twelve. And he's
fit, like most kids who grow up with their bike being their
primary mode of transportation.
He closes the door and struggles into his day pack as he goes
for his bike. He gets on his bike then shouts toward the side
of the house.
TONY
Come on, Gary!
GARY, another twelve-year-old and Tony's best friend, zooms on
his bike from the side of the house and past Tony. He's also
wearing a day pack. He taunts, of course.
GARY
Slow poke!
Tony launches after Gary, who lets Tony catch up. They ride
down the street and around the corner to arrive
AT THE HIGH SCHOOL YARD
They ride out to the middle of the huge, empty yard. This is
where the baseball diamonds are. The boys drop their bikes and
shrug the packs off of their backs.
TONY
Hurry. I wanna see this thing fly.
GARY
Shut up. I'll do it.
He pulls the pieces of a model rocket launch pad out of his pack
and proceeds to assemble the launch pad.
Tony pulls a cut-down shipping tube from his bag. He opens the
tube and removes a carefully packed model rocket. He sets the
rocket on the ground, safely away from any harm before going to
help Gary get the launch pad finished.
Despite some minor getting in each other's way, they manage to
assemble the launch pad.
GARY
You ready?
Tony picks up the rocket.
TONY
You know it. Give me an igniter.
Gary hands him a small piece of wire shaped like a bobby pin.
Tony inserts the wire into the rocket engine then slides the
rocket down the launch rod. He then reaches for the alligator
clips. Gary pulls the clips away.
GARY
I got it.
Uh, oh. Trouble in paradise.
TONY
It's my rocket. I wanna hook it up.
GARY
It's my launcher. Let me hook it up and you
can press the button.
Tony thinks briefly.
TONY
Okay. But if you push that button, I'll
kill you.
GARY
Don't worry. You can push it.
Crisis averted. Gary connects the alligator clips to the
igniter. The boys run to the launch control box and jump down
on the grass by it.
TONY
Gimme a count down.
GARY
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... ignition on...
Tony flips the switch to arm the launch button. The launch
button now glows red.
TONY
Ready.
GARY
5... 4... 3... 2... 1... fire!
Tony pushes the switch and the rocket blasts off from the launch
pad. The rocket is so light it goes from zero to gone almost
faster than the boys can watch. They both sound appropriately
impressed.
After a few breathless seconds, there is a puff in the sky.
GARY
It blew up!
TONY
No, that was just the parachute. I hope it
opens.
They see the rocket floating down on its parachute and
celebrate.
GARY
(simultaneous)
Yeah!
TONY
(simultaneous)
All right!
They slug each other in the shoulder and whatever other stupid
stuff boys do in the 60s. But their reverie is short-lived.
Tony points at the rocket.
TONY
It's drifting. There's too much breeze.
They both start running across the field to keep up with the
rocket.
GARY
Where's it gonna land?
TONY
How should I know? Just keep an eye on it.
I don't wanna lose it.
As they follow, it becomes obvious where the rocket is going to
land. It's going to land on the other side of a fence into a
back yard. But not just any back yard. The boys stop running.
TONY
Oh, no...
GARY
That's it. You lost your rocket on the
first try.
They watch the rocket go into the yard.
TONY
Oh, man. What am I gonna do?
GARY
Build a new rocket?
TONY
No. I gotta get that one back.
GARY
But that's the House. You can't go there.
TONY
Who says?
GARY
My folks, your folks, George's folks,
Melanie's folks...
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD, CREEPY HOUSE - NIGHT - FLASHBACK
It's Halloween and the creepy house looks just like you'd expect
a haunted house to look. It's a bit bigger than the other
houses, and the grounds have grown wild.
Eight-year-old YOUNG TONY is walking from the front door of the
house next to the creepy house to the sidewalk where his PARENTS
are waiting for him. He's wearing a costume, of course.
TONY'S DAD
What did you get?
Tony looks in his bag as they move down the sidewalk.
YOUNG TONY
I think it's a popcorn ball. It was pretty
light.
TONY'S DAD
Mrs. Williams makes good popcorn balls.
YOUNG TONY
Yeah, at least it wasn't an apple.
He stops at the walk up to the creepy house and looks toward the
front porch.
TONY'S MOM
Don't go there. Stay away from that house.
YOUNG TONY
Why?
TONY'S MOM
Because I said so. That's why.
They continue down the sidewalk.
BACK TO PRESENT
GARY
...John's folks, Annette's folks, Robin's
folks--
TONY
Okay, okay. Shut up.
GARY
What now?
Tony makes a decision.
TONY
Let's get the stuff and go. I wanna at
least take a look.
GARY
What? Where?
TONY
The House.
GARY
No, I'm not going there.
They walk back to their stuff. Gary starts disassembling the
launch pad.
TONY
You don't have to go if you don't wanna.
I'm just gonna take a quick look, anyway.
GARY
You can look by yourself. I'm not going
near that house.
TONY
Fine.
He gets the shipping tube and his pack and takes off on his
bike, not waiting for Gary. Gary stops fiddling with the launch
pad long enough to watch Tony ride away. Tony soon arrives
AT THE CREEPY HOUSE
It's just like he remembered it: a big haunted-looking house.
TONY'S MOM (V.O.)
Don't go there. Stay away from that house.
YOUNG TONY (V.O.)
Why?
TONY'S MOM (V.O.)
Because I said so. That's why.
TONY
(mumbles to himself)
Sorry, Mom.
Tony gets off of his bike and leans it up against a tree. He
looks around to see if anyone is watching him. The coast is
clear so he makes a dash for the overgrown bushes at the side of
the house.
He pauses here, listening hard to see if there are any sounds
coming from the house. It's quiet, so he continues to work his
way through the bushes to the back of the house.
Again, he stops and listens to the house. Nothing. He looks
out of the bushes and there it is. His rocket is sitting in the
middle of the back yard. He speaks quietly to himself.
TONY
Yes!
He pushes his way through the bushes and prepares himself
mentally for what he must do next. He takes one final look
around the yard before launching himself toward the rocket.
He runs in a straight line for the rocket. When he gets there,
he scoops it up in one hand, not stopping, and turns to run back
to his bike. As he's scanning for trouble as he runs, he looks
at the back door.
He stops. He stares at the door, unblinking, almost like he's
under a spell. But nothing happens. Nobody yells at him. Both
the house and the yard are still and quiet.
He finally blinks and that seems to break the spell. He looks
around, realizing where he is, and takes off running again.
When he gets to his bike, he loops the rocket over the back of
his neck by the nose cone elastic. He grabs his bike and zooms
for home. When he arrives
AT TONY'S HOUSE
He dumps his bike and flies through the door.
INT. TONY'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS
He zips into the room, closes the door, and stands in the middle
of the room breathing hard. After a few seconds, he sets the
rocket carefully on his desk and forgets about it immediately.
He sits on the edge of his bed to relax and catch his breath.
LATER
It's night. Tony is asleep in his bed.
EXT. FOREST - NIGHT - DREAM SEQUENCE
Tony wanders through the heavy brush of the forest. When he
breaks into a clearing, he sees the creepy house sitting there.
He's looking at the back of the house, and he can see that the
back door is open just a crack.
He advances slowly, heading straight for the door, like he's
being drawn to the house. He climbs the stairs to the back
porch and stands there in front of the partially-open door.
Then his hand creeps out toward the door.
When he touches the door, there's a blinding flash. He closes
his eyes.
BACK TO REALITY
When he opens his eyes, he just looking at the ceiling in his
bedroom. He sits up and thinks about what just happened.
TONY
Wow...
He gets out of bed and dresses in the same clothes he wore that
day, since they were conveniently sitting on the floor of his
room.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD, TONY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The back door slowly and quietly opens. Once it's open just
enough, Tony slips through the crack and carefully closes the
door. It's a nearly-full moon, so it's easy to see. He goes to
his bike, but changes his mind. He decides to walk.
It doesn't take him long to arrive
AT THE CREEPY HOUSE
He pauses only briefly before walking around the side of the
house to the back yard. He is disappointed when he finds that
the back door isn't open like in his dream. He climbs the porch
and reaches for the door, bracing for the blinding flash.
But nothing happens. So he grabs the door knob and turns. It's
unlocked, and he's able to open the door. He steps into the
darkness.
INT. CREEPY HOUSE, KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Enough light spills through the dirty windows that he can see
well enough.
The kitchen is completely empty, except for the dust. A thick
layer of it covers everything. The dust covering the floor is
unmarked by footprints or even animal tracks. He continues
deeper into the house.
IN THE LIVING ROOM
It's much the same as the kitchen: empty except for dust.
IN THE HALLWAY
He looks through an open door into what must have been a
bedroom. No surprises here. It's empty and dust covered.
IN THE STUDY
The room at first looks empty, except for the shelving built
into the walls. Looking more closely, he can see that there is
a rug under the dust. Even under the dust, it looks like it's a
fine rug.
He kicks the edge of the rug, and a small section of it curls
back on itself revealing part of the hardwood floor beneath. He
looks around the room again and notices a brief flash on one of
the top shelves.
There is a book laying down on the shelf. The moonlight from
the window reflected briefly on the leather spine. It takes him
a couple of jumps to get the book, but he is successful.
The book is old. The cover of the book looks black, or at least
so dark it might as well be black. There are no markings on the
covers or spine. Tony moves closer to the window so he can see
the book better.
He opens the book to a random page, and it's beautiful. The
text on the page is hand lettered in Old English text. It's in
two columns on the page and appears to be in English.
Tony doesn't stop to read it. He flips through the book a bit
more. It's almost all text. There are no picture
illustrations, but there are some pages that have diagrams or
strange symbols.
Flipping the pages proves to be too much for the old book. One
of the pages slips free of the binding. It floats to land on
the edge of the rug.
He puts the book on a shelf and bends down to recover the loose
page. As he reaches for the page, he sees the edge of something
painted on the floor where the edge of the rug is turned back.
He grabs the page then rolls back the rug to reveal what's
beneath it. It's a five-pointed star, but all of the lines
making up the star are curved instead of straight.
There's not a circle around it as some would expect, but in the
center there is what looks like an eye. Tony kneels to look
more closely. There is a very fine covering of dust that had
filtered through the rug.
He tries to blow at the dust, but that doesn't really do the
job, so he wipes away some of the dust with his hand. The paint
of the symbol is so dry and aged that some of it rubs away with
the dust.
Suddenly, there's a faint growling noise. So faint, Tony's not
sure if he heard something, or if it was just his imagination.
He freezes, extending his hearing as far as possible.
There it is again: a growling noise, louder this time. And it
sounds like it's coming from under the floor.
That's enough. Tony takes off running
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD, CREEPY HOUSE - NIGHT
Tony flies out of the back door, not bothering to close it on
the way. He runs around the side of the house in much the same
way as he did when he recovered his rocket.
INT. TONY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Tony quietly creeps back into his bedroom. He looks out of the
window to make sure some monster isn't flying down at him before
he sits on the edge of the bed. He tries to relax, to let his
breathing catch up with him.
Then he realizes he's still holding the loose page from the
book. He puts it on his desk next to his rocket. He decides
he's had enough adventure for one night so he changes and gets
back into bed.
LATER
The next morning, Tony is sitting at his desk inspecting the
loose page. He sets down the page and opens a desk drawer to
extract his calligraphy stuff and a blank piece of paper. He
sets out to duplicate the book page.
LATER
Tony has finished a couple of paragraphs. It's very slow going.
He's trying to duplicate the original as closely as possible.
GARY
There you are--
Tony lets out a startled yell. He turns to see Gary standing in
his doorway. Gary walks into the room.
GARY
What're you doing?
Tony looks at his work, then back at Gary. He replies
nonchalantly.
TONY
Nothing. Just practicing.
Gary points to the rocket.
GARY
How come you didn't come by after getting
the rocket.
Tony pauses briefly to build a lie.
TONY
Uh... Mom called me on the way over. I had
to go home.
GARY
Well, you wanna ride over to the hobby store
with me? I gotta pick up some stuff.
TONY
Okay. Just let me clean my pen.
Gary looks more closely at the loose page.
GARY
What is that?
Tony answers while wiping his pen clean.
TONY
Oh, it's just a practice page...to practice
the different letters.
GARY
It looks weird.
TONY
Yeah...
He puts the cap back on his ink bottle and puts away the book
page and his page.
GARY
You ready?
TONY
Let's go.
They leave the room.
LATER
It's night and Tony is still working on copying the page. He
hears a strange noise from his open window. It's very faint:
not quite a growl, not quite singing, almost a combination of
the two. He's not sure, but he thinks it's coming from the
House.
INT. TONY'S KITCHEN - DAY
Tony and his mom are eating breakfast. Dad has already left for
work.
TONY
Mom, did you hear something last night?
TONY'S MOM
(nervously)
Hear something? What do you mean?
TONY
I heard a strange noise. I don't know what
it was.
TONY'S MOM
It was probably nothing.
(changes the subject)
So, when are you and Gary going to try
another launch?
TONY
Gary's almost done with his rocket. We're
gonna try it then.
TONY'S MOM
That's nice.
They continue with their breakfast.
INT. TONY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Tony is still working on copying the page. He's getting close
to done. Once again, he hears the strange sound. He goes to
the window and looks out.
EXT. HIGH SCHOOL YARD - DAY
Tony and Gary are playing catch with a baseball. They talk
while they throw.
TONY
Have you heard any funny noises lately?
GARY
Only after I have beans for dinner.
TONY
No, I'm serious. I hear something funny at
night. I think it's coming from the House.
GARY
Yeah, I heard it too. I asked my folks
about it, but they changed the subject.
TONY
Mine too. I wonder what it means.
GARY
I wonder why they won't talk about it.
They continue tossing and catching the ball.
INT. TONY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Tony is lying in bed, waiting for sleep to take him. It doesn't
get too cool at night, so the window is open. He can hear the
strange sound. It's faint, but it's there.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY
Tony and Gary are just riding their bikes around: jumping off of
curbs, playing follow the leader, being kids. They see a car
pull to a stop in front of the creepy house. They stop and
watch as a STRANGER gets out of the car and goes into the house.
GARY
Who's that?
TONY
Don't know.
GARY
Let's go see.
He takes off on his bike toward the house. Tony follows close
behind.
They stop behind the car and look at the house. Nothing seems
different.
TONY
I wonder who he is. You think that's his
house?
GARY
Maybe. But if it's his, why did he park in
the street.
They look at his car. Theres nothing unusual about the car.
But there is a sticker in the the window it says "MISKATONIC
UNIVERSITY FACULTY PARKING."
While the boys are looking at the car, they hear the front door
of the creepy house close. They look up to see the stranger
returning to his car. The stranger acknowledges the boys with a
nod.
STRANGER
Boys...
TONY
(simultaneous)
Hi.
GARY
(simultaneous)
Hello.
The stranger gets in his car and leaves.
TONY
I wonder what that was about.
The boys look at the creepy house again.
INT. TONY'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Tony's family is watching TV. Suddenly, there's a loud crack
from outside, the TV briefly loses reception, then the thunder
rolls loud enough to shake the house. Everyone jumps up.
TONY'S DAD
That was a lightning strike.
TONY'S MOM
It sounded close.
They all race for the door.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - CONTINUOUS
They're not the only one's who raced for the door. It looks as
if the entire neighborhood is emerging to view the spectacle.
Tony's family looks from their front porch. The big house at
the end of the street is on fire.
And there's a dazzling flash and crash as the house is hit by
lightning again.
Tony's parents start toward the house, but Tony just watches for
a moment from the porch. He soon heads back into the house.
INT. TONY'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Tony enters his room and takes the loose book page and the page
he'd written from the desk. He looks at them for a moment
before returning the page he'd written to the desk. He crumples
the book page and runs out of his room.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD, CREEPY HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Many people are standing around in front of the house, watching
the house burn, including Tony's parents. Tony runs up beside
his parents. He throws the crumpled page at the flames. It
looks like some flames reach out to grab the page in its flight.
TONY'S DAD
What was that?
TONY
Just a piece of paper I found.
They all watch in silence as the house burns.
LATER
It's very early morning. The people of the neighborhood are in
their houses preparing to meet the new day, so the streets are
empty.
The creepy house has been reduced to ashes. The houses on
either side of it were untouched by the flames.
OLDER TONY (V.O.)
That was a long time ago...and a long way away...
INT./EXT. CAR - DAY - PRESENT
OLDER TONY is driving around a neighborhood. It reminds him of
the neighborhood in which he grew up, but the houses look a
little fresher and the cars are newer.
OLDER TONY (V.O.)
I was driving around my new neighborhood,
just to see what's where. Where's the
market? What's the best way to get to work?
That kind of stuff.
He turns a corner and comes to a stop. He stares out of the
windshield in disbelief.
OLDER TONY (V.O.)
I saw something that reminded me of the old
neighborhood. It reminded me of that piece
of paper I still have after all these years.
What older Tony sees at the end of the street in front of him is
a big house. It's a bit bigger than the others in the
neighborhood, and the yard has gone wild.
OLDER TONY (V.O.)
Who says you can never go back?
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. EVENING GALLERY, FIFTH PICTURE ROOM NIGHT
CARLA
At least it's not quite as strange as some
of the others.
They proceed to the next room.
IN THE SIXTH PICTURE ROOM CONTINUOUS
It's another small room with another small picture. This one is
a picture of a park.
Carla reads the card.
CARLA
The Neighbor. What? Is the park the
neighbor?
ZOOM IN on the picture.
MATCH FADE TO:
EXT. PARK - DAY
It's a nice municipal park. Trees for shade, a pond for the
ducks, swings and things for the kids. It's mid-week and mid-
day, so the park isn't too crowded.
GRAHAM EBERSOLE is sitting in the shade of a tree reading a book
for one of his assignments. He's currently enrolled at the
local community college.
BERNICE TRACKER is walking slowly along one of the paths. She
has to use her cane, but she will not let age get in the way of
regular exercise.
Ebersole notices Tracker out of the corner of his eye. At her
present rate, it will take her a minute or so to get to where he
is studying.
EBERSOLE (V.O.)
Dammit! Why does she have to come by here.
He doesn't put down the book. He keeps holding it like he's
reading it, but his mind is only on Tracker.
EBERSOLE (V.O.)
I can't stand that woman. Always meddling
in other people's business. Why can't she
just keep to herself?
He tries to get back to his book, but he's too wound up now.
EBERSOLE (V.O.)
I guess I'm just going to have to study at
the school from now on. Why does this
happen to me?
Tracker is in conversational range now.
TRACKER
Hello, Graham. How are you today?
Ebersole looks up at her and answers in the politest voice he
owns.
EBERSOLE
Fine, Mrs. Tracker. You look well today.
TRACKER
Thank you, Graham. It's a beautiful day to
do your homework outside.
EBERSOLE
Yes, I like to study in the park. It's so
relaxing.
He shifts topics slightly.
EBERSOLE
Is Mr. Tracker okay?
TRACKER
Oh, I'm sure he is. Fred said his hip was
just a little stiff this morning and he
doesn't want to overdo it.
EBERSOLE
Give him my best.
TRACKER
I certainly will.
She starts to move along.
TRACKER
Well, I better keep moving. Need my
exercise. See you later, Graham.
EBERSOLE
Bye, Mrs. Tracker.
He continues to ignore the book in his lap as he watches her put
some distance between them.
EBERSOLE (V.O.)
Meddling bitch. Always has to stick her
nose in everyone else's business. I'm
surprised Fred hasn't killed her yet.
He finally returns to his book.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. EVENING GALLERY, SIXTH PICTURE ROOM NIGHT
JOE
I wonder how many more there are.
CARLA
You wanna go back?
JOE
No, let's see what else there is.
They head for the next room.
IN THE SEVENTH PICTURE ROOM CONTINUOUS
It's another small room and another large picture. This one
shows a bustling cityscape at midday.
Joe and Carla enter the room and read the card.
JOE
The Secret of Antigravity. What the hell
does this picture have to do with
antigravity?
ZOOM IN on the picture.
MATCH FADE TO:
It's a bustling city. There are people with places to go and
things to do moving around. In the light industry and business
section of town there is a low sprawling building.
EXT. BELLINGHAM LABS - DAY
The sign in the front identifies it as Bellingham Scientific
Research. It's not the most attractive building around, but
it's well kept. This is a research lab so money is spent on
practicalities, not frills.
A nice car drives up to the building and parks in a reserved
parking space. Out steps JERRY TREVITT. He's wearing a suit
and carrying a briefcase. He secures his car before entering
the building.
INT. BELLINGHAM LABS - CONTINUOUS
Trevitt enters the reception area where LORNA FRANCISCO is
sitting behind the desk. The reception area is clean, but like
the building is also free of frills.
FRANCISCO
Welcome back, Mr. Trevitt. How was your
lunch?
Trevitt's response comes back a bit tired.
TREVITT
It's hard to enjoy yourself while you're
being grilled by investors.
He continues toward the door marked Director.
FRANCISCO
I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like me
to get you anything?
He pauses.
TREVITT
No, thank you.
He opens his door but stops before entering. He turns to face
Francisco.
TREVITT
Yes... Tell Fredricks that I need to see
him.
FRANCISCO
Yes, sir.
He enters his office and closes the door.
IN TREVITT'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
He leans his back against the door and closes his eyes, but not
for long. One doesn't become the director of a facility like
this by inactivity. He goes behind his desk and sets his
briefcase on the blotter before easing himself into the chair.
He removes a stack of files from his briefcase. He sets the
stack on the desk so he can close his briefcase and move it out
of the way onto the floor. He picks up the files and quickly
alphabetizes them.
He then takes the files to a filing cabinet and starts placing
them in their proper locations. He gets to one file on which he
stops while placing it. He tosses it on his desk before filing
the rest of the files.
CU on the file which reads "Project: Lightfoot."
He finishes the filing then returns to his chair. He picks up
the Project: Lightfoot file and starts to read. The intercom
comes to life.
FRANCISCO (filtered)
Doctor Fredricks to see you, sir.
TREVITT
Send him in.
After a few seconds, the door opens and in walks WALTER
FREDRICKS. He's a stereotypical research scientist who has
dedicated his life to science. His hair's a bit wild and he's
still wearing his lab coat. Francisco quietly closes the door.
Fredricks is a little uneasy. Does anyone like getting called
into the boss's office? He sounds a bit nervous.
FREDRICKS
Hello, Mr. Trevitt.
TREVITT
Walt... Good to see you.
Trevitt gestures toward a chair.
TREVITT
Have a seat.
FREDRICKS
Thank you.
Fredricks sits in the offered chair. Even seated, he doesn't
look comfortable.
TREVITT
Walt... I just had lunch with some of the
investors. They're concerned about the lack
of progress on Lightfoot.
FREDRICKS
But Mr. Trevitt--
Trevitt raises a hand, effectively shutting down Fredricks.
TREVITT
I have to show them something. What can you
give me?
FREDRICKS
We've had some good results with the
selenium-cobalt transducers--
Again, Fredricks is stopped by Trevitt's raised hand.
TREVITT
Are you prepared to show me?
FREDRICKS
Uh... yes...
TREVITT
Right now?
FREDRICKS
...Of course...
Trevitt stands.
TREVITT
Good. Let's go.
Fredricks doesn't show as much enthusiasm as he stands. Trevitt
moves to the door, opens it, and gives Fredricks an "after you"
gesture.
IN THE RECEPTION AREA - CONTINUOUS
Fredricks leaves Trevitt's office with Trevitt right behind him.
TREVITT
Miss Francisco... I'll be in the Lightfoot
lab if you need me.
FRANCISCO
Yes, sir.
She pushes a button at her desk to release the electronic lock
on the door marked "Labs." Fredricks opens the door and goes
through, Trevitt on his tail.
IN THE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Trevitt closes the door to the reception area and makes sure
it's locked. He and Fredricks walk down the hallway, which is
lined on both sides by windows covered with blinds between the
doors.
Fredricks stops at a door with a "Lightfoot" plaque and opens it
using his card key. He and Trevitt enter the room.
IN THE LIGHTFOOT LAB - CONTINUOUS
The lab is spacious and well lit. There are tables loaded with
equipment lining the walls. There is a table in the center of
the room, upon which is two halves of a thick-walled box and a
large sphere about six inches in diameter.
Working on the box is LANCE STADNIK. He is Fredricks's
assistant. He currently has a panel open in the side of the
lower half of the box. He's doing something with the wiring.
He doesn't look up to see who entered the room.
STADNIK
I think I got it, Dr. Fredricks. The gyro
assembly was overcompensating when it sensed
a drift greater than calculated.
Trevitt closes the door.
FREDRICKS
Very good, Lance. Is it ready for a test?
STADNIK
Well, I--
He looks up and notices Trevitt for the first time, which
obviously startles him. He would stand if he weren't holding on
to the stuff in the box.
STADNIK
Mr. Trevitt... I didn't know you were here.
TREVITT
That's okay, Lance. Carry on.
STADNIK
As I was saying, I haven't had a chance to
verify the acceleration ratio when the
transducers engage, but I think it's ready.
FREDRICKS
Okay. Button it up and let's see what
happens.
Stadnik dresses the wires out of the way and closes the access
panel.
STADNIK
All ready, Dr. Fredricks.
FREDRICKS
No. You go ahead. You're doing fine.
Stadnik glances to Trevitt, who nods to proceed.
STADNIK
Okay...
He carefully picks up the sphere and lowers it into the bottom
half of the box. When it is partway in, he releases the sphere,
which hangs suspended in a magnetic field.
TREVITT
That's not it, is it?
FREDRICKS
Oh, no. That's simple magnetism. Any child
in science class could do that.
So far, Trevitt is not impressed.
STADNIK
Ready?
FREDRICKS
Start it, Lance.
Stadnik lightly grabs the top of the sphere in his fingertips
and imparts a spin to it. It sits there, spinning in the
magnetic field. It takes only a few seconds for Trevitt to see
what's happening.
TREVITT
It's picking up speed.
FREDRICKS
The compounds we're using will hit a natural
harmonic at about 38,000 RPM.
STADNIK
That puts the surface velocity at the
sphere's median line at just under the speed
of sound.
Trevitt is becoming a little bit impressed.
TREVITT
But, there's more... right?
Stadnik looks at Fredricks, who nods. Fredricks moves to the
table so he can help Stadnik place the upper half of the box on
the lower half. Fredricks steps back to Trevitt with an
explanation.
FREDRICKS
That completes the transducer circuits.
He turns back to Stadnik.
FREDRICKS
Lock it down and let's go.
Stadnik locks the two halves of the box together and stands
back. He retrieves a radio control transmitter from another
table and hands it to Fredricks. Fredricks flicks on the
transmitter.
FREDRICKS
Now we can start.
Stadnik positions himself at some monitoring equipment. He
checks the current status.
STADNIK
Passive oscillators are responding.
FREDRICKS
Actives coming on...
He flips a switch on his transmitter.
STADNIK
Active oscillators are responding.
FREDRICKS
Adjusting phase...
He slowly turns a dial on his transmitter.
STADNIK
Force is decreasing.
Fredricks continues slowly turning the dial.
STADNIK
Force is approaching zero.
He divides his time between watching the indicators on the
monitoring equipment and watching the cube on the table.
STADNIK
Force is zero.
Fredricks stops turning the dial. He moves his finger to
position it at another switch.
FREDRICKS
Firing stabilizers...
STADNIK
Ready...
Fredricks toggles the switch and the box smoothly rises about a
foot off of the table. It stops, hanging completely motionless.
Trevitt is finally impressed. His eyes are saucers.
TREVITT
That's incredible!
He moves around a little, looking at it from different angles.
TREVITT
Can I touch it?
Fredricks moves closer.
FREDRICKS
No. It's extremely unstable at this point.
That's why I haven't bothered you with it
yet.
TREVITT
But this is fantastic. We'll get another
six months of funding with this.
He eventually circles all the way around the box.
TREVITT
What do you mean it's unstable?
FREDRICKS
So far, it only works in Z.
TREVITT
What do you mean?
Fredricks gestures up and down with one hand.
FREDRICKS
The Z-axis. It only goes up and down.
STADNIK
Every time we try X/Y motion, it crashes.
FREDRICKS
I haven't figured out how to neutralize the
lateral forces internally. It causes an
imbalance.
TREVITT
Can you show me what happens?
Fredricks hesitates briefly.
FREDRICKS
Sure. Just move back and I'll try to move
it sideways.
Trevitt steps backward, away from the box. He can't take his
eyes from it.
FREDRICKS
Make sure the recorders are running. I want
all of this data.
Stadnik verifies the equipment.
STADNIK
Recorders are on. It's all ready.
FREDRICKS
Here goes...
He eases a joystick on the transmitter to the side. The box
starts to move to the side then immediately drops to the table
with a terrible crashing sound. The box appears undamaged.
TREVITT
What happened?
FREDRICKS
As I said, the lateral force--
TREVITT
No. I mean that crashing noise. The box
looks okay.
Stadnik moves to the table and starts to unlock the box.
FREDRICKS
It was the sphere. The sphere shattered.
Stadnik opens the box. The inside is covered with fragments,
most of them very small.
STADNIK
Ever since the first time we had a sphere
shatter, we've used a titanium-lined box.
FREDRICKS
That way we only have to replace the sphere,
not the whole thing.
TREVITT
I'm sorry I doubted you, Walt.
He claps Fredricks on the shoulder.
TREVITT
Keep up the good work.
He leaves the lab. Fredricks and Stadnik look at each other.
FREDRICKS
Clean it up and get a new sphere ready.
STADNIK
Yes, Dr. Fredricks.
He starts to clean up the mess in the box.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
This is Fredricks's kitchen. It's small and tidy and contains
all of the usual appliances.
Fredricks is sitting at the table, eating breakfast. It's cold
cereal: no preparation required. Between bites, he scribbles
furiously in a notebook. He mumbles to himself as he writes.
FREDRICKS
There's got to be a way to improve the
inherent instability of the magnetic field.
His toast pops out of the toaster. He gets up and butters his
toast. When he turns to return to the table, he drops one slice
of toast. Of course it lands with the buttered side down.
A brief wave of aggravation passes across his face, but he
accepts it. He sets down the surviving toast slice on the
table.
By the time he gets some paper towels to clean up the mess, his
cat is sniffing at the toast on the floor, trying to decide if
it's edible. He lightly shoos away the cat and cleans up the
butter from the floor.
He throws away the paper towels and turns around... and the cat
is back to sniffing at the floor where the butter was.
FREDRICKS
Oh, Bob.
He picks up the cat and gives it some attention.
FREDRICKS
You act like I never feed you.
He strokes the cat. The cat responds with satisfied purrs.
FREDRICKS
You know... we've only got two weeks of
funding left. If I don't come up with
something soon, I'll be eating cat food too.
When he lets the cat go, he doesn't bend over all the way, but
lets the cat pour out of his hands to the floor. The cat
wanders away to do whatever it is that cats do.
Fredricks returns to his cereal and his notebook. After a bit
more scribbling, he pauses. He looks up at nothing.
FREDRICKS
(with disbelief)
No...
He looks at his notebook again. He writes a little bit then
looks up again.
FREDRICKS
It can't be that easy...
Back to the notebook, a few more written lines. He looks up
again briefly before grabbing his notebook and running out of
the kitchen. A door slams, followed a moment later by the sound
of tires skidding out of the driveway.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
Back in the Lightfoot lab at Bellingham, Fredricks and Stadnik
are preparing Trevitt for a demonstration of the new antigravity
device. A large sealed box is sitting on the table.
FREDRICKS
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised this
time.
TREVITT
You better have something. Your extension
has almost run out.
Fredricks picks up the radio control transmitter from the table.
Stadnik is already at the monitors.
STADNIK
Ready when you are. Passive oscillators are
responding.
FREDRICKS
Actives coming on...
He flips a switch on the transmitter.
STADNIK
Active oscillators are responding.
FREDRICKS
Releasing suspensory agent...
He flips a different switch on the transmitter.
STADNIK
Suspensory agent is stable.
FREDRICKS
Adjusting phase...
He slowly turns a dial on his transmitter.
STADNIK
Force is decreasing.
Fredricks continues slowly turning the dial.
STADNIK
Force is approaching zero.
Fredricks is barely moving the dial now.
STADNIK
Force is zero.
Fredricks stops turning the dial. He moves his finger to
another switch.
FREDRICKS
Firing stabilizers...
STADNIK
Ready...
Fredricks flips the switch and the box rises from the table. He
turns to Trevitt.
FREDRICKS
You've seen this much before. But we've
changed out the magnetic field for a new
suspensory agent. This one is inherently
stable.
He moves to the box and puts a little pressure on the side with
his free hand. The box doesn't move.
FREDRICKS
Here's what you want to see.
He moves the joystick on his transmitter and the box moves. He
centers the joystick and the box stops moving. Trevitt is
speechless. He walks closer to the box and moves around it.
TREVITT
Can I touch it?
FREDRICKS
Of course. As I said, this one is
inherently stable.
Trevitt tentatively reaches to the box and touches it. The box
doesn't move. He applies a little more pressure. The box still
doesn't move. As he backs away, his next comment is almost a
whisper.
TREVITT
We'll be rich.
He looks up at Fredricks and Stadnik.
TREVITT
Boys... Park that thing and let's
celebrate. I'm buying.
FREDRICKS
(simultaneous)
Yes, sir.
STADNIK
(simultaneous)
Yes, sir.
Fredricks parks the box on the table while Stadnik shuts down
the monitoring. They complete the shutdown and turn to Trevitt.
Trevitt extends a hand to Fredricks.
TREVITT
Congratulations, Walt.
Fredricks shakes his hand.
FREDRICKS
Thank you, Mr. Trevitt.
Trevitt extends a hand to Stadnik.
TREVITT
Congratulations, Lance.
Stadnik shakes his hand.
STADNIK
Thank you, sir.
They all head for the door. Trevitt opens it and holds it as
the others pass through. He follows them through the door.
TREVITT
You guys like sushi?
He closes the door.
PAN and ZOOM IN on the box on the table.
MATCH CUT:
INT. EXPERIMENTAL HOVERCRAFT - DAY
CU on the antigravity box. ZOOM OUT to show the box mounted in
the engine compartment. The engine compartment is grey, plain,
and cramped.
Fredricks and Stadnik enter the compartment to make final
adjustments to the box. They have to bend over in the
compartment because the ceiling is so low.
Fredricks hands a device to Stadnik. There is a cable
connecting the device with another one in Fredricks's hands.
The device in Fredricks's hands has a row of lights that
consists of a number of red lights on either side of a single
green light in the center of the row.
FREDRICKS
Put the auxiliary level on the box. I'll
attach the reference level.
STADNIK
Okay.
He proceeds to attach the device to the box. Fredricks attaches
the other device to a structural beam in the engine compartment.
STADNIK
Ready...
Fredricks activates the reference level. The entire row of
lights illuminates briefly, then all of them go off except one
of the red lights.
FREDRICKS
Raise the forward end.
Stadnik pulls out a screwdriver and starts turning a screw on
one end of the box. As he turns it, the red light goes off and
the next one closer to the green light goes on.
FREDRICKS
Keep going...
Stadnik continues to slowly turn the screw, and the illuminated
light moves slowly closer to green. Eventually, the light next
to the green one illuminates.
FREDRICKS
Slowly... you're almost there.
Stadnik turn the screw slowly. The green light finally comes
on.
FREDRICKS
That's it.
Stadnik removes the screwdriver and moves back a bit from the
box.
STADNIK
Stable?
Fredricks stares at the reference level, which continues to show
the green light.
FREDRICKS
That does it. Let's go.
They unmount the levels and leave the engine compartment.
INT. HANGER - CONTINOUS
This is a large aerospace hanger. It is empty except for the
hovercraft sitting in the center and a handful of military and
executive personnel sitting against one wall. The people are
just chatting with each other.
Fredricks and Stadnik exit from the hovercraft and make their
way to the group. As they approach, Trevitt stands.
TREVITT
Ready?
FREDRICKS
It's solid.
TREVITT
Okay. Take your positions and standby.
Fredricks and Stadnik move to their control and monitoring
consoles. Trevitt moves to stand in front of those assembled.
TREVITT
Distinguished guests... thank you for coming
today.
Everyone quiets so they can hear Trevitt.
TREVITT
I expect that after this demonstration, you
will not feel that your time has been
wasted. Without further ado, let's begin.
He signals Fredricks and Stadnik to begin. They commence
operating the controls on the consoles.
TREVITT
We at Bellingham Labs have made a
breakthrough.
He gestures toward the hovercraft.
TREVITT
This will be the easiest way to demonstrate.
I want you to take note of how quiet this
new system is.
He looks back to Fredricks and Stadnik and gives a slight nod.
They finalize the preparations and begin the demonstration. The
hovercraft silently rises about a foot off of the floor. The
audience is astonished. Most of them jump to their feet.
TREVITT
We have developed a true antigravity
generator. This is not just a mag-lev
system.
He gives a nod to Fredricks and Stadnik. They play with the
controls and the hovercraft starts moving across the floor.
The audience stares in disbelief as the hovercraft silently
moves around the hangar. Trevitt smiles to himself. He knows
he's got a winner.
INT. BELLINGHAM LABS - DAY
Fredricks and Stadnik are fine tuning some equipment while the
box hovers over the table. The door opens and Trevitt enters
with GENERAL SAYERS. Sayers works on special projects. He
looks at the hovering box, fascinated.
SAYERS
So this is the feles engine.
Fredricks and Stadnik look up at Sayers. Fredricks signals to
Stadnik to continue at the equipment. Fredricks moves toward
Sayers and Trevitt.
FREDRICKS
Yes, sir. I'm Doctor Fredricks. How may I
help you?
TREVITT
Walt, this is General Sayers. He needs to
learn the workings of the feles engine so he
can help determine military use.
FREDRICKS
Well, you showed up at a good time. We'll
take the engine offline for feeding.
He signals to Stadnik who shuts down the engine. It gently
drops down to the table.
SAYERS
Don't you mean refueling?
FREDRICKS
No. Did you ever wonder why we called it
the feles engine?
SAYERS
I just thought it must be something
scientific.
TREVITT
You're close. It's Latin.
Stadnik finishes with the equipment and joins the group around
the table.
SAYERS
Latin for what.
Stadnik unsnaps and opens the lid on the box.
STADNIK
Cat.
He reaches into the box and lifts out a cat, which he sets on
the table.
FREDRICKS
Nature's antigravity: a cat always lands on
its feet, and a piece of buttered toast
always lands butter-side down. Put them
together and they can never hit the ground.
CU on the cat. It has a piece of buttered toast attached to its
back.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. EVENING GALLERY, SEVENTH PICTURE ROOM NIGHT
Joe holds his head.
JOE
This stuff is starting to hurt my brain.
Carla tugs him toward the next room.
CARLA
Keep moving. There can't be that many more.
IN THE EIGHTH PICTURE ROOM CONTINUOUS
Joe and Carla enter to see another small picture. This picture
is a nighttime cityscape.
Carla reads the card.
CARLA
Vampire Hunter. This makes about as much
cense as the last one. I wonder if this is
the same city.
ZOOM IN on the picture.
MATCH FADE TO:
EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT
It's late, but there are still a few people wandering here and
there.
PERRY MAJOR walks around the corner. He's in his late 30s,
clean shaven and fit. He wears his hair in a 50s-style flat
top. He's wearing a leather jacket and he has his hands buried
in the pockets.
MAJOR (V.O.)
I only hunt them at night. That's the only
time they come out.
He stops in front of a bar. He looks up and down the street
before he ducks into the bar.
INT. BAR - CONTINUOUS
It's not crowded, but there're enough people to make the place
lively. All of the pool tables are in use.
Major sits at the bar and the BARTENDER drifts over to him.
BARTENDER
What'll it be?
MAJOR
Ginger ale. No ice.
The bartender fills a glass and sets it in front of Major.
Major sets a five on the bar. The bartender takes the bill and
returns with the change.
Major grabs the glass and swivels around so he can watch the
pool players as he drinks.
MAJOR (V.O.)
Vampires are actually easy prey.
He takes another sip from his glass.
MAJOR (V.O.)
They're easy 'cause they believe the
legends...you know, crosses and holy water
and such.
Another sip.
MAJOR (V.O.)
If they didn't believe, it wouldn't work.
He watches as a MAN who was sitting alone at a table in the
corner leaves the bar.
Major sips some more ginger ale then sets the glass next to his
change. He leaves the change on the bar and heads for the door.
EXT. BAR - CONTINUOUS
The door opens and Major walks out onto the sidewalk. He looks
up the street and sees the man from the bar. He checks in his
jacket where he's got a wooden stake, hammer, and cross in
pockets sewn into the lining.
MAJOR (V.O.)
Here goes...
He heads up the street after the man.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. EVENING GALLERY, EIGHTH PICTURE ROOM NIGHT
Neither Joe nor Carla has any comments to add to that. They
move to the next room.
IN THE NINTH PICTURE ROOM CONTINUOUS
Joe and Carla enter and look at a large picture of the woods
covered in snow.
Joe reads the card.
JOE
Winter Wonderland.
He looks back at the picture.
JOE
Finally, one that is easy to get. I don't
even have to think about it.
ZOOM IN on the picture.
MATCH FADE TO:
EXT. WOODS - DAY
A winter day in the North woods in the late 19th century.
Everything looks so quiet, the blanket of snow virtually
untouched. From behind some of the brush, a WOLF pokes out its
nose. It is white with startling blue eyes. It looks
intelligent. It proceeds to wander through the woods.
The wolf eventually comes across a pair of HUNTERS. The hunters
are carefully scanning the area. The wolf quietly sneaks by the
hunters and continues its trek.
HUNTER #1
There it is!
Hunter #1 quickly raises his shotgun to his shoulder. The
shotgun BOOMS and the snow near the wolf flies into the air.
The wolf takes off running.
HUNTER #2
Stop it! It's getting away!
The shotgun BOOMS again, misses the target again. The wolf
continues to run.
EXT. HOUSE, FRONT YARD - DAY
A two-story house nestled among the trees in the woods.
It's a cold day, but at least the snow has stopped falling.
Richard's servant, ANDREW, is splitting wood in the front yard.
He swings the axe into the end of a log--THWACK! Plumes of
vapor are produced by Andrew's heavy breathing.
EXT. HOUSE, BACK YARD - CONTINUOUS
The back door of the house opens and out steps RICHARD. He's a
big man in his fifties, dressed against the cold. THWACK! The
sound can be heard from the front of the house.
Richard looks up at the sky as he closes the back door and steps
into the snow. He walks a short distance from the house to stop
at a headstone. He slowly drops to his knees and proceeds to
brush the snow clear of the headstone. The headstone reads,
VICTORIA
Beloved Wife and Mother
1841-1887
Richard's fingers come to rest on the name. The axe falls
again: THWACK!
INT. HOUSE, EDWARD'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
This is a typical bedroom for a family that is wealthy. The
room is dim, lit only by the winter light from the window.
MARGARET stands at the window, looking down at Richard. She's a
young woman who is completely naked, holding one arm across her
breasts and one hand on the window frame.
EDWARD is sitting up in the bed. He's a young man who is naked
as well, but he has the sheet pulled up to his waist.
MARGARET
He really misses her.
EDWARD
We all do, but Father can't let her go.
MARGARET
He goes out there almost every day. He's
been doing it for years.
Edward gets off the bed and walks to the window where he wraps
his arms around Margaret from behind. She closes her eyes and
leans her head back against Edward.
He slides his hands up to cup her breasts. He kisses her neck.
She reaches up and behind so she can interlock her fingers
behind his neck. She GASPS as he pinches her nipples.
EDWARD
(whispering)
I love the way you feel.
Margaret lets out a slight MOAN as Edward's fingers work. He
slides his hands down her sides until they come to a rest at her
waist. She stretches out, grabbing the top frame of the window
with both hands.
EXT. HOUSE, EDWARD'S BEDROOM WINDOW - CONTINUOUS
Margaret's breasts are smashed up against the cold glass.
EXT. HOUSE, BACK YARD - CONTINUOUS
A faint THWACK! is heard in the background. Richard is still
kneeling in front of his late wife's headstone. He lightly
traces the words with his fingers.
EXT. HOUSE, FRONT YARD - CONTINUOUS
The axe swings. THWACK! Andrew sets up, swings, THWACK!
INT. HOUSE, EDWARD'S BEDROOM - DAY
Margaret is on the bed underneath Edward. They are lost in
passion, MOANING and GROANING. Their love-making reaches an
orgasmic peak... then tapers off. He rolls off of her.
MARGARET
(playfully)
Was that to your satisfaction, sir?
EDWARD
Yes, I enjoyed that...
He props himself up on one elbow so he can see her better. He
traces a circle around one of her nipples.
EDWARD
...But you better get back to work cleaning
my room.
Margaret reels back in mock indignation and hits him. He laughs
and pulls her on top of himself for a kiss. He kisses her
lightly, playfully on the lips. He kisses her on the tip of her
nose, following quickly with a little nip. She giggles.
He kisses her very softly on both eyelids, lingering, not
rushing the moment. He returns to her lips where she can no
longer restrain herself. She kisses him back with such passion
it's almost startling.
EXT. HOUSE, EDWARD'S BEDROOM WINDOW - CONTINUOUS
The faint sound of Andrew's chopping carries in the still air.
INT. HOUSE, DINING ROOM - NIGHT
The room is lit entirely by candlelight. Richard is seated at
the head of the table. His sons JOHN and Edward are seated to
his right. His daughters ANNE and ELIZABETH are seated to his
left. Victoria's chair at the other end of the table is empty.
They are all engaged in insignificant dinner conversation.
Margaret enters the room wearing her usual maid's uniform and
starts removing some of the tableware. As she leans between
John and Edward, Edward quickly rubs a hand on one of her legs.
INT. HOUSE, EDWARD'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Margaret is sitting astride Edward in bed. She has undressed
except for her undergarments. She is unbuttoning his shirt.
Unknown to the couple on the bed, the door to Edward's bedroom
slowly, quietly opens a crack.
IN THE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Richard carefully peeks in on his son and maid. His rage builds
until--
IN EDWARD'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
The door flies open. Richard points at Margaret who jumps off
of Edward to grab her dress to cover herself.
RICHARD
YOU!
Margaret gets her dress. Edward rises from the bed.
RICHARD
GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!
MARGARET
What?
RICHARD
OUT OF MY HOUSE!
MARGARET
(simultaneous)
But I have nowhere to go.
EDWARD
(simultaneous)
Father, you can't be serious.
RICHARD
I will not have you in my house corrupting
my sons!
EDWARD
Father, it's my fault! Don't do this!
Richard ignores his son.
RICHARD
You will go to your room, get your things
together, and leave!
Margaret runs out of the room crying.
EDWARD
Father, it's not her fault. I asked her to
my room.
Richard refuses to listen to any argument.
RICHARD
Shut up!
He leaves Edward's room and slams the door shut. Edward quickly
puts on the rest of his clothes.
INT. HOUSE, ENTRY - NIGHT
Margaret is standing at the door. She has a bag in her hand and
she is in tears. Richard is standing in front of her and his
children and butler are watching.
MARGARET
But where will I go? It's dark and snowing.
My parents live more than five miles away
RICHARD
You should have thought of that before
seducing my son, you whore.
(opens front door)
Now get out!
He pushes Margaret out into the night. The kids and butler all
chime in with their arguments, but Richard is a stubborn man.
Margaret just looks at him. She can't believe this is
happening.
Richard SLAMS the door in her face. He turns to face the crowd
behind him.
RICHARD
All of you go to your rooms!
EDWARD
But father--
RICHARD
YOU HEARD ME! GO!
The crowd disperses to go to their rooms. Richard heads for the
sitting room.
IN THE SITTING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Richard enters and goes straight for the liquor. He's always
had a temper, but this is one of the most extreme things he's
ever done.
He pours himself a drink before sitting in his chair facing the
fireplace. He stares into the flames for a moment then starts
in on his drink.
EXT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Margaret steps off of the porch and into the snow. It's dark
and it's snowing lightly. She is crying softly to herself. She
walks away from the house.
INT. HOUSE, SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
Richard gets up from his chair to pour himself another drink.
He is about to take a sip when he notices his reflection in a
mirror over the liquor cabinet. He just holds his glass close
to his mouth, looking at himself in the mirror.
Finally, he turns his back to the mirror and takes a drink.
EXT. WOODS - CONTINUOUS
Margaret is not properly dressed for a trek in the snow. The
weather quickly takes its toll. She manages to make it to the
base of a huge tree where she huddles up next to the tree to
protect herself from the snow. She is shivering and crying.
She doesn't notice the white wolf that pokes its head out of the
brush. The wolf looks around to see if there are any others in
the area. Satisfied that Margaret is alone, the wolf transforms
into man-shape.
He is tall and slender. He sports maybe a bit more hair than
the average man and his hair is white. He has the same blue
eyes as the wolf. He is wearing no clothing, yet he is
unaffected by the cold.
He is in fact a VAMPIRE, and he advances on Margaret. When he
speaks, his voice is soothing.
VAMPIRE
What's wrong, child?
Margaret looks up in tears. If she is surprised to see a naked
man in the snow, she doesn't show it.
MARGARET
My master threw me out. I'll never make it
home.
VAMPIRE
You're freezing.
(kneels fluidly)
Let me comfort you.
He holds and comforts Margaret for a little while before baring
his fangs and sinking them into Margaret's neck.
INT. HOUSE, SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
Richard is standing in front of the fireplace. He is holding a
half-full glass.
RICHARD
DAMMIT!
(throws glass into fireplace)
ANDREW!
Andrew enters the room immediately. He knows what his master is
like, so he was waiting outside the door.
ANDREW
Yes sir?
RICHARD
Go get the boys. We're going after her.
ANDREW
Yes sir.
He quickly leaves the room.
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Richard, Edward, John, and Andrew are all on the front porch
dressed for cold weather exploration. Its going to be
difficult. The snow has covered Margaret's tracks.
Richard and John are carrying rifles. Edward and Andrew are
carrying lanterns. Richard addresses his sons quickly.
RICHARD
You boys head south-west. Stay together.
Andrew and I will head west. Fire two quick
shots if you find her, three shots if you
run into trouble. Questions?
JOHN
(simultaneous)
No, sir.
EDWARD
(simultaneous)
No, sir.
RICHARD
Then go!
The four split up to try to find Margaret.
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
John and Edward are searching. Edward holds the light high,
trying to see as much as he can. He's agitated because of his
emotional connection to Margaret.
EDWARD
MARGARET!
(waits listening)
MARGARET!
JOHN
(pointing)
Let's try over that way.
The two head off between the trees.
EDWARD
MARGARET!
ON RICHARD AND ANDREW - CONTINUOUS
It's almost a duplicate of the scene with John and Edward, but
Andrew's calls don't have the same intensity as Edward's did.
ANDREW
MARGARET! MARGARET!
Richard is constantly scanning. It's extremely difficult to
see. The dark and snow not only cut visibility, but distort it
as well. They continue their search.
ANDREW
MARGARET!
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Anne and Elizabeth look through the window, waiting for someone
to return. They can see a light coming toward the house.
Richard and Andrew come up to the house. They are defeated.
The front door opens. Anne and Elizabeth emerge onto the porch.
ANNE
(simultaneous)
What's happening?!
ELIZABETH
(simultaneous)
Did you find her?!
ANNE
Where--
Richard puts his hand up to stop his daughters.
RICHARD
Go to your rooms.
ANNE
(simultaneous)
Why did--
ELIZABETH
(simultaneous)
But what--
RICHARD
PLEASE!
(quietly)
Go to your rooms.
His daughters are obedient. They hesitate only a moment before
complying. He sits on the porch, setting his rifle down. He
lowers his head into one of his hands.
Andrew stands by quietly like a good servant. Off in the
distance a light advances on the house. Andrew sees it.
ANDREW
Sir...
Richard looks up and sees the light. Soon John and Edward are
visible. Edward's head and lantern are low. Richard stands,
anxious. John and Edward come to the porch.
RICHARD
Son...
EDWARD
Get away from me!
He continues past the others, entering the house and closing the
door. John and Andrew look to Richard for what's next.
RICHARD
We'll search again in the morning.
JOHN
Father, why did--
RICHARD
Let's just get some sleep. We'll continue
in the morning.
Richard picks up his rifle and the three enter the house.
EXT. WOODS - DAY
Margaret is frozen beneath the tree.
EDWARD (O.S.)
MARGARET!
He comes into view, looking at Margaret. He stops, not wanting
to believe.
EDWARD
No.
(a beat)
NO!
He breaks into a run, dropping to his knees when he gets to
Margaret. He touches her frozen features lightly with his
fingertips.
EDWARD
...no...
John catches up to him. John stops and stares. He doesn't know
what to say. Edward gently puts his arms around Margaret and
hugs her. Her body is stiff with cold and death. Richard and
Andrew join them.
RICHARD
Edward...
Edward looks up at his father, the cause of all of this pain.
He lets go of Margaret and leaps toward John where he grabs the
rifle out of John's hands. He swings the rifle up and points it
directly at his father's face.
Silence. Literally, a frozen tableau.
EDWARD
I should kill you.
No one dares move. Finally, Edward relaxes. He lowers the
rifle and then lets it drop from his hand into the snow. He
returns to Margaret. Richard turns to Andrew.
RICHARD
Bring a hand-cart.
ANDREW
Yes, sir.
Andrew hurries off. Richard and John watch the sad scene in the
snow. John retrieves his forgotten rifle. Edward is in his own
world, mourning his loss.
INT. HOUSE, DINING ROOM - NIGHT
The family is once again at the dinner table. Edward, however,
is absent. The diners eat in silence.
EXT. WOODS - DAY
The ground is still covered with snow, but it is no longer
snowing.
Edward is slowly walking through the woods. He comes to the
tree where Margaret was found. He touches the tree, thinking of
Margaret not as he last saw her, but when they were happy. He
lowers his head in sorrow.
INT. HOUSE, DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Richard looks out through the French windows.
EXT. WOODS - DAY
The snow-covered tableau looks so quiet and peaceful.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. WOODS - DAY
The warm summer sun has long since melted the snow.
EXT. GRAVEYARD - DAY
Edward arrives at the graveyard carrying a bouquet of wild
flowers. He reverently walks to a grave with a small marker.
He kneels and places the flowers in front of the marker. He
kneels there in silence for a little while before leaving.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. GRAVEYARD - DAY
The graveyard is covered in snow. Margaret's small marker is
completely buried under the snow.
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Richard's house. Unchanged after a year. It's snowing.
INT. HOUSE, SITTING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Richard is sitting by the fire, enjoying a drink. The CRACKLING
of the fire is soothing. He takes a sip from the almost-empty
glass. He sets it on the table next to his chair and sits back.
His eyes drift closed briefly. After a moment, his eyes close
again. He fights them open. That's enough. Time for bed. He
stands and leaves.
IN THE DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Richard enters and walks to the French windows. He notices the
curtains were left open so he reaches to draw them.
He pauses, looks out the window. There's something moving off
in the distance. He rubs his eyes before looking again.
There's a ghostly image dancing in the drifting snow. Richard
strains to focus.
EXT. WOODS - CONTINUOUS
Margaret is dancing in the snow. She's very pale, almost as
white as her flowing dress.
INT. HOUSE, DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Richard recognizes her. He can't believe it.
RICHARD
(to himself)
It's her.
(stares a moment longer)
It's her!
He sprints toward to door.
EXT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
The front door bursts open. Richard pauses in the doorway,
looking at the image.
EXT. WOODS - CONTINUOUS
Margaret continues her dance.
EXT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
RICHARD
Margaret!
He runs after her even though he's not dressed for the cold.
She retreats as he advances. Andrew had heard the commotion.
He comes to the front door. He doesn't see Margaret. All he
sees is Richard running out into the snow.
ANDREW
Sir! Stop!
EXT. WOODS - CONTINUOUS
Richard keeps chasing after something only he sees.
EXT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Andrew disappears from the doorway. He returns shortly, putting
on a winter coat. He runs out after Richard.
ANDREW
Sir!
EXT. WOODS - CONTINUOUS
Margaret is weaving between the trees, moving deeper and deeper
into the woods. Richard can't seem to catch up with her. He's
breathing heavily now.
Andrew attempts to catch up, but loses Richard in the drifting
snow. Margaret suddenly stops, allowing Richard to get within
range. He is panting, out of breath.
RICHARD
Margaret...
She gives a little curtsy.
MARGARET
Good evening, sir.
RICHARD
How can this be? You're...
He can't continue. The guilt still weighs heavily on him.
MARGARET
I'm what, sir?
He replies quietly, as if telling a secret.
RICHARD
You're dead.
MARGARET
How can that be, sir? I'm standing right
here.
He pauses. His brain can't put it all together. She slowly
advances on him, holding out one hand.
MARGARET
Come... touch me... I'm right here.
She stops right in front of him. He slowly reaches out and
touches her hand. It's solid. Richard is confused.
RICHARD
I don't understand. We buried you.
MARGARET
Don't worry about that now, sir.
She steps in close and reaches up to cradle his face in her
hands.
MARGARET
No need to worry anymore.
She stretches up and kisses him lightly on the lips, then looks
into his eyes.
MARGARET
Hold me. It's cold out here.
He slowly, almost mechanically, puts his arms around her. She
embraces him back.
After a moment, she brings one arm back around. She grabs hold
of his shirt and rips it open. Margaret bares her fangs and
sinks them into Richard's chest. He just stands there,
seemingly unaware of what's happening.
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Andrew returns to the house to find Richard's children all
waiting at the door.
JOHN
What's happening, Andrew? Where's Father?
ANDREW
I'm not sure. I lost him.
Before anyone can get out the questions they want to ask, Andrew
continues.
ANDREW
Let's go inside. I'll tell you what I know.
INT. HOUSE, DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Richard's children and Andrew are seated at the dinner table.
ANNE
Tell us what happened.
The other children all agree with Anne. Andrew puts a hand up
to stop the questions.
ANDREW
I'm not sure what happened. I heard your
father yell, but by the time I got to the
door, he was all the way to the tree line.
ELIZABETH
Why did he go out there?
ANDREW
I don't know. It seemed as if he was
chasing someone or something. The last
thing I heard him say was...
(looks at Edward)
...Margaret...
Edward's heart is clenched by an unseen hand. He has not
forgiven Richard for Margaret's death.
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT
The lights are burning in the house as plans are made.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
Silence. Peaceful, calm silence... suddenly broken by Andrew,
John, and Edward crashing out of the house wearing their warmest
clothes, carrying rifles. They're off to find Richard. They go
in three different directions.
EXT. WOODS - DAY
John searches for his father. He comes across a track in the
snow where something had been dragged. He follows the track to
see Richard propped up against the base of the same tree where
Margaret was found.
JOHN
Father!
He runs to Richard, looks for signs of life. He hangs his head
when he finds Richard is dead. He mourns briefly before
standing and FIRING two shots into the air.
INT. HOUSE, DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Richard's children are gathered around the table.
JOHN
One of the things I don't understand is the
track. He was dragged for over two hundred
yards to that tree. We followed the track
all of the way.
Edward knows what John is going to say.
EDWARD
Yes... and there were no footprints.
JOHN
Right. Whoever dragged him to the tree left
no footprints.
ANNE
That's not possible.
JOHN
Possible or not, that's what happened.
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
Snow covers the ground. Victoria's headstone sits all alone,
soon to be joined by--
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
Richard's headstone sitting next to Victoria's on a beautiful
summer day. There are flowers in front of both headstones.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
Both headstones are now poking up through the snow that blankets
everything.
INT. HOUSE, DINING ROOM - NIGHT
The children are relaxing at the table at the conclusion of
their meal. Elizabeth glances to the French windows. She sees
two faint shapes moving in the drifting snow out on the west
slope. She jumps up in surprise.
ELIZABETH
There's someone out there.
They all rise and move to the windows where they see two
figures: one large, one small. Edward suddenly cries out.
EDWARD
It's Margaret!
Edward bolts for the door, rips it open.
ANNE
John! Stop him!
EXT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Edward leaves the house running with John close behind. John is
a little older and a little faster. John tackles Edward into
the snow.
EDWARD
Let me go! It's Margaret!
JOHN
No it isn't. Margaret's dead.
EDWARD
But look...
John ignores him, picks him up out of the snow, and drags him
back to the house. Andrew rushes out to help John. Edward just
continues looking at Margaret dancing in the drifting snow.
ELIZABETH
Look... it is Margaret.
(a beat)
And Father!
They all stand by the front door looking at the images.
JOHN
It's not really them. They must be ghosts.
That must be what happened to Father. He
saw Margaret's ghost and ran after, just
like Edward.
EDWARD
Why are they here? Why don't they come any
closer?
ANDREW
Let's all go in the house. We'll discuss it
inside.
They all move into the house and close the door.
INT. HOUSE, DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
They file around the table and sit down.
ANNE
What are we going to do?
JOHN
I don't know if there's anything we can do.
ELIZABETH
They don't seem to be getting any closer.
Edward gets up. Everyone watches as he goes to the windows. He
stares out at the figures.
ANDREW
(whispering)
I think we should stay out of the snow at
night.
The others at the table nod their agreement. Edward slowly
draws the curtains.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. EVENING GALLERY, NINTH PICTURE ROOM NIGHT
CARLA
I actually like this one. I hope there's
more like it.
They move on to the next room with a little bit more enthusiasm.
IN THE TENTH PICTURE ROOM CONTINUOUS
This room has a small picture of the California high desert.
Joe and Carla enter and read the card.
CARLA
Life.
She looks at the picture.
CARLA
Okay. This isn't bad. I can kind of
understand it.
ZOOM IN on the picture.
MATCH FADE TO:
EXT. DESERT - NIGHT
It's the high desert of Southern California. A place that can
be 120 degrees in summer and have snow on the cactus in winter.
A coyote howls in the distance; its mournful cry is picked up
and echoed by others.
Overhead is nature's light show. Away from the artificial
lights of the city, the moon and stars shine almost impossibly
bright.
And as an added bonus, there's a meteor shower tonight. The
trails glow across the sky for only a few seconds each, but they
are memorable in their beauty.
A bit unusual...one of the flashes appears as a point instead of
a trail. It's coming into the atmosphere instead of just across
it.
A short time later, a red-hot meteorite creates a crater in the
sand where it impacted.
The meteorite is small, maybe ten centimeters across. As it
cools, it becomes highly reflective. Soon it looks like a small
puddle of mercury sitting in the crater, then it's absorbed into
the sand.
The moon continues its travels across the sky and eventually
shines down on a small growth in the bottom of the crater. The
growth is visibly increasing in size.
By morning it looks like a single ear of corn, growing upright,
still in its husk, a spill of reddish-brown hair coming out at
the top.
The strange part of it is the husk is a swirl of green and
purple and brown.
Oh yeah...and it's six feet tall.
There is apparently some movement inside the husk and suddenly
two hands appear out the top. They are smooth and delicate and
it isn't long before the hands stretch up to their full reach,
exposing matching forearms.
The arms spread apart which splits open the husk, and the hands
start to pull the husk away. Bit by bit, these actions reveal a
beautiful young lady inside the husk. Long reddish-brown hair
falls below her shoulders.
Her feet are attached inside the bottom of the strange plant.
She pulls them up one at a time, her toes appear more as torn-
off roots than as toes.
Freed from her cocoon, she pulls some of the lining from the
inside of the husk. It's silky and flowing and has the same
green-purple-brown colors as the husk.
She wraps and ties this lining about her body to create simple
clothing. Satisfied with the results, she walks off into the
seemingly-endless desert, away from the rising sun.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. EVENING GALLERY, TENTH PICTURE ROOM NIGHT
JOE
If we can keep going like this, I won't feel
like we wasted our time.
They continue to the next room.
IN THE ELEVENTH PICTURE ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Joe and Carla enter and look at a large picture of a quiet-
looking house in a quiet-looking neighborhood.
Carla reads the card.
CARLA
Dead of the Night.
She looks back to the picture.
CARLA
It's obviously daytime in the picture, but
it's called Dead of the Night.
JOE
Yeah. And why so many pictures of houses
and cities and such?
ZOOM IN on the picture.
MATCH FADE TO:
It's a quiet day at a quiet little house in a quiet older
neighborhood. It's all very neat and tidy.
EXT. HOUSE, BACK YARD CONTINUOUS
It's a quiet day at a quiet little house in a quiet older
neighborhood. It's all very neat and tidy.
EXT. HOUSE, BACK YARD CONTINUOUS
The yard is gorgeous. The small lawn is lush and green. There
is a wide variety of flowers in various beds around the yard.
The fences are high enough to lend everything a cozy, private
feel.
The back door opens and out comes ANGELA SIMMONS. She's in
pretty good shape for being in her fifties. She's followed by
JANICE COSTELLO, who is somewhere between her late twenties and
early thirties.
ANGELA
It's been a wonderful place to live, but
with Bobby gone...
She pauses a moment before continuing.
ANGELA
You know, I always called him Bobby. Can
you imagine being nearly 60 and being called
Bobby?
JANICE
He probably loved it.
ANGELA
With Bobby gone, there's no reason to put
off moving in with our daughter. She's been
asking for years. She could really use the
help now with a baby of her own on the way.
She looks across the yard. The look on her face is that of
pleasant memories.
JANICE
You've done a fantastic job of keeping it in
shape, Mrs. Simmons.
ANGELA
Please, it's Angela. I have someone come by
to do the lawns, but I still do the
gardening myself.
Janice walks to a bed of roses and sniffs a few of the different
varieties.
JANICE
These roses smell heavenly.
Angela indicates another area of flowers across the yard.
ANGELA
My favorite is the jasmine.
Janice walks over to sample the jasmine's fragrance. Angela
follows behind. Janice takes a sniff of the flowers then looks
at Angela.
JANICE
Oh... that's fantastic.
Angela smiles.
ANGELA
I know.
JANICE
I hope I can keep everything as nice as you
have.
Angela pats Janice on the hand.
ANGELA
I'm sure you will.
PETER BECK sticks his head out of the back door. He's a realtor
who is trying to look the part of a realtor, even though he
doesn't feel very comfortable about it.
PETER
The paperwork is all ready for you, ladies.
Janice gives Angela an "after you" gesture.
ANGELA
Thank you, dear.
She and Janice head for the door. Peter watches only long
enough to make sure the pair is headed back to the house before
ducking back inside himself. He doesn't really care for the
outdoors.
INT. HOUSE, KITCHEN CONTINUOUS
It's a cozy kitchen. Of course that's a nice way to say it's
small, but everything is clean and tidy and within reach. Peter
is standing by the table where there is a stack of papers.
Angela and Janice enter and close the door.
PETER
Just a few more signatures and it's all
done.
He indicates for the ladies to have a seat. The ladies arrange
themselves in front of the papers.
PETER
Okay Ms. Costello... we'll start with your
parts.
He hands her a pen and starts flipping pages.
IN THE LIVING ROOM CONTINUOUS
The living room is like everything else about the house: small
and tidy.
PETER (O.S.)
I need a signature here...
There's a brief pause then the sound of flipping pages.
PETER (O.S.)
...and here...
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
It's a new day and there's a moving van in front of Angela's
house.
INT. HOUSE, LIVING ROOM DAY
The living room looks the same as it did the other day.
MATCH FADE TO:
LATER
The living room (now it's Janice's living room) is empty of
furniture.
MATCH FADE TO:
LATER
The living room has been sparsely re-populated with new
furniture. There are also moving boxes scattered around the
place.
EXT. HOUSE DAY
It's late afternoon as Janice drives up the street and pulls her
car into her driveway. She's dressed comfortably because she's
been moving.
She climbs out of the car then moves around to the passenger
side to extract a box of junk. She carries the box to the front
door and lets herself into the house.
INT. HOUSE CONTINUOUS
Janice kicks the door closed and sets down the box. She weaves
her way around the other boxes so she can crash on the couch.
She looks up at the wall behind the couch and sees a nail.
JANICE
That's perfect.
She rises and hunts for the right box.
She eventually finds what she's looking for. She pulls
something out of a box and tears off the protective wrapping.
Once she hangs it on the wall, it's seen to be a genealogy
needlepoint with the names as a tree.
ZOOM IN on the needlepoint.
MATCH CUT TO:
LATER
CU of the needlepoint.
ZOOM OUT to reveal the room as Janice enjoys her housewarming
party. A bunch of PEOPLE are milling around. Some are holding
small plates of munchies. Some are holding drinks.
Janice and TARA are standing in front of the needlepoint,
looking at it.
TARA
Where are you?
Janice points to a small branch on the end.
JANICE
Right here.
TARA
Wow! You're one of seven?
JANICE
Yeah... all girls, too.
She points to her mother's name on the needlepoint.
JANICE
Mom is the same. I'm the seventh daughter
of a seventh daughter.
TARA
Isn't that supposed to be something special?
JANICE
I've heard that, but I've never known it to
make any difference.
Across the room, BRETT waves at Janice to get her attention.
BRETT
Hey, Janice!
Janice waves back and returns briefly to Tara.
JANICE
Brett's here. I'll talk to you later.
TARA
Okay. See ya.
The girls separate and strike up other conversations. The party
continues; everyone's having a good time.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. KITCHEN DAY
It's a fresh day. Bright sunlight streams in through the
windows.
Janice is standing there with a phone in one hand, and a cup of
coffee in the other.
JANICE
Pick up some of those grapes for me. You
know... like the ones you brought to work on
Friday.
INT. CAR CONTINUOUS
Tara is chatting while driving. At least she's responsible
enough to use a hands-free setup.
TARA
They were perfect, weren't they?
INTERCUT PHONE CONVERSATION
JANICE
I should keep food like around here all the
time. It'd be better than a lot of the junk
I eat.
TARA
You want me to just swing by on the way
home?
JANICE
That'd be great. If I don't answer the
door, just come around the back. I'm gonna
lay out in the sun a little.
TARA
So, you're doing the life of leisure thing
now.
JANICE
Hey, it's called SUN day for a reason.
TARA
Alright, alright. Hey, I'm at the parking
lot. Gotta go.
JANICE
Okay. Later.
TARA
Bye.
JANICE
Bye.
Janice hangs up and drifts out of the kitchen.
EXT. HOUSE, BACK YARD DAY
It's a beautiful sunny day.
The door opens. Janice comes out wearing a bikini, carrying a
towel and a bottle of lotion. See grabs the outdoor recliner
from the patio and drags it beside one of the flowerbeds. She
adjusts it to lay flat then spreads the towel on it.
With her bare feet in the grass, she leans over to smell one of
the roses. The expression on her face says it couldn't get any
better than this. She sits on the recliner and rubs the tanning
lotion all over then she shifts around to lie on her stomach.
After a short time, she looks around at the fences. Secure in
her privacy, she unknots her bikini top for a better tan.
LATER
Janice is lying on her back. Her bikini top is scrunched up and
resting across her breasts for minimum coverage and maximum
tanning. Her eyes are closed, and the way her head rolls to the
side, it's obvious that she's just fallen asleep.
As her muscles relax, her hand falls from the recliner and lands
in the dirt at the edge of the flowerbed. Electricity jumps
between her hand and the dirt.
SERIES OF SHOTS
1) A lightning FLASH.
2) A fiftyish MAN surrounded by darkness.
3) A lightning FLASH.
EXT. HOUSE, BACK YARD CONTINUOUS
Janice is startled awake.
TARA (O.S.)
Janice?
Tara comes around the corner of the house. She's carrying a
grocery bag.
Janice looks at her with a startled expression.
TARA
Hey, It's just me.
She moves closer. Janice finally puts it together in her head.
JANICE
Tara...
TARA
You okay?
JANICE
Yeah. I guess I just fell asleep for a
minute.
Tara gestures toward the house.
TARA
Come on. I got your stuff.
JANICE
Okay.
She gets up, careful not to lose her top.
TARA
Going for that all-over tan, huh?
Janice slaps her arm playfully.
JANICE
Shut up!
They head for the house.
TARA
I got you some of that jalapeρo cheese. You
know... the little cubes...
JANICE
Oh, yeah. I like that.
They disappear into the house.
In the flowerbed, where Janice's hand hit the soil, thin
tendrils of mist rise from the ground.
INT. HOUSE, BATHROOM NIGHT
The room is lit by candlelight. Janice is taking some time to
relax and unwind by soaking in the bathtub with her favorite
bubble bath.
If she were to look through the open door to the bedroom, she
might notice the tendrils of mist creeping across the floor in
the bedroom.
She reaches for her towel without seeing the mist.
IN THE BEDROOM NIGHT
The mist is gone. Janice walks into the bedroom wearing her
towel. She pulls some pajamas out of a drawer.
LATER
Janice is asleep in the bed.
IN THE BEDROOM, DREAM SEQUENCE - NIGHT
Janice stirs and opens her eyes. She is startled to see a man
sitting in the chair at the other end of the room. He looks
like the same man from the lightning dream in the garden.
BACK TO REALITY - NIGHT
Janice wakes suddenly and sits up in the bed. She looks at the
chair, which is empty. She's a bit rattled, but she realizes
that it was only a dream.
JANICE
Get a hold of yourself, kiddo. It was just
a dream.
She settles into bed to try to get back to sleep.
IN THE KITCHEN DAY
There are still some packing boxes scattered around. Janice is
on the phone again.
JANICE
No, I'm trying to get the last of the boxes
out of the garage. I want everything where
it's supposed to be. I should be able to
finish it today.
INT. APARTMENT CONTINUOUS
Tara is sitting on the sofa. She's preparing for her morning
exercise. She's putting on her running shoes. The rest of her
clothing is appropriate for a jog.
And she's using that hands-free thing with her phone.
TARA
You don't want to wait too long without
exercising. It'll make it tough to get back
into it.
INTERCUT PHONE CONVERSATION
JANICE
Hey, I had a dream last night.
TARA
Was it about Brett?
JANICE
Not that kind of dream. No, I dreamt there
was someone in my room. A man I'd never
seen before.
TARA
Sounds like that kind of dream to me.
JANICE
No! Listen! He was sitting in the room,
watching me.
TARA
What? Did he have his hand down his pants,
or something?
JANICE
Will you be serious!
TARA
Okay... okay. Sorry.
JANICE
It was so vivid. I had to convince myself
that it wasn't real.
TARA
What happened? What'd he do?
JANICE
Nothing. He just sat there.
TARA
I think you're getting worked up over
nothing. It's probably just getting used to
the new house.
JANICE
You're right. Things always seem strange in
a new house.
TARA
Yeah. Hey, you wanna do something tonight?
JANICE
No. I only have one more day to get this
mess in order.
TARA
Your loss.
She's finally ready for her morning run.
TARA
Well, it's time to hit the road.
JANICE
I'll see you tomorrow at work.
TARA
Bye.
JANICE
Bye.
She hangs up the phone then turns to survey the organizing job
that's facing her.
IN THE BEDROOM NIGHT
Janice is sleeping again. The tendrils of mist are creeping in
across the floor.
IN THE BEDROOM, DREAM SEQUENCE - NIGHT
The man is now standing at the foot of her bed. Janice opens
her eyes and sees him there. Her dream-scream...
BACK TO REALITY - NIGHT
...wakes her and turns into a real scream as she bolts upright
in bed. But when she looks, nothing.
She flops back down into bed. She thinks she must be going
crazy.
JANICE
What is going on here?
IN THE BATHROOM - NIGHT
The light comes on and in comes Janice. She splashes cold water
on her face then looks at herself in the mirror.
JANICE
What is wrong with you?
IN THE KITCHEN DAY
The kitchen looks much neater now. Everything has finally been
put in its place.
Janice is dialing the phone.
INT. OFFICE CONTINUOUS
Tara is sitting at a desk. Her clothing is business-
conservative.
She answers her phone when it rings.
TARA
Anderson Associates, this is Tara. How may
I help you?
INTERCUT PHONE CONVERSATION
JANICE
Hey, Tara. It's me.
TARA
Hey, Janice. What's up? You coming in?
JANICE
No. I need to take a day.
TARA
Something wrong?
JANICE
I'm not feeling well. I didn't get much
sleep last night.
TARA
Brett keep you up too late last night?
JANICE
No, I didn't see him last night.
TARA
Or did you keep Brett up too late?
JANICE
Oh, come on. Get serious.
TARA
Sorry. You got a real problem.
JANICE
Yeah...
She's quiet for a few seconds.
JANICE
I don't know what to do.
TARA
What's the matter?
JANICE
I keep dreaming that there's this guy in my
room.
TARA
Well, what's wrong with that? Does he
attack you?
JANICE
I guess not. He's just there.
TARA
Does he say anything?
JANICE
No. He just sits there and looks at me.
It's upsetting. I'm afraid to go to sleep.
TARA
Maybe you should just tell him to leave you
alone.
JANICE
What do you mean? Talk to him?
TARA
Sure. Why not?
JANICE
That's silly.
TARA
It may be silly, but so's losing sleep over
a dream.
JANICE
Well... I'll think about it.
TARA
You do that. Meantime, I gotta get back to
work.
JANICE
Okay. Hey, call me this afternoon, alright?
TARA
Sure. I'll talk to you later. Bye.
JANICE
Bye.
She hangs up the phone and sighs. She looks around, unsure what
to do next.
IN THE BEDROOM - NIGHT
Janice is sleeping again. The tendrils of mist are creeping
across the floor.
IN THE BEDROOM, DREAM SEQUENCE - NIGHT
The man is standing at the foot of her bed. She opens her eyes
and sees him there. They just look at each other.
JANICE
What do you want?
He doesn't reply, but he walks over to the door to the hallway.
They look at each other again. She throws back the covers and
swings her feet to the floor. There is no mist.
JANICE
Who are you?
He backs out of the door while maintaining eye contact with her.
She slowly gets out of bed and moves to the door.
IN THE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
He continues to back down the hallway. Once he sees that she is
following, he turns around and keeps walking. She follows him
down the hallway.
IN THE BEDROOM, BACK TO REALITY - NIGHT
Janice is sleeping in the bed. The floor is covered in mist.
Tendrils of the mist are reaching up the side of the bed,
caressing Janice.
EXT. BACK YARD, DREAM SEQUENCE - NIGHT
The man emerges through the closed back door and walks into the
yard. The door opens and Janice follows him. He stops at a
flowerbed. She stops as well. He turns to face her and they
both just stand there a moment, looking at each other.
JANICE
What?
He points to the ground at the base of a rose bush. The roses
are blood red.
JANICE
What do you want? What are you trying to
tell me?
He emphasizes his pointing. Janice looks, but there's nothing
unusual.
JANICE
There's nothing there.
The man walks right up to her. He suddenly claps his hands in
front of her face, which causes her to...
IN THE BEDROOM, BACK TO REALITY - NIGHT
...wake up. She lies there for a short time before sitting up
and looking around the room. Nothing. She gets out of bed and
grabs her robe.
EXT. BACK YARD - NIGHT
The back door opens and Janice steps out of the house carrying a
flashlight. She looks around, nervous, almost as if she were
worried about someone watching her.
See goes to look at the rose bush. It's just as she remembers
from her dream. She looks around it a bit, even scuffs at the
ground with her slipper where the man was pointing.
Finding nothing, she returns to the house.
INT. HOUSE, BEDROOM - NIGHT
Janice enters the room, minus the flashlight. She kicks off her
slippers and sheds her robe so she can crawl back under the
covers.
She tries to go back to sleep.
She tosses and turns.
No luck. Her brain is just too active. She sits up in bed.
EXT. BACK YARD - NIGHT
The back door opens again. There's Janice. But this time,
instead of just a flashlight, she's also carrying a shovel.
She goes to the rose bush and finds a good place to set the
flashlight so that it is pointing at the ground under the bush.
She starts to dig.
After a few shovelfuls, tendrils of mist start to rise from the
hole. She stops digging and crouches down to look in the hole.
When she reaches toward the mist, the mist seems to tentatively
reach for her.
She decides to get more light on the subject. She reaches for
the flashlight, but overbalances in the process. She stops
herself from falling over by bracing her other hand on the
ground. But when her hand hits the ground, electricity, and...
SERIES OF SHOTS
1) A lightning FLASH.
2) The man from Janice's dreams reaching out.
3) A lightning FLASH.
EXT. HOUSE, BACK YARD NIGHT
Janice pulls back from the ground.
JANICE
Stop that!
She reaches for the ground again. This time there's only a mild
crackle of electricity. She clears some dirt out of the hole by
hand until she feels something. She grabs the flashlight and
shins it into the hole.
The light illuminates a partially buried hand.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT. HOUSE DAY
There's a moving van parked in front of the house.
INT. HOUSE, KITCHEN DAY
Janice's stuff is packed up again, boxes scattered around the
room. She's on the phone.
JANICE
He's been positively identified as Robert
Simmons.
INT. OFFICE CONTINUOUS
Tara is at work, but keeping up on the latest news with Janice's
help.
TARA
You mean her husband? The lady you bought
the house from?
INTERCUT PHONE CONVERSATION
JANICE
Yeah. She even confessed. She also agreed
to work with the bank to straighten out the
house mess.
TARA
It's all so unbelievable.
JANICE
Tell me about it. Talk about failure to
disclose...
EXT. HOUSE DAY
The moving van is gone. Janice's car is sitting in front of the
house now.
The front door opens. Janice leaves the house, carefully
locking the front door. As she walks along the path to her car,
small tendrils of mist reach out toward her ankles as they pass.
She gets in her car and the mist dissipates. She drives away
from her strange adventure without another look.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. EVENING GALLERY, ELEVENTH PICTURE ROOM NIGHT
JOE
Okay. I'm back to feeling like we've wasted
our time.
They head for the next room.
IN THE TWELFTH PICTURE ROOM CONTINUOUS
Joe and Carla enter and look at a medium-sized picture of an
office building.
JOE
More with the buildings.
He reads the card.
JOE
Bob Makes a Deal with the Devil.
CARLA
Oh. I don't like that.
ZOOM IN on the picture.
MATCH FADE TO:
A large office building. People are coming and going; traffic
is non-stop. This is Corporate America at its best... and
hungriest.
INT. CAFETERIA DAY
It is a modest company cafeteria. It's not lunch time, so the
cafeteria isn't crowded. But there are about a dozen people
around one of the tables. There's a cake on the table. The
icing decoration has "CONGRATULATIONS" in it.
Of the people at the table, one of them is WANDA. She's in her
thirties, attractive, and sensibly dressed in business attire.
She is the guest of honor at the small celebration. She's
pleased for the attention and a little bit embarrassed.
BOB is also at the table. He looks older and a bit more beaten
down than Wanda. He's wearing a nice shirt and tie, with his
sleeves rolled up. He's not a happy person, but he's trying not
to show it.
CRAIG isn't the last person at the table, but he's the last
person that matters. He is the boss. He's an executive,
somewhere in his fourties. Like Bob, he's shed the suit coat.
But he hasn't rolled up his sleeves, so he looks more refined.
CRAIG
(raises coffee cup)
Congratulations, Wanda. You've been working
hard. You deserve the promotion.
The others raise their cups as well. There is a general round
of "yea" and "congratulations" and similar things. Bob joins
in, but his heart isn't in it. Craig indicates the cake and
addresses the guest of honor.
CRAIG
Wanda, your cake awaits?
WANDA
Of course.
She picks up the knife and proceeds to cut the cake.
EXT. OFFICE BUILDING DAY
Life goes on. The metal and meat machines dance their corporate
dance.
INT. BOB'S HOUSE NIGHT
It's dark as the sound of a key being inserted into a lock is
heard. The door swings open and Bob flips on the entry light.
His place is small and slightly cluttered. He's not a slob, but
he doesn't always immediately clean up after himself.
BOB
(mumbles to himself)
Stupid bitch. That should've been my
promotion.
He tosses his keys onto the entry table and kicks the door shut.
BOB
I'll fix her.
He walks to the bookshelf in the front room. He turns on the
light above the shelves. He pulls a few books off of the top
shelf so he can reach behind them. He pulls out a very old book
and returns the others to their shelf.
The book is very old; it was published in the mid-1800s. Its
pages are brown with age and unevenly cut. Bob holds it
carefully. He cradles the book as he turns pages, not wanting
to fully open the book and cause damage to the fragile binding.
He finds the diagram he wants and looks around for appropriate
space. The front room floor will have to do. He marks the page
and sets the book aside so that he can move the coffee table out
of the way to clear the floor.
He pauses, looking at the floor; then it comes to him. He
disappears into the kitchen, but soon returns with a roll of
masking tape. Referring to the book, he duplicates the diagram
onto the floor using the tape.
The next step is to light a few candles and dim the lights.
With the atmosphere properly set, he gets the book, goes to his
knees, and starts reciting the chant from the book.
BOB
Ego Lar sum familiaris, ex hac familia, /
Unde exeuntem me aspexistis, Hanc domum /
Iam multos annos est cum possideo, et colo /
Patrique, auoque iam huius qui nunc hic
habet.
A knock at the door interrupts Bob. He looks at the door in
annoyance before deciding to ignore the intrusion and continue.
BOB
Reddita, quisquis is est, Summano templa
feruntur, / Tum, cum Romanis, Pyrrhe,
timendus eras.
The knock this time is more insistent. Bob looks up and shakes
his head. He marks the page and puts the book safely on the
coffee table before answering the door. He opens the door only
a crack because the diagram can be seen from the door.
DAGREF is on the other side of the door. He is thirty- to
fourty-something years old, wearing an expensive-looking
pinstripe suit. He looks friendly enough to diffuse some of
Bob's irritation.
BOB
Can I help you?
DAGREF
Hello, Robert.
BOB
Do I know you?
DAGREF
No, we've never met before.
BOB
How do you know me? What do you want?
DAGREF
May we discus this inside, rather than at
your front door?
Bob hesitates only for a short time. He eventually opens the
door and stands out of the way.
BOB
Come in then.
DAGREF
Thank you.
Dagref enters and Bob closes the door.
BOB
Okay, who are you and what do you want?
DAGREF
No, I think the question is what do you
want?
BOB
Look, I'm kinda busy right now--
DAGREF
You asked for me.
BOB
What? I asked for you?
DAGREF
Well, not me directly. You're looking for
assistance from my... employer.
Bob looks at Dagref for a moment, then turns to look at the
diagram on the floor. He finally puts it together. He looks a
bit scared as he turns to face Dagref again.
BOB
(nervously)
You mean you're...
DAGREF
Merely an assistant. I am Dagref. My...
employer rarely makes personal appearances.
Bob glances at the diagram again.
BOB
But aren't you supposed to appear in the
circle, mister Dagref?
Dagref looks mildly amused and walks toward the diagram.
DAGREF
It's just Dagref, no mister...
He stands in the center of the diagram. He faces Bob and holds
out his arms illustratively.
DAGREF
...And I can stand here if it will make you
feel better.
Bob thinks briefly.
BOB
I guess it doesn't matter at this point.
DAGREF
No, it doesn't.
He moves out of the diagram.
DAGREF
So, let's try again. What can I do for you?
BOB
I'll sell my soul to get ahead of Wanda at
work.
DAGREF
It's that important to you?
BOB
Look at me: no family, no friends. Work is
all I have. And I'm tired of seeing
everyone but me promoted.
Dagref sets a thin briefcase on the coffee table. Wait a
minute. Did he have that briefcase when he entered the room?
He opens the briefcase and extracts a standard soul-sale
contract, which he hands to Bob.
DAGREF
This is all it takes.
Bob takes the contract, not without some apprehension, and
starts reading.
BOB
It's already filled out. The details are
all here.
DAGREF
I believe you'll find all of the particulars
are in order.
Bob continues his reading.
DAGREF
There's even a clause stating that
fulfillment is based on your intent, not on
some ironic twist that meets the letter of
the contract without meeting the spirit of
the contract.
Bob is satisfied.
BOB
Where do I sign?
DAGREF
There's a box on the last page. It only
requires a drop of your blood.
Bob flips to the last page where there is a single box at the
end of the text.
BOB
What about you? Don't you have to sign, or
use blood, or something.
Dagref indicates the briefcase.
DAGREF
I have a stamp and a power of attorney.
Bob turns it over in his mind.
BOB
Well... okay then...
He sets the contract on the coffee table then looks at his
finger as if to think, "how do I get the blood out?"
Dagref clears his throat to get Bob's attention. Bob looks at
Dagref, who indicates a large pin sitting on the coffee table.
Was that there before?
Bob takes the pin and looks at Dagref one last time before
sticking the pin into a fingertip.
BOB
Ouch!
DAGREF
It wouldn't mean anything if it was
painless.
Bob squeezes one drop of blood into the box on the contract.
The blood is immediately absorbed into the paper.
DAGREF
Thank you.
He stamps the contract then places the contract and stamp into
the briefcase. He snaps the briefcase closed and picks it up.
DAGREF
Now, if you'll just follow me.
He heads for the door.
BOB
Excuse me?
DAGREF
It's time to go.
BOB
Go where?
DAGREF
Hell, of course.
He opens the door onto a fire-blasted landscape. Sounds of
torment and suffering reach Bob's ears. Bob is scared now.
BOB
No!
DAGREF
Anyone who makes a deal like this is damned
immediately. It happened as soon as your
blood hit the paper. My stamping it was
merely for show.
BOB
(desperately)
But we have a contract.
DAGREF
So?
BOB
What about your side of the bargain?
DAGREF
I choose not to honor it.
BOB
But you can't do that. That's cheating.
DAGREF
So sue me.
He chuckles to himself over that one. He indicates the doorway.
DAGREF
Let's go. I can't waste my whole night
here.
BOB
But... but...
His complaints fade as he reluctantly shuffles out the door.
Dagref follows behind and closes the door. Silence.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
INT. EVENING GALLERY, TWELFTH PICTURE ROOM NIGHT
CARLA
I don't like this. Let's keep moving.
She pulls Joe toward the next room.
IN THE THIRTEENTH PICTURE ROOM CONTINUOUS
Joe and Carla enter. There is a large picture of a busy
downtown avenue.
CARLA
This looks familiar.
Joe looks closely. He points to a couple standing in front of
an unmarked door.
JOE
This looks like us.
Carla grabs onto Joe's arm.
CARLA
I'm really scared now, Joe. Let's go.
They look around the room. There doesn't appear to be any
openings, even where they thought they entered.
CARLA
Joe...
CUT TO BLACK:
Carla screams for all she's worth.
The End
Evening Gallery is © 2007 Lanny Maude