 |
| This will have to do for now |
"What about an Indian Burial ground?"
Sunny
Rolls her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Birdy. The entire United States of America is an Indian Burial ground. If that were the problem, everyone would have paranormal activity."
Orion
Shakes head. "That's not entirely true. It's more likely to be a white settler burial ground. Savannah and Denver are the most famous cases."
Farmer Joe
"Well, there ain't no burial ground, white or otherwise. Not 'round here. But there was a battle here. Weren't uncommon though. Early settlers and gov'ment soldiers was always battlin' natives here. There's a reason why it's called 'Indiana.'"
Sunny
"Maybe ol' Mrs. Stiener wasn't as much of a 'bag'o'hammers' as you thought. She may have seen something. Like a ghost battle."
Mary
"Sunny, don't be so macabre."
Chris
Slightly Agitated. "Everybody knows about Gettysburg. And yes, it is a dark piece of history. Can we not talk about it?"
Farmer Joe
"Well, I best be headin' back. If ya'll need anythin', well, me and the missus are the closest neighbors."
Act 1, Scene 3
Night. Chris and Mary have called it an early night. The kids are still up. Orion is in his room listening to music on his earbuds and reading a book. Sunny and Birdy are in their room with the window open. The sounds of the summer night. Sunny is watching a geek flick on her laptop. Birdy is rearranging her collection of rocks and stuff. The table is near the window.
The sound of flapping bat wings and chattering teeth quickly cross the window. Birdy stops what she is doing and looks out the window. She gasps and looks surprised. Birdy looks over at Sunny, who is ignoring her. Birdy looks back at the window. Birdy side steps to her bed and picks up "Monster Tamer" She hides it behind her back. Then, she nonchalantly turns, moves the bat to her front, and walks out the bedroom door.
Sunny hears running footsteps going down the stairs/hallway. She looks around the room and doesn't see Birdy. She shrugs and goes back to her laptop. But then looks up again as she hears the front door downstairs/down the hall creak open a little bit and then shut again. As she looks up she sees an old woman ghost at the doorway. The ghost points out the window and fades away. Sunny jumps in shock. Then, she jumps out of the bed and looks out the window.
Sunny
whispers as she looks out the window. "Oh no! By the nine! She doesn't know!"
**Camera turns and pans into a shot looking out of the window. Birdy is dashing across the street towards a red ball of fire that is leading her into the wooded 11 acre lot across the street.
Sunny sticks her head out the window. "Birdy!" tries not to yell but tries to get her attention. Which doesn't work. "Damn it Birdy! This isn't Brave!" She turns around and runs out of the room while saying. "Will'o'Wisps should not be fooled with!"
Sunny goes to Orion's room.
Orion is sitting and reading with his earbuds in. Sunny runs up to him and pulls out one of the earbuds. Orion objects.
"Shut up. Red Alert. Birdy followed a Will'o'Wisp across the road."
Orion
"Shoes!"
Cut the scene to Orion and Sunny running out of the house as quietly as possible. Orion whispers as loud as possible. "Doesn't she remember what we said about those freakin things?" He turns on a flashlight as they go away from the house.
Sunny
Turns her flashlight on at the same time. "Did it occur to you that she didn't care? She still believes in that whole "change your fate" crap. Stupid Disney. Will'o'Wisps are real and dangerous."
Orion
"The Legend of Wooley Swamp lives on, right? I always did like that one better than Devil in Georgia."
Sunny
"You would."
They both disappear into the wooded area looking for Birdy.
Birdy has followed the floating red light deep into the woods.
Birdy has not caught up with the light but she can see it through the trees. It hovers for a moment and then it seems to disappear. She waits hoping it will reappear.
Flashlights shine on Birdy. She is startled and looks towards the lights. Then complains that they are in her eyes.
Sunny
"What the hell were you thinking, Birdy?"
Birdy
"I want to know for myself. I don't have experience."
Orion
"This is something you don't want experience on. Beleive me. All the stories say the same thing."
Birdy
"Oh yeah? Well, I think they are lying. You know why?"
Orion
"Why?"
Birdy
"Becuase if they all met their doom, how is that the story got out? How is it that all those people in those stories knew what happened? One is that they are lying and making it up. Or two, they survived but don't want everyone to go looking for Will'o'Wisps to make their lives better. Cause if everyone could change their fate, more people would do it. And not everyone likes that idea."
Sunny
"Birdy, that is not how it works."
Birdy
"Like you would know."
Sunny
"Yes, actually, I would know. Life really is an adventure. If you want the loot, you gotta face the dragon."
Orion
"Sunny! For Pete's sake not now!"
Sunny
"Yes now! Orion, come on. That is how it works. If you want great things, you gotta face great danger. This is real. That means the danger is real." She looks over at Birdy. "And not everyone makes it, Birdy. Not everyone survives. Sometimes characters die and don't come back. The survivors tell the tales and make up the bits in between to make it interesting for little pests like you who want to go poking around in the woods at night. That's why fairy tales are not supposed to be nice! Otherwise, dumb ass kids like you will go into places they should not be!"
Orion
"Geez, Sunny. Morbid much?"
Sunny
"Okay, so it's not like she is heading to be a floater, but the danger part is real."
Birdy
"What's a floater?"
Orion
He does a pfft thing. "A floater. You know, Pennywise? 'We all float down here.' A floater. Sunny means that Pennywise is not going to drown you, but you could fall in the creek and actually drown. It's dark. You could trip, hit your head, knock yourself out, and then bam! A floater. And Pennywise didn't have to do anything."
Birdy
"Oh." She pauses. "Hey wait a minute. What creek?"
Sunny
She points her flash light towards the spot where the will-o'-wisp disappeared. "The creek right there, dummy. Can't you smell the water?"
Birdy
"I should have noticed that." She feels embarrassed. "I'm the ranger!"
Orion
"You were also overexcited. The chase made you forget where you were. Let's be honest here. By the way you were traveling, I do not doubt a single bit that you saw what you claim. And since Sunny also saw it, I have no doubts that it happened. But I didn't see anything. And it would have been cool to see it." He takes out a piece of equipment from his pocket and turns it on.
Sunny
She points at the equipment. "And you were giving me the business about being a geek! Come on, son!"
Birdy
"You brought your meter with you? That's great! You got any readings?"
Orion
He is grinning and pleased with himself. "You better believe it."
Birdy
She gets excited too. "Point it that way. That's where it disappeared."
Orion
Sunny looks at Orion. Orion looks back at her and shrugs. "Well, we are already here and there's three of us. That makes us, as of right now, an adventuring party."
Sunny
"Fine. But we play by the rules. Do not split up. Stay together. And walk carefully. Birdy, since you are the ranger, you lead. Do the nature thing." She looks at Orion. "Wizard, give directions. I''ll...well...I guess I'm support."
They follow the meter readings down into a creek bed. There is some water, but not alot. Like it should be a full creek. They follow along until they get to an old downed tree. By the light of the flashlight the roots of the tree are covering up a small cave.
Orion
"Well, the readings point there. And since I am reading at 128.2, we should be careful." He holds up the meter.
Sunny
"Orion, I am not stupid. I know a reading of 128 has to be wrong. There's no way it can be that high."
Orion
Shakes his head and points his flashlight down. "Sunny, water and limestone creek bed. 128 is an amazing reading. Something is brewing here without a doubt." He walks closer to the cave entrance. "It's a small cave. I doubt that any of us can fit in there."
Sunny
immediately before Birdy gets out a sound. "Birdy don't even think about it. A downed tree, A small cave. In the dark. There could be a cave in and you'd be killed. Forget it." Birdy hefts her baseball bat over her shoulder and huffs. "I got my eye on you, chick!"
Birdy
"We can at least look around the cave. That won't hurt."
Orion
"Nah. Shouldn't be too dangerous as long as we don't step on the top of it."
They approach the cave opening slowly and cautiously.
Sunny
"Looks like some strange markings just on the inside. Looks like a snake."
Orion
"Oh wow! That totally looks like Native American markings! This is...so freakin cool! We have got to come back in the day."
Birdy has maneuvered herself over towards Sunny. Birdy "accidentally" bumps into Sunny and drops her bat. Sunny drops her light. Before Sunny can pick up the light, Birdy gets it and moves towards to opening too quickly for Sunny to stop her.
Sunny
"Birdy, if that cave doesn't kill I will! You little..." Sunny picks up the bat.
Birdy
LAughs at Sunny from just inside the cave. "You'll have to wait till I come back out!"
Orion
"Birdy! For Fuck's sake. Get out of there, you idiot!"
No sound from Birdy.
Orion and Sunny are standing outside the cave entrance. They are getting upset as the second's pass.
Sunny
She points the bat at the cave. "If you don't talk to us right now, I am going to go get Dad."
Birdy
From inside the hole. "Just a sec. There's something..."
Flapping bat wings. Chattering teeth. Rustling in the trees. Footsteps. Drumming.
Orion
His meter starts flipping out. "Red Alert." He holds up the meter at Sunny. "We gotta fuckin book it, Sunny."
Sunny
"Birdy, please! The meter is going bonkers! We gotta...."
The ground rumbles.
Orion and Sunny
"Birdy! NOW!"
Birdy slips out of the cave. The kids grab her and they book it. Which is difficult in the dark. The ground rumbles again and the cave begins to spurt water.
Sunny
"You gotta be kidding me! Goonies?!"
Birdy
"I love that movie. Pirates!"
Sunny
"Up the creek bank, Birdy! Where?"
Birdy
Uses the flashlight she didn't give back to Sunny to point the way. "Up ahead! There!"
The ground rumbles again. And the cave opening busts out a geyser of water like it has been stopped up for 100 years. The water comes gushing down the bank like a wall.
At the same time, the sounds of flapping bat wings, chattering teeth, Native American battle cries, sounds of gunshots, drumming, soldiers shouting, horses running, thunder cracks, and a roar of a monster fill the air. The kids run up the creek bank as the water fills in behind them.
They sit on the bank and breath.
Warface Part 3
No comments:
Post a Comment