The Publish Button

There’s a deep inner need to publish…right away, that is. It’s as if the idea already created in WordPress, saved, locked away from vultures, cannot remain in draft format. Why not let the idea sit there, collect a little bit of digital dust? Do I fear the idea, after a good night’s rest, will become nullified? That my Scorpio stingers will emit a toxic ray into the piece, tear it down, leave the page empty again. God forbid empty pages appear out of nowhere! Do they all need to be filled?

Starting now, that little blue publish button on WordPress will be on lock-down. I guarantee that the words before you will have sat overnight. Call it slow cook publishing. It gives my mind to catch up with my wild soul. It is my soul that writes. My mind that edits.

What has not edited though is the last bit of the unfinished screenplay titled Descent, directly below. I’ll go into an analysis on this script in a future post. Right now, I’d like to thank the Gods, the Muses, the creative forces above, below and elsewhere for aiding the scriptwriting process. Sure the concept is a bit immature but had it not been for this script, it’s likely there would be no blog. I’m looking forward to hearing thoughts on where this script could go, if anywhere. Are the characters interesting? What confuses you? What do you need more of? Ahh! Here it is…

              EXT. LOG CABIN - DAY

               Will lifts a floorboard off the porch.   Reaches his hand
               inside.

               Nearby, a rifle is cocked.   Kate points the gun in Will's
               direction.

                                   KATE
                         Looking for this?

                                   WILL
                         Oh God, Kate.  I was coming to look
                         for you.

                                   KATE
                         With a rifle?

                                   WILL
                             (laughs)
                         Well, that was just in case...

               Kate lowers the rifle.  Hands it to Will.

                                   KATE
                         You see, Will, we are nothing
                         alike.  Knowing you, you'd show up
                         with a loaded rifle and then blow
                         my brains out.   Go ahead.  Shoot
                         me.   

               Will places the rifle underneath the porch.  Covers it with
               the loose floorboard.

                                   WILL
                         No.  Damian will be here soon.   He
                         needs your help. 

                                   KATE
                         Why?

                                   WILL
                         His friend, Charlie, got injured. 
                             (beat)
                         How's your aunt?

               Kate withdraws a cigarette.  Lights it.  Takes a few puffs.

                                   KATE
                         Not well.

                                   WILL
                         Can I see her?

                                   KATE
                         Never.

                                   WILL
                         We've become friends.

                                   KATE
                         As friendly as you were with my
                         daughter?

                                   WILL
                         They're here!

               Damian pushes through the thicket.  Charlie, unconscious,
               draped over Damian's shoulder.

               Kate runs toward Damian.  The two lower Charlie to the
               ground.

                                   KATE
                         You should have left him where you
                         found him.

                                   DAMIAN
                         Did what I thought was right.

               Kate pushes Damian out of the way.

                                   KATE
                         Leave me.  I'll be alright.

               INT/EXT. LOG CABIN - DAY

               Will cracks open a beer.

               Damian grabs the bottle of beer from the youth.

                                   DAMIAN
                         You crazy?   Kate's right outside.

                                   WILL
                         So?

               Damian peers out the window.  Observes Kate tending to the
               unconscious Charlie.

                                   DAMIAN
                         So, she's a stickler.  She sees you
                         with that beer and you'll be back
                         on the mainland in some sort of
                         institution.   

                                   WILL
                         I'll probably wind up there anyhow.

                                   DAMIAN
                         Will!

               Will reaches for the bottle of beer.

                                   WILL
                         Give me a sip.

                                   DAMIAN
                             (beat)
                         A sip.

               Damian clutches the bottle as Will takes a sip.

               Thirst quenched, Will takes a seat on the bed.

                                   WILL
                         I need you to distract Kate.

                                   DAMIAN
                         C'mon!  What the hell you gonna do?

                                   WILL
                         Pay a visit to Mrs. Argrove.

                                   DAMIAN
                         No.  Not while Kate is here.

                                   WILL
                         You kissing Kate's ass.

                                   DAMIAN
                         I'm protecting you.

               Kate rushes through the front door.

                                   KATE
                         This isn't looking good.   We need
                         to get him back to the mainland.

                                   DAMIAN
                         What's wrong with him?

                                   KATE
                         I don't know.  But he needs a
                         doctor.  Badly!

Diminishment of Bread

What a literary juggler I’ve become. Every day, I must wrestle myself with what to write. The new script? Post a new entry? Another secret admirer letter? Oh shit, did I just admit to being the author of 7,213 secret admirer letters to 7,213 random people?

While lying in bed last night (no, I’m not going there, pervert), I decided to discuss the diminishment of bread in my diet, effective as of January 2nd. Sad but true. How I love my bread, my biscuits, my scones! Bread and everything related to it negatively effects my performance at CrossFit. Yesterday, while doing box jumps, I found myself jumping higher. Something about the combination of my blood and bread that increases the force of gravity. Since I know so well the taste of bread, biscuits and scones (yum yum yum and yum) and I don’t know what it’s like to jump really high, I’ve chosen the latter. Once I’ve jumped four feet high, I’ll test to see if the chemistry in my body has changed by increasing my bread intake.

I was wrong. This is the penultimate posting regarding the script entitled Descent. Here ya go–

EXT. LOG CABIN - DAY

A small rubber handball bounces against the porch. It lands
in Will's hand. He suddenly jumps off the porch and climbs
up a tree.

Footsteps land on the porch. Damian reaches for the doorknob.

Will pulls his arm back and shoots it directly into Damian's
back.

Damian spins around. Searches for the pitcher.

Roaring in hysterical laughter, Will falls out of the tree.

DAMIAN
Jesus, Will.

Damian rushes over to Will. The boys continues on with his
hysteria.

WILL
You should have seen your face.
You were so scared.

Damian thinks twice before handing Will the ball.

DAMIAN
Hate when you do that shit.

WILL
I don't do it that often.

DAMIAN
Once is enough.

WILL
Making nice-nice with Kate?

DAMIAN
Her aunt, Mrs. Argrove, isn't well.

Tears well up in Will's eyes.

WILL
How? What's wrong with her?

DAMIAN
Don't know. She's a manic.

Will stands up. Tosses the ball into the woods.

WILL
Damn! What about Kate? Will
she...

DAMIAN
She's focused exclusively on her
aunt.

Will starts to walk away.

DAMIAN (CONT'D)
Will, wait!

WILL
What?

DAMIAN
Where's Charlie?

A concerned expression washes over Will's face.

EXT. WOODS - DAY

Damian and Will walk side by side, tossing the rubber
handball between them.

WILL
You think Charlie stalked you?

DAMIAN
Well, Kate didn't send him. She
only saw him once in the office.

WILL
And you believe her?

DAMIAN
Why would Kate lie?

WILL
Cause she's a bitch.

DAMIAN
You two have got to find common
ground.

WILL
I don't got to do anything.

Damian sticks his arm out. Prevents Will from going any
further.

Several yards away, Charlie lies unconscious.

Damian rushes over to Charlie, feels the man's heartbeat
against his neck.

DAMIAN
Go get Kate.

WILL
Me?

DAMIAN
Fine. I'll get her. You carry
Charlie to the cabin.

WILL
Right...

Damian laughs as Charlie runs off.

CrossFit

There’s something about endorphins that induce a certain madness in me. It’s a safe madness. It forces me to rush to a computer or a pad of paper, write out something brutally honest. This was the case on New Year’s Eve. Many things can get my endorphins going. Refraining from masturbation for days at a time, taking a hike in the woods or an intense workout at CrossFit.

It was late April when I started working out at CrossFit. Six weeks earlier, I started a cleanse. My goal before the cleanse was to become a raw vegan. Mid-cleanse, something new came in. I sensed a super intense workout was needed, one that wouldn’t get boring after a few months. After much research, I happily stumbled upon CrossFit (it’s recommended that one consumes a paleolithic diet for the best results). Here we are early January 2013 and I’m still participating in this great workout program. It paid off as I’m now one of two members of the month. Check out the write-up.

It saddens me to announce that this is the penultimate post whereupon the script will be posted. The blog, of course, will continue. Kudos to those who have commented on the script. Please remember that the script is both incomplete and unedited. There’s a chance that someday the piece will reach completion. Another more pressing story has taken over. As of Sunday, I’ll begin drafting this up. I doubt this new script will make it to the blog. The process of writing it will be mentioned extensively.

INT. BELLA'S PLACE. BEDROOM - LATE MORNING

Lying in bed, with skin as blue as the sky, Bella gasps for
air.

Kate hands Bella a steaming cup of tea.

KATE
Take this.

BELLA
(mouths)
Thank you.

Bella takes a sip of the tea. Coughs up pink phlegm.

Damian hands Kate a box of tissues.

Kate wipes the pink phlegm off her chin.

DAMIAN
Kate, can we talk?

KITCHEN

Kate pours boiling water into a cup.

KATE
Want a cup?

DAMIAN
Sure. Kate, is your aunt
delusional?

Kate's face turns beat red.

KATE
Excuse me?

DAMIAN
Relax. I'm asking out of concern.

KATE
It's been ages since I've seen her.
You know that.

DAMIAN
She claims Charlie's a woman. A
demon woman, to boot.

Kate hands Charlie a cup of tea.

KATE
Charlie? Careful it's hot.

DAMIAN
The man, or woman according to your
aunt, you sent here.

KATE
I wouldn't send my worst enemy
here. Putting anyone, anything
near that rodent child, would be
tragic.

DAMIAN
Kate...

KATE
I'm sorry. That's an insult to
rodents.

A loud shriek emits from the bedroom.

BEDROOM

Kate and Damian rush in.

Bella's seated on a rocking chair sewing.

KATE
Aunt Bella what are you doing out
of bed?

BELLA
Sewing.

KATE
You're ill. Get to bed!

Kate grabs Bella's hand but the old woman pushes her niece
out of the way.

BELLA
Don't tell me what to do. I'm
sewing now. I'll go to bed when
I'm tired.

DAMIAN
Why'd you shriek?

BELLA
What did you say?

DAMIAN
You shrieked? What happened?

Bella holds the sewing needles like a dagger.

BELLA
I don't know who you think you are
but I'll tell you. You are a sick
man doing sick things for evil
people. I'd watch my tongue if I
were you.

Kate reaches for the sewing needle.

KATE
Aunt Bella...

BELLA
Don't "Aunt Bella" me, young lady.
(beat)
Both of you, leave me. I've got a
blanket to sew.

Bella's focus shifts directly onto the unfinished blanket barely
covering her kneecaps.

Lethargy

Yesterday’s snow induced somewhat of an intense lethargy. Yes I went to crossfit at 5:30, however, all the other parts of the day was filled with total laziness. Today, the leftovers–a tiny headache. Since this is so, I’ll say nothing more and instead post the next installment of the script.

INT. LOG CABIN - MORNING

Seated on the bed, Damian watches Charlie freshen up.

Charlie makes eye contact with Damian.

CHARLIE
What?

DAMIAN
I don't know. You tell me.

CHARLIE
You're staring. You need
something. More wine? Oh sorry.
We ran out of it. Maybe some feta
cheese. Woah, oh God, forgive me.
That's all been eaten. What could
you possibly want?

DAMIAN
How are you feeling?

CHARLIE
(sarcastic)
You really want to know how I'm
feeling? Aww. You care. Well, I
feel pretty fucking humiliated and
stupid.

DAMIAN
I'm sorry.

CHARLIE
Yeah, okay.

Charlie opens the cooler. Pulls out a dozen eggs.

CHARLIE (CONT'D)
We need to do something with these
eggs.

DAMIAN
We can have an egg fight.

CHARLIE
I was thinking more like deviled
eggs. Got any paprika?

Damian jumps off the bed. Lands atop Charlie. Punches him
the face.

Will dashes in. Face flushed.

WILL
You have to stop.

DAMIAN
Why? The fun's just beginning.

WILL
I'm serious. They're coming.

EXT. ISLAND WATERFRONT - MORNING

Less than five nautical miles from shore, the speed boat
approaches.

Damian and Will duck behind a shrub.

DAMIAN
The boat's not headed in our
direction.

WILL
Sure it is.

DAMIAN
Look.

The speed boat veers to the right.

WILL
Where...

DAMIAN
I have an idea...but you've gotta
hide.

EXT. BAY- MORNING

Damian slows his rowing down till he sees the speed boat
anchored to the docks.

EXT. DOCKS/SPEED BOAT - LATE MORNING

Damian ties his row boat to the speed boat. Climbs on board.
Opens cabinets and drawers. Finds nothing.

Someone clears her throat.

Damian looks up. Finds Kate, her eyes welling up in tears.

KATE
It's Aunt Bella.

DAMIAN
What about her?

KATE
She's not well.

Damian jumps atop the docks. Holds Kate's shaking arms.

DAMIAN
How can she not be well? She seems
fine. I was just with her this
morning.

Vulnerability

Things haven’t exactly been easy lately. Yesterday was the end of the world, apparently. What the shit was that? Talk about tone setting, my God! Imagine this, you wake up, stretch, do your morning prayer, head down to the kitchen, pour yourself some orange juice, pop on NPR only to hear, “…the world will end on December 21st, 2012.” Excuse me? End? Really?

I don’t care what belief system one has, this end of the world crap had to have affected everyone in some form another. Looking back, I was a lunatic. Read the posts from the last few days. Bitching and moaning. Deleting them crossed my mind. My greater self vetoed that idea. The whole purpose behind this blog is to show my vulnerability. It’s real. It’s who I am. I think of these posts as excerpts from some classical sonata, where all the emotions are represented in some form.

Speaking of classical music, here is the next segment of the screenplay–

EXT. RURAL ROAD - DAWN

In exercise clothes, Damian leaps over the cracked pavement.
Continues his morning run. He stops suddenly.

In the distance, a hunched over silhouetted figure canes its
way through the broken road. It's Bella.

DAMIAN
Hey.

Bella squints, clearly confused by the distant voice.

BELLA
Hello?

Damian makes his way over to Bella.

DAMIAN
Mrs. Argrove, what brings you here?

BELLA
Bird watching. There was this
most unusual bird.
Looked like a flamingo but it was
turquoise. So darn pretty. Well,
a dog bark must have scared it.
Flew over here. I had to follow
it.

DAMIAN
Just you?

BELLA
Just me? Of course! Who else?
Thomas has been dead for twelve
years.

Bella retrieves a handkerchief from her pocket. Blows her
nose.

DAMIAN
Sorry, I didn't mean...

BELLA
Got this damned cold. I've been
meaning to tell you. Be wary.

DAMIAN
No need to worry. My immune system
is as strong as an ox.

BELLA
Phaw! Not talking about your
immune system. Talking about some
lady. She came into the store. I
sold her a red dress.

DAMIAN
Mrs. Argrove, that's not a...

BELLA
Red because of the devil. That's
right. She's got the devil in her.
Been praying ever since I saw
what's in that behemoth's eyes.

Clearly amused, Damian places his hand on Bella's hands.

DAMIAN
Mrs. Argrove...

Bella yanks her hand out from underneath Damian's. She
trembles. Her dentures nearly falling out of her mouth.

BELLA
She's found you! I can feel her in
your essence.

DAMIAN
You insist she's a woman.

BELLA
Because she is. A demon woman.
Come with me.

INT. STORE - MORNING

Damian shifts about uncomfortably as Bella pulls out boxes of
cassettes.

BELLA
Where is this? I just saw this a
few days ago.

DAMIAN
What are you looking for?

BELLA
It's this cassette. You like
classical?

DAMIAN
Yeah, I guess.

Bella beams a grin. Puts on the radio. Mozart fills the
room.

BELLA
Oh, Bastien and Bastienne. One of
my favorites.

DAMIAN
Never heard it.

BELLA
Well, you're hearing it now. Ever
dance to opera?

DAMIAN
I rarely dance.

Bella holds out her hands. Damian grabs them. The two swing
side to side.

DAMIAN (CONT'D)
Mrs. Argrove, this is really
nice...

BELLA
Isn't it? Listen to that voice!
How beautiful!

DAMIAN
It's quite beautiful. Listen,
Will's alone with that woman you
speak of.

Bella gasps. Breaks away from Damian.

BELLA
Is he? Well, we need to get you
home. First...

Bella turns back toward the boxes of cassettes. Grunts as
she pulls out a pile of them. Shuffles through them.

BELLA (CONT'D)
Ah, here it is. Take this.

Bella hands Damian the cassette.

DAMIAN
What's this for?

Pregnant With Giants

I feel pregnant with giants. The harder I push, the greater the resistance. Fragments of them fall out. They have strangenames (strange names, strangenames someone has strange names) like Zembrawr and Kendilickan. They all claim to be metrosexual, their behaviors though are asexual. The couch upon where they sit has puncture marks.

At night they keep me up. During the day, I attempt to counsel them but they’re nowhere to be found. Sometimes, a ghoulish fragment pulls me aside. He possesses no eyes. Somehow he sees everything. He tells me about a woman who will appear in my life. We’ll marry. Maybe have kids. When I press for further details, he vanishes.

What remains is emptiness and the next segment of my screenplay–

EXT. LOG CABIN - NIGHT

Damian gasps for air.

Will slides down a rope, lands inches from Damian.

WILL
This shit's crazy! What's in this
wine?

Damian snorts. Picks himself off the ground.

DAMIAN
Grapes.

Will climbs halfway up the rope, swings and shouts--

WILL
Grapes! How I love grapes!

Damian heads inside.

INT. LOG CABIN - NIGHT

On the floor, beside the kitchen sink, Charlie's curled up in
a ball.

Damian kicks him.

DAMIAN
Wake up.

Charlie doesn't budge.

CHARLIE
I'm awake.

DAMIAN
Sit up, then.

CHARLIE
Why?

DAMIAN
I wanna talk.

Charlie opens one eye.

CHARLIE
You wanna talk? That's a new one.
You never wanna talk.

DAMIAN
Why did Kate send you here?

Charlie picks himself off the floor. Rifles through the
cooler.

CHARLIE
Where's the feta cheese?

DAMIAN
Charlie...

CHARLIE
Tell me you two didn't eat the feta
cheese.

DAMIAN
We didn't eat the feta cheese.
Kate promised she wouldn't send
anyone here. What the fuck are you
doing here?

CHARLIE
If you didn't eat the feta, where
the hell is it? I did bring it
didn't I? I remember it in the
basket.

Damian pulls Charlie away from the cooler. Grabs him by the
neck. Pushes him into the wall.

DAMIAN
Was she upset?

CHARLIE
No. Everything was peachy.

Damian pushes Charlie onto the floor. Gives him a swift kick
in the back.

Will rushes in, arms flailing about.

WILL
Yo, Damian you gotta try--

Charlie spits up blood.

DAMIAN
What, Will?

WILL
The swing. You gotta try it.

DAMIAN
Yeah. I will.

Exiting the log cabin, Damian pushes past Will, nearly knocks
the boy over.

WILL
What's with him?

CHARLIE
Everything.

WILL
I'm hungry.

CHARLIE
Well, you can't have feta cheese.

WILL
Yeah, I know. I ate it all.

Toni Collette

My shrine for Toni Collette exists solely in my mind. As the day passes, the thought of working with her arrives at least fifteen different times. She makes the subtlest movements that after a quick examination scream, “I am this character. I’ve always been this character and will die this character.” Regardless of the role, regardless of the absurdity, she breathes honesty.

Using Toni as a muse, I sketched out a story for a film that is so personal. It delineates my discomfort in romance and with family. I’d be delighted if she played the female lead. Who knows?

The below excerpt is not (I underlined the word not so that if this happens to be read on opposite day, it’s clear that this is not) from the story; it’s a continuation of the script titled Descent.

INT. STORE - DAY

BELLA, a shaking octogenarian, dusts the register. She
looks over at Charlie who is sifting through the ladies'
dresses.

BELLA
It's a nice selection here, isn't
it?

CHARLIE
Sure is. My wife...

BELLA
Try something on. We got dressing
rooms, ya know?

Bella canes her way over to Charlie. After examining a
dress, she violently pushes it away.

CHARLIE
Thank you but I'm...

BELLA
I think you'd look excellent in
red. Ah, I saw a nice red dress
here yesterday. Where's the damn
thing. Oops, pardon my language.
I used to never curse until my
husband died. You married?

CHARLIE
Not yet.

BELLA
Well, be patient. Someday you'll
find a man of your own.

CHARLIE
Oh, I get it! You think I'm a
woman because I'm...

BELLA
You're a beautiful woman. There's
no reason why you shouldn't be
married.

CHARLIE
Well, okay.

BELLA
Well, I speak the truth. Ah, okay
here's the dress.

Bella holds the dress up against Charlie's body.

INT. LOG CABIN - EVENING

Will downs his glass of wine.

WILL
More, please.

Charlie wearing a red dress refills Will's glass.

CHARLIE
That's a ton of wine for a boy your
age.

WILL
Did I ask for a commentary?

CHARLIE
No?

WILL
Then step away, woman.

Shivers run down Charlie's back as he steps away.

In the corner, Damian whittles a stick and hums.

CHARLIE
How long do I have to wear this?

WILL
Until either you leave or truly
morph into a woman.

DAMIAN
Knowing Charlie, he'll fall in love
with the dress but never leave nor
morph into a woman.

Damian and Will chuckle.

WILL
Woman, refill his glass.

Charlie refills Damian's glass.

Damian joins Will at the table. He hands Will the whittled
stick.

DAMIAN
What do you think?

WILL
That should do. I'll test it.

DAMIAN
On what?

Will tosses the whittled wood at Charlie's back.

CHARLIE
Fucking prick!

WILL
Exactly!

Damian and Will roar in wild laughter.

BEGIN DREAM SEQUENCE

EXT. CITY STREET - DAY

It's clearly winter. Everyone's bundled up in warm clothing
including Kate and Charlie.

Kate fishes in her pocket. Pulls out a quarter. Hands it to
Charlie.

KATE
That's all I got.

CHARLIE
I'm jonesing for a smoke, Kate.
What the hell will I do with a
quarter?

KATE
Buy gum. Kill the boy.

CHARLIE
Will?

KATE
No. Not Will.

CHARLIE
Then who?

Kate points across the street to Damian. He's dressed like
a schoolboy. Sucks his thumb.

A thick rope unravels in the air. It falls to the ground.

THUD

Damian's eyes widen.

END DREAM SEQUENCE

Continuation of Script

I have this tendency to take what’s already written and do an overhaul. Although I’m trying to get out of this pattern, it’s essential an overhaul occurs. Why? Something else presses me…

Memories from my most recent job. Although it was rather nightmarish (for four years, every day, nonstop), I’ve decided to take a satirical look at it. The characters from the Descent script will be transferred over to this more personal story.

In the meantime, I will continue to post the script in the order in which it was written. Here it goes —

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY

               CHARLIE, unshaven and bug-eyed paces the room.   An unlit
               cigarette dangles in his hand.  He charges at Damian the
               moment he enters.

                                   CHARLIE
                         My God!  That woman with the nice
                         hair, didn't seem happy to see me. 
                         What's up with that?  Oh, she's
                         your lady friend you were talking
                         about.   How's everything going
                         with you and her?  

                                   DAMIAN
                         Just peachy.

               Damian pours some whiskey into a glass.

                                   CHARLIE
                         "Peachy"?  Great word.   Listen,
                         I've been up all night, man.  I
                         just figured it out. I should say
                         fuck it to comedy and write books.  
                         Adventures like Tolkien.   What do
                         you say?  I mean like fuck, Damian,
                         I'm not getting any younger.   You
                         know my birthday was on Tuesday. 
                         Turned thirty-one.  Not that you
                         care.

                                   DAMIAN
                         Want any?

                                   CHARLIE
                         What?

               Damian raises his glass of whiskey.

                                   CHARLIE (CONT'D)
                         Alcohol?  Are you crazy?  It's like
                         12:15.  What the fuck man?   Why
                         would I want to drink?  I barely
                         ate breakfast.  Just a tiny bowl of
                         Greek yogurt with bananas.   You
                         ever have that combo?   Greek
                         yogurt and bananas?   It's great. 
                         You should try it.

               Damian takes a seat at the head of the conference table.  His
               face stricken with horror.

                                   CHARLIE (CONT'D)
                         What?  You're scaring me.   Stop
                         scaring me.   You're looking at me
                         all weird.

                                   DAMIAN
                         Charlie, I need you to shut the
                         fuck up and sit down.

               Without hesitation, Charlie takes a seat.

                                   CHARLIE
                         Okay.  Hi!  What's up?

                                   DAMIAN
                         I'm dropping you.

                                   CHARLIE
                         What? I thought we were tight man. 
                         Aren't we friends?  What's this all
                         about?  You can't be serious.  How
                         is this possible?   

                                   DAMIAN
                         I'm dropping everyone.

                                   CHARLIE
                         You're not suicidal are you? 
                         Please tell me you're not suicidal. 
                         If you're suicidal you should get
                         some help. Lots of help.  
                         All sorts of professionals out
                         there that can help you with this
                         kind of stuff.  Tell me you're not
                         suicidal.

                                   DAMIAN
                         I'm not suicidal.  

                                   CHARLIE
                         Wooh!  Well, that's a relief.  But
                         you're dropping everyone?   Why?

                                   DAMIAN
                         It's time.   

                                   CHARLIE
                         Time?  Time for what?

               EXT. WATERFRONT - DAY

               The day couldn't be cloudier.

               Damian, in torn khaki shorts and a fluorescent tank top,
               drags a row boat on the muddied sand.  He heads toward the
               crystalline water. 

               The boat catches onto a hump in the sand.

               Damian tugs but falls forward.   He leaps to the front of the
               boat, lifts it from the hump.   Continues pulling the boat
               toward the water.  At the water's edge, he jumps in the row
               boat.  Paddles away.

               EXT. RURAL ROAD - EVENING

               The pavement's cracked.  Regardless, Damian, out of breath,
               saunters about.   Knapsack slung over his shoulder.   

               A dark figure runs across the street.

               Fatigued, Damian grabs a tree branch.

                                   DAMIAN
                         Hello?
                             (beat)
                         Shit!  

               Damian yanks his hand off the branch.  Blood pools up on each
               finger.  He licks the blood.

The First Two Scenes

As promised, here are the first two scenes:

BEGIN DREAM SEQUENCE

INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Rusty water drips from the ceiling down the wall.

DAMIAN, late 30s and polished hair, steps out of the way,
keeping one eye glued to the ceiling. He brushes any water
off his bloodied suit. Undoes his pitch black neck tie, uses
it to clean off the hardened blood.

YOUNG HEAVY BREATHING approaches.

Damian drops the tie as a half-naked child crawls on all
fours.

The child looks up. It's WILL, athletic and at the age of
twelve holds the promise of becoming a good-looking man. He
bears a shit-eating grin, clearly enjoys the situation.

WILL
Hard at work?

A gun raises. Seconds later, it FIRES.

Will laughs, unaffected by the bullet.

Damian attempts to fire another round. Nothing happens.

WILL (CONT'D)
What's wrong, Damian?

END DREAM SEQUENCE

INT. DAMIAN'S OFFICE - DAY

Blurry image of KATE, blond-haired, hovers above. Her
youthful, well-shaped thighs slowly come into focus. Damian's
hand rubs up and down her legs.

Kate pushes his hands off her, steps back, defensive, clearly
disgusted with Damian's behavior.

KATE
Please.

DAMIAN
Why not, darling?

KATE
You're drunk...darling.

Kate tosses an empty mini bottle of vodka into the trash bin.

Damian swings his legs off the desk, adjusts his tie.

DAMIAN
What are you doing here?

KATE
Worried about you.

DAMIAN
Ah.

KATE
Some guy's here to see you.

DAMIAN
Who?

KATE
I don't know. He's in the
conference room.