Beloved Page #14

Paul approaches Sethe, touching her gently.

PAUL:

I didn't mean to tell you that.

SETHE:

I didn't plan on hearing it.

PAUL:

I can't take it back but I can leave it

alone.

Sethe, instead of collapsing from the information, she seems

hardened.

PAUL:

Let's do that..let's leave it alone now.

SETHE:

(more to herself)

Let it alone. Just sit down and leave it

be! Yeah that would be nice. Would be

even nicer to lose it altogether - if I

had my choice. Halle did. Other people's

brains stopped, went crazy. How sweet

that would have been. Me and Halle

squatting by that churn, smashing cold

lumpy butter in our faces, not a care in

the world..

PAUL:

Sethe, don't do this..

SETHE:

What a relief to just stop it all right

there, huh?!! Close it shut! Squeeze that

butter...But I had three children on

their way to Ohio and nothing would have

changed that! And you tell me he didn't

leave me!!

Sethe exits O.S. Paul is left alone on the porch until

Beloved runs out of the house giggling with Denver in

pursuit. As Denver passes, Paul sarcastically remarks;

PAUL:

Guess she's feeling better, huh?

Denver gives him a quick, disdainful look, then continues

after Beloved.

The two girls run towards the woods.

EXT. BOXWOOD BUSH ROOM - NIGHT.

Beloved is dancing beneath a bright moon. Denver is an

attentive, grateful audience.

DENVER:

Where'd you learn to dance?

BELOVED:

Nowhere. Look at me do this!

She puts her fists on her hips and skips.

BELOVED:

Now you! Come on! Come on!

She takes Denver's hand and places another on her shoulder.

As they dance, Denver laughs harder and harder - a giddiness

from the dizziness and the gratitude she feels for Beloved's

attention.

They spin and fall to the ground, like two lovers nestled.

Beloved catches her breath as Denver asks;

DENVER:

Why you call yourself Beloved?

BELOVED:

In the dark my name is Beloved.

DENVER:

What's it like where you were before?

BELOVED:

(a thoughtful expression)

Dark. I'm small in that place. I'm like

this here.

DENVER:

Were you cold?

BELOVED:

Hot. Nothing to breathe there. No room to

move.

DENVER:

How did you get here?

BELOVED:

I wait; then I got on the bridge. I stay

there in the dark, in the daytime, in the

dark in the daytime. Long time.

DENVER:

All this time you were on the bridge?

BELOVED:

No. After. When I got out.

DENVER:

Why'd you come here?

BELOVED:

To see her face.

DENVER:

Ma'am's? Sethe's?

BELOVED:

Yes. Sethe.

And with that, Denver takes a breath of courage to ask the

question she's been longing to ask:

DENVER:

You my sister, ain't you? You really are.

Beloved looks at her and smiles. They are so close she leans

in curiously and - touching Denver's face - kisses her on the

lips.

DENVER:

You won't leave us, will you?

BELOVED:

No. Never. This is where I am.

DENVER:

I knew it. I knew. First time I saw you

and you said your name. And when you

touched me - real gentle. And familiar.

Like I'd felt that touch before.

Smiling, Beloved moves to touch Denver's cheek when suddenly,

Denver sits up cross legged and urges Beloved;

DENVER:

Don't tell mama. You musn't tell her who

you really are. I don't know what she'd

do! Please, you hear?

Suddenly, Beloved's face turns to rage as she rises up as

well;

BELOVED:

Don't tell me what to do? Don't never

tell me what to do!?

DENVER:

But..but I'm on your side. I want to

protect you...

BELOVED:

(stands above Denver)

She's the one! She's the one I need! You

can go but she's the one I have to have!

Beloved abruptly drops to her knees and crawls out the

boxwood bush room as Denver's pleads;

DENVER:

No. Beloved please! Don't go! I didn't do

nothing! We were dancing! Don't go!....

INT. DENVER'S & BELOVED'S ROOM - DAWN THE FOLLOWING DAY.

The room is still dark from the night but the sun is rising

outside.

Suddenly, Beloved awakens with a start. She senses something.

She rises and looks out the window to see;

POV;

SETHE WALKING ACROSS THE FIELD.

Beloved quickly grabs her clothes and exits to follow her, as

Denver awakens just in time to see her go.

EXT. WOODS EARLY MORNING.

Sethe is dressed as if for church as she makes her way through

the woods with a specific destination in mind.

Soon, she comes upon;

EXT. A CLEARING IN THE WOODS - EARLY MORNING.

Sethe steps out of the woods and into an open clearing. A

LARGE ROCK sits in the clearing like a pulpit above the pew's

of grass and weeds.

Sethe remembers the place as it was... She hears the VOICES

OF A CROWD...a gathering of people though the clearing

remains empty. She crosses to the rock and sits. Camera moves

up to reveal -

MEMORY:

BABY SUGGS, vital and strong, standing on the rock,

preaching:

BABY SUGGS:

I'm not here to tell you all to clean up

your lives and sin no more....I'm not

here to tell you we're the blessed meek

and are glorybound!...I'm here to tell

you that the only grace we can have, is

the grace we can imagine...And if you

cannot see it, then you shall not have

it...

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