Labyrinth Page #9

HOGGLE:
I hope yer not thinkin' o' lettin' the beast traipse along,

Missy. He'll just slow us up.

SARAH:
Are you kidding?! He'll be a great help! The goblins are

scared of him because he's so fierce ...

Just then LUDO shyly offers SARAH a flower that he has just picked

for her. She takes it and smiles at him.

HOGGLE (sarcastically): I sees what ya mean.

SARAH shrugs and gives LUDO a pat. HOGGLE sighs with frustration.

HOGGLE:
I just thinks we was doin' fine on our own.

SARAH:
And we can do even better with Ludo. (turns to Ludo) You want

to help me save my baby brother, don't you, Ludo?

LUDO:
Save ... baby. Good!

SARAH nods with satisfaction and strides into the hedge maze. LUDO

right behind her. HOGGLE follows, clearly unhappy.

41EXT:
FOREST GATE - DAY

SARAH, HOGGLE and LUDO come out of the hedge maze and see a wall with

two SARAH-sized doors in it.

HOGGLE:
This is it, the entrance ta the Forbidden Forest. All we

gotta do is pick a door ...

SARAH:
What difference does it make? Let's just go!

LUDO quickly steps between SARAH and the doors.

LUDO:
One door ... good. One door ... bad.

HOGGLE:
Well, that's great news. (to Ludo) Don't suppose ya know

which is which?

SARAH skirts around LUDO and goes up to the doors for a closer look

at them.

LUDO:
One door ... good. One door ...

HOGGLE:
All right, ya walkin' mountain! Ya made ya point.

ANOTHER ANGLE:

SARAH ignores the bickering behind her and examines the doors. Each

one has a door knocker on it. Both knockers are carved into faces,

except one has the ring going through its ears and the other has it

stuck in its mouth.

SARAH (to herself): I guess once you choose a door ... all you have

to do is knock.

The KNOCKER with the ring through its ears speaks.

KNOCKER 1:
Are you addressing me?

SARAH jumps back, stunned.

SARAH:
You can talk!

KNOCKER 1:
What? What? You'll have to speak up!!

KNOCKER 2:
mmffn ... grnth ... sminvl ...

SARAH turns to the OTHER KNOCKER.

SARAH:
You too!

KNOCKER 2:
... gmft ... bmble ...

SARAH shakes her head in amazement.

ANOTHER ANGLE:

The BOYS are still at it.

HOGGLE:
If yer so smart why not show us another way inta the forest?

LUDO:
Ludo ... not ... know.

HOGGLE:
That figures, don't it? (he turns his back on Ludo, fuming)

Why the Missy wants an overgrown hill o' hair fer a friend is beyond

me.

LUDO tries to make HOGGLE feel better and pats him on the shoulder.

HOGGLE shakes his hand off with a growl.

ANOTHER ANGLE:

SARAH is excited.

SARAH:
I love it! Talking doors!! (to Knocker 1) Are you the right

door to the forest?

KNOCKER 1:
It doesn't do to ask me. For some reason I can't hear a

thing.

SARAH turns to KNOCKER 1.

KNOCKER 1:
No use asking him, either. All he does is mumble.

KNOCKER 2 gets very excited.

KNOCKER 2:
thgt ... vrnf ... lcl ...

SARAH:
I get it! You can't talk with that ring in your mouth!

She removes the ring and looks at the FACE triumphantly.

SARAH:
Now, tell me which one of you is the right door to the forest.

KNOCKER 2:
Oh, I am. No question about it.

SARAH:
Great! How do we get you to open up?

KNOCKER 2:
One merely has to knock.

SARAH:
Of course, why didn't I think of that.

She tries to get the ring back in its mouth.

KNOCKER 2:
Oh no you don't, young lady! I've had just about enough of

that awful thing, thank you very much!

SARAH:
But how are we supposed to get through this door if you won't

let me knock on it?

KNOCKER 2:
Well, I really couldn't say now, could I?

SARAH throws up her hands in disgust.

KNOCKER 1:
Oh do speak up, both of you? I can't hear a thing!

ANOTHER ANGLE:

HOGGLE and LUDO are still at it.

HOGGLE (conspiratorially): Ya know ... even if she does get the door

open, ya won't be able ta fit through. Why not make it easy on us all

and take a hike?

LUDO:
Ludo ... Stay!

HOGGLE is disgusted.

HOGGLE:
Yer quite the speechifier, ain't ya?

ANOTHER ANGLE:

SARAH suddenly gives KNOCKER 2 an evil grin.

SARAH:
Are you sure there isn't anything I can do to change your mind?

KNOCKER 2:
Absolutely not! My lips are sealed!

SARAH:
That's what I thought!

The KNOCKER presses its lips firmly together. SARAH deftly squeezes

its nose shut. It sputters for air and finally has to open its mouth

before it suffocates. SARAH shoves the ring in with a gleeful cry of

triumph. She knocks, and the door swings open.

SARAH:
Let's go!

She goes through the door and HOGGLE and LUDO race to follow. They

BOTH try to get through the door at the same time and get into such a

tangle that the door closes before they can straighten themselves out.

HOGGLE:
Now you've done it!

In a frenzy, HOGGLE starts banging on both doors.

HOGGLE:
Missy! Missy, wait!

42EXT:
FORBIDDEN FOREST - DAY

SARAH on the other side of the door. Except on this side, there is no

door, just a long expanse of wall. The forest is very dark, and as

its name suggests, very forbidding. SARAH can hear HOGGLE calling,

but it is very faint.

SARAH (scared):
Hoggle?

43EXT:
FOREST GATE - DAY

HOGGLE is beating on the doors with such a frenzy that the other door

swings open.

HOGGLE:
I'm coming ...

He rushes through the door and disappears. We can tell from his voice

that he is falling down a deep hole.

HOGGLE (echoed):
... Miiiiiiiiissy!

We hear a huge splash. Then that door shuts and LUDO is all alone.

LUDO:
Sarah ... gone. Hoggle ... gone.

He is sad and confused. A FIGURE emerges from the hedge maze and

begins to walk along the wall, away from LUDO. It is the WISE ONE.

LUDO brightens and chases after them.

LUDO:
Wait!

The WISE ONE stops and the HAT looks LUDO up and down.

HAT:
This ought to be a good one!

LUDO:
Ludo ... need ... door!

WISE ONE:
You have need of a door, do you? Ah, yes. A very useful

thing, the door; also known as a portal or threshold -- and that

which gives access, a gate or gangway ...

He continues walking and LUDO walks with him, listening intently.

WISE ONE:
... also an entrance or entry, often accompanied by a

propylaeum ...

HAT (sighs):
If only I had hands I could cover my ears ... that is,

if I had ears ...

WISE ONE:
... not to be confused with a window, or fenestration ...

44EXT:
FOREST - DAY

SARAH has waited long enough.

SARAH:
Hoggle, Ludo ... where are you?

She reaches into her pocket and looks at the watch. The hour hand is

on the 7.

SARAH:
(whispers) Oh, Freddie! (she shoves the watch back into her

pocket) Well, you guys are going to have to catch up with me 'cause I

can't wait.

Then determined, she strides off.

45.INT:
HOLE - DAY

HOGGLE is in a pool at the bottom of a deep hole in the ground. There

is a ledge just above him and he splashes violently trying to reach it.

HOGGLE:
Somebody help me! I can't swim!

46EXT:
FOREST - DAY

SARAH is in a very thick, creepy part of the woods. She is clearly

lost. She gets herself tangled in a thorn bush, and struggles with it

to get herself free. Finally she does, and then, frustrated, sits

down on the ground.

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