Mud Page #2

(WHISTLING)

What are you doin'?

I try to never sleep in the same spot twice.

- What you got there?

- ELLIS:
Brought you some food.

Here, take it.

(UNZIPPING BAG)

I owe you boys.

I was gonna try and run

a trotline this afternoon.

See where that got me.

Mmm.

Green beans never tasted so good.

Why you have that pistol?

Protection.

Y'all needn't be afraid of me.

I've got two ways to protect myself

out here, this shirt

and this pistol.

There are fierce powers

at work in the world, boys.

Good, evil,

poor luck, best luck.

As men,

we've got to take advantage where we can.

Y'all comin'?

ELLIS:
So who's this guy

you're waiting on?

Oh, I'm not waitin' on no guy.

I'm waitin' on my girlfriend.

- Juniper.

- Is she hot?

She's beautiful.

(COUGHS) Bullshit!

Prettiest girl I've ever seen, hands down.

Blonde hair, long legs.

I tell you, she's like a dream

you don't want to wake up from.

She's got these birds tattooed

on her hands here.

Nightingales.

(IMITATES WINGS FLAPPING)

Good luck birds.

That a good luck snake?

No, it is not.

I hate snakes.

That's because God put 'em

here for us to fear.

(SIGHS) We knew to be afraid of snakes long

before we ever even got into this world.

The Cherokee would wrap their pregnant

women's bellies in snake skin.

Induce labor, scare the child out.

Put that around your bed at night.

Snake won't cross a braided rope.

Thanks.

So what's that tattoo for then?

A reminder.

Don't get bit.

I was 10, swimmin' about a mile

up from here, me and Juniper.

Son of a b*tch

swam up on me,

bit me right here up under the armpit.

Juniper got me off to the clinic.

Doctor said I should have

been dead in 20 minutes.

Took us over an hour just to get to town.

NECKBONE:
So what'd they do for it?

Gave me the anti-venom.

Cottonmouth.

See here?

Thing with anti-venom is,

they can only give it to you once.

Made of horse blood.

Body would reject it a second time.

So the cure becomes

more dangerous than the poison.

What happens if you get bit again?

I die

or just sweat it out.

We gotta go help Neck's uncle.

All right.

You never said your name.

Mud.

You can call me Mud.

Here, Mud.

I think you need this worse than I do.

I'll be all right.

(BIRDS SQUAWKING)

(PEOPLE TALKING

INDISTINCTLY)

(LAUGHING)

You start datin', I bet her dad'll

give you a free pickup.

I don't care about that.

What the hell are you doing?

Where you goin'?

MAY:
Stop it!

Stop it! God!

Hey.

(THUDS)

BOY:
Holy sh*t, Pryor,

get off your ass!

You only got what you deserve!

That's right, go home, Pryor!

(TEENS TALKING INDISTINCTLY)

Do I know you?

I'm Ellis, that's Neck.

We went to junior high with you

before you went to high school.

How old are you?

Fourteen.

You know you just punched a senior.

So?

I'm May Pearl.

I know.

What else do you know?

Nothing.

Son of a b*tch.

Ellis.

Ellis!

Look.

NECKBONE:
You ever

seen that girl before?

No.

Did you see her hands?

PRYOR:
Hey, girl!

Hey!

Hey, girl, where you goin'?

That ain't even cool.

Hello?

Oh, sorry.

We think we know a guy that might

know that girl over there.

- Oh.

- May Pearl, let's go!

Okay.

Okay, I guess I'll see you.

If you can find my number,

you should give me a call.

I can find it.

Where'd she go?

Into the Piggly Wiggly.

She came from the motel.

SENIOR:
Home for dinner?

ELLIS:
What you hidin' for?

I ain't hidin'.

Come over here.

You know I love you?

Yes, sir.

I know.

I work you hard, 'cause life is work.

You know that?

Yes, sir.

(SIGHS)

Your mom is talkin' about movin' into town.

What's that mean?

She seems set on it,

wants to separate.

May even ask for a divorce.

What's that mean for me?

It means enjoy this river, son.

Enjoy it while you live on it.

'Cause this way of life

isn't long for this world.

River Authority's about made certain of that.

But you and me,

we can still live out here, right?

R.A. can't take your boat.

Not while you're still livin' in it.

This houseboat's in your mother's name.

Her daddy gave it to her, not to me.

She wants to leave it.

River Authority's got every

right to come in here

and tear this place apart board by board.

(EXHALES)

That ain't right.

You work outta here.

We got the ice machine.

The traps.

What are we supposed to do?

Like I said, that's your mother's business.

I ain't no townie.

I ain't livin' like that.

I've let you down, son.

Man is supposed to be

in charge of his own affairs,

but I haven't worked it like that.

But y'all are married.

Y'all are supposed to love each other.

I don't know about that anymore.

Hey, Ellis.

You're late.

(THUDDING)

(PANTING)

(BREATHING DEEPLY)

(BREATHING SHAKILY)

(EXHALES)

MUD:
Ellis?

Damn, boy, what you doin' out here?

I got you some Beanie Weenie.

I appreciate that.

But I didn't expect you out here at night.

Oh, look at that.

Boy, you really know how

to do somebody right.

I wasn't gonna say nothin',

but it's pretty tough to make

a meal out of pumpkin pie fillin'.

That's all my mom had.

Oh, I ain't complainin'.

Can I get one of those?

They're yours to begin with.

(SLURPING)

(CAN LID CLATTERS)

That's good, right?

You been out here too long.

(CHUCKLES)

Mmm-hmm.

The girl you're waitin' on,

she's your girlfriend?

Juniper.

Yeah.

How'd you meet her?

(SIGHS)

We grew up together.

You love her?

I do.

First time I saw her was on this river,

just up from here.

She saved my life.

- From the snake bite.

- Mmm-hmm.

I was younger than you are right now.

When I came to in the hospital

and she was there,

it was like the whole world just split

wide open and

come back together new.

I knew from then on I'd do anything for her.

Why aren't y'all married then?

I've asked. Several times.

(EXHALES)

Marriage

just don't work for some people.

My dad says

my parents might be getting a divorce.

I'm sorry to hear that.

They say if it happens,

and my mom moves us off the river,

the government can come take our boat.

Who says that?

Everybody.

They passed a law.

(EXHALES)

I saw Juniper today.

What?

She had the birds tattooed on her hands.

Just like you said.

You're right.

She's pretty.

Where'd you see her?

At the Piggly Wiggly.

I think she's staying

at a motel nearby there.

That's good news.

That's real good news.

She know you're out here?

No. No, we, uh...

We said we'd meet somewhere else,

a couple days from now.

You wanna go tonight?

I can take you up river.

Tomorrow.

I'll go tomorrow.

You want me to come and get you?

No, I can manage.

Hell, I made it out here, didn't I?

It's a hell of a thing, ain't it?

It's a hell of a thing.

Time to get up.

It's too early.

I'm going to Wal-Mart

and I need you to come with me.

Mom.

Come on.

Ellis, I know what

your father told you last night.

That's... That's not what I wanted.

I wanted to sit you down and talk about it.

What do you want to talk about?

You want to leave and that means

they can tear up our house.

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