The Ghost and the Darkness Page #7

PATTERSON:

(taking it)

Thank you, Samuel.

SAMUEL:

(watching as Patterson

opens it)

Good news?

PATTERSON:

(glancing at the letter)

I expect so- it's from my wife.

SAMUEL:

Do you love her?

PATTERSON:

I do, actually; very much.

SAMUEL:

(his wonderful smile)

You give me hope, John.

(As he walks away-)

CUT TO:

STARLING, probing at the thorn fence, searching out any last

weaknesses.

Behind him now, in the tall grass, something moves.

Starling, intent on his work, notices nothing.

CUT TO:

THE SINGING MEN, getting more and more into it.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, by the river, reading the letter.

There is a large tree up the riverbank. It casts a large shadow.

In the shadow now, something moves.

Patterson, intent on his reading, notices nothing.

HELENA (over)

Darling one- the big excitement

yesterday was when some school-

children spotted a whale-

(pause)

-they were looking at me, John-

CUT TO:

HELENA, in their bedroom, moving across to the window, staring

out. She now has a considerable stomach.

HELENA:

That was an attempt at humor but I

don't feel very funny these days. I

miss you terribly and after our son-

I still have total confidence- well,

after he's born I think travel might

be broadening. As he kicks me at

night I'm quite sure he's telling me

he definitely wants to come to Africa.

(pause)

Thought you might need reminding.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON by the river. He smiles, folds the letter. Now-

CUT TO:

THE SINGING WORKMEN at Tsavo station- and they sense how good they

sound, and they really concentrate on it, on making that sound

even better-

-there must be twenty of them, working and singing-

-and screaming!

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, turning his head sharply and

CUT TO:

STARLING, doing the same and

CUT TO:

THE SCREAMING WORKMEN and they're running now, running and

shrieking and that's all we see, the workmen-

-some of them run left-

-some run right-

-and now a few of them are starting to cry.

CUT TO:

A FAT COOLIE running and running, glancing back, screaming louder,

running on and on and

CUT TO:

-a shadow in the grass- no telling what- but it's big and it's

moving and

CUT TO:

THE FAT COOLIE and this next goes so fast it could be a dream- or,

more accurately, a nightmare-

SHOCK CUT TO:

A GIGANTIC WHITE MANED LION as it leaps onto the Fat Coolie,

brings him to earth, bites his neck in two, kills him, just-like-

that.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, as they race away from the river and

CUT TO:

STARLING, running from the fenced area- he holds a rifle in his

hands.

CUT TO:

ANOTER PART OF THE CAMP AND A DIFFERENT BUNCH OF WORKMEN- they

freeze as the screams reach them and

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, on the way to his tent area and

CUT TO:

DIFFERENT WORKMEN listening in fear and

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, racing to his tent, grabbing his rifle and cartridges

and

CUT TO:

STARLING, running toward the screaming and

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, as he charges ahead, loading his rifle on the fly and

CUT TO:

SAMUEL, carrying more ammunition, running behind Patterson,

keeping up and

CUT TO:

TSAVO STATION and nothing is visible now- the men are gone and

from this angle, it looks deserted and

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, catching Starling, leading him into the TSAVO STATION

area, Samuel just behind them.

CUT TO:

A RECTANGULAR SHED, ahead of them. They move to it, slow-

-then they stop-

-a sound is heard- from around the corner- the sound continues-

Patterson glances at Starling- the sound could be this: the

crunching of bones.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, checking his rifle.

CUT TO:

STARLING, doing the same. Samuel, holding the extra ammunition,

moves close to Patterson. Now-

CUT TO:

PATTERSON as he suddenly steps away from the shed, rounding the

corner and as he does-

CUT TO:

THE WHITE LION, with the Fat Coolie- the lion is crunching at his

feet-

-then the lion stares toward the shed as we

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, moving out into clearer view, Starling and Samuel right

with him. THE LION is a good distance away.

CUT TO:

THE WHITE LION, a low growl coming from him as he takes the

coolie's body by the shoulder, begins backing away with it.

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, dropping to his knees for the shot and

CUT TO:

STARLING, doing the same and

CUT TO:

THE WHITE LION, growling louder and

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, taking aim and

CUT TO:

SAMUEL, crying out and pointing and suddenly we're into super slow

motion-

-Samuel has pointed back toward the roof of the shed and-

-and this thing is suddenly there-

-this huge dark thing and it seems to suddenly appear from the

flat roof of the shed and

CUT TO:

THE SUN, blocked out as this dark thing moves across it, fully

stretched, it seems to go on forever and

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, turning around to see and

CUT TO:

STARLING, turning too, and we're coming back into regular motion

now as we

CUT TO:

This enormous BLACK-MANED LION diving into the three, sending them

all sprawling and

CUT TO:

THE WHITE MANED LION roaring and

CUT TO:

THE BLACK MANED LION roaring, running to the other and

CUT TO:

THE TWO LIONS IN CLOSE UP.

THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, for that is how they will be referred

to-

-and The Ghost has blood and bits of flesh on its mouth-

-The Darkness has eyes that are crazed-

-they are destruction bringers, these two, they can kill the old

and the young and the fat and the strong-

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, lying in pain, dazed, shoulder bleeding, trying to

reach for his rifle and

CUT TO:

THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, the white and the black, as they move

toward the field of tall grass, roaring and

CUT TO:

SAMUEL, lying in pain, his leg is bleeding and

CUT TO:

PATTERSON'S RIFLE and

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, as he reaches it, manages to lift it and the roaring

sounds are deafening now and

CUT TO:

THE TWO GIGANTIC MALES, backing into the tall grass-

-they roar one final time-

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, gun ready to fire but it's futile and he knows it as we

CUT TO:

THE TALL GRASS and they're gone, the grass is full of moving

patterns from the wind- that's all we see- just the grass blowing

this way, that way-

CUT TO:

PATTERSON, staggering to his feet, staring at the grassy field.

PATTERSON:

(dazed)

Jesus, two of them...

CUT TO:

SAMUEL. Dazed too. He points. Patterson registers, turns and

CUT TO:

STARLING, LYING DEAD, his throat ripped open. HOLD briefly on the

young man, then-

CUT TO:

THE STATION AREA

A train from Mombassa is slowly pulling in. And things are fairly

chaotic- there is the usual activity of what is ordinarily one of

the busier parts in camp-

-but now, something new has been added: Abdullah is there with

several dozen coolies who work under his command. THey are waiting

for the train.

Patterson and Samuel are there too- and at the moment, Abdullah

and Patterson are in the middle of a screamer- first one of them

walking away, then coming back, then the other doing the same.

PATTERSON:

(shouting over the noise

of the approaching train)

-oh, sing a different song, Abdullah-

(gesturing toward the men

who stand by the train

tracks)

-there's nothing wrong with your men

so stop telling me there is-

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes