The Keeping Room Page #13

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AUGUSTA:

Don’t seem like many, easy as you went

down.

(CONTINUED)

82.

MOSES:

No. It don’t. But it was. And yet, here I

sit --

AUGUSTA:

-- here you sit --

MOSES:

--sh*t.

Beat.

AUGUSTA:

This is whatcha get for bein’ bad.

MOSES:

North ain’t bad.

AUGUSTA:

Didn’t say it was. Said you was.

MOSES:

And you, you’re good.

AUGUSTA:

Don’t know no more.

MOSES:

Used to though.

She sits in the chair closest to the door, her gun still

trained on him. And his still trained on her.

AUGUSTA:

Back when everyone was in the right place

it was easy to feel like I was good. Like

I was where I belonged. Like everyone

was. And then all things got moved and

once all things got moved it was hard to

know.

Moses considers.

MOSES:

Most likely things won’t go back to where

they were. Rarely do.

Beat.

MOSES (CONT’D)

I’d like to know your name.

AUGUSTA:

Augusta.

(CONTINUED)

83.

MOSES:

Augusta.

Somehow that word, her name, the way she says it...

He opens his hand and lets the gun ROLL onto the table.

It surprises her. She looks at the gun, just lying there,

and then she looks back at him.

She lowers her gun. Just a little.

Louise goes to say something, she’s so AFRAID --

But Mad stops her.

He coughs, but it sounds like CHOKING. Some BLOOD comes

up. He puts his hand to his LIP, looks at the blood on

his fingers, and then back at Augusta.

MOSES (CONT’D)

Things could be different.

Beat.

AUGUSTA:

But they ain’t.

MOSES:

I know it’s over. To tell the truth, I’m

heartened.

(beat)

Don’t know that I’d even know how to get

home from here.

He raises the glass to her. It hurts. He cringes --

But he keeps it high. Just for her.

MOSES (CONT’D)

I’d very much appreciate it if you’d show

me the way.

Augusta steals herself. She knows what she has to do.

AUGUSTA:

(You ready to go now?)

You bout finished your drink?

He lowers the glass to his lips -MOSES

(I am.)

Just abou -

(CONTINUED)

84.

She SHOOTS him.

Louise steels herself against Mad.

Augusta lowers her gun, looks down...

And then she looks up at him, one last time.

EXT. FIELD - LATE MORNING

Henry’s body LANDS in a hole in the ground.

From BELOW, we see Mad and Augusta standing, looking in.

Augusta holds a SHOVEL at her side.

EXT. FIELD - LATER

Augusta stands by Moses’ body at the edge of the freshly

dug HOLE.

She squats down to pat his pockets and finds a small

purse with some coins, and then she finds a THE SCRAP OF

FABRIC FRO HER DRESS. She’s taken a back. It’s wrapped

around A TINTYPE of MOSES posing with AN OLDER COUPLE.

Perhaps it’s his parents. She looks at their faces, holds

the picture close to her eyes. She puts it back in his

pocket. She finds a few bullets, too. Takes them.

She looks at his face.

And then, with all her might, she rolls him into the same

hole as Henry, right on top of him.

EXT. FIELD - LATER

Mad sits next to Bill, who now lies on the edge of hole.

Mad doesn’t turn, she just feels Augusta behind her.

MAD:

How strange he show up here lookin’ like

a Yankee.

Augusta’s about to say something when --

MAD (CONT’D)

I reckon he joined up.

AUGUSTA MAD:

With them --Maybe he was free.

Augusta understands.

(CONTINUED)

85.

AUGUSTA:

And he came back.

MAD:

I didn’t know people looked the same

whether they was dead or alive.

AUGUSTA:

What do you mean?

MAD:

He gone. But he don’t look so bad. Like

he’s sleepin’ maybe.

AUGUSTA:

He look dead.

MAD:

But he look gooooood.

Mad runs her hand down his face. Augusta smiles.

Mad goes to shove him in.

AUGUSTA:

You sure you don’t wanna dig another

hole?

MAD:

Ain’t time. Ain’t strength.

AUGUSTA:

Don’t think he should go in the same

place as them.

MAD:

Don’t worry. They ain’t goin’ to the same

place.

And with that, Mad goes to push Bill into the hole.

Augusta joins her and together they send him home.

INT. KEEPING ROOM - AFTERNOON

Louise sleeps in the corner. Augusta sits by her side.

Slowly, Louise wakes up.

They take each other in and then --

MAD (O.C.)

Augusta! Augusta come out here!

86.

EXT. FARMHOUSE - LATE AFTERNOON

Mad stands on a hill overlooking the land.

Augusta comes running and once she sees why Mad’s

calling, she slows down.

The two women stand, looking out. We stay on their

bewildered FACES, a mix of wonder and terror.

MAD:

Looks like the sky’s on fire.

AUGUSTA:

Looks like the whole world’s on fire.

MAD:

They comin’.

INT. KEEPING ROOM - LATER

The faint SOUNDS OF WAR in the distance.

Mad and Louise sit at the table. Augusta paces back and

forth.

AUGUSTA:

This is our home.

Louise takes Mad’s hand. Holds it tight.

LOUISE:

This our home.

Mad holds tight back. She knows what Louise is trying to

say even if Louise doesn’t know quite how to say it.

BOOM! A cannon erupts in the distance.

AUGUSTA:

And we gonna have to defend it.

LOUISE:

...What if we didn’t stay?

Augusta stops, turns.

AUGUSTA:

What?

LOUISE:

What if we went?

(CONTINUED)

87.

MAD:

They comin’ fast -

LOUISE:

So?

MAD:

The Union army’s walkin’ right for us we

can’t just walk right back.

LOUISE:

A few guns ain’t gonna keep ‘em out.

AUGUSTA:

We can hold ‘em. We can keep it safe.

Louise stands, challenging her sister.

LOUISE:

Keeping Room’s just walls Augusta. Ain’t

nothin’ safe.

Mad stands too.

MAD:

Three women comin’ ‘gainst the Union army

don’t mean nothin’.

Augusta rests her hands on the table, leaning forward.

AUGUSTA:

(realizing)

What if it was men instead uh women?

Augusta looks up at Louise and then at Mad.

EXT. FIELD - LATER

The women stand over the fresh graves. Augusta picks up

the SHOVEL, winces at the pain in her shoulder.

Mad takes the shovel from her and plunges the BLADE into

the DIRT.

CUT TO:

INT. FARMHOUSE / SECOND BEDROOM - DUSK

A series of IMAGES:

-- CLOTHING lands in a PILE on the floor.

(CONTINUED)

88.

-- Augusta pulls on a pair of dirty ARMY TROUSERS.

-- Mad buttons up an MAN’S SHIRT.

-- Louse tucks her hair into a UNION CAP.

Augusta buttons up the last buttons of the jacket and

feels something against her breast. Her hand goes to

it... and she remembers the PHOTOGRAPH.

She pulls it out. We don’t see it, but she looks at it

once more, and then tucks it safely back into his pocket.

And then the FULL PICTURE:

Augusta, Louise and Mad stand in front of the tall mirror

in full UNION UNIFORM. They look at themselves, all

dressed up as men. As soldiers. The uniforms are too big,

of course, but the women wear them well.

Throughout this scene, the SOUNDS OF WAR grow louder.

The sound of GUNS and CANNONS ever closer.

They look at themselves in the mirror.

They aren’t women anymore.

INT. FARMHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER

Augusta stands JUST OUTSIDE the open doorway.

She holds one of the OIL LAMPS, considering for a

moment...

AND THEN -She

THROWS it right through the door.

It BREAKS, and the floor immediately catches FIRE.

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