The Keeping Room Page #7

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Augusta picks up some MUSLIN SCRAPS she’s made to bandage

Louise’s leg. And as she tells the story, she carefully

wraps and bandages the wound.

AUGUSTA (CONT’D)

And the girl was gonna be killed by the

king.

LOUISE:

What king?

AUGUSTA:

I don’t know, some king somewhere.

LOUISE:

Why was he gonna kill her?

AUGUSTA:

Guess she musta done somethin’ he didn’t

like. The whole town turns up for the

execution, includin’ the girl’s sister.

And the sister goes to the girl, who’s

crying now, and says, when the king asks

you for any last words, say you want me

to tell you a story.

Louise listens intently, now.

AUGUSTA (CONT’D)

So when the king asks, the girl says -- I

want my sister to tell me a story. The

king grants the request and the sister

starts tellin’ a story so good that the

king can’t help but listen. And dawn has

come and gone and now it’s twilight. And

the whole town is still standin’ there

with their hearts in their throats. And

suddenly, at just the most excitin’ part,

she stops -

(CONTINUED)

41.

LOUISE:

Why?

AUGUSTA:

She says to the king -- you want to know

the rest, I will tell you tomorrow if you

give my sister one more day. Now the

townspeople think he’ll kill ‘em both,

but the King, needin’ to know the end,

says yes.

LOUISE:

What was the story she was tellin’?

AUGUSTA:

I only remember the part ‘bout her

tellin’ it.

LOUISE:

So did the king kill the girl after?

AUGUSTA:

The next day, just as soon as the sister

finished that story she started another

and she stopped that one just ‘fore the

best part and the same thing happened the

next night and the next night for near a

thousand nights.

Louise’s eyes are starting to close...

LOUISE:

What happened to the girl?

AUGUSTA:

As long as her sister kept tellin’

stories, she didn’t have to die.

They drift OPEN one last time...

AUGUSTA (CONT’D)

And after she told all those stories, I

think the king married her.

She’s asleep.

Augusta watches her.

And then, after a moment, come the heavy breaths, the

breaths that try to keep in the tears. The tears she’s

been holding back since the moment she thought her sister

might die. Since the bite. Since the body. Since the

town. Since the men.

(CONTINUED)

42.

And then -

Big, hard tears. Short, deep breaths. She makes it as

quiet as she can, but she can’t keep it in. Not anymore.

And after one last deep exhale, she feels something --

She LOOKS UP.

Mad, still lying down, is awake and looking right at her.

Augusta looks right back. No words pass between them.

They don’t have to.

INT. KEEPING ROOM - AFTERNOON

Mad takes inventory on the shelves, organizing what’s

left. Augusta comes in, still in her dress from the day

before.

She looks like she’s just woken up.

AUGUSTA:

Day’s half over.

MAD:

Didn’t wanna wake you.

Augusta moves and sits at the table.

MAD (CONT’D)

...She up too?

Augusta shakes her head. No.

MAD (CONT’D)

She needs the rest. Comin’ back to life

ain’t easy.

Augusta looks out the window at the already waning sun.

AUGUSTA:

Too late to start a hunt. Guess it’s

turnips.

MAD:

We should talk ‘bout that goat.

AUGUSTA MAD:

Her name’s Hatty. (on “name’s”)

I know her name.

(CONTINUED)

43.

AUGUSTA:

Then don’t call her “that goat.”

MAD:

Just ‘cause you give it a name don’t mean

we can’t eat it.

AUGUSTA:

We need the milk.

MAD:

We need the meat.

AUGUSTA:

We got the vegetables and hominy -

MAD:

That won’t keep us strong.

It’s a stand off. And then --

AUGUSTA:

We got anything to drink?

MAD:

Yeah.

Beat.

MAD (CONT’D)

Goat’s milk.

AUGUSTA:

That’s not what I meant.

INT. KEEPING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

They both stare down A JAR OF MOONSHINE.

MAD:

How you know ‘bout this?

AUGUSTA:

Whore showed me.

MAD:

That’s why you got sick.

AUGUSTA:

I ‘suppose.

MAD:

And you wanna do it again?

(CONTINUED)

44.

AUGUSTA:

You never had this?

MAD:

Unh-uh.

AUGUSTA:

It seems odd considerin’ it all came back

up but yes, I want some more.

Augusta gets two glasses. And then she pours.

MAD:

Jesus ain’t gonna be happy ‘bout this.

AUGUSTA:

Tthey a lot things right now Jesus ain’t

happy ‘bout.

Augusta raises her glass. She gestures for Mad to raise

hers too.

Mad raises it.

And then Augusta downs hers.

Mad does the same and then COUGHS and twists up her face.

Augusta grins.

INT. KEEPING ROOM - AFTERNOON

Mad and Augusta are now DRUNK.

AUGUSTA:

Gets easier more you drink.

MAD:

Gets real easier.

AUGUSTA:

I like the way I feel.

MAD:

Bill was the only one your Daddy let

drink it. He come back at night stinkin’

and proud.

AUGUSTA:

You was with him? Bill.

Beat.

(CONTINUED)

45.

MAD:

I was.

AUGUSTA:

You wanted to have his babies.

MAD:

Oh, lord.

AUGUSTA:

You miss him?

MAD:

I do.

AUGUSTA:

Was he -

Augusta stops herself.

MAD:

Go on.

Beat.

MAD (CONT’D)

With this moonshine in me I’m fixed to

answer any question you got.

AUGUSTA:

You real sad?

MAD:

We all real sad.

Augusta gets a dreamy girl look on her face like she’s

fixing to ask something blue.

AUGUSTA:

What’s it like?

MAD:

Oh no.

AUGUSTA:

You said you’d --

MAD:

I never did understand why you didn’t go

with one of them boys that wanted to.

Augusta considers.

(CONTINUED)

46.

AUGUSTA:

When mama died havin’ Louise, it never

occurred to me to be the woman somewhere

else. Hadn’t been for you I wouldn’ta

known nothin’ ‘bout bein’ a woman.

Mad looks right at Augusta.

AUGUSTA (CONT’D)

I watched you. I listened. You were kind.

MAD:

I tried.

The two women lock eyes. And then, Mad gives in.

MAD (CONT’D)

Alright... what you wanna know?

AUGUSTA:

How’s it feel?

MAD:

You’ll know -

AUGUSTA:

-- but what if I don’t. What if all the

men kill all the other men? What if it’s

the end of the world and we the only ones

left?

MAD:

It ain’t the end of the world --

AUGUSTA:

I think ‘bout all the women sittin’ in

houses now. Were supposed to be taken,

but ain’t. Learned to shoot a gun fore

they learned to bed. Learned to be men

instead ‘uh wives.

Mad hears her. She thinks about it. And then she motions

for Augusta to pour her another shot.

She does.

They drink.

MAD:

It’s scary. It feels good, but it’s

scary. It hurts! But good hurts. Like

ridin’ a horse. Or shootin’ a gun.

(CONTINUED)

47.

AUGUSTA:

You didn’t ever shoot no gun --

MAD:

Well, what’s it feel like?

Augusta thinks.

AUGUSTA:

Feels powerful --

MAD:

Yeah --

AUGUSTA:

And scary.

MAD:

Mmmhhhhmmm -

AUGUSTA:

But the kind you want n’ not the kind you

don’t -

MAD:

Yeah --

AUGUSTA:

And it hurts --

MAD:

That’s right --

AUGUSTA:

But I like it --

MAD:

That’s what I’m talkin’ bout --

AUGUSTA:

It’s like shootin’ a gun?

MAD:

Yes ma’am.

A beat. She SMILES.

AUGUSTA:

Least I done that.

Mad takes the bottle and pours them each some more.

And then -

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