The Keeping Room Page #8

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(CONTINUED)

48.

A NOISE, directly behind them. They turn to see...

LOUISE.

She’s just standing there. Like a GHOST.

Augusta and Mad stare at her. She looks like she might

fall over. They move quickly to her, help her to the

table, sit her down.

They sit down, too. Staring at her.

Waiting.

LOUISE:

I’m... hungry.

MAD:

Did she say...

AUGUSTA:

...hungry?

Mad and Augusta break into NOISES OF RAPTURE. Shouting

and hollering and dancing around the room.

AUGUSTA (CONT’D)

She’s hungry!

MAD:

What did you say?!

LOUISE:

I’m hungry.

MAD:

Say it again!

Louise manages a small SMILE. And in the loudest voice

she can muster:

LOUISE:

I’m hungry!

INT. KEEPING ROOM - EVENING

Mad is at the stove, cooking FURIOUSLY.

MAD:

I’m gonna cook you somethin’ so good,

Louise. Come-back-from-the-dead stew,

that’s what. Come-back-from-the-dead

stew! Best stew I ever made.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

49.

MAD (CONT'D)

Beef heart n’ chicken breast. Prettiest

vegetables you ever saw.

Augusta gets up and goes over to the cabinets. She pulls

out the DRIED SAGE she brought back.

She takes it to Mad.

AUGUSTA:

For a little flavor.

Mad takes it. They both look down into the pot.

Inside the pot, it’s just RABBIT BONES and TURNIPS

floating around in some water.

Augusta goes and sits with Louise. She stares at her.

Louise has her head down on the table.

Mad starts to sing a song while she cooks. It’s about --

of course -- Come-back-from-the-dead stew.

Augusta touches Louise’s hair like something you’re not

supposed to touch.

Augusta puts her head down next to Louise’s. They take

each other in.

Augusta smiles a contented, drunken smile.

EXT. ROAD NEAR CALEB’S - EARLY MORNING

It’s empty, as before.

The Black Rider and his horse come down the road. They

reach Caleb’s.

EXT. CALEB’S - SAME

A man, a woman, and a horse lie dead in the street.

Another body lies across the PORCH, and another is

propped up against the building, a streak of blood

smeared down above his head. Both are old men.

The Black Rider goes to the man’s body closest to him,

lying in the street, and rolls him over. It’s Caleb.

Then he goes to the body of a WOMAN. It’s Moll. Eyes

wide, lips still smeared with blood. He closes her

eyelids, makes the sign of the CROSS.

(CONTINUED)

50.

Finally, he goes to the horse. He comes around the front

and sees it’s proud, dead face.

BLACK RIDER:

...Fern?

He looks up, eyes searching.

INT. FARMHOUSE / BEDROOM - EARLY MORNING

Augusta splashes water on her face from a PORCELAIN

BASIN, wipes it with a cloth, takes a deep breath. She’s

hung over.

She looks back at Mad and Louise, asleep in the bed

together. Then she looks past them, to the window. The

morning air creeping in.

A sudden uneasiness...

She grabs a BLANKET.

INT. FARMHOUSE / FRONT HALL - SAME

Augusta walks to the door, opens it.

She stands in the doorway wrapped in the BLANKET, bracing

herself against the cold morning that comes rushing in.

She sees:

-- The GREEN HILLS

-- Clusters of TREES

-- Branches SWAYING, as if moved by some INVISIBLE HAND

As she stands there, watching the world...

The uneasiness overwhelms her.

She’s been so focused on Louise that she hadn’t really

thought about what would happen next. But then she

remembers and suddenly she feels a shift in the ground

beneath her, in the air around her -

SOMETHING’S COMING.

EXT. ROAD - AFTERNOON

CLOSE ON:
The red TONGUE of a tired dog, PANTING.

(CONTINUED)

51.

It’s Battle.

We widen out to reveal Henry and Moses as they come

walking up behind him. Moses walks ahead of Henry, who

lags behind holding a JUG of MOONSHINE, lip still CUT

from where Moll bit him.

MOSES:

Didn’t realize you needed your mouth to

walk proper.

HENRY:

Whore damn near bit my lip off. I’m all

dizzy.

MOSES:

Just keep drinking that shine. It’ll stop

hurting soon.

HENRY:

Ain’t enough shine in this bottle fix

what I got.

MOSES:

No one suffers but you.

HENRY:

If you were the one bit we’d still be

sitting back at the whorehouse instead uh

moving.

MOSES:

I don’t know that I’d call what you’re

doing moving.

HENRY:

You sure we’re going the right way?

MOSES:

Road only goes one way.

HENRY MOSES:

You know as well as I do

you can go any way you want

(on “want to”)

We’re on the right trail.

to on a -HENRY

Maybe we should stop a minute.

MOSES:

Maybe you should quit acting like she bit

off your foot.

Henry sits down right where he is.

(CONTINUED)

52.

MOSES (CONT’D)

Fine.

Moses stops too. Shakes his head.

MOSES (CONT’D)

We can rest a while. We can rest.

He looks up at the sun.

HENRY:

Wish we had some horses, Mose.

MOSES:

Can’t be too far off now.

He takes off his hat. Pushes back his hair. Feels the sun

on his face. Puts it back on.

MOSES (CONT’D)

What’s that story about the traveler lost

his horse? And the horse knew how to get

home but the man didn’t?

HENRY:

I don’t know.

MOSES:

The man would just get on the horse and

go to town and come home at night. Never

thought twice about the ride, just went.

And one day he comes out to the post and

his horse is just gone. And he’s

wandering around, looking everywhere, but

he’s not looking for his house, he’s

looking for the horse cause the horse’s

the only one who knows how to get home.

HENRY:

I don’t know this story.

MOSES:

And his looking takes him so far that one

day he ends up in a new town. And in that

new town, he finds a new wife and a new

horse. New house. And he’s happier than

before. Happier than he’s ever been.

Beat.

(CONTINUED)

53.

MOSES (CONT’D)

And then, years later, long after he’s

forgotten about his wandering days he’s

out on his new horse, going home to his

new wife and he sees a woman riding down

the road on a familiar horse. And he

swears he’s seen that horse before and

the horse swears he’s seen that man

before. But the man and the woman? They

don’t know each other. Can’t place each

other even though they were married for

20 years. And the man, he goes home to

his new wife. And the woman, she goes

home to her new husband. But the horse,

the horse can’t stop his wondering.

SUDDENLY Battle calls to them. The men turn and take

notice of his stillness:

He’s sitting right next to a CLUMP OF PRICKLY BUSHES.

MOSES (CONT’D)

What is it, boy?

Battle WHIMPERS.

MOSES (CONT’D)

You got something there?

Battle YELPS.

As Moses approaches Battle, he looks up and sees what the

dog sees:

A SWATCH OF WORN FLOWERED FABRIC

Caught in the branches of the bush.

It’s from Augusta’s dress.

Moses grabs the fabric off of the bush, holds it to his

nose and a takes a deep, long inhale.

HENRY:

What’s he got?

Moses puts it in his pocket. Looks up.

MOSES:

Let’s just say we’re going the right way.

OMITTED:

54.

EXT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT

The MOON is high. Everything is STILL.

The Farm is bathed in MOONLIGHT.

BLACK LEAVES rub together in the night breeze. SHADOWS

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