The Leopard Man Page #16

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EXT. STREET CORNER RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT - NIGHT

This is a nice residential section, more American in feeling

than the other streets we have seen. There are trees on

either side of the street and the moonlight makes lacy

patterns through them. A shoulder-high brick wall encloses

the garden of the house on the corner. Clo-Clo is walking

along this brick wall. A purr of sound quickly lifts to the

sound of a high-powered motor and the glare of headlights

precede a long, low black roadster. The car comes around the

corner and stops. A young man leans out on the driver's side

YOUNG MAN:

Hey, chiquita, want a lift?

Clo-Clo stops and eyes him speculatively.

CLO�CLO

What way are you going?

YOUNG MAN:

Your way ��

Clo-Clo suddenly shrinks back, horror coming into her eyes.

YOUNG MAN:

What's the matter?

CLO-CLO

Your car �� what color is it?

YOUNG MAN:

Black.

Clo-Clo backs up against the brick wall.

CLO-CLO

(shrilly)

Get outta here! Get away from me

with that thing!

YOUNG MAN:

(dumbfounded)

What do you mean -� "thing"?

Clo-Clo starts running along the wall, looking back in terror

over her shoulder. The young man looks after her dumbfounded.

DISSOLVE:

EXT. CLO-CLO'S HOUSE - NIGHT

This is a small, ordinary clapboard house. In front of it is

a scraggly, dusty attempt at a lawn and garden. A mongrel pup

lies on the dusty path sleeping. Suddenly he leaps up and

barks sharply.

CLO�CLO'S VOICE

Be still, Pancho!

Clo-Clo walks up the path to the house. She opens the front

door, pushes Pancho away with her foot and slipsinto the

house, closing the door behind her.

INT. CLO-CLO'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

In the shadowy light of a single candle, Clo-Clo's small

bedroom can be seen only dimly. In it are a bed with iron

bedstead, an ancient wooden rocking-Chair, a chest of

drawers, and a little child's bed. The candle stands in a

saucer on top of the chest. A little girl is sleeping in the

large bed.

Clo-Clo comes into the room. She sits down on the edge of

the bed and pulls the little girl into her arms. The child

murmurs sleepily and snuggles up to Clo-Clo.

CLO-CLO

(happily)

Pepita, tomorrow..I'm going to buy

you the most beautiful silk dress

in the world.

The little girl tries to open her eyes, but the lids flutter

closed again and the child goes on sleeping.

CLO-CLO

(laughing softly)

You don't believe me, do you?

She lays the child in the smaller bed and pulls up the full,

ruffled skirt of her costume..

CLO-CLO

Wait until you see what I have �

then you'll wake up.

She runs her finger under the rolled top of one of her silk

stockings. She looks startled. Then, she stands up and pulls

the costume back over the other leg. She looks in that

stocking roll. She stands stricken under the realization that

she has lost the money.

MOTHER'S VOICE

Is that you Gabriela? What's the

matter?

Clo-Clo doesn't answer. She scuffs off her shoes and looks in

them. She drags off the long stockings, standing first on one

leg and then the other. She turns them inside out and shakes

them.

Clo-Clo's mother appears in the doorway. She is a prematurely

-aged woman with her hair in two braids and wearing a torn

wrapper.

MOTHER:

What are you doing? Have you lost

something?

CLO-CLO

(tensely)

Yes. Money. I must have lost it in

the street.

Clo-Clo thrusts her feet into the slipper, not bothering to

put the stockings on again. She grabs up a shawl from the

foot of the bed and throws it over her shoulders.

MOTHER:

Are you going out again, hijita?

Why don't you stay home and rest -�

Clo�Clo stops to kiss her mother's forehead and then goes

swiftly out the door, past her. The Mother turns to follow

her.

MOTHER:

(urgently)

Gabriela!

DISSOLVE:

EXT. STREET CORNER IN RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT - NIGHT

Clo-Clo walks into the scene very slowly, scanning every inch

of the sidewalk, from the curb to the brick wall and back

again, over and over as she moves toward the corner. She

retraces the pattern of her steps when she stopped to talk to

the Young Man -- out to the curb �� back to the wall and

along the wall to the corner. Shethen turns the corner.

EXT. STREET WITH RAMADA - NIGHT

Clo-Clo looks down her side of this street. She looks across

the street. Clo�Clo half turns, as if to retrace her steps �-

but just then something further down the sidewalk catches her

eye. She runs along the wall and leans down to grab at the

bit of folded green and white paper there. The elation dies

from her face. Stonily, rigidly she stares at it, the wrapper

from a stick of gum.

There is a tiny sound -- no more than a flicker of sound.

Clo�Clo lifts her face slowly. There is no movement anywhere,

no further sound. Clo-Clo looks to the building. There are

alternate bands of black darkness and moonlight. Clo�Clo's

eyes move from one to another. There is no movement behind

any of them.

Frowning a little, Clo-Clo starts back toward the corner. As

she moves, she hears footsteps across the street in the black

shadows. Listening, she walks more softly. But there is no

fear in her expressionor her posture. She is only curious.

Suddenly, she whirls and looks across the street. There is

nothing over there, nothing moving, nothing making sound. She

walks on to the corner arid, looking back once, goes on

around the corner.

EXT. STREET CORNER IN RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT - NIGHT

Clo�Clo walks away from the corner, along the brick wall,

very slowly. Her eyes go from side to side and she turns her

head slightly, as she listens. She stops. Behind her, back

around the corner, she hears footsteps

�- and then an imitative silence. She takes a few more steps,

stops suddenly again -� and again the pursuing footsteps

overlap hers. As Clo-Clo stands there, the silence is

protracted. Puzzled, but still showing no expression or

gesture of fear, Clo-Clo listens, then smiles and turns back.

CLO-CLO

(smiling; speaks softly)

Carlos �-

She gets as far as the corner, throws away her cigarette and

takes a compact and lipstick from her pocket. She holds up

the compact mirror and starts to outline her lips with the

lipstick.

BIG CLOSEUP � Clo�Clo. There is a tiny sound - and some

grains of pebble and brick-dust trickle down the wall behind

Clo-Clo's head. She looks down, puzzled, and then - very

slowly - lifts her head.

Enormous HEAD CLOSEUP of Clo-Clo. The mouth goes slack and

the eyes widen in the shock of absolute horror.

A FLASH of the lipstick dropping from Clo-Clo's limp fingers.

A hoarse cry of terror is broken off by a violent snarl and a

FLASH of Clo-Clo's body arching back -- almost in the posture

of a dance -- away from the assault of something black which

rises from lower left-hand corner of the frame and instantly

blacks out the entire screen.

We FADE ON her still glowing cigarette in the gutter.

FADE IN:

EXT. CEMETERY - DAY

MED. LONG SHOT - Clo-Clo's grave. The coffin, on canvas strap

supports, is being held over the open grave by four black

suited attendants. The priest stands at the head of the

grave, dressed in his vestments, and with the open prayer

book in his hand. At the grave side are a few mourners, Clo

Clo's mother and her little covey of brothers and sisters are

all huddled together at the foot of the grave. Between them

and the priest stand a small group: Robles, Jerry, Mr.

Brunton, Galbraith, Charlie How-Come, the Florist and

Belmonte. The priest is just finishing the service.

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