The Shape of Water Page #4

They see FIGURES moving in the distance: urgent, hushed. MP’s

hurry down the corridor

19

They see STRICKLAND stagger out -clasping his bleeding hand.

Blood squirts from it!!

HOFFSTETLER:

Help! He’s losing blood! Findsomething for a tourniquet.

Two MP’srush towards Hoffstetler.

He looks at ELISA- then presses an EMERGENCY BUTTON-

BAMMMM!!!

-HEAVY STEEL DOORS shut the area hermetically.

ZELDA:

Come on. Come on. Let them help

them. Come on Elisa

28 INT. AUTOMAT / CAFETERIA - NIGHT 28

Elisa and Zelda pick up food from an automat. Yolanda eats on

a bench nearby.

ZELDA:

Think the Russians broke in? I

don’t think so. And If they did,

Duane’s meatloaf will kill them

all, honey.

28A BENCHES:
They eat. Elisa seasons an egg from her bag. 28A

ZELDA:

It was two shots- you hear'em?

ELISA raises three fingers. Zelda steals tater-tots fromElisa’s tray and surgically removes the bacon from her own

meatloaf.

ZELDA (CONT’D)

Alright- Three- and that scream.

Heavens. Whatever goes on in thisplace...

FLEMING:

(approaching)

You two. Come with me.

ZELDA:

Now, Mr Fleming, Sir? Any chance wemight conclude our dinner?

FLEMING:

Now. Grab your carts and bring yourcode cards.

29 INT. LONG CORRIDOR - NIGHT 29

Elisa and Zelda hurry BEHIND Fleming. They drag theirtrolleys behind with stern efficiency. They stop in front ofT-4. Fleming’s nose is still runny.

FLEMING:

Heavens to Betsy: we’re in a

pickle. We’re in a real pickle

now...

He punches their cards into a CLEARANCE READER by the door.

It beeps.

The machine clacks and the door opens.

30 INT. LAB - NIGHT 30

FLEMING:

You will have exactly twenty

minutes, to render this- this lab

immaculate and so on and so forth.

Do you understand? Twenty minutes.

He dabs his nose and exits. The place is covered in blood.

THE CYLINDER is now open attached to a large PUMP...

An operating table is in the center of the room.

ZELDA:

Sweet dancing Jesus on the head of

a pin- what went on in here? That’sblood, hon- I tell you-may be all

gunked up- But that’s blood...

The cattle prod lies on the floor.

Zelda pours water and starts mopping the blood.

ZELDA (CONT’D)

Help me mop it, Hon. Sooner we get

out of here the better...

Elisa throws one last bucket of water under a counter.

-as the water flows back, it carries- TWO SEVERED HUMAN

FINGERS.

Zelda picks up one-

ZELDA (CONT’D)

That a cigar?

-a gold wedding band falls off of it.

It rolls away.

ZELDA (CONT’D)

Aaagh!! Don’t touch that!! It’s afinger!! They’re all fingers!!

(beat)

I’m gonna call somebody. Stay here,

Honey. Jesus Lord, fingers.

She leaves- Elisa stays. She looks for the gold band.

She looks inside the cylinder: A drop of water floats in the

water.

She sees-

a figure, crouching in the dark: A slender, sleek AMPHIBIAN

MAN. Looking at her. Varied markings seems to glow and

outline its body.

Elisa’s shocked but not scared.

The bleeding creature makes direct eye contact with her.

Its EYES kick back light, like a coyote’s caught in the

headlights.

She moves towards it- cautiously. The creature hisses at itand cowers.

The lab door slides open- ZELDA and TWO MP’s rush in.

The Amphibian man retreats.

ZELDA (CONT’D)

Where are the fingers?

Elisa offers him the paper bag. HAND ME DOWN MY WALKING CANEby B Goodman starts.

31 31

Giles readies a CEREAL BOX and a bottle of milk.

INT. GILES’ APARTMENT -DAWN

GILES:

I do believe you, darling, but are

you sure it was alive? I once saw a

mermaid-in a carnival tent. It was

a monkey sewn to the tail of a

fish. Looked real to me.

Elisa scribbles:
“Person/Fish” Giles serves her a plate.

GILES (CONT’D)

I apologize. But I have a deadline-

You know the Corn Flakes- they were

created as a cure for masturbation.

She pushes the plate away. He pushes it back. “Eat”

GILES (CONT’D)

It doesn’t work.

Giles looks at a TV GUIDE.

GILES (CONT’D)

Oh, Alice Faye just started...

Elisa switches channels: a scene in a Dance Hall with Alice

Faye singing “You’ll never know...” She stops eating thecereal.

GILES (CONT’D)

She was a huge star- And one day-

one day she just couldn’t take the

bullshit, the backstabbing, anymore

and she just walked away from

everything. Just walked away- To

live the way she wanted to-

Giles dances a few steps to picks up his drawing- shows it to

Elisa.

GILES (CONT’D)

Ta-da! You like it? It’s not bad,

is it? For being sh*t? Now, eat, go

to bed. Rest- I get paid- we get

pie! OK, not pie. I get pie. You

get whatever you want. My treat.

Wish me luck.

He heads out. Elisa watches intently as Alice Faye croons

32 32

INT. AD AGENCY - DAY

A classy AD AGENCY. GILES hands the finished drawing to

BERNARD (60’s, well-groomed and dressed)

BERNIE:

Green. They want the gelatin to be

green now.

GILES:

But I was told red.

BERNIE:

New concept. All the new flavorsare green: Celery, apple, Italian.

That’s the future now. Green.

An ELEGANT SECRETARY gives him a document to sign. Hands hima Pantone swatch.

BERNIE (CONT’D)

And they want them happier- the

family.

GILES:

Happier? The Father looks like he-

he just discovered the missionaryposition... And the kids look like

the have electrodes up their- What

are they happy about?

BERNIE:

Giles.

GILES:

What are they happy about?

BERNIE:

The future, Giles.

(shift)

Sorry, you know how it is. You dowhat they say, then they change

everything. Too bad— this is nicework.

GILES:

It is nice work, isn’t it? One of

my best.

Giles nods, gravely. Bernie moves closer.

BERNIE:

How are you holding up? Are you

drinking?

GILES:

Not a drop.

BERNIE:

Getting any work since you leftKlein & Saunders?

GILES:

Since I was asked to leave. By you.

BERNIE:

We’re not gonna get into that now.

I like you. You know I do.

Giles nods.

BERNIE (CONT’D)

Are you painting? Your own art?

That well dried a long time ago.

GILES:

I want back, Bernie.

BERNIE:

We’ll see. Now- do this. The client

wanted photographs. Photographs’swhat’s coming-I sold them on this-

Can you have it Monday? Green?

33 INT. LONG CORRIDOR - NIGHT 33

Elisa pushes her cart down the corridor. Stops in front of T

4.Hoffstetler and his LAB CREW exit. She takes her lunch bag-

opens the door.

34 INT. LAB - NIGHT 34

She enters.

The lab is quiet. She notices that a side hatch from thecylinder is open towards the holding pool.

She hears a metallic noise.

Moves towards the pool

The water ripples. Chains clink. The three long chain linesemerge from the waterline.

She sits down on the edge of the pool. She opens her lunch

box and peels an egg- slowly.

She watches the water move, finishes peeling it. She takes abite.

The Amphibian Man’s head emerges from the water.

They stare at each other.

He submerges towards her. The chains grow taut- they are

attached to his neck.

Then the creature is revealed in full: beautiful, Majestic.

Pure.

She extends her arm: presents another egg to him. It hisses-

Rate this script:4.5 / 2 votes