MEET THE BRIDE

So. Many things going on in my life. Which is how I like it. I am working on a pilot for a show. Working title: Boogie Man. It's a paranormal series loosely connected to another project I am working on about Edgar Cayce. The pilot should be done soon, and sent to some folks who might be able to do something with it.

I would love to hear what folks think, so below is a sample scene. Please, comment on it, tell me you love it; you hate it; that it reminded you of a childhood experience. I am ready for all slings and arrows.  

Just read it.

I title my scenes, as well as episodes. This one is called Meet the Bride.

EXT. CAMP SITE IN THE FOREST - EARLY MORNING

A hip young family are preparing breakfast on their up to date camping gear, dressed perfectly. Beautiful young MOTHER gathers dead wood for the fire, while FATHER makes healthy breakfast. Their three children run around the camp site playing tag.

MOTHER

Is running around like that a good choice? Why don’t you take in nature and its beauty?

The three kids- SCOUT, 9; WYATT, 7; and WENDY, 5- look at Mother like she’s nuts. Father, who is stirring eggs in a bowl, looks over from camping stove.

FATHER

I need some sous-chefs to help with this scramble. Scout, you strip the thyme. Wyatt, go fill the water filter.

Wendy waits for her job. None is assigned.

WENDY

What about me?

MOTHER

Why don’t you get out some water colors and paint what you see?

Wendy frowns at this idea, but walks to her tent to get the water colors anyway.

MOTHER (CONT’D)

And zip up your new coat. It’s cold.

WENDY

I don’t want to.

MOTHER

Duly noted. Now zip.

Wendy sullenly zips up her coat, mutters to herself.

WENDY

I hate this coat.

Wendy trudges towards her tent. A rabbit pops out of the brush, crosses her path, and disappears up a trail. Excited, Wendy runs after it. Before either parent notices, Wyatt drops the water filter. It hits a rock and shatters.

MOTHER

God damn it, Wyatt!

Scout turns quickly from stripping the thyme to see what has happened, knocking over the bowl with the eggs in it.

FATHER

Scout!

Wendy runs down the trail after the rabbit.

EXT. ABOVE THE FALLS - MINUTES LATER

An outcropping of rock above Cumberland Falls. The rabbit from previous scene runs out of the woods, vanishes up a path. After a beat, Wendy runs out of the woods. She looks left and right. The rabbit is nowhere to be seen.

Wendy notices the edge of the cliff overlooking the falls, is immediately entranced. She walks to the edge, looks over. It is a long drop to the water below. Wendy picks up a rock and drops it over the edge of the cliff. The rock disappears into the mist of the falls.

 
This delights her. She looks around for other things to throw. She hurls another rock. She unzips her coat, breaks a twig off a bush throws it over the cliff. Then she sees some wild flowers, pulls up a bunch, and tosses them one by one.

Wendy suddenly gets a wicked idea, and takes off her coat, but before she can throw it over the cliff, a shadow crosses her path.

Wendy turns to see the BRIDE standing just a few feet from her. The Bride stares at Wendy with a look of deep sorrow.

WENDY

Hello.

The Bride continues to stare at Wendy. The Bride’s gaze falls on Wendy’s coat. Wendy notices this.

WENDY (CONT’D)

I wasn’t going to throw it.

The Bride continues to stare.

WENDY (CONT’D)

Please don’t tell my mom.

The Bride steps up to Wendy, looking confused. Wendy takes the Bride’s hand.

WENDY (CONT’D)

Want to throw stuff into the water?

Wendy leads the Bride to some flowers, picks a few, hands one to the Bride, then Wendy runs to the edge of the cliff.

WENDY (CONT’D)

It’s fun.

Wendy throws her flowers over the cliff, turns back to the Bride.

WENDY (CONT’D)

See?

The Bride walks to Wendy, falls to her knees, begins to weep.

WENDY (CONT’D)

Don’t cry. They’re just flowers.

The Bride grabs Wendy in a fierce hug, lifting her off the ground, walks to the edge of the cliff.
Wendy, still in the Bride’s arms, looks down to the falls.

WENDY (CONT’D)

Isn’t it pretty?

The expression on the Bride’s face changes from sorrow to determination. She places Wendy back on the ground, walks to the very edge of the cliff, smiles at Wendy, then slowly leans backwards, falling over the cliff into the falls below.

Wendy cautiously makes her way to the edge of the cliff and looks over.

All she can see is the roaring waterfall, fierce and magnificent.

Wendy turns away from the falls.

The Bride is standing at the edge of the woods, just as before, staring at Wendy.

 

 

That's it. I hope you dig it.

ROUND AND ROUND AND ROUND WE GO

I went to the Colorado Democratic Caucus last night. I went because I give a shit. Because I think it's important to take part in the politics of our time. Because I'm an Eagle Scout, and as such I took an oath to do my best to do my duty to God and country. It was a madhouse- the line at the school where the caucus took place was very, very long. Out the door and around the block long. I got in line just before seven, but didn't get into the building until well past seven thirty. There were literally hundreds of people, standing in the cold, waiting patiently to participate in the nominating process. This was, to me, very exciting. I have seen and read many reports about how voter participation, on the democratic side, is way down this election cycle. It has always bugged me that we, as a nation, seem to find it really hard to get our asses to the voting booth. But here were all these folks, young and old, standing outside for almost an hour on a chilly early March night, standing up and being counted.

 

It made me wonder: are all these reports about how nobody votes a bunch of crap? A concerted effort by the powers to be to con us all into believing that the reason the corporate overlords are in charge and fucking everything up is that we just didn't get out and vote?

 

Anyway, once we finally got into the school to do our duty, we were greeted with long lines, huge crowds of people confused about how to proceed, and what seemed to be an unending supply of helpful fellow citizens, each with their own theory on where we should go, what was happening, and why that person who spoke just before them was full of crap.

 

It was a good time.

 

Eventually, we found our way to our precinct's room. You see, in the area where I live, the powers that be thought it would be smart to combine all the precincts caucuses a bit; to have them all take place in the same building. The result was more annoying than trying to cross mid-town Manhattan east to west during the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. Lots of confused folks, slowly losing their good feelings for showing up, and trading those feelings for righteous indignation. Yummy. It made me think of the Caucus Race song from Disney's Alice in Wonderland.

 

Forward, backward, inward, outward
Come and join the chase
Nothing could be drier
Than a jolly caucus race

Backward, forward, outward, inward
Bottom to the top
Never a beginning,
There can never be a stop

To skipping, hopping, tripping fancy free and gay
Started it tomorrow
But will finish yesterday

'Round and 'round and 'round we go
Until forevermore
For once we were behind
But now we find we are be-

Forward, backward, inward, outward
Come and join the chase
Nothing could be drier
Than a jolly caucus race

 

But we did get there, eventually. It was about eight thirty when my precinct finally voted. Then we had to wait while they counted the votes, so that we could determine how many delegates would go to each candidate. Then we had to vote on who should be the delegates, and who should be the alternate delegates. Then we voted on who we wanted to be the Denver D.A. Why this particular vote was at the caucus is beyond me, but there it was. After that, we had to vote on who would be the two people from our precinct to be on the precinct committee. By this time, it was almost ten. There was this one lady who seemed to think that the best way to convey her ideas was to shout/scream everything she said. She spoke a lot. Most of what she said was a bit incoherent, but she seemed to feel whatever it was she was feeling quite strongly. A lot of people split once the voting on presidential candidate was over- that was around nine. I am sure the town crier figured in their decision to leave.  But we stayed. We took part. We earned, in my opinion, the right to complain about politics.

 

And all in all, I think it was worth it. What did I miss out on, by being there for a few hours? Some tv watching? Surfing the net? In those few hours, I met a bunch of neighbors I had no idea existed, talked about Bernie and Hillary and the Drumpf. 

 

The whole time, even at it's crankiest, I was in awe of people. We are a strange species, to be sure, but there are times when I look at us- determined, full of advice for others, moving like cattle towards uncertain destinations- and for a reason I am not sure I understand, I feel hope.

 

PS- I feel the Bern, very strongly- but I will vote Democratic no matter who gets the nomination. I like Hillary a lot, I just like Bernie a little more.