Body of God By Colt Sheldon

a southern gothic.

C.A. Sheldon, 2012

34 Gardner St. Apt #44 Allston, MA. 02134

EXT.SCHOOLHOUSE/FRONT YARD-DAY

:1953

EST shot of a typical old country schoolhouse. No other houses around it, a single structure on a lush green lot. The muffled sound of typical ELEMENTARY SCHOOL JARGON from young voiceboxes fills the air, it is a CLEAR SUNNY day. CUT TO: INT. CLASSROOM-DAY WIDE SHOT FROM BEHIND TEACHERS DESK MS. RITA All right everyone settle down its time for check-in. The SOUND reduces to a MURMUR SIDE VIEW OF RITA ADDRESSING CLASS BEGIN A DOLLY DOWN THIS LINE AS SHE BEGINS MS. RITA Thank you, now, Lucy Alver? LUCY here, Ms. Rita! RITA continues on with the list, DOLLYING down the line of desks WITH ATTENDANCE, each kid responding to their call, the seats are alphabetized so they go in order. COAST along this line; until we come across an empty DESK and STOP MS. RITA Billy Kay? No response, hold on DESK LUCY I dont think he is here, Ms. Rita, aint no one in his desk either CUT TO:

2.

EXT. WOOD PATH-DAY BILLY and JIFFY are both running through the woods, JIFF lagging behind BILLY: Cmon Jiff! Im gonna need a letter of excuse for having to drag your slow tail around! While PANTING, JIFFY utters out his rebuttal. JIFFY: hey no ones asking you to stick around, maybe im not too keen on your company anyway... They continue running and we proceed them on a turn, and as BILLY comes around the corner, we see him come to a HALT and see his face go BLANK. JIFFY follows closely behind and does the same HOLD BEAT, They are looking toward the camera JIFFY: You ever seen one before? BILLY: Once. My pa shot a burglar dead who was trespassin three years ago I think. JIFFY: I aint never seen one before. Not ever. BEAT BILLY: We better get to the school JIFFY: Right behind ya BILLY starts to run and JIFFY follows, we PAN with them as they continue down the path at an even faster rate. FADE OUT CUT TO:

3.

INT. SCHOOLHOUSE CLASSROOM-DAY FADE IN PROGRESSIVE DOLLY through the bustling and frantic classroom, BILLY and JIFFY are up front and have just given the news, all you can hear is the surge of kids and questions KIDS: A real dead man? Whatd he look like? Where is he? you really think hes DEAD? Over the inquisition JIFFY is able to talk over them a bit JIFFY: Yea he was dead alright, hes got blood runnin down his back, moves kinda like Jell-O. Not the first dead man Ive seen though, BILLY neither HARD CUT TO: INT. SCHOOLHOUSE HALLWAY-DAY TRACKING WITH/LEADING a pair of old leather womans shoes and the feet inside them hastily striding down the hallway, the "clack" "clack" is in perfect rhythm. The approaching NOISE OF KIDS is getting louder and louder until we come upon the DOORWAY, she fiercely opens the DOOR and the feet cut inside and the DOOR closes. She returns to the hallway, this time with JIFFY and BILLY, both of whom are explaining what happened frantically*** INT. OLHURSTS OFFICE, TEACHERS AREA-DAY OLHURST busts in with JIFF and BILL. The students LOCKER/CUBBIES are in this office, in the background we can see one labeled "BILLY K"; it is adorned with hanging RABBIT FEET and GATOR CLAWS OLHURST: Sit down, both of you, and tell me exactly what is going on in my schoolhouse.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

4.

JIFFY: Its not in the school, Maam, Its just outside it! BILLY looks down, BILLY: Theres a dead man at the edge of the field, Ms. Olhurst. He been stabbed in the back. Jiff and me saw on our way in. OLHURST And hes still there? Our field? BILLY I sure as heck didnt move im Maam OLHURST Billy Kay you watch that devilish mouth of yours, itll lash you one of these days. OLHURST is now addressing a young woman just outside of the room. OLHURST (CONT.) Sandra, Sandra dear please call the sheriff for me, it sounds like he better get on up here... HARD CUT TO: EXT. SCHOOLHOUSE/FRONT YARD-DAY SHOT of SHERIFF CAR DOOR opening, HOLD center frame on the PD LOGO, then let the door slam shut Following a MAN, DEPUTY HALL, on his approach to the SCHOOLHOUSE. As he reaches the top of the steps CUT TO: INT. SCHOOLHOUSE HALLWAY-DAY The DEPUTY, young and handsome (28-32) with a slight beard but otherwise clean-cut, walks down the empty, rather quiet hallway to nearing sound of WOMEN TALKING. He comes to the proper DOOR and opens it, revealing a group of gaily surprised women.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

5.

WOMEN (TOGETHER) Deputy HALL! hello hello, (various praises of the sort) come in...(many blushes) DEPUTY HALL Well hello to you too my fine ladies, (with a fake tone of modesty) but please Im just here to, do my job is all. Ive received word of an issue in the school? ENTER OLHURST OLHURST Not in it, Deputy, but just outside CUT TO: EXT. BACK FIELD-DAY BILLY and JIFFY lead OLHURST and HALL across the field. JIFFY: Jus right over heres where it was, youll see it soon enough They continue on and soon come across it, Reaction shot of OLHURST and HALL with feet dangling in the foreground, out of focus. HALL: Jesus boys! (OLHURST shoots him a wicked GLARE) Pardon me, Ms. Olhurst, but you boys didnt say hed been strung up! BILLY: I guess we didnt think it was all that important... HALL: A white man strung up in our town is most certainly important! hell, I cant remember the last time this happened, cant remember if its happened at all!

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

6.

OLHURST: Well who do you suppose he is, Deputy? Its not often a total stranger is found hanging from a tree in this town, specially considering his being white... HALL approaches the body with a perplexed look on his face We finally reveal the body in its entirety. It is a white male, 40s hanging from a tree, he slowly spins to reveal a KNIFE in his back. HALL gets even closer, and sees something intriguing; INSERT of MANS ARM, the word "BLISS" is tattooed on his ARM. HALL steps back, clearly disturbed at his recognition of the tattoo. OLHURST: (Sensing his nerves) What is it, Deputy? What does it say? HALL: Remember a couple weeks back there was word of a preacher coming through with a spectacular sermon? Fellas name was Hornton, Reverend Ernest Hornton... OLHURST: I reckon I do, Shelley Walton invited him to host a congregation. HALL: But we decided against it? OLHURST: Im not too sure, I remember being up for the idea...why? HALL: Rumor was he had an inkin on his arm that read "BLISS" (He grabs hold of the arm and shows the tattoo to OLHURST) I think this man was a servant of God, and weve got a preacher killer around here...

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: OLHURST Stabbed in the back. Hung up like a negro, just who couldve done this? Dear Lord what lurks in our town? HALL: Something vengeful, Ms. Olhurst, something wicked, and I got a funny feeling its about to show itself...

7.

CUT TO: EXT. SCHOOLHOUSE/FRONT YARD-DAY STEADICAM/HANDHELD We are leading SHELLEY WALTON and her HUSBAND who follows subserviently behind. SHELLEY is frantic after having apparently heard the news of HORNTONs body. SHELLEY: Let me see him! let me see what the devils done, the beauty he took from us OH LORD WHY?!! LET ME SEE HIM! SHELLEYs antics have attracted the schoolchildren who are all sitting around the front, apparently on some sort of break from the classroom. They are all around a BLACK CHICKEN, the class pet, strutting around the yard. They are laughing and giggling and teasing it with little TWIGS. Ms. RITA presides over them, then MS. RITA (calling into the schoolhouse) Ms. Olhurst?! Ms. Walton is here, she wants to-OLHURST marches out from the dark HALLWAY and bee-lines it to intercept the still frantic SHELLEY, paying little heed to RITAs presence OLHURST It is urgent you calm down now, SHELLEY, youre scaring the children... SHELLEY: They SHOULD be scared! By God, there is a preacher killer in our midsts! (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

8.

OLHURST Lets just take this out back, okay, (She leads SHELLEY out back) You stay right there, children! Ms. Rita take heed to the children, dont lose track of them MS. RITA Yes, Maam CUT TO: EXT. BACK FIELD-DAY OLHURST leads SHELLEY and her HUSBAND back towards the body as BILLY and JIFFY had done earlier. OLHURST (As they approach HALL, JIFFY, BILLY and the BODY) These two boys saw him on their way in this morning, handling it all very well...Please, SHELLEY, try and withhold your-As the BODY comes into view we see SHELLEY begin to deteriorate even further, she gets RED in the face and begins to SOB, SHELLEY: ohhh, LORD WHY? no, no, no this was a good man- why have you cursed us with this calamity? the poor man, the poor good, white, god loving man. MURDERED! OOHhh! The body once again spins with the CREAKING ROPE to reveal the KNIFE SHELLEY: (upon seeing the knife) OOHH!! stabbed in the back, by some animal, an animal! have there been any unaccounted negros in the area?! who could have done this? I think Ed Williams has a few working on his farm, have they been checked out? Deputy? CUT TO:

9.

EXT. SCHOOLHOUSE/FRONT YARD-DAY The CHICKEN, Victor, has regained most of the childrens attention, accept for LUCY and her friend LILA. LUCY: (stepping way from the chicken crowd in agitation, bringing LILA along with her) It aint no fair! Billy and Jiff get to be over there with the adults while weve gotta play with that stupid chicken LILA: Victor aint that dumb, he follows Ms. RITA around cuz he knows shes always got the food LUCY: (Sassily) That dont mean hes SMART. Hes a chicken, after all...I wanna go see what that dead mans all about They both wander to the corner of the schoolhouse and LUCY peeks around to steal a glance of the presidings out back SHOT of LUCY peering around the corner at us, she peeks around then quickly turns back to LILA, LUCY: Ms. Rita aint looking is she? LILA: (She double checks and glances back to the rest of the class) Nope, all clear LUCY looks back LUCYS POV we see HALL speaking with JIFF and BILL and he is writing something down, we then SLOWLY PAN to SHELLEY weeping and her HUSBAND passively trying to comfort her, then to OLHURST who is standing still and looking at something. We PAN to what she is looking at and we see the BODY hanging. CUT TO:

10.

EXT. SCHOOLHOUSE/FRONT YARD-DAY LUCY turns around with her hands over her mouth, LILA: did you see it? LUCY shakes with an AFFIRMATIVE LILA: Whats it like? BEAT LUCY: (harshly whispering) Its a dead man,hes white, and strung up with a rope! LILA: Strung up? I aint never heard of a white man being strung up! Lemme see By now RITA has realized the two girls absence and rushes over to them, but this grabs the attention of the rest of the class RITA: Lucy, Lila! back here right now, you dont want to see whats over there, I promise! LUCY But we do, miss rita! we really do, please, please let us go over, I already saw it anyway... SCHOOLBOY: you can see it from there?! The whole class rushes over, dodging Ms. Rita and headed around the corner and into the back field, RITA yells after them but has lost control. CUT TO:

11. EXT. BACK FIELD-DAY The group of children determinately march toward the scene, RITA hurrying after them. As they come upon the scene, RITA gets the GRIM STARE from OLHURST, HALL notices... RITA: There was nothing I could do, Ms. Olhurst, they-SCHOOLGIRL: Look at him, strung up there, who done it Mr. Deputy?! who killed im? While OLHURST scorns RITA in the B.G., HALL addresses the CHILDREN HALL: Thats something weve yet to find out, little lady, and I think its best yall head back to your classroom, this is no place for a child SCHOOLBOY: Its our school, Mr. Deputy, its FOR us and US only! HALL: (Laughs) Well not in these circumstances it aint. Now hurry along and with Ms. Rita and head on back RITA walks over, RITA: Deputy Hall is right, children, follow me, weve all seen enough As RITA collects the CHILDREN, HALL addresses her privately HALL: I wouldnt worry bout Olhurst, my little lady, (He encroachingly puts his HAND on her SHOULDER) Ill take care of it... RITA: (clearly agitated at his condescension, she swipes his HAND away) (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: I can take care of myself, thank you... Just as HALL is about to respond, RITA inserts RITA: --and dont you think its about time you cut that poor man down, Deputy? HALL: (In reluctant agreement) Yea, I guess youre right, aint no sense in leaving him tied up like some sorta exhibit, huh? As HALL walks away, RITA gets control of the class RITA: Alright class, One Oclock, time for Bible studies a unanimous "AWWwww" from the disappointed kids As they begin to walk away... SCHOOLBOY: What are we reading today, Ms. Rita? RITA: Well be reading from the Book of Luke today... HALL approaches the BODY HALL: (To himself) And the devil, taking him up into a mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time...

12.

and pulls out his KNIFE and cuts the ROPE. It falls with heavy THUD but when it hits the ground, the BODY becomes MAN; he coughs up dark blood and gasps for air. SHELLEY faints, OLHURST screams, HALL is DUMBFOUNDED, RITA looks is SPEECHLESS, CHILDREN WAIL and pandemonium reigns with coming of life from this morbid scene. SHELLEYS HUSBAND LORD IN HEAVEN! hes ALIVE! CUT TO BLACK THE END

a a and the