A script I wrote (Non-Buffy related)

[Guestage_87]

Yeah, this has nohting to do with Buffy, but I just wanted feedback on this script I began writing. I wanna see how I do creating my own characters and mythologies. And I know Mr. Pointy is going to claim that I should just focus on finishing once fic, but well, different days I'm motivated to write different tings. sorry. but feedback is very much welcome, even if it's negative. Again, sorry it's not Buffy related, but I figured I'd see what reaction I would get from a community that I know fairly well. . Hope you enjoy:

ACT 1

SCENE 1

EXT. The Mainstreet Of The Town Of Meadowsfield- Sundown
The sun goes down on the small town, the street is busy with cars and pedestrians trying to get home and to their families. It is clearly a town that is located on the west coast, not Mayberry, but not L.A either. Just a town that nobody gives second thought to as they pass by it.

MAle/Unknown (VO:
You never heard the story of the Meadowsfield killer?

INT. Movie Theatre/ Lobby- Nighttime
We realize that the voice belongs to a gangly young man in his early twenties named James Dirge. He is speaking to black man, a couple years younger than Dirge. Jacob Clever shakes his head at the silly young man.

JACOB:
I’ve only been here a couple of weeks, haven’t heard any of the urban legends yet.

ZOOM IN: On the face of Dirge, who seems intent on scaring the crap out of the new kid.

DIRGE (Grinning):
Oh, this isn’t an urban legend, this is something that really happens in Meadowsfield. Our stupid mayor just likes to keep it covered up, they are just in denial of what they are really facing.

[ JACOB looks at Dirge interested, but still not believing that what he is about to say is true.]

JACOB:
Well, what are they facing.

DIRGE (Whipping a counter as a costumer strolls by.):
Well dog, the answer is very simple, this town is dealing with man intent on killing who just won’t stay dead.

JACOB:
What’s the story of this person or is that all you know?

DIRGE:
Oh, I know so much more about the good old smiling man.

JACOB(Not buying it):
Let me guess, he is somehow deformed. Is he missing an eye? How about a hand? Or is he horribly burned?

DIRGE:
Nope, he’s actually a fairly good looking guy. [ Stops at what he just said, Jacob chuckles a little bit] I mean if I were a guy his age, I would like to look like him. No, his story goes beyond revenge, it goes beyond hate, in fact, he is quite a happy guy.

[FLASH BACK]

EXT. Mansion on a hilltop- Daytime


DIRGE(VO):
You’ve seen the big mansion on the east side just a little outside town, right?

JACOB(VO):
Yeah, nice place, you’d think somebody would move in there.

DIRGE(VO):
Oh, somebody would, if it wasn’t already occupied.

INT. Mansion/Bedroom-Daytime
A very good looking man sits in his room with a huge smile on his face reading News Week

DIRGE(VO):
JIM WILKINSON wasn’t just the happiest man in Meadowsfield, but he was also the richest. He was the most respected man in town and the nicest guy you’d ever meet in the sixties. War and peace didn’t matter to this man, he had his family, he had his friends, he was happy.

EXT. Mansion/Library- Daytime
JIM WILKINSON sitting reading several books about treasures of the world and travelling and accounting.

DIRGE(VO):
But then something happened, he wasn’t content anymore. Family and especially the money wasn’t enough, he wasn’t content with the wealth that he had. Like all men who had everything, he wanted more than what he had.

EXT. Airport-Daytime
JIM is slowly walking up the stairway of a first class jet of those times, a little happier, but still not content. The Jet takes off as DIRGE continues his monologue.

DIRGE(VO):
So, he left Meadowsfield looking for the riches he desired. He traveled all over the globe, China, Africa, Europe, Isreal. Nobody was sure how long he was gone for, seven days? Seven weeks? Seven Months? Or Seven years? But no matter how long, the number seven was a part of it.

JACOB(VO):
Why Seven?

DIRGE(VO): The number seven is always involved when it comes to this guy, apparently it’s very lucky. I’m not a math wiz, so I can’t tell you why.

EXT. MANSION/PARKING LOT-DAYTIME
[ A limo pulls up and JIM WILKSON gets out with a huge smile on his face and a big briefcase in his hand. He goes up the walkway with a confident stride.]

DIRGE(VO):
Eventually, he finds what he is looking for, the wealth that will last him eternity. He is the worlds happiest man once again, and he always would be, even through death. Whatever he brought back, he treasured it more than anything else.

ZOOM IN: on JIM holding tightly onto the briefcase, not wanting to let go.

INT. Mansion/Basement
JIM WILKSON sets up a chest in the corner of the basement and puts that chest in a glass case with a lock on it.

DIRGE(VO):
So he hid his treasure in the basement. Well, he didn’t really hide it, it was just covered up, but he made sure that none of his family would go into the basement and open up that glass case or he would punish them severly. But of course he had a smile on his face the whole time.

CLOSE ON: JIM digging a hole in the basement and putting a coffin inside it, all while still smiling, this time a very wicked smile.

DIRGE(VO):
Then he dug himself a burial spot, close to his treasure, so no one would ever touch it except for of course him. Because he was a very greedy *******, but still a nice guy at the same time. Not a Mr. Potter or Scrooge, he was nice unlike them.

ZOOM ON: The smiling face of JIM, there seems to be a blue glint in his brown eyes that are off setting.

DIRGE(VO): But he changed more than anyone would ever have thought. He changed for the worse of course. If he didn’t, I wouldn’t be telling this story would I?

EXT. Alleyway-Night time
JIM walks through the alleyway with a smile on his face and a railroad spike in hand. He approaches a teenage boy smoking. The boy looks at him, sure he isn’t going to harm him, the boy smiles at the friendliest man in the world.

DIRGE(VO): JIM would go out at nights armed with a rail road spike, he would find defenseless victims. You know, people that trusted him, which was most of the town. They were unsuspecting when he would come up to them.

The kid talks to JIM with a smile on his face as JIM talks back with a very kind smile. He takes the smoke from the kid and puts it out with his foot. It looks like he is scolding the boy for smoking, the boy has no clue what is to come. The he lifts up the rail road spike, impaling the kid onto the brick wall through the stomach.

DIRGE(VO):
He would kill the local townsfolk, in a very gruesome manner I might add.

EXT. A different Alleyway-Night time
CLOSE ON: JIM sticking his spike through a young girl

EXT. Alleyway-Night time
CLOSE ON: JIM tossing his spike into the neck of an old man.

EXT. Vacant parking lot- Sundown
JIM shoves the spike into the fore head of a middle aged woman.

DIRGE(VO):
So, every seven weeks he would go out for seven days killing his victims and smiling the whole time. It gave him so much pleasure in doing this to people.

INT.City Hall-Daytime
Many citizens of the town sound outraged about the recent killings. The Mayor looks at them trying to calm them down.

DIRGE(VO):
The towns folk were in a frenzy with the thought that one of the townspeople was a cold hearted murderer. So, they set out to find the killer, but they already knew who it was, the signs were pretty obvious after awhile. Due to the fact that Mr. Smilie would put sevens on all his merchandise and all. But who would finger the towns richest man?

INT. MANSION/BEDROOM- Night time

JIM gets back from one of late night slaughters looking at his wife sleeping tightly in bed. He puts his coat in the corner of the room and looks at a glass that was left on the dresser.

DIRGE(VO):
But somebody did put an end to him, it was actually quite poetic.

JIM takes a sip from the glass and then goes to bed.

JACOB(VO)
Who did him in?

DIRGE(VO): The only person who cared about him enough to do so.

Jim falls fast asleep and never wakes up. Once he is out, his wife who has been pretending to be asleep, gets up and checks his pulse, obvisiouly he is dead.

DIRGE(VO):
His wife poisoned his drink, so that he would never kill another townsperson again. You see, although she cared about him, she knew that at nights he had become a monster only set on killing people. She knew what it was that changed him, but she knew she dare not destroy that or she would have a horrible death coming to her. Although it pained her, she killed her husband or the person that used to be her husband, but later the town realized how much that didn’t really matter.

INT. Mansion/Basement-Night time
JIM’s wife opens the casket that he set for himself and her and her son lift his body into the hole.

DIRGE(VO):
Respecting who her husband once was, her and her song buried him in the place that Jim had always wished to be buried in.

JACOB(VO):
The basement?

DIRGE(VO): Yep, because although he murdered all those people, she didn’t want to admit it was him doing all of that. She thought was the power of the artifact that he brought back that was making him murder. That could’ve been the case, but does that really matter? People died just because this selfish man wanted to be content with who he was and his family didn’t get that.

JACOB(VO):
What about the item that he brough back?

DIRGE (VO):
I’m getting there.

The wife and her son look at the glass case, both looking on in fear and also in remorse to the man that they just lost. They both walk away in shame of what they just did.

ZOOM IN: On the treasure chest in the glass case.

DIRGE (VO):
They left it there, affraid that it would change them as well. Two days later, they moved out, not telling anyone in town where they went. The town soon realized that the mansion was abandoned by the former owners, although it was up to buy, nobody dare do it. Everyone knew that there was something there, an item of great worth that would corrupt who would ever touch it. But there was more there than the evil item, because Mr. Smilie was still there.

INT. Mansion/Living room-night time.
A group of thieves break open the door of the mansion and shine their flash lights into the living room. There are about five in all, a gruff looking man is in lead. They walk in slowly, but confident that they will find what they are looking for.

DIRGE (VO):
Soon, word got out that there was riches in the old Wilkinson manor and of course there were very stupid people who decide to go after The Happy Man’s riches. All of them found the treasure and a little bonus on top. That bonus: the end to their miserable life.

The group of thieves make their way into the basement, fear on all their faces but the gruff bearded man in lead. All eye the glass case like they have just found the holy grail. The man in lead walks up very slowly to the case with a look of infatuation in his eyes. He puts a rag against his fist, getting ready to bust open the glass, but changes his mind. He throws the rag down and just opens the glass case. He then opens the chest that lays inside and just glares at the unseen treasure that is inside. His men behind him try to pull him away and just get him to take the artifact, but he just stays there.

DIRGE(VO):
But once he opened the treasure, something awful happened.

From beneath the thieves, the ground busts open and a hand pulls one of them into a deep hole. The man lead turns to his men as they surround the figure that lifts up from the hole. JIM WILKINSON rises up with a huge smile on his face, rail road spike in hand. The three thieves pull out guns on him, but JIM just smiles the whole time, they each go through their rounds and he is still standing. He impails one of the thieves who attacks to his right, he pulls his spike out of him and then goes onto the next attackig thief. Meanwhile, their leader picks up the whole treasure and runs up the stairs of the basement. Blood flies onto the walls of the basement as JIM slashes the face of his second attacker. The third thief backs away into the corner, begging for his life, JIM smiles at this, but he smiles at everything. The man gets down on his knees, JIM points the spike to the man and shoves the edge into his left eye ball, the man screams. JIM flips the spink in his hand and then shoves it into the other eye of the thief, more screams of pain. Then he goes for the killing blow, shoving the spike into the chest of the man, killing him.

DIRGE(VO):
You see, once anyone goes near his treasure he is unleashed onto the town. And it’s happened a couple of times.

EXT. Mansion/Living room-Night time
The last living thief runs through the rest of the mansion holding tight onto the treasure chest, hearing his friend being tortured. He finally makes it to the front door, a relieved look appears on his face. He charges even faster for the door, but is pulled back. He turns to see the very happy face of JIM WILKINSON, but he does not drop the treasure chest. For a few seconds, the two just stare at each other, a show of respect for wanting a treasure so bad. After the moment of silence, he slams the spike into the groin of the man and begins to laugh. He still holds onto the chest, even as JIM pushes the spike even further up the mans pelvis, soon the man is a human schizkabob as he levitates from the ground. He finally drops the treasure chest.

[Back To Real Time]

INT. Movie Theatre-day time
JACOB looks at DIRGE with a very fearful look on his face, in fact both of the employees look kind of scared of the story that was just told.

JACOB:
But he just goes and kills people who break into his house and steal his wealth right?
DIRGE(Grinning):
Wrong, it is said that once someone breaks in and steals his goods, Mr. Smiley has a clause to kill whoever he wants for a selected amount of time.

JACOB:
Wait, how long does it usually last?

DIRGE(frustrated):
Haven’t you learned anything from the story I just told?

JACOB:
When does he go back into his grave?

DIRGE:
He always stops at seven, either he goes back after seven bodies or seven days, whatever comes first. Their is some importance to him about the number seven.

JACOB:
Glad it’s just some tale you made up.

DIRGE gets right into his face with a cautionary look, he almost looks angry at him. JACOB goes back a little bit at this. DIRGE holds his rag to JACOB in contempt.

DIRGE(Anger):
Be warned, it is not something I made up, this really happens. I lost a brother because of the last time some idiot decided that he wanted to steal Mr. Smiley’s treasure. I suggest you don’t go anywhere near that place and you see anything weird, like the number seven spray painted on different posters or street walls, you better get your ass out of town.

JACOB(Shaken):
Why?

DIRGE breaks character and smiles at him, he begins to laugh.

DIRGE(Laughter):
Because the brother is always the first to go, and I’m sorry, but you and your family are the only ones we got and we want to keep you around.

He wraps his arms around JACOB’s shoulders.

JACOB:
Now, that’s just a steoreotype. LL COOL J lived in every horror movie he was in and so did Busta Rhymes.

They both begin to walk off very cheery now.

DIRGE:
Touche my man.

JACOB:
So did your brother really die?

DIRGE:
What brother? Your my brother, just from anotha motha G

JACOB:
What did I tell you about trying to act like that, your scottish.

They walk off into a theatre both laughing about the scare that DIRGE just gave his new friend.

CLOSE ON: The number of the theatre they just entered: THEATRE 7

FADE OUT

[Mr. Pointy]

And I know Mr. Pointy is going to claim that I should just focus on finishing once fic, but well, different days I'm motivated to write different tings

Only in fun, my friend, only in fun.

This is a good story. You've got a good Twilight Zone/Stephen King vibe going on there. I didn't quite get the "Scottish" thing though - is Dirge not a black guy as well?

[Guestage_87]

Dirge is white, but he tries to act black for his friends sake, more of a joke that I don't think I wrote well, because I didn't say what color Dirge was.

Does anyone want me to post more, because I wrote more more?

[Mr. Pointy]

Would it work better if he was black and really Scottish? Think - Denzel Washington (or whoever) with Sean Connery's accent.

Last line would be something like -
JACOB:
What did I tell you about jive talking (or whatever the current "street" term is) with your accent. You'll pull a muscle in your damn tongue or something...(laughs at his own joke. Dirge joins in)

You could go for the total overkill, unsubtle, obvious punchline after you see them enter Screen 7. Close up shot to show the poster for the film playing would either be "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" or "Se7en" - the latter is better I think :)

Is this the sort of feedback you wanted btw? I don't think I've got much talent for writing but I'm a pretty good editor :)

Please post some more - I thought that that was it for this script. It worked for me as a short story à la Twilight Zone (Ha! found the accents - I can talk to the French guys now:)) but I'd like to see where you take it for Act 2.

[Guestage_87]

I actually thought of the whole Se7en thing, but didn't know exactly how to do it. Thanks for the advice though. that is the kind of feedback I wanted thanks. Ummm, the few scenes/acts are pretty much character establishing scenes, then I'm going to get into the more scary/suspenseful stuff. But I will post by the end of the night. And if anyone else has an opinon on this script, please feel free to comment.

[Allycat]

The funny comments of that Dridge makes, either put in more or remove them. It's not serious anymore nor is it spoofing.

Railroad spikes? Where do I know that from, lemme think, lemme think!

And what is the point of the story? I mean, it ends alright, but it doesn't leave a sense of fulfillment, more like a waste of time, you have to do a lil more. Cause I don't quite get it.

I say, bring on act 2, the setting is really good, and spooky, though the 7 is perhaps a little over done, but overall setting is good, but story, I don't get!

[Guestage_87]

Thanks for the honesty AC, finally someone doesn't pat me on the back and actually gives some constructive critiscm. And as much as I hate to admit it, your right on most accounts. And yes, I'll honestly say that I did rip off Buffy with the rail road spike , I just needed a good weapon and didn't want to go with the normal knife or chainsaw. And actually, you were right about the Dirge comments as well, not only because it didn't give the intial story a good feel, but it also clashed with what the character really is. I make him seem to be trying to BE funny, bwhen he actually should just be naturallyy funny. And decided that he sin't the comedy relief.I since tweaked the opening, because of that.

Well, here's the next scene, I'll be honest, most of this will be edited if I ever get to a rewrite, because alto of it is just character establishing dialgoue. I wrote alot of dialgue because I wanted to know exactly which character would say what and what there overall personality is like. I'm also having a hard time in this scene keeping the the plot moving, but like I saidI'm trying to make characters that I care about, then I'll move in head first into the real plot. AGain, feedback is needed:

Scene 4
EXT. Backroad outside of Meadowsfield- Night time
A beat up old van drives along the backroads of Meadowsfield, all alone not another car in sight.

INT. Van-Night time
A dark haired young man, in his mid twenties is on the steering wheel with a very mad grimace on his face. He looks like a real bad ass, tatoos and piercings all along his body, apparently he is in a really bad mood. As he drives along he listens to very loud heavy metal and looking down at a piece of paper, a notice of “Termination”. You could almost see the look of desperation on the man’s face. He then looks to a picture on the dash board, it’s of him and a short little red headed girl, they look so happy together. BLAKE SNYDER drops his head back in frustration as he drives into town.

EXT. Road outside of the mansion-night time
The van slows down as it passes the rumored “mansion”.

CLOSE ON: The dormant WILKINSON MANOR

Scene 4
EXT. Mainstreet/Coffee shop-night time
The van pulls up in front of the crowded teenage hang out around this hour. BLAKE runs out of the van and into the coffee shop.

INT. Coffee Shop-Night time
The inside of the shop is as busy as to be expected in this town, all of the kids and even some who aren’t even kids any more hang out here after work or school or whatever they do. Sitting down are two characters we already met, DIRGE and JACOB, both out of uniform. DIRGE is wearing very unusual clothes, stuff that went out of style five years ago, but that’s just his personality and JACOB is dressed in only the finest in fashion. But the two aren’t alone this time, two others are with them. Next to DIRGE sits NATALIE PERKINS, a very pretty but nerdy looking girl, she fiddles with a video camera. Across from them next to JACOB is LYLE DOGGAN, a very tall masculine guy with a perverted glare in his eyes, the whole time he stares at NATALIE’s breasts (even though there’s not much of them).

LYLE(Grinning):
So Natalie, let’s say after these two nerds go home to their Buffy web page that me and you go out after hours to this club I know and have a good time.

JACOB(Standing up and pointing):
Hey, I don’t watch Buffy, I’m a Star Wars guy myself.

NATALIE:
Represent the holy trilogy.

NATALIE gives JACOB a high five as DIRGE sips his coffee.

DIRGE(Paranoid smile):
Plus, why would she hook up with you?

LYLE:
Because I’m all man baby, what girl would reject me?

DIRGE:
Let’s try every girl you’ve asked out over the last couple of years. Hell, I’ve gotten more tail and I’m a quote, unquote nerd.

NATALIE rubs DIRGE’s shoulders as he blushes a little bit at this.

NATALIE(tender):
Your not a nerd, just a storyteller. And your right, LYLE, your just not my type. Your too much of a......

JACOB:
Jackass who thinks only with his dong.

NATALIE(Snapping finger):
That’s it.

LYLE:
Hey, what is this? Aren’t you guys supposed to be my friends?

NATALIE:
You wouldn’t be hanging out with us if your high school football buddies didn’t go off to bigger brighter things. Plus, you know we are just teasing you, your the muscle.

LYLE(Grinning back):
Damn straight! Now I say we go out and we go find some ladies to wine and dine tonight.

NATALIE cuddles up close with DIRGE, he looks kind of confused at this.

NATALIE:
DIRGE already has his lady to wine and dine.

DIRGE(confused):
What are you talking about?

JACOB:
I would join you, but all you have here are white girls.

LYLE:
Now that’s just racist.


Soon they are interrupted by one of the employees of the coffee, she is a very attractive young girl in her early twenties. CYNTHIA MCDONALD is short and has beautiful blondish red hair, although short, she is very well built and her face is full of confidence. DIRGE smiles as she brings more cups of coffee to his group of friends.

CYNTHIA(sarcastic):
Rascism in this town, get outta here, that never happens.

DIRGE(Grinning):
What up, sis?

JACOB(Surprised):
Wait, she’s your sister? How come you never told me, you go on about those silly stories of yours, but not the fact that you have a sister.

CYNTHIA:
Not really, but close.

DIRGE:
We have a brotherly/sisterly love.

LYLE(Under his breath):
Because she wouldn’t give you the time of day.

NATALIE(Explaining to JACOB):
They are next door neighbors, known eachother since child birth.

DIRGE(Smiling):
We had play dates! Playing house was my favorite game!

CYNTHIA:
It isn’t as sexual as he makes it sound, JAMES always wanted to be Enrico, the gardener.

DIRGE:
Hey, we all have our hopes and dreams (pauses) How’s Goober doing?

CYNTHIA:
What did I tell you about giving my boyfriends silly names like that?

DIRGE:
Sorry, but I can just tell that you’r not even into him anymore, if your unhappy just become single again. You’r much happier that way.

LYLE:
Speaking of which CYNTHIA, if you get lonely with Blake being on the road so often you might want to go out for a ride with me one of these days, my back seat is very spacious.

CYNTHIA:
I’m sure it is LYLE, but we already had this conversation when I was **** faced drunk. NEVER EVER!

NATALIE throws something at LYLE, it hits him on the head, JACOB and DIRGE laugh hysterically.

NATALIE:
Two rejections in one night, makes you miss the old football glory days doesn’t it?

LYLE:
Yeah, where did all the girls who wanted the star quarterback go?

NATALIE:
College.

CYNTHIA stares at JACOB very curious because she has never seen him before, really unusual to see a colored person in town.

CYNTHIA:
Who’s this, haven’t seen him in town? New member of the Meadowsfield geek squad?

JACOB:
Names JACOB, but I wouldn’t like to be refered to as a geek. Let’s just say that DIRGE is the only person who would come up and talk to a brother.

NATALIE:
He’ll talk to anyone who’ll listen to his urban legends about this town.

DIRGE:
They are not urban legends, Mr. Smiley does exist.

LYLE(sipping his coffee):
Bull ****, it’s just another story, every small town has one.

CYNTHIA:
I hate to agree with jockenstein, but it’s true. Just something that the family made up so they wouldn’t touch his fortunes.

She pats DIRGE on the back, once again, he blushes. NATALIE gets a jealous look on her face.

CYNTHIA:
Although, this guy is like a brother to me, don’t believe him when he goes off on The Wilkinson manor story. He has a wild imagination.

DIRGE:
So, you guys mean to tell me that you don’t believe in the paranormal? That maybe sometimes these urban legends are true?

Everyone is silent for a few seconds as they contemplate the theory that DIRGE has just put on the table.

JACOB:
Now, I believe that there is paranormal stuff going on out there. But what doesn’t make sense about your story is the fact that if the whole town knows that this dead guy is killing people each time someone tries to steal his priceless artifact, why don’t they just burn down the mansion?

NATALIE:
Or dig up the corpse and burn that.

DIRGE(Defensive):
Maybe cause they affraid of something even worse happening. Sometimes, easy answers aren’t the best solutions. And it’s also in part because the older generation is in denial of what the real story is. What I’m saying is....

DIRGE looks at LYLE, then at CYNTHIA.

DIRGE:
You guys remembered the last time we had a bunch deaths happen within days of eachother, right?

CYNTHIA:
Yeah, we were in elementary school, but I remember.

LYLE:
But those were just random incidents of stupidity, suicides, auto accidents. They were never confirmed as murder.

DIRGE:
Or that’s what they want you to believe. What are the odds of so many suicides or accidents happening over the course of a few days? I mean it doesn’t make sense what so ever, does it?
JACOB looks at the other three, humored by DIRGE’s defense over his story.

JACOB:
Did anyone ever explain the word “coincidence” to this guy?

CYNTHIA:
Several times, but he doesn’t quite get it yet.

NATALIE:
But it’s adorable.

NATALIE squeezes closer to DIRGE, but he gives no response to it. LYLE rolls his eyes at this and CYNTHIA sighs a little bit.

DIRGE:
Non believers.

His attention is taken away from the conversation as he looks over at the doorway. He looks at CYNTHIA then points somebody out to her.

DIRGE:
Hey CYN, look who’s here.

CYNTHIA and the rest now look at towards the doorway.

CLOSE ON: BLAKE entering the coffee, he walks up to the table where the gang is sitting at.

BLAKE and CYNTHIA look at each other for a few seconds then go in for a very awkward hug. The others look on at the doomed couple.

CYNTHIA(Unemotional):
Hey, how was work?

BLAKE:
We need to talk about that.

He looks over at the table and waves to group.

BLAKE:
Hey DIRGE.

DIRGE gives BLAKE a half hearted salute. BLAKE’s attention is now back on his girlfriend who he cares for. He grabs her hand and begins to walk her away from everyone else.

BLAKE:
Can we talk?

CYNTHIA:
Of course we can.

They both look over at the four individuals sitting down, now both looking at them, very much interested in the future of their relationship. LYLE smiles at them.

LYLE:
Don’t mind us, keep talking.

NATALIE:
Yeah, we’re bored and you guys are this towns answer for soap opera like drama. Bring on the tears.

CYNTHIA:
I don’t think so.

BLAKE(Nervous):
Is there a place where we could talk?

CYNTHIA
Yeah

She looks at the others sitting at the table

CYNTHIA:
I’ll talk to you guys later

CYNTHIA and BLAKE walk off holding hands as the others wave goodbye to struggling couple. LYLE looks over at his colleagues.

LYLE:
I give them seven days.

DIRGE:
I give them seven minutes.

JACOB:
Why do we care? We have our own lives.

NATALIE:
Haven’t you learned anything about this town, it’s all about rumors and gossip.

DIRGE:
Plus, we have nothing better to do than to eavesdrop on other people’s relationships.

NATALIE:
It’s a tough life, but we manage.