Redemption-A Spec Script by Patrick Sean Lee (little red riding hood read aloud .txt) 📖

street. Passers-by give him wide berth.

 

                                                                                 FADE

 

EXT.. THE BOVERNOR'S MANSION-MORNING

 

Marvin stops on the sidewalk and gazes up at the elegant old building. He walks to the entry, pushes the doorbell, and then waits. A moment later the sheers in a window on one side of the door open slightly, and then close. The door cracks open. Facing him, half-hidden by the door, a SERVANT stands with a look of disgust on his face.

 

                         ROBERT

                    (in a deep Southern voice)

                Yes sir? What can I do for ya'?

 

                         MARVIN

               Uh...he told me to come here; that

               she'd be here.

 

                         ROBERT

                    (scowling)

               He? Who is he? The governor?

 

                         MARVIN

               Uh...no. Someone else. He said Amy'd

               be here. That she's waitin' for me.

 

                         ROBERT

               You were misinformed. No one

               by that name resides here. Good

               day to ya'.

 

Robert begins to close the door.

 

                         MARVIN

                    (excitedly)

               Wait!

 

The door clicks shut. Marvin raises his knuckles to rap on the door, but stops.

 

                         MARVIN

                    (low, pissed off)

               Fuckin' Reb's lyin'. Screw 'im,

               I'm goin' in.

 

Marvin leaves the covered porch, walks down the street outside a black wrought iron fence. The grass everywhere is verdant and perfectly manicured. Birds chirp in the branches of lush trees lining the property. The SOUND of huge wings fluttering briefly. The indigent turns the corner and hurries to a driveway where one gate of a pair is slightly ajar. He enters the property tentatively, and then stops ten feet in and gazes around. The SOUND of huge wings again, coming from branches of the tree to his right.

 

                         MARVIN

               Ho-ly fuck-in shit!

 

BURSTS of light. Wind HOWLING. Grounds SHAKING.

 

The old man collapses again, flat on his back, legs open, arms stretched out as if he were preparing to be nailed to a cross.

 

Anselm swoops down out of a tree, kneels beside Marvin, and touches his forehead. Swirls of mist radiate around Marvin's head. The whites of his eyes show. Anselm disappears.

 

Maribeth Harris appears in a rush from the house, followed by Robert. She kneels at his side. Marvin awakens.

 

                         MARVIN

                    (groggily, confused)

               Whaa...A-my?

 

Maribeth strokes his cheek, feels his forehead.

 

                         MARIBETH

                    (to Robert)

               Robert, hurry, go get a glass of water!

                    (to Marvin)

               Just lie still. You've fainted. Robert

               is on his way for water. Who are

               you, sir?

 

                         MARVIN

               Are you her, or are you another angel?

               Am I goin' home?

 

                         MARIBETH

               Her?

 

                         MARVIN

                Oh God, he told me to come here...

                but, you aren't her, are you? Your hair...

 

                         MARIBETH

               Her? What are you talking about?

 

Robert returns with a glass of water.

 

                         ROBERT

               Here, Miss Maribeth. Shall I call the

               authorities?

 

Maribeth takes the glass from Robert, eases her hand under Marvin's head to raise it.

 

                         MARIBETH

               No, Robert. That will be all. Thank you.

 

Robert backs away, scowling at the indigent.

 

                         ROBERT

               As ya' wish, ma'am.

 

He retreats toward the mansion, looking back every four or five steps.

 

Maribeth gently brings the glass to Marvin's lips, urges him to drink. He sips slowly. Suddenly he brings a hand to his temple, winces.

 

                         MARIBETH

                    (slightly alarmed)

               What?

 

She lowers Marvin back down and begins to rise.

 

                         MARIBETH

               I'll call for an ambulance. Just lie still.

 

                         MARVIN

               No! I'm not going back...I'm all right,

               it's just that this strange thing is crawling

               around inside...something. Strange things

               are happening. Good God, all these...books!

 

Maribeth kneels down again. Marvin sits up.

 

                         MARIBETH

               I think you've had a stroke...

 

                         MARVIN

               No, no! I'm okay. It's just, I haven't

               read anything in...how long has it

               been? Forty years? But I see so many!

               Like I just finished reading all of them!

               Right here!

 

He points to his head, a surprised, shocked look on his face.

 

                                                                                    CUT

 

EXT. A TREE-CONTINUOUS

 

Anselm sits on a sturdy branch looking down at Marvin and Maribeth, smiling. He raises a finger and swirls it in their direction.

 

                                                                                   CUT

 

EXT. THE GROUND-CONTINUOUS

 

Marvin shakes his head, rises to his feet quickly. He looks around, then directly at Maribeth.

 

                         MARVIN

                     (excitedly)

                You're not her. Crap! He said she'd

                be here, but...

 

He grabs Maribeth's shoulders, shock and confusion written on both their faces.

 

                         MARVIN

                They're all up here. All of them,

                I think. Books! A Farewell To Arms.

                Little Women. Shakespeare! I've never

                read Shakespeare for Christ--Aahrgh--

                sake. Oh, God, what's happening?

 

                         MARIBETH

                What? Lie back...

 

                         MARVIN

                No, no. I'm fine. Please.

                     (very sincerely)

                Why would he send me here?

                You're not her, but...Will you listen

                if I tell you something? Oh Lord,

                it's crazy, but I swear all of it is true!

 

                                                                       CUT

 

EXT. THE TREE-CONTINUOUS

 

Anselm flits down and lands beside the two. He exudes light and radiance, walks around them, still smiling.

 

                         MARIBETH

                I think I should call emergency, sir...

 

                         MARVIN

                No, please. Just listen, that's all I ask.

 

Maribeth stares at him for a moment, a question mark on her face. Marvin looks hopeful.

 

                         MARIBETH

                Well...I guess. Who are you? Why

                do you think someone sent you here?

 

                         MARVIN

                I'll explain everything. I mean, I'll

                try. Can we sit somewhere? This

                might take a while. Please.

 

Maribeth continues to stare in bewilderment, then takes Marvin's hand and leads him across the grounds toward a gazebo, fifty feet away. Anselm follows. Robert stands nearby, watching.

 

                         MARVIN

                Something strange happened to me.

                I mean, two days ago I couldn't have

                recited Mary Had a Little Lamb...now...

 

                         MARIBETH

                Yes? Go on.

 

                         MARVIN

                     (faltering)

                I must have fallen on my head. Well,

                I know I did because I woke up in

                the hospital.

 

He stops speaking suddenly. Eyes Maribeth almost pleadingly.

 

                         MARVIN

                There was this girl in a dream I

                kept having. Oh, you're not going

                to believe this, but I swear it's

                all true...

 

                                                                            FADE

 

EXT. THE GAZEBO-LATER

 

Msrvin gesticulates animatedly. Maribeth sits with her hands atop the glass-covered table listening, an amused-looking smile gracing her pretty face.

 

                         MARVIN

                ...And even more strange than the

               the angel...I know, I know you find

               that hard to believe, but like I said,

               it's all up here.

                     (He taps his temples)

               Most of it, I think, anyway. Hemingway,

               Poe, Bronte...Shakespeare, for crying

               out loud!

 

Maribeth continues to listen and stare up at standing Marvin. Now he is simply staring back at her,

 

                         MARIBETH

                Shakespeare, huh? Impressive.

                Give me an example.

 

Marvin closes his eyes for a second or two, and then opens them and steps closer to the table.

 

                         MARVIN

                Plays or sonnets? I don't know

                all of them. He wrote a lot,

                you see.

 

                         MARIBETH

                Much Ado About Nothing. Give

                me some of that.

 

                         MARVIN

                     (Closing his eyes briefly again)

                Umm, not up there. I'm sorry.

 

                         MARIBETH

                Love's Labour's Lost then.

 

                         MARVIN

                     (Thinking. Smiling.)

                Got it. Which scene?

 

                         MARIBETH

                Act 2, scene 1.

 

                         MARVIN

                Okay. Okay. Umm...

 

He straightens, mutters to himself, and then begins as though on stage at The Globe.

 

                         MARVIN

 

               Enter The Princess of France,

               Rosaline, Maria, Katharine, Boyet

               lords, and other attendants.

 

               Now, Madam, summon up your

               dearest spirits: consider...

 

He continues expressively. Maribeth reacts with astonishment. Anselm stands close by, smiling. Robert, in the distance, watches with a scowl on his face.

 

                                                                           FADE

 

INT. THE MANSION-AFTERNOON

 

Maribeth leads Marvin down a hall abutting the garage, his right hand in hers. She comes to a door, opens it, and then takes the first step down a flight of stairs, leading him by the hand.

 

                         MARIBETH

                Daddy won't notice you down here.

                I think. Hope.

 

                         MARVIN

                I'm so grateful. You understand,

                aside from a well-lit room, I need

                every book ever written covering

                genetics.

 

                         MARIBETH

                We'll find them. This way.

 

They arrive at a switchback. Marvin stops suddenly, yanking Maribeth to a halt.

 

                         MARVIN

                You believe me, then?

 

                         MARIBETH

                     (sadly)

                No, not really. Forgive me, Marvin.

                Still, your quest is beyond intriguing,

                although I don't see how you think

                you can do what thousands of scientists

                are still baffled by.

 

                         MARVIN

                I don't either, Maribeth. All I know for

                certain is that I can, and if you'll help

                me, I will.

                It has to be him.

 

                         MARIBETH

                Him who? The angel?

 

                         MARVIN

                Yes. Remember, a few days ago

                I couldn't even spell Mary Had a

                Little Lamb, let alone read it. He

                did this. And I know Amy is real.

 

Maribeth stares up at Marvin, sighs with resignation, and then urges him onward into a short, plushly carpeted hall, and then into a large room dominated by a billiard table. Beyond it stands a long, shining bar top, and behind it a king's ransom of liquor bottles on open shelves.

 

                         MARVIN

                     (Staring at the bottles)

                Jesus save me!

 

Maribeth doesn't react. Leads him to a door at the end of the bar top. She opens it, and then turns to Marvin

 

                         MARIBETH

                Here you go, Marvin. Go in.

                Get out of those rags. I'll see what

                I can find that's decent in Daddy's closet.

                You'll need some shoes, too. What size

                do you wear?

 

                         MARVIN

                     (Distracted by the wealth of bottles.

                     Absently.)

                Uh...not sure. Nine, maybe. It's been a

                while since I went shopping for clothes.

 

                         MARIBETH

                I'll see what Daddy has. Maybe Robert.

                Just go in. I'll be right...good God, I

                must be crazy.

 

Marvin walks past her into the bedroom. He turns just inside the door.

 

                         MARVIN

                You might be. I'm not, though. Where

                there's one angel, there might be more,

                and for all you or I know, you're another.

                You might not even know it yourself!

 

                         MARIBETH

                Yeah, right.

                     (She exhales deeply)

                Go on, I'll be right back. God help me.

 

Marvin enters fully, and then softly closes the door. Maribeth turns and retreats. Anselm watches from across the room with a smile on his face, and then disappears.

 

                                                                           FADE

 

EXT. BOOKSTORE-AFTERNOON

 

Marvin, dressed in expensive casual Daddy clothes, is hightailing it across the parking lot of an elegant, massive bookstore, carrying an armload of books. Maribeth is right behind him, cursing lowly. He arrives at her car, opens the passenger door, and dumps the books behind the seat. He turns, about to close the door when Maribeth arrives in a huff.

 

                         MARIBETH

                What the heck are you doing!

 

                         MARVIN

                I beg your pardon?

 

                         MARIBETH

                You didn't bother to pay for the books!

 

                         MARVIN

                Well, yeah. I mean, I don't have any money.

                How else was I supposed to...

 

                         MARIBETH

                You idiot, I HAVE MONEY! Get those books

                back out here. We're going back in to

                pay for them. I hope for your sake they

                don't have you arrested.

 

                         MARVIN

                Little chance of that if you...

 

                         MARIBETH

                Just get the books!

 

Marvin gathers the stolen books. Maribeth glares at him. He stares at her sheepishly.

 

                         MARVIN

                Well, I used to steal whiskey. And cheese.

                You know. Nobody cared.

 

                         MARIBETH

                Oh-my-God. I ought to drive you straight

                back to your dumb loading dock home.

 

She glares at him.

 

                         MARIBETH

                Let's go. I can't believe you did this.

 

                                                                                CUT

 

INT. MARIBETH'S CAR-AFTERNOON

 

Maribeth drives sullenly. Marvin turns pages at lightning speed, paying no attention to her. She glances over at him every second or two.

 

                         MARIBETH

                What are you doing? You can't

                possibly be reading as fast as

                you're turning the pages.

 

Marvin closes the book in his hands, using a finger as a bookmark. He turns his head to her.

 

                         MARVIN

                This one is very interesting. I think

                it was an excellent choice.

 

He looks at the cover. Maribeth glances over at it, too.

 

                         MARIBETH

                Mitochondrial Mutations In Primates.

                Do you...can you understand any of

                it? That's serious stuff! And the way

                you're turning the pages!

 

                         MARVIN

                Yes. A lot of it, anyway. Makes perfect

                sense. Only a little ways to go.

 

Maribeth, distracted, nearly hits a passing car. A HORN BLARES. She rips the steering wheel hard starboard and curses at the driver.

 

                         MARVIN

                Good grief, slow down my dear!

                I've only a few pages left, and I

                want to get home safely.

 

                                                                        FADE

 

INT. REAR HALL OF MANSION-EVENING

 

Maribeth leads Marvin from the garage to the hallway leading to the basement door. His arms are loaded with books. Low voices come from farther in the house. Maribeth stops, puts a finger to her lips.

 

                         MARIBETH

                Shh. It's Daddy and...

 

Several other voices engaged in conversation with the governor rise and fall. A book falls to the floor at Marvin's feet, making a loud SLAM. Maribeth cringes; freezes. A