Still Valley At 20,000 Feet by Mike Burns (my reading book .TXT) 📖

(CONTINUED)
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LIEUTENANT (eyeing him sharply)
Are you drunk or somethin’, Paradine? Now, there hasn’t been a sound from down there all day. Not a sound!

FOCUS ON PARADINE, WITH HIS HEAD THROWN BACK, A DETERMINED GLEAM IN HIS EYE.


SERGEANT PARADINE
Lieutenant, you got every right to call me mad. But the reason you didn’t hear ‘em is...is, they’re all asleep.

(CUT TO)

PAN BACK, BRINGING DOAGER AND THE LIEUTENANT INTO PICTURE WITH PARADINE.

Lieutenant turns toward camera, staring at the ground contemplatively. Paradine comes closer, still looking at him and speaking to him.

SERGEANT PARADINE
Put to sleep by magic. Black magic. (pause) It’s right here in this book. A little old man by the name of Teague, he done it. (holds the book in front of lieutenant for his perusal).

LIEUTENANT (hesitant)
Paradine...the order’s out. You’re to take yourself to bed. You’re to sleep the night. Make your report to me in the morning (starts to turn away).

SERGEANT PARADINE
This IS my report, Lieutenant!

FOCUS, ALTERNATELY, ON PARADINE AND THE LIEUTENANT.

Shaking his head in exasperation, Paradine speaks again.

SERGEANT PARADINE
Where’s Mallory’s troop?

LIEUTENANT
They went up on the north ridge, late this morning.

SERGEANT PARADINE
And there was a group of Yankees camped up there, wasn’t there? Company strength, at least, wasn’t there?

LIEUTENANT (perplexed)
That’s what we figured. But what’s that go to do with all this?

SERGEANT PARADINE
On the way back here, Lieutenant, I...I...I opened the book, and I...read from a page of it. I conjured up a spell! An I...I...turned in the direction of that ridge!

In background, Private Doager looks increasingly disturbed at these words.


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SOUND TO LEFT draws attention of all three men--all turn their heads in that direction. Another officer is in foreground, stepping forward with arms held at an odd angle. In background, behind him, we see several troops on horseback filing along to the right.

LIEUTENANT
Mallory? Paradine says...

At the look on Mallory’s face, the lieutenant stops speaking. Doager and Paradine watch him intently, also.
MALLORY
I just seen somethin’...I can’t explain...no more’n any o’ my men can explain it. But they seen it too!

FOCUS ON MALLORY.

MALLORY
We was walkin’ up that ridge in a skirmish line, scared outta our boots...’cause it was so quiet! We thought them Yankees was waitin’ for us, just beyond the parapet. They was waitin’ all right...

FOCUS ON PARADINE AND LIEUTENANT, WHO EXCHANGE A MUTUAL GLANCE AT THIS

MALLORY (VOICE-OVER)
...standin’ straight ‘n tall, guns-to-port...

FOCUS ON MALLORY, THEN BACK TO PARADINE AND LIEUTENANT

MALLORY (VOICE-OVER)
...frozen like statues!

LIEUTENANT(with Paradine watching him)
Dead?

MALLORY (VOICE-OVER)
Not dead...

Paradine looks back to Mallory.

MALLORY (VOICE-OVER)
Not dead...

The lieutenant looks back at Paradine now.

MALLORY (VOICE-OVER)
Not alive.
(CUT TO)

PAN BACK, SHOWING (L-R) MALLORY, DOAGER, PARADINE, THE LIEUTENANT

MALLORY
Just frozen stock-still, like rocks!

The lieutenant looks at a set of written orders in his hands, absently. Paradine lifts up the book, points to it.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
SERGEANT PARADINE
Lieutenant, it was this that done it!

The lieutenant glances at it, then at Paradine.

LIEUTENANT
Paradine, this is the devil’s work!

MALLORY
Well, what’s this all about?!

Paradine thrusts the book forward toward Mallory.

SERGEANT PARADINE
This book...an old man give it to me in town...It IS the devil’s work!(glances at lieutenant) I know that. But maybe it’s time we called muster on the devil.

FOCUS ON MALLORY, who looks appalled and baffled.

SERGEANT PARADINE (VOICE-OVER)
Maybe it’s the only thing left for us.

FOCUS ON PARADINE

SERGEANT PARADINE(staring at lieutenant)
We ain’t got enough guns, we ain’t got enough food, we ain’t got enough of anythin’! We’re losin’, Lieutenant! The Confederacy’s crackin’ up into little pieces right in front of our eyes! It’s bleedin’ to death everyday! We ain’t got enough blood left to make a change!

Paradine shakes his head slightly.

SERGEANT PARADINE
I don’t know much about Satan...but this cause of ours is dyin’ right in front of us.

Lieutenant turns his head to look at some of the enlisted.

FOCUS ON GROUP OF ENLISTED MEN, looking uneasily at the lieutenant and his small group.

FOCUS ON DOAGER AND PARADINE.

Doager steps in front of Paradine to speak directly to him now.

PRIVATE DOAGER
Paradine...open up the book and read from it out loud. Make it good for every Union soldier in the field. Freeze ‘em! Put ‘em