This is part of a screenplay, a spinoff of the four-book series I've been working on for a very long time.
FADE IN:
EXT. DEEP IN A FOREST – DAY
PIERCE DAGON, 75, wears worn sneakers, jeans, a jacket and a backpack draped over one shoulder. Straight, silver hair falls from under his ballcap as he stands impatiently, staring at the outer rim of a circular clearing where nothing grows. Pierce, who usually frequents the library at this time, waits for the one thing he tenaciously researches. The mysterious cabin.
Pierce looks at his arm and watches the hairs rise on his arm.
MILES, 76, Pierce’s best friend, approaches, whistling, from a nearby path. A walking stick, like a pendulum, swings at his side as he tilts his fedora to block the rays of sun that light his path.
Miles pours an unsteady cup of coffee from his thermos and hands it to Pierce.
PIERCE
You here for the same reason?
MILES
No, I saw you head into the woods. I went
home, grabbed my gear, and thought I’d try
to catch up with you.
Miles looks across the circle as leaves blow across it but don’t touch the ground.
MILES (CONT’D)
I had no idea this is why you came. It’s
good to see this again. In a way.
Miles sees the tentpoles sticking out of Pierce’s backpack.
MILES (CONT’D)
The third time you have a choice. You
planning to camp out until it happens?
PIERCE
I need to go – and yes, I’m not going
anywhere until it shows up and takes me.
MILES
I had a feeling you’d say that. Have you
thought this through?
PIERCE
There’s nothing to think through.
I need to find her.
MILES
There’s something different, other than
having a choice you need to be aware of.
Pierce continues to stare across the empty circle.
MILES (CONT’D)
I’ve talked with other travelers. There
are implications.
PIERCE
Let’s hear it. But my mind is made up.
MILES
There’s no guarantee you’ll return.
Whatever world you go to could be your
last. The thought of never seeing you
again, well, I didn’t exactly wake up
this morning preparing for that.
PIERCE
What else?
MILES
Not returning means no influence on
family, you’ve neglected. Speaking of
which, have you-
PIERCE
What else?
Miles turns and faces Pierce catching his eye.
MILES
She may not be there. Noelle may not
exist in your next world, and even if
she does, you may never find her. If
you do, it could take a lifetime.
Hell, Pierce, you may only be there a
year. We don’t ever know.
Miles blows on his cup before taking a sip of coffee.
MILES (CONT’D)
Your journeys were rare, being that you
ended up in the same world both times.
Believe me.
PIERCE
When I left her, I was ripped away.
Torn from her, our children. I need
closure. If nothing else, I deserve
that. I’ve tried living this life
without her. Can’t do it.
MILES
What about your son that’s here? A son
that lives in your real world, but you
know nothing about. And the only gift
he ever received was abandonment.
PIERCE
I felt I was betraying them.
MILES
Which makes the void of abandonment
deeper and darker. I just want to make
sure you know what’s at risk.
PIERCE
I do. Was there something else you
wanted?
Miles stoops over, grabs some small sticks.
MILES
How about one last campfire?
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