signs

Continued ….

 

but then he says the strangest thing,

“this—was not about—that—has nothing to do with—“ and he inflects his hand in a gesture of ‘you and me’ 

but I don’t look as I start to stand up 

I keep my eyes steady on his face not letting my eyes once drift to his lying hand gestures 

“Nothing has changed between us,” he says

and still I don’t look there. and my eyes get blurry. but I keep my eyes on him even as the blur wells and overflows.down my face.I never even blink and the torture numbs my brain 

“that had nothing to do with—“ ….again the hand gesture

I don’t plan it.

It happens.

I slap his face.

I didn’t know I was going to

 it is a swift slap and hard 

And like a person trained for combat, he moves to slap me back ….I forget whether I get out of his way or he stops in time 

“What is this?!”

It is Elsa who walks in now 

she looks at me and then at Jörn. Then walks to me still staring at Jörn and helps me step away from the counter I have been leaning against from the after affects,

“come….” she says and louder with a tone of command at Jörn, “your father is waiting!” 

Unconditional terms

Jörn walks to the window and looks out because I have just said those words aloud 

He stands by the window with his arms folded. Then turns his head to look at me,

“you say you believe in unconditional love? What if I did something —that went against yours?”

apocalyptic hollow

It is such a hollow epiphany….

like finding the grave of your best friend. The emotions twofold….”

it is the scent of boss that takes me to another chapter of Jörn and me. I put my face into his arm pit so as to feign something else than let on ….

 

“I wanted to apologize for being such a beast to you,” Jörn now says to me 

Electra’s dictionary & film noir; the slip on the skirted issue (s)(direction)

 

And it is when I had doubled back to the kitchens 

And so I fell against the wall into a swoon and looked around as—somehow ….

   it was as if I was somewhere else entirely 

….like …. some other time —and I don’t know why ….like jumping off a lift while it is in motion 

I catch my breath …. 

time is only measured in this dimension 

did you know that? it is only because of the plain fact that in this dimension, beings expire because they are organic here 

It is important what we do with our time ….it’s not meant as a joyride and I know most don’t get that 

So I lean against the brick wall of the kitchens and notice a slip of paper on the floor folded in half. I pick it up. 

In her neat familiar handwriting I see my name written —it is a note to me from Ilya ….it must have fallen from the counter and was forgotten about ….so I read ….it seems she thought to give the note to her fiancé to send to me as she lost my private number; as I realize she had made plans to go away; that would have been interrupted by her suddenly going into labor. 

So….I read on—she was asking if I might hire someone temporarily to take care of the museum artifacts and tours as well as the upkeep of the penthouse but….

and then 

I think of another message that recently I have received ….I write about purpose, gender and identity ….and the struggles of ….painful familiar relationships 

in that flash when I felt the weird wind tunnel rush of time I ….had a kind of moment of total clarity ….of course I must be here as it is time to become fully myself 

“Are you all right?” 

I look up and see that Jörn has come back and see by how he looks at me how I am leaned up against the wall 

“Jörn….” I say and look up at him

E.d.Noir/kitchen scene conclusion

 

“What is going on here?” 

It is Jörn in the doorway of the kitchen looking at us.

I stare frozen at him. Why do I feel guilty? I have done nothing wrong. And whatever I’ve done he will find out anyway from Andreas. Still, I feel guilty. Why do I always feel guilty ….for protecting myself….

but —now I stare at him; something about the grey in the shirt he wears and—I don’t know what comes over me. I foolishly have to catch myself on the back of the chair for losing my balance….and hide the way I catch my breath for how he looks ….and in what he wears; skin tight henley, shoulders and muscles…. and looking up, into his eyes and face …..of which I know every line and crease of —as if I put it all there myself ….how still he does this to me….and then 

I am caught and then lost within those eyes of kryptonite

Yet with not much ceremony, he takes hold of my wrist, gives bolts of lightening with his gaze at Andreas and says, 

“coming then?” with his vocal pitch aimed at me, and with a yank, pulls me out the door with him

from my script notes

 Another scene (pasted straight from notes) (unedited)

   this goes respectively before Elan’s demise 

More Script notes  

Film Noir

Open to an ominous overcast and darkened scene of the beach, the waves crashing with 

The dog is barking 

We go into the hut, enter through the window and see Elan is sat hiding under the table with the bowls, she is huddled in fear and her arms are wrapped around herself as she presses her face into one of the hides, breathing in the familiar scent that still clings to the fibers 

Elan: (whispers) Raoul …. snälla kom hem…. dewch adref [she weeps into the hide]

[the dog comes to comfort her]

The angle moves outside side the hut to the settlement thst is wracked with the storm 

But from the shadows we see Ulf, at first in shadow as he ‘walks’ past an isle between the long houses —he uses a wood stick to hobble awkwardly along, and in the wind, it is clear that only a mad berserk Viking bent on revenge would drag himself for this opportunity 

And as he clears the shadows we see he swings an ax

The lighting is strange 

It is the time of year when the sun does not long go down and as it is what would be the middle of the night the sun has already begun to rise but the storm throws an eerie light with the clouds 

From above the settlement we watch as Ulf crosses to close the distsnce to the hut

Move to inside of hut, close up of Vargi

Vargi: [growls looking up]

Elan: [now reacts to dog and sits up to listen fearfully. She is whispering:] Raoul…. dewch os gwelwch yn dda….[she is whimpering quietly, she is clearly terrified]

Ulf: [shouting in a call near the hut as he approaches] du kan inte gömma dig för mig nu (you cannot hide from me now)

Vargi growls 

Elan gets up and goes to Raoul’s work area. She picks up a wooden shield and a small knife, and a bludgeoning instrument from his work shop; but she is clearly trembling 

Ulf: komma ut!

Elan [gasps] [whispers:] Vargi! 

She slips through an under slot beneath Raoul’s workshop; there is an opening hidden behind a shrub and she hides beneath the shrubs in the muddy, sandy, earth and makes the sound of one who tries to hold back her own whimpering 

We hear the dog barking

Fade out

Fade in 

To same scene, same shot that must be hours later. The storm passed but we see she is exhausted from fear by the way her profile is turned as she stares at nothing and in shock; half asleep in the sand

Pull back

The dog is dead several feet away 

But Elan is still hidden where she is. She does not move 

Fade out

Open same scene and sunny day again

Elan still hidden where she is. It seems as if she is dead 

Pull back to another dog who is seen sniffing nearby and Ulf not far behind hobbling along 

The dog finds Elan’s hiding spot as he clamps with his teeth through her shawl

Elan: 

[With sudden strength born of terror] uses the shield she has been laying on to bash over the dogs head ]

Then goes back into the hut, not knowing where to go

Instinctively goes to the workshop and picks up the biggest sword lying around as she stands watching st the hut door 

We hear the scrape of Ulf’s hobble and stick as the sound approaches 

  

  darkness evaporates when you let in light