REVERSE as Cratchit walks away. We see a whole gaggle of
Spirits looking in the window at Scrooge’s efforts.
Satisfied, they disperse.
PULL OUT to show a bird’s eye view of the Spirits who walk
London, now leaving Scrooge’s presence and looking for new
lost souls to bemoan.
PULL OUT FURTHER to the Lone Spirit on the spire of St.
Paul’s Cathedral. Beneath him London is coated in a hazy,
coal-burning smog, yet he sits in the sunlight. Shading his
eyes, he looks off.
SPIRIT-POV. In the distance, leaving the city, is a train,
its engine sending steam into the blue.
Category: All Published Works
Tiny Tim’s Song
Scrooge, page 64
Mrs. Cratchit drops her work and puts her hand over her face.
MRS. CRATCHIT
The color hurts my eyes.
SEWING-CLOSE. Every garment is black.
PETER
Mother —
She allows herself one sob, then buttons her emotions back
in.
MRS. CRATCHIT
They’re better now again.
SCROOGE
(comprehending)
Oh, Spirit, no.
Scrooge, page 55
SCROOGE
There are so many!
PRESENT
Ignorance and Want have no choice
but to beget more of their own
kind.
SCROOGE
Have they no refuge or resource?
PRESENT
Are there no workhouses?
Again, Scrooge must hear his own words come back at him.
Continue reading “Scrooge, page 55”Scrooge, page 36
A beat, and then a gentle GLOW begins to emanate from the
crack in the bed-curtains.
Soft SOUNDS begin, as well. Shuffling, blowing, swishing,
lowing. Nervous, Scrooge reaches for the curtains. Smells
assault his senses, stopping him.
A CRY, part newborn baby, part enraged animal, rings through
the apartment and Scrooge jumps back into his bed.
GENTLE VOICE
(OVER)
Ebenezer Scrooge. Come to me now.
Meek, Scrooge draws the bed-curtains and steps out.
Continue reading “Scrooge, page 36”Scrooge, page 33
SCROOGE
You think I could have changed her
mind? That I had any control? That
I could stop the woman I loved from
leaving me!?
As Scrooge gets angrier, Ebenezer slumps further forward in
despair.
PAST
Yes.
Scrooge roars, reaching to grab Past.
Continue reading “Scrooge, page 33”Scrooge, page 21
Next to Boy Scrooge is a figure in exotic garments, an axe in
his belt, and leading a wood-laden donkey.
ALI BABA
Ready to look for hidden treasure,
young Master Ebenezer?
REVERSE to Scrooge. His delight causes Past to stop and
stare.
SCROOGE
And Robinson Crusoe! My imaginary
friends were a comfort to me. I had
forgotten!
ROBINSON CRUSOE, with a parrot on his shoulder, kneels down
to look Boy Scrooge in the eye.
Desert Lullaby
A period Western, Fort Defiance is a screenplay that no longer exists.
Written in the 90s, it was shopped to actors’ agents and production companies, generated interest, and then failed to move forward. Over the years I’ve tinkered with it, trying to bring new life into a project that came oh-so-close.
Here’s what I want to say about my personal white elephant: She was a good piece of work. Since creating Fort Defiance I’ve become a better writer, and I have the skills to make this a better script . . . but it’s not possible. Any project is of a time and place. Who I was, how I thought, what the world and society considered taboo, can’t be revisited. Let the project go. This is my farewell to a lifelong story.
Recording this song reiterated that lesson. On my album Heart of Iron I had an experienced instrumentalist and recording partner. All I had to do was sing. This time, although I’ve been blessed once again with an excellent sound engineer, I had to wear every musical hat and my expertise is paltry. I wish I could present a smoother version of Desert Lullaby, but the most important thing is to get it out now, while it’s of the moment. I will get better, and the pressure of publication is part of that improvement process.
Listen to Desert Lullaby at bandcamp.