Since You’re Up: Scripted Saturdays

Hello, all! Welcome back to Scripted Saturdays! In case you don’t know, I’m Timothy Scott Purvis and I just love to write and share my writings up on this blog page. I occasionally share some extra thoughts with separate posts but I don’t do it a whole lot because I usually don’t have a whole lot to say. It’s not that I don’t have thoughts, mind you. I’m just rather occupied with writing, reading, and trying to put enough money together to pay the rent. So, I stay pretty busy and, unless I having something that’s really fired me up, I don’t generally bother with it all. I should though. I’m sure some of those who follow this site would appreciate a little more than just the weekly readings. So, I’ll give a thought to it.

Right now, though, let’s get to the latest offering. Some years ago I wrote a short story called ‘Things That Go Bump In The Night’.(<–The original story!) My friend thought that the title was weak but I didn’t really change it until some years later. Those of you who follow this blog probably know that revision as ‘In Memoriam, Veronica Davis.’ (<–I didn’t think I’d posted the original on here, but I did after posting this edited version. The link to the original is above and this is the revised one…)There is extra details towards the ending in that version I posted last year that are not in the original. I.E.: this script won’t have those details because it was based off the original short story. It’s interesting to look back on these old writings and see how my style has altered and grown. I find it fascinating to see that growth.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy the tale. Stay tuned for after the posting to see some links and shameless self promotions and whatnot if you’re interested in supporting the cause. Thanks for reading!

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“SINCE YOU’RE UP”

Fade In

INT. HOME-BEDROOM

[VERONICA DAVIS, an older woman of sixty-five with greying hair and a pension for Victorian style clothing, fluffy frayed dresses, etc, looks into the dresser mirror getting ready for a long and busy day. 

She is constantly irritated and always in an irrational mood.  Such as in this moment.  She finishes braiding her hair into a french braid and stands up with a semi-satisfied expression as she turns to leave the room.]

EXT. HOME-FRONT WALK

[In a pan, we follow Veronica as she exits her Victorian home and proceeds down the walk and down the sidewalk a little ways.  The daily activities of people living their lives is in full swing.  Green grass and pleasant sounds unlike the darker and cold environment of Veronica’s inner sanctum that refuses to let anyone inside.]

INT. GROCERY MART

[Veronica approaches store from outside.  We see her through the front window as she makes for the door.  Two young men stand talking near one another and see her approach.  They don’t look happy to see her. The two young men are CHARLIE MALLORY, the oldest son of the owner. Near him is his younger brother JASON.]

                                  CHARLIE       

                        Quick, phone Cinderella.  Tell her we’ve located her stepmother.

[Charlie is a young man of twenty-two standing roughly 5’10.  He has dark brown hair and lets loose a wry grin as his brother snickers at his remark spoken in a lower tone.  However, Veronica hears him nonetheless and walks in their direction.]

                                  VERONICA      

                        Young man, I’m sure you think you’re being funny, but I do not.  That’s what’s wrong with kids these days, no respect for their elders.  I wonder if you would be amused if I pulled down yer britches and gave you a spanking right here in the middle of the store?

[Anger creeps into her voice as Charlie does his best not to smile.]

                                  CHARLIE       

                        Uh…no ma’am.

[The store manager rushes over having seen the scene transpiring.  He is MR. MALLORY, the store owner and father to the two young men serving as clerks in his store.]

                        MR.MALLORY    

              Charlie!  That is extremely inappropriate!  I apologize, Ms. Davis.  Sometimes he doesn’t have the  sense he was born with.

                                  VERONICA      

                        That is something all men suffer from, Mr. Mallory. If you wish to continue receiving my loyal patronage, I suggest teaching these ruffians some manners.

[Veronica points a finger at him and walks away.   The three men stand staring at her.]

                                  JASON         

                        Wooa…not only does she look like the wicked stepmother, but she sounds like her too.

[Veronica pauses only slightly but decides not to look back despite her angry features.  Charlie snickers as their father stares at them in horror.]

                                  MR. MALLORY   

                        What the hell’s wrong with you two!?

[Veronica continues shopping leaving the men bickering amongst themselves.]

EXT. HOUSE-BACK PORCH

[Veronica sits in her rocking chair and gets up to enter her back door.]

INT. HOUSE-BEDROOM

[Veronica enters bedroom dressed in a cotton night gown.  She goes into the bathroom to shut off the lights and close the door.  Moments later, she’s at her nightstand sipping the last of her tea and slips into bed. 

She reaches over and shuts off the bedroom light.  The room is dark with only a hint of light from outside slipping in through a crack in her curtains.  She sighs deeply and closes her eyes, turning over onto her side. 

Suddenly, a thumping sound issues forth in the room.  She opens her eyes and lays motionless intently listening for the source of the sound, staring at the closet. 

She shakes her head after a moment and exhales a breathe she was  oblivious of and closes her eyes.  Seconds pass and the sound returns.]

          -Thump.  Thump.  Thump.

[She sits up in fright.  The sound is gone and she stares around her room.]

                                  VERONICA      

                        Who’s there!?  You little hoodlums!  This isn’t funny!

[She continues staring into the dark her form silhouetted against the thin light coming in the still curtains.]

          -Thump.  Thump.  Thump.

[She gasps and draws the covers to her chest.  She slides out from under the covers and steps onto the floor.  She sees light coming from the bathroom and she looks puzzled.  A shadow passes by the door crack followed by a thump, thump against the door.]

                                  VERONICA

                        Who’s in there!?

[The shadow covering the crack stops and rolls away after a moment.]

Stop playing games, you bastard!

[Agitated, Veronica turns on the bedroom light and heads out into the hallway.]

INT. HOUSE-HALL

[Veronica opens a hallway closet door and grabs a golf club from an old gulf bag.  She rushes back towards her bedroom opposite the closet.]

INT. HOUSE-BEDROOM

[She goes to sling open the bathroom door.]

INT. HOUSE-BATHROOM

                                  VERONICA      

                        All right, you little heathen, come on…!

[She rushes inside the bathroom and stands in shock.  Nothing is there. The windows are locked and there is no sign of an intruder.  Her eyes focus on the shower and she stalks towards the closed door.  She swings open the door and raises the club. Her eyes go wide as she sees and empty shower.]

What the hell!?

[Her hand holding the club drops to her side.  She walks over to the sink to splash cold water on her face.  Once done she looks in the mirror to see a haggard expression staring back.]

I must be losing my mind.

[She speaks to herself and dries her face.  Reaching for the lights she turns them out.]

INT. HOUSE-BEDROOM

[She returns to bed but leaves the bathroom door open.  She lays down and covers up and glances towards the dark bathroom.  She continues to stare until her eyes close with sleep.]

INT. STORE-NEXT MORNING

                                  MR. MALLORY

                        And how did you sleep last night, Ms. Davis?

[Mr. Mallory walks up beside Veronica as she picks through some fruit.]

                                  VERONICA

                        How do you mean!?  Why would you ask me that?

[Veronica stare at the man suspiciously.  He looks like a deer caught in headlights and shakes his head.]

                                  MR. MALLORY

                        I just meant that, with such a nice house, of which I understand the Davis’s have owned for nearly two-hundred years, right?,…that you’d have a comfortable sleep.  I, I thought it would be polite to ask, that’s all.

[Mr. Mallory seems to stumble over his words.  Veronica stares at him coldly and finishes gathering apples and oranges.  He stands there looking uncertain.  She brushes past him with a huff and barely a look.]

                                  VERONICA

                        It’s none of your business how I sleep.

[With her nose somewhat into the air she walks off.]

                                  MR. MALLORY

                             [Smiles pleasantly. ]

                        Right.  Well, you have a nice day.

INT. HOUSE-STAIRWELL

[Veronica carries a cup of hot tea up the staircase as she cautiously walks towards her bedroom.]

INT. HOUSE-BEDROOM

[She checks the bathroom and, after attending to some unseen business, she turns out the lights and closes the door.  She opens the thick curtains to her windows and leaves the thin veils drawn.  She turns out the bedroom lights and stares at the streaming moonlight pouring through the veiled curtains onto her bed. This gives the room a light blue tint.  She huffs towards bed mumbling.]

                        VERONICA

                        That fool Mallory and his two sons had better not be responsible for that…

[She finishes with a slight huff.  Getting into bed, she lays her head on her pillow and closes her eyes.  She listens motionless for a second and then sighs.  Her eyes widen and she catches her breathe. She shifts her eyes and realizes there wasn’t any sound.  Her eyes close once more after a quick head shake.]

          -Thump.  Thump.  Thump.

[Slowly her eyes open and she rolls onto her back to stare at the ceiling.]

          -Thump. Bump. Thump.

          -Bump.  Bump.  Thump.

[She sits up in a panic and pulls her sheets to her chin.]

No…please God…

[She whispers staring at the bathroom door.  She leans over the edge of the bed to see light from underneath the bathroom crack.  Two shadows compete for a piece of the door crack. 

Veronica closes her eyes and leans back.  Beads of sweat run down her face and neck and her gown is saturated with the moisture.  She shivers uncontrollably.  The sound continues.  Close up of wracked face.]

          -Thump. Thump. Thump.

          -Bump.  Bump.  Thump.

          -Thump.  Bump.  Thump.

[Then the sound stops.  Veronica seems to silently pray for several moments before opening her eyes and looking at the door.  The shadows were gone but the light was still on.

Veronica swallows hard and slowly inches off the bed, her eyes never leaving the door.  Flipping the bedroom light on and grabbing the golf club next to the dresser in the process, she reaches for the knob and freezes listening intently for any sound.

We see her breathing heavily and sweating profuself before she opens the door.  A slight creaking moan issues forth to unveil an empty bathroom.  Veronica sobs heavily and slowly lowers to the floor.

Her hand still on the knob, tears flow freely from her eyes as she slides down onto the calves of her legs.  Her right hand tries to wipe the tears away.]

I can’t take any more of this!!  Why is this happening!?

EXT. STREETS-NEXT MORNING

[Veronica walks in a daze to the store.  We see bags under her eyes suggesting lack of sleep and mental duress.]

INT. STORE

[Charlie and Jason stare at Veronica who just stands by the front window looking out at nothing in particular.]

                                  CHARLIE

                        She’s been there for like two hours.

[Charlie speaks to his brother.  Veronica listens somewhat calmly. We see that slight calmness on her face as we get a view from just out front of the window looking in to her and the two men a ways behind her.]

                                  JASON

                        Why don’t you go over and say something to her?

                                  CHARLIE

                        …Why do you torture me?

[Charlie walks over to Veronica.]

Hello, Ms. Davis?  Are you all right?  You’ve just been standing there for so long, I…

                                  VERONICA

                        I’m fine. …Mind your own business!

[She snaps but doesn’t look at him.  Camera sees view from just over his shoulder.  She looks at him and the camera.  Tears form in her eyes as Charlie holds his hands out in a placating gesture.  Her jaw set, she saunters over to the checkout counter and thumps the milk on top.]

Here, you can check me out.  Well!?  Don’t just stand there!

[She pulls out a checkbook from her purse.  Charlie heads to the counter and begins ringing up the milk.  He stops and feels the temperature.]

                                  CHARLIE

                        It appears that you milk has gotten warm.  Let me get you another one.

                                  VERONICA

                        Fine.  Just hurry up.

[Veronica huffs, but her voice is warmer as Charlie heads to the back.]

EXT. HOUSE-FRONT WALK

[Veronica stares at her house.  The wind presses her dress against her form. Seeing her face, we note her taking a deep breathe in trepidation.  She slowly walks towards the house.  It seems menacing.]

INT. HOUSE-BEDROOM

[Veronica goes through the motions and checks the bathroom, turns out the lights but leaves the bathroom door open.  She lays down and stares at the ceiling listening to the chirping crickets outside her open window.  A soft breeze ripples through the veiled curtains. Moonlight lights the room and her eyes close.  She seems relaxed.]

          -Creak.  Fwoomp.

[The sounds of a creaking door slamming shut echo through the room. Veronica’s eyes open.  Crickets go silent and she seems panicked.]

          -Thump.  Thump.  Thump.

[The view slowly zooms towards the bathroom door.]

          -Bump.  Bump.  Thump.

[Veronica gets enraged and thumps her fists on her bed.]

                                  VERONICA

                        That’s it!  I’ve had it!

[She screams and leaps out of bed, ignores the golf club and rushes towards the door.  Shadows move ominously beneath the crack.  She slings open the door.]

What in the hell are you…!?

INT. HOUSE-BATHROOM

[Stopping in mid-sentence, she lets loose a blood-curdling scream that rings out her open window and echoes throughout the neighborhood. Veronica stands in the doorway to the bathroom, her right hand to her mouth and tears streaming down her cheeks.  She backs up from the bathroom where pools of blood paint the floor, bathtub, sink, mirrors, and toilet.  On the floor, rolling around spastically, wrapped up in bedsheets (or clear plastic wrap?) Are two decapitated, armless corpses crashing into each other.

Her chest heaves barely containing another scream.  She looks down to see the blood covered butcher knife she holds in her left hand.]

                                  VERONICA

                        Oh my God!

[She wails again seeing her dress covered in blood as well.  She casts another wide eyed glance at the corpses with streams of blood pouring from where heads used to be attached to their necks.]

INT. HOUSE-BATHROOM/DOWNSTAIRS

[Veronica turns and runs out of the bedroom and downstairs, nearly falling in the process.]

                                  VERONICA

                        This can’t be happening?  This can’t be happening! Is this real!?

[Veronica sobs and backs up to her couch staring at the main stairwell in anguish.  A sick, slopping sound echoes down the staircase from the second story hall.  She stares and absently wipes her hands on her night gown.  A knock sounds at the front door startling her.  She answers the door. Hurriedly she swings it wide only to be greeted by two police officers.  Officers EDMONDS and STEVENSON.]

                                  EDMONDS

                        Evening, Ma’am.  We’re sorry to disturb you, but we’ve received reports of really loud screams coming from this residence.  We just wanted to make sure everything’s all right.

[She stares at them, breathing heavily and getting a firmer grip on a blanket wrapped around her shoulders that had been on the couch. However, she seems puzzled by having it.  She looks at the officers’ badges.]

                                  STEVENSON

                        May we come in?

[Stevenson looks worried.]

                                  VERONICA

                        Y, yes, of course.

[She opens the door wide and the two follow her into the living room. Veronica sits on the couch.  Her hair is a mess and she looks confused. The two officers look to one another as she stares vacantly at the floor.]

                                  EDMONDS

                        Are you all right?  You look a little ill.

[Veronica looks at the man panicked and frightened.  She looks to the stairs hearing the sounds.]

          -Thump.  Thump.  Thump.

          -Bump.  Bump.  Thump.

[Her eyes go wide.]

                                  STEVENSON

                        Ma’am?  Can we help you?  Did you scream?

[Stevenson walks closer to the couch and Edmonds follows her gaze to upstairs.]

          -Thump.  Thump.  Thump.

          -Bump.  Bump.  Thump.

[Sweat pours from her pores, soaking her clothes.  The officers see this and Edmonds reaches for the CB on his shoulder.  Veronica watches him from the corner of her eye absently.]

                                  EDMONDS

                        …We’re going to need a medic at this residence…

          -Thump.  Thump.  Thump.

          -Bump.  Bump.  Thump.

[The sounds get closer.  She looks to every corner of the room as her eyesight darts wildly.]

                                  STEVENSON

                        Ma’am, we’re going to get you some help.

[He touches her shoulder lightly.  She jumps to her feet, tossing off the blanket.  Stevenson gets up and holds out his hands.]

Ok, calm down, Ma’am.

                                  VERONICA

                        I admit it!  I did it!  I killed them!  See!?

[She shouts and turns to show them her blood stained clothing.  The officers look to one another as they watch the woman spread her arms. We see view from behind.]

                                  EDMONDS

                        Ok.  What did you do?

                                  VERONICA

                        Don’t you see the blood…?

[She looks down at her night gown.]

                                  STEVENSON

                        Blood?

[He looks to his partner with concern.]

                                  VERONICA

                        …from the bodies?

[She is visibly frightened.]

                        STEVENSON

               What bodies, Ma’am?

[He asks calmly.]

                                  VERONICA

                        The two bodies!  In the bathroom in my bedroom!  I killed them!  I must have!  Their blood was all over my clothes and the bathroom floor!  It’s horrible!

                                  EDMONDS

                        All right.  All right.  Where is the bathroom?

[He convinces her to sit back down.]

                                  VERONICA

                        U, upstairs, the end of the hall on the right.  They’re there, I tell you.

[She looks helplessly to him.]

                                  STEVENSON

                        All right.  Mike, there’s an ambulance on the way. I’ll go check out the bathroom.  Ma’am…

                                  VERONICA

                        Veronica…

                                  STEVENSON

                        Veronica, Mike is going to stay with you while I go check out the bathroom.  Ok?

                                  VERONICA

                        Ok.

[She sobs as Stevenson heads upstairs leaving Edmonds with her.  Minutes seem to pass like an eternity, but seeming seconds to us, and Stevenson returns.

He smiles.]

                                  STEVENSON

                        What a crime.

                                  EDMONDS

                        What do we have?

[Curiosity is evident in his voice.]

                                  STEVENSON

                        Oh, just the cleanest bathroom I’ve ever seen.  Veronica, I’ve checked all the rooms upstairs, but there are no bodies.  Are you sure you didn’t just have a nightmare?

                                  VERONICA

                        Nightmare?  No, they’re there!  It was real!

[She jumps to her feet.]

                                  STEVENSON

                        Ok, I believe you.  We’re going to get you to the hospital though to make sure you’re feeling all right.

[She darts past him and up the stairs.]

Veronica!

INT. HOUSE-BATHROOM

[Veronica rushes inside to find the bathroom empty.  She stares as the two officers come in beside her.  One to each side.]

                                  STEVENSON

                        See…nothing here.  Now, let’s go back downstairs.

INT. HOUSE-BEDROOM

[He takes her by the shoulders and guides her towards the bedroom door.]

                                  VERONICA 

                        But…they, they were there!  Where…wait…I know! I buried them!

                                  STEVENSON

                             [Wearily]

                        You buried them?  And where did you bury them?

                                  VERONICA

                        The, the basement!  I buried them in the basement! I, I remember now…

[Her eyes glaze over with exhaustion.]

                                  EDMONDS

                        You just killed them and you already buried them in the basement?

                                  VERONICA

                        Yes…no…I killed them…before…

                                  STEVENSON

                        Before?  When before?

INT. HOUSE-STAIRWELL

[They head to the stairs.]

                                  VERONICA

                        I, I…don’t remember…but, it was before…

[She stutters in confusion.]

                                  STEVENSON

                        Ok, we’ll have someone look into that.

[He looks at Edmonds with a concerned expression.]

INT. MEADOWVALE MENTAL INSTITUTE-ROOM

                                  VERONICA

                        …The thumping, the thumping, the bump, bump, bumping…thumping at my bathroom door…

[Veronica mumbles as she rocks back and forth in her small cell.  A face watches her through a small window in the door.  His name is ELLIS WAYNE.]

INT. MEADOWVALE MENTAL INSTITUE-WATCH ROOM

[Ellis returns to the watch room where his associate MELVIN remains seated reading a paper.]

                                  ELLIS

                        So, what’s with the old lady in cell twelve?

                                  MELVIN

                        Cell twelve?  Oh, her.  She’s a weird one.  Had a nervous breakdown or what have you.  She was screaming about having killed two people and the corpses were somehow rolling around on her bathroom floor.  At least, that’s what she told the cops.

                                  ELLIS

                        She killed two people?  She looks so harmless.

[Ellis takes a seat.]

                                  MELVIN

                        Heh, she claims she killed two people.

                                  ELLIS

                        Claims?  So what, no one believes her?

[He scrunches his face in disbelief.]

                                  MELVIN

                        It’s not so much that as the lack of evidence.  They brought her in her because they didn’t feel she could handle living on her own anymore.  Besides, when the cops went to check out the bathroom, they found nothing.  Then, when they informed her of that, she changes her story by saying she buried ‘em in the basement.  However, the police didn’t think she killed any one, only that she was having a panic attack.

                                  ELLIS

                        Is she just nuts then?

                                  MELVIN

                        I don’t know that that’s the case.  There are some occasional delusions, maybe a bit of schizophrenia, since I’ve caught her holding conversations with herself anyhow.  Of course, she hasn’t been diagnosed with that.  That’s not the weirdest thing about her case, though.

                                  ELLIS

                        What’s the weirdest thing?

[Ellis leans forward and so does Melvin to brace his hands on his knees and speak conspiratorially.]

                                  MELVIN

                        Well, you see, the police had to take her seriously about the bodies in the basement, so they sent a forensics team over to the old lady’s house and they dug Up the basement.  What they found astounded them, two decapitated bodies with no arms, just like she was screaming about!

[He gestures with his hands.]

                                  ELLIS

                            [ nods]

                        So, she did kill those people.

                                  MELVIN

                        Hell no!  Nobody believes there’s any way she could’ve killed any one.

                                  ELLIS

                        But, the bodies…

                                  MELVIN

                        That’s just the thing, those two they found, had been killed over a hundred and fifty years earlier!

[Ellis’s eyes widen and Melvin smiles.]

                                  ELLIS

                        What!?  But, how did she know about them?

                                  MELVIN

                        Well, they all thought at first maybe she discovered them by accident.  However,the forensics evaluations determined that the graves hadn’t been disturbed since they’d been put there.  So, there’s no way she could’ve known about them.  Unless someone told her. But she thinks she killed them.  Which is why she’s here.  Poor old woman.  I feel sorry for her.

[Ellis gets up and stares out the window in disbelief.  Melvin pulls out his wallet.]

Here…

[He tosses the wallet at Ellis as he turns to him.]

…Go get us something to eat, I’m starving.  And stop worrying about the nutcase down the hall.  You’ll only find more questions than answers.

                                  ELLIS

                        I guess.  All right, I’ll be back.

[Ellis leaves and the door closes behind him.]

Fade out.

~Fin

That’s the end of this week’s offering. Come back next Saturday for another Scripted Saturday tale. I have a few up my sleeve and am looking forward to giving you some more material to chew on! Until then, have a good week and I’ll read to you again later!

~Timothy S Purvis

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SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION STARTS!

I would appreciate if you have Kindle or even if you want some paperback goodies if you’d head on over to my page and maybe show me some love there. I mean, if you’ve been reading a while and see something you like, wouldn’t you like to have it in your personal library? I have some cool short stories available for cheap. Also Tales From A Strange Mind that collects my short stories (there’s also a Kindle edition but, for some reason, Amazon wouldn’t let me link them together) , Tales From A Strange Mind II which collects my old novellas, Red Star Sheriff (Which also has a Kindle edition but Amazon, am I right?) my first novel ever released, though, yes, it does have some grammatical errors and drags on for way too long, sigh. But I still love it and I will be writing a follow up sometime within the next few years. I have a collection of my poems called MisAligned: The Heart Waxes Poetic which collects my old poems but not some of my newer ones included those flash fictions! I’ll probably do that in the future as well. And if you love the perfectly inane, why not check out my Star Cloud scripts presented in book form? Star Cloud The Original Scripts. Another one where Amazon was being difficult with me in connecting the Kindle and PB versions. Still, the paperback they let me sale for cheap and it’s well worth a look if I say so myself. Or, if you don’t want to click on individual links (all of which will take you to my author’s page anyway), just click on my author’s page directly by tapping my name: Timothy S Purvis See for yourself what all I’ve published since I began this venture in 2016.

I mean, if you like my work, of course. No pressure. Just trying to find my way in this world without working menial tasks and suffering physical and mental issues as a result. If only I could merely stay home and write. That would be my most epic fantasy brought to life. Well, if you don’t want to do that, you could also donate to my cause down below after all is said and done. It would help. You know, if you liked what you saw and all. Up to you. I don’t have a lot of reviews on my materials because of low sales. I mean, very, very low sales. In the single digits. Right now, I have to rely on Pubby for reviews and those people only read your synopsis and recap it for a five star review. I want honest opinions. Not mean ones, but honest. So, if you ever find yourself buying some of my work, I’d certainly appreciate some feedback. Again, up to you.

End Shameless Self Promotion!

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