Unwell Season 4/Episode 2- The Shepherd

by Bilal Dardai

Sun-dappled memories

We've got to work together

When is a wolf not a wolf?

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Listen to the episode here.

Support Unwell and HartLife NFP on Patreon at www.patreon.com/hartlifenfp

This episode features: Joshua K Harris as Rudy, Jack Benjamin as Young Rudy, Casey Pilkenton as Julia Salvemini, Krista D'Agostino as Hazel, Pat King as Chester, Clarissa Cherie Rios as Lily, Marsha Harman as Dot, Symphony Sanders as Young Lily.

Written by Bilal Dardai, sound design by Jeffrey Nils Gardner, directed by June Thiele, theme music composed by Stephen Poon, recording engineer Mel Ruder, associate producer Ani Enghdahl, Theme performed by Stephen Poon, Lauren Kelly, Gunnar Jebsen, Travis Elfers, Mel Ruder, and Betsey Palmer, Unwell lead sound designer Eli Hamada McIlveen, Executive Producers Eleanor Hyde and Jeffrey Nils Gardner, by HartLife NFP.

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A BEDROOM IN A SMALL RANCH-STYLE

SINGLE-FAMILY HOME. EVENING,

PENNSYLVANIA IN SUMMER. A SMALL,

OSCILLATING FAN ON MEDIUM SETTING.

A SINGLE KNOCK AT THE DOOR. A

PAUSE, THEN A DOUBLE KNOCK. A

PAUSE, THEN A SPECIFIC SET OF FIVE

OR SIX KNOCKS.

YOUNG RUDY: Come in, Mom.

THE DOOR OPENS. IN THE NEAR

DISTANCE A BASEBALL GAME CAN BE

HEARD ON A SMALL TELEVISION.

JULIA: Rudy, your dad wanted to know if you were

going to watch the game with him.

YOUNG RUDY: Nah. It’s okay. The Phillies are terrible

this year anyway.

JULIA CLOSES THE DOOR BEHIND HER.

JULIA: Okay, buster brown. What’s really eating

you?

YOUNG RUDY: I’m fine.

JULIA: You said all of three words at dinner.

YOUNG RUDY: It’s nothing.

JULIA: Mm-hm.

YOUNG RUDY: I wanted to ask something but I know what

you’re gonna say.

JULIA: Is that right? If you know how to read minds

then we’re off to the casinos.

YOUNG RUDY: You know what I mean

JULIA: What’s your question?

YOUNG RUDY: (DEEP BREATH) Can we get a dog?

JULIA: (SIGHS) That...is one of the three questions

I hoped you’d never ask me.

YOUNG RUDY: What are the other two?

JULIA: You know why I can’t tell you that.

YOUNG RUDY: Because then I’d ask you.

JULIA: Uh-huh.

YOUNG RUDY: So can we get a dog?

JULIA: Rudy. Before I answer. You know how much I

love you. You’re my whole world.

YOUNG RUDY: So...no?

JULIA: No.

YOUNG RUDY: I knew it.

JULIA: Listen to me.

YOUNG RUDY: It’s not fair.

JULIA: I agree, it’s not.

YOUNG RUDY: Please?

JULIA: No.

YOUNG RUDY: I promise I’ll take good care of it.

JULIA: That’s not the problem.

YOUNG RUDY: Then what is it?

JULIA: You see these marks around my ankle? I was

about your age, maybe a little younger, and

somebody’s mutt got loose and went after me.

Had to have a few dozen stitches.

YOUNG RUDY: Just because you met a bad dog doesn’t mean

that my dog would be a bad dog.

JULIA: No, Rudy. Final word. No wild animals in my

house.

YOUNG RUDY: It’s not a wild animal! It’s a dog!

JULIA: Oh, you think there’s a difference.

YOUNG RUDY: There is!

JULIA: I’m going to tell you a story.

YOUNG RUDY: Is this another of your weird fables?

JULIA: My fables are outstanding. Do you want me to

turn the lights off?

YOUNG RUDY: I want a dog.

JULIA: No. Now listen. There once was a flock of

sheep, which was watched over by a young

border collie.

TRANSITION. PRESENT DAY, THE

AUGUST HALL OF THE DELPHIC ORDER,

MID-WINTER. HAZEL IS HEARD TALKING

ON THE PHONE NEARBY.

CHESTER: Rudy. Rudy, wake up.

RUDY: (WAKING WITH A YAWN AND A STRETCH) What time

is it?

CHESTER: Little after seven. There’s coffee if you

want it.

HAZEL: ...no, that’s not what I’m...sheriff, you’re

misunderstanding me.

RUDY: Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to fall

asleep here.

CHESTER: I don’t know how you managed it. These

chairs are not comfortable.

RUDY: I’ve had worse.

CHESTER: Well, don’t make it a habit. The August

Lodge doesn’t permit lodgers. I am just now

realizing how absurd that sounds.

HAZEL: I’m not trying to undermine your authority.

Far from it.

RUDY: Has there been anything new about the, you

know, the wolves?

CHESTER: Hazel’s trying to find out.

HAZEL: The Delphic Order is here to offer support,

sheriff. Yes. Any way we can. Just say the

word. All right. All right. Thank you.

Goodbye now.

PHONE HANGING UP.

CHESTER: What’d he say?

HAZEL: What I expected him to. He’s called in

Julian Animal Control to handle the, what

did he call it. “Our lupine quandary.”

CHESTER: What did he say about our offer to patrol?

HAZEL: Not to.

RUDY: I’m sorry, did you say “patrol”?

CHESTER: Do you want me to call him? I can pull rank.

RUDY: As in “wolf patrol”?

HAZEL: I doubt he’ll listen to you.

CHESTER: I’m the deputy mayor, Hazel.

HAZEL: Don’t take it personally. You didn’t hear

him. He’s got that tone in his voice again.

Sheriff Joshi is not accepting suggestions

right now.

RUDY: Excuse me, were you planning to send members

of the Order out to look for wolves?

HAZEL: Planning to? No. Curtis, Alden, Alex, and

Joanne are already doing it. Here. Take a

look.

A LARGE DOCUMENT BEING UNFURLED ON A

TABLE.

HAZEL: We’ve spotted the wolves wandering the

streets near town hall, and just at the edge

of the forest around Fenwood. I told Team

Bravo to scan this area (MARKER ON LAMINATED

SURFACE) and Team Charlie to check over here

(MARKER ON LAMINATED SURFACE). If there are

other packs, we’ll find them.

RUDY: Teams Bravo and Charlie. I gotta hand it to

you, Hazel. I knew you were organized but I

never had you pegged as paramilitary.

HAZEL: We used to have a traditional capture-the-

flag game at the annual Gibbons Extended

Family Picnic. We stopped doing it after my

cousins complained that my team had an

unfair advantage.

CHESTER: Have there been any attacks?

HAZEL: Not so far. The Revelator is nothing if not

patient.

RUDY: So you think Silas is doing this.

HAZEL: You don’t?

RUDY: I don’t have enough information to say one

way or another.

HAZEL: That’s the trouble with you scientists. You

need something 99.9 percent certain before

you’ll consider declaring it a fact. Those

of us who have to make decisions don’t get

that luxury.

CHESTER: Is there a chance this isn’t Silas?

HAZEL: Don’t you start with me, Chester.

CHESTER: What I mean is, what if this is related to

that other...The One Who Blooms?

HAZEL: I still don’t even know what that is.

CHESTER: Nothing in the text says The Revelator would

be heralded by wolves.

HAZEL: The text was written to advise us on how we

keep him out of Mt. Absalom. Not what we do

if we fail.

RUDY: You said there was a pack near Fenwood?

HAZEL: At least three that we know of.

RUDY: Has anybody told Dot or Lily yet? If these

wolves present any sort of danger we have to

warn them.

HAZEL: Dot and Lily are grownups. I don’t need to

warn them about wolves.

CHESTER: Dot wanders, Hazel.

HAZEL: Wanders?

CHESTER: Because of the, you know, her illness. She

wanders out of the house. That’s how she

broke her leg, remember? If there are wolves

right near Fenwood...

HAZEL: All right, all right. I’ll have Alden and

Joanne stop by and mention it.

RUDY: Thank you, Hazel.

HAZEL: Wait. No, I have a better idea. It’s

probably time we pulled them in, anyhow. You

should go talk to them, Rudy.

RUDY: Pull them in?

HAZEL: We are in crisis. This is no time for

warring camps. Please let Dot know that we

are willing to...collaborate.

RUDY: Should I talk to Abbie and Marisol, too?

HAZEL: If they wish to help, I’ll be happy to have

them. But the Harpers are the most

important. Their roots go deep in Mt.

Absalom. Silas will want them on his side.

We can’t allow it. (GRABS HER CAR KEYS) I’m

going to head downtown. When Julian Animal

Control arrives I want to be there.

CHESTER: Sheriff Joshi will be thrilled to see you.

HAZEL: Thrilled or not, it’s important he does.

What’s coming this way isn’t going to be

handled by protocols and bureaucracy, and I

need him to see that I’m not somebody you

can simply hang up on. Chester, let Rudy

borrow your car.

CHESTER: I can drive him.

HAZEL: You shouldn’t be there, it’ll make Dot

defensive. But what you can do, if you have

a moment, is ensure we won’t face any

roadblocks from Mayor Lopez. Stay in touch,

I’ll be back as soon as I can.

HAZEL WALKS OUT THE DOOR. AN ICY

WIND BLOWS IN AND IS CUT OFF.

RUDY: You look like you wish you’d said something.

CHESTER: Me? No. Hazel’s in her element. She’s got it

under control.

RUDY: Except?

CHESTER: Except she hasn’t seen what you and I have.

In the walls at Fenwood.

RUDY: I thought you told her about that.

CHESTER: I’m not sure she fully grasps what we

experienced.

RUDY: I barely do, and I was there.

CHESTER: Yes. Exactly. Maps and scouting teams are

all well and good for roaming wolfpacks, but

what we went through? I’m not sure there’s a

way we can plan for that. (GRABS CAR KEYS,

ZIPS UP COAT) Come on. I’ll drop you a bit

away from Fenwood and you can walk the rest

of it.

THEY WALK OUT THE DOOR. AN ICY

WIND BLOWS IN AND THE SOUND

TRANSITIONS BACK TO THE HOME OF

JULIA AND YOUNG RUDY.

JULIA: The collie was diligent and loyal, always

keeping a close eye on his charges.

YOUNG RUDY: What does “diligent” mean?

JULIA: Dedicated. He made sure no lambs wandered

too far off, and he was always mindful of

predators that might try to attack the

flock. One late night, as the moon ducked in

and out of the clouds, a wolf emerged from

the woods and tried to make a meal of one of

them, only to be chased off by the collie’s

fierce barking. That would have been the end

of it, but as I said, the collie was very

dedicated. Instead of simply scaring the

wolf away, the collie went after him,

thinking to himself that he would make the

wolf learn his lesson and never come back.

The wolf ran into the woods and the collie

followed, growling bravely at the shadows

and on guard for an attack. But no attack

came. Instead, the collie heard the wolf

call out to him, in a voice filled with

honey and curiosity. “Why did you do that?”

the wolf asked. “Because I am the guardian

of these simple creatures,” the collie

replied, “and no harm shall come to them

while I protect them.” “But why do you

protect them?” the wolf asked, emerging into

a shaft of moonlight. “You are a wolf, like

me.” “I am not!” protested the collie. “I am

a shepherd dog!” “But look at us,” said the

wolf. “Look how alike we are. The same ears,

the same paws, the same snout, the same

teeth. Together, we could enjoy the

delicious lambs however and whenever we

wished.” The collie grew very angry at this,

and barked fiercely at the wolf until it ran

back deep inside the forest. The collie left

the woods and returned to its flock...but in

the distance he could hear the wolf howling

its lament. And something stirred in him.

TRANSITION. A WINTER WIND. THE

SOUND OF RUDY’S FOOTSTEPS WALKING

THROUGH THE LAYER OF SNOW UP TO

THE PORCH AT FENWOOD. THE PORCH

SWING CREAKS WITH THE WEIGHT OF A

SMALL CHILD SITTING IN IT. AS RUDY

GETS CLOSER, THE CHILD JUMPS OFF

THE SWING AND RUNS AWAY ACROSS THE

PORCH AND AROUND THE CORNER OF THE

HOUSE. YOUNG LILY’S GIGGLES CAN BE

HEARD AS THE FOOTSTEPS FADE AWAY.

RUDY STEPS TENTATIVELY ONTO THE

PORCH AND KNOCKS AT THE FRONT

DOOR.

LILY: (FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE) Just a moment!

FOOTSTEPS DOWN THE STAIRS AND TO

THE DOOR. THE PORCH SWING

CONTINUES TO ROCK. THE DOOR OPENS.

RUDY: Hey.

LILY: Oh. Hello.

RUDY: Can I come in?

LILY: You don’t have to ask that, Rudy. Last I saw

you’re still paid through the end of the

month.

THE DOOR OPENS. RUDY STEPS INSIDE.

THE WIND HOWLS IN, BRIEFLY, BEFORE

THE DOOR SHUTS.

RUDY: Brr. Thank you. Is there somebody new

staying here?

LILY: New?

RUDY: I saw a little girl when I was walking up?

LILY: You saw her? (BEAT) That’s...that’s Amy. She

was helping out around here while Wes was

gone.

RUDY: Oh. I get it. Wait. “Was.” You just said

“was” gone. Wes is back?

LILY: He is.

RUDY: When did that happen?

LILY: A few days ago.

RUDY: How is he doing?

LILY: As well as you can expect from someone who

died in 1954.

RUDY: Is he here?

LILY: He and Abbie are out doing research.

RUDY: On what?

LILY: They didn’t tell me.

RUDY: On the wolves?

LILY: What do you want, Rudy?

RUDY: Right. Two things. One, I wanted you to know

that there have been wolves spotted in the

forest near here.

LILY: We know. We saw.

RUDY: Oh.

LILY: Not the first time that’s happened. You

remember. What’s the second thing?

RUDY: Is Dot here?

LILY: She’s resting. You can tell me.

RUDY: I’d prefer to talk to both of you.

LILY: About what?

RUDY: About Silas.

LILY: Are you speaking for yourself right now or

are you speaking for the Delphics?

RUDY: Both. I mean neither. I mean, I’m not

speaking for the Delphics.

LILY: But you are speaking with them.

RUDY: Lily, please listen to me.

LILY: No, Rudy, I think you should listen to me. I

grew up here, remember that? Now maybe I

wasn’t as in tune with local politics as I

could have been, on account of being a kid

and all, but what I always knew about the

Delphics was that there wasn’t anything

going on in the town that they didn’t need

to put their little stamp on. School bake

sale, sponsored by the Delphic Order. Mt.

Absalom Craft Fair, sponsored by the Delphic

Order. Traveling amusement park coming

through? Don’t worry, everyone, this has all

been inspected and approved by the Delphic

Order. And now it’s you, too.

RUDY: Come on. It’s not like that.

CREAKING FOOTSTEPS AS DOT COMES

DOWNSTAIRS.

DOT: No, it’s pretty much exactly like that.

RUDY: Hi, Dot.

DOT: Hello, Rudy. I caught the distinctive sound

of my daughter on a tirade. Figured I should

come check it out.

LILY: That wasn’t a tirade.

DOT: It wasn’t? Hm. Maybe I’ve been using that

word wrong all these years. Come here, you,

I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.

RUDY: (EMBRACING DOT) I’m sorry about that.

DOT: Sh. You’ve been busy. I get that. With your

telescope and whatever else those fucking

Delphics want from you.

RUDY: That’s sort of what I want to talk to you

about. That’s why Lily was...tirading.

DOT: Yes, of course, you’re here as Hazel’s

emissary.

RUDY: Like I was saying to Lily, I’m not here, ah,

representing the Delphic Order, exactly, but

I’d like to see if I can maybe...build a

bridge between all of us?

DOT: Is that right.

RUDY: What’s going on in the town right now is a

crisis. I’m sure you both agree with me on

that.

LILY: No question.

RUDY: And in a time of crisis, like this is, it

makes more sense for us to band together.

All of us.

DOT: Mm-hm. Under Hazel’s command, I’m presuming.

RUDY: It doesn’t...she didn’t talk to me about

the...she didn’t say she’d be in charge of

you.

DOT: She doesn’t need to though, does she.

RUDY: In her defense: She is incredibly organized,

Dot.

DOT: Well, you’d have to be when you’re a fucking

control freak.

RUDY: I’m saying this all wrong. Think of it

like...a truce. We talk to each other about

what we know, what we’re seeing. Pool our

information.

LILY: Like she doesn’t have enough of our

information already?

RUDY: I’m not sure what you mean by that.

LILY: I mean for one thing that the Delphics knew

a lot more about Mom’s condition before any

of us were sharing that around. And for

another thing I know you were sneaking

around this house looking for whatever else

you could find.

RUDY: What?

DOT: He did what?

LILY: How did you say it? You “needed space to

follow a theory.” Except this theory you

were following, you were following it right

into here. That’s why you got us out

of the house chasing down Wes on the other

side of town. I listened to your message a

few times, Rudy. And I couldn’t figure out

why there was some kind of weird echo on it,

like I could hear your voice saying the same

words in the background, and then I listened

a little closer, and I could hear a few of

these boards creaking, and I understood. You

were inside Fenwood when you left us that

message, weren’t you.

DOT: Rudy?

RUDY: ...I can explain.

LILY: Were you going to tell us yourself?

RUDY: I meant to.

DOT: So it’s true. You were...spying on me. On

us. For fucking Hazel.

RUDY: That’s not what I--

DOT: --shut up! Shut the fuck up, Rudy! How

unbelievably fucking dare you! What was she

looking for? Some papers I forgot to sign?

Something in my medication she can whisper

around town to let people know just how

crazy I’m going to get before it’s over?

RUDY: Dot, that’s not why we--

DOT: --I thought I told you to shut the fuck up.

Here’s what you can tell her. I take one

5-milligram tablet with a glass of water

before I go to sleep each night. Because of

the meds I usually have to wake up once in

the middle of the night to piss, so now I

sleep with a rubber pad under my bedsheets

just in case I don’t wake up in time, but

lucky me, Rudy, that’s never happened,

because every few nights or so I’ll have a

nightmare of such sheer fucking intensity

that it makes me shoot up in bed screaming,

which is murder on the back, which makes it

even harder for me to go to sleep in the

first place. And the lack of sleep, you

might have noticed, means I have very little

fucking patience left when somebody I

considered a friend tells me they broke into

my house on behalf of the Delphic Fucking

Order. Is that all clear for your little

report, double-oh-seven?

RUDY: I promise you, Dot. We didn’t come here to--

DOT: --you keep saying “we.” Who else was with

you?

RUDY: ...Chester.

DOT: Chester. Of course it was Chester.

RUDY: Listen, when we were here, something

happened. We found a secret passageway in

your room.

DOT: Oh, I’m sure you did. You pull the copy of

Oliver Twist off the third bookshelf in the

drawing room, then you follow the spiral

staircase down into the witch’s lair, where

my ever-bubbling cauldron of toad eyes and

JESUS CHRIST Rudy. Lily told me you were a

terrible liar but I didn’t think she meant

you were this fucking bad at it.

RUDY: This isn’t going at all how I hoped.

DOT: No, you hoped I’d drop to my knees in

gratitude at the sight of the Delphics

riding in to save poor feeble old me.

That maybe I’d be happy to hear you were

snooping around in my room?

RUDY: I’m telling you, there was another door in

there! It led to some kind of...underground

river. I’m telling the truth.

DOT: Fuck you. Get out of my house. Do you have

anything left in your room? I’ll have Wes

pack it up and another of Hazel’s goons can

come get it for you. Wes is back, did you

know that? No thanks to you. Get out.

RUDY: So...but it’s okay for Silas to be here. I’m

trying to help, trying to do something to

save Mt. Absalom, now I’m the bad guy. But

Silas, no, Lily invites Silas over for

dinner! Gets to, gets to head out to the

woods for little conferences, yes, Hazel

told me that, she told me they’d seen you

talking with him.

LILY: Really. Then you can tell Hazel I’ll be

watching for them from now on, and if I see

anyone even looks like they’re spying on me

I’ll give ’em two black eyes.

RUDY: Are you working with him?

LILY: What?

RUDY: Are you working with him. Do you know what

he did, when he was alive? Do you know how

many people he killed? He’s a monster.

LILY: I know...I know he’s not kind. But he’s

never lied to me, either.

RUDY: Is that right, Lily? Or is he just better at

it than I am?

DOT: We’re not working with Silas, Rudy. But

we’re not going to work with you or the

Delphics, either. None of you can be

trusted.

RUDY: Dot, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.

But we need to set aside our differences,

don’t you see that? For the good of Mt.

Absalom.

DOT: For the good of...Rudy, you spend your days

wandering from points A through Z looking up

at stars. You don’t get to be all high and

sanctimonious with me about the one place on

Earth where I have spent THIS FUCKING MUCH

OF MY ENTIRE FUCKING LIFE.

YOUNG LILY GIGGLES FROM ELSEWHERE

IN THE HOUSE. DOT SIGHS AND

LAUGHS.

DOT: (CALLING OUT TO THE HOUSE) Yes! Aha! You

caught me! I said the F-word again! Sorry,

Lilybelle!

LILY: Amy.

DOT: What?

LILY: Amy. Remember? The girl who was helping out

while Wes was gone? Her name is Amy.

DOT: ...oh of course. Amy. I’m so sorry. This

dumb disease of mine. There, now you have

something new to tell Hazel.

RUDY: Dot, please.

DOT: I thought I made myself clear. Get out.

LILY: (GENTLY) Go, Rudy.

AFTER A MOMENT, THE DOOR OPENS. A

BLAST OF COLD AIR INSIDE, AND THE

DOOR CLOSES. RUDY WALKS DOWN

THE STEPS OF THE PORCH AND OUT

ONTO THE SNOW. THE SOUND OF A

VIRTUAL PHONE ASSISTANT TURNING

ON.

RUDY: Call Chester. (PAUSE AS THE PHONE MAKES THE

CALL) Hi. Are you still around? Can you come

get me? (BEAT) No. No, that didn’t go well

at all.

TRANSITION BACK TO THE

HOME OF JULIA AND YOUNG RUDY.

JULIA: The wolf did come back the next night. The

collie asked him: “What did you end up

eating?” The wolf said to the collie: “Last

night I ate nothing. I saw a few rabbits,

but their terror made them swift and nimble,

and I was unable to catch one.” “You must be

starving,” said the collie. “I am,” the wolf

replied. “But the pain of my hunger is

lessened by the joy I felt at the pursuit. I

must go now.” “So soon?” said the collie. “I

hoped to hear more.” “I’ll come back

tomorrow,” the wolf promised. “But tonight I

must continue my hunt.” And the wolf left,

with the collie anxious for his return.

TRANSITION. RUDY GETS INTO

CHESTER’S CAR AND CLOSES THE DOOR

BEHIND HIM.

CHESTER: What happened?

RUDY: I don’t want to talk about it.

CHESTER: That bad?

RUDY: Look, could you drive me to the observatory?

THE CAR DRIVES OFF.

CHESTER: Something you need to check out?

RUDY: No. Well yes, sure, a few things, but right

now I need some space. Personal space. I

mean. To collect my thoughts. I didn’t mean

“take me to the observatory so I can look at

space.”

CHESTER: I got what you meant.

RUDY: Not that there’s much I can look at

mid-afternoon.

CHESTER: Rudy, did Dot...?

RUDY: I am officially persona non grata.

CHESTER: You do know that you can stay with Lulu and I.

RUDY: I don’t want to impose.

CHESTER: You’re more than welcome.

RUDY: Maybe. Thank you. Might be I’d prefer to

just stay at the observatory.

CHESTER: You’re sure you’ll be okay on your own?

RUDY: ...I won’t be on my own.

CHESTER: I did wonder if you were ever going to tell

me. This would be Norah Lee?

RUDY: That’s not her name. Not Lee. Norah

Tendulkar. She’s an astronomer. Been there

since 1911. The telescope is her design.

CHESTER: 1911. I knew there were rumors as long as

I’ve been alive but I didn’t know it went so

far back. And she was the one who...when

Hazel and I were examining the observatory?

RUDY: She can be a bit intense, it’s true. And

honestly, she hasn’t been very trusting of

the Order. She’s kept to herself when any of

you come around.

CHESTER: I’ve told Hazel several times. They’re not

tools, or things, they’re...residents. We

should talk to them like people. But no,

with Hazel everything is tactical. “We’ll

compel them to help if we must.”

RUDY: Yeah, Norah’s not someone you can compel.

Before she died or after.

CHESTER: Please tell her that I’m only looking for a

conversation. To get her insight. Her and

the other ghosts, if she knows any. What we

need to do...I don’t know if the living are

going to be enough for it. We’ll need the

departed as well.

RUDY: And if she says no?

CHESTER: Like you said. We can’t compel her.

RUDY: ...I’ll let you know what she says.

TRANSITION BACK TO THE

HOME OF JULIA AND YOUNG RUDY.

JULIA: The next night, the wolf did return, and

told the collie how he had outsmarted one

rabbit and made a tender meal of it. He then

headed back into the woods with a promise to

come back the next night. For the next ten

days, this nightly meeting continued, and

the wolf told the collie other stories of

his life. He spoke of the satisfaction he

felt tracking the scent of prey. He told of

the songs he sang to the moon. “And,” said

the wolf, “when one is a wolf, as we are,

our pack is always nearby. Our howls travel

everywhere with the wind. To be a wolf is to

never be alone, to always be among a family

of equals.” And this time, when the wolf

said the collie was a wolf as well, the

collie did not correct him.

TRANSITION. RUDY GETS OUT OF

CHESTER’S CAR AND STEPS INTO THE

SNOW. A GUST OF WIND. A FEW

SONGBIRDS CAN BE HEARD IN THE

MIDDLE DISTANCE.

CHESTER: You’re a hundred percent sure? No problem

bringing you home with me. Lulu can warm up

some of last night’s casserole. We had

plenty.

RUDY: I’m not hungry. Thanks, Chester. Talk soon.

THE CAR DOOR CLOSES. AFTER A

MOMENT, CHESTER DRIVES OFF. RUDY

BEGINS WALKING UP THE HILL TO THE

OBSERVATORY. JULIA’S NARRATION

CONTINUES BENEATH HIS FOOTSTEPS IN

THE SNOW. THE SONGBIRDS GROW

SLIGHTLY MORE AGITATED.

JULIA: On the tenth night, the wolf asked the

collie: “Would you let me have one of these

sheep, my brother?” The collie looked back

at the sleeping flock. His own teeth

were itching. And he said: “Yes.” The wolf

grinned, and howled mightily. One by one,

some twenty wolves emerged from the woods.

The pack descended upon the fearful,

bleating flock, killing and devouring as

they pleased.

IN THE DISTANCE THE SONGBIRDS

SUDDENLY FLY AWAY. RUDY GASPS WITH

SURPRISE AND STOPS WALKING.

NEARBY, THE SOUND OF A FEW WOLVES

STEPPING TOWARDS HIM, WITH LOW,

INQUISITIVE GROWLS AND HEAVY

BREATHS.

JULIA: And when they left the hillside, the collie

went with them.

A LONG AND TERRIBLE PAUSE. RUDY’S

BREATHING GROWS PANICKED. HE TURNS

ON HIS VIRTUAL PHONE ASSISTANT.

RUDY: Text...text Haz...Chester. Text Chester.

(BEAT) Wolves. Near observatory. Need

assist...wup!

THE PHONE DROPS INTO THE SNOW.

RUDY: Shit. (BEAT) Stay. Stay away. Please. I

don’t mean you any...I’m not...please? Oh

god. Oh please. Stay...?

ONE WOLF COMES VERY CLOSE TO RUDY.

ITS BREATHING IS STEADY AND

UNAGITATED. RUDY LETS OUT A

WHIMPER AS THE WOLF RUBS ITS HEAD

AGAINST HIS HAND AND LICKS IT,

PANTING IN A FRIENDLY MANNER.

RUDY: What? Did you...did you just lick my hand?

(BEAT) H...hi there. Are you...not...?

THE WOLVES STANDING NEARBY LET OUT

A GRUFF SNORT. THE WOLF STANDING

NEAR RUDY SNORTS IN RESPONSE AND

TROTS BACK TO THE PACK. THE WOLVES

RETREAT, LEAVING RUDY ALONE ON THE

HILL.

RUDY: What...happened?

HE RESUMES CLIMBING TOWARDS THE

OBSERVATORY, ONE SLOW STEP AT A

TIME. TRANSITION BACK TO THE HOME

OF JULIA AND YOUNG RUDY.

JULIA: Rudy? You’re quiet. (BEAT) I scared you. I’m

sorry. I wish I didn’t have to. But I do

need you to understand how serious I am

about this. There will be no dogs in this

house because there are some natures that

can never be overcome. A dog is a wolf who

has forgotten itself. Eventually, it will

remember.

YOUNG RUDY: Mom?

JULIA: Yes.

YOUNG RUDY: That didn’t sound like one of your stories.

That sounded like Uncle Joyous.

JULIA: (BRISTLING) It’s one of mine.

YOUNG RUDY: I mean that it sounded like the way Uncle

Joyous would have told it.

JULIA: Stop it.

YOUNG RUDY: It’s okay. I don’t mean that you...

JULIA: Enough, Rudy. I’ve told you. We don’t say

that name in this house. He’s not part of me

anymore. None of that is.

YOUNG RUDY: I know.

JULIA: (CALMING) If we want to leave all of that

behind us...

YOUNG RUDY: I know. I’m sorry, Mom.

JULIA: (CALM) I’m sorry, too. (BEAT) I’m going

to...go take care of the dishes. Don’t

forget to brush your teeth.

YOUNG RUDY: I won’t.

JULIA OPENS THE DOOR AND TAKES A

DEEP BREATH, CHOKING BACK A QUICK

SOB. THE BEDROOM DOOR CLOSES.

TRANSITION. THE OBSERVATORY DOOR

OPENS AND CLOSES. RUDY STEPS

INSIDE, HIS STEPS GIVING OFF A

BIG, EMPTY ECHO.

RUDY: (SOFTLY) Norah. (BEAT, THEN A LITTLE

LOUDER) Norah? Norah, it’s me. It’s Rudy.

Hello? (BEAT) Are you not...speaking with

me? Norah? (BEAT) No. That’s not it, is it.

(BEAT) Are you even here? (BEAT) Where are

you? (SIGH) All right. All right.

END