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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Content Advisories for this episode can be found 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