0
Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Screenwriting
Bug Gut Stew -- short
Well, then... well... well...
FADE IN:
INT. STREET IN CAVE MORNING
The streetlights are dim, barely illuminating the figures who are silently walking. A few windows along the street are lit, but most are dark.
HALSY HADDEN, late 20s, in overalls and a beard, stands in an open doorway while he embraces LILA KARIL, mid 20s, who's still in her nightgown.
She hands him a pack.
LILA
Good luck.
HALSY
I'm good, I don't need no stinking
luck.
He chuckles, but she's serious.
LILA
Don't get hurt. We need you.
HALSY
I won't.
He kisses her and then kneels down and kisses her slightly swollen belly. He talks to the belly.
HALSY
Don't let the bugs bite, little one.
Then he stands and pulls her close, trying to kiss her again.
She turns her head and pushes him away, laughing.
LILA
Go! You don't want to be late on
you first day.
An electronic gong sounds and the streetlights brighten slightly.
LILA
It's already five o'clock.
INT. CONVEYOR BELT MORNING
Halsy stands as the belt quickly moves him along. Standing beside him are similarly dressed men and women, some chatting quietly, most silent, like Halsy.
Another belt moves the opposite direction. The men and women riding that belt are tired and dirty. None of them are chatting.
Two loud electronic gongs sound and the streetlights brighten considerably.
INT. TRAINING ROOM - FACTORY LATER
A CROWD of NEW EMPLOYEES are sitting on chairs, their attention is on the front of the room.
A SUPERVISOR in a suit points to a diagram of a bug on the wall. There are arrows pointing to certain locations along the gut.
SUPERVISOR
As you can see, there are seven major
attachment strips. It is very
important that you not rupture the
sac when cutting them, or we've got
a mess and it slows the process...
It is critical not to do this.
Halsy is writing in a small notebook.
The SUPERVISOR notices him.
SUPERVISOR
...This ain't rocket science
(reading Halsy's name
tag)
...Hadden. Pay attention.
HALSY
Sorry.
Halsy puts the notebook away.
SUPERVISOR
Now you've all signed your non-
disclosure agreements. What you see
here, stays here... Understand?
Those in the CROWD nod.
SUPERVISOR
I want to hear you say it, dammit.
Along with the others Halsy yells.
HALSY
Yes, sir!
The Supervisor moves to the back of the room where axes are lined up.
SUPERVISOR
You've each been assigned your own
ax and a Trainer... Who's there for
one week only. Listen and learn,
your continued work status depends
on it. You're the best of the best.
Keep your axes and wits sharp.
They file out one by one. The Supervisor looks each in the eye as he hands them an ax. He says to each one.
SUPERVISOR
Don't let the bugs bite.
INT. CUTTING FLOOR - FACTORY LATER
Halsy's Trainer, YURI VLAD, 50s, long beard, nearly seven feet tall, husky, holding an oversize ax, spits something on the floor.
HALSY
But I thought bug juice wasn't allowed
on the floor
Yuri laughs
YURI
I gut a complete bug in twenty
minutes. They don't tell me what I
to chew when I'm here.
HALSY
When do we get some bugs?
YURI
Problem with the transport power
supply for some reason. If you want
you can get out the mop again.
HALSY
No. That's okay.
YURI
Don't worry, you'll get plenty of
hard work in. These are hunted bugs.
Scrawny but tough.
HALSY
Hunted?
YURI
Yeah, not like harvested bugs. When
the harvest ones come, we work our
asses off. Hunted bugs, not so many
but tough.
A clanging bell. Doors open and several bugs slide off the shoot and on to the floor. They're each thirty to forty feet long.
YURI
Now we earn our pay.
Halsy's face is white, he's stiff and unmoving.
Yuri laughs.
YURI
They're dead. Look, most don't even
have heads.
Yuri grabs Halsy and sets him on top of a bug. Halsy jumps to floor.
Yuri rips at the edge of a clear wing.
YURI
Dead. See? They can't bite.
INT. CUTTING FLOOR - FACTORY LATER
Halsy wipes the sweat off his brow and then slams the ax into a bug. The ax sparks, slips sideways and nearly hits his foot.
YURI
Whoa! Damn, you're nearly nicked
the sac.
HALSY
But I
YURI
The joint... Remember? Go for the
joint.
Halsy slams the ax again and then jumps back as the tendon snaps up and the gut falls away.
YURI
That's it. Perfect.
Halsy smiles wide as he jumps off, then slips and falls into the gut, his ax slicing through.
YURI
Ah, ***! A rupture.
Yuri runs to the wall and pushes a button. An alarm blares.
Halsy gets up, but slips on the goop and falls again, cutting into the gut again.
A human arm and a head flow out with the goop.
He screams.
Yuri grabs him and pulls him away.
YURI
The clean up crew will be here any
minute. Get a grip!
HALSY
It's a... they...
YURI
Yeah. I know. What did you think
was in bug guts?
HALSY
But we...
YURI
That's how it is. Get over it.
Bugs eat us, we eat bug guts. Period.
INT. STREET IN CAVE EVENING
Halsy, dirty, makes his way slowly down the street. Two gongs sound and the street lights dim.
There are many people along the street, their packs beside them, their eyes vacant as they loiter, sitting along the walls.
Halsy hardly notices them, his eyes are also vacant.
INT. KITCHEN LATER
LILA sets steaming bowls of stew on the table. Twenty or so FOLKS are sitting around the table, smiling and chatting.
Halsy sits by an empty chair, he's quiet, no expression on his face.
Lila sits beside him. She smiles as she intones.
LILA
Don't let the bugs bite.
They all start spooning their stew.
Halsy ignores his.
LILA
What's wrong?
HALSY
I'm not hungry.
LILA
Hard day?
HALSY
Yeah.
She rubs his neck with one hand.
LILA
It'll get easier. But you have to
keep up your strength.
HALSY
I know... I'm just not hungry.
LILA
We're so lucky. Did you hear they
broke into Sector 17? It had to
sealed off completely. Gone.
HALSY
All of it?
LILA
That's why so many refugees. Didn't
you notice?
Halsy runs his spoon through the stew and then turns to Lila, his eyes worried.
HALSY
That means there'll be another
lottery.
LILA
Yes, but you're exempt now that you're
at the Factory.
HALSY
But you're not. We have to register
the
She holds out her hand and whispers.
LILA
It's too late... They would take
him now.
She smiles and spoons some stew.
LILA
Don't worry so much. What are the
chances? Eat.
Halsy spoons a chunk to his mouth, but gags and spits it out.
HALSY
I'm not feeling good.
INT. CUTTING FLOOR - FACTORY DAY
Yuri cleanly slices through a tendon, the gut breaks loose as he jumps free.
He wipes his brow.
YURI
One more day and you're on your own.
HALSY
Yeah.
YURI
Gotta tell you, kid, if you don't
start pulling your own slack, you're
not making it.
HALSY
I know. You told me already.
YURI
The lottery means harvest bugs and
lots of overtime. You don't meet
your quota, we sure don't need you
getting in the way.
Halsy helps Yuri roll the gut on to the conveyor belt. It gently plops down.
HALSY
I don't get the connection.
Yuri spits bug juice on to the floor at Halsy's feet.
YURI
You can't be that stupid. We have
harvest bugs, we have the lottery...
put one and two together.
Halsy's face goes white.
YURI
Yeah. You got it. Lottery equals
harvest.
INT. BEDROOM NIGHT
Halsy and Lila sit up in bed. Lila holds a small electronic card. Eleven green lights along the top are lit.
HALSY
It's almost ten.
Lila forces a smile.
LILA
Don't worry so much.
HALSY
It would be easier if I had one to
hold, too.
Five electronic gongs sound and the card's lights began blinking. The first light goes red.
Then the second... and the third.
Lila opens a drawer beside her bed, drops the card inside and quickly closes it.
LILA
It'll be fine.
She gently draws Halsy to her. She kisses him.
LILA
You haven't been yourself since the
Factory.
She pulls his hands to her.
LILA
We miss you.
He kisses her ear, her neck, her shoulder...
His eyes are on the drawer.
INT. BEDROOM LATER
Lila sleeps, but Halsy is staring at the ceiling. He gets up and gingerly opens the drawer.
Eleven red lights.
He slumps to the floor, biting his fist to stifle a cry.
INT. STREET IN CAVE DAY
The street lights are bright as FOLKS gather together. Many are teary-eyed and crying.
Halsy is reluctant to let Lila join them.
HALSY
Come with me for a moment.
LILA
But it's time.
HALSY
We have a moment... Please.
INT. BEDROOM MOMENTS LATER
Lila lies on the bed, unconsciouses.
Halsy, who holds the card, kisses her gently on the lips, then kisses her belly.
HALSY
Love you both. Don't let the bugs
bite.
INT. STREET IN CAVE MOMENTS LATER
Halsy steps into the center of the street with the others.
An OLD MAN and WOMAN hug each other and he steps out beside Halsy. A TEENAGE BOY and TEENAGE GIRL embrace and he tries to pull away. She won't let him go.
The Old Lady grabs his ticket.
OLD LADY
Trade me.
She calls to her husband, who waits for her.
INT. HOLDING CAVE EVENING
A gong sounds and the lights dim.
The huge CROWD of lottery winners stand, waiting, eyes wide.
A VIDEO SCREEN hangs above them. It lights up and the CITY LEADER stares down at them.
CITY LEADER
Your voluntary sacrifice insures
that those left behind will survive.
You're courage nourishes our hope
that one day we will...
HALSY
...We nourish more than their hope.
He laughs oddly, then stares into the vacant eyes of the MAN beside him.
HALSY
We DO nourish them, you know.
Large steel doors open and the huge barbed feet appear under them. The buzzing of starving bugs panics the CROWD. They press back, but there's nowhere to go.
Halsy pushes forward toward the bugs.
HALSY
Let the bugs bite.
FADE OUT:
Yeah, I know, the term "rocket science" probably wouldn't apply to a Cave Society but I was too dim witted to figure anything else out.
RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"
FADE IN:
INT. STREET IN CAVE MORNING
The streetlights are dim, barely illuminating the figures who are silently walking. A few windows along the street are lit, but most are dark.
HALSY HADDEN, late 20s, in overalls and a beard, stands in an open doorway while he embraces LILA KARIL, mid 20s, who's still in her nightgown.
She hands him a pack.
LILA
Good luck.
HALSY
I'm good, I don't need no stinking
luck.
He chuckles, but she's serious.
LILA
Don't get hurt. We need you.
HALSY
I won't.
He kisses her and then kneels down and kisses her slightly swollen belly. He talks to the belly.
HALSY
Don't let the bugs bite, little one.
Then he stands and pulls her close, trying to kiss her again.
She turns her head and pushes him away, laughing.
LILA
Go! You don't want to be late on
you first day.
An electronic gong sounds and the streetlights brighten slightly.
LILA
It's already five o'clock.
INT. CONVEYOR BELT MORNING
Halsy stands as the belt quickly moves him along. Standing beside him are similarly dressed men and women, some chatting quietly, most silent, like Halsy.
Another belt moves the opposite direction. The men and women riding that belt are tired and dirty. None of them are chatting.
Two loud electronic gongs sound and the streetlights brighten considerably.
INT. TRAINING ROOM - FACTORY LATER
A CROWD of NEW EMPLOYEES are sitting on chairs, their attention is on the front of the room.
A SUPERVISOR in a suit points to a diagram of a bug on the wall. There are arrows pointing to certain locations along the gut.
SUPERVISOR
As you can see, there are seven major
attachment strips. It is very
important that you not rupture the
sac when cutting them, or we've got
a mess and it slows the process...
It is critical not to do this.
Halsy is writing in a small notebook.
The SUPERVISOR notices him.
SUPERVISOR
...This ain't rocket science
(reading Halsy's name
tag)
...Hadden. Pay attention.
HALSY
Sorry.
Halsy puts the notebook away.
SUPERVISOR
Now you've all signed your non-
disclosure agreements. What you see
here, stays here... Understand?
Those in the CROWD nod.
SUPERVISOR
I want to hear you say it, dammit.
Along with the others Halsy yells.
HALSY
Yes, sir!
The Supervisor moves to the back of the room where axes are lined up.
SUPERVISOR
You've each been assigned your own
ax and a Trainer... Who's there for
one week only. Listen and learn,
your continued work status depends
on it. You're the best of the best.
Keep your axes and wits sharp.
They file out one by one. The Supervisor looks each in the eye as he hands them an ax. He says to each one.
SUPERVISOR
Don't let the bugs bite.
INT. CUTTING FLOOR - FACTORY LATER
Halsy's Trainer, YURI VLAD, 50s, long beard, nearly seven feet tall, husky, holding an oversize ax, spits something on the floor.
HALSY
But I thought bug juice wasn't allowed
on the floor
Yuri laughs
YURI
I gut a complete bug in twenty
minutes. They don't tell me what I
to chew when I'm here.
HALSY
When do we get some bugs?
YURI
Problem with the transport power
supply for some reason. If you want
you can get out the mop again.
HALSY
No. That's okay.
YURI
Don't worry, you'll get plenty of
hard work in. These are hunted bugs.
Scrawny but tough.
HALSY
Hunted?
YURI
Yeah, not like harvested bugs. When
the harvest ones come, we work our
asses off. Hunted bugs, not so many
but tough.
A clanging bell. Doors open and several bugs slide off the shoot and on to the floor. They're each thirty to forty feet long.
YURI
Now we earn our pay.
Halsy's face is white, he's stiff and unmoving.
Yuri laughs.
YURI
They're dead. Look, most don't even
have heads.
Yuri grabs Halsy and sets him on top of a bug. Halsy jumps to floor.
Yuri rips at the edge of a clear wing.
YURI
Dead. See? They can't bite.
INT. CUTTING FLOOR - FACTORY LATER
Halsy wipes the sweat off his brow and then slams the ax into a bug. The ax sparks, slips sideways and nearly hits his foot.
YURI
Whoa! Damn, you're nearly nicked
the sac.
HALSY
But I
YURI
The joint... Remember? Go for the
joint.
Halsy slams the ax again and then jumps back as the tendon snaps up and the gut falls away.
YURI
That's it. Perfect.
Halsy smiles wide as he jumps off, then slips and falls into the gut, his ax slicing through.
YURI
Ah, ***! A rupture.
Yuri runs to the wall and pushes a button. An alarm blares.
Halsy gets up, but slips on the goop and falls again, cutting into the gut again.
A human arm and a head flow out with the goop.
He screams.
Yuri grabs him and pulls him away.
YURI
The clean up crew will be here any
minute. Get a grip!
HALSY
It's a... they...
YURI
Yeah. I know. What did you think
was in bug guts?
HALSY
But we...
YURI
That's how it is. Get over it.
Bugs eat us, we eat bug guts. Period.
INT. STREET IN CAVE EVENING
Halsy, dirty, makes his way slowly down the street. Two gongs sound and the street lights dim.
There are many people along the street, their packs beside them, their eyes vacant as they loiter, sitting along the walls.
Halsy hardly notices them, his eyes are also vacant.
INT. KITCHEN LATER
LILA sets steaming bowls of stew on the table. Twenty or so FOLKS are sitting around the table, smiling and chatting.
Halsy sits by an empty chair, he's quiet, no expression on his face.
Lila sits beside him. She smiles as she intones.
LILA
Don't let the bugs bite.
They all start spooning their stew.
Halsy ignores his.
LILA
What's wrong?
HALSY
I'm not hungry.
LILA
Hard day?
HALSY
Yeah.
She rubs his neck with one hand.
LILA
It'll get easier. But you have to
keep up your strength.
HALSY
I know... I'm just not hungry.
LILA
We're so lucky. Did you hear they
broke into Sector 17? It had to
sealed off completely. Gone.
HALSY
All of it?
LILA
That's why so many refugees. Didn't
you notice?
Halsy runs his spoon through the stew and then turns to Lila, his eyes worried.
HALSY
That means there'll be another
lottery.
LILA
Yes, but you're exempt now that you're
at the Factory.
HALSY
But you're not. We have to register
the
She holds out her hand and whispers.
LILA
It's too late... They would take
him now.
She smiles and spoons some stew.
LILA
Don't worry so much. What are the
chances? Eat.
Halsy spoons a chunk to his mouth, but gags and spits it out.
HALSY
I'm not feeling good.
INT. CUTTING FLOOR - FACTORY DAY
Yuri cleanly slices through a tendon, the gut breaks loose as he jumps free.
He wipes his brow.
YURI
One more day and you're on your own.
HALSY
Yeah.
YURI
Gotta tell you, kid, if you don't
start pulling your own slack, you're
not making it.
HALSY
I know. You told me already.
YURI
The lottery means harvest bugs and
lots of overtime. You don't meet
your quota, we sure don't need you
getting in the way.
Halsy helps Yuri roll the gut on to the conveyor belt. It gently plops down.
HALSY
I don't get the connection.
Yuri spits bug juice on to the floor at Halsy's feet.
YURI
You can't be that stupid. We have
harvest bugs, we have the lottery...
put one and two together.
Halsy's face goes white.
YURI
Yeah. You got it. Lottery equals
harvest.
INT. BEDROOM NIGHT
Halsy and Lila sit up in bed. Lila holds a small electronic card. Eleven green lights along the top are lit.
HALSY
It's almost ten.
Lila forces a smile.
LILA
Don't worry so much.
HALSY
It would be easier if I had one to
hold, too.
Five electronic gongs sound and the card's lights began blinking. The first light goes red.
Then the second... and the third.
Lila opens a drawer beside her bed, drops the card inside and quickly closes it.
LILA
It'll be fine.
She gently draws Halsy to her. She kisses him.
LILA
You haven't been yourself since the
Factory.
She pulls his hands to her.
LILA
We miss you.
He kisses her ear, her neck, her shoulder...
His eyes are on the drawer.
INT. BEDROOM LATER
Lila sleeps, but Halsy is staring at the ceiling. He gets up and gingerly opens the drawer.
Eleven red lights.
He slumps to the floor, biting his fist to stifle a cry.
INT. STREET IN CAVE DAY
The street lights are bright as FOLKS gather together. Many are teary-eyed and crying.
Halsy is reluctant to let Lila join them.
HALSY
Come with me for a moment.
LILA
But it's time.
HALSY
We have a moment... Please.
INT. BEDROOM MOMENTS LATER
Lila lies on the bed, unconsciouses.
Halsy, who holds the card, kisses her gently on the lips, then kisses her belly.
HALSY
Love you both. Don't let the bugs
bite.
INT. STREET IN CAVE MOMENTS LATER
Halsy steps into the center of the street with the others.
An OLD MAN and WOMAN hug each other and he steps out beside Halsy. A TEENAGE BOY and TEENAGE GIRL embrace and he tries to pull away. She won't let him go.
The Old Lady grabs his ticket.
OLD LADY
Trade me.
She calls to her husband, who waits for her.
INT. HOLDING CAVE EVENING
A gong sounds and the lights dim.
The huge CROWD of lottery winners stand, waiting, eyes wide.
A VIDEO SCREEN hangs above them. It lights up and the CITY LEADER stares down at them.
CITY LEADER
Your voluntary sacrifice insures
that those left behind will survive.
You're courage nourishes our hope
that one day we will...
HALSY
...We nourish more than their hope.
He laughs oddly, then stares into the vacant eyes of the MAN beside him.
HALSY
We DO nourish them, you know.
Large steel doors open and the huge barbed feet appear under them. The buzzing of starving bugs panics the CROWD. They press back, but there's nowhere to go.
Halsy pushes forward toward the bugs.
HALSY
Let the bugs bite.
FADE OUT:
Yeah, I know, the term "rocket science" probably wouldn't apply to a Cave Society but I was too dim witted to figure anything else out.
RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"
Top answer
[/nq] **** Ron, this was, well, I'm hopeless against writing like this. I think I'll just give up screenwriting and stick to prose. Jeri Jo & Little Garcia Bear
- [/nq] **** Ron, this was, well, I'm hopeless against writing like this.
- I think I'll just give up screenwriting and stick to prose.
- Jeri Jo & Little Garcia Bear
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
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16 Answers
0
RonB expressed precisely :
[nq:1]Yeah, I know, the term "rocket science" probably wouldn't apply to a Cave Society but I was too dim witted to figure anything else out.[/nq]
**** Ron, this was, well, I'm hopeless against writing like this. I think I'll just give up screenwriting and stick to prose.
Jeri Jo & Little Garcia Bear
[nq:1]Yeah, I know, the term "rocket science" probably wouldn't apply to a Cave Society but I was too dim witted to figure anything else out.[/nq]
**** Ron, this was, well, I'm hopeless against writing like this. I think I'll just give up screenwriting and stick to prose.
Jeri Jo & Little Garcia Bear
00
0
On Thu 01 Dec 2005 08:51:58a, "Jeri Jo Thomas"
[nq:1]RonB expressed precisely :[/nq]
[nq:2]Yeah, I know, the term "rocket science" probably wouldn't apply ... I was too dim witted to figure anything else out.[/nq]
[nq:1]**** Ron, this was, well, I'm hopeless against writing like this. I think I'll just give up screenwriting and stick to prose.[/nq]
I don't know if you're being face
[nq:1]RonB expressed precisely :[/nq]
[nq:2]Yeah, I know, the term "rocket science" probably wouldn't apply ... I was too dim witted to figure anything else out.[/nq]
[nq:1]**** Ron, this was, well, I'm hopeless against writing like this. I think I'll just give up screenwriting and stick to prose.[/nq]
I don't know if you're being face
00
0
0
[nq:2]RonB expressed precisely : **** Ron, this was, well, I'm ... think I'll just give up screenwriting and stick to prose.[/nq]
[nq:1]I don't know if you're being facetious or not, but thanks for wading through it either way. I've looked into ... format is, in a way, like shorthand. You don't have to write nearly as much to say the same thing.[/nq]
Y'know, Ron, I've been reading and enjo
[nq:1]I don't know if you're being facetious or not, but thanks for wading through it either way. I've looked into ... format is, in a way, like shorthand. You don't have to write nearly as much to say the same thing.[/nq]
Y'know, Ron, I've been reading and enjo
00
[nq:1]Bug Gut Stew is people! -Freez[/nq]
Shh..
RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"
Shh..
RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"
00
[nq:1]Y'know, Ron, I've been reading and enjoying all the short bits you post, and I wonder if you shouldn't be ... take a fan base to draw an audience. But anything else other-worldly might be better off starting in print, IMHO.[/nq]
Thanks, Alan. I know you're right about this, but I've been looking at the big SF magazines lately and it doesn't seem like they publish these kinds of stories a
Thanks, Alan. I know you're right about this, but I've been looking at the big SF magazines lately and it doesn't seem like they publish these kinds of stories a
00
@reader2.panix.com:
[nq:1]Thanks, Alan. I know you're right about this, but [/nq]
Now I know what the "B" stands for in your name. From now on we'll call you RonBut. ;-)
Go to http://www.writersmarket.com/index ns.asp and sign up for a one- year membership. Or if you'd rather, go to a book store and buy the
[nq:1]Thanks, Alan. I know you're right about this, but [/nq]
Now I know what the "B" stands for in your name. From now on we'll call you RonBut. ;-)
Go to http://www.writersmarket.com/index ns.asp and sign up for a one- year membership. Or if you'd rather, go to a book store and buy the
00
[nq:1]Go to http://www.writersmarket.com/index ns.asp[/nq]
Brilliant!!! Thanks for posting this. I had no idea they did this online, and was going to get a paper copy for some new stuff I'm doing, but this is so much better.
Do you know if the online version contains all the stuff the books contain? I'll check
Brilliant!!! Thanks for posting this. I had no idea they did this online, and was going to get a paper copy for some new stuff I'm doing, but this is so much better.
Do you know if the online version contains all the stuff the books contain? I'll check
0
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