Writing Challenge #7: three to five

Question

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is this: write the first three to five pages of a script based on something related to this topic:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4653952

Any genre. Post it here by sundown tomorrow.
Lois

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is this: write thefirst three to five pages of a script based on something related to this topic: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4653952 Any genre. Post it here by sundown tomorrow. Lois[/nq]
Ha ha! Funny, a friend of mine won some sort of Sloane screenwriting fellowship and was invited to the 2004 Hamptons screenwriting conference on the strength of her feature script about Dr. Thomas Mutter, the pioneering 19th century physician who worked a lot with deformities, burns & whatnot. The Mutter Museum in Philly has a lot of samples of such unfortunate freaks of nature / victims:

"Tour one of the most fascinating and unusual, yet enlightening, medical museums in the world. The museum, created by Dr. Thomas Dent Mutter, began with his personal collection of peculiar specimens to lay the foundation for the truly harrowing exhibits found in the museum. Some of the exhibits include skeletons, examples of strange medical operations, intriguing body parts, obscure tools of the medical trade and other true freaks-of-nature."

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Any genre. Post it here by sundown tomorrow.[/nq]
Not really sure why I'm doing this. But the article did set this sequence in my mind and I had to write it out.
Here it goes. Oh, and I do hope the formatting goes off well. It looks good on my end... but you never know.
**
INT. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HEALTH AND MEDICINE LOBBY - DAY

A group of TWENTY Korean tourists swarm the lobby. Cameras FLASH; their GUIDE (23) is an attractive blonde that carries a small umbrella above her head.
The group follows her down a corridor. The Guide speaks in a fragmented, guttural manner; her attempt at Korean.

GUIDE
(in Korean)
This be the great Museum of
medicine and hurt. Please come
after the me.
As the crowd passes two figures are revealed. CLICK (30) is a tall man idly looking at a museum booklet; a desperate expression on his tired face. Beside him is SLY (28), a nervous little fellow who glances to the ceiling corners.

GUIDE
(in Korean)
In the afterward room we shall be
of the opportunity to gaze on the
famous articles left behind by
time.
CLICK
Ready? You can still back out.
Sly shakes his head but Click is watching the umbrella depart.
SLY
Nah. Five grand is five grand.
INT. NMHM EXHIBIT HALL C - DAY
The Korean crowd is already in Hall C. The whole museum is a compromise between modern day showcases and 19th century architecture. Click and Sly enter the Hall. Sly looks toward the ceiling again, spotting a SURVEILLANCE CAMERA.

Click watches the Guide who stands before a tall GLASS case and lowers the umbrella as the crowd gathers around her.

SLY
Is that it?
Click nods and the two step a little closer. The Koran tourists now even drop their cameras and actually pay attention for a few moments while the Guide struggles on.

GUIDE
(in Korean)
In this casket be the remains of
the great skull president.
Some Koreans exchange glances at that phrase. Click and Sly are at the back of the group, pretending to listen: Click watching the girl and Sly the various cameras.
GUIDE
(in Korean)
Pieces of the bones can be gathered
after assassination attempt that
went very well.
SLY
You know what they want it for? I
got it all figured out.
Click tries not to be disturbed by this. His glances to the Hall's entrance: an UNIFORMED GUARD idly watches the floor.

SLY
They're gonna clone Abe. I saw a
special on Discovery; they can take
thousand-year old cells and clone
anyone. Its illegal but they can do
it Mexico.
GUIDE
(in Korean)
A man with a gun had not liked the
President's idea and an Opera
evening in theatre he...
The Guide seems a little stuck there. She waves her hands helplessly, trying to figure out how to say what she wants.

SLY
So, they'll extract stem cells from
the bone marrow and then-
CLICK
There's no marrow in skull bone.
Sly looks over to Click; he hadn't expected this.
CLICK
Two minutes, Sly. Last call for-
SLY
Nah man. Five grand-
CLICK
Is five grand. Yes.
GUIDE
(in Korean)
Please for a moment of your time.
Click leans forward to watch the young Guide. She lifts the umbrella and points it to her head.
Then she goes POW and pretends to be hit in the head. This makes the crowd giggle and snicker but the blank faces tell her they don't get it.
CLICK
***, look at her...
SLY
If it ain't for cloning, what do
they need Lincoln's bones for?
CLICK
I dunno, Sly.
SLY
Magic? Listen, Click-
GUIDE
Pow! Pow! Get it? He shot him in
the head!
Sly nervously jerks at the sounds. The crowd laughs now and they take photos of the funny Guide. Even the Guard at his post grins and shakes his head.
SLY
Maybe its some ritual magic to
bring Abe back from the dead, eh?
CLICK
I really doubt that...
SLY
What then? Why would they want-
CLICK
You wanna quit?
SLY
No.
CLICK
It doesn't matter then. You'll do
your time and... Five grand is-
SLY
Yeah... Five grand.
GUIDE
What's so funny? The dude shot our
President!
The Guide is hectic now. She closer to the case and holds the umbrella to her head. Repeatedly she mimics being shot in the head but it only makes the tourists laugh more.
CLICK
Now.
Sly takes a moment and then hunches forward. Pushing through the crowd he heads for the Guide. Click is still at his place, gaze darting to the Guard who laughs.
Sly pushes his way to the Guide and she is relieved.

GUIDE
Sir, can you assist me?
SLY
My pleasure...
Sly takes the umbrella and gets ready. The Guide concentrates and then claps her hands.
GUIDE
(in Korean)
Please be calm now as we are going
to reenact the unfortunate event
that brought to our President's
demise.
The crowd falls silent. Her pronunciation has improved by large. Sly 'sneaks' closer to the Guide and does his version of shooting. His umbrella recoils in his hand and then surges out. The Guide ducks in time for the
UMBRELLA
To miss her head. Its metal end hits into the glass case and shatters it. An ALARM sounds throughout the museum.

Click darts forward watching the Guard run from his post. Half of the Koreans are laughing, the others in disbelief.

The Guard pushes his way through the crowd and then hits into Click who seems to be going the other way. Guard leans left and so does Click, the expression on his face one of deep regret. Finally he shoves Click out of the way and leaps through the crowded Koreans.
GUARD
Clear this area!
(to Guide)
Tell them to back off.
Sly is red-faced and frozen. He holds the umbrella and stands by the broken case, scared of the Guards reaction.

GUIDE
(in Korean)
Please step closer for a better
view of our reenactment.
Some of the confused Koreans grin and do step closer, crowding the Guard that grabs Sly.
SLY
I'm sorry, man.
As the crowd becomes more dense, the Guide pushes her way from them. Two other GUARDS dart into the room and start clearing people away. They pull the Koreans out of the way as they head for Sly and the other guard.
Finally as they reach them, they are able to push most of the tourists a few yards from the broken case.
GUARD
Is it all there?
One of the other two glances at the exhibit case. A single BULLET on a try, a few pieces of SKULL and a long slim INSTRUMENT.
GUARD
Thank ***!
EXT. IN FRONT OF NMHM - DAY
Click lights a cigarette and takes a much needed drag. He watches the Korean tourists board a BUS parked not far away.

The Museum doors swing open and two COPS lead Sly out; his hands cuffed behind his back. Sly and Click exchange the shortest of glances and then he is taken away.
AT THE BUS
The Korean tourists nod and mutter words of thanks and farewell to their Guide. She is grinning as they pass by her. Over her shoulder she turns to look at Click.
I/E. CLICK'S CAR (PARKED) - DAY
Click turns the radio off just as the passenger door opens. The Guide slips into the car and sighs. As he turns the engine on, she grabs the BLONDE WIG and yanks it off her hair.
CLICK
Get it?
GUIDE
Got it.
CLICK
Good.
The engine REVS and the Guide tosses a small leather pouch onto the dashboard.

Writing Challenge #7: three to five

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