BUZZING

 

BUZZING

[A short screenplay based on an Internet Legend. Copyright @ 2014, SWC Films. Registered WGA. But available for free if you an produce it. Stan Williams.)

[Production Note Challenge: Make each scene one take.]

EXT. CITY PARK - DAY

A RICH YOUNG MAN, well-dressed and aloof, eats his lunch on
a park bench and reads the Wall Street Journal.

Nearby, an entertaining OLD PREACHER in clothes a century
old, stands on another bench and preaches to a small crowd.

                         OLD PREACHER
               Then old Eli said to the young boy,

               "If you hear the voice again, do
               not come to me, though it be night,
               but say, 'Speak, Lord, for thy
               servant heareth.'"

The Old Preacher and Rich Young Man lock eyes. There's a
connection. The Old Preacher preaches to The Rich Young Man
more than the small crowd around him.

                         OLD PREACHER
               That's the problem today. The

               Almighty speaks and we don't
               listen. Something is wrong. We're
               given signs, wonders and things
               common. We turn away. We don't
               hear. Open your eyes. Open your
               ears. Smell the roses. Smell the
               decay. Believe and obey. Or there
               will be consequences to pay.

The Rich Young Man responds with a dismissive glance. He's
had enough. Throwing his sandwich into his bag, he makes
haste to get away.

INT. SPORTSCAR CONVERTIBLE - DAY - MINUTES LATER

The Rich Young Man drives through the city in an expensive
sports car. He enjoys the sun and wind.

As he turns a corner to his left, he jerks his head to the
right, as if to respond to a STRANGE VOICE his passenger has
made. But he's alone.

[Note: We hear a muffled version of the STRANGE VOICE. It
sounds like a low frequency voice speaking, but at a very
high, unintelligibly speed.]

PAGE 2.

He stares at the empty seat for a moment too long.

His head jerks back to the road just in time to swerve
around a parked car.

A few moments later he hears the STRANGE VOICE AGAIN, and
this time glances in the rear view mirror as if someone just
screamed at him from the back seat.

Nothing. No body there. In fact, there's no back seat.

A bit startled and self-conscious he slows down and
concentrates on the road ahead.

A moment later a truck blares its LOUD HORN and almost runs
the little sports job down for going too slow.

Now the Rich Young Man is looking all around him wondering
where the next distraction is to come from.

Suddenly, he hears a BUZZING SOUND. He darts his eyes to the left, then above him, to the right, and all around, as if an angry bee is trying to find a place to land.

As the BUZZING continues, he swats at something invisible in
the air around him, but whatever he's hearing, it's not
going away.

He shakes his head in an effort to dislodge the BUZZING
distraction, and finally ... IT DEPARTS... although he's not
exactly sure in what direction it left.

He stops at a stop sign, looks both ways, and then slowly he
looks up -- the BUZZING specter returns to strafe again, but
our hero can't pinpoint the direction of the attack.

He twists and turns as if to avoid a lethal insect. He swats the air around his head-- and finally it leaves -- relief.

After a moment to collect his thoughts, he accelerates from
the stop sign with a SCREECH.

EXT./INT. CONVENIENCE STORE - DAY - MOMENTS LATER

[Stabilization shot, one take.]

The Rich Young Man, in his sports convertible, SCREECHES
into a parking space at a convenience store.

He jumps out of the car, paranoid as he looks about for the
KAMIKAZE BUZZING that's returned. He dashes into the store,
swatting the air as he goes.

PAGE 3.

[Production Note: In the background we hear TRANSACTIONS OF
OTHER CUSTOMERS with the CASHIER.]

Backing in through the door our adept hero nearly knocks
over a LITTLE OLD LADY on her way out the door who chews a
strand of jerky as if she hadn't had her fix in over a week.

                         LITTLE OLD LADY
               Pay attention, bud!

Embarrassed, the Rich Young Man nods his ascent and backs
into an end cap.

He turns around to face a well-stocked display of insect
repellent products. He leans over to examine the containers,
wondering which to buy.

Straightening up, he gazes out the store's front window at
his car, and tries to see whatever was bugging him.

He glances back at the rack of insect repellent products,
and after a moment decides against them.

He walks down the aisle and wonders what he should buy. He
considers the soda case -- opens the door and grabs a can of
carbonated caffeine.

He turns and looks once again at his car. In his line of
sight now, is a sign that reads "MILK SALE: $2/GALLON."

He stares at the sign as if it was speaking to him. There's
a strange connection (that he should buy a gallon of milk).
But he shakes off the notion. He never drinks milk. He
glances at the beer case -- more his taste. But then, he's
drawn back to the milk.

Finally, he gives the milk sign the same dismissive look he
gave the preacher.

He strides to the cashier with his soda. But, as if by
remote control, his free hand juts out and grabs a one-
gallon plastic jug of milk.

At the cashier he puts down the soda and the milk. As the
cashier scans both items -- BEEP!  BEEP! -- The Rich Young
Man looks down astonished at the counter and discovers there
are two things he's buying.

                         CASHIER
               That'll be three bucks even.

A little confused but now too paranoid to argue, the Rich
Young Man produces a large wag of twenty-dollar bills and 

PAGE 4.

peels off one for the cashier. He stares at the milk not
seeing what the cashier hands him.

                         CASHIER
               Seventeen dollars.

                    (beat)
               Hey! Pay attention will ya. Next!

The Rich Young Man, reacts, takes his change, picks up his
two items, and looks about as he exits the store.

INT. SPORTSCAR CONVERTIBLE - DAY - MINUTES LATER

Stopped at a traffic light, the Rich Young Man's car is in
the left of two lanes. There's no car in the right lane. He
sips his soda and then glances at the jug of milk on the
seat next to him.

Suddenly, BUZZING, again, but not close or threatening. He
looks around -- up -- left -- and then right as he follows
the sound -- as it escapes down a side street.

He glares down the street to see whatever it is. But can't.

As he stares down the street the LOW FREQUENCY-HIGH SPEED
VOICE returns momentarily, but only for a moment and from a
direction that seems obscure.

Just then  -- HONK -- the driver behind lets our hero know
the light has changed.

The Rich Young Man is careful as he turns right across the
empty lane, and then accelerates down the side street.

EXT. SPORTSCAR CONVERTIBLE - DAY - MOMENTS LATER

(Exterior mounted rail shot.]

Our hero drives slowly down a street occupied by run-down,
shotgun, but occupied houses. Occasional old cars are parked
along the street.

The Rich Young Man acts like he's looking for an address or
a long lost friend. His car is clearly out of place.

A few poor Spanish adults and kids watch him drive by as if
to say, "Dude, you're lost."

On his left, he focuses on a pale yellow house. He looks
away -- and then back. As he passes the house, he notices
that the interior front door is open with a torn screen door
on the outside. 

PAGE 5.

He stops his car -- then backs up -- and parks across from
the yellow house.

He sits in his convertible and stares at the house.

He hears some kids laughing. Turning to his right -- a few
kids stand on the sidewalk and stare at him and his pretty
car. He smiles at them. They giggle, act shy and run away.

EXT. YELLOW HOUSE - DAY - MOMENTS LATER

Cautious, but with purpose, the Rich Young Man gets out of
his car and walks into the front yard of the yellow house.

He stands on the walkway, halfway to the front door. The
yard is neat, except for a tricycle that lays on its side in
the long grass.

Without being too conspicuous he tries to peer inside
through the screen, although he's a good twenty-feet away.

No one seems to be home.
INT. SPORTSCAR CONVERTIBLE - DAY - MINUTES LATER

Back in his car he puts up the roof and rolls up the
windows.

He glances at the jug of milk -- then stares for a moment at
the yellow house.

He takes a sip from his soda -- puts down the can -- grabs
the gallon of milk -- exits his car, and locks it.

EXT. YELLOW HOUSE - DAY - MOMENTS LATER

The Rich Young Man stands at the front door with the gallon
of milk hanging from one arm.

We hear some faint, indistinct talking in Spanish by a man
and a woman and the quiet cry of a baby.

The Rich Young Man goes to ring the doorbell, but the button
is missing and two bent wires now jut out into space.

He knocks on the casement -- timid -- then louder. It's dark
inside, no light, except through the few windows.

The talking inside stops, but the baby's cry continues.
The Rich Young Man knocks again.

                         MEXICAN FATHER
                    (yelling, in Spanish) 

PAGE 6.

               Who is it? What do you want?

Suddenly, an angry, middle-aged MEXICAN FATHER stands behind
the torn screen. He wears old jeans and a dirty shirt. He's
not happy to see the Rich Young Man.

                         MEXICAN FATHER
                    (broken, English)

               What is it?
The Rich Young Man lifts the gallon of milk into view.

                         RICH YOUNG MAN
               Do you need milk?

                                               MATCH CUT TO:
INT. YELLOW HOUSE, FRONT ROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS

The Mexican Father stands before the torn screen door. The
Rich Young Man stands outside holding up the jug of milk.

The Mexican Father turns quick and runs down the dark hall
to the back of the house.

                         MEXICAN FATHER
                    (excited, in Spanish)

               MARIA! MARIA! HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!
               MOTHER, O WIFE. COME QUICK. COME
               QUICK.

The Mexican Father runs back out of the dark hallway to the
front door, half-crying -- and with reverence, pushes open
the door and gestures for the Rich Young Man to come inside.

As he enters -- an emaciated woman, MARIA, the Mexican
Father's wife, carries their crying infant out of the dark
hallway into the dim light of the front room.

The Mexican Father, now crying, holds out both hands to the
Rich Young Man to receive the milk.

The Rich Young Man lifts the jug and gives it to the man,
who embraces it as if it was a infant child.

                         MEXICAN FATHER
                    (broken English)

               O Sir! We were just praying. We had
               some big bills. We ran out of
               money. We didn't have any milk for
               our baby and we have little food. I
               was just praying with my wife
               asking God to show me how to get
               some milk. I asked God to send... 

PAGE 7.

(he breaks down in tears)

The man hugs his wife with the jug of milk and the baby
between then. Maria peers over her husband's shoulder in awe
at the Rich Young Man.

                         MARIA
               Are you an angel?

The Mexican Father lets go of his wife and pushes the jug of
milk into her arms, even as she holds the baby, who no
longer cries but looks with hope into its mother's eyes.

                         MEXICAN FATHER
                    (in Spanish)

               Hurry. Hurry. Wife. Warm the milk
               for our child.

...and he ushers his wife and child down the hallway.
The Rich Young Man is left speechless.

The Mexican father turns back to the Rich Young Man and puts
out his hands together as if praying, in thanksgiving.

As the Mexican father goes to bow with his hands together
the Rich Young Man stops him, takes the father's hands --
opens them -- puts between them the wad of twenty-dollar
bills and then closes the father's hands around the money.

The father forces his hands open to look at the money, and
then turns, excited again, running down the hall.

                         MEXICAN FATHER
                    (in Spanish)

               Maria! Maria!

The Rich Young Man stands by the door for a long time and
stares down the dark hall, listening to the sounds of a
happy family. He digs into a pocket, retrieves a business
card -- lays it on a table by the front door -- turns --
pushes through the screen door and leaves. The screen door
closes behind him.

Although the screen was torn when he arrived, now it is
whole.

THE END

FADE OUT.