Read The Great Carbuncle Page 12

MATTHEW

  Where'd you find it, then?

  HANNAH

  It was...in someone's hand.

  MATTHEW

  You mean the others are here? I'm gonna break their necks, those stupid--

  HANNAH

  No! They're not here. I mean, not all of them.

  MATTHEW

  What you mean?

  HANNAH

  Seeker had it.

  MATTHEW

  He did?

  HANNAH nods.

  MATTHEW

  Guess that makes sense. Did he hand it over to you?

  HANNAH

  No...he's dead.

  MATTHEW

  Dea...he's...what?!

  HANNAH

  He looks like he fell off the cliff.

  MATTHEW

  He's dead?!

  HANNAH

  He looked it.

  MATTHEW

  And you took that out of his hand? His dead hand?

  HANNAH

  I didn't think about it till right now.

  MATTHEW

  You stole from a dead man, Hannah!

  HANNAH

  We can go back and see if he's okay.

  MATTHEW

  If he's dead, then there's no fixing that. He is dead, right?

  HANNAH

  I think so.

  MATTHEW

  You think so?

  MATTHEW exits.

  HANNAH

  Matthew!

  Beat.

  MATTHEW enters.

  MATTHEW

  Yeah, he's dead. Bones broke all over. Must have fell. It's a miracle that gem stayed in that cup the whole way down.

  HANNAH

  You see? Seeker fell. Just like I said.

  Beat.

  HANNAH

  Matthew, we have the Great Carbuncle now. Let's go home. We can tell the sheriff where Seeker's body is.

  MATTHEW

  You're going to leave him like that?

  HANNAH

  What are we supposed to do?

  MATTHEW

  I'd say bury him, but I don't have a shovel, and no one could dig in this weather.

  HANNAH

  There, we can't do anything. We'll tell someone when we get back. I swear.

  MATTHEW

  It just don't feel right.

  HANNAH

  Matthew...

  MATTHEW

  I--

  CHILLINGWORTH (OS)

  What's in your hands?

  CHILLINGWORTH enters. HE's obviously freezing to death, but HIS eyes show no sense of pain. HE has truly lost any grasp of reality.

  MATTHEW

  Hey, Chillingworth! You're alive!

  CHILLINGWORTH

  (to HANNAH) What's in your hands?

  HANNAH hides the bab HER back.

  HANNAH

  What do you mean?

  MATTHEW

  (to CHILLINGWORTH) What? Oh! Hey, you'll never guess what we have. The Great Carbuncle, and it's all mine and Hannah's. Hannah, show it to him.

  Beat.

  MATTHEW

  (to HANNAH) Don't worry. I'll chase him down if he makes a run for it.

  SHE slowly hands over the bag.

  MATTHEW

  (to CHILLINGWORTH) Yeah, uh...we found it, but we found something else too. Seeker's dead. Looks like he fell off of the cliff up there--

  CHILLINGWORTH snatches it from HER hands.

  HANNAH

  Hey!

  CHILLINGWORTH

  This is not the Great Carbuncle.

  The area slowly glows red, increasing in intensity as CHILLINGWORTH talks.

  HANNAH

  Yes, it is!

  CHILLINGWORTH

  It can't be. It's impossible. It must be some sort of fabrication, or a hoax, or some sort of natural oddity...but it cannot be the Great Carbuncle!

  MATTHEW

  You didn't even look at it.

  CHILLINGWORTH

  I don' t need to see it to tell it's a fraud.

  MATTHEW

  It looks like the Great Carbuncle to me.

  CHILLINGWORTH

  It looks like it to you? You, a simple army soldier, can tell if this is the genuine article or not? No, you have no authority to make such a claim. I've researched many other forgeries posing as artifacts, exactly like this one, and I'm telling you there is no such thing as the Great Carbuncle. There is not an iota of true magic in this world. Only the foolish would believe such fairytales and myths.

  The red glow is getting very bright. MATTHEW and HANNAH hold each other closely and back away.

  MATTHEW

  Uh...friend, I think you need to put that down right now.

  CHILLINGWORTH

  Why would I ever do that? I finally have my proof that the legendary gem never existed.

  HANNAH

  It's glowing.

  CHILLINGWORTH

  It's glowing? Nonsense! It's simply the setting sun. It's fractured rays must be shinning through a gap in the storm's clouds. You don't believe me? No matter what scientific proof I'm capable of procuring, you Neanderthals simply can't fathom true, harsh reality as it lies before you. Here, I'll prove it beyond a doubt to you simple morons that this stone is indeed a fake!

  As CHILLINGWORTH opens the bag and looks inside, the stone shines brighter than ever before. MATTHEW and HANNAH shield THEIR eyes from the glare, but CHILLINGWORTH can't keep from looking away as HE is blinded while HE screams.

  There is a loud crackle of power, and then the red glow fades away. CHILLINGWORTH is left on the ground, blinded and in pain. HE drops the bags, and MATTHEW runs over to HIS aid.

  MATTHEW

  Chillingworth? Chillingworth! What happened?

  CHILLINGWORTH

  It's not real.

  MATTHEW sits CHILLINGWORTH up. HANNAH slowly walks to the bag.

  MATTHEW

  Can you see?

  MATTHEW holds up two fingers.

  MATTHEW

  How many fingers do you see?

  CHILLINGWORTH

  I...don't see anything. I don't see--

  HANNAH almost picks the bag up.

  MATTHEW

  Hannah! Don't!

  HANNAH

  But...

  MATTHEW

  Don't! (to CHILLINGWORTH) You're gonna be okay. We'll get you to a doctor, and you'll get your sight back. You'll see.

  CHILLINGWORTH

  It can't be real. It can't.

  MATTHEW lays CHILLINGWORTH on the ground.

  MATTHEW

  Hannah, we have to go.

  HANNAH

  We can't just leave it here.

  MATTHEW

  The hell we can't! That thing's cursed. Leave it alone.

  HANNAH

  But what about us?! What about our house? What about the money? It's ours, Matthew!

  MATTHEW

  The only person that thing belongs to is Seeker, and I don't see it doing him a bit of good. Do you?

  HANNAH

  We'll keep it the bag and never open it until we sell it. It'll be someone else's problem, and we'll still be rich.

  MATTHEW

  We're not taking it with us. End of discussion!

  HANNAH

  I can't leave it here. I can't!

  MATTHEW picks up the bag.

  MATTHEW

  Well, I can!

  MATTHEW throws the Great Carbuncle offstage.

  SFX: Boiling water followed by a splash.

  MATTHEW

  There. It's gone. Burned a hole right through the ice.

  HANNAH makes a few steps towards the direction of the splash, but MATTHEW holds HER back.

  MATTHEW

  Don't.

  HANNAH

  It's gone.

  MATTHEW

  Yeah. It's gone.

  HANNAH slaps MATTHEW chest and arms.

  HANNAH

  Why did you do that? You threw it away! You threw our
life away! Why did you do that?

  MATTHEW grabs HANNAH by the wrists.

  MATTHEW

  It's cursed. It'll blind you like the professor, or worse! You want that, Hannah? You want to end up dead over some stupid shining rock? Well, do you?

  HANNAH

  What do you care? You left me after high school to go play Army boy in the jungle. You left me alone for two years, making me wonder if you were dead or not. You left me all alone!

  MATTHEW

  I had to do that! We didn't have any money, and I wanted to give you a good life. I signed up for you, Hannah.

  HANNAH

  But we were together...and then you ran off to go get killed in some stupid war for a little bit of money. What's so different now? We can use that gem to keep you from every leaving me again. Why did you throw it away, Matthew? Why?!

  HANNAH starts crying and MATTHEW holds HER in HIS arms.

  MATTHEW

  Shh. We'll be okay. We'll be okay.

  HANNAH

  You left me.

  MATTHEW

  I won't ever leave you again. I promise.

  HANNAH eventually gets over HER fit and rubs away the tears.

  MATTHEW

  Are you better now?

  HANNAH nods.

  MATTHEW

  I'm sorry I left you. If I knew what the war was really like...it shouldn't have made a difference. But Hannah, that stone is evil. It won't help us. It'll only hurt us.

  HANNAH

  All the things we dreamed of...gone.

  MATTHEW

  Then we'll have to start dreaming of each other, because that's all we have.

  Beat.

  MATTHEW

  You okay now?

  HANNAH nods.

  MATTHEW

  Good. Let's go.

  MATTHEW and SHE pick up the backpacks. HE then helps CHILLINGWORTH to stand as HANNAH puts the camera up.

  MATTHEW

  Come on, old timer. We got to get you to a hospital.

  CHILLINGWORTH

  It's not real.

  MATTHEW

  Yeah, but at least it's over now. Let's go.

  HANNAH takes the other side of CHILLINGWORTH.

  MATTHEW

  You got him?

  HANNAH

  Yes. Matthew.

  MATTHEW

  What?

  HANNAH

  I love you.

  MATTHEW

  I love you too.

  MATTHEW and HANNAH share a loving look, and exit with CHILLINGWORTH.

  END ACT II, SCENE III

  EPILOGUE

  After MATTHEW, HANNAH, and CHILLINGWORTH exit...

  DE VERE(OS)

  So, you suppose Seeker fell down near this particular spot?

  PIGGSNORTO (OS)

  Where else would he fall? That stone's got to be around here somewhere.

  DE VERE and PIGGSNORTO enter.

  DE VERE

  I can't believe we left Dr. Cacaphodel and John to fend for themselves. You think they'll find their way to the "Beaten Path" station on their own?

  PIGGSNORTO

  Who cares? They were dead weight. I told yous, nothing's keeping me away from getting what I want. Not nature, not nobody.

  From the depth of the river, a red glow slowly becomes brighter and brighter. The sun dims as if in an eclipse and thunder can be heard in the distance.

  PIGGSNORTO

  What's that? You see that?

  DE VERE

  Indeed, I do.

  PIGGSNORTO and DE VERE are mesmerized by the glow and exit.

  As the glow increases, so do these other natural phenomena until a large, inexplicable crackle of power reverberates throughout the mountains. PIGGSNORTO and DE VERE can be heard screaming in the background. Then, the glow fades away and all returns to normal.

  THE END

 
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