perls-1933

Writing Samples > Scriptwriting

Warsaw – page 2

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Machine guns blast outside, close by.

ESTHER (cont’d)
Felix! Close the lights, quickly! Everyone, get down!

The room goes dark.

ESTHER (cont’d)
Poppa, where are you?

MYER
I don’t know. Here.

ESTHER
Come to me. Come to my voice.

A chair topples over. Myer groans.

SASHA
Felix, is that you?

FELIX
Sasha, you’re shivering. Come here. Come closer.

Trucks pull up outside. Shots ring out.

SASHA
My stomach hurts.

FELIX
Lean on me, darling.

SASHA
This flat, I know what it is. It’s a prison! I have to get out of here. I have to get out. Where is the light? Where is it? Felix! Help me!

ESTHER
Sasha! Please!

MYER
She’s going to get us killed!

FELIX
Think about good things. Do “the experiment.”

SASHA
What, Felix?

FELIX
Your Aunt Simcha in America, the one who smokes and argues with men—

SASHA
Aunt Simcha.

FELIX
Think about her.

MYER
What woman doesn’t argue with men?

ESTHER
Quiet!

FELIX
Sasha, think about Simcha.

SASHA
Felix?

FELIX
You love your aunt.

SASHA
I love Aunt Simcha.

Gunshots ring outside.

ESTHER
Myer, lean against the wall, like this.

MYER
Ah, good. Now I’ll be comfortable when they shoot me.

ESTHER
Everyone, be still!

Knocking at the front door. The family waits in terror.

SAMMY (O.S.)
Open up, let me in! Hurry!

ESTHER
Sammy? Sammy?? Is that you?

The knocking continues.

SAMMY
It’s me! Yes!

MYER
Esther? Where are you going?

The lights come on. Esther is standing at the front door. Felix and Sasha are huddled in a corner. Myer is on the floor leaning against a wall.

SAMMY (O.S.)
Open up! Come on!

ESTHER
Sammy!

MYER
There is no such person!

Esther reaches for the doorknob.

MYER
Don’t touch that!

ESTHER
Shut up, you crazy old fool!

Esther swings open the door. Sammy enters. Myer starts for the bedroom.

MYER
I have my reading.

He exits to the bedroom. Esther hugs Sammy.

ESTHER
Sammy! Your arm … It’s bleeding! What happened?

SAMMY
It’s fine. I’m fine.

ESTHER
(to Felix and Sasha)
Come, help me! Sammy, look at you.

Sammy sits on the couch. Esther examines his injury.

SAMMY
It’s just a scratch. Stop it, please. I’m all right.

ESTHER
Vey ismere! Felix! Get a towel. Sasha, boil some water. Get me something to wrap this. Sammy, let me see.

Esther rolls up his sleeve.

SAMMY
I need to rest.

ESTHER
What happened?

SAMMY
I got hit. It’s just a graze.

ESTHER
They shot you?

SAMMY
Calm down.

ESTHER
I should calm down?

Felix hands her a strip of fabric. Esther begins to clean and wrap the wound.

SAMMY
I need to stay here until morning.

ESTHER
Of course. You stay right here.

SAMMY
Sasha. You’re Sasha? Right?

SASHA
Hi, Sammy.

SAMMY
Now you’ve met the “bad” son.

ESTHER
Please!

SAMMY
(to Sasha)
Surely you’ve been told of my great transgression? I’ll tell it to you, Sasha. It’ll save us time.

ESTHER
Sammy, what are you talking about?

SAMMY
(to Sasha)
I loved a woman.

SASHA
Yes?

SAMMY
I married this woman.

She waits.

SAMMY
Thus I shamed the Leibowitz name forever. For this the old man hates me. (looks toward the bedroom door) What’s he doing in there?

ESTHER
He’s reading the Torah. More and more his face is buried in the scriptures.

Esther finishes wrapping Sammy’s arm.

SAMMY
Nice field bandage, Ma. Snug but not tight. Zadie trained you well.

The Ghost enters.

ESTHER
Shh! Listen! She’s here. The dybbuk has returned.

SAMMY
(looks around)
What?

FELIX
She thinks there’s a ghost.

ESTHER
She’s old. With grown children. I sense it.

Esther reaches out her hand, which passes right through the Ghost’s outstretched hand.

ESTHER (cont’d)
Why has she returned?

SAMMY
(laughing)
Why don’t you ask her?

SASHA
The dead return to the place they know best. They’re stuck between the two worlds, bound to neither.

SAMMY
Wait. Wait. I feel her!

ESTHER
She’s right here.

SAMMY
No, she’s there… in the kitchen. (laughs) She’s cooking. A roast. Mmm, mmm. I smell it.

ESTHER
You think this is funny? Not to her it isn’t.

SAMMY
Maybe you’re haunting her. Did you consider that? Maybe she’s the one who’s alive and we’re the dead.

Esther speaks to the Ghost.

ESTHER
You had a sister. Something happened. A tragedy. You want to join with her. That’s how you’ll find peace. What can we do? Tell it to my heart so I’ll hear it. I’ll help you cross over to the other side.

SAMMY
The only tragedy is that she’s chosen this family to haunt.

The Ghost exits. Esther slumps.

ESTHER
I don’t know, she’s gone. (sighs) The neighbors will know something. I’ll ask them.

SASHA
I felt her.

Esther sits on the couch beside Sammy.

ESTHER
So tell me, how are you, son? How are the children? How’s Rose?

SAMMY
Fine.

ESTHER
Fine? (doubting) Really? I think I’m a Bubbie who does not know her own grandchildren. That’s what I think. Oh, what a world. Terrible. Terrible. Tell me about them, Sammy. Tell me about the children.

SAMMY
Janek is four.

ESTHER
Four already. And Luba?

SAMMY
She had her third birthday last week. (to Felix) So, Felix, how about you?

FELIX
What about me?

SAMMY
No children? You need to get to work. We need more fighters.

SASHA
What?

SAMMY
This war could last a long time.

FELIX
What war? The war’s over. It took all of 10 days for Poland to fall.

ESTHER
You can’t fight the Germans.

SAMMY
(disgusted)
Ah! The Jews of Europe. You’ll daven right up to the gallows. What, you want to die? You want to give up? Well, not everyone thinks this way. Some of us are doing something.

ESTHER
Why are you here?

SAMMY
I have business.

ESTHER
What kind of business?

SAMMY
There’s a resistance.

ESTHER
Oh, Sammy, you worry me.

SAMMY
I always worried you, Ma. Why don’t you worry about Felix for a change?

ESTHER
I do. Felix understands things.

SAMMY
You’ve heard about “relocation?” The reason you’re here? Do you know what that is? It’s slaughter.

SASHA
We’re fine. Those are rumors.

ESTHER
We’re a family, not an army.

SASHA
If we have to move, we can make a home anywhere.

SAMMY
Tell that to the Yeshiva boys hanging in the square.

SASHA
Why must you say such things?

SAMMY
Sasha, open your eyes—

ESTHER
The two of you, stop it. Sammy, be quiet. Come here, have some soup. It’s just cabbage and carrots, but it’s all right.

Sammy sits at the table. Esther puts a bowl of soup before him.

SAMMY
How long has it been since I had your cooking?

ESTHER
This is not my cooking.

SAMMY
It’s torture just thinking about it, the way it was. I’m in misery.

ESTHER
Misery was something you never stayed in for long.

Everyone relaxes. Felix holding Sasha. Sammy eating. Esther watching Sammy. Sasha sings a Yiddish song.

SAMMY
That’s beautiful, Sasha.

SASHA
Thank you. My mother taught it to me.

SAMMY
I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just… everything, all of it. I see how deeply you feel about things.

SASHA
I wish I felt about things a little less deep.

Sammy glances toward the bedroom door.

SAMMY
So, is he coming out? Or do we have to go in and take him in room service?

Knocking at the front door. Everyone freezes. Esther ventures over.

ESTHER
Yes? Who’s that?

JOSEPH (O.S.)
Joseph!

ESTHER
Who?

SAMMY
Joseph!

SAMMY
Open it, Ma.

Esther opens the door. Joseph is a 10-year-old boy. Sammy approaches.

JOSEPH
They’re coming. They’re at Sheldon Street.

SAMMY
On foot?

JOSEPH
David went to look. Can you come?

SAMMY
Yes.

ESTHER
No!

Sammy considers the situation.

SAMMY
Joseph, go now. I’ll be there later.

Joseph exits. Esther closes the door.

SAMMY (con’t)
It’s not safe with me here.

ESTHER
Sammy, we can hide you. There’s a place in the bedroom, behind the chest. The wall… it’s hollow. No one will find you there. Sasha, clean up. Felix, help her. Come, Sammy, I’ll show you.

The bedroom door opens. Myer is standing in the doorway. He locks eyes with Sammy.

ESTHER (cont’d, to Sammy)
Sammy, come.

She leads Sammy into the bedroom.

Lights slowly fade to dark. Music comes up.

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Copyright © 2003-2018 Warren Goldie

17-Dec.-18