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TWO EXCERPTS FROM
DESERT RITES
_______________
A Screenplay
By
Stephen Bittrich
Copyright © 1997, by Stephen Bittrich.
Registered with the Writer's Guild of America, East (October, 2000)
PLEASE NOTE: Do not use without permission.
Revised Draft OCT/2000
Top 30 Finalist in Project Greenlight 1, 2000.
Stephen Bittrich
459 Columbus Avenue, #240
New York, NY 10024
Cell: (646) 245-4507
E-mail: SBittrich@aol.com
FIRST EXCERPT - PAGES 1 - 13 OF THE SCREENPLAY
"DESERT RITES"
BY STEPHEN BITTRICH
FADE IN:
ROLL BEGINNING CREDITS ON DARK SCREEN
EXT. NEAR FORT APACHE INDIAN RESERVATION, ARIZONA - NIGHT
We move with a predatory gait through the desert at the level
of a coyote's eyes. It is night. A crescent moon. In the
distance, the faint flicker of a fire. We HUFF and GROWL
almost inaudibly as we move. Our coyote eyes get closer and
closer to the fire.
JOHN LANCASTER, a boy of fifteen, kneels before the fire. He
wavers unsteadily to and fro, like he might just tip into the
flames at any moment. Coyote SNARLS. We just may eat this
boy. Our coyote eyes travel around the fire in an arc always
keeping the fire between us and the boy.
The boy, though still woozy, now grows more conscious of his
surroundings. He hears a GROWL. He feels our eyes upon him.
END CREDITS
Now we see the boy's POV looking into the fire and beyond it.
Yes, there is a form in the darkness--on all fours. It
appears to be coyote. The creature comes closer to the boy--
on the fringe of shadow.
JOHN
(whispering)
Wah-nah-tah...
The boy's vision blurs as the creature breaks the shadow.
Through the distorted heat waves of the fire, COYOTE
gradually becomes more distinct, but before he can completely
form, he changes into a man, rising up on two legs. This is
BILLY RAY. His rapacious gaze pierces the flickering,
popping air--shooting right through the boy.
BILLY RAY is a tall, energetic man of about thirty-seven
years. He claims his great-great-grandfather was a Mandan
Indian, but he doesn't seem to have many traces of that blood
line evident in his physical appearance. He does have long,
darkish hair. Billy Ray is like a coyote that's been caught
in a few traps in his life, but somehow has managed to tear
himself loose. He is missing the pinky on his right hand,
and he limps slightly on his left side. He has a coyote
tattoo on his left shoulder.
We see John again as he tries to focus on Billy Ray.
Again from John's POV, as quickly as he came, Billy Ray has
vanished, and a coyote's flank and tail can be seen scurrying
into the shadows.
John again--nonplussed--not sure if he witnessed man or
beast.
Suddenly, with the speed of a striking predator, Billy Ray is
behind John, crouching, his lips to John's ear--
BILLY RAY
(whispering)
He's watching.
JOHN
(gazing past the fire, glassy-
eyed)
Wah-nah-tah...
BILLY RAY
(in John's other ear)
He doesn't think you're ready yet.
JOHN
I'm r-r-ready.
BILLY RAY
He thinks you're afraid.
JOHN
(very much afraid)
I'm n-n-not.
Billy Ray circles the fire, traveling on all fours, speaking
as he moves--
BILLY RAY
A young brave must go through the secret
rites of the mystery lodge to become a
man.
(beat)
Are you ready to offer up your flesh to
the Great Spirit?
JOHN
Yes.
BILLY RAY
(continuing around the fire
back to John)
Wah-nah-tah, Old Man Coyote is watching
you.
(behind John, in his ear again)
First we'll cut right here--
(indicating John's inner thigh
just above the knee)
--to attach a buffalo skull--
(indicating his shoulder)
--cut you here to attach your shield--
(indicating his arms, above the
elbows)
--and here will hang your bow and quiver.
Billy Ray draws a huge, jagged knife and uses it as a
pointer.
BILLY RAY
(CONT'D)
(indicating John's chest)
Right here the greatest cut of all. Pass
leather straps through--to hang you from
the ceiling.
(beat)
Sure you're ready for the rites?
JOHN
(gulping)
Y-y-yes.
Billy Ray, still behind John, sheathes his knife. He tightly
clutches the material of John's shirt at the chest and lifts
John to his feet as he speaks.
BILLY RAY
(as they slowly turn in a
circle)
I put myself in your hands, Great Spirit.
I feel you lift me up, and I feel no
pain. Great Spirit, I trust my life to
your keeping.
John seems to actually feel the pain of hanging by his flesh.
His body flinches and tightens. In his hand we see a leather
medicine bag which he clutches, but eventually, as the pain
becomes too great, the bag drops from his hand into the sand.
Billy Ray lets go, and John crumples to the ground.
Billy Ray crouches down close to John. From John's blurry
POV, we see Billy Ray's upper arm. The tattoo of a howling
coyote comes into focus. The tattoo seems to speak--
BILLY RAY
(CONT'D)
(speaking as coyote)
I require more. I require a sacrifice.
Billy Ray looks up to the heavens.
BILLY RAY
(CONT'D)
(speaking as a leader of the
rites)
Maho peneta, Great Spirit, thank you for
your protection. Please accept my
sacrifice. Please take that which I do
not need as a Mandan warrior--the finger
which I do not need to hold a bow.
John's eyes become wide with fear as he looks at Billy Ray.
Billy Ray displays his hand with the missing little finger.
BILLY RAY
(CONT'D)
(smiling)
Wanna join the club?
Suddenly, the knife comes down with an WHOOSH sticking into
the sand between John's fingers.
BILLY RAY
(CONT'D)
(to the heavens; as a
recitation)
Red Coyote is my name. Wah-nah-tah-toh-
pee-kah in the language of my ancestors.
For three days and three nights I fasted
in a desert such as this. Then Wah-nah-
tah, Old Man Coyote, the trickster, the
clever one, appeared to me in a vision
and told me my name...
John sits up slightly. Billy Ray is across the fire again.
Coyote is next to him. They seem to commingle. They speak
Billy Ray's warrior name in unison--
BILLY RAY/COYOTE
...Wah-nah-tah-toh-pee-kah.
John rises to sit up with some difficulty. Billy Ray is
again beside him.
BILLY RAY
I thank you, Old Man Coyote.
(beat)
Please watch over this young brave on his
journey. He has fasted for two days, he
has gone without sleep in preparation for
the rites. We have taken the dream
cactus, the producer of visions, so we
may see more clearly our destiny. Guide
us on our journey. Help us to find his
warrior name. Help us find good fortune
in the desert as we take that which is
there for the taking--that which is
rightfully ours.
(reciting and leading John on)
Wah-nah-tah--
JOHN
W-W-Wah-nah-tah--
BILLY RAY
Wah-nah-tah-toh-pee-kah...
JOHN
Wah-nah-tah-toh-pee-kah!
Our coyote eyes see John and Billy Ray hop and dance around
the fire--reciting "Wah-nah-tah! Wah-nah-tah! Wah-nah-tah-
toh-pee-kah!"
John suddenly feels pain in his leg. He looks down to see
the flames licking at his leg. He looks across the fire at
Billy Ray who begins to laugh. The fire engulfs John, and
Billy Ray, now transformed into Coyote, just laughs and howls
at the moon.
EXT. THE SAME - MORNING
John wakes with a start from his "dream." He looks down at
his leg. The cuff of his pants is slightly singed, but he
certainly has not been consumed by fire. He looks around.
He's been sleeping on a sleeping bag--well, sort of--it's in
a big knot beside him.
Billy Ray is dead to the world near the smoldering ashes of
the campfire. He's sprawled in the sand, an army blanket
twisted around his body.
John looks around some more. He seems to be seeking someone
else out.
John is a handsome, wide-eyed kid of fifteen who grew up in a
rich and hermetically sealed environment in Dallas, Texas.
"Lost" is a word that might best describe him, and that
adjective can be read on his face. He stutters when he gets
nervous or intimidated. Having basically grown up in his
room, lost in books, toys, and computers, he is emotionally
immature, stunted to a degree. His schooling at a strict,
private school added knowledge, but not acceptance or
maturity to his overall development.
John wanders over to an old Chevy convertible parked near the
campsite. He looks inside. Nobody there.
He looks out on the horizon. A short distance away, facing
the rising sun, he can make out a person sitting on the
ground--legs folded Indian-style.
EXT. ABOUT FORTY YARDS FROM THE CAMPSITE - MORNING
The person in the distance, LULAN, is an alluring Asian woman
of about thirty-five years. She imbibes the morning sun.
One look into her eyes will show that she commands an arcane
understanding of the world and the people on it. John
approaches, and Lulan speaks without turning.
LULAN
You're a man now.
JOHN
I was supposed to stay up all night, but
I think I fell asleep.
CLOSE UP of John's POV, the sexy nape of Lulan's neck.
LULAN
I won't tell. What are you doing?
JOHN
Nothing.
LULAN
Mmmmhhhmmm. Come. Sit.
John sits by her, and they watch the day unfold.
INT. A DIVY BAR IN DALLAS - DAY
MR. GREENE, a slick Texas gentleman in his fifties, holds up
a polaroid of Billy Ray (making a bizarre face) to show the
BARTENDER. Mr. Greene conveys that easy, southern civility,
but he is utterly ruthless underneath the genteel facade.
BARTENDER
(a little annoyed)
Told you. Don't know him.
MR. GREENE
So you said. So you said. It's just
that my associate and I were just in his
apartment, and he has enough of yer
matchbooks lying around to fuel a small
bonfire.
Mr. Greene laughs.
BARTENDER
(a bit more quietly)
Don't know him.
MR. GREENE
(over his shoulder)
Says he dudn't know 'em.
A DARKLY CLAD FIGURE sits at table in the shadows.
The Bartender squints and tries to make out the features of
the Darkly Clad Figure.
BARTENDER
Look, I don't want no trouble.
MR. GREENE
Amigo. Who wants trouble? Trouble
sucks. All we need's a little
infomation, and my associate and I will
be on our way.
BARTENDER
Wish I could help you.
MR. GREENE
(over his shoulder)
Says he can't help us.
Again the Bartender squints to make out the enforcer or
"associate."
The Darkly Clad Figure pointedly looks up to eye the
Bartender, and to reveal MR. WANG, a taut and ruthless Asian
man in his early thirties. He stands up as the chair he was
sitting in makes a loud SCOOTING NOISE across the floor.
The Bartender cracks a side-ways smile.
BARTENDER
If you'll 'scuse me--gotta lotta
customers--
He takes out a small club and SMACKS it down on the bar--not
overtly menacingly, but enough to make a point. Mr. Greene
looks down the bar. No one else is in the place, except a
DRUNK GUY and a LARGE GUTTED GUY SWEEPING THE FLOOR. The
Large Gutted Guy stops his sweeping momentarily to lend
support to the Bartender.
But before the Bartender can blink, the hand of Mr. Wang
comes down with a resounding CLAP on top of the club, twists
it deftly out of his hand, and whacks him in the face with
his own weapon. He crumples to the floor behind the bar.
The Large Gutted Guy makes a charge for the bar thrusting the
broom handle forward like a lance. Mr. Greene lets Mr. Wang
do the work. With impressive fluidity he side-steps the
broom and actually grabs the tip jerking it forward, so the
Large Gutted Guy lurches forward off balance and crashes into
the bar. He gives him a solid whack with the club for good
measure.
He then leaps over the bar and starts whacking away at the
Bartender who is lying on the other side.
MR. GREENE
Easy! Easy on the face. I want his
mouth working. Break some ribs or
something.
Mr. Wang gives him another whack.
BARTENDER
Vegas! Said he's going to Vegas! Some--
some kinda scam--ta get rich off the
casinos.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE DIVY BAR - DAY
As they step out of the bar, Mr. Wang adjusts himself
slightly, fixing the lapel of his jacket. Mr. Greene snaps
out a monogrammed hanky and gestures with it to Mr. Wang's
face. Wang spies his reflection in his partner's sunglasses,
accepts the handkerchief, and wipes a small fleck of blood
from his cheek. He hands the handkerchief back.
INT. INSIDE THE DIVY BAR - DAY
Behind the bar the Bartender lies in a bloody, tangled mess.
His arm moves slightly, the only indication one might have
that he still lives.
EXT. ON THE DESERT ROAD - DAY
Billy Ray drives the Chevy with John riding shotgun--Lulan in
the back seat. John is pensive and finally gets up the nerve
to ask Billy Ray a question that's been bothering him.
JOHN
Y-You say I went through the rites. Y-
You say I'm a m-m-man, but what about
everybody else? They're not gonna accept
me, they're not gonna let me be an I-I-
Indian.
BILLY RAY
Are you kidding, kid? White boys used to
become Indians all the time. Take the
Apaches. They used to capture white boys
when they went out on raids. Oh yeah.
They'd see a fat-ass little German kid on
some farm, and they'd ride right in and
snatch him up. They'd put those kids
through the most rigorous tests and
tortures imaginable, but if they made it
through without dyin', in time, they were
granted all the privileges of being an
Apache warrior. It ain't skin, my
friend. It's deeds. We ain't like the
resta the world.
JOHN
(with great difficulty)
Are you really a M-M-M-M-Mandan Indian?
BILLY RAY
Say what?
JOHN
No, I was just w-wondering--
Billy Ray swerves the car over to the side of the deserted
road in a hurry.
BILLY RAY
Didn't I say I was?
JOHN
Yes, you--you just don't l-look like one.
BILLY RAY
John...whew. You just threw me for a
loop. You mean to say you came all this
way--on this quest through the desert--
ran away from home--went through the
rites, and you still ain't sure who yer
with?
JOHN
No, I believe it.
BILLY RAY
Well, obviously you got some doubts.
(beat)
Tell you what. Look in the glove
compartment.
John opens the glove compartment. There is a gun--a Western
six shooter--on top of some papers. John looks at Billy Ray.
BILLY RAY
Never mind that. That's for huntin'.
There's a pink piece of paper in there.
John rummages around and finds a pink paper. He opens the
worn document and reads--
JOHN
Bureau of Indian Affairs...
Lulan looks out on the desert. She's bothered and not in the
spirit of the moment.
BILLY RAY
That's right. Says right there I'm a
genuine Indian--member of the Mandan
tribe. Just cuz I don't have long black
hair and skin like an alligator.
Billy Ray pulls back out on the open road.
BILLY RAY
(CONT'D)
See, the Mandans were thought to be
partly descended from Welsh explorers
from before Columbus. They were mixed
bloods for many, many generations even
before the other white men "discovered"
them. They had every kind of skin, hair,
and eye color you could think of. They
even had young braves just barely twenty
with stark grey hair and blue eyes. The
French call them cheveux gris, the
greyhairs. I had a brother with grey
hair. I ever tell you that?
JOHN
Y-Yes.
LULAN
When's the next stop?
BILLY RAY
We're in the desert, baby. I can pull
over right here if you gotta go.
John turns to face her.
JOHN
There's something in twenty miles. I saw
a s-sign.
Lulan smiles sweetly at John. He looks down bashfully.
BILLY RAY
Hey, kid, I ever tell you about my great-
great-grandfather, San-ja-ka-ko-kah,
Deceiving Wolf?
JOHN
Yes.
We pull up from the car and watch it drive down the road.
EXT. ON THE SAME ROAD, BUT FURTHER FROM LAS VEGAS - DAY
Mr. Wang chauffeurs Mr. Greene in a big black Cadillac. They
are stone-faced. Then Mr. Greene abruptly SPEAKS IN
MANDARIN. There are subtitles. Greene's Chinese has a
slight southern drawl--
MR. GREENE
(in Mandarin)
Want some jerky?
[subtitle: "Want some jerky?"]
MR. WANG
(in Mandarin)
Gets in my teeth.
[subtitle: "Gets in my
teeth."]
Mr. Wang looks out on the desert. He sees a coyote along the
road.
EXT. AT A FILLING STATION/REST STOP ALONG THE HIGHWAY - DAY
John comes out of the bathroom and looks across the dusty
parking lot. Billy Ray and Lulan are have a very intense
conversation. There is a discernible physical threat in
Billy Ray's body language. Lulan turns away from him, and he
grabs her hard and pushes her against the car. With his back
still to John, he whispers something intensely in her ear.
John starts to walk toward them.
Lulan catches John's eye and mouths something to Billy Ray.
Billy Ray's whole body relaxes, and he releases Lulan's arm.
He turns without missing a beat and says to John--
BILLY RAY
Hey kid, what's the funk level on the
facilities?
JOHN
Oh, uh, high--highly funky.
BILLY RAY
Ain't that a bitch?
Billy Ray walks off toward the bathroom. John looks after
him with a bit of concern. Lulan gathers herself and gets
into the back seat. She is upset but does not make a show of
it for John.
John shuffles his feet for a moment, then pulls a deck of
cards out from his pocket. He leans into the car.
JOHN
Hey Lulan, p-p-pick a card.
LULAN
This a trick?
JOHN
Just pick a card.
She picks a card. [Please note the way this trick is
accomplished: in a deck of cards where the picture on the
back goes one direction, one can arrange all of the cards to
face the same way. When the other person picks out a card,
the magician turns the deck around so that when the card is
stuck back in, it will be the only one with the picture
upside down. Therefore, from the back, the magician can very
easily scan through the cards and determine which was the
card picked.]
JOHN (CONT'D)
Now, memorize it and put it back.
She puts the card back. John holds the cards up to his face-
-the backs facing him--and fans them out.
JOHN (CONT'D)
Ah, I'm getting a vision. I'm getting a
sense of your card. It's coming to me.
It's boring its way into my brain--
(pulling out a card)
Is this your card?
LULAN
No.
JOHN
Liar!
LULAN
Okay, it is. Good trick. How'd you do
it?
JOHN
(theatrically)
Magic!
LULAN
Uh huh.
JOHN
Magic is for real. Don't you believe
that?
LULAN
Yeah, sure, I believe it.
JOHN
H-How do you do it--the th-things you do?
LULAN
What things?
JOHN
You're a fortune teller, right?
LULAN
Sometimes.
JOHN
And how do you do it? How do you tell
fortunes? Read minds? It's a trick,
right?
THE SCENE CONTINUES...END OF FIRST EXCERPT.
SECOND EXCERPT - AROUND PAGE 40 OF THE SCREENPLAY.
INT. - THE CASINO GIFT SHOP - NIGHT
We see an arrowhead in a glass case. There is a SNOOTY CLERK
behind the counter. Billy Ray points to the arrowhead, and
the Snooty Clerk searches for a key to the case.
Rising Moon comes up behind Billy Ray. She has a cowboy hat
on her head that she's trying on. A Native American in her
early twenties, Rising Moon is good at heart and yearning for
a better life, but because of a lack of self-esteem and
a very underprivileged childhood, she is caught in a downward
spiral.
RISING MOON
So who is this kid?
BILLY RAY
A friend.
(to the Clerk)
That one.
RISING MOON
He's a mark?
BILLY RAY
I'm outta that game.
RISING MOON
(skeptical)
Right.
BILLY RAY
He's a friend. A young protege, if you
will. I'm instructing him in the
mysteries of life.
RISING MOON
And he wants to make it with an Indian
Princess.
BILLY RAY
Baby, it's a piece of cake. You say
"How," and he'll cream his pants.
The Snooty Clerk looks shocked. Billy Ray smiles at her
charmingly. She defrosts slightly. Billy Ray gives her a
hundred dollar bill.
RISING MOON
Where'd you get him?
BILLY RAY
I really don't wanna go through the whole
history.
RISING MOON
Yeah, well, see you later.
She turns to leave. Billy Ray grabs her and moves out of
earshot of the Snooty Clerk.
BILLY RAY
Okay, okay. No big deal. I did some odd
jobs for his parents, fixed their car,
their pool pump. Kid took a liking to
me. He's a special kid: shy, stutters a
little, grew up in his room with his
computer.
RISING MOON
Is he like retarded?
BILLY RAY
No, he's not retarded! He's a red-
blooded American kid. He jest hasn't
experienced a lot. I'm tryin' ta help
him out.
RISING MOON
What a angel. This is obviously not the
whole story. Where are his parents?
BILLY RAY
His parents are at home. So we got a
deal?
RISING MOON
Tomorrow morning? Why morning? God.
BILLY RAY
You don't gotta fuck him in the morning.
Just entertain him. Keep him out of my
hair and then see what happens.
(beat)
We're staying in a suite.
RISING MOON
Can I have the key to the refrigerator?
BILLY RAY
If a five dollar Snickers bar is what it
takes to make you happy...
RISING MOON
So we said four hundred?
BILLY RAY
Damn, ain't inflation a bitch?
Four Ben Franklins pop up in Billy Ray's hand with the
dexterity of a Vegas magician. He grins widely. Billy Ray
enjoys being a big spender, he just so rarely gets to do it.
Rising Moon stares at his missing pinky.
RISING MOON
That thing ain't grown out yet?
She takes the money.
SNOOTY CLERK
Sir?
The Snooty Clerk hands him a plastic bag.
INT. BILLY RAY'S PART OF THE SUITE - NIGHT
From above, we see John and Lulan lying on the bed. John is
still shirtless.
JOHN
Seems like a funny place for a mirror.
She laughs. He looks into her eyes and she into his as he
gets up his courage...
AND THE SCENE CONTINUES...END OF EXCERPTS FOR DESERT RITES. E-mail any questions or comments to: SBittrich@aol.com