Thus Spake Turkey Contest Entries

[Mark Somers]

WISHBONE


FADE IN:

EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT

A horn blast. Tires squealing against wet pavement.

A rusted flatbed truck, loaded with stacks of wooden crates,
fishtails through the intersection, narrowly missing a white
T-bird.

The truck jerks left, then right, causing one of the crates
to catapult through the air.

The crate crashes against the sidewalk, tumbling and skidding
until it collides against a bench where the rumpled form of
a HOMELESS MAN lies under a cardboard box, huddled against
the pelting rain.

INT. WOODEN CRATE - NIGHT

Loose feathers and dust particles float past alternating
horizontal bars of light and dark.

A few seconds of silence, then a raspy, two-pack a day,
voice...

RASPY VOICE (O.S.)
Ow, **** that hurt.

The head of a turkey appears, silhouetted against the white
and dark horizontal bars.

TURKEY
Hey man, wake up!

EXT. CITY STREET BENCH - NIGHT

The Homeless Man twitches.

A soggy edge of the makeshift roof lifts, exposing a grimy,
haggard face. A bloodshot eye shifts left, then right.

HOMELESS MAN
Get out! This is my corner.

Snort, cough, then a large mucosal projectile splatters onto
sidewalk. The grizzled face disappears under the cardboard.

INT. WOODEN CRATE - NIGHT

The Turkey shakes his head, murmuring...

TURKEY
****! Okay, whatever.

EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT

A red beak squeezes between the wooden slats of the crate.

TURKEY
Look, I need your help. If you could
just open this thing and let me out.

A feathery wing tip appears, pointing to a metal latch on
the side of the crate.

The indigent lies there, snoring.

A pigeon lands on top of the cage.

TURKEY
Dude, trust me. I don't want your
little spot of heaven. Come on, just
let me outta here.

INT. WOODEN CRATE - NIGHT

The Turkey pounds his wing against the wood slats.

TURKEY
Dammit!

EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT

The startled pigeon flies away.

EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT

A bus plows into a puddle, washing the crate with a slushy
wave of water.

INT. WOODEN CRATE - NIGHT

Water drips from the wooden slats. The Turkey slumps to the
floor.

TURKEY
Great, just ****ing great. Now I'm
gonna freeze to death in some shithole
next to a wino.

The Turkey stands, head slumped.

TURKEY
Uh, sorry, didn't mean that. It's
just that I don't have much time.
It's my girl.

EXT. CITY STREET BENCH - NIGHT

The Homeless Man shifts, turning his back to the crate.

TURKEY
I gotta get back to her before...

A police siren wails.

TURKEY
I'll make you a deal. Get me back to
the farm, and I'll swipe some of the
old man's booze...wine, whiskey,
vodka...what ever the **** you want.

EXT. CITY STREET BENCH - NIGHT

The man lifts his head.

HOMELESS MAN
Johnny Walker Red...

EXT. AMISH POULTRY FARM - NIGHT

Two shadows dart past a farmhouse window.

The Homeless Man and Turkey hide inside the barn, sitting on
a pile of hay next to a shovel and ax.

The Homeless Man takes out a bottle of whiskey, takes a swig,
passes it to the Turkey.

TURKEY
By the way, name's Tom. Yours?

HOMELESS MAN
You can call me B.B.

TOM/TURKEY
So how'd you end up like this?

B.B. takes another hit from the bottle.

B.B./HOMELESS MAN
String of bad luck. Wife's death
last year pushed me over the edge.

TOM
Sorry to hear that. I really
appreciate this. Wait here, I'll be
back in a bit.

Tom struts into the shadows of the barn.

A latch clinks open, followed by a creaking hinge.

Avian passion. Rustling feathers, muffled gobbles.

A coyote howls in the distance.

Tom and a hen turkey emerge from the shadows.

TOM
(to Homeless Man)
Hey, I'd like you to meet my girl,
Jibby.

B.B.
Pleasure. Why weren't you with the
rest?

JIBBY
Refused to eat, too skinny. They
were hopin' I'd fatten up for the
Christmas harvest.

TOM
Genius, huh? We're makin' a run for
the petting zoo in Freemont.

Jibby points to the whiskey bottle.

JIBBY
Mind if I have a hit of that?

The B.B. passes the bottle.

TOM
You know, I meant to ask how your
wife died.

B.B.
Freak accident. Thanksgiving dinner.
Ten minutes in, she started choking.
We tried everything to save her.

JIBBY
Oh my God, that's horrible. Did they
find out what it was?

B.B. rises, takes a step toward the shovel and ax.

B.B.
Big woman, liked her food. She was
chewin' on a drumstick... best part
of the turkey... when a bone went
down with some of the meat. Sharp
end lodged in her windpipe.

Tom and Jibby glance at one another, slowly backing toward
the barn door.

JIBBY
Wow, that's so sad.

TOM
Yeah, tough break, man. Well listen,
we should get goin'.

B.B. shuffles to the barn door, coming between it and the
two anxious turkeys.

B.B.
You know, all this reminiscing done
my heart some good. Used to always
have a Johnny Walker before
Thanksgivin' dinner.

EXT. CITY PARK - NIGHT

A pile of broken wood slats lies to the side of large bonfire.

Flames dance upward, searing fat droplets dripping from the
carcasses of two turkeys skewered on an ax handle.

EXT. CITY STREET BENCH - NIGHT

B.B. lounges on the bench, feet outstretched, holding a juice
jar filled with whiskey.

Next to him, a hand-scrawled sign:

"Happy Thanksgiving. Roasted Turkey. $0.50 per slice.
Drumsticks, free."

FADE OUT:

[Mark Somers]

WE SHALL OVERCOME (Part 1 of 2)

[Mark Somers]

WE SHALL OVERCOME (Part 2 of 2)

[Mark Somers]

HALLOWEEN


EXT. STREET

Alice walks quickly along the dark and rainy busy street.

Her curvaceous twenty something physique is highlighted by
her rain soaked clothes, and the pace at which she walks.

She keeps her head down, only glancing up to check for traffic
as she crosses the street.

Suddenly she stops dead in her tracks as she hears a loud
clap of thunder. A truck screeches to a halt in front of
her.

She steps onto the footpath.

A female voice calls her name sharply.

VOICE
Alice!

Alice looks around, but people just walk past her. Again,
the sound of thunder claps in her head.

Alice continues along the street and enters the foyer of a
large building.

INT. BUILDING/FOYER

She shakes out her hair, and collects herself.

The voice speaks to her again, softly this time.

VOICE
Say Thankyou Alice.

She breathes heavily as though suddenly in fear, and quickly
approaches the elevator.

She gets in,

INT. ELEVATOR

Her eyes widen with shock as the thunder claps again, echoed
by the elevator walls. The doors close. Droplets of rain
still drip from her brow.

VOICE
Now….now….now… She presses a number
and the elevator moves. Alice tries
to stay calm.

INT. LAB

The doors open onto a laboratory. Some areas are brightly
lit, others in darkness, with just screens. Alice walks
towards a man in a lab coat, JOHN, who is looking at some
head x-rays.

He looks over at her and smiles.

JOHN
Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.

He reaches his arm to her and kisses her on the cheek. He
takes off his coat and throws it over a chair, picks up his
work case, and they walk back to the elevator. He strokes
her wet hair.

JOHN
Did you walk?

She looks at him.

VOICE
Alice?

He notices her strangeness.

JOHN
Did you take your medication?

Alice doesn’t respond.

JOHN
Alice?

She calls out her own name loudly.

ALICE
Alice?

He sighs.

JOHN
Alice, are you here?

The elevator doors open and they enter the foyer.

INT. FOYER

He guides her towards the door and out onto the street.

EXT. STREET

The rain continues lightly as he bustles her down the street.

JOHN
Maybe there’s time.

He hurries her into a parked car and gets in.

INT. CAR

He fiddles around and finds a bottle of pills, takes out two
and passes them to her.

She swallows them and sits staring through the windscreen.

JOHN
Just stay calm.

He strokes her hair. He presses her head against his shoulder.

JOHN
Just rest.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a turkey’s body is slammed against
the windscreen. Blood radiates outward from its horrified
eyes staring in at them.

John and Alice jump, John quickly opens the car door and
Alice screams as he pulls her out by her arm.

He holds her close to him as he mingles in with passers by.
Another turkey falls with force onto the footpath in front
of them, the sounds of bones snapping as it lands.

John is horrified, he quickly steers Alice around it..

ALICE
It’s happening again.

Alice covers her ears and closes her eyes tightly.

They re-enter the building.

INT. FOYER

John pushes her into the elevator,

INT. ELEVATOR

He presses the button.

Something bangs against the elevator walls, hard enough to
sharply dint the metal inwards. A turkey’s beak protrudes
through the metal. Another, then another, from all directions.

John clutches Alice as the elevator rises. It stops and opens.

INT. LAB

They hurry towards his desk. He pulls a drawer open and
removes a syringe. He injects Alice. Her body starts to jerk
uncontrollably, others in the lab move closely around.

JOHN
I really have had quite a lot of
problems with this one.

Alice becomes limp, two other lab workers half drag her
towards a table and lay her on it.

John places electrodes at various positions around her
forehead.

INT. CAR

Alice wakes with her head still against John’s shoulder.

JOHN
Feeling better?

She smiles.

ALICE
Much. What day is it?

JOHN
You don’t want to know.

He opens the car door.

JOHN
Let’s eat, I’m starving.

Alice follows him out of the car.

EXT. STREET

The rain has long stopped and sunlight glistens on the wet
road.

ALICE
Is it Halloween?

JOHN
No, it’s Thanks Giving.

Alice grabs his arm as she walks next to him.

ALICE
Oh, stop teasing.

JOHN
Just be thankful I carry your
medication.

[Mark Somers]

GOBBLE, GOBBLE...


FADE IN:

EXT. BARNYARD - DAY

JESSICA, (ten years old), leads a flock of turkeys across
the yard. She scoops up a handful of cracked grain from a
pail and flings the grain ahead of the flock.

Grains bounce upon the packed earth. Birds rush forward to
peck at the ground. Turkey heads turn to find the grains and
peck at the ground again.

JESSICA
Dummies.

Jessica grabs another handful of grain and flings it up into
the air, ahead of the flock.

Grain falls in an extended shower. Excitement grips the
turkeys, as bouncing grains resemble jumping insects. Turkeys
rush forward in a stampede. Wings flail, and bodies collide,
in a rush to feed upon the new fallen manna.

Jessica giggles at the confusion that she has created.

As the grains disappear, turkey heads rise to gaze skyward
and towards Jessica. A few birds approach Jessica but keep
their distance. Jessica spins the pail about, from hand to
hand, and around her back, to tease the hungry birds.

JESSICA
This is your last meal, and, then--
(draws her finger
across her throat)
It's the chopping block.
(with deliberate malice)
You're all goin' ta die.

A large TOM-TURKEY struts forward and lets loose a loud
gobble. The flock replies with a flurry of gobbles. Jessica
tosses the pail high into the air above the flock.

JESSICA
Any last wishes?

A blinding flash of lightning.

The pail clatters onto the ground in the midst of the flock.
Turkeys scatter, then investigate, the empty pail.

The tom-turkey struts forward. His tail-feathers spread out
in an avian display. He raises his head to utter a cry.

TOM-TURKEY
Gobble, gobble, one of us!

The FLOCK responds.

THE FLOCK
Gobble, gobble, one of us!

A fat HEN-TURKEY pokes her head up from the pile of clothing
that Jessica had worn.

The tom-turkey struts forward.

TOM-TURKEY
Gobble, gobble, one of us!

The HEN-TURKEY rushes away into the barn.

INT. BARN - DAY

Sparks fly from the whirring grindstone. GRANDPA lifts the
blade of a hatchet up for an inspection of his handiwork.

The fat hen-turkey enters the barn.

HEN-TURKEY
Gobble, gobble.

The hen-turkey sees Grandpa and chirps plaintively. Grandpa
sets the hatchet down. He looks at the hen-turkey.

GRANDPA
Jessica, come here.

The hen-turkey raises its head and comes up to Grandpa.

Grandpa grabs the hen-turkey by its neck, in one hand, and
grabs up the hatchet, with his other hand.

GRANDPA
(calls out)
Jessica, I got one here for our
dinner. Come and pluck it.

EXT. BARNYARD - DAY

A flock of turkeys wander about, pecking the ground.

GRANDPA (O.S.)
(louder)
Jessica.

The turkeys gobble in unison.

FADE OUT: