A
resort cabin near a remote coast. It is a cabin such as the ones rented for weekend escapes,
comfortable but not lavish.
There
is a bed on the right. A painting hangs above the bedstead. The painting is the portrait of a young
woman dressed in white dress. A garment box with a red silk ribbon lies on the top of the bed.
Next
to the bed, a small table with an empty champagne bucket. Upstage,
to the left, a door opens to the bathroom. The front door is on the left. Between the two doors, a
small desk and a chair. There is a jacket over the chair. A small wooden chest against a wall.
Justin Breedlove sits at the desk, engrossed in the story he is writing. He is enthusiastic,
bobbing his head up and down as ideas flash through his mind. He
puts his pen down, sits back, and seizes the sheets of paper. He
gets up from his chair and reads out loud.
JUSTIN
(Reading)
- His mind would not rest in peace, as if the most haunting fever had settled in his heart.
"She" occupied every minute of his life . . .
(He
walks past the painting.)
Hey
Beautiful.
And
the little boat steered towards the lighthouse. In front of him, a wall of edged rocks, sharper than a razor's blade . . .
Yeah!
Yeah!
The
night was thick and dark. But, from the distance, the comfort of the light made him forget the
danger.
I
love it. I love it. I love it. Love it.
Strange,
he thought, yesterday I was lost in a desert, searching for an oasis that had disappeared from the
map . . .
It's
coming back. It's coming back!
(Singing)
Water
of love deep, deep, deep in the ground.
(JUSTIN
rushes back to the desk. He scrapes something off the page and writes something else. He resumes the
reading.)
The
lighthouse's light flashed in the distance. The waves assaulted the rocks as the little dinghy hit a
well of fury. Time to rescue her had arrived.
I'm
back in the game. I’m back! Back! Back! Back! Back!
(He
punches an invisible target.)
Oh
brother, what a day!
(As
he paces the room, he notices the boxes on the bed. He checks his watch, ponders, seizes the garment
box, and flings it under the bed. He lies on top of the bed)
What
a story! What a story!
(He
blows the portrait kisses. There is a soft knock on the
front door. JUSTIN checks his watch, scans the room rapidly. He straightens the bedspread, pushes
the box under the bed with the tip of his foot, then rushes to open the door.
KATE
stands at the door, carrying a small suitcase. She looks dejected.)
Right
on time, as always. I thought you’d get lost on the way. I’m impressed.
(He
wants to take the suitcase away from her, but, after a brief unemotional hug, she heads straight to
the bed where she throws her suitcase. She inspects the room.)
Something
wrong, honey?
kate
No,
nothing . . . Just the drive . . .
(She
sits on the bed.)
gave
me a headache.
(She
opens her suitcase, grabs a pill.)
justin
Alone,
this drive can be a drag.
kate
Alone?
… Yes, I suppose.
justin
It
does get pretty windy at times, but the scenery is really breathtaking. Did you see the size of that
lighthouse?
kate
Lighthouse?
justin
How
could you miss it? It’s the biggest one on the coast.
kate
I
felt nauseous the whole way down.
justin
Is
there something wrong?
kate
It’s
nothing.
justin
You’re
a terrible liar, you know. In fact, you’re the worst liar I’ve ever met.
kate
Something
very disturbing just happened.
justin
I
knew it . . . So?
kate
Not
now.
justin
Please?
kate
I'm
tired. I’m going to take a shower. I'll feel better afterwards.
justin
(Gets
near her.)
No,
no, no no no. Not now. Just because you don’t want to talk to me doesn’t mean that I don’t
have something to tell you . . .
(She
looks around.)
What's
the matter, honey?
kate
Don't
you think this place is a rather strange choice for a romantic weekend? . . . It’s kind of spooky.
justin
(He
surveys the room.)
What
do you mean?
kate
There’s
something weird about it.
justin
(Looks
around)
It’s
nice and warm and . . . very quiet. It’s unlike you to be so bothered by things.
This drive’s got the best of you. You should have come down with me.
(Kate
looks about the room.)
A
good night sleep and you’ll feel different.
(He
waits for her to look at him.)
So
are you interested in what I have to say, or shall we let what’s bothering you spoil the whole
evening?
KATE
Just
give me time to arrive. A minute.
justin
All
right, why don’t you just tell me what happened? You’re driving me insane.
kate
I’ve
had a terrible day at work.
(Justin
looks at her askance.)
I .
. .
justin
You?
kate
I
stopped in town to get some gas.
justin
That’s
frightening.
kate
I’ve
always been there for you when you needed someone to vent your frustrations to.
justin
Okay,
I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
kate
I
overheard this old man talking . . . about this weird story. I don’t know why but it really scared
me.
justin
You
shouldn’t pay attention. People around here don’t like tourists. They would say anything to
scare you.
kate
And
the drive was so . . . so sinister. These small roads, in the middle of nowhere . . . As if you
drive on and on and never get anywhere.
justin
My
god, they did scare you.
kate
Outside
the station, this old man was telling this grim story. He was sitting on a bench, talking to a young
man from out of town.
JUSTIN
How
do you know he was from out-of-town?
kate
He
was too nicely dressed for being from around here. The old man told him to get the hell out of town,
at once. The young man smiled and asked him why. So the old man asked him if he had heard about
“The Pale Maiden.”
justin
That
would make a great title for a novel.
kate
Apparently,
at this time of the year, she seduces and kills a young man in the county.
justin
Is
this why you find this place spooky?
(He
hugs her.)
This
is non-sense. I’ve never even heard about this maiden, and I’ve known people who’ve been
coming around here for years.
kate
She
was a beautiful young woman. One day, a young man passed through town. It was love at first sight
and he proposed to her. They left together. But they had barely reached the coast when he grew
impatient. He demanded to consummate their love before getting married. She refused. So he raped her
and strangled her. But before dying, she grabbed his knife stabbed him, and disappeared. And for the
last one hundred years, more than thirty young men, all travelers, have been found stabbed to
death—without an explanation.
justin
I
didn’t know you to be such a good storyteller. Very convincing. This old man’s got a fertile
imagination . . . Did he run away? . . . The “nicely
dressed young man.”
kate
No,
but he was frightened. I could tell in his eyes.
justin
He
probably was afraid that the fog would swallow him alive . . .
(Kate
closes her suitcase.)
We’ll
find out tomorrow if he makes the headlines.
KATE
We
should go.
JUSTIN
You’ve
just arrived. There’s not an ounce of truth to this story. We’re going to have a good time.
kate
I
don't like this place.
justin
It’s
unlike you to be so gullible. You’re in such a state.
kate
You
should have seen the look the old man gave me . He had small blue piercing eyes and they grinned at
me . . . It was as if he was trying to curse me. I get shivers just thinking about it.
(Pause.)
justin
Nothing’s
going to happen.
(Kate
acts scared.)
Okay,
maybe a drink will cheer you up.
kate
I’ve
got a splitting headache.
justin
Just
a small one.
kate
Not
for me. Not now.
justin
I’ve
got something else that may help.
kate
Why
don't we go somewhere else?