Tad Williams - A Stark And Wormy Knight

OUNG JANICE

I don’t want to think about him. Maybe I should just go home — I don’t feel very good. Besides, my mom didn’t answer the phone, so I couldn’t tell her I was staying at Kimmy’s. She’ll be pissed if she comes back and I’m not there.

YOUNG ERIC

What are you talking about? You already called her. Jesus, Janice, you call her again and she’ll know you’re high.

YOUNG JANICE

I called her already? Really? (looks distraught)

Is that cause I’m tripping? I don’t like this stuff, Eric. I want to come down.

ERIC puts and arm around her, leads her back downstairs.

YOUNG ERIC

I think there’s some of that sinsemillan left. We should have a couple of hits, mellow us out…

As they reach the bottom of the stairs, BRENT suddenly lurches into view, holding a monstrous pile of records; some are slipping out of their jackets onto the floor, but he doesn’t even notice.

YOUNG BRENT

I figured it out. It’s okay. It’s all handled.

YOUNG JANICE

What are you talking about?

YOUNG BRENT

See, I was thinking, “Stairway to Heaven”, but that’s so obvious, but Jimmy Page used to play in the Yardbirds, just like Clapton, and Clapton was in Blind Faith. And “Yardbird” means “prisoner”, see?

YOUNG ERIC

You need to calm down, man.

YOUNG BRENT

No, no, you’re not thinking. You remember that Blind Faith song, “Sea of Joy”? Get how it connects? Because “Sea” is not only “Sea” like “ocean”, but it’s “C” like “Clapton” and also “Crimson”, right? “Court of the Crimson King”, and that’s the devil, right, the devil’s court — that’s hell. So how do you get out of hell, that’s the Stairway to Heaven. Blind Faith. So it’s also “C” like “see” — seeing. With your eyes. You have to just… close your eyes, and you’ll get out. We’ll all get out, someday, even… even if it takes a thousand years. (a long pause; BRENT looks haunted)

Don’t you get it?

Before ERIC or JANICE can answer, the FRONT DOOR swings open. TOPHER stands framed in it, feet wide apart, head down, face obscured by dangling hair. When he lifts it, we see that his face is streaked with dirt and scratches and his eyes are wild and lost.

TOPHER

It’s… getting too big…

He staggers forward, raising his hand to his friends. He looks so deranged that ERIC, JANICE and BRENT all step back from him.

TOPHER (cont.) (a moment of focus; a cracked smile)

Hey, Erky, check it out. (sings)

“‘Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener, everyone would be in love with me… ”

He suddenly stumbles and falls to his knees in front of them, head back, this time the eyes rolled up until only the whites show. TOPHER (cont.) (almost whispering)

Help me…

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. — PIERSON HOUSE, NOW — NIGHT

ADULT ERIC stands by himself on the front porch of the house. He looks around. There’s no one in sight, no lights but the strong glow of a full moon. The house itself is dark, too, and everything is dead silent. ERIC takes a breath, opens the front door and steps through. He is tensed, but moonlight streaming through the windows shows the house is stripped, EMPTY.

Coming up from silence, slowly, is T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong”. As ERIC hears it, he shudders and turns to locate the sound of the noise, and as he turns the MUSIC and LIGHT and MOVEMENT all EXPLODE simultaneously. “Bang a Gong” is playing earsplittingly loud, and the room is suddenly the LIVING ROOM, CIRCA 1976. But this time, the ADULT ERIC is right in the middle, a witness to everything, including the younger version of himself.

ADULT ERIC stands in the middle of the floor, blinking, astonished, as YOUNG TOPHER collapses to the floor and YOUNG ERIC, YOUNG BRENT, and YOUNG JANICE stand staring.

YOUNG ERIC

Oh, man, why did you take that shit?

As he bends over TOPHER, who is shaking violently, JANICE grabs at YOUNG ERIC’s arm. Y

OUNG JANICE

We have to call an ambulance.

YOUNG BRENT

No fucking way. The cops will be all over this place!

YOUNG JANICE

He might be dying!

YOUNG ERIC

Topher? Can you hear me, man? You’re just tripping.

YOUNG JANICE

We have to get him to a doctor!

YOUNG ERIC

Topher?

TOPHER looks up, ragged and pale, but suddenly smiling.

TOPHER

Tripping? You wish, man. I’m… I’m becoming.

YOUNG ERIC

Let me help you…

He reaches down to pull TOPHER to his feet, but TOPHER simply shrugs and is three feet to one side. He has MOVED INSTANTANOUSLY, like a jump-cut. YOUNG ERIC is holding empty air. He is stunned, and looks up at the others. YOUNG JANICE is blankly terrified. YOUNG BRENT suddenly turns away, scuttling toward the stereo.

YOUNG BRENT

I definitely gotta put something else on…

He takes off T. Rex with a jagged scratch and begins scrambling among the albums scattered all over the floor.

ADULT ERIC has been watching this. Now he takes a step forward toward his younger self, reaching out as if to take himself in his own arms, but ADULT ERIC’s hand passes right through YOUNG ERIC, who is still staring after TOPHER.

YOUNG ERIC

What… what’s going on?

YOUNG TOPHER

Don’t touch me, Erky. You can’t stop it.

YOUNG JANICE

Topher, you’re scaring me…

She cautiously reaches toward him, as though he might be hot to the touch, but TOPHER is suddenly GONE again, having moved instantaneously to the base of the stairway leading upstairs.

ADULT ERIC (shouts)

Just get out of the house! (no one can hear him; his face crumples in misery)

Get Kimmy…

YOUNG BRENT

Topher, man, I couldn’t find the Sabbath, but check this out! You love this! You love this, man!

The choppy opening licks of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile” come out of the speakers.

YOUNG BRENT (cont.)

Just sit down and listen to Jimi, man.

YOUNG TOPHER (a big grin)

Listen to him? I’m talking to him, bro! I’m talking to all the dead people…

TOPHER turns and makes his way up the stairs into the darkness.

YOUNG ERIC

It’s the acid. I didn’t see it. It’s the acid. It’s the acid…

YOUNG JANICE

What are we going to do? We have to call an ambulance, the police, something… (sudden realization)

Where’s Kimmy?

ADULT ERIC turns to YOUNG JANICE, who cannot see or hear him. Tears are in his eyes. ADULT ERIC

I’m sorry, Jan-Jan. Oh, God, I’m so sorry. It was all my fault.

YOUNG ERIC looks up at the mention of KIMMY. A look of guilt flashes across his face. YOUNG ERIC

Kimmy’s fine. She’s fine. I think… she went out walking. Yeah, she’s out in front. YOUNG JANICE

I can’t stand this! I feel like things are crawling all over me. Eric, what are we going to do about Topher? ADULT ERIC

I’m so, so sorry…

YOUNG ERIC

It’s okay. We’re all tripping — we’re just high, having a bit of a freak-out. Stay with me. Stay with me. It’ll be okay. Y

OUNG JANICE (wanting to believe)

You think so? Will you put your arms around me? I’m really scared.

YOUNG ERIC wraps his arms around her and they stand swaying in the middle of the living room.

ADULT ERIC slowly reaches his hand out to the two of them, then lets it drop as we SLOW DISSOLVE TO:

INT. — PIERSON HOUSE, NOW — NIGHT, SAME TIME

ADULT JANICE stands in a darkened, deserted hallway of the present-day house, moonlight coming in through the windows. A few objects left when the house was emptied and some windblown leaves lie on the floors. After a moment, she hears a sniffling sound — someone CRYING. Frightened, she makes her way slowly down the hallway, listening, until she stops in front of one of the doors. She opens that door, but instead of a room, there’s ANOTHER HALLWAY — incredibly long, equally dark, with a huddled shape sitting at the far end. The crying is louder.