Olga Boyko - The Chronicles of the Counts Dracula-Cardie. Adapted from Baron Olshevris novel «Vampires»

He bites off a pie, washes down with some tea. The teacher watches him

CHURCH WATCHMAN

(continues)

Once we were walking together on the clearing, and a big wolf jumped on me, knocked me over flat. And she, my darling Nettie, my beauty, she flew into a rage and grabbed the bastard by the scruff of his neck.

TEACHER

The dead Countess?

CHURCH WATCHMAN

(waving his hands at him)

Go on with you, all you do is confuse things! The hound, Nettie, I raised her myself; and for nothing perished the poor dog.

TEACHER

I don’t understand who you are talking about.

CHURCH WATCHMAN

(completely drunk)

I drowned her in the old well.

He gets up from the table, takes his bag on the floor near the chair

CHURCH WATCHMAN

(continues)

Well, I must go.

TEACHER

(nods and gets up from the chair)

Tomorrow Mina will clean everything

CHURCH WATCHMAN

(winks at the teacher)

Sleep well?

INT-BEDROOM IN THE TEACHER’S HOUSE – NIGHT OF THE SAME DAY

A nenufare stands in the glass of water on the table in the bedroom. The teacher stands next to it, but the flower is unmoved

TEACHER

How can I get you to come back?

He paces the room, nervous. He accidently moves the window curtain: something falls on the floor – the teacher picks up a wreath made up of dried garlic flowers and bulbs

TEACHER

(continues)

So this is the source of the stench in my room.

EXT – GARDEN OF THE VILLAGE CHURCH – SUMMER DAY

The teacher talks to the church watchman. The teacher holds a small package in his hands. The church watchman varnishes a big wooden cross

TEACHER

(stretches the package to the watchman)

Here, Mina gave the church objects.

CHURCH WATCHMAN

(points to a bench to his left)

Put it there.

TEACHER

(puts the package on the bench)

What about the hound Nettie? The Countess’ one. What happened to her?

CHURCH WATCHMAN

(turns towards him with a sly smile)

The counts had a fine pack of hunting dogs, and Nettie was the Countess’ favourite. The old American devil did away with her.

EXT – CARDIE’S CASTLE – SUMMER DAY, THE MEMORIES OF THE CHURCH WATCHMAN (PETRO)

BEGINNING OF THE MEMORIES

TITLE: 1832

Panoramic view: a terrace of the castle, there is a chapel away from it.

INT – LARGE BALCONY ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE CASTLE – SAME DAY

PETRO (as a young man, 39 years old) enters the balcony in the form of a terrace, AMERICAN SERVANT (seemingly 80 years old) meets him halfway. Petro exchanges glances with him.

NETTIE follows the American with her eyes and shakes, her fur stands on end, eyes are wild, teeth snap.

COUNTESS MARIA (26 years old) reclines pale on a couch. There is fear on her face, eyes are half-closed

COUNTESS MARIA

(groaning)

Petro…

Petro stares at the Countess, then at the dog, then at the door, after the gone servant.

EXT – GARDEN OF CARDIE’S CASTLE – SAME SUMMER DAY

American Servant moves away in the direction of the chapel. Nettie, like crazy, runs after him and goes out of sight.

END OF THE MEMORIES OF THE CHURCH WATCHMAN

EXT-VILLAGE CHURCH GARDEN-SUMMER DAYTIME, THE TEACHER’S MEMORIES

BEGINNING OF THE MEMORIES

The teacher and the church watchman talk in the church garden

TITLE: 1852

TEACHER

(sits down on the bench and adjusts the collar with his hand)

Do you think the snake bit Nettie?

CHURCH WATCHMAN

(painting a cross)

No, the snake bit Countess.

TEACHER

How could a snake get into the castle?

CHURCH WATCHMAN

(painting the cross)

From the jewel box that the old devil had brought with him.

(pause)

Don’t go to the lake.

TEACHER

Who told you that I was going to the lake?

CHURCH WATCHMAN

(throws the brush and takes off the gloves)

Where else could you dirty your boots, mud is everywhere, completely ruined.

END OF THE TEACHER’S MEMORIES

INT-ROOM IN THE VILLAGE INN – SAME NIGHT

Karl Ivanovich puts the notebook on his knees

TITLE: 1912

KARL IVANOVICH

(sorting the sheets)

Here is another interruption.

HARRY

(slouches in the armchair)

Time for bed.

Captain Wright snores in his armchair.

EXT – WITCHES” VALLEY – SAME SUMMER NIGHT

YOUNG MAN, a villager, staggers from the lake in the direction of the village.

He takes some steps and falls dead. He holds a rose-nenufare in his hand. There are drops of blood on his shirt.

EXT – CLEARING IN THE WOODS – SUMMER DAY

During the hunt Smith, Harry, James, Captain Wright, Karl Ivanovich and Georges have a picnic in a clearing under a wide-branching tree. They eat ham from big plates and drink wine out of bottles.

There are hunting trophies and guns next to them. Saddled horses graze nearby

SMITH

(pours out wine by glasses)

Mr. Harry, whole stories are told about you.

Harry lies and chews a grass blade

HARRY

Well, what kind of?

JAMES

(gives Harry a glass of wine)

They say, you’ve got a whole kingdom in America and you are a descendant of Montezuma.

Harry spits out the grass blade and takes the glass from him

CAPTAIN WRIGHT

(puts a piece of ham into his mouth)

Where did you get such information?

JAMES

The villagers say so.

He chews the ham and takes a sip from his glass of wine

HARRY

Have you already been to the village?

Harry takes a piece of ham from the plate, brought to him by Smith

CAPTAIN WRIGHT

James and I walked there in the afternoon.

He lights up a cigar

SMITH

Mr. Harry is the owner of the local castle, so they talk about him.

He sits down on the grass next to Harry and eats a piece of ham

HARRY

Karl Ivanovich will help me to become its owner.

He takes another piece of ham from Smith’s plate

KARL IVANOVICH

(wipes his hands with a napkin)

I haven’t found missing documents yet in the archive, but I have got interesting letters.

He leans back against the tree trunk and gets a batch of letters out of his bag

HARRY

These are letters from the Hunting House, we will live there until I get the castle.

KARL IVANOVICH

(unties the ribbon, which ties the letters)

The letters have an evident connection with the teacher’s diary.

INT – LIVING ROOM OF THE VENETIAN MANSION – DAYTIME

BEGINNING OF GROWN-UP CARLO’S MEMORIES

A hand of a young aristocrat writes a letter

TITLE: 1852

CARLO’S VOICE

(behind the scenes)

Dear Alf! I am able to return to my motherland, which I left as a seven-year-old boy. I still don’t know the reason for my exile from my parents’ castle.

EXT-TERRACE OF CARDIE’S CASTLE – SUMMER EVENING

BEGINNING OF YOUNG CARLO’S MEMORIES

Everybody gathered on the terrace: YOUNG CARLO (7 years old), his sister LUCY (5 years old); COUNT FREDERICK (41 year old): adult, calm, with noble manners; COUNTESS MARIA (25 years old): beautiful, graceful blonde with noble manners; PETRO (39 years old), Count Frederick’s younger brother.

Countess’ favourite greyhound, NETTIE, lies right here.

SEBASTIAN (40 years old), the servant, enters

TITLE: 1832

SEBASTIAN

An elderly gentleman wishes to speak to the Count.

COUNT FREDERICK

Call him.

Sebastian leaves

The old grey-haired gentleman, seemingly 80 years old, AMERICAN SERVANT (aka American Grandfather) enters the terrace.

AMERICAN SERVANT: seemingly 80 years old, aristocratic bearing and manners, tall, thin-faced, is a bit haughty. He has got reddish eyes and crimson lips on the pale face. He wears a long religious habit.