Victoria's Ghost Story

-1Victoria’s Ghost Story A short script by L.D. Willis

L.D. Willis 206-426-7480 phone/fax [email protected]

Copyright 2003 Revised May 7, 2009

-2FADE IN: EXT. SIDEWALK – DAY JOSE, a teenage boy bebops down the street with an earful of psychedelic funk metal a la FISHBONE. As he mimics a drum solo and turns the corner, he runs smack dab into a MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN carrying a grocery bag full of tomatoes. The COLLISION sends the woman to the ground and the bag of tomatoes flailing out of her hands, with tomatoes splattering and rolling all over the street. JOSE Hey, I’m sorry ‘bout that. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (re: damaged tomatoes) Oh my, such a waste. A lugubrious situation. indeed. Well, don’t just stand there. Help me. Where are your manners? Jose turns off the CD player and rushes to her aid. When he extends a hand the woman takes him by surprise and pulls him hard to the ground beside her. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT’D) You didn’t see that one coming did you? JOSE Dude, why’d you do that? I was only trying to help. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN I beg your pardon. Do I look like a dude to you? JOSE Hey, it’s just a MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (interrupting) stupid thing to say to a lady.

-3Jose sighs and throws up his hands. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT’D) Besides, if you were really concerned about being a conscientious citizen you would remain alert as to where you are going at all times. That is the lesson I hope that you take with you today. A beat. Jose ponders the statement and then looks around dumbfounded. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT’D) Are you all right? JOSE There’s still some good ones leftones that didn’t get all squashed. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Yes, that is truly a positive attitude. They locate and retrieve undamaged tomatoes. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT’D) (wiping tomatoes on dress) Still intact. Perfect. JOSE Hey, if you don’t mind me asking. Whatta you doing with so many of them anyway? MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Well, I don’t know if I should tell you. JOSE (tossing tomato in bag) Oh come on? Whatta you making? Some kind of foreign stew that calls for fifty tomatoes? The middle-age woman stops and looks him firmly in the eyes. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN I use them as a moisturizer for the skin. I bathe with them and rub the juices all over my naked body.

-4JOSE That’s wild stuff. You’re kidding right? MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN I most certainly am not. Go ahead and touch my cheek. It’s as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Jose is hesitant at first but then tentatively runs his fingers along her cheek. JOSE Wow, nice. Right on. Tomato juice. Mi madre would love it. I gotta tell her. Bueno. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Actually, dear boy, I would prefer you didn’t. I hate to sound vain but it’s a personal technique that I do not wish to share with the rest of the world. It makes me unique. She adjusts the belt string around her summer dress and fans out the wrinkles. Intermittently she catches him admiring her figure. He looks away every time she looks up. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT'D) Exactly how old are you? JOSE Seventeen and a half. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Really, what half is that? He smiles awkwardly, takes a few steps backwards and squashes a tomato under his sneakers in the process. JOSE Sorry. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN They can’t all be saved. JOSE (wiping nose nervously and toe tapping) Uhm, how old . . .how old are you?

-5MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Interesting. The display of histrionics is very amusing. JOSE Huh? MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Histrionicsthe toe tapping, the wiping of the nose and hand movementall affectations of your nervousness regarding asking my age. JOSE Well, girls don’t usually like MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (interrupting) We have already established that I am not a dude. Let’s further establish I am not a girl. I am a lady, okay? A remarkable lady of substance. How old do I look? She bends down at his feet to pick up a tomato that has rolled in the path along the sidewalk between his legs. Her face is lined up against his crotch in the process. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT'D) Please, spread your legs a little. There’s something I need. JOSE (spreading legs) Oh, another good one. How many does that make? The middle-age woman picks up the tomato between his legs and tosses it into the grocery bag, which she gathers in her arms. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (scouring contents of bag) Nearly a dozen. I’ll have to make do, I suppose. Perhaps not a full bath. By the way I’m fortyfive years of age and I feel as fit as I did at the tender age of twenty-three.

-6JOSE . . . Something very weird about you . . . In a good way . . .Everything seems so perfect. You’re like the perfect lady. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Wrinkle free. He is unsure of what to do or say next. She grabs him and kisses him lightly on the side of his face. JOSE Far out. INT. HOUSE – NIGHT Exotic home with antique furniture and a Mediterranean feel. JOSE (CONT’D) This place is so . . . The middle-age woman returns with a tray of miniature sandwiches and a glass of milk. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN I think the word you’re looking for is extravagant. JOSE Actually, I was gonna say dope but extravagant is good. He takes a couple of sandwiches from the tray and sits on the couch. She stands and watches him eat. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Have you ever thought about expanding your vocabulary? A young man should be well read and well versed. JOSE Uh, can you teach me?

-7MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Not can, can means to be able to. I have the facilities and presence of mind to do so. You mean will I teach you. JOSE Oh, yeah. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (smiling) Consider that your first lesson. She places the tray down and takes a seat next to him on the couch. She places her hand on his kneww. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT’D) As your mentor I naturally expect for you to be arduous in your training. I value hard work and slackers don’t appeal to me. JOSE (stuffing sandwiches in mouth) Oh yeah, sure. I’ll work hard. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Very hard. JOSE Yeah, right. Oh, I got a summer gig at a local video store so I can pay you a little something for your services. You see, I kinda wanna go to college. My grades aren’t that bad. I got a respectable C average and all. And I guess I could use some social graces. Not too much though. I don’t wanna start sipping tea with my pinky finger or nothing like that. You could be like, my tutor or something? MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Well, money is the last thing on my mind. Money bores me. There’s a charming story I’d like to tell you one day. It happened when I was twentythree but I’ll save that for later.

-8She squeezes his leg hard and he flinches. She holds the glass of milk to his mouth and pours it down his throat. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT’D) That’s a good boy. It really does do the body good. Some milk drips down his chin and she licks it off with her tongue. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT’D) Don’t be alarmed. I have everything under control. JOSE (pulling away) This is a little, uhm . . . Maybe I should go. He puts down the glass of milk and gets up to leave put she pushes him back on the couch. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN You should definitely stay. She moves her hand further towards his crotch. ON HIM as sweat forms on his forehead and he starts to breathe a little heavier. HER HAND explores his genital area and at the moment she begins to stroke his crotch he closes his eyes and relaxes. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT’D) Please forgive me if I appear abrasive or abrupt. You must think me ridiculously foolish but this is what excites me not money. The hard nubile body of the male of the species has always been fascinating. Most people think the male body is mainly utilitarian, not given to true beauty or form and purely functional but I disagree.

-9Her strokes become more fierce and rapid. His breathing escalates and he moans gently under her attack. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT’D) Every day for the next two weeks, immediately after you leave your job at the video store, you are to report to me. Of course you are not allowed to tell anyone of this. Society has all these conventions and well, we simply don’t need the scrutiny. You’re seventeen and a half after all. You’re a man not a boy. You must think like a man and put away childish things. If you do as I say I will let you into my world. I’m well traveled and well versed. And in my many years on this planet I have encountered many thrills. I want to bring them to you. Enliven you with them. I want to make your heart race with the anticipation of language and story. Now tell me, do we have a deal? JOSE Yeah. Deal. Uh-huh. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN That’s exactly what I want to hear. HER HANDS unzip his pants. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT’D) I learned an old trick pertaining to this delectable task in Thailand. There are Thai women who could suck a bowling ball through a straw and I was eager to learn the gift. She bends down to take him in her mouth. INT. VIDEO VOYEUR – DAY At the cashier Jose scans two videos from LOLA, a teenage girl. JOSE Hey, that’s a cool movie you got. I mean, crazy cool.

-10LOLA Which one? JOSE Zombie Lords From Outer Space. It’s like a death race through time that pits the zombie lords against rival bandits. It’s awesome. Nervously, she blushes and puts twenty-dollars on the counter. JOSE (CONT’D) (picking up second movie) Victoria’s Ghost. It just came in last week. (reads back cover synopsis) Looks a little fancy, like in ancient times when the women dressed in like four layers of clothes and shit. You know. . . LOLA The Victorian period. JOSE Yeah, that’s right. Anyway, that’ll be five dollars and they’re due back on Thursday at noon. He gives her the remaining balance of fifteen dollars. When he puts the money in her hands he holds on longingly with a sly grin. LOLA What are you doing? JOSE Oh sorry, I guess I was daydreaming. I got caught up in your pretty face. Muy bonita, senorita. She blushes and takes the money. JOSE (CONT’D) Red heads drive me crazy. . . An IRATE CUSTOMER interrupts.

-11IRATE CUSTOMER Excuse me but how long is this going to go on? I didn’t know this place doubled as a dating service. Embarrassed, Lola steps to the side. JOSE Mr. this is an attitude free zone so chill the fuck out. Now what can I do you for? IRATE CUSTOMER Jeez, you make no sense. Anyway, I’ve been looking all over the shelves for Summer at Gloucestershire. It is part Welsh and part Finnish. JOSE Sorry, we don’t keep that Eurotrash here. IRATE CUSTOMER But you didn’t even look it up on the computer. JOSE I don’t have to. I keep everything in stock right here(pointing to head). It’s all indexed in the lockbox of my cranium. IRATE CUSTOMER Where’s the manager? I don’t have to take ridicule from a juvenile delinquent. Lola, steps forward. IRATE CUSTOMER (CONT’D) Oh so you want to defend him now, right? LOLA Don’t call the manager. It’s a big hassle anyway. You can get Summer at Gloucestershire five blocks down at Rainbow Video. They carry more artsy type films. Why waste your time complaining when you could be on your way to the get the video?

-12Jose gives her a glowing look of approval. The irate customer turns away and is about to leave when something comes over him and he turns around briefly. IRATE CUSTOMER I don’t like it here anymore. In fact He rips membership card as he leaves and scatters the pieces. JOSE Jerk-off. Some people really piss me off. (to girl) Hey, thanks for saving my ass. The last thing I need is a bad report. How did you know his movie was at Rainbow Video? LOLA I work there. We have all the Eurotrash anyone could ever want. What’s your name? JOSE Jose. What’s yours? LOLA If I tell you do you promise not to sing that song? My name reminds people of a song so if I tell you just don’t sing it. JOSE I promise. LOLA It’s Lola, all right. JOSE Right on, Lo-la-. La-la-la-la Lola. Just like cherry Co-la. Ah man, I love the Kinks. LOLA But you promised? JOSE Sorry. How about I close up here in fifteen and we go for an ice cream sundae?

-13EXT. VIDEO VOYEUR – DAY Jose locks the doors and puts his arm around Lola. As they walk away, from ACROSS THE STREET MIDDE-AGE WOMAN POV – JOSE & LOLA She becomes furious. Her eyes turn a blaring red and STRANGE SOUNDS filter through her mind. From nowhere A GUST OF WIND encircles her. INT. ICE CREAM PARLOR - DAY Jose and Lola enjoy super duper ice cream sundaes with all the trimmings. LOLA This is nice. She picks up the cherry on top and sticks it in his mouth. JOSE Cherry any one . . . He swallows and leans across the table to kiss her. When their lips meet unbeknownst to him the middle-age woman appears in front of the entrance and he hers her voice. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (V.O.) Darling . . . Darling it’s me. Stop it now or she's a dead little girl. All of a sudden he pulls away, in despair and grabs his head. He rushes to the door but she is not there. LOLA What is it? Did I do something wrong? He looks down at his watch and then in her direction. JOSE I’m sorry. I gotta go. I got a headache.

-14He leaves her there alone. INT. OPERA – NIGHT The middle-age woman is dressed in a beautiful evening gown. Jose has on a tuxedo. They peer out from the UPPER BOX onto the stage where Don Giovanni is being performed. JOSE (CONT’D) What is this opera about again? MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Mozart’s Don Giovanni is a great classic dear boy. It’s the Spanish legend of the rogue playboy Don Juan. He is the subject of operas and plays by Moliere and George Bernard Shaw. Even Lord Byron wrote an epic poem about him. JOSE Oh yeah Don Juan. He was supposed to be some kind of great lover. I think we have a flick with Johnny Depp about him at the store. He was like that White guy Rudolph Valentino in those old movies. A real Romeo, right? MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Don Juan was a seducer of many women. He used his charm to lull and manipulate them. They were simply putty in his hands and his machinations of evil knew no bound. She reaches over and places her hand on his inner thigh. CUT TO: INT. BATHROOM – LATER Jose sits on the commode with his tuxedo pants around his knees while the middle-age woman straddles him. Her evening gown is like a shroud over him.

-15MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT’D) Did you like the opera? I was so proud of you being so extremely attentive. I wanted to reward you immediately. You deserve something nice. JOSE It was a little boring and my ass was kinda tired just sitting there but I guess it was all right. I don’t like all that singing though. People just going arounnd bursting out into song. Seems silly. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN How is your ass now? JOSE Oh it feels real g-o-o-d. The middle-age woman rams her tongue in his mouth and smears lipstick everywhere as she rides him faster. JOSE (CONT’D) But what if we get caught? MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Don’t worry, I have wonderful powers of persuasion, just like Don Giovanni. INT. HOUSE – NIGHT The middle-age woman pours Jose a cup of tea. JOSE I can’t wait to get out of this monkey suit. I feel like an idiot. He undoes his tie and takes off his suit jacket. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Nonsense. You look adorable. All boys of culture need to feel comfortable in a tuxedo. That is why you’re here. You want to learn, correct?

-16JOSE (drinking) Yeah, well I don’t think she’d be proud about the other thing. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Now we mustn’t talk about that. Would you like to stay the night? Tentatively, he grabs his suit jacket and heads for the door. JOSE Uhm, I better go. I don’t want mi madre to flip out or nothing. Thanks for the opera and the, well, you know. He is out the door when he pauses and turns back to her. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Change your mind? JOSE I heard crazy voices today. I thought I was going to go nuts. It was this pounding in my head. It hurt sooo bad. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN Oh dear boy, maybe you should see a doctor. After all, strange auditory signs in your head are the first indication of senility. She shuts the door in his face. INT. VIDEO VOYEUR – DAY A CROWD OF CUSTOMERS peruse the bins for bargain videos. A MOTHER drags her SON through the melee and to the counter. MOTHER (holds up video) How much is this?

-17JOSE They’re all $5.00. It’s a red dot sale like the sign says. Up there . . . He points to a INSERT – SIGN hanging from the rafters: “ALL RED DOT VIDEO SALES – $5.00” BACK TO SCENE SON $14.95 divided by two equals 7.475. The mother slaps the boy on the back of the head. MOTHER Didn’t I tell you about doing math in public? She takes out a ten and gives it to Jose. After the transaction they leave and the next customer in line is Lola. JOSE Hey, Lola. I didn’t notice you’d come in. LOLA Just like you didn’t notice how upset I was when you walked out on me over ice cream. What was that about? Was I that bad a kisser? JOSE No, it was me. Something was banging away at my head and I didn’t feel so good. LOLA Oh. You know my sister gets terrible migraines. She’s on all kinds of medication. I’m the lucky one in the family. I never get sick. Look, I only came here to see you . . . and to bring back my rentals. I’m having a come-as-you-are party at my house Saturday night. I’d love to see you there.

-18JOSE Right on. It’s a date. Thanks for giving me a second chance. LOLA Everyone deserves a second chance. The night of the party I'll swing by and pick you up after work. My father's giving me the keys to the family station wagon, oh boy. I shouldn't complain though, it's better than nothing. Next year for my eighteenth birthday I'm getting a car of my own. I'm psyched. JOSE Hey, did you like the Zombie Lords movie? LOLA Of course. JOSE It was gross right? But really cool though, right? Definitely far out. LOLA It was like those monster movies the studios used to make back in the Fifties. Like The Blob. I couldn’t eat watching it. Yeah, it was fun fantasy entertainment but that other movie, that Victoria’s Ghost, it was even creepier because it seemed so real. It was this gothic tale about a woman who comes back from the grave to find a mate. JOSE A ghost story, cool. LOLA This woman, she was an heiress when she was murdered at twenty three on her way to see her lover. But it turns out her lover was really her— JOSE Her what?

-19LOLA You gotta see it for yourself—but leave the lights on. It’s a great big chill. INT. APARTMENT – NIGHT Jose slips the VIDEOTAPE into the VCR and plops down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. EXTREME CLOSE-UP ON SCREEN - A YOUNG HEIRESS’S FACE JOSE Crazy ass camera work. He stuffs his mouth full of popcorn. YOUNG HEIRESS (on TV) The tale you are about to see is very much real . . . I was an heiress . . . am an heiress. I am the illegitimate daughter of Grigory Yefimovich Novykh, known to most of the world as Rasputin, the mad monk. JOSE Oh shit, I gotta have a history lesson too? Just bring on the blood and guts already. YOUNG HEIRESS (on TV) My mother was a duchess of Lithuania and she and my father met one night at a Black Sabbath. I was the product of that torrid affair . . . JOSE I hate history! YOUNG HEIRESS (on TV) . . . Those who view my story will never be able to forget it as long as they live. If they live . . .

-20CAMERA PULLS BACK TO CAPTURE EXTENDED BODY OF YOUNG HEIRESS YOUNG HEIRESS (CONT’D) (on TV) Especially you Jose . . . HE DROPS THE BOWL OF POPCORN, PAUSES THE TAPE AND MOVES CLOSER TO THE TV JOSE What the fuck?! That’s some crazy shit! He sits back on the couch, un-pauses the tape and watches nervously. YOUNG HEIRESS (on TV) . . . Did you just see a ghost, lover? With mouth agape, he shakes his head “yes”. INT. APARTMENT – NIGHT ON JOSE naked and asleep in the bed. AN APPARITION OF THE YOUNG HEIRESS ON THE VIDEO floats toward him and smothers him. His body begins to heave as his breath is slowly sucked away. He awakes and GASPS for breath. JOSE Who's there?! Show yourself! DISEMBODIED LAUGHTER ensues and the middle-age woman appears. JOSE (CONT’D) Ay Dios Mio. It’s true? What I saw on the video is true. He coils in fear as she nears.

-21MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN I have many transfigurations dear boy. She “morphs” into the young woman from the video. MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (CONT’D) (as young heiress) This is me as Victoria, just twenty-three. No man could resist me. You saw my story. I’ve come from the other side for you. My duke. I must take you back with me, to return to the fires of Hell. We will rule together and bear multitudes of fruit from your loins. JOSE You succubus, get away from me! He covers his crotch. (as I love you. I world in 1875 mistress. She

MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN young heiress) was unjustly taken from this by a spell cast by father’s was jealous of my wares.

JOSE The boy in the video was yourson?! MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (as young heiress) And my lover. Times were different then. My father planted him in my belly with his magic. The magic of Rasputin. And now I’ve found a new lover on Earth. Surely Hell won’t be so bad when we’re married in blood. You like your stories with blood and guts, remember? JOSE This can’t be real. I must be dreaming . . . . . . having a freaking nightmare! Please, por favor? Go away! Demonio! She flies forth and then transmogrifies into a HAG.

-22MIDDLE-AGE WOMAN (as Hag) It’s the witching hour. Tonight is the night we shall bring forth child. (whispers) Time to give up your goods my love. He screams and covers his eyes as she attacks him. INT. VIDEO VOYEUR - DAY Lola enters. The MANAGER closes out the cash register for the day. MANAGER Sorry honey. Come back tomorrow. LOLA Is Jose around? MANAGER That louse. He didn’t show up for work today. I called his house and his mother says he’s missing since last night. I didn't get any of the storeroom boxes unloaded because I was changed to the cash register all freakin' day. To top it off one of my videos just disappeared into thin air. No record of it anymore in the system or inventory. And shit, that ain't all. All the freakin' copies have disappeared from the freakin' shelves. A customer called and asked for it and I practically tore the place up looking. LOLA Which one?! What was the name of the video?! MANAGER Calm down, you don’t have to yell! Anyway, it's some kind of crazy supernatural tale. Victoria’s Ghost. Supposed be a high brow fright fest.

-23INT. COLLEGE POST OFFICE – A YEAR LATER - DAY Lola opens her mailbox and pulls out a brown paper parcel addressed to her from an unknown sender. She unwraps the brown paper parcel to reveal the VIDEOTAPE with the title VICTORIA’S GHOST. She stares blankly at it. INT. COLLEGE DORM – NIGHT Lola shoves the VIDEOTAPE into the VCR. ON THE TV SCREEN An image of the middle-aged woman appears, then MORPHS into an image of the young girl heiress. She is pregnant, again. Surrounding her are two little toddlers that are BEASTLIKE MINIONS, clamoring for attention as she speaks. YOUNG HEIRESS (on TV) Hello, Lola is it? You need't worry about Jose. I take good care of him. He's mine for all eternity. CAMERA PANS ROOM TO A BRIDAL BED ADORN WITH DEAD FLOWERS ON NAKED JOSE HIS FACE is a bone ghostly white. His eyes are encased in dark circles. YOUNG HEIRESS (CONT'D, O.S.) (on TV) Man and wife. Mother and son. A complete coupling. HIS EYES open slowly and begin to bleed. YOUNG HEIRESS (O.S.) (on TV) See how he longs for me? ZOOM IN ON HIS MOUTH

-24as it opens to emit SILENT SCREAMS. Lola is paralyzed with fear. Her body quakes underneath the RESOUNDING LAUGHTER that fills the TV SCREEN before the tape automatically shades to grey and shuts off.

FADE OUT.

THE END