Percy Harris Story, The (2023)

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(Waves crash amidst a deep wind)

(A haunting whisper and

the sounds of distant w*r)

(A ghostly wind intensifies)

(The wind stops abruptly)

(The night is busy with cicadas)

(An animal howl echos in the distance)

(Thunder crashes; A woman screams)

(The animal howls continue)

(A radio plays warbled music)

(The teapot boils)

(The night is quiet again,

aside from the cicadas)

(The music has stopped; Static remains)

(A crash of thunder amidst heavy rain)

Horses have started dying around here.

The air's thick with it.

They're getting slaughtered on the beach.

Damn wind's blowing it in from the south.

(The thunderstorm continues)

(A clock chimes as music begins)

(The music continues)

(Heavy breathing)

(A rooster crows)

(Another cicada filled night)

(Water gurgles from the stream)

We'd come up from whittle,

on our way to the station in rye.

He was a decent man, but...

He had debts to pay.

A train to nowhere...

A new town,

forgotten even by god,

was our only hope for a better life.

The winds blew through.

We got separated in the darkness.

When I found him,

he had been beaten and trampled.

His bones were broken.

His skull was crushed.

I cried for help, but no one came.

It's been three nights.

His body already smells.

An angel of death roams this place.

If you need somewhere to stay,

our cabin is just up the road.

We can't go to rye tomorrow, but

Jonathan and I can go

with you the next day.

You won't be a burden to us.

(Warbled voices from the radio)

I met Juliette at the stream.

I thought we could help her

catch a train in town.

Yeah, I've been needing to get to town.

Come in. Come in.

God, Johnathan!

Ah, it's...

I have medicine.

Plants, herbs...

They might help.

(Plants mashing)

(Another thunderstorm begins)

How long have you been together?

Oh, about...

Five years. More or less.

Back when a summer garden would still

bring in a hundred dollars.

She got off at the

station on the last train.

Two suitcases:

One, clothes.

The other one full of books,

heavy as a sack of bricks.

Said she had an aunt

in town, staying at the inn.

Only I guess nobody told her there

weren't no inn in rye at the time.

The weather was turning,

so I offered her a place to stay and...

She accepted.

Much to my surprise.

I said, you gotta'

choose which bag to bring though

'cus the cart could only hold one.

Now, she was mighty torn about this...

But like anybody with

good sense in her head

she...

She left the books at the station.

And we hadn't...

Barely got home when it started raining.

Damn, if that wasn't something.

Awful.

I took her back the next day to the

station to fetch those books.

Maybe catch a train home.

But there weren't a dry page left.

And she didn't have a dollar to her name.

I reckon that's when we fell in love.

Right then and there.

(The clock chimes; Music begins again)

Do you dance, Juliette?

(Edm music begins)

(Edm music continues)

(The music fades)

It's the best we can do.

(A rooster crows)

(Another cicada filled night)

(Water gurgles from the stream)

Last night I dreamt his

grave had filled with bees.

They built their hives

in the cracks of his skull.

Honey flowed into the stream,

poisoned the water,

made it sour.

You could hear the buzzing for miles,

as far as the next town.

A man told me,

everywhere we stand is a pool of blood

crying out to god,

what water can clean us now?

As I turned a corner...

The streets were filled with waste.

There was a light behind the building.

Somehow, I knew Richard

was alive over there,

but that if I went behind the building,

I would die.

I don't know if it was a

dream or some bad omen.

Maybe he is alive out there.

Happy.

Surrounded by light.

That's all I can hope for.

The dreams stop after awhile.

My brother fought in the w*r.

He was my best friend.

My father's favorite.

He wrote home once a week,

when we are to make an

advance, no one knows.

But may the god of

battles make it effectual,

and the last.

I hope to see you in the

course of two months;

maybe sooner;

maybe hardly so soon.

One day the letters just stopped.

We never heard from him again.

I don't know where he's buried,

or if he even was.

My father grieved with the bottle.

And I read books.

I stayed in that house for years,

listening to every breath of wind,

every crunch of leaves,

every knock at the door;

hoping he'd show up someday.

I had terrible nightmares.

I saw him...

Ripped apart by canons;

torn with bayonets.

His guts spilled on empty fields.

His eyes were always...

Cold, but they stared right at me.

Like he was calling out for help.

Every night, I prayed

that his spirit would rest,

but the dreams went on.

Then one day I heard a

great trumpet in the sky.

I don't even know if I was awake or asleep,

but it sounded like a...

Great voice telling me to be at peace.

I felt a dark cloud lift off me and...

I haven't dreamt of him since.

(A radio plays warbled music)

(The teapot boils)

(Water gurgles from the stream)

Your water's sweet, like honey.

That's because the land is strong.

They say it's the first plot

god pulled from the sea,

and the last he'll drag back.

It's been in Jonathan's

family for a thousand years.

Are you happy here, Mary?

Come to the coast with me.

Get away from this place.

I can't, Juliette.

(A clock chimes as music begins)

While you live...

Shine.

Have no grief at all.

Life exists for a short while...

And time demands its toll.

(The music turns to static)

(The kettle starts to scream)

(Unintelligible whispering)

(The whispering stops)

(The kettle quiets down)

(The radio plays static)

(A clap of thunder; Gentle rain)

Started coming around a couple years ago.

Two or three times a week.

He ain't gonna' be satisfied

'till he caves this place in.

I heard Richard's voice.

It's different for everyone;

always someone we've lost...

My brother.

My first wife.

But it's not him, Juliette.

Well, let's have a drink.

Here's to another day...

Another night rather.

May we all live long lives,

and die in the comfort of our homes.

Asleep and free of pain.

(The night is quiet and calm)

Have you gotten any sleep?

Must be the coffee.

I was going to give

this to you at the station.

It's not finished yet.

You should get some rest.

It's a long walk tomorrow.

(Heavy, distorted wind)

(Distorted music plays)

(The music cuts in and out)

(Static plays)

(Ghostly music plays)

(A calm night of crickets)

(Water gurgles from the stream)

(A huge burst of wind)

(Animals howl)

(Static plays)

(A calm, quiet, night)

Have you seen Juliette?

She isn't here?

Must've gone on without us then.

Sure is a shame.

Reckon I'll go into town anyway though.

I need to get some real

medicine for this hand.

Maybe she's at the stream.

When are you going to town?

I guess whenever you get back, dear.

(Water gurgles from the stream)

(A clap of thunder)

A deer must've d*ed upstream.

Ought to clear out in a couple of days.

We'll ask some of the

folks in town how theirs is;

hopefully it isn't something more serious.

I'm not going to town.

I'm going to wait here in

case Juliette comes back.

I doubt she'll come back here.

Alright. Suit yourself.

But, hey, if you...

Hear a woman screaming in the woods,

you go the other way.

The mountain lions,

darling. The mountain lions.

I'll be back in a couple hours.

(Warbled radio dialogue

amidst a thunderstorm)

(The rain continues)

Juliette?

Doc. Said two a day for pain.

Nothin' much he could do with the hand;

short of amputating,

he thinks it'll heal up if

I don't work it too hard.

You may have to chop

wood for the rest of the year.

Listen,

Mary, I asked the conductor

if a woman matching Juliette's description

got on board tonight.

You know what he said?

A woman looking just like her

got on the first train out this evening.

You didn't really ask him.

I swear I did, Mary.

Just for you.

I just don't understand

why she would leave in such a hurry.

You know, people got

their reasons, I suppose.

(Soft music plays)

Why do you have to make it a big deal?

I don't want to.

Just sing one song. I'll be up in a minute.

I need to lie down.

(Soft music continues)

(A night filled with cicadas)

(Warbled music plays)

(The clock chimes; Music becomes static)

(The kettle boils; Increasing in intensity)

(The static stops)

(Unintelligible whispering)

(A ghostly breath)

(Distant sounds of w*r)

(Water gurgles from the stream)

Mary!

Juliette!

Mary!

Juliette!

Mary!

(w*r sounds continue)

(A bird caws)

Mary?

Juliette?

I hid there, where there was no man.

People were taken suddenly;

two by two, they were taken!

This whole land is a desolation!

The fields were wilderness.

And the cities had all broken down.

There hasn't been a city in years.

I have no home to turn back to!

Though the righteous may die,

they shall live forever,

but the suffering of the

wicked shall have no end!

But beyond the sea is a city of lights.

The last one!

If we beg at the gates,

they might let us in!

Shh... Juliette.

Come to the coast with me, Mary, please!

You need to rest!

I can't go there alone!

I can't go there alone, Mary!

It's okay! It's okay! I'll go with you.

Okay? I'll go with you, Juliette.

(A loud trumpet from the sky)

(Wind howls)

(A woman screams; Angelic music begins)

We have to leave, Juliette!

You were right, Mary,

I do feel different now.

(Early morning birds chirp)

(Sounds of w*r and angelic music continue)

We're almost there!

(Sea waves crash)

Look, Juliette!

It's beautiful!

I can't see Mary! I can't see!

(The screech of a warplane; An expl*si*n)

(Animals howl)

(Waves crash amidst a deep wind)

(Orchestral music plays)

(The waves and music fade out)