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Title: Gabriela Santiago And The Seven Cities Of Gold
Drama/Fantasy
Early first draft
Muchos gracias, amigos!
Title: Gabriela Santiago And The Seven Cities Of Gold
Drama/Fantasy
Early first draft
Muchos gracias, amigos!
Code:
FADE IN:
BEGIN FLASHBACK
EXT. NEW MEXICO DESERT - EVENING
A swirling sandstorm hisses and groans. A setting half
scimitar sun bakes blood-orange through the melee near the
skyline.
SUPER: "New Mexico. 1538."
FRIAR MARCOS DE NIZA (60) a Franciscan priest, and a
CABALLERO (20) hauling a large sack that sways and clinks,
emerge. Rags tied around their mouths, eyes crusted with sand
and tears.
CABALLERO
(lifts his mask -- hacks
and spits)
[I] DIOS![/I]
They collapse near a boulder that gives a bit of cover from
the wind. The caballero pulls the heavy sack to his chest.
NIZA (SPANISH WITH SUBTITLES)
Leave it or die, my son.
The caballero pulls it tighter.
Suddenly, the sound of the maelstrom ENDS. The wall of sand
RENDS and SPLITS to reveal in the far distance: a shimmering
city of GOLD. Spires, domes, a great wall.
They stare and rub their eyes, which bleed.
NIZA (CONT'D)
[I] Cibola![/I]
Just as quickly, the city is GONE and the curtain of sand
descends with a peal of thunder and screaming wind.
Niza stands. The caballero hauls himself upright. A golden
goblet falls from the lip of the sack. He collapses beside it
and stuffs the goblet back in.
Niza shakes his head sadly. The caballero glares back
defiantly.
Niza makes the sign of the cross, turns and stumbles into the
cloud of dust. The caballero struggles but fails to rise.
CABALLERO
(fading behind)
Padre! Padre... Padre...
Niza trudges forward, forward...
His sandled foot steps near a rock.
Beside the rock, a scorpion watches patiently: nothing abides
but the lifeless dust -- and me.
END FLASHBACK
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
EXT. SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO DESERT - MORNING
SILENCE
SUPER: "Current time."
The onyx eyes of a scorpion nestled in the shaded dust of a
coulee.
Rise up and over the scorpion, then ascend the edge of the
ravine to reveal: an early sun and, below, a trail that
slithers between sage and cactus.
Rise, rise -- now we're ten feet high.
GABRIELA (Gabby) SANTIAGO (17) plunges forward, backpack
slung over shoulder. Long hair tied in a bun. Steel-grey eyes
glance behind, forward, up at us, then back-to-business
front.
She passes beneath, trailing only the sound of her footsteps:
CLUMP. CLUMP.
CUT TO:
EXT. A NEARBY DESERT WILLOW - MORNING
Close-up of a Red-headed woodpecker on the trunk. TAP-TAP.
SOUND INTERCUT:
Woodpecker: TAP-TAP
Gabby: CLUMP. CLUMP
Woodpecker: TAP-TAP
CUT TO:
EXT. BOTTOM OF THE COULEE - MORNING
The scorpion, oblivious.
TAP-TAP
Louder now: CLUMP. CLUMP
TAP-TAP
Gabby's frayed boot CRUNCHES the scorpion, then lifts slowly.
CUT TO:
EXT. IN THE SHADOWS OF A NEARBY DESERT WILLOW - MORNING
Startled, the woodpecker FLIES.
Gabby sits next to the willow, leans up against it, shivers.
She removes a jackknife from her pocket and scrapes what
remains of the scorpion from the bottom of her boot.
She inspects it, pulls a tiny sliver of meat from the chitin,
tosses it in her mouth, then drops the remains over her
shoulder.
She pulls a knit cap from the backpack, jams it on her head,
then a small blanket and wraps herself. She leans her head
back and closes her eyes.
EXT. NEAR THE COULEE - MORNING
CENTER ON the back of a bulletproof vest: "ICE"
The ICE AGENT (30), oiled black hair, on horseback moves
forward and down into the coulee that Gabby emerged from. He
yanks the horse to a stop and looks around.
He pulls a rifle from its saddle scabbard and rests it
casually on his thigh, pointed to the sky. He sees the top of
Gabby's willow tree some 100 yards hence.
ICE AGENT
Giddup
Down through the gully rider and horse descend.
EXT. IN THE SHADOWS OF A NEARBY WILLOW - MORNING
Gabby's face: peaceful.
SOUND: The distant "NEIGH" of a horse.
Her eyes flash open. She reaches frantically for the
backpack. Catches herself. She sets it carefully behind the
tree and settles back, folds her arms.
EXT. THE COULEE - MORNING
The ICE agent sees the tree in the distance. But the shadows
confuse: perhaps the outline of a person near the tree's
base? Maybe.
Man and horse move forward now with a purpose.
EXT. IN THE SHADOWS OF A NEARBY WILLOW - MORNING
Gabby CLOSEUP: her green eyes. Smoothly, they roll up into
her head: nothing but white. A speck of spittle bubbles from
her lips.
Above her head on a small branch, the woodpecker settles to
its former perch.
From the center of her body, a GREEN MIASMA expands and
engulfs her, then moves up, up, until it envelops the bird as
well.
POV SHIFT: The woodpecker.
Everything now appears in a verdant shimmer. Look down: the
top of Gabby's head. Look ahead: a man-horse approaches.
EXT. THE WILLOW TREE - MORNING
NORMAL POV
The ICE agent stops in front of the tree. He stares.
A small woodpecker gazes back. Below the bird: nothing but
tree trunk and sand.
Standoff. The woodpecker sits quietly, then suddenly "chirs."
WOODPECKER POV:
The horse-man startles, jerks. It stuffs the rifle into the
scabbard. Puts hands on hips.
The woodpecker hops left; hops right. I win!
NORMAL POV:
Still nothing but a tree and goddamn bird.
The ICE agent takes a deep breath. He hacks up a wad of
phlegm and spits.
ICE AGENT
Bruja.
Man and horse turn and trot off toward the mountains.
WOODPECKER POV:
The horse-man disappears.
NORMAL POV:
The woodpecker hops onto Gabby's hat/head. It TAPS her
forehead with it's beak.
Tap. Tap. Tap. White eyes stare back at it.
Satisfied, it flies up, hovers for a second, and disappears.