Fate
From PhalkeFactory
Fate by Sharofat Arabi
SCENE 1. EX/INT. CAMP OF VAGABOND CIRCUS PEOPLE. TENT OF
SOOTHSAYER. DAY.
A boy of 12 years old runs fast to colorful tent and enters
into it. There is dark inside. There is a round table in the
center and two woman sit around it, facing each other. One of
them is gypsy, she holds left hand of another woman, who is
fair, young, about 20 years old with long flowing black hair
and languid glance. She plays with her hair curls. The boy
enters, stops at entrance for a while, then comes near and
stops between them. He listens very carefully.
WOMAN
What else are you seeing? Tell
me...When it'll happen?
(impatiently)
She looks up at the gypsy.
GYPSY
Well, you have pretty long
continuous love line. I am seeing a
lot of leaves...Autumn. It will
happen in autumn. That's all, I
can't see anything anymore.
Gypsy releases woman's hand.
WOMAN
You can't imagine how I am grateful
to you, Meskhenet! I don't doubt
anymore about his feelings...
Women don't notice small boy's appearance. They ignore him.
He starts gesticulations by hands to attract their attention
and makes inarticulate sounds. He looks very restlessly. The
woman translates yeas from gypsy's face to boy.
WOMAN (CONT'D)
What is the matter?
(irritably) what good is
that bastard, if he is
dumb! Why should we pick
up that one, who was
rejected by others?!
She stands up and boy follows her till she walks out of tent.
He turns around to gypsy, looking agitated. Meskhenet bends
over the table and folds cards.
MESKHENET
Well, why are you still sticks out
there?
Boy keeps quiet and doesn't move. His chest rises heavily. He
wipes face with long sleeve.
MESKHENET (CONT'D)
You are unlucky... the way you
already were born... you were and
you'll be. My boy, you can't escape
it.
Boy makes step toward gypsy. She shakes her head negatively
and waves hands.
MESKHENET (CONT'D)
Don't ask! Get out of here!
(deliberately irritably)
Boy runs to door and shuts it loudly.
SCENE 2. INT. RED MANEGE INSIDE THE MAIN CIRCUS TENT.
There are two balancers: a young slim man about 25 years old
and a young woman from gypsy's tent trains and flits from one
crossbar to another. The crossbars are hanged by ropes and
are nonfixed. The woman hooks on crossbar by legs and hangs
in air upside down. Her loose black hairs flows down. She
looks at manege. The boy stands next to it and looks up at
them with unconcealed interest. Woman's face changes and
becomes angry.
YOUNG MAN
Clarice, let's repeat one more
time.
CLARICE
I can't concentrate.
She catches the crossbar by hands and sits on it.
he always stays downstairs and
stares!
YOUNG MAN
Who? (looks down)
CLARICE
I told it before, he is just a
fribble...
A fat redheaded man with red shaggy moustaches about 45 years
old, creeps silently from behind and catches him. The boy
starts to wrench, but the fat man holds him tightly.
FAT MAN
Aha! You caught again!
He turns the boy around and bends to his face. Boy looks in
fat man's yeas scary.
Animals didn't eat, there are a lot
of dirty plates, the costumes
aren't ironed yet!
Fat man releases the boy, who runs away.
FAT MAN (CONT'D)
There is a performance tonight!
What does this, idiot, think, only
God knows!
The balancers observes this accident from top. The fat man
looks up at them and makes gesture.
Continue, continue, my children!
He exists.
SCENE 3. EX. STALL FOR HORSES AND COWS IN THE CAMP. AFTERNOON.
The boy is carrying in a big sack of oats and filling the
trough in front of horse. He looks at animal eating, and rubs
its mane. He starts to purr some melody. Boy does several
dance steps. He moves to a lying beam and jumps on it. He
takes help of hands to balance, walks till the end of beam,
jumps down and runs toward painted covered vagon.
SCENE 4. INT. CLARICE'S MAKE-UP ROOM. AFTERNOON.
It's a shadow room with many things inside: dressing table
with cosmetic boxes and bottles, wardrobe and screen, a soft
bed, and Clarice's clothes are spread all over the room.
There is a small table in the corner of it. The walls are
covered by different circus's posters and pictures of
Clarice.
The boy carries heavy coal's iron, puts it quickly on the
small table and blows on his hands. He lights the kerasin's
lamp and watches posters. He comes to dressing table, looks
at himself in mirror, looks at decomposed make-up on it. He
wipes his hand on his shirt, takes puff for talc and powders
his face, combs his hair and styles them.
He assumes a dignified and looks at himself in mirror for a
while. He relax body and starts to collect the spread
costumes slowly and iron them.
SCENE 5. EX/INT. NEXT TO CLARICE'S VAGON IN CAMP. CLARICE'S
MAKE-UP ROOM. AFTERNOON.
Clarice and the young balancer talks. Clarice holds his wrist
and looks at him with tear-stained eyes.
CLARICE
You are not serious, are you? You
can't do it with me...
She tries to hug him, but he recoils. He tries to escape, but
she holds him stronger.
YOUNG MAN
Let performance finish. Then we'll
talk.
He forcefully unclasps her hands and escapes. Grim looking
Clarice walks toward small door of vagon and enters into it.
Clarice stops at door and observes small boy, who facing
mirror and tries on a part of her scenic costume - glitter
wings.
CLARICE
Well-well, what are we doing here?
(looks wits)
The boy turns back, sees Clarice, and makes step back. She
comes to him fast and forcefully takes her costume out of boy
shoulders.
Take it out! How dare you, cripple,
touch my stuff?!
She hits his head. The boy protects his face and head by
hands. He tries to scream, but makes only low sounds
You want to be an balancer?! I
noticed it far ago! Look at
yourself! Don't deceive yourself,
If they still keep you here, than
only for a fun of audience in
future.
She becomes quiet for a moment, getting new idea. She laughs
hysterically and tils head back.
I am very kind, so I will help you
with carrier.
She moves toward wardrobe, opens it, takes the most beautiful
costume, picks up the iron and press the costume by it on the
table.
You'll be kick out, parvenu!
She takes up the iron. There is a big hole on the costume.
Clarice runs toward door, opens it, screams to call
everybody. The fat man, the balancer, Meskhenet comes in the
room.
FAT MAN
What happened, dear? Why there are
tears in you yeas?
She shows them her burned costume. The fat man, Meskhenet and
the balancer looks at the hole on the costume and are visible
trough it.
CLARICE
Look what that foundling did! I
can't perform in it!
The boy gesticulates emotionally and shakes his head
negatively. He pronounces inarticulate sounds. The tears
flows down on cheeks. The fat man comes to him and catches
his ear. The boy looks at Meskhenet, the balancer and fat
man. Meskhenet depresses eyes. Clarice expresses triumph in
yeas.
FAT MAN
You would first learn how to earn
money! You will pay for it,
bastard!
Fat man pushes the boy out of make-up room. Meskhenet looks
up at him when he passes her.
MESKHENET
Unlucky you...(whispers)
SCENE 6. EXT. CAMP CELEBRATION. NIGHT.
There are a lot of people strolling in camp. Some of them
watch performance under the main tent, another roam around,
looks at jugglers with fired sticks, gypsy's dances. There
are a lot of people gather around sitting Meskhenet, who
reads a palm of one of a lady. The boy comes toward her. The
crowd spreads around him. He looks pale and hardly stands on
his legs. There is a clotted blood around his nose. As he
comes near, Meskhenet notices him. She leaves the hand of the
lady, and looks at the boy horrified. He stops in front of
her. People are looking at both of them curiously.
The boy lends a left hand to Meskhenet with wide opened palm.
His lips moves. There is a reddish cut crossed whole his palm
as a new destiny's line. The blood is clotted already around
it. He holds a knife in right hand, which falls down. The
gypsy sits on the background.
THE END
