The Magic Circus

The Magic Circus - Scene 18

Monday, 08 December 2008 23:04

Back at Valley Hunt Club. Nel walks by pool to table carrying big shopping bag from Vroman’s. Bud has a waiter bring another chair to the table. Clarice stands up, Nel puts down bag, walks around table and gives Clarice a handshake and a peck on the cheek.

Clarice – Shoppin’ with Monk, eh?

Bud squirms in chair. Nel looks at Bud.

Nel – Noo…shopping for Monk.

Clarice – Right.

Clarice looks at Bud, Bilge, Kent.

Kent – Alright, let’s see what ya’ got then.

Nel pulls out a valise, colored pencils, expensive paper.

Nel – The guy at the shop was quite nice.

Kent – I bet he was. How much did all this run ya’?

Nel – Oh, not nearly enough…

Bilge handles, examines each item.

Bilge – Just speck-y, Nel, real pretty shtuff. What’s he going to do with his pictures when he’s done, scribble his name on ‘em and tack ‘em to the wall, take ‘em home to mum so she can tape ‘em to the icebox?

Table goes quiet.

Nel – What’s your point, Bilge.

Bilge – No one buys paper anymore, it’s all computer-generated crap. You might as well give him quill and parchment. Clay tablets.

Bud – Well, it’s the thought that counts…

Bilge – Bullshh…No. No, I hate that bloody phrase. It’s not the thought, it’s the doing. Blokes AND birds (nods to Clarice) have brilliant thoughts all the effin’ time. It’s what you DO with the thought that counts.

Kent – D’you have somethin’ in mind?

Bilge – (to Bud) What kinda’ computer ya’ got?

Bud – (sips drink) A Mac.

Bilge – What’s it got on it?

Bud – I dunno, megabytes, pixels and shit.

Bilge looks at Bud.

Bud – (waving glass absently) I snip and sew vas deferenzes all day. What the fuck do I need with a computer?!

Clarice – Where ya’ goin’ with this, Bilge?

Bilge – If we can get Monk’s sh-tuff into Photoshop or somethin’ I could send it through the tubes to my mates back at the shop.

Clarice – (leaning forward, looking at Bilge) What is it that you do again?

Bilge – Uh…Computer animation…

Clarice leans back and laughs

Bilge – What?! What do you do then, eh?!

Clarice – I work for Nick.

Nel – Who is Nick?

Clarice – Nickelodeon. The ANIMATION studio.

Bilge – (shakes head, laughs) No shit.

Clarice – No shit.

End Scene

The Magic Circus - Scene 17

Monday, 08 December 2008 23:02

Monk leaves Huntington Library carrying his pages willy-nilly. He walks the grounds. Drives back to Bud’s house, passes Church.

End Scene

The Magic Circus - Scene 16

Monday, 08 December 2008 22:59

At the Valley Hunt Club; Bud, Clarice Kent and Bilge sit at an umbrella-ed table by the pool. Bud has a mint julep and a Chopped Cobb Salad. Clarice has the Shrimp Louie and a Diet Coke. Kent and Bilge have club sandwiches and two tall conical glasses of beer gathering condensation in the heat. Noise of talking, clatter from other tables, as camera moves by pool, zeroing in on Bilge.

Bilge – So he’s dead then.

Clarice – Yep.

Bilge – And your girl is?

Clarice – Eight. She’s with my mother-in-law. They’re good people.

Kent – It’s gotta be rough.

Clarice – Yeah, she’s been an egg, though, a real trooper.

Bud – Who’d a thought, huh? 15 years ago, and we end up here. You’re a soldier’s widow, Kent’s a rock star…

Bilge – You’re a successful penis handler…

Bud – And Bilge here is still a prick.

Bilge – Takes one to know one…

Clarice – Please. Must you…

Bilge – Oh, Clarice, it’s ugly seein’ him revel over there, you’re in trouble and he’s feckin’ printin’ tickets on himself.

Clarice – That’s sweet of you, Bilge, but I’m hardly in trouble, a girl in trouble is a temporary thing. Besides, I’m not here to be coddled, the time for that’s way past. I just wanted to see you, y’know, for old times sake…to remember what ass-holes y’all are.

Pause. Exchange looks.

Clarice – Too bad I missed Joe.

Bud – Yeah, he and Nel just popped out to do some shopping.

Bud’s phone rings, he looks at it.

Bud – (to table) Well, speak of the devil. (Speaks into phone) Howdy, Nelson. What shakes?

The others watch as he talks.

Bud – Uh, huh. Huh. Well, that was nice of you.

Kent and Bilge look at each other in surprise. Clarice looks at faces around table.

Bud – Bring it by here and let us have a look. Yeah, just tell Gloria, Valley Hunt Club on Orange grove. She’ll know how to find us.

Bud hangs up, chugs the rest of his mint julep and waves to a waiter for another.

Clarice – Who is Gloria?

Bilge – Our GPS.

Kent – What’s he bringin’ by, and, what in the ‘el did Nel do that was ‘nice’?!

Waiter hands Bud drink, Bud drinks drink.

Bud – He bought a bunch of art supplies for Monk, felt bad about last night, wanted to surprise him.

Clarice – I thought you said they went shoppin’ together?

Bud – Um.

End Scene

The Magic Circus - Scene 15

Monday, 08 December 2008 22:51

Monk walks the grounds of the Huntington, passes through zen garden, goes inside. Finds a seat at a table big enough to work on his drawings. As he’s thus occupied an old Indian man (OIM) approaches. The OIM stands behind Monk until Monk, sitting, turns around to face him.

Monk – Can I help you?

OIM – Oh, I don’t know. I thought I might be able to help you.

Monk looks around the empty room; low bookshelves, paintings, neatly arranged rows of tables, and two big windows shed light on the room.

Monk – Really?

OIM nods, hands held against chest, fingers touching.

Monk – In what way?

OIM – This way, that way, The Middle Way.

Monk – (laughs) You’re funny.

OIM – Yes. I went to funny school, long time.

Monk – Studied under Professor McFunny, I suppose.

OIM – Swami McFunny, actually.

Monk – No shit.

OIM smiles, nods.

Monk – Well, then, maybe you can help me out, because I could use the help of a master.

OIM leans closer looking at Monk’s drawings.

OIM – With your art?

Monk – With my life.

OIM – Oh, but life is art, and art is life. You cannot separate them, I no longer am aware of where one ends and the other begins.

Pause

Monk – Like with Scotch tape when the end sticks to the roll and you have to run your fingernail around it to find the seam?

OIM – (smiling) Exactly.

OIM stands peacefully smiling at Monk who squirms.

OIM – And sometimes…probably half the time (raises finger, winks) you must start over in the other direction.

Monk gets it. Laughs. Points finger at OIM and winks back.

OIM looks over Monk’s shoulder at drawings.

OIM – So, what are you creating?

Monk – Oh, I’m just drawing some animals.

OIM shakes head slowly, sadly and breathes.

OIM – Your use of “just” is unjust. You draw and you create, behind every creation is a story. What is the genesis of your creation?

Monk stares at OIM, looks around empty room again.

Monk – Do you really want to hear this?

OIM – I asked. And I have free time.

Monk – Everyone else’s costs money.

OIM looks out window, leaning down to see where the sun is in the sky.

OIM – It’s noon on a Tuesday. Shouldn’t you be working like all the other good people in the world.

Monk – (waves hand) This isn’t exactly a disco.

OIM – No. And it’s not a Country Club, either. This is Los Angeles in the 21st Century, where most people’s highest aspiration is to enjoy themselves as much as possible before they die. Right now, though, this room is ours and we have the opportunity to share a moment, a moment to talk about life and art.

Monk – Or art and life.

OIM smiles. Monk’s been looking up to OIM’s face, awkwardly, his neck is sore, he looks down and sees OIM’s feet, plain ugly in thin sandals beneath cuffs of khakis frayed and floodwater high. They were not happy feet.

OIM – What is your name?

Monk stands to introduce himself properly, sticks out his hand, hesitates.

Monk – William.

OIM – William. Are you sure it’s not Bill or Billy. Maybe Mac or Buddy. What do your friends call you?

Monk – Monkeyboy.

OIM – Good friends these?

Monk shrugs.

OIM – Tell me about these animals (points to drawings).

Monk – Well, alright. They're part of a circus…

A happy couple enters the room, laughing, touching. The OIM and Monk look up from the drawings. The couple’s appearance breaks a spell.

OIM – Yes…

Monk starts talking, camera pans back, words grow inaudible. Monk and OIM are seen against the light of the window from the distance of the opposite wall.

End Scene