ARE WE ALONE? (3 page)

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
Crazy? Well, then I must be crazy,
because I've seen lots of ‘em.

Old Man looks back at the girls and sees the book in
Yasmine’s hand. Old Man looks into the face of Yasmine.

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
I've even been on one of their
ships and...ain’t a book been
written that can prepare a soul...a
human soul for what they do to you.

GINA
(getting excited)
Could I interview you? Ask you
some questions and...

Old Man slowly turns towards Gina, who is smiling and is
obviously excited.

OLD MAN
What about I tell you my story,
then you can ask questions, maybe?

GINA
Chaz? Get the cameras set up.
Christina get the audio set up
and...

OLD MAN
I thought you wanted to hear my
story?

GINA
We do, we do. We'd just like to,
well, record it.

OLD MAN
Record it?
GINA
Yes, for our school project.
OLD MAN
You gonna show it to other people?
GINA
Yes, to our professor and...
Gina stops, realizing that the Old Man may not want to be
recorded.

OLD MAN
Missy, I don’t care if you ram a
probe up my ass and whistle dixie
while’n you do it, but I ain’t
doing it for free. Twenty bucks,
twenty bucks for my story.

SCENE CUTS TO
BLACK:

OLD MAN (V.O.) (CONT’D)
It was a blisterin’ hot day, just
like today.

FADE IN:
EXT. ROAD - DAY
The cameras have been set up, as Gina talks with Old Man, who
leans on his shovel, with his wheel barrel behind him.

OLD MAN
And, I was doin’ what I'd done for
the last fifty odd years...Taking
my shovel and looking for rocks.

CHAZ
(softly, as he films)
Yeah, he's definitely lost his
rocks.

Old Man seems to hear Chaz and he gives Chaz a hard look,
then slowly looks at each of the students, then back to Gina.
Beside Gina’s feet is the rock that she had been carrying.

OLD MAN
If’n knowing the truth makes me
crazy, then I’m as crazy as a
bedbug.

Old Man stares at Gina, who becomes uncomfortable. Old Man
doesn’t even look down.
OLD MAN (CONT’D)
May I see it?
Gina doesn’t know what Old Man is talking about.
OLD MAN (CONT’D)
The rock?
Gina still doesn’t understand.
OLD MAN (CONT’D)
By your fuckin’ prissy feet.

Gina looks down and sees the rock. She reaches down, picks
it up, then hands it to Old Man, who examines the rock and
places it up to his ear, as though it was a seashell. He
seems to be hearing something, as he lightly smiles, then
nods his head, “YES.”

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
It's one of theirs.
ANTHONY
It’s a rock.

OLD MAN
(smiling)
You're an educated youngster,
aren't you? Know everything about
everything, been everywhere, seen
everything, haven't you? Ain’t
scared of nothin’?

In a flash, Old Man drops the rock to the ground, picks up
his shovel, and swings the shovel down, as everyone covers
their faces, backing up, fearing that they’re going to be
hit.

SFX: CLANG.
The students slightly recover, looking up, but still
cautious.
SFX: CLANG.

They watch as Old Man swings his shovel down, hitting the
rock, which causes a slight METALLIC CLANGING sound. Old Man
gives the rock a final hit, then bends down, and picks up the
rock. He turns the rock in his hand, which is unblemished.

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
I've worked in mines, since I
stopped wearing short pants. I've
worked in silver mines, gold mines,
and coal mines. I've seen all
kinds of rocks below ground and
above ground.

(pause - hard look at

Anthony)
Sonny, ain't no rock on this earth
can be hit without it showing some
sign of being hit.
Old Man hands the rock to Gina, who cautiously takes it and
examines it.

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
Ain't quite got it figured out why
they leave these things, but they
do.

Old Man reaches and jerks the rock from Gina’s hand and
quickly puts it into the wheel barrel.

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
Anyway, back to my story. So, I'm
out hunting for rocks...it was back
in July, Nineteen-sixty-four. I
had been to the county fair. I get
this feeling like someone's
watching me. I look all around and
don't see nobody. Hell, it's too
hot for any sane body to be out. I
figure I'm just being...

(hard look at Anthony)
CRAZY or maybe the heat’s too much,
so I start to back hunting for
rocks.

GINA
Why were you hunting...

OLD MAN
(instantly angry)
I know you...I’ll tell my story,
then, maybe, I’ll let you ask
questions.

(softening)
Agates, mainly, the tourists like
crystals.

(looking at Gina)
People from Earth. Travelers from
other worlds. Everyone likes
things that sparkle.

(smiling)
They’d like you.
PAUSE.

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
I hear this sound, like a kid's
whistle and I look around, seeing
not a damn thing. I shake my head,
thinking maybe it's the god-durn
heat. Then I look back down at the
ground, seeing that I'm standing in
shade.
Old Man slowly looks at each of the students.

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
See? There weren’t no trees, no
buildings. Nothing to cause a
shadow. I slowly look up, seeing
the belly of their spaceship.

GINA
What made you believe that it was a
spaceship?

OLD MAN
(evil smile)
Honey, you're real pretty and I
reckon you’re use to flashing your
teeth and getting boys to do
anything, just hoping to get into
your pants, but I told you...I tell
my story, THEN you ask questions,
maybe. Are you understanding me?
Do you want to hear my story?

GINA
(swallowing)
Yes, I want to hear your story.
Please...continue.

OLD MAN
I'd seen plenty of their ships,
mostly at night. There was no
mistaking it. It was one of their
spaceships. So, I'm wondering how
I can ask them for some of their
rocks, when POOF, I'm inside their
ship.

CHAZ
(softly)
Yeah, Poof.

OLD MAN
It's all cold inside, like a
witch’s tit and there's none of
that fancy do-hickies our planes
have. I look around and I don't
see any of ‘em, but I can feel it.

Old Man runs his hand on the back of his neck.

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
The hairs on the back of my neck
sprung to attention.

(MORE)

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
I holler out, asking them to come
on out, face me like a man, when I
suddenly start to perspire. Next
thing, I'm back on the ground,
looking up at the belly of their
ship. Then, it takes off. I'm not
talking like an airplane. I'm
talking like it was there, then it
wasn’t.

Old Man rubs his hand, nervously looking around.
GINA
Is something wrong?

OLD MAN
(softly)
Sometimes, they don't like it, they
don’t like it when I talk.

(pause)
Sure I'd seen plenty of their
spaceships, but, well, I figured
they were some super secret
government project. Until I was
inside one of their ships, I never
really thought it was possible.

(pause - looking down at
his hand)
When I was back on the ground, I
figured I'd just passed out from
the heat, until I felt my hand.

(pause - looking down at
his hand)
There was a bump that hadn't been
there before.

Old Man sticks out his hand to Gina.
OLD MAN (CONT’D)
Go on, feel it.
Gina looks at the dirty hand and hesitates.
OLD MAN (CONT’D)
(sternly)
Go on, feel it.
Gina gently touches the Old Man's hand.

OLD MAN (CONT'D)
Don't just touch it, feel it. Feel
that bump?

Gina now applies a little more pressure, feeling the hand.
Yes, I feel it. It's a bump.

OLD MAN
When my son died, I drove back to
Ohio for his funeral. A couple of
nights, when I was driving, I'd see
lights off to the side of the road.
They were following me.

GINA
They? Oh, you mean...
OLD MAN
From the spaceship.

(rubbing his hand)
They put some kinda tracker in me,
to keep tabs on me. Don't know
why, but they did.

ANTHONY
Have you had a doctor look at it?
At your hand?

OLD MAN
(slight smile)
Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna go to a
doctor and tell him that some alien
slipped a tracker into my hand and
could he kindly take it out? Shit
no, they'd lock me up.

Old Man rubs his hand, then looks at it.

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
They must be a whole lot smarter
than us. There's no cut, no scar,
nothing.

(pause - slight tremor)
They so smart, why’d the hell
didn’t they help my dear Martha,
before cancer ate her body away?
Tell me that.

(pause - looking up)
Yeah, well, I got to be getting
back to hunting for those rocks.

(pause - looking at Gina)
You gonna pay me? The twenty
bucks?

Gina reaches into a pocket and takes out some money, handing
it to Old Man, who quickly counts it and then stuffs it into
a pocket.
The spaceship? Could you tell me
the shape? How large was it?

Gina motions to Yasmine, who reaches down and picks up a
book.

GINA (CONT’D)
If I showed you some pictures,
could you...

Old Man takes his shovel, puts it on top of the wheel barrel,
and starts to push the wheel barrel away. He suddenly stops,
still looking away from them.

OLD MAN
I told you, I’d tell my story, then
MAYBE I’d answer some of your
questions.

Old Man turns back around, looks at the students, then stops,
looking at Chaz’ T-shirt. Old Man slightly shakes his head,
“NO.”

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
I only went to the sixth grade.
Not an educated man, but...

Old Man points at Chaz’ T-shirt.

OLD MAN (CONT’D)
I’m smart enough to know not to
make fun of things I don’t know
nothing about. I’m smart enough
to leave things alone. You keep
pokin’ at a tiger and soon enough,
it’ll bite you. Some things you
don’t joke about, you just don’t.

Old Man turns and walks away, pushing the wheel barrel.

CHAZ
If aliens are tracking that old
coot, they have to have a sense of
humor. What a joke.

Gina watches, as the Old Man slowly walks away and then
disappears over a slight hill. Gina continues to look at the
location, where the Old Man disappeared.

GINA
Is the car fixed?
SCENE DISSOLVES
TO BLACK:
CHAZ (V.O.)
Touch it.

FADE IN:
INT. CAR

Chaz is holding his hand out to Christina, who looks down at
his hand.

CHAZ
There's something in my hand. I, I
think it’s...alien.

CHRISTINA
Here, let Nurse Christina take a
look.

Christina takes Chaz’ hand and softly caresses it.

CHAZ
I, I think they did, did
something...

Chaz moves his other hand closer to his crotch.
CHAZ (CONT’D)
Down here. Would you...

Chaz practically SCREAMS, as he yanks his hand away from
Christina and looks down, seeing fingernail marks on his
hand. Christina and Yasmine look at each other, then
slightly giggle, as Chaz massages his hand.

YASMINE
Whether they’re from Los Angeles,
Las Vegas, or...Mars. Boys will
always be boys.

Chaz turns and looks out of the window, seeing an approaching
sign, as the CAR moves to the side of the road.
EXT. TOWN - DAY

Anthony gets out of the CAR, which has stopped by the EXTRA
TERRESTRIAL HIGHWAY SIGN. Yasmine, Christina, and Gina also
get out. They move up to the sign, posing. They motion for
Chaz to join them.

PAUSE.
Chaz runs up to them, with the STUDENTS posing. Chaz then
runs back to the camera, mounted on a tripod, as the STUDENTS
start back to the CAR. Chaz previews the photograph that was
just taken and smiles, as he takes the camera off of the
tripod and breaks down the tripod. Chaz puts the equipment
back into the car and gets inside. The car then continues
down the road, moving into a small town.

EXT. TOWN - DAY

From inside the car, the students look at the small town,
which predominately displays various UFO-type advertising and
merchandising. Several of the PEOPLE walking down the
sidewalks wear T-shirts emblazoned with UFO and ALIEN images
and quotes. The scene is almost surreal, with such a heavy
influence and display of UFO and ALIEN merchandising. They
even pass a PERSON, who is dressed in an ALIEN costume.
Anthony looks at the bizarre scene.

ANTHONY
(softly)
There is a fifth dimension beyond
that which is known to man it is a
dimension as vast as space and as
timeless as infinity it is the
middle ground between light and
shadow between science and
superstition and it lies between
the pit of man's fears and the
summit of his knowledge this is the
dimension of imagination it is an
area which we call...the Twilight
Zone.

GINA
An original thought?

ANTHONY
No, a quote from the old T-V
series, the Twilight Zone. Seems
fitting for...

Anthony turns and looks at Gina.
ANTHONY (CONT’D)
Our class project.
GINA
Never got into the Twilight Zone...

(smiling)
Too twisted, too much focus on
“what ifs” and mind games. Now,
Star Trek and Alf, those shows were
more attune to reality.
Reality? I think that...

GINA
As Doctor McCoy so dramatically put
our existence into a realistic
perspective: In this galaxy
there’s a mathematical probability
of three million Earth-type
planets. And in the universe, three
million galaxies like this. And in
all that, and perhaps more...only
one of each of us.

ANTHONY
Meaning?

GINA
There’s a higher probability that
aliens exist, then the probability
that you’ll get accidently get
dropped into some...twilight zone.

ANTHONY
What does a future C-E-O care about
other galaxies?

GINA
Prospective consumers. Prospective
markets. Now, where do I turn?

Anthony looks at Gina, then down at a map.
ANTHONY
Left at the next corner.
The car turns left at the next corner.
ANTHONY (CONT’D)
Now, make a right.