Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Blackthorne Episode 127



image from westernpulpcovers.com 

Blackthorne

Cinemagenic 127


Unrequited


“Unrequited love can drive us to ridiculous

extremes, sometimes.”--Marguerite Duras.


1(sound cue) Coronet and harmonica.

2(cut to low medium wide shot) Wallace dragged

the last intruder out onto the boardwalk, and rolled 

the broken body into the pig-pile of bloody arms and 

legs.

3(cut to interior) as Wallace re-enters the jail house.

4(tight four-shot) Buck muttered, Here, holding out

a half-full reddish-brown bottle of Mountain Man

whiskey. Hop took it. The whites of his eyes were

scarlet. Buck stood behind Salina.

Wallace: What are you going to do for a deputy?

Hop: Don’t need one, taking a big swig from the

dark bottle, the whisky-heat masking the pain,

That damned Billy was only half a deputy on his 

best days anyway. I should have shot him a long

time ago, as soon as I found out he was on 

Bronson’s payroll. 

Salina: Is that water hot yet?

Buck returned to the stove, and stoked some

cedar into its bowels. He liked the feel of the

derringer stuffed down the back of his pants.

Wallace opened the front door, and fanned the

thick sweet-smelling smoke with his derby. The

night had become quiet.

Wallace: Bob Hart might consider deputying for

you for a spell, ‘til you can hire a real one, and

get around a bit better.

Hop: Shut that fucking door before somebody 

blows your dick off!

Wallace, chuckling: Well, that’s a pretty small target

these days! He closed the door.

Salina: Pa, shame on you. You shouldn’t lie to the 

Sheriff like that.

Wallace: Did you talk to your mother about this?

5(medium close-up) Salina: I’m fixing to head home, 

but do me a favor and head over to Doc’s and see if 

he needs any more help. But either way, bring back 

some iodine. If I’m not here, I’ll be home changing.

6(sound cue) piano and banjo.

7(two-shot) Wallace: Does that meet with your

approval, Joe?

Hop, looking up, his face sweaty, taking another

scalding swallow of whiskey: Yeah, go ahead, get

some fresh air, and get the lay of things.

8(sound cue) The heavy door closing loudly.

9(three-shot) Hop tipped up the whiskey and gulped

it down. He began to laugh, strangely, low in his

throat, his body barely moving. Salina glanced from

bandaging the Sheriff’s leg wound, and gave him a

concerned look.

Hop: His tongue think with shock and whiskey. Eighteen, 

Buck, fucking 18 men deep in blood, and this goddamn

night is not over yet!

Buck said nothing.

Hop: Plus a half dozen more over to the Doc’s.

Buck, quietly: Johnny Eagle says life is a war, and only

warriors survive.

Hop, not hearing Buck, After all this, maybe I should just

let Bronson have you. Hell, the horse troughs are over-

flowing with blood tonight--a little more don’t count for 

shit.

Salina, not looking up, Joe, you already picked a side.

Hop: And now we hear from Miss Innocence, his eyes 

fastened on one wet curl  that dangled by her pink ear.

10(close-up) the curl.

She pinned the bandage on the front side of Hop’s leg,

then stood up and stepped back, putting an arm around

Buck’s waist. Her eyes were red and tired, with dark

circles beneath them. She folded her arms and stared

at the Sheriff. Hop finished off the last of the whiskey 

and tossed the empty bottle at the wall.

11(sound cue) saxophone squawk over glass shattering.

Hop: You fucking bitch!

12(medium close-up) Salina, slowly shaking her head:

Jesus Christ, Joe...not you too?

13(two-shot) Hop: Why not? beginning to tie cross-draw 

down on his left leg. Spitting while he snarled,

You were willing to take up with Thor Bronson, but you

never gave me the time of day.

Salina; Hell, Joe, you never asked me. She moved closer

to Buck who was standing in the archway behind them.


Glenn Buttkus


Posted over at d'Verse Poet's Pub

9 comments:

brudberg said...

I think there will be more bodies before the night is over... I am just waiting for the mortgager to make an entrance in the tale. He is needed.

JadeLi said...

I wondered where you were going with this beginning. What a time to find out, when he's wounded, drunk, and has Buck's life in his hands, that Hop is in love with Salina! I really don't think Salina should leave right now. Things could get ugly fast. Favorite lines:
“rolled the broken body into the pig-pile of bloody arms and legs.”
your description and name of Mountain Man whiskey
crossing “that line” with the convo between Salina and her dad
18 bodies??? and half dozen maybes!? The numbers snuck right up there didn't they.
"Buck, quietly: Johnny Eagle says life is a war, and only warriors survive."
I like how Salina keeps her cool as she moves nearer to Buck.
I'm glad Hop is focusing his rage at her rather than Buck.

Kerfe said...

They say all's fair in love and war...

Sanaa Rizvi said...

"Hop: And now we hear from Miss Innocence, his eyes fastened on one wet curl that dangled by her pink ear." Whoaaa love this twist! I knew there and then that Hop had the hots for Salina! This will be interesting.

PS: We missed you at the LIVE event 💝💝

Ingrid said...

Can't wait for the next instalment - I like the twist with Salina. And yes, you were most definitely missed at the live event!

Kim M. Russell said...

I missed your smiling face and twinkling eyes at OLM Live, but your voice always rings through the lines, Glenn. As soon as I read the title and the quote I had a feeling of dread. The ‘pig-pile of bloody arms and legs’ didn’t help either! If Billy, who was ‘only half a deputy on his best days’ was on
Bronson’s payroll, who else is, who is not on the pig-pile? I love the humour between Wallace and Selina. But what is Hop going to do?

Ken Gierke said...

Nice touch with the close-up of the "one wet curl that dangled by her pink ear."

Lona Gynt said...

When will Salina wake up from her dream and resume her job at Greenleaf, Bronson, and Mueller Tax Consultants in Washoga?

lillianthehomepoet.wordpress.com said...

Horse troughs overflowing with blood....what a vivid image that is. And so glad to see Salina back in the mix!
"Buck, quietly: Johnny Eagle says life is a war, and only
warriors survive." And what a line this is as well!

I am so so late to the reading....but HAD to get me my Buck fix! :)
I've not posted to dVerse this week...but am for today's last prompt of 2020. Eeegads will we all be glad to have this year over? I sure will. It's the year that the most useless item I own was my date-planner. Everything after March 1 was simply deleted!
I sure missed hearing you read this on our dVerse Live OLN session. Look forward to the next scene in 2021.
Happy holidays my friend, and here's to a happy and healthy New Year!