Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Blackthorne Episode 143



image from texasmonthly.com 

Blackthorne


Cinemagenic 143


Hellfire


“She is both hellfire and holy water; as to which

depends on how you treat her.”--Anonymous.


1(sound cue) seven pistols emptying their cylinders,

shots merging like rolling thunder, like the savage

maw of a tornado--over coronet and piano.

2(medium wide shot) seven times six filling the air with

lead, a swarm of killer hornets. A baroque crystal lamp

at the top of the stairs shattered twenty-fold, and huge

ragged craters pocked the expensive oak paneling on

the corridor wall. Then it was quiet.

3( close-up ) Buck could hear a grandfather clock 

striking nine o’clock.

4(voice over) Bronson: Buck, you sonofabitch!

Buck: Cash, you miserable motherfucker!

5(medium close-up) Cash: How do you want this to go?

What do you really want?

6(voice over) Buck: I came for my horse.

Cash: Bullshit--as far as I can reckon, you’ve already

got the Appy. 

7(close up) Buck: Yeah, I do, don’t I?

8(voice-over) So let’s get down to the nut-cutting.

Buck: Hell of a good idea.

9(voice-over) Cash: So?

Buck: Your balls would look real good nailed to

a fence post. 

Silence.

Cash: We found Paulie. He’s almost alive.

Silence.

Cash: Thanks. I can see what’s left of Thor.

Buck: You’re welcome.

10(sound cue) harmonica and violin.

11(close-up) Cash: Buck...Buck, hell’s belles, what

a fucking shit parade. 

Buck: You opted to be Grand Master.

Cash: Seems to me we’re all in and even up.

Buck: How do you figure?

Cash: Look at it. Our people and family are dead.

Both of our ranches are burned to the bricks. I’m

thinking we ought to call a truce, and pick up the 

pieces. What do you say?

Buck: You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Only

problem is you are the scorpion promising

not to sting me if I hold out my hand. You

would watch me holster my iron, and walk

out into a hailstorm of bullets.

Cash: Not true. No one will intervene--I

promise it is just you and me.

Buck: You and me and ten of your gunmen. Fuck

you, Hefe, I ain’t buying the snake oil.

Cash: You are a lot of things, Buck, but I never 

thought you were a coward.

Buck: Are you kidding me? Are you challenging me

to a fistfight in the middle of a gun battle?

Cash: Damn rights. I’ll break your neck with my

bare hands!

Buck: Thor and I bare-knuckled it one time--how

did that work out?

Cash: I’m not Thor.

Buck: Neither is he.

12(sound cue) the metallic sound of cartridges being 

rammed into hot cylinders, above and below the stairs

over jazz brushing and harmonica huffing.

13(close-up) Cash yelling: I tell you it’s you and me, you

chickenshit back-shooting split-tongue buffalo-fucking

bastard!!!

Silence.

14(voice-over) Hey, big man, I got a present for you,

come and get it!



Glenn Buttkus


Posted over at d'Verse Poet's Pub

7 comments:

Merril D. Smith said...

Will they fight? It sounds like it's getting close to the end!

Gillena Cox said...

The only thing missing is one of dem gals shoving money into her bosom☺

Good Thursday

Much💜love

JadeLi said...

The odds are stacked against Buck in numbers, but in his heart of a lion he has them all beaten. I hope he takes Cash with him (IF he has to go. I hope he doesn't!)

It was good to see you and hear you read your other poem tonight at the live event, Glenn. The brainwashed regarding a tormented death like a bowl of dandelions (paraphrasing) stood out for me in it. They certainly have slurped the kool-aid -- and are proud of it! Sometimes it feels like an episode of Twilight Zone that won't end :(

Sanaa Rizvi said...

Oh it is ON! I knew from the last episode that it was building up to this moment.. to a showdown. Lets hope Buck kicks his ass! 💝💝

Ingrid said...

The excitement mounts...and we have another two weeks to wait for the next installment! The lines: 'you are the scorpion promising/not to sting me if I hold out my hand' really got to me as I keep getting scorpions in my apartment. I am on high alert!

lillianthehomepoet.wordpress.com said...

Oh my gosh....I read these words
"you are the scorpion promising not to sting me if I hold out my hand." and wanted to scream out loud....NOOOOOO....DO NOT TRUST HIM!!!
Please please let Buck win in the end!

SOO good to see you at LIVE tonight, Glenn. Sorry about the time snafu at the end....we will have to figure out a solution to that. I was petrified to host LIVE for the first time, but other than the time snafu, I enjoyed it very much. So fun to really see and hear everyone!

Sunra Rainz said...

I enjoy your swashbuckling mini-plays, Glenn. Who doesn't like a good stand-off?

But I also hope that Buck occasionally gets a night off as it surely can't be good for his stress levels :-)

Sunra