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Tell the Wolves I'm Home (Screenplay excerpt) by Lauren DeBew
INT. FINN’S APARTMENT - AFTERNOON
Two teenage girls, JUNE and GRETA sit silently, and frozen in place, behind a canvas on an easel. Their uncle FINN, a worryingly skinny young man, sickly in appearance, is painting their portrait. His clothes all appear to be far too big for his frail and fragile frame, and his pants are held up by a bright green necktie.
FINN:
(looking up to the girls, paintbrush in midair)
Won't be long now
Requiem by Mozart floats in over all the beautiful things in Finn's apartment. June's eyes flicker all across them as she sits. The soft Turkish carpet below her feet, the old silk top hat hanging by the door, and a big, vintage mason jar filled to the brim with guitar picks. There's a label on the front of it that reads "Guitar Pickles".
FINN: (voice a dry whisper)
(turning the easel around to face his nieces)
Take a closer look girls (clearing his throat) Danni, you too, come and have a look
June and Greta's mother, DANNI, is making tea in the kitchen. She doesn't reply.
FINN:
Come on just for a second. I want to see what you think.
DANNI:
Later. I'm in the middle of something.
Finn continues to stare longingly into the kitchen, sighing with disappointment when Danni still does not appear. Finn stands then, wincing in pain for a moment before steadying himself.
GRETA:
(stretching her arms above her head) Thank God for that
June stares at the portrait as Finn approaches her, tilting her head in concentration.
JUNE:
It's not done... is it?
Finn glances down at June with a slight smile, and then back up at the portrait, squinting, and leaning in close.
FINN:
(shaking his head)
No. Not quite. Do you see? There's something missing. Maybe something in the background. What do you think?
JUNE:
(struggling to hold back a smile)
I think so too. I think we should come back a few more times.
Finn rubs his sickly pale hand across his sickly pale forehead.
FINN:
Yeah. A few more.
Greta, having had her back turned to the pair, suddenly swings around in a flash, holding a thing of mistletoe above their heads. Finn and June both glance up at it, and then back at each other. June's face is stark with fear. Finn smiles comfortingly, and places a light, barely there kiss, to the top of June's head.
INT. JUNE’S HOME - NIGHT
June stands in the dimly lit shower, scrubbing her hair out with shampoo until she's afraid her scalp will bleed. She then climbs out, wraps herself in a towel, and steps into the hallway. Greta is already there, staring down at her phone as she walks to her bedroom.
JUNE:
Greta? Do you think you can catch AIDS from hair?
Greta shrugs, and disappears behind her bedroom door.
June wraps her hair up tightly in a towel, and crawls into bed.
EXT. BUS STOP - MORNING
Greta and June stand side by side at the bus stop at the end of their street, waiting for their school bus.
JUNE:
Greta, why don't you come to uncle Finn's on Sunday's anymore?
GRETA:
(staring down out at the street) He's only doing the background now. He doesn't need all three of us there. Plus I've got better things to do with my Sunday afternoon.
JUNE:
Like what?
GRETA:
(turning to face June, a smug look on her face) Things you can't even imagine.
JUNE:
(sarcastically) Yeah right.
Greta groans in annoyance, and moves as far away from June as possible. June's phone dings loudly then, a timer reading "Tax season" going off.
JUNE:
(calling over to Greta) Hey! It's orphan season again! We're orphans!
Greta glanced over, entirely unimpressed.
GRETA:
Oh the drama of it all June. Our well paid accountant parents have to work late. Get over it.
Greta spins around, keeping her back to June until the bus comes.
INT. DINER - AFTERNOON
The setting is a year or so earlier, June and her mother Danni sit in a booth at Denny's, waiting for their order. Without June asking, her mother passes her some quarters, and tells her to pick out a song on the jukebox.
DANNI:
Something good, okay? Something happy.
June, unknowing of the conversation they are about to have, chooses the Ghostbusters theme song.
DANNI:
(on the verge of tears) June
JUNE:
(confused)...Yeah?
Ghostbusters begins playing loud.
DANNI:
Finn's dying, June.
As June sits silently, her mind reeling with questions, the waitress appears, setting her order of Lemon Mirange pie down in front of her.
JUNE:
What kind of dying?
June's mother, unable to speak, traces her finger across the linoleum table, spelling out A-I-D-S. Once she's written it, she rubs it away with the palm of her hand.
JUNE:
...Oh.
The pie sits there untouched, taunting June. She eats the pie quickly, and presses her ear to the speak of the jukebox, trying to forget everything but the croon of Ray Parker Jr.'s voice singing about ghosts.
INT. GRETA’S ROOM - SUNDAY MORNING
In the present day, Greta is sitting at her desk in the corner, painting her nails. Alternating between black and purple. June watches her from the edge of Greta's unmade bed.
JUNE:
It won't be much longer, you know. With Finn.
GRETA:
(scoffs) Of course I know. I knew Uncle Finn was sick way before you knew anything.
JUNE:
Then why won't you come with us?
Greta screws the cap back on her nail polish, putting it back and replacing them with a bright red bottle. She pulls her knees up to her chest, and begins to paint her toes.
GRETA:
Because he's gonna finish that painting one way or another. And you know as well as I do that if he could have, he wouldn't have even put me in the portrait at all. It would just be his darling little Junie, all on her own.
JUNE:
(defensively) Finn's not like that.
GRETA:
(snapping her eyes to meet June, her tone harsh) Whatever June, it's not like I even care. It doesn't matter. Any day now, that phone will ring, and you'll find out that Finn's dead and then you'll have a whole world of Sundays to worry about. What'll you do then? Huh? It doesn't matter anymore. One Sunday more or less. Don't you even know that?
June sits in shock, utterly speechless. Greta slams down the bottle of red polish on her bookshelf, and exhales sharply, flexing her freshly painted toes. She looks up at June again.
GRETA:
What? Stop staring at me like that.
INT. JUNE’S HOME - NIGHT
June is home alone, sitting at the kitchen table doing geology homework, when the phone begins to ring. June answers.
UNKNOWN CALLER:
Mrs. Elbus?
The voice is blurry, watery.
JUNE:
No
UNKNOWN CALLER:
Oh. Right. Sorry. Is Mrs. Elbus there?
JUNE:
She's not home right now. Can I take a message?
There is a long pause.
UNKNOWN CALLER:
June? Is this June?
June pales with concern, pulling the phone away from her ear, and staring, puzzled, down at the reliever.
JUNE:
(speaking quickly) Call back later.
She hangs up. A few moments later, the phone rings again. June doesn't answer it, just sits frozen at the counter until the answering machine picks it up. It's that same voice again.
UNKNOWN CALLER:
I'm sorry. I'm really sorry if I frightened you. I'm ringing about your Uncle. Uncle Finn in the city... I'll try back later. That's all. Sorry.
Realization dawn's on June then. That her Uncle Finn is gone. She knows that he's gone. She stands up slowly, and pours the rest of her Yoohoo down the sink. She slowly, and hesitantly , dials Finn's number. She knows it by heart. It rings twice, before the call is picked up.
JUNE:
(desperately) Finn?
There's no answer.
JUNE:
(her voice breaking) Finn?
The same voice from before sounds through the speaker.
UNKNOWN CALLER:
I...I'm afraid not. He's not...
June hangs up the phone with a slam, and runs up to her bedroom, cocooning herself in her blankets, and plugging her ears tightly. She doesn't cry. She just closes her eyes, and pretends she is something ancient, and entombed. When she hears the back door open, she plugs her ears even harder, so she doesn't have to hear that horrible voicemail all over again.
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