by Jack Wallen
But it wasn’t. Honest Ginger, I wouldn’t do something like that. I mean sure what you’re doing is probably wrong and might get you into a lot of trouble. But I know you’ll be careful. And I can see that you really like Scott. Who am I to get in the way of that? But I didn’t tell anyone about him. I promise.
GINGER
Then how did the freak-show find out about it?
TIMELY
I don’t know.
GINGER
You were the only other one that knew Timely.
TIMELY
Stop accusing me. I didn’t do it.
GINGER
Then who did it?
TIMELY
I said I don’t know.
TIMELY STORMS OFF. THUNDER AND LIGHTENING. FROM WITHIN THE HOUSE WE SEE SHADOWY MOVEMENT. IT IS BULLY NUMBER ONE HIDING HIMSELF INSIDE. THUNDER AND LIGHTENING CONTINUE UNDERNEATH AS LIGHTS COME UP ON SCOTT IN HIS ROOM SITTING ON HIS BED AND HOLDING HIS BOOK.
SCENE 12: THE FIRST CONFRONTATION
SCOTT
I have to see her again. I have to know about these pictures.
SCOTT LOOKS UP TO HIS WINDOW. LIGHTENING FLASHES. HE MAKES HIS DECISION. HE GRABS HIS BACKPACK, PUTS THE BOOK IN IT, GRABS A FLASHLIGHT, CHECKS HIS DOOR FOR SOUNDS, AND CLIMBS OUT THE WINDOW.
LIGHTS FADE UP ON THE GAULTIER HOUSE. GINGER IS SITTING IN A ROOM, IN FULL MONSTER MODE, PLAYING WITH HER DOLLS.
GINGER
Why yes Scott, you may have this dance. And may I say you look handsome tonight.
SHE DANCES HER DOLLS AROUND FOR A MOMENT. FINALLY SHE BRINGS IN A THIRD DOLL.
No Miss Timely you may not cut in. This dance is reserved for me.
SHE CONTINUES DANCING THE DOLLS AROUND.
Ginger your skin is a lovely as ever. Your eyes glow like a brilliant Jack O’ Lantern. Your monster smell reminds me of a summer garden.
Why you do make a girl blush Scott.
SHE BENDS THE BOY DOLL SO IT’S ON ONE KNEE.
Ginger, I love you. Will you please….
A LIGHT THUMPING IS HEARD FOLLOWED BY SCOTTS VOICE.
SCOTT
Ouch!
GINGER, IN ONLY MILD PANIC, RACES TO GET OUT OF MONSTER MODE AND PUT HER DOLLS AWAY. SCOTT ENTERS JUST AFTER SHE’S READY.
SCOTT
Ginger!
GINGER
Scott.
SCOTT
I had to see you.
GINGER
I know the feeling.
SCOTT PULLS OFF HIS BACKPACK AND PULLS OUT THE BOOK. HE OPENS TO THE PAGE WITH THE PHOTO OF WHO HE ASSUMES IS GINGER AND HOLDS IT IN FRONT OF HER.
SCOTT
What is this about?
GINGER IS STUNNED AND DOESN’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.
What’s wrong Ginger?
GINGER
I…I…I…
SCOTT
Are you okay?
GINGER
I’m…not….sure.
SCOTT
So what’s this picture about?
GINGER
TRYING TO CONCOCT A STORY.
Well…uh…it’s my great, great, great Aunt. We both had the same names and looked like identical twins.
SCOTT
But on this page there’s a picture of…
BULLY 1
COMES OUT FROM HIDING. HE IS IN FULL MONSTER MODE. SCOTT IS A FROZEN.
She’s lying.
GINGER
Oh my gosh…what are you doing here?
BULLY 1
I’ve been watching you for a while.
GINGER
So that’s how….
BULLY 1
Tell him the truth.
GINGER
Go away.
SCOTT
Tell me the truth about what?
BULLY 1
About her. About who and what she is.
SCOTT
Maybe you should leave.
BULLY 1
Maybe you should shut up other.
SCOTT DOES JUST THAT.
GINGER
Go away or I’ll call my father.
BULLY 1
No you won’t. You would dare risk your father catching you with that thing.
GINGER
He is not a thing.
BULLY 1
Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to insult your boyfriend.
GINGER
Boyfriend? He’s not my boyfriend.
BULLY 1
Everyone knows Ginger. You have a crush on him.
GINGER
Shut up! Why are you doing this?
TIMELY ENTERS FROM THE DARKNESS. SHE IS IN HUMAN MODE.
TIMELY
Because he has a crush on you Ginger. Isn’t it obvious.
BULLY 1
Shut up Timely. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
TIMELY
Oh don’t I? It was you that told everyone about Scott. You’ve been sneaking in here and watching Ginger for a while. That’s how you knew about him.
BULLY 1
Shut up Timely. Come on Ginger, show your boyfriend your true self. Let him see you for what you really. I don’t think he’ll be so smitten with you then.
GINGER
I asked you once to leave. If I have to ask you again I’m calling father.
BULLY 1
And I’m calling your bluff.
BULLY 1 QUICKLY MOVES TO GINGER AND ATTEMPTS TO PULL OFF HER HUMAN MASK. TIMELY JOINS IN TO TRY TO PULL THE BULLY OFF GINGER. AFTER A MOMENT IT BECOMES OBVIOUS THE GIRLS AREN’T GOING TO BE ABLE TO STOP THE BULLY, SCOTT JOINS IN AND PULLS THE BULLY OFF GINGER BUT NOT BEFORE THE BULLY PULLS OFF PART OF HER HUMAN MASK.
THE FRAY HAS AWOKEN GAULTIER. HIS BELLOWING CRY RESONATES THROUGH THE HOUSE BRINGING THE SCUFFLE TO A HALT.
GAULTIER
Ginger! What is all that noise?
GINGER
Oh no! If father sees everyone he’ll freak out. Hide! Hurry.
EVERYONE BUT GINGER AND TIMELY SCRAMBLE AND HIDE. GAULTIER ENTERS THE ROOM.
GAULTIER
Ginger…oh…Timely too. What are you doing here at this hour young lady?
TIMELY
I…uh…I…just…studying?
GAULTIER
Ginger…
HE SNIFFS THE AIR.
Wait a minute. That smell. It’s back. You’ve got someone else in here don’t you? Who is it? Ginger? Timely? Who else is in this room?
GAULTIER SNIFFS AROUND THE ROOM. EVENTUALLY HE PULLS OUT THE BULLY.
GAULTIER
What are you doing in my house?
BULLY 1
You see sir…I came because…I…oh boy. I um….
GAULTIER SNIFFS THE BULLY
GAULTIER
It’s not you.
HE SETS THE BULLY DOWN AND GOES ABOUT SNIFFING SOME MORE. HE FINALLY DISCOVERS SCOTT AND PULLS HIM OUT OF HIDING.
You! What are you doing in my house?
LIGHTENING FLASHES. THUNDER CRASHES. LIGHTS SWITCH TO SCOTT’S HOUSE.
SCENE 13: HE’S GONE
MOM
PACING THE FLOOR
What are we going to do? Our baby boy is gone. We need to call the police.
DAD
I’ll do that dear.
DAD PICKS UP THE PHONE AND CALLS THE POLICE.
Yes, I would like to report a missing child. My son. The last time we saw him was when he went up to bed. Yes that’s the address. Yes we have pictures. No he’s not prone to running away. The only time we’ve discovered him gone was…hold on.
HE COVERS THE PHONE
The Gaultier house. I bet he ran off to that haunted house again.
MOM
Oh my goodness you’re right.
DAD
Never mind. We think we might know where he is.
DAD HANGS UP THE PHONE.
Let’s go.
SCENE 14: THE STORY IS TOLD
THEY GRAB THEIR COATS AND HEAD OUT THE DOOR. LIGHTENING FLASHES AND LIGHTS SHIFT BACK TO THE GAULTIER HOUSE.
GAULTIER
TURNING TO GINGER
Ginger, you know the rules. No mingling with the others.
GAULTIER TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO SCOTT
Now tell me boy – what are you doing here with my daughter? Tell me. Tell me at once.
SCOTT
I was…I was…
SCOTT NEARLY FAINTS BEFORE GINGER SPEAKS UP
GINGER
It wasn’t his idea father.
GAULTIER
Quiet. Let the boy speak for himself.
UPON BEING YELLED AT, GINGER HIDES HER FACE.
SCOTT
I’m sorry sir. I was just interested in your house.
GAULTIER
What interest has a young boy in a house like this?
SCOTT
I like haunted houses. I came to see your haunted house on Halloween. The next day I came back to see how you did it. That’s when I met Ginger. We became friends and…
GAULTIER
Our kind are not friends with your kind.
SCOTT
What do you mean sir?
GAULTIER
Take a good look at me young man. You see my face? This is not a mask. This is not some Halloween extravaganza. This is me.
GAULTIER TURNS TO GINGER
Show your true self Ginger.
GINGER STILL HAS HER FACE HIDDEN. WHEN SHE TURNS BACK SHE IS IN FULL MONSTER MODE.
This is who we are.
SCOTT DOES NOT FLINCH.
Are you not frightened boy?
SCOTT
No sir.
GAULTIER
Why not?
SCOTT
What is there to be afraid of? You’re just different. There’s nothing wrong with being different. But may I ask?
GAULTIER THINKS
GAULTIER
Yes you may.
SCOTT
What are you?
GAULTIER
We’re monsters. Not in the sense you’ve come to know of the word. Not the monsters of movies and books. We’re not cruel, mean beasts. We lived in the European countries for centuries until it was feared we were discovered. Instead of trying to hide ourselves farther away from society, we decided to pick up our roots and come across the oceans to a new country. We’re mostly just like you.
BULLY 1
We eat.
TIMELY
We sleep.
GINGER
We love.
GAULTIER
We live.
SCOTT
But you don’t die.
GAULTIER
How did you know that?
SCOTT PULLS OUT THE BOOK AGAIN.
Where did you find that book son?
SCOTT
HESITANTLY
I took it from downstairs when I went through the haunted house.
GAULTIER
Give it back to me boy.
GAULTIER THUMBS THROUGH THE BOOK.
This is the only record of our existence. We’ve been around for a long, long time. We’ve managed, until now, to remain among you by hiding our trues selves. We wear masks every day of the year…except one.
SCOTT
Halloween?
GAULTIER
Exactly. It’s the one time of year we can afford to remove our masks and be ourselves. It’s the one time of the year our kind are actually celebrated. But as soon as the witching hour passes, we must go back into hiding.
SCOTT
But why?
GAULTIER
Do you think your kind would accept us? The answer is no. They wouldn’t. The others fear such differences. So we go about our ways accepting our lives and our fate. You are the first, Scott, the first of the others to see our true faces. And unfortunately we have laws regarding such an incident. These laws lay out very clearly what is to be done in case of such an incident. These laws are brutal and call for your death.
GINGER
No father! You mustn’t.
GAULTIER SILENCES GINGER
GAULTIER
These laws where written many, many years ago by men far wiser than myself, to protect out kind from discovery. Our elders knew that should we be discovered by the others it would only be a matter of time before we become nothing more than a plague to be studied and examined. I would wrong to not protect our kind and adhere to these laws.
THERE IS A TENSE SILENCE
But there is obviously something about you Scott that is different than most others. My daughter seems to have some affinity towards you and that says more to me about you than I could ever ask. I will spare you your life Scott in return for your promise that you’ll not tell a soul about what you have learned or what you have seen here.
SCOTT
I promise sir.
GAULTIER
And in return I will grant you access to my home whenever you like. You may visit my darling Ginger so long as she will have you here.
SCOTT
Thank you sir.
GAULTIER
Don’t thank me, thank my daughter.
SCOTT HUGS GINGER
SCOTT
Thank you Ginger.
TIMELY
PUNCHES THE BULLY IN THE ARM
Just try to come between that ya punk!
JUST THEN A LOUD POUNDING IS HEARD FROM THE FRONT DOOR.
DAD
Hello? Is anybody home? Scott? Are you there?
GAULTIER
Who have you brought with you?
SCOTT
No one. That’s my parents. They must have figured out I snuck out.
GAULTIER
