The Green Man
extERIOR –
Morningside Park.
The path above the lake. |
night |
We see over the shoulder of a dark, green-clad figure walking down an unlit path in a city park. He wears a poncho and a fedora.
A rustling noise comes from the bushes off the path ahead, followed by faint choking sounds. Our dark figure crouches down and peers through the bushes. We see through the leaves two shadowy figures holding down someone in jogging clothes.
Our point of view switches to the green figure’s waist where we see that under his poncho, he wears a utility belt with a folding camp shovel hanging from it. He pulls the shovel from its sheath.
With a bang, the Green Man smacks the first mugger upside the head with his still-folded shovel while he kicks the other mugger away from the jogger.
The smacked mugger lies on the ground, unmoving, while the other mugger finds himself pinned to the ground with a shovel blade pointed at his throat.
| GREEN MAN |
| (the brim of his fedora hides his silhouetted face) |
| What are you doing to this kid? |
The mugger makes choking sounds in reply while grabbing at the shovel blade.
| JOGGER |
| (crab-walking slowly backwards into the bushes to get further away from the action) |
| They were going to kill me. |
The Green Man turns to the jogger and we see his face in partial light. He has a longish, full, red beard and small, round glasses.
| GREEN MAN |
| Shut up, kid. And lay still. |
The Green Man turns back to the mugger only to be spit upon by him.
| GREEN MAN |
| That’s it, grab you friend and get out of my park! |
The Green Man smacks the mugger on the cheek with the flat of his shovel blade to drive his point home, and the mugger hauls his friend onto his shoulder and lumbers down the path.
| GREEN MAN |
| (turning to the jogger who has gotten up off the ground) |
| Who jogs at this time of night? |
| JOGGER |
| (still scared and whimpery. We see that he is wearing a Columbia jogging suit and that he has an MP3 player strapped to his upper arm with a Velcro strap. The earbuds have fallen out of his ears and are dangling from the player.) |
| They just grabbed me out of the bushes. The big dude started choking me and the other guy, the one you hit—I think he was trying to get my pants off. I think they were going to rape me! |
| GREEN MAN |
| (picking a baggie of marijuana up off the ground) |
| Really? ‘Cause it looks a lot like you were trying to score some pot… |
| GREEN MAN |
| …and they didn’t like you haggling with them so they decided to just rob you to teach you a lesson. |
The jogger looks panicked for a beat and then turns to run off.
The Green Man throws his shovel at the jogger’s feet, tripping him and sending him sprawling.
In an instant the Green Man has hauled the kid up by his shirt with one hand and retrieved his shovel with the other hand.
| GREEN MAN |
| (waving the shovel in the jogger’s face) |
| I’m only telling you this once. Don’t ever come to my park to buy your drugs any more. |
| JOGGER |
| (looking at the shovel out of the corner of his eye) |
| Why do you have a little shovel? |
| GREEN MAN |
| Do you hear me? |
The jogger pushes himself out of the Green Man’s grasp.
| JOGGER |
| (dusting his running suit off) |
| Whatever. What, do you think you’re King of Morningside Park, or something? |
The Green Man rips the MP3 player from the jogger’s arm.
| GREEN MAN |
| Since you refused to learn the lesson those pot dealers were trying to teach you… |
He tosses the MP3 player lightly in the air and then smacks it with his shovel like a baseball. It goes soaring over the bushes and lands with a splash in the duck pond.
| JOGGER |
| Dude! I just put all my tunes on that! |
| GREEN MAN |
| Your daddy will buy you a new one, Princess. |
| JOGGER |
| What’s wrong with you?! |
The Green Man rolls his eyes at the kid’s stupidity and jabs him in the throat with the handle of his shovel.
The jogger bends over choking, and the Green Man grabs him by his collar and drags him up the steps and shoves him through the gate entrance to the park. The jogger lands sprawled on his ass on the sidewalk outside the park
| GREEN MAN |
| (Turning to leave) |
| If you’re hurt, the emergency room entrance to St. Luke’s is on 114th. |
The Green Man folds up his shovel and hangs it back on his belt as he walks down the same path.
A rustle in the bushes, and we see one of the muggers on the path in front of the Green Man. The mugger holds his arms and hands spread out at his sides, ready to fight or run.
| MUGGER |
| Uhm. (cough). Uh, can I have my weed back? |
| GREEN MAN |
| No, Jeff. You can’t. |
| GREEN MAN |
| I’ve told you and Scott to quit selling to those Columbia brats in the park. You think when their rich parents find out they buy here that this park isn’t going to start swarming with cops? |
| MUGGER JEFF |
| Oh, like your little Morningsider vigilante routine isn’t going to draw any attention either? |
| GREEN MAN |
| I’m not worried about me. They’re not going to find me. You on the other hand… |
| (He walks off past Jeff.) |
| MUGGER JEFF |
| What are you going to do with my weed, man? |
| GREEN MAN |
| It’s my weed now. |
| MUGGER JEFF |
| (Hollering at the Green Man as he continues down the path in the distance) |
| You going to smoke my good stuff? You don’t even know from primo, man. It’s wasted on you. |
| GREEN MAN |
| (to himself) |
| Smoke it? No, this—this is an offering. |
| MUGGER JEFF |
| (Still yelling) |
| What makes you so sure they’re not going to catch you, man? |
| GREEN MAN |
| (turning back to yell at Jeff) |
| ‘Cause I’m the Morningsider! |
WildeRix 
Posted by The Morningsider: A rewilding comicbook (in the making) « WildeRix on 07/18/2007 at 2:00 pm
[…] The Morningsider (Issue 1 – Scene 1) […]
Posted by Rix on 07/19/2007 at 9:27 pm
Change notes: I gave the scene a title and e-primed the narrative sections.