Maybe, Maybe not - Essay Example

Maybe, Maybe not” FADE IN: INT. JOSEPH’S LIVING ROOM- DAY (1997) JOSEPH, a countryman, sits on a couch in his living room and starts reading a newspaper. He’s looking comfortable. He’s in his light blue button down shirt and loose dark blue jeans. XAVIER, Joseph’s only son, is sitting beside him, busy in watching a TV show on an old TV set. CUT TO: EXT. JOSEPH’S STABLE- SAME DAY We see, ROU, Joseph’s and Xavier’s beloved stallion, wondering in a medium sized wooden stable. Suddenly it sees a fierce dog. It tries to go after it and during this time a loose rope which is ties with Rou’s neck breaks and its free now. He runs after a dog which heads towards a nearby jungle. BACK TO: INT. JOSEPH’S LIVING ROOM- SAME DAY Joseph is still fully engross in his reading. Suddenly he looks up at Xavier. JOSEPH Did you add oats and wheat in Rou’s food basket? XAVIER (Busy watching a TV) Yes JOSEPH Hmmm Suddenly there’s a noise outside the door which attracts both of Joseph’s and Xavier’s attraction and they make their way outside the house. Xavier opens a door and sees a group of people from their neighborhood. They all are panting. There’s a surprise look on Xavier’s face. All men stare at each other and then Joseph breaks the ice. JOSEPH (calmly) What happened? ONE OF THE NEIGHBOR (Breathing heavily) Your only horse just ran away, we tried to catch it but it ran away. What a terrible luck! XAVIER (Starts panicking) Oh my god! How it’s possible. Rou was there half an hour ago. It’s our only horse. What happened? ANOTHER NEIGHBOR We don’t know. We were sitting outside and then we saw Rou. It was running towards the forest. We tried ti catch it but failed. What you guys will do now? Your life is ruined. God! What a bad luck. Joseph who’s standing still, looking calm and listening to his son’s and neighbors conversation. He puts his hand on his son shoulders and looks at the neighbors. JOSEPH (Speaks in monotone) Maybe or maybe not. Everybody turns their gaze towards him but nobody speaks. They see him with an astonishing look on their face and heads towards their places. INT. JOSEPH’S LIVING ROOM-NEXT DAY Joseph lays on his couch in his living room and tries to sleep. Xavier is on his cell talking to someone and telling about their lost stallion. He looks stressful. He’s constantly passing his hands through his air. Again there’s a noise outside the door and both man makes their way towards the door. Xavier opens the door and sees the same group of neighbors. Behind them he sees Rou together with wild mares. XAVIER (Sounds delighted) Oh! Look dad, look. Rou is back. It’s with other horses too. He then runs towards the Rou, leaving the all men behind him. ONE OF A NEIGHBOR Rou has returned and it has brought several horses with it. You’re blessed. What a lucky man you are. What a great luck. Wow! There’s no sign of amusement or happiness. He still looks so calm. He looks at his son, then Rou and then finally his gaze meets his neighbor. JOSEPH (calmly) Maybe or maybe not. All the neighbors see him with surprise looks on their faces but nobody says a word. He shakes hand with all of them, closes the door and lie down on his couch again, trying to sleep. EXT. JOSEPH’S STABLE-TWO DAYS LATER Day is sunny with bit of clouds making it pleasant. Xavier is in the stable. He’s surrounded by Rou and other four mares brought by Rou two days ago. The other four mares are wild and there height is greater than Rou but they are not trained. Xavier is training them. He’s trying to break one of the mare and suddenly she gets crazy and throws him on the ground. Xavier shouts in agony. His neighbors suddenly come and take him towards his house. INT. JOSEPH’S LIVING ROOM-SAME DAY Joseph is sleeping comfortably on his couch. A sudden commotion outside the door wakes him up and he gets up. He makes his way towards a door. ONE OF THE NEIGHBOR (apologetically) Your son broke his leg. He was training one of the wild mare and It kicked him. XAVIER (screaming) Aaaa!!!Somebody save me. Please save me. I’m going to die. OTHER NEIGHBOR Let’s take him to the hospital. Two of the neighbors take Xavier to the hospital. Joseph is standing there looking at all of them quietly and in deep thought. A neighbor who’s still standing here brings him back to reality. NEIGHBOR (sympathetically) Sorry brother. I’m sorry your only son broke his leg. That’s a terrible luck. That’s not good for you. Not good. Joseph calmly look at him and shakes his head. JOSEPH (sighing) Maybe or maybe not. CUT TO: INT. ARMY HEADQUARTERS, NEWYORK-ONE DAY LATER GENERAL VITTON, is sitting in his office, going through a file, which is about a number of soldiers taking in a war due to a sudden attack by Germans. CAPTAIN LOUIS, enters the office. CAPTAIN LOUIS (saluting) Sir! GENERAL VITTON (frowning) We can’t fight against Germans with such an ordinary number of soldiers. We’ll lose. CAPTAIN LOUIS I understand Sir but people are not willing to take part in this war. They fear death. GENERAL VITTON (still frowning) Well, then make them to come and fight. It’s a matter of national security. Force them and those who refuse to take part declare a death penalty for them. General Vitton signs on a file and hands it to Captain Louis. Captain Louis salutes him and leaves. CUT TO: INT. JOSEPH’S BEDROOM-ONE DAY LATER Xavier is lying on a bed. His one leg broken. He can’t stand on his own. He’s moaning in pain. Joseph is sitting next ti his son on an old wooden chair. He’s quite. XAVIER (moaning) I lost my youth. I lost my life. I’m of no use. I can’t even stand. I’m unlucky. So unlucky. JOESPH Maybe or maybe not. He then leaves his house and goes to his stable. EXT. JOSEPH’S STABLE-SAME DAY Joseph is in the stable. Working on Rou and all other four horses. He suddenly hears footsteps and come outside. He sees four soldiers all dress in uniform coming towards him. CAPTAIN LOUIS Mr. Joseph Felton, we are here to take your son, following the orders of General Vitton to meet our national security crisis and to train him for a war. JOSEPH (calmly) I’ve no issues but my son can’t meet your requirements. He broke his leg few days ago and can’t even stand properly. CAPTAIN LOUIS (frowning) We need to see him. INT. JOSEPH’S BEDROOM- SAME DAY Captain Louis, Joseph and remaining three soldiers are standing beside Xavier who’s lying unconscious on the bed. CAPTAIN LOUIS We were here to take him but you are right. I don’t think so he can Make up for the war. Your son is lucky enough to break his leg. It saved him from taking him to the war. JOSEPH Maybe or maybe not. Ext. JOSEPH’S STABLE- NEXT DAY Joseph is washing dirty buckets in his stable. He sees a group of his neighbors coming towards him. He leaves the buckets and comes outside. ONE OF TE NEIGHBOR (admiring) Your son is so lucky. The broken leg saved him….. OTHER NEIGHBOR (cutting the first one off) They took our sons. All of them. Forcefully. Your son is safe. You’re so lucky. Your son is so lucky. JOSEPH Maybe or maybe not. INT. JOSEPH’S LIVING ROOM-TWO WEEKS LATER Xavier is playing with a ball. His fake wooden leg now attached firmly and he has no problem in walking on his own. Joseph is sitting on the couch reading a newspaper. There’s a knock on a door which catches their attention. Xavier gets up and opens the door. A group of their neighbors is standing in front of him and they all are smiling. ONE OF THE NEIGHBOR (Smiling) Xavier! What a pleasant surprise to see you standing on your own feet again. How’s your leg now? Meanwhile joseph joins them too. Xavier (smiling back) Yea, I’m pretty fine now. Feeling young too. SAME NEIGHBOR Joseph you and your boy are so lucky. Seriously. JOSEPH Maybe or maybe not. And then he shuts the door on their face. XAVIER (gasps) Dad what was that? Joseph didn’t answer. He makes his way towards his bedroom. XAVIER Dad I’m asking something. Why you did that? What happened? Joseph still don’t answer. He reaches to his closet and takes out a bag. Then he starts packing his clothes. Xavier is still standing their looking confuse. XAVIER Would you even answer me? I’m asking you something. What happened? Joseph still don’t pays any attention. He grabs another bag and now start packing Xavier clothes. Xavier is not getting anything. Has just standing, looking at his father who’s packing their belongings without even telling him any reason. When he’s finishes he looks around and then his eyes meets his son’s eyes who’s standing and frowning. XAVIER (lifting his both hands in the air) What? Joseph (calmly) We are leaving this town. Today. Now. XAVIER (Shocked) Wh...What? But why? Joseph without answering gets out of the house. He goes to his stable and gets Rou and other horses and starts moving towards north. Xavier comes out. He sees his father moving and he runs after him. XAVIER (shouting) OK. Ok. Wait. I’m coming. Ext. EVE’S MEADOW-TWO DAYS LATER Joseph and Xavier are sitting on the grass. Rou and other four horses are wandering in the meadow. Sky is full of blue clouds. Wind is blowing. Everything is so green and colorful. It’s all quite. Only the sounds of birds is audible. Joseph is in his own world enjoying the scenic beauty if the place. Xavier looks at his father. XAVIER (pleading) So, now would you tell me please what’s wrong? Why we left that place? JOSEPH Those people were stupid. Idiots and I felt like suffocating living between them. XAVIER (smirking) That’s rude dad? You left just because they were stupid? What was the stupid part? JOSEPH We all are so judgmental son. If anything happens we don’t waste a single second in judging it. Ten we attaches a label of good or bad, lucky or unlucky, fortunate or unfortunate with that. It’s wrong. It’s wrong because it’s the duty of a time. It tells us how that event actually was. No one lives for that long so judging the events and happenings and labeling them is just a waste of time. He stops and looks around once again. The he starts again. JOSEPH (continued) That’s what stupid people do. They waste tons of their energies in thinking that is useless. Moderation is a key, Wise people lives their life with moderation. They have even temperament. Life is simple. It’s so easy. It’s easy if we learn to accept our fates and don’t react abruptly. It will be more interesting to see what happens. Stupid people lives in their own inhibitions. They form their own lame hypothesis and formulate their own theories on its basis. He stops and looks at Xavier who’s watching and listening to him with great attention. JOSEPH (continued) Mark my words. Those people can’t live longer. They will destroy them. Themselves. With their own hands. Xavier’s eyes become wide open after listening his father’s deathly prediction. He passes his hand through his hair and then the back of his neck. He is thinking. Joseph seems to be calm as always. He again divert his all attention drinking in the beauty of this place. He looks satisfies and comfortable. He looks happy. There’s a comfortable silence between them. Xavier then finally adds his opinion. XAVIER (smiling) You’re right dad. You’re right. Who taught you this? JOSEPH (Chuckling) I learned. People learn, right? XAVIER (chuckling) Yea. Right. CUT TO: INT. BBC OFFICE, NEWS ROOM- ONE MONTH LATER SOPHIA, a newscaster, is sitting on a chair, reading the headlines. She’s going to read the news live within a three minutes. She going through all the news for the final time. MARK, IT assistant, is sitting beside her looking on the screen and typing something. SOPHIA (astonished) The heck did I just read? Who got this news? Is this real? Mark suddenly jumps. He then looks at Sophia with a great crease on his forehead. MARK (FROWNING) Easy Sophia. You scared the shit out of me. What happened? SOPHIA What’s written here? Inhabitants of some rural area sets fire to their own town just because they suspected some wild bears and thought it will help them to get rid of those because it’s unlucky to have wild bears in the town. OH. MY. GOD. I still can’t believe what I’m reading. Is this even authentic? MARK (chuckling) Yea, it’s authentic and hundred percent real news. All of the inhabitants are moving to other town as the fire has completely destroyed the area including the fields. SOPHIA OH. MY. GOD. How someone can be that much stupid? MARK Think about that later. We’re getting online in 20 seconds. Voice check? SOPHIA Check MARK Ok. Going live in 5…4…3….2…1 CUT TO: INT. JOSEPH’S LIVING ROOM-SAME DAY Joseph and Xavier are sitting in front of TV in their living room watching a news. NEWSCASTER Hi. Good morning. I am Sophia Michael from BBC news. First of all headlines. Joseph and Xavier are quite. Breaks over. Newscaster is back. NEWSCATER (continued) Inhabitants of rural area in the south of states turn their whole town into living hell when they suspected wild bears from the near forest and to keep them away burned their whole town with their own hands because they thought it was the bad omen and bad luck to have wild bears in the town. No deaths have been measured so far but all the crops and trees are completely destroyed. People are moving and shifting their belongings to other near towns. Statements are being taken and……….. Joseph turn off the TV and laughs. JOSEPH Hahahahahahaha………. He laughs and laughs. Xavier is sitting there. He’s in shock. He’s still looking at the TV screen which is just turned off by his dad. XAVIER (astonished) God. God, I can’t believe this. They did this. They actually did this this. Joseph can’t stop laughing. JOSEPH Hahahahahahaha………. After few minutes when joseph is done with his laughing and catches his breath he looks at his son. Xavier is sitting still. His both hands on his head. Joseph wipes away his tears which are due to his abnormal laughter. He gets up and put his hands on his son shoulders. JOSEPH (continued) Told you And then he starts laughing again and goes out while Xavier is still sitting there. He can’t move. He’s still in shock. FADE OUT. THE END Read More