Prayer Never Will

INT. CHURCH - MID-DAY

The interior of the Basilica is steeped in silence, a
quietness familiar of a place so greatly devout. In this
moment it is as if sound had yet to be created, it is that
silent; but light, the light through some stained-glass
window, is overtly present.
We move through the aisles, gliding on sunken shine everything is clean. The pews pristine, some even reflect
and glare.
A oak confessional booth is stuck at the front-left of the
church, we make the turn, we slowly approach.
Now the creation of sound. Foot steps. A door opens. A door
closes.
INT. CONFESSIONAL BOOTH - MID-DAY
The PRIEST is dressed accordingly. This is the last of many
confessionals on confessions Saturday. He waits a moment for
the sinner to get comfortable, a typical practice - the MAN
on the other side of the booth nervously speaks. He has a
thick, bay accent
MAN
Forgive me father for I have
sinned. It has been a while since
my last confession. I accuse myself
of the following sins
The Priest sits upright with a half-concerned stare. The Man
continues:
MAN
I hope you will excuse my
nervousness, I do not really speak
of these troubles to anyone - Ive
only spoke of this to myself. Once,
I could snuff the guilt... now it
echoes... it tickles the skull...
its endless.
PRIEST
You can speak here
MAN
Where should I start? Perhaps at
the beginning, but maybe not. The
end is best, Ive calmed in my
later years.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

2.

PRIEST
Start wherever you wish.
MAN
I have committed the sin of
adultery. I have a wife, I love her
greatly, but Ive been unfaithful.
Ive done this in a state of lust
and improper morality. It was only
once Father, I swear it. She was
gorgeous, unreal, her eyes were
lights centred in dark, bottomless
pools. The shape of her body simply
could not have been. I took her in
a motel room in another town. I do
not know how to tell my wife.
PRIEST
Forgiveness startsMAN
I have committed another sin,
Father, Ive been untruthful. Ive
lied, I lied to a priest actually,
I lied to a priest in front of God.
PRIEST
Go on.
MAN
I did not have an extramarital
affair with only one woman, Ive
done it multiple times. Sometimes
with two or three at once. Father,
I do not know how to say this, but
there was one time where I laid
with thirty or forty naked beings most of them women, some of them
men, two or three beasts.
PRIEST
Son you must confess, if you want
forgiveness you must confess all
MAN
Do you judge me?
PRIEST
I am only judged, I do not hold the
gavel.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

3.

MAN
I have killed.
The priest bows his head, cradelling it in his hands
MAN
I have. Ive killed. Ive killed
many men, many women. I killed one
man just outside of this Church. I
walked to him, right friendly , and
stabbed him six times. That was
many years ago now, long before you
were here Father. I think they
wrote about it in the papers.
The Priest remains silent
MAN
I took this one girl, this one very
kind, tiny creature, and I took her
into some woods... her face was
incredible, Father, really, every
detail of it. Soft, rose-pillows
for cheeks and just the smallest
jaw Ive ever seen. All of it,
symmetrical... I couldnt piece it
back together. You cant blame me
for trying.
The Priest is visibly disgusted
MAN
Memory is funny. Man, Ive seen a
lot of fucking shit, and I cant
remember half of it. I never really
planned on doing one of these, but
if feels good man, I gotta tell
you, it feels real good... fuck, I
remember this one night, probably
sometime in 83, I had a certain
urge, a kind of urge that I dont
think many others have felt. It was
a blood buzz - I got probably
sixteen in one night. I took a limb
from each. I hung them all up on
some ladys clothesline. Blood on
tommorows laundry.
PRIEST
(Under his breath)
God -

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

4.
MAN
Benghazi, Oklahoma, Rwanda,
Packistan, Japan, New Delhi ...
Century long vacations in every
city, A hundred fingers pressed
firmly against their Suns. I
courted its light and chained it in
a cellar, I removed the skin on its
toes.

The MAN begins to speak softer, his voice splits. The Priest
moves closer to the seperator
Ive burnt skyscrapers slowly. With
my breath Ive ripped the dirt off
of the land. With my spit I put the
ocean over what was left. I have
eaten towns.
Gunk starts pouring through the grate
I bedded McVeigh, Gacy, Bundy... I
axed the Duke, I got the Fuhrer
goin, I whispered "enough" into
Chamberlains ear. I started wars
and ended wars and kept track of
families abolished
The gunk through the grate begins to get thicker, by now the
Mans voice is entirely unrecognizable. The Priest begins to
pray under his breath. The Mans voice carries through his
prayer
PRIEST
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be
your name. Your kingdom come, your
will be done, on earth, as it is in
heaven
MAN
Disease. Famine. Iraq 2003. New
York 2001. Congo 1998. Vietnam
1970. Korea 1950. The whole wide
world 1939 and 1914. The War of
1812. Rome and Persia. Rome and
Macedona. Rome and whoever the fuck
else
The Priest loses track of his prayer and repeats
PRIEST
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be
your name. Your kingdom come, your
will be done, on earth, as it is in
heaven

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

5.

MAN
Father, Ive never been so near to
another living thing. I smell your
sweat. I know the beat to your
heart and the tremble to your feet.
I hear the losening of your pupil
as it dilates, I hear the light hit
its rims as it floods in, I hear
the blood sogging your muscles, I
hear the tighetning of your
muscles, I hear your brain bobble
as it attempts to make sense - I
hear the folds open and a old,
forgotten tongue twisting a word "run".
The PRIEST begins to gag
They use to pray to me once,
Father, much like you pray to
him. They used to throw eachother
into volcanoes for me. What do you
do, Father?
How wide are you ears?
How much do you really listen?
O my God, I am heartily sorry for
having offended you, and I detest
all my sins, because of Your just
punishments, but most of all
because they offend You, my God,
who are all-good and deserving of
all my love. I firmly resolve, with
the help of Your grace, to sin no
more and to avoid the near occasion
of sin.
Am I forgiven? Does it all stop
now?
The MAN becomes silent. The Priest regains his breath,
coughing, he violently throws himself back up to the seat.
After a prolonged period of silence the Priest slowly moves
his face and fingers towards the grate in the seperator.
Quietly he opens it. Through the hole we see the back of a
young girl, 10 years old, as she walks out of the booth.