A WRITTEN DESCENT

					    By
				    James Fisher

Contact me at jimmyjamjames@msn.com
© 2013 James Fisher 
(This screenplay may not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of the author)

FADE IN:

EXT. BEAUTIFUL TWO-STOREY HOUSE IN NICE NEIGHBORHOOD -- DAY

ETHAN, a young man who has a faint stubble on his chin and wearing blue jeans and a Johnny Cash shirt, he is in his early thirties, he is walking out the front door of the house. 

He walks over to the driveway and picks up a newspaper, he turns to head back inside but takes a moment to breath in the air. ETHAN takes out his smart phone and begins typing, there is a ringing coming from the phone.

			ETHAN 
		Hey Dave.

			DAVE (V.O.)
		Ethan, how've you been man?

			ETHAN
		I need some more sleep but besides 
		that I couldn't be happier.

			DAVE (V.O.)
		How did the move go? Everyone make 
		it there alive?

			ETHAN 
		Eh, I had to give Grace some mouth-to-
		mouth to keep her going but yeah, we 
		all made it. Michael's still trying to 
		get used to the house but I guess that's 
		to be expected when you drag your son to 				
		the middle of nowhere.
										  													
INT. A STUDY WITH BOOKS LINING THE WALLS -- MORNING

DAVE is sitting in his study talking on his phone, he is an older man around his mid-forties, slightly heavy set, wearing a blue robe and slippers.

			DAVE
		He's only ten so it'll take a bit.

			ETHAN (V.O.)
		Yeah... I know, I just hope this move 
		will be a positive thing for him. Moving 
		a few states over, new neighbors, new 
		friends, I just don't want it to be too 
		tough for him.

			DAVE
		Hey, I moved there with my parents when 
		I was nine, it's a nice town and I'm 
		sure he'll find a way to adapt.

EXT. BACK OUTISDE ETHANS HOUSE -- DAY

ETHAN is walking back to the front door.

			ETHAN
		I guess I should think positive like 
		you do.

			DAVE (V.O.)
		It does wonders for the body. So do 
		you think you can find some inspiration 
		for that next book up there in the 					
		woods?

			ETHAN
		Not sure. Never ending forests aren't 
		the usual in my novels.

			DAVE (V.O.)
		Sorry mister "I only write serious 
		mystery novels." I'm sure you can 
		think of some crazy murder in the 
		woods and some blow hard detective 					
		goes searching for the killer.

			ETHAN
			(mocking)
		Hey you haven't copyrighted that yet 
		have you?

			DAVE (V.O.)
		Very funny, tell Grace and Michael 
		I said hi.

			ETHAN
		Will do.

ETHAN hangs up his phone and opens the front door into the house.

INT. A KITCHEN PAINTED GREY WITH A DOOR TO BACKYARD -- DAY

ETHAN walks past his son MICHAEL, a ten year old boy who is wearing a HULK shirt. ETHAN walks over to his wife GRACE, early thirties with blonde hair and a pink blouse, the window illuminating her as she is washing dishes. ETHAN walks over and wraps his arms around her.

			ETHAN
		Do I tell you that your beautiful 
		too much?

			GRACE
		A little, but please don't stop.

			ETHAN
		Well then young lady, you are 
		beautiful.

ETHAN kisses GRACE on the lips and MICHAEL turns away from the television and looks at the two.

			MICHAEL
		Can you please do that when I'm not 
		in the same room.

ETHAN walks over to MICHAEL.

			ETHAN
		But then there's no fun because I 
		don't get to see you get embarrassed.

			MICHAEL
		That's fun?

			ETHAN
		The best fun. I remember when you were 
		six I found you trying to kiss little 
		Eva in the backyard and you got so 
		embarrassed that you turned as red as 
		a tomato! Hey I think it's working 
		right now!

MICHAEL is slightly blushing which he soon realizes and turns back to the television.

			MICHAEL
		Shut up dad.

			ETHAN
		Love you too kiddo. Hey honey, your 
		bother says hi.

			GRACE
			(putting dishes away)
		Really? Did he help you with your 
		next book?

			ETHAN
		What's the difference between helping 
		and being a smartass again?

GRACE smiles and ETHAN moves back to her and kisses her on the cheeks.

			ETHAN
		So any luck with that job over at 
		the store?

			GRACE
		Oh yeah, eleven dollars an hour to 
		take groceries. Every girls dream 
		come true.

			ETHAN
		Hey it'll only be for a little while.

			GRACE
			(smiles)
		Promise?

			ETHAN
		Promise.

			GRACE
		So did you write anything last night?

			ETHAN
		You would be proud, a full three pages!

			GRACE
		I smell a bestseller on the way.

MICHAEL walks over and puts a dish into the sink.

			MICHAEL
		What's the book going to be about dad?

			ETHAN
		Well... I'm not to sure right now,
		I have the main character and 
		setup... I just don't know where 
		to go. But I'm sure it'll be 
		great!

			GRACE
		Is the main character a writer?

			ETHAN
		No, a little to Murder, She 
		Wrote. Nobody likes to read 
		about a writer for four hundred
		pages.

GRACE hugs ETHAN

			GRACE
		Well I think writer's are 
		fascinating, I just got one that 
		happened to be sexy.

			MICHAEL
		Will this one make money dad?

			ETHAN
		Michael, the other one made plenty of 
		money, just not enough for the old 
		home, so we moved here. I get some 
		extra inspiration and you get the 
		biggest backyard a kid could ask for.

			MICHAEL
		It is pretty big...
		
			ETHAN
		Yeah, just don't go to far, the woods 
		are so large here we'd never find you. 
		Promise?

			MICHAEL
			(sigh)
		Promise. But you have to make me a tree 
		house this weekend.

			ETHAN
		Anything for you bud.

			MICHAEL
		What are you going to write about?

			ETHAN
		Honestly... I'm not sure yet!

INT. A BROWN COLOR BEDROOM WITH BATHROOM ATTACHED -- NIGHT

The bedroom is lighted by a small lap next to the bed. ETHAN is in the bathroom shaving and GRACE is lying in the bed.

			GRACE
		Are you coming to bed tonight?

			ETHAN
			(still shaving)
		Well... I would like to get a two more 
		pages done tonight.
			(ironically)
		My inspiration is flowing here. 
			(walks to bed)
		Maybe I'll have a book done in five 
		years, I'll be writing it on napkins 
		because we had to sell everything else.

GRACE turns over to face ETHAN who is on his knees next to the bed.

			GRACE
		Don't joke about that please.

			ETHAN
		It might as well be true... I can't 
		support my son or my wife because I 
		have writers block. Pathetic right?

GRACE leans in and kisses him.

			GRACE
		Only a little. Don't beat yourself 
		up so much, I can support us for a 
		while and I know you can finish your 
		book in no time. I mean how long did 					
		it take you to write Grappler?

			ETHAN
		First draft was done in three months, 
		published only a year later to great 
		reviews and mediocre sales!

			GRACE
		But you want too know something?

			ETHAN
		What?

			GRACE
		No matter how long it takes to finish 
		this I'll never stop loving you and 
		neither will Michael.

			ETHAN
		I just hope I can promise him a happy 
		life.

			GRACE
		He has a happy life now because you're 
		with us. After you finished your first 
		book you spent all of your time with us. 
		I don't think he wants anything but his 
		dad to be there for him... and you have.

			ETHAN
		God I love you.

			GRACE
		Now go write so you can come to bed with me!

			ETHAN
		Yes sir!

INT. A SMALL BACKROOM WITH A PORTABLE COMPUTER ON A DESK NEXT TO A PRINTER -- NIGHT

ETHAN sits down and turns on his computer. He begins unpacking boxes and puts up posters of films. 

He pulls out a few copies of his first book "Grappler" and puts them on the computer table, a clock next to it says 9:38. He takes out his phone and calls DAVE.

			DAVE (V.O.)
		Hey Ethan! How's the writing?

			ETHAN
		You want the truth? I'm two pages in 
		and I have a tremendous case of writers 
		block.

			DAVE (V.O.)
		Well don't lose hope, it happens to the 
		best of us.

			ETHAN
		How are the sales going for Grappler?

INT. BACK IN THE STUDY -- NIGHT

DAVE is looking on his computer.

			DAVE
		Well it's picked up from last week but 
		I'm not going to give you the numbers.

			ETHAN (V.O.)
		Why not?

			DAVE
		It's not good for one of my friends 
		to wallow in the past, okay? 

			ETHAN (V.O.)
		I don't think it's good for my friend 
		turned agent to withhold my sales.

			DAVE
		Listen, I'm not trying to be a dick 
		here okay? I want to help my brother-
		in-law and I think it's best if you 
		don't know right now. Trying to think 
		about sales is not going to help your 
		writers block.

INT. BACK AT ETHAN'S WRITING ROOM -- NIGHT

ETHAN is sitting in front of the computer and looks over at his copies of "Grappler."

			ETHAN
			(beat)
		Yeah well neither is being dirt poor 
		and unable to support my own family.

			DAVE (V.O.)
		Come on man don't act like that.

			ETHAN
		Sorry Dave... I don't mean to be a jerk 
		about this. I just hoped I'd have some 
		money to support Grace and Michael.

			DAVE (V.O.)
		It's just not in the cards right now I 
		guess. I'm sure with this next book, 
		sales will be fantastic and maybe Grappler 
		will make a few more than usual.

			ETHAN
		Listen Dave... could you maybe lend me-

			DAVE (V.O.)
		No Ethan, I told you that it was the last 
		time. I'm sorry but if you're in such 
		financial straits you should consider a 
		small side job.

			ETHAN
		I... I just can't.

			DAVE( V.O.)
		You can't keep lying to her. Either you 
		tell her or I will. I'm sorry but if 
		that's the way it needs to be.

			ETHAN
		It won't Dave, I promise.

			DAVE (V.O.) 
		Good... talk to you later.

INT. STILL IN ETHAN'S COMPUTER ROOM -- CONTINUOUS

The clock shows 11:26 and ETHAN is rapidly typing on his computer. The page count says Page 5 of 5. ETHAN stops typing and leans back.

			ETHAN
			(beat)
		Coffee break.

INT. BACK TO THE KITCHEN -- NIGHT

ETHAN walks to the kitchen and starts up a coffee maker. He looks out of the kitchen window to the forest in the backyard. He stares into the forest and sees a branch break off of a tree. 

Startled ETHAN turns on the backlight and pulls out a flashlight and goes into the backyard. He moves the light over the woods searching for any movement.

EXT. BACKYARD OF HOUSE THAT LEADS TO FOREST -- NIGHT

			ETHAN
		Hello? 

ETHAN grabs a baseball bat lying on the back door and grasps it. He walks over to where the branch had fallen over and moves the flashlight over it. 

The branch appears to have naturally fallen off from a fungus.  ETHAN breathes out relieved and hears a twig break, he moves the flashlight farther down. 

ETHAN begins to move deeper into the woods.

			ETHAN
		Hello? Listen if there's someone 
		there-

ETHAN trips and slides down a small hill, his phone leaps out of his pants onto the ground and is sliding down the wet leaves. 
ETHAN lands on the ground the light lands near him lighting up the area in front of him when he sees a squirrel running across twigs, breaking them.
 
			ETHAN
		Fucking squirrel.

ETHAN reaches for his phone as it's sliding closer to a pond he makes a grab but misses and the phone falls into the pond. 

ETHAN makes a grab into the water and pulls out the phone, water dripping off of it, picks up the flashlight and bat.

INT. BACK INSIDE THE KITCHEN -- NIGHT

ETHAN walks in and puts the flashlight and bat down. He pulls out a towel and begins to try and dry off his phone. He holds down on a button but the phone won't turn on.

			ETHAN
		Crap.