This Is My Suicide Letter, Part 3

INT. ELLIS’ CAR - DAY

OLLIE
What was that all about? You don’t know how to remove a bird.
MICAH
I know.
OLLIE
So we just going to ditch her?
MICAH
I can’t believe you would suggest such a thing, I run a serious and organized business here, we are going to go and remove these birds, right after we get our supplies from your house.
The car pulls up into Ollie and Ellis’ driveway.
MICAH
We have to hurry because I don’t know how long this is going to take. Just grab whatever you think will help and lets go.
EXT. OUTSIDE OLLIE AND ELLIS’ HOUSE - DAY
The guys run up the driveway and into the house.
FADE IN:
INT. THE TRENTON HOUSE - DAY
The camera focuses on Ellis who is standing in the hallway going through the hallway closet pulling out three large, white pillowcases, and a pair of yellow rubber gloves that he puts in the pillowcase. The camera cuts to Ollie who is in the backyard shed searching quickly for materials. Ollie pulls out a large fly swatter and a small stepladder. The camera then goes to Micah, who is in the kitchen going through the junk drawer on the cabinet. Micah pulls out a harmonica from the drawer and stares at it smiling as if this was the perfect tool for the job.
INT. VIDEO STORE - DAY
The camera fades in to the video store that is in shambles. The drop ceiling has been ripped out all over the store. There is bird poop everywhere and the customers are walking by baffled as we see Micah on top of a ladder holding his harmonica.
MICAH
Ollie, come here with that pillow case.
OLLIE
Walking over to Micah who is now holding the harmonica to his lips.
MICAH
Hold that bag steady be ready to grab that bird when I say.
Micah blows on a couple of the notes and nothing happens, the room is now looking very mysteriously at Micah as he blows the high pitch sound. As he blows the note, the bird takes flight onto the drop ceiling frame by Micah.
MICAH
Now! Ollie grab him!
Ollie freezes up, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.
MICAH
Ollie, grab him!
OLLIE
I can’t.
Micah grabs the bag from Ollie sending Ollie falling off of the ladder and throws it over a very large pigeon and scoops it into the bag. The audience of customers applaud as the two leave the store in shambles and exit to free the bird.
EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY
Micah and Ollie free the bird and the camera focuses on the bird as it flies away dropping one yellow feather into the air as it goes. Micah picks up the peculiar feather without an ounce of surprise and puts it into his pocket. The two then walk away to the car and leave the store a mess.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. A DARK ALLEY - NIGHT
The shot starts in a dream sequence. The colors are different now. Much darker, less color. Micah (19) is wandering down a dark road alone and it seems there is no one within a hundred miles of the place. The street lamps are flickering as he walks in bewilderment of where he is and how he got there. Micah hears a noise from behind him.
MICAH
Hello! Who’s there? Hello!
Yellow vapor begins seeping through the cracks of the walls on each side of him. The smell is pungent. Micah begins to panic as every step he takes seems to be the same as the one before, the same walls, the same buildings, the same vapor. The vapor begins to thicken now as he walks and becomes more scared. Micah walks by a homeless man lying on the ground in the street. Micah approaches him as if for comfort. But before he can get to the man, the man lifts up his head and looks right at Micah.
HOMELESS MAN
Hello Micah.
MICAH
I don’t understand. Shut up.
HOMELESS MAN
What’s not to understand? You are trapped and you just cannot get out, am I right?
The homeless man coughs up some vapor.
MICAH
Yeah, but how did you....
HOMELESS MAN
Don’t you worry about that, I have always known you. You aren’t a very happy soul are you?
Camera goes to Micah who just looks and does not dare say a word.
CUT TO:

INT. MICAH’S APARTMENT ROOM - NIGHT
The camera flashes in from the dream momentarily as Micah is sitting in a trance-like state rapidly painting something on the wall of his room. This is the first of the paintings, it will not be the last.
BACK TO:
EXT. DARK ALLEY - NIGHT
HOMELESS MAN (COLD)
Cover me in ashes and abandon me in the cold, I’ll still be here, I’ll still exist. Of this you can be sure. Where you are, I am. You can shut the door on me, but I will burst through. Be assured that we will be spending a great deal of time together. You may find it easier to recognize me now. My name is Cold.
The Homeless man has now changed to the face of Cold and then vanishes into thin air and Micah is again left alone and now cold. Micah begins walking back down the alley and as he walks, he hears more and more noises from behind him. The vapor is coming more rapidly now as Micah begins to run. The scenes jumps back and forth between Micah painting, now much more frantically as Micah twitches, and the alley where Micah is now running and the vapor has consumed him.
JUMP CUT TO:
INT. MICAH’S APARTMENT ROOM - DAY
Micah wakes up as the dream reaches its climax. It is morning now and Micah bewildered, sits up and scans his room until he comes to the wall he has just painted. What he sees is a dark field covered by storm clouds. In the field there is a dead tree with a headstone under it, obviously his own. In the clouds there is a face looking down with a single tear falling from the sky. Under the painting lies and inscription, “Cover me with ashes and abandon me in the cold, I’ll still be here, I’ll still exist.” Micah sits staring at the painting, motionless all day, and the camera cuts and picks back up at night with him still staring at that picture.
FADE OUT.
EXT. THE PARK - DAY
Camera goes to a young man in his twenties standing and playing guitar in the park. His name is Tom. Micah (6 or 7 years old) sits at his feet listening intently as the melody rips through the trees covering every crevice of open air. As the sax plays on the camera flashes to Tom and Micah sitting together on the grass. Tom is looking intensely into Micah’s eyes and Micah looks intently into Tom’s.
TOM
One day, Micah, this park, this city, and everything in it will be gone. Its buildings reduced to rubble, its people turned to ashes. No more will you see children playing in this park, the birds will not fly in this air, this air is polluted. Unbearable. Uninhabitable. I don’t expect you to understand this now, but one day, you will remember what I have told you.
Micah looks stunned and horrified, yet fascinated.
TOM
Have you ever wondered why ants work so hard to build their underground fortresses and store up enough food for a lifetime. Its because they feel it too. They sense it coming. Most people have no idea, they just go about their normal lives doing normal things, dreaming dreams that will never come living lives that are lost. I had dreams, I had big dreams, dreams of becoming a doctor, or a fireman, or even a pro hockey player, but I have learned that I will never reach my goals, even the trivial, because dreams are just that, dreams. They mean nothing, just something invented by someone to make our lives more livable, more pleasant; mind control to boost morale in the people. The truth is this; There are no dreams that come true, no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny and there is no God, it’s all a lie; we just haven’t figured it out yet. Life lets you strive for your dreams and go for the gold and even lets you get close, but will never let you win. You get where you think you want to be and find out that nothing has changed, you still have that longing. I have come to the conclusion that you deal with whatever life brings you, you do whatever God, or whoever, wants you to do, in the end it’s all the same, you grow old and change from one strange era of life to another and die. School has an end just like summertime, sooner or later its all going to get cold and you will find out that everything you have lived for all your life has left you freezing.
The scene changes to show the very same park in the very same neighborhood, destroyed, with people milling about hopelessly with no place really to go, just moving. Graffiti on the walls of the houses, doors all boarded up, and the streets empty. Tom has now changed, he wears the same close, but has the face of the homeless man (Cold). The scene quickly changes back to the quiet park, where Tom has left Micah lying on the grass alone and sleeping. Micah gets up and begins to walk home a couple of houses down and enters into the front door.
FADE OUT.
INT. GYMNASIUM - NIGHT
Camera fades into the gymnasium of St. Augustine Academy, Micah’s School. The score is 41 to 29 and Augustine is losing. The players are playing their hearts out. The players on the court are Micah, Ellis, Cody, Shorty, and Devon. Although losing this game against their unbeaten rivals, Augustine is playing their best game to date. It is a miracle that they are even in this game. Micah is shown driving the lane to the hoop where he dishes the ball off to Ellis for the lay up. Apostolic returns the favor with a three pointer that was sorely defended. Augustine moves back down the court where Micah shoots a forced three pointer and bricks it. Exhausted Augustine walks back down the court as Apostolic hustles past them to the hoop for another bucket. Exasperated, Augustines coach calls a time out to talk to his players.
COACH
What the heck is going on here? Where are you guys right now? Your already beaten aren’t you? Micah, you try a half court shot, when we are down by 13 with 5 minutes left? Where are you.
Micah doesn’t even look up. He just stands there doubled over and sweating all over the place.
COACH
You want to sit down? You are the captain of this team and you are giving up. Where is your heart you guys, you are in this game, you are not beaten, they are not better than you today. Micah! Look at me. Lead your team.
The horn blows and Augustine’s team walks back onto the floor. Micah’s head is spinning and the room goes quiet. The camera pans to the cheerleaders who are cheering enthusiastically, then to the crowd who are silently but violently rooting their team on. The coach is yelling undecipherable things at the players. Micah looks at his mother, Maxine, who is sitting silently worried. Sitting next to his mother is Cold who watches with a grin. He looks in slow motion at Ellis who is looking back at him, their eyes meet and they exchange a familiar look. Micah begins to stagger a little backwards but does not fall. The room still spins around for Micah as the ball is handed over to Cody for the inbound. As the ball is passed to a bewildered Micah, the scene goes to real time and Micah is off down the court with the ball. Micah finds Cody in the post and Cody turns and shoots and scores. The scene goes from clip to clip as we see Micah hit a three pointer. Ellis hit a lay up after having blocked an Apostolic shot. The camera shows numerous shot being sunk by Augustine and Micah is on a role but looking at Cold frequently. Micah cannot miss right now as he leads his team to a 1 point lead with 15 seconds left. The crowd is cheering and the scene goes again to slow motion, as Apostolic’s point guard brings the ball up court. He stops to set up offense with a little over 8 seconds remaining. The crowd is on their feet and Micah is distracted by Cold walking in front of the rim and just standing their looking at Micah who looks back and is distracted long enough for the Apostolic point guard to heave up a prayer with Shorty in his face. The ball finds its way to the rim and just before the rip of the net, Cold exchanges a grin at Micah who is watching him and not the ball. The shot scores and Apostolic wins as their team runs onto the court to congratulate them. Augustine’s varsity basketball team hit the floor in agony except for Micah who is standing still, watching as Cold walks right out of the gym.
CUT TO:
INT. LOCKER ROOM - NIGHT
The team stands quietly except for the yelling and screaming of Shorty who is bashing everyone in the room except for himself. He looks at Ellis who is sitting silently and screams at him.
SHORTY
You suck Ellis, you can’t even hit a lay up, you have been playing for 100 years and you can’t even hit a lay up.
Shorty punches a locker as the coach sits quietly watching the scene play out.
SHORTY
We had it. We had it. What happened to you Micah? Where are you? Where were you?
Shorty walks gingerly past Micah picking up his bag on the way.

SHORTY
You suck. (to Micah under his breath)


Micah does not even look at him, he just lunges and throws Shorty against the locker. Shorty hits the ground and gets up and runs out of the locker room. As the team exits the locker room Ellis is the last one out except for Micah. Ellis puts a towel on Micah’s head and walks out of the room. Micah has not even attempted to change from his uniform yet and sits there with a blank stare. Ellis comes and sits down next to Micah who is sitting head held low and says nothing, just sits, after several seconds, Ellis pats Micah on the leg and gets up and goes to the next room in the locker room. The camera focuses back on Micah who sits and stares blankly at Cold who is standing in front of the door as if he were not going to let Micah leave this room. Micah gets up to change and he feels a very fast and sharp pain in his chest. The pain subsides for a moment and when Micah begins to get a hold of himself and continue it returns too strong for Micah’s strength and he collapses to the ground shaking violently. Ellis come in from the next room and tries to help Micah. Micah lies on the ground shaking in pain and grimacing, yet his eyes are fixed on the eyes of Cold who is standing in the doorway, smoking a cigarette and leaning against the doorway.
ELLIS
Micah! Micah!
Ellis grabs Micah
MICAH
Don’t touch me! Oh God, don’t touch me!
Ellis kneels over Micah silently, with nothing he can do but wait this one out and pray. Micah does not take his eyes off Cold in defiance, as Cold turns and leaves the locker room. As the door closes, the pain subsides and Micah passes out.
FADE OUT.