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GHOST SHIP

By
Philip Valle
2019
San Luis Obispo
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CHARACTERS (in order of appearance)

WYLIE WARREN - Clerk
S. P. STEVENS - Sheriff
R. CHAMBERS FEKE - Judge
M. CHAMBERS HATCH - Judge
L. CHAMBERS LOWE - Judge
F. SOLLY-FLOOD - Prosecutor
DRASCALAIN LASCAUX - Defender
CAPTAIN DAVID REED MOREHOUSE - Captain Dei Gratia
CAPTAIN J. FARNSWORTH - Captain Mary Whalen RANDALL
CARLYLE - First Mate Mary Whalen
MARIE FARNSWORTH - Wife of the Captain
MISSY FARNSWORTH - Daughter of the Captain COOKIE
CHRISTIAN - Cook of the Mary Whalen
GIRL - Orphan from Madeira
TENNYSON DEVEAU -First Mate Carlotta May
CAPTAIN HOLDEN - Captain Carlotta May
CALICO- Sailor Carlotta May
HORNGOLD - Sailor Carlotta May
MOODY - Sailor Carlotta May
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NOTES

Historical Backdrop
On Wednesday, December 4th 1872, the Mary Celeste, a 30-meter brigantine vessel, was found
adrift and seemingly deserted in the Atlantic Ocean. While rife with supposition, a satisfactory
explanation as to the fate of the missing crew was never offered. For our purposes, the
characters of Morehouse, Solly-Flood and Deveau are drawn directly from the historical
records, with some of their text lifted straight from the salvage hearings. All other characters
are imagined.

Setting
The set is best served by a close approximation to truth and detail: the goal is that the
audience/jury believes they are truly aboard a ship. To serve this, the space is best compressed,
with the 16 audience members (12 jurors and 4 alternates) seated on 4 benches facing one
another across the deck. Each bench is marked with 4 numbers that correspond to the
numbers distributed to the jury in BEAT #1.

Production
Ghost Ship is an experiment in the construction of a ghost/horror story told in an immersive
format. As such, every attempt should be made to include the Jury/Audience into the action. It
would not, therefore, be unusual for the Jury to be brushed or touched by the actors. They
should feel the chill of the fog and the breath of the performers. They should also be given
agency to construct their own small part of the journey--finally encouraged to make their way
off the haunted ship to safety.

PV
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ACT 1
BEAT 1
SETTING: Meat Cove, Nova Scotia. December. 1872. Darkness. The faint sound of waves
crashing. A foghorn.
16 members of “the jury” are shown into a dockside boathouse now repurposed for the trial
as the Jury Room. They find a single desk upon which is a large and battered book.
Instructions near the book read “Please Sign.”

ENTER CLERK WARREN

WARREN
Jury members, please sign the ledger. As you do so, I am distributing your individual numbers.
Please note the number and hang it around your neck. From henceforth, this will be your
formal method of identification. Once onboard, it will also correspond to your seat and, in the
event that you become lost or…if something else should…occur… then…you get my point.
When you all have a number, good, I will knock.

WARREN bangs roughly on an adjoining door.

Someone will fetch you shortly.

EXIT WARREN

The enormous door slowly opens. Beyond it, the night is black. No one is there. The JURY
looks out across the dock. Fog billows. The night hisses. The foghorn is closer. In the distance,
we see someone approach. They hold a lantern. This is SHERIFF STEVENS. He stops in front of
the jury, holds up the lantern, inspecting each of their faces.

STEVENS
I’m Stevens. You’ll be safe as long as you follow my instructions. Is that clear?
(louder, shocking) IS THAT CLEAR?

THE JURY responds

Good. At the end of this dock rests the Mary Whalen. Upon her deck was the scene of a terrible
crime. That’s right. She was once a lively ship. And true. But no longer. Hurry, the trial is about
to begin.
In case you didn’t know: you are the jury.

A sharp sound erupts in the distance

To JURY.

You’ll want to follow close.

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Closer.

STEVENS (shouting off)

All clear, bailiff?

WARREN (from a distance)

Clear, sheriff.

The Jury shuffles up the gangplank.

STEVENS
Find your seats.
When I strike the plank, no one comes and no one goes. Living or dead.
Striking the plank!

The gangplank is removed. A Crash as it falls away.

BEAT #2

WARREN
This court in Meat Cove, Nova Scotia is now in session.
Let the record show: at precisely (checking time piece) the Queen’s Jury was ushered aboard
the Mary Whalen.

To be clear: this tribunal is to determine the charge of murder against the defendant Tennyson
Deveau. The stated murders are said to have occurred aboard this very same vessel...the Mary
Whalen. Does the jury understand the charges?
To repeat: does the jury understand the charge of murder against Tennyson Deveau?
A simple yes or no answer will suffice.

The jury responds

Are the judges ready, Sheriff Stevens?

STEVENS
They are.

WARREN
The Queen’s Tribunal.

STEVENS
All rise!

The jury stands

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WARREN
Judge Feke. Judge Lowe. Judge Hatch.

Enter FEKE, LOWE, and HATCH.

ALL JUDGES (ALL gavel)

Be seated.

LOWE
Good people of the Jury, the crown thanks you for your service.

FEKE
We appreciate you boarding the Mary Whalen.

HATCH
To be clear for the jury, who shall represent the prosecution?

SOLLY
That will be me your honors, Mr. Frederick Solly-Flood

HATCH (to Lascaux)

And to be clear for the jury, you are defending Mr. Tennyson Deveau.

LASCAUX
Yes, your honors. I am Madame Marguerite Lascaux.

LOWE
Where is the accused, now?

STEVENS
First mate Deveau is locked away, your honor.

HATCH
Locked away.

STEVENS
Mister Deveau is chained below.

LOWE
Why is he not here?

STEVENS
It is thought that Mr. Deveau is a danger to these proceedings, your honor.
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HATCH
It was thought…

FEKE
Who made that decision?

SOLLY
That would be me, your honors. The caution was to protect yourselves and also the innocence
of our jury. Mister Deveau is not right for this world.

FEKE
We, the Queen’s Tribunal shall be the arbiters of that judgement.

ALL JUDGES
Proceed!

GAVEL

BEAT #3

HATCH
The prosecution shall be first to state its case.

SOLLY
For the record, here are the facts of the case.

Crew of the Mary Whalen is seen in shadow play

WARREN
Records show that on the 12th of September, 1837, the Mary Whalen left the port of Halifax,
Canada. According to her manifest, the captain of the ship, J. Farnsworth, was accompanied by
his wife, Marie, and his teenage daughter, Missy. The ship was manned by his first mate,
Randall Carlyle, and 4 additional crewmen.

LOWE
I’m confused, on the 3rd of October, when the crew of the Mary Whalen left the port of
Madeira for their return voyage, there was one more passenger.

FEKE/ HATCH
One more passenger.

SOLLY
Correct. An innocent child.
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FEKE
All the other passengers went missing. Save this innocent child.

SOLLY
Correct. All other passengers save this little girl.

HATCH
How old is this little girl?

WARREN (from medical record)

From Doctor Theodor White’s dispatch: “After a thorough medical examination, the surviving
girl appears to be between the ages of 7 and 25.”

HATCH
7 and 25? Is the medical examiner a doctor or an idiot?

SOLLY
I’ll leave that judgement to….

LOWE
To clarify: the Mary Whalen, when discovered, was empty save our ageless, nameless mystery
girl and our accused, Mister Deveau?

SOLLY
That is correct. This orphaned child, is assumed to be the youngest member of the Farnsworth
family

LOWE
Has anyone thought to simply ask the girl

SOLLY
Unfortunately, the poor child has not spoken. She is incapable of uttering a single word.

LOWE
I’d like to see this girl.

FEKE
As would I.

HATCH
Sheriff.
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STEVENS
Your honors…

LOWE
Sheriff bring the girl before this court. Immediately.

STEVENS
That’s just it.

LOWE
What’s just it?

STEVENS
The girl. She’s gone.

FEKE
Gone?

STEVENS
Disappeared.

HATCH
Well please look for her.

LOWE
The girl is a potential witness to murder!

STEVENS
We have searched. All my deputies. The girl has vanished.

FEKE
For god’s sake, man!

HATCH
This is highly unusual.

LOWE
We will be forced to make note of this in our report, Sheriff.

FEKE
Imagine losing a little girl!

STEVENS
I fully understand. It happened on my watch.
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SOLLY
Your honors, if it pleases the court, I should like to call my first witness. The man who first set
foot upon this drifting vessel. I should like to call Captain Morehouse to testify.

HATCH
So, Captain Morehouse boarded the vessel and found the girl and the accused?

SOLLY
Correct.

FEKE
I should like to question this man.

HATCH
As would I. Sheriff.

STEVENS fetches MOREHOUSE

ALL JUDGES
Proceed.

GAVEL

Beat #4

MOREHOUSE enters. HE scuffles with STEVENS

MOREHOUSE
Get your hands off of me! I am a captain in the Queen’s navy.

MOREHOUSE rights himself. Looks at the jury. Suddenly he is transported...

I…I spot her. The Mary Whalen. She’s dead. Dead in the water.
“Ahoy, Ahoy,” I call.
And I climb aboard.
God almighty. She’s bloody deserted. Sails. Partly set. Rigging. Damaged. Ropes hang loose over
her sides. A jolly boat. She’s from The Carlotta May. What the fuck is the Carlotta May?
That’s when I hear. I hear. Something. A girl. A girl. She’s standing up there…

As he reaches up - towards the mast, towards an invisible girl...SUDDENLY - A pig’s cage

lights up. A sound cue.
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A voice, was coming from that cage.

MOREHOUSE approaches the cage and opens it.

It couldn’t be. No!

He falls backward as a shrill sound pierces the night--something otherworldly. Falling

back to the present...

ALL whisper
Captain Morehouse

FEKE
Captain Morehouse.

MOREHOUSE in shock. He runs to the jurors. Touching them. Pleading.

MOREHOUSE
Save me! God save me!
Now save yourselves, save yourselves, save yourselves!

MOREHOUSE dives overboard. A splash is heard.

HATCH
Sheriff!

LOWE
He’ll drown himself!

STEVENS looking into the black night.

STEVENS
He’s gone.

HATCH
Gone!

LOWE
And now you have lost another witness!

FEKE
For god’s sake, the poor man’s raving!
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HATCH
What did he see?

BEAT

FEKE
Clerk, what the devil is the Carlotta May?

WARREN
The Carlotta May is an 88 ft. brigantine and was due to arrive in Gibraltar 21 days ago.

FEKE
3 weeks.

WARREN
It is currently considered missing at sea.

LOWE
To recount for the jury: when the Mary Whalen was initially boarded, Captain Morehouse
found no evidence of a crew save the defendant mister Deveau, sitting in a cage?

SOLLY
None.

LOWE
In addition, Captain Morehouse found the girl and a jolly boat belonging to the Carlotta May
which is now lost at sea.

SOLLY
Correct. I assert...

LASCAUX
You imagine

SOLLY
I propose Mr. Deveau rowed that Jolly Boat from the Carlotta May and boarded the Mary
Whalen
HATCH
Mr. Solly-Flood, the man you accuse of murdering the entire crew was found locked in a pig’s
cage?
SOLLY
I will paint the picture of what happened.
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LASCAUX
Your fantasy of what happened.

BEAT #5

SOLLY
According the Mary Whalen’s log: Prior to their disappearance, the Captain, his family and crew
had a party.

ALL JUDGES
A party.

FEKE
For what occasion?

SOLLY
Captain Farnsworth, a man widely admired, wanted to celebrate a successful voyage.

Music beneath. The party slowly unfolds. Barrels roll in.

ALL JUDGES
Proceed

GAVEL

Gavel cues the music

FARNSWORTH
Eight weeks! A toast to my grand victory over the mother sea.

The Captain, his family dance. Sailors sing “Barrett’s Privateers”

Oh, the year was 1778,

"How I wish I was in Sherbrook now!"
A letter of mark came from the King
To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen.

God damn them all!

I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold.
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears.
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax Pier,
The last of Barrett's Privateers.

As SOLLY-FLOOD narrates the following, he performs the actions of the alleged murderer
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SOLLY
Unbeknownst to the partiers, the murderer, Deveau, in the dark of night, left his own vessel
and pulled alongside the Mary Whalen.
While the Captain, his lovely wife and daughter enjoyed a convivial celebration, the monster
lurked in the shadows. Licking his lips. He spied the ripe Missy Farnsworth. And Missy was
snatched from one world to the next.

SOLLY-FLOOD grabs MISSY and rapes her

After Deveau had his way, Missy’s limp body was thrown overboard. Unawares the celebrants
continued their revelries.

SOLLY-FLOOD tosses MISSY’S body overboard--splash

During the following, the tempo slows and the song becomes the background under
SOLLY-FLOOD’S narrative

SOLLY
One by one, the murderer, slaughtered them all.
By rope. (tableau)
By blade. (tableau)
By stealth. (tableau)
And as a final stroke of pure evil, under the barrel of Deveau’s filthy pistol.

FARNSWORTH
I’m the master of the mother fucking sea.

SOLLY-FLOOD fires the pistol--FARNSWORTH tumbles down the ratlines in slo-mo.

Chorus sings “Old Maui”

“We’re homeward bound

from the arctic ground
rollin’ down to Old Maui”

LASCAUX pulls down one of the sails, shifting the narrative

LASCAUX
Stop! This is pure spun fiction.
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BEAT #6

LASCAUX
If it pleases the court, I would like to offer the true version of what occurred aboard the Mary
Whalen

SOLLY FLOOD
Ha!

LASCAUX
Mr. Solly Flood, the orphaned girl was up in the crow’s nest.
But the true villain of this tragic tale is not Mr. Deveau but the first mate, Mr. Randall P. Carlyle.

CARLYLE appears.

And the victim Captain Jonathan Edward Farnsworth the third.

To clarify for the jury--Captain Farnsworth discovered his daughter, Missy, in the arms of his
first mate.

ALL JUDGES
Proceed

GAVEL

Gavel again initiates the story

CARLYLE
Captain.

FARNSWORTH
That’s enough out of you!

CARLYLE
Hear me out.

FARNSWORTH
And if I refuse

CARLYLE
If you refuse to listen I will take stronger measures.

FARNSWORTH
Are you threatening me?
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CARLYLE
Take it as you will.

LASCAUX
And the cause of these sharp words?
Elizabeth Beatrice Farnsworth.

MISSY appears
CARLYLE and FARNSWORTH
Missy.

LASCAUX
Yes Missy. Carlyle convinces Missy they must eliminate every obstacle.

SOLLY-FLOOD
Upon what evidence?

LASCAUX
The evidence, this marlin spike.
Found on Carlyle’s bunk.

BEAT #7

The crew appears from the shadows. Music/sound builds.

LASCAUX
The celebration, as described by Mr. Solly-Flood, has come and gone.
The crew retires to their beds.
It’s their final evening before landing.
Peaceful.
Their hammocks swinging to and fro. The ship creaking and rolling in the night.
Yes. It’s quiet.
A deathly quiet.

The lights shift. The crew sleep in their bunks and hammocks. The ship creeks
and rolls. The captain’s bed appears, rolling back and forth in the night.

That’s when Mr. Carlyle appears. He steps from the shadows

CARLYLE takes the spike.

He draws the marlin spike from its scabbard. And waits.

No one is watching. And as the captain sleeps,
He then raises the spike high above him.
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And with the whip-snap force of vengeance he runs the tip straight through the captain’s brain.

FARNSWORTH snaps up in bed. The spike protrudes from his head. He screams.

Meanwhile, the crew, all peacefully slumber.

Mr. Carlyle
Slithers through the darkness. Slithers, slithers, slithers.
And with the heart of a cold-blooded assassin, he
brandishes his rigging knife.
And slashes the throats of his shipmates.

A scream! All the shipmates are slashed.

LASCAUX
Missy seizes her opportunity.
She pulls a belaying pin. Heavy. Brass.
And she creeps. Yes, towards her sleeping mother.
Missy. Creeping. Creeping. Creeping. Creeping. Creeping.

MARIE (springing up in bed)

Missy?

MISSY
You horrible fucking bitch!

LASCAUX
Missy plunges the heavy pin into her mother’s skull over and over and over.

MISSY screams as she smashes her mother’s skull

LASCAUX
The two killers disposed of the bodies one by one by one.

MISSY and CARLYLE push the bodies overboard. They hold a long kiss.

And then the two killers escaped into the night.

Returning to trial

And that is what truly happened aboard the Mary Whalen

SOLLY
And Mr. Deveau. What of the accused?
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LASCAUX
Mr. Deveau is not a murderer. He is a savior. Sheriff, I think it’s time we heard from the
accused.

STEVENS crosses to the hatch holding DEVEAU. He opens the hatch and drops it, recoiling from
the smell.
FEKE
Sheriff, unchain him

STEVENS open the hatch and DEVEAU’s hands rise in handcuffs. STEVENS unlocks the handcuffs.

BEAT #8

A slow re-set. Another vessel appears in the distance- it’s the Carlotta May. It might be in
miniature or just a vague suggestion of a ship.

DEVEAU
The jury needs to know the truth. I’ll tell yee all what happened aboard the cursed Mary
Whalen!

JUDGES
Proceed!

The Carlotta May. On board are DEVEAU, Captain HOLDEN, CALICO, HORNGOLD and
MOODY. CALICO with spyglass from the ratlines. DEVEAU joins CALICO.

CALICO (from above)

Unknown vessel off the starboard, captain.

HOLDEN
Is she flying her Colors?

CALICO
Ney. Neither jack nor ensign.

HOLDEN
And her Name?

CALICO
Aye. She reads The Mary Whalen.
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HOLDEN
And the merry bloody crew...

CALICO
I see no living man nor breathing beast.

HOLDEN
Hail them, boys!

ALL SAILORS

ALL
Ahoy!!!

CALICO
Nothing.

HOLDEN
Hail again!

ALL
Ahoy!!!

CALICO
Not a soul.

HOLDEN
Someone will need to take the Jolly Boat and sniff out this mystery ship

HORNGOLD
Who’s gets to board her Captain?

ALL
Aye!

HOLDEN
Deveau

DEVEAU above. He moves down and catches the boat as it flies. Grabs the oars.

MOODY
Deveau, where’s your demon slayer?
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DEVEAU
Eh?

HORNGOLD
Your weapon, lad!

MOODY hands DEVEAU a cutlass.

As DEVEAU goes to step aboard the jolly boat…

HOLDEN (as DEVEAU rows away)

We’ll wait your signal!

A flash of thunder, the wind blows and in the blinding light THE GIRL appears ever so
briefly—as if she walks across the tops of the waves.

MOODY
Holy mother of god!

HORNGOLD
Did you see that?

HOLDEN
Deveau! Behind yah…!

A blast of wind and water hits The Carlotta May. THE GIRL appears again – a vision.

ALL
Fuck!

The Jolly Boat is pulled by her mysterious force, rocking, spinning out of control.
DEVEAU’S rowing grows more frenzied.
The Carlotta May disappears as her crew wails in panic. All light collapses as we see just
Deveau and the sea rising around him. He rows madly.

Finally, DEVEAU pulls along The Mary Whalen and climbs aboard, dripping water. He is
exhausted and walks amidst the jury. Lighting flashes, exposing Deveau in a series of
tableaux. He holds the saber before him. Above, the ship’s wheel spins of it’s own accord.

DEVEAU
Ahoy!

A barrel rolls towards DEVEAU. He jumps it. In comes another from opposite.
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Two Sails and masts blow across the stage—pivoting within inches of the JURY and
sandwiching DEVEAU. Atop of the sails, THE GIRL rides, tossing back her head and
laughing. She points at the ship’s wheel as it spins, out of control. The girl climbs higher
above the JURY and with a sharp gesture, hurls DEVEAU overboard.

DEVEAU falls and falls into the sea. BLACKOUT.

Underwater sequence: DEVEAU atop the ensemble, “swims” through the sea and finally
lands back on the deck. Exhausted. The girl is there now, watching.

DEVEAU
Ahoy?
What the hell happened here?

DEVEAU crosses SR on deck.

DEVEAU
Where is the crew?

GIRL climbs down to deck.

DEVEAU
You. You goddamn beast. You show me what happened!

THE GIRL laughs. She climbs across the ratlines, above DEVEAU

Show me!
BEAT #9

Reset. CUT to: Two weeks previous. The dock of Madeira. We see THE GIRL waits on the
dock beside The Mary Whalen.
ENTER entire crew and FARNSWORTH family. They carry goods for their return voyage.
They all see THE GIRL. A freeze.

FARNSWORTH
Move your asses!

FARNSWORTH stops, gets coin, hands to GIRL. GIRL puts on his hat.
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THE GIRL then begins a song as she climbs onto FARNSWORTH’S back. In front of the
entire crew and his family, FARNSWORTH does a slow dance with THE GIRL. Clearly
something awkward and otherworldly has taken ahold of him.

CREWMATE #1
Look!

CREWMATE #2
She’s sick!

CREWMATE #3
She’s ill!

CARLYLE
Infected!

MARIE
Jonathan!

MISSY
Father!

The previous sequence repeats 3 more times building tempo--finally...

FARNSWORTH
Quiet! I’m the master of the Mary Whalen. Now, back the fuck off! She is coming with us.

Crew and family clear off; FARNSWORTH and GIRL move USL to stairs.
GIRL ascends stairs.
DEVEAU
Girl, what did you do?

GIRL takes off hat and puts head through ship wheel. The following are mini-scenes of
how each member of the Mary Whalen met their fate.

MARIE and MISSY appear. They dance a waltz in their finest party dresses. A side table
appears. As the dance concludes the ladies inspect the table. They lift lid on the main
course: it is FARNSWORTH’S severed head coughing blood.
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MARIE and MISSY scream and exit.

ENTER CREW. THE GIRL forces the sailors to fight one another. One by one, they stab
each other and are hurled overboard.

MRS FARNSWORTH is pushed by an invisible hand – a rope around her throat. Her body
swings over the deck

MISSY enters. In a nightmare sequance, her enormous dress fills the stage. Slowly she
rises from the floor until she towers above the jury. MISSY screams as above THE GIRL
snaps her hand. MISSY collapses. The giant dress and MISSY disappear. DEVEAU is left
center stage.

THE GIRL raises DEVEAU up like a puppet and forces him into the box. SLAM as it shuts.

CRASH!

Back to courtroom.
BEAT #10

FEKE
Mr. Deveau?

The box opens and DEVEAU appears

HATCH
Please approach the bench.

DEVEAU slowly makes his way to the bench—looking at the JURY as he passes.

LOWE
Mr. Deveau, do you have any final words before the jury decides your fate?

DEVEAU starts to shake

FEKE
Mr. Deveau?
 24

LOWE
Mr. Deveau!

DEVEAU moves to jury, trembling. To each bench. Maybe he touches them.

DEVEAU
Save yourselves.
Save yourselves.
Save yourselves.

She’s coming!

DEVEAU drops to the floor--still.

LOWE
Sheriff!

STEVENS doesn’t move

FEKE
Sheriff, check that man this instant!

STEVENS slowly approaches DEVEAU. He bends down. Suddenly DEVEAU’S hand grabs
STEVENS and pulls him close.

DEVEAU
It was you. You bastard! You set her free. You set her free!

STEVENS grabs DEVEAU’S throat and chokes him until he is dead. STEVENS stands and
slowly turns to look at the JURY. We now see THE GIRL. We also see THE GIRL has a
complete grip on STEVENS. To prove this, she climbs on the sheriff’s back and they slowly
dance. THE GIRL cackles. The ship begins to convulse. The sails, the ratlines all shake.

LOWE
Get off the ship! Jury! Move yourselves!
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FEKE
Follow us!

HATCH
Follow us!

JURY members run off the ship as the world behind them collapses.