DREAMtime 15:
Kevin Takes a Turban
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> Kevin Wilson is a happily married writer in his late 30’s…
Having had some success with his first novel, he is trying hard to complete the follow-up. Kevin lives on the outskirts of a small American city with his wife Mary, his 8 year old daughter Maggie, and his 17 year old son, Jason. Mary’s mother is recovering from some surgery in a distant city, so she is taking Maggie with her for a visit. Kevin is staying behind to focus on the novel, and Jason still has a week of finals in high school, so he is staying behind also. We see the family dynamic as the girls prepare for the trip. The womenfolk depart for the airport, leaving the boys on their own for a week. They jump in their second car and head to the gym together.
On the ride there, Kevin and his son make small talk. Kevin asks his son about his relationship with a man named Martin. He is disappointed to hear that they have broken up, because he really liked Marty. Jason agrees that Marty was wonderful, but confides in his father that the relationship was just not working, and they are better off being friends. It is clear his son’s sexual orientation is not an issue to Kevin, only his happiness. After an awkward silence, Kevin asks: “So… is there anyone else on the horizon?” Jason smiles slyly and says only: “Maybe…” but provides no further info, so they drive on in silence. When they pass a local theatre where workmen are changing the marquee to say “OPENING NIGHT TONIGHT!” Jason takes great interest, and begins to send a text message.
At the gym, we see Kevin shadow-boxing with the assistance of Jason, throwing punches into his hands. He is obviously a fit man. As they spar, Kevin tells his son that he thought they might take advantage of the girls’ absence to have a boy’s-night-out. He has made a reservation at Jason’s favorite restaurant, after which, he thought they might catch a current horror film. (Although he hates them, he knows Jason is a big fan.) But Jason has other ideas. He reveals that he has a date tonight, but insists they could still have dinner together before it. Kevin is obviously disappointed, but he makes a show of encouragement and support.
On the way to the car, he attempts to pump Jason for more information, asking if the guy he’s seeing might be his “maybe”. Jason laughs, and tells his dad that he’s met a great new guy named Ian, who really seems to like him, so he’s got high hopes something may develop. Further, he reveals that Ian is in the new theatre troupe that just rolled into town, and tonight is opening night of their production of GUYS AND DOLLS, suggesting that his dad join him for the play. Kevin is concerned about being a third wheel on their date, but Ian insists he’ll be sitting alone in the audience, and he’d love to have his dad accompany him, as long as he didn’t mind that they would be leaving for the cast party immediately afterward. Knowing his son would soon be too independent to offer such invitations, Kevin is glad to be asked, and willingly agrees.
Arriving at the restaurant for dinner, they are seated and Jason begins to tell his father that he has a surprise for him when suddenly his “surprise” arrives. It is Ian- a fairly short man with pale skin, short, dark hair and a cleft in his chin. They embrace and kiss quickly, but Kevin notices Ian grab his son’s butt, on the sly, and masks his disapproval of a public display of sexuality. Kevin wonders about Ian being on time to get into costume and make-up for the play, but Ian reveals he is not in the first act, so he has plenty of time. They sit together for a meal, and Kevin tries to pump Ian for information now, while trying to conceal this. But Ian is obtuse and evasive, and not much is revealed. Ian has an over-confident swagger that rubs Kevin the wrong way, and he seems to blurt out rather inappropriate things. Jason is obviously smitten with Ian, and seems to miss several red flags that do not escape his father’s scrutiny. When Ian leaves before desert to go to the theatre, Jason gushes, but Kevin is quiet and reserved. Eventually, Jason becomes aware of this, saying: “You prefer Marty, don’t you?” Unable to articulate his vague misgivings, Kevin admits that despite Jason’s youth, he and Mary thought Martin might be “the guy”, hoping they might settle down- maybe raise a family together, but insists Jason’s happiness is all that matters to them. They eat their ice cream in silence, Kevin pensive, Jason a little resentful.
Arriving at the theatre, they see there is a good turnout for the show, and Jason is obviously excited. He becomes a social butterfly, greeting new friends enthusiastically. Entering the lobby, a female usher approaches them asking if they are the Wilson family. When Kevin confirms this, she explains that their tickets are already paid for- the best seats in the house- and that they should announce themselves to the box office as being on the guest list. As she walks away, Kevin notices that she too is rather short, with similar dark hair, pale skin, and a cleft in her chin, but does not comment on it.
When they get to the front of the line, the box office attendant seems preoccupied, handing him a program without looking up, as he inquires weather they have advance tickets or not. When Kevin identifies his party as the Wilsons and mentions they should be on the guest list, the man starts and looks up at them with great interest. He is an older man, tall, with dark skin and wearing a turban- possibly Indian or Pakistani. Hastily, he snatches the program out of Kevin’s hand, reaches under the counter and hands him another, saying: “Oh! This one’s for you.” Kevin finds this odd, but finds the man’s parting words as they leave with their tickets even odder: “It’s June 12th” he says pointedly. Kevin tries to take the program, but the man does not let go, repeating: “June 12th…” Not knowing what to make of this, Kevin mumbles “Okay…” as he takes the program and they enter the auditorium.
Looking about him, Kevin finds the various staff busily preparing for the show. Strangely, none of them are very tall, they all have short dark hair, and each seems to have the same noticeable cleft in their chins. As they take their seats, Kevin leans in to mention this strange coincidence to Jason, but his son has his nose in his cell phone, reading a text message that seems to please him, so he is unable to finish the thought. Jason’s thumbs race across the keypad, responding. He suddenly rises and says he’s going backstage to congratulate Ian and wish him a “broken leg”. Kevin wonders aloud if there is time for this, as the curtain should rise in a few minutes, but Jason dismisses this, saying: “Oh, we got five minutes left- and then they always hold the curtain an extra five minutes for latecomers”, assuring his dad that he will return before the play begins. Kevin watches him disappear into a doorway, and takes a moment to further survey his surroundings.
His perplexion deepens when he notices that aside from the turbaned ticket taker and the audience members, everyone seems to have similar features to Ian. “Weird!” he mutters under his breath. Turning his attention to the program in his lap, he opens it to read and something falls out, onto the floor. Bending down to pick it up, he sees it is a note, wrapped around some long, hard object. Unfolding the paper, he finds a rather ornate dagger inside, with a curved blade and a distinctive white handle. He reads the note, which says simply: “June 12th.” Astonished, he looks about him in confusion. Did anyone else see this? Was this really happening? “What the hell?” he says to himself.
He is about to rise and take the dagger back to the box office to demand an explanation, when someone sits next to him and places his arm about Kevin’s neck. Naturally presuming it is his son, he looks up with a start to see that it is Ian, in costume as a gambler from the 1930’s. For some reason, Ian is acting like they are intimate pals, and he begins to prattle on about the show, as the director takes the stage to welcome the audience and ask them to turn off their cellphones. Concerned that the play is about to begin with no sign of Jason, Kevin interrupts Ian to ask about this. Ian explains that Jason is taking over duties for the propmaster who was called away by a family emergency. Disappointed he would not be sitting with his son, and uncomfortable with Ian, he again makes a show of support, saying: “Oh. Well, Jason should enjoy that. He loves live theatre.” After a pause, he appears about to tell Ian about the strange note and the knife, when the curtain rises and the play begins.
Throughout the first act, Kevin grows more and more uncomfortable, as Ian continues to whisper to him throughout the play. He says some strange things that Kevin cannot make sense of. When someone in the adjacent row attempts to shush Ian he barks back “Fuck off!” Everything gets worse, when Ian suddenly places his hand on Kevin’s thigh and begins to caress it. He pushes the hand away, but Ian is undeterred and continues to make what appear to be unwanted advances. Appalled at the inappropriateness of this, he rises suddenly and announces that he is going backstage to find Jason, just as the first act is coming to a close and the audience is rising for intermission. Ian watches him leave with a hard stare.
Backstage, Kevin wonders from room to room, seeing lots of pale, short, dark haired people with cleft chins- but no Jason. Everyone he passes suddenly interrupts their conversation to flash him the same sinister scowl. He tries looking for Jason in the green room- no luck. In the wings- no luck. Out in the lobby and in front of the theatre- no luck. Getting desperate, he returns backstage and begins to call for his son, but is hushed by the stage manager who says the second act is about to start, insisting that he return to his seat. But Kevin shakes him off and keeps searching for Jason. As the play resumes, he seems to have searched everywhere, until he notices a doorknob protruding from behind a drawn curtain. Testing the knob, he finds the hidden door unlocked and lets himself into the room.
It is small, dark and claustrophobic, but when his eyes adjust he notices Ian reclining cockily in an armchair, looking at him intently, a strange and disturbing smile on his face. “There you are.” Ian intones ominously. Kevin steps forward into the light to demand that he be able to see his son, before noticing that Jason is also in the room, gagged and bound in a chair, and flanked by two men- one with his hand on Jason’s shoulder and the other holding the exact kind of knife he found in his program to his son’s throat! Startled and furious, he begins to object, when another man steps out of the shadows and sprays him in the eyes with a stinging mist. Reaching up to rub his eyes, Kevin struggles as he is seized by two unseen men flanking him. In a moment he grows dizzy and passes out.
When Kevin comes to, he discovers to his dismay that he too is bound to a chair. Ian his talking to him, but he is too woozy to discern what is being said. In a moment, someone enters the room, saying: “You’re on, Ian.” As he rises to go, he stops to give Kevin a gleeful peck on the cheek on his way out. As he regains his senses, Kevin begins to sputter his outrage, and is promptly gagged to silence him.
We see Ian take the stage in character and begin his scene.
Back in the hidden room, their captors begin to whisper quietly to themselves, looking at Kevin with great relish, as though he were a delicious meal to be consumed. Suddenly, the turbaned box office manager bursts into the room, wielding another white-handled dagger. He immediately attacks their captors and it is obvious this old gentleman has serious martial arts training. In short order, he defeats the guards, leaving them bleeding on the ground. At once he begins to free Kevin, who asks the man: Who the hell ARE these people?!”” The man replies: “They are not people. Our order has been pursuing them for thousands of years.” Just then, we see the first guard injured beginning to revive, as his wound miraculously begins to heal! Attempting to rise to his feet, the guard accidentally knocks over a bookshelf that crashes down loudly on Jason’s leg, obviously breaking it. The turbaned man whips around and cuts his throat. He stabs the other man again, for good measure.
The stage manager stands in the wings giving clues, but when he hears the crash, he quickly dispatches two more men into the room.
The turbaned man helps the injured Jason to his feet as Kevin removes the last of his binds. Just then, the two replacement guards burst in, and engage them in combat. Pulling the knife from his jacket, Kevin throws his car keys to the turbaned man shouting: “Get my son out of here!” Aided by his rescuer, Jason limps away in obvious pain, as Kevin confronts the two goons. It becomes clear that Kevin can handle himself pretty well, and after a struggle he is able to defeat both attackers. But he sees the first two guards reviving in the same impossible way and dashes out of the room before they can get to him. As he leaves, he moves a big set-piece into place, blocking the door.
In a panic, Kevin looks wildly about, trying to decide what to do. Noticing a fire alarm, he rushes to it and flicks the switch. At once a loud siren sounds and the houselights come up full.
The actors onstage, including Ian, look offstage urgently, seeing Kevin as he attempts to flee. The audience begin to panic, jumping to their feet and rushing out en mass. Noticing that he has been discovered, Kevin makes a dash for the center of the melee for cover. Members of the theatre troupe scan the crowd for him anxiously. Spotting him among the fleeing crowd, they wade in purposefully after him. Kevin manages to get as far as the lobby, when he finds his way blocked by the seething stage manager. Thinking quickly, Kevin lifts his dagger and stabs the man in the temple, who collapses in a heap at his feet.
He emerges from the theatre just as the firemen arrive, racing inside. To his horror, he finds the turbaned man lying on the steps, bleeding profusely from what appears to be a mortal wound. Bending over, he cradles the man in his arms urgently hissing: “My son! Where is my son?!” But the man only says: “Turban! My turban!” Shaking him violently, Kevin repeats his plea. This time the dying man responds. “The car. Car!” But as he rises to leave, the man grasps Kevin’s arm tightly, refusing to let go. Again he gasps: “Turban! Take my turban!” Kevin desperately stutters: “What? Take your turban?” And with his dying breath the man says: “June 12th. Remember… June… 12th…” and slumps forward in death.
As Kevin rises to his feet looking down at the man who gave his life to save them, he finds himself face to face with Ian. Gripping the dagger tightly, he lashes out, slashing his cheek with the blade. Ian falls backward onto a passing fireman, who gently lowers him to the floor, looking about for his attacker, but Kevin is gone. The fireman does not see him. Ian struggles to get to his feet, but the fireman restrains him, eager to keep him calm until he can summon medical help. The fireman watches in disbelief, as Ian’s bloody scar begins to mend. His face shows utter bewilderment, and then absolute shock, as Ian knifes him in the stomach and gets away.
Racing into the parking lot, Kevin looks toward where he parked the car, but it is gone. A second later, he sees his car drive past him. His son is in the passenger seat, wincing with pain. Behind the wheel is the turbaned man who just died in his arms, not a moment before! Looking back to where he left the body, he is shocked to find it still there. But he has no time to process any of this, as Ian and his fellow short, dimpled, dark-haired gang have assembled on the stairs and are walking briskly toward him, all in costume for the play. They are led by three unusually large, vicious dogs, snarling, drooling and straining at their leashes to get at him.
What follows is an extended action sequence, where Kevin is pursued through the streets of the town by his otherworldly stalkers. It becomes a deadly cat and mouse game. The odds are daunting. There are many of them, and as soon as Kevin manages to fell one attacker, they begin to revive and continue the chase. When local people see the roaming gang, they rush indoors and shutter their windows. A mother takes her son by the hand and pulls him inside, leaving his bike on the sidewalk. The demon dogs are released and Kevin sprints for his life, barely managing to scramble over fences and out of reach, just as they are about to devour him. At every step of the way, Kevin is forced to improvise and use whatever is at hand to delay them. Cornered by the dogs in a backyard tool shed, he manages to shut them in. They roar and tear at the door to get at him, splintering the wood. Still the onslaught continues. He flings garbage cans at them, smacks one in the face with a shop sign, pushes one through a plate glass window and hops on the child’s bicycle tearing off around corners in hot pursuit, until finally, he makes a fatal mistake and finds himself cornered in a blind alley, as Ian and his gang close in on him. Just when things seem hopeless, there is the tall turbaned man- or someone looking just like him, dressed in a dazzling white robe and poised to fight. In an instant, Kevin realizes that the man is not alone. There are four of them- all looking absolutely identical!
An epic fight ensues, but despite their far superior numbers, it appears the theatre gang is no match for the extreme prowess of the turbaned men who fight as a well-disciplined, coordinated unit. The evil clan is cornered in a small area, poised to fight until the last man. Above them is a fire escape. We see a turbaned rescuer scale the brick wall like a fly, white dagger in his teeth. On a signal from the tallest man, who appears to be their leader, he seizes the blade and strikes it against the bolt binding the iron lattice to the wall. It hangs precariously, while below the battle rages on. The human fly flings his blade across to the final anchor holding the teetering fire escape in place. Sparks fly and the entire apparatus falls in slow motion, crashing down upon the strange, alien villains, trapping them all in a tangled jumble of iron.
We see Kevin on the ground, drenched in sweat and panting with exhaustion. A dark hand reaches down and helps him to his feet. It is the turbaned squad leader. Kevin stares up at him in confusion and relief.
FADE OUT.
The passage of time.
FADE IN, exterior, a tropical beach, perhaps in the Caribbean. It is early morning. It is a peaceful scene. Clear waters gently lap on white sand. The CAMERA pans to a small but comfortable native shack nearby, and dollies inside, past items obviously belonging to a family: a girl’s toys, a woman’s purse, a teenager’s electronic gaming console, a writer’s desk strewn with papers and a desktop computer. We continue down a hall and into a bedroom. A couple is sleeping in a big double bed. They are Kevin and Mary. Mary dozes, as Kevin awakes. He revives, gets sleepily out of bed and puts on a white turban that seems to have a blood stain on it. He rises to leave, but returns for the familiar white handled knife, placing it in his belt.
Shuffling to the kitchen, Kevin looks pensively out the window, Seeing nothing to alarm him, he starts the coffee brewing and walks over to the calendar on the wall. It is one of those day-by-day calendars, clearly displaying the date: July 11th. Kevin rubs his eyes and sighs apprehensively, ripping off the page to reveal today’s date: July the 12th. He shudders noticeably as dark shadow falls over him. His hand reaches instinctively for the knife, and he whips around in a defensive posture, leaping forward to attack.
– CUT to credits.
END
– I always did have the most extraordinary dreams in Ireland…
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