HANNAH
No, Matthew! Stop it!
CACAPHODEL
Yes, please stop this now! It won't benefit our situation in the least.
CHILLINGWORTH
You've asserted your dominance! Nothing more can be gained!
Beat.
MATTHEW
Okay. (to SEEKER and PIGGSNORTO) You listen, and you listen good. All of you better listen good. Tomorrow, we're all looking for another way home, and we ain't staying another minute in these woods. I don't care if the Great Carbuncle shines down and shows us the way right to it. We are not staying here another damn minute! You hear me? I said you hear me?!
SEEKER
Yes.
MATTHEW
And you?
PIGGSNORTO
Yeah, yeah, yeah...
HANNAH
(to MATTHEW) Honey, let's go to our tent.
Beat.
HANNAH
Please?
MATTHEW
Sure. (to ALL) I'm going to my tent. The next man who makes noise, I'm going to hit him so hard, his grandkid's heads will be lopsided.
MATTHEW and HANNAH exit.
SEEKER and PIGGSNORTO stare at one another for a moment and then sit as far away as possible around the remaining OTHERS.
JOHN
He...shouldn't have...resorted to violence.
DE VERE
Which pugilists are up next? I'd like to place a bet or two.
Beat.
SEEKER
I'll tell you one thing, that boy can hit.
PIGGSNORTO
He's not so tough.
CHILLINGWORTH
He seems to be.
PIGGSNORTO
That was a sucker punch. I'd kill him if he fought me fair.
CACAPHODEL
He's a war veteran from this country's most gruesome war yet. Who knows what he's capable of?
PIGGSNORTO
Probably steal the Great Carbuncle if he ever got his hands on it.
SEEKER
Maybe.
CHILLINGWORTH
He does have a soldier's survival instincts.
PIGGSNORTO
If I saw it, I'd keep him from his cut of the gem, just to show him who's boss.
ALL make mumbled, agreeing remarks. Suddenly, a red glow slowly becomes brighter and brighter.
SEEKER
What the hell?
The sun dims as if eclipsed and thunder can be heard in the distance. ALL present stand and focus on the source of the light. JOHN and DE VERE seem to magically heal as THEY observe this phenomena, as if THEIR clothes dry immediately.
As the glow increases, so does the thunder until a large, unexplainable crackle of power reverberates throughout the mountains. THEY are almost blown back by the power of it. Then, the glow fades away and all returns to normal.
PIGGSNORTO
What was...did you...
Beat.
SEEKER
(whispered) The Great Carbuncle.
MATTHEW enters.
MATTHEW
What was that sound? You men starting something up again?
JOHN
It...we saw--
DE VERE
It was the thunder. Seems like our little storm has a few rumbles left in it.
MATTHEW
Oh. Well, that's okay. Nice to see you're feeling better.
DE VERE
Thank you for your concern.
MATTHEW exits.
JOHN
Why didn't you tell him?
CACAPHODEL
What would we tell him? I'm not exactly sure what we just experienced.
PIGGSNORTO
The Great Carbuncle. That's what it was.
CHILLINGWORTH
That's impossible.
The Great Carbuncle Page 6