by J. R. Rain
Merlin’s Tomb
A short screenplay
FADE IN:
EXT. A GOTHIC CATHEDRAL – DAY
We see a majestic cathedral, complete with stained-glass windows and spires everywhere. People stream in and out. It’s clear that it’s both a tourist attraction and a place of worship.
Superimposed across the screen are the words: “St. Francis Cathedral, France, 1899.”
INT. WITHIN THE CATHEDRAL – DAY
A young boy and a young girl are following a tour group through the cathedral’s great halls. Paintings, crosses, and tapestries adorn the walls. The boy, TYLER BYRD, 11, is an American here on vacation. With him is his French cousin, MONIQUE FERNEAUX, 10. Both are dressed nicely; they are upper-middle class, wearing clothing befitting the era: a jaunty cap and breeches for Tyler, and a flower dress for Monique. With them is Tyler’s uncle, GERARD, a tall, dapper man who mostly ignores them.
TOUR GUIDE
To our right is the great worship hall,
where each Sunday record crowds fill the
cathedral to its maximum capacity.
Indeed, to their right is a massive gilded bronze door with a cross etched into the surface. It looks like the gateway to heaven. As the tour group moves on, Tyler grabs Monique’s hand and pulls her to one side, where they hide behind a cabinet.
TYLER
(in an American accent)
I’m bored.
MONIQUE
(in a French accent)
Tyler, we’d better hurry. Father will
be worried.
TYLER
Uncle Gerard hasn’t noticed us for the past
thirty minutes.
MONIQUE
Well, Father has always been a bit...
preoccupied.
TYLER
You mean, a bit boring.
Further down the hall, the tour guide continues with his spiel:
TOUR GUIDE
Legend has it that the sword of Excalibur
is hidden here in St. Francis, perhaps
within a secret chamber...
We see that Monique’s father, Gerard, hasn’t noticed that the two kids are gone. Indeed, he seems particularly absorbed in the tour guide’s words.
TOUR GUIDE
Of course, that’s just a legend. Just like
the one that claims the bones of Merlin are
buried deep beneath the castle, forever guarding
the sword of Arthur.
(a beat, smiling)
All of which add to the charm and mystery
here at St. Francis’s Cathedral, don’t you think?
Back to Tyler and Monique. The boy looks up at the gilded door. He turns to his cousin.
TYLER
Let’s see what’s in here.
But before his cousin can protest, the boy pushes open the heavy bronze door. Tyler’s eyes widen in anticipation. Monique’s not so sure. She’s obviously not as adventurous as her cousin, but she goes along.
INT. CATHEDRAL MAIN ASSEMBLY HALL – DAY
Tyler and Monique step into what appears to be a gathering hall. It’s massive and cavernous. Rows and rows of pews line the hall, now empty – except for one person. An older, DARK-HAIRED BOY who’s busy scribbling away at a pad of paper.
The dark-haired boy looks up and sees the two kids tentatively enter the assembly hall. We see that on his pad of paper he is, in fact, drawing the interior of the great hall. He uses charcoal and his details are meticulous. A young architect, perhaps? Tyler looks around the great hall.
TYLER
Wow.
MONIQUE
I don’t think we’re supposed to be in here.
Tyler points to the dark-haired boy.
TYLER
Well, he’s here.
MONIQUE
Yeah, I see him, and I don’t think he’s supposed to be here, either.
INT. CATHEDRAL HALLWAY – DAY
Uncle Gerard notices for the first time that the kids are gone. He scans the crowd frantically.
GERARD
(loudly, in a French accent)
Monique? Tyler?
INT. GREAT ASSEMBLY HALL – DAY
Tyler and Monique are now exploring the massive lectern. The boy stands beneath a life-size crucifix with a gruesome image of Christ hanging from the cross. From outside the great hall they hear muffled voices that steadily grow louder. Tyler and Monique exchange worried looks.
MONIQUE
It’s father!
They duck behind the massive stone altar on the podium just as the door to the assembly hall opens and Gerard and a priest, both red-faced, search wildly for the missing kids.
TYLER
(whispering)
If your father finds us, I’ll get a
whipping. He already thinks I’m trouble.
MONIQUE
(smiling)
Well, you are.
As they sit together, Gerard and the priest spread out. Tyler suddenly looks at the altar curiously.
TYLER
You feel that?
MONIQUE
What?
TYLER
Cold air...coming from this altar.
He presses his face against it, as does Monique.
MONIQUE
Yeah, so?
TYLER
That means there’s an opening.
Now, he furiously searches the stone with the palms of his hands. He finds a seam and grins. As he does so, he hears footsteps growing louder, echoing. Gerard and the priest are closing in on them.
TYLER
(whispering)
Help me, Monique.
MONIQUE
Help you do what?
TYLER
Push.
The boy drives his shoulder into the altar. Monique frowns, clearly not liking this, but finally joins in. Together they push...when suddenly a slab of stone gives way. A narrow opening appears. Monique gasps.
TYLER
Push harder!
MONIQUE
I’m pushing as hard as I can!
From the pews, the dark-haired boy watches all of this in interest. Gerard pauses next to him.
GERARD
Have you seen two kids in here?
The dark-haired boy looks briefly at the altar where Tyler and Monique had ducked behind, then turns back to the adult. The dark-haired boy’s expression goes blank.
DARK-HAIRED BOY
(speaking in a heavy Austrian accent)
No, I’m sorry.
Gerard grunts, continues scanning the massive assembly hall. Back behind the altar, enough space has opened for the two kids to crawl through.
TYLER
(whispering)
C’mon!
They scramble into the opening, first Tyler, then Monique, just as Gerard looks up toward the altar, frowning.
GERARD
(to the priest)
Over there. Voices...
He dashes forward, up the lectern, across the raised stage, and and just as he reaches the altar, the stone opening seals shut. Gerard is left scratching his head...
INT. WITHIN THE ALTAR – DAY
Tyler and Monique are somewhere beneath the altar. Light from cracks in the mortar seep through, illuminating dark stone walls...and a steep, narrow flight of stairs that descends into the darkness.
TYLER
Wow!
MONIQUE
(voice echoing)
Let’s wait here until they leave.
Indeed, they can still just make out the shadows of her father and the priest, as they continue to search near the altar.
TYLER
(points to the stairs)
I bet no one’s been in here for hundreds of years.
Heck, I bet no one remembers these stairs are
even here! C’mon, let’s see where they lead.
Monique is clearly torn. She looks from her father’s silhouette, to Tyler’s eager face. She sighs and holds onto her cousin’s ar
m.
MONIQUE
Okay, but not too far.
The two kids carefully follow the winding stairs down. The further they go, the darker it gets. Stone crumbles from the walls and beneath their feet, bouncing down along the stairs. Monique occasionally gasps. Even Tyler looks a little apprehensive. Mostly, though, he looks excited.
INT. GREAT ASSEMBLY HALL – DAY
The dark-haired boy waits until the two men leave, then frowning, gets up and examines behind the altar where the kids have disappeared.
DARK-HAIRED BOY
(to himself)
What the devil?
INT. STAIRWELL
Tyler continues leading the way down, holding his cousin’s hand. Soon, they are in complete and total darkness.
MONIQUE
Tyler, I’m scared.
TYLER
I see a light up ahead. C’mon.
INT. SECRET ROOM
The stairs level out. Before them, in a nook along the wall, is, remarkably, a burning torch.
MONIQUE
But who lit the torch?
TYLER
Dunno. I wonder how long it’s been lit?
MONIQUE
Maybe it’s magic.
TYLER
Maybe.
He reaches up tentatively and removes the torch from the wall. He holds it out before him. They continue on through a narrow, stone corridor. Water drips from somewhere. Soon, they come upon another burning torch, ensconced in a wall. The wall blocks their path. Actually, it’s a curved wall. In fact, they are in in a circular room.
MONIQUE
Dead end. Maybe we should go back.
TYLER
Wait. This can’t be a dead end.
I mean, it doesn’t make a whole lot
of sense, does it? Why build a tunnel
that leads to nowhere?
MONIQUE
I don’t know, but I’m scared.
TYLER
Just give me a minute, okay?
Then we’ll head back.
She doesn’t like it, but she waits. Tyler proceeds to search the circular stone room. The room is not entirely empty. Soon we see that it’s littered with crates, boxes, and old church relics. He moves aside some brass sculptures and touches the wall with one hand, while holding the torch in the other. He soon comes across a spot where the stone is recessed.
TYLER
There’s a doorway here, I know it.
But Monique isn’t listening. She’s discovered a hole in the wall nearest her. She has an idea.
MONIQUE
Give me the torch, Tyler.
TYLER
Why?
MONIQUE
Just give it to me.
He does. She takes it and brings it over to the hole. The metallic tip of the torch fits in the hole perfectly. As it does, she feels it clicking into place.
TYLER
Now what?
For the first time, we sense that Monique is just as adventurous and troublesome as Tyler. She grins slyly.
MONIQUE
Watch.
She carefully pulls the burning torch toward her.
TYLER
(excited)
That’s it! Keep pulling!
She does, and suddenly the ground starts shaking. Dust sifts down. Boxes and crates topple over.
MONIQUE
What’s happening?
TYLER
Look! The floor’s moving!
As Tyler reaches out to steady himself, the floor and surrounding walls begin to rotate. The entrance slowly disappears behind a brick and mortar wall. They are effectively trapped, although the room is still rotating.
MONIQUE
(shouting, panicking)
What do we do?!
TYLER
Just hang on...
The doorway that had been briefly sealed, now slowly reveals something amazing: another room comes into view, shining with unearthly light from within. When the new doorway is fully revealed, the floor stops moving. Behind them, their way in is now blocked. But now they can move forward, into the recently-revealed room. Tyler steps forward, peers into the room.
TYLER
I guess we go this way.
INT. MAIN ASSEMBLY HALL – DAY
Above, the dark-haired boy continues examining the altar. He soon comes across some fresh dust on the floor. He next runs his hands over the stone altar...and finds the hidden seam. He grins and pushes...and once again, the altar reveals its secret door. He crawls through the opening.
INT. HIDDEN ROOM
Tyler and Monique cautiously enter the brightly-lit room. The stone area is cavernous, strange, and filled with ancient artifacts. More torches flicker on the walls. Clay pots line the floor and shelves. Swords, maces and Medieval lances hang on walls. Dominating the center of the room is a stone sarcophagus. Tyler heads straight to it, with Monique trailing behind. Surrounding the sarcophagus, flickering in gold sconces, are burning candles.
TYLER
Wow.
(then he sees something else)
Look. There’s writing.
He points to a bronze plaque embedded in the sarcophagus. The two lean toward it.
MONIQUE
It’s Latin. Father taught it to me. He’s
always hanging around his dusty old books.
(pauses, leans forward, reading)
‘Here lies the greatest wizard of them all.’
TYLER
The greatest wizard?
(a beat, frowning)
Merlin?
MONIQUE
Merlin who?
TYLER
You know, King Arthur and all that.
MONIQUE
Oh, Merlin.
She says, pronouncing it with her thick, French accent.
MONIQUE
Do you think this is really Merlin?
TYLER
Dunno.
Monique looks at the many candles placed around the sarcophagus.
MONIQUE
So, how long do you suppose these
candles have been burning?
TYLER
My guess is a long time.
She examines one of the candles, and frowns.
MONIQUE
There’s no wax, Tyler.
TYLER
Like you said, maybe they’re magic.
MONIQUE
I don’t like this. I think we should leave.
TYLER
And face the wrath of Uncle Gerard?
No way. I would rather be down here
with this stuffy old coffin, thank you
very much.
MONIQUE
But, Tyler...do you think he’s,
you know, still alive?
As she speaks, Monique reaches for a candle, which burns with seemingly supernatural fire.
TYLER
Maybe—and don’t touch anything.
MONIQUE
Why?
TYLER
This isn’t a crypt.
MONIQUE
Then what is it?
TYLER
It’s a prison.
(a beat)
An eternal prison.
MONIQUE
What does that mean?
TYLER
Maybe Merlin can’t die. Maybe he’s like
a vampire or something. Maybe he lives forever.
Maybe these candles, all of this, is a spell that
keeps him in his coffin.
MONIQUE
Now you’re scaring me.
TYLER
I’m scaring myself.
But as Monique backs carefully away, her elbow knocks over a candle. The flame winks out. Gone.
MONIQUE
Uh, oh.
INT. TUNNELS
The dark-haired boy is making his way carefully down the narrow flight of stairs. He carries before him a flickering light. A single match. At the landing, he pauses, peering down the tunnel. He shrugs, swallows hard, and continues
forward...
INT. HIDDEN CHAMBER
The moment the candle winks out, all the remaining candles wink out. They would have been plunged into darkness if not for Tyler’s torch. They hear a loud, scraping sound. Coming from the sarcophagus. To their horror, the lid is slowly opening.
TYLER
Holy shit!
MONIQUE
Tyler!
A long, dried, bony hand emerges from beneath, curling around the lid of the sarcophagus. Monique screams. Tyler grabs his cousin’s hand. He runs toward the only exit, pulling his cousin along.
Suddenly the entire lid explodes off the sarcophagus and crashes against the far wall. The kids scream and look back in horror as...