Elgin's Enigma ✔

Part 5

A/N: V.O. stands for "voice over" which is used when a character's lips are not moving on camera.

INT. GOAT MAN'S HOUSE-NIGHT

VANESSA sneaks into the basement with a candle. She is surprised to see ERLE, RANDI and MIN there already as they sit at a table with candles to light the sheets of paper they were looking at. Min is reading a book on alchemy and Randi is eating soup from a bowl.

VANESSA: What are you doing here?

MIN (sarcasm): I poofed here obviously.

ERLE: I had to drop off the mark descriptions.

VANESSA (to Randi): What about you?

RANDI: I usually stay here since I got kicked out of my home. Well, the Elgin one.

VANESSA: You what? When did this happen?

RANDI: I don't know. A week or two?

ERLE: I've been providing food too. My home is always getting new stuff from the extended family and we don't even like half the things. So Randi eats it.

RANDI: That mince cabbage pie wasn't too bad.

ERLE: Well, it was your first brekky in a while. Lucky I noticed you were starving before it was too late.

VANESSA (confused): Brekky...?

ERLE: What?

RANDI: Your Australian is showing. (To Vanessa) He means breakfast.

MIN (To Erle): I don't understand why you decide to take care of this idiot. It's not like Elgin is running out of loud mouth idiots.

RANDI: Oh, why are you so invested in this whole thing anyway? You don't seem to be itching to go back home.

MIN: Why do you like screaming at everyone about having a special mark that has no amount of significance in your life aside from the fact that you have nothing better to do?

VANESSA: Stop this. It's too late here. Save the trouble for the morning, alright?

ERLE: I was planning to scope out the area in the morning. See if there's any place that sounds like it fits the description on the letter.

MIN: Be prepared to be bored. I tried exploring the city before but it was just fog, trees, and more fog.

RANDI: He'll be fine.

ERLE: Anyways, we found some of the mark descriptions talk of the world ending. Like how the machine mark talks about how the world ends with a beep or how the goat mark talks of having a greater purpose of sorts.

MIN: It talks about world ending a lot. I don't know how I would feel if we all had to die at the end.

VANESSA: Maybe we have to save the world which is the greater purpose we serve.

RANDI: Ugh, sounds like effort.

ERLE: What were you doing here anyways, Nessie?

VANESSA: I couldn't sleep. So I took a midnight walk and ended up here since I saw something.

RANDI: What is that "thing" you saw?

VANESSA: This.

Vanessa pulls out a folded piece of paper from her pocket and places it on the table. She unfolds it and it reveals a crude drawing of a goat and writing underneath saying "the path of knowledge will open to those who seek."

VANESSA: It was hanging on the front door.

MIN: Is Goat Man playing pen pal with us? We give him a lot of goat drawings. Perhaps he wants to return us the favour.

ERLE: You would think being magical would mean you can do anything.

MIN: We don't even know if it's from Goat Man. It could be some random person for all we know.

VANESSA: It seems pointless to try and figure it out anyways. It's just a crappy drawing and an ominous message. We can't really do anything with what we have here.

RANDI: I'll get a head start on analyzing the mark descriptions. It'll give me something to do while here.

ERLE: Alright. Don't push yourself too hard.

MIN: You're giving him too much credit.

ERLE: I'm going back home. Pops might be worried since I told him I would be out for a small stroll. I'll see you guys later.

Erle leaves.

MIN: So, Vanessa. How did you end up here?

RANDI: Oh, not this again.

MIN: Do you remember what happened before being transported here? You're fairly new so the information should be fresh.

VANESSA: Why?

MIN: I have a theory. The majority that I had spoken to had near death experiences like falling off a cliff or drowning.

VANESSA (pause): I was in a near death experience too. Are we dead? Is this the afterlife?

MIN: That was my theory. If this is the afterlife then there may not ever be a way to go back.

VANESSA: That doesn't make me feel any better...

MIN: It's only a theory. I could be completely wrong.

VANESSA: Well, before I came here I was in a car accident. My dad was driving us back to school but this bus... (voice fades away into the background)

Randi is not paying attention to the story and sits silently. The contents of the bowl vibrate to a thumping sound as Randi stares into it.

FLASHBACK TO:

INT. DARK CLOSET-NIGHT (7 YEARS AGO)

A YOUNG RANDI is sitting in the corner while in the fetal position. The thumping intensifies with each interval and Randi's breathing is shaky. A scream is heard in the distance and it suddenly becomes silent. Randi gives a sharp inhale. Shuffling can be heard.

UNKNOWN V.O. (concerned): Randi, where are you?

There is more shuffling in the background. Randi's mouth twitches in anxiety.

UNKNOWN V.O. CONT'D (warning): You should really come out now.

Randi's breath becomes shakier and louder by the second.

UNKNOWN V.O. CONT'D (shouts): Randi! Get out of there! Get out Randi!

BACK TO PRESENT:

VANESSA: Randi, are you okay? Hey Randi!

Randi looks up from the bowl to see Vanessa's concerned face. Min is studying the papers but glances at Randi every so often.

RANDI: Yeah, sorry. Zoned out there for a second.

VANESSA: Maybe it's time to sleep. This theory talk is spooking me anyways.

RANDI: Yeah, let me finish up first. You guys can head home.

MIN (skeptical): Farewell then.

Vanessa and Min leave Randi alone. Randi sits in silence for a bit before placing the bowl onto the table.