CHAIRS

Victoria Soto

English 1A

Mr. Stacy

Barstow Community College

14 March, 2001

CAMERA: (Camera Scene or instructions to camera person) Film of a Middle American, suburban neighborhood enjoying evening activities involving adults and children. (Remember this scene for much later, for it will be replayed.) Observe lawnmowers, swings, balls, dogs, laundry activities, garage projects and the new carrier’s vehicle. Pan from far left, to far right and return to center. A yellow house, complete with porch, flowers all about, lovely curtains, and an old wide wooden chair suspended from the roof beams by chains; this is the destination, slowly, step by step, inch by inch…

VOICE: “We at Emerson Chair Company are pleased to share the safe life with all of you; in

other word, the American Dream Home with a white picket fence, a dog in the back yard, and

the smells of apple pie and cologne.”

CAMERA: A dog is seen in the right rear yard, tethered to an overhead cable. Several trees

provide shelter and dog dishes and toys are seen closer to the house. The view snaps to a very

hazy, dark gray. The dog now lies on his side, obviously dead, with his tongue lolling. It is hard

to see in the limited light, but you are fairly certain of your impression. You stare incredulously.

[Time: less than one quarter second.] The screen returns to the former bright scene of the house

front. You open and close the low gate and pass up the front walk, while the dog barks a few

times. Approach the slowly opening door. No person is visible behind it.

VOICE: “Please, enter this home with us. Admire this light navy blue sitting room, with the

moss green carpet, the Queen Ann straight back rocker, the loveseat in American upholstered

wood frame and the unvarnished end-table, Early American, circa hmm…”

CAMERA: Move forward to the hallway, turn left, take several steps, and turn right. Quietly

open the door.

VOICE: “Let’s now look down the hall and into the room on the right wall. The youngest lives

here, at the center of the home. Toys and imagination fill this room. There is a set of three

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miniature chairs and an adult chair with swing-up table surface. A child’s bedroom, with the

“darling little one” kneeling, on the other side of the racecar covered bed, playing with stuffed

animals. The… What?”

CAMERA: Scene shifts to very dark and the child is dead in a puddle of blood, bludgeoned.

The entire section of carpet is soaked and darker. There is no sound. [Time: less than one half

second.] Sudden shift to bright scene. The child turns toward the camera, smiling and babbling

a greeting. Back out of the doorway, fast.

VOICE: (stunned) “Hmmm…?”

CAMERA: Turn left and advance to the end door of the ivory white corridor. Along the walls

are pictures of flowers in vases, umbrella stands, and sturdy single chairs. Open the heavy door

while listening. Two young girls are putting bicycles away on aluminum racks at the front of the

garage. Note cupboards on the walls, tools, vehicles, laundry and water heater, closets and shelf

space.

VOICE: “Notice in the far corner, the bar chairs in three swivel styles. They are all a lovely

dark hardwood. There are several work bench stools and a television circle with a variety of

chairs and side tables.”

CAMERA: The garage door has caught your attention as it finally finishes a slow close cycle.

Turn back to girls. Experience again the quick shift back to dark gray sight. The girls are now

on the ground, tangled with their bicycles. There is blood everywhere. To check their condition,

you take one step forward. Scene returns to garage lighting and the girls, completing their chore

with much giggling look up at the camera.

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VOICE: “Excuse me” is said in a halting way with slight shaking of head.

CAMERA: Spin around and hurry down the hall. Turn at the second left.

VOICE: “In here is the heart of the home, of the family. Traditions pass down, as well they

should. All parties gravitate to this warm haven.”

CAMERA: Open door into kitchen. The young wife is pulling something steaming out of the

oven on a silver sheet gripped in a gloved hand. Scene goes dark. The oven door is closed.

Utensils are scattered. The butcher knife protrudes partially from a wooden counter. Feet are

seen beyond the center island. They lie in a pool of blood.

VOICE: (sotto voce) “Oh my! What to say? What a shame about that Louis the fifteenth,

straight back rocking chair over by the oven.”

CAMERA: Switch to bright day, the wife offering cookies, with a cocked head and a

questioning look. You have been “out of it”, from her point of view, for several seconds.

VOICE: “Thanks. Those look delicious. At the far side of this room, there is a quaint breakfast

nook with rattan chairs surrounding an oval glossy table, with fat candles in wall sconces.”

CAMERA: Switch to dark with two adults collapsed across a table, reaching for each other.

Lightning flashes through the full-length window and a glint is reflected off a hammer.

CAMERA: Switch again to bright day; there sits the quiet breakfast nook.

VOICE: “That gives me the shivers.”

CAMERA: Turn back out to the front living room. The focus of all family members is the

television, along the front wall of the house. Everyone is standing. The volume is down too low

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to hear. As a redhead youngster reaches out to turn up the volume, the dim face of the news

anchor fades to a shot of, first the outside of a prison, barbed wire around a brick facility, and

second, a man strapped into an electric chair with a leather mask over his eyes. The room is

dark. A metal cap with wet sponges is lowered and tightened; the wrist and ankle straps are

twisted to test for tightness. Muscles in the body are seen to tense momentarily.

CAMERA: Camera shot draws back to encompass the spectator gallery in the lower foreground

and around the sides. With a sudden shift, the gallery disappears and is replaced with a replay of

the opening images of the peaceful and safe neighborhood.

VOICE: “Isn’t it a good thing…”

CAMERA: Return to normal gallery. The uniformed man reaches up to pull down the circuit

breaker handle.

VOICE: “…we at Emerson Electric Chair Division have been keeping you safe by…”

CAMERA: The handle is snapped down. The body twitches. The camera turns away.

VOICE: “building these chairs as carefully and safely as possible for one hundred and twenty

years now.”

FADE OUT.

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Original Title Page (reduced) with Teacher’s Marks

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