The Song That Never Ends -- Part 3: Peter's Dream -screen_writer-

He dreamed of the island, as it had been one hundred years earlier, 1799. In his dream he was standing on the street, out front of his house. There were many more cabins on his street. Lanterns lit the windows, a warm yellow, in many of the cabins. The island was quiet, and sea calm. There wasn’t another soul on the street this night. Peter began walking down the road.

After a few steps, there was a sudden ruckus coming from down the road. He looked in the direction, and noticed a woman being hustled from her house, and out onto the street. The men who pulled her from her house threw her to the ground, and the woman spit on her. Some of the people held torches. Peter walked in the direction of the mob to see what was going on. As he got closer he noticed a pole in the middle of the road with hay lying around it.

Once he got close enough, he saw the men pick the woman up by her arms, and drag her to the wooden pole. The women were hissing, and yelling at the lady. The men raised her up to her feet, and began to tie her to the pole.

After the woman was tied up, the town’s people stood in a circle around her. The men with the torches were closest to the woman; and that’s when the town’s judge spoke up. “On behalf of the town of Noble, I hereby declare, based upon the testimony of Mary Good and Teresa Good, you Miss. Mattie Madelyn a witch. Do you have any last words before we serve justice upon you?”

Mattie Madelyn did have last words: “You will all be sorry for this. I will get each and everyone of you. I am a witch, and I’m going to get you all!” She then spit on the town’s judge.

The men with the torches stepped closer, and threw their torches onto the hay. Mattie Madelyn went up like the Olympic flame. Her screams were ear shattering. But after one minuet her screams stopped. The town’s people began to disperse, talking amongst themselves as they went. Peter stood in place, staring at the charred body of Mattie Madelyn. The was when the piano music began… “Minuet” by J.S. Bach started to play.

The town folk stopped in their tracks, and listened. They turned towards were the sound was coming from… Mattie Madelyn’s house; a few men went inside to investigate. Seconds later, they ran screaming from the house. The piano music was playing by itself. The scared townspeople began to run in panic, screaming. The music only got louder, eventually getting so loud it hurt your ears, and there was no escaping it.

Some of the town’s people ran back into the house to destroy the piano. That didn’t stop the music though. Destroying the piano only made the music louder. Other town’s folk ran for the shore, ready to get on their boats and leave the island. All they found were their boats burning. Some jumped into the cold water, swimming for the mainland, none made it. Other’s, driven mad by the loud music, hung themselves from trees, and yet others went into their homes, and lit them on fire. By the end of the night it was just Peter, standing in the middle of the small, burning, island town.

He woke up the next morning, sober again. It was the most vivid dream he had ever had. He walked into the living room, and found Sara dead on the floor. He didn’t remember doing it, all he could remember was the music, and how it wouldn’t stop.

He buried Sara in the back yard, and once the last bit of dirt was thrown on her body. He heard “Minuet” start to play on the piano.

To Be Continued...

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