The Baccoo Script - Second Draft

The Midget Man (temp title)


SCENE 1
EXT. NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET – NIGHT
The setting is a quiet residential area at night. Crickets can be heard chirping in the surrounding foliage. A young girl (Kim) dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of shorts runs down the middle of the dark neighbourhood street. She appears to be frantic and trying to get away from something. She eventually approaches a house, makes her way to the door, and starts hammering on it furiously.

KIM: Granny! Granny! Open the door!

The lights in the house come on and someone peeps out the window. One hears the sound of locks turning and the door opens to reveal a woman (in her early sixties?) who has a distinct look of concern on her face.

GRAN: Jesus, Lord! What in heaven name you doing out ‘pon the street this time uh night, Kim? What happen?

Kim is visibly shaken and unable to talk.

GRAN: What happen, child? Tell me, nuh?

SCENE 2
INT. GRAN’S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT
The two women go into the house and stop in the living room. Kim is clutching her grandmother’s clothes as she is half-dragged to a chair. Her body trembles as she tries to gain composure.

KIM: Something in the house, Gran!
GRAN: Something in the house? Something like what?

KIM: I... I... ain’ sure... but it is something living!

GRAN: Wait, child. Wait. Lemme get you something
hot to drink.

Gran goes to the kitchen to fix a cup of tea. Kim remains in the living room staring blankly at the wall. Gran returns with the drink and passes it to her.

GRAN: Now tell me what happen.
KIM: Gran, something was in my house! I was
watching TV...
(She is interrupted by her grandmother)

GRAN: Watching TV at this hour?!

SCENE 3
INT. KIM’S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT
The scene changes to a flashback of Kim’s apartment earlier that night. She is wearing the same clothes as she is now and watching the television set while relaxing on the sofa. The film showing on the TV is Van Helsing – a Hollywood movie with characters from the European horror genre. She narrates following events.

KIM: ...I was watching TV. Then I hear some sort of commotion. I thought it was something outside at first, but it was really coming from the kitchen. So a mind tell me to go and see what happen.
Kim gets up to adjust the volume on the TV.

KIM: ...I swear blind I hear something run through the passage behind me. I was frightened as hell... tell you nuh lie, Gran.
She stands in the archway to the adjacent kitchen and flicks on the light.
KIM: When I check the kitchen...

A shot of the kitchen shows it in a mess. There is a small pile of fruit on the counter in one corner of the room. Banana skins are all over the floor and counter tops. Of all the fruit, only the bananas seem to have been troubled.

KIM: It looked like somebody ransacked it... bananas half-eat... skins pelt ‘bout...

She makes her way across the kitchen to the counter and steps in something wet. She looks down to find a large puddle of milk on the floor along with the banana mess.

KIM: ... Milk throw ‘way on the ground.
Her gaze moves from the puddle to the refrigerator. It is then that she realises that the back door is unlocked and slightly ajar.

KIM: And the back door was open and swinging like somebody not too long went through it! And I know I that door was locked, Gran! I don’t use that door at all!

She quickly moves to the door and locks it. Puzzled and a little frightened, she looks around the room nervously. Her eyes light on the puddle she stepped in before. There is a trail of milk leading from the puddle to the far side of the room and around the corner into a dark hallway. The trail is smeared as though a small animal has walked through it. Kim picks up a nearby frying pan and cautiously follows the trail around the corner. The corridor is pitch black and she can’t see anything, but she can hear something moving about in the darkness. The noise stops and then recommences just as suddenly. Kim gets the sense that something is coming toward her. The corridor is suddenly filled with a sickening evil laugh that causes Kim to throw the pan in the direction of the laughter’s source and bolt out of the house screaming.

KIM: I pelt the pan at it. I ain’ know if I hit it or not. I was out the front door and I ain’ stop running ‘til I get here.
SCENE 4
INT. GRAN’S LIVINGROOM – NIGHT
The flashback ends and the scene returns to the grandmother’s house.

KIM: I never hear a laugh like that one yet. I feel sick just remembering it.
Gran sits quietly for a few seconds.

GRAN: Tell me something. Anybody would have reason to trouble you?

KIM: (Clearly puzzled)How yuh mean trouble?

GRAN: You ain’ interfere wid nobody or owe them money?

KIM: I ain’ do nuttin to nobody, Gran. Why would you ask that?

GRAN: ‘Cause what you just tell me sound like something I used to hear ‘bout when I was the same age as you now... and if it is what I think it is... it means somebody send it for you.

KIM: Send what? What you talking ‘bout, Gran?

GRAN: I think it might be the Baccoo.

KIM: The Ba-who? What is that now?

GRAN: Lord, what I hearing though? You mean to tell me that you never hear ‘bout the Baccoo? Children nowadays don’t know a thing that does go on ‘round them... just studying TV and Internet all the time...

(She is sharply interrupted by Kim)
KIM: I really ain’ ‘bout nuh sermon right now, Gran. You know what it is that in the house?

GRAN: The Baccoo is a short... short... little man. I call it a man, but it is really a spirit. I never see one and, as far as I know, I ain’ know nobody that got one... but nuff people would swear that they know somebody who know somebody that got one.
The body that own one does keep it in a bottle... it that short... and you gotta feed it milk and bananas by the pound. If you treat it good, it is supposed to do anything for you. I don’t know why anybody would want a Baccoo, but from the things I hear when I was growing up, it don’t be for nuttin nice at all.
I once hear ‘bout a woman in Speightstown who dead. The woman daughter was cleaning the house some time after she pass and come ‘cross a blanket under the bed. When she tried to take it out, the blanket move right back under the bed like it was living. When my girl check the blanket good she find a Baccoo staring right back at she. People say that one of them salesmen that does come ‘round on the weekends send it. The girl mother didn’t ‘bout paying the man and play she hiding whenever he pass, so he send the Baccoo to sort she out.
Anyhow, the lil bastard wouldn’t move now matter how hard the girl try to mek it. She even bring a priest who manage to put the Baccoo in a bag and give a fisherman fifty dollars to pelt it in the sea. But the foolish fisherman couldn’t mind he own business, and he open the bag to find out what it had in. Well, he find out exactly what it had in the hard way, ‘cause the Bacco fly out and tek off as he open it. And I don’t think the Baccoo was too pleased ‘bout being in the bag either, ‘cause by the time the fisherman reach back shore he find out that his house burn right down to the ground.

KIM: You barely joking, Gran! You serious? A little spirit man running ‘bout in my house?

GRAN: Child, there does be more truth in stories like that than you might think. It could only be a Baccoo. Why you doubt me? You feel a monkey break in and mess up the kitchen? Monkey could unlock doors and open fridge? From what you tell me, I believe it is the Baccoo. According to you, it only interfere with the bananas and the milk. What else love love milk and banana so? Take too much of them things and they would work yuh.

KIM: So you really think that one of these Baccoo things by me? Who would send one for me?

GRAN: I can’t help you with that one, girl. Only the Baccoo and whoever send it would know.

KIM: So what I supposed to do now. How to get it leave?

GRAN: You don’t worry ‘bout that little devil. We goin’ fix he. Stand here tonight. We goin’ sort that in the morning. You got me up so late after nearly giving me a heart attack... I can’t take no more excitement tonight.


The two walk out of the room and the light goes off.

There is a fade from black to the closing credits. These credits feature an animated sequence where Kim returns home and manages to catch the creature.