08/09/2023
Last year, I started writing a short screenplay for a Midwestern Gothic adaptation of Rip Van Winkle. It's very different from the original - my version of Rip is a cryptid hunter stalking an ancient giant sloth in Missouri. The project may never see the light of day, but here's an excerpt from a scene where an intoxicated protagonist comes within inches of catching his dream monster:
"Rustle, rustle. Stomp, stomp. Rustle, rustle. Stomp, stomp. The slowest pursuit in the history of mankind ensues.
The man falters out of the brush onto a stone beach. The moon’s reflection in the river illuminates his surroundings like a midnight sun. Panting, he removes the night vision goggles and spins wildly around, squinting to see how he could’ve misplaced his prey. Out of sight, two eyes glint in the reeds behind him."