BY
MATT ASENDORF
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Version 1.0 - December 20, 2003;
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 The
carnival. Ben is watching the twins,
Alexandria and Caladonia, practice
their routine; Lodz is sitting in
his trailer, nursing a glass of
absinthe. The glass begins to tremble.
He stills it with his hand, and
smiles; "Queen of the Gypsies"
is painted on the side of a ramshackle
trailer. Inside, Sofie tends to
her catatonic mother, Apollonia.
SOFIE:
"I'm just having a little
fun, that's all. I never let it
go too far. It doesn't hurt anybody."
APOLLONA: "..."
SOFIE: "Least of all me.
I'll be back before we open."
The doors to the trailer slam
shut.
SOFIE: "Mother, open the
door."
APOLLONIA: "..."
SOFIE: "What are you talking
about? It's a beautiful day."
Samson is
inside his trailer, preening himself
in front of a mirror. He proclaims
himself a "handsome devil"
and leaves. The breeze from outside
rustles Management's curtains; The
cook tent. Lila, Gecko, the Dreifusses
and the twins are sitting around
a table, eating and joking. Lila
indicates in the direction of a
road and asks the group if they
know where it leads to. She tells
them in a whisper: "Babylon...."
While Felix denies that Babylon
even exists, Libby and Dora Mae
debate whether or not it was rousties
or freaks that were strung up in
Babylon, back in '32, "just
to watch 'em dangle." Lila
settles the debate. "It was
three pinheads and an albino named
Freddie Neff." Gecko says he
hopes Jonesy will convince Samson
to turn the carnival around; Jonesy
tells Samson that the rousties haven't
been happy since the carnival's
left the circuit. When Samson replies
that it's not his decision to make,
Jonesy offers to speak to Management
himself. Samson tells him that's
not a possibility. A roustie, Osgood,
arrives with a sedan. Samson climbs
in and drives off, leaving Jonesy
surrounded by a gaggle of amused
men; Ben enters Lodz's trailer and
finds the mentalist wrapping bottles
in towels and putting them in drawers.
Ben says that he was told Lodz had
wanted to see him. Lodz tells Ben
he has something to show him, but
they'll have to drive there.
The Dignity
Ministry, formerly Chin's. Iris
leads children in a rendition of
"Let the Little Children Come
to Me." Justin is gathering
hymnals from the pews. Reverend
Norman Balthus enters and greets
Justin, who offers to show the reverend
around. Norman declines and hands
Justin a letter. The church board
at First Methodist and seventy-two
members has written to the Bishop,
accusing Justin of neglecting the
congregation. Norman gives Justin
the Bishop's ultimatum: relinquish
the new ministry or be disciplined
and forcibly removed from his position
at First Methodist. Justin pleads
with Norman: God spoke to him, as
He spoke to Abraham, Isaiah and
Moses. Justin hands the letter back
to Norman and walks away.
 Sofie
stands in front of a mirror in a
gas station restroom. She's changed
into a white dress and flowered
hat. She's rehearsing: "Has
it been that long?"; Samson
arrives at a home and knocks on
the front door. A woman, Miss Jolene,
answers. He hands her flowers and
she gushes, welcoming him inside;
Sofie is sitting in a car outside
of Sally's Cafe. The owner of the
cafe, Harlan Staub, walks by. He
catches Sofie's eye, bewitched;
Ben is driving the carnival truck
down a dusty road. Lodz sits silently
in the passenger seat; Inside Sally's
Cafe, Harlan is serving men seated
at the counter. He looks out the
window at Sofie, checks his watch,
then goes outside and introduces
himself. Sofie lies and tells him
her name is Betty Jones and that
she's waiting for her brother, who's
running errands. Harlan observes
that she's been waiting for an hour-and-half
and suggests she waits inside the
cafe where's cooler. Inside, Harlan
serves Sofie a glass of iced tea
and tells her it's "on the
house." Sofie offers to pay.
"My pleasure, Miss." "Mrs.,"
Sofie corrects. She tells him she's
been widowed almost two years.
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