A 30-something African American's Native American ancestor crosses time and species in order to save her dying spirit.

SYNOPSIS:

Synopsis: The Wolf

By: Amanda Grihm

1017 Words

SARISSA lives in an axis world where human and animal transform as needed or desired. It is a place where animal and human are independent and interdependent. They are equal and one with nature. Sarissa wakes up in an axis world where she is comfortable, powerful, confident, and completely in control, unlike her existence in this world where she is weak, easily intimidated and scared most of the time. Sarissa’s first challenge comes from a strange human who emerges from the woods and appears to threaten her existence. Sarissa embraces her animal instincts and transforms into a forbidding, gigantic snake that matches and surpasses the power of the stranger. With her first taste of blood, Sarissa evolves from the snake into a power wolf. As a wolf, Sarissa experiences power with every step and she runs, swiftly toward her new life. Sarissa is ready to meet the challenges of life, powerful enough to live as she pleases, and anxious to get home. In this world, Sarissa’s home is anywhere she chooses.

Sarissa awakes in her bed, convinced that she dreamed the wolf. In spite of her strong conviction about the dream the window of her bedroom is wide open and dried brown crushed leaves are scattered across the room and her bed even though her apartment is on the 25th floor and the ground beneath her window is a paved parking lot, with no trees anywhere to be found. A year later, Sarissa encounters the wolf again. This time, Sarissa is convinced that she is not asleep but feels she may be losing her mind because the wolf’s existence is indisputable. She becomes obsessed with the idea that she has embodied the essence and characteristics of a wolf but remains resistant to the idea of people transforming into animals. JERRY, Sarissa’s husband, has been carrying on an affair with a sociopath name BLASCEY who convinces him to try to kill Sarissa and take over her modeling troupe. Sarissa’s senses and intuition become animalistic and keen.

The souls of Sarissa’s ancestors send ANAGHIA, Sarissa’s Alfa wolf and shaman ancestor, to save her from Jerry and Blascey, and to infuse her with the power of the wolf. Blascey convinces two recently released mental patients to audition for Sarissa’ modeling troupe so that they can get close enough to stab her with a poison needle. Sarissa’s powers of perception, sensing and intuition are keen enough for her to see what no human can see, hear, taste, smell or sense. With inhuman vision, Sarissa sees a vial of poison and a needle in the pocket of her the awkward young man that auditioned. She is saddened and sickened later when she senses and confirms that Jerry is prepared to pick up where the others failed and has the same needle and vial of poison in his pocket to try to kill her. Anaghia shape shifts into several animals and with each transformation she takes Sarissa on a trip that endows her with greater self-knowledge, more strength and freedom.

In addition to running the fashion troupe, Sarissa works for a major university in Cleveland, Ohio. THOMAS, one of the professors she works for has it in for Sarissa and wants to do more than fire her, he wants her dead. Thomas can’t fire her without getting the buy-in and authorization from a staff of senior professors and department heads. Thomas tries desperately to prove that Sarissa is incompetent but he shows himself to be vindictive, small-minded and manipulative. Sarissa thought Thomas had it in for her because Jerry had an affair with his wife. Thomas married his wife for her money, not for love. Thomas is hell-bent on destroying Sarissa simply because she refuses his advances. Thomas loses his mind and is sent to a mental institution after witnessing Sarissa transform into a wolf while trying to run her over with his car. Sarissa meets his challenge and takes plug out of his arm.

Sarissa distinguishes friend from foe by the intensity of the energy they emit. Thomas’s energy was hot when he was set on killing Sarissa; it was as cold as ice when he was frightened, as was the energy for all of her friends and foes. Blascey’s energy was always a blistering, white hot. She wanted Sarissa dead and after the failed attempts by her the two mentally deficient stooges she sent to kill Sarissa, she decided to try it herself. Sarissa’s transformation turned Blascey’s energy arctic. A strike across Blascey’s face and drawing blood caused Sarissa’s understanding about people to evolve. Sarissa knew that the two stooges sent by Blascey did not harbor hatred in their hearts for her, in fact, they admired her. They were too confused to understand the act they were about to commit. Jerry’s energy was not hot or cold, it was neutral. Jerry did not hate Sarissa, nor did he love her. He was motivated by greed and coerced with drugs. The spirits of Sarissa’s ancestors journeyed beyond the void and into the axis- world that separated them to save Sarissa.

Without the wolf, Sarissa would have lost her soul and her mind…both would have been unrecoverable. The impinging dangers that besieged Sarissa could have created a tear in Sarissa’s mind. Sarissa experienced the deepest sadness as the vivid memories of being raped by three men on her 13th birthday were unlocked and unblocked from her memory. Anaghia takes Sarissa on a journey back through time and slowly unveils her past to help her acknowledge and overcome the victimizations that she and her people endured over time. Sarissa meets the stranger from the woods again. This time, she understands why she had to taste blood, why she had to meet her first challenge and why she had to move swiftly through the woods on fearlessly into her life… whatever it held! Anaghia ultimately bestows Sarissa with the power of the wolf…the power to overcome any challenge and to live victoriously wherever she goes. Sarissa decides to move to Atlanta. The spirits of her ancestors and Anaghia enjoin Sarissa life and never leave her.

THE WOLF (A WORK IN PROGRESS)

SAMPLE:  MORE TO COME -- Here are the first section...

FADE IN:

INT. SARISSA’S APARTMENT- NIGHT

SARISSA BROWN, 5 foot 10 inch, lean, 30-something, African-American woman with Native American heritage stands at the door to her apartment. She hesitantly inserts the key into the lock.

She HEARS the CREAKING of her neighbor’s door as he opens it just enough to peek at her through the hinge opening.

SARISSA

Why do I keep coming back?

She turns the key but hesitates to open the door. With her first step into her apartment, she turns her head and sniffs in the direction of the bedroom.

(O.C.) The Sound of a GROWL

It’s dark outside but the light from the balcony dimly lights the apartment and casts indistinguishable shadows throughout.

Sarissa glances around the room but stops in amazement at the distinctive outline of a large snake on the wall in front of her. Within seconds, the snake’s outline morphs into the shape of a wolf and then a woman.

Tired and discouraged, Sarissa allows herself to fall on her bed. Her eyes are beginning to close.

As her head hits the pillow her eyes close. BEAT. She opens her eyes.

CLOSE-UP ON SARISSA’S EYES - LUPINE EYES

A few seconds later, the phone RINGS.

SARISSA (CONT’D)

(Snatches the phone off the hook. She is angry but speaks in a soft, controlled tone.)

Hello.

VOICE ON THE PHONE

Rissa you need to get down here?

SARISSA

No. No. I just got in and I’m tired.

VOICE ON THE PHONE

(Anxious)

You gonna wanna be here.  How long will it take you?

SARISSA

I just laid down.

VOICE ON THE PHONE

I’m really sorry but I think you’re really gonna wanna be here.

SARISSA

Okay. I’ll be there in...

She turns the mouth piece of the phone away from her mouth.

SARISSA (CONT’D)

(She exhales a long, laborious sigh)

BEAT. You got any idea of how many?

VOICE ON THE PHONE

Thirty from other troupes and about 10 that I’ve never seen before. Two really unusual ones, too! Really unusual.

SARISSA

Huh?, BEAT, I need half an hour. 

Sarissa looks at the clock. It is 7:58 PM. She hangs up the phone and lies down. Her eyes are closing.

SOLARIZATION

EXT. OHIO WOODLANDS - ESTABLISHING EARLY EVENING

High grass, dense areas of tall broadleaf trees throughout the field. The leaves are brown, yellow, green and red. The webs of the wolf spiders (Lycosidae) span across three trees. Glimmers of their sticky, silk threads are visible with lots of bugs and butterflies snagged in the webs. The designs are magnificent.

A large, black and yellow diamond back snake moves slowly through the grass and stops under the shadow of the canopy of a tall beech tree.

Hundreds upon hundreds of small black birds fly away in flocks and create a dark blanket across the sky, momentarily blocking the sun’s rays and casting a dark shadow on the field.

The CRACKLING sound of twigs snapping and dry grass being crushed gets louder and louder.

The shadow of a tall MAN blends in with the shadow of the tall trees until it emerges from the woodlands, shrinks, and stops, abruptly but quietly, next to the snake.

MAN

(Softly chanting a blend of the Indian Lenapean and Iroquoian ancients’ language.)

Suulee ma kin sha. Ma nee bin sho ka...Ma nee bin sho ka...Suulee ma kin sha... Ne tah ... Ne tah

The man stoops down to the ground, his back rigid and straight. He clasps his hands together leaving both index fingers firmly pressed together and pointing up into the blinding glare of the sun’s light.

As the snake rises to eye level with the man, the SOUND of WIND rises and blows with a tornado-like force in the background.

The man’s hands move slowly but closer to the snake’s head. The snake moves closer to the man’s face. The man grabs the snake and throws it to the ground.

Blood spills, slowly, out of the man’s leg. The snake’s long body wraps around and moves up the man’s body.

The snake’s head moves close to the man’s face to reveal a galaxy of souls orbiting in the iris of the man’s eyes, encircling gold-colored pupils.

The man’s body drops to the ground, his mouth opens and millions of souls are released into the air.

The snake’s mouth opens, his jaws unhinges and he sucks the man’s head into his mouth. When there is nothing left of the man, the snake slithers away.

The grass parts at a lightning fast speed as something moves through it. The SOUND of WIND blowing in the background and the CRACKLING sound of a LIGHTNING BOLT hitting the ground is heard. The snake’s body is tossed high into the air and falls back to earth. From the spot where the snake falls, a wolf emerges, running at a lighting fast speed through the woods.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. VORTEX BETWEEN WOODS AND DOWNTOWN STREETS - NIGHT

The Wolf leaps through the vortex from the woods onto the streets of downtown Cleveland, Ohio.

EXT. EUCLID AVENUE, CLEVELAND, OH - NIGHT

The wolf walks along the street glaring at its image in the windows of department stores and cars it passes. It comes upon a restaurant with a big window and comes to a standstill. A glimpse of recognition occurs but quickly fades.

People are walking, texting, engaged in conversation, not paying attention to the wolf until they are a few feet away from it. When they see the wolf they scream and run.

The wolf stops to observe the people. Before they notice him, he sees cool yellow and green waves of energy surrounding them. When they look at him the waves become muddy red, fiery hot, lazier-like beams directed at him.

The wolf turns and runs so fast that everything around it converges into streams of multi-colored lights. He leaps in plain air and jumps into another vortex.

CUT TO:

EXT. VORTEX BETWEEN DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND AND SARISSA’S OLD NEIGHBORHOOD. SARISSA STANDS AT THE CORNER OF HER STREET - MAPLEROW - IN GARFIELD HEIGHTS, OH.

Sarissa walks down the middle of the street followed by thousands of wolves. Wolves are on the rooftops, porches, in every window of every house, and covering every inch of the ground everywhere she looks. The wolves part to make a path for Sarissa.

As she walks up the steps to her house she notices that her house is the only house that has not been overtaken by wolves. 

Sarissa slowly walks into the house.

SARISSA

Mommeeee, Toot, Warren ... Mommeee, Toot, Warren. BEAT, Toot, please come help me.

The house is empty. Sarissa’s senses are enhanced. She hears every sound that takes place in the house even though none of the sounds come from humans. She hears the refrigerator running, she feels the electrical pulses as she passes electrical outlets, and she hears a squirrel jumping from the tree to an opening in the attic and the mechanical movement of the hands on the clocks on the living room wall and in each of the bedrooms upstairs. She smells the scent of her mother, brother and father as they walked out the door eight hours earlier.   

Sarissa walks slowly back out of the house and around the corner to her Aunt Marie’s house. The wolves fill the street and follow Sarissa.

SARISSA (CONT’D)

(Speaking as though the wolves will understand)

My aunt Marie has a vicious dog. His name is Smoky. He’ll kill some of you if you, BEAT, if you, BEAT, if you hurt me... or Aunt Marie, or anybody in my family. Sooooo, stop following me and go away.

CUT TO:

EXT. DAY. AUNT MARIE’S DUPLEX.

SARISSA

Aunt Marie, Aunt Marie, BEAT Uncle Alex, BEAT, Johnny, BEAT, Donna, BEAT, Smoky.

Sarissa runs up the steps and opens the door. She walks up the long stairwell to the upstairs apartment. 

Sarissa opens the door, slowly. There are wolves inside the apartment. A very large, albino, Alfa wolf stands in the middle of the room.

Sarissa walks past all the wolves through the house to the balcony. She climbs upon the balcony bannister, stretches her arms out and begins to fall forward.

She feels herself falling when the Alfa wolf bites into the bottom of her blouse and pulls her back onto the porch.

Sarissa lay coiled in a fetal position on the porch floor.

The Alfa wolf bits into Sarissa’s collar and pulls her to her feet in one swift movement. He nudges Sarissa but she is stiff and barely moves. The Alfa wolf bites into her blouse and pulls her out the room.

The Alfa wolf stops at the top of the stairs and looks into Sarissa’s eyes. The Alfa walks down the stairs and out the apartment followed by Sarissa and all the other wolves.

As they walked all of the wolves on the street part and fall in line behind them. Along the way, all of the wolves empty out of the houses and fall in line until Sarissa, led by the Alfa wolf, leads thousands upon thousands of wolves down the long, winding road into the woods.

As they approach the entrance to the woods. The Albino wolf nudges Sarissa to go first, into the woods.

CUT TO:

EXT. EVENING. DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND, OHIO

Fast cars, LOUD buses, CLATTERING trolley cars run along the street. People talking, texting, and walking without paying attention.

A large, brown wolf runs alongside cars and stops to stare at itself in the glass reflection of a large department store window.

A MAN sees the wolf and take out a gun to shoot it.

MAN

Where the hell did that thing come from?

The wolf knows that its life is endangered and prepares to attack the man.

The man shoots the gun.

The wolf lunges at the man.

The man drops the gun and faints.

In the middle of the lunge, the wolf goes through a transformation. 

As the transformation completes, Sarissa’s right foot touches the ground and she pivots to the left, looking at everyone in her line of sight, as she was taught and teaches in her modeling school.

Sarissa appears out of nowhere. People run into her and are shocked to see her standing there.

Sarissa pats her pockets for her keys but her pockets are empty.

SARISSA

(Frightened)

How tha ... What’s happening to me?

CUT TO:

INT. SARISSA’S BEDROOM - EVENING

Sarissa opens her eyes - They are a lighter shade of brown but the pupil is filled with a new kind of light.

Sarissa sits up on the side of the bed and looks at the clock. It is 8:00 PM.

SARISSA

Two minutes!

The phone RINGS.

VOICE ON THE PHONE

Something strange is happening.  Just about everyone called to say they are going to be late. Should we push it off by an hour? What do you think? One even said that you…you…needed more time.  What the hell?

SARISSA

Wow! I guess that’s what happens when your worlds collide.

VOICE ON THE PHONE

What the hell you talk’n bout?

FADE OUT