Hangnail Hill
Town of Harrigan
EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - DAY
The station wagon rolls down a country road lined with trees and comes upon a sign announcing the Town of Harrigan.
EXT. GAS STATION
Gordy parks the wagon at the pump. Gordy gets out, as does Bruce, Mary, and Sunshine. Gordy begins to pump gas. Bruce stretches.
SUNSHINE
I’m going to look for something to eat.
MARY
I’ll join you.
INT. GAS STATION
Mary and Sunshine walk through the aisles of the small grocery store.
CANNED MEAT AISLE
Sunshine picks up a can of canned meat and makes a disgusted face.
SUNSHINE
(calling out to no one in particular)
Do you all have something without meat in it?
Mary appears at the end of the aisle.
MARY
Catch!
She throws a jar at Sunshine. She catches it and sees it’s a jar of peanut butter. She makes a disgusted face.
SUNSHINE
(to herself)
Great.
COUNTER
JASPER, an old man with a long beard stands behind the register. He is putting the many groceries the young women buy into bags.
JASPER
Now, will that be it for you ladies?
SUNSHINE
Do you all have any tofu?
JASPER
I’m afraid we don’t.
(beat)
You girls going on a camping trip?
SUNSHINE
Better. Mary here inherited a house.
JASPER
You’re not talking about the old Williker place, are you?
MARY
Garrett was my uncle.
JASPER
I’m sorry to hear about his passing.
MARY
We weren’t very close.
JASPER
Between you and me, ladies. I think you ought to consider selling.
MARY
I intend to.
Bruce enters and picks up one of the full bags of groceries. He begins to walk off.
JASPER
Don’t even spend the night if you ask me. Put up a sign and go back to wherever you’re from. Take whatever you can get for it and thank your lucky stars.
Bruce stops and turns to Jasper.
BRUCE
Now wait a minute, old man.
JASPER
I’m just trying to give you some friendly advice.
BRUCE
Yeah. Scare her into taking any price for it. You probably have your eye on the place yourself.
JASPER
I wouldn’t take it if it were offered to me for free.
BRUCE
(to Mary)
Come on. Let’s get out of here.
MARY
No. I want to hear what he has to say.
BRUCE
He’s a senile old kook, that’s what he has to say.
JAPSER
If you find something dead on Hangnail Hill, you better bury it quick as you please.
SUNSHINE
Oh my god!
JASPER
Heed my words. The neighbors can be pretty noisy. They have a way of waking each other up.
SUNSHINE
I thought there was no one else up there.
MARY
There isn’t. Not last time I was there, at least.
JASPER
The neighbors I speak of don’t need the comforts of a house.
BRUCE
I’m not going to listen to this nonsense. I’ll be in the car.
Bruce walks off.
JASPER
I don’t mean to scare you girls.
SUNSHINE
Then why are you saying such awful things?
JASPER
It’s not me who controls the ways of the world. Let alone Hangnail Hill.
MARY
It’s okay.
She places the money on the counter.
MARY (CONT’D)
He’s just trying to be helpful. That’s all.
