The Body in the Basement - Alex Broun

48EILEEN: And what exactly does that mean ?MAX:Never mind.MAX MOVES TOWARDS THE BASEMENT DOOR. THERE IS THEFAINT DISTANT SOUNDS OF BATTLE.MAX: (STOPPING) What’s that ?EILEEN:MAX:Sorry, it’s just my quivering thighs.No, listen it sounds like …THE SOUNDS OF BATTLE GROW.EILEEN:MAX:I can’t hear anything.Then stop talking and listen.SUDDENLY THE BACK WALL AROUND THE BASEMENT DOORCRUMPLES FORWARD ON TO THE STAGE.THE BATTLE SOUNDS INTENSIFY – SINGLE GUNSHOTS.ARTILLERY FIRE, CRIES OF THE WOUNDED, EXPLOSIONS.SMOKE POURS ON TO STAGE WHERE THE WALL ONCE WAS,FILTERING DIM GREEN LIGHT. THROUGH THE SMOKE WE CANSEE THE CHARRED REMAINS OF A BATTLEFIELD – TREES,TRENCHES, BODIES AND MACHINERY.EILEEN: (OVER BATTLE SOUNDS) What happened to the basement ?MAX EDGES FORWARD AND PEERS INTO THE MURKY, GREEN LIGHT.MAX:I don’t know.EILEEN: And what’s that, in the garden ?MAX:It looks like a beach and a rocky hill.EILEEN: What happened to the Gazebo ? ?MAX:EILEEN:MAX:I don’t know.Do you think our insurance covers this ? I wonder if they class this an“An Act of God” – “Battlefield suddenly appearing in living room.”(COUGHING) And what about all this smoke ? Smells like …Gunpowder.