Furnace

By Tom Van Gemert

Scene 1 INT. Dr. Calstein's office. Day.

Miles Ridley, hands bound behind his back is led into Dr. Calstein's room. As his hands are untied and shackled to the arms of a hard chair he says in an eerie voice "So you're gonna fix me up hey doc?" He is an evil looking man with a skeletal face and darting dark eyes set deep in his head. His hair is slicked back and a vein can be seen pulsing against one of his temples.

"We're going to try" replies Dr. Calstein as he is peers down at the patients papers through small, rimless spectacles riding low on his nose. He appears to be in his late 50s with snow white hair above his ears that revolves around a shiny bald head.

"What do you mean we?" Miles says.

"Sorry - I." Calstein glances at his watch with collective calm. It reads quarter past three.

Scene 2 EXT. Forest. Day.

Lou Colby looks up from his watch and stares off into the distance. He is sitting on a tree stump on the edge of a forest overlooking an open field. "It's about that time" he mumbles to himself as he sits up and starts walking into the thick wood. Twigs snap and leaves rustle as he trudges along. He is of average height and build. His face has regular young features save for gray eyes and a jutting chin. His brown hair is short and thick. His eyes continue to have a distant look in them as if recalling some past event.

Scene 3 EXT. Forest flashback. Day.

Calstein is looking at Lou strangely as if he were some odd spectacle and asks him the methodical questions he asks his patients as he follows Lou to the "secret place" in the woods.

"Here it is!" Lou runs over and stands next to the object, facing the doctor. Calstein squints at what appears to be an old, abandoned furnace in the middle of a small clearing.

"What would influence you to drag this heavy thing to the middle of nowhere?"

"I didn't put it here! I found it. Come on in!" Lou straddles over the top and sits on the edge. "Come on!" With a look of disgust and confusion the doctor walks over and peers down the cylinder.

"You put a mirror in there. Why did you do that?" he asks as if talking to a child.

Aggravation tightens Lou's brow as he drops down the hatch and disappears. Calstein looks again and sees Lou peering back at him. He jumps back from the furnace with a start and begins looking around frantically. With a look of concern he peers over the edge again. Lou is waving at him, beckoning for him to follow. After a few minutes of hesitation the doctor straddles over the metal and drops into the reflection only to pop back out again without an impact. Lou is there.

"See it wasn't so hard."

"What kind of illusionist are you?" Calstein orders as he climbs out and looks around at the trees. A look of concern wrinkles his brow.

"Want to see my wonderful imagination." Lou pipes up. Calstein is still looking around oddly and doesn't acknowledge him. Lou hops into the furnace again but this time he comes back out.

"Hey Dr. Calstein" he says. The doctor turns around. Lou transforms into a large, blue scaly dragon and hovers over the ground. Calstein's eyes practically pop out of his head in surprise and fright. He quickly dashes into the woods and running for what seems to be his life. A deer darts straight towards him and quickly morphs into what seems to be Lou only his skin is grey and slightly melting. Calstein backs up against a tree, shielding his head with his arms, whimpering like a child.

"See doctor. This is the mental world. You are looking at my mind right now."

"But that's impossible!" shrieks Calstein.

"Is it?" Lou transforms into a stone monkey and leaps forty feet into the air above the tree tops and bursts into hundreds of tiny, colorful rubber balls that come raining down. A few bounce off the doctor who finally regains his composure enough to ask "Why can't I do anything?"

"Your physical body combined with your mental body when you came through the furnace. You remain the same. My physical body is on the other side now thinking of everything I am doing now," Lou says.  

The doctors eyes are wide and he is in deep thought. Finally he says "So I can see what is going on in other peoples minds here?" Lou is in his regular form again.

"Yes" he says, "But it's very dangerous. If anyone else in the world thinks of you in any way right now, you will experience it." He transforms into an ancient oak tree with his face etched into the crusty bark. A strong wind blows out of his mouth and Calstein goes flying ten feet backwards landing on a cushion of air just before hitting the ground.

"If someone thinks ill of you. You will feel it," Lou says.  

The doctor stands up and brushes his arms. "Do you know what this means? Do you know what this can do for my profession?"

"Exactly" says Lou "Exactly."

Scene 4 EXT Forest and path to asylum. Day

Lou's mind returns to the present. He enters the small clearing and the shiny white furnace catches his eye.

"Oh what kind of Lunatic will we see today" he sings leaning over the edge of the tube and staring into the mirror at himself. Tentacles grow out of his face and drip towards him covering up parts of the mirror with large blotches. He looks at his watch again and checks his pocket for his knife before diving head first into the other side. "These long walks through the woods are the most boring part of this job" he grumbles to himself as he marches back the way he came. Fifteen minutes later he reaches his dark blue moped just outside the forest and takes off across the large field. After traveling a back route to the insane asylum without another soul in sight the whole time, he parks it next to a back exit and entering a key into the lock he enters.

Scene 5 INT Calstein's office. Day

Calstein sighs and looks up from his desk. His head is resting on his hand and he asks "What's wrong with your room?"

"It's too small. How am I to feel the world in a such a tiny environment", snaps back Miles in low, haunting voice. Lou's head peeks around the corner.

"Hey Calstein what's up?" His voice can be heard with a slight echo but his lips don't move.

"Thank god you're here and not a moment too soon. This conversation is going nowhere." Calstein's voice says back. His lips don't move either and he doesn't look in the direction of Lou but keeps his eyes on Miles who is grinning eerily back at him. Lou's face pales slightly and takes on a frightened look as he gazes in the direction of Miles. A large red and yellow blob of what looks like clay mixed with vapor is sitting in the chair. Shapeless arms dart this way and that out of the blob and then back in. For an instant the blob transforms into a human shape of a hairless man clenching at the arms of the chair with white knuckles. His mouth gapes open to reveal a black, bottomless mouth in a prolonged scream that makes no sound. The shape instantly changes back to the shapeless mass.

"He's hideous looking," Lou's voice is heard.

"Perhaps we should skip this operation. This man is too dangerous." Replies Calstein's voice.

"Nonsense. Ask a question."

Calstein hesitates for a moment and then asks Miles "So tell me about your parents. When was the last time you talked to them?"

Miles dark eyebrows angle sharply towards his nose in anger "My folks are nice people. I haven't seen them in years." Lou's eyes are wide again in fear. Miles' mind is now a green glowing blade whirling around a purple mass of sharp objects.

"I see it!" Lou's voice says. "It's a blade of some sort."

"I really think you should leave it alone Lou. This man is beyond our help."

"No I think I can handle it. Just ask a more mellow question."

Again Calstein asks Miles "Where are they living now?"

"Some place in Florida. Look is there a point to all these questions. It feels as if we're chewing the fat." Miles responds. His body jerks irritably.

Lou's expression seems to gain more confidence as the whirling knife changes into a stable glowing blob on large smooth round mass. He pulls out his surgical knife and dashes at the object only to halt quickly and stumble backwards on his hands when the blob changes suddenly into a gigantic hideous face and looks right at him.

"Who's there?" Miles shouts.

"Get out! Get out!" Calstein screams.

Lou quickly gets up and dashes out of the room. He sprints down the hallway and looks back just before turning a corner. A large purple storm cloud is floating down the hall in his direction.

Scene 6 EXT Forest. Day.

Lou rides his moped to the edge of the forest and looks back at an empty field. He walks slowly and confidently back to the clearing and the furnace. He climbs over the edge and starts to drop in when loud laughter cuts the silence. His head snaps towards the source and he sees Miles standing at the edge of the clearing. His arms become huge and lunge towards Lou who with a look of terror on his face drops into the portal, just avoiding the grope.

Scene 7 INT Calstein's office. Day

Lou bursts into Calstein's office and slams the door behind him.

"He knows where it is!" he exclaims to the doctor.

Calstein's mouth gapes open in disbelief "Are you trying to tell me his mind traveled after you that far?"

"We've got to make sure he never gets out of the cell." Lou says in a loud voice pounding on the desk with his fist for emphasis. The doctor's head nods slowly. His mouth is still open and his eyes are distant and fearful.

Scene 8 Miles' cell. Night

Calstein is seen dashing around a corner and he grabs onto the large black bars of a cell. The cell is empty and a few of the small bars in the window are missing. A howling wind can be heard blowing through the window. A shear look of horror is on Calstein's pale face.

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