MATTHEW
Where'd you find it, then?
HANNAH
It was...in someone's hand.
MATTHEW
You mean the others are here? I'm gonna break their necks, those stupid--
HANNAH
No! They're not here. I mean, not all of them.
MATTHEW
What you mean?
HANNAH
Seeker had it.
MATTHEW
He did?
HANNAH nods.
MATTHEW
Guess that makes sense. Did he hand it over to you?
HANNAH
No...he's dead.
MATTHEW
Dea...he's...what?!
HANNAH
He looks like he fell off the cliff.
MATTHEW
He's dead?!
HANNAH
He looked it.
MATTHEW
And you took that out of his hand? His dead hand?
HANNAH
I didn't think about it till right now.
MATTHEW
You stole from a dead man, Hannah!
HANNAH
We can go back and see if he's okay.
MATTHEW
If he's dead, then there's no fixing that. He is dead, right?
HANNAH
I think so.
MATTHEW
You think so?
MATTHEW exits.
HANNAH
Matthew!
Beat.
MATTHEW enters.
MATTHEW
Yeah, he's dead. Bones broke all over. Must have fell. It's a miracle that gem stayed in that cup the whole way down.
HANNAH
You see? Seeker fell. Just like I said.
Beat.
HANNAH
Matthew, we have the Great Carbuncle now. Let's go home. We can tell the sheriff where Seeker's body is.
MATTHEW
You're going to leave him like that?
HANNAH
What are we supposed to do?
MATTHEW
I'd say bury him, but I don't have a shovel, and no one could dig in this weather.
HANNAH
There, we can't do anything. We'll tell someone when we get back. I swear.
It just don't feel right.
HANNAH
Matthew...
MATTHEW
I--
CHILLINGWORTH (OS)
What's in your hands?
CHILLINGWORTH enters. HE's obviously freezing to death, but HIS eyes show no sense of pain. HE has truly lost any grasp of reality.
MATTHEW
Hey, Chillingworth! You're alive!
CHILLINGWORTH
(to HANNAH) What's in your hands?
HANNAH hides the bab HER back.
HANNAH
What do you mean?
MATTHEW
(to CHILLINGWORTH) What? Oh! Hey, you'll never guess what we have. The Great Carbuncle, and it's all mine and Hannah's. Hannah, show it to him.
Beat.
MATTHEW
(to HANNAH) Don't worry. I'll chase him down if he makes a run for it.
SHE slowly hands over the bag.
MATTHEW
(to CHILLINGWORTH) Yeah, uh...we found it, but we found something else too. Seeker's dead. Looks like he fell off of the cliff up there--
CHILLINGWORTH snatches it from HER hands.
HANNAH
Hey!
CHILLINGWORTH
This is not the Great Carbuncle.
The area slowly glows red, increasing in intensity as CHILLINGWORTH talks.
HANNAH
Yes, it is!
CHILLINGWORTH
It can't be. It's impossible. It must be some sort of fabrication, or a hoax, or some sort of natural oddity...but it cannot be the Great Carbuncle!
MATTHEW
You didn't even look at it.
CHILLINGWORTH
I don' t need to see it to tell it's a fraud.
MATTHEW
It looks like the Great Carbuncle to me.
CHILLINGWORTH
It looks like it to you? You, a simple army soldier, can tell if this is the genuine article or not? No, you have no authority to make such a claim. I've researched many other forgeries posing as artifacts, exactly like this one, and I'm telling you there is no such thing as the Great Carbuncle. There is not an iota of true magic in this world. Only the foolish would believe such fairytales and myths.
The red glow is getting very bright. MATTHEW and HANNAH hold each other closely and back away.
MATTHEW
Uh...friend, I think you need to put that down right now.
CHILLINGWORTH
Why would I ever do that? I finally have my proof that the legendary gem never existed.
HANNAH
It's glowing.
CHILLINGWORTH
It's glowing? Nonsense! It's simply the setting sun. It's fractured rays must be shinning through a gap in the storm's clouds. You don't believe me? No matter what scientific proof I'm capable of procuring, you Neanderthals simply can't fathom true, harsh reality as it lies before you. Here, I'll prove it beyond a doubt to you simple morons that this stone is indeed a fake!
As CHILLINGWORTH opens the bag and looks inside, the stone shines brighter than ever before. MATTHEW and HANNAH shield THEIR eyes from the glare, but CHILLINGWORTH can't keep from looking away as HE is blinded while HE screams.
There is a loud crackle of power, and then the red glow fades away. CHILLINGWORTH is left on the ground, blinded and in pain. HE drops the bags, and MATTHEW runs over to HIS aid.
MATTHEW
Chillingworth? Chillingworth! What happened?
CHILLINGWORTH
It's not real.
MATTHEW sits CHILLINGWORTH up. HANNAH slowly walks to the bag.
MATTHEW
Can you see?
MATTHEW holds up two fingers.
MATTHEW
How many fingers do you see?
CHILLINGWORTH
I...don't see anything. I don't see--
HANNAH almost picks the bag up.
MATTHEW
Hannah! Don't!
HANNAH
But...
MATTHEW
Don't! (to CHILLINGWORTH) You're gonna be okay. We'll get you to a doctor, and you'll get your sight back. You'll see.
CHILLINGWORTH
It can't be real. It can't.
MATTHEW lays CHILLINGWORTH on the ground.
MATTHEW
Hannah, we have to go.
HANNAH
We can't just leave it here.
MATTHEW
The hell we can't! That thing's cursed. Leave it alone.
HANNAH
But what about us?! What about our house? What about the money? It's ours, Matthew!
MATTHEW
The only person that thing belongs to is Seeker, and I don't see it doing him a bit of good. Do you?
HANNAH
We'll keep it the bag and never open it until we sell it. It'll be someone else's problem, and we'll still be rich.
MATTHEW
We're not taking it with us. End of discussion!
HANNAH
I can't leave it here. I can't!
MATTHEW picks up the bag.
MATTHEW
Well, I can!
MATTHEW throws the Great Carbuncle offstage.
SFX: Boiling water followed by a splash.
MATTHEW
There. It's gone. Burned a hole right through the ice.
HANNAH makes a few steps towards the direction of the splash, but MATTHEW holds HER back.
MATTHEW
Don't.
HANNAH
It's gone.
MATTHEW
Yeah. It's gone.
HANNAH slaps MATTHEW chest and arms.
HANNAH
Why did you do that? You threw it away! You threw our
life away! Why did you do that?
MATTHEW grabs HANNAH by the wrists.
MATTHEW
It's cursed. It'll blind you like the professor, or worse! You want that, Hannah? You want to end up dead over some stupid shining rock? Well, do you?
HANNAH
What do you care? You left me after high school to go play Army boy in the jungle. You left me alone for two years, making me wonder if you were dead or not. You left me all alone!
MATTHEW
I had to do that! We didn't have any money, and I wanted to give you a good life. I signed up for you, Hannah.
HANNAH
But we were together...and then you ran off to go get killed in some stupid war for a little bit of money. What's so different now? We can use that gem to keep you from every leaving me again. Why did you throw it away, Matthew? Why?!
HANNAH starts crying and MATTHEW holds HER in HIS arms.
MATTHEW
Shh. We'll be okay. We'll be okay.
HANNAH
You left me.
MATTHEW
I won't ever leave you again. I promise.
HANNAH eventually gets over HER fit and rubs away the tears.
MATTHEW
Are you better now?
HANNAH nods.
MATTHEW
I'm sorry I left you. If I knew what the war was really like...it shouldn't have made a difference. But Hannah, that stone is evil. It won't help us. It'll only hurt us.
HANNAH
All the things we dreamed of...gone.
MATTHEW
Then we'll have to start dreaming of each other, because that's all we have.
Beat.
MATTHEW
You okay now?
HANNAH nods.
MATTHEW
Good. Let's go.
MATTHEW and SHE pick up the backpacks. HE then helps CHILLINGWORTH to stand as HANNAH puts the camera up.
MATTHEW
Come on, old timer. We got to get you to a hospital.
CHILLINGWORTH
It's not real.
MATTHEW
Yeah, but at least it's over now. Let's go.
HANNAH takes the other side of CHILLINGWORTH.
MATTHEW
You got him?
HANNAH
Yes. Matthew.
MATTHEW
What?
HANNAH
I love you.
MATTHEW
I love you too.
MATTHEW and HANNAH share a loving look, and exit with CHILLINGWORTH.
END ACT II, SCENE III
EPILOGUE
After MATTHEW, HANNAH, and CHILLINGWORTH exit...
DE VERE(OS)
So, you suppose Seeker fell down near this particular spot?
PIGGSNORTO (OS)
Where else would he fall? That stone's got to be around here somewhere.
DE VERE and PIGGSNORTO enter.
DE VERE
I can't believe we left Dr. Cacaphodel and John to fend for themselves. You think they'll find their way to the "Beaten Path" station on their own?
PIGGSNORTO
Who cares? They were dead weight. I told yous, nothing's keeping me away from getting what I want. Not nature, not nobody.
From the depth of the river, a red glow slowly becomes brighter and brighter. The sun dims as if in an eclipse and thunder can be heard in the distance.
PIGGSNORTO
What's that? You see that?
DE VERE
Indeed, I do.
PIGGSNORTO and DE VERE are mesmerized by the glow and exit.
As the glow increases, so do these other natural phenomena until a large, inexplicable crackle of power reverberates throughout the mountains. PIGGSNORTO and DE VERE can be heard screaming in the background. Then, the glow fades away and all returns to normal.
THE END