CAULDRON OF CHANGES
An Original Screenplay
Episode 1 - Homecoming
By Sam Salt
ACT I
EXT. BUS STATION – DAY
A bus pulls into its bay and the few passengers get off. Last off the bus is OWEN. He is carrying a large backpack. From his well-worn clothes we can see he has been on a long backpacking trip.
He looks around his face betraying nothing.
He pulls a mobile phone from his jacket and presses keys before putting it to his ear.
OWEN
Hello Mam . . . yes, I’m here . . . no, I’m going straight there. I’ll be home later. Is she . . .? No, don’t tell me. I’ll see for myself.
He puts the phone away and looks around for a taxi, sees one and heads towards it.
INT. COTTAGE – DAY
Owen enters. Outside we hear the sound of the taxi drawing away.
A group of six people dressed in white robes sit around a large kitchen table, four women, two men. They look up as he enters. One stands to greet him, steps forward and embraces him.
CERYS
Owen.
OWEN
Where is she Cerys?
CERYS
She’s in the grove – she wanted me to bring you to her as soon as you arrived.
EXT. GROVE – DAY
Owen and Cerys walk into the grove of mature trees. An old woman is sitting in a white robe beneath a large oak tree. Her face is heavily lined. She appears to be in pain though she is controlling it.
GRANDMOTHER
I knew that you’d be here.
OWEN
(Kneeling – taking her hand)
I heard you. I was half way around the world but I heard you. It’s your time I know.
A tear rolls down his cheek.
GRANDMOTHER
I’ve been waiting for you. You know that I want you to take over.
OWEN
Grandmother, you know I c..
GRANDMOTHER
Hush boy. I know you are not ready. I’ve instructed Cerys. She will be in charge until you are ready.
OWEN
You know I can’t lie to you. I want to tell you I’ll do it but I don’t think I’ll ever want it.
GRANDMOTHER
You will. Trust me. You will lead the circle when the time is right.
She spasms with the pain again, pauses to get her breathe back, continues.
GRANDMOTHER
I don’t have much time Owen. Listen. Take the cottage – it’s yours. Take the power when you are ready. You’ll know when.
Another spasm passes through her. Dribble escapes from her lips. She beckons Owen closer.
GRANDMOTHER
Owen . . . do what you have to. You will come back.
OWEN
(Weeping)
Grandmother!
GRANDMOTHER
Hush boy. You know I’m going to the great mother. One more thing . . . the Cauldron. I know where the Cauldron is. I have left a map for when the time is right.
She lies back against the tree. The light goes from her body. Cerys kneels by Owen, embraces him.
INT. STUDENT UNION BAR – NIGHT
Three people sit around a table in a booth at the back of the union. A young student, TOBY, is being talked to by a slightly older couple NATALIE and GEORGE. His body posture is defensive but he is clearly interested in what he is hearing.
TOBY
What kind of things can I attract to me. That’s what you said isn’t it? I can attract whatever I want.
GEORGE
Whatever you want – get good grades, find a better flat, money. Whatever.
NATALIE
Don’t be coy George. You know what these lads are like. How about sex Toby? Get with anyone you want. Now isn’t that more interesting than good grades?
TOBY
And all I have to do is join this “Magickal Society”?
NATALIE
Well, not quite all. You have to do the right ceremonies, work at it, but it’s not that difficult. I can see you have the will to achieve it.
TOBY
OK. Where do I sign up?
GEORGE
Good boy. Come on. We’ll soon have you initiated and I think you might be a suitable candidate for the inner circle.
Natalie takes the boy’s hand, pulls him out of the booth. George follows. As they exit we notice for the first time a girl in Goth gear, LUCY, is seated in the adjacent booth by herself. She stares after the trio. They leave without seeing her.
LUCY
Another sucker bites the dust.
INT. UNIVERSITY HALL – DAY
The hall is full of students. A huge banner stretchers along a raised walkway “FRESHER’S FAYRE”. Poster boards and TV monitors advertise various societies and clubs. Older students man desks signing up the freshers. Commercial stalls are interspersed - giving away enticements to join banks, drink lager, buy a mobile phone. Most societies are doing brisk business but especially the ones concerned with clubbing and drinking.
Amongst the stalls is the MAGICKAL SOCIETY. NATALIE is doing the recruitment. There is some interest though not as much as for the mainstream societies.
Two stalls are notable for having no interested students queuing to join:
CHEERLEADER TEAM – a blonde woman, CRYSTAL, in full cheerleader gear, complete with pom poms, tries to interest passers by but without much success. A TV screen shows a cheerleader team in performance – clearly American.
GOTH SOCIETY – LUCY in full Goth gear sits reading a book of poetry. The pin board behind her shows photographs of graveyards and Goth bands. She makes no effort to attract anyone and is intent on her book.
OWEN enters the hall, stops, looks around.
A woman passing by the entrance to the hall sees Owen, enters, taps him on the shoulder.
OWEN
Sandy! What are you doing here?
She hesitates for a second then kisses him lightly on the lips.
SANDY
What am I doing here? Have you forgotten that you left me here to go off around the world and find yourself. I want to know what you are doing here.
OWEN
I came to see my grandmother before she died.
SANDY
Yes I’m sorry. I heard. But what are you doing here?
OWEN
Oh. Business studies. I’ve come to get my degree now I’ve seen the world.
SANDY
And were you going to contact me?
OWEN
Of course. Come on. Show me around this place and tell me why Fayre has to have a Y in it.
He takes her hand and pulls her into the crowd.
BAS is coming slowly along the raised walkway. He spots Lucy and is clearly interested in her. He approaches the Goth Society stall. At first she does not notice him but eventually looks up from her book.
BAS
What do you do?
LUCY
You don’t look like a Goth.
BAS
The society I mean. What’s it for?
LUCY
Goths of course.
BAS
Yes, but what events do you put on?
LUCY
What the members want, you know . .
BAS
No, I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.
LUCY
Oh well, um . . gigs. We go to gigs and we wear cool clothes, quite unlike yours, and generally hang around in graveyards and stuff.
BAS
So what if I want to join?
LUCY
You’d have to dress more . . appropriately.
BAS
I can do that.
LUCY
I doubt it but we could try.
BAS
We can?
LUCY
Sure. Here, stick your hands out – I can start by painting your nails black.
Owen and Sandy approach the Goth Society.
LUCY
Hi Sandy. Hi Owen. Knew you’d be back. This is . . .?
BAS
Bas
LUCY
Bas. Says he wants to be a Goth but I think he fancies me.
SANDY
Doing any other business?
LUCY
No. Neither is Crystal with her stupid Cheerleader idea. The Magick Society is recruiting . . . in fact I didn’t like the way they were operating in the bar last night. . .
OWEN
Don’t even think of asking me . . .
LUCY
. . . some spotty first year, no offence Owen, they dragged him off promising him he could screw his way through the student population. . .
OWEN
. . . Just because my gran was into the Wiccan thing it doesn’t mean I am or that I go around rescuing people who do silly things. I’m here to study.
SANDY
They have a really bad rep Owen. At least one student death has been linked to them.
OWEN
No, no, no!
Crystal chooses this moment to interrupt.
CRYSTAL
Hi Guys! Anyone want to join.
LUCY
No! Wait a minute – try Bas here. He’ll probably drag up if you flash your pom poms at him.
CRYSTAL
No need to be sarcastic. Just because I try to do something a bit upbeat – what is wrong with you Brits, honestly? Even those creepy Magick guys are signing people up by promising them all kinds of sick things. Ugh!
SANDY
What sort of things?
CRYSTAL
I don’t know. Sex, they keep talking about sex and the Will to Power or some such.
SANDY
Owen they are worse than you might think. I joined them briefly and they are really creepy.
OWEN
No!
LUCY
I’ve tried them too and they have this thing called an “inner circle”. That’s when they try and get you into the heavy stuff like sex magic. I ran a mile when I found out what it involved. That’s what they were offering this poor first year.
OWEN
No!
SANDY
What would your grandmother say?
OWEN
Bloody hell! OK, but this is it! I do my good deed then no more magic or Wicca.
SANDY
I knew you would.
OWEN
And we need to get someone inside. It can’t be me as they probably know my background. They are a front for the Magpies you know.
CRYSTAL
What are you guys talking about? Who are the Magpies?
OWEN
In fact it needs to be someone not associated with me or my old friends Sandy or Lucy.
Sandy and Lucy look intently at Crystal.
CRYSTAL
What?
INT. UNIVERSITY HALL – DAY
Later in the afternoon. The crowds have began to disperse. Stalls are packing away their materials. Owen wanders by himself. He stops by the ONLINE SOCIETY. OLIVER is busy manipulating a 3D image on the computer screen in front of him.
OWEN
Tell me you are just a normal guy and that your society just plays Quake and hacks into military computers, normal stuff like that.
OLIVER
Sure. We can do that if you like. I’ve only just formed this soc and I hadn’t really thought what we’d do with it
OWEN
(Suddenly struck by a thought)
Say, do you think we could hack into the Union database and find a list of members of other societies?
OLIVER
You speak my language. Let’s do it! I’m Oliver by the way.
OWEN
Owen.
INT. CRENDON HALL – NIGHT
Crystal walks into the imposing reception room of Crendon Hall, a late nineteenth century annex that the University is restoring to use as a conference centre. An older woman, ROWAN, is seated at a desk.
CRYSTAL
Cool pad!
ROWAN
I’m sorry?
CRYSTAL
How come the Uni let you use this place? I mean, you are the Magickal Soc aren’t you?
ROWAN
Yes, you are in the right place. And the answer to your question is influence. You’ll have to come back and see Natalie, she deals with new members.
CRYSTAL
Oh, I thought you were too old to be a student. Are you some sort of admin person then?
ROWAN
(Cold)
No. I’m the head of the Order. I don’t usually deal with trivia . . . but in your case I might make an exception!
CRYSTAL
Gee, thanks! I just want to sign up, become a . . . a . . . you know . . . magicky person.
ROWAN
You’ve really thought this out I see! Let me see if I can find a membership form. It will be a pleasure to get you to sign in blood.
CRYSTAL
What?
George crosses the hall in the background with Toby following. Toby taps him on the shoulder and whispers something in his ear, pointing to Crystal. After a moment George crosses to Rowan and whispers in her ear.
ROWAN
So, Crystal, you should have told us you were a friend of Owen Glendowyr. That makes things different.
CRYSTAL
It does? I mean, I don’t really know him or his loser friends. How’d you know my name.
ROWAN
You have an admirer.
She nods in the direction of Toby.
CRYSTAL
Eww!
ROWAN
Never mind him. Let me get you a drink and show you around. The University lets us have the run of this place you know, until they get the cash to finish restoring it.
INT. LIBRARY – NIGHT
Sandy is scanning old copies of the local newspaper online. At a nearby terminal Oliver is hammering away at the keyboard. Owen is sitting nearby reading a book.
SANDY
Hey, Owen, take a look at this.
Owen puts his book down reluctantly, sighs, crosses to Sandy.
SANDY
Look – this time last year two freshers went missing – the body of one was found, the other’s never been seen again.
OWEN
And . . ?
SANDY
And there were two more deaths last year, one an apparent suicide, the other a student was beaten to death.
OWEN
But that could happen to anyone on a Friday night in this town.
SANDY
I knew one of the freshers – he was in the Magick Society.
OWEN
Coincidence.
SANDY
Isn’t you new friend getting a list of members for us?
OWEN
Give me the names.
Sandy scribbles them on a piece of paper and Owen crosses to Oliver. He looks at the list of names that Oliver has up on the screen, at the list in his hand, back at Sandy.
OWEN
Bugger!
INT. CRENDON HALL OFFICE – NIGHT
ROWAN sits behind a large old-fashioned desk. Opposite her is PROMETHEUS JONES. We can tell by their body language that they are of equal status.
PROMETHEUS
Do you really think Owen knows the whereabouts of the Cauldron?
ROWAN
His grandmother knew.
PROMETHEUS
But did she pass it on to him or to that other witch – Cerys, isn’t it?
ROWAN
It doesn’t matter – him or the other one. The old woman has told one or both of them. I hear Cerys has taken on leadership of the Crows but the old woman wanted it to pass to Owen. He thinks he can avoid it by pretending he has no interest.
PROMETHEUS
And you think one or both of them will come running if we give the special treatment to this American girl?
ROWAN
I’m sure of it. They can always be relied upon to chase after people who really aren’t worth the effort.
PROMETHEUS
The Cauldron eh? That would really be something. If we had that we could get anything we wanted, anything at all. So what is it that this Crystal girl really wants?
ROWAN
Apparently she wants to persuade other students to join her cheerleader team.
PROMETHEUS
Great Satan! Can’t young people think of anything better than that?
ROWAN
Well it makes a change from wanting to become a student sex God. In fact cheerleaders will probably satisfy both her and that young man you have taken under your wing.
PROMETHEUS
Toby? Perhaps. But I have something darker planned for him.
ROWAN
Well keep it out of the papers this time. If there is going to be a body I don’t want it found.
INT. LIBRARY – DAY
OWEN, SANDY, and LUCY are in one of the library meeting rooms. CRYSTAL enters, dresses in her cheerleader outfit.
OWEN
Great Mother, girl! You can’t walk around like that!
CRYSTAL
Oh yes I can! The trouble with you Brits is you get so uptight about everything. Every young woman wants to be a cheerleader back home.
OWEN
But this is rural Wales!
CRYSTAL
Don’t be so – - provincial!
OWEN
But - - oh, never mind. Just tell us what happened last night.
CRYSTAL
It went fine thank you very much.
SANDY
And - -
CRYSTAL
And what?
SANDY
Come on, tell all!
CRYSTAL
Really there isn’t much to tell - - I signed on, they talked to me, seemed quite charming actually. I’m going to some kind of ceremony tonight.
OWEN
What kind of ceremony?
CRYSTAL
It’s a sort of general initiation for me and I get to ask for something to be attracted to me. It’s kinda cool. They used a lot of big words to describe it but I guess I’ll pick it up as we go along.
OWEN
Look Crystal - - don’t get into anything you don’t want to and don’t get into anything that isn’t safe.
CRYSTAL
Oh I won’t.
LUCY
That’ll be a first then.
CRYSTAL
I know you think I’m stupid but I can look after myself better than any of you.
OWEN
We’ll see. One or more of us is going to be around when this “ceremony” happens so we can grab you if there is any danger.
CRYSTAL
How can you be around? It’s going to happen in Long Crendon Hall.
OWEN
We might not be right in the room with you but you yell out and we’ll be in there I promise.
CRYSTAL
(Wavering)
O - - K. I think. No it’s cool. Really.
SANDY
Owen knows what he’s doing.
CRYSTAL
OK, OK. Gotta go now and do some recruiting. I’ve got to be at the Hall by 8PM. And I won’t do anything stupid, I promise.
She turns to go, thinks of something, turns back.
CRYSTAL
By the way, what did they mean when they said I’d have to go “skyclad”?