EXT. SQUARE, DAY.
ILDETH is out with some of the COOKS from the palace shopping for food.
The SOLDIERS and lesser OFFICIALS are eyeing an Arab Woman of great beauty who is also in the square shopping with her husband.
The Husband and the Woman become separated and a great [noise is heard from beyond the square.]
A horse and chariot come running pell-mell into the square. The charge into the shoppers, impacting dozens, including the husband, but not the wife.
The soldiers run forward. The Husband is crawling out from under the chariot but the first soldier brings his heel down on the man's neck, breaking it.
The soldiers right the horse and chariot and draw them out of the way. Then the soldiers go to inspect the damage. None goes to the Husband except his wife. When she finds him dead she screams in agony.
Ildeth makes to go to her but the Palace Cooks hold her back. Eventually the Officials come and pick up the woman.
|
What are they doing?
They will take her to the captain of the chariots. He will pay her a death compensation and find an Egyptian who will take her under his protection.
She is very beautiful. She might be joining your sister soon. |
Ildeth is stunned.
INT. ZIMRAN'S APT. AFTERNOON.
Ildeth has been telling Lot and Zimran about what happened in the square.
|
And, I know it is foolish but it was the lack of surprise in the cooks, or the soldiers or even the people in the square that terrified me. They must have seen this happen before. I'm sure now the woman's husband was supposed to be killed by the horse. And I'm sure that soldier killed him when the accident didn't. And it was all so some Egyptian with power could have a new bed mate and not draw the God's wrath for adultery. |
BEAT
|
Zimran, I'm sorry. I thought ... I did not believe you about Sarai and that the Egyptians would kill you if they knew you were her husband. I thought ...
Never mind what you thought. Perhaps you will trust my uncle now.
But, how did you know? |
Zim chooses not to answer.
INT. PALACE, DAY.
The Pharaoh, his Wife/Sister, their Children (Horace has Sarai on a leash) are giving some kind of audience.
One of the Guards is perspiring profusely and finally collapses.
The Pharaoh glances in that direction and then turns back to the matter at hand.
A Guard Captain investigates the fallen guard. Under his uniform he finds a red rash and open sores.
|
Plague! |
Everyone turns to see.
The Captain didn't mean to speak.
|
What did he say? |
One of the OFFICIALS goes to see.
The Official looks up towards the Pharaoh
|
The Guard seems to have some kind of rash. |
The Pharaoh's Wife stands up and draws the children out of the room, Sarai must crawl after Horace.
|
I charge you and the captain to investigate the origin of this "rash." |
Pharaoh leaves.
INT. ZIMRAN'S APT, DAY.
Again everybody is at work when the Pharaoh comes in with a councilor, un- announced.
Zimran springs to his feet while everyone else grovels.
|
My Lord Pharaoh, what can a humble man do for the king of kings? |
Pharaoh turns to his Councilor.
|
Tell him to tell me why he has placed this curse upon me.
I have learned some of the language of Kings, great Pharaoh And I swear I have placed no curse upon you, even if I had the power to which of course I do not.
Egypt is wracked with plagues.
I heard the drought has spared much of Egypt.
But the locust and now the plague of red lumps besets us. My councilors have spent weeks divining the cause and have come to you and your sister. She is your wife is she not? |
Zimran bends very low.
|
She is, mighty Pharaoh
Why have you cursed me this way? I gave you the protection of my laws, I gave you the hospitality of my house and you have cursed me before the Gods with adultery.
It was not my intention.
You told me she was your sister. I would not have taken her from you if you had told me she was your wife.
But she is my sister. |
BEAT
|
Her first husband was my brother Nahor. But he died. My father took her under his protection as one of his daughters, he still calls her such though we have been married many years. My father even argued with me against taking his daughter from him when we left Ur, but I could not leave my wife behind. Before coming to the land of Kings I had heard many rumors. One was that the people of Egypt honor marriage, but not so much foreign husbands. I knew of the great love a pharaoh bares for his sister and his family so I chose to emphasize that Sarai was my sister first and under my protection as such first. I tried to explain some of this-
That fool.
Majesty?
The translator, I knew he told us less then you told him. |
BEAT
|
It appears that its too late to kill you. The Gods have already been insulted by my sin. But it was never my intention to sin and I was unaware of it until the Gods made it known to me. I must put things right, for Egypt. You, and your people will leave Egypt. But understand this, you are not being exiled. You were not of Egypt and you are not now being expelled. You came to Egypt with goods before the drought. You threw in your lot with us and we have endured the hard times together. Now that the drought is over there is no reason that you should not return to your own lands. Richer, you have prospered in Egypt. You brought goods to us against our need and you shall be rewarded. Horace! |
Horace comes to the door with Sarai on a leash.
|
Restore her to her brother, they are leaving. |
Horace throws her leash on the floor and marches away.
Sarai runs towards Zimran and he sweeps her up in his arms, soon both are crying.
Pharaoh can't help being touched by this heart felt reunion. He turns and leaves silently.
EXT. TANIS, DAY.
Zimran's Caravan is twice, three times, the size it was coming into Tanis. They have wagons, slaves of every kind and guards to protect their goods.
EXT. OUTSIDE of TANIS, DAY.
The road passes between fields of straw covered with black locusts like tar.
The locusts draw back from the edge of the road as Zimran and Sarai approach and they do not swarm their caravan as they have others.
|
Zim, the locusts, why do they make way for us and no others?
Because, God has said he will make a great nation out of us.
Which God? What God?
The one God. We are to found a new nation, a new people and we are to teach them the truth. That there is only one God, there has only ever been one God and all the other Gods have only ever been false faces of the one God. This is the truth and the world will give way before it. |
BEAT
SARAI looks up at Zimran, profiled against the sky.
She is seeing her husband in a new way, perhaps for the first time.
ILDETH: