A View from the sun

A View from the sun

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Excerpt from Heru the screenplay based upon my novel Heru Ra Ur, Son of Ra in The Book of Becoming Awake Again




Kamau Atem Books

VIEW from sky angle, as if bird in flight MOVING quickly: HEAR FAINT HEAVY BREATHING. SEE A LEGION OF ANCIENT UNDEAD and combination of man-insect and man-animal sweeping across lush vegetation of the Nile valley as they eat and DEVOUR a large contingent of farmers who are resisting. CAMERA stops and pauses ZOOMS down to CLOSE ON FACES locked in horror of those eaten and the undead EATING. CAMERA FLIES UP. VIEW DOWNWARD AND MOVES AGAIN. REPEAT AS IF CAMERA IS BIRD FLYING FROM SKIRMISH TO SKIRMISH.HEAR HEAVY LOUD BREATHING AS CAMERA does not fly to sky a final time but FLIES sideways across a great distance as it ZOOMS OUT.  VIEW: a great battle for as far as the eye can see in either direction as the DARKLORD SET’s army is razing the country side in the BATTLE OF THE HAWK’S PASS.

CAMERA ZOOMS IN INCREADIBLY QUICKLY.  SEE silver chains beheading and maiming the undead.
HERU
(Dressed in Red and white as he cuts down the undead.)
                Raaaaaaaaaa! Set! Set! Set! Saaaaaaaaahet!

CAMERA STILL FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE. HERU VOICE NORMAL SCREAM AND THEN LOUDER TIL INCREDIBLY LOUD. SUDDENLY VIEW HERU FIGHTING AND KILLING IN QUICK MOTION WHILE HIS VOICE SCREAMS LOUDLY AT NORMAL SPEED. CAMERA ZOOM OUT FOR SEEMINGLY GREAT DISTANCE. COMES ABRUBTLY TO HALT. ANGLE ON Set watching with his SMAI ( LEADERS)  OF HIS SEBAU(closest fouled humans and mananimals.) including SET SA, leader of his troops.

SET
I have never seen my nephew so…

HIDEOUS CONSORT
(Once beautiful face atop a still beautiful body disfigured)
So angry?

SET
(Lashing out in SLOW MOTION to whip her face with his long hideous snake tongue)
So like his dear uncle.

ANGLE ON SET SA, tight grimace on his face as he looks at the consort. CAMERA returns to normal speed and FLIES BACK to Heru.

HERU
(Decimating the undead- sword in one hand chain in the other)
Set! Fight me! You evade. I fight you, then you run! Seeeeeeet!

ANGLE ON a large towering foul creature with humans dripping from its mouth appearing before Heru. Its screams fill the battle field. The dark army and The Army of Maat part so that there is a path between them. Heru runs quickly at the monster, throws chain to the ground and proceeds to literally hack the monster in half from mouth to tail. Slowly. Silently. HEAR only heavy breathing and the muffled sound of the monsters screams. SEE sword hacking through and moving repeatedly.
HERU
(Clearly tired from the anger-huffing as he emerges from the other end of the monster)
Set!
(Striking his huge sword into the ground so it sticks and bending over it slightly.)
I will to split you in half!!!

REAR ANGLE: MONSTER FALLS IN TWO PIECES. CUT TO: Mountain top where Heru’s guard still watches.

SESH RA UR
How long has he been like this?

SESH RA
Fully 11 days he has been killing Set’s dark creatures. With out rest.
With no other voice than you hear now. He has called out to the Smai Ur..

SESH RA UR
His emotions have weakened him…Sa! He needs Tehuti! Here in the middle of The Hawk’s Pass..
(CLOSE ON TIGHT STERN FACE. Screaming the whisper)
If Set were to appear now…

SESH RA
(Without looking away)
We may have the direst defeat of this war than any other before ever seen.

CUT TO: Heru on the battle field on his knees. He looks into the sky in silence. ZOOM to his face in the midst of heavy rain. TIGHT to his eyes.

HERU
(Partially leaning upon his sword)
Seeeeeet!

CUT TO: Set and his hideous party overlooking the battle field. All manner of half man half animal and undead stand with him as he sits upon his horse. CLOSE UPON two undead male and female  eating each other’s hands. Suddenly Set dismounts and runs at the crest of the hill. He turns into a horrible half man half winged creature with a his human head. CAMERA FROM SET’S PERSPECTIVE. Set flies straight down upon Heru’s face. Set plucks his eye from him and lands upon the ground turning into fully human form slowly with each step.

QUICK ZOOM TO EYE IN SET’S HAND. HE THROWS IT IN THE AIR AND CATCHES IT WITH HIS SPEAR APEP KILLER WHICH APPEARS MAGICALLY. CUT TO TIGHT ANGLE ON HERU.

HERU
(His voice now almost a guttural gurgle of pain as he clutches his empty eye socket)
Seeeet!

PULL BACK UP INTO SKY QUICKLY until clouds cover the scene. SEE THEN  pyramidal structures upon clouds in the distance. THIS, HOME OF THE EGYTPIAN GODS becomes clearer as CAMERA FLIES at the main pyramid. PAST EGYTPIAN TEMPLE DEPICTIONS, CAMERA FLIES THROUGH OPENING INTO LARGE ANTI CHAMBER. The Gods have convened to watch the great battle. They all watch through an opening of the fabric of space in the in the middle of their pyramidal table. The image is 3D and is human life size with sound. The color is black and white in sharp contrast to the colorful Gods.

HERUKHUTI
(Standing and walking toward AmenRa as he unsheathes his double axes from his back
and lightning flashes and booming thunder is heard)
Send me. I am the God of Justice. I should have his head.

MAAT
(As harps are heard upon her raising and her voice sounds like singing harps)
The Paut Neteru decided to let Ausar’s legacy decide this. Our hands are bound by the law.

AmenRa raises his hands points as if to tell both to be seated. He tilts his touches the double feathers above his crown and they disappear, leaving only the 3D solar disk. He grows greatly in size and becomes hawk headed.

AMENRA
(Face taunt, lips tight. Clearly angry, voice booming when he speaks)
I will to consider..
.

HETHERU
(Standing from her seat across the table from AmenRa to speak as drums, flutes and manat is heard. Heru and Set battle in the space between them)
He did kill the Apep Serpent for you; Mighty Ra. Set is owed that much.

FROM  HETHERU’S PERSPECTIVE ANGLE ON AMENRA whose flame eye reaches up and out of the Temple into space. The Flame slows until it becomes still. AmenRa does not blink. HOLD PAUSE to give impression time passes. AmenRa finally raises his hand. ZOOM to his face He SHOWS a slight smile which turns into a trembling sneer.

AMENRA
They will fight!

Pull back VIEW The combatants in black and white slowly changing to color. Set KICKS Heru repeatedly who guards his body with his hands.

SET
(Still kicking with each word for emphasis)
My brother’s son?!!! You are not even worthy of calling yourself a God!!!!
(Turning his back upon HERU looking around. Reaching down and grabbing dirt pouring it out)
Feel that? Smell that? The smell of man fear. Once you are gone, the untouched lands will be  mine!

ANGLE ON HERU’S mace hanging at his side. His hand crooked and twisted from the battle as he reaches for it. SET floats a good distance to his spear. Apep Killer which he’d lost days before and picks it up and turns back to Heru.

SET
(Raising the spear and aiming as he starts to lunge his throw)
It has been a pleasure before my sight and my seat as The Only God of THIS world to beat you like the babe you are but now you must…

Suddenly Heru THROWS HIS MACE and HITS a surprised Set in the face. The snarling Set who is slightly blinded            flies at Heru and tosses earth into Heru’s eyes as he awaits his mace to return to him.

LIGHTENING FLASHES, THUNDER BOOMS. CUT TO THE GODS. THE LIGHTENING IS FLASHING THERE. ANGLE UPON THE COMBATANTS WHO SEEM FROZEN. EXTENDED LIGHTENING FLASHES. HEAR: Loud booming man scream as HERU RA UR IS BEING CREATED. SCREEN WHITE OUT. FADE IN. HERU RA UR stands before AMENRA. The triangular table is gone. Instead the Gods sit shoulder to shoulder in a straight line before HERU RA UR who is covered in BLOOD. ANGLE UPON double axes on his back. ZOOM TO HERUKHUTI who smiles.

AMENRA/MIGHTY RA
(Who is huge, muscular, SOLAR CROWNED and hawk headed in his guise as MIGHTY RA.)
You are The Ra Ur. Go. Bludgeon the One Who Would Steal, but do not defeat him. Return to me with Heru, Son of Ausar and The Thief.

HERU RA UR
Yes.

ANGLE ON MIGHTY RA SEE LIGHTENING FLASHING as Ra Ur is TELEPORTED. MIGHTY RA’S SOLAR CROWN SLOWLY GROWS FEATHERS AND HE BECOMES SMALLER AND HUMAN HEADED AMENRA. HE SPEAKS LIGHTENING STILL FLASH.

AMENRA/MIGHTY RA
Heru is not to remain here. He will be given succor then returned to the world of Human to a place of The Ra Ur’s choosing. While we may trick the Smai Ur, the Great Trickster, some truth of the contest must remain. He will know only that he did not defeat the Son of Ausar as fights The Ra Ur until Heru is healthy. This is not total trick against the Trickster; for there is still one way for him to win. That way shall never be uttered by any in my train. All who utter it will be struck down, save those who follow Set.
LIGHTENING FLASHING STOPS. HEAR set’s loud screams. ANGLE ON RA UR who has Set chained with HERU’S CHAINS in one hand and Heru of Ausar over his shoulder.

SET
(Almost crying)
No!!!!!! You said you would never interfere!!!

AMENRA
(Sadness in his voice)
You swore that you would honestly contest for a crown. Throwing dirt is not so…

SET
(Standing slowly, speaking haltingly)
I…am…not..like..these..other Gods you’ve created for your be damned past time.

CUT TO ANGLE FROM BEHIND THE COMBATANTS. SEE RA UR DROP CHAINS QUICKLY AND TAKE THE RA UR MACE FROM HIS HIP AND STRIKE SET ACROSS
THE SHOULDER BLADES TO HIS KNEES.

SET
(laughing weakly spitting up black bile)
So this is it? Have I become so powerful that you, The Great God must cheat?! You are but a lie!!

AMENRA
No, no one here cheated. I have set right what you what should be so according to the rules of this contest. You chose to use dirt in your nephew’s eye, even though you knew it and know it to be wrong.

SET
(struggling against The Ra Ur’s foot upon his back)
And you?! You promised me! Herukhuti would never contest! He is the only one who could...

AMENRA
Herukhuti, The force of the Gods’ Justice Itself did not bring you here.

HERUKHUTI
(smiling lightly then laughing slightly as he speaks. Face grim and determined-Gallows humor)
Set, I will cut your head off from your neck any day I’m allowed. You will always know it is not me you face if you are still alive within moments of seeing me.

AMENRA
This is Heru Ra Ur. Protector of Heru.

SET
(As Ra Ur grinds his own heel into his back Set pounds the slightly cloud covered floor)
No!!! He has a Ra Be Damned protector? Not fair. How could you? After all…

AMENRA
You, not I created The Ra Ur. Had you been fair.

SET
Stop the battle because I cheated, remove me from the moment!! But a Ra Be Damned protector?!

AMENRA
Enough! Here are the rules. You have cheated. And now you must overcome Heru Ra Ur to over come Heru. But you did achieve some sort of victory, so you will have an age in which the world of Human can choose your way. The Ra Ur will have one weakness. None in the world of Human will know of his role save a few. It will be him and this small number against you and the many that do choose you—and it is obvious that men will choose you as they are so short sighted and you have already achieved such darkness.

SET
My punishment?

AMENRA
When I see you, I lament what could have become. I think of the vanquisher of the great Apep. That shall now be your lament. You will be bound to that form of snake along with the jackal and the ass for all time.
SET
No, just send me back…to finish it. I killed Apep for you.

AMENRA
And that is why you will be back at that very moment one day, instead of dying now, this I promise. But not this day.
SET
His weakness?

AMENRA
Will be that The Ra Ur will not know himself—he must become again. If and when he does come to know himself again, it may be too late to defeat you. But you will not know his true identity and know only he has the power to defeat you in the End Game; for you and the other Gods, even Ra Ur, will not remember this. On the day you may win, you will, in essence, stand where you were before you were brought here and The Ra Ur’s existence will be wiped from humanity’s eyes once the combat is done.
SET
Who, damn you, is he?!!!

ANGLE ON AMENRA. HIS FLAME EYE SHOOTS TO THE SKY.

AMENRA

My Son, Heru Ra Ur, the Son of Ra.

CAMERA FOLLOWS FLAMES INTO SPACE.

SET
(V.O.)
Nooooooooooooooo!

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