The Lost Children

By Willard Thomas

A cannibalistic witch wasn't the only horror faced by the townsfolk of Bremen in 1689. The Lost Children is an original screenplay that builds on the story of Hansel and Gretel. The candy witch was but a taste of the terror which befell a town struggling with famine and despair. A father's guilt. A hunter's courage. A girl's will to live. All and more in a thrilling new take on a very old tale.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Willard Thomas
• Release date: Apr 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463939499

Book preview

The LOST CHILDREN

by

WILLARD THOMAS

ADAPTED FROM ELEMENTS

OF HANSEL AND GRETEL BY THE BROTHERS GRIMM

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EXT. NORTHERN EUROPE -- DAY -- 1689

In the 17th century, the densely forested landscape of modern Germany is a harsh place. Life is punctuated by abject poverty, poor sanitation, and frequent flare-ups of plague.

It is a desperate, unfortunate time in which to live.

EXT. FOREST -- DAY

A steady wind blows through the woods.

A tall, broad shouldered HUNTER(40) pads silently between the trees. The Hunter's face is heavily bearded.

He carries a large, impressively carved bow. Over his shoulder is slung a full quiver.

The Hunter stops and fits an arrow into the bow string.

Up ahead, though the trees, is

A DEER.

The Hunter lifts

THE BOW

and pulls the string taut.

HIS FINGERS

release and

THE ARROW

flies straight and true, the head piercing

THE DEER'S THROAT.

The Hunter SNORTS in satisfaction as

THE DEER

falls over in a heap.

The Hunter walks to the dead deer and squats down next to it. His appraising eyes move up and down its body.

And then, for no apparent reason,

THE HUNTER'S HEAD

comes quickly up.

Standing over him is

JOHANN'S GHOST,

the shimmering, ethereal spirit of an eight-year-old boy.

The Hunter does not seem at all startled by the sight of an apparition.

Instead, a tear falls down the Hunter's cheek. The Hunter's expression is happy and sad at once.

HUNTER

Johann? At last you've come to me. Have you--

Johann's Ghost lifts a

HAND

and points behind.

HUNTER (CONT'D)

What?

The Hunter turns his head.

A LARGE, WHITE WOLF

comes charging out of the forest.

THE HUNTER

twists to face it and jumps to his feet.

Before the Hunter can pull an arrow from his quiver, the White Wolf leaps on him and the

THE HUNTER AND WHITE WOLF

are locked in mortal combat, rolling around on the turf, the White Wolf gaining the advantage.

THE WHITE WOLF

lifts its paw and swipes at

THE HUNTER'S FACE.

The Hunter CRIES OUT in pain as

RAZOR SHARP CLAWS

drag down his forehead and across his left eye.

Summoning all his resources, the Hunter pulls his legs up and jams his feet against the White Wolf's belly.

HUNTER (CONT'D)

Ah!

THE HUNTER'S

legs thrust out and the

WHITE WOLF

is flung off and lands twenty feet away.

THE WHITE WOLF

bares its teeth and begins to back away.

THE HUNTER,

his face bloody, finds his bow, but not the quiver of arrows.

He yanks

THE ARROW FROM THE DEAD DEER,

threads it, pulls back the string, and lets it loose.

THE ARROW

flies fast and straight toward the White Wolf's head.

At the last possible moment,

THE WHITE WOLF'S BODY

twists to the side and the beast's

JAWS

open and slam down on the arrow.

THE ARROW

is shattered, the hundred pieces sprinkling to the ground.

THE HUNTER

is not surprised by this supernatural feat. It is as if he has seen such things before.

THE WHITE WOLF

lifts its head and HOWLS, then turns and vanishes into the woods.

The Hunter watches the White Wolf depart and then lifts his hand to his torn face. He WINCES as he touches his damaged eye.

And then he looks around.

HUNTER (CONT'D)

Johann? Johann? Johann!

Johann's Ghost is gone and the Hunter is alone with the dead deer.

EXT. BREMEN TOWN -- DAY

Bremen Town festers deep within a thick, untamed forest.

Around the borders of the narrow village, saplings and underbrush encroach on the faultering town, as if ready to take it over.

The village is home to a small collection of tiny, weather beaten, rickety homes.

Poorly fenced gardens are numerous, but their crop is brown and sparse.

A Church, its white paint chipped and its steeple leaning precariously, is the town's centerpiece. Behind the church rests an ancient, poorly tended graveyard.

A single muddy road runs through town.

EXT. GRAVEYARD -- DAY

The sky is gray, the sun a mere suggestion. There are a number of recent graves.

Townsfolk huddle around a mound of freshly turned soil. Their bodies are thin, their cheeks hollow.

The MINISTER (61), a strict, humorless man, wears a black robe. Unlike his partitioners, his cheeks are plump.

MINISTER

(boisterous)

Do not weep for sister Elsa. She is the lucky. She who sits at the right hand of God Almighty feels no pain.

The mourners include the impulsive HANSEL (8), the sharp minded GRETEL (11), their loving, timid FATHER (32), and the children's severe STEPMOTHER (34).

MINISTER (CONT'D)

We all should pray to be so fortunate as sister Elsa, for she is the righteous. She is the pure, while so many others are dirty, unclean.

The Minister's eyes sweep over the crowd, as if searching for sinners. Some heads drop. The eyes of others look away.

MINISTER (CONT'D)

You look away! Look away and find Satan as your savior!

A terrified Hansel tightly grips Gretel's hand. The sister looks down at the brother and nods reassuringly.

The Minister opens his old, ragged bible.

MINISTER (CONT'D)

And now a reading of scripture. 'And ye shall feel the licking fingers of Hell's own fury. And ye who sin against my name shall char and boil for all eternity.'

The Minister closes the book and raises an accusatory