19. Sakeena - Leslie

FADE IN:

EXT. FOREST CLEARING - DAY

MIKE walks out of the woods and squints as the sun hits his eyes with full force.
He stops for a moment, then regains his bearings and begins walk towards the center of the clearing.

His shoes thump steadily against the ground as moves. His jeans don’t help much with the rising cold and he wraps his fleece-encased arms tighter around his body.

A large oak stands near the center of the clearing, and Mike trudges toward it.

He is lost in thought when a crackling noise catches his ear.

He looks up and sees that the oak he is approaching has caught on fire and is becoming engulfed in flames.

The flames burn white and slowly lick up, towards the top of the tree.

Mike scrambles backwards almost falling, then looks again.

The tree is on fire, but it isn’t burning. The leaves are wrapped in white flame, but still whole.

He stares and moves forward, slowly.

SAKEENA
Michael, take off your shoes, this is holy ground.

Mike jumps, and looks around, but there is no one to be seen.

SAKEENA
Mike, take off your shoes, this is holy ground.

The soft, feminine voice seems to be coming from the tree.

MIKE
Uh, tree voice...um...my shoes?
Look...holy or not, it’s really cold,
and the ground’s a bit wet...
The flames around the tree grow brighter,
the soft crackling now a roar.

MIKE
Seriously, my shoes?

The flames continue to dance around the tree.

MIKE
Fine.

He pulls of his shoes, and his sock-covered feet sink a bit in the wet grass. He winces.

MIKE
Who are you?

SAKEENA
You know who I am.

MIKE
I suppose I do.
What’s with the voice?
I thought you were male?

SAKEENA
Would you limit me?

MIKE
No, um...forget I said anything.

The voice chuckles, a sound that mirrors a waterfall.

SAKEENA
Come closer.

Mike walks gingerly within ten feet of the tree, and stops. The heat is almost unbearable.

The roar of the flame is almost deafening, and yet the voice is still clear.

SAKEENA
Michael. I am the Desert Wind,
I am the Whisper of Creation,
I am the First Mother,
I am the Father of your fathers,
I am Shakina. I have seen your people’s struggle,
and I am sending you to the broken.
My chosen have forgotten their calling, remind them.

MIKE
I realize how this story is probably going to end,
but why me? I don’t...

SAKEENA
If you know how the story ends...

MIKE
Doesn’t make me feel any better about being in the middle of it.

The twin suns above him seem to dim and flicker for a moment.

SAKEENA
I will be with you.

MIKE
Alright. How will I know who...?

SAKEENA
You already know, you’ve known since you were a child.

MIKE
And do you want me to sell everything I have and give it to the poor?

SAKEENA
It’s not a bad start.

Mike pales.

MIKE
I’m not ready for this.

SAKEENA
No one is.

The flames begin to die.

MIKE
Wait! Please, you once showed a friend your back. May I?

There is no reply and the roar of the flames dies to a soft whisper.

Disappointed, Mike turns, the turns back quickly at a strange sound behind him.

He sees a young woman running through the field, laughing.

He blinks. He can only see her through the corner of his eye. Whenever he turns to try to catch a glimpse of her, she is gone.

He strains trying to see her, and is able to focus on her for a brief moment, but the pain makes him fall to his knees.

He feels the woman run around him, through him, beside him-- her laughter intimately near and at the same time a distant memory.

He opens his eyes and orchid petals lie scattered around him.

He picks one up.

INT. CHURCH OFFICE - EVENING

And wakes with a start in the office.

Mike looks around startled, breathing heavily.

ANDY cracks open the door and peers into the office.

His security badge catches the streetlight coming through the window and flashes.

ANDY
Hey Pastor Mike, I didn’t know you were still here.

MIKE
Hey Andy.

Mike blinks away sleep and confusion.

ANDY
Fall asleep eh? Busy working on that sermon?

MIKE
Guess so.

ANDY
Well, I’ll leave you to your deep thoughts.
Don’t forget to lock up now.

Mike nods and Andy continues on his rounds.

Mike stares at the door for a moment.

He puts a hand up to his face and rubs his eyes.

He starts and pulls his hand away from his face; there in his open palm is an orchid petal.

He stares at it for a moment.

He rubs it between his fingers, trying to focus.

MIKE
Nahhhhh. No way.

Finally he shakes his head, tosses the petal into the trash can beside his desk.

He stands, stretches a bit, then slips out of the office.

FADE TO BLACK.