Drowned Clown

EXT. ROOF - DAY
We tilt down from a blue sky to the roof of the two story building, revealing TWO EIGHT YEAR OLD KIDS: TESHAN and JUAN in their shorts laying down on their stomach looking down on the edge of the roof. They have colorful water-filled balloons next to them.

TESHAN
Shhh. Here he comes.

They slowly grab their balloons. We go to the edge and see a MAILMAN, at the door. The kids throw the balloons at him.
The mailman gets drenched. He looks up.

MAILMAN
You f*****g rats!

The kids roll and hide themselves while covering their mouth. Futile attempt to stop laughing out loud.

MAILMAN (O.S.) (CONT'D)
You b******s! I'm gonna catch you and gauge your eyes out. You little f*****g rascals...

The kids roll in their fit. The mailman starts pounding at the door. No answer. He pounds some more. Nothing.

MAILMAN (CONT'D)
I gotta find a real f*****g job.

We hear mailman working away. The kids look up at the blue sky.

TESHAN
This is good.

JUAN
Yeah.

TESHAN
We gotta call everybody. We gotta mobilize.

JUAN
Yeah.

INT. COURTROOM - DAY
The FOREMAN; bearded old white male, is about to deliver the verdict on the case to the half filled courtroom.
On the defence side, we see Harold Klingsgore, a forty-ish chubby balding man in a brown suit and his tall, Armani wearing LAWYER.

FOREMAN
We found defendant, Harold Klingsgore, not guilty on the charges of sexual misconduct against a minor brought against him by Mbekes.

The lawyer hugs Harold who reluctantly hugs him back.

INT. DINER - NIGHT
Harold is sitting at a booth across from his plain looking middle aged wife, Hilda. Harold hadn't touched his steak and eggs. Hilda is finishing her dinner.

HILDA
You haven't touched your steak and eggs, honey.

HAROLD
I'm not hungry.

HILDA
Come on. We gotta celebrate. Do you think they have piña colada?

HAROLD
It's a family restaurant, Hilda.

Hilda finishes her plate. She washes it all down with her diet coke.

HILDA
Harold, it's over honey. Lighten up baby.

Harold breaks down and starts to sob.

HARROLD
I'm so sorry...

HILDA
Sorry for what?

HAROLD
We spent all that money...

HILDA
Honey, shhhh-

HAROLD
For the lawyer...

Hilda comes over to his side and hugs him.

HILDA
Shhh. It's alright. It's over baby. You did nothing wrong.

HAROLD
But-

HILDA
Shhh. It's alright. The world is not a bad place. You know what?

Harold wipes his tears.

HAROLD
What?

HILDA
You gotta go to work tomorrow. You'll show the world that you are back. And nobody can mess with Harold Klingsgore.

Harold smiles. Hilda kisses him.

HILDA (CONT'D)
There is my boy. Got your smile back. You'll show them tomorrow who's the better person.

HAROLD
I'll show them.

INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
A girl's room. Frilly pink bed, white lacquered drawers and a life size poster of some pop idol adorns the walls.
Tijuana, fourteen, is on the phone. The Teshan is holding one of the pictures of the singing pop idol, with his two hands from the top, as if he'd tear it in half in front of Tijuana. She is almost in tears.

TIJUANA
(imitating adult voice)
Yes. Is this Harold the clown?

She takes the phone off her ear. Asking Teshan silently. What do I say? He rips the tip of the picture of the singer. Tijuana screams, throws the phone on her bed. Teshan gestures to her to pick up the phone. She does so.

TIJUANA (CONT'D)
(to the phone)
Yeah. Of course I'm f*****g alright. You think I'm not all right?
(pause)
Uh, need a clown for my son's birthday tomorrow. Yeah. What?

FADE OUT.

INT. BATHROOM - DAY
Harold puts on a clown make-up. The white face, large red smiling lips, a rainbow wigs, the clown suit, etc. When it's done, he smiles to himself.

EXT. STREET - DAY
A haggard looking white Geo Metro pulls up the side of the road. Harold the clown comes out with a dozen colorful balloons.

All of sudden, from all sides and all angles, water balloons fly towards Harold. He gets hit, one after another in slow mo.
The balloons he was holding is free and flying toward heaven against the blue sky.

When the assault is stopped, we find Harold laying on the side of the road by his car, drenched. His clown make-up is running, rainbow wig fallen off: He looks like a insane bald clown from outer space.

He slowly gets up against his car. He looks up and makes out a shadow of a head here and there at the windowsill and on the roof. He tries to open the car door. He finds it's locked and the key is still in the car ignition. Another attack. Slow motion. He gets up and runs.

Harold turns to the alley. And there, he receives about a hundred water balloons from both sides of the roofs. Slow motion. He slips and falls. More attack.

A BOY approaches Harold with a water balloon in his hand. Harold lays helplessly, covering his face with his arm. He mumbles.

HAROLD
I'm sorry...

Harold looks up at the silhouette of the boy against the sun. The boy throws the last blow on Harold's face. He goes down. Then the boy takes one of Harold's clown shoes off with difficulty, revealing Harold's sock with holes in them, and runs away.

Time lapse: Harold laying on the street, motionless. People walking by, looking at him and walking away. Sun goes across the sky and going down.

Harold slowly rises, dripping. His face is like a burnt victim now. Scary. He slowly walks across the street like a zombie and out of the frame.

EXT. STOOP - DUSK
Harold sits with his head down motionlessly at a stoop for a long time.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. STREET - DUSK
Still looking down, Harold walks the side street like a zombie.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Against the night traffic, we see Harold's silhouetted image: Motionless, looking defeated.

EXT. ADULT VIDEO SHOP - NIGHT
Colorful neon sign blinks outside this adult establishment. Harold zombie-walks into the shop.

THE END