CHAPTER ONE- BEDLAM HOSPITAL, LONDON,

Tom O’ Bedlam 1800’s Poem By Anonymous Note:

The poem is to be read by a narrator with a deep voice and slowly with emphasis.

From the hag and hungry goblin That into rags would rend ye, The spirit that stands by the naked man In the Book of Moons defend ye, That of your five sound senses You never be forsaken, Nor wander from your selves with Tom Abroad to beg your bacon, While I do sing, Any food, any feeding, Feeding, drink, or clothing; Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing. Of thirty bare years have I Twice twenty been enragèd, And of forty been three times fifteen In durance soundly cagèd On the lordly lofts of Bedlam, With stubble soft and dainty, Brave bracelets strong, sweet whips ding-dong, With wholesome hunger plenty, And now I sing, Any food, any feeding, Feeding, drink, or clothing; Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing. With a thought I took for Maudlin And a cruse of cockle pottage, With a thing thus tall, sky bless you all, I befell into this dotage. I slept not since the Conquest, Till then I never wakèd, Till the roguish boy of love where I lay Me found and stript me nakèd. And now I sing, Any food, any feeding, Feeding, drink, or clothing; Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing. When I short have shorn my sow’s face And swigged my horny barrel, 2. In an oaken inn I pound my skin As a suit of gilt apparel; The moon’s my constant mistress, And the lowly owl my marrow; The flaming drake and the night crow make Me music to my sorrow. While I do sing, Any food, any feeding, Feeding, drink, or clothing; Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing. The palsy plagues my pulses When I prig your pigs or pullen, Your culvers take, or matchless make Your Chanticleer or Sullen. When I want provant with Humphrey I sup, and when benighted, I repose in Paul’s with waking souls Yet never am affrighted. But I do sing, Any food, any feeding, Feeding, drink, or clothing; Come dame or maid, be not afraid, 3. Poor Tom will injure nothing. I know more than Apollo, For oft, when he lies sleeping I see the stars at bloody wars In the wounded welkin weeping; The moon embrace her shepherd, And the Queen of Love her warrior, While the first doth horn the star of morn, And the next the heavenly Farrier. While I do sing, Any food, any feeding, Feeding, drink, or clothing; Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing. The gypsies, Snap and Pedro, Are none of Tom’s comradoes, The punk I scorn and the cutpurse sworn, And the roaring boy’s bravadoes. The meek, the white, the gentle Me handle, touch, and spare not; But those that cross Tom Rynosseros Do what the panther dare not. 4. Although I sing, Any food, any feeding, Feeding, drink, or clothing; Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing. With a host of furious fancies Whereof I am commander, With a burning spear and a horse of air, To the wilderness I wander. By a knight of ghosts and shadows I summoned am to tourney Ten leagues beyond the wide world’s end:: Methinks it is no journey. Yet will I sing, Any food, any feeding, Feeding, drink, or clothing; Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing. FADE IN: 1 SCENE 1- EXT.- ARRIVAL AT ST. MARY OF BETHLEM MENTAL HOSPITA1L IN 1855 It was a dark and gloomy night as the horse and carriage traveled over the cobblestones of Moorfields in London, England. There was a crescent moon that night that lit the pathway to St. Mary of Bethlem hospital, also called Bedlam. It was a notorious mental hospital having been rebuilt in the 5. late seventeenth century. As the carriage entered the grounds of St. Mary of Bethlem Hospital, the crescent moon shown on the two human statutes of wracked with suffering named “Melancholy,” and “Raving Madness,”near the peak of the main building. The statute called “Melancholy” appeared with a blank, and vacant stare lying sideways and naked. “Raving Madness” the second human statute is bound in chains and shows fury on it’s face as it lies naked in the night. The massive size of Bedlam was most impressive, as it stretched on for many meters. The horse and black carriage entered the half circle path in front of the main building. The driver and his assistant got down from their bench on the carriage, and unlocked the door of the carriage. Inside was a decrepit man bound in chains and dressed in rags. His hairy arms and legs stood out like a fur coat. His face was contorted, and hairy with a full black and grey beard. His eyes were dark and small. He howled with pain from the shackles and chains. The driver and his assistant dragged the poor wretch from the carriage up the marble steps to the main building at Bedlam Hospital. Crashing through the doors the men dragged the poor chained man into the huge lobby which was surrounded with pictures of famous doctors who had served at St. Mary of Bethlem Hospital before. BEDLAM ATTENDANT (40) How may I help you gentlemen this evening? CARRIAGE DRIVER (50) Aye, you may. We have here a prisoner from the public jails who seems to have lost his mind. He claims he is a wolf and howls all night long. We have been asked to remove him from the London prison and take him here for evaluation as to his mental condition. BEDLAM ATTENDANT What is his name? CARRIAGE DRIVER I believe his name is Tom Wolf or that is what he told us? BEDLAM ATTENDANT Alright, I will put his name down as Tom Wolf. How old is the prisoner? Uhmmm patient that is? 6. CARRIAGE DRIVER We don’t know, but we estimate him to be in his forties. BEDLAM ATTENDANT Where does the patient live? CARRIAGE DRIVER We do not know. He was found drunken in an alley in London. BEDLAM ATTENDANT Well then, let’s take the chains off of him and put him in a room for the doctor to examine tomorrow morning. CARRIAGE DRIVER Give me a hand in unlocking these locks on these chains. Easy, that is it. They are all removed. BEDLAM ATTENDANT Thank you. Now let’s take him to his room for the night. We will give him a shower and de-lice him tomorrow when we have more attendants on staff. CARRIAGE DRIVER Aye, let’s throw him in this room. He is heavy and my partner and I are tired. Be gone with him now. The carriage driver and his assistant drag the unchained wretch to a room with a thick metal door with a small window. They open the door and throw the wretch into the room. CARRIAGE DRIVER (CONT’D) Our job is done. The hell with ya. We are in need of a drink at the pub. Goodbye to ye. BEDLAM ATTENDANT I will lock the room. Thank you for coming this late at night. The patient will be fine here I am sure. Dr. Von Hess will see him in the morning. 7. TOM WOLF (40’S) Ahhhh, my ribs are killing me. Someone help me. Is there anyone there? Help, help. FADE OUT. 2 SCENE 2- INT.- THE INTERVIEW 2 After a long night of sleeping on the floor Tom Wolf awakens to find himself locked in a room with a steel door and a tiny window high above the floor with bars on the window. The sun is creeping through the window bars and casting a shadow on the floor. Tom looks at the stark dirty white walls with cracks running through them and roaches running everywhere on the floor. There is a rusty drain on the floor in the middle of the room and a privy seat in the corner. Suddenly, a man dressed in white knocks on the door. BENJAMIN MEDLEY HOSPITAL ATTENDANT (30’S) Up and at ‘em lad. Doctor Von Hess wants to see ya. Come on get up now. TOM WOLF Where am I? BENJAMIN MEDLEY HOSPITAL ATTENDANT You are in St. Mary of Bethlem Hospital called Bedlam for short. Come let me help you get up. Easy now. Stand up. That is good. Now let us good and see the Doctor. After you meet with the Doctor you will get breakfast porridge. TOM WOLF My legs are killing me from the chains. Why am I here? All I did was have a few drinks at the local pub. BENJAMIN MEDLEY HOSPITAL ATTENDANT Never ye mind. Come lad and let’s talk with the Doctor. Doctor Von Hess this is the new patient brought in last night from the London jail. His name is Tom Wolf. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS (50’S) What is your name lad? 8. TOM WOLF Tom, Tom Wolf. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Wolf is it. Tom Wolf, is that right? Where were you born Mr. Wolf? TOM WOLF I do not know. Why am I here? DR. SAMUEL VON HESS No need to get upset. Perhaps after you have had some porridge you will feel better? Attendant take this patient back to his room and give him a bowl of porridge and some water. BENJAMIN MEDLEY HOSPITAL ATTENDANT Yes, Doctor Von Hess. Right away sir. Tom Wolf is taken back to his room and given a small bowl of porridge and a small jug of water. BENJAMIN MEDLEY HOSPITAL ATTENDANT (CONT’D) Here is your porridge and water. I will come back in a few hours to take you to Doctor Von Hess again. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS (Speaking to another attendant) Let’s give Mr. Wolf a sedative to calm him down. I will meet with him again this afternoon. 2ND BEDLAM ATTENDANT (40) Yes, sir. I will take the pill to him right away. Later that day. BENJAMIN MEDLEY HOSPITAL ATTENDANT Tom it is time to visit with Dr. Von Hess again. He wants to see what is bothering you. Can you walk by yourself? TOM WOLF Yes, thank you. I am feeling less dizzy now. I can walk on my own. 9. BENJAMIN MEDLEY HOSPITAL ATTENDANT Let’s go see the Doctor then. (A few minutes later) Doctor Von Hess, Mr. Wolf is back to see you again. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Welcome back Mr. Wolf. How are you feeling now? I gave you a pill to make you feel better. Are you more relaxed now? I will have a nurse bandage those sores on your wrists and ankles from the irons and chains. Now let’s talk about your previous life and why you are here. The jail guards said they you told them that you were a wolf in real life. But your name is Wolf. Was there some misunderstanding here? TOM WOLF No, Doctor. I was once a wolf that prowled the forests of England. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Really? How is that possible. You seem very human to me. Where are your wolf teeth and wolf face with the long nose? TOM WOLF It is a long story. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Well I have all the time in the world. Tell me Mr. Wolf how it is that you think you were at one time a wolf. Are you a Werewolf by any chance? TOM WOLF No, Just a plain old wolf who lived in the woods. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS How is you know yourself to be a wolf in another life? TOM WOLF It all began when I was a Wolf and I met a rich family called the Swine family who live on a hill near my town. (MORE) 10. The father was named William Swine and his wife Julia had triplets called Sam, Sally and Sanford Swine. I sold farms for a living and I came to know the Swine family when William Swine was very old and fearful of dying soon. He told me he made out a will to give his riches to one of his three triplets who showed him the best business sense in buying a farm and building a new manor house on it. He asked me to help his children find the land they needed to build their manor house. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Did not Mr. Swine feel strange dealing with a wolf? TOM WOLF Not at all. I was a wolf but respected in the community because I did not eat or kill sheep or children. Most of the towns people trusted me. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS I see. That is strange? TOM WOLF The first triplet I met was Sam Swine who was in his twenties at the time. I showed Sam a farm that used to raise wheat and straw of 200 acres. The farm was hundreds of miles from the brick factory or the hills where the stone quarry was. Sam Swine bought the 200 acres cheap because the farm was so far away from the town or the brick mill. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS What did Sam Swine build on the farm land? TOM WOLF He was cheap to the bone and realizing he could not get brick to his farm without shipping it hundreds of miles and paying a fortune for it, he decided to build a manor house out of straw and mud. TOM WOLF (CONT’D) 11. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Straw and mud you say? TOM WOLF Yes, straw was already being grown on his farm land and was dirt cheap. This way he could say hundreds of dollars in building costs. I was jealous of his wealth and was happy that he was so foolish. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Did you encourage him to build his manor house out of mud and straw? TOM WOLF Of course, I did not want him to receive the fortune from his father. I suggested the straw and mud would be the cheapest way to build a manor house and he believed me. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS So what happened next? TOM WOLF Well Sam Swine had his manor house build by local masons and he paid them little for their services. One day a severe storm hit the straw and mud manor house and all the mud washed away and the house collapsed on Sam Swine killing him under a ton of mud and straw. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Really? What about the other Swine children? What did you do for them? TOM WOLF I met with Sally Swine and we talked about what she wanted to buy which was a large farm near the town of Lakeview in Northern England. The property was about 200 acres of unused farm land with a forest on a portion of the land. The brick mill was over 200 miles away and so was the stone quarry. 12. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS So, did you sell Sally Swine the property? TOM WOLF Yes, I did with joy because I knew she would make the same mistake her brother had made because she was cheap. Since she did not want to pay for shipping the brick or stone hundreds of miles she decided to use wood to build her manor house from the forests on her property. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS She decided to build her home with wood instead of brick and stone? TOM WOLF Yes, she did with my help. I told her she would save hundreds of dollars by cutting down her forests and building her manor house with wood. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS And did the wooden manor house last? TOM WOLF No, I lit a fire to the manor house when Sally was inside. She burned to death. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Really? Then you are guilty of murder. TOM WOLF Yes and No. Normally I would have eaten her, but instead I cooked her. Ha DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Attendant, take Mr. Wolf away, and put him in a cold treatment tank for a few hours. I will prescribe a heavier dose of medicine because he is suffering from hallucinations. 2ND BEDLAM ATTENDANT Yes Dr. Von Hess. Cold tank for several hours and more medicine. Come on Mr. Wolf back to your room. 13. So Tom Wolf was put in a cold therapy tank for four hours to cool him down and was then given a stronger dose of medicine. The next day Dr. Von Hess met with Tom Wolf again. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Hello Tom. Do you remember what you told me yesterday? Do you still believe you were once a wolf? TOM WOLF Yes, but you did not let me tell you the best part of the story. The third child, Sanford Swine came to me and told me he wanted to buy land the same time that his sister and brother wanted to buy some land. I suggested many farms, but he was smarter and realized that he needed to buy a farm near a brick mill so he could build his manor house of brick that would last forever. So, I reluctantly sold him 200 acres of farm land for grazing cows and the brick mill was close by the land. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS So what happened next? TOM WOLF Well, Sanford Swine was so happy he held a party for his father and surviving members of his family and myself. His father was most proud of Sanford and since Sam and Sally were dead and spent their money foolishly, William the father decided to leave all his money to Sanford Swine for building and investing his money most wisely. The problem was Sanford built only one door, the front door in his brick house and there was no back door or side door to escape in case of fire or danger. Seeing this mistake I invited my wolf friends to attend the party with me and we killed and ate all the Swine ourselves having trapped them in the brick house with no escape door. 14. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Really, you killed and ate all the pigs? I mean all the swine family? That make you a murderer again. TOM WOLF That is why I was a Wolf. Wolves know only killing and eating, not being nice to pigs. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Attendant take Tom Wolf away and give him electrical shock and chain him to the wall in his cell until he admits he was never a wolf. BEDLAM ATTENDANT Come on Tom, time for a little charge of electric to refresh you mind. Then we will hand you up on the wall in your room. So Tom Wolf was taken and tied down and given electrical shock to get him to admit he was not a wolf and all his stories were just fake. Tom howled and howled when given the electrical shock but never relented that he was once a wolf. The attendants took Tom to his room and chained him to the wall in a standing position with his arms over his head to torture Tom into changing his mind about being a wolf. 3 SCENE 3- INT.- DR. VON HESS’ OFFICE 3 A week later, Dr. Von Hess again called for Tom Wolf to be taken to his office. TOM WOLF Where are we going? DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Hello Tom. How are you today? Is your thinking clearer now? How are the medication pills helping you? Do you still think you were once a wolf? TOM WOLF Yes, I am what I am, a Wolf. DR. SAMUEL VON HESS Do you have anymore tales to tell me of your Wolfing days Tom? 15. TOM WOLF Yes, when I met the love of my life Little Red Riding Hood. Her real name was Rodalia Green and she was a little rich girl from Greenwood Glen. I first met Rodalia in the forest on her way to her Grandma’s house. I stopped and asked her where she was going and what was in the basket around her arm. RODALIA GREEN-LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD (14) My name is Rodalia Green and I have a basket of sweet buns for my Grannie who lives in the forest. Who are you? TOM WOLF My name is Tom Wolf and I live in the forest too. RODALIA GREEN-LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD Really? I have never seen you before. TOM WOLF That is because our paths have never crossed before. That is a beautiful red riding hood you are wearing. Where did you buy it? RODALIA GREEN-LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD My grannie made it for me out of sheep skin. TOM WOLF I knew there was something familiar about the smell of the red riding hood. Can I walk with you to grannies house? RODALIA GREEN-LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD No, that will be fine. My mommie told me not to talk to strangers. Besides I am late to grannies house now. TOM WOLF Alright, well maybe we will meet again. May I call you little red riding hood? You have such a beautiful little red coat. 16. RODALIA GREEN-LITTLE RED RI