A Little Devil

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In Chapter 3 of Frankenstein In Love, suburban homemaker Peggy Heck greets uniformed officer Chet Beverage at the door, responding to her 911 call about a rat that's invaded her house. There's also another problem. It's dead, and has been brought back to life ...


INT. SUBURBAN HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Plain and ordinary, but comfy. Homey.
We hear SQUEALING and BANGING
from behind a closed door.

Vita’s mother PEGGY (40)
morbidly obese,
talks on the phone,
chain-eating cookies.

On the counter we see
a book with the title:

THE GOOD WITCH:
SPELLS FOR HOME AND HEALTH.

PEGGY
Nobody’s come yet.
Can they hurry it up?
It’s making such an awful racket.

DISPATCHER (O.C.)
(electronic)
You don’t need to call
nine-one-one more than once, Ma’am.
An officer should be there any minute.

PEGGY
Okeydokey. Sorry to bother you.

The doorbell RINGS.

PEGGY
That must be them. Thanks, bye.

She hangs up, waddles out of the room.

AT THE FRONT DOOR
Peggy opens it.

A UNIFORMED OFFICER walks in.
Young. Decent-looking.
Trying very hard not to smile.

UNIFORMED OFFICER
Mrs. Heck?

PEGGY
Please. Call me Peggy.

UNIFORMED OFFICER
Peggy.
(nods)
Officer Beverage.
You reported a wild rat invasion?

Meet CHET BEVERAGE (30’s),
small town peace officer.

A bit paunchy from living the good life.
Great with getting cats out of trees.

Never fired his weapon.
On purpose, that is.

PEGGY
Yes, I did. Thank god you’re here.
Come with me. I’ll show you.

INT. SUBURBAN HOME - KITCHEN - DAY
Peggy and Chet stand in front
of the door to the basement.

Frankie’s reanimated rat SQUEALS
and BANGS against the door.

PEGGY
I opened the back door
to take out the garbage,
and it ran in here
like a little devil.
It shot right down to the basement.

CHET
Why didn’t you call an exterminator?

PEGGY
Because it’s, uh --
(eyes wide)
Already dead.