Raiders of the Lost Ark Page #4

Two torches, many years old, are in holders by the door. Indy

takes one down and lights it. He gives the regular torch to

Satipo.

SATIPO:

There’s plenty of light, amigo.

Indy kneels and uses the unit end of the torch to reach out

and tap a white tile. It is solid. He taps a black tile.

There is a whizzing sound and a tiny dart sticks in the

torch. Satipo points to the wall nearby: there is a recessed

hole there.

SATIPO:

From that hole!

Indy nods, stands and looks around the sanctuary. The entire

room is honey-combed with the same kind of hole. Satipo sees

it too and is properly impressed.

INDY:

You wait here.

SATIPO:

If you insist, senor.

Torch in hand, Indy beings his careful walk across the

sanctuary. Stepping only on the white tiles, he almost

appears to be doing a martial arts kata. Before each big move

he waves the torch in front of him head to toe, looking at

the flame. Halfway out, he sees something on the floor and

kneels to look at it.

A dead bird lies on one of the white tiles. Its body is

riddled with little deadly darts.

This has great significance to Indy and he stands with even

greater caution. He waves the torch ahead of him and at waist

height an air current whips at the flame. Indy ducks under it

and leaves a burn mark on the white tile beneath it.

.

8.

Satipo watches, wide-eyed and mystified.

Indy reaches the alter. The tiny idol looks both fierce and

beautiful. It rests on a pedestal of polished stone. Indy

looks the whole set-up over very carefully. From his jacket

he takes a small, canvas drawstring bag. He begins filling it

with dirt from around the case of the alter. When he has

created a weight that he thinks approximates the weight of

the idol, he bounces it a couple times in his palm

concentrating. It’s clear he wants to replace the idol with

the bag as smoothly as possible. His hand seems ready to do

that once, when he stops, takes a breath and loosens his

shoulder muscles. Now he sets himself again. And makes the

switch! The idol is now in his hand, the bag on the pedestal.

For a long moment it sits there, then the polished stone

beneath the bag drops five inches. This sets off an AURAL

CHAIN REACTION of steadily increasing volume as some huge

mysterious mechanism rumbles into action deep in the temple.

Indy spins and starts his kata back across the sanctuary at

four times the speed.

9 THE RETREAT - INTERCUTTING INDY AND SATIPO 9

The sanctuary has begun to rumble and shake in response to

the mysterious mechanism. Just as Indy goes out the door, a

rock shakes loose from the wall and rolls onto the tile’s

floor. Immediately, a noisy torrent of poison darts fills the

room.

Rate this script:5.0 / 3 votes