EXT. SHANTY TOWN. EVENING
Two small canoes reach the shore. They are 4 fishermen with
beards and long hair. They help each other with their nets.
Cyrus is walking home coming from the beach. He passes one
of the dirty litle shanties and hears the tingling of money. It
is the hut of Money Man. Cyrus pushes his head into the little
door for a little chat.
CYRUS
Peace an’ love me god-brother.
Ow de scufflin’ today?
MONEY MAN
Love again, me Brother, but the Lawd
say mind thou thy own business and thy
own business will mind thee well
CYRUS
Checking yo money me think
Saving it for Ethiopia
MONEY MAN
Do not play fool with me, my friend
CYRUS
Me won’t. You know that, me brother
Cyrus laughs and walks away and reaches his own hut. No
one is there and he realizes his wife Rachel has left him.
He walks outside and calls his son.
CYRUS
Nicholas, whe’ yu mother?
NICHOLAS
Don’ know. Me was playin’ in de common
and when me come she gone
CYRUS
She don’ say whe’ she gone?
NICHOLAS
No. An it looks like she’s gone fo’ good too.
She tek her clothes an’ everything wid her
CYRUS
God bli’ me! God! Rastafaria! Babylon let loose!
Cyrus dashes towards the 1939 Ford car carcass where Dinah
lives. She is making supper. Cyrus first helds her roughly.
DINAH
Wring it off! Is long time I been waitin’
fo’ somebody to do that fo’ me
CYRUS
Tell me whe’ she is. Yu not tellin’ me
DINAH
Sorry Cyrus, don’ know whe’ she is.
But don’ worry, she will come back
CYRUS
Yu know whe’s she is! But Babylon shall fall.
Ah goin’ to find her. An’ when ah find her, as
there is a black god, ah goin’ to kill her. Ah
goin’ to murder her an’ teach her the place
o’ woman-kind. Ah goin’ to teach her not to
follow de ways o’ Babylon.
DINAH
Cyrus, me don’ know whe’ she is. But don’
worry, she will come back. They always do.
CYRUS
Ah mus’ find her. Ah did want to carry her to
Ethiopia with me as me queen. Mus’ find her now.
Angry Cyrus returns to his hut and gathers some things and
changes into black pants and green, gold and red shirt
(outfit Rastafarians). When leaving his hut again Brother
Solomon is standing there.
CYRUS
Peace and love and glory, me good brother Solomon.
There’s long and piercing glances and Brother Solomon tells
him to follow him to his place. They enter Brother Solomon’s hut.
BROTHER SOLOMON
Come inside and make me give you some words
of wisdom, me brother, you seem to need it.
Brother Solomon’s place is the only hut with a floor and a proper
entrance. Cyrus walks in. There is a large bed with a neat clean
sheet on it. There is a chair in one corner and a table in another.
On th wall is a large frame with a picture of the Holy Emperor,
the Prince of Peace it says. In yet another corner there is a pole
with the flag of Ethiopia.
Brother Solomon sits on the side of the bed and beckons Cyrus
to sit on the chair.
BROTHER SOLOMON
Tell me now, me brother, what ails thee?
CYRUS
Rachel is gone, brother Solomon, took her clothes
and everything with her, don’t know where she is.
BROTHER SOLOMON
I understand how you feel, Brother.
The passions of the world and the body
is strong and all you can do is fight it.
CYRUS
Ah still can’t fo’get her so easy, Brother Solomon.
Me was a good man to her as far as it possible to be
good in dis hell we livin’ in. When the Holy Emperor
sen’ fo we ah would carry her to heaven wid me as
me queen. But she gone to live in the ways of Babylon
BROTHER SOLOMON
Come on, cheer up, brother, if she is really good woman
she will see her mistake soon and will realize we here
we make to suffer an’ no matter what we do we have our
burden to bear. We’re the children of Israel suffering for
the sins of our forefathers. But the time will soon come
when we will be redeemed.
Cyrus listens to Brother Solomon’s words carefully as if it is gospel.
CYRUS
Brother Solomon tell… How long more we goin’
‘ave to wait. Me is prayin’ and prayin’ but how
long me ‘ave to keep prayin’?
BROTHER SOLOMON
Don’ be too much in a hurry, me brother. Remember
you have to suffer you lot before you leave. Don’ think
that things going to be any easier untill that day comes.
CYRUS
T’ank you for your words, Brother Solomon.
You speak wid all the wisdom of the ancient
Solomon. Ah don’ know what ah mek of meself
if you was’n here to guide me path
BROTHER SOLOMON
Peace an’ love, me brother, peace an’ love
Cyrus leaves Brother Solomon’s place who stoops to the ground,
moves away the mat and takes out a hidden little box from under
the floor. He takes out a few pieces of dry leaves. He goes to the table
where 3 candles are standing and behind it another box with his pipe.
He stuffs his pipe with the leaves, arranges his floor again and then
sits on the bed and lights his pipe.