ACT 1 SCENE 1
A small frontier village.


NARRATOR
There was a town
There was a pilgrim pasture
The quiet town
Had never seen disaster

They went to work
They went to town hall meetings
They went to church
They exchanged smiles; and waves; and pleasant greetings

But in the night
There is an evil presence 'round
That comes and bites
They come to kill the peasant town

There was a witch
She lived upon a moonlit hill
An alchemist,
she could heal and she could kill

She was alone,
but for a single lover
a gentle soul
who hides a secret hunger

One night at the butcher's
The night the leaves were turning red
There was a feast
a family dreaming in their beds


ACT 1 SCENE 2
(Max MSP triggered silent film)
Sheriff's office, the sheriff napping with his boots on his desk

SHERIFF
I woke up to earnest screams
TOWN CRIER
(bursting in)
“Sheriff the Butcher's were all slaughtered in their dreams!”
SHERIFF
(awoken)
I grabbed my badge and colt revolver
and said, “Son, would you lead me to the slaughter”

Montage of Sheriff and Townsperson running.
They arrive at the butchers house and enter into a dark room.

It was the bloodiest scene that I'd ever seen
A family of skeletons lay on the crimson sheets
The copper air made it hard to breath
I turned and I made for the door in hopes of some relief

Sheriff exits to the street outside of the butchers house

It seems the whole town they had gathered outside
and they cried
ENSEMBLE
“Sheriff!”
SHERIFF
“Yes?”
ENSEMBLE
“SHERIFF!”
SHERIFF
“YES?!”
ENSEMBLE
“Are the rumours lies? Or were they eaten alive!”

SHERIFF
“Now everybody please calm down”
ENSEMBLE
“Calm down when there are monsters eating our neighbours at night?”
SHERIFF
“Now, we've never had any of those folks around”
ENSEMBLE
“We've heard of evils that stalk around town in the night”

TOWNSPERSON
“I've heard of dogs of doom
who hunt for humans under the moon
but in the daylight, they walk in plain sight
and I can tell you there are some folk who'd I'd like to see locked in a tomb”

SHERIFF
“Now who are these creeps of whom you're unsure?”
TOWNSPERSON
“Well there is that recluse upon the hill”
LAWRENCE
“That's a very dangerous pot to stir
you're awfully quick to place the mark on who we should kill”

(The bookkeeper proceeds to recount himself witnessing the suspicious activities of said townsperson the night before. The crowd begins to chant “Kill!” and the bookkeeper accuses the townsperson of killing the Butcher's)
ENSEMBLE
Lynch him
Save your skin
Lynch him
Save your skin

SHERIFF
So we took him to the gallows
There in the valley of Miller's Hollow
We sent that evil man to hell
and hoped our suspicions served us well
but who can tell

ACT 1 SCENE 3
The house on the hill.

NARRATOR
Lawrence the bookkeeper
galloped the ascending road
to the witches abode
said,
LAWRENCE
“Baby can you open the door,
I'm not sure if we are safe anymore”

NARRATOR
He'd kept his secret too long
It corroded him like an ulcer
and sped his pulse for
hours and hours and hours
Those lies devour

Gretchen the witch was concerned
she could feel that Lawrence was troubled
so as the cuddled
she says,
GRETCHEN
“Baby, what's bringing you down?
Why the frown?
What happened today in the town?”

LAWRENCE
“Gretchen understand,
that an innocent man was hung today
and I had a large hand
in taking that man's life away

but I didn't have a choice
his voice would have endangered you
what could I do? I endangered you too

But if they took their pitchforks and torches
and climbed this hill to rip you apart
I would match their violent horrors
Cause without you what good is my heart
I have no heart, I have no heart, you know you're my heart”

GRETCHEN
“Lawrence! What the fuck!
An incomprehensible story
Why come for me?
What do they think that I did?
I'm not a kid,
I think I can handle the truth”

NARRATOR
The truth burned through his mouth
He knew it was him they had wanted
but she would be hunted
with no one else better to blame
if this happened again

LAWRENCE
“Gretchen I'll come clean
I'm not a simple bookkeeper
I am the creeper, who murders the town in their sleep
I play the sheep
but the moon brings a wolf out to eat”

NARRATOR
Gretchen looked into his eyes
the love inside of them remained
together they were ostracized
and in their difference they felt the same

she says,
GRETCHEN
“Babe, can't you see that this place is not for you and I
and if we remain here than sooner or later we die
so pack up the wagon, lets take off for some place that's new
live on the road with no one else but me and you

Cause if they took their pitchforks and torches
that would be the end of our lives
but I would exhaust all of my resources
for one more day just to gaze in your eyes
I don't want to die, I don't want you to die,
why should we have to die?”

NARRATOR
And inside Lawrence wished that he could
but he knew if he did there would be no explaining
if only she had understood
him being with her was already betraying

the laws of his fellow wolf pack
the fate of the two would be equally gruesome
he could feel their weight on his back
and knew that eventually he'd be forced to


do something to end their threat
and free him from their net
than they could love
like you're supposed to love
and not have to be distraught
so he turned to her back and he thought,

LAWRENCE
“If we take their pitchforks and torches
and set the whole town upon themselves
there would be no one left to harm us
our love could ring out as loud as the bells
They'll murder themselves
Our love rings like bells
There'll be no one else
but us”