Horror and Thriller Fiction posted May 22, 2024 |
A Louisiana Tale
Candy Lady
by Terrence Francis
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
### The Candy Lady
#### FADE IN:
**EXT. NORTHSIDE OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA - DAY**
*The summer sun blazes down on a quaint neighborhood. Children run and play, laughter echoing through the streets.*
**EXT. MS. ANNA ARCENEAUX’S HOUSE - DAY**
*A chain-link fence surrounds a modest home. Kids gather at the fence, shouting joyfully.*
**CHILDREN**
(chanting)
Cold Cup Lady! Cold Cup Lady!
(chanting)
Cold Cup Lady! Cold Cup Lady!
*MS. ANNA ARCENEAUX (70s, silver hair tied back, kind smile) appears, pushing a cart filled with colorful cold cups and candies.*
**MS. ANNA**
(with a warm smile)
Alright, alright. Who wants a treat?
(with a warm smile)
Alright, alright. Who wants a treat?
*Kids cheer and rush to the cart. Anna hands out the treats with gentle affection.*
#### MONTAGE:
*Different years flash by—1990, 1991, 1992—Anna selling treats, kids happily enjoying them.*
#### CUT TO:
**EXT. NORTHSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY (SUMMER 1993)**
*A mournful atmosphere. Posters of missing children are plastered everywhere.*
**PARENT #1**
(teary-eyed)
It's been weeks. No sign of him anywhere.
(teary-eyed)
It's been weeks. No sign of him anywhere.
*Anna approaches, a sorrowful expression on her face.*
**MS. ANNA**
(comforting)
We'll find them. I promise. I'll help in any way I can.
(comforting)
We'll find them. I promise. I'll help in any way I can.
*She hands a donation to a grateful parent.*
#### INT. MS. ANNA’S WASH HOUSE - NIGHT
*Rows of jars filled with strange herbs and potions. The centerpiece: a wooden effigy.*
**NARRATOR (V.O.)**
(ominous)
But no one knew the darkness that lay behind her kindness.
(ominous)
But no one knew the darkness that lay behind her kindness.
*Anna whispers incantations, pouring a vial of liquid on the wooden effigy.*
#### CUT TO:
**INT. MS. ANNA’S WASH HOUSE - DAY**
*Children, sedated, lie on makeshift beds. Anna tends to them with eerie tenderness.*
**MS. ANNA**
(whispering to a child)
Hush now. Soon, it'll all be over.
(whispering to a child)
Hush now. Soon, it'll all be over.
#### EXT. LAFAYETTE - DAY (SUMMER 2000)
*An unusually hot day. The neighborhood is tense.*
**NARRATOR (V.O.)**
(ominous)
And then, the summer of 2000 brought something sinister.
(ominous)
And then, the summer of 2000 brought something sinister.
*Parents gather, talking in hushed tones about shadows and strange sounds.*
#### INT. MS. ANNA’S WASH HOUSE - NIGHT
*The children wake from their stupor. They see Anna in ceremonial garb, chanting around the effigy.*
**CHILD #1**
(terrified)
What’s happening?
(terrified)
What’s happening?
*Anna dances wildly, the air thick with tension. The effigy starts to tremble.*
#### CLOSE-UP:
*The wooden effigy splits open violently. Kooshma emerges—a grotesque fusion of human and nightmare.*
**MS. ANNA**
(ecstatic)
Master, I have brought you life.
(ecstatic)
Master, I have brought you life.
*Kooshma steps forward, eyes burning with malevolence.*
**KOOSHMA**
(whispering)
You will be the first.
(whispering)
You will be the first.
*With a swift motion, Kooshma drives claws into Anna’s chest. Her body convulses, face frozen in disbelief.*
#### LOW ANGLE:
*Kooshma turns to the terrified children.*
**KOOSHMA**
(sinister)
And now, for the rest.
(sinister)
And now, for the rest.
#### EXT. MS. ANNA’S HOUSE - NIGHT
*Parents, sensing something wrong, rush towards Anna’s house. They burst in.*
#### INT. MS. ANNA’S HOUSE - NIGHT
*Parents find the horrifying sight: Anna lifeless, Kooshma melting into the shadows.*
**PARENT #2**
(crying out)
Oh my God!
(crying out)
Oh my God!
*They rescue the traumatized children.*
#### EXT. MS. ANNA’S HOUSE - NIGHT
*Police tape surrounds the house. The neighborhood whispers in fear.*
**NARRATOR (V.O.)**
(whispering)
The story of the Cold Cup Lady became a haunting tale, a warning of the darkness behind kind smiles.
(whispering)
The story of the Cold Cup Lady became a haunting tale, a warning of the darkness behind kind smiles.
#### INT./EXT. ABANDONED WASH HOUSE - NIGHT
*Empty, eerie. The wind rustles softly.*
**NARRATOR (V.O.)**
And if you listen closely on hot summer nights, you might hear the faint chanting of Ms. Anna, trying to complete her deadly bargain with the night terror.
And if you listen closely on hot summer nights, you might hear the faint chanting of Ms. Anna, trying to complete her deadly bargain with the night terror.
#### FADE OUT.
**TEXT OVERLAY**
"THE END"
"THE END"
*(CREDITS ROLL)*
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© Copyright 2024. Terrence Francis All rights reserved.
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