Clean Maidenhood

“ When Pearl was first read in modern times it was accepted as what it purports to be, an elegy on the death of a child, the poet’s daughter. The personal interpretation was first questioned in 1904 by W. H. Schofield, who argued that the maiden of the poem was an allegorical figure of a kind usual in medieval vision literature, an abstraction representing ‘clean maidenhood’.

It has been objected that the child as seen in Heaven is not like an infant of two in appearance, speech, or manners: she addresses her father formally as sir, and shows no filial affection for him. But this is an apparition of a spirit, a soul not yet reunited with its body after the resurrection, so that theories relevant to the form and age of the glorified and risen body do not concern us. And as an immortal spirit, the maiden’s relations to the earthly man, the father of her body, are altered. She does not deny his fatherhood, and when she addresses him as sir she only uses the form of address that was customary for medieval children. Her part is in fact truly imagined. The sympathy of readers may now go out more readily to the bereaved father than to the daughter, and they may feel that he is treated with some hardness. But it is the hardness of truth. In the manner of the maiden is portrayed the effect upon a clear intelligence of the persistent earthliness of the father’s mind; all is revealed to him, and he has eyes, yet he cannot see. The maiden is now filled with the spirit of celestial charity, desiring only his eternal good and the cure of his blindness. 

It is not her part to soften him with pity, or to indulge in childish joy at their reunion. The final consolation of the father was not to be found in the recovery of a beloved daughter, as if death had not after all occurred or had no significance, but in the knowledge that she was redeemed and saved and had become a queen in Heaven. Only by resignation to the Will of God, and through death, could he rejoin her. “

TRUST

I said,  
"We'll lose". 

You said,  
"We'll do that together too." 

And guess what, Cap? 

We Lost. 

You Weren't There. 

No Trust. 

Liar.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUST AND CONFIDENCE

YOUTH: There is something about this 'affirmative resignation' that sounds pessimistic. 

It's just too bleak if the upshot of all this lengthy discussion is resignation. 

PHILOSOPHER: Is that so? 

Resignation has the connotation of seeing clearly with fortitude and acceptance. 

Having a firm grasp on the truth of things – that is resignation. 

There is nothing pessimistic about it.

YOUTH: A firm grasp on The Truth....

PHILOSOPHER: Of course, just because one has arrived at affirmative resignation as one's self-acceptance, it does not automatically follow that one finds community feeling. 

That is the reality. 

When one is switching from attachment to self to concern for others, the second key concept – confidence in others – becomes absolutely essential. 

YOUTH: Confidence in others. In other words, believing in others? 

PHILOSOPHER; Here, I will consider the words 'believing in others' in the context of distinguishing trust from confidence. 

First, when we speak of Trust, we are referring to something that comes with set conditions. 

In English, it is referred to as credit. 

For example, when one wants to borrow money from a bank, one has to have some kind of security. 

The Bank calculates the amount of the loan based on the value of that security, and says, 'We will lend you this much.' 

The attitude of 'we will lend it to you on the condition that you will pay it back,' or 'we will lend you as much as you are able to pay back' is not one of having confidence in someone. It is Trust.

YOUTH : Well, that's how bank financing works, I guess.

PHILOSOPHER: By contrast, from the standpoint of Adlerian psychology, the basis of interpersonal relations is not founded on Trust but on Confidence. 

YOUTH : And 'confidence' in this case is ...?

PHILOSOPHER : It is doing without any set conditions whatsoever when believing in others. 

Even if one does not have sufficient objective grounds for trusting someone, one believes. 

One believes unconditionally without concerning oneself with such things as security. That is Confidence.

YOUTH : Believing unconditionally? 

So, it's back to your pet notion of neighbourly love? 

PHILOSOPHER : Of course, if one believes in others without setting any conditions whatsoever, there will be times when one gets taken advantage of. 

Just like the guarantor of a debt, there are times when one may suffer damages. 

The attitude of continuing to believe in someone even in such instances is what we call Confidence. 

YOUTH: Only a naive dimwit would do such a thing! 

I guess you hold with the doctrine of innate human goodness, while I hold with the doctrine of innate human evilness. 

Believe unconditionally in complete strangers, and you'll just get used and abused. 

PHILOSOPHER: And there are also times when someone deceives you, and you get used that way. 

But look at it from the standpoint of someone who has been taken advantage of. 

There are people who will continue to believe in you unconditionally even if you are the one who has taken advantage of them. 

People who will have confidence in you no matter how they are treated. 

Would you be able to betray such a person again and again?

PHILOSOPHER: I am sure it would be quite difficult for you to do such a thing.

YOUTH: After all that, are you saying one has to appeal to the emotions? 

To keep on holding the faith, like a saint, and act on the conscience of the other person? 

You're telling me that morals don't matter to Adler, but isn't that exactly what we're talking about here?

PHILOSOPHER: No, it is not. 

What would you say is the opposite of confidence? 

YOUTH: An antonym of confidence? Uh.....

PHILOSOPHER: It is Doubt. 

Suppose you have placed 'doubt' at the foundation of your interpersonal relations. 

That you live your life doubting other people – doubting your friends, and even your family and those you love. 

What sort of relationship could possibly arise from that? 

The Other Person will detect the doubt in your eyes in an instant.

He or she will have an instinctive understanding that 'this person does not have confidence in me'.  

Do you think one would be able to build some kind of positive relationship from that point? 

It is precisely because we lay a foundation of unconditional confidence
 that it is possible for us to build a deep relationship.

YOUTH: Okay, I guess.

PHILOSOPHER: The way to understand Adlerian psychology is simple. 

Right now, you are thinking, 'If were to have confidence in someone unconditionally, I would just get taken advantage of.'  

However, you are not the one who decides whether or not to take advantage. That is the other person's task. 

All you need to do is think, 'What should I do?'  

If you are telling yourself, 'I'll give it to him if he isn't going take advantage of me', it is just a relationship of trust that is based on security or conditions.

PHILOSOPHER: Yes. As I have stated repeatedly, carrying out the separation of tasks returns life to an astonishingly simple form. 

But while the principle of the separation of tasks is easy to grasp, putting it into practice is difficult. I recognise that.

YOUTH: Then, you are telling me to keep on having confidence in everyone, to keep on believing in all other people even when they deceive me, and just go on being a naive fool? 

That's not philosophy or psychology or anything of the sort – it's just the preaching of a zealot!

PHILOSOPHER; I reject that definitively.  

Adlerian psychology is not saying 'have confidence in others unconditionally' on the basis of a moralistic system of values.  

Unconditional confidence is a means for making your interpersonal relationship with a person better, and for building a horizontal relationship. 

If you do not have the desire to make your relationship with that person better, then go ahead and sever it – because carrying out the severing is your task.

YOUTH: Then, what if I've placed unconditional confidence in a friend in order to make our relationship better? 

I've jumped through all sorts of hoops for this friend, gladly satisfied any requests for money, and been unstinting with my time and efforts in his regard. 

But even in such cases, there are times when one is taken advantage of. 

For example, if one were horribly taken advantage of by a person one has believed in completely, wouldn't that experience lead one to a lifestyle with an 'other people are my enemies' outlook?

PHILOSOPHER: It seems that you have not yet gained an understanding of the goal of confidence. 

Suppose, for example, that you are in a love relationship, but you are having doubts about your partner and you think to yourself, 'I'll bet she's cheating on me.' 

And you start making desperate efforts in search of evidence to prove that.  

What do you think would happen as a result? 

YOUTH: Well, I guess that would depend on the situation.

PHILOSOPHER: No, in every instance, you would find an abundance of evidence that she has been cheating on you.

YOUTH: Wait? Why is that?

PHILOSOPHER: Your partner's casual remarks, her tone when talking to someone on the phone, the times when you can't reach her... 

As long as you are looking with doubt in your eyes, everything around you will appear to be evidence that she is cheating on you. 

Even if she is not.

YOUTH: Hmm.

PHILOSOPHER: Right now, you are only concerned about the times you were taken advantage of, and nothing else. 

You focus only on the pain from the wounds you sustained on such occasions. 

But if you are afraid to have confidence in others, in the long run,

you will not be able to build deep relationships with anyone.

YOUTH: Well, I see what you're getting at – the main objective, which is to build deep relationships. 

But still, being taken advantage of is scary, and that's the reality, isn't it? 

PHILOSOPHER; If it is a shallow relationship, when it falls apart the pain will
be slight. 

And the joy that relationship brings each day will also be slight. 

It is precisely because one can gain the courage to enter into deeper relationships by having confidence in others that the joy of one's interpersonal relations can grow, and one's joy in life can grow, too.

YOUTH: No! That's not what I was talking about, you're changing the subject again. 

The courage to overcome the fear of being taken advantage of – where does it come from?

PHILOSOPHER: It comes from Self-Acceptance. 

If one can simply accept oneself as one is, and ascertain what one can do and what one cannot, one becomes able to understand that 'taking advantage' is the other person's task, and getting to the core of 'confidence in others' becomes less difficult. 

YOUTH: You're saying that taking advantage of someone is the other person's task, and one can't do anything about it? 

That I should be resigned, in an affirmative way? 

Your arguments always ignore our emotions. 

What does one do about all the anger and sadness one feels when one is taken advantage of?

PHILOSOPHER: When one is sad, one should be sad to one's heart's content. 


It is precisely when one tries to escape the pain and sadness that one gets stuck and ceases to be able to build deep relationships with anyone. 

Think about 
it this way. We can Believe. And we can Doubt. 

But we are aspiring to see others as our comrades. 

To believe or to doubt – The Choice should be clear.

NATASHA: 

It's been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth. 

World Governments are in pieces. 

The parts that are still working are trying to take a census. 
And it looks like he did... exactly what he said he was going to do. 

Thanos wiped out 50%, of all living creatures.

TONY: 

Where is he now? Where?

STEVE: 
We don't know.

ROCKET: 
He just opened a portal and walked through. 

[Cut to a shot of a sullen-looking Thor, sitting on a bench, seemingly deep in thought.]

TONY: 
What's wrong with him?

ROCKET: 
He's pissed. He thinks he failed. 
Which of course he did, 
but there's a lot of that's goin' around, ain't there?

TONY: 
Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear.

ROCKET: 
Maybe I am.

NATASHA: 
We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. 
Deep Space scans and satellites, and we got nothing.

STEVE: 
Tony, you fought him.

TONY: 
Who told you that? I didn't fight him. 
No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street Magician gave away the stone. 
That's what happened. There was no fight.

STEVE: 
Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?

TONY: 
Pfft! I saw this coming a few years back. 
I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it. 
Thought I was dreaming.

STEVE: 
Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus.

TONY: 
And I needed you. As in, past tense. 
That trumps what you need. It's too late buddy. 
Sorry. You know what I need.

[Tony stands, pushing things off the table with a clatter. Everyone winces at the noise.]

TONY: 

I need a shave. 

And I believe I remember telling you, Cap.

[Tony goes for Steve. Rhodey quickly comes in front of him, trying to stop him.]

RHODEY: 

Tony, Tony, Tony, stop!

TONY: 

Otherwise what we needed was 

A Suit of Armor Around The World!

 Remember that? 

Whether it impacted our precious Freedom or not - 

That's what we needed!

STEVE: 

Well, that didn't work out, did it?

TONY: 

I said, 
"We'll Lose". 

You said, 
"We'll do that together too." 

And guess what, Cap? 

We Lost. 

You weren't there. 

But that's what we do, right? 

Our best work after the fact? 

We're the Avengers, we're the Avengers. 

Not the Prevengers, right?

RHODEY: 

Okay, you made your point. 

Just sit down, ok?

TONY: 
Nah, nah, nah. 
[He pushes Rhodey away] 

Here's my point.

RHODEY: 
Sit down!

TONY: 
[Referring to Carol] 
She's great, by the way. 
We need you. You're new blood.

RHODEY: 
Tony!

TONY: 

Bunch of tired old mills! 

I got nothing for you, Cap! 
I got no coordinates, no clues, 
no plan, no options. 

Zero. Zip. Nada. 

No Trust. Liar.

[Steve looks affected by Tony's words. The old friends just gaze at each other. After a moment, Tony rips his Arc Reactor from his chest and shoves it into Steve's hand.]

TONY: 
Here, take this. 
You find him, and you put that on. 
You hide.

[Tony falls to the ground. Steve is by his side and everyone is starting to gather.]

STEVE: 
Tony!

TONY: 
I'm fine. I...

[Tony falls into a heap, unconscious.]

[Cut to a shot of Tony on a bed, with Pepper at his side.]

RHODEY: 
Bruce gave him a sedative. 
He's gonna be out for the rest of the day.

CAROL: 
You guys take care of him. 
And I'll bring Xorrian Elixir when I come back.

RHODEY: 
Where are you going?

CAROL: 
To Kill Thanos.

NATASHA: 
You know, we usually work as a team around here, and between you and I, we're also a little fragile. 
We realize this is more your territory, but this is our fight too.

ROCKET: 
Do you even know where he is?

CAROL: 
I know people who might.

NEBULA: 
Don't bother. I can tell you where Thanos is. 
Thanos spent a long time trying to perfect me. 
Then when he worked, he talked about his Great Plan. 

Even disassembled, I wanted to please him. 

I'd ask "Where Would We Go?",  
once His Plan was complete. 

His answer was always the same: 

To The Garden.

RHODEY: 
That's cute, Thanos has a retirement plan.

STEVE: 
So where is he then?

ROCKET: 
When Thanos snapped his fingers, Earth became ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions. 

No one's ever seen anything like it... 
Until two days ago. 

[A hologram of a planet pops up, with a shockwave visibly traversing the surface.]

NEBULA: 
On this planet. 
Thanos is there.

NATASHA: 
He used the stones again.

BRUCE: 
Hey, Hey, we'd be going in short-handed, you know.

RHODEY: 
Look, he's still got the stones, so...

CAROL: 
So let's get him. 
We'll use them to bring everyone back.

RHODEY: 
Just like that?

STEVE: 
Yeah, just like that.

[Steve and Carol share a knowing look.]

NATASHA: 
Even if there's a small chance that we can undo this... 
I mean we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try.

BRUCE: 
If we do this, how do we know it's gonna end any differently than it did before?

CAROL: 
Because before, you didn't have me.

RHODEY: 
Hey, New Girl, everyone here is about that superhero life. 
And if you don't mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time.

CAROL: 
There are a lot of other planets in the universe. 
And unfortunately, they didn't have you guys.

[Thor, who has been eating a snack behind all this time, stands up and walks over to Carol. He holds his hand up, and catches Stormbreaker as it flies over to him, missing Carol by inches. But Carol doesn't even flinch, instead smiling at the God of Thunder.]

THOR: 
I like this one.

STEVE: 
Let's go get this son of a bitch. 

[Cut to a shot of everyone except for Carol and Tony aboard the Benatar.]

TIMELINES

KIRK: (to Spock Prime) 

Your coming back in time, changing History -- it's cheating.

SPOCK PRIME: 

A trick I learned from an old friend. 

(he does the salute) 

Live long and prosper.

History became Legend, Legend became Myth

Much That Once Was, is lost

And some things that should not have been forgotten, were lost.

For none now live who REMEMBER it.

AMY:
I killed someone. Madame Kovarian, in cold blood.

RIVER:
In an aborted timeline, 

in a World That Never Was.

AMY: 
Yeah, but I can remember it, so it happened, so I did it. 
What does that make me now...?

"How does it work? Off the central timeline we just left.

Events of importance often cause divergent “tributaries” to branch off the main timestream.

But what’s astounding is there’s far more to it than that.

On occasion, these tributaries return—sometimes feeding back into the central timeline, other times overlapping it briefly before charting an entirely new course.

An old friend is suddenly recalled after years of being forgotten.

A scrap of history becomes misremembered, even reinvented in the common wisdom.

There are hazards to Hypertime, of course.... 
Artifacts carried into differing hypertimelines dangerously break down the barriers between kingdoms...but you’ll learn more about that in the months and years to come."

“Some would have you believe that time is a House of Cards, and that if you remove one card, the house collapses.

The physics of time, however, allow for another possibility: remove that same card, and the house rebuilds itself— but never to its original form"

[Enterprise Bridge]

SPOCK: 

Have you confirmed that Nero is headed for Earth?

UHURA: 

Their trajectory suggests no other destination, Captain.

SPOCK: 

Thank you, Lieutenant.

(Kirk is seated in The Captain's Chair)

KIRK: 

Earth may be his next stop, but we have to assume every Federation planet's a target.

SPOCK: 

Out of The Chair.

CHEKOV: 

Well, if the Federation is a target, why didn't they destroy us?

SULU: 

Why would they? Why waste the weapons? 

You know... we obviously weren't a threat.

SPOCK: 

That is not it. He said he wanted me to see something. 

The destruction of my home planet.

MCCOY: 

How the hell did they do that, by the way? 

Where did the Romulans get that kind of weaponry?

SPOCK: 

The engineering comprehension necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest an answer. 

Such technology could theoretically be manipulated to create a tunnel through space-time.

MCCOY: 

Dammit man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist.

Are you actually suggesting they're from The Future?!

SPOCK: 

If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, 

however improbable, must be The Truth.

MCCOY: 
How poetic.

KIRK: 
Then, what would an angry, future Romulan want with Captain Pike?

SULU: 
As Captain, he does know details of Starfleet's defenses.

KIRK: 
What we need to do is catch up to that ship. 
Disable it, take it over, and get Pike back.

SPOCK: 
We are technologically outmatched in every way. 
A rescue attempt would be illogical.

CHEKOV: 
Nero's ship would have to drop out of warp for us to overtake him.

KIRK: 
Then, what about assigning engineering crews to try and boost our warp gear?

SPOCK: 
Remaining power and crew are being used to repair radiation leaks on the lower decks...

KIRK: 
Okay, alright. There's got to be some way...

SPOCK: 
...we must gather with the rest of Starfleet, to balance the terms of the next engagement.

KIRK: 

There won't be a next engagement. 

By the time we've gathered, it'll be too late. 

But you say he's from The Future, knows what's going to happen, then the logical thing is to be unpredictable.

SPOCK: 

You are assuming that Nero knows how events are predicted to unfold. 

 

To the contrary, Nero's very presence has altered the flow of history, beginning with the attack on the USS Kelvin, culminating in the events of today, thereby creating an entire new chain of incidents that cannot be anticipated by either party.

UHURA: 
An alternate reality?

SPOCK: 
Precisely. Whatever our lives might have been, if the time continuum was disrupted, our destinies have changed. 

 

Mr. Sulu, plot a course to the Laurentian system warp factor three.

KIRK: 
Spock, don't do that. 
Running back to the rest of the fleet for a, a, a confab is a massive waste of time...

SPOCK: 
...orders issued by Captain Pike when he left...

KIRK: 
He also ordered us to go back and get him. 
Spock, you are captain now! You have to be...

SPOCK: 
I am aware of my responsibilities, Mister...

KIRK: 
Every second we waste, Nero's getting closer to his next target.

SPOCK: 
That is correct and why I am instructing you to accept the fact that I alone...

KIRK: 
I will not allow us to go backwards...

MCCOY: 
Jim!

KIRK: 
...instead of hunting Nero down!

 

SPOCK: 
Security. Escort him out.

(two security officers grab Kirk and he starts to fight them off)

SECURITY OFFICER: 
Hey!

MCCOY: 
No, Jim!

(Spock stops the fight with a Vulcan nerve pinch)

SPOCK: 
Get him off this ship.

(Kirk is shot out of the Enterprise in an escape pod, into Delta Vega)

(Kirk's nearly eaten by the monster when the elder Spock shows up with a torch, scaring away the monster)

SPOCK PRIME: 
James T. Kirk.

KIRK: 
Excuse me?

SPOCK PRIME: 
How did you find me?

 

KIRK: 
How do you know my name?

 

SPOCK PRIME: 
I have been, and always shall be, your friend.

KIRK: 
Wha... oh, look... uh, I don't know you.

SPOCK PRIME: 
I am Spock.

SPOCK:

Father?

SPOCK PRIME:

I am Not Our Father. 
There are so few Vulcans left, we cannot afford to ignore each other.

SPOCK:

Then why did you send Kirk aboard, when you alone could have explained the truth?

SPOCK PRIME:

Because, you needed each other.

I could not deprive you of the revelation of all that you could accomplish together.

Of a friendship, that would define you both, in ways you cannot yet realize.

SPOCK:

How did you persuade him to keep your secret?

SPOCK PRIME:

He inferred that universe-ending paradoxes would ensue should he break his promise.

SPOCK:

You lied?

SPOCK PRIME:

Oh, I... I implied.

SPOCK:

A gamble.

SPOCK PRIME:

An Act of Faith.

One I hope that you will repeat in the future at Starfleet.

SPOCK:

In the face of extinction, it is only logical I resign my Starfleet commission and help rebuild our race.

SPOCK PRIME:

And yet, you CAN be in two places at once.

I urge you to remain in Starfleet.

I have already located a suitable planet on which to establish a Vulcan colony.

Spock, in this case, do yourself a favor -

 

Put Aside Logic. 

Do What Feels Right.

Since my customary farewell would appear oddly self-serving, I shall simply say : Good Luck.

POLICEMEN

The ones featuring coppers are clearly genuine — 

See this is why they are having to replace all of the frontline male police officers with good -natured, conciliatory young women under 30, who are nosey — all of that touchy-feely Community-Outeach, Social Justice wiff-waff you saw a decade ago in Hot Fuzz, ten years ago now has just gone completely through the rooF since the 2010 Riots (which were of a highly dubious and non-spontaneous, planned and co-ordinated nature,  and then never re-occurred, meaning that a large-scale staged provocation is implied), and what with the austerity measures slashing policing budgets left, right and centre, almost all of the  senior, experienced uniformed-division male. Beat Coppers decided to cut their losses and either resign from the force outright, or opt to take early retirement, with the addition of a modest cash bump in their paying-off package deal.

But this, and countless other instances  of mostly  young men (and  indeed, yes, on occasion,only or more young females of that same age-bracket) out in public places  with HD Quality video cameras on their iPhones and similar devices to capture footage of rookie policeman,  only barely just that little bit older than themselves — why continuing with a High-Visibility Policing doctrine of  having officers in uniform, mostly rookie raw recruits all freshly-graudated and Straight Outta Hendon, being seen standing  guard on behalf of the British Public over  the local potential soft-target public right-of-way pedestrianised concourse/public transport hub /  commuter  interchange —  why that delicate mass delusion ofongoing and indefinitely self-sustaining and stable, perpetually renewable Folie a Deux of a Long Peace after almost 25 years of hard-won relative socio-ecconomic calm, on the streets and rural village communiies in the North of Ireland and elsewhere across and throughout all of the length and breadth of mainland Britain, 

HARLOT

CUT TO: EXT. A TREE LINED STREET - NIGHT

Laurie and Janeane are walking, laughing, and drunk. Sam is waiting nearby on a set of stairs.

SAM

You are both drunk and disorderly.

LAURIE

Oh my God.

SAM

Happy graduation.

LAURIE

How did you...?

JANEANE

Surprise!

LAURIE

Janeane?

SAM

We worked in cahoots.

JANEANE

We did.

LAURIE

You planned this? 

This is why you dragged me back to your apartment.

JANEANE

Oh, are you glad that I dragged you back to my apartment?

LAURIE

Yes.

JANEANE

Well then, be quiet, and I'll be upstairs.

Janeane takes a champagne bottle from Laurie and heads up the steps to her door.

SAM

Good night, Janeane.

LAURIE

Good night, Janeane. 

[to Sam] 

What'd you get me?

SAM

A graduation gift.

LAURIE

Is it a briefcase? 

Did I just ruin it? 

I only asked because a briefcase is the typical

law school graduation gift, and when I said 'typical', I don't mean boring. 

I just mean basic, and when I say basic, I don't mean boring, either.

Sam hands her a small long box.

SAM

Open the box.

LAURIE

You bought me a pen?

SAM

It's a good one. 

It writes upside down and you can use that pen in outer space.

Laurie chuckles and closes the box.

LAURIE

Where's my present?

Sam reaches into a bag on the steps and pulls out a briefcase. Laurie is stunned.

SAM

Happy graduation, counselor.

LAURIE

Thank you.

Sam hugs Laurie.

SAM

Way to go, Laurie.

LAURIE

Thank you.

We cut to a view through a camera viewfinder as someone takes a couple pictures of Sam and Laurie hugging each other.

SAM

I have to go. 

You spending the night here, or are you going to take off?

LAURIE

No, I'm going to go upstairs to Janeane's. She's got a...

A car starts up and squeals away.

SAM

Did you see anybody get into that car?

Laurie and Sam stare down the empty street.

FADE OUT.

END ACT THREE

* * *

ACT FOUR

FADE IN: EXT. THE WHITE HOUSE - DAY

WEDNESDAY MORNING

36 HOURS INTO POLLING

CUT TO: INT. C.J.'S OFFICE AREA - DAY

Sam is waiting outside. Toby comes out of C.J.'s office. Toby and Sam head

to see

the President.

TOBY

He's ready to see us.

SAM

What'd he say?

TOBY

He said, "Get your ass over here."

SAM

I've drafted a letter of resignation.

TOBY

Well you're not going to give it to him, Sam, because that would deny me the pleasure of throwing you out through a plate glass window.

SAM

You have every right to say that.

TOBY

Thank you for acknowledging that right.

SAM

Toby...

TOBY

I should keep you on a leash, you know that?

They run into Leo.

SAM

Leo...

LEO

I'm talking to C.J., then I'm talking to you.

TOBY

Ten-foot chain around your neck. 

I bolt you to your desk and have someone come in and

feed you.

CUT TO: INT. C.J.'S OFFICE - DAY

C.J. is at her desk on the phone.

C.J.

[into phone] 

I'm going to check, but I'm almost certain the President was

referring to the NASDAQ composite and not the 30-year Treasury yield.

[listens] 

Not the DOW Industrials, the NASDAQ composite.

Leo barges into C.J.'s office and slams the door, startling C.J.

C.J.

[into phone] 

Okay, someone here is going to get back to you. [hangs up]

LEO

How do you not tell me until this morning?

C.J.

Leo...

LEO

How do you not call me last night?

C.J.

We didn't know anything last night. 

[stands up]

LEO

Sam called you.

C.J.

That's right. 

He met the girl and saw a suspicious car. 

I'm not going to call up the

White House Chief of Staff in the middle of the night because someone started a car.

LEO

C.J., if it was...

C.J.

I was handling it, Leo. 

It took me three hours to confirm there was a picture,

and another hour to find out who has it.

LEO

Who has it?

C.J.

The London Daily Mirror. 

They paid a waitress friend of hers $50,000 to set it up and confirm that she was a call girl.

LEO

When is it running?

C.J.

It'll run later today. 

American Press has it tomorrow morning.

LEO

He was giving her a graduation present?

C.J.

Yeah.

LEO

Work the Post and the Times.

C.J.

Yeah.

Leo leaves as C.J. sits back down in her chair in relief.

CUT TO: INT. THE WHITE HOUSE PORTICO - DAY

Sam, Toby, and Bartlet are walking and enter through one of the glass doors.

BARTLET

You never paid this girl to have sex?

SAM

No sir.

TOBY

They didn't have that kind of relationship, sir. 

Except once, and that time he didn't know what was happening.

BARTLET

Well, that makes two of us.

TOBY

Mr. President, Sam has always been completely above board about his relationship with Laurie.

BARTLET

Laurie's the girl?

SAM

Yes, sir.

TOBY

He told us about it right after his first contact with her nine months ago. 

The fact that she was putting herself through law school, under circumstances that were less than good, has to mean something, as is the fact that Sam's word is unimpeachable.

BARTLET

Toby, are you in here sticking up for Sam?

TOBY

I know it's strange, sir. But I'm feeling a-a... certain big brotherly connection right now. 

You know, obviously, I'd like that feeling to go away as soon as possible. 

But for the moment, I think there's no danger in the White House standing by Sam and aggressively going after the people who set him up.

Sam looks at Toby a bit stunned.

BARTLET

[big sigh] Sam, you're going to spend the morning in the White House Counsel's office finding out if you've broke any laws.

SAM

Yes, sir.

BARTLET

You should also call the girl... what's her name?

SAM

Laurie.

BARTLET

You should call her and tell her the White House deeply regrets the phenomenal inconvenience she's about to experience.

SAM

Yes, sir.

BARTLET

You might also want to point out to her that she probably has a cause of action against the paper.

SAM

Yes, sir.

BARTLET

And you should tell her that if she passes her Bar exam, the U.S. Attorney General will personally see to it that she's admitted to the Bar.

SAM

Yes, sir.

BARTLET

Tell her the President of the United States says congratulations on getting her degree.

SAM

Yes, sir.

BARTLET

That's all.

SAM

Thank you, Mr. President.

Sam, still stunned beyond belief, leaves THE OVAL OFFICE.

BARTLET

It's nice when we can do something for prostitutes once in a while, isn't it?

GILGAMESH KING IN URUK

I WILL proclaim to the world the deeds of Gilgamesh. This was the man to whom all things were known; this was the king who knew the countries of the world. He was wise, he saw mysteries and knew secret things, he brought us a tale of the days before the flood. He went on a long journey, was weary, worn-out with labour, returning he rested, he engraved on a stone the whole story.

When the gods created Gilgamesh they gave him a perfect body. Shamash the glorious sun endowed him with beauty, Adad the god of the storm endowed him with courage, the great gods made his beauty perfect, surpassing all others, terrifying like a great wild bull. Two thirds they made him god and one third man.

In Uruk he built walls, a great rampart, and the temple of blessed Eanna for the god of the firmament Anu, and for Ishtar the goddess of love. Look at it still today: the outer wall where the cornice runs, it shines with the brilliance of copper; and the inner wall, it has no equal. Touch the threshold, it is ancient. Approach Eanna the dwelling of Ishtar, our lady of love and war, the like of which no latter-day king, no man alive can equal. Climb upon the wall of Uruk; walk along it, I say; regard the foundation terrace and examine the. masonry: is it not burnt brick and good? The seven sages laid the foundations.



1

THE COMING OF ENKIDU

GILGAMESH went abroad in the world, but he met with none who could withstand his arms till be came to Uruk. But the men of Uruk muttered in their houses, 'Gilgamesh sounds the tocsin for his amusement, his arrogance has no bounds by day or night. No son is left with his father, for Gilgamesh takes them all, even the children; yet the king should be a shepherd to his people. His lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior's daughter nor the wife of the noble; yet this is the shepherd of the city, wise, comely, and resolute.'

The gods heard their lament, the gods of heaven cried to the Lord of Uruk, to Anu the god of Uruk: 'A goddess made him, strong as a savage bull, none can withstand his arms. No son is left with his father, for Gilgamesh takes them all; and is this the king, the shepherd of his people? His lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior's daughter nor the wife of the noble. When Anu had heard their lamentation the gods cried to Aruru, the goddess of creation, 'You made him, O Aruru; now create his equal; let it be as like him as his own reflection, his second self; stormy heart for stormy heart. Let them contend together and leave Uruk in quiet.'

So the goddess conceived an image in her mind, and it was of the stuff of Anu of the firmament. She dipped her hands in water and pinched off clay, she let it fall in the wilderness, and noble Enkidu was created. There was virtue in him of the god of war, of Ninurta himself. His body was rough, he had long hair like a woman's; it waved like the hair of Nisaba, the goddess of corn. His body was covered with matted hair like Samugan's, the god of cattle. He was innocent of mankind; he knew nothing of the cultivated land.

Enkidu ate grass in the hills with the gazelle and lurked with wild beasts at the water-holes; he had joy of the water with the herds of wild game. But there was a trapper who met him one day face to face at the drinking-hole, for the wild game had entered his territory. On three days he met him face to face, and the trapper was frozen with fear. He went back to his house with the game that he had caught, and he was dumb, benumbed with terror. His face was altered like that of one who has made a long journey. With awe in his heart he spoke to his father: 'Father, there is a man, unlike any other, who comes down from the hills. He is the strongest in the world, he is like an immortal from heaven. He ranges over the hills with wild beasts and eats grass; the ranges through your land and comes down to the wells. I am afraid and dare not go near him. He fills in the pits which I dig and tears up-my traps set for the game; he helps the beasts to escape and now they slip through my fingers.'

His father opened his mouth and said to the trapper, 'My son, in Uruk lives Gilgamesh; no one has ever prevailed against him, he is strong as a star from heaven. Go to Uruk, find Gilgamesh, extol the strength of this wild man. Ask him to give you a harlot, a wanton from the temple of love; return with her, and let her woman's power overpower this man. When next he comes down to drink at the wells she will be there, stripped naked; and when he sees her beckoning he will embrace her, and then the wild beasts will reject him.'

So the trapper set out on his journey to Uruk and addressed himself to Gilgamesh saying, 'A man unlike any other is roaming now in the pastures; he is as strong as a star from heaven and I am afraid to approach him. He helps the wild game to escape; he fills in my pits and pulls up my traps.' Gilgamesh said, 'Trapper, go back, take with you a harlot, a child of pleasure. At the drinking hole she will strip, and when, he sees her beckoning he will embrace her and the game of the wilderness will. surely reject him.'

Now the trapper returned, taking the harlot with him. After a three days' journey they came to the drinking hole, and there they sat down; the harlot and the trapper sat . facing one another and waited for the game to come. For the first day and for the second day the two sat waiting, but on the third day the herds came; they came down to drink and Enkidu was with them. The small wild creatures of the plains were glad of the water, and Enkidu with them, who ate grass with the gazelle and was born in the hills; and she saw him, the savage man, come from far-off in the hills. The trapper spoke to her: 'There he is. Now, woman, make your breasts bare, have no shame, do not delay but welcome his love. Let him see you naked, let him possess your body. When he comes near uncover yourself and lie with him; teach him, the savage man, your woman's art, for when he murmurs love to you the wild' beasts that shared his life in the hills will reject him.'

She was not ashamed to take him, she made herself naked and welcomed his eagerness; as he lay on her murmuring love she taught him the woman's art For six days and seven nights they lay together, for Enkidu had forgotten his home in the hills; but when he was satisfied he went back to the wild beasts. Then, when the gazelle saw him, they bolted away; when the wild creatures saw him they fled. Enkidu would have followed, but his body was bound as though with a cord, his knees gave way when he started to run, his swiftness was gone. And now the wild creatures had all fled away; Enkidu was grown weak, for wisdom was in him, and the thoughts of a man were in his heart. So he returned and sat down at the woman's feet, and listened intently to what she said. 'You are wise, Enkidu, and now you have become like a god. Why do you want to run wild with the beasts in the hills? Come with me. I will take you to strong-walled Uruk, to the blessed temple of Ishtar and of Anu, of love and of heaven there Gilgamesh lives, who is very strong, and like a wild bull he lords it over men.'

When she had spoken Enkidu was pleased; he longed for a comrade, for one who would understand his heart. 'Come, woman, and take me to that holy temple, to the house of Anu and of Ishtar, and to the place where Gilgamesh lords it over the people. I will challenge him boldly, I will cry out aloud in Uruk, "I am the strongest here, I have come to change the old order, I am he who was born in the hills, I am he who is strongest of all."'

She said, 'Let us go, and let him see your face. I know very well where Gilgamesh is in great Uruk. O Enkidu, there all the people are dressed in their gorgeous robes, every day is holiday, the young men and the girls are wonderful to see. How sweet they smell! All the great ones are roused from their beds. O Enkidu, you who love life, I will show you Gilgamesh, a man of many moods; you shall look at him well in his radiant manhood. His body is perfect in strength and maturity; he never rests by night or day. He is stronger than you, so leave your boasting. Shamash the glorious sun has given favours to Gilgamesh, and Anu of the heavens, and Enlil, and Ea the wise has given him deep understanding. f tell you, even before you have left the wilderness, Gilgamesh will know in his dreams that you are coming.'

Now Gilgamesh got up to tell his dream to his mother; Ninsun, one of the wise gods. 'Mother, last night I had a dream. I was full of joy, the young heroes were round me and I walked through the night under the stars of the firmament, and one, a meteor of the stuff of Anu, fell down from heaven. I tried to lift it but it proved too heavy. All the people of Uruk came round to see it, the common people jostled and the nobles thronged to kiss its feet; and to me its attraction was like the love of woman. They helped me, I braced my forehead and I raised it with thongs and brought it to you, and you yourself pronounced it my brother.'

Then Ninsun, who is well-beloved and wise, said to Gilgamesh, 'This star of heaven which descended like a meteor from the sky; which you tried to lift,- but found too heavy, when you tried to move it it would not budge, and so you brought it to my feet; I made it for you, a goad and spur, and you were drawn as though to a woman. This is the strong comrade, the one who brings help to his friend in his need. He is the strongest of wild creatures, the stuff of Anu; born in the grass-lands and the wild hills reared him; when you see him you will be glad; you will love him as a woman and he will never forsake you. This is the meaning of the dream.'

Gilgamesh said, 'Mother, I dreamed a second dream. In the streets of strong-walled Uruk there lay an axe; the shape of it was strange and the people thronged round. I saw it and was glad. I bent down, deeply drawn towards it; I loved it like a woman and wore it at my side.' Ninsun answered, 'That axe, which you saw, which drew you so powerfully like love of a woman, that is the comrade whom I give you, and he will come in his strength like one of the host of heaven. He is the brave companion who rescues his friend in necessity.' Gilgamesh said to his mother, 'A friend, a counsellor has come to me from Enlil, and now I shall befriend and counsel him.' So Gilgamesh told his dreams; and the harlot retold them to Enkidu.

And now she said to Enkidu, 'When I look at you you have become like a god. Why do you yearn to run wild again with the beasts in the hills? Get up from the ground, the bed of a shepherd.' He listened to her words with care. It was good advice that she gave. She divided her clothing in two and with the one half she clothed him and with the other herself, and holding his hand she led him like a child to the sheepfolds, into the shepherds' tents. There all the shepherds crowded round to see him, they put down bread in front of him, but Enkidu could only suck the milk of wild animals. He fumbled and gaped, at a loss what to do or how he should eat the bread and drink the strong wine. Then the woman said, 'Enkidu, eat bread, it is the staff of life; drink the wine, it is the custom of the land.' So he ate till he was full and drank strong wine, seven goblets. He became merry, his heart exulted and his face shone. He rubbed down the matted hair of his body and anointed himself with oil. Enkidu had become a man; but when he had put on man's clothing he appeared like a bridegroom. He took arms to hunt the lion so that the shepherds could rest at night. He caught wolves and lions and the herdsmen lay down in peace; for Enkidu was their watchman, that strong man who had no rival.

He was merry living with the shepherds, till one day lifting his eyes he saw a man approaching. He said to the harlot, 'Woman, fetch that man here. Why has he come? I wish to know his name.' She went and called the man saying, 'Sir, where are you going on this weary journey?' The man answered, saying to Enkidu, 'Gilgamesh has gone into the marriage-house and shut out the people. He does strange things in Uruk, the city of great streets. At the roll of the drum work begins for the men, and work for the women. Gilgamesh the king is about to celebrate marriage with the Queen of Love, and he still demands to be first with the bride, the king to be first and the husband to follow, for that was ordained by the gods from his birth, from the time the umbilical cord was cut. But now the drums roll for the choice of the bride and the city groans.' At these words Enkidu turned white in the face. 'I will go to the place where Gilgamesh lords it over the people, I will challenge him boldly, and I will cry aloud in Uruk, "I have come to change the old order, for I am the strongest here."

Now Enkidu strode in front and the woman followed behind. He entered Uruk, that great market, and all the folk thronged round him where he stood in the street in strong-walled Uruk. The people jostled; speaking of him they said, 'He is the spit of Gilgamesh. 'He is shorter.' 'He is bigger of bone.' This is the one who was reared on the milk of wild beasts. His is the greatest strength.' The men rejoiced: 'Now Gilgamesh has met his match. This great-one, this hero whose beauty is like a god, he is a match even for Gilgamesh.'

In Uruk the bridal bed was made, fit for the goddess of love. The bride waited for the bridegroom, but in the night Gilgamesh got up and came to the house. Then Enkidu stepped out, he stood in the street and blocked the way. Mighty Gilgamesh came on and Enkidu met him at the gate. He put out his foot and prevented Gilgamesh from entering the house, so they grappled, holding each other like bulls. They broke the doorposts and the walls shook, they snorted like bulls locked together. They shattered the doorposts and the walls shook. Gilgamesh bent his knee with his foot planted on the ground and with a turn Enkidu was thrown. Then immediately his fury died. When Enkidu was thrown he said to Gilgamesh, 'There is not another like you in the world. Ninsun, who is as strong as a wild ox in the byre, she was the mother who bore you, and now you are raised above all men, and Enlil has given you the kingship, for your strength surpasses the strength of men.' So Enkidu and Gilgamesh embraced and their friendship was sealed.