Page 171 - Musings 2022
P. 171
Prisoner: I told you it could not be done.
Wayne: You told me a child did it...
Prisoner: No ordinary child...
Wayne: A child born in hell.
Wayne: A child forged by suffering, hardened by pain...
INSERT CUT: the Child leaps across the abyss, grabbing a handhold on the ledge and swinging
up...
Wayne: Not a man from privilege.
Wayne does endless push-ups, squats, stretches. The Blind Prisoner listens. He speaks in an
ancient tongue.
Prisoner: He says the leap to freedom is not about strength.
Wayne: My body makes the jump.
Blind Prisoner: Survival is the spirit. The soul.
Wayne: My soul’s as ready to escape as my body.
Blind Prisoner: Fear is why you fail.
Wayne: I’m not afraid. I’m angry.
Wayne throws punches...focused. And goes again to try and again fall very hard and get
unconscious having a dream of his father saying the iconic quote of his life that is “And why
do we fall Bruce? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up”. Afterwards, taken down by
prisoners and Bruce wakes up getting sad, putting an elbow over his head also knowing the
presence of the blind prisoner.
Blind Prisoner: You do not fear death. You think this makes you strong. This makes you weak.
Wayne: Why?
Blind Prisoner: How can you move faster than possible? Fight longer than possible? If not from
the most powerful impulse of the spirit. The fear of death. The will to survive.
Wayne gets up onto his elbow. Look at the Blind Prisoner.
Wayne: I do fear death. I fear dying in here while my city burns with no one there to save it.
Blind Prisoner: Then make the climb.
Wayne: How?
Blind Prisoner: As the child did. Without the rope. Then fear will find you again.
Wayne gets up this time, takes his supplies, prepares himself mentally to go without the rope
and takes the jump. He throws a rope after getting out of the well for the rest of the prisoners
and goes on to save his city.
THE END
171