INT. HADLEY FAMILY SHED - DAY
The shed door opens and Hadrian appears
HADRIAN HADLEY: So this is what you’ve been up to. Who is this old fart?
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: This is Mr Kringle
HADRIAN HADLEY: Why are you looking after him? He’s only going to rob you blind.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: No, he’s not. He’s nice.
HADRIAN HADLEY: Anyone can appear nice. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t tell Mom and Dad on you.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: I’ll give you all the money I have.
HADRIAN HADLEY: And how much is that?
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: Eighty bucks
HADRIAN HADLEY: You give me eighty bucks and I’ll give you a week to get rid of this old geezer before I tell on you.
Hadrian closes the door once more.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: What are we going to do, Mr Kringle?
MR KRINGLE: I don’t think you should give up eighty bucks on my account Christopher. To a young man like you, that is a fortune.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: Do you have a better idea?
MR KRINGLE: Let me tell you a story
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: Not another one of your stories Mr Kringle.
MR KRINGLE: This is a true story, Christopher.
EXT. OUTSIDE REMOTE DWELLING ALABAMA - NIGHT (1873)
A remote dwelling of an African American Family of four. In front of the house is a burning cross and several men in Klu Klux Klan uniform on horseback.
KLU KLUX KLAN LEADER: Come out Jefferson Kringle before we burn your house down
JEFFERSON KRINGLE: 34, FIVE FEET ELEVEN INCHES, SLIM BUILD, AFRICAN AMERICAN, DARK RECEDING HAIR. HAZEL EYES
Jefferson emerges from the small dwelling
JEFFERSON KRINGLE: Leave my wife and kids out of this please. It’s me you want.
CUT TO:
INT. INSIDE REMOTE DWELLING ALABAMA - NIGHT (1873)
AMELIA KRINGLE: 32, FIVE FEET SIX INCHES, AFRICAN AMERICAN, SLIM BUILD, LONG DARK HAIR, BROWN EYES
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: 12, FIVE FEET TALL, SLIM, AFRICAN AMERICAN, SHORT DARK HAIR, BLUE EYES
AMELIA: Christian, I want you to climb out through the window and take hold of the baby.
Christian does as he is told and accepts the baby from his mother.
AMELIA: Go Christian. I will only slow you down.
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: But mama
AMELIA: Run Christian run.
Christian runs as far and as fast as he can, hoping that the Klu Klux Klan members cannot see him. He reaches the edge of the forest and looks around
Some of the Klu Klux Klan members on horses are galloping in his general direction with torches held aloft. Christian enters the forest and continues to run.
He reaches the edge of a clearing when a man on a flying sleigh pulled by flying reindeer lands in the clearing.
Christian approaches the mysterious man
SAINT NICHOLAS: Wearing a Red & white suit with black boots, overweight, white hair and a white beard, light blue eyes
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: Who are you?
SAINT NICHOLAS: Why Saint Nicholas of course.
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: Who is Saint Nicholas?
SAINT NICHOLAS: You might say, I deliver a lot of presents.
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: So you’re like a postman.
SAINT NICHOLAS: Of sorts. Well the present I would like to offer you is freedom, safety and security. I can take you there if you trust me.
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: No thanks Mr Nicholas, but I’m Alabama born and bred and I’m a Kringle like my Dad before me and I just want to stay that way. My Dad will survive. He always does.
SAINT NICHOLAS: Not this time son, I’m afraid to say.
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: You’ll see. He’s got to.
SAINT NICHOLAS: The offer still stands. If ever you change your mind, all you have to say is “fiddlesticks” three times in a row and I’ll be there in a jiffy. Before I go, here is a little present for you. Its called a boomerang. You throw it and it comes back to you.
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: Why, thank you Mr Nicholas
SAINT NICHOLAS: Please, call me Santa. Now, if you want to avoid those evil men, you better get going
Saint Nicholas sleigh takes off again. Christian turns his head to look behind him and sees men on horseback, carrying torches in the distance. He turns and starts to run again.
EXT. STREET IN ALABAMA TOWN - DAY (1877)
A teenage Christian Kringle is playing with his boomerang on the street when an attractive young woman of similar age approaches him.
Christian Kringle: Blue eyes, 15 years old, Five Feet nine inches, Slim, Dark Hair, Dark skin
SUE ELLEN THOMPSON: 15 years old, Five Feet seven inches tall, Blonde hair, blue eyes, slender figure, wearing a blue dress and white boots
SUE ELLEN THOMPSON: Why are you constantly playing with that toy of yours? Don’t you get bored?
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: It keeps my mind off things.
SUE ELLEN THOMPSON: Like getting beaten up by gangs in the neighbourhood? Isn’t there anything else you look forward to besides playing with a flying stick?
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: Since my Aunt May died a few months ago, I have nobody. I might even be homeless in a month or two. I was thinking of finding a job on a plantation.
He pauses for a brief moment
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: You are the only person I like in this world and everyone knows I can’t have you.
SUE ELLEN THOMPSON: You can’t have me? You don’t want to be a chicken all your life, now do you?
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: It might help me greatly if I was to stay out of trouble.
A gang of four white teenagers approach.
DEXTER UNGER: Six feet tall, 16 years old, strongly built, dark hair, brown eyes, slim
DEXTER UNGER: Well, if it isn’t Kringle and his white girlfriend.
SUE ELLEN THOMPSON: He’s not my boyfriend Dexter Unger. I was merely reprimanding him from playing with that stupid stick of his. I don’t care if you beat him black and blue.
DEXTER UNGER: Well, seen as you don’t mind.
Dexter approaches Christian until he is only a foot away.
DEXTER UNGER: Give me that stick, you yellow belly.
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: No, it belongs to me.
DEXTER UNGER: Did you steal it? Of course you did. Now hand it over.
CHRISTIAN KRINGLE: No
Christian turns to walk away but Dexter pulls him back and punches him to the ground. Dexter picks up the boomerang and throws it in the air. Before it comes back to Dexter, Christian climbs to his feet, catches it and starts to run. As he does so, he says “Fiddlesticks” aloud three times before he disappears.
INT. HADLEY FAMILY SHED - DAY
MR KRINGLE: The next thing I knew it, I was at the North Pole with Saint Nicholas himself. He thought me the ropes. Then when it was time for him to retire, I took over from him.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: Are you the real Santa Claus?
MR KRINGLE: You might say, I’m his replacement, and a failure at that. I never was as good as him at mastering chimneys and rooftops.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: Mr Kringle, you’re no failure. You bring presents to all the children in the world.
MR KRINGLE: Almost all and some are easier to please than others. You only ask for a lump of wood. You don’t ask for much do you?
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: I don’t want to be too greedy.
MR KRINGLE: I suppose it is an admirable quality.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: But what are we going to do now? Your leg isn’t going to heal anytime soon, and your little helpers are going to worry where you are.
MR KRINGLE: That’s the least of my worries. I don’t even know where my reindeer are. They must have scattered in shock. I just hope that the sleigh hasn’t been used for firewood and the reindeer haven’t been hit by a car.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: Don’t worry, Mr Kringle, we’ll find them.
EXT. OUTSIDE SCHOOL GROUNDS - AFTERNOON
Hadrian Hadley is pinned to a six foot high fence by Cedric Ross, a ten year old bully.
CEDRIC ROSS: Five Feet Three Inches Tall, 10 years old, relatively strong, brown hair, dark blue eyes.
CEDRIC ROSS: You answer another question in class Hadley that makes me look stupid and you’re dead. Do you think I’m dumb Hadley? Do you?
Cedric pushes Hadrian as he says this
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: Leave my brother alone you bully.
CEDRIC ROSS: What are you going to do you little pipsqueak, stand on my toes?
Christopher raises his fists like a professional boxer but one of Cedric’s friends simply pushes him to the ground. Cedric punches Hadrian in the stomach and leaves.
HADRIAN HADLEY: If you think, I’m not going to tell mom about the Hobo in the shed, you are wrong.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: Please, Hadrian, he’s not a hobo. He’s Santa Claus
HADRIAN HADLEY: Santa Claus isn’t real. He’s only doing that to manipulate you. You shouldn’t be such a fool. He has to go. We’ll let Mom and Dad decide what happens to him.
INT. HADLEY FAMILY SHED - EVENING: Melanie, Duncan, Christopher and Hadrian are standing over Mr Kringle in the shed.
DUNCAN HADLEY: Christopher, what did we tell you about talking to strangers?
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: But Dad, this stranger is Santa Claus.
MELANIE HADLEY: He’s not even dressed like Santa Claus.
DUNCAN HADLEY: He was probably trying to break into our house. I’m afraid that if he doesn’t leave we’re going to have to call the cops.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: But Dad, his leg is broken and if he doesn’t get better loads of kids are not going to get their toys.
MELANIE HADLEY: Is that what he told you?
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: No, but it’s true.
MELANIE HADLEY: Christopher, it’s sweet that you’re so caring but you have to learn not to be so naïve. If his leg is broken he belongs in a hospital.
CHRISTOPHER HADLEY: Mr Kringle says that sometimes the cynical answer isn’t always the right answer
MELANIE HADLEY: Is that what he told you? Well he would say that now wouldn’t he? The first thing we are going to do is get him to the hospital. From then on he’s on his own.
MR KRINGLE: Mrs Hadley, for years my identity has been a mystery. If you bring me to a hospital it may be catastrophic to my reputation. It could ruin Christmas forever.
DUNCAN HADLEY: You would say that wouldn’t you.
INT. LOCAL HOSPITAL - EVENING
A nurse approaches Mr Kringle in bed
Nurse Dorothy: Wearing a white uniform, 38, Five Feet Four inches, slender build, short light brown hair, hazel eyes
NURSE: I’m going to have to ask you a number of routine questions sir
MR KRINGLE : Ok, go ahead.
NURSE: What is your full name
MR KRINGLE : Christian Santini Kringle
NURSE: And your date of birth?
MR KRINGLE: Christmas eve
NURSE: And the year?
MR KRINGLE: 1861
NURSE: Ok, smart arse, do you have any identification?
MR KRINGLE: No
NURSE: Not even a birth certificate
MR KRINGLE: That went up in flames in 1873
NURSE: Next of kin?
MR KRINGLE: They died in the nineteenth century.
NURSE: I’m going to have to involve a policeman in this if you don’t behave more reasonably, Mr Kringle. Assuming that is your full name.
MR KRINGLE: I do understand your position, Dorothy but I’d rather not involve the police.
NURSE: How did you know my name?
MR KRINGLE: You almost made the naughty list one year, for stamping on Erica Tumbleweed’s toe, but you later apologised. Your name tag is also on your uniform.
NURSE: Oh.