Lester We Forget

Episode 4.
November 11, 2024

The Residents of Muskrat Creek

Esther Field (Lindsey Walker) - elderly schoolmarm, who has taken a vow of silence
Lester Field (Randy Brososky) - her son, proprietor of Fields, the general store
Sylvester Field (Jason Hardwick) - her other son, town undertaker
Chester Field (Peter Brown) - her third son, misses the old Muskrat Creek
Cyrus Lane (Jesse Gervais) - broken hearted widower
Holden Strong (Joel Taras) - hard working miner
Major Julien Bullion (Cody Porter) - The Baron, coal miner, owner of Crooked Fang Saloon
Billy Minor (Ellie Heath) - his bartender with a heart of gold
Old Man Muskrat (Vince Forcier) - town eccentric
Alma Grass (Caley Suliak) - Abandoned maid, cleans the whole town
Lady Lou Quigley (Stephanie Wolfe)- Owner of Lady Lou’s Saloon
Myrtle Wordle (Kristi Hansen) - Wealthy entrepreneur

Director: Jake Tkaczyk/Peter Brown
Music: Paul Morgan-Donald
Producer: Nicole Thibault
Synopsis: Jim Cej
Technical Magic: Olivia Bogaard

Act I

Esther and Lester look out over the town. A gunshot rings out in the distance. That was a large calibre weapon. He doesn’t want to kill for his mother, but he’ll find the person responsible for the gunshot they heard and bring them to her.

Lester just wants her to tell him that she loves him. Fine! She’ll do it. Just kill some people and bring the person that shot to me.

Cyrus, Chester, and Julien see that Billy Miner has been shot! The sight of blood makes Billy faint, so DON’T LOOK. Billy tells Julien that he wants to open a coffee shop in Muskrat Creek. After all that he’s done for Billy, he wants Julien to lend him some gold? Cyrus takes Julien’s ascot to use as a tourniquet, but it’s too late.

Lady Lou Quigley goes to the bank. She has all her money in Myrtle’s bank and she needs some cash. Unfortunately the bank can’t help her. But Myrtle has her own side business - Wordle’s Loans. We can’t talk here. Let’s meet behind the saloon. The code word will be, “I need some money.”

Holden pours himself a drink in the saloon. He is watched by Sylvester with his pickaxe. Sylvester can see Holden is intoxicated. No, he’s self improving! Are you sure you’re not drowning your demons? Sylvester has offended Holden by stealing the love of his life. That really hurt! He hugs Sylvester and weeps.

Alma and Calliope watch people pan for gold. It’s back breaking work for a few flakes of gold. Alma pours a drink, when Cyrus enters carrying Billy Miner. Alma pours the drink down his throat. Tell us who did this for you. “I WANT TO OPEN A COFFEE SHOP!” Who is that?!? Cyrus applies a tourniquet, but Billy points out that he’s working on the wrong leg. He says one of them Fields shot him. He collapses.

Lester is visited by Myrtle. Did you think that I forget you? I’ve followed you all the way from California. How many people are you going to hurt, to kill this time? He is the only thing she wants that she doesn’t have. She tempts Lester away from being the man he wants to be. He can hold out against his mother and Julien wanting him to kill, but not her. He wants her to do something to his mother. I thought you’d never ask.

Lady Lou has an ultimatum for Julien. Stay away from her business and her people. If he doesn’t, she will tickle him to death. She has caught him at a loss. The death of her friend and his, Billy Miner. You killed him? Well, I did put him in the situation. Julien says that his heart isn’t what it used to be. She chases him with her tickle finger.

Sylvester has Holden in one hand and his pickaxe in the other, but he tells Holden to sit down. Sylvester can see that he’s sad, all over his jacket. He feels better letting it out. His heart feels empty. Sylvester has buried many a man from empty heart syndrome. It would be really nice to hold someone’s hand and have them be nice to me. Picture the person holding your hand. Holden describes her in the vaguest of terms. He’s just lonesome. No shit. You’ve been secretive about it, but I could see it. Sleep this off and find someone new. Or I swear to god that I’ll kill you.

Cyrus Lane barges into the Field home, but only finds Esther there. He’s looking for her murderer son. They’ve shot Billy Miner. Billy developed a taste for the cacao bean. He wants to know which one did Billy harm. He owes Billy blood. Esther is attracted by this new side of Cyrus. Give me one of your sons. If Billy dies, so will one of your sons.

Lady Lou chases Julian through Muskrat Creek.

Chester runs into Alma Grass and tells her what happened to Billy. She is suspicious that he’s responsible. He runs off, and she shouts out that she knows who shot Billy Miner.

Calliope runs into Sylvester, but she has something that she has to do. He feels dejected. Is there someone new? What’s more important than us? Something really bad has happened to Billy Miner. He’s been gravely injured. Gravely?

Swear to me that you won’t be upset. Shit. Damn. Fart. Billy was shot by a Field boy. Tell me that it wasn’t you. These hands have never shot a gun. He will find out who is responsible.

The brothers run into each other on Main Street. None of them killed Billy. The town is out for blood. Chester will take responsibility, but he needs to run off.

Act II

The town has gathered at the coffee shop to see Cyrus and Alma grill the Field brothers. The townsfolk have never had caffeine before. Billy drags himself in. He’s alive! Get him some coffee. “You opened a coffee shop without me?”

Myrtle sneaks herself a stiff drink before she visits Esther. They didn’t get off on the right foot when she and Lester were engaged, but she’s back. Her father gave her some money to open a business in Muskrat Creek. She tells Esther that she’s back for him and she can’t do anything about it. Esther offers to throw her an engagement party.

Holden and Lester both have a coffee hangover. They share their troubles. No one is running Lester’s shop. No one is running the shop in Holden’s heart. That sounds like a song title…

Billy is slowly coming around and limps into Lady Lou’s Saloon. She heard that he was dead. Yeah, it’s weird because I was only shot in the leg. Are you in trouble? Do you need to be hid somewhere? That sounds fun! Billy thinks that Julien Bullion was involved in his shooting. They need to bring him down.

Julien goes to the local martial arts expert, Calliope. Lady Lou chased him all over town trying to tickle him. He needs her help. Where did there bad woman touch you? He needs a way to defend himself against her attacks. She can tell him, but he can never unlearn what she teach him. Lady Lou made his heart race. The only other thing that makes his heart race like that is gold. Maybe it wasn’t terror that he was feeling. Maybe he loved being tickled.

Sylvester, Alma, and Cyrus wake up to find that they are the only ones left in the coffee shop. What did they do? It’s awkward. Sylvester may have seen something when he had his coffee. Alma heard something, and Cyrus felt something. He saw Alma touching Cyrus’s boots and Cyrus was touching Alma’s bonnet. They agree too take their secret to their graves. Alma asks If they can keep another secret. She knows who shot Billy Miner. Cyrus made a blood oath with Billy. Whoever shot Billy, he will shoot. But Chester, Lester, and Sylvester weren’t there. There’s another Field brother!

Lester is not enjoying the engagement party arrangements. He’s not enjoying it the way Esther and Myrtle need him to be. Lester exerts himself. The last time he did that, 17 people died. If this is about love, he wants Myrtle to have the party she wants. And for Esther to have just enough control to think that she’s in charge. They sing to him. Can this be about love? Can this bar about power? Maybe it can be both. Can’t his thing have a little bit of murder?

Julien feels conflicted and visits Lady Lou Quigley. He wants a chance to say his piece. She has him all twisted up inside. He’s feeling things inside that he hasn’t felt in a long, long time. The way she touched him makes him want her all up in his business. They can have their own saloons, but it they were together, maybe they could grow something bigger. They touch, and feel something electric between them. They’ll have to make some sort of arrangement about their businesses. Since Billy’s alive, they can. Treat him like their own child. He limps in and falls into Lady Lou’s arms. Our little baby boy.

Sylvester, Alma, and Cyrus get down to the business about a fourth brother. What will they give her for information about him? What proof do you have? You’d be surprised what people say in a saloon. Cyrus has some gold, but Alma has heard that it’s cursed. Sylvester knows something about lifting a curse. He knows about the bone dance, which he does. Holden runs in with some good news. You know how your family all died. They’re alive?!? Oh, that may not have need the best way to say this. Your dog is alive!. Alma points to Holden. He is the fourth brother!

Photos by Janna Hove