Transcript created: 13th July 2025

Last updated: 13th July 2025

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SCENE 1
 

[A two-sided phone conversation. Isaac’s voice is clear, whereas the shepherd's voice is coming through a phone.]

Isaac: Hello, Isaac speaking.

Shepherd: Hello. Uh, I was given your number by my friend Eliot, who got it from Moira Brenning. I am a shepherd, and I, uh, I…

Isaac: Ah, I see

[Isaac starts grabbing a pen and notepad while clutching the phone between his shoulder and cheek.]

Shepherd: Yes, well, my herd has been acting strange, and I am worried that something is wrong with them. I was told you might be able to help?

Isaac: Well that depends. Did you speak to Moira yourself?

Shepherd: No, no, I haven’t spoken to anyone much. I… don’t really know what I’m asking you, to be honest. 

[He folds over some pages.]

Isaac: Have they started transforming yet?

Shepherd: Transforming?

Isaac: Anything odd in their appearance? And how about their feed, has anything changed in their diet, have any new plants started growing in the area?

Shepherd: No new plants, we recently changed fields but the behaviour began before then. It’s been dry, before today, but they are looking good, healthy, well-fed. There was one thing… the teeth, but I don’t really know if…

Isaac: No, no it’s all relevant.

Shepherd: A lot of the herd also spontaneously aborted very recently, all at once. It could’ve been stress-related, we’ve had some… occurrences recently. I don’t know if you’ve heard about the recent murder near Melgon?

Isaac: Yes, of course

Shepherd: The body was found in the park where my sheep stay overnight.

[Isaac is getting excited.]

Isaac: oh… Well that is, quite something. And where are you now? 

Shepherd: We have just moved to the mountain on the opposite end of the village.

[Isaac starts packing a bag, opens a zipper, throws some stuff in.]

Isaac: Fantastic, that is fantastic, okay, how is tomorrow? I can get there by midday? 

Shepherd: Oh, That’s… That’s soon. I’ll have to see… Maybe the day after?

Isaac: Perfect! Ehm, it’s a long drive so I’ll drop in the night before. I have a tent I can bring. Wonderful. Oh, this is exciting. Terrible! But exciting… 

Shepherd: Uhm, I’ll send you the address, I guess?

Isaac: Ah yes, yes, that’s good. I will see you Sunday!

Shepherd: And what will you- 

[The phone is hung up. The Shepherd grunts annoyed.]

Shepherd: Christ…

THEME TUNE


SCENE 2
[It’s raining, a medium amount. The shepherd’s footsteps sound wet. There are some distant, calm bells as the sheep graze the field. A slow, somewhat melancholic tune plays in the background as the shepherd monologues.]

Shepherd, internally: The love I feel for my herd is like nothing else in the world. I do not love the sheep like I love Alma, I do not love them like a parent would love a child or a fan loves their football team. And while I feel affection for individual sheep, I love the herd like you might love a forest: it is ancient and continuous, it is beautiful and magnificent, it is calm and fragile all at the same time. The herd needs a shepherd to live but it doesn’t need me, though I need the herd to be a shepherd. I didn’t grow up a shepherd, didn’t inherit the role. Shepherding is a calling, and it beckons the strangest creatures. For some it is the isolation, for others the mountains, but regardless most of us turned our backs rather than the other cheek to a society that leaves little space for the strange and odd. I grew up in a big city for most of my life, and people who knew me then think I’ve gone mad- and maybe I have. I don’t mind. There is nothing for me in those streets, and when I have to go back the noise, the smell, the proximity of the many feels like an assault on my senses. I am at peace here with my sheep. The movement of the herd, the roaming of the land grounds me to time and place, while the temporality of the work allows me to be transient, mobile, nomadic. We go out sunshine or rain, in sickness and in health. The sheep bring me a sanity, and normally I bring the sheep safety and calmth. 

[The tune ends, the mood shifts. It’s just the rain, the bells.]

Shepherd, internally: Today, they are looking at me with a strange anxiety, excited nerves twitching in their faces. Whenever I move too close, heads will snap up and they trace me with their flat eyes. Their horizontal pupils distinguish them so strongly from other animals, their gaze neither human nor a mirror to the soul. I might be mad, and never have I felt more mad than the past weeks. But I am nothing if not trusting of my instincts, and these sheep have started seeing me as something other than their shepherd. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they’ve started seeing me as prey.

[The shepherd chuckles, not taking himself too seriously. The rain picks up a bit. The wet footsteps continue. A haunting noise that could be wind, or could be a monstor-ish calling from the herd picks up.]

Shepherd, internally: But it is not my job to prescribe what the herd should or shouldn’t do, want, or need. It is my job to gather only enough information so I can extrapolate their needs and provide, protect, to the best of my abilities. And so our relationship has changed from an organic push and pull into a relentless feeding of rope until I feel the last fibres slip from my grasp. I notice the growing canines in their mouths, but do not try to make sense of the change. I notice the talon-like protrusions on their heels, but do not dare to assume I understand the change. The less I prod, the more tolerant the sheep are to my presence. And while all the chaos continues on in the world, I am still here shepherding the herd every day, from sunrise until after sunset, when we return to the park, as we do now. So many things change, and so many things stay the same.

Shepherd: Almost there ladies! That’s it, let’s get home so we can dry out. Or, well, so I can dry out. 

[The shepherd locks the fence behind the sheep. Alma yawns. The slow, haunting calls heighten.]

Shepherd: You stay out here Alma, I’ll be right back.

Shepherd, internally: After drinking and finding their favourite spots, the sheep are usually quick to settle in to the night. I wait to watch them lay down and find sleep, but something seems to have them on edge tonight. The patous walk around the herd restlessly. I wonder if there is a wolf nearby that they are sensing, but their concern does not seem to be outwith the herd, but within it.

[The shepherd walks over to the middle of the herd. His footsteps are soppy. The herd is restless and haunted. He has to strain his voice to be heard over everything.]

Shepherd: Come on girls, bedtime. What is it?

[We hear some sheep start walking around the shepherd. As the shepherd monologues, the walking gets louder and louder. The shepherd has to start talking louder and louder. He sounds stressed, chased.]

Shepherd, internally: The biggest instinct in sheep is their herd mentality. It is often used as a shorthand for a lack of intelligence, but sheep are smart, just in different ways. The herd is their best chance of surviving, and so the movements of the herd add up to more than the sum of its sheep. The herd is a creature of its own. Most times, this is a beautiful thing to see. But sometimes the herd is spiteful to the animals that make up its body. Sheep have been known to follow each other off cliff edges, or get led away from safety rather than towards it by a single sheep making a mistake. Sometimes, they will start following each other in circles, not sure where they are going, but trusting that the herd ahead of them will know. They can walk for days if not interrupted, not eating, not drinking, just circling around themselves in an unrelenting death march. But that is not what my sheep are doing now. The way they are roaming around me, closing me in, capturing me. This is intentional.

[The sheep are running around the shepherd now, the stampede closing in on where he is.]

Shepherd: Get away! Go! Alma, yip! What do you want from me? Go! GO!!!

[The shepherd growls the last words, with an aggression we haven’t seen from him yet. Animalistic. The roaming sheep slowly stop, calm down. The shepherd is still breathing heavily as the herd settles in.The rain lessens again. Peace returns, but the shepherd is still unsettled.

SCENE 3
[We’re in a car, driving slowly on a country road. The rain is loud on the car roof, windscreen wipers are going at speed. Voicenote starts.]

Shepherd; Bonjour Sabine! How are you? The sheep have settled in okay after the journey, the new place has plenty of food and they’ve been… fine, these past few days. Everyone seems healthy. I took them back early today as I’m just heading out to stock up on food, but I’ll be back before sunset. Not that there’s much sun to see in this darn weather. Let me know when you want to come over for the water tank next week. 

[Voicenote ends. A new voicenote starts. The shepherd speaks awkwardly now.]

Shepherd: I’m having a visitor over tomorrow, just so you know. Alright. Bye.

[End of voicenote.]

Shepherd, internally: The road down from the mountain is winding and rough, and slippery in this weather. It’s only the afternoon but it’s dark with grey clouds carrying storm, and the village across from where my cabin is has lit up with lights like burning eyes. Sabine warned me about the inquisitive nature of the inhabitants of Melgon. The land I roam with my sheep used to be theirs, long before my, or even Sabine’s time here. But it got sold off, and apparently the older villagers still peer out of their windows with binoculars to keep an eye on what goes on up here. It’s unnerving, feeling like you might be being watched at any time. In the past few days I’ve welcomed the privacy of darkness when it comes. I often wonder how long this mountain has been the transient home of shepherds and their sheep, and how long we might last. Sabine managed to renegotiate the grazing rights with the new owner for this year, but who knows what they might want to do with the land. 

[A moment of quiet, just the car running, the rain. The radio is turned on, we scroll through some channels.]

Weather reporter: … a storm coming in over the mainland from the south and clashing up against the mountains. Rain is expected over the next two days with possible flooding at lower ground. Thunderstorms will be moving in and people are cautioned to be careful of wind gust up to 140km…

News: …the police have given no further updates on the investigation behind the murder of local activist Rosalie Grey, but a vigil was held last night near the crime scene. Protesters were dispersed late at night on request of the landowner, though a larger group has gathered and continues to grow on the A21 by Melgon. Drivers are urged to detour via the A23 in the meantime, to avoid a potential road blockage. 

[While this is ongoing, the rowdy noise of a crowd is growing. There are drums, shouting, chants. A car beeps in the distance. Someone slams on the Shepherd’s car and he rolls down his window.]

[The Shepherd honks and tries to get through.]

Protestor: Stop! We are occupying this road to show the importance of land access! 

Shepherd: Just let me through you fucks

Protestor from further 2: It’s that shepherd from the mountain!

Protestor 3 [Through a megaphone]: Overgrazing destroys the natural habitat of everyone!

Protestor 1: He’s the one who found Rose.

[The crowd noises slowly die down, until it’s just the rain, the engine running, the wipers, and honking from the other end of the road being occupied. The shepherd turns off his car.]

Shepherd, shouting from his window: I’m really sorry for what happened to your friend.

[Theres murmurs from the crowd. One protestor steps forward]

Protestor 1: What happened to her?

Shepherd: I… I don’t know.

[He opens the car door, rustling a rain jacket, and steps out]

Shepherd: Rosalie was her name? Rose? I found her among my sheep, I… I’m so sorry for your loss.

Protestor 1: She preferred Meadow. As a name, her name was Meadow.

Shepherd: Meadow. That’s a beautiful choice. Look, I’m not your enemy, and I’m not the police. I’m just a shepherd, taking care of these lands with my sheep. I don’t really have any answers for you but I know if it were my friend, I’d want to speak to whoever found her. I’m happy to talk, and maybe we can even come to some kind of understanding about the sheep and the protesting on the land too. But right now, I need to get in and out of town before the road floods so I can get back to my herd before the storm breaks loose. Can we please, please do that?

[Murmurs from the crowd, then more aggressive honking, an engine revving, and a car starts driving through the crowd of protestors. There’s yelling, shouting, people being pushed around. The car whooshes past the shepherd and then fades away.]

Protestor 1: Everybody okay?

Shepherd: Asshole!

Protestor 3: Eloise got hit, she’s bleeding.

Eloise: I’m fine, I’m fine, I just got pushed off my feet. Did anyone get his number plate?

Shepherd: You guys need to get out of here, before you get stuck. And you need to go see a doctor. Let me drive you in to town.

Protestor 3: You should go with him babe.

Eloise: Can you take us both?

Shepherd: Yeah, of course. Hurry, get in. 

[We hear them get in the car, and then the shepherd drives off in the rain.]


SCENE 4
[We’re with a small group of sheep that’s wandered off from the rest of the herd. It’s storming now, heavy rain and wind, distant sounds coming in and out depending on the wind turning. We can hear the bigger group in the distance, baaing loudly and stressed, and sometimes our group responds, but mostly they’re eating and wandering off. The shepherd, far away, shouts something inaudible out to Alma, who barks at the group. The shepherd yells more. Thunder rumbles in the distance. There is one sheep with a bell, that we are closest to. The sheep bleats one more time, then takes a step, and gets snapped into a foot trap. The sheep makes an awful noise, the other sheep run away. The sheep with the ball falls and is thrashing on the ground, making a loud noise. More, closer thunder.  We hear dogs barking, the patous and then Alma. We hear the Shepherd yell at the dogs, then run over, his footsteps slowly getting louder while the sheep continues making lots of noise.]

[The rain has only gotten worse. We’re with a small group of sheep, grazing, bleating. A bird sings, thunder rumbles. A sheep gets close, we hear her distinguished bell as she wanders over. As she walks, a trap closes with a loud clang. The sheep screams, struggles. The rest of the sheep run away with loud bells. The sheep is in clear distress, continuing to call out. She stomps, struggles more. Dogs bark. Heavy, wet footsteps come running over, as the shepherd drops to his knees.] 

Shepherd: Whoa there girl, slow down, slow down, what’s wrong? Let’s see. You’re okay, you’re alright. Fucking hunters forgot to take their fucking trap. That’s okay girl, that’s alright, we’ll get you out. Let’s see, okay.

[Alma whines. Everything sounds wet somehow. The shepherd tries to open the trap, but it’s old and rusty, it creaks but doesn’t open. The sheep starts thrashing again.]

Shepherd: Woah girl! Stop moving! Argh, okay, let’s try that again. I’m gonna hold you down until you’re good to go okay? 

[The shepherd grabs the sheep’s leg, then tries again. This time, the leg comes loose, the sheep kicks back and hits the shepherd, who lets go of the trap and gets his hand stuck. He yells, and we hear the sheep run away and the bell fade.]

Shepherd: Fuck! Fuck, my hand. 

[Thunder rumbles above the herd now. The shepherd breathes deeply a couple times to couple down.]

Shepherd: I’m okay, I’m alright, nothing’s broken. Let’s see how I can get out of here. 

[He winces as he tries to move around to get purchase on the trap. Alma tries to reach him.]

Shepherd: Stay out of the way Alma! It’s not safe. It’s okay girl. I just need to-

[He grunts as he tries to open the mechanism, it creaks but doesn’t budge.]

Shepherd: Fuck, okay, I think the mechanism’s broken. Okay. That’s alright. My phone-

[The shepherd types in a number, then calls]

Shepherd: C’mon Sabine, please

[No reception. Alma whines and comes closer, licking the shepherd. The sheep are so far away we can no longer hear them. The shepherd is getting nervous now.]

Shepherd: It’s okay girl, we’ll be okay, we’ll stay warm together alright? Don’t worry. We’re gonna be okay.

[We hear thunder a bit further away, towards where the sheep now are. The sheep start running, coming closer to the shepherd. The bells and hooves and bleating sound monstrous, like it is one big beast running towards the shepherd.]

Shepherd: No, no, get away from us! Stay away! Leave us alone!

[The herd reaches the shepherd, then runs over and past him, disappearing into the distance while the shepherd is shivering in the rain, still trapped. The slow, monstrous calls from the herd sound heavy through the valley. The theme tune plays.]