Transcript created: 13th July 2025

Last updated: 13th July 2025

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SCENE 1

 

[It’s raining heavily, with distant thunder. The shepherd grunts, A dog barks panickedly, the metal trap the shepherd is stuck in rattles.]

 

Shepherd: For FUCK’s sake, hraaagh, let go!

 

[The trap clangs but remains shut, the shepherd breaths heavy and tired. The dog continues barking.]

 

Isaac: H- hello?

 

[A brief pause.]

 

Shepherd: Hello?

 

Isaac: Are you….?

 

Shepherd: The shepherd you spoke to on the phone, yes

 

Isaac: I was going to say ‘stuck’.

 

Shepherd: Yes, that too.

 

Isaac: I arrived at the cabin and no one was there but I could hear the sheep, I thought I’d come looking… Is there anything I can do?

 

Shepherd: It’s one of those damn hunter traps, it’s malfunctioned so I can’t get it back open, there should be a chain cutter in my van, back by the cabin

 

Isaac: Ah, yes! I’ll go find it right away, is the van locked?

 

Shepherd: No, but if the sheep have returned the patous might give you trouble. 

 

Isaac: Oh, we’ve already met! They were very polite once I told them off.

 

Shepherd: Very good. Will you be able to find your way back?

 

Isaac: Yeah, I’ll be right back. Don’t move!

 

Shepherd: Well, I… 

[There’s a pause, then they both chuckle. The rain fades into the theme tune.]

 

[THEME TUNE]
 

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SCENE 2

 

[It;s still raining heavily. The cabin door is opened. There’s a persistent bark from one of the patous.]

 

Shepherd: It’s okay Tara, it’s just us, you can stop now.

 

[The cabin door closes, rain falls heavy on the roof. The shepherd is shivering.]

 

Isaac: Here, let me help you

 

Shepherd: That’s okay, thanks

 

Shepherd: It’s not big, I know, but at least we can dry out. Here, I’ll make a fire for you.

 

Isaac: Let me make the fire, it’s the least I can.

 

[The sound of a fire being started, a kettle being put on. The shepherd shivers and grunts as he changes into dry clothes.]

 

Isaac: Tea? Oh, sorry, I didn’t realise you were changing

 

Shepherd: That would be great, thanks.

 

[An awkward silence, until the kettle starts to whistle. Isaac makes tea, sits down. Alma yawns.]

 

Shepherd: So…

 

Isaac: So.

 

Shepherd: The sheep…

 

Isaac: [tongue in cheek] It’s always about the sheep with you lot, isn’t it?

 

Shepherd: Well isn’t that why you’re here?

 

Isaac: Yes, I guess it is. But first, mind explaining how you got stuck out there?!

 

Shepherd: Just, unlucky, I guess. Sometimes hunters illegally set up traps on these lands and they don’t always clean up after themselves. A sheep got stuck and when I got her out, my hand got stuck and the trap wouldn’t open back up. It’s not how I wanted to meet.

 

Isaac: That’s alright, I’m glad I was there to help!

 

Shepherd: Yes, thank you. So, the sheep?

 

Isaac: Yes! I’m very keen to observe your sheep tomorrow. Although not just the sheep, I’m interested in the land too, what’s growing where, whether there’ve been any changes… When I was in Cesarque there was this incredibly interesting situation where an abundant growth of this one particular flower caused a hormonal imbalance in the herd that caused them to lose their appetite, slowly killing the herd.

 

Shepherd: That’s horrific.

 

Isaac: Fascinating! But yes, horrific. I published a paper on that case study actually, although of course I left out my theories on the causal relationship between a threatening of the land and changes in the flora which in turn cause changes in the fauna… My colleagues would take me round the back and chop my head off if I spoke of that within the ivory halls of academia!

 

Shepherd: Okay, slow down.

 

Isaac: Yes, yes, of course, sorry. I’ve been working on this theory for a long time, and I was excited to hear of the developments in your herd because it gives me another opportunity to study the symbiotic relationship between land and animal, though I understand it is a distressing time for you. Would you tell me some more of what’s been going on?

 

[As the shepherd speaks, a slow ominous tune starts playing behind his words.]

 

Shepherd: Well, it started when the lady, Meadow, passed away. Or maybe before that, I’m not quite sure. It’s hard to pinpoint a change sometimes because the herd is always moving, always changing. But when I found her, it was a… strange time, overall. Lots of cops around. The herd was stressed, we were all stressed. But when they started settling back down, they still felt off. Like they were more hostile, or…

 

Isaac: Predatory?

 

Shepherd: yeah

 

[A silence: Isaac is letting the shepherd find his words]

 

Shepherd: I’m not just going off of my feelings either, there have been physical changes. Sharp teeth, growths by their hooves that are starting to resemble talons. One of them chased a bird down the other day and… ate it. I know I sound like a mad man.

 

Isaac: Nothing wrong with being a little mad.

 

Shepherds: I agree, but this, this feels impossible. 

 

Isaac: And yet you’ve seen it with your own eyes.

 

Shepherd: I have, and I’ve been questioning my perception of reality every day. This can’t be happening, right?

 

Isaac: Do you want me to be reassuring or be honest?

 

Shepherd: Those are two different things?

 

Isaac: They might not be, depending on your desire for normality. For what it’s worth, nothing you’re describing is unknown to me, bar the timeline. For some reason everything seems to be happening much faster in your herd.

 

Shepherd: I’m a lucky man

 

Isaac: Not nearly as lucky as me! I’m glad you reached out, because this might be a fantastic case study for me.

 

Shepherd: So what’s your theory then? 

 

Isaac: Oh, ehm… Have you heard of the holly bushes and the deer?

 

Shepherd: I don’t think so?

 

Isaac: So they found out that holly, the spiky Christmas plant we know and love, doesn’t always start out spiky. In some variants, the leaves are smooth, and only start growing spiky leaves when their branches get eaten by deer. The damage unlocks some kind of epigenetic response from the bush that means it changes its growth patterns to better defend itself, but only at the level where deer might eat it: the rest of the plant grows unchanged.

 

Shepherd: Okay, so…?

 

Isaac: It’s relevant! I promise. Let me have a look around tomorrow and I’ll explain more after, when I can explain my theory with local examples. We should probably head to bed soon anyway, now that you’ve warmed up.

 

Shepherd: Ah, yes, you’re right. You can take the bed, I’ll sleep on the floor with Alma. Can’t go pitching tents in this weather, even if the worst of the storm seems to have passed.

 

Isaac: Thank you, that’s very kind. I’ll go get my stuff.

 

SCENE 3

 

[Bells, bleating, a distinct lack of rain. The herd is calm.]

 

Shepherd: There we go girls, good going, keep walking. Just stay back there okay? I don’t want Tara going off at you again.

 

[The shutter from a camera comes through every now and then.]

 

Isaac: Yep, no problem, I’ll stay out of the way. It’s nice that the sun’s out, lovely weather!

 

[There is a moment of the sheep walking, Alma barking and doing her job, things are chaotic as always but calm, too]

 

Shepherd: Good job Alma, good girl. 

 

Isaac [from a distance]: Oh look! See that new growth on the Birch? Its leaves are more rounded than usual, it‘s subtle but if you look closely…

 

Shepherd: Alma, to the right! Go!

 

[More of the camera’s shutter.]

 

Shepherd [shouting]: Well done, come back!

 

Isaac [still from a distance]: Oh and these small white flowers, they don’t usually grow until later in summer do they? Have you noticed them before?

 

Shepherd: They’ve been all over the mountain since about two weeks ago. The sheep loved them, they ate through them all at our old spot within days. 

 

[Dogs bark in the distance.]

 

Shepherd: Oh fuck- ALMA!! Stop that! Come here!

 

Isaac [from afar]: Oh and look at this bush!! I would have to study it more closely but I believe that it’s diverged entirely in its fruit production from a red berry to a green, smaller berry that actually appeals to the sheep, taste-wise. I’ve seen this once before….

 

Shepherd, internally: [groans] Just leave me to my murderous sheep

 

Shepherd: Oi! Feel free to look at anything you need, but I need to focus on the herd now, alright?

 

Isaac: You got it! Not another word from me!

 

Shepherd, internally: Maybe now I can actually hear the herd

 

[The gentle shuffling around of the sheep, wind rustling through the tall grass. The shepherd sits and drinks from a thermos.]

 

Shepherd [internal]: I cannot lie and say the sheep don’t scare me. I am a shepherd, and a shepherd is only as good as his word. I am scared. But even in my fear of the herd, I want to care for the herd. Find what they need, and provide it.

 

Isaac: The shrub! Oh my!

 

[The herd slows down, we hear the monstrosity come through in the slowness of its noises, the deeper bleating. The shepherd speaks slowly, internally, too.]

 

Shepherd [internal]: While yes, I have feared for my own safety, even contemplated whether the sheep would be capable of harm, but ultimately, the real fear is that I cannot be a shepherd to my sheep. If not a shepherd, then I am no one. And if my sheep change, then so must I. Change is easy, change is natural. I have done nothing in my life but change; I wander and wonder, let the slow pace of my own feet take me places I could have never imagined. 

 

[The herd sounds haunted, slow, dreamlike, or maybe more of a nightmare. Suddenly, the sharp noise of the shutter cuts through again.]

 

Isaac: Ooh! Poop!

 

[We awaken again, the shepherd speaks more steadily now, the herd sounds more natural again. A contemplative tune plays behind the shepherd’s words.]

 

Shepherd [internal]: And I have ended up here, with my sheep. I am never lonely because I am not alone, not really. I have the herd, I am the herd. They need me as much as I need them. I feared with their change they stopped needing me, but I realise now that that isn’t true. I need them and as long as I can change, they will need me. Nothing else matters.

 

[Isaac walks over.]

 

Isaac: Is it okay if I…?

 

Shepherd: Yes, sit.

 

[Isaac sits down. A moment of calm. Then, Una wanders over]

 

Shepherd: Hi, Una.

 

Isaac: She’s beautiful!

 

Shepherd: You should become a shepherd if you love it here so much.

 

Isaac: You know, I’ve thought about it.

 

Shepherd: Well why not?

 

Isaac: I’m a vegetarian.

 

[They both laugh.]

 

Isaac: No, I guess I’m not sure I’m cut from that kind of cloth. It seems hard, and I guess I found my place in academia, in the city, pretty young. It’s, ah, safer, there, for people like… me.

 

Shepherd: is it?

 

Isaac: I, well, I guess it feels it.

 

Shepherd: Yeah.

 

Isaac: And you?

 

Shepherd: And me?

 

Isaac: Have you always wanted to be a shepherd?

 

[A whistful guitar song starts polaying behind the shepherd’s words.]

 

Shepherd: Ha! No. I grew up in the city. Hated it, even before I could put my finger on the feeling. It feels… too big and small at the same time. Towering and vacant. But it wasn’t until my late 20s that I chose shepherding.

 

Isaac: What made you want to?

 

Shepherd: There was a man… but that’ll have to be a story for another time

 

[They get disrupted by the sound of running sheep.]

 

Isaac: Help me up?

 

[They clasp hands, walk together.]

 

SCENE 4

 

[We’re inside the cabin, the fire crackles. Alma yawns and the shepherd scratches her.]

 

Shepherd: I know Alma, he’ll be gone tomorrow and you’ll be allowed on the bed again. 

 

[The door opens, Isaac shivers and kicks off his shoes.]

 

Shepherd: Did you find signal?

 

Isaac: Yeah but it was too damn cold to stay long. I thought it was meant to be summer!

 

Shepherd: At this altitude it can really go either way. Calling anyone?

 

Isaac: No, no, no one, just, ah, doing research.

 

Shepherd: Find anything interesting?

 

Isaac: Well, yes… have you seen this?

 

[A phone is opened.]

 

Shepherd: Oh… oh. So it wasn’t the sheep who killed her?

 

Isaac: No, the land owner was arrested for murdering her after an altercation- wait, you thought it was the sheep?!

 

Shepherd: Well, I just wondered…

 

Isaac: You must’ve been so scared

 

Shepherd: Oh, no, it, it’s…

 

[Awkward silence. The shepherd clears his throat.]

 

Shepherd: so did they mention anything more, a motive…?

 

Isaac: No, it’s pretty vague, I think they just wanted to get the news out to reassure the community there was no outstanding danger.

 

Shepherd: Yeah, sure, makes sense

 

Isaac: Hey, show me your hand.

 

Shepherd: What?

 

Isaac: Your hand, that got hurt.

 

Shepherd: Oh, yeah

 

[There’s an awkward shuffle as the shepherd offers his hand]

 

Isaac: you know, you should really get that seen by a doctor.

 

[The shepherd scoffs.]

 

Isaac: I know I know, you don’t do doctors, you’re so tough, you’ll be fine, your body is a miracle and nature will cure all.

 

Shepherd: I was going to say, when would I find the time?

 

Isaac: Sometimes we need to make time for the things that matter.

 

Shepherd: And is that your professional, scientific opinion?

 

Isaac: Why in fact it would be.

 

Shepherd: Well then I’ll listen to the doctor. You have a PhD right?

 

Isaac: Yeah, I do.

 

[Another awkward shuffle and some distinct clearing of throats as he takes his hand back. When he speaks again, the shepherd sounds notably less soft than just before.]

 

Shepherd: So, what now?

 

Isaac: Oh, well, I… I mean we could….

 

Shepherd: I meant with the sheep. What do I do?

 

Isaac: Well, I’m not sure about the practical side of things, but I do have a theory…

 

Shepherd: I’m listening

 

Isaac: So, every place I’ve visited so far, there’s been an unexplainable change in the behaviour of the herd. And not always behaviour either- physiological too, sometimes, like with your herd. I’ve visited five herds in two years, including yours. Now that’s not the most significant sample size, but it’s not nothing either. Of course none of this could ever be written about in an official paper, I would be ousted… Anyway, each place I’ve been to, the shepherd was plagued by land issues- at first I thought it was related to the pollution of the land, but my later visits have all been to places where the land was in danger from, ah, political pressure.

 

Shepherd: Okay, so what does that have to do with the sheep?

 

Isaac: Well, my theory is... Do you think what the sheep eat has an effect on their well-being?

 

Shepherd: Of course, it’s the most important part. They’re ruminants, their body was made to eat. And our job as shepherds is to give them the safety and opportunity to eat what they need to be strong and healthy.

 

Isaac: Exactly. So if something changed in their food, the sheep would change.

 

Shepherd: Right. But their diet hasn’t changed, I would know.

 

Isaac: See, my theory is that the sheep are responding to a change in their diet, brought on by a largely internal change to the flora of the lands they graze. I need to do more tests, of course…

 

Shepherd: And that change is? 

 

Isaac: Hormonal.

 

Shepherd: But how does it come about?

 

Isaac: Like I said, it appears to happen when the land is under threat.

 

Shepherd: So you’re saying that the land itself is responding to the threat by changing how and what grows there, which in turn changes the sheep? Makes them more… aggressive? Monstrous?

 

Isaac: Protective.

 

Shepherds: Like a fresh batch of warriors ready to defend their land?!

 

Isaac: I wouldn’t use those words.

 

Shepherd: But it is what you’re saying!

 

Isaac: I know it sounds ridiculous…

 

Shepherd: No it’s, its brilliant.

 

Isaac: But mad.

 

Shepherd: I have been called mad for my choice of solitude and austerity. And before that for who I love and how I love them. And before that for being an anxious mess who starts thinking the world is after him if I don’t take my pills every morning. I wear madness like a crown here on my quiet mountains! It took me being mad to allow myself a life that is happy, and at peace. For the first time in my life, when the sheep started looking at me funny, I didn’t question my own sanity first thing. I am as mad as they come, and your reality seems a lot more real to me than the idea that a whole herd of sheep starts growing canines and talons for no reason whatsoever!

 

Isaac: I think you’re incredible.

 

Shepherd: I… [clears his throat]

 

[A bit of awkward silence. Then the shepherd picks up a guitar.]

 

Shepherd: I promised you a story earlier, but I feel like I’ve talked enough for a week, so can I make it up to you with a song?

 

Isaac: That would be satisfactory, yes.

 

[The shepherd picks up his guitar. He starts out singing hesitantly, then strongly.]

 

Shepherd: 

The strangest man

Arrived one day

With tousled hear

Streaked with grey

 

The man from far he pointed out

The ladies in the square

They’ll try to prove you wrong my boy

But in love not all is fair”

 

You’ll learn one day kid

You’ll learn one day

After fire has left you scorched

He who flies too close to the flame

Learns how to keep himself warm

 

Not long before I’d lost myself

To the depths of pitiful shame

 

He sat with me 

And knew my name

His lips curled round the sound

 

He lit a flame

And when time came

He fled my cruel town

 

You’ll learn one day dear

You’ll learn one day

How to hold a hand

And when you need it most my love

The kindness of a man

 

And to this day I don’t know why

He came into this town

 

And to this day I don’t know how

He knew I’d wear his crown

 

I learned one day

And I learned it hard

That love is for the moth

Who eats through clothes

and flies too close

And dares to be too soft

 

I’ll burn before they’ll come for me

And die while having loved

 

If I die know that I loved

 

His hands they were so soft

 

[The music fades out, we linger on the last note. The fire sparks.]

 

Isaac: Do you have a speaker?

 

Shepherd: Eh, yes, of course

 

[The Bluetooth connects, Isaac puts on a slow song. It’s hopeful and enigmatic.]

 

Shepherd: What are you doing?

 

Isaac: Well, I’ve just made the breakthrough of my career and I can’t share it with anyone, not professionally at least. You are stuck with a monstrous herd. Sounds to me like we could both use a nice evening. Will you have me for this dance?

 

Shepherd: I’m not much of a dancer…

 

Isaac: That’s okay, I can lead

 

[The two men hold each other, shuffle, giggle. Breath into each other, slowly getting more comfortable as the music plays.]

 

Isaac: Can I kiss you?

 

[The shepherd lets out a nervous acknowledgment.]

 

[They kiss, soft at first, then harder. Shaky breathing. Hands go places, a jacket gets unzipped.]

 

Isaac: Oh my god!

 

Shepherd: Oh god sorry, I don’t know what…

 

Isaac: No, no, sorry, that was tactless, I’ve just never… I’ve never seen the change happen in humans too. Is it just your chest?

 

Shepherd: I don’t… I don’t know. I hadn’t noticed it.

 

Isaac: Can I… Can I touch you?

 

Shepherd: Uh, yeah, I think that was implied. If you still want to.

 

[Isaac gently laughs]

 

Isaac: I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to startle, it’s not… I don’t mind it. At all.

 

[Isaac rubs his chest. Both men laugh.]

 

Isaac: It’s coarse, like hardened skin. I wonder what purpose it serves. Sorry, that’s not, I’m not here to study you.

 

Shepherd: Then what are you here for?

 

Isaac: I’m here for you

 

Shepherd: I thought you were here for the sheep?

 

Isaac: Not tonight.

 

[They kiss again. A chair is pushed aside. The music takes over as the scene fades out.]