The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

Pity. Pity, get up.

Come on now, sleepyhead.

Come on now, boy. We ain't got all night.

Coydog?

Of course it's me. Now be quiet. Let's go.

What you doin' here?

- Gettin' you. That's what I'm doin' here. - No. No, no, no.

My mind ain't supposed to be back here no more. I'm cured.

You stop talkin' that foolishness and let's go.

No, Coydog.

My mind ain't like this no more.

I took the devil's poison,

and now I remember the past instead of it remembering me.

So you remember it all?

Yeah.

Then what was it I tasked you to do?

Come on.

Why won't you just tell me what it is I don't recollect?

Well, don't you think I would if I could?

Why can't you?

'Cause this ain't my dream.

Here we is.

That's Delia's Cathouse.

Why we had to go the long way around to get here?

We went the long way around to come up on the back so nobody see us.

Why we hidin'?

What's up there by Delia's?

- The old iron trough? - Show me.

Here it is, Coydog. Here it is.

Shut up, boy.

We don't want nobody to hear us.

You remember where the pig head at?

On this end, over here.

And which way Mr. Pig lookin'?

Southeast.

Let's go.

This way.

You know what this is?

Yeah. It's the old, stone dry well the slaves used to make.

You know Clive Miller?

He that mean, old white man.

His kinfolk owned slaves back in the day and did terrible things to 'em.

And after the emancipation, he run that sharecropping business.

A nigga work for him be in debt the rest of his natural-born life.

Got mad at my daddy one time.

We never seen my daddy again.

His family been squeezing the blood out of Black folks for hundreds of years.

Since before the revolution.

They made all men equal, except for if they had Black skin.

They took all the freedom, love and hope out of every Black soul they touched,

and they made it all into a black heart that Clive Miller keep to hisself.

It's really a heart?

Well, that's what I calls it.

It's treasure, Pity.

It's treasure made off the suffering of Black folks.

And Clive Miller gloated on it.

He gloated 'cause the only thing make him feel good is the pain he put on us.

One night last year, when he was drunk on some moonshine I sold to him,

he told me about his treasure.

So last night,

I sold him some corn liquor.

And when he wasn't looking, I poured some laudanum in it.

And when he passed out, I searched his house till I found that treasure,

that black heart he holdin' on to.

And I did all that for you.

For me?

See, Clive gonna know I took his treasure, so I gotta run.

And, Pity…

It's you who gonna have to take what I stole

and use it to help our people.

Is it down in this well right here?

At the bottom of this here well, there's one reddish cobblestone.

Now, I hid the black heart behind the stone two rocks above the red one.

You understand?

Yeah, but you gonna go away forever right now?

Right after I go by my place.

Can I come wit' you?

No, little brother.

Could be dangerous.

But you said Mr. Miller was drunk asleep.

Yeah.

I gave him a full dram of laudanum.

So I'm coming?

Let's go.

Nobody there.

Maybe not.

Then why you going if you so scared?

Well, my mama's Bible down there.

That's all I got left of her.

I could go get it for you. He ain't looking for me.

No, no. You just a child.

And I done already put enough on your shoulders.

No.

That's my Bible down there.

And I'ma go get it.

Get him!

- I got him. - Well, look who it is.

- Not so strong now, huh? - Easy now.

We need to talk to him first.

- Please, help. Help. Who would help? - There you go.

Settle him down! Get his arms.

Boy gained some weight.

Come on, get him over there. Get that barrel.

- No, please, no. No. - Uncle.

Uncle.

Uncle, wake up.

Where am I?

You're in your bed.

Well, how...

How long I been asleep?

Couple days.

- Couple d... - You been...

You been in and out. Mostly out.

How you feel now?

Like I was dead

and been drug across hot coals back to life.

Yeah.

You were screaming and yelling in your dreams.

Didn't feel like no dream. Felt real.

Coydog always after me about what I ain't doin'.

And I ain't understand.

I'm starting to get it now.

It's about the black heart.

What's... What's a black heart?

This treasure Coydog stole.

He told me what I need to do with it.

He even told me where it was.

But now I…

I don't know what I did with it or where it's at.

Here, just take some water.

I called the doctor.

Just now?

When your fever spiked and then again when you started screamin'.

What'd he have to say?

The nurse said to rub you down with alcohol.

Doctor said to bring you in when you wake up,

which is some bullshit.

Easy now.

No. You know, you don't get to say that to me.

You scared the shit out of me. I didn't know if you was gonna wake up.

If I'd known this was gonna happen, I would've never let you do it.

I'm the one said yes, not you.

I guess I'll make the call.

Get your own self dressed.

Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa

Men have named you

Is it just because Your sad and mystic smile

Is it only 'cause you're lonely

Men have blamed you

Is in your eyes

Where you find that suit?

- You like? - Yeah.

Clean-shaven, too. Not too bad, Pitypapa.

Yeah, it don't fit like it used to.

I done shrunk a little bit, but...

Damn. Smells good in here.

The gas was just turned off on the stove.

I got down there and turned it on again.

You better than having a handyman.

I feel like I ain't et in a month of Sundays.

My daddy used to say that.

Where is your daddy?

Dead.

- Your mama? - Her too.

You told me that before, didn't you?

I seen my first dead body when I was six years old.

My little girlfriend, Maude Petit, burnt up in a tar paper shack.

My mama had to hold me back to keep me from runnin' in there and save her.

You remember that now?

Yeah, but I don't remember like I remember remembering.

And not everything.

It's like the things I can't recollect is behind this closed door.

And I can hear my memories, but I can't see 'em or touch 'em.

You know like Coydog's treasure

and Reggie.

I know he told me some things, but I can't quite hear 'em right.

So, I think when I do, I'll be able to figure some stuff out.

Like what?

Like, you know, why he got killed

and maybe even who killed him.

Car will be here in 20 minutes.

Be ready.

What the hell just happened?

There ain't no fish in here.

Mr. Grey.

You look very sharp. How you feeling?

- Never better. And that's fact. - Good. Good.

Miss Barnet.

How's your memory?

I'm still a little foggy, but I know what time it is.

And I'm stronger. Lot more stable on my feet.

Well, that's very good news.

Less than 10% of our patients experience a physical improvement.

Well, that make me one of the lucky ones, don't it?

Yes, yes. Please, this way.

Come on.

What's the matter?

So you just gonna sit there nodding your heads, smiling,

like he wasn't burning with fever and sweating like a pig, crying for help?

Look, his intense response to the first shot did...