Dear Mr. Wessen

“Dear Mr. Wessen”

Outline of Plot

1. Cal Wessen is hunting alone out on his property in Kansas during the early morning. He is in the woods hunting for any kind of animal; he has neither a particular objective nor preference for game. After killing 5 bucks, 3 wild bobcats, 2 enormous buffalo, and a dozen or so rabbits, Cal decides to call it a day and head back home to his wife, Dawn.

2. Upon returning home, Cal sees a dead doe in the middle of the road in front of his house, assuming it must have been hit by a passing car. He takes the animal’s body to the back of his house and finds the doe’s newly born baby sitting under a tree nearby.

3. Cal takes in the baby deer into his house. Dawn is appalled by the sight of a wild baby deer inside of her home. Cal explains the situation with its mother and how he didn’t want to leave the baby deer left to die in their own backyard. Dawn agrees. They decide to name it Devin.

4. Montage – Time passes as Dawn and Devin become very close, she treats him as if the animal were her son. Her attention, time, and life becomes totally focused on Devin and this strains her relationship with Cal. Cal begins spending more time out in the woods, sometimes staying out for days.

5. Dawn cares for the deer until Devin is too big for the home. Devin’s hormones also begin to kick in and he has his first outburst. Cal and Dawn fight over Devin and the situation. Cal’s jealousy over his wife’s love for Devin causes him to erupt and he abuses his wife. Dawn leaves their home with her suitcase crying.

6. Cal is alone building a pen for Devin which will represent also as an apology to Dawn. Once finished, he brings Devin to his new home. As Cal struggles with a rope around Devin’s neck, he tries to force the now fully grown deer into the pen. Devin snaps and bucks out the pen dragging Cal wildly and viscously for miles until he is dead.

Description of Characters

Cal Wessen is a wealthy retired country man in his mid fifties. He’s about six foot, with long pearl white hair that he combs back under his cowboy hat, a lengthy white mustache, and a dark tan that makes all his hair stand out that much more. His personality is drawn in, conflicted, and high strung. He’s an outdoorsman, he enjoys going to gun shows, buying new gear for hunting, and Wal-Mart. Cal’s home is filled with a variety of animals he has hunted in the past and which he stuffed himself. But he never has a feeling of completion or satisfaction. He spends most of his time out in the woods searching for something he cannot find. He finds the woods to be much more comfortable than being with his wife Dawn, whom he’s been married to for twenty two years. Cal feels freedom and a lack of direction out in the middle of Kansas hunting, which contrasts his feelings about his marriage.

Dawn is a young passionate woman in her early thirties. She was originally from a small city in Kansas and had met Cal when he was leaving one of his gun shows downtown. After a few months, she agreed to marry him and move out to the country with him. She is gorgeous, with light green eyes, a slender figure, and long blonde hair. Her personality reflects her looks, she is kind hearted, intelligent, and strong. Cal and Dawn had tried to have children of their own in the past but were unsuccessful, this pain had transformed into much fighting for the two. Dawn keeps a firm stance in her relationship for the most part, but once she makes Cal feel defeated, the only way he can retaliate is by hitting her. Dawn is much smarter than Cal but his monetary position dominantly keeps the two together.

Scene

Cal woke up the next day with the entire bed sheets popped off the bed, pillows on the floor, and blankets in total chaos. He normally didn’t sleep well, but last night looked like a war took place. It was normal. After a bad fight with Dawn, whether she slept with him in the bed or not, the bed would be a mess and Cal’s dreams would be horrific. Last night was no different. He dreamt of Dawn leaving him for another man, he had imagined watching over their wedding and feelings of regret and torment filled his heart. But one weird thing was Cal couldn’t see the groom’s face in last nights dream. He searched the house and property, but Dawn didn’t return. He was alone.
After breakfast, Cal decided to go and make the pen for Devin so once Dawn came back; she could see he was truly sorry. He already had the posts and fencing from a previous job he had done, so he could use those to build Devin’s new home.
In his mind, Cal had already mapped out the size of the pen and where it would be. He chose a spot far from the house and where Devin would receive hardly any shade from the sun. After hammering in the posts into the ground, Cal laughed to himself rolling out the chain link fence. The pen was fenced off from top to bottom; it was about 7 feet by height and 10 feet in length. After completing the pen, Cal wanted Devin out of his house and to stay in the pen for good.
Cal went into the house to get Devin out of his room bringing a rope with him to tie the animal and to situate the deer into its new home. Cal placed the rope around Devin’s neck and tied a very strong knot around his arms to help himself pull the animal. Devin seemed very relaxed and passive as Cal tugged as he led. Once Cal faced Devin in front of the pen, Devin begins to resist and turn into stone, not allowing Cal to move the animal. After cursing and threatening the animal, Cal’s determined to pull Devin inside. He re-adjusts his rope knots quickly and has both his arms fully tied. After using up all his strength cursing and tugging, he finally takes a minute for a breath.
It’s not a second later when Devin bucks into the pen dragging Cal right behind with him. The old man can do nothing, his arms are so twisted and tied into the rope he has no shot as releasing himself. He is caught by total surprise he has no time to actually say or do anything. Devin is charging as hard as he possible could, running rapidly through Cal’s property, slowly breaking every bone in the old man’s body. Cal prays for his arms to hopefully rip come off so he can be freed but he is dragged on for miles violently up down many paths until he is breathless.