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27INT -- MESS HALL -- MORNING (1947)

Andy goes through the breakfast line, gets a scoop of glop on his tray. WE PAN ANDY through the noise and confusion...and discover BOGS DIAMOND and ROOSTER MacBRIDE watching Andy go by. Bogs sizes Andy up with a salacious gleam in his eye, mutters something to Rooster. Rooster laughs. Andy finds a table occupied by Red and his regulars, chooses a spot at the end where nobody is sitting. Ignoring their stares, he picks up his spoon -- and pauses, seeing something in his food. He carefully fishes it out with his fingers. It's a squirming maggot. Andy grimaces, unsure what to do with it. BROOKS HATLEN is sitting closest to Andy. At age 65, he's a senior citizen, a long-standing resident.

BROOKS

You gonna eat that?

ANDY

Hadn't planned on it.

BROOKS

You mind?

Andy passes the maggot to Brooks. Brooks examines it, rolling it between his fingertips like a man checking out a fine cigar. Andy is riveted with apprehension.

BROOKS (CONT'D)

Mmm. Nice and ripe.

Andy can't bear to watch. Brooks opens up his sweater and feeds the maggot to a baby crow nestled in an inside pocket. Andy breathes a sigh of relief.

BROOKS (CONT'D)

Jake says thanks. Fell out of his

nest over by the plate shop. I'm

lookin' after him till he's old

enough to fly.

Andy nods, proceeds to eat. Carefully. Heywood approaches.

JIGGER

Oh, Christ, here he comes.

HEYWOOD

Mornin', boys. It's a fine mornin'.

You know why it's fine?

Heywood plops his tray down, sits. The men start pulling out cigarettes and handing them down.

HEYWOOD (CONT'D)