by Fin Kennedy
SURAYA. I really need some.
NEVERBORN. This one is nocturnal
A sufferer of insomnia
Tricky
Perhaps studying medicine means she’ll find a cure
Perhaps
They call her Suraya
Meaning star
Though her tastes lie in the ocean not the sky.
MACK. Do you survive entirely on prawn-cocktail crisps?
SURAYA. So what if I do?
AMELIA. That’s not very healthy is it – doctor.
SURAYA. Shut up, all you drink is Dr Pepper.
ALI. Can’t help you, sorry. Try tomorrow.
SURAYA. What am I gonna do till then?
NEVERBORN. What shall we do with her?
We must make her understand
(Write.) Drawn… to prawns.
ALI goes. RAPHAEL comes up to SURAYA, he is out of breath and panicky. He clutches his chest.
RAPHAEL. Suraya… I’m feeling… really… breathless… and I think… I might be…
SURAYA. Alright, alright, calm down
SURAYA sits RAPHAEL down and tries to calm him.
NEVERBORN. This one is known as Raphael
A newcomer
Records show he has a hole in the heart
He has lived all his life in the shadow of death
Useful.
SURAYA takes out a stethoscope and listens to RAPHAEL’s chest.
RAPHAEL. Jayden… jumped out on me… and…
SURAYA. Sssh, you gotta relax, Raph, remember?
RAPHAEL. Am I dying?
SURAYA. No.
RAPHAEL. But the hole… in my heart… when I get a shock…
SURAYA. You’re not dying.
RAPHAEL. Is that your medical opinion?
SURAYA (hesitates). Yes.
NEVERBORN. These two appear to be friends
Or is it something more?
The NEVERBORN click their fingers and the lights dim. They click them again and some slow jam comes on.
SURAYA. How you feeling now?
RAPHAEL. Scared.
SURAYA. Don’t be.
RAPHAEL. I don’t wanna die alone.
SURAYA. You won’t. Not while I’m here.
RAPHAEL. Thanks, Suraya.
They sit together for a moment. SURAYA puts her head on RAPHAEL’s shoulder. The NEVERBORN sprinkle something onto her and she closes her eyes. The music plays.
NEVERBORN (whisper). Twins.
RAPHAEL. Suraya?
SURAYA has gone to sleep.
NEVERBORN (whisper). Three… two… one…
Suddenly the school bells go. SURAYA and RAPHAEL jump up.
The music stops and the lights go back to normal.
TEACHER. Alright, listen up, please, Year Ten. As you know you are all off timetable today –
ALL. YAY!
TEACHER. – but this is in order to go on the Media Studies field trip. I hope I need not remind you that this is still work.
ALL. BOO.
TEACHER. Your coach is waiting.
The NEVERBORN take out a toy coach, the REAL-WORLD CAST gather round.
[Just a suggestion – you can create the coach however you want.]
Right, are we all here?
ALL. YES, MISS.
TEACHER. Good. Now, a little background.
The coach sets off.
Somna House is over a hundred years old. It was built by Charles Somna, the famous early-movie pioneer.
JAYDEN. Never heard of him.
TEACHER. Well, I suggest you read up on him, Jayden, because worksheets about Somna and his black-and-white films will be handed out throughout the day.
JAYDEN. Black and white? Bor-ing.
SURAYA. Shut up, Jayden.
MADGE (looking at phone). Says here Charles Somna invented the Somnagraph, an early form of film camera.
JAYDEN. Oh stop, you’re sending me to sleep.
AMELIA. Well, we’re all really excited.
JAYDEN. Yeah but you’re geeks.
MACK. Somnagraph… why does that sound weird? (Fiddles with PSP.)
TEACHER. Perhaps it will interest you to know that Somna’s wife was a famous actress of her day.
JAYDEN. Was she fit?
ALL. SHUT UP, JAYDEN.
TEACHER. Cecilia Somna was tragically killed on a film set while shooting one of her husband’s many movies.
JAYDEN. Cecilia? That’s a stupid name.
AMELIA. Shut up, Jayden.
JAYDEN. Like yours.
AMELIA. My name’s Amelia not Cecilia.
JAYDEN. Exactly.
ALI. How did she die?
TEACHER. An unsecured stage light fell on her head.
JAYDEN. Haha, that’s funny.
NASIMA. What’s funny about it?
JAYDEN. Just a little light bulb? What a wuss.
AMELIA. Durr, don’t you know anything? Stage lights weigh a tonne.
TEACHER. It’s true, she was killed instantly.
RAPHAEL. Ouch.
TEACHER. And pretty soon after that, Charles Somna himself mysteriously disappeared.
MACK. Whoa.
AMELIA. Really?
ALI. Is that cos he did it?
JAYDEN. Yeah, did he kill her?
MADGE. You mean it wasn’t an accident?
TEACHER. Nobody knows.
SURAYA. I’m a bit creeped out by that.
NASIMA. Me too.
JAYDEN. Miss, what if we mysteriously disappear while we’re there?
TEACHER. In your case, Jayden, quite a few of us would be rather relieved.
Everyone except RAPHAEL laughs and points at JAYDEN.
ALL. AH-HA, HAHAHA.
TEACHER. Settle down, you’ve got a long journey ahead!
MACK. She ain’t kidding.
AMELIA. Miss, we’ve been driving for ages.
MADGE. Are we there yet?
ALI. Is this still London?
JAYDEN. It goes on forever.
SURAYA. Wait, there’s a field.
RAPHAEL. And another!
NASIMA. Everything’s turning green.
MACK. Like someone’s chucked paint over the world.
The NEVERBORN chuck green paint over the world.
The coach weaves among it.
RAPHAEL. Look! A sheep.
NASIMA. I ain’t never seen a sheep before.
MACK. I have.
AMELIA. TV don’t count.
MACK. Then I haven’t
MADGE. There’s loads – ten, twenty.
ALI. Fifty maybe.
NEVERBORN. Count them.
SURAYA. One.
RAPHAEL. Two
NASIMA. Three.
MACK. Four.
They yawn and their counting slows down.
AMELIA. Fiiive.
MADGE. Siiix.
ALI. Seveeeeeeeen.
NEVERBORN. Sssshhhhhhheep
Ssssssleeeeeeep.
The REAL-WORLD CAST fall asleep on the coach.
The NEVERBORN assemble a large country house around the sleeping cast. They click their fingers and the REAL-WORLD CAST wake up.
RAPHAEL. Oh my God. Guys… Guys! Look at this mad house!
The others rub their eyes and look. The NEVERBORN are still around, creating some of the effects of the house, but they don’t say as much from now on.
ALI. Whoa! This geezer had some serious dough, innit.
TEACHER. Everybody, off!
They get off, get their bags, and look around.
SURAYA. How long were we asleep?
RAPHAEL. Ages, look at the sky. Sun’s setting.
SURAYA. Like the colour of prawn cocktail.
TEACHER. Where is everyone? They knew we were coming.
Stay here.
Don’t wander off.
The REAL-WORLD CAST exchange glances.
ALL. LET’S WANDER OFF
The creak of a huge wooden door swinging open.
NASIMA. Oh my days!
JAYDEN. Check this place
out!
MACK. My whole flat could fit in this hallway.
SURAYA. It’s like Hogwarts!
RAPHAEL. Sssh!
NASIMA. You’ll get us in trouble.
They tiptoe further in.
AMELIA. Check out the posters.
The NEVERBORN create old movie-poster images as they pass.
MACK. Must be from the guy’s old movies.
AMELIA. Charles Summer.
MADGE. Somna.
AMELIA. Whatever.
ALI. I wanna see some.
JAYDEN. I don’t – boring.
SURAYA. Hang on. Are they posters?
RAPHAEL. Yeah, they look… lifelike.
NASIMA. Real.
They stop in front of one of the images, which depicts the NEVERBORN in the green dress being struck on the head by a large stage light.
MACK. Oh my God, that must be the guy’s wife.
AMELIA. Yeah, getting… killed.
MADGE. That’s horrible.
ALI. Yeah, why would that be here?
RAPHAEL. I’m scared.
SURAYA. Yeah, maybe we should wait outside.
NEVERBORN (whisper). Sssssstay.
The NEVERBORN pluck feathers from a pillow, and scatter them in a trail along the floor.
MACK. I’m tired.
AMELIA. Yeah, it’s late.
MADGE. It’s cold outside.
ALI. Let’s keep going.
SURAYA. Yeah, let’s stay.
The cast follow the feathers, almost as if they are sleepwalking.
NEVERBORN (whisper). This way
(Whisper.) Downstairs
(Whisper.) Deeper
(Whisper.) Sleeeeep.
The cast walk downstairs, led by the NEVERBORN.
MACK takes out his PSP.
MACK. Hang on a minute.
AMELIA. Yeah.
MADGE. This is.
ALI. Yeah.
SURAYA. Dark.
RAPHAEL. Scary.
NASIMA. Steep.
MACK. My PSP says we’re going down.
JAYDEN. Down where?
MACK. Just down.
JAYDEN. So what? It’s an adventure.
NEVERBORN (whisper). Yesssss.
AMELIA. But we don’t know where it goes.
NEVERBORN (whisper). Cccccccinema.
AMELIA. What did you say?
SURAYA. I didn’t say anything.
RAPHAEL. This sort of thing is really bad for my heart!
NEVERBORN (whisper). Welcome.
NASIMA. Wait, there’s a door.
ALI. There’s a sign.
ALL. ‘WELCOME.’
MACK. I don’t feel very welcome.
AMELIA. In fact.
MADGE. Yeah.
ALI. Maybe we should go back up.
JAYDEN. Don’t be stupid.
SURAYA. Yeah.
NASIMA. I spose we’ve come this far.
JAYDEN. Don’t you wanna see what’s inside?
NEVERBORN (whisper). Inside.
They push the door open.
AMELIA. Oh my days.
SURAYA. A dusty.
RAPHAEL. Musty
NASIMA. Rusty.
MACK. Old.
ALL. CINEMA!
They rush inside.
AMELIA. Oh my God.
MADGE. Look at this place!
ALI. Old seats.
JAYDEN. Red velvet.
SURAYA. Brass lamps.
RAPHAEL. Beautiful.
MACK. Brass statues.
AMELIA. Crimson curtains.
MADGE. The smell of dust.
ALI. Fabric.
JAYDEN. Adventure.
NASIMA. And ancient popcorn.
They discover various objects in the room.
SURAYA. An old popcorn machine!
RAPHAEL. A wheely ice-cream box!
MACK. An old Wurlitzer organ!
NASIMA. And an old… whatever this thing is.
They all go over to look at what NASIMA has found, except for MACK, who goes over to the Wurlitzer organ and fiddles with it.
AMELIA. That – is an old-style movie projector.
MADGE. Wicked!
NASIMA. How do you know?
JAYDEN. Do you reckon they’ve got Night at the Museum 2?
AMELIA. Don’t be stupid.
JAYDEN. I’m not.
ALI. It’s old films, innit.
SURAYA. Like what the guy who built the house must’ve made.
JAYDEN. You mean like, black and white?
ALL. YEAH.
JAYDEN. That’s rubbish, man.
AMELIA. No it’s not.
MADGE. Let’s watch one.
ALL. YEAH.
The Wurlitzer organ suddenly blasts out music.
MACK leaps away from it.
MACK. Whoa!
ALI. What you doing, man?
MACK. I just wanted to look at it!
AMELIA. Turn it down, you’ll wake up the whole house!
MACK. I didn’t touch it!
The music continues to play.
Suddenly the lights go out. They scream.
JAYDEN. Shut up, man!
MADGE. Who did that?
RAPHAEL. I’m scared.
MACK. Just stay still – something’s going on.
The curtains at one end of the room whirr open automatically.
Behind them is a movie screen.
The projector whirrs into life, making them jump. It projects an image onto the screen, a black-and-white movie plate bearing the words: ‘Insert Coin’.
AMELIA. Oh my God.
MADGE. Oh my God.
SURAYA. Oh my God.
ALI. It just came to life.
MACK. No it didn’t.
NASIMA. It did.
MACK. Nothing just comes to life.
SURAYA. Ghosts do.
MACK. It’s a machine. It’s just doing what it’s programmed to do. Someone put a coin in.
MADGE. No way.
ALI. Uh-uh.
SURAYA. Not me.
AMELIA. I will.
JAYDEN. Nice one, Amelia.
AMELIA. I’m not scared.
AMELIA puts a coin into the projector, which whirrs. The others settle down to watch. The screen flickers into life. Some music plays.
A black-and-white cast fade into view. AMELIA is played by her NEVERBORN double, who also wears a green dress.
ALI. Oh my God.
SURAYA. Amelia, is that you?
JAYDEN. Yo, what is she doing in the film?
RAPHAEL. Amelia?
JAYDEN. It’s in black and white.
MACK. All except for her dress.
MADGE. Yeah it’s like the one she’s wearing.
ALI. That is too weird.
NASIMA. Ames?
JAYDEN. Is this some time-travel thing?
AMELIA. I don’t know!
On screen, the black-and-white cast enact a scene.
NEVERBORN. Sit back
Relax
Breeeeathe.
The NEVERBORN start to sing softly.
There’s a hole in your middle
Amelia
Amelia
There’s a hole in your middle
Amelia
A hole.
The black-and-white AMELIA mimes screaming as she looks down at herself. There is a gaping hole in the centre of her chest.
Real AMELIA in the cinema is horrified.
AMELIA. Oh my God!
The NEVERBORN pull on white coats.
Onscreen AMELIA faints, they catch her, and lay her out on an operating table.
NEVERBORN. We can fix it
We can heal it
Don’t hesitate to operate
Exfoliate and medicate
Cancel out the emptiness
With sweepings
Swill
Slop.
AMELIA. WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?
NEVERBORN. We… are Dr Pepper.
On screen, the NEVERBORN take out jars of
pepper and sprinkle it onto AMELIA’s open wound. Then, they take out lots of litter – crisp packets, drinks cans, etc. – and cram it into the hole.
Fill it up
Fill it up
Fill it up with fluff
Fill it up
Fill it up
Fill it up with stuff.
AMELIA. Stop it!
Get off!
Get off me!
(To the others.) I can’t watch this!
AMELIA covers her eyes.
Just as she does so, the screen flickers to darkness and the projector whirrs off.
The film and the cast disappear.
The ‘Insert Coin’ screen comes back on.
AMELIA is upset. Some of the others go to her.
MADGE. Are you alright?
AMELIA. What do you think!
SURAYA. Come here, babes.
ALI. What the hell was that?
NASIMA. That was like Amelia’s own personal horror film.
MADGE. Just leave her alone.
NASIMA. Just saying.
AMELIA. I’m scared.
SURAYA. Me too.
AMELIA. I mean, what was that supposed to mean? Am I gonna die?
RAPHAEL. We’re all gonna die, aren’t we?
MADGE. Raph!
RAPHAEL. I mean, one day. I’ve got a hole as well, haven’t I? It’s scary. I can come to the hospital with you if you like. Get it checked out.
AMELIA takes RAPHAEL’s hand.
MACK. I don’t think that’s what it means.
SURAYA. Maybe we should get out of here.
MACK. I need to try something first.
MACK takes out a coin and goes up to the projector.
AMELIA. Wait.
MADGE. Don’t.
SURAYA. Not again.
AMELIA. I couldn’t take any more.
MACK. It won’t be about you this time. I promise.
ALI. How do you know?
MACK. Just trust me, yeah.
MACK inserts his coin.
The lights dim, the music starts and the projector whirrs into life.
A figure like MACK appears on screen.
ALI. Is that you?
JAYDEN. That looks nothing like you.
MACK. Just watch – I think I know what’s gonna happen.
NEVERBORN. Tock
Tick
Tock
Tick
Clocks go back
Space-time snaps
Clocks go back
Space-time snaps.
MADGE. Space-time?
MACK. Yeah, it’s like, reality.
MADGE. ‘Reality snaps’?
MACK. It’s something I worry about, when the clocks go back.
There is a huge ripping noise.
On screen, space-time snaps and an alternative dimension emerges.
NEVERBORN. Time
Space
Eternity
No more future
No more past
Did we mention the alternative dimension?
Did we mention the alternative dimension?
MACK. Oh, man, I remember this bit.
AMELIA. You’ve seen this before?