by James Eddy
switches it on.
FADE TO:
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Oliver sits at his desk. He is drawing Emily's face on some paper. He stops, looks at the drawing and runs his hands through his hair.
FADE TO:
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Oliver sits at his desk and hears laughter. A group of his co-workers are standing at another desk looking at a computer and laughing among themselves. Oliver looks over at the group from his desk. He stares at them for several moments before he turns his head away and looks back down at his computer screen.
FADE TO:
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Oliver looks at his watch, which shows that the time is 3.45pm. He begins to tap his pen on the desk and yawns. Eventually, he looks around the office, which is full of his work colleagues. He switches off his computer, gets up, and walks out.
FADE TO:
INT. TUBE TRAIN - Day
Oliver stands in a crowded Tube Train. As he stands he is constantly bumped by the people around him. Despite this, he barely looks up from the floor.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - EVENING
Oliver walks along the street, which leads to his house. He turns into the driveway.
CUT TO:
EXT. OLIVER’S HOUSE - EVENING
Oliver walks up the driveway and stops at a side door to go through his pocket. He finds his key and unlocks the door.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY - EVENING
Oliver walks in, shuts the door behind him, and then checks the telephone answering machine.
ANSWERING MACHINE
You have no messages
He walks back into the living room.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - EVENING
Oliver walks straight through the living room and into the adjoining kitchen.
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN - EVENING
Oliver walks in and begins opening cupboards and the fridge looking for food. He eventually gives up and simply takes a Pot Noodle from one of the cupboards. At that moment the telephone answering machine begins to ring in the hallway.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY - EVENING
The telephone answering machine continues to ring. Oliver gets to the living room doorway just as the answering machine message begins.
ANSWERING MACHINE
Hello, we are sorry we cannot answer your call at this time so please leave your name, message and telephone number after the tone
The answering machine beeps its tone and STEPHEN BELL - Oliver’s older brother - begins to speak.
Stephen BELL
Oliver it’s Stephen, answer the phone... Pick up I know you’re there... So don’t even bother pretending...
(A beat)
PICK UP THE BLOODY PHONE OLIVER... Mum asked me to check up on you. So what do you want me to tell her? 'Well Mum, he could be alive or he could be drowning in his own bathwater but I don’t know for sure BECAUSE HE WON’T ANSWER HIS FUCKING PHONE!'
Oliver moves slowly to the telephone and picks up the receiver.
OLIVER
Hello I’m here... I’m...
(A beat or
two as he
fails to get
a word in
while his
brother talks)
Oh I...
(Trying several
more times
to speak
before giving
up)
Okay... Bye
He puts the telephone receiver down, erases the message from the answering machine, and walks back into the living room.
FADE TO:
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Oliver lies in his bed with a bedside light on. He leans over and turns the light off.
CUT TO:
BLACK SCREEN:
SUPER: "Four Nights Earlier"
FADE IN:
BEGIN DREAM SEQUENCE:
EXT. SCHOOL - DAY
Children play in the school playing field. All the children are around 8 or 9 years old and are in groups of two or more. Some are running and playing, while others are sitting together making daisy chains. There is one exception to this. YOUNG OLIVER is hiding in a tree on his own. The school bell rings, signalling that the children’s lunch break is over. All the children run to go back into the school except for Young Oliver who initially appears to be left on his own. Several moments pass before another boy - YOUNG JOHNNY - who was previously unseen begins to speak.
YOUNG JOHNNY
Nice hiding place, mate
Young Oliver turns so that he can look back towards where the voice is coming from. Young Johnny is crouching on the roof of the school building.
YOUNG JOHNNY
Oliver isn’t it?
Oliver - now seen as his adult self - turns towards Young Johnny:
OLIVER
Yeah
Young Johnny remains crouched on the roof of the school building.
YOUNG JOHNNY
Well I’m Johnny...
(A beat)
So... Is there a reason you’re up that tree?
Oliver shrugs his shoulders.
YOUNG JOHNNY
Yer see, I was just wondering cos Miss Coyle hates me and...
(Jumping off
the roof
and onto
the ground.)
I reckon you can get down now
OLIVER
I thought I'd stay here
YOUNG JOHNNY
Why would yer wanna do that?
Oliver shrugs his shoulders. Young Johnny looks up from the ground towards Oliver.
YOUNG JOHNNY
You don’t say a lot do...
MISS COYLE
(Off screen)
JOHNNY YOUNGBLOOD! What are you doing out here?
Young Johnny turns around towards MISS COYLE - A well-dressed school teacher in her late twenties.
YOUNG JOHNNY
I... I’m...
MISS COYLE
Causing mischief no doubt... Who were you talking to?
YOUNG JOHNNY
Nobody Miss. It’s just me
MISS COYLE
(A beat or
two as she
looks at
him with some
suspicion)
Oh all right let’s get you back to the classroom
Young Johnny looks up towards Oliver in the tree and gives a smile and two thumbs up before trudging away behind Miss Coyle. Several moments pass before Oliver begins to climb out of the tree.
CUT TO:
EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY
When Oliver reaches the bottom of the tree he finds that he is in the middle of a field of wheat. As he walks into the field he sees Emily. She runs to him and grabs his hand.
EMILY
Hey!
OLIVER
Hey there
EMILY
You’re right on time
She pulls him over to a clear part of the field where the wheat is battered down and has a blanket and picnic basket laid out on top of it. They sit down facing each other.
EMILY
So... What happened to you before?
OLIVER
What? When?
EMILY
When you disappeared. I didn’t know what happened
OLIVER
Oh right...
(A beat)
I don’t really know
EMILY
I tried to look for you... I missed you
OLIVER
You don’t even know me
EMILY
So what…. What difference does that make? Besides, I think you know what you can do to change that
There is a crack of thunder and they both look away to where the noise came from. A rainstorm is clearly visible on a hill in the distance.
CUT TO:
EXT. HILL ON THE outskirts OF NORWICH - EVENING
It is raining heavily as Oliver and Emily stand n
ext to each other on a hill overlooking Norwich. Several moments pass as the rain continues to fall.
EMILY
(Turning towards
Oliver)
You still haven’t worked out where we are yet have you?
Oliver looks at the city below them.
EMILY
I’ll give you a clue if you want...
(A beat)
Knickers Off Ready When I Come Home
OLIVER
(Turning fully
towards her)
You what?
EMILY
Knickers Off Ready When I Come Home
OLIVER
Right... That’s what I thought
(Laughing)
And that’s your clue is it?
EMILY
Yep
OLIVER
Right...
Several moments pass as the rain carries on falling heavily.
OLIVER
(Gesturing and
looking up
at the sky)
Cats and dogs isn’t it
EMILY
(Looking forward
and not
at him)
Nah... It’s just a bit of rain
They look at each other, smile and look away again.
OLIVER
So...
(A beat)
What is your name?
He looks at where Emily had been but he is now standing alone in the rain. Several moments pass and then the rain stops.
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGH SCHOOL PLAYING FIELD - DAY
Oliver stands in a high school playing field. This is a playing field complete with football goals, hockey goals, and athletics track markings. In the distance the school buildings are visible. Johnny Youngblood stands next to Oliver and turns to him.
JOHNNY
It's good to see yer mate
OLIVER
I’ve missed you
JOHNNY
I know mate, I know...
(A beat as
he looks
around)
Although, I've gotta say, it's good to be back at the scene of most of our triumphs
OLIVER
That's bollocks! If there were any triumphs, they weren't mine
JOHNNY
That's not how I remember it my friend...
(A beat)
Now, take a walk with me
Johnny puts his arm around Oliver’s shoulder guiding him around as they walk slowly around the field.
JOHNNY
The least yer can do is be honest mate. Because we had plenty of good times even if we got into a fair bit of trouble because of it...
(Glancing at
each other,
they both
smile)
Okay, fair enough, it was usually me that caused the trouble... But yer know we were pretty cool in our little gang of two...
(A beat)
I definitely can’t think of another eight year old kid who could stay up a tree for a whole afternoon without getting caught by a teacher...
OLIVER
That’s only because no-one ever noticed I existed
JOHNNY
(Stopping to
look at
Oliver)
Shut the fuck up will yer! That’s bullshit! I noticed and I always wished I could do things you could do
OLIVER
(Under his