The Blank Room
Scene 1- Montage
Fade In,
The screen begins with a summer’s blue sky filled with clouds and the sounds of
birds tweeting. The camera pans down to a stately home and zooms in on a window
where a woman is standing inside looking out. The woman is HYACINTH; she is an
elderly woman who is dressed smartly apart from the grimace her face holds.
BLACK
SCREEN, briefly
Now inside,
HYACINTH moves into the dining room where she picks up a duster and dusts the
seemingly perfectly clean dining table. The dusting continues along a
mantle-piece where she accidentally knocks over a picture of an old man in a
suit. She picks it up and smiles at the picture before moving away.
BLACK
SCREEN, briefly
Cut to
HYACINTH now in the Lounge where she is doing a newspaper crossword, her eyes
move upwards to a clock every now and then taking note of the time, she sips at
her tea. Hearing a rustling sound from outside the window HYACINTH stands up to
investigate though in the process knocks her cup of tea over- close up of the
teacup shattering onto the floor.
BLACK
SCREEN, briefly
HYACINTH is
now on the floor sweeping up the glass with a dustpan and brush; she sweeps it
into a bag and ties it up before putting on her coat and heading towards the
front door. There’s a brief moment of silence before HYACINTH opens the front
door and stands there- staring out at the world before her. As she stares out
of the door there is a close up of Hyacinth’s face- trying to find the strength
to move outside. Before she can- the phone rings. The door shuts. Hyacinth
turns back into her home.
2- INT The Kitchen. Early evening.
HYACINTH is
seated on a chair on the phone to her daughter; NATALIA
HYACINTH
Hmm, yes.
NATALIA
And you’re
sure that you’re okay for the
weekend?
HYACINTH
Hmm, yes.
NATALIA
How are the
funerals plans coming together?
HYACINTH
Yes.
NATALIA
Mum? I asked how the funeral plans are coming together.
HYACINTH
They’re going okay. I’ve left most of it to
your brother.
NATALIA
So, have you done anything today?
HYACINTH
I’ve been working non-stop today, you wouldn’t believe the -
NATALIA
Oh
sorry Mum. Freddie’s just got back
from band practice, I’ve got to go.
HYACINTH
Okay.
HYACINTH slowly puts down the phone and sits for a
second looking out of the window before moving upstairs.
3-
HYACINTH’S bedroom, late at night
HYACINTH is
lying in bed, eyes wide open. Cut to an old antique clock which reads ’02.45’.
She turns over to her side but in the process hears a clatter of plates downstairs-
she sits straight up and looks to the door of her bedroom.
HYACINTH
moves off the bed and puts on her slippers, she tiptoes down the staircase as
the noises continue from downstairs. Eventually HYACINTH makes it down where
she sees a young teenage, MICKEY, who is rooting through the drawers in her
living room. Without thinking, HYACINTH moves behind MICKEY and sits on the
sofa.
HYACINTH
I would check the dining room;
you’ll find items of more value in there.
MICKEY
turns around, startled, it looks as if he is going to make a run for it though
there’s a few brief moments of silence as HYACINTH and he stare into each
other’s eyes.
MICKEY
Aren’t you going to call the police?
HYACINTH
Would you like a cup of tea?
MICKEY
Why aren’t you calling the police?
HYACINTH
I’ve got coffee too if you’d prefer that?
(Silence)
HYACINTH
You sir, are in my house.
MICKEY puts down the items in his hands and moves towards the door though
turns back into the room.
HYACINTH
I’m not
angry, if you wondered. I just want
to know why.
MICKEY
Why?
HYACINTH
Why you
want to steal from me.
MICKEY
I
don’t, I’m just…
HYACINTH
You
did, though, didn’t you? Until you saw me.
(Pause)
HYACINTH
I’m
not scared you know. I’m fine by myself, I can cope
perfectly well.
MICKEY
I
never said you couldn’t.
HYACINTH
I’m
Hyacinth in case you were wondering
MICKEY
Mickey,
the name’s Mickey.
MICKEY moves to sit down on a
chair, HYACINTH turns away as he sits down.
MICKEY
Shouldn’t
even be here anyway, wasn’t even my idea, was my fucking…
HYACINTH
It’s
okay Mickey, I’m not angry.
(Pause)
HYACINTH
That
was his chair.
HYACINTH indicates the chair that
MICKEY is sitting on.
(Pause)
HYACINTH
My
husband’s. Of course he’s gone now.
MICKEY
Where’s
he gone?
HYACINTH
He’s
dead.
(A
longer Silence)
MICKEY
I’m
sorry.
HYACINTH
You
see, that’s why I don’t care- he’s gone. This house isn’t a home anymore.
This room is empty. Just take
what you want and leave me alone.
MICKEY
You
got a very nice house; you must have a‘lotta money.
HYACINTH
I
do. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘Money dosen’t make you happy’?
MICKEY Sounds like a stupid phrase!
HYACINTH It’s true though.
(Silence)
MICKEY
It’s
hard isn’t it, losing someone.
HYACINTH
It
is.
MICKEY My sister died, three months ago
today.
HYACINTH I’m sorry.
MICKEY Don’t be, she was really ill, it
was a good thing she went.
(Silence
until a plate rolls out of MICKEY’S bag and onto the floor, both HYACINTH and
MICKEY turn to look, Silence.)
HYACINTH
That
was a wedding gift.
(Pause)
MICKEY
I’m
so sorry, this should never have happened, I’ll empty…
(MICKEY
empties the bag, china plates and jewellery spill out, so does a large carving
knife which clatters onto the floor)
MICKEY
I
wasn’t going to use it I swear, it was just in-case y’know, if you
was hostile or something.
HYACINTH
Imagine
I had been… hostile? You’d have stabbed me then?
MICKEY
No.
(Pause)
HYACINTH
You’d
have threatened me then? Until I handed over my possessions?
MICKEY
No.
HYACINTH
Have
you ever killed anyone before Mickey?
(Silence)
MICKEY
No.
HYACINTH
I
have.
(Pause)
HYACINTH
It
was an accident, a fire thirty years ago. I was smoking but dropped
the cigar. There was an
open gas canister and before I
knew it I’d set the whole building alight. One girl died.
Of course that
was a long time ago now.
MICKEY
I
wasn’t going to hurt you.
HYACINTH
I
know you weren’t going to. You don’t look like that type.
MICKEY
Oh
yeah?
HYACINTH
Yes.
MICKEY
We
both lost people y’know.
HYACINTH
We
have.
MICKEY
I’m
sorry miss, I’ve made a bit of a mistake. Are you alright?
HYACINTH
I’m
fine- I don’t need anybody. I don’t need anything. This room, this
house, these things- they are nothing.
MICKEY
stands up and moves across to the clock on the mantelpiece, his foot knocks
into a safe on the floor. HYACINTH watches this, he turns back around and sit
back down slowly.
(Silence)
HYACINTH
1959.
MICKEY
Huh?
HYACINTH
That
was the year the girl died. Her name was Annabelle Smith, she
worked in the factory down the
road and… she was pregnant.
(Pause)
MICKEY
(Indicating
Picture on mantelpiece)
Is
that your daughter?
HYACINTH
One
of them, yes.
MICKEY
You
need to speak to her.
HYACINTH
I
can’t.
MICKEY
Why.
HYACINTH
Because
she’s the girl who died.
(Silence)
HYACINTH
I’m
just so… tired.
HYACINTH’s
eyes slowly close, she has fallen asleep. MICKEY watches her for a second and
then stands up. He looks at his bag and then to the safe. He slowly perches
down on the floor and looks at the keypad. MICKEY enters the code ‘1959’ into
the safe, it slowly opens- he looks inside for a few seconds at the money
inside, there’s also jewellery and a picture. The picture an old photo of a
woman standing outside a factory smiling, MICKEY turns the picture over- it
reads- ‘Annabelle Smith, 1959’
Fade Out, BLACK SCREEN, briefly
4- Fade In, The Living Room- Morning
Sunshine seeps through the window down onto a sleeping
HYACINTH who awakes, she opens her eyes and stands, she then looks at the
picture of her daughter on the mantelpiece and moves towards it. Holding the
picture in her hands she then looks down to the safe, opened and looted.
HYACINTH turns around, the whole room has been upturned and ransacked, she
makes her way out of the living room and through the rest of the house, and most
things have gone. Out of the corner of her eye HYACINTH see’s the rubbish bag
she failed to take out the day previously, she puts on her coat and walks to
the door, picking up the rubbish bag. HYACINTH opens the door and stands for a
second looking out, she goes to step out though stops herself, turns round back
into the house, and she closes her front door.
Fade Out.
Words- 1464
Somehow when I pasted this from word the form messed up a bit, never mind it still makes sense hopefully.
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