Cement_Garden
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DEREK
Jack...?
Jack glances back at Derek. He pauses, smiles.
DEREK
I do wish you'd all trust me a
little more.
Jack hesitates, then turns and walks away. As he wanders off
across the Wasteland, the wall finally collapses. But the
SOUND has been imperceptibly replaced by the noise of WAVES
on a beach, the image gradually bleaching WHITE into:
127. EXT. SEA & SKY - [d/f: 2] DAY
A white, OVER-EXPOSED sky. Distant voices become audible,
calling out Jack's name. CAMERA TILTS lazily down to a pale,
over-exposed sea, as though from the POV of someone floating.
More distant cries of "Come back!" and the CAMERA PANS round
to the shoreline, where the anxious Father and Mother are
standing in deep water, waving their arms and calling.
Ignoring them, the CAMERA PANS dreamily back to sea, where
the LITTLE GIRL is swimming towards the horizon. She looks
round, gaily beckons us to follow...
The SOUND of an approaching CAR begins to OVERLAP. The
SCREEN slowly DISSOLVES into a BLUE that gradually deepens as
the car gets louder, swallowing the LITTLE GIRL from view.
Then the car comes to an abrupt halt, followed by silence.
128. EXT. PREFAB & POV OF HOUSE - [d/f: 2] LATE AFTERNOON
UPSHOT: The deep blue of approaching dusk. No SOUND, other
than the murmur of INSECTS and scuttling of ANTS.
Jack lies on his back, his eyes open, gazing up at the sky.
He is naked to the waist, his skin flushed and copper-red
from too much sun. He blinks, as if disorientated, glancing
about to get his bearings.
He is lying on the apron of concrete near the prefab, where
the ANTS tramp in and out of the wide crack (in MACRO F/G).
He glances across to the House in the far distance, sees
Derek's CAR parked outside.
Jack gets lazily to his feet, admiring his tanned arms - then
hears giggling coming from inside the prefab.
129. EXT/INT. PREFAB - [d/f: 2] LATE AFTERNOON
Jack peers in through the window, smiles to see Tom wearing
his blonde wig, lying on the overgrown bed with William,
their arms round each other like the two little Princes in
the Tower.
130. EXT. HOUSE - SIDE PATH - [d/f: 2] DUSK
Jack walks up the garden path, and is about to go in through
the kitchen door when he reacts to Julie's angry voice,
coming from the coal-hatch at the base of the wall.
JULIE (O/S)
It's none of your business anyway!
DEREK (O/S)
I was only trying to help. Susan
said she thought it was the drains.
Jack moves closer to the coal-hatch.
SUE (O/S)
I'm sure it is... you know Julie -
that one that's always getting
blocked...
DEREK (O/S)
I'd say it was coming from inside
that locker - wouldn't you, Julie?
JULIE (O/S)
It always smells in here - that's
why we keep the door locked.
DEREK (O/S)
Didn't smell like this the last
time I came down.
131. INT. CELLAR - [d/f: 2] DUSK
SHOOTING down from the top of the steps: Julie, Sue and
Derek stand in LONG SHOT down the cellar, facing the metal
locker.
SUE
It's the drains. Definitely. All
that rain we had the other night,
it must have.....
DEREK
I assure you, Susan - it is not the
drains. It's the smell of something
very dead and very rotten - and its
coming from inside that locker.
(measured)
Are you sure it's not a body?
An awkward pause.
JACK (O/S)
As a matter of fact, it is.
They all turn to see Jack, standing in the open doorway at
the top of the steps. Derek smiles, as one who has at last
been let in on a secret. He turns to Julie.
DEREK
You see? Jack trusts me, so why
won't you? Don't worry, I'm not
going to tell anyone.
Derek touches Julie's arm reassuringly as Jack walks down.
JACK
You can tell who you like. It's
only a dog.
Sue and Julie exchange mystified glances.
DEREK
What dog?
JACK
My dog.
DEREK
What's it doing in there?
JACK
Not a lot. I put her in there when
she died and filled it up with
concrete.
Julie is quick on the uptake --
JULIE
But you told us not to tell anyone!
JACK
I know. It seemed important at the
time, but now it doesn't really
matter any more.
Derek turns to Sue, catching her on the hop --
DEREK
What sort of dog was it?
SUE
Me??
JACK
Labrador mostly.
DEREK
Can I look?
JACK
If you want.
While Derek turns to open the locker, Julie catches Jack's
eye, gives him a wink. He grins, raising his eyes in Derek's
direction. She moves closer to him, inspecting his tan.
JULIE
You really caught it today.
JACK
Fell asleep on the wasteland.
JULIE
You should do it more often - it
really suits you. Don't you think
so, Derek?
Derek has opened the locker and is examining the crack, now
much wider. He catches hold of a piece of material - a piece
of the Mother's nightdress - tears it off and examines it.
DEREK
You didn't make a very good job of
the mix. What was her name?
JULIE
Who?
DEREK
The dog?
Derek watches her as she turns to Jack for help. Jack
pauses, then answers matter-of-factly -
JACK
Cosmo.
DEREK
Cosmo?
JACK
Cosmo.
Julie and Sue both start giggling. Derek eyes them both, and
Jack turns on them in mock irritation --
JACK
How come you always have to fall
about every time I say his name?
DEREK
He?
JACK
Cosmo.
DEREK
You said it was a She just now.
A beat. Jack shrugs.
JACK
Some days it was a He, some days it
was a She. You know, like Tom.
Julie and Sue start giggling again; Jack grins - then sees
Tom coming down the stairs.
DEREK
Hullo Tom.
Tom looks at him guardedly. Derek puts a hand out to ruffle
his hair, but Tom backs away and takes refuge beside Julie.
DEREK
Did you like Cosmo, Tom?
Tom grins knowingly at Derek. Jack turns to Tom -
JACK
You remember Cosmo - our dog.
DEREK
Were you sad when she died?
Tom looks up at Julie.
JULIE
You sat on my lap and cried, don't
you remember?
Tom gives the others a mischievous look, then turns to Julie.
TOM
I cried, didn't I.
JACK
That's right - and I carried you
into my bed, remember?
Tom adopts a faraway look. Julie catches Sue's eye.
SUE
Come on, Tom - time for your
supper...
... and she leads Tom away. As he goes, Tom turns to Jack -
TOM
A dog...!
... adding a derisive chuckle as he leaves the cellar. Derek
watches him go, then peers down into the wide crack.
DEREK
Well judging from the looks of her,
I'd say Cosmo calls for a reburial.
JACK
We'd never get her out.
Derek indicates the sledge-hammer on the floor.
DEREK
A few goes with that would soon
break it open.
JACK
Out of the question. She stays
where he is - and there's an end to
it.
Jack closes the lid with a decisive clunk.
132. INT/EXT. MOTHER'S BEDROOM/POV OF ROAD - [d/f: 2] DUSK
Jack watches Julie standing in the road as Derek drives off.
He waves, but she gives only a half-hearted wave in response.
Jack turns away from the window - catches sight of his
reflection in the mirror on his mother's dressing table. He
sits down, gazes at himself a moment, inspecting his suntan.
Reflected beyond, we see the mother's room, immaculately
tidy. Her bed has been made up and is covered in a dark
counterpane. Jack turns to us and stares out...
133. INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - [D/F: 2] DUSK
JACK'S POV: His own room, a veritable rubbish tip by
comparison. The floor is strewn with dirty clothes, mugs
filled with dog-ends, and half-eaten bits of mouldy food.
Jack goes and looks under the bed to find a nest of mildewed
fish and chips and screwed up bits of toilet paper. A beat,
then he starts hauling out the mess...
In a series of TIGHT SHOTS, Jack begins to clean up his room,
stuffing the debris into a wardrobe. Then, with increasing
fervour, he strips his room bare of curtains, lampshades,
lightbulbs, pictures, sheets, pillows and blankets, until it
is as bleak as a prison cell. Finally he strips off his own
clothes, crams them into the wardrobe with the rest and
squeezes the door shut.
Jack flakes out naked on the mattress of his bed, exhausted.
He stares up at the ceiling as the SOUND of a child crying
LAPS OVER with the noise of distant waves...
134. EXT. BEACH - [d/f: 2] DAY
LOW ANGLE, OVER-EXPOSED: Jack's PARENTS trudge up the beach
ahead, Mum carrying towels, the Father carrying the LITTLE
GIRL on her shoulders. The crying grows louder, and our
childish HANDS enter SHOT in f/g, reaching out towards Mum up
ahead.
But she doesn't seem to hear, and now she and the Father
start to fade into a sea mist up ahead. We sit down on the
ground with a loud wail. On the sand in front of us: a
broken spade.
A long pause. Then, looking up, we see the LITTLE GIRL re
emerge out of the mist and come towards us. She stops, holds
out her hand with a smile. We get up and start to follow her
- she moving ahead of us until we are both lost in the mist.
The crying starts up again, but more distant than before...
DISSOLVING INTO:
135. INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - [d/f: 1] NIGHT
The darkened ceiling of Jack's bedroom. Jack lies on his
bed, still naked, staring up at the ceiling while the crying
continues, O/S. He listens a moment without moving.
136. INT. JULIE'S BEDROOM - [d/f: 1] NIGHT
Tom lies naked in the brass cot, the sheets kicked to the end
of the mattress, wailing into space.
JACK (O/S)
Wotcha.
Tom looks to see Jack standing in the doorway, silhouetted
against the light from the landing beyond.
JACK
What's the matter?
Tom starts to howl. Jack walks over to the cot and tries to
lower the side, banging it with his fist. Tom's wails turn
to giggling as Jack shakes the bars, finally unhooking the
side and letting it drop to the floor.
TOM
(baby voice)
Again! Again! Do it again!
Jack sits down on the pile of sheets at the foot of the cot.
JACK
So what's the matter?
Tom falls silent, glowers at him.
TOM
Why haven't you got any clothes on?
JACK
Why haven't you?
TOM
Because I'm hot.
JACK
So am I.
Tom sighs, lies back with his arms folded behind his head.
JACK
Is that why you were crying?
TOM
I wanted Julie.
JACK
Why?
TOM
Because I wanted her.
JACK
You mean you wanted Mum.
TOM
Course not. Mum's dead.
Tom lowers his voice, as though confiding a secret.
TOM
I've been into her room. I know
where Julie keeps Mum's things.
Jack settles down in the cot, Tom moving over to make room.
JACK
What do you want with Mum's things?
TOM
Me and William dress up in them.
Sometimes we're Mum and Dad, and
sometimes we're Julie and Derek,
but mostly we're you and Julie.
Jack seems more intrigued than surprised. He lies on his
elbow beside Tom's feet, pulling the sheet over them.
JACK
What do you do when you're me and
Julie?
TOM
Nothing much.
JACK
Yes, but what?
TOM
Just play.
JACK
With what?
TOM
Mum's clothes of course.
Tom sucks milk from his bottle.
JACK
Does it make you feel sexy when you
dress up?
(Tom giggles)
Well does it?
TOM
What d'you mean?
JACK
When you put your wig on and that
skirt, and then you look in the
mirror and see a little girl, do
you get a nice feeling in your
willie? Does it get bigger?
TOM
Shurrup!
Tom gives an embarrassed chuckle - nestles up beside Jack. A
long pause.
JACK
I wonder if they can see us now, if
they're watching us...
TOM
Who?
JACK
Mum and dad. Do you think they're
in heaven?
TOM
Dunno about Dad, but Mum's in the
cellar.
JACK
What do you mean?
TOM
She's in that metal thing under all
that hard stuff.
JACK
Who told you that?
TOM
Derek said. He said you put her in
there.
Tom tucks the bottle back in his mouth and turns on his side.
Jack watches him a moment, then lies back on his pillow of
blankets and gazes up at the ceiling. A long pause.
JACK
I remember when I used to sleep in
this cot. Long time ago... before
you had it. Mum used to make up
stories for me, like Julie does for
you. I used to think she made up
my dreams for me too.
TOM
(sleepily)
Hey, you're squashing me...
Jack moves over, but without losing track of his own
memories.
JACK
When I woke in the morning, she
used to sometimes ask me what I'd
dreamt about, and I used to think
it was to see if I was telling the
truth. Shall I do the Sandman?
Jack looks at Tom, who is fast asleep. Jack moves up next to
him, gently strokes his hair, his own eyes beginning to
close.
JACK
Sandman come, Sandman come, and
bring Jack and Julie lots and lots
of lovely dreams.......
Jack's voice trails into silence and sleep.
SOFT MIXING TO:
137. INT. JULIE'S BEDROOM - [f/d: 1] NIGHT
Julie, gazing almost into CAMERA. Her hair is up, and long
fine strands curl down her neck. A pause, then she smiles.
JULIE
Look at you. Just look at you.
Julie stands by the cot, staring down at Jack and Tom, both
asleep. Jack opens his eyes as Julie lifts down the side of
the cot --
JULIE
My two bare babies!
Jack smiles foolishly up at her. Her white cotton blouse is
unbuttoned, and her skin seems even darker in the half light.
She leans forward, stroking his hair with one hand while
unobtrusively taking hold of the sheet with the other.
JULIE
"And vot do you make of zis, Herr
Doktor...!"
She pulls back the sheet with a flourish, revealing Jack
naked. He instantly grabs it back, leaps out of the cot...
JACK
Oh no you don't!
He covers himself with the sheet while hovering in the
doorway, not wanting to leave, yet not knowing where to go
from here. Julie walks over to him.
JULIE
I just want to talk to you, that's
all.
JACK
What about?
She takes him by the hand and leads him to her own bed. They
sit on the edge, Jack still covering himself.
JULIE
I really haven't been to bed with
him you know.
The statement catches Jack unawares. He looks at her, then
at the floor.
JACK
He knows about Mum. He told Tom.
Julie shrugs, touches his sunburnt arm, her eyes bright.
JULIE
He was bound to find out sooner or
later. Is it very sore?
Jack shakes his head. Julie starts to take off her clothes -
so casually that Jack barely seems to notice.
JULIE
What upsets him is that we won't
let him in on the secret. He wants
to be one of the family - one of
us. I suppose we might as well
tell him now...
JACK
But not one of us?
Julie's bra slips down from her breasts as she locks her
fingers between his.
JULIE
Course not. Just you and me and
Sue and Tom - that's all the family
we need.
She kisses him lightly on the mouth, then they both look down
at their hands.
JULIE
He lives with his Mum in this big
house. He took me there. She
calls him Doodle and makes him wash
his hands before tea.
They both giggle. Julie releases her hands from his, places
them on each side of his face and kisses him slowly. Jack
closes his eyes. She studies him a moment, playfully
squeezes his cheeks into a sullen pose.
JULIE
You used to look like this...
(removes her hands)
... and now you look like this.
Jack smiles self-consciously, glances down. Julie follows
his eyeline, looks at the sheet draped over his waist. They
both smile. Then she slips off the sheet.
JULIE
Doodle's Mum told me she irons him
fifteen shirts a week.
JACK
(his mouth dry)
That's a lot of shirts.
Julie leans him back with one hand, moving her other between
his legs...
JULIE
It's funny, but I've lost all sense
of time. It feels like it's always
been like this. I can't remember
how it used to be when Mum was
alive, and I can't really imagine
anything changing... can you?
They are now both lying on their sides, facing each other.
JACK
Everything seems fixed and still,
and it makes me feel like I'm not
frightened of anything any more.
Jack takes the initiative, kisses her, gazes at her eyes.
JACK
I feel like I've been asleep for as
long as I can remember - like I've
never really been born. I feel sort
of like I'm weightless, like I'm -
I dunno - floating about in space.
Julie strokes his hair, the thumping of their hearts
magnifying as the background SOUND FADES.
JULIE
What do you think'll happen?
JACK
It's bound to end I suppose. Then
they'll pull us down like the
others, and one day someone'll come
poking around... and all they'll
find is a few broken bricks in the
long grass...
Julie's pale breasts are level with Jack's face.
JULIE
(whispering)
Go on...
As Jack's lips close around her breast, a VOICE is heard so
faintly that it is almost inaudible...
DEREK (O/S)
Now I've seen it all!
Julie opens her eyes, barely reacting to the sight of Derek,
standing in the doorway in the b/g.
JULIE
Have you? Oh dear.
Jack tries to look up, but Julie screens his face with her
body, holding him tightly as though protecting him. Despite
her cool response, Jack can hear Julie's heart pounding...
DEREK
How long's this been going on?
JULIE
Ages. Ages and ages.
DEREK
But he's your brother!
JULIE
Shhh... or you'll wake Tom.
Derek remains in LONG SHOT, as though rooted in his tracks.
DEREK
All those times when you never even
let me come near you... why didn't
you tell me?
JULIE
Actually, it's got none of your
business.
TIGHT on Jack, smiling quietly.
DEREK (O/S)
You're sick, the pair of you -
sick!
Derek storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
A long pause. We hear his footsteps echoing down the stairs.
Presently Julie turns back to Jack.
JULIE
Do you think a lot about Mum?
JACK
All the time.
JULIE
Me too. Do you think what we did
was right?
He traces a finger over her breast.
JACK
Seems natural to me.
Julie pauses, gives him a soft smile.
JULIE
Me too.
They gaze at each other in silence, then both start giggling
together. We hear a dull, far-off THUD. The giggling stops.
Jack draws Julie toward him, gently kisses her. Another
distant THUD: a sledge-hammer smashing concrete...
Julie smiles, enticing Jack to roll on top of her. The THUDS
become more frequent, aggressive, insistent as we move in
TIGHTER and TIGHTER on their two faces, blurring into one...
MIXING TO:
Jack and Julie asleep in each other's arms. The room is
perfectly still.
Presently we hear the distant SOUND of an approaching Car.
CAMERA PULLS slowly back as it grows louder, bringing the
bars of Tom's cot into f/g Julie stirs, opens her eyes.
We hear the Car pull up outside the house. Jack wakes up,
sees the door open and Sue enter, rubbing her eyes. They all
look at each other, but none of them seem surprised.
Through a chink in the curtain, a revolving blue light makes
a spinning pattern on the wall. Tom sits up and stares at
it, blinking. Julie, Jack and Sue move up to the cot and
Julie bends down and kisses him.
JULIE
There! Wasn't that a lovely sleep.
Tom smiles.
* * * * *
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