Young Writers Society

The Voice

by Emily Conklin

VOICEOVER DARK SCREEN

TOM: Please just give me one chance. I can assure you that I can get her to come out.

DOCTOR: (SIGHS) It’s highly unorthodox, but we have tried everything except getting security to come and yank her out and I don’t want to do that. I will give you one chance.

TOM: Thank you so much. You won’t be disappointed.

DOCTOR: I don’t trust psychology, especially from a doctor as young as yourself, but you are my last hope. Don’t screw it up. .

SCENE: INTERIOR OF A HOSPITAL ROOM. TOM STANDS IN THE ENTRANCE. THE ROOM IS DIM, THE ONLY LIGHT COMING FROM THE HALLWAY BEHIND HIM. TOM ENTERS THE ROOM SLOWLY, AS THOUGH WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS.

TOM: (TIMIDLY) Hello?

PAN AROUND THE ROOM. THE BED IS EMPTY. THERE IS A TABLE IN THE CORNER WITH A FIGURE HUDDLING BENEATH IT IN THE SHADOWS. A PLATE OF UNTOUCHED FOOD IS ON THE FLOOR NEXT TO THE TABLE. BRIEFLY, LIGHT FROM THE WINDOW FALLS ON THE FIGURE’S FACE. IT IS A TEENAGE GIRL, LONG HAIR TANGLED AND FALLING OVER HER FACE. AT TOM’S VOICE, SHE PUSHES BACK INTO THE CORNER. TOM SITS ON THE FLOOR NEXT TO THE TABLE.

TOM: (GENTLY, AS THOUGH TO A CHILD) I’m Tom, what’s your name?

TOM PICKS UP THE PLATE OF FOOD.

TOM: This looks good. Why haven’t you eaten it?

TOM PLACES THE FOOD ON THE FLOOR UNDER THE TABLE. AGAIN, THE GIRL SQUIRMS AS THOUGH TRYING TO GET FARTHER INTO THE CORNER.

TOM: (SOOTHINGLY) It’s all right. I’m not going to hurt you.

THE GIRL STOPS SQUIRMING. ENCOURAGED, TOM PUSHES THE PLATE CLOSER TO HER.

TOM: Come on, just one bite. If you don’t like it you don’t have to eat it anymore.

GRADUALLY, AS TOM’S EYES ADJUST TO THE DARK, THE ROOM BECOMES LIGHTER SO THE AUDIENCE CAN SEE BETTER. THE GIRL TENTATIVELY DIPS A SPOON INTO THE PUDDING, HER EYES NEVER LEAVING TOM. SHE GULPS QUICKLY, AS THOUGH AFRAID THE FOOD WILL BE TAKEN.

TOM: See? Not so bad.

THE GIRL SHOVES THE PLATE BACK TO TOM AND BRINGS HER KNEES TO HER CHEST, WRAPPING HER ARMS AROUND THEM. TOM IGNORES THE PLATE AND PULLS A NOTEBOOK AND PENCIL FROM HIS LABCOAT POCKET.

TOM: The doctors said you don’t want to talk to anyone. I wondered, maybe, if you don’t want to talk or if you can’t. (HE FIDDLES WITH THE PAPER AND PENCIL.) I have this piece of paper and a pencil. You can write if you want.

TOM SHRUGS CASUALLY. HE MOVES THE PLATE OFF TO THE SIDE AND LAYS DOWN THE NOTEPAD AND PENCIL. HE SLIDES THEM CLOSER TO WHERE SHE CAN REACH, THEN SITS BACK. AFTER A MOMENT, SHE SNATCHES THE PAPER AND PENCIL. SHE TRIES TO WRITE, BUT PUTS SUCH FORCE ON THE PENCIL THAT THE LEAD BREAKS. FRUSTRATED, SHE THROWS THE PENCIL AT TOM.

TOM: Well, that’s all right. I have a sharpener right here

TOM PULLS A PENCIL SHARPENER FROM HIS POCKET AND SHARPENS THE PENCIL. HE HAS TO DO IT AGAIN WHEN THE LEAD BREAKS. HE ROLLS THE PENCIL BACK TO HER, AND SHE SNATCHES IT AGAIN AND SCRIBBLES FURIOUSLY. SHE ERASES, THEN WRITES SOME MORE, HER HAND SHAKING VIOLENTLY. SHE THEN SLIDES THE PAPER BACK TO TOM, KEEPING THE PENCIL.

THE CAMRERA ANGLE CHANGES TO FROM OVER TOM’S SHOULDER, THE NOTE IS SEEN. IT IS WRITTEN IN BOLD BUT CHILDLIKE BLOCK LETTERS. AT THE TOP OF THE NOTE IS WRITTEN “MY DEMANDS” AND DIRECTLY BENEATH THAT IN SMALLER PRINT IS “BY ME.” THEN THERE IS A BULLET-POINTED LIST:

• Pants (THIS ENTRY HAS ARROWS AROUND POINTING AT IT)
• 1 L bottle of water sealed (THE WORD “SEALED” IS UNDERLINED TWICE)
• dry shampoo
• hairbrush
• pain-killers
• Jell-O
• One cookie

TOM: (NODS THOUGHTFULLY) This is quite a list, but I’ll see what I can do.

TOM SCRATCHES THE BACK OF HIS HEAD. ZOOM IN ON THE LIST AND THE WORD” PAIN-KILLERS.”

SCENE ENDS

CUT TO TOM APPROACHING A DOOR WITH “DR. DALTON” PRINTED ON IT. QUIET MUSIC PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND, LIKE IN AN ELEVATOR. TOM OPENS THE DOOR. LETTING OUT AN AUDIBLE SIGH, TOM ENTERS.

SWITCH CAMERA TO INSIDE THE OFFICE. TOM ENTERS AND QUIETLY SHUTS THE DOOR BEHINDS HIM. THE OFFICE IS EMPTY, AND TOM RUMMAGES THROUGH THE DESK TO FIND AN EMPTY PILL BOTTLE AND A BOX OF SUGAR PILLS.

TOM GRABS THE BOTTLE AND THE SUGAR PILLS AND THE SCREEN GOES BLACK FOR A SECOND.

CUT TO THE BOTTLE IN TOM’S HAND FILLED WITH THE SUGAR PILLS, AS HE WALKS DOWN THE HALL. THE PRESCRIPTION IS FOR 20 MG OF LORATAB. FADE OUT.

SCENE: INTERIOR OF THE HOSPITAL ROOM, DAY. LIGHT FROM THE WINDOW FILLS THE ROOM. THE GIRL IS STILL HUDDLED UNDER THE TABLE. TOM SITS NEXT TO THE TABLE, A LARGE BROWN PAPER SACK IN HIS LAP.

TOM: All the things you wanted and a few other things I thought you might need.

TOM HOLDS UP THE BAG, THEN SLIDES IT ACROSS THE FLOOR. THE CAMERA FOLLOWS ITS MOVEMENT. THE GIRL CAUTIOUSLY TAKES THE BAG AND OPENS IT, WATCHING TOM. SLOWLY, SHE REACHES INTO THE BAG AND BEGINS PULLING OUT ITS CONTENTS, LAYING THEM NEATLY ON THE FLOOR BESIDE HER. AS SHE PULLS OUT EACH, TOM NARRATES AS THOUGH WITHOUT HIS EXPLANATION SHE WOULDN’T KNOW WHAT THE ITEMS ARE. HE IS GRINNING, PLEASED WITH HIMSELF THAT HE GOT HER TO REACT TO SOMETHING.

TOM: Pants. I hope I guessed your size right.

SHE PULLS OUT AN ENTIRE PACKAGE OF COOKIES.

TOM: I thought once you had one you would want more.

A BOTTLE OF PILLS COMES NEXT. ZOOM IN ON THE LABEL, WHICH SAYS “LORATAB.” THE GIRL TUCKS THE PILL BOTTLE INTO HER LAP. SHE NEXT PULLS OUT TWO BOTTLES OF WATER. QUICKLY, SHE UNCAPS ONE, FUMBLES FOR A PILL, AND POPS IT IN HER MOUTH, SWALLOWING IT WITH THE WATER. SHE RECAPS THE WATER AND SETS IT DOWN, RELIEF PLAIN ON HER FACE.

TOM: I couldn’t find dry shampoo, but I did buy you a hair brush and some detangling stuff. Also a whiteboard, because then we won’t have the problem of the pencil again.

TOM’S VOICE TRAILS OFF. THE GIRL TAKES HER ATTENTION FROM THE BAG AND LOOKS UP AT HIM WARILY.

TOM: One last thing.

TOM PULLS A LILY FROM BEHIND HIS BACK, WHERE HE HAD TUCKED IT INTO HIS BELT. HE OFFERS IT TO HER. THERE IS A LONG PAUSE AS THE GIRL GLANCES FROM THE FLOWER TO TOM AND BACK. SLOWLY, SHE REACHES OUT AND TAKES IT FROM HIM, THEIR HANDS TOUCHING FOR ONLY A MOMENT.

FADE TO BLACK. THE LIGHT SLOWLY COMES UP, BRIGHTENING ON THE LILY AND CAUSING ITS PETALS TO OPEN. SLOW PIANO MUSIC PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND, AND TOM’S VOICE IS HEARD QUIETLY ASKING QUESTIONS. AFTER EACH QUESTION, THE GIRL’S ANSWERS APPEAR AS THOUGH TYPED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN.

TOM: Do you have a name?

SHADOW: I was only called Shadow, I have forgotten my real name

TOM: Were you kept for long?

SHADOW: Time never passed only darkness remained.

TOM: Why don’t you speak?

SHADOW: I can speak but it hurts.

TOM: Why?

SHADOW: He cut my vocal cords.

TOM: You’re safe now. Why do you hide?

SHADOW: I’ve been lost in the dark for so many years, I don’t know how to live without it.

THE LILY IS NOW BRIGHTLY LIT AND IN FULL BLOOM.

TOM: I will show you how.

GRADUAL FADE FROM THE LILY TO AN IMAGE OF THE TATTERED AND DISHEVELED GIRL SLOWLY COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE TABLE. TOM FREEZES AS IF AFRAID SHE WOULD DISAPPPEAR IF HE MOVES. SHE SCOOTS FORWARD UNTILL THEIR KNEES ALMOST TOUCH AND REACHES OUT HER HAND. THE CAMERA PANS AROUND TO SEE THE LEFT SIDE OF HER FACE IS HORRIBLLY SCARRED. AS IF IT HAD BEEN TORN APART. HER LEFT EYE IS MISSING.

TOM GENTLY TAKES HER HAND AND DRAWS HER OUT FROM FURTHER UNDER THE TABLE INTO THE SUNLIGHT.

FADE TO BLACK.