Black Pond

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1

( man )

Before I die,

I'd like to play a prince.

A noble prince, like princes

in the plays,

who fights and shouts

and dances like a god.

This place is mired by dirt

that will be seen.

In some untold,

unsensed dimension here...

where I surrender

all my worldly faults.

No longer am I scared to be

confused,

revered, remembered,

forgotten and abused.

No one wants to see themselves

splashed all over the papers,

do they really ?

Umm...

And it's not quite right that

Tom just confessed.

Actually, the police

came round to the house

because in discovering Blake

they'd also discovered Boy,

who was still wearing his tag,

I think,

and, um, so, so actually

that's how they found us

and they were

making inquiries,

so the first we heard of it was

actually this sort of

15-year-old policeman

appeared at the door

asking questions about it.

Sophie's doing what she always

wanted to do,

which is write

poetry and be without me,

so she got two results

and, um, and,

you know, I-- I--

Although obviously I lost my job

because of the publicity,

but, you know,

that clich about a crisis being

an opportunity is very--

it's very f***ing true.

Lost it ?

Almost like he doesn't need

you anymore, isn't it ?

Very true, yes.

If he can swim in the lake

and go home as he pleases.

I didn't mean to be intrusive.

I'm perfectly normal.

( Blake )

Last winter, of course,

the whole surface froze over.

Very peaceful.

I came here at dusk one evening,

almost without realizing.

Oh, the colors, Tom.

May I call you Tom ?

Yes, of course.

The colors, Tom.

Just-- just arriving

in patterns.

He seemed to not have that

membrane of social stuff

that separates you from people

in a kind of correct way.

He-- he seemed-

His boundaries

were very porous.

So I think I kind of knew that

he was probably some sort of

care-in-the-community person.

But he was very gentle and he

was very, um, poetic.

Of course, sometimes

I just come here

and cry a great deal

remembering everything.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

Oh, no, no, in a good way.

I've had some lovely cries.

The story goes that some woman

went missing round here,

very beautiful apparently,

married to

a high court judge.

Just round here somewhere.

A wealthy, happy couple.

But of course, one winter,

she went missing

and nobody knew why.

The husband spent a great

deal of money and effort

trying to trace her.

Posters, articles, searches.

Fruitless.

And eventually she was

presumed dead.

But he wrote in his memoirs

that, one morning,

almost exactly a year

after she had gone missing,

he was walking by this lake,

frozen over, just as

I've described,

and he saw

a hole in the ice

about 50 yards in,

just there.

That was his wife.

Telling him...

that she

had fallen through.

But-- But how

would you search ?

I mean, you wouldn't want

to, would you ?

You might find her.

Oh, and it might all just be a

load of cobblers, of course.

You know, I've not heard

that story before.

Oh, a stranger in a pub,

I think, passed it on to me,

when I mentioned I liked

fishing here.

Doesn't it put you off ?

I mean, that you might end up

catching some human bones ?

There's no danger of catching

anything here.

That's why I like it.

It's very peaceful.

Well...

Yes, extraordinary.

I guess I'd better be

pushing on.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Fascinating.

Nice talking with you,

I hope I--

I hope we run

into each other again.

Yes.

Um...

Do you want a cup of tea ?

Yes, please.

( Tom )

I think I just took him back

for a cup of tea

and that's how safe

I felt around him.

You know, I didn't think he was

dangerous in any way.

And I know people think that's

an odd thing to do, but I...

I just invited him back for

a cup of tea.

( man )

At times, I guess I kind of

cast myself as their slave,

but that was mainly because I

didn't really have much to do.

( woman )

Did you just buy these

so that you could have them

( woman )

I thought they

might cheer you up.

What, by reminding me

that I'm ugly ?

Jess, you're beautiful.

No, I'm not.

What are you doing ?

Why are you wearing all of

those at the same time ?

Well, I don't know, do I ?

You're supposed to

pick out one bit

and then wear it

with something else.

I don't know how

it works, do I ?

I've made breakfast,

if you're hungry.

( Tom )

I think he just is

a bloke who--

with a bit too much time

on his hands, frankly.

I did wonder if he was actually

seeing one of the girls,

but they've told me

that wasn't the case.

Funny boy.

( Tom )

Rainbow weather,

which in the modern sense

of the word "rainbow,"

I suppose means:
any sexuality

or gender of weather, welcomed.

I'm very impressed with

how he gets around

on those three pegs.

He thinks you've

come to play, see.

He's obsessed with the ball.

It's like his safety.

You don't sit down

very much, do you ?

He's very anxious

and nervous.

He has to distract

himself with the ball,

that's when he knows

he's okay, with the ball.

We had a conversation in our

house for the first time

in I don't know how long;

years, I mean years,

since the girls left.

We actually had a conversation

in our house,

between the three of us.

I didn't find that

frightening.

It just seemed like a relief.

Katie has a thing

for the wounded.

Jess has a thing

for being wounded.

But I think it was Katie

who spotted him, really.

She likes to look

after things.

Yes.

She used to bring back

the strangest boys.

Absolutely,

all lame ducks and--

What was that bloke who was

allergic to everything,

wasn't he--

He couldn't wear wool.

Oh, Toby.

90% of Christmas presents out

the window for a start,

but Katie's

not as bright as Jess.

We always thought she'd

probably grow up to be a nurse.

Because she's not bright ?

Well, and because she used to

play at being a nurse

quite a lot.

And Jess would always insist

on being the patient.

Yes.

She's the creative one,

if you like.

She's a very

good musician.

But she's very fragile.

Katie's very calm

in comparison.

No, not calm, but...

Jess, even when she was very

tiny, she used to cry

for no reason.

Just one minute she'd be happy

in the pram,

next minute she'd be crying,

so it was quite clear even then,

wasn't it ?

Well, that was

different, Tom.

That was just her

being a baby.

Was it ?

Oh.

You must be very proud.

( both )

Boy

Boy

Boy

Boy

( Blake )

Why did you

call him "Boy" ?

That was just because when I

first brought him home, I said,

"Here, boy," and he responded

straight away,

just came straight over.

Here, Boy,

here, Bo--

He's a bit deaf now but--

I did tell him it was weird.

I wanted to

call him Clare.

After John Clare,

you know.

The poet.

Ended up in an asylum.

Oh.

Oh, I'd love to read

some of his stuff.

He was a very beautiful man,

he was a genius,

but very lonely.

Well, there is something

of that in all of us.

Scornful and jealous

and frightened of everyone,

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