Dark City Page #16

He thumbs the blue curtain. Curls up, shuts his eyes again.

BEYOND THE CURTAIN

A dark room full of BUBBLING NOISES AND WATER DRIPPING - and

aquarium.

Several corridors meander between large glass panels that look into

illuminated tanks of sea creatures.

Walker moves past a shadowy doorway. He can barely make out STAIRS.

INT. HALL-WAY - NIGHT

Walker moves cautiously in the darkness. On a door a tiny NAMEPLATE

says:
K. WALKER - PROPRIETOR. The door is unlocked. He opens

it and goes in.

INT. KARL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

An entrance hall of an apartment. A large number of MOUNTED FISH of

all sizes line the hall. Walker studies these.

A strange WHIRRING NOISE O.S.

VOICE O.S.

John?

Walker turns to see an OLD MAN in his pyjamas sitting in a

WHEELCHAIR. This is KARL WALKER, his uncle, a cigarette permanently

dangles from his mouth.

Karl pushes a lever on the side of the chair. A whirr of electric

motors. The chair carries him forward.

KARL:

We've been so worried about you.

Are you alright, is there some kind

of trouble? It's been so long, I

thought you'd forgotten your Uncle

Karl?

WALKER:

Uncle - Karl.

Karl takes out his cigarette and smiles broadly, exposing a row of

stained teeth. He wheels over and grabs Walker around the waist and

hugs him tight.

LATER:

Walker and Karl are having a SLIDE-SHOW. Karl runs the projector.

The room is thick with cigarette smoke.

KARL:

Not often I get a chance to show

these. I'm glad you asked to look

at them.

Karl shows Walker images from his childhood... Several family

portraits click by. Walker examines these, concentrates on one in

particular - a young boy on a red bicycle...

Karl clicks through some more images, then:

WALKER:

Wait.

Karl stops on one particular shot - Walker's sister, his parents,

and Walker about nine, in the front yard of a beach house.

WALKER:

(Cont.)

Is that me?

KARL:

Yes.

WALKER:

Are they my parents?

Karl seems increasingly perplexed by the obvious questions.

KARL:

(nods)

And Martha.

WALKER:

Martha?

KARL:

Your sister, Martha.

Walker stands and walks across to the screen. He examines the image

closely, patterns of colour play across his face.

Walker now notices something in the B.G. of the photo - A

BILLBOARD SIGN with a faded image of a girl in a bathing suit:

WELCOME TO SHELL-BEACH! it says.

WALKER:

Know this place?

KARL:

Of course. It's where you grew

up...

WALKER:

Do you know how to get there?

KARL:

I haven't been there in years. You

would be relying on the memory of an

old man. I'd probably get us

lost...

Walker continues studying the slide, totally mesmerised by it.

WALKER:

(re:
sunshine in picture)

It's so... bright there, isn't it?

KARL:

Oh, yes. It's pretty...

WALKER:

The sky is blue.

KARL:

These pictures are very old. They

must have faded.

Walker looks at himself on the screen now.

HIS P.O.V. - the nine year old Walker smiling at camera - so

tight on the image it's BLURRY WITH GRAIN. ANGLE TILTS DOWN TO

REVEAL the young boy is clutching a small black notebook in his

hand. On the cover is a colourful scrawl in child's writing: HOW

THINGS WORK - BY JOHNATHAN WALKER AGE 9.

KARL:

(Cont.)

Can I keep going now?

Walker just nods.

Karl changes the slide now: an image of Karl as a young man

standing against a brick wall.

KARL:

(Cont.)

This is a good one! Look at me. I

was a handsome devil.

Karl is trying to find some humour in the situation - Walker is

making him extremely uncomfortable.

WALKER:

What about my parents? Do you know

where they are?

KARL looks at him blankly.

WALKER:

(Cont.)

What's wrong?

KARL:

They're dead. They've been dead for

years. Since you were a child...

I looked after you. What is it,

John, why are you asking me these

questions, don't you remember?

Walker stands and walks to the window - looks out at the city.

WALKER:

My sister - is she dead too?

UNCLE KARL stares at Walker extremely troubled now. But suddenly

the old man breaks into a big laugh.

KARL:

You had me there for a minute. Such

a joker! Like your father.

Walker doesn't laugh, but Karl is satisfied with his explanation of

Walker's strange behaviour.

WALKER:

Did you keep any of my things, from

when I was a boy?

KARL:

I cleared out your room. But I

think your sister put some of your

stuff in the attic. I don't know

what's up there - damn steps.

Whatcha looking for?

WALKER:

I don't know exactly.

INT. ATTIC - LATER

A door opens against black and we see Walker and Karl at the bottom

of a flight of stairs. Walker starts to edge his way up into

darkness.

KARL:

Don't trip over. It's dark up

there.

TIGHT ON a light switch - it is flipped.

WIDE ON THE ATTIC - full of books, boxes, discarded possessions.

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