Gothika Page #9

47.

INT. PHIL PARSONS' OFFICE - DAY

Parsons leafs through Miranda's file. Pete stands by thewindow, lost in thought.

PARSONS:

How much does she remember?

PETE:

It all came flooding back lastnight.

PARSONS:

Guilt?

PETE:

More like an uncontrollable

reminiscence. Intense, overcathected.

She's not feelingguilty of her actions, notexactly. Sounds to me like last

night she actually re-lived themin great detail.

PARSONS:

Hypermnesis following amnesia.

Could a specific epileptic elementbe involved?

PETE:

That's exactly what she suggested.

Even in her present state, herinstincts remain impeccable.

PARSONS:

I'd like to talk to her.

INT. WOODWARD CORRIDOR - LATER

Pete escorts a fragile Miranda down the corridor. The

two orderlies walking ominously behind them.

PETE:

Standard procedure.

MIRANDA:

I didn't say a word.

INT. DR. PHIL PARSONS' OFFICE - DAY

Parsons on the phone, gestures for them to enter.

(CONTINUED)

48.

CONTINUED:

PARSONS:

(into phone)

Dorothy, I can't discuss this

now -

(motions for

them to sit)

I'm not taking it lightly, no. We

will talk about it at home.

Miranda and Pete sit across from him. Miranda tryinghard to appear composed -- acutely aware of her everygesture, and of how different her last visit to thisoffice was. Nothing casual about it now.

She stares at the picture frames on Phil's desk (allfacing AWAY FROM us), the diplomas on the wall, the booksby noted fathers of neurology (works by HughlingsJackson, Kurt Goldstein, Henry Head, A.R. Luria). A

framed quote reads:

"'If You Do Know That Here Is One Hand, We'll Grant You

All The Rest.' -- Wittgenstein"

PARSONS:

(into phone)

Yes, dear. Me too.

He hangs up. Takes a moment to look at Miranda. Tries a

smile but to her it comes off condescending. Fact is -there's

nothing to smile about.

PARSONS:

I'm so sorry about this, Miranda.

She nods, dazed. Angles her head to look at a framedpicture on his desk. Parsons looks to Pete.

PARSONS:

Has Pete told you about thehearing?

PETE:

Teddy already filled her in.

PARSONS:

Teddy Howard is top notch. He's

going to do everything in his power-- and he's quite resourceful -- toprove you're not fit to stand trial.

Miranda, I know you have no familyleft, so we're your family now andwe're all going down to the wire toprotect you and help you in any way

we -

(CONTINUED)

49.

CONTINUED:

PUSH IN ON Miranda who stares intently at something onthe desk. Not listening to a word he's saying -

MIRANDA:

Who is that?

Parsons pauses here. Exchanges glances with Pete.

PARSONS:

Excuse me?

MIRANDA:

The girl in the picture.

WE SEE what she is talking about: a framed photograph onthe desk is now FACING us. Eerie. It shows Parsons, his

wife Dorothy and a young girl. Our teenage girl.

PARSONS:

My daughter.

Miranda looks up at this, perplexed.

MIRANDA:

She's the girl I saw.

PARSONS:

You're obviously mistaken.

MIRANDA:

I'm positive. She was hurt,

bleeding. Is she all right?

Pete and Parsons trade uneasy looks.

PETE:

Miranda, you've seen thatphotograph at least a dozen times,

every time you've been in thisoffice. You're just confused -

MIRANDA:

Not about this. Is she all right?

PARSONS:

No, she's not... all right.

(beat)

Rachel committed suicide six years

ago.

This shuts Miranda right up. Mind spinning.

MIRANDA:

How?

(CONTINUED)

50.

CONTINUED:

PETE:

Miranda, that's none of your -

PARSONS:

That's okay.

(to Miranda)

Rachel was a very troubled girl.

Handicapped since birth. She was

born mute. My wife and I triedeverything to help her fit inbut... but she ran away from homemore than once, wanting to end herlife.

(beat)

And she finally succeeded. Jumpedoff Ashley Bridge. She was onlyseventeen years old.

Ashley Bridge. Mute. Ghost? Miranda hesitates here.

She is not the type to believe in ghosts, and knows fullwell what even her suggestion of it will sound like.

MIRANDA:

I'm -- I'm terribly sorry, Phil.

Parsons doesn't want to talk about it anymore. Rises.

PARSONS:

Peter, can I speak to you?

The men step outside. PUSH IN ON Miranda's face as she

stares at the picture of Rachel. We catch snippets ofthe doctors' discussion outside, increasing herparanoia -

PETE (O.S.)

... Textbook psychotic pattern...

manifestation of guilt...

PARSONS (O.S.)

... much she knows about Rachel?

PETE (O.S.)

I'm telling you she doesn't...

Concocted alternate reality...

PARSONS (O.S.)

I'm trusting you... crawling with

cops.

A DARK SHADOW envelops Miranda's confused face, as we -

51.

INT. MIRANDA'S CELL - NIGHT

Miranda's pale skin is visible in the dim monochromaticlight. We are MOVING TOWARDS her, seeing her as if fromthe POV of someone approaching her. We become aware of

the RAGGED BREATHING sound. Miranda opens her eyes,

looks this way and that, then closes them again.

She is nearly asleep when she hears a sound we've heardbefore. The strained WET SOUND. Miranda's eyes SNAPOPEN. She slowly sits up, back against the wall.

Squinting to cover every inch of the room.

And now she sees it: a SHADOW crouched in the corner.

Roughly the size of a person. Miranda climbs off the bed

and slowly walks towards it. Scared, but determined.

She wrinkles her nose at the putrid smell coming from it.

She gets closer... closer... The RAGGED BREATHING GROWINGLOUDER as she reaches the shadow -

She stretches out her hand and finally touches...

NOTHING. She swipes her hand through the air, feelingstupid.

MIRANDA:

This is not going to work. I'm

sick of being watched, and I knowthis place well and it doesn'tsmell this bad.

She paces around the room, feels the wall, taps her head.

MIRANDA:

I'm awake, I'm not dreaming. I'm

alive -- this is not some

afterlife mumbo jumbo. So-called

paranormal activity can bedebunked a million different ways.

So whatever you are, whatever itis I'm making up here -- I'mletting you go, I'm setting youfree. I'm the wrong person. And

I need to sleep. I'm not afraid

and I don't believe and I'm fullyaware that this is all in my mind--fiction -- a concocted

alternate reality -- and Iacknowledge it. And now I'm done

with it. I'm going to sleep now.

The moment is as brave as it is ridiculous. She has

psyched herself into verbally defeating the ghost. And

now she climbs back in bed.

(CONTINUED)

52.

CONTINUED:

MIRANDA:

(sleepy)

Besides, if you really were the

ghost of Rachel Parsons, you would

let me out of this cell.

A beat. And now we hear the SOUND OF THE DEADBOLT SLIDE

OPEN. The door opens quietly. PUSH INTO Miranda's face.

Properly scared now.

MIRANDA:

Holy sh*t.

If proof is what she wanted, proof is what she got. From

now on we'll refer to the teenage girl as RACHEL.

INT. FEMALE WARD - CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Miranda takes a tentative step outside her cell, feelingthe door with her fingers, feeling along the wall -still

making sure she isn't dreaming this.

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