The Possession Page #12

CHRISTABEL:

I need some assistance.

Ash moves over to her. His fingers pick up fine, long

laces; unthreads, trembling over boned silk; he fumbles,

drops them.

(CONTINUED)

65.

CONTINUED:

ASH:

I am inexperienced in such matters.

Christabel does not look back. She pulls her hair up to

reveal the nape of her neck, downy hair by candlelight. Ash

sees the swell of her breasts, as he plants...

A kiss upon her bare shoulder. And with a whisper -

ASH:

You are safe with me.

CHRISTABEL:

I am not at all safe with you.

(beat)

But I have no desire to be

elsewhere.

Ash unthreads the laces. He feels the curve of her waist,

her hips. Slowly, as she turns to undo his collar stud, she

kisses him on his neck. As in a...

MONTAGE:

of buttons and laces -- stockings unrolled -- corset removed

-- candle blown out -

UPON BED:

Ash embraces her.

CHRISTABEL:

Are you afraid?

ASH:

Not now... my white lady,

Christabel.

Ash takes her in his arms. They lie upon the bed.

ASH:

Do not fight me...

CHRISTABEL:

I must...

On a bedside table a candle flame flickers -

ROLAND (V.O.)

`And is love more

Than the kick galvanic...'

DISSOLVE THROUGH FLAME TO:

66.

END OF FLASHBACK.

INT. WHITBY HOTEL - ROLAND'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

A pool of light from a bedside lamp, as Roland murmurs a

poem aloud from a book of Ash's poetry.

ROLAND:

`... Or the thundering roar

Of the Ash volcanic,

Thrown from some crater

Of earth-fire within?'

Roland walks over to the bathroom. A heavy, latched door.

He knocks, no reply. Then opens the door -

INT. WHITBY HOTEL - BATHROOM - NIGHT

The door swings in -- IN SLOW MOTION. Steam gathers in cold

air. Roland nearly falls over a part-naked figure!--

Maud in a silken robe, who steadies herself on his shoulder

Roland throws up a hand, clasps her supple body beneath her

robe -- Maud gasps. An electric current between

them -

ROLAND:

I knocked -- I'm sorry...

Roland briefly clutches the silk. He lets it go, as if

stung. He sees her hair -- damp, over bare shoulders and

neck. Beads of water, running down to her breasts.

MAUD:

(composing herself)

I waited some time for you to use

the bathroom.

ROLAND:

So did I. I was looking for a light

MAUD:

Well...

(closes her robe)

... no harm done.

ROLAND:

No. Maud -

Roland reaches out, Maud withdraws.

(CONTINUED)

67.

CONTINUED:

ROLAND:

If we don't find anything, I'm sorry

for getting you into this. I know

it was my fault.

MAUD:

It's okay. I don't blame you.

ROLAND:

I wanted us to find something,

together. I really did. And if we

reach a dead end, then...

MAUD:

I wanted this to happen too. We'll

think of something.

(beat)

Good night.

Maud exits, closing the door. Leaving Roland in the foggy

steam, looking at himself in the mirror -- in which he sees

a blurred figure. He wipes away the steam to see a swirl of

white sheets -

FLASHBACK - INT. WHITBY HOTEL - BEDROOM - NIGHT (1859)

In darkness, Ash awakes. Not beside him. He sees her over

by a windowseat. In a swirl of sheets, he gets up, goes

over. Finds her shaking silently, with tears. He puts out

an arm.

ASH:

What is it, my dear?

CHRISTABEL:

How can we bear it? For so short a

time. How can we sleep this time

away?

ASH:

We can pretend that we have all the

time in the world.

CHRISTABEL:

And every day we shall have less.

And then none.

ASH:

Would you rather have had nothing at

all?

CHRISTABEL:

No. We are here, we are now. Let

me hold you...

(CONTINUED)

68.

CONTINUED:

Christabel caresses Ash. He kisses her neck, her breast.

CHRISTABEL:

You will burn me up.

ASH:

Then let us burn until we are both

consumed...

Ash kisses her. Draws his hand down her body to her breast

ASH:

Now I know you, truly.

CHRISTABEL:

Yes, I admit. You know me...

Through the open window, a wind blows, ruffling her hair. A

breeze floating through the room, as -

INT. WHITBY HOTEL - BEDROOM - NIGHT (PRESENT)

A breeze wafts through, ruffling her hair, awakening Maud

from her dream to hear Christabel's voice... half-dream,

half-real.

CHRISTABEL (O.S.)

... Admit. You know me...

In pale dawn light, Maud sees letters scattered over her

table. Then over by the windowseat --

Christabel sits looking out, head turned away, hair blowing

in the breeze... through the window: sea spray crash on

rocks:
the water resembles flames of fire.

Framed in the window with the ghost, the reflection of the

leaping flames against her face, Maud gets an epiphany -

MAUD:

Oh my God... Roland.

INT. WHITBY HOTEL - ROLAND'S BEDROOM - DAWN

Roland awakes to KNOCKING at his door. Groggily he gets up,

goes to the door. Opens it to see -- Maud.

(CONTINUED)

69.

CONTINUED:

MAUD:

My room. Now.

Maud returns swiftly. Roland steps out warily, wondering.

INT. WHITBY HOTEL - MAUD'S BEDROOM - DAWN

Roland walks into Maud's room. Sees her staring out of the

window. For a moment, he can't see anything. He looks

closer at the window.

MAUD:

I saw her.

ROLAND:

Who...?

MAUD:

Christabel.

Maud moves closer to Roland. Almost touching. As Roland

sees traces of a reflection in the window. He turns to her.

MAUD:

All my life, since I was a child,

I've seen her. But never with

anyone else. You saw her, didn't

you...?

ROLAND:

I'm not sure what I saw...

MAUD:

I saw Blanche that night in Lincoln.

That's why I wanted you to go. I

thought it was a warning.

ROLAND:

And now?

MAUD:

I don't know. You don't think I'm

crazy -

ROLAND:

No, never. Not much, anyway.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

70.

CONTINUED:

ROLAND (CONT'D)

But two crazy people are no more use

than one. We still have no proof.

Now the ghost has vanished, Maud can see out over the beach.

MAUD:

Look. Out there.

Roland squints his eyes. Focuses out in the distance:

waves crash upon rocky caverns, sun scattering light like

flames.

MAUD:

You read Christabel's poem about

Melusina -

ROLAND:

But I never finished it.

Maud moves closer to the window, entranced by what she sees.

MAUD:

'And where the water moved and

shook itself

A show of leaping flames, of

tongues of light -

Roland moves towards her. An idea.

ROLAND:

Wait. Say it again. Do it, and

I'll recite a line from Ash.

(as Maud protests)

Just do it -

Now inspired, Roland starts. Suspicious, Maud carries on.

ROLAND MAUD:

'Shall our hearth's ash '... And where the water

grow pale or spark in moved and shook

waves--' itself!--'

FROM Roland's face, PAN ONTO Maud.

ROLAND/MAUD

(together)

'-- A show of leaping flames, of

tongues of light,

A fountain of cold fire, self

renewed.'

(CONTINUED)

71.

CONTINUED:

Both amazed, as the words coincide.

ROLAND:

The same lines. Word for word.

MAUD:

They were here. They saw it...

together.

They look out to sea. In the window reflection, flames

dance off waves as they crash against rocky caverns. Roland

and Maud's faces together in the window.

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