The Secret of Crickley Hall Page #2

CUT TO:

Eve watching Cam with love and deep exhaustion from a bench.

He’s still racing around, tireless. She’s catching up with

homework marking.

There are other mothers and children around.

CAM:

Look at me!

EVE:

I am looking. Five minutes.

Clouds pass.

Eve can’t focus on the handwritten scrawl of her pupils.

Cam is standing on the highest part of the climbing frame

gazing at Eve.

Her eyelids are drooping.

Cam gazes at her intently. Whispering:

CAM:

Love you Mummy.

Even though Eve is too far away to hear she mumbles a

response.

EVE:

Love you more.

Eve closes her eyes for a moment.

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 9.

15 EXT. CRICKLEY HALL - 1943 DAY 1 15

Stefan is carried screaming and kicking back to CrickleyHall. Cribben slams the front door.

16

A distant cry.

CAM:

Mummy.

EXT. PLAYGROUND - DAY 1 16

Eve wakes up with a start.

Surely she’s only been asleep for seconds.

But the playground is empty. No other mothers. No otherchildren.

And no Cam.

Her marking lying on the grass. She wipes her mouth. Stands

up.

EVE:

Cam?

She looks around, confused.

Cam?

EVE (cont’d)

She runs into the centre of the playground. Just his bluewoollen hat on the ground. She picks it up.

She runs to the adjacent path and looks both ways.

EVE (cont’d)

Cam!

Back into the park. Criss crossing. Scans the horizondesperately.

EVE (cont’d)

Please no.

She shrieks into the abyss.

EVE (cont’d)

CAM!!

17 EXT. PLAYGROUND - NIGHT 1 17

A full police search is underway where Cam was last seen.

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 10.

Eve is sitting on the park bench with a WPC. Eve’s gazing at

the shortened little finger on her left hand.

GABE:

Eve.

Eve stands up as Gabe approaches her. He looks as numb as she

is but hugs her tight.

EVE:

I fell asleep.

Gabe kisses her.

EVE (cont’d)

I fell asleep.

GABE:

Don’t.

EVE:

Someone must have been watching us.

GABE:

He may have just wandered off.

EVE:

Someone must have seen something.

GABE:

They said we should go home.

Eve looks at him like he’s insane.

EVE:

I’m not leaving here.

GABE:

Loren and Cally need you.

Eve is in torment.

GABE (cont’d)

I’ll take over here.

EVE:

Will you?

GABE:

I’ll stay.

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 11.

EVE:

He might have hurt himself or ... fallen

under something. I’ve covered every inch

of the park but the streets ...

GABE:

I’ll be here. Go and see the girls.

Eve absorbs a new horror.

EVE:

They’re going to ask me what happened.

GABE:

It’s not your fault.

EVE:

It is.

GABE:

It is not and don’t tell them that.

Gabe hugs her again.

EVE:

Say we’re going to find him.

GABE:

Of course we’re going to find him. How

can we not find him.

Eve nods. Fumbles for her keys. Gabe closes his hand round

hers.

GABE (cont’d)

They’re driving you.

Eve begins to move away.

GABE (cont’d)

Eve.

He hands her the marking. No reproach from him. But she feels

a terrible judgment.

18 INT. CAM’S BEDROOM - NIGHT 1

Eve sits dazed among the scattered lego bricks in Cam’s

bedroom.

LOREN:

Mum.

Eve turns to her eldest daughter.

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 12.

EVE:

Sweetheart try to sleep. Please.

LOREN:

I can’t stop thinking about it. Why would

he run away?

EVE:

We don’t know what happened.

LOREN:

You were watching so there wasn’t time

for him to just wander off. Someone must

have grabbed him.

Eve closes her eyes in despair.

EVE:

Loren please.

LOREN:

Is that what the police think?

EVE:

They’re just looking. That’s all they’re

doing right now.

CALLY:

Mummy.

Eve stands up.

EVE:

Oh no. No. We’re not having a conference

about this. There’s nothing we can do and

we can’t keep turning it over worrying

ourselves sick. If you can’t sleep let’s

watch TV or I’ll read a book to you.

CALLY:

Why can’t you just ask him?

Eve stops dead.

CALLY (cont’d)

You always say you can hear him. Just ask

him.

Eve is shaking.

CALLY (cont’d)

Can’t you hear him Mummy?

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 13.

Eve breaks down. Loren hurries to comfort her. Cally starts

crying.

CALLY (cont’d)

Why can’t you hear him?

19

EXT. PLAYGROUND - DAY 2 19

Eve returns to the playground at dawn. Gabe still there.

Police dispersing. Eve searches Gabe’s face. He shakes his

head. They look across the barren dawn landscape.

GABE:

He’s gone.

EVE:

No.

He holds her as we pull back and:

FADE TO BLACK.

20

EXT. GABE’S HOUSE - DAY 3 20

Eve returns from the shops laden with bags. Close on her

face, she looks hollow.

Caption:
Eleven Months Later.

She notices something out of the corner of her eye and stops

dead.

A lamp post with a missing cat poster.

She approaches it, astonished.

Underneath we can see another poster peeking out from the

corners.

Eve furiously rips away at the missing cat poster.

Gradually Cam’s faded photo is revealed underneath.

Someone has pasted a missing cat poster over her missing

child.

She’s crying as she uncovers her son’s face.

She calls out to the surrounding houses.

EVE:

Who did this? Who could do this?

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 14.

She breaks into a run, leaving her shopping scattered overthe pavement.

21 INT. GABE’S BEDROOM - DAY 3 21

Eve washes a pill down with a glass of water.

The door opens downstairs and she hears Loren and Cally.

LOREN O.S.

Mum someone said you dropped yourshopping are you okay?

CALLY O.S.

The eggs are broken.

Eve forces herself up. She has to hold it together for them.

22 EXT. GABE’S HOUSE - DAY 3 22

Gabe returns home.

23 INT. GABE’S LIVING ROOM - DAY 3 23

Loren’s doing her homework as Gabe enters. Without looking

up:

LOREN:

Cally’s with her.

Gabe sits opposite Loren. Studies her as she concentrates.

GABE:

I need to ask you something.

Loren continues making notes.

GABE (cont’d)

How would you feel about moving?

Loren nods.

GABE (cont’d)

I don’t mean permanently. But out of

London. Just for a couple of months. Idon’t want her here for the anniversary.

LOREN:

She’ll never go.

GABE:

She might if it comes from you.

Loren looks up.

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 15.

GABE (cont’d)

If you say you’re finding it too hard.

You could say you can’t concentrate. I

know I’m asking a lot. I just don’t think

she’ll get through this if we don’t get

away from here. And I don’t think she’ll

go unless it comes from you.

Where?

LOREN:

GABE:

There’s a project come up on the coast up

North. I can ask for a temporarytransfer.

LOREN:

What about school?

GABE:

They have schools. I know it’s not great

on you.

LOREN:

This is more important than school.

GABE:

I’ll drive your friends up for weekends

whatever it takes to make it easier.

LOREN:

I think it’s a good idea.

GABE:

Thank you.

24 INT. GABE’S BEDROOM - DAY 3 24

Gabe opens the bedroom door to see Eve and Cally curled uptogether asleep. Eve is holding Cam’s blue woollen hat.

Gabe turns away, stricken.

25 INT. CAM’S BEDROOM - DAY 3 25

The bedroom is tidied up but still very much Cam’s.

Gabe reaches under the bed to retrieve the bowling ball.

He slides his fingers into the sockets.

Clyde tries to comfort him.

Gabe pushes him away, wretched.

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