The Secret of Crickley Hall Page #3

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 16.

He sits cross-legged on the carpet, cradling the bowlingball.

26

He forces himself not to submit to despair.

INT. GABE’S BEDROOM - DAY 3 26

27

Eve sleeps fitfully.

DREAM MONTAGE 27

Close-up images of:

The narrow dormitory window lashed by rain.

Battered orphans’ shoes.

Pendulum from the grandfather clock.

Carbolic soap scrubbing an orphan’s scalp.

Chalk on blackboard.

Cribben’s eyes.

A boy screaming.

Pages turning on the punishment book.

Stefan Rosenbaum. Stefan Rosenbaum. Stefan Rosenbaum.

SWISH-THWACK

27A INT. GABE’S BEDROOM - DAY 3 27A

The sound of a cane wakes Eve. She looks around for Cam’s

blue hat. It’s on the floor.

28 EXT. COUNTRY LANE - DAY 4 28

Gabe’s car speeds along a country lane.

Caption:
One Month Later.

CALLY O.S.

How far?

GABE O.S.

Ten minutes less than the last time youasked.

LOREN O.S.

Clyde’s going to be sick.

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 17.

They pass a sign.

CALLY O.S.

Devil’s Cleave! Dad! It’s called Devil’s

Cleave! Is that like cleavage?

30 EXT. COUNTRY LANE - DAY 4 30

Gabe’s car winds its way through narrow country lanes.

31 INT. GABE’S CAR - DAY 4 31

Through the windscreen, we see Crickley Hall loom up intoview. More institutional than residential. The house from

Eve’s dream.

GABE:

Big enough for you?

LOREN:

It’s a mansion.

CALLY:

It’s a castle!

Eve is disturbed as she sees the house. She knows she’s seen

it somewhere before. She notices Gabe watching for herreaction. He looks at her with love and some trepidation.

Too much?

GABE:

EVE:

(SMILING)

Always.

She kisses him.

32 EXT. CRICKLEY HALL - DAY 4 32

Eve approaches the imposing grey slab of a building. Tryingto figure out where she’s seen it before.

EVE:

Which way’s the school?

GABE:

Two miles ... that way. There’s a school

bus for the village they said they’ll

make a stop.

(TO LOREN)

Hear that princess? You don’t even have

to struggle down to the bus stop.

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 18.

Gabe unlocks the front door.

GABE (cont’d)

Clyde! Come on! Stop sulking.

Eve looks back to the car and the open back door. The dog iswatching them gravely.

Gabe gets some treats from his pocket and shows them toClyde. But Clyde doesn’t move.

GABE (cont’d)

You are sick.

Eve follows Clyde’s gaze to the narrow top window in the

house. An image from her dream she half-remembers.

33 INT. CRICKLEY HALL / DORMITORY - DAY 4 33

From the upstairs window, a view of Eve in the drive. Handheld

as if the point of view of someone in the house.

34 INT. CRICKLEY HALL / ENTRANCE HALL - DAY 4 34

The girls charge up the open stairs which run past the bigwindow. Eve follows Gabe towards a large drawing room in the

austere space.

EVE:

Was this a family home?

GABE:

I don’t know. It’s not been rented in a

while. I think they’re pretty desperate.

I got cleaners in.

EVE:

They’ve really gone to town. What is that

smell - carbolic soap?

She remembers a flash image of carbolic soap scrubbing ayoung scalp.

35 INT. CRICKLEY HALL / DINING ROOM - DAY 4 35

Gabe opens a window in the dining room.

EVE:

Have the police got the landline here?

GABE:

He’s got my office and the mobile. I’ll

give him this place too.

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 19.

EVE:

People do remember things on

anniversaries.

GABE:

If they do we’re a phone call away.

Eve nods, trying not to be tearful. Being brave for him.

36 INT. CRICKLEY HALL / DRAWING ROOM - DAY 4 36

Eve places three photos on the mantelpiece above the fire now

burning in the grate. Loren and Cally together. A family

group shot with Cam. The third photo - Cam alone. Eve looks

at it solemnly.

EVE:

We love you baby.

As if in response, Eve hears a tapping sound from the

entrance hall.

37 INT. CRICKLEY HALL / ENTRANCE HALL - DAY 4 37

Eve looks at the grandfather clock. The pendulum is

stationary. The same pendulum from her dream. But she seems

to hear it ticking. She looks closer.

Something moves on the stairs, startling her. She looks up

the staircase but there’s no-one there.

38 INT. CRICKLEY HALL / LANDING - DAY 4 38

From the landing, another pov shot from child’s height

looking at Eve through the bannisters. Someone is there.

39 INT. CRICKLEY HALL / LANDING - DAY 4 39

Eve peers at the bannisters. Although she can see nothing she

senses someone.

Loren and Cally come down from the second floor back to their

room on the first, breaking the moment.

EVE:

What’s up there?

LOREN:

Junk room. It’s the only place I can get

a signal.

EVE:

What’s my room like?

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 20.

CALLY:

We gave you the biggest one.

EVE:

You’ve been a couple of angels. Has Daddy

put you on best behaviour?

CALLY:

He said I could have

LOREN:

We like it here.

40 INT. CRICKLEY HALL / CELLAR - DAY 4 40

Eve descends the stone steps into the cellar. Gabe is working

on the boiler in the corner. She approaches the low circular

wall round the well. It has a metal safety grille over it.

She peers into the pit and hears the rushing sound of fast

running water.

EVE:

That’s what makes the house cold.

GABE:

No that’d be the dodgy boiler.

Eve tugs at the metal grille covering the well to verify it’s

well secured.

GABE (cont’d)

I’ve checked it but we’ll ban them.

EVE:

Is that a generator?

GABE:

They get power cuts.

Eve nods, still looking around. Gabe studies her.

GABE (cont’d)

There’s a B&B a few miles further out.

EVE:

No I’d rather it was just us. Good

choice.

Gabe moves to the generator.

GABE:

Hot water’s back on. I’m just going to

check this out before it gets dark.

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL Ep 1 Pink Revisions 21.

She watches him with love. He’s in his element. Fixing

things.

From far down in the well, a presence seems to wait.

41 INT. CRICKLEY HALL / KITCHEN - DAY 4 41

Loren is examining the old-fashioned basin and taps.

CALLY:

There’s no dishwasher!

LOREN:

I’m going to teach you a new game. It’s

called washing up.

Loren finds a single cup lying in the sink and picks it up.

Mould dribbling out. She looks up and sees an elderly mangazing at her through the window. She gasps and drops thecup. It shatters on the stone tiles.

42 INT. CRICKLEY HALL / CELLAR - DAY 4 42

Eve is climbing the steps from the cellar as Cally calls.

CALLY:

Mummy!

EVE:

Stay up. You’re not allowed down here.

CALLY:

There’s a man!

43 INT. CRICKLEY HALL / KITCHEN - DAY 4 43

Eve enters the kitchen where the back door to the garden isopen. PERCY is helping Loren pick up the last pieces of thebroken cup.

LOREN *

It’s all right he just gave me a fright.

PERCY:

That’s the last thing I wanted to do Mrs.

Caleigh. I’m sorry.

*

*

Percy steps forward to shake hands with Eve. *

PERCY (cont’d)

Percy Judd. I used to work in CrickleyHall.

*

*

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