An empty street with a door and a sign that says “learn to lip-read in an hour: enquire within.”
A girl’s sleeping, propped against the wall, her dog walking around in a leash- restricted circle next to her. A cow’s chewing in the corner. A homeless man is staring at an upper storey window above the sign.
Protagonist
(A short disgruntled man with a camera hanging off his shoulder.
Obsessive and has a crazy look in his eyes.
His origins are unclear. He’s probably a photographer.
He’s impulsive and highly-strung – quick to high emotive states.
He’s in his late 30s. )
Appears on the street, wielding his camera.
His zoom catches the faces in turn. Of the girl, the cow, the dog and the homeless man… and the window.
He yawns. And leans against the wall, like the girl. The dog comes around and receives a pat.
He catches sight of the sign; the dog sits down.
While he’s reading it, there’s a crash from above him, something whooshes down and lands next to him; the dog pricks up her ears.
He picks it up – it’s a walking stick.
He looks up – there’s nothing there, only the sign… and an empty window above it.
He walks into the building, through the door beneath the sign, the dog’s looking at him.
There’s a lady at the window now.
She’s leaning all the way over, searching for something.
She’s leaning further out, footsteps sound behind her.
Protagonist: ‘scuse me, ma’am, is this yours?
She’s still leaning all the way out.
Protagonist taps on her shoulder.
She whirls around.
P: Is this yours?
L: Why yes, thank you. Much obliged. Are you here for my course? I must give you a discount for your help.
P: (thinking: a discount. Why not? It’ll only take only an hour, god knows how.) Oh, thanks, yes I was.
L: Good – grab the ear-muffs. Let’s begin.
…..
The shadows have lengthened. The cow’s sitting down now, still chewing. The girl’ slid down to a sitting position while still sleeping against the wall. The dog’s got one ear pricked up… and the homeless man’s still staring at the upper storey window.
Protagonist walks out of the lip-reading course.
The sleeping girl catches his attention – she’s murmuring something in her sleep.
G: She’ll get him.
Protagonist is getting excited. This is working.
He focuses his attention on the homeless man.
His lips aren’t moving.
He turns to the cow – shakes his head – and turns back again.
P: She wasn’t chewing after all!
C: They never check their wallets.
Protagonist is extremely excited now. He turns quickly to the dog.
The dog’s grinning at him.
She gets up, walks up to him, lifts her head up to stare straight at him and says:
D: Beware kind stranger.
Protagonist’s crazy with exhilaration. He whips out his camera and starts taking shots of the dog and the cow.
All the while, the lips of each of them: the girl, the cow and the dog, keep moving, keep repeating.
G: She’ll get him.
C: They never check their wallets.
D: Beware kind stranger.
In the frenzy of his camera shots – the words also get louder and louder (for want of a better word for loud… “prominent”-er and “prominent”-er just doesn’t seem to do the trick) – till suddenly they get so loud that he drops his camera.
And looks at them in turn.
P:
Beware kind stranger.
They never check their wallets.
She’ll get him.
He whips out his wallet and unfolds it. It empty.
P: It’s gone! My money – my credit cards – it’s all.... that witch! She… she…
He looks up to the window.
The homeless man’s also looking up to the window.
And the walking stick flies out of it and aims straight for his head.
…….
The girl and the dog enter through the door – she’s got his camera. The protagonist’s not in sight.
G: You got him, mum. I’m always afraid your aim will go wrong. He has such a lovely camera.
L (leaning out through the window): I know we learnt to lip-read really well honey – but must you play with my hearing aid? I miss your cues if it’s not working.
They both disappear into the house.
Outside, the cow’s chewing again. And the homeless man’ is staring at the window.
Beside the homeless man, protagonist is also sitting, with a large dent in his temple, and looking completely crazy, rocking to and fro and staring at the same window, murmuring something.
Close-up of his lips:
P: Beware kind stranger.
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