“PALADIN”
A SCREENPLAY
BY
JOANNAH VAUGHAN WYX
2015
TITLES: VAN MORRISON’S “MOONDANCE”. Dusk turning Into night.
Birds eye view over Remote woodland.
Angle On An anonymous man who is driving through the wood. He parks in a remote area hidden from the main road. He’s been there before.
He alights his car and attaches a head camera to his head. His body language is confident. He starts to walk.
Rural Sussex – Autumn present.
Fade In:
EXT. WOODLAND – NIGHT.
The anonymous man treads quietly. A mist is rising. He breathes calmly. There is no moon.
ANGLE ON two male wild adders contesting against one another; known as the ‘dance of the adders’ ;( Possibly Incidental music to heighten wrangle of snakes.) A few crows return to their murder.
The man sits on the ground. He’s wearing gloves. He takes of his shoes and massages his red socked feet. The head-cam keeps recording. He puts his shoes back on.
He wears expensive walking clothing.
He stands, walks and positions himself against a garden fence and looks through an inconspicuous hole. He SPIES on the garden of a detached house.
In one hand he plays with two dodecahedron dice, His hands are well manicured.
The house has lights on. House moving boxes are piled high in the conservatory and lounge.
JUSTINA BELLAMY 35, is seen moving around her new home. She has no idea she’s being spied on
INT.JUSTINAS SUSSEX HOUSE
She is running a bath. She catches her reflection in the bedroom window, she closes the curtains. Her small white west-highland terrier, gets under her feet
JUSTINA
You want to go out sweetie? Come on then.
JUSTINA turns off the bath. She changes into her dressing gown; then runs downstairs. She GRABS her phone and puts it in her pocket. She opens the kitchen garden door. She catches herself in the kitchen window. Her reflection makes her jump. She gasps. She touches her heart where there is a pearl crucifix. She grabs the cross.
JUSTINA
I dunno boy, I’m spooking myself now.
EXT. JUSTINAS GARDEN
The dog is swallowed up into the darkness of the garden. JUSTINA waits at the door, looking at the garden.
She sits on a garden seat outside the kitchen and smokes a cigarette. It’s a BEAUTIFUL evening. The terrier then crawls through a gap in the fence. She doesn’t notice.
EXT. WOOD - NIGHT
The terrier finds the SPYING man, the man GENTLY pushes the dog away. The dog stands his ground and playfully barks.
The man grabs a stick. The dog thinks it’s a game, and wants to play. The man throws the stick.
Whilst the dog runs for the stick, the man RUNS away from the vicinity of the house into the far woodland.
As he runs away; MUSIC: LUCIANO PAVAROTTI - VESTI LA GIUBBA ('IL PAGLIACCI') PLAYS.
EXT. A LEAFY AVENUE, LONDON. AUGUST 1992 – DAY
It’s the height of SUMMER. A large removal van is being loaded up by removal men.
Angle on JUSTINA, who joins the removal men at the van, she is struggling with a box. One of the removal men runs to help her.
On the same street; a big BLACK dog is PULLING at his lead as his owner SPENCER FOSTER takes him for a walk. The dog starts to run.
SPENCER is in GOOD PHYSICAL shape. He LETS GO of the dogs lead,
SPENCER
Go find her, boy.
JUSTINA heads back into house; she notices one of her shoe-laces are undone, she bends down to lace it up. She looks up at her house. The Sun glares, blinding her with dazzling light.
A WIDER ANGLE of the street; a mid-range luxury car ARROGANTLY speeds up and then stops with a screech.
ANGLE ON, the driver PRICE HOULIHAN looking in his rear view mirror at JUSTINAS house. He has CHISELED good-looks.
He MOCKINGLY smiles. He’s listening to;
MUSIC: THE BEATLES, ‘RUN FOR YOUR LIFE’.
The music is very loud, SPENCER and JUSTINA can hear it, but can’t see who’s driving the car.
SPENCER’S huge dog finds JUSTINA. The dog is very friendly. She greets the dog.
SPENCER RUNS to them.
SPENCER
Schwatzy! Bloody dog. I’m sorry. I can’t control him. JUSTINA? Hey, is that you! What you up to? Moving? You DIDN’T tell me!
JUSTINA
Didn’t I? I thought I did. (Playfully) I dunno, can’t you keep control of your own dog SPENCER? I’m going to be a dog owner soon. I’m taking on my Grandpas dog, his smaller than Schwatzy, his name’s Montgomery a Scottie-dog.
Did you SEE who was driving that car? I THOUGHT IT WAS…
SPENCER
(INTERRUPTS)Have you got another job, to go to?
JUSTINA
My God that car was so LOUD…wasn’t it? (MOCKINGLY Giggles) Bit different from the normal racket.
SPENCER
You’re the music teacher.
JUSTINA
Sorry SPENCER … WORK...
Yes. Well, I don’t start until next term.
My Grandpa left me his house.
SPENCER
I didn’t realise. Sorry. (Pause.) You will be MISSED. I take it, you DIDN’T TELL your students? Who am I going to talk to at work now?
JUSTINA
I didn’t really want to upset them. I’ve met my replacement. On paper he’s a better teacher than me! So, I’m doing them a favor.
REMOVAL MAN
If you want to miss the traffic. We better get going JUSTINA. That A21 can be murder at the best of times.
JUSTINA
We’re running late. The phone wouldn’t stop ringing this morning. Someone kept putting the phone down when I picked it up. Thank God it’s unplugged...
I better lock up.
ANGLE ON, Justina as she edges closer to the house. SPENCER follows her. JUSTINA HESITATES at her door. She wants to say goodbye to the house alone. But, she feels AWKWARD asking SPENCER to leave. She POLITELY, RELUCTANTLY, grants him access.
She goes inside, SPENCER walks with her. She checks all the windows to see if they’re locked.
SPENCER
I envy you. A new start. Is it private or public?
JUSTINA
Girl’s school … Posh.
JUSTINA grabs an abandoned chair and places it under a ceiling light-fitting. She stretches to remove a large decorative metal lampshade, she’s unable to remove it.
SPENCER
Can I help?
JUSTINA
Gets down.
Please. Nearly forgot it.
I got this in Canada, It’s the only GOOD thing I got from my MARRIAGE to PRICE.
It creates the colours of the Aurora Borealis.
EXT.CHURCHILL, MANITOBA. CANADA. A GIANT GLASS DOMED IGLOO. 1988 – NIGHT
JUSTINA is dressed in a lace, white WEDDING DRESS. PRICE is PROUDLY waiting for her to come down the aisle. Friends and Family packed in the BEAUTIFUL GLASSHOUSE, to witness the stunning event.
As the spectacle of the Northern Lights happen around the wedding party, everyone toasts the happy couple with champagne.
The wedding couple DANCE, to
MUSIC: VAN MORRISON’S “MOONDANCE”.
PRICE and JUSTINA wave goodbye to their guests
PRICE DRIVES, with JUSTINA as PILLION a snowmobile to their private honeymoon lodge.
End of Excerpt.
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