Hoarse

Written By

Ellie Jones

Based on, if any

Address
Phone Number
EXT. FOREST CLEARING-NIGHT.
We see a CU of MARA, a striking dark haired woman in her
mid-thirties. Her face is lit in intervals of a fire's glow,
as someone out of frame tries to bat it out. Her face
constricts with pain and confusion. We hear the quivering
breath of a man, and the sound of them batting out the flame
with heavy material. MARA watches with a tear soaked face.
(Voice out of frame speaks with a hoarse, thick northern
accent).
VOICE OUT OF FRAME
Go, run, find him. You know you
will.

Tears roll down MARA's cheek, as she edges backwards.

VOICE (CONT'D)
It was never me. Was it? Was always
just...(sighs). Just go.

CUT TO:
(FLASHBACK)
INT.BEDROOM- NIGHT.
AARON, a solemn, dark-haired boy of sixteen years stands at
his bedroom window, bathed in a green glow of a lava lamp on
the windowsill. He looks out onto an empty street lit by the
orange streetlight and wears a man's shirt, far too big for
him. We hear the soft beat of trance music leak from the
pair of large headphones he wears, as he chews on a piece of
black liquorice. MARA (his mother) returns home, walking up
the driveway in office-wear, he appears agitated, almost
angry as he watches her.
CUT TO:
INT. TAXIDERMY SHOP- MORNING.
VINCE a handsome, kind-eyed man in his early-forties stands
combing the coat of a taxidermy fox. He gently touches it's
head and puts the comb down. We hear the shop door chime and
open, and an elderly woman stands holding a dead mouse in
her hands.
ELDERLY WOMAN
I'd like to keep him like this.
Please...could you do that?
VINCE nods understandingly. The elderly woman looks at the
mouse sadly again.
CUT TO:
INT.BATHROOM.DAY.
AARON stands under the shower. MARA walks into the bathroom
and picks up her hair brush. AARON jolts, trying to hide his
body.
MARA
It's nearly quarter past y'know,
you might be...
AARON
What're you doing? TURN AWAY.
MARA looks surprised, but does as he says and rolls her
eyes. She starts to brush her beautiful dark hair in the
mirror.
(CONT'D)
I didn't sleep.
MARA
Oh...
We see MARA's uncomfortable expression in the mirror. AARON
looks at her bitterly, and throws on a towel.
(CONT'D)
It's your dad's anniversary this...
AARON
Tuesday, I know.
MARA
Thought we'd go a walk, maybe...
AARON
I can't.
MARA
The school will understand Aaron.
AARON
I'm meeting Alfie. We're going
shooting on the grounds.
MARA
Right...of course, like...when he
used to take you both. Sounds nice.
 AARON
Yeah.
MARA
Well...wrap up warm.
She exits the bathroom. AARON walks over to the hairbrush
she left on the sink and pulls a clump of hair from it
aggressively. His knuckles turn white as he does so. He
exhales, calming himself, and puts it back down again.

CUT TO:
EXT. STREET- EVENING.
AARON rides his bike on the way back from school, in his
school uniform, he bites a long piece of black liquorice. He
squints his tired eyes to see VINCE collecting a dead
hedgehog from the side of the road into a cardboard box. He
frowns and bikes on.
(2 DAYS LATER)
CUT TO:
EXT. HILLS- AFTERNOON.
MARA walks along the hillside wearing a long white anorak
coat with a black turtle neck. Her dark hair flows
dramatically in the breeze. She comes to a set of white
stone steps, where a pale haired man stands in a white
jumper with his back to her a long way down. The bottom of
the steps are concealed by a cluster of bushes. The man
dissapears further down the steps and out of sight. MARA
stares after him. She takes out her phone and calls someone,
it rings for a while, then the low voice of a man can be
faintly heard.
MARA
I need to see you.
The muffled voice replies. She smiles faintly.
MARA
Ok...I'll be there.
She ends the call, but continues to stare down towards the
bottom of the steps.
 CUT TO:
EXT. SHOOTING GROUNDS-AFTERNOON.
We see a CU of AARON as he looks down the barrel of a rifle
gun. He wears a pair of protective earmuffs, and all the
sound of the scene is muffled. He fires. ALFIE, his
half-brother, a taller, older boy (nineteen) comes into shot
beside him and pats him on the shoulder, congratulating his
shot. He gestures at him to widen his stance, and AARON nods
paying close attention.
CUT TO:

EXT.BARN SHELTER (SHOOTING GROUNDS)-EARLY EVENING.

AARON and ALFIE sit centrally inside the shelter eating
their packed lunches. ALFIE smokes a cigarette in one hand,
and eats a sandwich with the other. AARON watches him as he
smokes.
AARON
Gimme one?
ALFIE
A'ite, just try not to choke.
ALFIE smiles and passes him a cigarette. AARON watches ALFIE
inhale and tilt his head back to exhale, he mimics.
AARON
Did Dad ever smoke Alf?
ALFIE laughs at the question.
ALFIE
Dad? God yeah, loads.
AARON
Didn't know.
ALFIE
He quit when you were born I think.
Think your mom made him.
AARON
Mm.
ALFIE
Yeah, s'how his voice got so
hoarse.
ALFIE laughs. AARON looks thoughtful.
(CONT'D)
My mom was surprised he stopped.
But she always said your mom could
be pretty...
AARON
What?
ALFIE
Um...suppressive. But, don't know
if I'd listen to my mom.
AARON
What else does she say?
ALFIE
You won't wanna hear this but...
she blames her.
AARON starts to fiddle his thumbs in fists, staring at the
ground.
(CONT'D)
She always says'a man needs to be a
man'. Said your mom was always
working and leaving him to look
after you.
AARON digs his nails into his skin.
AARON
Mm.
ALFIE
She's bitter as hell though. So was
I. But my mom's very traditional.
AARON
Yeah.
AARON takes a long drag on the cigarette and exhales.
CUT TO:
EXT. FORREST- EVENING.
MARA, walks alone through the forest, her eyes are wide and
troubled. We make quick cuts to the scene of the man at the
bottom of the white steps. MARA starts to breathe quickly,
panicking. We make quick cuts to close-up shots of parts of
a man's body in the same white sweatshirt; his hands, his
neck, his mouth. MARA becomes hysterical. She tries to
steady herself against a tree, but sinks down it. She starts
to sob. We hear the sound of someone approaching. A small
voluptuous figure stands in the distance infront of her,
they speak in a thick Irish accent.
FIGURE
Are you hurt?
CUT TO:
EXT. CARAVAN- LATE EVENING.
A white dingy caravan, bathed in a twilight blue light,
occupies a small forrest clearing. A pink cloth, hung on the
side of the van reads 'AOIFE'S PSYCHIC FORTUNES',in gold
paint. The sound of evening crickets and natural sounds are
prominent. MARA sits on, one of two, fold up chairs around a
small table, her eyes puffy and pink. AOIFE, (mid-forties) a
voluptuous woman in a pearly-white tracksuit, with her hair
scooped back tightly into a long plait,sits opposite. They
sip warm mugs of mulled wine as candle light flickers on
their faces.
MARA stares into the distance as she speaks, her face
expressionless.
MARA
I'd come home. Sit in our wardrobe,
and bury myself in his clothes...in
his scent.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM-NIGHT.

AARON stands at his window, wearing the same over-sized

shirt. A packet of cigarettes and an ashtray sit on the
window sill. The cigarette in his mouth burns to the end. He
dashes it out and lights another immediately.
MARA(V.O.)
Sometimes I'd call his phone. Wait
for it to go to answer phone...to
hear his voice again. I wanted to
feel him...
CUT TO:
EXT. CARAVAN- LATE EVENING.
MARA
(CONT'D)
...sense him.
AOIFE shuffles a deck of fortune cards.
AOIFE
Tell me about the other...the
living man.
CUT TO:
INT. TAXIDERMY WORKSHOP- EVENING.
(The scene is mute, save for the sound of MARA's breathe as
she struggles to confess)VINCE sews up the body of the small
white mouse, he lays it on the worktop and bends down to
look at his work. He gazes with fascination into its eyes,
it appears to stare back.
CUT TO:
EXT. CARAVAN- LATE EVENING.
MARA tears up, she feels the pang of her own guilt.
MARA
I use him.
She takes a gulp of wine.
MARA(CONT'D)
See, there's something in him.
Something I lost, and found.

(MORE)
(CONT'D)