Short Script: "67a"

INT.DAY. GEORGE’S FRONT ROOM

An old man in his late seventies is sitting in a scruffy
brown armchair, thick brown curtains block out most of the
light coming through the window and the television
illuminates the room, giving everything a green tinge. The
flat is decorated in the fashions of the 1970s, the
wallpaper, carpet and ceiling are all peeling at the edges
and it is obvious it has been a long time since anybody
decorated. Despite this the flat has a homely, if slightly
ramshackle appeal to it.

NARRATOR V/O

George was a man of simple
pleasures, he liked what he liked
and didn’t what he didn’t. He liked
to watch a bit of sport on the
television. Bowls was his
favourite. He liked the way the
players danced and moved trying to
influence the bowl long after it
had left their hand, futile yet
nonetheless very entertaining. He
liked to have a smoke of his
tobacco. He kept it in the same tin
he’d had since he was a lad of
thirty. It made the tobacco dry out
much quicker than if he’d just left
it in the pouch. George didn’t much
like this but then that’s where
he’d always kept his tobacco so
there was little that could be done
about it. He especially liked
finding unusual matches in his
matchbox and kept them in a special
place next to the tea, coffee and
rainy day jars. He even gave them
little nicknames; though he
wouldn’t like to admit this should
anyone ever ask him. George rarely
ever ventured into his bedroom
anymore. He had shared the room
with his wife and now that she was
gone it didn’t seem right to sleep
there. The bed was far too big and
his feet were prone to getting a
little chilly. Instead he had taken
to sleeping in the downstairs
armchair. George didn’t mind this
too much, he rather enjoyed the
fact that he never had to get out
of bed to have a sit down in his
favourite armchair, a luxury few
others could lay claim to. He was a
man of modest means but was able to
survive very comfortably on his
pension thanks to rent control
keeping the price in the 1970s.
However these were troubled times,
this hadn’t escaped George and his
landlord had been finding more and
more unusual ways of making his own
ends meet.

INT. DAY. GEORGE’S KITCHEN

GEORGE’S LANDLORD is standing in GEORGE’S kitchen waiting
for GEORGE to fetch his rent cheque, while he is out of the
room the LANDLORD takes some teabags out of the pot and puts
them in his pocket, He then pours some coffee granules into
the breast pocket of his shirt. The LANDLORD then goes to
take an apple from GEORGE’S fruit bowl but accidentally
drops it. The apple rolls out of the kitchen, into the hall
way and finally stops against the cupboard under the stairs.
The LANDLORD hurries after it and when bending down to get
it notices the cupboard. Slowly and with a furrowed
quizzical look he opens the cupboard door and peers inside
for a while. The LANDLORD shuts the cupboard door just as
GEORGE is walking into the hall, he looks flustered hands
the apple to GEORGE and leaves with the rent money. GEORGE
looks at the apple for a while, and then walks into the
front room.

INT. DAY. GEORGE’S FRONT ROOM

GEORGE is asleep in his old armchair, his hearing aid is
turned off and he is oblivious to the noise going on around
him. Drilling, sawing and hammering can be heard coming from
the hall just outside of GEORGE’S front room.

INT. DAY. GEORGE’S FRONT ROOM

GEORGE wakes up from his sleep turns his hearing aid back on
and gets out of his chair to go and make a cup of tea. When
he reaches the hall he sees something that makes him stop
suddenly. He stands in the doorway for a while with a
bemused look on his face as if he’s mulling something over
for the first time. He finally lets out a bewildered chuckle
and walks into the kitchen allowing the audience to see for
the first time what it was that stopped him in his tracks.
The cupboard under the stairs now has ‘67a’ emblazoned on it
with brass numbers, a welcome mat and doorbell have also
been attached to the cupboard.

NARRATOR V/O

Now this was indeed a very
intriguing sight and though George
was anxious to meet his neighbour
he understood that a person needs
time to settle in to a new home.
He’d never had any previous trouble
with neighbours and was sure they’d
get on famously, keeping out of
each others way and exchanging
morning pleasantries. Not wanting
his new neighbour to think him a
busybody, he thought it best to
forgo the welcome cards and
greetings casseroles at least until
everyone had had their tea.

INT NIGHT GEORGE’S FRONT ROOM.

GEORGE is asleep in his armchair, with a blanket over his
knees. Drum and bass music and youthful drunken laughter can
be heard coming from the neighbour’s ‘house’, the noise is
extremely loud and it is hard to believe that GEORGE can
sleep so soundly through it. The audience are made aware
that GEORGE has his hearing aid turned off and the music and
laughter suddenly and dramatically reduce in volume to an
almost inaudible muffled noise as if the audience are now
hearing what George can hear.

NARRATOR V/O

It has been quite a few weeks since
George’s neighbour’s arrival and
while they hadn’t met officially,
George could not fault this new
arrangement. George’s neighbour
kept himself to himself during most
days and as such George imagined
his new neighbour was a night
worker, probably a security guard,
nurse or air conditioning engineer.
George tried to keep the noise down
during the days.

INT DAY GEORGE’S HALLWAY. FLASHBACK TO PREVIOUS DAY.

George silently and with pained elaborate movements, creeps
past the front door of 67a, gentle snoring can be heard
coming from inside. Moments later George returns with a cup
of tea, walking in the same elaborate manner.

INT NIGHT GEORGE FRONT ROOM. RETURN TO THE PRESENT.

NARRATOR V/O

George didn’t mind this, after all,
his neighbour had shown him the
same courtesy, keeping himself to
himself and rarely having any
daytime visitors.

Through GEORGE’S doorway a line of teenage boys and girls
can be seen drunkenly making their way through the hall and
into number 67a.

INT DAY GEORGE’S FRONT ROOM

GEORGE wakes up in his chair, carefully folds up his blanket
and places it on the arm of the chair. He slowly wrenches
himself up out of the chair and walks into the kitchen to
make himself a cup of tea.

NARRATOR V/O

Now, George didn’t know it yet but
there was something deeply
unpleasant waiting for him in the
kitchen. Something that would test
his every nerve. A scene so vile
that even the nastiest amongst us
would not wish it upon their worst
enemy.

INT DAY GEORGE’S KITCHEN.

GEORGE fills up his whistle kettle and gently places it on
the hob, everything in the kitchen appears to be normal.
George gets his usual tea cup from the cupboard and places
it on the kitchen table. He turns around to fetch a teabag
from the kitchen shelf and stops suddenly, his mouth falls
open and his eyes bulge with shock. GEORGE’S collection of
unusual matches have all been struck and now lay in a sad,
burnt pile on the kitchen shelf. After staring at the scene
for some time GEORGE jerks his head away from the pile as if
he can no longer bear to look at them. Upon doing this he
notices a trail of burnt out matches that lead across the
kitchen floor to the door of 67a. The whistle kettle is now
boiling ferociously, shaking on the hob and letting out an
almighty whistle.

INT DAY THE FRONT DOOR OF 67A/GEORGE’S HALLWAY

GEORGE hammers loudly on the ‘front door’ with his fist. He
has a wild, angry expression on his face and is slightly
foaming at the corners of his mouth. Needless to say, his
face has gone all red. The front door opens but we cannot
see GEORGE’S neighbour. GEORGE is gesticulating wildly, his
arms flailing in the air. He is shouting at the top of his
voice but we cannot make out what he is saying as his words
are lost under the whistle of the kettle. Finally he gives a
last dramatic gesture, pointing towards the kitchen and
slams the door shut. He then walks into his living room.

INT DAY GEORGE’S FRONT ROOM.

GEORGE slumps down onto his armchair clearly worn out from
his first expression of rage for almost fifty years. He is
catching his breath and appears to be feeling a little
better although still clearly upset. Still trying to catch
his breath he takes out his old tobacco tin and a fresh
pouch of tobacco. He is about to pour the tobacco into the
tin but stops at the last minute. He slowly looks from the
tobacco pouch to the tin and then back again. He takes a
deep, thoughtful breath, discards the tin and rolls a
cigarette straight from the pouch.

INT DAY GEORGE’S KITCHEN

GEORGE walks into the kitchen carrying two shopping bags
full of groceries. He sets them down on the kitchen table
and goes about putting his shopping away.

NARRATOR V/O

Of course George thought about
making a new collection but as
anyone who has ever lost something
dear to them will know, it is never
quite the same the second time
around. And George had spent many
years building up his collection.
Finding unusual matches takes a lot
of time and patience, and at
George’s age, he wasn’t sure if he
had much left of either.

INT DAY GEORGE’S FRONT ROOM

GEORGE walks into his front room and sits down in his
armchair. He notices a parcel, gift wrapped with a silk bow.
He approaches the parcel tentatively, inspecting it for some
time before unfastening the bow. A curious smile slowly
creeps over his face as he turns his head slightly, looking
in the direction of 67a. He lets out a chuckle lifting the
object out of its box and setting it on the table to admire
the gift. Over fifty unusual matches lay mounted upon a two
foot varnished wooden base, each match has its own unique
brass plaque proudly proclaiming the date it was found and
the reason for its uniqueness. GEORGE is obviously touched
by this gift and lets out a hearty chuckle. He reaches for
his tobacco pouch to make a roll up but stops suddenly. He
gets up and walks over to the living room cabinet removes
something and sits back down. The object that he has just
fetched is his old tobacco tin. He pours the tobacco from
the pouch into his tin, after all that is where he always
kept his tobacco.