THE CALL

PREMISE

It is the 22^nd of September 2007 when 12 year old Sandy, a vulnerable and confused Scottish child with an ill father and drunk mother. He  is preoccupied by death. Support for him comes through a confrontation with an elderly woman who carries him through his dark days and expedites his maturity.

ACT I

Sandy is walking along the High Street when he sees a hearse drive through the town. He watches it as it passes and turns to see it disappear. He sees MUM written in white carnations resting against the coffin. Meanwhile, Gail (87) hears the postman’s mail come splatter through her door. She slowly goes to collect it, using her stick to select an official letter. It’s a £5 council rebate cheque. Sandy walks home. Before he gets there he notices a cat in the gutter. It is dead. He pokes it. Malky, the class bully, meets him. He wonders who will be dead next. They make a few suggestions.  He scares Sandy. Sandy is made to ring a doorbell of an elderly woman. He reluctantly does it. He thinks no one sees him do it, but George sees him.

ACT II

Gail answers the door. No one is there. George informs her who rang the bell and promises to inform Sandy’s mother, if she's sober. Gail is not upset by this incident. She returns to her fireside. The telephone rings. It is Sandy’s mother who apologises for the incident and will send Sandy round to apologise himself. Gail feels reluctant to accept an apology but agrees to see Sandy. She opens the door for him before he arrives. Sandy comes into the Hall and knocks on the door. Gail welcomes him in. Sandy apologises. Gail offers him a tangerine. They sit and throw their peel into the fire. Sandy asks her about her health. She tells him all about her aches and pains. She reveals that she and her brother used to ring doorbells but in those days when caught, they got skelpt. Sandy asks about her brother John and finds his photo on the mantelpiece. John was killed in France on 24^th September 1944. Sandy is sad and then leaves Gail’s home.

ACT III

Sandy returns to Gail's home  two days later with a letter for her. She opens it and sees Sandy looking sad. She tries to cheer him. It is a card for John to commemorate the day he died in 1944. Sandy feels we should remember the day we die as much as our birthdays. Gail is touched by the card and gives Sandy a £5 note. She sees him bite his lip, there is something worrying him. She cuddles him. Sandy tells Gail that his father died last night in the cancer hospice and asks her to come with him on Saturday, to his father’s funeral. She agrees to accompamny him.
For purchase  of this Short Film Script Please contact the Writer, Miller Caldwell at mhcaldwell.btopenworld.com