Pronunciation: /ˌag(-ə)-rə-ˈfō-bē-ə/
Pronunciation: /ˌag(-ə)-rə-ˈfō-bē-ə/ by Clare McCulloch
Pronunciation: /ˌag(-ə)-rə-ˈfō-bē-ə/ by Clare McCulloch- Full Text
Kitchen living room in an old flat. Piles of furniture and everyday life neatly stacked to the ceiling. An air of junk shop yet these items have been precisely stacked and there is light and space in between them. A large bay window Right with window sofa and heavy draped curtains. On the left a door way open to the rest of the house. It appears stuck like this. The kitchen units are along the back wall between these two. As is a large fridge.
EMILY- 32, long mousey hair, tall and thin appears from behind a pillar of objects. Walks into the kitchen area.
HEALTH KICK SUZIE- Slightly chubby, with running leggings slightly too small, hair slightly too bright red and slightly over eager, climbs out of the FRIDGE holding a yoghurt.
HKS: Morning!
EMILY: Hmm, [continues to head to the kettle to make a cup of tea]
HKS: Come on! You can do better than that!
[EMILY gives HKS a scathing look]
HKS: Ok, so I take it you’re not coming on a run then?
EMILY; No
HKS: Oh, and I was really up for it today as well. Never mind, maybe tomorrow?
EMILY: You can still go without me you know.
HKS: Yeah, but it’s just not the same.
[Kettle boils and EMILY pours the water into the tea pot. HKS sits down on the sofa SL. It turns out the yoghurt is actually a trifle desert]
[There is a loud gurgle from the CUPBOARD UNDER THE SINK. The door opens slightly and EMILY kicks it shut. Notices the time]
EMILY: Have you seen Mr Walton today? [Pours tea and crosses to sit on the window seat. One the way she touches one of the stacks of objects and notices it has a wobble. She takes her saucer from her tea cup and wedges it into the stack to secure it.]
HKS: Nope [She has spilt the desert on her top and has cream around her mouth]
EMILY: He’s late [as EMILY sits down and contemplates this a CAT appears out of the cushions of the sofa and she absent mindedly strokes it]
HKS: [whilst eating] Maybe you’ve just missed him, or he’s not going out today, or someone’s coming round so he’s waiting for them or he’s watching a really good TV program or
EMILY: Or he’s just going to sit and eat pudding all day?
HKS: Sorry, just trying to cheer you up. [the pudding is finished so she goes to the fridge as if to get another.] You really are miserable today [reaches into the fridge and climbs in disappearing]
EMILY: I know I’m sorry, I just feel a bit, [turning to look at the fridge but HKS is gone] you know [deflated, looks back out of the window. Pauses in thought looking out. The sink cupboard gurgles but doesn’t move. Emily changes focus and catches a glimpse of herself in the window reflection] Oh dear. [Touching her face]
NANNY, a traditional Grandmother figure, white set hair, small and knitting appears from the large pile of neatly stacked clean clothes at the left corner of the left sofa.
NANNY: Don’t be ridiculous.
EMILY: I’m not, look at me.
NANNY: Look at me! And I’m not complaining.
[There is a loud creak and the flat seems to shake a little. Emily jumps up to examine the nearest stack of items .The cat sinks back into the seat.]
EMILY: Yes but… [Continuing to check the other stacks, adjusting or adding where needed]
NANNY: But?
EMILY: But, [referring to items in stack] I’m sure these weren’t here yesterday.
NANNY: Perhaps not dear, but there’s nothing much you can do about them now.
[The sink cupboard groans and the door opens. We see a curled up TRAMP inside. He is old and dirty and drunk. He is trying to get out. EMILY struggles to push the door shut. TRAMP gurgles and groans. Meanwhile, a LITTLE GIRL called LILLY has come out of the stack on the right near the window. It almost looks like she has come out of a door to a strange den or wendy house. She skips around the stack and hugs the NANNY then goes and plays in the curtains twisting around in the fabric.]
EMILY: [still struggling with TRAMP] Careful Lilly.
LILLY: [spotting out of the window] Ooo, a man.
EMILY: [She is fashioning a wedge for the cupboard door out of cook books] What man?
LILLY: A yellow man
EMILY: Yellow? [the cupboard secure she moves to the window]
LILLY: [picking up the cat out of the sofa] He looks like sunshine and lemons
EMILY: [laughing] Yes, I suppose he does. It’s rather a bold fashion choice.
LILLY: [Twirling around the space, EMILY runs after making sure the stacks are ok] I want to be the sunshine.
[From the chest of draws there is a humming of the song “you are my sunshine, my only sunshine”.]
EMILY: Careful!
LILLY: I want to be bright and sparkle.
[The humming continues]
EMILY: [holding LILLY’s hands and twirling round as a way to stop her breaking anything] Alright then, today let’s wear yellow. Today shall be a sunshine day. [Both laughing and with the help of NANNY they search through the pile of clothes but there are no yellow items at all. EMILY breaks away to check the stacks. A draw in the chest of draws has manages to open up and out squeeze two sock puppets singing in harmony.]
NANNY: [Over the low level singing] I’m sorry dear, I don’t think you have anything yellow in here.
LILLY: Emily, you’ll have to get it from the wardrobe.
[meanwhile the tramp has managed to escape from the cupboard and joins in the singing, but very off key]
TRAMP: Sunshine, only my sunshine!
EMILY: Are you sure? [Trying to prevent TRAMP from damaging anything]
The sock puppets emerge further from the draw and are attached to the hands of ERIC, a rotund and chirpy handy man who is always humming that tune you have running through your head
ERIC: Sure as sure can be sunshine [joins in a third harmony with his puppets] Sunshine, my only sunshine! [etc]
EMILY: Well, then, we can’t I’m afraid. We’ll just have to stay like this.
LILLY: [Protesting] No! You promised! [Tugging at EMILY]
ERIC: Come on Emily, it’s only in the other room.
TRAMP: Yeah!
HKS : [Climbs out of the fridge and joins in the protest] Mwhear! [Her mouth is full]
[The noise seems to escalate with everyone protesting that Emily should go to the wardrobe whilst she tries to resist them]
EMILY: You don’t understand!
NANNY: What is there to understand dear? All you need to do is go to the wardrobe.
EMILY: But it hasn’t been, I mean, It’s not……………
[All the noise has stopped and the other characters have disappeared back to their homes. It is just Nanny and Emily left]
NANNY: The whole world isn’t going to collapse you know.
EMILY: Only as long as you take precautions.
NANNY: Why don’t you just have a look through the door way? It can’t be as bad as all that.
EMILY: [Gingerly] Ok, I suppose a little look won’t do much harm.
[EMILY walks over to the door on the left. She slowly approaches it, then glances back at NANNY for reassurance but she has gone. When she looks back at the door a man has appeared wearing a suits and smiling at her.]
SUIT: Hello