22. INT. APARTMENT DOORWAY. NIGHT MISS PEACH What are you doing!? SCARLET I told you . . . I’m not carrying you down forty flights of stairs. Scarlet delicately fiddles with the lock. MISS PEACH Stop. You can’t. What if she comes back? Scarlet adjusts one of the tools and there echoes a loud CLICK. SCARLET She’s your friend; she’ll understand. Scarlet twists the door handle and the door swings open. Scarlet smiles sweetly. SCARLET Besides, the door was open. Coming? Scarlet enters. CUT TO: 23. INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY. NIGHT The two enter the apartment. Miss Peach hesitates at the door. Scarlet tries the light switch. All remains dark. Miss Peach limps in protectively. MISS PEACH Don’t touch anything! Scarlet comes across a side table in the hallway upon which are two candlesticks. Scarlet lights the candlesticks. Miss Peach continues to limp. 284 Writing the Short Film App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 284 SCARLET That ankle isn’t going to get any better with you limping all over the place. 23. INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY. NIGHT Miss Peach sits down on a chair as Scarlet searches the drawer of the side table. Scarlet discovers a flashlight and hands it to Miss Peach. Taking one of the candlesticks and the penis candle Scarlet wanders up the corridor. SCARLET Nice place your friend has. MISS PEACH Don’t touch anything. Scarlet disappears into the bedroom leaving Miss Peach alone. Miss Peach switches on the flashlight and uses it to scan the HALLWAY and distant LIVING ROOM (#23A). Everything is tidy, delicate, and feminine. The odd piece of furniture and painting can be glimpsed. Scarlet reemerges carrying only the penis candle. Scarlet moves to lift Miss Peach and begins to carry her down the corridor. SCARLET You can rest your foot in here. CUT TO: 24. INT. BEDROOM. NIGHT They enter the bedroom. There in the middle of the room is a beautiful double bed, bedside which Scarlet has set down the candlestick. Scarlet carries Miss Peach over to the bed. Miss Peach hesitates. Scarlet gently pushes Miss Peach down on to the bed. Scarlet goes into the bathroom. Miss Peach scans the bedroom. MISS PEACH You really don’t have to stay. I’d hate to keep you if you have places to go. CUT TO: Short Screenplays 285 App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 285 25. INT. BATHROOM. NIGHT Scarlet has set down the penis candle and is faced with an array of expensive makeup and lotions. She caresses them, lifting a crystal scent bottle to her nose. SCARLET No, I have no place special to go. 26. INT. BEDROOM. NIGHT Miss Peach caresses the silk bed cover and turns to the bed side table upon which are several silver-framed photographs. The photos are a decadent array of fun times through the ages. Miss Peach carefully studies the photographs. Miss Peach searches and finally comes across a picture of CATHERINE SPENCER and LORD WALTER. She then lifts a single picture of Lord Walter and examines it closely; across it is written “To Catherine, my love always, Walter.” For a moment she caresses the picture of Lord Walter. Scarlet reemerges carrying some bandages and a glass of water. Miss Peach quickly replaces the photograph. Scarlet hands the glass of water and two pills to Miss Peach. Miss Peach hesitates. SCARLET Painkillers. Tentatively, Miss Peach takes the pills and swallows them, never losing eye contact with Scarlet. Scarlet then kneels at Miss Peach’s foot and takes off her shoe. She then unravels the bandages and begins to bandage her ankle. MISS PEACH Thank you so much, but I think I can manage now. I’m really quite capable. Scarlet continues to bandage Miss Peach’s foot rather clumsily. 286 Writing the Short Film App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 286 MISS PEACH No, no, you’re doing it all wrong. SCARLET I’m sorry. I’m only trying to help. MISS PEACH Well you’re not helping . . . you’re making things far worse. I think it would be best if you left. SCARLET That’s nice. I help you out of the elevator . . . carry you up here, bandage your foot. 26. INT. BEDROOM. NIGHT (CONT.) MISS PEACH Well it’s all wrong. Everything you’re doing is wrong. SCARLET Well I’m terribly sorry . . . I didn’t realize I was with an expert. MISS PEACH When you’ve spent the better part of your life in the service of others, you become very particular about such things. Scarlet finishes bandaging. SCARLET Well maybe it’s time to take a rest! Swiftly Scarlet puts down her things, gets up, and leaves. Miss Peach gets up to follow her but winces in pain as she puts weight on her foot. She hesitates and then sits down on the bed. Hot and exhausted, she decides to rest. She lies down clutching onto the flashlight, which she rests protectively on her stomach. DISSOLVE TO: Short Screenplays 287 App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 287 27. INT. LIVING ROOM. NIGHT Scarlet’s hand withdraws from her bag a small transistor radio which she switches on. RADIO Due to a thunderstorm upstate, four separate power lines were struck by lightning earlier this evening. Within half an hour the utility suffered a massive loss of some 2,000 megawatts. At precisely 9:34 p.m., New York City experienced a total electrical blackout. As the Consolidated Edison Company struggles to restore power to the city, reports of widespread violence and looting have been flooding in. 27. INT. LIVING ROOM. NIGHT Whiskey is poured into a crystal glass. Scarlet sits alone and loses all her polish; spreading her legs in a very masculine way. She goes over to the window and looks out across the dark skyline. A distant SIREN is heard. DISSOLVE TO: 28. INT. BEDROOM. NIGHT The bedside candlestick has burned down considerably. Miss Peach is jolted awake and briskly switches on her flashlight pointing it toward the doorway. The light hits Scarlet’s face as she stands in the bedroom door holding a candlestick. She stands proud like the Statue of Liberty. She wears a large mink fur coat, costume jewelry, and a large decadent hat. SCARLET Nice huh? MISS PEACH Where did you get those? Take them off immediately. SCARLET I’m not going to hurt them. Please, I need them for five minutes. 288 Writing the Short Film App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 288 MISS PEACH What do you mean, need? I don’t think you quite know what you need. SCARLET What makes you so sure! You don’t know the first thing about me, Peaches. Scarlet gives a large vivacious smile as Miss Peach looks on hopelessly. Miss Peach stands up and begins to leave the bedroom. MISS PEACH We should never have come; we can’t stay here. CUT TO: 29. INT. HALLWAY. NIGHT Miss Peach walks briskly with her limp. SCARLET It’s a blackout for Christ’s sake. It’s chaos out there. MISS PEACH And what if she comes back? She’ll be angry that you broke into her house, touched all her things. SCARLET WE . . . WE broke in, honey. No one dragged you through that door. Miss Peach is frozen. SCARLET You told me she was your friend. MISS PEACH Well she is . . . sort of. A friend of the man I dedicated my life to. I couldn’t turn my back on that. Short Screenplays 289 App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 289 SCARLET You lied then. MISS PEACH You lied to me first. With all your . . . glitter. SCARLET Glitter? MISS PEACH Why exactly do you dress like that!? Miss Peach motions at Scarlet’s attire. Leaving Scarlet behind, Miss Peach wanders toward the living room. 29. INT. HALLWAY. NIGHT SCARLET Because I like it. I love the attention. MISS PEACH So you’re just a performer; it’s fancy dress. Miss Peach turns to Scarlet who stands confused. MISS PEACH You may be very striking, but look at yourself. What are you being now. You don’t even know. She finds us here, I’ll be a laughingstock. We both will be, but in your case it scarcely matters. Miss Peach looks at Scarlet who stands still. (pause) SCARLET Excuse me, I need to take a shit! MISS PEACH You’re totally uncivilized! CUT TO: 290 Writing the Short Film App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 290 . those? Take them off immediately. SCARLET I’m not going to hurt them. Please, I need them for five minutes. 288 Writing the Short Film App-B.qxd 9/27/04. table in the hallway upon which are two candlesticks. Scarlet lights the candlesticks. Miss Peach continues to limp. 284 Writing the Short Film App-B.qxd