Post by fenris on May 7, 2006 15:06:42 GMT
My latest effort. Please be advised that this episode includes scenes of an adult nature. There’s nothing that I consider to be particularly graphic, but apologises if anyone is offended. Sex and eroticism were continuing themes throughout both series of Hex, and I’m merely attempting to stay faithful to that tradition.
Hope you enjoy this episode. Any feedback or comments will be gratefully received.
Episode #8: There's Something About Mary...
Previously on Hex: brief clips from the Second Series, Episode #8 - Maya being hit by the car; Thelma finding Maya cowering in the morgue.
Brief clips from the Second Series, Episode #11 - Ella decapitating Maya's dug-up corpse; Thelma reacting and crying out as Maya vanishes in a blaze of light.
A brief clip rom Episode #6 - Mary slepping out of the shadows and declaring "I am Mary Warren. Anointed One."
Brief clips from Episode #7 – Mary saying to Leon “Show me what you’re made of.”; Ella cradling Leon’s head in her hands and saying “What did they do to you?”; Mary on the television screen, saying “I took advantage of him, Ella.”; the top floor of the tower block exploding; Thelma saying “Do you think Gemma was up there?”; Ella saying “I don’t know.”
On screen caption: 1948 (Note: this scene is in black and white, to signify that it’s in the past).
Douglas, a legal clerk in his early twenties working at a small but respected and long-established firm of London solicitors, is called into the office of one of the senior partners. The partner asks him how long he’s been working for them, and Douglas tells him two years. The partner explains that he and the other partners have been watching Douglas closely, and have been impressed by his dedication and the quality of his work. They have decided to entrust him with a special task, and are confident that he will do everything that is required of him.
“There’s someone I’d like to meet.” Says the partner. “She’s waiting in the next room. We’ve acted for her family ever since this firm was established, several generations ago, and they remain our most valued clients. So be on your best behaviour, there’s a good chap.”
The partner gets up from behind his large oak desk and goes to a side door. A few seconds later he ushers in a teenage girl dressed in a grey and very formal looking boarding school uniform typical of the period (girl’s blazer, jumper, long skirt, hat with upturned brim, etc).
“This is the young man we were discussing, my dear.” The partner explains to the girl. “Douglas, allow me to introduce Miss Ella Reeves.”
Yep – it’s our Ella. Douglas stands up and – slightly nervously – holds out his hand. “Please to meet you, Miss Reeves.” He says. With an ellegmatic smile, Ella coolly shakes his hand, slowly gazing up and down, appraising him. Keeping her eyes on Douglas, she turns her head slightly towards the partner.
“He’ll do.” She says.
Cut to a graveyard in the present (colour). It's semi-twilight, just a few minutes after dawn. Thelma makes her way through the graves, occasionally pausing to pick individual flowers from bunches that have been left. She’s wearing skin-tight, dark red hipster trousers, a matching midriff-bearing sleeveless top, and white trainers. Eventually she stops in front of her destination: a grave and headstone that reads MAYA ROBERTSON. She stands silently for several seconds, then steps forwards, crouches down and places her collection of flowers in front of the gravestone.
“Hello you.” She says with a sad smile, still crouching. “Sorry I haven’t been for a while, and sorry that I can’t stay long.” She pauses, the smile fading. “I miss you.”
The silence of the graveyard is suddenly broken by the sound of slow handclapping. Thelma jerks her head, alarmed, and looks about for the source.
“Very touching.” Sneers a voice.
Thelma spots Malachi, sitting on a bench ten metres away. She’d not noticed previously, but now it’s clear he was there the whole time.
“I knew you’d be here Thelma,” Malachi continues “seeing how today’s the fifth anniversary of when we killed her.”
“We’re not having this conversation, Malachi.” Thelma announces, turning her back to him and gazing again at the headstone.
She leans forward and kisses the lettering of Maya’s first name.
“See you soon.” She whispers, then she straightens and starts to walk off, still blanking Malachi.
He calmly watches her go, waiting until she’s about twenty metres away, before yelling after her;
“She’s isn’t in Heaven, Thelma.”
Thelma stops in her tracks. Leisurely getting off the bench, Malachi strolls over to her.
“Maya was my creature when she died the second time, remember?” He asserts, cockily. “She was one of my succubus when your best friend Ella took her head off. And that damned her. She didn’t go to Heaven, Thelma. She plunged screaming down into the Other Place. You know what it’s called. C’mon, say it with me.”
Thelma says nothing. No emotion registers on her face, but her eyes stare unblinkingly at him.
“Hell, Thelma. I sent her to Hell.” Malachi declares, smiling. “And only I can get her out.”
“What do you want, Malachi?” Asks Thelma flatly, still meeting his gaze but knowing she has no room to manoeuvre – he’s holding all the aces, they both know it, and there’s no point her pretending otherwise.
“The same deal my father made with you, six years ago.” Malachi replies. “The Stone of Belial. I want it. Ella has it. Obtain it for me, and I’ll not only free Maya and allow her to ascend to Heaven, but I’ll even let you to have a little time with her, before she goes upstairs. I’ll be back at her grave in exactly twenty four hours, and I’ll expect to see you with the Stone. But if you aren’t here to give it to me, then your Irish bitch girlfriend will burn in agony for all eternity.”
Opening titles.
Cut to the cramped bedroom in Ella’s basement flat. The camera is looking directly down at a man and a woman making love on the mattress, partly covered by the duvet. The man is on top, and due to the camera angle, we can only see the back of his head and are unable to tell who his partner is underneath, although we can see her hands digging into his back. Their cries reach a crescendo, and the camera angle changes to directly alongside the mattress, as after several seconds the man rolls off his partner and lays on his back alongside her. It’s Leon, who looks exhausted, but has a very contented smile on his face. As he lays there, he’s blocking our view of his lover.
“That was…” murmurs Leon, “I mean it, that was better than anything I’ve ever…” His words tail off, and he laughs.
On the other side of him, Leon’s partner raises herself, propped up on one elbow, allowing us to see her for the first time. With her other hand, she brushes her distinctive red and green hair out of her face.
“So, when are you going to tell Ella about us?” Mary asks.
Leon wakes up. He glances across to the other side of the mattress, which is empty, except for a folded piece of paper lying on Ella’s pillow. It has ‘Leon’ written on it. He reaches over, picks it up, unfolds and reads it. We hear Ella in voice-over: “Leon. Didn’t want to wake you. Have received message from an old friend, requesting urgent assistance. Have gone to Hobb’s End. Should be back in a few days. Will explain all then. Love Ella.”
Cut to Ella, having travelled alone by train, arriving at the tiny station of the small country town of Hobb’s End. She looks about, clearly refamiliarising herself. She’s been here before.
Cut to a flashback (black and white). We see Ella in her school uniform stepping off a steam train at the same station in 1948, with Douglas in tow. Standing on the short platform, as Douglas sorts out their suitcases, Ella asks him if he’s sure he understands the senior partners’ instructions.
“Yes.” Says Douglas, “I’m to act as your guardian & chaperone, deal with any financial matters, accommodation arrangements, and to provide you with any further assistance you may require. If I may ask a question?”
“Of course.” Murmurs Ella, setting off at a quick pace through the station, glazing about, taking in their surroundings and not looking at Douglas at all.
“Why are we here?” Says Douglas, struggling to keep up while carrying all their luggage.
Still looking ahead, Ella smiles: “Let’s find out.”
Cut to the present (colour). We're at a charity function in Edinburgh, being held in a large conference room in a swanky hotel. Jo is there, representing the New Church. She is greeted by one of the event organisers, and they make various smalltalk, during which we learn that the event is being held to launch a new charitable trust, formed from two failing charities that have merged in an attempt to survive. Jo then bumps into David Tyrell. The two of them are surprised to see each other, and start catching up. Jo tries to act friendly but relatively cool towards him, but can’t quite hide the fact that on some level she’s pleased to see him. She tells him that she heard he was cleared of all charges of financial misconduct, and apologies for not getting in touch. David informs her that he’s now head of a charitable foundation, and is here to network with charities working in the same or related areas.
“Everywhere you look, charities like the one I work for are falling like dominoes.” He comments. “Donations from the public are drying up. I don’t understand it. Nobody seems to care about anything but themselves anymore.”
“You still care.” Jo comments, and David smiles bashfully.
Cut to a street of modest, sem-detached houses in Hobb's End. Ella calls at one of the houses, where the door is answered by a middle aged woman. Ella introduces herself and explains she’s there to see Douglas. The woman seems slightly perplexed, but shows Ella in, and takes her to the living room, where an elderly and frail Douglas is watching television. Ella and Douglas greet each other each other warmly, and he introduces Ella to the woman, his daughter Alice. Douglas switches off the TV and tells Ella he’s got some whisky he’s been saving for a special occasion. Alice says she can get it, but Douglas insists on doing it himself, and although slightly slow in his feet, he leaves the room. Slightly apologetically, Alice tells Ella that she doesn’t mean to pry, but how does Ella know her father? Ella tells Alice that when Douglas was a solicitor, he represented her grandparents and extended family for many years, and became a trusted and much valued friend of the family. Continuing with her well-practised lie, Ella explains to Alice that her grandparents still exchange letters, birthday cards and Christmas cards with Douglas, keeping him informed of family weddings, births, etc, and she had promised her grandparents that he would visit Douglas while she was in the area. Douglas re-enters the room with a tray on which a bottle and three glasses are placed. Alice pours small measures, and the three of them slip the whisky together.
Cut to Leon, sitting on a park bench in front of a large duck pond (Note: it’s the same bench we saw Thelma and Midge sitting on in Episode #2). He’s staring into space, clearly beset by troubles, hands jammed into the pockets of his coat.
“May I ask what’s troubling you?” Enquires an urbane voice.
Leon looks up to see Mephistopheles standing a couple of feet away, looking as refined as ever in a neatly pressed and spotless business suit. Without waiting for a response, Mephistopheles sits down next to the young man, and follows his gase across the duck pond.
“The girls told me what you did, warning them about Mary Warren.” Murmurs Leon. “Thank you for that.”
“The least I could do.” Says Mephistopheles with a brush of his hand. “You have a good soul, Mr. Taylor. In the circles I move in, one rarely encounters such a thing. Have the police spoken to you about the events at the wedding?"
Leon nods: "They're still searching for Gemma, and trying to identify 'the mystery guest' at the wedding who was abducted with her. They're going through the guest list, taking statements from everyone. As I'm trying to stay off the New Church's radar, I haven't informed anyone of where I've been staying since I left my old flat - my contacts get in touch with me via the website. So I thought I'd best speak to the police first, before they started to question why one of the guests is no longer at the only address on file. Me and Ella went down to the local police station and gave statements yesterday. Ella told a half-truth: yes, she'd been at the reception, no, she hadn't seen the abduction, no, she couldn't recall any guest matching the description of the man reportedly kidnapped with Gemma. I lied through my teeth: told them I'd left the reception early, before the incident took place."
"Very wise." Comment Mephistopheles. "But let's leave the formalities and small talk aside. I think there’s something you want to ask me.”
It’s a statement, not a question. Leon pauses for several seconds before replying.
“You know what Mary Warren did to me?” He asks, and Mephistopheles nods. “Well, ever since then, I keep having dreams about her…and me. Really vivid dreams. It’s happening everytime I go to sleep. It’s affecting Ella and me. I’ve not been able to…be with her since I was abducted. I can’t even bring myself to touch her, in case I suddenly start thinking of Mary. I mean, what’s happening to me? Is it because of what Mary did to me? Am I traumatised somehow?”
“Yes…and no.” Mephistopheles muses. “Mary did more than just abuse you. She mentally conditioned you, by placing a trigger in your mind. Now, everytime you have amorous thoughts, or consider becoming imitate with Miss Dee, it immediately initiates vivid noctural fantasies involving Miss Warren.”
“So everytime I think about sex, I automatically think about Mary? And this materialises itself in my dreams?” Exclaims Leon.
“Afraid so, dear boy.” Murmurs Mephistopheles. “A particularly twisted punishment to inflict upon you, but you have to admit it’s quite inventive. No doubt a result of Miss Warren having almost a hundred years in which to think up all kinds of cruelties. Clearly she’s seeking to hurt Miss Dee through you. Speaking of your beloved, has she noticed your reluctance regarding physical relations?”
Leon shakes his head.
“Nothing’s been said, but she clearly thinks I just need some time and space after what happened. But it’s getting worse.” Mutters Leon in exasperation. “It’s not just happening when I’m dreaming, or even asleep. I’m starting to see Mary every time I close my eyes. Sometimes I even start thinking I’ve caught a glimpse of her when I’m wide awake.”
“Hmm. That sounds more serious.” Remarks Mephistopheles. “Mary may have planted the seed, but it appears your subconsious mind has allowed it to take root and grow beyond it’s original parameters. This is no longer the trigger activating….it’s you.”
“You’re saying I’m starting to think about her not because I’m programmed to, but because I want to?” Sputters Leon.
“It does make sense, I suppose.” Mephistopheles theories. “In many ways, Miss Dee and Miss Warren are very alike. Perhaps even identical. Opposite sides of the same coin, you might say. As you are in love with one of them, it’s logical that the other would also appeal to you.”
“You really think it’s possible for me to be attracted to Mary? After what she did to me?” Leon mutters.
“The abuse that she inflicted upon you aside, I would say yes.” Ponders Mephistopheles. “I think on a purely subconsious, sexual, carnal, reproductive level, you find Miss Warren desirable. Nothing to be ashamed of. I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting her, but by all accounts she’s quite pleasing to the eye.”
Leon leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees, clasping his hands together and looking out across the pond.
“What can I do?” He says, with a hint of despair.
“Tell Miss Dee the truth. She loves you. She’ll understand.” Mephistopheles declares.
“But how do I make it stop?” Leon asks.
“Only Miss Warren can remove the trigger, after which your subconsious fixation with her should fade.” Mephistopheles murmurs. “But as the trigger is having exactly the effect she intended, I think the likelihood of her deactivating it is practically non-existant.”
Cut to another flashback (black and white). In 1948, Douglas emerges from his room in the guest house that he’s booked himself and Ella into. He goes to knock on the door to her room, but pauses when he hears strange noises coming from within. After listening for several seconds, he cautiously pens the door and looks in. He sees Ella sitting crosslegged in front of her room’s tiny fireplace, which is lit, speaking aloud some sort of incantation in a strange, unfamilar language. She has her back to him, and is only wearing a pair of black cami-knickers. Douglas is so surprised that he stumbles, then practically falls into the room. Ella doesn’t even glance around.
“Come in, Douglas.” She says calmly. “Close the door behind you.”
Douglas scrambles to his feet and closes the door. He risks a nervous glance in Ella’s direction, then looks away, embarrassed.
“There’s no shame in this room, Douglas.” Ella announces, gazing into the flames in front of her. “Watch closely. Consider this part of your new education.”
Douglas’s eyes are drawn back to her, as she starts speaking the incantation again, and picks an intricately designed dagger off the floor alongside her. Ella calmly slashes open the palm of one hand with the dagger, then places the bleeding hand directly into the flames, which suddenly hiss and burn darker. Her voice wavers slightly as she does this, but otherwise she keeps performing the incantation without any pause. Douglas continues watching, horrified, as Ella removes her hand and picks up a scrap of paper from the top of a tiny pile of paper by her side. Douglas just has time to see several symbols written on the scrap of paper, before Ella tosses it into the fire. As the paper burns, he thinks he sees the smoke emerging from the fire change into a specific but unrecognisable shape for a split second, before vanishing up the small chimmey. Having watched the flames carefully, Ella takes the next scrap of paper from the pile, throws it into the fire, and again another shape is briefly formed. She performs this task repeatedly, until the last scrap of paper burns. Then she takes a jug of water and pours it into the fireplace, extinguishing the flames. Reaching into the grate, she scoops up a pile of ash in her hand and rubs it over the front of her body. Unfolding her legs, she stands up and turns to face Douglas, who looks wide-eyed at her semi-naked, ash-covered figure.
“Attend to me, Douglas.” She commands, staring him in the eye.
“Wha – what do you – what do you want me to do?” He stammers.
“There’s a pencil and paper on the chest of drawers next to you.” Ella replies. “Take them and copy the symbols you’re about to see. Be very careful to copy them exactly as they appear. Take however much time you need, but make sure you do it correctly. It’s very important. Understood?”
Dry-mouthed, Douglas grabs the pencil and paper and merely nods. Ella tilts back her head and gazes at the ceiling, then closes her eyes, holds her arms aloft and starts to perform another incantation. As Douglas stares in disbelief, the ash smeared in her body starts to move, shift, and form into strange symbols. Meaningless to him, but clearly of great importance to her. Recovering his wits, he squats down on the floor in front of her and does as she requested, taking great care to duplicate each symbol as closely as he can, every angle, the thickness of each line, copied to the best of his ability. All the time he tries to push to the back of his mind not only that what he’s witnessed tonight is impossible, but also that a beautiful young girl is standing mere inches from him, gloriously, unashamedly, in fact proudly semi-naked, wearing nothing but a single flimsy garment.
“I’ve finished.” He eventually reports, putting down the pencil.
“Let me see.” Ella says, and he holds the papers up for her while bashfully avoiding looking at her.
With a smile of amusement, Ella takes the papers and then – all business again - studies the symbols.
“Good work.” She declares. “Yes, these confirm what I saw in the smoke, but I had to check to be sure.” She looks down at him as he remains sitting on the floor, seeming too nervous to move until instructed. “I'm dirty. Go and ask the proprietor if he has a tin bath.”
Cut to the present (colour): the charity function in Edinburgh. David Tyrell and Jo are catching up on old times, laughing at private jokes.
“It’s good to see you again Jo.” Says David. He pauses, as though what he’s about to say next was blindingly obvious, but he’s only just realised it: “I’ve missed you.”
Jo smiles. Genuinely, warmly.
“Well,” she offers, “I’ve missed you too.”
He asks her if she’s free to have dinner that night.
End of Part One.
Hope you enjoy this episode. Any feedback or comments will be gratefully received.
Episode #8: There's Something About Mary...
Previously on Hex: brief clips from the Second Series, Episode #8 - Maya being hit by the car; Thelma finding Maya cowering in the morgue.
Brief clips from the Second Series, Episode #11 - Ella decapitating Maya's dug-up corpse; Thelma reacting and crying out as Maya vanishes in a blaze of light.
A brief clip rom Episode #6 - Mary slepping out of the shadows and declaring "I am Mary Warren. Anointed One."
Brief clips from Episode #7 – Mary saying to Leon “Show me what you’re made of.”; Ella cradling Leon’s head in her hands and saying “What did they do to you?”; Mary on the television screen, saying “I took advantage of him, Ella.”; the top floor of the tower block exploding; Thelma saying “Do you think Gemma was up there?”; Ella saying “I don’t know.”
On screen caption: 1948 (Note: this scene is in black and white, to signify that it’s in the past).
Douglas, a legal clerk in his early twenties working at a small but respected and long-established firm of London solicitors, is called into the office of one of the senior partners. The partner asks him how long he’s been working for them, and Douglas tells him two years. The partner explains that he and the other partners have been watching Douglas closely, and have been impressed by his dedication and the quality of his work. They have decided to entrust him with a special task, and are confident that he will do everything that is required of him.
“There’s someone I’d like to meet.” Says the partner. “She’s waiting in the next room. We’ve acted for her family ever since this firm was established, several generations ago, and they remain our most valued clients. So be on your best behaviour, there’s a good chap.”
The partner gets up from behind his large oak desk and goes to a side door. A few seconds later he ushers in a teenage girl dressed in a grey and very formal looking boarding school uniform typical of the period (girl’s blazer, jumper, long skirt, hat with upturned brim, etc).
“This is the young man we were discussing, my dear.” The partner explains to the girl. “Douglas, allow me to introduce Miss Ella Reeves.”
Yep – it’s our Ella. Douglas stands up and – slightly nervously – holds out his hand. “Please to meet you, Miss Reeves.” He says. With an ellegmatic smile, Ella coolly shakes his hand, slowly gazing up and down, appraising him. Keeping her eyes on Douglas, she turns her head slightly towards the partner.
“He’ll do.” She says.
Cut to a graveyard in the present (colour). It's semi-twilight, just a few minutes after dawn. Thelma makes her way through the graves, occasionally pausing to pick individual flowers from bunches that have been left. She’s wearing skin-tight, dark red hipster trousers, a matching midriff-bearing sleeveless top, and white trainers. Eventually she stops in front of her destination: a grave and headstone that reads MAYA ROBERTSON. She stands silently for several seconds, then steps forwards, crouches down and places her collection of flowers in front of the gravestone.
“Hello you.” She says with a sad smile, still crouching. “Sorry I haven’t been for a while, and sorry that I can’t stay long.” She pauses, the smile fading. “I miss you.”
The silence of the graveyard is suddenly broken by the sound of slow handclapping. Thelma jerks her head, alarmed, and looks about for the source.
“Very touching.” Sneers a voice.
Thelma spots Malachi, sitting on a bench ten metres away. She’d not noticed previously, but now it’s clear he was there the whole time.
“I knew you’d be here Thelma,” Malachi continues “seeing how today’s the fifth anniversary of when we killed her.”
“We’re not having this conversation, Malachi.” Thelma announces, turning her back to him and gazing again at the headstone.
She leans forward and kisses the lettering of Maya’s first name.
“See you soon.” She whispers, then she straightens and starts to walk off, still blanking Malachi.
He calmly watches her go, waiting until she’s about twenty metres away, before yelling after her;
“She’s isn’t in Heaven, Thelma.”
Thelma stops in her tracks. Leisurely getting off the bench, Malachi strolls over to her.
“Maya was my creature when she died the second time, remember?” He asserts, cockily. “She was one of my succubus when your best friend Ella took her head off. And that damned her. She didn’t go to Heaven, Thelma. She plunged screaming down into the Other Place. You know what it’s called. C’mon, say it with me.”
Thelma says nothing. No emotion registers on her face, but her eyes stare unblinkingly at him.
“Hell, Thelma. I sent her to Hell.” Malachi declares, smiling. “And only I can get her out.”
“What do you want, Malachi?” Asks Thelma flatly, still meeting his gaze but knowing she has no room to manoeuvre – he’s holding all the aces, they both know it, and there’s no point her pretending otherwise.
“The same deal my father made with you, six years ago.” Malachi replies. “The Stone of Belial. I want it. Ella has it. Obtain it for me, and I’ll not only free Maya and allow her to ascend to Heaven, but I’ll even let you to have a little time with her, before she goes upstairs. I’ll be back at her grave in exactly twenty four hours, and I’ll expect to see you with the Stone. But if you aren’t here to give it to me, then your Irish bitch girlfriend will burn in agony for all eternity.”
Opening titles.
Cut to the cramped bedroom in Ella’s basement flat. The camera is looking directly down at a man and a woman making love on the mattress, partly covered by the duvet. The man is on top, and due to the camera angle, we can only see the back of his head and are unable to tell who his partner is underneath, although we can see her hands digging into his back. Their cries reach a crescendo, and the camera angle changes to directly alongside the mattress, as after several seconds the man rolls off his partner and lays on his back alongside her. It’s Leon, who looks exhausted, but has a very contented smile on his face. As he lays there, he’s blocking our view of his lover.
“That was…” murmurs Leon, “I mean it, that was better than anything I’ve ever…” His words tail off, and he laughs.
On the other side of him, Leon’s partner raises herself, propped up on one elbow, allowing us to see her for the first time. With her other hand, she brushes her distinctive red and green hair out of her face.
“So, when are you going to tell Ella about us?” Mary asks.
Leon wakes up. He glances across to the other side of the mattress, which is empty, except for a folded piece of paper lying on Ella’s pillow. It has ‘Leon’ written on it. He reaches over, picks it up, unfolds and reads it. We hear Ella in voice-over: “Leon. Didn’t want to wake you. Have received message from an old friend, requesting urgent assistance. Have gone to Hobb’s End. Should be back in a few days. Will explain all then. Love Ella.”
Cut to Ella, having travelled alone by train, arriving at the tiny station of the small country town of Hobb’s End. She looks about, clearly refamiliarising herself. She’s been here before.
Cut to a flashback (black and white). We see Ella in her school uniform stepping off a steam train at the same station in 1948, with Douglas in tow. Standing on the short platform, as Douglas sorts out their suitcases, Ella asks him if he’s sure he understands the senior partners’ instructions.
“Yes.” Says Douglas, “I’m to act as your guardian & chaperone, deal with any financial matters, accommodation arrangements, and to provide you with any further assistance you may require. If I may ask a question?”
“Of course.” Murmurs Ella, setting off at a quick pace through the station, glazing about, taking in their surroundings and not looking at Douglas at all.
“Why are we here?” Says Douglas, struggling to keep up while carrying all their luggage.
Still looking ahead, Ella smiles: “Let’s find out.”
Cut to the present (colour). We're at a charity function in Edinburgh, being held in a large conference room in a swanky hotel. Jo is there, representing the New Church. She is greeted by one of the event organisers, and they make various smalltalk, during which we learn that the event is being held to launch a new charitable trust, formed from two failing charities that have merged in an attempt to survive. Jo then bumps into David Tyrell. The two of them are surprised to see each other, and start catching up. Jo tries to act friendly but relatively cool towards him, but can’t quite hide the fact that on some level she’s pleased to see him. She tells him that she heard he was cleared of all charges of financial misconduct, and apologies for not getting in touch. David informs her that he’s now head of a charitable foundation, and is here to network with charities working in the same or related areas.
“Everywhere you look, charities like the one I work for are falling like dominoes.” He comments. “Donations from the public are drying up. I don’t understand it. Nobody seems to care about anything but themselves anymore.”
“You still care.” Jo comments, and David smiles bashfully.
Cut to a street of modest, sem-detached houses in Hobb's End. Ella calls at one of the houses, where the door is answered by a middle aged woman. Ella introduces herself and explains she’s there to see Douglas. The woman seems slightly perplexed, but shows Ella in, and takes her to the living room, where an elderly and frail Douglas is watching television. Ella and Douglas greet each other each other warmly, and he introduces Ella to the woman, his daughter Alice. Douglas switches off the TV and tells Ella he’s got some whisky he’s been saving for a special occasion. Alice says she can get it, but Douglas insists on doing it himself, and although slightly slow in his feet, he leaves the room. Slightly apologetically, Alice tells Ella that she doesn’t mean to pry, but how does Ella know her father? Ella tells Alice that when Douglas was a solicitor, he represented her grandparents and extended family for many years, and became a trusted and much valued friend of the family. Continuing with her well-practised lie, Ella explains to Alice that her grandparents still exchange letters, birthday cards and Christmas cards with Douglas, keeping him informed of family weddings, births, etc, and she had promised her grandparents that he would visit Douglas while she was in the area. Douglas re-enters the room with a tray on which a bottle and three glasses are placed. Alice pours small measures, and the three of them slip the whisky together.
Cut to Leon, sitting on a park bench in front of a large duck pond (Note: it’s the same bench we saw Thelma and Midge sitting on in Episode #2). He’s staring into space, clearly beset by troubles, hands jammed into the pockets of his coat.
“May I ask what’s troubling you?” Enquires an urbane voice.
Leon looks up to see Mephistopheles standing a couple of feet away, looking as refined as ever in a neatly pressed and spotless business suit. Without waiting for a response, Mephistopheles sits down next to the young man, and follows his gase across the duck pond.
“The girls told me what you did, warning them about Mary Warren.” Murmurs Leon. “Thank you for that.”
“The least I could do.” Says Mephistopheles with a brush of his hand. “You have a good soul, Mr. Taylor. In the circles I move in, one rarely encounters such a thing. Have the police spoken to you about the events at the wedding?"
Leon nods: "They're still searching for Gemma, and trying to identify 'the mystery guest' at the wedding who was abducted with her. They're going through the guest list, taking statements from everyone. As I'm trying to stay off the New Church's radar, I haven't informed anyone of where I've been staying since I left my old flat - my contacts get in touch with me via the website. So I thought I'd best speak to the police first, before they started to question why one of the guests is no longer at the only address on file. Me and Ella went down to the local police station and gave statements yesterday. Ella told a half-truth: yes, she'd been at the reception, no, she hadn't seen the abduction, no, she couldn't recall any guest matching the description of the man reportedly kidnapped with Gemma. I lied through my teeth: told them I'd left the reception early, before the incident took place."
"Very wise." Comment Mephistopheles. "But let's leave the formalities and small talk aside. I think there’s something you want to ask me.”
It’s a statement, not a question. Leon pauses for several seconds before replying.
“You know what Mary Warren did to me?” He asks, and Mephistopheles nods. “Well, ever since then, I keep having dreams about her…and me. Really vivid dreams. It’s happening everytime I go to sleep. It’s affecting Ella and me. I’ve not been able to…be with her since I was abducted. I can’t even bring myself to touch her, in case I suddenly start thinking of Mary. I mean, what’s happening to me? Is it because of what Mary did to me? Am I traumatised somehow?”
“Yes…and no.” Mephistopheles muses. “Mary did more than just abuse you. She mentally conditioned you, by placing a trigger in your mind. Now, everytime you have amorous thoughts, or consider becoming imitate with Miss Dee, it immediately initiates vivid noctural fantasies involving Miss Warren.”
“So everytime I think about sex, I automatically think about Mary? And this materialises itself in my dreams?” Exclaims Leon.
“Afraid so, dear boy.” Murmurs Mephistopheles. “A particularly twisted punishment to inflict upon you, but you have to admit it’s quite inventive. No doubt a result of Miss Warren having almost a hundred years in which to think up all kinds of cruelties. Clearly she’s seeking to hurt Miss Dee through you. Speaking of your beloved, has she noticed your reluctance regarding physical relations?”
Leon shakes his head.
“Nothing’s been said, but she clearly thinks I just need some time and space after what happened. But it’s getting worse.” Mutters Leon in exasperation. “It’s not just happening when I’m dreaming, or even asleep. I’m starting to see Mary every time I close my eyes. Sometimes I even start thinking I’ve caught a glimpse of her when I’m wide awake.”
“Hmm. That sounds more serious.” Remarks Mephistopheles. “Mary may have planted the seed, but it appears your subconsious mind has allowed it to take root and grow beyond it’s original parameters. This is no longer the trigger activating….it’s you.”
“You’re saying I’m starting to think about her not because I’m programmed to, but because I want to?” Sputters Leon.
“It does make sense, I suppose.” Mephistopheles theories. “In many ways, Miss Dee and Miss Warren are very alike. Perhaps even identical. Opposite sides of the same coin, you might say. As you are in love with one of them, it’s logical that the other would also appeal to you.”
“You really think it’s possible for me to be attracted to Mary? After what she did to me?” Leon mutters.
“The abuse that she inflicted upon you aside, I would say yes.” Ponders Mephistopheles. “I think on a purely subconsious, sexual, carnal, reproductive level, you find Miss Warren desirable. Nothing to be ashamed of. I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting her, but by all accounts she’s quite pleasing to the eye.”
Leon leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees, clasping his hands together and looking out across the pond.
“What can I do?” He says, with a hint of despair.
“Tell Miss Dee the truth. She loves you. She’ll understand.” Mephistopheles declares.
“But how do I make it stop?” Leon asks.
“Only Miss Warren can remove the trigger, after which your subconsious fixation with her should fade.” Mephistopheles murmurs. “But as the trigger is having exactly the effect she intended, I think the likelihood of her deactivating it is practically non-existant.”
Cut to another flashback (black and white). In 1948, Douglas emerges from his room in the guest house that he’s booked himself and Ella into. He goes to knock on the door to her room, but pauses when he hears strange noises coming from within. After listening for several seconds, he cautiously pens the door and looks in. He sees Ella sitting crosslegged in front of her room’s tiny fireplace, which is lit, speaking aloud some sort of incantation in a strange, unfamilar language. She has her back to him, and is only wearing a pair of black cami-knickers. Douglas is so surprised that he stumbles, then practically falls into the room. Ella doesn’t even glance around.
“Come in, Douglas.” She says calmly. “Close the door behind you.”
Douglas scrambles to his feet and closes the door. He risks a nervous glance in Ella’s direction, then looks away, embarrassed.
“There’s no shame in this room, Douglas.” Ella announces, gazing into the flames in front of her. “Watch closely. Consider this part of your new education.”
Douglas’s eyes are drawn back to her, as she starts speaking the incantation again, and picks an intricately designed dagger off the floor alongside her. Ella calmly slashes open the palm of one hand with the dagger, then places the bleeding hand directly into the flames, which suddenly hiss and burn darker. Her voice wavers slightly as she does this, but otherwise she keeps performing the incantation without any pause. Douglas continues watching, horrified, as Ella removes her hand and picks up a scrap of paper from the top of a tiny pile of paper by her side. Douglas just has time to see several symbols written on the scrap of paper, before Ella tosses it into the fire. As the paper burns, he thinks he sees the smoke emerging from the fire change into a specific but unrecognisable shape for a split second, before vanishing up the small chimmey. Having watched the flames carefully, Ella takes the next scrap of paper from the pile, throws it into the fire, and again another shape is briefly formed. She performs this task repeatedly, until the last scrap of paper burns. Then she takes a jug of water and pours it into the fireplace, extinguishing the flames. Reaching into the grate, she scoops up a pile of ash in her hand and rubs it over the front of her body. Unfolding her legs, she stands up and turns to face Douglas, who looks wide-eyed at her semi-naked, ash-covered figure.
“Attend to me, Douglas.” She commands, staring him in the eye.
“Wha – what do you – what do you want me to do?” He stammers.
“There’s a pencil and paper on the chest of drawers next to you.” Ella replies. “Take them and copy the symbols you’re about to see. Be very careful to copy them exactly as they appear. Take however much time you need, but make sure you do it correctly. It’s very important. Understood?”
Dry-mouthed, Douglas grabs the pencil and paper and merely nods. Ella tilts back her head and gazes at the ceiling, then closes her eyes, holds her arms aloft and starts to perform another incantation. As Douglas stares in disbelief, the ash smeared in her body starts to move, shift, and form into strange symbols. Meaningless to him, but clearly of great importance to her. Recovering his wits, he squats down on the floor in front of her and does as she requested, taking great care to duplicate each symbol as closely as he can, every angle, the thickness of each line, copied to the best of his ability. All the time he tries to push to the back of his mind not only that what he’s witnessed tonight is impossible, but also that a beautiful young girl is standing mere inches from him, gloriously, unashamedly, in fact proudly semi-naked, wearing nothing but a single flimsy garment.
“I’ve finished.” He eventually reports, putting down the pencil.
“Let me see.” Ella says, and he holds the papers up for her while bashfully avoiding looking at her.
With a smile of amusement, Ella takes the papers and then – all business again - studies the symbols.
“Good work.” She declares. “Yes, these confirm what I saw in the smoke, but I had to check to be sure.” She looks down at him as he remains sitting on the floor, seeming too nervous to move until instructed. “I'm dirty. Go and ask the proprietor if he has a tin bath.”
Cut to the present (colour): the charity function in Edinburgh. David Tyrell and Jo are catching up on old times, laughing at private jokes.
“It’s good to see you again Jo.” Says David. He pauses, as though what he’s about to say next was blindingly obvious, but he’s only just realised it: “I’ve missed you.”
Jo smiles. Genuinely, warmly.
“Well,” she offers, “I’ve missed you too.”
He asks her if she’s free to have dinner that night.
End of Part One.
Just out of interest, how many episodes are you hoping/planning to write for the season?