creep [original screenplay]
EXT. A SIDEWALK DAY
OLIVIA and CORDELIA walk home after school. Olivia is
somewhat top-heavy and wears several layers of clothing in
earthy tones. She walks slightly in front of Cordelia
avoiding cracks in an overgrown sidewalk. She ’pops the
head’ off a dandelion prompting Cordelia to pick one from an
uncut lawn.
CORDELIA
I used to do that when I was
little.
Cordelia places the flower between her thumb and index
finger.
CORDELIA
(singing)
Mama had a baby and the head...
(flicking the yellow flower
into the air)
Pop’d off.
It falls into Olivia’s long brown hair. She remains
oblivious as they cross the street. On the other side
Cordelia continues to drag her hand along sporadic lengths
of chain-link fence. She is wearing a black smiley face
t-shirt and has dyed black hair.
CORDELIA
God it’s so hot outside.
OLIVIA
You’re wearing all black.
INT. OLIVIA’S DINING ROOM TABLE DAY
Cordelia follows Olivia into the dining room and helps her
clear off a worn wooden table. They sit opposite each other.
Olivia’s army green satchel contains several spiral
notebooks each with papers sticking out. She opens a red
spiral and begins flipping through class notes. Cordelia
opens her overstuffed black backpack, on its front
"CORDELIA" is written in loopy letters in orange fabric
paint. She unzips a blue trapper-keeper as Olivia clears her
throat.
OLIVIA
I dedicated this to you in French.
Wanna hear it?
CORDELIA
Yeah.
OLIVIA
"A Little Flower," by OLIVE TALLEY.
CORDELIA
Ooo... Olive.
Olivia rolls her eyes and stands, forcing her chair to bump
into a crowded bookshelf behind her.
OLIVIA
The day is nice and sunny, I went
outside to see a small white bunny
in the mouth of a kitty. I held it,
but it was dead. Oops, off fell its
head. I buried it in your back-yard
where I also saw the buried bones
of three. Oops, here comes a chilly
April shower, making these bodies
into a tiny little flower.
Olivia bows, Cordelia applauds.
CORDELIA
It’s so gruesome! I love it!
OLIVIA
I try. Where’s the notebook? You
better have written me a damn novel
by now.
Cordelia pulls a notebook out of her bag. It is
significantly more worn than the other notebook and has been
covered with random clippings from magazines.
CORDELIA
I didn’t really have time.
OLIVIA
(pacing back and forth)
What could be more important than
writing to me? Did I tell you
Ziltch spent thirty-seven minuets
of my time discussing leisure
suits?
CORDELIA
What about them?
OLIVIA
About how he doesn’t wanna be
buried in one.
CORDELIA
Sounds like an invitation.
They laugh. Olivia grabs the notebook from Cordelia and
shoots her a dirty look.
OLIVIA
You wrote one line!
Olivia sits down shaking her head, and stares at Cordelia’s
one-liner. She considers her words carefully and chews on
the cap of her red pen before scribbling a half-page in
slanted handwriting. She reads what she wrote, giggles and
adds one last sentence. Olivia throws the notebook at
Cordelia who stuffs it carefully back into her bag.
INT. OLIVIA’S LIVING ROOM EVENING
Olivia finds the remote and switches the television on. She
turns the dining room light off. Cordelia selects a light
colored recliner near the entryway next to the large lamp.
Olivia hands Cordelia a blanket and chooses a matching
recliner. The couch is covered with clothes waiting to be
folded along with an empty laundry basket and a few boxes
labeled "LIV BEDROOM"
OLIVIA
(flipping through channels)
It sucked moving my bed down those
stairs today. Even when my room is
full of boxes it’s still a mess.
CORDELIA
It always is. I can help you unpack
tomorrow.
OLIVIA
Ooo Iron Chef is on!
Olivia sets the remote next to her. The girls doze off
watching several re-runs of a Japanese cooking show.
INT. OLIVIA’S LIVING ROOM NIGHT
Olivia wakes and looks around the room disoriented. The
television is off and the remote sits on top. The clothes on
the couch have been replaced by a full laundry basket and
the boxes are gone. The lamp has been turned off. Cordelia
sleeps awkwardly in the chair. Olivia pushes a button on her
plastic blue watch and the digital face lights up. It is
3:00 a.m. on the dot. A tiny orb hovers near the television
screen and won’t disappear.
OLIVIA
(whispers loudly)
Cordelia.
CORDELIA
Hm.
OLIVIA
Cordelia!
CORDELIA
I’m awake.
OLIVIA
Did you see that? Wake up!
CORDELIA
What’s happening?
OLIVIA
I saw something. A little orb
thing... It came at me.
CORDELIA
It was headlights.
OLIVIA
It’s three in the morning.
CORDELIA
It was nothing.
OLIVIA
I saw something.
CORDELIA
(annoyed)
Where?
OLIVIA
By the t.v.
CORDELIA
You’re crazy.
OLIVIA
Maybe but I did see something.
CORDELIA
How do I know you’re not joking or
just trying to scare me?
OLIVIA
Turn ton the light.
Cordelia hesitates then reaches for the lamp. The bulb makes
a soft popping noise.
CORDELIA
It’s burnt out.
Olivia hops off of the recliner and flicks on the light
switch. Cordelia pulls the blanket over her head quickly as
Olivia walks to the window. She opens the yellowing blinds.
OLIVIA
Dad’s car is outside.
Cordelia uncovers her head.
CORDELIA
Do you wanna go downstairs?
OLIVIA
My room is a mess.
CORDELIA
I don’t care.
OLIVIA
I thought you were tired.
CORDELIA
Granny always says she can sleep
when she’s dead. She’s been pulling
doubles lately so she’s been saying
that a lot.
Olivia laughs as Cordelia gets out of the recliner and
gathers her pillow and blanket.
OLIVIA
You sound too much like an old lady
sometimes.
EXT. OLIVIA’S NEW ROOM NIGHT
Cordelia helps Olivia finish unpacking. Olivia decorates her
new room with "unique" picture frames, scented candles and
souvenirs from Paris. Olivia finds a pack of Tarot cards in
a box of books and throws them on the bed next to Cordelia
who sits reading Haunted America.
OLIVIA
I didn’t know you were into that
stuff.
CORDELIA
What?
Olivia points to the book.
CORDELIA
Oh yeah. Just trying to figure out
what that thing was.
OLIVIA
Do you think it was a ghost?
Cordelia shrugs and thumbs through the small yellowing
paperback. Olivia picks up a shoe box and begins taping
photographs from it on the wall above her white headboard.
Most of them are of her and Cordelia.
CORDELIA
(tossing the book on the bed)
Don’t use that one, look at my
bangs!
OLIVIA
Look at them now!
Cordelia glances in the mirror of Olivia’s vanity and tries
to fix her hair.
OLIVIA
What’s the point? You’re just going
to bed anyway.
CORDELIA
(giving up)
You’re right. Maybe I should dye my
hair again.
OLIVIA
Blacker?
CORDELIA
No, purple.
OLIVIA
Your grandma would kill you.
CORDELIA
Oh my god.
OLIVIA
What? She totally would.
CORDELIA
No look.
Cordelia moves across the bed and points to the last photo
Olivia taped on the wall. The picture is from an instant
photo-booth in the mall. It shows the girls making a series
of silly faces. In the lower corner of each photo there is a
hazy bluish dot.
BOTH
Creepy.
THE END
Creep was written by Mandy Michelle, it is lame and belongs to her, so leave it alone!
