Read In Dreams: Screenplay Page 4

down and turns to speak to Romeo and Benvolio.

  OLIVER

  Nay gentle Romeo, we must have you dance

  ROMEO

  Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes

  With nimble soles: I have a soul of lead

  So stakes me to the ground I cannot move

  OLIVER

  Um...

  He coughs.

  EMILY

  You are a lover; borrow cupids wings

  OLIVER

  You are a lover; borrow cupids wings

  EMILY

  And soar with them above a common bound

  OLIVER

  And soar with them above a common bound

  ROMEO

  I am too sore enpierced with his shaft

  To soar with his light feathers; and so bound

  I cannot bound above dull woe

  Under loves heavy burden do I sink

  EMILY

  And to sink in it

  OLIVER

  Should you burden love;

  EMILY

  Too great oppression

  OLIVER

  For a tender thing

  ROMEO

  Is love a tender thing? It is too rough,

  Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn

  OLIVER

  If love be rough with you be rough with love;

  Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.

  Give me a case to put my visage in

  (Putting on

  a mask)

  A visor for a visor! What care I

  What curious eye doth quote deformities?

  Here are the beetle brows shall blush for me

  BENVOLIO

  Come knock and enter; and no sooner in

  But ever man betake him to his legs

  ROMEO

  A torch for me, let wantons light of heart,

  Tickle the senseless rushes with their heels;

  For I am proverb’d with a grandsire phrase;

  I’ll be a candle holder and look on;

  The game was ne’er so fair, and I am done

  OLIVER

  Tut, dun’s the mouse, the constables own words;

  If thou art dun we’ll draw thee from the mire

  Of this sir-reverence love, wherein thou stickest

  Up to the ears. Come, we burn daylight, ho!

  ROMEO

  Nay that’s not so

  OLIVER

  I mean sir in delay

  EMILY

  We waste our nights in vain - like lights by day

  OLIVER

  Take our good meaning, for our judgement sits

  EMILY

  Five times in that ere once in our five wits

  ROMEO

  And we mean well in going to this mask;

  But ‘tis no wit to go

  OLIVER

  Why, may one ask?

  ROMEO

  I dreamt a dream tonight

  OLIVER

  And so did I

  ROMEO

  Well what was yours?

  EMILY

  That dreamers often lie

  OLIVER

  That dreamers often lie

  EMILY

  In bed asleep, while they do dream things true

  Emily holds out her hand to Oliver and he takes hold of it. She pulls him up to her. Oliver looks down towards the ground beneath them and closes his eyes tightly. After several moments he opens them.

  CUT TO:

  EXT. THE SKY ABOVE THE GROUND - DAY

  Oliver and Emily fly through the air hand-in-hand and at great speed. Oliver looks at the ground below them as they fly. They travel over land, lakes, seas, woods, hills and valleys before eventually descending towards and into a Forest.

  CUT TO:

  EXT. Forest - DAY

  Oliver and Emily stand together in a clearing. They are surrounded by bluebells and are still holding hands. Oliver turns to her.

  OLIVER

  Of course knickers doesn't begin with an 'N' and Norwich doesn't begin with a 'K

  Emily laughs.

  EMILY

  Well what were you expecting?

  (Pulling him

  to the ground

  and then

  a beat or

  two as they

  both lie on

  their backs

  among the

  bluebells)

  It's just something I remember from when I was little... It was on ‘The Two Ronnies’ and I didn't understand it or anything but I thought it was funny because it had the word knickers in it

  OLIVER

  (Smiling)

  Well, yeah that is hilarious!

  EMILY

  Shut up... I was little

  Oliver turns onto his side to look at her.

  OLIVER

  And I bet you were oh so innocent back then

  EMILY

  Still am!

  OLIVER

  I'm sure you are.

  Emily

  (Smiling and

  fluttering

  her eyelashes)

  You'd better believe it baby...

  (Turning her

  head fully

  to look

  at him)

  Nothing silly like that when you were little then?

  OLIVER

  Nah not really

  EMILY

  I thought so... That's why you're prematurely aged!

  (A beat)

  I think you could do with rediscovering your innocence young man... Didn't you ever play around in the snow on a winter day? Or just lay back and catch snowflakes on your tongue. Or something like that?

  OLIVER

  Nope can’t say I ever did any of that

  Several moments pass in silence and then snow begins to fall in the clearing. Oliver and Emily both get up. The ground is soon completely covered in snow. They run hand-in-hand through it and then Oliver watches Emily fall back onto the snow and begin to flap her arms and legs, leaving the shape of an angel in the snow beneath her. She sits up and grabs his hand, pulling him down so that they both sit in the snow.

  EMILY

  (Opening her

  mouth wide

  and arching

  her head

  upwards as

  she speaks)

  You just have to catch the snowflakes on your tongue and let them melt

  Oliver copies her, arching his head upwards, opening his mouth wide and sticking his tongue out. The snow continues to fall and lands on his tongue, melting on contact. He begins to laugh.

  EMILY

  I can’t believe you never did this

  OLIVER

  I can hardly believe we’re doing it now

  EMILY

  (Smiling)

  You’re a natural

  (A beat or

  two and then

  speaking more

  seriously)

  This is probably a really stupid thing to ask...

  OLIVER

  (A beat)

  What?

  EMILY

  No, it's nothing... Honestly, it's just stupid

  OLIVER

  Go on

  She takes a deep breath.

  EMILY

  Okay... It just kind of popped into my head to ask if you'd ever read any Byron

  OLIVER

  I dunno. I might've done

  EMILY

  You’d probably remember if you had

  OLIVER

  Well there are bits I think. 'She walks in beauty like the night', and all that stuff. But, it's not like I knew his nickname as a kid or anything like that

  EMILY

  Yeah, it's cool

  OLIVER

  What is it about Byron that's so interesting to you then?

  EMILY

  I don't really know...

  (A beat)

  You just made me think of him

  OLIVER

  I made you think of a dead English poet?


  EMILY

  Yeah, I know. It sounds strange to me too. It's hard to explain. There’s a lot to love in his poems but that's not really the reason... I don't know... It might just be that he wrote so beautifully about loss and desire because he knew those things so well. He knew they went together. And it still didn’t stop him taking risks and living his life without limits, without guarantees. He made himself into an outcast and even that didn't stop him trying to make reality out of his fantasies

  OLIVER

  (A beat and

  he shrugs

  his shoulders)

  So what?

  EMILY

  Um well young man... I was thinking that I'd quite like to know what happened to you. Because you seem like someone who lost something and got left with regrets and sadness in its place

  OLIVER

  So it would appear

  EMILY

  (A beat)

  You can tell me you know

  (A beat as

  Oliver looks

  away)

  I only ask because I care

  OLIVER

  (Looking back

  at her)

  And I only keep my mouth shut for the same reason

  EMILY

  (A beat as

  she smiles)

  To be honest, a girl only really needs to know the important things

  OLIVER

  Like what?

  EMILY

  Well... For a start it’d be good to know if you're ever going to step out from under the big black cloud that’s following you around.

  She smiles at him and he looks at the ground.

  OLIVER

  I’ll do my best... But I think I might need some help

  EMILY

  Hey come on! Is it time for the waterworks or are you just in need of another prompt young man?

  (Smiling as he

  looks up at

  her face

  before leaning

  down to whisper

  in his ear)

  I think I love you... And I’ve barely scratched the surface

  OLIVER

  (Whispering in

  her ear)

  And I think I love you... And I think that might be for the best

  Emily lies down and snuggles in close to him. Oliver closes his eyes.

  END DREAM SEQUENCE.

  INT. HOTEL ROOM - MORNING

  Oliver sits up and pulls the bed covers away as he gets out of bed.

  CUT TO:

  EXT. HOTEL NELSON - MORNING

  Oliver walks out of the hotel and begins to walk along Prince of Wales Road.

  CUT TO:

  EXT. NORWICH - MORNING

  Oliver stands in a telephone box making a phone-call.

  OLIVER

  Hi mum... It’s Oliver...

  (A beat)

  Yeah, yeah, no. I'm just calling because I'm not at home at the minute... No, no. I've taken a little trip... Norwich, I just... No, they don't know I'm here... No mum I haven't been sacked, it's just... It's something I had to do... Don't worry, that's why I called... In case you called me at home or something and worried, okay...

  (A beat)

  Yeah, it's a hotel in Norwich, it's nice... I... The Hotel Nelson... Yes, all right...

  (A beat)

  Look mum, I'm really sorry but I've got to go, I'm running low on change...

  (A beat)

  Yes I know. I don't like mobile phones... I've got to go... It costs more for me to phone out...

  (A beat)

  I'm... I'm sorry I really must go... There's lots I have to do today...

  (A beat)

  Okay, bye, yeah all right, bye

  He hangs up the phone, takes a very deep breath, and puffs his cheeks out.

  CUT TO:

  EXT. CASTLE