The Apartment
EXT: IN DOORWAY OF GRANDMA’S APARTMENT
GRANDMA lives with her husband in the apartment, it is very neat and tidy, but very plain. In the main room, there is only a couch, facing a window, a bookshelf against one wall and a shelf of pretty, old and expensive dolls, the doll in the centre of the collection is the grandma’s most treasured of the dolls, it is a beautiful yet somewhat creepy-looking china doll.
GRANDMA
Oh JESSE dear, I’m so glad you’re here!
You’re grandfather has had a heart attack
and I must go to the hospital to see him.
JESSE
Oh grandma, that’s terrible! I hope he’ll be alright.
GRANDMA
Jesse, I want you to stay here while I’m gone.
I need you to look after the apartment, and make
sure nothing happens…especially make sure that
nothing happens to my dolls.
JESSE
Alright grandma, I’ll just sit and read until you
get back.
GRANDMA
Alright dear, I’ll try not to be too long.
JESSE
Okay, bye Grandma.
INT: GRANDMA’S APARTMENT
Jesse walks into the apartment as her grandmother leaves and closes and locks the door behind her. As she walks across the room to the bookcase she stops to glance at the small doll collection.
JESSE (mutters)
Really she just wants me to baby-sit her
precious dolls…
She then selects a mystery novel to read, she then settles down on the couch and starts reading.
Sometime later Jesse shivers, feeling a chill. She glances up at the clock on the opposite wall, it was a quarter past 5.
JESSE
I wonder how much longer she’s going to be…
She lowers her gaze back to the book. Then stops and looks up when she hears a small crack, coming from the direction of the doll collection. She shudders looking at the staring eyes of the dolls. After a few moments she looks back down.
JESSE (mutters)
I must be hearing things…
Another crack, and a movement from the dolls shelf.
Jesse jumps up
JESSE
I hope it’s not a mouse. I’ll be grounded for life
if anything happens to Grandma’s dolls
She walks over to and stands in front of the shelf. She notices the crack on the dolls forehead.
JESSE (gasp)
Oh no! How did this happen?
Before her very eyes the doll’s face cracks completely in two. Jesse steps back in shock, and fear. As she does the dolls begins to lean forward until it finally falls right on the shelf and falls with an awful smash.
Jesse looks down at it, her mouth open.
She glance up at the clock again, it now read 5:20
JESSE (worried)
I wonder how long I’ve got until Grandma gets back
JESSE (mumble)
I don’t know what just happened but I am going to be
so dead when grandma sees her favourite doll broken.
And for it to happen while grandpa’s in hospital too…
Jesse walks away from the broken doll, and towards the kitchen to get something to sweep up the broken pieces. She is halfway across the room when she hears the door unlock and her grandmother burst into the room, her eyes red, from crying. Jesse freezes. Grandma embraces her.
PAUSE
GRANDMA
Oh, Jesse your grandfather, he’s gone. He passed away.
Jesse’s mouth opens in shock.
JESSE (quietly)
W-When did it happen?
GRANDMA
The doctors said he was gone by 5:17…
The grand mother, then notices the broken doll. She walks over to it.
GRANDMA
What happened?
Grandma slowly leans down, and gently picks it up. It’s face was completely destroyed with shards both on the floor and even still within the doll’s head. The hair is tainted by white dust and the little arms and feet are also broken, barely attached.
Grandma looked at it sadly.
GRANDMA
Your grandfather never liked this doll.
Today, we learnt how to modify bullets that shot out of a gun, to whatever we wanted them to be, I tried a sword, and jack-o-lantern...ended up with heap of them floating in midair...they didn't really shot off, only appeared in front of where I was standing when I shot it...
