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A Winter Gift

About Maura McHugh

Maura McHugh is a writer living in Galway, Ireland.

Although born in the USA, she was transplanted early to the West of Ireland and began haunting the local library (it was next door). She quickly developed an early passion for speculative fiction, and a late night encounter with a black and white horror film (Tod Browning’s The Devil-Doll) as a child gave her a lasting love of horror cinema.

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The Script

 

ONE 

Interior, the Sun’s house

The Sun – a genderless body in a robe, but with the sun as its face - sits, cosy in its house. To modernise it the sun could be wearing a onesie covered in star constellations with slippers that look like galaxies. It is reading a book while it sits on an armchair. Beside the Sun: a cup of cocoa with star-shaped marshmallows in it, on a table within easy reach. A large window with curtains depicts a starry sky. There is the suggestion of a door.

If possible, the title of the book could be: Star-Crossed! Byline: ‘A Noir Thriller’

If you fancy something a touch more surreal then perhaps more in the style of Leonora Carrington.

The title and credits are the only text.

TWO 

The Earth has come to visit. It should be a stylised Earth with a face over an overcoat – bundled up for winter. The Moon is peeking in the corner of the window rather like a Ghibli character.  

The sun has not noticed. It has been drinking its cocoa.

THREE

The sun looks up, surprised, from its book as there is a knock on the door.

sfx

KNOCK! KNOCK!

FOUR

The sun stands at the open door. The Moon is beaming, jumping up and down. The Earth is more restrained, and holds a small gift box, wrapped in red paper, in its hands. The gift has a tag.

FIVE

Close on wrapped gift now in the Sun’s hands.

TAG

WE MISS YOU. ❤️

SIX 

Closer on the window, taking up much of the view. The Sun, now wearing travelling clothes, is walking beside the Sun. They are smiling at each other, deep in conversation. The moon holds onto a hand of the Sun and the Earth, and swings between them.

Before them is a shining path, winding into the stars.

CAPTION

GOOD FRIENDS MAY HAVE LONG ORBITS, BUT THEY ARE CONSTANT.

HAPPY SOLSTICE!