Scene 4: Lights Off

Time passes and night is creeping in…. we see lights switch-on through the windows of some of the homes…. The sun is now turning the sky a mix of red, orange and dark blue…the street lights come on.

Suddenly Dominic, Summer and Clinton return into view. Clinton sets off to his home to the left as the camera pans around to the double window at the top of 32 Elm Place…the camera then takes us into the bedroom where we see the telescope that Summer was using earlier in the day.

Summer enters the room unceremoniously – she is laughing so hard that she has to take a moment to steady her breathing. She turns on the light switch as Dominic follows her into the room – he is also laughing, but clearly has control of his behaviour and breathing.

Dominic:  “That’s the last time you have whisky shots in your coffee – where did you get that flask from anyway!?”

Summer: “Well, I guess it’s an advantage of not having any parents keeping an eye on you! Anyway, as you said, it was only a couple of shots – I’m guessing the expressos didn’t help much though!”

Summer begins to calm down as she throws her jacket onto her bed…

Summer: “Right!”

She turns and points to Dominic…

Summer: “I want to find out what Clinton’s up to!”

She quickly turns to the telescope at the side of the bed, and begins to survey the room…

Dominic: “What are you expecting to see?! Do you really want to see if he’s undressing ….or anything worse, for that matter?!”

Summer turns to face him again – she pauses for a moment…thinking to herself. She points at Dominic again…

Summer: “Lights off.”

As Summer moves the telescope closer to the window and adjusts its height, Dominic realises she isn’t changing her mind. Worried that a neighbour may see her positioning the telescope, he switches off the light.  He looks slightly concerned and unsure what to do. 

Summer clambers over the bed to a desk side lamp…she switches it on and positions the lamp head so that the room is only slightly illuminated and not projecting any shadows that could be seen by people….The room is now silent and slightly aglow… Dominic appears uncomfortable at the atmosphere Summer has created – and also at unease because he is with a pretty girl.

Summer shuffles backwards towards the edge of the bed – she starts to adjust the curtains for more privacy, and then crouches slightly to bring her eye to the level of the telescope lens.  Dominic takes a breath – he is clearly distracted by Summer’s beauty and her confidence.  He moves a little closer to the telescope whilst checking that they cannot be seen if anyone should look towards the window…Summer is now static in her position – she squints her left eye so that more focus is given to her right eye…It appears she has seen something…

Summer: “Look at this Dom – Clinton’s watching a dirty movie!”

Dominic looks shocked…

Dominic: “WHAT! Move the telescope then!”

Summer:  “Haha! I’m only joking – I think he’s just playing with himself… he does like video games after all”…

Summer moves away from the telescope for a moment and increases the gap between the curtains.  She looks towards the hospital grounds. She squints both eyes and then swings the telescope slightly closer to the direction of the hospital… She turns to Dominic…

Summer: “We need to open the curtains – I can’t see properly!”

Summer moves the telescope back from the window, and slowly twists the handle on the window. A small breeze enters the room as the window is pulled open… Summer is quick to bring the curtain over the opened window frame, and then peer out of a gap only wide enough to fit her head…she peers out of the window as Dominic watches on awkwardly…the full darkness of night is almost upon them…

Summer: “Someone’s leaving the hospital…it’s pretty strange for a person to be leaving at this time.”

Dominic looks slightly aggravated…

Dominic: “Why would it be strange!? They must have staff coming and going all the time!”

Summer: “Yeah, but not at this time of night – if you were working the late shift would you not leave in the morning?”

Dominic shakes his head…

Dominic: “You’ve got a wild imagination!”

Summer pulls away from the lens for a moment to check how the sight is adjusted…she finds the correct part of the telescope, and returns her eye to the lens…

Summer: “I can’t believe this!”

Dominic: “What?”

Summer: “The guy who’s leaving is the man I met on the bus – what are the chances!?”

Dominic looks confused…

Dominic: “How can you be sure?”

Summer: “It’s him – I’m telling you!”

We get to see Summer’s view from through the telescope – there is a man walking over a gravel section of the hospital grounds… He opens the boot to store a small briefcase.  He turns to look back at the hospital building and then walks around to the car door.  He lets himself in, sits down and then switches on the headlights…. The car comes to life… the man then reverses the vehicle before driving towards the gates in front of the main hospital grounds to his right…  The car firstly turns left then travels an L shape before going out of sight due to the row of housing in front of 32 Elm Place….

 Our view returns to inside the bedroom, where we see Summer shuffle her position so that she can try to follow the car’s movement…

Summer:  “He must be driving onto Berryden Road!  I wonder where he lives?”

We get a view from the telescope again where Summer is trying to predict where the car will come back into view… she manages to catch a glimpse of the vehicle as it exits Berryden road and drives past the bottom of Elm Place and then out of view.  The view changes back to the bedroom where Summer has stood away from the telescope – she is clearly contemplating where the man lives and if he could be up to anything interesting.

Summer: “Tomorrow we get a pair of binoculars and you take the window in the other bedroom!”

Dominic’s eyes widen in disbelief…he makes small gestures with his hands to express his disapproval…

Dominic: “I am NOT spending money I don’t have to spy on someone I don’t know!”

Summer’s eyes widen too… she has thought of something…

Summer: “So if you knew who he was, you’d do it for me!?”

Once again Dominic looks flabbergasted and becomes more animated.

Dominic: “The guy works at a hospital – of course he’s going to be driving home late at night! I don’t see anything remotely suspicious, and I doubt it just happens to be the man you met on the bus!”

Summer: “EXACTLY – don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence?  It’s definitely him! What are the chances!?  Maybe he saw me at the bus stop and wants to kill me!”

Summer pauses briefly before returning to the telescope.  Dominic rolls his eyes and sits on the second bed in the room.  Summer continues to scan the hospital grounds using the telescope. She suddenly stops and draws breath…

Summer: “Oh my god!”…

Dominic (sarcastically): “What now – is someone else leaving at this unusual time?”

Summer: “I’m not joking – someone is climbing out of a window at the hospital…why would they not use the door… unless it’s a patient trying to escape!”

Dominic stands up from his seated position on the bed…

Dominic: “Are you sure of what you’re seeing?”

Summer: “Give me a second, and then you can see for yourself!”

Once again Summer draws breath…she remains still…suddenly she springs away from the telescope lens and sits on the floor. Her eyes are as wide as we have seen. Dominic freezes for a second before deciding to join Summer on the floor – they are acting as if they are trying to stay out of view of a criminal…

Summer: “Dominic…there’s someone walking around the hospital grounds – RIGHT next to the wall…. I think they saw me!”

Dominic: “Summer – you’re freaking me out now!  Why do you do this!?”

Summer looks shocked at Dominic’s response… she turns to him…

Summer: “Do you not believe me!?”

Dominic: “I don’t know what to think – every time you come to stay, you start acting weird!”

Summer: “I’m not making this up – take a look for yourself!”

Dominic sighs heavily before turning onto his knees and facing Summer. Her face is in shock, and he can’t help but feel guilty for his reaction just moments ago.

Dominic: “Show me then…  If I can’t see anything, we’re going to watch some TV and then go to bed – is that a deal?”

Summer: “Yeah – but if we see something, I’m buying binoculars for you tomorrow. You might think I’m making things up, but I’m not.”

Dominic rises from his knees and then positions himself in front of the telescope. He presses his right eye to the lens…we get a view from the telescope once again…

The telescope shows us the makeshift road at the other side of the wall… we can also see tree branches moving gently in the wind… some of our view is obstructed by the wall, but Dominic moves the telescope in the direction of the Elm Place side of the wall…suddenly we see two figures moving around one of the back gardens… there is very little light in the garden until a security light clicks into action… Dominic is dazzled by the sudden illumination of the area…

Our view returns to inside the bedroom where Dominic has moved away from the telescope once more… He turns his back to the wall underneath the window and drops into a seated position next to Summer.

Dominic: “Oh shit!”

Dominic: “There are two people just shuffling around Clinton’s back garden!”

Summer ‘s interest is sparked again – she clings to Dominic’s waist as he tries to understand what he has just seen.

Dominic: “Do you think I should phone Clinton?”

Summer: “Well, who could those people have been?”

Dominic: “It was two men – I’m sure!  Too tall to be Clinton, and his Dad wouldn’t be wandering around in the back garden like that – especially not with a friend or whatever.”

Summer: “What do you mean ‘wandering like that’?”

Dominic: “Well, they were moving as if they didn’t realise they were there together.”

Summer: “Maybe they’re zombies!”

Dominic’s expression changes again to one of disbelief at Summer’s comments.

Dominic: “There are no such things as zombies – you’ve been watching too much TV!”

As the pair sit closely together – thinking of an explanation – a knock from the bedroom door can be heard.  Summer and Dominic get a shock from hearing the noise…

Sarah: “Are you guys sleeping?”

Dominic (sarcastically): “Yes Mum – we’re sleeping with the light on and having a great subconscious conversation!”

The door opens and Sarah pops her head around to see what is going on… Dominic and Summer are still sitting on the ground with their backs to the wall underneath the window.  Sarah is surprised to see them there…

Sarah: “What are you guys up to?”

Summer: “Nothing Mrs Milne – Dominic and I were just watching the stars together.”

Sarah smiles at the thought of the pair getting on together, and decides to walk a few steps into the room…

Sarah: “Aww, well that’s very sweet! Is the sky clear tonight?  Any shooting stars?”

Summer: “No, nothing to see I’m afraid…in fact I’m just going to close the window and go to sleep if that’s alright!?”

Sarah looks confused at Summer’s abrupt decision to go to bed.  Dominic smiles a forced smile as Summer gets to her feet and begins to move the telescope away from the window.  He also gets to his feet and helps Summer close the window… Summer turns to Sarah with another forced smile on her face…

Summer: “Goodnight Mrs Milne. I’ll see you in the morning!”

Summer pulls the covers away from the corner of the bed and immediately jumps in with her shoes and clothes still on. Sarah watches on awkwardly but chooses not to comment on Summer’s decision not to remove her clothing.  Summer turns to Dominic as he pulls the curtains together…

Summer: “Shall I put the lamp off?”

Dominic: “Eh, yeah – yeah, that sounds good.”

Sarah watches on silently for a moment – she just accepts the strange behaviour as a sign that two are slightly uncomfortable about sharing the room.

Sarah: “Okay kids – well I’ll leave you to it! I hope you cleaned your teeth! Emmm, Summer, if you need anything at all just let me know. I have spare pyjamas if you need….”

Summer: “No, that’s okay – I’ll get some of my own when we go shopping tomorrow.”

By now, both Dominic and Summer are covered up by their bed sheets, with just the top of their heads showing…

Sarah: “Night guys!”

Dominic: “Night Mum!”

Sarah leaves the room – clicking the door shut behind her.  The room is now in darkness.

Summer: “Dominic – let’s keep this secret for the time being.”

Dominic: “Yes Summer…night summer!”

Summer: “Good night”

We hear the two sigh with relief, then silence…

Scene 5: Shopping Trip

The morning has arrived, and Dominic, Summer, and Sarah are sitting at the kitchen dining table finishing a selection of fruit juices, cereal and toast.  We sense that the kitchen is cool after the darkness of the night, but the sunbeams passing through the windows suggest that another warm day is on the cards. Dominic and Summer look at each other across the table – it seems as if they have something to say, but are refraining from making it conversation.

Sarah looks to break the silence….

Sarah: “So, did you sleep well last night, Summer?”

Summer: “Yes Mrs Milne, thanks so much for having me again. My bed was really comfortable!”

Summer smiles an awkward smile…Sarah smiles back…

Sarah: “Well, I was thinking we could head over to the shopping centre in a short while – help Summer pick some new clothes, and maybe get a new board game – what do you think?!”

Dominic: “I’m fine with that – is it okay if Clinton joins us?”

Sarah: “Yes, of course!  I haven’t seen him around recently, how is he?”

Dominic: “He’s fine – his Mum and Dad have bought him a new puppy, so I think he’s been spending most of his time playing with it.”

Sarah: “Aww, that is so sweet!  Why don’t you go over to his just now and let him know we’re heading to the shops soon?!”

Dominic: “Okay, will do!”

Dominic pushes his chair away from the dining table, stands up, and takes a last bite of toast. He looks at Summer.

Summer: “I’ll come with you as well!”

Dominic and Summer finish their glasses of fruit juice, and make for the door. Sarah looks confused by their secretive behaviour, but nevertheless she begins to gather the remaining dirty dishes from the table…

The scene changes to the front garden of 32 Elm Place…. As Summer and Dominic exit the house, we can hear the buzzing of bees and other insects.  The sun is stronger than it was yesterday, and we notice both of the children puff their cheeks as a reaction to the change in temperature…

Summer looks back into the hallway as Dominic closes the door behind him – she clearly has something she wants to talk about….

Summer (whispering): “Dominic!”

Dominic: “What?!”

Summer: “We need to talk about last night!”

Dominic: “What do you mean – we don’t even know what we saw!?”

Summer: “That’s why we need to prepare for tonight!”

Dominic quickly ushers Summer through the front garden gate, and the two of them begin their short walk to Clinton’s house…

Dominic: “How can we prepare for tonight?!  Are you expecting more people to be trespassing in gardens?”

Summer: “I don’t know, but we can’t ignore it!”

Summer’s attention is then drawn to something out of our view… we see her eyes widen with shock. Dominic looks puzzled, so he turns to face where Summer is looking…

Two police men are talking to someone at Clinton’s front door – the officers appear to say goodbye to the person before descending the stairs to the front garden path… Summer and Dominic turn to each other with surprised looks on their faces…  The pair then walk more briskly to Clinton’s front path…

The two police men smile at Summer and Dominic as they enter their car.  We see them study a notebook together before starting the vehicle and pulling away slowly… Summer and Dominic quickly make way to Clinton’s front door and then ring the bell…the door is opened by Clinton’s mother…

Dominic: “Hello Mrs Grant – is everything okay?”

Rachael: “Oh hello Dominic…Summer… good to see you again! 

Rachael sighs…

Rachael: “Well, I’m afraid someone broke into our garden shed yesterday and stole a bunch of work tools. Whoever did it also damaged the front lock on our cage for the puppy, so I think Clinton’s a little shaken.  I don’t want him sitting around and worrying though, so give me a minute and I’ll get him for you…”

Rachael leaves the front door open and we can see her ascend the stairs in her hallway…our attention turns back to Summer and Dominic…

Dominic: “We need to say something to her, Summer!”

Summer: “No!  We can’t scare her when we don’t know what’s going on!”

Dominic closes his eyes and sighs at their predicament… Clinton then appears at the door – he looks slightly tired and upset…  Dominic shows his concern…

Dominic: “Are you okay, Clinton.”

Clinton: “I’m alright – I take it Mum told you what happened?”

Dominic: “Yeah, she did. Are the police going to do anything about it?”

Clinton: “I don’t think there’s much they can do, but I overheard them say that the robbers are likely to come back… I’m pretty fucking scared!”

Summer looks at Dominic as if to signal the urgency of the matter…

Summer: “Clinton, we need to tell you something, but you’ll have to come along with us to the shops…”

Clinton looks confused…

Summer: “You have to trust us!”

Summer appears frustrated at the lack of enthusiasm from the boys, so decides to get things moving by saying good bye to Mrs Grant…

Summer: “Goodbye Mrs Grant!  Clinton is going to come with us to the shop and then he’ll be back for dinner!”

The boys continue to look confused, and we hear Mrs Grant agree unconvincingly…

Rachael: “Oh, okay – well, be back before six then Clinton!”

Summer closes the door, and gently pushes the boys towards the end of the garden path…

Dominic: “Em, yeah…Clinton… Last night we happened to be looking out of my bedroom window and we saw two people in your back garden.”

Clinton is amazed at the revelation…

Clinton: “Why didn’t you say?!  What were they doing!?”

Summer: “We didn’t see them do anything exactly, but this is our chance to work together and catch them tonight!”

Clinton: “How do we do that?!”

Summer’s enthusiasm is almost uncontrollable and infectious – she decides to reveal her plan…

Summer: “I was thinking about it all last night, and after speaking to you and your Mum, I’ve got the perfect idea!  Firstly I need to know how much money you can give me!”

Clinton and Dominic turn to each other with a slightly disgusted look on their faces…

Dominic: “Why do you need our money!?”

Summer: “Trust me!  It will be worth every penny, and we’ll be heroes at the end of it all!”

Clinton: “I don’t get it – my parents have only given me £50 for the whole Summer holidays, and we’re only on day two.  I can’t afford to give my money away!”

Summer: “Listen – this is the plan… We put all our money together to buy a pair of binoculars and a set of walkie talkies. With the binoculars and telescope, Dominic and I can monitor things from 32 Elm Place – I will man the telescope in the front bedroom and Dominic will have the binoculars to keep an eye on things behind the house.”

Clinton: “…and how am I involved in this?”

Summer: “Clinton – you’re going to stay in your bedroom unless we give you a signal!  We’ll all have a walkie talkie each so we can be in contact at all times.  If Dominic or I see something with our telescope or binoculars, we’ll let you know…. Once the robbers are in your back garden, Clinton, you can call the police and save the day!”

Clinton and Dominic look stunned at Summer’s imaginative plan of action, but can’t help but be taken in by the thought of being heroes…

Dominic: “You really think this will work!?”

Summer: “Come on! You heard Clinton – the robbers will be back for sure!  We’re sure to get some sort of reward when we help the police catch them!  We can’t lose!”

As Summer, Clinton and Dominic consider their next move, Sarah exits the front gate of 32 Elm Place and notices the trio hanging around the street corner…

Sarah: “Come on then guys!  Let’s go shopping, and then you can all get some exercise before dinner!  How are you Clinton?”

Clinton is a nervous figure as he tries to evaluate Summer’s plan…

Clinton: “I’m fine Mrs Milne – I just need to get my money and then I’ll catch you up.”

The camera pans upwards to show Clinton rushing to his house to collect his allowance…we see Sarah joining Summer and Dominic, and then they start walking towards the end of the street…

We watch as time passes before our eyes at double, then triple speed….the camera follows the trio down to the end of the street where Clinton can now be seen catching them up…

Dominic, Sarah, Summer and Clinton stand at the junction at the end of Elm Place… they then cross a small road with very little traffic to worry about… they walk barely 100 yards before negotiating their way across a small roundabout where cars pass every few seconds…we then see a retail park come into view… We watch as the four of them pass a Supermarket, Post office, Dry Cleaners, Sports equipment store, Toy Shop then enter a catalogue shop…

The camera dips slowly but surely and joins Summer and Dominic inside the store… Clinton can be seen in the background subtly distracting Sarah from their unravelling plan…

Summer looks behind her to ensure they are not being watched or heard…she nudges Dominic towards two of the vacant stands where a catalogue can be viewed and orders made…

Summer: “Dominic – look at the back of the catalogue for binoculars, and I’ll sort out the Walkie Talkies…”

Dominic looks bothered by the situation…

Dominic: “I’m getting the cheapest pair or it’s going to look really suspicious.”

Summer: “Not a problem – as long as we can see into the gardens near your house, and in to the hospital, that’ll be just fine.”

Dominic: “This better be worth it – I’m not doing any more paper-round shifts than I need to this Summer!”

Summer: “Hey! I can help you with paper-rounds – just show me what I need to do!”

Dominic sighs…

Dominic: “I suppose I could speak to Mr Towsey later in the week – I’m sure he’d be happy to give me a few more shifts over the holidays. I better not tell him you’re helping out, though!”

Summer (smiling): “He doesn’t need to know!”

Dominic is lost for a moment in Summer’s smile…he grins back at her… The pair begin to search through the catalogue for the relevant pages, whilst taking an occasional opportunity to check they are not being watched by Sarah…

Seconds later, we see Summer’s eyes light up – she grabs at a pen and order pad, and begins to write down the appropriate digits onto the form for what we can assume is the set of walkie talkies… her eagerness to complete the order is interrupted by a friendly, male voice…

Mark: “Summer…is that you!?”

Summer freezes her position at the catalogue stand for a second…her eyes widen again – but more with fright… She turns to face Mark Drysdale – the Doctor she met on the bus just yesterday.

Summer: “Oh!  Hi, Mr Drysdale – how are you!?”

Mark: “I’m fine thanks – I guess we’re both doing some shopping for toys are we?”

Mark looks at his shopping bag, reaches in, and reveals to Summer and Dominic a tool box that he has just purchased… Summer’s imagination goes wild as she starts to contemplate a connection between the tool box and the items that were stolen from Clinton’s back garden overnight…

Summer: “What do you need that for?!”

Mark smiles at Summer’s youthful abruptness…

Mark: “Well, I need to make some home improvements over the next few weeks – I’ve got a little DIY knowledge and a few tools, but nowhere to store them!”

Mark looks towards Dominic – he has been watching on with trepidation as Summer awkwardly interacts with the Doctor…

Mark: “So is this the friend that you talked about on the bus… Richard, was it?”

Summer’s mood changes slightly, and we see her blushing at the mention of Richard’s name…

Summer: “No, this is Dominic – Richard’s little brother.”

Dominic looks unimpressed by Summer’s reaction to his brother’s name, and the subsequent “little brother” description…

Dominic: “Hello – nice to meet you.”

Mark reaches out and offers a welcoming handshake to Dominic… Reluctant at first, Dominic takes a moment before accepting the gesture and shaking hands with the Doctor…  The awkwardness is suddenly interrupted by the close presence of Sarah and Clinton…

Sarah: “Hey guys – how are we getting on?! Have you found any good board games or outdoor toys?”

Sarah rests her hands on Dominic and Summer’s closest shoulders. She then looks up at Mark with a warm and convincing smile…

Sarah: “Hi – nice to meet you. Did I hear you’ve just moved into the area?”

Mark smiles back – he is clearly charmed by Sarah’s openness and willingness to converse.

Mark: “Yeah, I’ve just moved into a house on Cedar Place – there’s a bit of work to be done around some of the rooms, so I’m using today to gather a few bits and pieces together.  Are you guys living close-by too?”

Sarah: “We certainly are – just on Elm Place. That’s the road further down the hill from Cedar Place and then to the right.”

Mark (surprised slightly): “Ah, I see!   There was a property on Elm Place that I looked at earlier in the year, but I was too late in making a bid for it. Shame really – I like your street, and it would have been even closer for my work!”

Sarah also comes across as surprised…

Sarah: “So is it Cornhill you’re working at?”

Mark: “Yeah, that’s right! I don’t officially start until next week, but I’ve already stuck my nose in to see how things are going. I’m actually going to be the Practice Manager, which means less doctoring and more watching over the staff and premises…”

Mark appears concerned about taking up Sarah’s time…

Mark: “I’m sorry – I should let you get on with the shopping…. I’m sure you’re not interested in what I do in and out of the hospital grounds!?”

Summer and Dominic look at each other … they act as if Mark is making an inadvertent offer to discuss his whereabouts yesterday…

Sarah: “Not at all! I’m glad you’ve introduced yourself. I think Summer and the boys have a few things to do before lunch, so I guess we’d better get moving. Feel free to pay us a visit if you need anything for the house, or a bit of guidance about the area. We’re at number 32.”

Summer and Dominic close their eyes briefly – as if Sarah has spoilt their plans to monitor Mark without him finding out their whereabouts.

Mark: “That’s very kind of you – I’m sure I’ll take up the offer at some point! Bye for now!”

Sarah and Mark smile at each other as they say their goodbyes. Dominic and Summer turn their attention back to the shopping catalogues, and start leafing through the pages again.

Scene 6: Detectives

The scene changes to Dominic’s bedroom – it appears to be later in the afternoon. Summer, Dominic and Clinton sit on the floor in a small circle.  Between them, they have a number of items laid on the floor.

Clinton picks up one of three walkie talkies, and begins to play with the dials and switches – he is studying the back and front of the unit in order to make himself familiar with its functions…

Clinton: “So when I need to use this, you guys will both be listening out for me?”

Summer: “Yeah, don’t worry – just think of yourself as one of the Watchdogs. As soon as we see something, we get ready to call the police or tell your parents!”

Dominic appears slightly unconvinced by the plan.  He frowns at Summer – as if to question the ease in which she thinks they can help apprehend the intruder…

Dominic: “Well, If Dr Drysdale IS involved in any of this, I think he’ll be on to us now. Anyway, I don’t see why someone like him would need to steal things from people in his neighbourhood. Just doesn’t make sense!”

Summer: “This could just be the start of it! I think he’s planning something bigger – just like we are….But if we keep our heads down, we can outsmart him!”

Clinton: “I don’t think he has anything to do with it. He seems a nice enough guy, plus he just made friends with Dominic’s Mum.”

Summer: “Well, you know what they say – keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. He’s creating the perfect cover as part of his plans!”

Dominic’s mood changes as he considers harm being done to his Mum… we see his blue eyes shimmer as they fill slightly with tears.  Dominic closes his eyes and then stifles a whimper – he is clearly slightly emotional and upset:

Dominic: “Summer, we don’t know if Dr Drysdale’s involved in anything we saw. Can we keep this quiet from Mum unless we know for sure?  She’s just starting to get over Dad leaving us, so I don’t want to upset her.”

Summer’s face falls as she realises that she has upset Dominic. Her eyes also show signs of a tear welling-up.

Summer: “I’m sorry Dominic. You know I love your Mum – and your Dad was so nice too. I’m just being protective – I promise!”

Dominic takes a deep breath and smiles at Summer. Clinton forces a smile as he notices the more human side of his two friends.

Dominic: “It’s okay Summer, I know you didn’t mean bad.”

Summer smiles at Dominic, and then takes the opportunity to change the mood of their conversation.

Summer: “Okay! So tonight we’re going to make sure Clinton is safe, and nothing happens to any of us! Are you ready, Watchdogs!?”

Summer grabs a walkie talkie and the pair of binoculars they recently purchased… she jumps to her feet and poses dramatically with the two items. Her smile and enthusiasm are infectious, and the two boys can’t help but smile back at her behaviour…

Dominic: “I tell you what, Summer, we could go to Westburn Park before dinner time.  As long as we’re well-behaved, we can walk through the hospital grounds and look for anything suspicious.

Clinton: “I need to take the dog for a walk anyway, so I can come with you guys.”

Dominic: “Sounds like a plan – If anyone asks what we’re doing, we can say we were taking the quickest route to get to the ice-cream van at the park.  It leaves just after 5pm, so I guess we’d have a good excuse.”

Summer: “Genius! Clinton, you go get your sniffer-dog, and we’ll see you outside just before 17 hundred hours. Let’s do this!”

Summer strikes another over-dramatic pose, and the boys can’t help but laugh.

Scene 7: Hospital Grounds

We can assume that it is now just a few minutes before 5 o’clock, as Summer leaps out of the front door of 32 Elm Place with an air of excitement about her…  Dominic shouts a quick “goodbye” through the house to let Sarah know they are leaving. We see that Dominic is holding a tennis ball in his hands. He pats his side trouser pocket to check its contents…

Dominic: “Right – let’s go!”

Summer notices Clinton leaving his house with the young dog they have recently added to the family.  Clinton struggles slightly as the dog begins to pull at the lead in order to reach Summer and Dominic….

The dog pulls its way over the road…Summer is keen to say hello – she crouches down to greet them…

Summer: “Hello boy! How are you!?  Aww….he’s beautiful. What’s his name?”

Clinton: “This is Walter. He’s not much of a sniffer dog, but I think he must have heard the people in our back garden last night. Mum and Dad said he was barking at the back garden window just after they went to sleep, but they hadn’t thought anything of it at the time.”

Summer: “Well, boy! Maybe if you see those bad men again you can let us know – huh!?  Can I walk him?”

Clinton obliges, and allows Summer to take the lead… the camera pans upwards and away from the three children…time passes at double, then triple time… we watch Summer, Dominic, Clinton and the dog walk towards the end of Elm Place… they turn to their right at the end of the road and walk a few hundred yards… they eventually begin to walk next to a high wall ….they then come across an open gate, which we can now see leads through a different part of the hospital grounds… the camera then pans down toward the children, and we join them next to the hospital entrance…

Summer: “You sure we’re allowed through here?”

Dominic: “Yeah, we’ll be fine.  They usually have security staff on during the day, but the hospital owners want the grounds open to the public – something to do with its history and letting the patients interact with everyone else.”

Summer hands the dog lead back to Clinton, and looks further into the hospital grounds… taking a few cautious steps past the gateway, she appears impressed and surprised by the well maintained flower beds, hedges, and occasional stone ornament… we watch as she takes a further step forward…

A small, single-room office unit comes into view, and we see a man sitting at a desk monitoring something on a computer screen – we can assume this is a security guard viewing live camera footage of the hospital…. We see that he notices the children, and quickly gets to his feet to greet them… he walks towards Summer…

“This IS a nice place! So what sort of history does the place have?”

The security guard smiles as he hears Summer take an interest in the property he is employed to look after… He interrupts – and gives her a little fright by his sudden appearance…

Robin: “This hospital has a LOT of history – has Dominic not told you about the place?!”

Summer: “Emm, no, not really! I’ve visited the neighbourhood before, but we usually just pass by.”

Dominic stands there looking a little embarrassed. He looks to Clinton for a response that doesn’t come. Summer smiles nervously, but quickly realises she has an opportunity to find out some information about the hospital and its layout…

Summer: “So how big are the hospital grounds?”

Robin: “Well, come here and I’ll give you a little map – it’s got some history about the place as well…”

Dominic and Clinton look at each other in disbelief – they are amazed at Summer’s ability to charm (and manipulate) people with just a few words. Summer smiles at the boys and raises her eyebrows… the three of them follow Robin into his security office… They look around at the walls where we see pictures of the hospital past and present. 

There are also numerous certificates and photographs of staff receiving what appear to be awards…. Robin takes a guide booklet from a pile of paperwork next to his computer. As he unfolds the paper to reveal a map of the grounds, Summer and the boys look to see what is being displayed on his security monitor…

Summer: “Do you have to watch this screen all day long? It must get tiring!?”

Robin: “No, no – I swap positions with the other guards throughout the day, so I don’t get too tired sitting in one place…. look here and I’ll show you!”

Robin lays the map flat on his desk, and begins to point at the different entrances to the grounds… We get to see the map in its entirety which helps us appreciate the scope and size of the area…Robin points to the main entrance which is at the bottom of the map…

Robin: “Right! So, we’re here just now, and my two buddies are here…and here…

He points to another gateway which is directly North of the main entrance, and then to a small outbuilding at the East side of the grounds. We also see that there is a third and final gateway near to this outbuilding. 

During the few seconds that we see the map, we can identify the main Hospital building which takes up the majority of the East side of the grounds. There is a second building to the West side of the grounds – although it is smaller than the main Hospital building, it is still significant in size.  Between these two buildings, we can see that there is a small bridge and underpass which provide access to and from each section.

Another part of the grounds is distinguished by groupings of tall trees. These trees appear to provide shelter and privacy to a small number of tiny seating areas. Finally, we can see that the South East side of the map shows the perimeter wall separating the grounds from Elm Place – we can even see where Dominic’s house is in relation to the rest of the hospital buildings…

Summer: “Is there always three of you on at once?”

Robin: “Yes, that’s right! After 9pm we close the grounds to the public, but staff can come and go as they please. There are 6 guards in total – including me – and we just work a rota system.”

Dominic: “What time do you finish today?”

Robin is surprised that one of the boys has decided to speak, but isn’t impressed at the nature of the question…

Robin: “Well, I’m finishing in time for dinner, so I guess you boys better run along soon. Are you heading through to Westburn Park?”

Clinton: “Yeah, we’re trying to get to the ice-cream van before it leaves – is it okay if we come back through this way?”

Robin stands-up straight from his leaning position at the desk, and then checks his watch… he then moves to his computer and monitor screen… he then presses a few buttons on the keyboard – this prompts the monitor to scroll through the various camera views from around the premises….

He eventually stops at a view of the opposite side of the hospital grounds where we catch a glimpse of the ice-cream van between the hospital’s North entrance and Westburn Park…

Robin: “You have 15 minutes – not a moment longer! I’ve got dinner to get home to, so I’m going to let Bill know you’ll pass his gate in a few minutes.”

He hands the map to Summer…

Robin: “Dominic, are you going to introduce me properly to your lady friend?”

Dominic: “Sorry Mr Pitchers – this is my friend, Summer. She stays at Mum’s house every Summer.”

Robin: “Well, that’s an appropriate name then, isn’t it!? Nice to have met you Summer, and glad you’re taking an interest in the area – maybe you can teach Dominic and Clinton a few things before you leave us?”

Summer takes the map from Robin and smiles angelically at him. Dominic and Clinton look unimpressed at the belittling comment, and also the fact that Summer has made yet another friend within minutes of meeting them…

The three children exit the building and leave Robin behind. As they begin to walk down the path (connecting the North entrance with the South entrance) Robin appears from the office door…

Robin: “Dominic…Clinton… No messing around now – I’ll be watching you on the cameras!”

Robin smiles at Summer. We can take this as an indication that he trusts her but not the boys.

We now join Dominic, Summer and Clinton as they walk through the grounds… they quietly look around to appreciate the well-kept flower beds, low granite walls, and trimmed hedges…

The grounds are noticeably quiet at this time of day… the occasional visitor or patient quietly passes them by… bees and other small insects fly between the multi-coloured flower heads, as the sun continues to beat down through the branches of small trees….

Dominic: “Summer, sometimes I don’t know how you do it! Mr Pitchers would never have told us any of that stuff!”

Summer looks smug…

Summer: “What can I say – it just comes naturally! This map is perfect for our plans, and now we know when the place is supposed to be locked-up and easier to sneak around.”

Clinton and Dominic once again look at each other in disbelief…

Clinton: “What exactly are you planning? There’s no way I’m breaking into a hospital at night and sneaking around with Mr Pitchers on duty!”

Summer: “If we dress in black, he’ll never know it was us! And anyway, you’re our eyes from the sky – I bet you can see what Mr Pitchers is doing from your bedroom window! It’s perfect, I’m telling you!”

Dominic: “Summer, I think Clinton’s got a point. I don’t think it’s very safe.”

Summer raises her eyebrows…

Summer: “Why can’t you guys live a little!? I bet you Jonny would be fine with a little adventure?!”

Clinton: “Well, you can ask him tomorrow – he finishes his football training around 4 o’clock.”

Summer: “I will! And I bet you he’ll have some great ideas on how to find out what’s going on with Dr Drysdale.”

The three children eventually reach the small, overlapping bridge and underpass which link the two parts of the hospital grounds together… Summer jumps onto the wall at the right side of the bridge, as the two boys stick to the given path on the bridge walkway…

Clinton: “Oh shit! There he is right now!”

Summer begins to lose her balance as she tries to step along the narrow wall…

Summer: “Where is he?”

Clinton: “Look – he’s started to walk underneath us!”

Dominic: “Just act normal! He does work here after all!”

Summer looks below the bridge as the Doctor appears from the underpass… the curiosity makes her lose her footing …. she lets out a scream as she falls from the bridge… thankfully, Dr Drysdale notices the shadow from above him, and acts instinctively by cradling his arms and catching Summer as she falls in front of him…

A few passers-by let out a gasp as they witness the fortunate event… Clinton and Dominic look over the side of the bridge to see the Doctor holding Summer in his arms… they duck out of sight as the Doctor looks above to see what could have caused Summer’s fall…

Mark: “Summer! Are you okay!?”

Summer gulps…

Summer: “Yeah! I just lost my footing whilst I was on the wall.”

Mark: “You really need to be careful, Summer! Just because it’s a hospital, doesn’t mean it’s a good place to have an accident!”

Summer smiles at Mark’s attempt at humour – especially given the strange circumstances.

Summer: “I’m soo sorry, Dr Drysdale! Please don’t tell Sarah!”

Mark: “Sarah? You mean Dominic’s Mum?”

Summer: “Yeah. I always seem to get into trouble when I visit here, so the last thing she needs to hear about is this.”

Mark gently helps Summer to her feet, and checks her balance as she stands before him…

Mark: “Okay, well as long as you’re feeling alright now, we’ll keep this to ourselves. What are you doing here anyway?”

Summer: “Oh… well, we…I mean ‘I’… was just passing through to get to the ice-cream van. I was going to get a treat for Mrs Milne for after dinner.”

Mark: “That’s very kind of you! I think it leaves around about now. Are you okay to get yourself back to the path?”

Summer: “Yes Dr Drysdale. I’m really sorry to have bothered you – you must be sick of the sight of me!?”

Mark: “Not at all! I’m trying to familiarise myself with the area and the people as quickly as possible. I guess bumping into you is just part of looking after the community.”

Summer: “Thanks Dr Drysdale. I’ll see you around then?!”

Mark: “Not if I see you first!”

Summer’s eyes widen and she forces a smile. She then turns around and runs up the grass verge to meet with the boys… the three of them scarper across the bridge and towards the North gate…

Dr Drysdale is distracted by the sound of their quickening footsteps and the barking of Clinton’s dog – he manages to catch a glimpse of Summer as she reaches the gate with Clinton and Dominic…. He looks deep in thought – wondering why she didn’t mention she was with the boys… 

As he is about to walk away, he notices a small piece of paper on the ground in front of him… he crouches to pick it up… we discover that it is Summer’s receipt for the binoculars and Walkie Talkies she purchased earlier in the day. Dr Drysdale notices the list of items she has bought, and becomes suspicious of her activity…

The scene then changes to outside of the North hospital gates where Summer, Clinton and Dominic are catching their breaths and purchasing some treats at the ice-cream van – they take turns to look behind them and check for Dr Drysdale approaching.  They are the only customers at the van, which gives us the impression that they are about to close business for the day…

Clinton: “I can’t believe that just happened!  Do you think he suspects anything?”

Summer: “I don’t think he saw you, Clinton – and anyway, he can’t do anything about it in public!”

Dominic is concerned about Summer’s wild imagination, and how it is affecting his friend who is still slighty shaken after the events of last night…

Dominic: “Summer! We need to think sensible here! Dr Drysdale was good enough to make sure you were okay when you fell back there, wasn’t he?!”

Summer begins to consider the possibility that Dr Drysdale is innocent… she looks a little shamed by Dominic’s comments… Clinton turns to the ice-cream van to receive a handful of icicles and sweets that they have purchased…

Summer: “I guess so… I was only thinking about Clinton. Don’t you want to find out who stole those items from his shed… and those two men in the garden last night… you can’t deny that there must be something going on!?”

Dominic: “I’m just not convinced that Dr Drysdale has anything to do with it – all we’ve noticed is that he has bought a tool box and sometimes leaves work late at night!”

Summer: “Well, I think it’s too convenient that he keeps on bumping into us! I reckon he knows we’ve been watching him.”

Dominic: “When you think about it, we’re the ones that have been looking for him! Ever since you met him on the bus and then saw him leaving the hospital, you’ve been obsessed with him!”

Summer begins to look upset… tears are starting to well in her eyes…

Summer: “That is so unfair – and not true!”

Clinton sighs as an uncomfortable silence falls between the friends…

Clinton: “Let’s just head home for now – we can think alone about what we’re going to do and then meet up after dinner.”

Summer: “Sounds like a good idea – plus we can invite Jonny around to see what he thinks. Maybe I am over thinking things, but I’m not trying to hurt anyone.”

The look of sadness on Summer’s face is almost heartbreaking, but she is pleasantly surprised as Dominic puts a comforting and caring arm around her…

Dominic: “Right, let’s get going before Mr Pitchers starts to miss you!”

Summer and Dominic smile at each other, and then make their way back through the North gate and over the bridge.