EXT/INT.

FLASHBACK/DREAM
QUICK CUTS:
(Dreamlike music plays)

EMILY and RYAN are laying on the grass kissing. The sun is
low in the sky - it is summer. Pulling away from the kiss,
they begin to laugh. Using their phone they take pictures
together.
Holding hands the two of them walk down the street. They are
deep in conversation. They pause to wave at their neighbor
LOUIS - an old man in his seventies, who stops tending to
the flowers in his garden to say hello.
In the kitchen at home. RYAN is cooking as we see EMILY pick
up a piece of carrot and throw it at him. He retaliates and
a food fight ensues.
We see the two of them arguing in the hallway of their home.
RYAN angrily throwing his hands and arms around as he argues
his point. He begins to cough.

The scene shifts and we see EMILY, in the morning, sat at

the dinner table reading the paper. RYAN comes through the
front door with a beautiful potted, pink ORCHID and gestures
it to her. She see’s him and smiles.

The ORCHID is placed on a side table in the lounge.

On the couch the two of them are watching a film cuddled up
with blankets. Ryan starts aggressively coughing and Emily
shifts to rub his back.

The room is transformed into a white clinical hospital room.

We see Ryan in the hospital bed, he looks extremely ill - he
has cancer. Emily is sat by the side of his bed holding his
hand. His grip is loosened and he lets go.
CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM - MORNING - PRESENT DAY

Emily wakes from her dream. She’s been crying while asleep.
We soon realise the bed is empty next to her.

The house is dark. Empty. It looks cold. Letters are piled

up by the door and dirty dishes are stacked high in the
sink.
The ORCHID is dead. It has withered. The head has drooped
low and the pink has almost completely left the petals.
 2.

INT.BATHROOM - CONTINUING
EMILY sits in the shower - emotionless. She looks ill, with
bags under her eyes. She’s lost a lot of weight. Her ribs
can be seen pushing against the surface of her skin.

INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUING

SAME SHOT AS THE HALLWAY ARGUMENT:

The house is deadly quiet. The only sound is the faint hiss
of the shower coming from the bathroom down the hallway.

INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUING

We see the fridge opening from the inside. The harsh light
draws out EMILY’S gaunt features. Her eyes have sunken and
her wet hair sticks to the sides of her face. There is
barely any food in the fridge.

INT.SHOP - DAY
A SHOPKEEPER stands from his stool to serve EMILY. She
slides a ready-meal across the counter.
SHOPKEEPER
Is that everything?
His question interrupts her daydream. She looks up and nods.
The SHOPKEEPER scans her item and places it inside a plastic
bag.

EXT. THE STREET - DAY

We see EMILY walk back towards her house holding the
shopping bag.

EXT. LOUIS’ FRONT GARDEN - CONTINUED

LOUIS is in his garden pulling weeds from between the cracks
in his garden path. He notices EMILY walking up the street.

He looks troubled. His gaze follows her as she heads up her

garden path towards her front door.
 3.

EXT. OUTSIDE EMILY’S HOUSE - DAY

LOUIS knocks on EMILY’S front door. He waits. Eventually she
opens the door ever so slightly.
EMILY
Hey Louis.
LOUIS
Hi. I..I just saw you coming back
and thought I’d come over and see
how you’re doing. I’ve been meaning
to stop by for a while.
EMILY
I appreciate you coming, but I
think I want to be alone at the
moment.
Her eyes begin to water and she rubs them.
LOUIS
I thought you might just like to
have a brew and actually chat to
somebody, ya’ know? I’ve not seen
anybody come or go..
EMILY
I really don’t...

LOUIS
(Interrupting)
Please love. Just a cup of tea.
She pulls the door wide and disappears into the dark house
leaving LOUIS to follow after her, shutting the door behind
himself.

INT. EMILY’S LOUNGE - DAY

LOUIS is sat on the couch. He looks up as EMILY brings over

two cups of tea and hands one to him. He smiles. She looks
vacant, as if her mind is somewhere else.
Silence. They both sip their tea.

LOUIS
I like what you’ve done in here.
EMILY
Thank you. It took us a while.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 4.

She looks around the flat as if it is the first time she’s

actually seen it in a long time. LOUIS catches sight of the
dead ORCHID.
EMILY (cont’d)
Ryan built all of this stuff, you
know. We went to IKEA and brought
loads of stuff back. I tried to
help by making that TV stand over
there, but I couldn’t understand
the instructions.

She laughs at her story. These are beautiful memories to

her.
EMILY (cont’d)
I was so pathetic!

LOUIS
No you weren’t. Those instructions
are not always easy to follow.
EMILY
(Looking into the distance)
That was probably the best day of
my life. We had such a laugh
building all the furniture.
A tear falls.

LOUIS
I can imagine.
He smiles, trying to brighten the sudden change in the tone
of conversation.
EMILY
(Looking back at Louis)
It’s not just building furniture. I
can’t do most things without him.

She begins to cry, allowing her emotions to get the better

of her.
LOUIS
I know the feeling..

EMILY
(Snapping)
Do you?
Silence. Louis thinks for a moment.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 5.

LOUIS
I always wanted to have children
with my wife. We tried for years
but it turned out we couldn’t have
them. I was sad about it but for
her, I think it broke her heart.
Beat.
LOUIS
I guess it was never meant to be.
One thing we used to say is that we
always had each other and that’s
all that mattered. She died quite
suddenly my wife, and I remember
thinking now I have absolutely
nothing.

EMILY
I’m sorry I shouldn’t have..
LOUIS
(Interupting)
No, you have absolutely nothing to
apologise for.
Silence.
EMILY
I feel like my life has broken into
a million pieces and it’s never
going to fit back together again.
He nods.

LOUIS
These feelings you have right now
will stay with you for a long time.
But, you will get better at dealing
with them. (Altering his tone as to
sound more positive.) I was told a
story a long time ago that taught
me something really important, can
I tell it to you?
EMILY
Yeah, I’d like to hear it.
LOUIS
So it’s about an old monk and a
young monk traveling together
through a beautiful forest. On
their travels they reach a fast,
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 6.

LOUIS (cont’d)
powerful river with a woman on the
other side. She’s calling for the
monks to help her cross -
frantically shouting. Now, it’s
forbidden for the monks to look at
women let alone help them cross a
river.
He shuffles.

LOUIS (cont’d)
The young monk keeps walking
however the older monk traverses
the dangerous river, picks up the
woman, puts her on his back and
walks back across the river. He
lets her down and she runs away
into the forest. Now, they continue
their journey but the younger monk
is frustrated, angry and
disappointed with the older monk
for breaking his sacred vows and
helping the woman. He spends the
rest of the journey through the
forest allowing his anger and
disappointment to build up inside
himself, until he snaps and turns
on the old monk. He shouts, "why
did you help that woman? You
shouldn’t have! You’ve broken your
vows and she didn’t even thank
you!" The old monk replies, "I put
the women down by the riverside, it
is YOU that is still carrying her".
Beat.
EMILY
So are you and I the young monk
unable to get over the past?
LOUIS
Well, you take from it what you
want to take away from it, but when
I first heard that story I made a
decision. I decided not to allow
the past to ruin the rest of my
journey. I loved my wife more than
anything in this world, as I’m sure
you loved your husband. This whole
thing isn’t easy but I think that
if you do as I did and take small
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 7.

LOUIS (cont’d)
steps , work at it, you stand a
fighting chance of putting your
life back together.

EXT. OUTSIDE EMILY’S HOUSE - EARLY MORNING - NEW DAY

The early morning sun is low in the sky. We see a small bird
land on the fence outside of EMILY’S HOUSE.

INT. BEDROOM - MORNING

The bedroom blinds are drawn and we see bright sunlight
enter the room for the first time. EMILY turns and looks at
the room.

INT. LOUNGE - CONTINUING

We now see her stood over the sink finishing off the washing
that was previously stacked up high.

The letters strewn across the floor are swooped up.

SAME SHOT AS THE HALLWAY ARGUMENT:
The hallway is filled with bright sunlight and the only
sound we hear is the hiss of the shower.

INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUING

The hair drier cuts the quiet as we see EMILY drying her
hair looking at her reflection in the mirror.

INT. DOORWAY - CONTINUING

After grabbing her coat and putting on her shoes, EMILY
opens the front door and is stopped in her tracks. On the
ground in front of her is a potted, beautiful pink ORCHID. A
note is attached that reads:
To Emily,

The first of many small steps.

Louis.
Kneeling down she slowly lifts the ORCHID. This brings back
memories of RYAN.
 8.

She looks in the direction of LOUIS house next door.

INT. LOUNGE - CONTINUING

We see EMILY slowly approach the old, DEAD ORCHID sat on the
small table in the living room. She stops and stares at it.
It is now or never.
She removes the dead orchid and replaces it with the
beautiful, thriving new one. She studies the beauty of the
plant for a moment, and then turns and leaves the house.
We close in on the beautiful ORCHID.
A petal falls.