This is a 15-scene story which was supposed to be my entry to a local scriptwriting competition. Note that this is my first attempt. You'll find that the dialogue is absent - I didn't include it. :-p Your opinions are most welcomed! :-D
FADE IN:
INT. NISA'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
A rough male voice booms across the silent night, drowning the sound of the storm outside. KAMARIAH, 40s, tries to calm her husband, AMER, 40s. Despite her tears and her pleas, her husband’s fury seemed to have no bounds. The disappointment on his face clearly shows as he tries to stop his own river of tears.
Behind the wall, on the stairs, AMEERA, 16, looks silently at her parents. She is scared to see her parents hysterical. Tighter and tighter she clenches onto her teddy bear. Piercing the noise, she hears the wail from upstairs.
INT. NISA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
NISA, 19, cries uncontrollably lying face down on her bed. In rage, she punches and hits the bed before throwing everything off her bed. As the pillows and teddy bears flung to the floor, she lets out a disappointed wail.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Amer bangs on his daughter’s locked door.
INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE NISA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
In a fit of rage, Amer’s kicks and punches land on his eldest daughter’s door. As if possessed, he continues to disregard Kamariah’s fearful cries. Amer continues to curse and hurl insults to Nisa.
INT. NISA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
A scared Nisa, forcefully trying to mum her cry, walks slowly towards the door. Her hand reaches out to touch it during a moment of silence. Just as her palm touches the surface of the door, she let out a scream and venting out her anger. Nisa turns around and leaned against the door and ending up sitting by allowing her to drop to the floor.
Weakened by the preceding events, Nisa reaches out to a teddy bear. Then she hugged it so closely and tightly.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE A KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Frightened of being left by her mother, NISA, 4, cries. Some of the other children inside the classroom were crying as well. Others were playing their toys. One or two were napping. After calming the kids down, the TEACHER, 20s, moves gracefully towards Nisa and her mother.
Only after being comforted by both the friendly lady and her mother, Nisa lets go of Kamariah’s baju kurung.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. PLAYGROUND - DAY (FLASHBACK)
NISA, 6, and her family walks across the playground towards a bench. Midway Nisa runs off from the group towards the slide. She climbed to the top excitedly and then called out to her parents. While AMER, 30s and KAMARIAH, late 20s, were not looking, a pair of hands gave Nisa a nudge causing her to slide down, scratching her knees in the process. Out of shock, Nisa wailed out.
Kamariah passed AMEERA, 3, to Amer and ran towards her daughter the moment she heard Nisa’s voice. As Kamariah consoles her daughter, Amer scolds a group of young boys. Kamariah calls out to her husband as she walks toward their car in haste.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. NISA'S LIVING ROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Kamariah goes into the kitchen and returns with a medicated oil. With care and patience, she rubs the ointment onto Nisa’s knee. Ameera clings on to her father while looking on curiously at her sister as the later resists the stinging sensation and cries further.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. NISA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT (PRESENT)
Nisa picks herself up and makes her way slowly to her wardrobe. She opens the door and throws out all her clothes. Shaking with fear and sorrow, Nisa reaches out to get a black plastic bag. After that she crosses the messy bedroom floor to her dressing table.
Steadily, while holding the tears back, the young lady unties the knot and pours the content onto the table top. As the contents fall, her gaze was affixed to her reflection.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. PLAYGROUND - DAY (FLASHBACK)
JOE, 26, leaves a group of his friends and walks towards NISA, 18, and AMEERA, 15, who were deep in conversation on the swings.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. NISA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT (present)
Holding her gaze, a tear seeps from Nisa’s eyes. Scattered on her table were empty strips of paracetamol, menstrual pills and birth control pills. Nisa’s left hand reaches for the jug of water she normally keeps in her room. Her right hand, slowing moving towards her opening mouth, is filled with the drugs.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT JOE'S CAR, PARKED BY A LAKE GARDEN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Joe’s hand flies from the break handle to Nisa’s knee. Nisa places her right hand on it as her left hand wraps around Joe’s neck. Joe looks at Nisa full with lust; Nisa looks at her boyfriend with a cheeky look.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. JOE'S APARTMENT, OUTSIDE HIS ROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Joe leads Nisa into his room, hand-in-hand. The lights went out in the room. Nisa & Joe’s laughter can be heard from the room – the door was left ajar.
The lights of the apartment, too, were turned off. Against the light coming through the windows, one by one, four shadows crept into Joe’s room.
Nisa’s scared & surprised voice could be heard. Her shouting was muffled.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. NISA'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
19-year old Nisa was being carried into her home at 3.00 am. Hearing the commotion downstairs, Amer and Khadijah ran down the stairs with worry etched on their faces. As their sight landed on hysterically crying Nisa, confusion gripped them.
Nisa stumbles upon her words as she tries to tell them Joe raped her. Amer flew into rage and showered Nisa in his wrath. Stunned and speechless, Kamariah paused for a few beats. The moment she leaves her trance-like state, she began praying for forgiveness in a wail.
Screaming back at her parents, Nisa stood and ran up the stairs leaving a trail of tears.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. NISA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT (PRESENT)
A weak Nisa drops into her chair. Her hand brushes against the jug which fell onto the floor and shattered into pieces.
INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE NISA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
After hearing the crash from her sister’s room, Ameera knocked on the door and calling out to her sister. The knocking turned into banging before Ameera shouted for her parents.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - NIGHT
A weak and pale Nisa was rushed into the ER. Her eyes opened weakly and she caught sight of her parents and Ameera. Nisa struggled to push the words out of her mouth. She blacks out.
FADE OUT.
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