Wanderings

INT. HALLWAY OF JOSEPHINE'S HOUSE - DAY

JOSEPHINE (13) creeps down the staircase, trying not to make a sound.
At the bottom she stops and peers down the hall at the closed kitchen
door where she can hear her mother washing up and humming. She tiptoes
towards the front door and lets herself out.

As the door closes her mother opens the kitchen door and looks down the
hall holding a tea towel.

MUM

Jo??

She notices Josephine has gone. She sighs, shakes her head and goes
back into the kitchen.

EXT. ROAD OUTSIDE JOSEPHINE'S HOUSE - DAY

Outside it is hot and sunny. Josephine skips across the road and walks
along the bank, kicking the long grass. Two CARS speed past but she
doesn't look up. ROOKS can be heard in the churchyard as she passes the
entrance to it.

She reaches a driveway to her left and jumps off the bank, following it
in between the churchyard and the grounds of a Primary School. She hops
over the potholes in the drive as if it were a game of hopscotch,
keeping her hands in the pockets of her jeans.
At the end of the driveway is a large green gate, blocking the entrance
to the school ground. When Josephine reaches it she climbs on it and
leans on the top rail, looking at the building, chin resting on her
arms. She is thoughtful.

More ROOKS can be heard.

After a few moments she jumps away from the gate and runs down the rest
of the driveway, which narrows into a public footpath. She skips and
runs through the long grass but slows her steps and her breathing when
the path takes her through a small wood and into a meadow on the other
side.

EXT. PUBLIC FOOTPATH, MEADOW - DAY

Josephine emerges from the wood and slows as she sees JOE (17) standing
on a bridge that covers the small stream at the bottom of the meadow.
The gate at the end of the bridge has been left open.

She does not look directly at him. Instead she looks around her as she
walks, pushing her long brown hair away from her face.

CAWING can be heard from the rooks nesting in the churchyard. As
Josephine nears the bridge she pauses to pick a cowslip from the
ground.

Joe leans on the bridge rail, staring down into the shallow water. As
Josephine nears him he looks up and watches her approach but does not
change his posture.

At the foot of the steps leading up to the bridge Josephine stops,
bends down and exchanges her cowslip for a bigger one. Joe watches
her.

JOE

What are you doing?

Josephine looks up, questioningly.

JOE (CONT)

I said, what are you doing?

JOSEPHINE

Nothing

(beat)

Picking flowers.

Joe nods and turns back. He takes out a tobacco pouch from the back
pocket of his jeans and begins to roll a cigarette.

Josephine stands, waiting. The COOING of wood pigeons can be heard
close by.

Joe licks the Rizla, finishes rolling the cigarette and smoothes it
with his fingers. He continues to look straight ahead.

JOE

You're Marie's little sister aren't you? Joanna?

Josephine is annoyed.

JOSEPHINE

It's Josephine.

She walks slowly up the steps to the bridge and leans on the opposite
side of it. Joe glances back at her.

JOE

Sorry.

He turns his back on her and lights his cigarette. Josephine waits but
he remains silent and distracted. She looks him up and down slowly. She
props her elbows on the bridge rail, still holding the cowslip.

JOSEPHINE

Why aren't you at college?

Joe turns his head.

JOE

How do you know I'm at college?

She smiles and shrugs.

JOSEPHINE

Are you skiving then?

He laughs and turns back but doesn't answer.

JOE

Shouldn't you be at school?

Josephine sits on the edge of the bridge next to Joe. She swings her
legs over the water and twirls the cowslip under her chin.

JOSEPHINE

It's the summer holidays, so I have an excuse.

He looks down at her and takes another drag on his cigarette.

JOE

And does your mum know that you're wandering round the village talking
to strangers?

She stops twirling the flower but holds it near her neck so that the
petals tickle her skin.

JOSEPHINE

I can do what I like.

Joe smiles and looks down at the water.

JOE

And it sounds like you're really making the most of it.

Joe takes one more drag from his cigarette then drops the butt into the
stream. It HISSES as it hits the water.

JOSEPHINE

Well at least I'm doing something. I wouldn't skive off school just to
stand on some stupid little bridge all day doing nothing.

She looks down at the water, still brushing her neck with the cowslip.
Joe looks at Josephine then sits down next to her.

JOE

Shouldn't you be doing that with a buttercup?

She stops and turns to him, smiling.

JOSEPHINE

No. I already know I don't like butter. I'm just wondering if I like
beef.

Joe is confused. Josephine pushes the flower into his face.

JOSEPHINE (CONT)

It's a cowslip.

Joe thinks, realises then expresses amusement.

JOE

My name's Joe, but I suppose you knew that already.

Josephine smiles and looks away from him.
She drops the flower into the water. Once she lets it go she rests her
elbows in front of her on the lower wooden rail of the bridge. Joe sits
looking at her, resting his body weight on his hands.

More WOODPIGEONS. The stream can be heard clearly TRICKLING under the
bridge.

JOSEPHINE

I'm going for a walk. Wanna come?

Joe shakes his head then turns to look down stream.

JOSEPHINE (CONT)

Don't you do walking?

JOE

Just not in the mood.

Josephine stands.

JOSEPHINE

Fair enough, stay on your little bridge.

We stay with Joe as Josephine walks off the other end of the bridge.
She doesn't look back at him. We watch her walk away, following the
river down-stream closely beside it at a steady pace.

Joe sits up and watches her, as she gets further away. He stands.

We are in front of Josephine and see Joe standing on the bridge behind
her.

JOE (SHOUTING)

Wait. I'll come.

Josephine smiles but doesn't look back at him. We return to Joe as he
jumps down the steps of the bridge and follows her steadily.

We cut back to Josephine who looks around her as she walks, at the
stream and across the field at the tower of the church, which is just
visible above the trees.

A ROOK flies closely overhead towards the tower. Josephine watches it.
She is distracted. She doesn't look at Joe and doesn't even seem to
notice his presence behind her.

CUT TO:

EXT. WOODLAND BESIDE STREAM - DAY

The trees along the bank become denser but Josephine walks with ease
and does not slow her pace. She pushes the branches aside as she walks
past and steps over weeds and nettles without looking at the
ground.

As Joe follows her he stumbles over tree roots and scratches his hands
on branches. A few catch his face and leave little red marks.

Josephine pulls leaves off branches as she walks. She tears them into
pieces whilst looking around her and sprinkles them onto the ground.
The ground becomes muddier but Josephine appears unconcerned by the
amount of mud collecting on her shoes.

INSECTS can be heard in the undergrowth as can the SNAPPING of twigs
behind Josephine.

We see Joe breaking some branches away from the trees in front of him
to get them out of the way. He is annoyed. He steps over the mud and
onto the dry patches of ground. His progress is slow.

CUT TO:

EXT. CLEARING BESIDE STREAM - DAY

Josephine is sitting on a tree stump in a more open area by the stream.
She is waiting for Joe and staring into the middle distance, head
resting on her hand.

When Joe appears through the trees he is dishevelled and slightly out
of breath. He stops beside her.

JOE

Where are we going?

Josephine stands.

JOSEPHINE

Nowhere in particular.

She walks towards the edge of the stream and jumps across it with
little effort, using a large rock in the middle as a stepping-stone.
She stands on the opposite bank looking back at Joe, her hands in her
pockets.

Joe sighs and hesitates then tries to jump across. He misses the rock
and his right leg slips into the water.

JOE

Fuck!

Josephine laughs then turns and runs across the field, away from the
stream. Joe climbs up the bank, shakes his wet leg and wipes his muddy
hands down the front of his jeans. He looks up, pauses then follows
Josephine as she walks towards a large hollow tree in the distance,
which is standing alone in the field.

We follow Joe as he follows Josephine.

EXT. HOLLOW TREE, FIELD - DAY

When Joe reaches the tree, Josephine is sitting cross-legged inside it
on a small wooden platform, resting her weight on her hands. He stops
in front of her, hands in his pockets and still slightly out of
breath.

A CAR can be heard driving quickly past on the nearby road.

More ROOKS.

JOE

Remind me never to follow you again. Where are we anyway?

Joe looks around him. Josephine sits up.

JOSEPHINE

You don't know?

JOE

Should I?

JOSEPHINE

How long have you lived in this village?

(beat)

JOE

About ten years.

Josephine shakes her head.

JOSEPHINE

It's sad when people think they're too old to explore.

Joe leans against the trunk of the tree.

JOE

Not if exploring means getting completely drenched and covered in
fucking mud.

He shakes his wet leg again. Josephine laughs. He looks up at her in
the tree.

JOE (CONT)

I'm gonna go home and change.

He stands and looks around him and is about to go the way they came
when Josephine jumps down from the tree.

JOSEPHINE

Not that way.

Joe stops and turns to Josephine as she sets off in a different
direction. He frowns but follows her anyway.

JOE

How do you know where I live?

She shrugs.

CUT TO:

EXT. JOE'S HOUSE - DAY

Joe and Josephine walk through a small gate, which is open and leads
into Joe's back garden. They follow the path up to Joe's house, which
is large and not near any others. When they reach the back door Joe
stops and turns to Josephine.

JOE

Shouldn't you be getting home?

JOSEPHINE

No.

Josephine walks past Joe and opens the unlocked door. Joe pauses then
follows her inside, shutting the door behind him.

INT. JOE'S KITCHEN - DAY

Josephine stands in the middle of the room looking around. Joe walks
past her and peers into the hallway.

JOE

Mum's still out.

Joe walks into the hallway and Josephine follows him.

INT. HALLWAY - DAY

They walk along the hallway and up the stairs, Josephine following Joe.
Joe pushes his hair away from his face as he ascends. The hallway wall
is covered with photographs, recent and old, of Joe and his mother.
Josephine studies them as she follows him.

At the top of the stairs Joe crosses the landing. He opens his bedroom
door and walks in.

INT. JOE'S BEDROOM - DAY

Joe picks up a pair of jeans from a laundry pile on a chair near the
door. Josephine enters the room behind him. She crosses it and sits on
his bed, looking at the room as she does so.

Joe, with jeans in hand, exits the room.

(O.S.) The LOCK of the bathroom door is heard.

Josephine remains on Joe's unmade bed for a moment, looking around the
room. On the far wall are several wooden African masks, painted in bold
colours. Bookshelves line the other two walls and are full. Piles of
papers and folders lie beside the bed along with a full ashtray and
some empty bottles of beer.

Josephine gets up from the bed and walks over to one of the bookcases.
She looks at the books.

(O.S.) The bathroom door lock CLICKS.
Joe enters the room and pushes the door to.

He has changed his jeans and has wet his hair, brushing it away from
his face. He stops and looks at Josephine.

JOE

What are you doing?

Josephine glances round at him then turns back to the books.

JOSEPHINE

Nothing.

Joe sighs and pulls out his tobacco pouch from his back pocket. He puts
tobacco onto a Rizla and walks over to his bed.

JOE

You like books?

He sits down heavily on his bed. His hair falls in front of his eyes.
He rolls his cigarette.

Josephine looks up.

JOSEPHINE

They're alright.

She looks back at the books and runs a finger along them. After a few
moments she stops, smiles and pulls one out. It's a hardback copy of
the 'Chronicles of Narnia'. She looks at Joe, amused.

He looks up, smiles and lights his cigarette.
Josephine goes to put the book back when she notices some magazines
stuffed into the back of the shelf.

She pulls them out. They are porn magazines. She holds them up at Joe,
questioningly.

Joe stands quickly and tries to snatch them back but she holds them
behind her back and out of his reach. He gives up and falls onto his
bed. He takes a drag of his cigarette.

Josephine opens one of the magazines.

JOSEPHINE

I've seen these before you know. My brother's got loads in his
room.

She turns the magazine around in her hands and pulls a face.

JOSEPHINE (CONT)

Why do they never have any men's bits in them?

Joe exhales smoke.

JOE

Perhaps because they're for men?

Josephine looks up from the magazine and intently at Joe who returns
the look. He takes another drag of his cigarette and exhales the smoke
slowly.

JOSEPHINE

I've never seen any men's bits.

Joe holds her gaze for a moment then looks down at his roll up and
begins to stick down the Rizla, which has come unstuck.

Josephine turns away, replacing the magazines back on the shelf with
the book in front of it.

JOSEPHINE (CONT)

Not in the flesh anyway.

She walks over to the bed and sits on the floor in front of Joe. She
rests her arm on the mattress and looks up at him but he continues to
fix his roll-up.

JOSEPHINE (CONT)

Peter Phillips tried to show me his once, behind the willow tree at
Primary School, but that doesn't really count.

Joe smiles and chuckles slightly but says nothing. Josephine sighs
gently and slowly looks around the room. After a moment she turns back
to Joe.

JOSEPHINE (CONT)

Would you show me yours?

Joe looks quickly at her. He is shocked.

JOE

What? No!

JOSEPHINE

Why not?

JOE

Because I'm not! You can't ask things like that!

JOSEPHINE (LAUGHING)

Why?

JOE

Because you can't!

Joe shakes his head and takes another drag. Josephine sighs and looks
away.

After a moment she looks up at him again.

JOSEPHINE

Can I have some of your cigarette instead then?

Joe sighs and hands her the roll-up. She sits up, her legs tucked under
her and takes it from him.

She hesitates then puts it to her lips and inhales. She coughs and
grimaces. Joe laughs and tries to take the cigarette back but she keeps
hold of it. She clears her throat and takes another drag but this time
breathes it in and exhales without coughing.

She hands him back the butt.

JOSEPHINE

Does it suit me?

Joe stubs the cigarette out in the ashtray on the floor.

JOE

No.

He leans back against the wall.

JOSEPHINE

Does this?

She sits up and leans over to Joe kissing him on the lips. He blinks
with surprise but does not push her away. She closes her eyes and it is
her who pulls away first, sitting back down on the floor. When she does
she is smiling and Joe looks at her, bemused.

Joe's bedroom door opens and his MUM leans into the room. She sees
Josephine and is surprised. Joe sits up.

MUM

Umm..hi. Sarah's downstairs, Joe.

JOE

Uh..okay.

She closes the door. Joe stands quickly and looks in a small mirror on
the wall, brushing his hair back with his fingers then pulling down and
straightening his jumper.

Josephine remains leaning on the bed watching Joe.

JOSEPHINE

Who's Sarah?

JOE (STILL LOOKING IN THE MIRROR)

My girlfriend.

Josephine is surprised but not annoyed.
Joe picks up the paper and folders on the floor and pushes them under
the bed.

He then walks across the room, picks up the pile of laundry and tries
to fit the clothes into the wardrobe.

Josephine watches him for a moment then stands. She looks at Joe for
some kind of acknowledgement, gets none, so walks towards the door. She
opens it.

JOSEPHINE

See you then.

Joe remains rummaging around the bottom of his wardrobe and doesn't
look up.

JOE

Yeah.

Josephine sighs gently then walks out of the room.

INT. STAIRCASE OF JOE'S HOUSE - DAY

Josephine walks down the stairs. At the bottom stands SARAH (16) a tall
girl with long, blonde, straightened hair and pink lip-gloss. She looks
at Josephine and frowns as she walks past.

Sarah walks up the stairs noisily as Josephine opens the front door.
Joe's mum watches, puzzled, from the kitchen doorway as she
leaves.

EXT. JOE'S HOUSE - EARLY EVENING

It has got darker. Josephine goes to walk down the front driveway but
after a few steps she pauses and turns around.

WOODPIGEONS can be heard in the distance.

She walks round the side of the house to the back garden and stops near
the kitchen door.

She looks up at Joe's window. His light has been switched on and
raised, muffled VOICES can be heard coming from his room.

After a moment she smiles and puts her hands in her pockets. She walks
down the path and through the garden gate, closing it behind her.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

EXT. FOOTPATH LEADING TO THE BRIDGE - EARLY EVENING

Josephine walks along the dirt track and slowly climbs the steps to the
bridge from the opposite direction than earlier in the day.

CRICKETS can be heard in the undergrowth and the stream TRICKLES under
the bridge.
Josephine leans on the bridge rail then sits down, her legs over the
edge.

She leans back on her hands and looks up at the sky.

FADE OUT.

END