I enjoyed writing this in response to a title and a student’s outline. I’m also taking the FutureLearn class on screenplay which is excellent and free. I would thoroughly recommend the course. You can take it at your own pace. And it is very insightful, lively and accessible too. Try it. Futurelearn are an excellent provider.
The Chase.
I’ve always like to steal things: sweets, watches, cars. My mother pretended to be annoyed at first, but I know she liked the presents, especially on her birthday. But life grew grim and as a result, I’m in prison now, roughly 200 miles from her new house and it’s mum’s birthday next week. And it’s a BIG birthday. GIGANTIC ! So, I need a cunning plan because prisons and birthdays don’t mix!
My name is Ashley by the way and my best friend is called Jason and he’s ultra-smart. He was betrayed by another, so-called friend. That’s why he’s in prison. I was just sloppy. Careless. I didn’t wear gloves and my face was captured on the bank’s cameras. Stupid. Anyway, as I was suggesting, I needed a terrific plan and Jason devised this inspired, super-smart scheme, enabling me to celebrate my mum’s birthday at her new home! As you can tell, I’m thrilled!
The plan depends on all prisoners attending a ‘music hour’ every day in the gym. It’s our daily treat. Can you imagine the noisy racket? Let me explain how this racket helps me to escape. The drums and guitars kill the sound of our digging, because Jason and I are digging a hole to escape, just like in the films. We have to be silent though. No singing. Not even a single whistle.
After a week of quiet digging, ( we pretend to be poorly), the hole behind the small library is big enough to fit a small human. It was originally part of the old fireplace and so has a chimney behind it. We just had to break through the bricks again. We’ve broken through to the original fireplace, widened the hole and now can even smell the fresh air. FREE air!
Every day of course, we have to cover the hole up, so we have moved a picture of a blonde film star who once visited the prison with an ex-criminal known as ’ The King’ or ‘Caesar’. He’s smiling on the picture, as if he really likes being good. It’s quite funny as Jason and I know that Caesar has not really changed at all, he’s just sharper than anyone else, except perhaps my mum.
And nobody has noticed we’ve moved the picture. I think because they all like pretending to be rock stars, even the officers.
Jason hasn’t any reason to stay in this country after we escape, so he’s going to Portugal because he wants to relax on a beach and maybe try surfing. We decided to escape on Wednesday as it gives me a full day to hitchhike home before the birthday party begins.
Everything went smoothly. Wednesday was very noisy with drums and bass guitars and the officers believed our lie that we both had bad stomach flu. No one was near the library except us. We were crafty enough to replace the picture over the hole behind us and then we scrambled up the old chimney using our knees and arms. Good job we are both young and fit! The world outside was grey and rainy but it felt like sunshine to Jason and me.
We hadn’t tasted rain for two years. Imagine that! We changed clothes in a nearby wood and buried our prison uniforms.
I hugged Jason at the slip road to the motorway. He had a sign saying, ‘airport’ and mine said ‘Sale’. The rain helped us. Drivers felt sorry for us. We both got lifts quickly and I hugged Jason goodbye and he winked. ‘Good luck, Ash,’ he said. Little did I know that I would need it. Not because of the police or the prison officers actually, but because of someone much more important and dangerous. Can you guess whom I talking about? I bet you can’t.
Well, I travelled to Sale in this crazy estate car full of barking dogs who wanted to sit on my knee. I developed a headache, but the driver was kind enough to drop me at the bus stop for the village where my mum lived nowadays.
‘ Wheatstone village’ sounded pretty and the bus journey relaxed me. Outside the house, colourful banners were saying, ‘ Happy Birthday Molly! 50 today! Hooray!’ I stole a couple of balloons and knocked on the surprisingly expensive door. No one answered as the music was so loud, so in I went and there was mum, happy as a puppy dancing with this guy with dodgy hair and a scar. They were sipping champagne.
I blinked. And stared. It was The King! Caesar himself with my mother!
I nearly fainted.
‘ Ash, lovely to see you lad,’ said Caesar smiling and linking my mum’s arm. ‘I’m your new dad from now on. Isn’t that just great?’
For some reason, my headache came back.
‘Do you like my birthday watch? ’ said mum. ‘ It’s a Rolex. Isn’t Caesar generous?’
‘Very,’ I said. ‘Very.’
This was really a pleasure to read, a very enjoyable, unexpected tale! Thanks, will follow the tip re. FutureLearn, sounds good.