“Bad writing is more than a matter of shit syntax and faulty observation; bad writing usually arises from a stubborn refusal to tell stories about what people actually do― to face the fact, let us say, that murderers sometimes help old ladies cross the street.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

                 "Woman in the Garden"

Surrounded by the tranquil botanic gardens of Monet's house
 at Giverny Vernon, a mute young handyman tries to stop a
hauntingly beautiful woman from destroying his life's work,
only to find himself confronted with a dead end and a force
                   beyond his reckoning.

EXT. MONET'S HOUSE AT GIVERNY VERNON - MIDDAY, SUMMER

Monet's house in the lush green gardens of Giverny Vernon. A
wall at the shaded side of the house. ANDRE is up a rickety
wooden ladder. He is a handsome young man with an earnest
face. He is wearing a blue boilers suit, splattered with
paint. He has a roller in one hand and is carefully
whitewashing the side of the building.

FROM MADAME VERNON'S POV-

The sound of plants being trodden underfoot. Heavy
breathing. Plants being pushed aside by a chubby hand. Andre
comes into view on his ladder.

CUT TO:

MADAME VERNON, a rotund middle-aged woman in a floral dress
covered with a tabard embroidered with the Giverny Trust
logo, erupts noisily through the plants to the bottom of the
ladder, slightly out of breath. She is carrying a canvas bag
full of food. Andre jumps slightly at the sound, turns
carefully and looks down. Madame Vernon sheild her eye to
look up at Andre.

                         MADAME VERNON
                   (in French with

                    English subtitles)
             Hello Andre. Come down.

Andre goes to put the roller into the bucket hanging off the
ladder, but misses. The roller lands on a plant below. Andre
scrambles quickly down the ladder. He grabs the roller,
hanging it on a rung of the ladder. Andre then bends down
and carefully cleans the white wash off the plant with a rag
from the pocket of his boiler suit, gently arranging and
fixing the leaves. Finally, he is satisfied he has done the
best he can and wipes his hands on the rag. After poking the
rag back into his pocket, Andre turns to Madame Vernon.

                         MADAME VERNON (cont'd)
             It's fine. I don't think anyone will

notice.

Andre does an exaggerated wipe of his brow to indicate
'phew'. Madam Vernon gives a little chuckle.

                         MADAME VERNON (cont'd)
             I know, I know. You are always so

             proud of your work here, keeping this
             old place spick and span. Well, it's
             such a beautiful day. I thought you
             might like an early lunch.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

Andre nods. Madame Vernon offers him the canvas bag. She
gives him a substantial grin in return.

                         MADAME VERNON (cont'd)
             Must get back to the pantry. Can't

             stand round chatting all day. Enjoy!

After Andre waves at Madame Vernon as she wades back through
the bushes. Andre is left standing alone. He looks sadly
down at the dead, white-splattered plant.

CUT TO:

EXT. MONET'S GARDEN AT GIVERNY VERNON - MIDDAY

Andre is sitting on the grass under a tree eating a
sandwich, watching a group of tourists being lectured by an
overly-enthusiastic American GUIDE, holding up a Giverny-
branded umbrella.

                         GUIDE
             This is where Monet created the

             beating heart of impressionism. Some
             of you may recognize this vista from
             'Woman in Garden 69'. If we move over
             here...

The voice of the Guide fades as the group move away. Andre
notices that a woman is left standing alone gazing in his
direction, at the tree. She is wearing a white dress, with a
straw hat, white lace parasol and matching shawl. The WOMAN
IN WHITE looks like something out of a Monet painting. She
is exquisitely pale, with a rose blush to her cheeks and
red-stained lips.

ANGLE ON - UNSEEN BY ANDRE, WHERE SHE STANDS, THE GRASS IS
TURNING BROWN AND DYING, SPREADING AROUND THE EDGE OF HER
DRESS.

Andre holds up a hand and waves at her. She does not
acknowledge him. Slowly she turns walking away from Andre,
and starts walking towards the bushes of the garden. Andre
finishes his sandwich, brushing the crumbs off his boiler
suit as he stands.

Andre notices the brown patch of dead grass from where he
now stands up the tree. He starts to walk then runs over to
examine it.

ANGLE ON - THE WITHERED PATCH OF GRASS.
CLOSE UP - ANDRE WINCES AT THE SIGHT OF THE DEAD GRASS.

(CONTINUED)

2.

CONTINUED:

Andre reaches down to touch the grass. It crumbles under his
touch. He waves furiously at the Woman in White, agitated
that she has destroyed the grass. She continues to walk away
from him. Andre jogs to catch up with her. He doesn't notice
that with every footstep she takes, the Woman in White
leaves a patch of decayed, brown grass in her wake.

The Woman in White turns down a path, deeper into the
Giverny Gardens. Andre pursues her.

EXT. PATH AT GIVERNY VERNON - MIDDAY

ANDRE'S POV - THE WOMAN IN WHITE WALKS DOWN A NARROW PATH,
ENCLOSED BY THICK VEGETATION. ANDRE FOLLOWS. HE IS BREATHING
HEAVILY. DESPITE MOVING AT SPEED, PUSHING LEAVES OUT OF HIS
FACE AS HE GOES, DUCKING UNDER BRANCHES, ANDRE NEVER SEEMS
TO CATCH UP WITH THE WOMAN IN WHITE.

Where the Woman in White brushes past a plant with her skirt
or lace gloved, delicate fingers, it rots almost instantly.
Andre notices this as he staggers after her, increasingly
blind with fury.

Andre slows to catch his breath, suddenly aware of his
surroundings. He notes the increasingly tall trees around
him. It's getting darker as he goes down the path, the thick
canopy above him inducing an early twilight. His breath can
be seen fogging the air. He shivers despite the sunny day
above him. He returns his attention to the path only to find
the Woman in White is not there. He turns in all directions
searching for her, confused as to where she could have gone.

A loud snap in the distance. Andre starts, before pelting
towards the sound.

He turns a corner to see the Woman in White is standing in a
small clearing forming a dead end to the path, surround by
dense shrubbery. She is looking at a small rose bush, with a
solitary pink rose reaching towards the light. The Woman in
White bends down to smell it. As she does so, she delicately
snaps the rose's stem to bring it up to her nose. She
inhales.

EXTREME CLOSE UP - THE ROSE BUSH DIES, LEAVES WILTING AND
CURLING.

Andre looks in horror at what she is doing. The Woman in
White snaps her head sharply towards Andre, before slowly
straitening to standing.

(CONTINUED)

3.

CONTINUED:

Andre is furious. He walks briskly up the path, hands
clenched. He grabs the rose from the hands of the Woman in
White. She doesn't react.

CLOSE UP - THE ROSE IN ANDRE'S HANDS IS BROWN AND DEAD. IT
DISINTEGRATES IN HIS PALMS.

Andre looks up at the Woman in White, eyes wide suddenly
fearful.

The Woman in White leans in slowly to Andre. Her breath
sounds like one long sighing exhalation. She places a kiss
on first one of Andre's cheeks and then on the other. She
drifts backwards from him slowly. Andre puts his hand to his
cheek. His mouth falls open. Under his fingers a brown patch
starts to spread, the skin withering where her lips fell.
Andre lets out a silent scream. The patch on his cheek
spreads, to his fingers, down his knuckles and then over his
hand. Meanwhile his face is mummifying, drying up to
premature decrepitude. The rot spreads over his whole body,
polluting the air with the sound of rustling skin and
crackling, brittle bone. Andre collapses at the feet of the
Woman in White. He looks up at her, withered mouth moving in
supplication.

ANDRE'S POV - THE WOMAN IN WHITE STANDS OVER HIM. AS
BLACKNESS BEGINS TO ENVELOP HIS VISION, SHE ANGLES HER HEAD
AS IF TO OBSERVING HIM CURIOUSLY. HE BLINKS. WHEN HIS EYES
OPEN AGAIN, SHE IS GONE. FADE OUT. SILENCE.

CUT TO:

EXT. PATH AT GIVERNY VERNON - MIDDAY

PAN OUT - ANDRE'S SHRIVELED BODY IS COLLAPSED AT THE END OF
THE PATH. WE CAN SEE THAT HE IS ALONE. THE NOISES FROM THE
GARDENS AND THE DISTANT BURBLE OF THE AMERICAN GUIDE CAN BE
HEARD AND LAUGHTER FROM THE CROWD.

FADE OUT.