Deadly Love

(Mostly contained - with 3 characters) On the stroke of midnight, a woman alone in a bedroom opens a present with 10 red kisses drawn on the wrapping. She touches across the miniature murder weapons of the Cluedo board-game gift inside. But she’s suddenly fearful, at hearing sounds of an intruder somehow gotten indoors. But another female, in running gear, who seems to have sussed the danger, sets off along the streets, to come to the rescue. As a deadly game of cat and mouse unfolds indoors, a bit of lead pipe, a length of rope and a dagger used as weaponry, ambiguous psych-out smartphone exchanges are passed between the man and the two women. But the murderous situation turns out to be an elaborate ploy by the couple indoors to keep their love excitingly alive on this the 10th anniversary of their relationship. And the supposed rescuer? She turns out to be a friend who knows of the game, and she jogs past their window, smiling to see the couple drop their weapons, entwine and kiss. (Alternative ending: the knife is used to stab the man, and the woman runs off with the jogger girlfriend.)