The Cave at Ude Hall

The Cave at Ude Hall – A man trades his own life, and the lives of others, for riches and power. Short Outline Present day. Camden Town, London. Jonathan (27), brought up in a children's home, not knowing his parents, is a struggling, debt-ridden young artist, continually pestered by his slimy landlord, Mr DREAN (60) – referred to as 'THE WEASEL' by Jonathan for the rent that he cannot afford. Jonathan lives and works in the rented studio at an artists' colony in Primrose Hill. He hangs out with Jane (25), also an artist at the colony. By way of a copy of the Times newspaper being thrust into his lap by a strange, other-worldly (and invisible to everyone but him) figure at his local cafe, Jonathan discovers, on taking the paper home, an odd, red-pen-encircled advertisement offering a small country estate in Suffolk completely free of charge. Looking around at the myriad of overdue red-bills strewn over the floor of his studio, Jonathan, at the end of his tether, telephones the number at midnight – a number of just three digits, and seemingly not a real telephone number – it is answered by Henry Plantaganet Pelham (96), a flamboyant old aristo – Henry speaks as though he is expecting the call. Jonathan arranges to visit Henry at his estate in Suffolk. Later, when Jane tries to find the advert in The Times, it cannot be found. Jonathan travels by way of the train from Liverpool Street Station into Suffolk, eventually taking a little diesel train on a branch line, then a local taxi until he's eventually dropped in deepest Suffolk outside the gates of the entrance to Ude Hall in the middle of nowhere. Jonathan is taken up the long steep drive through the woods in an open carriage pulled by two black horses by TILTH (50), a sinister-looking man in a long black coat and top hat – Henry Pelham's carriage driver and boatman. At the top of the drive, deep in the woods, Tilth then punts Jonathan across a huge lake to a huge island of several acres, where the ancient mansion Ude Hall nestles among the trees. Jonathan is welcomed by Henry Pelham and his butler, BLANCHARD (55) and settles in for his stay. Jonathan famiarizes himself with SHADE who seems to exist in and around a great barn across the lawns from Ude Hall - Shade, is haggard and 96 but morphs into a beautiful young woman of 27, moments before she meets Jonathan – he's smitten and can't resist her come-to-bed advances. Later, Jonathan and Henry discuss the generous offer from the newspaper ad over dinner. Henry keeps insisting that Jonathan is 'next in line' and that everything is rosy. Eventually, Jonathan pushes Henry for the catch and discovers that, as Henry puts it, “It's only a small catch!” – each year, on Midsummer's Day, Jonathan will have to find someone – a real live person, to 'feed' to Shade's father, SYLAXIS, who lives in the barn, but in return, can live for two hundred years with all the power and riches that a man could possibly want. At first, Jonathan finds this abhorrent but eventually, what with the beautiful girl and the possibility of a life without struggle, and the encouragement from Henry that “Surely, everyone knows people that they'd like to get rid of,” he decides to go for it after returning back to the artists' colony to contemplate the matter, only to be hounded once again by his slimy landlord. Jane begs him not to go through with it but it's all in vain as he departs immediately for Suffolk. It is revealed as Henry, in his vast study, sitting in front of the vast life-size oil portrait of himself, deep in the ancient cellars of Ude Hall, quietly looks one last time through the ancient records of Ude Hall that Shade, is not only the mother of Jonathan, but that she's the mother (and lover, in order to procreate the next in line and so on) of every occupant of Ude Hall – going back hundreds of years – not something that Jonathan will realise until he has 'done the deed' and become the official occupant - with no going back! Henry and Jonathan stand side by side in front of the cave in the barn. Shade stands inside the entrance to the cave. Henry Pelham, still immaculately dressed as an aristocrat, unbuttons his shirt revealing a solid gold pendant encrusted with the most fantastic jewels. He unbuttons Jonathan's shirt, takes off his pendant, and hands it to Jonathan. He tells Jonathan that if he truly wants all that he sees, he must accept the pendant with all the responsibility that comes with it and place it around his own neck and to lock in the clasp only when he sees Henry disappear into the cave, never to return – as of course, no one ever returns from the cave, except Shade. He tells Jonathan that Shade's father, SYLAXIS, will rise from the pool just once to have a look at him and will expect his first feed on midsummer's day which is the next day. Shade turns and disappears into the cave. Jonathan places the pendant around his own neck and motions to Henry that he's ready to lock the clasp. Henry walks into the cave out of sight. As Henry disappears into the cave, he lets out a bloodcurdling howl as he meets his grisly end - Jonathan nervously locks in the clasp. Back in Henry's study, the oil portrait morphs into that of Jonathan. Back in the barn, the water starts to boil and bubble in the pool in front of Jonathan as, very slowly, the hideous, spine-chilling head of the creature that is Sylaxis, rises from the depths, its horrificly-wide yellow, unblinking eyes standing out against the slimy blackness of its featureless face. With just its head risen, it sets its stinking gaze upon Jonathan who is rooted to the spot, out of his mind with fear. Sylaxis takes in a deep breath and lets out a long, slow animalistic snarl, its eyes watching him ceaselessly as it slowly desends back into the pool right up to the last second as its head slowly submerges back to the depths from where it came. The last few bubbles peter out on the surface. All is calm. Shade is now leaning against the mouth of the cave, looking at Jonathan through half-closed eyes. Jonathan's mobile phone rings in his pocket - shattering the calm. He takes it out – it signals 'The Weasel' calling. This time Jonathan answers it. He invites Mr Drean to dinner in Suffolk the next day - Mr Drean greedily accepts. Shade licks her lips, hungry-fashion, as a line of saliva dribbles down her chin and her eyes bulge in anticipation. Now, the fun begins! Cut to black.