SCENE 5: THE LETTER - HARP HILL (CONT'D)
Same day. Penny is leant against
the wall reading her letter, other
students are buzzing around. Harry
approaches.
HARRY
Here she is! Queen Mayor of Team Vibrator!
Karen laughs and snorts.
PENNY
Fuck off Harry.
HARRY
Oooo! Feeling a little tense are we or is it
just that time of the month?
PENNY
Go away Harry.
HARRY
What are you reading?
PENNY
I said, go away.
He snatches the letter out of her
hand. She panics and tries to
snatch it back off him but he
won't let her. He stands on a
chair and starts to read, as he
does so a crowd gathers and he
sends up the impersonation, the
crowd egg him on.
HARRY
Karen, do that thing you do.
KAREN
What thing?
HARRY
You know, the whistle thing you do.
KAREN
What?
HARRY
Fucking hell, never mind. Everyone/listen up,
I've...
KAREN
/OH!!
She remembers what he means and
interrupts him with a giant
whistle.
HARRY
(Sotto, to Karen)
Not now Karen! Fuck sake.
(Back out to the gathering crowd)
I've got a little something I'd like to read
you all...
(He starts reading Penny's letter)
'Our dear Penny...' awwww.
KAREN
Awwww!
PENNY
What are you doing?! Give it back!
HARRY
We hope that everything is going well with your
studies - we trust that it is.' Listen to this!
PENNY
Harry!
HARRY
'We just wanted to let you know that something
has come up' - come up! Go on Mr Hart! That's
his penis, obviously - 'something has come up
with your Father's work which means we won't be
able to make it back to see you this Summer,' -
Awww sad - 'good luck with your little
presentation this week, Lots of love, Mummy and
Daddy'.
Penny is clearly upset and
humiliated.
PENNY
Give it back.
HARRY
Savage. That is absolutely savage. Even your
own parents don't like you.
PENNY
Please Harry!
HARRY
Oh well, seeing as you said 'please' so very
nicely...
He slowly tears the letter up in
front of her, the crowd laugh etc
Penny is shell-shocked.
HARRY
What is it like to be so fucking lonely? Oh
shit, no I forgot, you've got your friends
Captain shit head and vice-captain shrew dick
looking after you. Absolutely tragic. Don't
forget to wipe their bums after they've shat
themselves in front of the whole school
tomorrow.
KAREN
Whoop!
HARRY
What are you doing Karen?
They exit, the crowd disperse
leaving Penny alone. She leans
back against the wall trying to
process everything. Maybe she
tries to pick up the pieces of the
letter. Anjali has seen everything
and approaches Penny.
ANJALI
Are you OK?
PENNY
I'm fine.
ANJALI
He's a knob. Excuse my French.
PENNY
I know, it's fine. I'm fine.
Anjali tries to help Penny gather
some of the torn up pieces of
letter.
PENNY
You don't need to...just leave me alone.
ANJALI
It's alright, if you ever need to talk then
just/
PENNY
/I don't need your help Anjali and you are not
my friend, we were just put in the same shitty
fucking team.
ANJALI
Oh. I see.
Anjali exits, trying to hide her
upset.
PENNY
Anjali, wait, I'm...
Penny is also upset at herself for
reacting the way she did. She
picks up her scraps of letter and
begins walking, the school day is
going on around her slowly,
everything stripped of colour
until the chorus which bursts into
life before retreating back to
monochrome for the verses.
PENNY
I HAD A VISION IN MY MIND,
A DESTINY TO FIND,
BUT I CAN'T MOVE FORWARD
AND I CAN'T REWIND.
I LIVE IN THIS STATE,
THEY'VE SEALED MY FATE,
WE'RE BOUND AND WE'RE SHACKLED,
BY THE WORLDS WE CREATE.
SO MY LIFE HAS BEEN DECIDED,
AND HERE I HAVE TO STAY,
'CAUSE NO MATTER WHAT I WISH FOR,
I'LL NEVER HAVE MY SAY.
SO THE CANVAS SITS UNPAINTED,
AND THE PICTURE'S NEVER DONE,
'CAUSE THE CLOUD THAT LOOMS ABOVE
IS ALWAYS BLOCKING OUT THE SUN.
Chorus
AND I KNOW,
THERE'S CHAMBERS OF THE HEART THAT NEVER GROW,
AND I'M SURE,
THE FUTURE'S COLOURED BY WHAT WENT BEFORE,
AND IF ALL THAT IS LEFT,
IS TO FILL ANOTHER DAY, WELL, I'LL SIT AND I'LL WAIT,
AS EVERY COLOUR FADES TO GREY.
Verse.
I MADE A FORTRESS ROUND MY HEART,
BEFORE THE WAR COULD START,
IT SHIELDS AND IT TRAPS ME,
IT SETS ME APART.
SO I CAN BE MEAN,
AND NEVER BE SEEN,
ALONE IN MY TOWER,
WHERE I AM THE QUEEN.
SO I'M STUCK IN THIS POSITION,
OF STASIS ON MY THRONE,
WHERE THE HOPE THAT LIVES INSIDE ME
IS FESTERING ALONE,
AND UNTIL I FIND THE KEY
THAT MIGHT ALLOW ME SOME CONTROL,
EVERY BARRICADE I BUILD
IS CRUELLY RIPPING AT MY SOUL,
Chorus.
AND I KNOW,
THERE'S CHAMBERS OF THE HEART THAT NEVER GROW,
AND I'M SURE,
THE FUTURE'S COLOURED BY WHAT WENT BEFORE,
AND IF ALL THAT IS LEFT,
IS TO FILL ANOTHER DAY, WELL, I'LL SIT AND I'LL WAIT,
AS EVERY COLOUR FADES... AND IM SURE...
AND IF ALL THAT IS LEFT IS TO FILL ANOTHER DAY,
THEN I'LL SIT AND I'LL WAIT,
AS EVERY COLOUR FADES TO GREY...
AS EVERY COLOUR FADES TO GREY.
End of song.
