FADE IN
On the face of a 12-hour analogue clock, which ticks rhythmically.
Just as 12:59 transitions to 1:00, the cogs and gears lock up, causing the second hand to dance back and forth between the two seconds, trapping it in the infinitesimal void between hours.
TITLE: 13 O’CLOCK
FADE TO
A panoramic shot of a crowded public beach.
SUPERIMPOSE: AUGUST 1995
EXT. BEACH — DAY [NATURALISTIC COLOUR SEQUENCE]
It is late noon, and the summer sun in the bright blue, cloudless sky casts its full light and heat down on the Earth, baking the naked sand and sending the water coruscating with silver fire. The beachgoers spend their leisure time on the shore or in the water, the former sitting or lying on beach towels, shielded beneath large umbrellas or basking in the strong sunlight, the latter wading around casually or engaged in play with family/friends/pets. From a radio somewhere plays The Motels’ “Suddenly Last Summer”, Martha Davis’ husky voice and the otherworldly instrumentation lazily carrying across the sultry air.
CUT TO
NATHANIEL REISNER standing on the beach, far from the water, apart and away from most of the other beachgoers.
Nate is a good-looking teenage boy, about sixteen or seventeen years old. His hair is dark auburn, unkempt and shaggy. His lean body, uncovered save for the pair of sandals and khaki shorts he wears, is ruddy on every inch of his exposed skin. In his hands he holds aloft an expensive Nikon camera.
NATE’S P.O.V. — BEACHGOERS
Through the camera’s viewfinder, we see what Nate sees: a little girl drawing in the sand; a woman working sunscreen into her boyfriend’s back; a plump, bald, mustached man in round sunglasses reading a romance novel; children splashing around in the water. Nathaniel snaps a couple shots of them all.
With a swivel of the camera, we now find ourselves gazing upon ELEONORA DRAVEN. Eleonora — Ele, for short — is a teenager close in age to Nate. Attired in a white bikini and paisley beach wrap, she sits in the sand close to the water, leaning back on her hands as the tide comes in, the warm water rolling over her toes. From this angle, her image magnified through the telescopic lens, it’s impossible not to recognize the magnificent beauty this young woman possesses. Her blond hair — long, straight, full — cascades down her back. Her eyes — a rich, chocolate brown — are large, expressive. Her ears, ever-so-slightly prominent, are almost elven in appearance. Her nose, neither large nor small, is perfectly straight. Her jaw, strong yet feminine, frames full, luscious lips. Her expression, pensive, serves only to enhance her natural loveliness.
CUT TO
Nate as he takes Ele’s picture.
Lowering his camera, Nate stares at Ele, wistful.
CUT TO
Ele’s face.
ZOOM IN
On Ele’s right eye.
ZOOM OUT
From Ele’s left eye.
We now find Ele facing straight forward. As the camera continues zooming out, we see Ele is lying on a carpeted floor, blood marring her lips. Beside her her parents and younger brother lie, also bloodied and still. As forensic officers converge on the figures — taking photographs, readying to collect evidence — it becomes all too certain that Ele and her family are dead, victims of violent murder.
Even in death, Ele’s ethereal beauty remains.