A compilation celebrating the Best Award Winning Short Films of 2023!
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ABOUT SHORTFRAME: We curate a selection of award winning short films; the best short films direct from the film festival circuit. Whether it’s Drama, Documentary, Horror, Sci-Fi or Comedy, Cannes, Berlin, Sundance or first time filmmakers: Short Frame is home to the best short films from the world’s most innovative filmmaking talent. All films have been published with the permission of the filmmakers.
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00:00 CAT & MOTH (Animation) by India Barnardo
07:17 LADY BRENTLY’S END (Comedy) by Sam Baron
13:19 WARGAMES (Documentary) by Jessica Bishopp
23:50 THE TUNNEL (Thriller) by Arash Ashtiani
39:38 CORKY (Animation) by Ty Primosch
45:16 NIGHT OUT (LGBT Drama) by Amelia Hashemi
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CAT & MOTH:Award winning CG animated short film: A fluffy white cat wants nothing more than to find the most comfortable spot in the universe, but little does she know someone else has their eye on it too.
LADY BRENTLY’S END: A liberated woman in Victorian England who must convince her newly widowed sister that life is worth living. In fact, life might be better without a husband.
WARGAMES: An award winning documentary short film about obsession, camaraderie and a tabletop RPG Wargames Society that asks: what does it take to go into battle?
THE TUNNEL: BAFTA Longlisted short film: Three refugees run the race of their lives from Calais to Dover through the Euro Tunnel, trying to beat the trains and overcome their terror in a bid to reach their freedom and start new lives in the UK.
CORKY: Award winning cg animated short film: A corkscrew with a screw loose battles a giant glass bottle to uncork seven magical lightning bugs trapped inside.
NIGHT OUT: Being a teenager is hard, figuring out who you want to be is harder and sometimes a night out can change everything.
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# ShortFilm #AwardWinning #BestShortFilms
[ELECTRICITY ZAPS] [ELECTRICITY BUZZES] ♫ Jazz Music ♫ [ELECTRICITY GROWLS] [CAT PURRS] ♫ RHYTHMIC PIANO NOTES ♫ [CAT PURRS] ♫ WHIMSICAL MUSIC ♫ [CAT MEOWS] – [GLOBE WHOOSHES] – [CAT SCREECHES] [CAT MEOWS] ♫ WHIMSICAL MUSIC ♫ [FAN BLOWS] [CAT MEOWS] [THUD] [CAT GROANS] [CAT SIGHS] [SOFA PUFFS] [CAT VOCALISES] [PAWS TAP] [CAT WHELPS]
[CAT PURRS] [PAWING MATERIAL] [CAT PURRS] ♫ IN-LOVE MUSIC ♫ ♫ MUSIC BECOMES SINISTER ♫ ♫ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC ♫ [SCRATCHES] [FAINT HUMS] [ELECTRICITY BUZZES] ♫ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC ♫ [FAINT WHOOSH] [FLAPS] [BUZZING ZOOMS LOUD] – [CAT PURRS] – [BUZZING ZOOMS QUIET] [BUZZING ZOOMS] – [CAT PURRS] – [BUZZING ZOOMS QUIET] [LOUD ZOOMS] [PINBALL PINGING SOUNDS]
[CAT SCREECHES] ♫ INTENSE MUSIC ♫ ♫ IN-LOVE MUSIC ♫ ♫ DRAMATIC WESTERN STYLE MUSIC ♫ ♫ WHIMSICAL MUSIC ♫ [SMASHING] – [TRAY BUMPS] – [CAT MOANS] [ELECTRICITY BUZZES] [CLOCK SOUNDS AND SMASHES] [EXPLOSIONS] [WHISTLING EXPLOSIONS] [SILENCE] ♫ ABRUPT NOTES ♫ [ELECTRICITY BUZZES] [PATTERING FEET] [DESTABLISED RUMBLES] ♫ PIANO MUSIC ♫ [ELECTRICITY BUZZES]
[CAT GROWLS] ♫ DRAMATIC MUSIC ♫ [ELECTRICITY BUZZES] [ELECTRICITY BUZZES] [SILENCE] ♫ WHIMSICAL JAZZ MUSIC ♫ [ELECTRICITY BUZZES] [ELECTRICITY BUZZES] [ELECTRICITY ZAPS] [ELECTRICITY ZAPS] [BUZZING INTENSIFIES] ♫ WHIMSICAL MUSIC ♫ [FLAPPING] [CAT PURRS] ♫ WHIMSICAL MUSIC CONTINUES ♫ ♫ MUSIC INTENSIFIES ♫ ♫ MUSIC FADES ♫ [ELECTRICITY BUZZES] ♫ WHIMSICAL JAZZ MUSIC ♫
Whatever is wrong, Sister? I bring terrible news. There was an accident last night on the Derby Express. My darling Brently was on that train. A collision overturned the first class compartment. Where is he? I must rush to his hospital bedside and nurse him back to health. Louise! There were no survivors.
Perhaps he did not catch the train. He may have walked the 153 miles to Matlock. He is very fond of the fresh country air. His luggage and personal effects were found amongst the wreckage. Perhaps he was hiding from the ticket inspector in the lavatory and lies there still undetected. Unconscious perhaps
But very much alive. Darling Lou I fear he is gone. No! He will drag himself home to me. He loves me too much to leave me without a husband. I’m so sorry. Brently is dead. Where are you going? Life is not worth living. I must leave this cruel world. Sister!
You are in shock. Don’t do anything rash in this moment. Why don’t you recline on the chaise longue? I cannot live if I am unmarried. You’ve such a lot to live for. Not without my Brently. But you don’t need Brently to be complete. Oh pish! What is a woman without a husband?
Well marry another! You’re only 25? I’m 26! I’ll be illegitimate, invisible, wanton. Society will brand me a pariah. Not at all! You can live as an unmarried woman, and if there is any justice in the world not a soul should start hounding you about that until you are at least 30.
But if I don’t have a husband then I wouldn’t be constantly pregnant. I would have my period every month and that is disgusting. You could have children without being married. Or you could choose not to have children and just manage your period discreetly. What if it rains? How will I cross puddles?
Oh, you can walk around them. I’ll show you how. Who would buy me flowers and chocolate? Purchase them yourself! You can get a job. Are you suggesting I whore myself for money? Not all working women are wh… It’s actually a perfectly legitimate choice, but learn to read
And you can be anything that you want. Could I be a nurse? Bentley often used to ask me to dress as a nurse You could be a doctor! You could be a high court judge! You could be a novelist and use your own name. You could do anything. Could I be Prime Minister?
Oh! Yes! Oh but better than that you could be – President of the United States of America? Indeed. In theory. No, no, but I was going to say – Fossil Hunter. Discover radioactivity, win a Nobel Prize. Goodness Louise, become a famous actress, seduce a prince and then bring down the entire royal family
From the inside. The world lies at your enviably tiny feet. So you’re saying I can do all those things and earn as much as a man? You can do all of those things and earn… nearly as much as a man. Can I have a boyfriend? You could have a girlfriend. Interesting.
And one day you’ll be able to have as many sexual partners as any man without being labelled a slag. Surely not! You’ll be free to wear the same frock to every dance without raising an eyebrow. Go back to the bit about the sexual partners. You’ll bicycle to a bustling Cafe
And breastfeed your fatherless babe in public without meeting with a single peep of disapproval. You’ll be able to do anything. Could I sleep with Robert? Charlotte’s husband? Yes. No. Charlotte is your dear friend. You said I could do anything. Within reason. And Robert has cheekbones to die for.
Well, that is true. But whatever – So it’s settled I’m going to go and make love to Robert right now. No! Sister! You are in shock. Don’t do anything rash in this moment. Why don’t you recline on the chaise longue? My darling Josephine. Thank you.
You’ve opened my eyes to a new fantastic point of view. No one to tell me no or where to go. Or say I’m only dreaming. A whole new – Brently! I was involved in a train collision. Mercifully, my fall was cushioned by the body by the body of a ticket inspector
By whom I had just been apprehended in the lavatory. I was broken. But I dragged myself home for you. after all What is a woman without a husband? Society would brand you a pariah. Um, hormones. [scream] You don’t need a wife to be complete. Now you’re free to do whatever you want.
Can I sleep with Robert? Talking to soldiers, a lot of them will say the worst part is the waiting to go into battle. Sometimes troops have to move into positions at night time and hang around for hours and hours.
And that’s a lot of space when you can contemplate the fact that you might be killed, you might be wounded, that you may not see tomorrow, you may not see your parents again. Once the battle starts and your adrenaline’s pumping and you’re doing something, you’re active,
You can put your fears to one side. But it’s that period of waiting when you know there’s something challenging coming and you can’t be quite sure what’s really going to happen. Can you cope? Can you deal with these stresses? Can you keep these fearful
Thoughts at bay and go forward and do the job that you’re expected to do? If you get the decision wrong, you could see three or four of your friends killed. War occurs in a context where the language is death. And if I don’t shoot the enemy, he will shoot me.
So at the end of the day, going onto the battlefield and being willing to kill is a way of saving your own life. Three cohorts of Romans and some Roman cavalry have come to this Celtic valley. As you see, there’s no Celts on the table at the moment. They’re having a big feast,
And they’ve invited a neighboring tribe along to the feast. They will appear as the game goes on. Most people, I suspect, just see it as a bunch of middle-aged men doing something they should have given up when they were 11. That’s life. I could say the same about other people’s hobbies.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m not shy about it. I mean, most people don’t understand it. I joined a war games club when I was 12. I’m 61 now, so 49 years. And yes, I do remember my early battles. This is, I think, the oldest society in Britain. It’s coming up on its 50th anniversary now.
So on the Roman side, we’ve got Bill, who is Dipso Maniarchus Veno. Then we’ve got Terry as Maximus Fleatus. And Steve is in charge of the cavalry, and he’s Senecus Dodius. On the Celtic side, we have Paul, who is General Bagatrix, who’s in command of the local village.
We’ve got Colin and William, who are commanding Catubatrinus. And Brian is Alibungus the Druid. You can start rolling for your command. Right, so first chariot unit. Okay, so it’s just them and they have everybody sit back. One move. The dice invariably decide whether you win or lose.
You can have the best strategy in the world and roll absolutely rubbish dice and the whole lot’s fallen apart. I’ve been accused of being lucky with the dice. I think it’s down to lady luck with the dice. Yeah, he’s a good lad. We’re just going to get slaughtered by the Romans if we’re not together.
We need to combine our forces. How long will it be before you pass a command order and get them out of the village? I’m sure everything is going to go much better from now on. I am the Commander-in-Chief.
You may be the religious leader, but I’m sure military tactics should be left to me. Thank you very much. Look, they’re arguing amongst themselves already, chaps. That’s great. Not going to happen. He may think he’s in command. Soldiers on the battlefield don’t fight generally for patriotic beliefs. They fight
They fight because they don’t want to let their friends down. They’ve formed into tough little groups doing dangerous things. And the worst thing you can do, I think, as an infantry soldier is not to go forward and to let your mates down. So soldiers fight for each other.
At the moment – whilst I’m caring for my mum, who’s recovering from hip and knee operations. I’m her main carer. I can paint over her house, but I’m actually in the process of building a workshop at the top of my garden. That means I’ll have a proper purpose-built facility,
Rather than commandeering the first table available and sticking newspaper out and putting the figures and items to be painted. So if I end up sharing my life with some young lady, she doesn’t have to share her dinner table with a pile of figures. That’s the reason why I’m having my own building.
One of the types of wargaming I’m particularly interested in is the fantasy. Any of the fantasy books that I’ve read, I’ve sort of seen if I can actually produce armies for that series of books. Most of the books that I like best are those with a strong female lead as the hero.
Most soldiers have an inhibition for killing and they have to be trained and encouraged to often work in teams. And that’s partly to make it more effective, but it’s also a way of dividing responsibility, so that killing is shared between two people. We’ve got three casualties so far…
The military has ways of getting soldiers to kill in a way that is more indirect, so that it is not a personal thing, that it’s not me attacking another person over there, it’s me engaging in a process. Six plus three for your general. So nine dice needing fours. Hitting the flank.
– Three, er, fives. – Oh. No, they’re not hitting the flank, are they? No, they’re not hitting the flank. One, two, three. And at that point, the Celts have won. But you might win there, but you might not win there. We’ve already won, we’ve destroyed you. No, you haven’t, you haven’t.
We’ve killed the general. We’ve still got three divisions to go, yeah? Yeah, that’s right. Shall we go and make a cup of tea, Rod? [LAUGHTER] The traditional Roman answer when losing, go make a cup of tea. Go make a cup of tea, that’s a good idea.
You can certainly see soldiers coming out of battle traumatised and got harrowing expressions on their faces. But others have a sense of elation, of achievement. You get that short-term buzz of adrenaline, of having survived against all the odds, expecting to die. And I think that does have, for some soldiers, an addictive quality. Hi, dear.
My generation grew up, for instance, watching a series called The World at War in the 1960s. It was 20 years after World War II had finished. So fighting a battle with this sort of stuff, I can see the images in my head that were real images of the actual battle I’m playing.
I divorce myself from that a bit, but it is why Ancients is my favourite period. I have no way of actually knowing or have any image in my head of how a hoplite battle went in 500 BC, so I can play an ancient battle or a science fiction battle because, you know,
They didn’t really happen, the science fiction ones. If war gaming teaches you one thing, it’s how incredibly easy it is to cause the death of lots of people by making silly mistakes. There are lots of accounts of soldiers coming home, becoming socially isolated and not able to fully reintegrate
One argument is that they’re now feeling something called moral injury, but they’re reflecting on their experience and they’re looking at the nature of the war and they may have a dilemma and thinking that the demands put on us and the things we suffered are not proportionate to what we achieved.
And the sense is that they’ve got unresolved conflicts and not being able to find an answer to that. A war game just for the fun of it, really. I don’t take anything too seriously. It’s just a game with toy soldiers, so therefore enjoy it whether you win or lose. [Loud whirring tyres on tarmac]
[Whirring softens] [Woman’s voice on the phone in Farsi] [Mahmood in Farsi] [Woman’s voice on the phone in Farsi] [Mahmood in Farsi] [Mahmood in Farsi] [Mahmood in Farsi] [Oppressive music] [Music fades away] [Hurried whispering] [Mahmood] What are you saying? [Dogs barking in the distance] [Iman] Hurry up! [Mahmood whispering] Come on! Come on!
[Iman] Come on! [Distant sound of a train] [Train approaching] [Loud chugging sound] [Chugging fades away] [Music – “Channel” by CJ Mirra & Medusa TN”] [Music continues] [Music becomes muffled] [Panting] [Iman] Two! [Alex] Two! [Mahmood] 48 kilometres to go, Alex! Slow yourself! You don’t need to keep up with Iman!
[Mahmood] Remember Turtle and Rabbit! -Turtle and Rabbit! [Iman] Okay! Father Turtle! -Don’t worry about us! [Panting] -Masha’allah Alex! -Six more hours. We’ll be there! [Ominous music] [Soft mechanical whir] [Ominous music continues] [Iman] Five! [Alex] Five! [Panting] [Footsteps] [Beeping from digital watch] [Iman] We’re on time! [Alex] Mahmood?! Mahmood?!
[Iman] We’re gonna get there for breakfast! [Alex] Full English! [Iman] Full English! [Mahmood in the distance] -Full English! Full English! [Alex] Here he is! Father Turtle has catch us! [Mahmood exclaims joyfully] [Footsteps] [Mahmood] Alex, slower or you be sick! [Footsteps] [Tense music] [Loud panting] [Panting] [Footsteps] [Panting] [Exhale] [Buzzing noise in the distance]
[Alex] Can we go to the other tunnel? [Iman] There’s workers there. We have to go past them. [Iman whispering] Come. Come. [Whispering] [Alex] No! Fuck! We die here! We die here! [Buzzing] [Alex] What the fuck are you doing? Hey! [Buzzing] [Buzzing continues] [Soft footsteps] [Buzzing intensifies] [Buzzing continues] [Buzzing stops] [Footsteps approaching]
[Footsteps receding] [Alex whispering] Fuck! [Buzzing sound] [Mahmood] Go on. Go! [Alex] Where are we going? [Mahmood] To the other tunnel! [Ominous music] [Distant traffic noise] [Ominous music continues] [Soft piano] [Panting] [Footsteps] [Loud panting] [Ominous music] [Grunting] [Loud panting] [Footsteps] [Grunting] [Ominous music continues] [Soft metallic noise] [Alex] It’s coming!
[Iman] I don’t hear anything! [Alex] What’s this sound?! Click! Click! [Soft metallic noise] [Iman] It’s my bag! [Panting] [Iman] There! -Happy! -Come on. It’s not far! -12 kilometres. [Footsteps] [Alex] Mahmood! -Where are you?! [Distant vrombing] [Footsteps approaching] [Panting] [Footsteps approaching] [Panting] [Distant metallic noise] [Alex] Iman! Can you hear that?!
[Iman] Get to the next door! [Panting] [Train whooshing on tracks] [Panting and grunting] [Footsteps] [Whooshing in the distance] [Alex coughs] [Alex] Where is Mahmood? [Iman] Hold on strong or the train will pull you out! [Train approaching] [Grunting in the distance] [Iman] Mahmood! -Mahmood, don’t come here! There’s no room! [Panting gets closer]
[Alex] Iman no! It’s coming! What are you doing?! [Iman] I’ll go to next door. [Train whooshing] [Alex panting] [Alex] Mahmood! Come quick! Mahmood! Quick! Grab this! [Mahmood] Where is Imam? Where is Imam?! [Alex] He went to next exit! [Train approaching] [Train whooshing] [Train whooshing] [Alex screaming] [Whooshing continues] [Whooshing fades away] [Alex grunting]
[Panting] [Mahmood] Iman! [Grunting] Iman! Iman! [Groaning] [Mahmood] Iman! [Alex] Iman! Iman! [Mahmood] Iman! Iman! [Alex] Iman! [Mahmood] Don’t stop, just run. Just run! [Footsteps receding] [Alex] He died because of you! You should keep… keep up with us! [Mahmood] We don’t have time for this. The next train come. [Heavy breathing]
[Alex] It’s your fucking fault! [Groaning] [Alex] Fuck you! [French train station announcement] [Ominous music] [Train squeaking and creaking] [Squeaking intensifies] [Train chugging] [Squeaking and chugging stop] [Footsteps] [Panting] [Alex vomits] [Grunting] [Alex falling] [Grunting] [Heavy breathing] [Plastic bottle cracking] [Heavy breathing] [Footsteps approaching] [Panting] [Footsteps] [Train whooshing] [Horn sound] [Train whooshing and chugging]
[Whooshing stops] [Alex breathing] [Soft distant sound of a train] [Panting] [Grunting] [Grunting] [Train whooshing] [Whooshing fades away] [Footsteps] [Grunting] [Ominous music] [Train whooshing] [Train horn] [Mahmood] Look! Look up! [Panting] [Train whooshing] [Grunting] [Train approaching] [Train whooshing] [Alex screaming] [Alex grunting] [Train approaching] [Mahmood shouting in the distance] [Ominous music] [Train approaching] [Alex grunting]
[Train whooshing] [Train horn] [Whooshing fades away] [Birds chirping] [Dial tone] [Heavy breathing] [Dial tone] [Woman’s voice on phone in Farsi] [Panting] [Heavy breathing] [Woman’s voice on phone in Farsi] [Birds chirping] [Breathing] [Music – “The Tunnel Ends” by Medusa TN] [Music continues] [Music continues] [Music fades away] [clock hands turning] ♪ [fantasy music]
[water drop echoing] ♪ [dramatic musical rise] [wooden screwing] ♪ [soft mystery music] [wooden screwing continuing] ♪ [magical musical flourish] [cupboard creaking] [water dripping] [Corky whimpering] ♪ [frightful musical buildup] [clock striking] cuckoo! cuckoo! cuckoo! [clock unwinding] ♪ [soft eerie music] ♪ [magical humming] [wooden counter thumping] [bottle heavy wobbling] ♪ [whimsical music]
[Corky curious vocalizing] ♪ [ascending music] [muted tapping] ♪ [somber music] ♪ [intense percussive music] ♪ [music abruptly stops] [clock ticking] ♪ [somber orchestration] [lightning bugs softly humming] ♪ [dramatic musical rise] [lightning bugs clanking] ♪ [music abruptly stops] ♪ [somber music] [mousetrap clicking] [clock ticking] [water dripping] [bottle rumbling] [Corky] “Uh oh!”
♪ [intense musical buildup] [bottle rumbling] ♪ [uplifting choir music] ♪ [fantastical music] ♪ [tense music] [stove gas hissing] ♪ [intense orchestral music] ♪ [percussive musical rise] ♪ [suspenseful music] ♪ [intense musical buildup] ♪ [suspended choir music] [glass breaking]` ♪ [music abruptly stops] [kettle whistling] [water drop echoing] ♪ [soft magical music]
[Corky softly whimpering] ♪ [somber orchestration] [Corky whimpering] [Corky tear dripping] [screw clanking] [kettle whistling] ♪ [somber orchestration] [Corky softly creaking] [water drop echoing] [screw clanking] [lightswitch clicking] ♪ [intense musical buildup] ♪ [music stops] ♪ [suspenseful music] ♪ [whimsical music] [Corky purring] ♪ [magical music] ♪ [fantastical musical buildup] ♪ [fantastical music]
[clock winding] [cupboard creaking] [reverse sound effects] ♪ [emotional music] ♪ [uplifting music] ♪ [music concludes] [Corky purring] [screw landing] clank! ♪ [uplifting music] – Stop stressing, Meena (mumbles). – Are you jokin’? I need to get two B’s – On what? – In Double Science. – In Double Science? – Yes!
– Are you mad? – Have you got ID? – Yes, my cousin hooked us up. – Your cousins that don’t look anything like us? – As long as they look older than us, it’s fine. – Wow. – Listen, baby face. – [Woman] Baby face? – [Woman] Yeah!
– [Woman] You’re actually gonna say that to me with Meena in the car? – [Woman] Yeah. – [Woman] With Meena in the car? – [Woman] Your dad, Meens. – [Woman] Meens! – [Woman] He was like… I think he’s onto us. – [Woman] I panicked, I panicked. – [Woman] He hates me already, I know it. That’s why he thinks I’m the ringleader. – [Woman] That’s because you are. – [Woman] Anyway! (Woman yelling) I’m so excited!
You know! – [Woman] Shut up. – [Woman] We could get in trouble. – [Woman] Listen, we’re getting wicked drunk tonight. We’re all getting with someone tonight, okay? – [Woman] I know I am. That is a fact. What about Meena who’s literally never kissed anyone?
– [Woman] Yeah, Meena, ya gotta kiss someone tonight, Meena. ♪ So we can let this go ♪ ♪ Father saved us ♪ ♪ You’ll never be alone ♪ ♪ Wanna be your maker ♪ – [Woman] Oh my God, I love this song! – Meena, you can’t go in like that. – Like what? – What do you mean like what? Seriously, need your vest? You need to at least try to look sexy, man. – Look at this! – Just no photos, okay? – Oh my days, look, this is a bad idea.
Look, if you’re that freaked, you don’t have to come. – I’m not freaked out, I just don’t want photos. – Fine, just don’t embarrass me. – Nearly ready, girls, cause we need to go. – Looks good. – Thanks. – Come on, man. – What can I get you? – Three of those. – TJ? – TJ’s a liar! A liar! – What time did he text you? – Who’s TJ? – Anyway, see that blonde guy that was checkin’ Meens out? – He’s so checking you out, Meena. – Meens! – Cheers! – Cheers! – Should I get some more? – Yeah. – Yeah, yeah. – What ya want? What’s your favorite color? – Green. – How many? – Three. – (laughter) Okay. – 21 pounds. – What? – It’s 21 pounds. Okay. What ya want? – Yeah, go on, Meens! (Woman cheering) Go on, Meens! – Cheers! – I’m going toilet. – You okay? – Do you want some? – All right. What do I do? – Just breath in. Hold it in your mouth for longer. It’s better. – (banging on door) Hurry the fuck up! – Show me! – What are you doing? – Oye, I’m not going to post it! Meena, Meena! – Shit. – Oh, it’s fine. – Are we good? – Yeah. – You promise? – Yes. – Call me tomorrow. – Smoke? – Uh, yeah. – Where are your mates? – Being idiots inside. – Yeah? – Is that your girlfriend? – No. – No? – No. – Thanks. – This is cool. – My Dad gave it to me. – Your Dad? – Yeah. – Did it hurt? – A little. – How nice. – I love this song. – Me too. – Yeah? – Meena! Where have you been? Come on, we’re going home, cab’s here. Meena! – Bye. – See ya. – Did you have a good night? – Yeah. ♪ What we have, it’s worth the call ♪ Whatever is wrong, Sister? I bring terrible news.
There was an accident last night on the Derby Express. My darling Brently was on that train. A collision overturned the first class compartment. Where is he? I must rush to his hospital bedside and nurse him back to health. Louise! There were no survivors. Perhaps he did not catch the train.
He may have walked the 153 miles to Matlock. He is very fond of the fresh country air. His luggage and personal effects were found amongst the wreckage. Perhaps he was hiding from the ticket inspector in the lavatory and lies there still undetected. Unconscious perhaps but very much alive. Darling Lou
I fear he is gone. No! He will drag himself home to me. He loves me too much to leave me without a husband. I’m so sorry. Brently is dead. Where are you going? Life is not worth living. I must leave this cruel world. Sister! You are in shock.
Don’t do anything rash in this moment. Why don’t you recline on the chaise longue? I cannot live if I am unmarried. You’ve such a lot to live for. Not without my Brently. But you don’t need Brently to be complete. Oh pish! What is a woman without a husband?
Well marry another! You’re only 25? I’m 26! I’ll be illegitimate, invisible, wanton. Society will brand me a pariah. Not at all! You can live as an unmarried woman, and if there is any justice in the world not a soul should start hounding you about that until you are at least 30.
But if I don’t have a husband then I wouldn’t be constantly pregnant. I would have my period every month and that is disgusting. You could have children without being married. Or you could choose not to have children and just manage your period discreetly. What if it rains? How will I cross puddles?
Oh, you can walk around them. I’ll show you how. Who would buy me flowers and chocolate? Purchase them yourself! You can get a job. Are you suggesting I whore myself for money? Not all working women are wh… It’s actually a perfectly legitimate choice, but learn to read
And you can be anything that you want. Could I be a nurse? Bentley often used to ask me to dress as a nurse You could be a doctor! You could be a high court judge! You could be a novelist and use your own name. You could do anything. Could I be Prime Minister?
Oh! Yes! Oh but better than that you could be – President of the United States of America? Indeed. In theory. No, no, but I was going to say – Fossil Hunter. Discover radioactivity, win a Nobel Prize. Goodness Louise, become a famous actress, seduce a prince and then bring down the entire royal family
From the inside. The world lies at your enviably tiny feet. So you’re saying I can do all those things and earn as much as a man? You can do all of those things and earn… nearly as much as a man. Can I have a boyfriend? You could have a girlfriend. Interesting.
And one day you’ll be able to have as many sexual partners as any man without being labelled a slag. Surely not! You’ll be free to wear the same frock to every dance without raising an eyebrow. Go back to the bit about the sexual partners. You’ll bicycle to a bustling Cafe
And breastfeed your fatherless babe in public without meeting with a single peep of disapproval. You’ll be able to do anything. Could I sleep with Robert? Charlotte’s husband? Yes. No. Charlotte is your dear friend. You said I could do anything. Within reason. And Robert has cheekbones to die for.
Well, that is true. But whatever – So it’s settled I’m going to go and make love to Robert right now. No! Sister! You are in shock. Don’t do anything rash in this moment. Why don’t you recline on the chaise longue? My darling Josephine. Thank you.
You’ve opened my eyes to a new fantastic point of view. No one to tell me no or where to go. Or say I’m only dreaming. A whole new – Brently! I was involved in a train collision. Mercifully, my fall was cushioned by the body by the body of a ticket inspector
By whom I had just been apprehended in the lavatory. I was broken. But I dragged myself home for you. after all What is a woman without a husband? Society would brand you a pariah. Um, hormones. [scream] You don’t need a wife to be complete. Now you’re free to do whatever you want.
Can I sleep with Robert?