The Possession Page #3

An elegant London square. Roland cycles in as leaves blow

from a tall tree towards a vast Victorian library, where

people leave by stone steps, armfuls of books. As Roland

parks his bike -

Some LEAVES float away, tumble towards a skylight on the

library roof TAPPING like birds trying to enter, as -

INT. LONDON LIBRARY - HALL - DAY

Roland enters the shabby hall. Bespectacled scholars

shuffle around in a silent hum. Roland seems suddenly "at

home." All around him, wasted lifetimes devoted to books...

8.

INT. LONDON LIBRARY - STACKS - DAY

Roland navigates like a mole accustomed to the dark through

a maze of metal shelves. Hidden stairs and tiny corridors

like a Piranesi prison, books piled high: dark, dusty,

infinite...

Roland seems to know his way, even in the dark...

INT. LONDON LIBRARY - BASEMENT - RARE BOOKS DEPARTMENT DAY

Zig-zagging through a labyrinth of books, Roland emerges

down in the basement. He knocks at a door marked "Rare

Books 5." No reply, so he enters -

A musty room like a pharaoh's tomb, a high window casting

light into a cell of vellum and leather. Roland puts files

down.

ROLAND:

My name's Dr. Michell, Roland

Michell. You have a copy of Donne's

poetry for me. An 1858 edition.

A pebble-glassed LIBRARIAN emerges, crooked as his tottering

piles of books. Slightly deaf, he takes his time.

LIBRARIAN:

You ordered it through Professor

Blackadder over at the Ash

Institute?

ROLAND:

Correct. I'm working on the

Complete Works edition with him.

LIBRARIAN:

I didn't know Ash was an admirer of

Donne?

ROLAND:

He quoted one of Donne's poems on

his deathbed. I'm checking

references in the Nineteenth Century

editions... just to be sure.

The Librarian finds Roland's book, bound with tape. He

wipes away black dust, hands it over. Roland sits down,

cracks pages apart.

(CONTINUED)

9.

CONTINUED:

LIBRARIAN:

Doesn't look like it's been touched

for a while. I'll check...

Flicking through, Roland sees notes scrawled in the margins.

CLOSEUP - HANDWRITING

BACK TO SCENE:

It intrigues him.

ROLAND:

Someone's scrawled notes all over

the margins.

LIBRARIAN:

Hm...? Well... it's never been

called for, as far as I know...

(checks file cards, as

Roland reads)

Odd... According to our records,

this edition was bequeathed to us by

Ash's widow, Ellen.

ROLAND:

You mean this copy belonged to Ash

himself? Someone must have

consulted it before now.

LIBRARIAN:

Seems it was lost in our filing

system...

Intrigued, Roland goes back to cutting leaves. With great

delicacy he cuts open a set of pages, suddenly two old

letters fall to the floor. Roland bends down to pick them

up -

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