It’s Christmas Eve and George, aged eighteen, uses the master key he’s ‘borrowed’ from his aunt and uncle’s desk to open the rear security door of their cinema – The Tower. Sighing with relief as he locks the door behind him, he hopes that Lauren will keep the promise she’d made when she first appeared the previous year.

When George was six, on Christmas Eve, his parents, Florrie and Reggie, entered the cinema and were never seen again. A murder investigation ensued but the mystery was never solved. After they vanished, George lived with his aunt and uncle who were bitter that George was dumped on them. They ensured he became enraged that his parents had abandoned him. He was told they were fanatical film fans and would have given anything to be part of Hollywood. His aunt gave him an autographed photograph from Lauren Bacall, that said, “If you can make it to Hollywood, I’m sure I can get you jobs as extras, with love and best wishes, Lauren.” 

Who’s Lauren Bacall, he asked Aunt Agnes.
Film star and distant cousin of your father.
Do you think she could help me find them?
Agnes laughed until she cried.

George was seventeen when he first stole the keys and tried to contact Lauren Bacall by begging for help in front of the screen for hours. Finally, she appeared, and he told his story. Tonight, he’s desperate she’ll keep her promise. 

The screen lightens, but no flickering light shines from the projection booth. His mouth dries as ghostly shades of grey and black loop and swirl on the screen. His heart pounds. A human shape evolves in the centre of the screen. Franz Waxman’s overture for “To Have and Have Not” begins.

Lauren, you’ve come back.
Said I would, George. 
Why did you promise to help me last year?
I felt guilty; if I hadn’t offered help, they might not have scrammed. And you were so full of hope. 
Hope is all I’ve got.
Hope is an incredible, wonderfully demented thing. Hope endures even when life is not what you expect it to be. 

The screen stretches, bulges, seems about to tear apart as unseen forces push against the barrier. The fabric distends. The disembodied heads and hands of his parents burst through.
At last! George shouts as he climbs up on the stage beneath the screen.
We’re not allowed to come all the way through. If we do, we’ll be punished and never be amidst the stars again. Can you forgive us? Florrie pleads.
We missed you, George, Reggie says.
Liar!   
Come with us, Florrie says. You’ll love Hollywood.
George grabs his parents’ hands and, terrified, they scream, as their son, using more strength than he knew he had, rips them through the screen onto the stage. 

Happy Christmas, Lauren says. I kept my promise.
Thank you. 
George gasps as his parents transmute into unravelling spools of 35mm film that burst into flames. He stamps them out; his revenge complete.

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© Phil Cosker 2024
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