The Pit

2009, 20 minutes

A lonely man encounters his past.

AUBREY (60) is a wiry, feral looking loner who lives in a ramshackle house in the bleak fens of East Anglia. His home is in the middle of nowhere – totally cut off from the outside world and Aubrey likes it that way. He doesn’t watch TV, have a phone or read the papers. Instead, he lives as a hermit, surviving hand to mouth off the land – growing his own vegetables, catching eels, snaring rabbits and shooting pheasants. Aubrey spends his evenings sat in his front room, gazing down the long track to his house as if waiting for someone who never arrives. Anyone bumping into Aubrey would find him distinctly odd, possibly a bit simple and vaguely sinister. Knowing how other people view him, Aubrey keeps to him self and goes out of his way to avoid contact with the outside world. Every day is the same for Aubrey. He roams the flat, windswept lands, taking care to avoid contact with the occasional farm worker or intrepid hiker. Aubrey’s routine consists of checking his eel traps, setting snares and foraging. His only obvious pleasure is when he takes time to pause and observe the local wildlife. He almost seems in awe of the animals, landscape and weather – revelling in nature and displaying an almost childlike wonder at its power. When Aubrey notices a smoke trail one day, he sets off to investigate, discovering new arrivals. An old-style gypsy caravan is parked on a grassy patch by the river. Aubrey catches the tail end of an argument between ROSIE (30) and her irate boyfriend, DAN (35), who speeds off down the muddy track in a pick-up truck. Aubrey retreats, clearly put out by this unexpected turn of events. Meanwhile, Rosie is joined by her young son, BOBBY (7), filthy and exhausted after playing alone. Bobby doesn’t seem surprised to find Dan missing or his Mum in another of her weird moods. He will just have to take care of her - as usual. Bobby leaves the caravan early the next morning to explore. Entering a copse of trees, he comes across the pit – a small pond dug out of the chalk. Bobby is delighted to discover this hidden playground and his excitement grows when he spots a makeshift rope swing tied to a tree. When Rosie wakes, there is no sign of Bobby. She scans the landscape, shouting his name but he is nowhere to be seen. Nearby, Aubrey is staggering along the edge of a field, carrying something heavy wrapped up in his battered wax coat. Getting back to the house, we realise that Aubrey has taken Bobby. Unknown to Rosie, Bobby has fallen into the pit and Aubrey has fished him out, saving his life. Aubrey believes that Bobby is the reincarnation of his own twin brother who drowned in the pit at a young age. Aubrey has never gotten over his own guilt about the death of his devoted sibling and thinks that he has been given a second chance. He nurses Bobby back to health, vowing to protect him and promising they will never be separated again. Rosie can find no trace of Bobby. She tracks down Dan in the pub and takes his pick-up to help in her search. Dan gets a lift with his friend, RAY (40) and they catch up with Rosie and bring along the local POLICEMAN. Based on Ray’s hunch, the policeman decides to call at Aubrey’s where they discover Bobby. With Bobby ‘rescued’, Aubrey flees, shotgun in hand, devastated that his ‘brother’ has been taken away again. Confused and terrified, he hides out by the pit as Ray and Dan slip away from the police and track him down to carry out some rough justice. When Rosie realises that Bobby wasn’t harmed by Aubrey, she sets out to prevent a tragedy. Intercepting Ray and Dan just before they force Aubrey into the pit, she thinks she has saved him. But in the confusion, Aubrey calmly steps into the murky depths and seems to be lost forever. With Dan and Ray looking on dumbly, Rosie dives in after him. Time has passed and Dan is out of Rosie’s life for good. But her and Bobby have adopted a new family member – Aubrey.

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