https://gutenberg.org/cache/epub/68377/pg68377.txt

The Curious Case of the Clockwork Heart: A Screenplay

Logline: A lonely clockmaker, haunted by a tragic past, discovers a sentient clockwork heart that challenges his worldview and offers a chance at redemption.

Scene 1:

INT. CLOCKMAKER’S WORKSHOP – NIGHT

The workshop is cluttered, filled with half-finished clocks, gears, springs, and tools. Dust motes dance in the moonlight filtering through a grimy window. GEORG (60s, gaunt, with sorrowful eyes), a meticulous clockmaker, hunches over a workbench, meticulously polishing a tiny, intricately designed heart made of brass and silver. The only sound is the rhythmic tick-tock of a grandfather clock in the corner.

GEORG (V.O.)
They say time heals all wounds. A lie, a cruel and persistent lie. Some wounds… they simply tick away, reminding you of what you’ve lost.

He carefully inserts the clockwork heart into a small, ornate music box. He winds it. A delicate melody, tinged with sadness, fills the room.

GEORG (V.O.)
My Anna… she loved music boxes. This one… it was almost finished when…

He stops, his hand trembling. He picks up a faded photograph of a young woman with bright eyes and a warm smile. Tears well in his eyes.

Scene 2:

INT. CLOCKMAKER’S WORKSHOP – LATER

Georg is asleep at his workbench. The music box plays softly. Suddenly, the clockwork heart glows faintly. A voice, tiny but clear, whispers from the music box.

CLOCKWORK HEART (V.O.)
…Hello? Is anyone there?

Georg jolts awake, startled. He stares at the music box, his eyes wide with disbelief.

GEORG
Did… did you speak?

CLOCKWORK HEART (V.O.)
Yes. I… I believe I am alive.

Scene 3:

INT. CLOCKMAKER’S WORKSHOP – DAY

Georg, initially skeptical, spends days observing and interacting with the clockwork heart. He learns it possesses a nascent consciousness, a childlike wonder, and an insatiable curiosity about the world. He names it “Tick.”

GEORG
You are… unique, Tick. A marvel of engineering… and something more.

TICK (V.O.)
What is “more”?

GEORG
…Life, perhaps. Or something close to it.

Scene 4:

MONTAGE

A series of scenes showing Georg and Tick interacting. Georg, initially hesitant, slowly opens up to Tick, sharing his memories of Anna and the accident that took her. Tick listens patiently, offering comfort and understanding beyond its mechanical nature. Georg begins to repair his emotional wounds through his interactions with Tick.

Scene 5:

INT. CLOCKMAKER’S WORKSHOP – NIGHT

A storm rages outside. A sudden power surge threatens to damage the workshop and Tick.

GEORG
We have to get you to safety!

Georg, risking his own safety, rushes to protect Tick. The surge hits, causing a short circuit. The music box falls, its delicate mechanism seemingly broken.

Scene 6:

INT. CLOCKMAKER’S WORKSHOP – DAWN

The storm has passed. Georg carefully examines the damaged music box. He finds a small, almost invisible crack in the clockwork heart. He meticulously repairs it.

GEORG
(Whispering)
You’re alright, Tick. You’re alright.

The music box begins to play again, a faint but hopeful melody. Tick’s voice, weaker but present, whispers.

TICK (V.O.)
Thank you… Georg.

Scene 7:

EXT. TOWN SQUARE – DAY

Georg, looking older but calmer, sits on a park bench, the repaired music box in his lap. He gently winds it, its music a comfort to him. A young girl approaches, drawn by the melody. He smiles, a genuine smile, filled with a newfound peace.

GEORG (V.O.)
Time may not heal all wounds, but it can… perhaps… help us find new ways to live with them. And sometimes… even the smallest of hearts can mend the greatest of them.

FADE OUT.