No Fixed Abode

By Josh Hannan

1992: When Grey Stringham's house burns down, along with all his worldly possessions, he joins a motley crew of New Age Travellers and embarks upon an extraordinary adventure through British 1990's counter-culture. No Fixed Abode is a tale of love, betrayal, divided loyalties and raving, set against the turbulent backdrop of pre-millenial environmental protest.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781312854468

Book preview

Formatting

What is an eScript?

eScripts are a hybrid of e-books and feature length movie screenplays.

Screenplays are the literary blueprints for movies, telling stories through a cinematic medium. Unlike e-books, hard copy novels, or paperbacks, screenplays focus on showing rather than telling. You will find no inner thoughts or extensive character background descriptions. Instead, you'll see a story unfold in cinematic fashion.

You, the reader, can cast the movie with whichever actors you would like. The action and worlds described within the eScript are interpreted through your own imagination. In essence, you will take on the role of the filmmaker. The visionary.

E-books are multiple day/week/month commitments. eScripts, on the other hand, allow you to see a story unfold within just a couple of hours of reading. Thus, you experience the perfect hybrid of reading a novel and watching a movie. Welcome to the world of eScripts.

Josh Hannan is a multi-disciplined writer and musician. He divides his time between London, South West France and Andalucia. He owns only what he can carry.

The culture, spirit and political activism that characterized much of 90's British youth culture has been largely, persistently, and some might say actively ignored by today's mainstream media. In a society paradoxically opiated by perpetual conflict, mass surveillance and gadget fever; the values of pacifism, the right to personal autonomy and strident resistance to consumerism seem as anachronistic now as an annual 'cool list' of trending brands would have seemed ridiculous then.

But Reclaim The Streets and the Carnival Against Capitalism were the precursors to the present Occupy movement; just as the numerous road protests undertaken by the tabloid dubbed 'Unwashed Army' championed, at the time, the environmental cause when it was not so widely understood as the vital imperative it is today.

The spectral fears voiced by the 90's generation have become today's waking nightmares; and while, at the time, that voice may have sounded naive, often delivering its message in ways that harmed its own cause, subsequent events have proved its validity. For that, if nothing else, they who spoke out in the face of ridicule and violent reprisal deserve recognition.

So this story, this adventure down the rabbit hole of 90's counterculture, is my humble tribute to an extraordinary time that deserves to be remembered - and perhaps, now more than ever, needs to be.

Welcome to the party...

This eScript is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright© 2014 by Josh Hannan

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this eScript or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

For any interest in attaining the production rights of this eScript, please contact Josh Hannan.

For more information on the eScript format, please visit eScriptsHub.com

EXT. HIPPY CONVOY - DAY

A huge convoy of hippy buses snakes along the road, crawling toward stonehenge for their summer solstice celebration.

INT. HIPPY BUS - DAY

GIPTOON, a young and fresh-faced hippy, listens with joyous wonder to the banter of his older compadres.

A heavily PREGNANT WOMAN ruffles GIPTOON's hair. They share a smile.

Two young CHILDREN play at the PREGNANT WOMAN's feet.

The bus suddenly judders to a halt.

DRIVER (O.S.)

Oh bloody hell! Here we go again then...

A wave of amused confusion passes through the bus.

EXT. ROADBLOCK - DAY

A loose line of police stand by two buses blocking the road, filled with scared hippies.

POLICEMAN 1 waves the convoy off the road into a near-by field.

INT. HIPPY BUS - DAY

Worried MURMURINGS pass through the passengers on the bus as they crane their heads to look out the windows.

GIPTOON presses his frightened face to the glass.

POLICEMAN 2 (O.S.)

Everybody off the bus, now! Everybody off!

EXT. HIPPY BUS - DAY

A ring of policemen surround the bus, truncheons ready.

POLICEMAN 2

Come on! Off! Now! Off the bus! Off the bus!

INT. HIPPY BUS - DAY

A wave of confusion and fear starts those aboard BABBLING.

People begin to stand and move toward the door at the front.

Suddenly the window by GIPTOON IMPLODES, the shattering glass slices his face.

GIPTOON falls to the floor clutching his bloody face as the WINDOWS IMPLODE on all sides.

The CHILDREN SCREAM as glass rains down upon them.

EXT. HIPPY BUS - DAY

Policemen smash the windows with their truncheons, ROARING for those aboard to get off.

The men on board disembark one by one. They are beaten with truncheons as soon as their feet touch the grass.

I/E. HIPPY BUS - DAY

The PREGNANT WOMAN SCREAMS her plea to the police, clutching the CHILDREN to her breast.

PREGNANT WOMAN

There are children! Jesus Christ we've got children on board!

EXT. HIPPY BUS - DAY

POLICEMAN 2 points at the PREGNANT WOMAN with his truncheon.

POLICEMAN 2

Off. Now.

I/E. HIPPY BUS - DAY

The PREGNANT WOMAN leaves her seat, clutching the CHILDREN to her.

INT. HIPPY BUS FLOOR - DAY

The PREGNANT WOMAN's feet CRUNCH through the glass, past GIPTOON cowering on the floor.

Distant SCREAMS are heard by GIPTOON where he lays.

A THUNDEROUS POUNDING of heavy boots shakes the bus floor.

POLICEMAN 2's black boots STAMP to a halt by GIPTOON's head.

POLICEMAN 2 (O.S.)

On your feet boy, now!

GIPTOON cowers, too terrified to move.

INT. HIPPY BUS - DAY

POLICEMAN 2 towers over the prostrate GIPTOON.

POLICEMAN 2

Boy, don't make me ask you again.

POLICEMAN 2 drags GIPTOON to his feet.

EXT. HIPPY BUS - DAY

GIPTOON flies out through a smashed window.

EXT. GRASS - DAY

GIPTOON lands heavily on the grass before another pair of black-booted feet.

EXT. HIPPY BUS - DAY

Constable JONES, a Welshman in his early thirties, stares down at the unconscious teenager laying at his feet, truncheon ready.

With dismayed eyes JONES surveys the scenes of violence surrounding him.

EXT. BEANFIELD - DAY

All around him people are being dragged from smashed buses.

CAPTION: BATTLE OF THE BEANFIELD, DORSET, SOUTH WEST ENGLAND. 1985.

Police with dogs guard rows of hippies laying face down on the grass.

The SCREAMS of men, woman and children fill the air as all around the convoy is brutalized.

EXT. HIPPY BUS - DAY

Constable JONES allows the truncheon to slip from his hand.

JONES picks up GIPTOON, cradling him in his arms.

EXT. BEANFIELD - DAY

JONES stumbles through the violence in a daze, carrying GIPTOON toward a group of injured at the field's edge.

EXT. BEANFIELD EDGE - DAY

BRIDGET, a heavy-set earth-mother in her mid-twenties, kneels on the grass bandaging a WOMAN's head.

As JONES approaches, the KAFTANMAN, a middle-aged hippy with iron grey hair, steps up to block his path.

The two men lock eyes.

The KAFTANMAN reads JONES's good intention and allows him to pass.

JONES gently lowers GIPTOON into BRIDGET's arms.

JONES stumbles back toward the chaos.

BRIDGET looks down weeping at GIPTOON.

The KAFTANMAN crouches next to BRIDGET, studying GIPTOON.

The KAFTANMAN smiles at BRIDGET.

KAFTANMAN

This too shall pass.

BRIDGET holds the KAFTANMAN's gaze with broken eyes.

BRIDGET

Oh God...

The hold each other's gaze a moment longer but suddenly