The Adventure of Donald Ferdinand

Written and directed by Hayden Paul

1: EXT: A desolate field – NIGHT
1:

On a dark and eerie night, Donald approaches an

abandoned house in a field.

DONALD – (Late teens, blonde-brunette, glasses, beige

waistcoat)

The conditions are filthy and the walls and floor are
dirty and grubby. Donald enters with fear, clutching
his map and compass.

Donald is sweating, his clothes are in poor

condition. He looks around the room and notices piles
of paper on the floor.

He kneels down and picks one up. As he looks at it, a

mysterious dark figure is a metre behind him.

It says ‘REMEMBER DONALD’. Suddenly the dark figure

uses a flannel and smothers his face, drugging him.

2: INT: DONALDS HOUSE – MORNING 2:

Donald wakes up in his bed and feels like he had a

bad dream. He puts on his slippers and walks
downstairs.

In Donald’s kitchen there is a sheet of paper to help

remind him what to do in the day. The first thing on
the list is to eat breakfast.

He grabs his cereal and sits down to watch

television. Donald is watching an old adventure
sketch and is engaged with the character’s journey.

A montage shows him preparing to get ready to leave

his house. He puts on a presentable blazer and smart
trousers. He goes to the door and checks the sheet of
paper to remind him to go to the doctor.

3: INT: DOCTORS HOUSE – AFTERNOON 3:

Donald is sitting on the sofa, staring aimlessly into
space as his doctor tries to get his attention. His
voice is muffled but becomes clearer.

DOCTOR WALLACE – (Mid 30s, brunette, glasses, dark

waistcoat)

DOCTOR WALLACE
Donald…DONALD (raising his voice)

Doctor Wallace snaps his finger in front of Donald’s

face to get his attention. Donald looks as though he
had just woken up and doesn’t know his whereabouts.

DOCTOR WALLACE
Thank you for turning up today. Do you remember my
name?

Donald hesitates. He begins to stutter and he can’t

recall the reason he’s in the room.

DOCTOR WALLACE
Donald..?

Doctor Wallace leans over, attempting to get his

attention.

DOCTOR WALLACE
I’m Doctor Wallace, your doctor that checks up on you
four times a week, remember?

DONALD
Yeah, I think so. How… how did I get here?

Doctor Wallace looks at Donald with a sense of

frustration but needs to maintain a profession
standard so he appears understanding.

DOCTOR WALLACE
You knocked on my door asking to see me. (smiles)
The memories flood back to Donald but they are still
not completely intact.

He reaches to grab the sheet of paper with his daily

reminders. He views the afternoon slot which reminds
him he had the appointment.

DONALD
Yes.. yes sorry I don’t really know how I forgot
that.

DOCTOR WALLACE
Donald, do you still wear the sunflower lanyard?

DONALD
Lanyard? No, no I-

Doctor Wallace hands over a sunflower lanyard that

states that Donald has encephalitis, a form of
amnesia

DOCTOR WALLACE
Here, keep hold of this.

Donald glances at the lanyard with confusion.

DONALD
Amnesia?

Doctor Wallace sits back.

DOCTOR WALLACE
Yes, don’t worry too much about that. So tell me
what’s on your mind?

DONALD
Well, I had what I think is a dream, it felt so real…
almost like a hallucination.

DOCTOR WALLACE
What happened in the dream?

Doctor Wallace starts to write on his notepad.

DONALD
I was near an abandoned house. I approached the house
but I could have sworn somebody was there.

4: INT: DONALD’S HOUSE – LATE AFTERNOON 4:

Donald arrives back at his house and looks confused.

The house is a large, detached house with the

entrance to the side.

He puts the keys in the lock and twists it.

As he enters, he scrapes his feet on the door mat.

The doorway is quite spacious with post across the
floor. Donald accidentally steps on a letter in front
of him.

He opens the letter in a frenzied state as if he has

never opened a letter before.

Donald reads it.

DONALD (V.O)
I am writing to inform you that I have killed your
sister. Please don’t feel anger Donald, this was long
overdue…

Donald looks at the letter enraged. His hands are

shaking and he is scared.

DONALD (V.O)
Feel free to come say hi… yours truly A.M

He notices a secret language at the bottom of the

paper.

He goes into the living room and frantically searches

through various books. Eventually he finds a
translation book.

Donald refers back to the letter to compare the

language written down at the bottom of the sheet to
the book.
A compilation of different shots of him discovering
the language and finding out that it’s coordinates.

He grabs a wrinkled piece of paper and writes the

coordinates down. In a rush, he goes to a cabinet and
finds a map. He uses a pen to pinpoint the
coordinates on the map.

Donald folds up the map and then slides the pen into
his blazer. He leaves the house immediately to
discover where the coordinates lead him to.

5: EXT: WOODLAND AREA – LATE AFTERNOON 5:

Donald refers back to the map and starts to wander

around a field near some woods. He then approaches
some menacing trees.

He enters the woods in a directionless way. He is

determined that he will find the person who killed
his sister.

He stands at the centre of the woodland area,

frantically searching around. He suddenly hears a
noise.

He’s frightened. Noises are coming from all around

him. At the corner of his eye he notices a dark
figure, the same person he saw at the abandoned
house.

Donald intentionally blinks to make sure it’s not a

hallucination. The dark figure has disappeared.

Rushing past the bushes and leaves, Donald runs north

and follows the compasses direction away from the
woods.

6: EXT: FIELD AND ABANDONED HOUSE – EARLY EVENING 6:

The sun is getting low. Donald is tired and he is

desperate for water.
The map is folded up and creased. He opens it to
refer back to the location of the coordinates.

He notices in the distance the abandoned house from

his ‘hallucination’. Donald is cautious to approach
it yet he is determined to explore.

He quickly learns that the coordinates lead him

directly to the house.

He carefully checks his surroundings and proceeds to

enter.

Donald then has reoccurring flashbacks that start to

haunt him. The interior of the abandoned house is
giving him déjà vu. Has he been here before?

He notices the papers on the floor are similar to the

ones that were on the floor in his hallway. This
baffles him.

He picks up a letter and opens it. Just behind him

the dark figure is standing a metre away, just like
before.

However, this time Donald is clutching onto his pen

whilst reading the letter. Is says ‘BEHIND YOU’.

Donald suddenly slashes his pen and jabs the dark

figure in the knee.

He tries to run away but isn’t familiar with the

house. He finds the entrance and runs towards it but
the dark figure sneaks up on him and drugs him using
the flannel.

7: INT: DONALD’S BEDROOM – MORNING 7:

MONTAGE

- Donald wakes up in shock but can’t recall what

just happened and how he ended up in his bed
- He makes breakfast
- He checks his daily schedule
- He visits his doctor
 - He opens the letter on the floor which states
that his sister is missing
- He finds a map and leaves his house
- He explores the woods and notices a dark figure
in the distance

END MONTAGE

8: EXT: WOODLAND AREA – LATE AFTERNOON 8:

The dark figure is watching him from a distance yet

again. The figure hides away from Donald behind a
tree as he frantically searches the area.

The dark figure takes out his phone and starts

recording. He swiftly takes off his mask. He is
revealed to be Donald’s doctor.

He speaks to the phone as if it’s a video diary.

DOCTOR WALLACE (V.O)

Day 58, 15:47, Donald seems quite agitated, this day
he seems to have more of a sense of urgency, more..
directionless, over and out

MONTAGE

- Donald runs to the abandoned house

- He is immediately drugged again
- Cycle repeats itself
- He makes breakfast
- He checks his daily schedule
- He visits his doctor
- He opens the letter on the floor which states
that his sister is missing
- He finds a map and leaves his house
- He explores the woods
- He finds the abandoned house

END MONTAGE

9: INT: ABANDONED HOUSE – EARLY EVENING 9:

Donald is aimlessly exploring the abandoned house. He
notices the letters on the floor.

He opens a letter and it reveals the writing ‘IT’S

THE DOCTOR’. He frantically puts the letter in his
pocket.

Within a couple seconds, the doctor sneaks up on his

and drugs Donald.

MONTAGE

- Cycle repeats itself.. again

- He makes breakfast
- Checks his daily schedule

END MONTAGE

DONALD’S HOUSE

Donald is putting on his leather jacket. He notices a

sheet of paper in his pocket

He opens the letter, ‘IT’S THE DOCTOR’, the memories

come back to him, he can imagine the dark figure in
his head.

He is standing at the entrance of his house, in utter

shock, however he continues to follow his schedule
and visit Doctor Wallace.

10: INT: DOCTOR’S HOUSE – AFTERNOON 10:

The doctor is sitting across from Donald. The room is

silent and all that can be heard is the clock ticking

DOCTOR WALLACE
How’s your day today Donald?

DONALD
I’m.. I’m just confused

DOCTOR WALLACE
What are you confused about.. Donald?
 DONALD
I don’t know who I am.. it’s like I don’t have
control of my life

Doctor Wallace writes on his notepad ‘Day 61 12:04,

Donald is struggling to identify who he is.’

Doctor Wallace looks away from his notepad

DOCTOR WALLACE
Ok Donald, do you still wear the sunflower lanyard,
like I’ve said, that lanyard is there to help you
reme-

Donald interrupts DW

DONALD
Stop.. somethings not right

In the corner of his eye he notices a mask. It’s the

same one the dark figure wears.

Donald pauses and stares directly at Doctor Wallace

DONALD
It’s you

DOCTOR WALLACE
I’m sorry I don’t..

Donald takes out the letter from his pocket showing

the paper saying ‘IT’S THE DOCTOR’.

Doctor Wallace looks at Donald and smiles.

There is a moment of silence between both character,

Doctor Wallace slowly grabs onto the flannel, ready
to drug Donald.

However Donald grabs a letter opener from the side of

the table and as soon as Doctor Wallace gets up from
his chair Donald stabs him at the side of his neck.

Doctor Wallace falls to the floor. In shock Donald

keeps hold of the letter opener and grabs the
doctor’s journal. He runs out of the house, slamming
the door behind him.

11: PARK BENCH – LATE AFTERNOON 11:

MUSIC:

Donald is sitting on a park bench with spots of blood

on his face.

He looks at the last page of the journal. He closes

the book and stares into the distance with shame and
embarrassment. Yet at the same time he feels
accomplishment.

He reaches out for the lanyard and clutches onto it.

MUSIC FADE OUT

END OF SCENE