Episode 7: No One by Oliver Emanuel

"You were dreaming. And talking. You talk a lot while you sleep..."

Pink edges closer to bringing Billie home.

Performed by Kaylah Copeland, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Catriona Faint, Frankie Maxwell and Matthew Zajac. 
 
Written by Oliver Emanuel
Directed by Lu Kemp
Sound Design and Music by Danny Krass
Series concept by Oliver Emanuel
Produced by Tron Theatre and supported by Creative Scotland
 
#TheLovedOne

Transcript

The Loved One

Speaker 1 0:00

Hello, welcome to the Loved One. This is a piece of immersive audio drama designed for listening on headphones. If you want to have a wee, lie down in a dark room, stick on a cheeky eye mask and go ahead. But wherever you're listening, please enjoy. I'm close.

Speaker 2 0:22

I know I'm close.

Speaker 1 0:26

This is the loved one I can feel you, billy, episode 7.

Speaker 2 0:36

It's like you're just around the next corner.

Speaker 1 0:39

No One by Oliver Emmanuel.

Speaker 2 0:48

Billy.

Speaker 3 0:51

Did I always mean to run away? Was it inevitable? Yes, no, I don't know. Something inside of me snapped Bye-bye. I knew I had to keep moving. You always said the trick is to keep moving. People who stay in the same place get caught, and I wanted some space between us. I thought you'd find me that first day. Then I thought you'd find me the next day or the one after that. I always felt I felt you were always there, right behind me. I never relaxed, not even when there was an ocean between us, and the funny thing was that the further away I was from home, the closer I felt to you. It was like you were watching me. I wasn't afraid because I knew you were there.

Speaker 4 2:08

She's asleep. There are four stages of sleep. I learned about it at school First the light sleep, then the relaxed sleep, then the deep sleep and then the dream sleep. In the dream sleep, your brain figures things out, solves problems, creates things. That's why sometimes you wake up knowing something you didn't know before. Pink told me she'd never sleep till she found her daughter, but we're sat on the bench by the canal and she's been asleep for ages. I wish I could sleep, but I get bad dreams. A young woman with blue hair stops on the other side of the canal, stares at us, stares at Pink like she knows her. She runs off like she's seen a ghost.

Speaker 2 3:08

What was that?

Speaker 4 3:09

You fell asleep.

Speaker 2 3:11

No, no, I didn't.

Speaker 4 3:13

You were dreaming and talking. You talk a lot while you sleep. No, I don't.

Speaker 2 3:19

I haven't slept in a month, not a wink. God, is that the time already? When do you need to get back? How are they treating you at the hostel? You made any friends, yet People don't talk to me. People don't talk to you or you don't talk to people.

Speaker 4 3:40

Are you going to buy me ice cream? I'm hungry. Another five minutes. Why are we here? Don't you like the canal? It stinks.

Speaker 2 3:55

Yeah, I admit the aroma is not its strong point, but the view. The view is what I'm after. Right here we can see the whole city. Everything and everyone are contained within this perspective. Even Billy Is Billy your daughter. That's right Somewhere. I know she's in there somewhere.

Speaker 4 4:28

What's that got to do with?

Speaker 2 4:30

me. I saved your life. You're my lucky charm. Don't you feel there's a connection between us? Oh Well, come on, let's get an ice cream. Can I get a flake?

Speaker 4 4:48

Where are we?

Speaker 2 4:48

going Back to the beginning At the point. In any case, when I get lost, I go back to where it all began.

Speaker 4 4:59

Are you talking about the big bang?

Speaker 2 5:01

I was thinking a little more recently, we did the big bang at. I was thinking a little more recently we did the big bang at school. I like science, you're cute now eat your ice cream while I talk at you. Billy arrived into the uk six weeks ago. She was last seen on february 27th she was last seen on. February 27th. Did you hear that?

Speaker 1 5:34

What.

Speaker 2 5:38

Nothing. I thought I heard a. Where was I? Billy was last seen on February 27th.

Speaker 4 5:45

Where.

Speaker 2 5:46

Billy was seen frequently at Luca's all-night cafe. She would charge her phone. Why would she need a cafe to charge her phone?

Speaker 4 5:56

Because she forgot to charge it at home.

Speaker 2 5:58

More likely she was sleeping rough or squatting somewhere without power. What happened to her? She?

Speaker 4 6:02

was sleeping rough or squatting somewhere without power. What happened to her?

Speaker 2 6:09

You, are you doing that? What I swear I.

Speaker 4 6:16

What did you say? I said then what happened to her.

Speaker 2 6:21

I don't know. After that the trail goes cold. She has not gone back to Lucas. My best guess is that she went somewhere, found a job or an apartment or both, somewhere out of the neighborhood.

Speaker 4 6:37

How do you know she hasn't left Glasgow? I've made friends with some of the local security guys at you know she hasn't left Glasgow.

Speaker 2 6:40

I've made friends with some of the local security guys at the train and bus station and I put a tag on her passport. If Billy skipped town, I'd know.

Speaker 4 6:49

That was good.

Speaker 2 6:50

Can I get another one? You can't have two ice creams in one day. You're not my mom. That's good news for both of us.

Speaker 4 6:59

Why did Billy run away? Did you have a fight? It's complicated.

Speaker 2 7:06

I'm clever, so is Billy. What is it with kids these days? I spent my whole life finding missing persons. I'm good at it too. I'm relentless. I won't give up, even if it takes years. When she was little, I would take Billy along with the surveillance jobs. Having a kid with you is a great disguise. No one suspects you're watching them with a baby in your arms. But then she got older. She resented all the time I wasn't at home. She asked me to stop. Take a job close to home. I don't know how to do anything else. So she made herself a missing person, so that I would have to follow.

Speaker 4 7:57

That is clever.

Speaker 2 7:58

Yeah, and with years of me telling her about the best ways to disappear, I've only got myself to blame for not being able to find her.

Speaker 4 8:08

What happens if you never find her? What, what happens if you never find her?

Speaker 2 8:15

I will. I will. I just need to make sure I'm looking in the right place to find me. You okay to get back to the hostel, are you okay? Yeah, I just have to go somewhere, billy.

Speaker 3 8:37

Billy hey, Mom hey.

Speaker 2 8:45

Billy, I've been looking for you. Yes, I've been looking for you everywhere.

Speaker 3 8:53

You found me have.

Speaker 2 8:57

I, where are we? We're here. Where exactly is here?

Speaker 3 9:09

It's where we all come to rest, where we come to reset and where we solve problems.

Speaker 2 9:15

Wait, wait, am I asleep?

Speaker 3 9:20

Got it in one.

Speaker 2 9:22

So this is not the real you.

Speaker 3 9:27

I don't know. Do you know the real me? I?

Speaker 2 9:32

well I.

Speaker 3 9:35

I hope so. If you know the real me, then whatever version of me you imagine is real enough.

Speaker 2 9:42

Could you not just tell me where you are?

Speaker 3 9:46

I'm not coming home, Mom.

Speaker 2 9:52

Okay, that's okay. I just thought we should have a conversation, a proper one, in which I'm more understanding and less of a bitch. I'm listening, not here, can we? Is there any way we can meet in the real world?

Speaker 3 10:17

You'll have to find me first. Meet in the real world You'll have to find me first.

Speaker 2 10:23

Billy, come back Please.

Speaker 4 10:33

Wake up, wake up, billy Kim, it's Kim. Hey, hey.

Speaker 2 10:42

What are you doing here? Why aren't you back at the hostel? I was worried Billy's there. I found her when In my dream. I can't explain it, I think you need to go to the doctors, I'm fine you don't look fine. Go home, kim. I'm fine, you shouldn't be worrying about me Live your life.

Speaker 4 11:16

Maybe Billy doesn't want to be found.

Speaker 2 11:20

Maybe, but I can't let it go. It's not who I am. I'll see you around, cam. I know what I have to do. I close my eyes. I know what I have to do. I close my eyes, I give in to sleep.

Speaker 1 11:50

And you've been listening to the loved one, episode 7 by oliver emmanuel, featuring sharon duncan brewster, frankie maxwell and kyla copeland, directed by lou kemp, sound design and music by danny crass, made in partnership with Tron Theatre Glasgow, supported by Creative Scotland.