Both of these will be made into films during the upcoming First Cut Summer Week.
They appear below in their entirety:
Cat Prince by Ellie Menton
It is a short story about a girl named Kyoko who has recently moved to Ireland from Japan. She is stuck in a world of fantasy – her new classmates find her strange and shun her. She gets extremely lonely and upset.
One day, while she is walking to school, she runs into a boy named Prince. He is the first person her age to treat her kindly. He takes a small piece of paper from his pocket and hands it to her – it has a picture of a cat on it. He tells her it will bring her good luck. She thanks him and goes to school, where she is approached by a girl who seems to like fantasy just as much as Kyoko. They become fast friends, and Kyoko is a lot happier.
The truth is that Prince was possessed by the spirit of the Cat from the Zodiac folktale. He travels from town to town, helping sad, lonely people because they share the same emptiness in their hearts. The piece of paper with the Cat on is his way of granting a wish, as even though he suffers most, he wants to help others. Nobody usually thanks Prince for his kind deed, as they are too absorbed in their newfound good fortune.
Kyoko, however, gets up extra early the next day, with a gift she plans to give Prince to thank him. She spends the morning running around town, and eventually finds him while he is about to leave. He is so surprised and happy by this gesture he cries. Every time he did a good deed, the miserable feeling felt by the person before were transferred to him. When Kyoko thanks him, the Cat inside him is released, and enormous pressure is lifted from Prince. He hugs her, and then, accepting her gift graciously, sets off to return to his family, which he hasn’t seen in years. Kyoko goes to school and is happy with her new friend.
Untitled Zombie Sketch by Cian Johnston
HALLWAY. DUSK
Cian is standing outside the bathroom adjusting his shirt for
going out. He stops to adjust his hair in the mirror.
CIAN
C’mon! We’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up!
BEN
Hey! If we’re going out I need to look good!
CIAN
What are you even doing?
BEN
I’m shaving!
CIAN
So are you taking so long because you’re growing a beard to shave
off?
BEN
Ha Ha
Cian leans against the wall and sighs heavily. Michael walks down
to him in the hallway.
MICHAEL
Hey, I’m heading out, My stuff for hunting tomorrow is in my room
okay so -Look at me- So don’t touch any of it because you will blow your foot
off.
CIAN
Okay I get it, Have a good night, man.
Michael walks down the stairs
MICHAEL
You too!
Ben comes out of the bathroom.
BEN
Alright let’s go.
They head off down stairs.
INT. BEDROOM. DAY
Open with a close up of Cian’s eyes as the single stream of
sunlight falls on his face. He sits up grunting in discomfort. He walks into
Ben’s room and kick him.
CIAN
Get up.
BEN
Jesus did a freight train hit me at any point last night?
Cut to Cian making breakfast, in rapid insert shots (putting bread
in toaster, boiling the kettle, the toast popping, the kettle coming to boil,
spreading the toast, pouring the water) and him and Ben sitting on the couch.
Ben flicks on the T.V and they sit watching it. The Doorbell rings.
BEN
Can you get that I’m in the shower.
CIAN
Whatever.
Cian leaves the room. He goes out to the front door and opens it
but there is nobody there except for two bloody hand prints on the door. Ben’s
phone starts ringing and as he answers it, he stands up and looks away from the
TV while a news report about the zombie outbreak plays in the background
unnoticed by him. Cian walks back into the room and sits down.
CIAN
Who was that?
BEN
That was SAM.
CIAN
What did he say?
BEN
He was just yelling down the phone,
something like "Oh god they’re eating me oh sweet merciful
Jesus help" Or something I couldn’t hear him too well.
Cian shrugs this off and sits back down on the couch with Ben.
BEN
It’s quiet today
CIAN
Yea...
Michael, now a zombie, walks into the room. He slowly walks in
front of a TV. Cian and Ben lean their heads around to watch past him.
BEN
Hey Michael, you’re not a pane of glass you know.
Michael grunts in response. Cian and Ben stand up and eye him
suspiciously.
CIAN
Mike...You okay?
They go to touch him and he snaps, trying to bite them.
CIAN
BEN GET HIM OFF!
Cian shoves him towards Ben, Michael then tries to bite Ben.
BEN
Get him off ME!
They shove Michael off, He hits the wall with great force. They
run out of the room and lock the door. Michael continues to bang on the door to
trying to eat them.
CIAN
We have to deal with that.
Ben has taken his cereal with him and is eating it while leaning
against the door. Cian Glares at him.
BEN
What?
INT. HALLWAY/KITCHEN. DAY
Cian and Ben are barricading the door and pacing the room in
panic. Cian is moving furniture in front of the door and Ben simply places his
bowl on top of it. Cian is watching the report about the zombie outbreak on TV
in the kitchen
CIAN
Oh god, we are totally fucked
BEN
There has to be something we can do
NEWS REPORTER
It seems the only way to defeat these cannibalistic attackers is
to destroy the brain or separate it from the body.
BEN
Well, that was convenient.
CIAN
Well now we just need something to
destroy the brain with.
Ben pulls an x box out of nowhere
CIAN
You do and I will feed you to him.
BEN
Then what?
CIAN
MICHAEL!
BEN
What about him?
CIAN
HIS GUNS! HE HAS GUNS UPSTAIRS COME
ONE!
INT. BEDROOM. DAY
Cian and Ben barge into Micheal’s room and start looking for the
guns.
BEN
Where the **** does he keep them?
CIAN
I don’t know just keep
looking!...Ben!
Cut to a shot of the wardrobe filled with various kinds of
weapons.
CIAN
Jackpot!
BEN
Let’s do this!
Cut to Cian and Ben gearing up with guns. They stand facing the
camera as the cock their guns. Ben drops his and shoots Cian in the foot.
CIAN
****!
BEN
Sorry!
INT. LIVING ROOM. DAY.
They step into the living room as the zombie staggers around the
living room. Ben raises his gun to shoot
CIAN
WAIT!
BEN
What?!
CIAN
Maybe we should try and reason with it first.
Ben glares at him.
CIAN
Right stupid plan.
Ben aims his gun, shoots and misses. Cian looks at him.
BEN
WHAT! I’VE NEVER FIRED A GUN
BEFORE!
Cian and Ben continue to argue while the zombie walks closer. The
zombie staggers closer and closer to them in the background, getting closer. It
eventually touches Ben on the shoulder. Ben turns around it fright and kills
it. Cian and Ben look at each other
CIAN
Well that’s that done.
BEN
Yup, let’s finish breakfast.
CIAN
I’m glad that problem is over.
MEANWHILE IN
CORK CITY
Cut to shot
of hundreds of zombies walking the street.
