1. Read: Hills like white elephants

2. Write a scene between 500 - 1000 words of all dialogue. You can't use any dialogue tags (he said, she replied) you can't use any action, no description and no internal  dialogue. And the characters can't, at any time in the scene, just come out and tell us what is happening.

@catrinaburgess

"Lysandra, please let me feed from her!"

"Ochi! I told you that I don’t want you to be adulterated by human blood, Andreas."

"Here, drink from me."

"But you promised."

"Andreas, please don’t act like a child."

"What are you going to do to her?"

"What an ignorant question! You know I want to rip her apart in front of her great, great grandfather. The same thing I do every year on Valentine’s day. I want him to feel the pain my mother felt when they killed her innocent soul."

"You said I could have the next one."

"Hush now, and drink. I don’t want you to be hungry when I consume her."

"Kalós orísate back in Greece. Stop your whimpering girl! Pós sas léne?"

"Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"Don’t you dare question me. Next time it won’t be a slap across the cheek, I’ll snap your neck. Now, answer me! What is your name?"

"M… m... my name is Katerina."

"Well, Katerina. I’m so glad you came back to Nafplio. What took you so long?"

"Maybe I should untie her, Lysandra. Maybe then she will talk."

"Let her be. Now, little girl, if I have to repeat myself one more time, I will make you pay."

"Go to hell!"

"Mmm ... spitting in my face just makes me more hungry for you. You taste good. I forgot what an Afroudakis taste like. I haven’t had one in quite a while. To be precise, I haven’t had one in two decades. If I’m not mistaken it was your mother. I ám going to enjoy myself."

"Lysandra, allow me to punish her. She will never disrespect you like that again."

"No, not now. Andreas, untie her. Let’s take her to the dungeon. I think her great, great grandfather will be glad to see her."

"You’re hurting me! You don’t have to drag me by my hair. I can walk! Put me down!"

"You might as well stop screaming. No one can hear you. The gardens of Palamidi Castle is empty of other humans."

"I… won’t… stop… till… my… last… breath… You beast! Stop trying to close my mouth or I will bite you again!"

"I must commend you Katerina, you’ve fighting spirit. It is clear that you are unaware of what awaits you."

"Laugh all you like you evil woman, because when I am free of his grip I’ll show you I am not afraid of you. You hide behind a man so I can’t get to you."

"Not afraid! You poor girl. You should be afraid. Very afraid. You make me laugh! You are no match against me!"

"Kaliméra su, Nikos. How are you this lovely morning? I brought you a visitor."

"Who’s that?"

"Oh Nikos, I think you’ll be happy to know that your long lost great, great granddaughter returned to Greece. Isn’t this a surprise?"

"What do you mean, my great, great granddaughter? I have no living relatives."

"But you do my friend. It’s Katerina. If I’m not mistaken, she’s the daughter of your great granddaughter, Elena."

"No, no! It can’t be."

"But it’s true. Tell him Katerina."

"But… but… you can’t be my great, great grandfather. How could you have survived more than a hundred years?"

"My dear. You are really ignorant. Allow me to enlighten you. I don’t think you know the tale of my mother Nikoletta and myself."

"Parakaló, Lysandra! Please, stop. There’s no use. Please, Lysandra, please let her go!"

"I’m sorry Nikos, I just can’t do that."

"Who is Nikoletta?"

"She’s my mother. And he killed her. And he tried to kill me. You see, Katerina, in 1862 there was a rebellion in Nafplio against the monarchy. And your great grandfather here was head of the royal army. A siege was ordered. Rebels were captured and jailed. My father was a rebel. They came into our home and dragged us out to the town square. He wanted to execute hundreds of people."

"That’s not true Lysandra, and you know it."

"Don’t you dare call me a liar, Nikos! You ordered the murder of my family! And that is why I kill one of yours every year. It just so happens that little Katerina here is a blood relative this time."

"Why, why are you doing this."

"You see, he said my mother was a witch. Which was a lie. He wanted her dead. This man couldn’t stand her. And all because she was not romantically interested in him. She loved my father."

"She loved me! She wanted to be with me!"

"You’re a liar, Nikos! When she decided to stay with my father in the siege, you had my entire family executed! And thát is the truth!"

"She loved me…"

"She loved my father. And you couldn’t stand her loving someone else! I would have died that day. If it wasn’t for Andreas, I would have died with the rest of my family. He saved me. He turned me. I am forever twenty four."

"Ochi! No, it’s not true! She loved mé…"

"She loved my father you monster. And I hate you for what you did! You’ll stay in that chains for evermore... and a day. Ya sas. I’ll see you with your next feeding Nikos."

"Andreas, you can set her body with the rest of them. A trophy that he can reminisce over."

Greek phrases

Ochi - No
Kalós orísate - Welcome
Pós sas léne? - What’s your name?
Kaliméra su - Good morning
Parakaló - Please
Ya sas - Goodbye