Short Synopsis: Umbra Gray (Title)
A noir actress named Umbra Gray has been murdered and is stuck in Limbo, a surreal labyrinth like city covered in shadow. In order to escape she must find out her murdered her by finding clues as she re-lives old memories and is guided by the mysterious Operator, who contacts her through telephone booths throughout the city. However, a giant clock tower looms over the city counting down the time Umbra has left to solve her murder or else she dissolves into a mere shadow of herself. As the time is ticking against her and lost souls try to drag her down will she ever find out how she died?
Characters
Umbra: A notorious actress from the 50's. In life, she lived fast and loose taking any opportunity she could. She started out as a good girl from a small town, but quickly found that doesn't get you very far and learned to get what she wanted, no matter the cost. In death, she searches Limbo for the clues that will lead her to find the cause of her own death.
Operator: A man, or at least the sound of a man's voice, that speaks to Umbra through phone booths and gives her information about how to escape Limbo and find her killer. His voice is deep and rasps through the telephone and yet he speaks slow and soft. He seems to know a lot about who Umbra is and how she lived.
Shadows: Throughout the city are lost souls that have been trapped in Limbo for eternity that try to drag Umbra down into the abyss of fog below the city. Some shadows speak to her and give her clues that may or may not be true.
Clock Tower: The clock tower is huge and constantly counting down the time Umbra has until she loses herself and become a shadow. A top the tower sits an enormous stone gargoyle that spits out.
Various other characters from Umbra's life, etc...
Basic Outline
1. Umbra wakes up in a theatre and everything seems off. The world is black and white and she is watching one of her own films and everyone around her is crying. When she tries to talk to other people they disappear. The film ends and a credit is shown that states 'In memory of Umbra Gray'. She realized that she is dead and runs out of the door of the theatre and sees Limbo.
2. Confused by the new landscape she walks the fire escapes and sky bridges the connect the buildings of Limbo and sees a shadow of a person whispers to themselves and tries to talk to them. But she realizes that it is only a shadow and when it notices she is there is chases her and tries to grab her. She climbs into a window to escape it and finds herself in an empty room with a telephone booth in the middle and it is ringing.
3. She answers the phone and a man who knows her name is on the other line. He calls himself the Operator. He says that the news in the real world is that she is missing and that she was last seen in a singing lounge with her agent. He says that she is suspected to be murdered and that her agent is under investigation. The Operator gives her a clue as to where she can find out more information in Limbo that he cannot get.
4. Now believing that the cause of her death is murder she follows the clues that the Operator gives. The story the follows her connecting clues and getting more info and clues from the Operator who seems to know a lot about her life.
5. All the clues she is finding seems to lead to her rival actress to be the one who murdered her. Her rival was also her lover.
However, the Operator reveals that her rival lover's body was found murdered, so it couldn't have been her.
6. In her last conversation with the Operator she finds out that the Operator is actually her psychic communicating to her from the living world, which explains why he is helping her and knows so much about her and the living world. However, he has hit a dead end and has no more leads. He can't help you anymore.
7. Time is starting to run out. Umbra becomes desperate and as her last seconds are ticking away she gives up and jumps from the top of a building into the abyss.
8. Once she does this she sees herself on the street. Dead in the living world. She discovers that she wasn't actually murdered but killed herself after accidentally murdering her lover in a fight.
Because she was able to come to this realization she escapes Limbo and moves onto the light.
SOLUTION: Throughout the story and the clues she finds the love affair with her rival actress is slowly revealed. Also Umbra's underlying regret for the actions she's had to take to get her to the top. These small hints of her depression and love for the other woman will give the reader good reason to believe that Umbra's actual cause of death in the end was suicide.
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