The Awning

In "The Awning", troubled commuters take shelter from a sudden downpour on a Chinatown Street corner, only to be tormented by the elderly man in their midst selling unique umbrellas and dispensing cryptic wisdom.

Samantha Simms, a fashion assistant, has always had a bad sense of direction. Arriving by subway in Chinatown, she quickly gets lost on her way to a make-or-break appointment. This is a Chinatown under siege from outsiders, gentrification, and a troubling spate of hate crimes that have the locals on edge.

When a sudden rainstorm that wasn't on any weather report threatens to drench her and ruin her portfolio, Samantha has no choice but to flee, taking shelter beneath an awning on the corner, outside an herbal medicine shop.

Joining her are Damon, an earnest single father on his way to an important job interview, Ezra, a troubled artist on his way to meet a gallery owner, Moe, a construction worker going through a messy divorce, Javier and Beth, a young couple on their way to City Hall for their wedding, and Cory, a local deliveryman.

Rushing to avoid the deluge at the last minute is Lundquist, a sleazy lawyer on his way to close a major international business deal. Lundquist rants about his bad luck and rubs the group the wrong way with his arrogant and biased attitude.

The rain gets heavier, a near monsoon, and shows no signs of letting up, increasing the group's desperation as they try to scheme a way out. But they're not alone within the shadows of the awning.

In the doorway of the herb shop, they notice a silhouette looming, that of Zheng, an elderly umbrella salesman, with a cryptic all-knowing smile. But far from a cart full of cheap black umbrellas, he showcases an assortment of unique, fancy ones, fit for royalty and all with distinct Chinese characters.

When Lundquist buys one and tries to leave, he is hit by a car. Officer Alice Wong arrives to question the group about the hit and run and about a recent hate crime attack. As notes are compared, they realize that Lundquist has some eerie connections to each of them, and each has a dark secret tied to Chinatown in some way and is struggling to conceal it.

Zheng ominously tells them they must each chose an umbrella if they wish to escape the awning, and safely make their way through the storm.

But when each person selects an umbrella, and attempt to leave, they encounter a seemingly freak occurrence injuring them horribly. As the storm worsens, and minutes tick by, more secrets come out that puts them in even greater danger.

Samantha must connect the dots and come to terms with her own past to figure out what Zheng ultimately has in store for them all as she teams with Damon to try and escape.

She must embrace her destiny as the group's savior to thwart a deadly enemy in their midst, and to stop a plot that threatens Chinatown itself.

Copyright 2022 by Brefni O'Rourke. All Rights Reserved.