SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES 1 1 1 1 1 1 DOOR CREAKS FOOTSTEPS CREAKING NOISE (SHIVERS) QUIET, ROMANTIC MUSIC It's getting cold. That is one fine frame. One fine frame that is. How much... (GROANS) ...does a fine frame like that cost, do you think? I never told you, but you sound a little like Dr Seuss when you're drunk. but you sound a little like Dr Seuss when you're drunk. Anna, I'm serious. Serious I am. I'd say it cost at least a couple of hundred. I'm going to read it for you. Do I really sound like Dr Seuss? Do I really sound like Dr Seuss? READS: 'In recognition of his outstanding achievement 'in the field of child psychology, his dedication to his work 'and his continuing efforts to improve the quality of life...' (SLURPS) Will you concentrate? '...his continuing efforts to improve the quality of life 'of countless children and their families, the City of Philadelphia 'proudly bestows upon its son, Dr Malcolm Crowe...' That's you. '...the Mayor's citation for professional excellence. They called you their son. Wow. We should hang it in the bathroom. This is an important night for us. Finally, someone is recognising the sacrifices you've made ` that you have put everything second, including me... for those families that they're talking about. They're also saying that my husband has a gift. You have a gift that teaches children how to be strong in situations where most adults would piss on themselves. I believe what they wrote is real. Thank you. I would like some wine in a glass. I would not like it in a mug. I would not like it in a jug. BOTH LAUGH (GIGGLES) (GRUNTS) Malcolm. PHONE BEEPS QUIETLY (SCREAMS) TENSE MUSIC Anna, don't move. Don't make a sound. This is 47 Locust St. You've broken a window and entered a private residence. You've broken a window and entered a private residence. You don't know so many things. There are no needles or prescription drugs of any kind in this house. (GASPS) (SNIFFS) Do you know why you're afraid when you're alone? I do. I do. What do you want? What he promised me! I want what he promised. Oh my God. Do I know you? Don't you know me, hero? (SOBS) Don't you even remember your own patients? Downtown Clinic,... single-parent family,... (SNIFFLES) ...possible mood disorder. (CRIES) I was afraid. You told me I was having trouble coping with my parents' divorce. (WHIMPERS) You were wrong. You were wrong. Now look at me. (SOBS) I don't want to be afraid no more. Give me a minute to think. I waited 10 years for you. I'm not giving you nothing. Ben Freidken? Some people, they call me 'the freak'. Ronald Sumner. I am. I am a freak. Look at me. Vincent. Vincent Grey. (SOBS) I do remember you... Quiet, very smart,... compassionate... unusually compassionate. You forgot 'cursed'. You failed me. You failed me! Vincent, I'm sorry if I was... if I didn't help you. But if you just let me try. Just give me chance. GUNSHOT (SCREAMS) (GROANS) GUNSHOT Oh God. (MUMBLES) Don't talk. Shh. DOOR LATCH CLICKS QUIET, MYSTERIOUS MUSIC (WHISPERS IN LATIN) It's OK, Cole. My name is Dr Malcolm Crowe. We were supposed to meet today, but I missed our appointment. I'm sorry. You know, in the olden days, in Europe, people used to hide out in churches. They would claim sanctuary. What were they hiding from? Bad people, mostly. People that wanted to put them in jail,... hurt them. I noticed your eyeglasses ` they don't have any lenses in them. They're my dad's. The lenses hurt my eyes. What were you talking about with your soldiers when I came in? 'De...' De profundus clamo ad te domine. It's called Latin. All your soldiers speak Latin? All your soldiers speak Latin? No. Just one. Are you a good doctor? Well,... I used to be. I won an award once... from the mayor. It had an expensive frame. I'm going to see you again, right? I'm going to see you again, right? If that's OK with you. MELANCHOLY MUSIC It's me. FOOTSTEPS FOOTSTEPS HAUNTING MUSIC HELICOPTER WHIRRS TRAFFIC REPORT ON RADIO (TURNS RADIO DOWN) DOG YAPS Hey, good morning. Cole. Cole! Hey, your Coco Puffs are getting soggy. Let me see you. Oh, honey, you've got a spot. Head up. OK. Here we go. (GASPS) Something you were looking for, baby? Pop Tarts. They're right here. Oh. What are you thinking, Momma? Lots of things. Anything bad about me? Hey, look at my face. I was not thinking something bad about you. Got it? Got it. Head up. DOORBELL RINGS That's Tommy, Mom. OK. You tuck it in. Cole,... you want this? EERIE MUSIC Hey, freak, how'd you like that arm around the shoulder bit? I just made that up. I went with it as great actors do. It's called 'improv'. SCHOOL BELL RINGS, CHILDREN CHATTER 1 DOOR LATCH CLICKS OPEN Hey, baby. How was your day? You can tell me things if you need to. You know what I did today? I, uh... I won the Pennsylvania Lottery in the morning. I quit my jobs. And I ate a big picnic in the park with lots of chocolate mousse pie. And then I swam in the fountain all afternoon. What did you do? I was picked first for kick ball teams at recess. I hit a grand slam to win the game. Everybody lifted me up on their shoulders and carried me around cheering. In that case, I'm going to make you some triangle pancakes. You've got an hour. Hi. Want to sit? Don't feel like talking today? Want to play a game? It's a mind-reading game. Here's how it works. I read your mind. If what I say is right, you take one step towards the chair. If what I say is wrong, you take one step back towards the doorway. If you reach the chair, you sit down. If you reach the door, you can go. Want to play? OK. (MAKES A HIGH-PITCHED HUMMING NOISE) When your mother and father were first divorced, your mom went to see a doctor like me, and he didn't help her. So, you think I'm not going to be able to help you. You're worried that she said she told them things ` things she couldn't tell anyone else... secrets. You have a secret, but you don't want to tell me. HAUNTING MUSIC Your dad gave you that watch as a present before he went away. He forgot it in a drawer. It doesn't work. You keep pretty quiet in school, but you're a good student, and you've never really been in any serious trouble. We were supposed to draw a picture ` anything we wanted. I drew a man... that got hurt in the neck by another man with a screwdriver. You saw that on TV, Cole? Everyone got upset. They had a meeting. Mom started crying. I don't draw like that any more. How do you draw now? I draw... people smiling, dogs running,... rainbows. They don't have meetings about rainbows. No. I guess they don't. What am I thinking now? I don't know what you're thinking now. I was thinking... you're nice. But you can't help me. (SIGHS) I thought you meant the other Italian restaurant I asked you to marry me at. I'm so sorry, Anna. I just can't seem to keep track of time. And I didn't have a very good session today. (SIGHS) They're both so similar... same mannerisms, same expressions, same things hanging over their head. I think it might be some kind of abuse. Cole has... scratches on his arm. I think they might be fingernail cuts. Defensive cuts, maybe. I don't know. Maybe a teacher or a neighbour? I don't think it's the mother. I've seen her with him, and it doesn't seem to fit. Or I could just be wrong. Maybe he's just a kid who likes to climb trees a lot. (SIGHS) Anna. I know I've been a little distant. I know that it makes you mad. I just... feel like I've been given a second chance, and I don't want it to slip away. Anna. Happy anniversary. COLE: Stop looking at me. I don't like people looking at me like that. COLE: Stop looking at me. I don't like people looking at me like that. OK. I walk this way to school with Tommy Tammisimo. He your best buddy? He hates me. Do you hate him? No. Did your mom set that up? Yes. Do you ever talk to your mom about how things are with Tommy? I don't tell her things. Why not? Because she doesn't look at me like everybody else. I don't want her to. I don't want her to know. Know what? That I'm a freak. Hey. You are not a freak. OK? Don't you believe anybody that tries to convince you of that. That's bullshit! You don't have to go through your life believing that. OK? Come on. You said the 'S' word. Yeah. I know. Sorry. MUFFLED MUSIC PLAYS THROUGH WALKMAN MALCOLM: So your dad lives in Pittsburgh with a lady that works in a tollbooth. COLE: What if she has to pee when she's working? Think she just holds it? I don't know. I was just thinking about that myself. You asked a lot of questions about Dad today? How come? Well, sometimes we do things to draw attention, to express our feelings about certain issues ` you know, divorce, whatever. For example, a person might leave something on a desk for someone else to find. Do you know what free-association writing is, Cole? Do you know what free-association writing is, Cole? No. Free-association writing is when you take a pencil in your hand and you put the pencil to a piece of paper and you start writing. And you don't look at what you're writing or think about what you're writing, you just keep your hand moving. And after a while, if you keep your hand moving long enough, words and thoughts start coming out that you didn't even know you had in you. Could be something you heard somewhere else or feelings you had deep inside of you. OMINOUS MUSIC BUILDS Have you ever done any free-association writing, Cole? Yes. What did you write? Upset words. Did you ever write any upset words before your father left? I don't remember. Can you do something for me? I want you to think about what you want to get out of our time together. What our goals should be. Something I want? If you could change something in your life, anything at all, what would it be? Instead of something I want can it be something I don't want? OK. I don't want to be scared any more. KNOCK AT DOOR Are you going to get that? KNOCK AT DOOR Are you going to get that? FOOTSTEPS, DOOR OPENS ANNA: Hi. MAN: Hi. Don't you see enough of me at the store? I'm on my way to the Amish flea market. I thought maybe you could come along and show me how to buy at one of these things. I don't know if I can deal with the Amish today. I can't curse or spit around them. I figured maybe you wanted to get out and get some air, because you seemed kind of down lately. Um,... I'm OK. Do you think maybe I should stop by on the way back ` show you what I got? Cos that wouldn't be a problem. Cos that wouldn't be a problem. No, I... You know, maybe another day. Sure. Yeah, that's fine. I just... So I guess I'm going to get going, um...and I'll speak to you later. Don't step in the horse manure. Thank you. BOTH LAUGH, DOOR CLOSES Keep moving, cheese-dick. Can anybody guess what city was capital of the USA from 1790 to 1800? I'll give you a hint ` it's the city you live in. STUDENTS: Philadelphia. STUDENTS: Philadelphia. Right. Philadelphia's one of the oldest cities in this country. A lot of generations have lived here and died here. Almost any place you go in this city has a history and a story behind it. Even this school and the grounds it sits on. Can anyone guess what this building was used for a hundred years ago? Before you went to school here. Before I went to this school even. Yes. Cole. They used to hang people here. No, uh, that... that's not correct. Where did you hear that? Where did you hear that? They pulled the people in crying and kissing their families goodbye. People watching would... spit at them. Um,... Cole, this building was a legal courthouse. Laws were passed here ` some of the very first laws of this country. This whole building was full of lawyers, law-makers. They were the ones that hanged everybody. Uh,... I don't know which one of these guys told you that but, uh,... they were just trying to scare you. I don't like people looking at me like that. Like what? Stop it! I-I don't know how else to look. You're stuttering Stanley. Excuse me? You talked funny when you went to school here. And all the way to high school. What? Don't look at people. It makes them feel bad. How did you...? Stop looking at me. (Stutters) Who have y-you... b-been speaking t-to? Stuttering Stanley. Stuttering Stanley. Stuttering Stanley. S-Stop. Stuttering Stanley. S-S-St... Stop that. Stuttering Stanley. Stuttering Stanley! Stuttering Stanley! Stuttering Stanley. Shut up! You f-f-freak! SCHOOLYARD HUBBUB Hey, big guy. How's it going? I don't want to talk about anything right now. OK. SCHOOL CHILDREN SHRIEK AND LAUGH You like magic? Hmm? Observe. Magic penny. Looks like an ordinary penny. But I do my little magic shake and... ..now it's in my right hand. But that's not the end of the magic trick. I do another little shake and... ..right there in the vest pocket. But that's not the end of the magic trick. I do another little shake and... ..right back in the left hand where it started. That isn't magic. What are you talking about? Of course it's magic. You just kept the penny in that hand the whole time. You think so? I didn't know you were funny. DRUNK WOMAN: Malcolm, sit your cute butt down and listen up. No doubt about it, Anna is like my sister and you better make her happy. And I'm not talking about "Mmm, this tastes like real butter" kind of happy, I'm talking about... Who's that girl? ..Julie Andrews, mm-hm, twirling around like a mental patient on a mountain top kind of happy. Now, that's the kind of happy I'm talking about. Shh! Come here. Shh! Don't tell her I told you, but she said she knew she loved you from the first time she met you on the street. (Tearfully) She'd do anything for you. (Cries) I love you guys. My nose is running. Take it... SENTIMENTAL MUSIC SHOWER RUNS 1 LOUD ROCK MUSIC PLAYS Then you do the magic shake. The penny has moved from my pocket, all the way back to the hand it started in. That's stupid. It's supposed to be funny. It's stupid. I want my penny back. LYNN: He doesn't get invited places, so... WOMAN: It's our pleasure. Last time was a Chuck E Cheese party a year ago. He hid in one of those purple plastic tunnels and didn't come out. Chucky who? Cheese. It's a kids place. Excuse me. Sorry. MAN: Is someone out there? Open this door, please, God! I can't breathe. If you can hear me, open this door. I swear on my life I didn't take the master's horse. Open this door or I'll break through and grab you! The star of the commercial always gets his own trailer. For what? He needs a place to think about his character - alone. You only had one line. Darren, check it out. Oh, yeah. My dad made me invite him. Happy birthday, Darren. Is there something you want to see in there? No. We're going to put on a pretend play. Want to be in it? OK. It's called 'Locked in the Dungeon'. Yeah, Cole, and you get to be the one locked in the dungeon. (Cries) No, no! Don't. (Beats door) Don't. No! No! Don't! BANG! (Cole screams) ROCK MUSIC BLASTS (Cole bangs on door) (Muffled shout) Help! Help! Help! Help! Cole? (Screams and sobs) (Keeps screaming) Cole! Is there a key for this door? Cole? Honey? Honey, can you hear me? (Keeps screaming and sobbing) My God! Cole! Help me! Help! (Screams) HELP! SUDDEN SILENCE DOCTOR: The tests would indicate he did not have a seizure. He's doing fine. After some rest he can go home tonight. There's some cuts and bruises on your son. They're concerning me. Man. Yeah, those are from sports. You think I hurt my child? You think I'm a bad mother? Mrs Sloan over there - she's a social worker with the hospital. And she's going to ask you a couple of procedural questions. What happened to my child today? Something was happening to him - physically happening. Something was very wrong. MALCOLM: Hey. Did your father used to tell you bedtime stories? Once upon a time there was this young prince. And he decided that he wanted to go for a drive. And he got his driver and they started driving...driving, driving. Driving a lot and, uh... ..they drove so much that he fell asleep. And... ..then he woke up and he realised they were still driving. This was a very long trip. Dr Crowe. You haven't told bedtime stories before. Ah...not too many, no. You have to add some twists and stuff. OK. Some twists. Like what kind of twists? Give me an example. Maybe they run out of gas. They run out of gas. That's good. Because they're driving, right? OK. Tell me a story about why you're sad. You think I'm sad? What makes you think that? Your eyes told me. I'm not supposed to talk about stuff like that. Once upon a time there was this person named Malcolm. He worked with children. He loved it. He loved it more than anything else. And then one night he found out that he made a mistake with one of them. He couldn't help that one. And he can't stop thinking about it. He can't forget. Ever since then, things have been different. He's not the same person that he used to be. And his wife doesn't like the person that he's become. They barely speak any more. They're like strangers. And then one day Malcolm meets this wonderful little boy. Really cool little boy. Reminds him a lot of the other one. And Malcolm decides to try and help this new boy. Because he feels that if he can help this new boy... ..it would be like helping that other one too. How does the story end? I don't know. I want to tell you my secret now. OK. I see dead people. In your dreams? While you're awake? Dead people, like, in graves, in coffins? Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're dead. How often do you see them? All the time. They're everywhere. You won't tell anyone my secret, right? No. I promise. Will you stay here until I fall asleep? Of course. MALCOLM: Cole. His pathology is more severe than initially assessed. He's suffering from visual hallucinations, paranoia and some kind of school-age schizophrenia. Medication, hospitalisation may be required. (Turns off tape) And I'm not helping him. 1 Hi, this is Lynn Sear, Cole's mom. Yep, I...I'd like to talk to you about your boy and his friends keeping their goddamn hands off my son. SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CUTLERY CLATTERS Momma? No, dinner is not ready. What are you going to do? You can't hurt me any more. (Shouts) Lenny, you're a terrible husband. Lenny, look what you made me do. Lenny! (Sobs and gasps) (Pants) OK, OK, OK. TOMMY: Once there was a boy, very different from all the other boys. He lived in the jungle. And he could speak to the animals. PIANO PLAYS A HAPPY TUNE VIDEO CAMERAS CLICK AND WHIRR APPLAUSE COLE: Did you think the play sucked big-time? (Laughs) What? Tommy Tammisimo acted in a cough-syrup commercial. He said everyone was self-conscious and unrealistic. He said the play sucked big-time. This Tommy kid sounds like a real punk. I thought the play was excellent. Better than 'Cats'. 'Cats'? Never mind. Cole, I was really interested in what you told me at the hospital. I'd like to hear more about it. SOFT, EERIE MUSIC Cole? What? Is something up there? Cole? I don't see anything. (Whispers) Be real still. Sometimes you feel it inside. Like you're falling down real fast. But you're really just standing still. Did you ever feel the prickly things on the back of your neck? Yes. And the tiny hairs on your arm - you know, when they stand up? Yes. That's them. When they get mad... ..it gets cold. I don't see anything. Are you sure they're there? Cole? Please make them leave. I'm working on it. Come on. (Shouts) Ah! Mommy, Daddy... (Coughs loudly) ..my throat hurts. Come on! Come on! VOICE-OVER: Pedia Ease cough suppressant. Gentle. Fast. Effi... Cole. I don't care what they say, this thing is broken. Take 'em off. I don't want them on my table. I saw what was in your bureau drawer when I was cleaning. Got something you want to confess? Hmm? The bumblebee pendant. Why do you keep taking it? It was Grandma's, you know? What if it broke? You know how sad I'd be. You'd cry 'cause you miss Grandma so much. That's right. Sometimes...people think they lose things... ..and they really didn't lose them. It just gets moved. So did you move the bumblebee pendant? Don't get mad. So who moved it this time? Maybe someone came into our house, took the bumblebee pendant out of my closet and placed it nicely in your drawer. (Meekly) Maybe. (Sighs) I'm so tired, Cole. I'm tired in my body, I'm tired in my mind, I'm...tired in my heart. I need some help. I don't know if you've noticed, but our little family isn't doing so good. I mean, I've been praying. I must not be praying right. Looks like we're going to have to answer each other's prayers. If we can't talk to each other, we're not going to make it. Now tell me, baby. I won't get mad, honey. Did you take the bumblebee pendant? No. You've had enough roast beef. You need to leave the table. GO! (Dog whimpers) OMINOUS MUSIC (Gasps) Hey, come on. I'll show you where my dad keeps his gun. Come on. (Dog whines) (Tearfully) Sebastian, come on. Momma? (Continues whining) If you're not very mad... can I sleep in your bed tonight? Look at my face. I'm not very mad. (Cries) Baby, why are you...shaking? Cole, what's wrong? Oh God. (Softly) Please tell me! Please. It's Edwardian... ..beautifully worked with mine-cut diamonds and an actual-colour Burmese sapphire. It's...timeless. Oh. You, ah...got anything a little plainer? Plainer? You want a plain ring to go with your plain fiancee. Is that how it is? No, baby, don't get in a tizzy. Ah... ..you're so beautiful. You're like a Burmese sapphire all by yourself. You don't need all that. Uh-huh. Why don't you try it on and see how you both feel about it? There. How does that feel? I think this piece... communicates a longing. I imagine that the woman who owned it loved a man that she couldn't be with. Did he have wavy hair and chestnut eyes? What? Um...I don't know. But a lot of the pieces in this store communicate and I think you should choose a piece that speaks to you. I think that maybe when people own things and then they pass away, a part of themselves gets printed on those things. Like... ..like fingerprints. I'll just wrap it up. You don't need a guy with a Masters, you need a wrestler with a neck larger than his head. No, I need a wrestler with a Masters. What's this? Happy birthday. From you? Mm-hm. It's a... ..first edition. Wow. This is too much. No. I took it out of your Christmas bonus. This is perfect, Anna. Thanks. COLE: What do you want more than anything? MALCOLM: I don't know. I told you what I want. LOUD SMASH MALCOLM: I know what I want. I want to be able to talk to my wife again. The way we used to talk to each other. Like there was no one else in the world except us. How are you going to do that? I can't be your doctor any more. I haven't paid enough attention to my family. Bad things happen when you do that. Do you understand? I'm going to transfer you. I know two psychologists... Don't fail me. You're the only one who can help me. I know it. I can't help you. (Gasps) Someone else can help you. You believe me, right? Dr Crowe, you believe my secret, right? I don't know how to answer that, Cole. How can you help me... ..if you don't believe me? Some magic's real. 1 VINCENT GREY: Do you know why you're afraid when you're alone? I do. I do. CASSETTE PLAYER BUTTON CLICKS MALCOLM: I'm sorry about that, Vincent. I hope I didn't leave you alone too long. (Shivers) It's cold in here. Vincent...why are you crying? SNIFFLING YOUNG VINCENT: You won't believe. PLAY BUTTON CLICKS I'm sorry about that, Vincent. I hope I didn't leave you alone too long. (Shivers) It's cold in here. Vincent... TAPE REWINDS (Shivers) It's cold in here. PLAY BUTTON CLICKS You know what? I never liked them either. When I was a kid, I had this blood test done and I threw up chilli cheese fries all over this male nurse. (Malcolm and Vincent laugh) WOMAN: Excuse me. Dr Reed's on line two. Vincent, please excuse me. Just give me a minute, OK? VINCENT: OK. FOOTSTEPS, DOOR SHUTS TAPE HISSES SOFTLY TAPE KEEPS HISSING TAPE HISSES LOUDLY TAPE KEEPS HISSING FAINT WHISPERING TAPE HISSES LOUDLY (Man mutters softly in Spanish) (Man keeps muttering and sobbing) (Louder) Yo no quiero morir. Yo no quiero morir, senor. Salvame. (Sobs) Salvame, senor. Yo no quiero morir. Oh my God. Yo no quiero morir! COLE: You been running around? Make you feel better? I like to run around. It's good exercise. Do you want to ask me questions now? Wanna be a lance corporal in Company 'M', 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines? We're being dispatched to the Quang Nam province. Maybe later. Something happened, didn't it? Are you wigging out? Yes. I think I am. You know what "yo no quiero morir" means? It's Spanish. It means "I don't want to die". What do you think these ghosts want when they talk to you? I want you to think about it, Cole. I want you to think about it really carefully. What do you think they want? Just help. That's right. That's what I think too. They just want help. Even the scary ones. I think I might know how to make them go away. How? Listen to them. What if they don't want help? What if they're just angry and they just want to hurt somebody? I don't think that's the way it works. How do you know for sure? I don't. Hey. Hey! HEY! ANXIOUS BREATHING TENSE MUSIC WOMAN: What's happening? (Pleadingly) Cole. (Sobs) (Gasps) What's happening? Is someone hurting you? I'll kick their ass. Cole, if they're hurting you... (Sighs) Momma, you sleep now. QUIETLY MENACING MUSIC (Breathing quickens) SNAP SCARY MUSIC MUSIC SUBSIDES (Gasps for breath) (Vomits and spits) I'm feeling much better now. D-Do you want to tell me something? (Gasps) She came a long way to visit me, didn't she? I guess she did. SAD MUSIC Can you get some water? That's her sister. SUBDUED CONVERSATION WOMAN: You know I went through this with my father's cancer. I just can't imagine a child being in bed for two years. WOMAN: How many doctors? I think it was six. Six different doctors?! I think so. Yes. MAN: I just heard the little one's falling ill now. MAN: God help them. Don't go home, OK? I definitely won't. BELLS JINGLE SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC AH! Mister. Excuse me, mister. Are you Kyra's daddy? It's for you. She wanted to tell you something. GIRL PUPPET: Oh no! Here he comes! He's coming my way. BOY PUPPET: Would you like to dance? Um, well, actually, I just came with my friends. Oh, well, how about this? We can dance for a little bit and if you don't like the way I dance, you can kick me. Oh. OK, then. WOMAN: It's time for lunch, Kyra. KYRA: I'm feeling much better now. That's great, honey. It's time for your food. Can I go outside and eat this? Oh, no. You know how you get sick in the afternoons. Don't say that it tastes funny. You know I don't like hearing that. Tammy's mom called... STATIC You were keeping her sick. You liked it, she said. She looked out for you. Is Kyra coming back? Not any more. WOMAN: I think that's enough. That's enough make-up. COLE: OK. (Knocks on door) They're calling for the stable boy. Oh, we have to hurry. Who, ah...who were you talking to? Just practising my lines. Thanks for giving me this part, Mr Cunningham. When I went to school here, there was a terrible fire in this section of the theatre. They rebuilt the whole thing. Yeah, I know. Only he who is pure of heart can take the sword from the stone. Let the boy try. SPARSE CLAPPING But he's a stableboy who cleans up after the horses. Silence, village idiot. Let the boy step forward. (All gasp) ALL: Hail, King Arthur! AUDIENCE APPLAUDS (All cheer) Yay! Hooray! AUDIENCE LAUGHS MALCOLM: You were really great in the play, Cole. Really? Yeah. You know what else? What? I thought Tommy Tammisimo sucked big-time. I got an idea how you can talk to your wife. Wait till she's asleep, then she'll listen to you and she won't even know it. I'm not going to see you any more, am I? I think we've said everything we needed to say. Maybe it's time to say thanks to someone closer to you. Maybe we can pretend like we're going to see each other tomorrow. Just for pretend. OK. I'm going to go now. I'll see you tomorrow, Cole. SIREN WAILS, VOICES OVER POLICE RADIO I'm OK, officer. I'm OK. LYNN: Hmm... Jeez, I hope nobody got hurt. You're very quiet. You're mad I missed the play, aren't you? I have two jobs, baby. You know how important they are for us. (Sighs) I'd give anything to have been there. I'm ready to communicate with you now. Communicate? Tell you my secrets. What is it? You know the accident up there? Yeah. Someone got hurt. They did? A lady. She died. Oh my God. What, you can see her? Yes. Where is she? Standing next to my window. Cole, you're scaring me. They scare me too sometimes. 'They'? Ghosts. You see ghosts, Cole? They want me to do things for them. They...they talk to you? They tell you to do things? They're the ones that used to hurt me. What are you thinking, Momma? You think I'm a freak? Look at my face. I would never think that about you. Ever. Got it? Got it. Just let me think for a minute. Grandma says hi. She says she's sorry for taking the bumblebee pendant. She just likes it a lot. What? Grandma comes to visit me sometimes. Cole...that's very wrong. Grandma's gone. You know that. I know. She wanted me to tell you... Cole, please. ..she saw you dance. She said... ..when you were little, you and her had a fight... ..right before your dance recital. You thought she didn't come to see you dance. She did. She hid in the back so you wouldn't see. She said you were like an angel. She said...you came to the place where they buried her... ..asked her a question. She said the answer is... ..every day. What did you ask? Do... ..do I make her...proud? Momma. 1 FAINT LAUGHTER AND CONVERSATION MAN ON VIDEO: Hi, everybody. As most of you know, I'm not used to doing this. And I promised Anna that I'd try not to embarrass her. I'll leave that to her mother. (Guests laugh) But we do want to thank all of you for coming and sharing this wonderful day with us. It's bittersweet for me because I hate giving her up... Anna? I miss you. I miss you too. Why, Malcolm? What? What is it? What... Why did you leave me? I didn't leave you. METAL OBJECT DROPS COLE: I see people. They don't know they're dead. MALCOLM: How often do you see them? All the time. They're everywhere. They only see what they want to see. MALCOLM: OK, Mike. Come on. Give me a minute. INTENSE MUSIC GUNSHOT (Anna screams) Oh God. Oh God. (Gasps and groans) Let me see. Let me see. Take your hand off. Oh God. OK... (Gasps) I think I'm OK, really. I think it just went... went in and out. It doesn't even hurt any more. I think I can go now. I just needed to do a couple of things. I needed to help someone. I think I did. And I needed to tell you something. You were never second. Ever. I love you. You sleep now. Everything will be different in the morning. Goodnight, Malcolm. Goodnight, sweetheart. POIGNANT MUSIC Supertext Captions Copyright 2000 Australian Caption Centre www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Able 2014