A Monster Calls Page #17

---

FLASH:
Conor beating Harry, the Monster echoing his

actions behind him.

DIRECTRESS:

The Monster.

(leaning forward)

Conor, an entire dining hall saw

you hitting him. Saw you beating

him very badly.

(beat)

Heard you yelling about not being

invisible.

Conor winces again and looks down at his fists.

197.

123C Int. scHOOL CAFETERIA - DAY 123C

FLASH:
Conor yelling “I am NOT invisible! I’m NOT!” as

he hits Harry.

DIRECTRESS:

I understand how angry you must be.

I mean, I haven’t even been able to

track down a parent or guardian for

you.

ConOR

My dad’s gone back to America. My

Grandma turns her phone on silent

so it won’t wake up my Mum.

Miss Kwan sits back. It’s an impossible situation.

DIRECTRESS:

If you want to be seen, Conor, this

is not the way. School rules

dictate immediate exclusion.

Conor shuts his eyes in anticipation. Here it comes. We sense

that, in fact, he wants it.

DIRECTRESS (CONT’D)

But how could I do that-

Conor opens his eyes, surprised.

DIRECTRESS (CONT’D)

-and call myself any kind of

teacher?

He looks up at her in disbelief and crushing disappointment.

DIRECTRESS (CONT’D)

Go back to class. We will talk

about this one day, Conor. But not

today.

ConOR

You’re not punishing me?

She mirrors the words his father spoke earlier.

DIRECTRESS:

What could possibly be the point?

198.

124 InT. school corridor/ DOWNSTAIRS - momentS LATER 124

Conor, shellshocked, walks back to class. He passes aSTUDENT, who gives him an elaborately wide berth.

199.

125 InT. Physical Social and Education CLASS - momENTS LATER 125

Mr Clark is in mid-flow about EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING but

everyone, including him, stops when Conor opens the door.

Conor pauses for a moment, then walks through the silence,

all eyes on him, past Harry’s empty desk and back to his own,

next to LILY. He sits, defeated, as Mr Clark faintly

continues his lesson.

A small scraping sound. Conor looks down.

CONOR’S POV - Lily’s finger tentatively pushes a NOTE onto

his desk.

Conor looks at her. She’s face-forward to Mr Clark, but wants

him to take the note. He takes it. He looks at her again. She

turns to look him in the eyes.

But before he can open it, the classroom door opens again. A

SECRETARY enters with a note. Conor and Lily watch as she

crosses to Mr Clark and they read it together.

They both look up, right at Conor.

200.

126 InT. hosPITAL CORRIDOR FIRST FLOOR - day 126

Conor’s Grandma leads him to his Mum’s hospital room. He

makes to enter, but stops when she doesn’t follow him in.

ConOR

Aren’t you coming?

Grandma struggles with herself, knowing what awaits him. She

finally just puts her hands on his shoulders and squeezes

them brusquely. Her version of a hug.

GraNDMA

I’ll be... I’ll be around. Okay?

She nods, still struggling with herself. Then abruptly walks

away. Conor watches her go. Then opens the door.

201.

127 InT. hoSPITAL ROOM - DAY - conTINUOUS 127

Mum’s bed is in the sitting position. She looks very bad,

breathing tube in her nose, but she smiles when she sees him.

She holds up a long, straight-haired, yet purple wig.

MuM

(voice thin)

I suppose even drag queens get old.

But Conor doesn’t laugh. He realises fully what’s about to

happen.

Mum pats the mattress like before. But Conor pointedly sits

in the chair by her bed instead. She nods that this is okay,

too. He stares at the floor.

Mum (CONT’D)

What did you do to your hands?

ConOR

(surprisingly angry)

This is the talk, isn’t it?

Everybody always wants to have a

talk lately.

Mum readies herself, smiles again.

MUM:

I wanted to see you. And you know

how the morphine sends me off to

Cloud Cuckoo Land sometimes-

ConOR

Why did Grandma get me out of

school?

Mum

Look at me, son.

He refuses at first, but finally does, arms crossed tight

against himself. Here it is. There’s no going back.

Mum (CONT’D)

I spoke to the doctor this morning.

The new treatment isn’t working,

sweetheart.

ConOR

The one from the yew tree?

MUM:

Yes.

ConOR

How can it not be working?

Beat, as Mum swallows, tries to smile for him.

202.

MuM

Things have just moved really fast.

Faster than they thought.

CONOR:

(as if to himself)

But how can it not be working?

MUM:

I know. I had big hopes for our own

personal yew tree.

ConOR

But it didn’t help.

Mum shakes her head slightly.

ConOR (CONT’D)

So what happens now? What’s the

next treatment?

Mum doesn’t answer. Which is an answer in itself. Conor looks

back at the floor and says the final thing out loud.

ConOR (CONT’D)

There aren’t any more treatments.

MuM

(quietly crying now)

I’m sorry, son. I’ve never been

more sorry about anything in my

life.

ConoR

You said it would work. You

believed it would work.

MuM

I know.

ConOR

You lied. You’ve been lying this

whole time.

MUM:

I think, maybe, deep in your heart,

you’ve always known, though.

Haven’t you?

She reaches for him, but he won’t take her hand.

Mum (CONT’D)

It’s okay that you’re angry,

sweetheart. It really, really is.

(rueful laugh)

I’m pretty angry, too, to tell you

the truth. But Conor? Are you

listening, Conor?

203.

Conor, still looking away, eventually nods.

MUM (CONT’D)

One day, if you look back and you

feel bad for being so angry that

you couldn’t even speak to me, then

you have to know that it was okay.

That I knew. I know everything you

need to tell me without you having

to say it out loud.

Conor still can’t look at her. She starts crying harder, but

pushes through it.

MUM (CONT’D)

And honestly, son, you be as angry

as you need to be. Don’t let anyone

tell you otherwise. Not your

father, not your grandma, no one.

And if you need to break things,

then by God, you break them good

and hard. And I’ll be right there.

You might not see me, but I’ll be

right there, breaking ‘em right

along with you.

Conor can hardly bear it.

MUM (CONT’D)

I need to know that you heard me,

sweetheart. I need to know, okay?

Okay?

Without looking at her, Conor finally nods his agreement. The

final acknowledgement that she’s going to die.

Mum breathes out in exhausted relief.

Mum (CONT’D)

I’m so sorry. I’m going to have to

take some more painkillers.

Obviously in pain, she presses the morphine button. She

reaches for Conor again. After a beat he finally takes her

hand.

MuM (CONT’D)

(quietly weeping)

I wish I had a hundred years. A

hundred years I could give to you.

Conor holds his mother’s hand and looks at the floor, as she

drifts to drug-induced sleep. There’s nothing more to say.

204.

128 InT. hoSPITAL ROOM - later 128

Conor’s Mum is asleep. The light outside has grown dimmer.

Conor sits, alone, in the chair, hunched down low. Grandma

enters, a worried look on her face. How did it go?

Conor looks up at her, his eyes red, with grief, with rage.

ConoR

I want to go home.

GrANDMA

Conor-

ConOR

My home. The one with the yew tree.

Rate this script:3.3 / 10 votes