A Monster Calls Page #8

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MonSTER

The story is not yet finished.

Conor turns to the Monster, confused.

CoNOR

But you said the Queen was never

seen again.

MONSTER:

Indeed.

The Monster puts the leaves back over Conor’s eyes. We rush

back into...

95.

53 EXT. First TALE HILLTOP - DAY - conTINUOUS 53

...the Castle burns in the background as the Monster, still

holding the Queen, walks away from it.

MonSTER (v.O.)

I carried her far enough away so

that her people would never find

her-

The Queen looks quite safe in the Monster’s hands.

MoNSTER (v.O.) (cont’d)

To a village by the sea, where she

began a new life.

96.

54 ExT. conor’S BaCK GARDEN - nighT - conTINUOUS 54

Conor is outraged, pushes the leaves away again.

Conor

But she killed the Farmer’s

Daughter! How can you save a

murderer?

He tries to step back from the Monster in dawning fright.

ConOR (CONT’D)

You really are a monster.

MONSTER:

I never said she killed the

farmer’s daughter. I only said that

the Prince said it was so.

The Monster twists some branches into a frame. Conor watches

it like a television. We move through the frame into:

97.

55 ExT. first TALE HILLTOP - nigHT - conTINUOUS 55

The Prince and the Farmer’s Daughter, sleeping, as before.

MonSTER (V.O.)

The Prince never fell asleep that

night.

The Prince rises and looks down at the Farmer’s Daughter. He

goes to his tied-up horse and retrieves something, setting

the horse free in the process.

MoNSTER

But waiting for the Farmer Daughter

to be lost in her dreams and then

began his real plan.

CLOSE ON:
A KNIFE glinting in the Prince’s hand as he

approaches the sleeping Farmer’s Daughter.

Conor (V.O.)

NO!

We rush back from the hilltop to...

98.

56 ExT. conor’s back GARDEN - nighT - conTINUOUS 56

Conor watches in shock as the scene fades on the hilltop, the

Monster lowering his hands.

Conor

You said he was surprised when he

woke up!

MonstER

He was merely acting out a

pantomime should anyone be

watching.

CONOR:

But... but you said he asked you

for help and you gave it!

MoNSTER

I only said he told me enough to

make me come walking. I never said

I came to help him.

CONOR:

What did he say then?

MONSTER:

He said it was for the good of the

kingdom. That the queen was, in

fact, a witch, too powerful to

topple on his own, so he killed the

Farmer’s Daughter to get the fury

of the people behind him. Just as

the King’s sons had died in battle,

the Farmer’s Daughter had given her

life to a greater good.

ConOR

That’s a load of crap!

MoNSTER

The justifications of men who kill

should always be heard with

scepticism.

ConOR

Did he ever get caught?

MONSTER:

He became a much beloved king who

ruled happily until the end of his

long days.

Conor unhappily considers all this.

99.

CONOR:

So the good prince was a murderer

and the evil queen wasn’t a witch

after all?

The Monster begins to rumble, louder and louder, until we

realise it’s laughing, a laugh that shakes the earth,

spooking owls from their perches, causing leaves to fall.

MonSTER

(calming some)

No, the Queen most certainly was a

witch and could well have been on

her way to great evil. Who can say?

ConOR

Why’d you save her then?

MonSTER

Because what she was not, was a

murderer. She hadn’t poisoned the

king. He had merely grown old.

ConOR

I don’t get it. Who’s the good guy

here?

MONSTER:

There is not always a good guy. Nor

is there always a bad one. Most

people are somewhere inbetween.

CoNOR

That’s a terrible story. And a

cheat.

MONSTER:

It’s a true story. Many things that

are true feel like a cheat.

Kingdoms get the princes they

deserve, farmer’s daughters die for

no reason, and sometimes witches

merit saving. Quite often,

actually. You’d be surprised.

Conor glances unhappily up to his bedroom window again.

CONOR:

So how is that supposed to save me

from her?

MONSTER (o.S.)

It is not her you need saving from.

Conor turns back to the Monster, but he’s gone. On the

hilltop, the yew tree is back in place, as if nothing had

happened. Which is annoying.

100.

57 ExT. pavement CONVERSATION WITH LILY - the neXT DAY 57

Conor walks to school, rucksack on his back, stopping to look

at the PENCIL CASE again. He starts walking as Lily catches

up to him. She doesn’t say anything at first, just waits for

his response. Gets none.

LILY:

I forgive you.

Conor says nothing, just walks on.

LiLY (CONT’D)

I forgive you for getting me in

trouble, okay?

Conor

You got yourself in trouble.

LilY

(ignoring this)

And I forgive you for all the

things you said, too.

Conor remains silent. Lily is defiant, but hopeful.

LiLY (CONT’D)

Aren’t you going to say you’re

sorry back?

Conor stops, and his anger backs Lily into a nearby wall.

ConoR

I’m not sorry, and I don’t forgive

you.

LILY:

My mum said we need to make

allowances for you, but I just

think you’re acting like a jerk-

CONOR:

I was doing just fine before you

screwed everything up.

LILY:

(baffled)

Me?!

CONOR:

No one knew, Lily. No one. And then

your mum tells you and then guess

what? Suddenly everybody knows-

LILY:

About your mum-?

101.

CONOR:

(over)

-and now they all treat me like I’m

the sick one or that I’m not really

there or...

He stops, choked up, angry about it. He takes off again,

leaving Lily behind.

102.

58 InT. Physical Social and Education CLASS - day - later 58

Mr. Clark is patrolling the classroom. Total silence, all

pupils concentrated on their papers.

MR. CLARK

10 more minutes to hand in your

exams.

The kids are doing a test. Conor at the end of the classroom,

has his headphones on and is drawing on the exam paper. Mr.

Clark sees him. Conor looks up as if sensing him. Beat. Mr.

Clark approaches Conor but when it looks like he is going to

tell him off he turns his back to him and heads back to the

front of the room. Harry has watched the whole exchange.

103.

59

InT. School CORRIDOR FIRST FLOOR - day - lateR 59

Conor moving from one classroom to another. Alone. He gets a

few confused looks from others, but no one speaks to him.

104.

60 Omitted 60

105.

61 EXT. sCHOOLYARD - DAY - latER 61

Conor stands by himself again. He looks around until he sees

Harry, Anton and Sully come out of a door together. He seems

almost to relax. Then, surprisingly, he heads over in their

direction.

106.

62 ExT. sCHOOLYARD - DAY - moments laTER 62

Conor falls to the pavement again. He gets to one knee, a

tear in his trousers. SULLY and ANTON are laughing. HARRY, as

usual, stares with odd focus at Conor.

SULLY:

Seriously, O’Malley. All this

falling!

Anton

You drunk or something?

Conor sees classmates filing back into the building, Lily

among them. She looks at him. Then looks away.

HarRY

O’Malley isn’t drunk, no. He just

likes playing with us. Why is that,

O’Malley?

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