Agnes of God Page #3

AGNES:

Where do you think babies come from?

MARTHA:

From their mothers and fathers of

course. Before that, I... I don't

know.

AGNES:

Well I think they come from... angel

lights on their mothers chest and

whispers into her ear. That makes good

babies start to grow. And bad babies

come from when a fallen angel squeezes

in down there, and they start to grow,

grow, till they come out down there.

I don't know where good babies come out.

And you can't tell the difference...

except bad babies cry a lot... and they

make their fathers go away... and their

mothers get very ill... die sometimes.

Agnes sits down on a bench and Martha follows her.

AGNES (Cont.)

Mummy wasn't very happy when she died

... and, I think she went to hell because

every time I see her she looks like she

just stepped out of a hot shower, and I...

I'm never sure if it's her, or the Lady who

tells me things! They fight over me all

the time.

(staring into space)

The Lady... I saw when I was ten. I was

lying on the grass, looking at the sun, and

the sun became a cloud, and the cloud

became, a Lady. And she told me she would

talk to me. And then... her feet began to

bleed and I saw there... there were holes

in her hands and in her side. And I tried to

catch the blood as it fell from the sky, but

I couldn't see any more because my eyes

hurt because there were big black spots in

front of them. And she tells me things like,

like... right now she's crying Marie! Marie!

... but I don't know what that means.

Martha stands up, disturbed. Agnes is slightly delirious with

happiness.

AGNES (Cont.)

... and... she uses me to sing, it's as

if she's throwing a big hook through

the air and it catches me under my ribs

and tries to pull me up, and I... I can't

move because Mommy's holding my feet

and all I can do is sing in her voice...

it's the Lady's voice, God loves you!

And her cry echoes all around and the doves fly out of the bell

tower.

AGNES (Cont.)

(to Martha)

God loves you.

MARTHA:

Do you know a Marie?

AGNES:

No... do you?

MARTHA:

Why should I?

AGNES:

I don't know.

23 INT - MOTHER MIRIAM'S STUDY - DAY

Mother Miriam is standing checking some papers when Martha

enters. Mother Miriam seems to have entirely regained her good

humour.

MOTHER MIRIAM:

Well... what do you think? Is she

totally bananas or merely slightly

off centre... or maybe she's perfectly

sane and just a very good liar.

MARTHA:

What's your opinion?

MOTHER MIRIAM:

I believe Agnes is different.

MARTHA:

From other nuns...

(laughs)

Yes I... I've noticed.

MOTHER MIRIAM:

From other people!

(moving across the room)

I believe she is not crazy, nor is she

lying.

MARTHA:

How could she have a baby and know

nothing of sex or birth?

MOTHER MIRIAM:

Because she's an innocent. She's a slate

that's hasn't been touched except by God.

MARTHA:

(lights a cigarette)

That's ridiculous...

MOTHER MIRIAM:

(moves to her desk,

starts writing)

In her case it isn't. She's had very little

schooling. Her mother kept her home

almost all the time and when her mother

died Agnes came here, to us. She's never

been out there Doctor. She's never seen a

movie or a television show. She's never

even read a book.

MARTHA:

If she's so innocent, how come she

murdered a child?

MOTHER MIRIAM:

She didn't! This is manslaughter, not

murder. She didn't consciously kill that

baby. She'd lost a lot of blood. She was

unconscious by the time we got to her.

MARTHA:

So, someone else could have done it.

MOTHER MIRIAM:

No... not in the eyes of the police.

MARTHA:

And in your eyes?

MOTHER MIRIAM:

I've already told you what I thought.

MARTHA:

That she was unconscious, yes! So

someone easily could have come in

the room and killed the...

MOTHER MIRIAM:

You don't really believe something like

that happened do you?

MARTHA:

It's possible isn't it?

MOTHER MIRIAM:

Who?

MARTHA:

One of the other nuns found out about

the baby and... and wanted to avoid a

scandal.

Mother Miriam removes the tray from under a pot plant and bangs

it down in front of Martha to act as an ashtray.

MOTHER MIRIAM:

That's absurd!

MARTHA:

That possibility never occurred to

you?

MOTHER MIRIAM:

No-one knew about Agnes' pregnancy.

No-one. Not even Agnes.

24 EXT - CONVENT - DAY

Martha's car exits out of the convent and heads up the road.

25 INT - CAR - DAY

The car radio is playing light band music...

ANNOUNCER (V.O.)

You have been listening to Mostly Music

from Montreal. This is CBC Radio.

(and again in French)

Martha flicks the radio off and stops the car. She thinks for a

moment

then...

26 EXT - LONELY ROAD - DAY

... she turns the car around and heads back in the direction

she came.

27 EXT - PRESBYTERY - DAY

Martha drives in through an entrance and pulls up outside the

presbytery.

28 INT - PRESBYTERY - DAY

From inside the house, Martha can be seen knocking on the glass

fronted

door. Presently a huge, fat HOUSEKEEPER answers.

MARTHA:

Is Father Martineau in please?

HOUSEKEEPER:

(in French)

???

MARTHA:

(answers in French)

???

The housekeeper indicates she should enter and walks back

inside.

HOUSEKEEPER:

(halting briefly)

Wipe your feet.

They move into the next room. The housekeeper goes further

calling...

HOUSEKEEPER:

Pere Martineau...

(in French)

???

Martha stands uncertainly at the doorway. The sound of thumping

is heard,

and then the figure of a very old priest, FATHER MARTINEAU

appears walking

with a stick.

29 INT - PRESBYTERY DINING ROOM - DAY

Father Martineau and Martha are having tea. He pours a slug of

whisky from a flask into her cup and an even larger slug into his

own.

FATHER MARTINEAU

(French accent)

They arise at five in the morning... and

they're in bed by nine at night. Even if a

man could get to them, he would probably

find them praying. That's why I see that

the real question is not only how he got in,

but when.

MARTHA:

And you're the only man to see them?

FATHER MARTINEAU

I promise you Doctor, even if I had the

inclination, how could I possibly catch

her? She would have to be a very slow

and patient nun.

(they both laugh)

Ah no... they're a very special and rare

people those Sisters. Only a few of them

left in this modern world, consecrated to

the praise of God.

30 INT - NURSING HOME, LOUNGE - DAY

An elderly WOMAN is sitting watching "Spiderman" on TV cackling

with laughter. She is physically alright, but quite senile. Martha

enters, goes

over to her and kisses her.

MARTHA:

Hello, Mama

(pulls up a chair)

... brought you something.

MAMA:

Shut up, I'm trying to watch this.

MARTHA:

It's your favourite...

MAMA:

Who are you?

MARTHA:

It's Martha, Mama.

(hands over a tub

of icecream)

There you go.

MAMA:

Marie brings me icecream too you

know. Chocolate... my favourite.

MARTHA:

I thought cherry-vanilla was your

favourite.

MAMA:

Not any more... now I like chocolate.

MARTHA:

(stroking her hair)

Did you have a good week Mama. Are

they treating you all right?

MAMA:

You know Martha never comes to see me.

You watch it, she's going straight to

hell... after all the things she said to

me. Then she marries that son of a b*tch

of a Frenchman... has an abortion. I

knew that one wouldn't work out. Not

like you Marie. You got married to God.

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