Mother! Page #14

Some break through. HIM stops kicking, grabs them and tossesthem back off the landing. He returns to smashing the door.

The labor grows more intense. The Healer pries Mother’s legs

open.

HEALER:

Now just push! Yes, yes, you have

to push.

Finally, HIM gets past the planks and kicks the STUDY door

open. The crowd overwhelms the disciples.

HEALER:

Yes, you’re doing very good. I can

feel the head-

HIM rushes over pushes the doctor away.

HIM:

Please move, I’ve got her. Come.

I’ve got you now.

He lifts Mother up.

ZEALOT:

Wait, I can help!

HIM:

I’m delivering my baby. Shut the

door! Shut the door! Shut it!

He drags Mother into the

STUDY:

And lays her against his desk.

HIM:

We’re safe. We’re safe. It’s

okay. Our baby’s coming.

Mother tries to catch her breath. The fighting outside

blasts the study door back open.

102.

He gets to his feet and shoves everyone back. He closes the

door. Then, he drags a heavy secretary to block the doorfrom opening again. People bang on the door as the riot

outside continues.

He rushes back to Mother. He reaches between her legs.

HIM:

Okay, it’s almost here.

Mother SCREAMS.

HIM:

It’s here. It’s coming.

She continues to scream. Shaking herself, shaking the world.

And she screams as the baby releases into

WHITE:

Vibrating energy. And after a beat.

HIM (V.O.)

It’s a boy.

Return slowly to the

STUDY:

HIM holds the baby as Mother opens her eyes.

He lifts the child onto her chest. Her SON. She holds him.

He is perfect. Mother starts to cry. Tears of joy.

The sounds of war are still outside the door.

HIM touches the baby’s feet a look of wonder on his face. He

grabs a cotton cloth that drapes the lazy chair. He uses it

to wrap the child in her arms.

HIM:

Cover him.

The baby CRIES its first cry. The noise echoes through the

house.

Suddenly, the sounds of violence drop out. It gets quiet.

Real quiet. Outside the study there is now no more noise.

They are confused. Mother looks at the door.

103.

MOTHER:

What’s happening? Why are they so

quiet?

HIM:

I don’t know.

He heads to the door.

MOTHER:

Don’t!

He listens to the door. He hears nothing. He slides back

the secretary.

MOTHER:

Don’t do that!

He cracks open the door and peeks. He spots something. He

bends down and picks up a basket filled with fruit and apitcher of water.

MOTHER:

Shut the door! Seal it!

He does it and uses the secretary to block the door. He

carries the goods back to her.

HIM:

They brought us gifts.

He pours her a glass of water. She watches him suspiciously.

MOTHER:

What are they doing?

HIM:

They’re just waiting.

MOTHER:

Waiting for what?

HIM:

I don’t know.

MOTHER:

Make them go. Please. Please make

them.

He thinks. Then he nods.

HIM:

Okay, okay.

104.

He returns to the door. He pauses to look at her, then he

slips outside. He seals the door behind him.

Mother is alone with her child. They look into one another.

She lifts him up and wraps him properly in the cloth.

LATER:

The door opens. HIM returns in new clothes. He carries a

shirt and sweat pants.

HIM:

More gifts. Look here. For you.

Clean clothes.

He lays them next to her.

MOTHER:

Are they leaving?

An awkward pause.

HIM:

What? No, they just want to see

him.

MOTHER:

No. Make them go!

HIM:

I can’t.

MOTHER:

(pleads)

Yes you can. They adore you. They

would listen to you.

He doesn’t respond to that.

MOTHER:

Why won’t you!?

HIM:

(snaps, honestly:)

I don’t want them to go.

Mother stunned. He comes to her. She tries to back away.

Scared.

105.

HIM:

He’s beautiful.

(then)

Let me hold him.

MOTHER:

No.

HIM:

Let me hold him.

Mother shakes her head.

HIM:

Let me hold my baby.

MOTHER:

No.

HIM:

Let me hold him.

MOTHER:

NO!

HIM:

I’m his father.

MOTHER:

I’m his MOTHER!

That stops him. For the moment. He sighs.

On his feet he gets behind the big chair.

He sighs again and pushes it forward so that it is inchesfrom her.

He takes a seat and he just sits. He sits and he stares at

her.

Time is on his side. So he waits.

She stares at him. He stares at her.

HOURS GO BY:

At dawn, he sits wide eyed staring at her, barely blinking.

The baby is fussing and she calms it. She reaches for the

new shirt, starts to put it on. He tries to help.

HIM:

Here, let me

106.

MOTHER:

No.

Keeping her eyes on him, she slips the shirt on.

LATE IN THE DAY:

The baby feeds on his mother’s breast. Her eyelids grow

heavy. HIM stares straight at her, barely blinking. She

looks at the fruit bowl which is almost empty.

MOTHER:

(pleads)

Please! PLEASE! Make them go...

He doesn’t respond.

AT NIGHT:

She fights with all her will, but sleep descends on her. Her

eyelids are so heavy. She can’t help but pass out to

SILENCE:

She fights to wake up. Her eyes fling open in the

STUDY:

HIM carries the baby to the open door lifting the boy intothe air, the crowd screams in delight.

Adrenaline floods her heart, she lunges after them, panicripping through her soul. Through the doorway she descends

the

TOWER:

The crowd applauds and cheer the baby. The doorway has beenturned into the entrance of a shrine, it’s covered with

offerings and burning incense.

MOTHER:

No! No! Give me back my baby.

She fights to get through the throngs. She spins HIM around,

looks at his arms. They are empty. His face is a mix of

shock, horror, and awe.

107.

MOTHER:

Where is he?

She looks past him. The baby moves from hand to hand.

Carried like a rock star surfing a mosh pit deep into the

DRAWING ROOM:

The crippled, the ill, the healthy, the happy, the sad,

everyone surges towards the baby. Mother dives in after him.

MOTHER:

No, no, that’s my baby, I’m hisMother!

Hands reach. Hands pull. Hands grab. They all want to

touch him.

MOTHER:

No, no, please, you’re going tohurt him, you’re hurting him!

The baby SHRIEKS! Then something SNAPS!

And the baby stops crying. There are gasps.

MOTHER:

Where is he? Where’s my baby?

She fights her way through the crowd, looking for her son,

his body in the

DINING ROOM:

The Zealot spins and appears before her. He is bald now and

an ink smudge is on his brow.

MOTHER:

(hysterical)

Where’s my baby?

ZEALOT:

He’s not dead.

What? She doesn’t understand.

ZEALOT:

A voice still cries out to be

heard, loud and strong. Listen...

Can you hear that?

108.

A strange answer. She hears the crowd crying, sobbing. They

are hysterical. She realizes what the Zealot means.

She pushes past the bald man.

On the ALTAR, lies the remnants of her child. Meat has been

picked from the child’s bones.

She looks around. People eat pieces of flesh. When they

take a bite they are filled with peace.

ZEALOT (O.S.)

Do you hear that? That’s the sound

of life, the sound of humanity.

His cry of love. His love for you.

Mother grabs for the pieces of meat. For her son. The

people fight her off. Someone drags her to the ground.

There’s a shard of GLASS on the floor. From a broken window.

She takes it. She turns on the MASSES around her. She stabs

and attacks.

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