"Terence?" "Terence" "William?" "What are you doing?" "William?" "William!" "Terence... his face, it's like hatred." "He's dead." "I know what a busy woman you are, Mrs Morton, but James won't be long." "Nurse Foster's packing his case, making sure he hasn't forgotten any of his little treasures." "There's no hurry, Matron." "I've taken the whole day off." "Oh, splendid." "He made their glowing colours..." " Don't you love to hear them singing?" "Mind you, if you knew some of the little horrors, you'd be amazed they are capable of such an innocent sound." "bright and beautiful..." " They all seem nice, friendly children." "You do a wonderful job here." "Oh." "That's very kind of you to say so." "But I've heard you do some excellent work for charities yourself, Mrs Morton." "The Trust was very grateful for your handsome cheque." " lt was the least we could do." " Perhaps." "Anyway you'll have no problem with young James" "His parents were good solid professional people." "that brightens up the sky" "All things bright and beautiful" "Well, there we are, young man." " All packed and ready to go." " Hello, James." "Hello, Mrs Morton." "All things bright and..." "After all you've seen of Mrs Morton," "I thought it wouId be "Mother" now." "Be a good boy." "Don't let me down." "And I'll come and see you very soon." "Goodbye, Matron." "Thank you for all you've done for me." "The ripe fruits in the garden lsn't he sweet?" " So polite, like a little old man." " Mind your head, James" "All things bright and beautiful" "Matron, isn't he a little old for that rabbit?" "Bugsy?" "Oh, he's just for comfort." "As a matter of fact, he only took to nim after he'd been to see you for those few weeks" "Did he say why?" "No, and I didn't ask." "There's no point in trying to fathom boys of his age." "Be patient." "He'll soon grow out of it." "Yes." "Yes, I'm sure you're right." "Keep in touch, James." "Let me know how you're all getting on." "Well, we're nearly there." "Looking forward to going home?" " I think I am." " Think?" "I shall miss Matron." "And some friends." "Well, when school starts, you'll make lots of new friends." "What shall I do in the holidays?" "Your father and I are rather busy at the moment, which is unfortunate, but... I'm sure you'll find things to do." "You can explore the countryside, take Nipper for a walk." "What a horrid place!" "It's only a churchyard." "Why are all the graves so old?" "Except that one" "Oh, my God!" "I'm so sorry, James." "I don't know what it was." "I just couldn't get the steering wheel to..." "Well, it... just wouldn't..." "Do what it was told?" "Yes, that's right." "After they died, Mother and Father were cremated." "Why did you say that?" "I don't know, really." "Whiskers, you're doing very well." "Yes, you're exceeding all reasonable expectations." "In we go." "That's it." "There we are." "You carry on the good work." "I'm relying on you." "We've had your room redecorated since you were last here." " Do you like the wallpaper?" " lt's very nice." "Terence, your father, bought that crane at Harrods." "Well, that's a famous department store in London." "It was very kind of him." "You're both very kind." "James, please don't say things, unless..." "Unless what, Mrs Morton?" "Unless what?" "Never mind." "Doesn't matter." " Well, aren't you going to put that rabbit down?" " Yes, when he's settled in." "Of course." "We'll be eating soon." " I hope you'e hungry" " Have you seen my jackknife?" "Have you got a jackknife?" "Matron gave me a list of all your things." "No." "No jackknife." "Unless you had it hidden away." "I know what boys are like." "I wouldn't do that." "It would be dishonest." "If it isn't written down there," "I suppose I couldn't have had one." "Right." "Well, er...wash your hands and face, and then come down." "Whichever way I pulled the wheel, it was... as if it wanted to..." "Do what?" "Oh, I don't know." "It sounds so silly, but... it felt as if I was struggling with..." "No, against." " Against what?" " l don't know." "We were passing a church." "Laurie, it was a fault in the steering or oil on the road, that's all." "Look, I'm not a mechanic, I'm a botanist." "I'll get Bob Thornton from the garage to have a look at it tomorrow." "Can I take your car tomorrow?" "I've got a dockland committee at eleven, then straight on to a reception for the Asian refugees." "Fine. I'm here all day." "I've got a couple of officials from the World Food Council coming." "Just to have a look around, but I think they'll be rather impressed." "Whiskers has put on 143g in a week." "Oh, good." "Terence?" " Terence!" " What?" " You will keep an eye on James, please." " Of course I will." "Laurie, I'm absolutely ravenous." "OK." "Hey." "Come on." "Whiskers!" "Come on." "Hungry?" "Very hungry." "Go and sit down and talk to your father." "It'll be in in a minute" "Nipper, basket, come on." "Hello, James." "Sorry I wasn't around when you got in." "There was some work I had to finish off before tomorrow." " l'm afraid it's rather a busy time for me." " Mrs Morton did explain." "Yes?" "Good." "I was sorry to hear about the trouble in the car." "Your mother tells me you didn't turn a hair, hm?" "Good for you." "I wasn't at all frightened. I don't know why." "Good." "Um... do you think you can put your rabbit down now, James?" "We're going to eat." "We scientists have got a thing about cleanliness." "He is a little grubby." "He's special." "Well, yes, I can see that." "What do you call him?" "Horace." "Why did you say that?" "He's not called Horace. I distinctly remember Matron referring to him as Bugsy." "He's called Horace now." "I've just changed his name." "Why?" "Why have you just changed his name?" "It just came into my head when Mr Morton asked." "A chap's perfectly entitled to change his favourite rabbit's name." "I change my rabbits' names all the time." "One day he can be a Bert, or a Bob, and then he puts on a bit of weight look s more aristocratic, and so I rename him" " Cedric." "Yes." "What about those steaks?" "James, did you know two-thirds of the world's population have never seen a steak?" "No, I don't think I did." "Well, two-thirds of the world's population are protein-starved." "I'm going to try and do something about that." "Protein makes you grow." "I grow protein-rich plants." "Odd-looking things." "Someday I'll let you see one." " But he mustn't go into the..." " I was coming to that." "Remember I told you last time you were here, you must never go into my laboratory on your own." "You understand?" "is it dangerous in your laboratory?" "No, it's just that the plants are delicate and valuable." "One day a lot of people from Africa, or wherever, might put on a bit of weight through eating my plants." "That's very interesting." "Yes." "Well, they're not as appetising as a steak, so tuck in, eh?" "Would you mind if I didn't eat mine?" " Oh, James, you said you were hungry." " I am." "You don't like meat, is that it?" "No, I just don't like these things in it." "Oh!" "Oh, how disgusting!" "Oh, darling, what the hell...?" "Give me your plates." "James?" "Yes, Mrs Morton?" "You were in the kitchen." "You pulled out the grill pan." "I was hungry. I'm still hungry." " Laurie, you're not suggesting..." " l am not suggesting anything!" "I'm sorry." "I've got something for you." "A surprise." "There. lsn't he nice?" "Well, what shall we call him?" "I don't know." "Perhaps you can think of something." "Oh." "Well, I thought something might just come to you, like it did earlier." "No, nothing's coming to me at the moment, except a funny feeling." "What sort of funny feeling?" "I think he's a rather unhappy rabbit." "Unhappy?" "Why?" "It's not his face." "His face is quite smiley." "I just think something rather sad's happened to him." "James, it's only a toy." " What on earth could have happened to him?" " It's only a feeling I'm getting." "Well, it's a very silly feeling." "Now, I suggest we call him..." "Mm, not very aristocratic." "Definitely not a Cedric." "We'll call him Harry." "What are you going to do with Horace?" "He's very grubby." "I'm going to give him a jolly good scrub." "You can have him back in the morning." "If you say so." "Good night, James." "Good night, Mrs Morton." "Couldn't you manage "Mum"?" "Even "Mother" would be an improvement." "Good night, Mother." "Don't read too long." "You've had a long day." "Aaah!" "Oh!" "James, what's the matter?" " Poor Harry." " Aargh!" "I knew there was something about that rabbit." " James, how could you?" " How could I what?" "You did this!" "Leave me alone, Mrs Morton." "I'll write to Matron, tell her all about you." " You'll tell her what about me?" " Everything." "And then you'll be in trouble." "They'll take me away, give me to somebody else." "There aren't enough children to go round any more, Mrs Morton." "I thought he was supposed to be stable." "A well-adjusted child, that's what the report said." "What do you want us to do?" "Send him back?" "After all the time it took them to decide we'd be suitable." "No, I couldn't face that again." "Girl psychotherapists putting us through in-depth interviews." " Where is he?" " Tidying his room." "What, that mess?" "No, I did that last night." "Good morning." "I think it will be a very nice day today." "Do you?" "James, last night..." "Yes, Father?" " lt was a very silly, very cruel prank." " You mean, what happened to Harry?" "I mean, what you did to Harry." "Your mother's a very busy woman." "She has a lot of important work to do." "And she's feeling very shaken." "So, if you please, no more pranks like that." "It wasn't a prank. I didn't do it." "You were standing by the door." "This was on the floor." "I was standing by the door because I'd been to the toilet." "Last night, you asked me if I'd seen your jackknife." "I know, but you were right." "I've never had a jackknife." "You must know it's true." "It wasn't written on that piece of paper Matron gave you." " James, I think you're lying." " No, Mother." "Telling lies is wrong." "I can't talk about this any longer." "I'm late for all my appointments." "Where are you going?" "To London. I told you yesterday." "I work on committees in London." "We try to help people who are less fortunate than you." "What will I do while you're helping these people?" "We talked about that." "Take Nipper for a walk." "Play with the new toys we've bought you." "Will you be busy, too?" "Yes, I'm afraid I will." "I've got some very important people coming to see me today." "I've seen this before." "What?" "This knife." "Yes, I know I've seen it before." "It isn't his." " Hello." " Hello." "That's a nice dog you've got there." "Is he yours?" "No, he belongs to Mr and Mrs Morton." "Oh, yes." "Well, who are you, then?" "Are you staying with them?" "I'm James." "I'm Mr and Mrs Morton's new son." "That's nice." "I didn't know they came in your size." "When I had a new son, he was in nappies for 18 months." "What are you doing?" "Trying to find out what's wrong with this car." "It wouldn't do as it was told." "Oh, yes?" "Is that right?" "The steering wheel started working all on its own." "Is that a fact?" "Yes, it took the car all over the road." "Mrs Morton was very frightened." " Were you there, then?" " Yes." "Weren't you scared?" "No." "Here, would you help me with this?" "What?" "Try turning the wheel for me when I say." "All right." "Stay." "Right, try it now." "Like this?" "Right." "Right, now try it the other way." "OK, thank s." "Yeah, leave it." "Did you find out what's wrong?" "No, I can't see anything yet." "It's probably in the power steering box." "Do you know where your new dad is?" "He's busy, in his laboratory." " And you can't disturb him, right?" " No." "He's got some important visitors." "I've got to take this car down to my garage and really strip it right down." "Will you tell him that?" "Can I come with you?" "No, sorry" "Sorry, son, not allowed." "Oh." "What's the matter?" "Bored with your own company?" " l am a bit, yes." " Well, you've got a nice dog there." "I expect you can play some nice games with him." "I expect so" "Goodbye." " Good morning, Dr Morton." " Good morning." "What a jolly fine house, and what beautiful roses." "The English countryside is very delightful, very fresh this time of the year." "Yes, we like it." " Did you stop somewhere?" " Yes, at a Copper Kettle cafe." "The coffee arrived instantly." "The Tudor beams were plastic, as were the sandwiches." "Come on in." "Let's see if we can improve on that." " Thank you." " Thank you." "What's the matter, Nipper?" "And you'll see from the notes, a few grams per day of supplementary DL 83 protein" "has built Whiskers from a seven-stone weakling into the impressive specimen he is today." "Nobody's going to kick sand in your face, are they?" "Seven stones?" "No, not literally." "No, what I meant was, I think this is conclusive." "DL 83, whether it's baked in a loaf, or sprinkled over a traditional diet, can supplement the diet to the equivalent of half a pound of fish or meat a day." "I'm very impressed, Dr Morton." "Good." "Well, I hope you will convey that view to your colleagues." "I will indeed." "Now, tell me, can these botanical specimens be cultivated in all sorts of climates?" "Of extreme heat or cold." "Perhaps you'd like to show him the notes and supporting documentation, Mr Ngenko." "Certainly." "Why are you frightened?" "Why are we both frightened?" "Can I ask a question, Dr Morton?" "But of course." "Do you eat this, this DL 83?" "Well, not on a daily basis, although I have..." "On a daily basis, you no doubt eat chicken, fish, steak?" "Correct." "Yes, let the West eat cake." "Her granaries are full." "You have butter mountains, beef mountains, wine lakes." "And in the meantime, let the starving Third World eat DL 83, which could presumably be grown on the moon." "I am not a politician or an economist." "I am a research botanist doing what I can to help eradicate a problem of major concern to two-thirds of the world, let alone the World Food Council." "Forgive me." "I had no wish to be insulting, but there is something I must ask." "Yes?" "Is it not true that some of these specimens have a hallucinatory effect similar to LSD?" "There was one case." "Which resulted in - correct me if I'm wrong - death, a painful death." "Yes, that's right." "Come on, Nipper." "Come on!" "Come on." "It's only an old churchyard." "I repeat, it was an accident, a very tragic accident, but it in no way discredits DL 83." "The problem did not lie with the plant itself." "I investigated it thoroughly after... and found that a virtually undetectable mould had appeared under one of my early fungoid specimens." "A mould with properties similar to LSD." "Regrettably, yes." "There are several similar organisms." " And someone ate the compound, right?" " Yes." "And went to his grave in a horrible trance." "No, he did not." "Hallucinogens affect the brain through the central nervous system." "Death is certified when brain activity has ceased." "It follows that one cannot go to one's grave in a trance." "This is who I want to see." "William Morton" "1969 - 1979" "RIP." "Who were you, William Morton?" "What do you want of me?" "Come away from there." "What's got into you?" "That's a grave you've been defiling." "That's sinful." "There are far greater sins, debts that must be paid." "Where's Nipper?" "Your dog?" "He ran off." "Over there." "Thank you." "Heel." "Come on." "There's a good dog." "Oh, no!" "Oh, my God!" " Look at this." " Oh, Dr Morton." "But how could a dog get into these cages?" "At least he's spared Whiskers." "Yes, your living proof that DL 83 works." "Hello." "is it all right for me to be in here?" "Was Nipper with you?" "Yes." "Oh, dear!" "Was it Nipper?" "Not much of a nipper, is he?" "Aren't you... shocked by what he's done?" "Oh, yes." "He seemed such a nice dog." "So well-trained." "At least, that's what I thought, until I came to the grave of William Morton." "Hello." "They're still here, then?" "Yes, and they drink coffee by the gallon." " Where's James?" " He wandered off somewhere." "He's probably looking for that damned dog." "It's been some day, I can tell you." " The dog got into the lab." " Nipper?" "What happened?" "Gentlemen, may I introduce my wife Laurie." "Mr Ngenko, Mr Austin from the World Food Council." "Please sit down." "My husband has just told me what's happened." "I'm sorry you were subjected to such a dreadful incident." "They were rabbits." "Rabbits are killed and eaten every day." "But they were Dr Morton's rabbits, very special rabbits." "Rabbits against hunger to feed the wretched millions on this world." "It's we who are sorry, Mrs Morton." "That dog has tasted blood." "This is the important point I have seen it many times in the bush." "Once an animal has tasted blood, it needs more." "It will never be satisfied." " It is not blood lust wnich afflicts these animals." " What is it then?" "It's quite simple." "These animals are demons." "They are possessed by evil spirits." "Mr Austin, we are here as representatives of an elite, a privileged elite, the advanced section." "of the Third World community." "What hope is there for our people if we continue to perpetuate such mumbo jumbo?" "But the demons are everywhere, Mr Ngenko." "Nipper, sit!" "Let go!" "Let go!" "Mr Ngenko!" "Mr Austin!" "Help!" "Get him off!" "Get him off!" "Get him off" "Nipper, get off!" "Quick, we must lock him away." "Where shall we put him?" "In the cellar." "Come on, put him in the cellar." "Thank you." "I'm sorry, Dr Morton." "Goodbye." "This should put a stop to his fun and games." " What have you put on it?" " A good dose of poison, GT 28." "What?" "!" " But that's what William..." " Right." "Its potency as a poison has been well and truly tested." "Bye, Nipper." "Rest in peace." "James, you'e not eating." "Is that because of Nipper?" "We had to put him down." "It was the only thing we could do." "For him." "For all of us" "Perhaps." "I think I'll go to bed now." "Good night, Mother." "Good night, Father." " Night, James." " I'll be up in a minute." "Terence, there's something bad... evil" " happening in this house." " Oh, come on, now." "Just because that loopy African... lt's not just him. lt's everything." "The car, that horrible incident with the rabbits." "And now Nipper." "He was such a gentle, docile animal." "Bob Thornton took the car in this morning." " And?" " There's nothing wrong with the steering." "Hello." "Thank God you're still with us, eh?" "Where would I be without my star pupil?" "Come on." "A little blood test, then we'll put you on the scales." "Still in your dressing gown?" "I thought you'd be in bed by now." "Who was William Morton?" "It's your name." "Was he a relation?" "He was our son." "You've been to the churchyard." "This morning, with Nipper." "I'm your son now." "Yes, James, you are." "Was William unhappy?" "No!" "No, we were unhappy, James, when he died." "Why are you always saying... people, things are unhappy?" "I just keep getting these thoughts in my head from somewhere." "From where?" "I don't know where they come from." "Forget these silly thoughts." "Get into bed." "William Morton." "Private." "A poem." "By William Morton." "Mum and Dad" "Oh, how they care" "They feed the world" "Love all who's on it" "William Morton, their son and heir" "Is out of sight, a distant comet." "You've come at last, William Morton." "I knew you would." "There." "Nipper?" "No, it can't be." "James, what is it?" "Who loves the world, feeds all who's on it." "You, Mother?" "William!" "Your flesh and blood is out of sight." "William Morton is out of sight." "Always out of sight" "Oh, William!" "Always out of sight." "Out of sight." "James!" "What are you doing?" "I was lonely." "I thought I heard Nipper." "I was frightened." "I thought I heard him, too." "Look... ..just go to bed, huh?" "There's a good boy." "All right." " James?" " Yes, Mother?" "Are you all right?" "Did you really hear Nipper, too?" "Well, I... heard something." "A dog." "Now, it couldn't have been Nipper, could it?" "No, Mother." "Come on, into bed." "I'll tuck you in." "There." "Night-night, sleep tight, pleasant dreams." "That's what I used to say to William when he was little." "William Morton." "Private." " Where did you find this?" " In the drawer, amongst the books." "I think he must have cared about you very much." "Did you care about him?" "What?" "Did you care about William?" "Of course." "Of course I cared about him." "He was my son." "Did Mr Morton care about him?" "Oh, James, why do you ask such questions?" "Because I think William was very unhappy." "No!" "It says so in the book, Mother." "Mum and Dad, oh, how they care" "They feed the world, love all who's on it" "But William Morton, their son and heir" "Is out of sight" "A distant comet." "I'm your son now." "That's right." "I'm tired." "So am I." "Good night." "Good night, Mother." "Did you care about William?" "Of course I cared about him." "He was my son." "Did Mr Moton care about him?" "Did Mr Moton care about him?" "Did Mr Moton care about him?" "Of course I cared about him." "He was my son." "Did Mr Moton care about him?" "Did Mr Moton care about him?" "Well, blood count and pulse rate highly satisfactory." "If Ngenko wants the Third World to carry on starving, that's his problem, eh, Whiskers?" "Here you are." "A little unadulterated sustenance, huh?" "A reward for the successful completion of the trial period." "Eh?" "Right, now for that phone call." "Yes, Sir Arthur." "The trial period ended today." "The trial period ended today." "I'm sorry, it's a very bad line." "Yes, highly satisfactory and conclusive." "The animal in question, the botanical specimen, are alive and well and living in Letchmore Heath." "What was that, sir?" " Terence!" " Sh, sh, sh!" "I'm sorry, I didn't hear." "What was that?" "Darling, what are you...?" "That was Sir Arthur Blunt talking about a fellowship." "For God's sake, listen!" "That sounds like Nipper." "Yes, Nipper!" "That's impossible. I buried him myself." "We buried William, too, but he's here, in this house." "What?" "I saw him." "Terence, he hates us." "There's someone in the lab." "Don't come any nearer, Father." "William!" "Yes." "I can break a rabbit's neck." "A farm worker showed me." "William, is it you?" "What do you want?" "You love Whiskers." "You loved all your rabbits." "You spent all your time in here, feeding them, rewarding them when they put on weight." "But what about me?" "No time for William." "So he ate some of your precious powder, hoping you'd love him, reward him." "We did love you." "I hate you." "No, no!" "Don't!" "Oh, God!" "Don't touch that" "The plant that's going to make your name." "Damn your name!" " No." " Let him go!" "No." "Poor Nipper." "Poor William." "To their graves they went in a trance." "In a trance they went to their graves." "William, look, whoever you are, please." "Give me the plant." "It's a lifetime's work." "I should have been your lifetime's work." "Follow and follow and find peace." "Leave him." "No." "No." "I want my plant" "Come, Father." "Dance and dance and dance on your son's grave." "Give me my plant." "Come on." "See how he cares, how he loves?" "Dance on your son's grave." "I want that plant." "Please, it's my life." "No" "I was your life, but you never saw me." "He's dead, Mother." "Peace" "We're at peace together." "Bye, Mother." "Hello, Mother." "Why are we here?" "I'm not sure." "Yes." "I do know why we're here." "Look, Mother, growing on William's grave." "It's a wreath." "A wreath, Mother?" "For all the unloved of this earth."