"No!" "Go on." "I can't." "Hear you only when you say "I can"." "Mom." "First thing is position." "Put your hands at ten minutes to one o'clock." "Stop kidding." "Who's kidding?" "Go on." "Put your hands on the steering wheel." "I'm six." "I know." "I've been there." "Remember?" "Six year olds don't drive." "You do." "Let me do that." "I wanna do that." "Okay." "Fit it." "It 's like a puzzle." "It 's in, it 's in!" "Now turn it to the right." "Huh?" "It 's play." "Go on." "To the right." "I'm driving." "Paul's driving!" "Loverboy's driving!" "I'd noticed that most people have a specific city or town... where they would like to live." "This interested me not at all." "You..." "Miss Emily Stoll?" "I am Miss Stoll." "John." "I'm John." "Thank you." "Just sign right there." "I was put on this earth for one reason." "To give you life." "Do you know what 's in here?" "Yeah, I've delivered a few before." "Pun intended." "Well good luck." "Fingers crossed." "Hey..." "if it doesn't take..." "Goodbye, John." "I never wanted a house." "And I never wanted a husband." "What I wanted... with every cell of my body, was a baby." "I went through the five inseminations." "It did not work." "I suppose you had something more eclectic in mind." "South American low land societies believe that multiple ejaculations... from different sources produce a sturdier child." "I concurred, and determined that you... would be born of the best of many men." "And so began my quest seven years and five months ago." "I was single-minded in my efforts." "I determined to be swift, intentionally reckless and... discriminating." "Excuse me." "Could you guide me toward the Flaubert?" "It wasn't about the men." "It was about us." "It was always about us." "Thank you." "I'll see you again, right?" "I was like the great jewelers of the Byzantine... sorting through full stacks of stones." "A builder's strength." "A logician's classifying mind." "Or... a perfect ass." "Naughty boys." "I was a nomadic huntress, moving from town to town, room to room." "Could you please fill my bucket?" "Before they died, my parents had inadvertently invested money." "The returns on which... gave me the cushion needed to pursue my goal." "Whatever it might be." "Come in." "Naughty shark." "No!" "There are unwanted genetic traits in every family." "Mine just happened to have an overabundance." "Marty." "Marty and Sybil." "Your grandparents." "The embodiment of the dreadful exclusivity of true love." "Hi, sweetie." "Night, baby." "Good night." "Good night." "Good night." "Good night." "I got it." "I got your nose." "Come here and give Papa a kiss." "Honey, did you eat?" "Okay." "Good day at school." "Pumpkin, who invented the barometer?" "Evangelista Torricelli." "And who was the first prime minister of independent India?" "Jawaharlal Nehru." "That 's my girl." "Okay, good day." "You see that?" "She doesn't even need to go to school." "It 's that Book of Answers." "I knew it, I knew she would love that." "And I love you." "No, I love you." "No, no, no." "Daddy's got to go to work now." "I'll be home for lunch." "I'm scared, Mom." "Two hands on the wheel." "I wanna stop." "But we haven't gone on our voyage." "What voyage?" "Please concentrate." "Think about your hands and what I say, okay?" "Okay?" "Yeah." "Yes." "Yes." "Now what do I do when I'm going to turn?" "You always drive with one hand." "I can't get anything past to you!" "Miss Silken says I'm observant." "Miss Silken talks a lot." "I can't believe I let you get this far without a seatbelt." "Good." "Now, left-hand turn." "What do I do?" "Hit the turn signal and turn the steering wheel to the left." "I'm turning." "See?" "I promised you... are going to be absolutely fine." "Promise." "Thanks, Mrs. Harker." "Oh, sweet thing, you're very welcome." "Come on, Emily!" "Hurry up." "Mrs. Harkerwas not like the other mothers." "She walked her sons to the bus stop every morning." "I always liked the way a scraped knee looks on a girl." "Makes you look kind of tough and vulnerable at the same time." "Come on, Emily, you slow poke!" "Here." "Emily." "Don't let any boys give you any trouble, okay?" "All you have to remember is that deep down inside... they're all afraid of girls." "I was determined to take the best from each encounter." "Wow, God." "I had kept my musician long enough." "Ten Mississippi, eleven Mississippi, twelve Mississippi." "I was careful to choose only men whose genetic flowering... showed something splendid." "Just a minute." "I trust everything is status quo in there." "Can I assist in any way?" "Well, let me just say that I don't know how you processed this... liaison, but there was a strong symbiosis between us..." "He was the intellectual." "..." "I would describe as delicious." "According to the way gestation is calculated, I was almost... ten weeks pregnant." "But I had slept with enough men that there would be no face... made loveliest to me." "My equation was simple." "Many men equals no father." "My new mission was to find a suitable town in which to raise you... a place where we could dig up buried treasures and build... fairy houses in the woods." "But it was not to be." "Look out!" "What?" "It 's a car driving backwards!" "Mom." "It 's important to keep your eyes on the road, right?" "There are lots of things to look out for." "Like there!" "Quick, turn right!" "Do you have any idea how perfect you are?" "Many, many fathers had equaled no child." "I'd lost my plan." "You all right?" "And my purpose." "Like a hand up, Miss?" "You don't look like you belong here." "Excuse me?" "You're not wearing a name tag." "Really?" "Forgive me." "I didn't realize I must identify myself with a tag... to stay in your ridiculous approximation of a first-class hotel." "What?" "God." "No, I'm with the convention." "I just assumed you were... a trader at one of the regional houses." "I'm sorry." "You're not with the hotel?" "No." "What, you thought I was hotel security?" "Time to buy a new suit." "If I'd said I was from hotel security... do you think I would've been able to get you to come with me?" "For a drink or...?" "I'm not interested in men anymore." "Yes?" "You must save me from convention hell." "I'm not in the saving business." "Thank god I don't wanna be saved." "I wanna be overtaken." "Thank you." "Believe it or not, I live in Des Moines." "I live here." "For how long?" "For now." "I see." "And he is wondering what disaster she abandoned... knowing full well she will never answer him." "I struck you as sad?" "No, you struck me as eccentric." "You were on the floor." "Right." "In the elevator." "And then you struck me as stunning." "And now you just strike me." "Did an invisible hand push you into this room?" "I think so." "I do." "Will everything work out?" "I believe so." "I really do." "Show me." "You must please know that you are the one true love of my life." "His name was Paul." "And then, you were growing inside of me." "A child of passion... when I had least expected it." "It 's really a lovely place." "And, of course, there are tons of kids in the neighborhood." "Are you all right?" "She's gonna have a little baby, Mikey." "I'll buy it." "That 's terrific." "I can recommend several excellent mortgage..." "Cash." "Cash?" "Did you hear that?" "Cash!" "There is no falling in love like the falling in love with a child." "I never wanted an easy child." "Nightshirts." "Clothesline." "I wanted an exceptional one." "Birdbath." "See the birdbath?" "Azaleas." "Mackerel skies and octopi eyes." "We were gods then, together, those afternoons." "Lemon?" "No, thank you." "He's such a perfect little boy." ""Such a perfect little boy"." "The place looks great." "The garden is stupendous." "Thanks." "It was easy, really." "The previous owners were a..." "You're home all the time." "That helps." "Just you and little Paulie here." "Sugar?" "No." "Thank you." "Sweet 'N Low." "He is really so easy." "So how do you like the house?" "It 's wonderful." "I knew you'd love it." "Of course it 's not right for everyone." "But clearly, you are so creative." "Gotta teach me your trick." "Sounds like he's out already." "He takes so easily to people." "The terrible lady." "Let 's clean you all up." "I'm sorry." "What 's that?" "Is that a tooth?" "No!" "It 's not time for that yet." "No, sweetie." "Not time for that." "I wanna go inside." "Well, we haven't gotten there yet." "We have to pass the eighteen story... candy store and the rainbow-colored..." "I'm tired." "Come on, Loverboy, please?" "Don't call me Loverboy." "I'm Paul." "Stop that." "It hurts." "Guess what." "No." "Why'd you do that?" "Cause we're sleeping here tonight." "I got everything ready." "All your favorites." "Pick a hand." "Come on." "Pick a hand." "Pick a hand, any hand." "Go ahead, honey." "Make Daddy happy." "Come on, baby girl." "I'm ten." "Just an expression of endearment." "Daddy calls me "baby doll"." "Clearly I am not a baby." "No darling, you definitely are not." "Left." "Yeah, look at that." "She got it." "She got it right." "Honey, you're gonna love it so much." "We picked it out together." "It 's nice." "There's more." "Marty, show her." "Just, you know, you just open." "It 's... so... we'll always be with you, by your heart." "The cake." "I forgot the cake." "Would you look at her." "That woman is my passion." "You would do well to find a passion." "Everyone needs a passion." "What about geology?" "I mean you like rocks and stuff." "I had found my passion." "You were my rock." "Mom, I'm scared." "They won't hurt you." "Just remember whenever you're scared... that means there's opportunity." "What?" "It means there's magic lingering around these parts." "All sorts of chances to see things you've never seen before." "Pick me up." "Okay." "The Bedouins believe your dream will come true... if you whisper it into a sheep's ear first thing after you wake up." "Who?" "Bedouins." "They live in Africa." "They are nomads." "You ready?" "You go first?" "Okay." "I'll go first." "Don't ever forget, my prince, there is magic all around you." "Look for those secrets and you will be happy forever." "Okay." "What 's he gonna do?" "He's going to tell the gods." "But he told me to send you over." "Here I come." "I'm coming." "I'm not coming." "Come on." "Let 's go." "Go ahead, he wants to hear your dreams." "Go on." "I did it!" "I did it, Mommy!" "Did you see?" "Did you see me?" "Yes." "Will I be allowed to paint in school?" "Not on the walls." "God damn it!" "Be very, very quiet." "Why won't you start?" "!" "We're spies." "Get on." "Start!" "We cannot let the enemy see us." "Piece of shit." "Hello." "Hello." "Hello!" "What 's up?" "Are they at home?" "I don't know." "Okay." "Is your mother home?" "Did you know daddy spiders have penises?" "What?" "Hello." "This is Paul, my son." "Anita Biddle." "We just moved in across the street." "Hello." "Hello." "Sorry." "We were just painting Paul's room." "Purple." "I see." "And spying on you." "Well, I just wanted to introduce myself, and cake." "Thank you." "Thank you so much." "Shit!" "Fitting in with the outside world... respectability, suitability, conformity, were never high... on my priority list." "Neither was normalcy." "I admit I cultivated arrogance." "The world would be our school." "I wanted to learn it and teach it to you." "For all intent and purposes." "For all intent and"porpoises"." "Okay." "Abominable snowman." ""Abdominal" snowman." "You're so good." "Hey, Mom." "Let 's go in." "Would a god go into a playground created by others?" "Or would he create his own new one?" "Please?" "Okay." "Only for a little while." "Okay?" "Be careful, sweetie." "Mom, a treasure." "Let me see." "Yes, certainly." "This is a piece... that was left to the God of Happy and Safe Homes." "I'll see you later." "Give me a call." "Hi." "I'm six." "Me too." "No, you're not." "You're lying." "I am not." "Yes, you are." "You'd be in school if you were really six." "That 's the law." "I am too six." "I'm in home school." "And today I was excavating a piece of cup that 's a thousand years old." "What?" "I was." "Come on, I can show you." "My mom says your mom does weird things." "No." "We both do." "Hey!" "Loverboy!" "I'm having a Yu-Gi-Oh party." "Wanna come?" "Loverboy!" "Loverboy." "Of course I do." "Why couldn't I go?" "Because... we have more fun on our own roam-abouts." "Don't we?" "Did they find magic pottery today?" "No." "No." "So, no need for tears." "You are my very special little boy." "Now eat your lamb." "Where's my dad?" "What?" "Tell me." "You do have a father." "He is like our wanderer Odysseus, trapped and sleepy... on some island so very far away from us." "And he is trying to get back." "No more fairytales!" "You're telling a fairytale lie." "I am not." "No, no, no!" "I must have a father!" "Loverboy?" "Sweetie?" "I'm not here." "I'm sorry." "I must be mistaken." "I thought there was a Loverboy inside... because I have something for him." "What?" "It 's a surprise." "What kind of a surprise?" "It 's a huge one." "The best kind." "Look at his face." "What was he thinking?" "Maybe he wants some more whipped cream." "Good idea." "I love you, Miss Darling." "I love you, Loverboy." "Knock, knock." "Anybody home?" "Hello." "Are you and Paul sleeping in there?" "Yes." "You have a little something on your..." "Fudge sundaes." "Well, I'm crazed." "Saturdays make me postal." "You know..." "allison's at ballet and I have to pick Danny up... in ten minutes and take him to Tae Kwon Do and I can' be late." "So I wanted to give you these." "What is it?" "Registration for school." "Thank you." "We're fine." "He needs other kids." "I can't believe how much AIlison's changed since she started." "You can't keep him out of school forever." "But I wanna go to school." "I wanna ride the bus." "Well, you will go." "When?" "Soon." "Maybe after Christmas." "We'll talk about it later." "You're not Dr. Spock, you know." "You're doing something wrong." "Yo." "I don't know where it came from." "I just found it on the yard." "I swear I didn't hurt it." "That 's where he lives?" "Where's his mommy?" "She's probably looking for something for her babies to eat." "Hear them?" "There's a whole family up there." "Mommy and lots of brothers and sisters." "What if they don't know where he is?" "Your baby is here!" "Better?" "Looks hurt." "Maybe it was a cat." "What if he's scared?" "Then we'll be right inside, and I will not take my mind off him." "Me too." "I won't either." "Remember, whenever you feel scared... that means there's opportunity." ""Kiss me through the hole of this vile wall." "I kissed the wall's hole, not your lips at all." "Wilt thou at Ninny's tomb meet me straightaway?" "'Tide life, 'tide death..." "I come without delay."" "I could've told you about death." "That the bird was going to die." "We would've buried the little guy in a hole." "You would've decorated the grave... and I would've held you, tears streaming down your cheeks... and told you everything would be fine again." "Marty." "Marty, look." "I've been wondering where you could buy those feeders." "I've been noticing them a lot on the front lawns like on Laurel." "Well, sweetie, do you want one?" "Yeah!" "I think they look real nice." "Well hell, let 's get ourselves a birdfeeder." "And Emily can keep it filled." "Would you like that, Em?" "Never mind." "Let 's come back if you want." "Okay." "So I'm thinking of a person." "And is that person living?" "Mommy, Mommy, he's gone." "His mom must 've come." "There's a bag of sandwiches in the kitchen." "Please get it." "Are we going somewhere?" "Yes." "On a little trip." "But you didn't say anything before." "Does that mean we cannot go?" "No." "Good." "Because not everyone around here needs to know about it." "Now please go upstairs and get dressed." "Mrs. Harker was no stranger to sadness." "I was hoping you'd stop by." "We missed you." "I like the music." "One of her sons had drunk something unsealed, marked, Poison." "And now he was permanently damaged." "Mom, where's my rabbit 's foot?" "I don't know." "Go away." "Don't be such a drag, darling." "So, tell me everything about your day." "It was okay." "Some kid put a sign on another kid's back that said:" "..."Scream at me, I'm deaf."" "Oh dear." "Is he?" "No." "That was the joke." "Oh, that 's terrible." "What else?" "The school just hired a shop teacher with a wooden leg." "Stop." "That is too good to be true." "You can't be serious." "Cross my heart." "If we could all be just slightly more ironic I think I could giggle forever." "What do you think of my outfit?" "It 's good, right?" "It 's really good, yes." "Okay." "We must go in." "We're both tired and it 's time." "And the sun is lowering." "Okay." "Is this the ocean?" "Yes." "Go back to sleep." "We'll see it in the morning." "I wanna go to the beach." "Tomorrow, love." "We came to the beach, we should go to the beach." "Wow, cool." "Did you hear it?" "Hear what?" "The wind." "So what 's the wind say?" "That sometimes it 's too cold on here." "Windpipes?" "But today the wind says it 's warm enough to blow." "See the house!" "Wait, wait, wait." "Let 's close our eyes and wish upon the wind." "Did it." "What did you wish?" "I wished that we could always be together..." "Loverboy and Miss Darling." "What did you wish?" "I cannot tell you." "If I tell, it will never come true." "Come on!" "Hey, look, a crab!" "Come here, pick him up." "I'm scared, Mom." "Come on." "He wants to be friends." "Here you go." "See?" "You were scared." "And now you are neighbors with a crab." "Congratulations, Loverboy." "Hi!" "Jeannette Rawley." "I rented you the place." "Fresh-baked blueberry muffins." "We've got so many berries here, you've gotta do something with them." "Right." "I told you about the tide." "Comes in every afternoon, covers the bridge." "So you're pretty well stranded out here." "Suits us just fine." "Paul." "Good." "It gets to some people." "Not us." "Listen." "We're having our... annual goodbye weekenders clambake this afternoon." "You'll come, yeah?" "Sorry, we can't." "Thank you, though." "Why not?" "Well?" "I promised him we'd bake a cake." "Well, you know kids." "Good." "Bake it and bring it on over." "We're having lobster." "Real lobster?" "Well, you betcha, kiddo." "You know, Paul's never had lobster before, and I'm just, I'm not..." "Mom, you always say, try new things." "There." "Festivities begin at 3 o'clock." "I'll see you then." "Bye." "Please, Mom, please?" "The party will be fun." "We bought this place..." "thirty years ago." "Haven't regretted it for a minute." "Another martini?" "Yes, please." "Here you go." "You're gonna like this one." "This is my best." "They get better as the day goes on, I think." "Come here, boy." "Come here." "Finally." "The lobsters." "Sure." "Thanks for that." "Hello, sweetheart." "Hey, Mark." "Are you the lobster man?" "Yeah." "No." "Mark, my nephew." "This is Emily Stoll and Paul." "Good to meet you guys." "Mark's a geologist." "Wonderful." "She's not bragging, just explaining the dirt under his fingernails." "True." "Unfortunately the only dirt... under my fingernails at this point is city grime." "I'm working on my thesis." "And this is Rocky." "Hey, boy!" "Hey, good boy." "Don't eat that." "Hey, you." "Don't eat that." "He'll eat anything." "Here." "Want some of this?" "We're gonna get this dinner going." "Pull these off, it 's good meat." "You know Rocky's gonna choke on that." "It 's all right." "He ate an entire bicycle tire last week." "He'll be fine." "Well, suit yourself." "Okay, Sailor boy, it 's time to go." "already?" "Mark's gonna take me fishing some time." "Really?" "I think I have to clear that with your mom first." "But I'd like to." "Thought you were land-based." "Actually amphibious." "Well, that will depend." "On what?" "Thank you very much for a delicious dinner and a lovely time." "Now bow." "Thank you." "It was our pleasure." "Yeah." "I'll stop by tomorrow." "I never got any dirt out of you." "And she will." "I'm serious about fishing." "Any time." "Good night." "Bye." "Bye-bye." "Sweet dreams." "Okay." "I like her." "Seems like a good mom." "Yeah, easy on the eye too, huh?" "I'm gonna plead the fifth." "You can plead whatever you want." "Morning." "Are we going fishing?" "I need to talk to your mom about that." "Take a look at this." "This here is everything you need to know about saltwater fishing." "It 's a definitive guide to... fish." "Cool, but she's still sleeping." "Yeah?" "I do need some help with something." "How handy are you with a hammer?" "I've hammered since I was a boy." "Really?" "That 's true." "Morning." "Put your sneakers on, please, Loverboy." "Don't call me that, Mom." "I'm Paul." "Sneakers, please." "You're okay with this, right?" "The boat has some rotten planks." "I thought I could use it as a carpentry lesson." "I'm not comfortable letting him out of my sight, actually... with the ocean and everything." "It 's funny you should mention that, as coincidence would have it... the storm washed it up here last night." "Ready." "Let 's go!" "And, by the way, nice jimmies." "Shit." "Hey, cool, a spider." "Where?" "Right there." "See?" "Yeah, leave him alone." "He's not gonna hurt you." "Good job." "Shit." "Is it okay if I hit this nail?" "Hi." "Mom, we did it." "It was rotten." "Tell me." "Three boards were rotten." "We took them out." "I'm so proud of you." "Kid's good with a hammer." "Guys hungry?" "I got sandwiches and ding dongs." "Mom, we don't have time." "Mark says we gotta get this boat in the water." "I thought we were going on a roam-about." "But I wanna go with him." "Can I go?" "We're just gonna be offshore." "And we got these." "Come on, let 's go." "Cool." "Can I come with you guys?" "Mom, it 's for boys." "You're not supposed to." "Sorry." "Boys only." "We won't be long." "You ready?" "Cool car." "You like it?" "Yeah." "Well, I'll sell it to you." "Seatbelt!" "Hi." "You guys okay?" "God." "Why do you think it 's called skate?" "Because of the way it goes through the water?" "Well..." "Maybe next year I'll catch one." "Right?" "After school?" "What school?" "Mom... remember, you promised." "We'll leave on Saturday so I can start school." "You know, I was thinking, since we're having so much fun maybe we can stay on a bit longer." "No." "And you know, I spoke to Jeannette." "And since the cabin's not rented..." "Where you going?" "To tell Jeannette we can't stay." "Slow down, kiddo." "We're fine." "Sit down." "I have school." "We can come back here in the summer." "Right?" "Of course." "I think Mark knows a lot about a lot of things." "Like you?" "Now, excuse me, young captain." "A good night kiss, please." "I'm gonna read for a little while." "Okay." "I think my dad's like Mark." "You do?" "Yeah." "I like Mark." "So I hear you're very good with astronomy." "Paul tells me you can identify every constellation." "Just Pegasus." "I still haven't figured out exactly where that Big Dipper is located." "I have to tell you, I was a little surprised when you called." "Really?" "Yeah." "Well..." "I was kind of surprised, too." "About what?" "You haven't asked me about my... relationship status." "Well, I guess I haven't." "Well, here's to my self-restraint." "To your self-restraint." "How long do you figure I have to exercise that attribute?" "I was thinking... if you're writing your thesis, can't you do that from anywhere?" "That all depends." "Loverboy and I were thinking about staying on through the winter." "Don't call me that!" "We're not staying!" "Hey!" "Calm down." "Let go of me!" "Let go of me!" "Stop it." "Calm down." "Just calm down." "Stop." "I'm going to school!" "Paul..." "Let go of me!" "Stop!" "You're gonna do what I tell you to do!" "Stop it!" "No!" "No!" "Stop it!" "Let go!" "Paul!" "Get back here!" "No!" "Mrs. Harker?" "Mrs. Harker?" "Is there anybody there?" "It 's me, Emily." "Hello." "Hello?" "But Mrs. Harker was gone." "Mom." "Mom... wake up." "Wow..." "You are dressed." "Yeah, I am." "I picked it out all by myself." "Yes, you did." "I'll meet you downstairs." "Wait." "I want you to call if there's any problem... or you wanna come home." "Okay?" "So here's some change." "I want you to put the money in... and dial our number just like we practiced." "Can I just have the teacher call?" "No." "Come on, sweetheart." "Come on, sweetheart." "Hey, kiddo!" "Give me a fighting chance to keep up." "Mom..." "I don't want you to come in with me." "But..." "I'm not a baby." "No one else's mother is here." "You can't have it." "I made it." "It 's better than yours." "Give it to me." "No." "Catch me, first." "You have to get it!" "Come on!" "Loverboy, be careful!" "Is that your mom?" "Hi!" "Poof, I am gone." "Just don't run with the stick." "Vegetable." "Vegetable." "Bread." "What are you doing?" "Counting food groups." "We learned about 'em today." "Miss Silken says we should eat five..." "Miss Silken?" "Is that the name of your teacher?" "Yes." "She's really nice and everyone in school likes her." "I see." "So you do not mind sitting in a chair all day long?" "Nope." "No." "No." "That 's another thing." "Miss Silken says I say strange things." "Well, perhaps that is because she's having a hard time keeping up." "Miss Silken says mine was one of the best in the class." "One of the best?" "Only four other students got both a smiley face and a gold star." "Well, whoopie." "Won't you hang it on the refrigerator?" "No, I won't." "If you want to paint me something somewhat original, then I will." "Or perhaps sing me The Marseillaise like we used to, then I'll take note." "So far everything Miss Silken says interests me not at all." "I pitched a tent in the back yard and I thought maybe we could camp out... to celebrate your first day home from school..." "I don't want to." "You do not want to?" "No." "It 's important I get a good night 's sleep for tomorrow." "Ask Miss Silken who was... the first prime minister of an independent India." "That 's India, not Indiana." "Miss Silken... with her nicely-crossed ankles, and her well-constructed rules." "Gold stars on a chart." "Beating every ounce of exceptional out of you." "It had happened to me." "I would not let it happen to you." "Stop it." "Wanna go inside, Mom." "I'm tired." "I know how to drive already." "Do you want it out?" "Let me yank it out." "What?" "You will?" "Sure." "Then we have to stay in here tonight." "We are sleeping in the car." "No, Mom." "Miss Silken told us you need to put it under your pillow." "She is wrong." "You need to sleep in the spot where the tooth fell out." "That 's not right." "Yes, Paul." "Which of us has lost their teeth?" "Which of us has received tooth fairy visits?" "Now lean back, and close your eyes." "Promise I'll be okay?" "I promise." ""Thy eternal summer shall not fade nor lose possession of that fair thou ow 'st nor shall death brag thou wander'st in shade when in eternal lines to time thou grow'st"" "Marty." "Mom, what 're they doing?" "Mom." ""So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see so long lives this, and this gives life to thee"" "And that beautiful sonnet was written by whom?" "Shakespeare." "Full name, please?" "William Shakespeare." "And did you know that in his time... all the female roles were performed by young boys?" "Yes." "Thank you, Diana." "That was, well, as lovely as a summer's day." "And she memorized it all by herself." "Ladies and gentlemen, our next performer... performing a song by a rock'n' roll singer... a capella, Emily Stoll... performing "Life on Stars"." "She looks weird." ""Mars"." "What?" ""Life on Mars"." "Sweetie, now are you sure that you don't want..." "Mr. Frankel to accompany you on piano?" "No, thank you." "Okay." "It's a god-awful small affair To the girl with the mousy hair" "But her mummy is yelling no" "And her daddy has told her to go" "But the film is a saddening bore" "For she's lived it ten times or more" "She could spit in the eyes of fools" "As they ask her to focus on sailors Fighting in the dance hall" "Oh man, look at those cavemen go" "It's the freakiest show" "Not it 's not, baby." "No." "This is not what we practiced." "He's in the best-selling show" "Is there life on Mars?" "This is..." "All right." "All right." "It 's okay." "It 's okay." "Was that supposed to be about us?" "No." "Well it sure sounded like a con... con... condemnation." "I like the song." "Don't bullshit us, young lady." "Nobody could like that song." "You picked that song deliberately to humiliate us." "I promise I didn't." "Everybody else did a poem." "You sing a song by a druggie and..." "What 's his name?" "It 's Bowie Something, I don't know." "He's English." "I'm sorry." "Please, save it." "And why those stupid tights?" "Your mother is..." "Your mother is correct." "They are ugly." "I hope you are aware that your father is not well." "So do it." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Okay." "Here we go." "Is this what you want?" "It didn't hurt, you know?" "All those who disobey us will be taken into jail." "Guys, look!" "What is it?" "A geode." "My mom found it." "It 's so pretty." "I found it in the driveway." "There might be hundreds of them." "MM's?" "I'm not allowed." "Fiddledee-dee." "Paul and I are going to Mexico in the summer to search for gold." "Aren't we, Paul?" "Sure." "Sure we are." "And then maybe to Alaska... to see the giant whales." "I think it 's much better... to see things in real life than in books." "Don't you?" "Good morning, Mr. Pomeroy." "Dear, not again?" "I'm afraid so." "He was up almost the entire night and his throat almost closed." "Heavens!" "That 's horrible." "I tried to stay as calm as I could, because I didn't wanna frighten him." "Well, you did the right thing." "That 's the right thing to do." "But I was just about a second away from calling 911." "Do you know that we once had a little girl here who... as it turned out, was allergic to the silverware in the cafeteria?" "Really?" "And as soon as she switched to plastic ware cleared right up." "That 's good." "But Paul... he just seems so normal." "Normal?" "Healthy." "Who would suspect that he would have all of these crazy allergies?" "Do you think that it could be something at home?" "Why would you say that?" "I was speaking to Miss Silken." "And she doesn't think that he's allergic to anything here." "You know, it 's funny that you should say that... because I was actually thinking the same thing." "I was thinking that it could be a mold that we can't see in our house." "In the walls?" "Oh my gosh." "I've been reading in the news media, about these awful kinds of molds." "You should see the other patients." "What other patients?" "Bumps all over." "Little red bumps?" "You mean like a chickenpox kind of a bump?" "There's this one beautiful little girl... with skin that is almost translucent she's allergic to clothes." "To clothes?" "Where is he?" "I ... told Miss Silken that you'd be here fifteen minutes ago so I ..." "Hi, Mom." "They should be here..." "Look." "Hi." "I'm Miss Silken." "So nice to finally meet you." "Paul speaks very highly of you." "Well, I speak very highly of him." "You ready, kiddo?" "We're almost late." "Sure." "Okay." "So, if the doctor says he's okay he'll be back in school tomorrow." "I'm sure he's fine." "I'll see you tomorrow." "Bye, Miss Silken." "I thought maybe afterwards we could take a trip." "Real, or imaginary?" "Is there a difference?" "Do I have an appointment this time?" "I told you, sweetie... we'll have to see if Dr. Brown can squeeze you in." "Why do you keep having to check?" "Can't you make a real appointment?" "Now, you wait here while I check." "I think, I'm missing too much school." "You will be fine, trust me." "You already know everything." "You don't even need to go to school." "But I wanna go to school." "I'll be right back." "Why couldn't Dr. Brown take me?" "Maybe next Wednesday." "We haven't been on a roam-about in so long." "There you go." "Good." "Okay, we have Cornish Game Hen... chocolate milk, licorice, ding dongs... radishes to dip in butter and salt, just like you like them." "Mom, what are we doing here?" "We're gonna go see an ancient Indian chief... who knows all the secrets of the universe." "Where're you going?" "Hello, Mom." "I thought you were supposed to take me to a doctor." "Loverboy!" "Shit." "Where is he?" "He's with the nurse." "He refuses to come in." "His pants are wet." "He's... he seems very upset." "Well, I'm not surprised." "Perhaps it 's the needles." "But he has to keep going." "There is no doctor." "Excuse me?" "What sort of nonsense is this?" "My doctor..." "My son and I were at a doctor's appointment... and you, Missy, are out of line." "Why don't we come into my office?" "Whatever you feel, you really aren't alone." "So many mothers are having difficulty with this transition." "We have a buddy system here where the fifth graders... buddy with the first graders for the first few weeks of school." "I was thinking, what about with the moms?" "old and new moms?" "I mean it 's a huge change for everyone." "Sure." "Intriguing." "Well maybe you can help me." "You're not working, right?" "Well I run a cell lab." "Fluorescence research, mostly." "Really?" "You're a scientist." "Good for you." "That must be... difficult being a single mom." "I mean, I hope there's a dad somewhere... to give you a break when you..." "when you need to take a break." "I'm not looking for breaks from my child." "But Paul's been handling first grade beautifully." "Especially considering not knowing the other kids from kindergarten." "I mean he's the first to hang up his jacket." "He likes work in the block area or even the writer's notebook." "He's social..." "Excuse me, Miss Silken." "Are you aware of Paul's exceptional capabilities?" "All my children are special." "No, no, no." "He is not just any child." "His intelligence is remarkable." "And his creativity is breathtaking." "He's a hard worker and keeps up with some of the stronger students." "How old are you?" "What?" "I'm twenty-six." "Well, perhaps in your extensive studies... you've heard of the educator Maria Montessori?" "It was she who said, and I believe I am accurate in my words... that the conventional classroom is a place... where children are like butterflies, mounted on pins... fastened to their places." "Look, this is not going anywhere." "We need to keep the focus here on Paul." "Surely, if not Montessori, Emerson." "You have heard of Emerson, I hope." "He is, for all intents and purposes, Paul's father." "He says you will always find people who think they know your duty better than you do." "Ms." "Stoll, please sit down." "Excuse me." "I'm sorry." "Let me use more primitive language." "I absolutely do not, and will never consider... my son with anyone else." "I'm sorry." "Despite your craving, you may not have Paul." "Mrs. Harker." "I am no longer outside her door, ringing... waiting." "She is here... ready to guide me to where I can safely take you." "When you wake, the tooth fairy will have a perfect new dollar for you." "You going to sleep, too?" "Yes." "I will always be beside you, Loverboy." "Was there ever a mother who loved her son more?" "Loverboy and Miss Darling... together... forever." "Poof... we are gone." "Jesus." "Paul?" "Paul?" "Paul, wake up." "Wake up, Paul." "Paul, wake up." "Wake up." "Help!" "Help, somebody help, please!" "Help!" "Help!" "Somebody!" "Please, help!" "Help!" "Is this where you guys came together?" "Yeah." "She wasn't like the other mothers, was she?" "Long ago, giants walked the earth." "Do you miss her?" "Forever." "And when they died, their bodies shrunk... but their spirits grew." "Go on." "What do I do?" "Whisper your dreams." "They'll carry them away to where they need to go." "Where's that?" "All people are giants." "They can see beyond the hills, past the sky... and into forever." "Come on." "I'm scared." "Remember... whenever you're scared... that means there's opportunity." "Your mom wasn't scared, right?" "Not here." "You must never forget to imagine, Loverboy." "Just over there, beyond a road... beyond a tree... beyond the horizon..." "I am waiting for you,Paul."