"Shh..." "Go back to sleep." "Onceuponatime, before I came, you cried and cried and watched TV all day, until you were a zombie, but then I zoomed down from heaven through skylight into room." "Whoosh-pshew!" "And I was kicking you from the inside." "Boom, boom!" "And then I shot out onto rug with my eyes wide open, and you cutt-ed the cord and said, "hello, Jack."" "Ma, I'm five!" " You are." " I'm so old now." "You're such a big boy now." "Yeah." "Good morning, lamp." "Good morning, plant." "Good morning, Eggsnake." "Good morning, rug." "Good morning, wardrobe." "Good morning, TV." "Good morning, sink." "Morning, toilet." "Morning, everyone." "Okay." "It's my birthday." "I'm five." "I get it." "Take your vitamin." "It's the last one." "Vitamins." " Is bad tooth hurting?" " Mm-hmm." "But you know, mind over matter." "If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." "You're right." "Hey, do you know what we're gonna do today?" "What?" "We are going to bake a birthday cake." "A birthday cake?" "Mm-hmm." " Like in TV?" " Mm-hmm, but for real." "No way!" "The back." "Now go, one, two, three." "Four, five." "One, two, three, four, five..." "There you are." "I love you." "Okay, TV off." "I'm gonna grow and grow until I'm a giant." "Look, ma, I'm strong as Samson." "Yeah." "You are." "I'm going to be Jack the giant, giant-killer and burst out of skylight into space with my dog, lucky, and boing, boing, boing to all of the planets." "Let's start with some stretch." "Great job." "Great job." "Other leg, quickly." "Switch legs." "Hup." " Yeah." " I'm doing it." " Yeah." " I'm doing..." "Jump, jump..." "Like a frog." "Feet back and then do a push-up down." "Up." "Okay, time for track." "Now this wall." "Oh, I meant this wall." "Did I say this wall?" "I meant this wall, but I actually meant, I meant this wall, and this one, but this one needs it, too." "Yeah!" "Mm." "Oh, it's a beautiful egg." "Pretty good." "Is that the batter?" "That's the batter." "We're gonna add some butter, too." "How about that?" " Butter!" " Urgh!" " Ho, ho!" " Oh, yeah, mash that in." "Well, we got it!" "Why don't you do some of that?" " Can you... handle that?" " Yeah." "Abracadabra!" "Now the candles!" "We don't have any candles." "I know." "You said a birthday cake, for real." "That means candles on fire." "Jack..." "It's okay without the candles." "It's still a birthday cake." "You should ask for candles for a Sunday treat, not dumb jeans." "I'm sorry." "You know, I have to ask for stuff that we really need, stuff that he can get easily." "But old Nick gets anything, by magic." "Why don't we try your cake?" "No!" "Jack." "Let's try a bite of it." "I said, no!" "Come here." "Next week when I'm six, you'd better ask for real candles." "Next year, you mean." "AndEdmondtearsfree out of the bag, and swims and swims to the island of Monte Cristo, and he digs up the treasure his friend was telling him about." "He buys a big yacht..." "And sails back to France, and when he gets there, he decides to buy the island, and call himself "the count,"" "and vows to take revenge on all of the people that were mean to him." "Can we have more birthday cake?" "Tomorrow." "Just a bite?" "We brushed our teeth already." "One last story?" "Please." "Come on, Jack." "It's late." "Let's go to bed." "Sing." " Here's his jeans." " Thanks." "Grapes were way too much, so I got you canned pears." "What's that?" "Is it a birthday cake?" "Mm." "Mm." "You should have told me." "I'd have got him a present." "So, uh, how old is he anyway?" "Four?" "Five." "One, two, three..." "There'sroom, then outer space, with all the TV planets, then heaven." "Plant is real, but not trees." "Spiders are real, and one time the mosquito that was sucking my blood." "But squirrels and dogs are just TV, except lucky." "He's my dog who might come some day." "Monsters are too big to be real, and the sea." "TV persons are flat and made of colors." "But me and you are real." "Old Nick..." "I don't know if he's real." "Maybe half." "47, 48, 49." "50, 51..." "Shh..." "Oh." "What is it?" "It's a bad tooth." "Mm-hmm." "Can I hold it?" "Wow!" "You made him gone!" "He was an alive thing." "He was real!" "He would have stolen our food." "Mouse can have my food." "I'm not hungry." "He would have brought in germs, bit us in our sleep." "Mouse is my friend, and you splattered him dead." "No, I didn't." "He's hunky-dory." "Are you tricking me?" "No, Jack, I swear." "He is safe at home in the backyard with his ma." "What backyard?" "Mouse lives in a yard in TV?" "Here, why don't you make a UFO out of this?" "Why you didn't tell old Nick it was my birthday?" "Because he's not our friend." "He said he'd bring me a present." "You're not supposed to be listening to that." "You're supposed to be asleep." "I never had a present." "Well, he didn't mean it." "It might be my dog, lucky." "Jack, we can't have a dog." "There's not enough room..." "Space..." "There's not enough space, with the barking and the scratching." "Lucky won't scratch." "He promises." "There is no lucky!" "Yes, there is!" "No, there's not." "You made him up in your head." "He's not real." "Jack, I'm sorry." "Come here, come here, come here." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "You're right." "That wasn't nice." "Where do we go when we're asleep?" "Right here in room." "But dreams..." "Do we go to, into TV for dreaming?" "Mm-mm." "We're never anywhere but here." "Can I open it?" "Mm-hmm." "Yes!" "Why the aliens never scream back?" "I guess they still can't hear us." "We'll do it even louder, okay?" "Okay." "I'll kill you!" "Would you like to kill me now?" "Ma, he's attacking me!" "Oh, no!" "Got you." "Ow!" "Ow!" "Ma, what smells bad?" "Fuck." "Ugh." "Shh..." "What's that smell?" "Sorry, I burned some cheese." " Here." " I just wasn't thinking." "Well, thinking is not your strong suit." "I know." "Yeah." "Why don't you sit down?" " Thank you." " Mm-hmm." "So how did he like his truck?" "Yeah?" "Yeah." "I know boys." "The vitamins." "Ah, it's a waste of money." "There's nothing in them." "Well, if we had a better diet." "Oh, fuck, here we go again." "Maybe if you could stop complaining and be a little grateful." "Thank you." "God, it's fucking pulling teeth sometimes." "Thank you for everything." "You just have no idea about the world of today." " No." " No." "Who pays the power bill?" "Who pays for everything?" " You." " Mm-hmm." "And how do you think" "I'm gonna be able to keep doing that?" "What do you mean?" "Nothing." "No, but what does that mean?" "Six months." "I've been laid off." "Six months." "Yeah." "If you had to worry your little head..." "What are you gonna do about it?" "Are you looking for a job?" "There are no fucking jobs!" "Jesus." "Hey there." "He's asleep." "I don't think so." "Do you keep him in the closet all day as well as all night?" "What, does the little freak got two heads or something?" "Hey." " Hey." " Shh." " Come to bed." " Hey, Jack." " Hey." " Let's go to bed." "You want some candy?" "Do you like candy, huh?" "Come on out and get some candy." "Come to bed." "Please?" "Please?" "Didn't your momma ever teach you any manners, young lady?" "Oh, hey Sonny." "Get away from him!" "Don't touch him!" "Don't touch him!" "Fuck!" "Don't touch him!" "Quit the noise!" "Quit the noise." "Quit the noise." "Do you want to breathe?" "Yeah?" "Do you want to breathe?" "Then shut the fuck up." "God!" "Fuck." "Don't touch him." "Fuck." "If you ever touch me like that again, if you grab me like that," "I'll fucking kill you." " Do you understand that?" " Don't touch him." "Yeah." "Don't you forget where you got him." "Jack?" "Jack?" "I'm sorry!" " Are you okay?" " I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." " It's okay." " I won't do it again." "Hmm?" "Hmm." "Ma, I'm a dragon." "I'm a dragon." "He cut the power." ""For, you see, so many out-of-the-way things had happened lat-ely, that..."" " lately." " Lately." ""That Alice had begun to think" ""that very few things, indeed," ""were really impossible." "There seemed to be no use in waiting by the little door."" "Ma?" "Hey, Jack, do you remember mouse?" "Yeah." "Yeah?" "You know where he is?" "Hmm." "I do." "He's on the other side of this wall." "What other side?" "Jack, there's two sides to everything." "Not on an octagon." "Yeah, but..." "An octagon has eight sides." "But a wall, okay, a wall's like this, see?" "And we're on the inside and mouse is on the outside." "In outer space?" "No, in the world." "It's much closer than outer space." "I can't see the outside-side." "Listen, I know that I told you something else before, but you were much younger." "I didn't think that you could understand, but now you're so old, you're so smart." "I know that you can get this." "Where do you think that old Nick gets our food?" "From TV by magic." "There is no magic." "What you see on TV, those are pictures of real things, of real people." "It's real stuff." "Dora's real, for real?" "No, that's a drawing." "Dora is a drawing." "But other people, they have faces like us." "Those are pictures of real things, and all the other stuff you see on there, that's real, too." "That's real oceans, real trees, real cats, dogs." "No way." "Where would they all fit?" "They just do." "They just fit." "They just fit out in the world." "Jack, come on, you're so smart." "I know that you've been wondering about this." "Can I have something else to eat?" "There's a leaf." "Do you see that?" "Where?" " Look." " I don't see a leaf." "Come here." "I want you to see." "You can have a closer look." "You see that?" "See?" "Dumbo ma." "That's not a leaf." "Leaves are green." "Yeah, on trees, but then they fall, and they rot, like salad in the fridge." "Where's all the stuff you said?" "Trees, and dogs, and cats, and grass?" "We can't see it from here because skylight looks upwards instead of sideways." "You're just tricking me." "No, I'm not." "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" "Jack." "I couldn't explain it before, because you were too small." "You were too small to understand, so I had to make up a story, but..." "But now I'm doing the opposite, okay?" "I'm doing the opposite of lying." "I am un-lying, because you're five now." "You're five, and you're old enough to understand what the world is." "You have to understand." "You have to understand." "We can't keep living like this." "You need to help me." "I want to be four again." "Do you remember how..." "Do you remember how Alice wasn't always in wonderland?" "She fell down, down, down, deep in a hole." "Right, well, I wasn't always in room." "I'm like Alice." "I was a little girl named joy." "Nah!" "And I lived in a house with my mom and my dad." "You would call them grandma and grandma." "What house?" "A house." "It was in the world." "And there was a backyard, and we had a hammock, and we would swing in the hammock, and we would eat ice cream." "A TV house?" "No, Jack, a real house, not TV." "Are you even listening to me?" "When I was a little older, when I was 17..." " I was walking home from school- - where was I?" "You were still up in heaven." "But there was a guy." "He pretended that his dog was sick." "What guy?" "Old Nick." "We call him "old Nick."" "I don't know what his real name is." "But he pretended his dog was sick..." " What's the dog's name?" " Jack, there wasn't a dog." "He was trying to trick me, okay?" "There wasn't a dog." "Old Nick stole me." "I want a different story!" "No!" "This is the story that you get." "He put me in his garden shed." "Here." "Room is the shed." "He's locked the door." "He's the only one that knows the code..." "You know, the secret numbers that open the door?" "He's the only one that knows, and I've been locked in here for seven years." "I've been in here for seven years." "Do you understand?" "This story's boring!" "Jack, the world is so big." "It's so big, you wouldn't even believe it." "And room is just one stinky part of it." "Room's not stinky." "Only when you do a fart." "My god." "Okay." "I don't believe in your stinky world!" "It's warm again." "Ma." "Ma." " Ma?" " Hmm." "Eggsnake's our longest friend and fanciest." "Meltedy spoon's the best to eat with because he's more blobbier." "Labyrinth is the twistiest and she hides things so I don't know where they are." "Toilet's the best at disappearing poo." "Lamp's the brightest, except when the power's cut." "You're the best at reading and songs and lots, except if you're having a gone day." "I'm the best at drawing, and jumping, and growing, and nearly everything!" "Are turtles real?" "Yeah." "They're totally real." "I had a turtle as a pet." "Crocodiles and sharks?" "Yeah, they're all real." "Real?" "Sort of." "So, these are real people, but they're playing dress-up." "They're pretending that they're people from hundreds of years ago." "Just TV?" "You're getting it." "When old Nick comes back," "I'm gonna kick him in the butt." "Let me tell you something." "You know, one time," "I tried to kick old Nick in the butt." "I hid behind the door, and I was holding the lid from the toilet tank." "There used to be a lid on it." "It was the heaviest thing in room." "When he came in," "I smashed it on his head, but I messed up." "He shoved the door closed, and he grabbed me by the wrist." "That's why it's sore now." "We could wait 'til he's asleep and kill him dead." "Yeah, we could, but..." "Then what?" "We'd run out of food and we don't know the code to the door." "Hey, the grandma and the grandpa could come." "Jack, they don't know where we are." "Room's not on any map." "Jack, listen to me." "Now, we've got a chance." "We've nearly missed it, but we've got our chance." "So you're gonna help me." "You're gonna help me trick old Nick." "I don't get it." "I'm going to make your face so hot, that old Nick will have to take you to the hospital in his truck, and then when you get there, you're gonna say to the doctors, "help!" "Police!"" "Well, maybe next year when I'm six." "Tonight." "It has to be tonight, Jack." "We'll tell old Nick that because of the power cut, you got so cold, that you got a fever." "Tomorrow, please." "No." "I'm your ma, so, sometimes, I have to pick for the both of us." "Ow!" "It's okay." "It's okay." "You've got to stay floppy." "Okay?" "Stay floppy, and you're not going to move or say a word." "You're too weak, okay?" "Ew, what are you doing?" "What are you doing?" "Sorry." "I've just got to make you smell sick." "Good." "That's good." "Show me how..." "Show you me how you're gonna pull the note out of your pocket." "Show me the note." "Come on." "When you're at the hospital..." "Show me." "What's this?" "What's that?" "Oh." "You see?" "You've got a bit of me all the time." "Okay." "Put it back in your pocket." "Okay, good." "Okay." "And you've got your strong, too." "Okay?" "I'm scared." "I know." "Come on." "It's okay." "There you are." "You know the drill." "Not a peep 'til the door's shut." "Sorry." "It's..." "Jack's sick." "It was so cold." "Well, you brought that on yourself." "Well, I couldn't keep him warm, and now he's burning up." "Give him some of those painkillers." "I tried, but he just keeps puking them back up." "Don't." "Don't!" "Stay still." "Jesus, he's on fire." "Okay, well I'll get him something stronger." "But he... he's five." "He's dehydrated." "He has a fever." "He could go into convulsions at any minute." "Just shut up and let me think!" "Okay." "All right." "Okay." "I'll..." "I'll get him some tomorrow night." "No!" "He... you need to take him to the E.R. right now." "Stop the hysterics." "Please, I'm begging you!" "Am I still gonna go?" "No, not this time." "It's okay." "So you remember how Edmond pulls his friend out of a bag and hides him, and then he gets in the bag, and he lays in there really still until the guards come?" "So that's what you're going to do." "You see?" "How that's even tricks-ier than pretending to be sick, because you're gonna..." "Play dead." "Folding over." "I don't want to be dead." "You're just pretending to be dead." "Stay stiff." "We're gonna roll you up in rug so that old Nick won't see you, won't see that you're alive inside." "Old Nick's going to pick you up like this." "Stay stiff, stiff, stiff." "And, and you're not gonna be wobbly and floppy this time." "You're gonna be real stiff, like a..." "like a robot." "It's gonna shake." "Now, that is what it'll feel like." "And that's when you know that old Nick's driving." "That means he's busy, and so it's time for you to roll." "And you're not gonna make a sound, and I'm gonna be there in your head, talking to you the whole time." "Come on." "Roll, roll, roll." "Now, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle." "Get yourself out." "I can't." "Stop!" " Come on, Jack." " Ma, I can't!" "And old Nick's gonna come, and he's gonna pick you up in the rug, and he's gonna take you outside, and he's gonna put you in his truck, and he's gonna..." "Find a place to..." "To lay you down." "No." "It'll be okay, though, because you're gonna wiggle out, and you're gonna run away." "Head over here." "Arms like this." "Okay, there was too many turns that time." "I'll shorten the rug." "Okay." "Ooh." "Roll, roll, roll!" "Roll, Jack, roll, come on!" "Roll." "You've got it." "Now wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle." " Yes!" " I hate you!" "Okay, okay." "Truck, wiggle out, jump, run." "Okay, you'll jump, jump when you hit the first stop sign, and the truck rolls to a stop." "And you're gonna shout when you see somebody." "You say, "my ma is joy newsome."" "Who's somebody?" "Anybody." "It's the first person that you see." "An actual real-life person?" "Mm-hmm." "What if old Nick unwraps me?" "He won't." "You got bad tooth?" "He's in here so I don't lose him." "You are amazing." "And you're going to love it." "What?" "The world." "My house with the hammock and grandma and grandpa." "And you?" "Yeah." "Stay stiff." "I'm sorry, Jack." "Stay stiff." "You can do this." "Antibiotics." "What are you doing?" "He got worse in the night." "He didn't wake up." "Oh, jeez." "You poor girl." "Well, I guess it must have been pretty serious." "You killed by baby." "Okay, take it easy." "Okay, let me have a look." "Don't touch him!" "Okay." "Are you sure?" "Am I sure?" "Okay." "Well, he can't stay here, you know?" "No." "Where are you gonna take him?" "I don't know." "I, I'm thinking." "Um..." "Somewhere nice." "It can't be here." "I'll feel him." "Okay." "Somewhere with trees." "Trees, sure, yeah." "I want to swear to me you won't even lay your filthy eyes on him." "Swear to me that you won't look at him!" "I swear." "Okay, well, it's about an hour until dark." "Now!" "I can't bear it." "Okay, all right, all right." "Gentle, please!" "Okay." "Okay." "Please!" "Please, please, be gentle." "I got him now!" "I got him." "I got him." "Step back." "Face the wall." "Truck." "Wiggle out." "Jump, run, somebody." "God." "Stupid bitch." "Oh!" "Boomer!" "I'm really sorry, man." "She just came out of nowhere." "I'm... hey, hey, I'm really sorry." "Is your little girl okay?" "It's under control." "Okay." "Has she been in some kind of accident?" "Would you like me to phone someone?" "Help!" "I'll take care of it." "What's that you've got there, honey?" "Come on!" "Is that for me?" "Come on." "Why don't you just mind your own business?" "Ma!" " I'm calling the cops, mister..." " Help me!" "Fuck!" "Hey, whoa, hey, hey!" "Come here." "Sit." "Sit down." "Hi, honey." "This is boomer." "He's not gonna hurt you." "He's all gone now." "I'm gonna call somebody." "It was a red pick-up." "She was running away from this guy." "He grabbed her." " I tried to stop him and..." " Thank you." "Hey." "Hey, there." "I'm officer Parker." "Can you tell me your name?" "Hi." "Jack." "Can you say that a little louder for me?" "Okay." "So, um, do you..." "Have another name?" "Jack?" "Okay, it's okay." "Can you tell me how old you are?" "I'm five." "Five?" "That's great, okay." "Now, uh, can you tell me where you live?" "Why don't we call child services?" "Do you have a mom, Jack?" "Ma." "Okay, good." "Does she have another name?" "I can't remember." "Um, where's ma right now?" " Room." " What room?" "Jack, where's this room?" "That guy with the truck, is that your dad?" "Is that ma's boyfriend?" "Do you know him?" "What's that, Jack?" "A bit of ma." "That's okay, buddy." "That's good." "Thank you, Jack." "That's good." "You did real good, okay?" "You did good." "So Jack, anything you recognize, buddy?" "Jack, anything?" "Your room, Jack." "What's outside the room?" "Space." "No... the world." "You think the kid's on something?" "Okay, listen, when you step out the door..." "No?" "No, you don't?" "We don't know how to open the door." "My money's on some kind of cult..." "The tooth, the long hair." "Is there daylight in your room?" "Okay, good." "How many windows?" "Zero." "Well, then, how does the sun come in?" "Through skylight." "Skylight?" "Okay, excellent." "So you live in a house with a skylight?" "No, it's not a house." "Okay." " It's a..." " Yeah?" "It's a..." "Uh, you'd get more out of him after he's had some sleep." "Tom, give it a second." "Room's a... a shed." "A shed, Jack?" "A shed?" "Okay, good boy." "Yeah, it's a needle in a haystack." "Okay, listen to me." "What made you jump out the truck, Jack?" "Ma said in my head." "Okay, what exactly did she say?" "Jump when it slows down, but I couldn't." "All right." "So, what did you do?" "What did you do?" "Third time, I got bent." "The... third time of what, Jack?" "Third slow." "Everything went sideways, and then it stopped, then I jumped..." " I got it." " Into..." "I got it, buddy." "I got it." " 54-09 call." " Go ahead." "Dispatch." "Listen carefully." "We have a rough location." "All right, uh, south on elm, three stop signs past the junction with beech." "Look for a garden shed with a skylight." "Also check the most recent satellite images for a red pick-up in the driveway." "54-09 on route." " Unbelievable." " Okay, copy that, 54-09." "Good boy, Jack." "...Apossible active hostage situation." "27-Adamcallingin ." "We are at 40019 pine street." "Stay with the kid." "Everything's gonna be okay, Jack." "Settle in." "Hey, Parker, backyard." "Ma!" "Ma..." "Ma." "Ma!" "Open the door!" "Open!" " Jack!" "Where is he?" " Ma!" "Ma, I'm in this one!" "Jack!" "Ma." "Can we go to bed?" "Yeah." "They'll take us somewhere to sleep soon." "No, but bed..." "In room." " Ma!" "Ma!" " Oh." "Good morning, sleepyhead." "I was waiting so long for you to wake up," "I fell asleep again." "Are we on another planet?" "Mm-mm." "Same one, just a different spot." "This one is..." "A bedroom in a hospital." "Are we sick for real or pretend?" "We're not sick." "We're the opposite of sick." "How long are we staying?" "Not long." "Grandma saw us last night, and she's gonna get us once they say we're okay." "And grandpa?" "He was away for work, but he's on a plane coming back home." "I wetted the bed before." "I'm sorry." "Yeah?" "It was by accident." "It's okay." "Hello?" "Yeah." "Just now." "Uh, yeah, that would be great." "Can you bring it in 20 minutes?" "Okay, thank you." "Step out, okay." " Ma that's waste." " We'll get you new ones." "For Sunday treat?" "There will be so many treats, and not just on Sunday." "Ma, where's the bath?" "There's a shower." "It's splashier." "Jack, come here." "That's us." "Ma, will he find us?" "No." "He will never find us." "Come on." "Bath before bed." "That's the rule." "There are no rules, Jack." "We can do what we like." "Are you hurting?" "No." "You wanna come in?" "Mm-mm." "Ma, the door's ticking." "Hey, it's okay." " Good morning." " Hi." "Hey, it's okay." "Come on." "So I hear we're all awake now?" "Yeah." "Just put it right there." "It's okay Jack." "Hi, Jack." "How are you doing?" "My name's Dr. Mittal, and you were asleep when I showed up this morning." "You hungry?" "Do you want some breakfast?" "Yeah, you must be starved." "He's gonna bring you some breakfast." "Check out what we've got." "It's pancakes and fruit." "Mm." "Let's check it out." "Wow!" "Pancakes." "Looks really good." "Really, really good." "You want to try it?" " It goes with syrup, too." " Everything's looking good." "You want to try syrup?" "It's very sweet." "So..." "I brought you some goodies." "Sunglasses." "Okay." "That'll make you more comfortable, if you need to go outside, and, um, sunscreen." "That's for him, mainly." "This is important." "That's-that's for Jack." "Is that really necessary?" "Well, there's a lot of germs in the air that he still needs to get used to." "And, uh, my colleague prescribed this for your pain, for your wrist, until they can get you set up for surgery." "And that's to help you sleep." "Just take it if you need it." "Okay." "Thank you." "Come on, Jack." "Let's try some pancake, huh?" "So, have you had a chance to think about what we discussed this morning?" "Yeah, I thought..." "I did think about it." "Thank you, but..." "I-I really want to go home." "Okay." "You know my view." "Yeah." "And with everything you two have experienced, and, uh, just to assess Jack properly." "But nothing happened to Jack." "No, no, no, I understand." "I understand." "He's gonna be okay, right?" "The most important thing you did was get him out while he's still plastic." "What?" "I'm not plastic." "What's that, Jack?" "He says that he's..." "He's real." "He's not plastic." "Well, you got me there, Jack." "You're real." "And you're very brave." "Um... yeah, let's talk about this later." "Dad?" "Dad!" "I'm sorry." "We just couldn't wait any longer." "It's okay." "Don't worry about it." "Hello, Jack." "Thanks for saving our little girl." "I'vebeenin theworld 37 hours." "I've seen pancakes, and a stairs, and birds, and windows, and hundreds of cars, and clouds, and police, and doctors, and grandma and grandpa." "But ma says they don't live together in the hammock house anymore." "Grandma lives there with her friend, Leo, now, and grandpa lives far away." "Sorry." "I'm sorry." "I've seen persons with different faces and bigness and smells, talking all together." "Now,wearegetting unconfirmed reports that an individual has just been arrested..." "Theworld'slike all TV planets on at the same time..." "Hello?" "So I don't know which way to look and listen." "I just want to come home." "There's doors and more doors, and behind all the doors, there's another inside, and another outside, and things happen, happen, happening." "It never stops." "Plus, the world's always hanging brightness and hotness, and there's invisible germs floating everywhere." "When I was small, I only knew small things, but now I'm five, I know everything." "Here we are." "We're outside the newsome home." "We're waiting, and there are two vans..." "We're walking out in this?" "We're getting out here." "Come on, sweetie." "It's okay." "Just pick him up." "Come here, Jack." "Mrs. newsome, channel 5..." "Don't worry about it." "They'll get bored quickly." " The back of the property..." " Are you okay?" "Is screened-in really well, and we've taken care where necessary." "Okay." "So if you keep the front drapes closed..." "You're home now." "You'll have complete privacy." "We'll be outside if you need anything at all." "All right." "Thank you." "Thank you so much." "Your father's still talking to the lawyer." "Do you want to take your shoes off?" "Wow!" " Are you okay?" " Yeah." "Okay." "Let's check out downstairs." "You can do it." "You want to hold my hand?" "Oh, that's good." "Come on, one step at a time." " Okay, one more." "Good." " Hello." " Welcome home, honey." " Hi." "I'm very, very happy to see you." " Hey, Jack." " You, too." "This is Leo." "Hey there, sport." "Leo's been our friend since your mom was little." "Jack, Jack, come on." "Say..." "It's okay." "It's okay." "Yeah, it's all right." "It's all right, sweetie." " Let's just..." " Sorry." "It's okay." "Come on in." "So, what can I get you?" "Anyone hungry?" "We have everything." "Yeah, people have been so kind." "Um, hey, Jack, would you like something to drink?" "Jack?" "Grandma asked you a question." "Do you want something?" "Are you hungry?" "Juice." "Uh, he would like some juice." "Please." " Okay." " Coming right up." "Thank you." " What about..." " I'm fine." " Okay." " Okay." "Hey." "You know when your grandma asks you a question?" "You can answer her." "You don't need to say everything to me, okay?" "Just..." " Ma.?" " What?" "What are those?" "Those are toys, some gifts for you, from people that are very happy that we got home safe." "What people?" "Just people." "Do you have the glasses and the tray?" "Where's the ice cream and the hammock?" "I don't know." "Work it out later." "What is that?" "Let me see that." "Where'd you get this?" "Over there." "Just in case." "Do you have a dog?" "Oh." "It's Leo's dog, Seamus." "He's on furlough at the moment." "There's a pal of mine out of town, so living the country life." "You know, people at the hospital said to avoid pets until your immunity's back up." "What?" "The lawyer said they're expecting a plea, but we can't rule out a trial." "He wanted to get into everything." "I said not today." "Good." "I made it clear there'd be no further contact, no statements, to respect our family." "Ah, sorry." "I'm sorry, I'm..." "Can I get you a drink, Bob?" "Thank you." "Scotch, if you have..." "Whatever you have." "Sure." "Well, sweetie, is there anything you'd like, or like to do, or..." "You got it." "You got it." "Go on." "Yeah." "This is your mom's room, Jack." "Hey." "Uh, maybe tomorrow, we can cut that hair." "What do you say, Jack?" "Ma?" "What?" "What?" "It's where my strong is..." "That's true." "He says that's where his strong is." "Oh." "Yeah." "Um..." "Maybe I'll just let you rest, huh, and we'll..." "We'll see you downstairs." "We'll be downstairs, okay?" " Okay." " Okay." "Mm." "It's really good, Nancy." "Want to try some?" "No?" "It's apples." "You like apples." "How about some ice cream?" "Here you go." "What do you say?" "Thank you." "I know you can say it louder than that." "Thank you." " It's okay." " Thank you for being polite." " Leo?" " It's good." "Ice cream hurts." "You've got a brain freeze there, Jack." "You've just got to eat slower." "Okay?" "I think I'll turn in." "Is there something wrong?" "Mm-mm." "No." "Why are you in such a hurry?" "Been a big day." "You haven't said one word to Jack." "Joy." "Joy." "Um..." "We're not going to have to talk about this now?" "Yes, we do, dad." "Look at him." "Dad." "Robert." "Please." "Dad." "I'm..." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I can't." " We're out of here." " Robert." "Joy." "Joy." "Put your spoon down." "Let's go." " Hey." " We're going to bed." "No, joy, don't... joy!" "Robert." "Where's grandpa?" "He had to go home for a while." "You want to play with some of those toys?" "Do you know who that is?" "This?" "That's you." "Yeah, that's me." "And Stacey Benton and Heather Noel and Laura Sullivan." "We were on a relay team." "I was the anchor." "I was really fast." "We did track." " Real track?" " Mm-hmm." "On a field." "You know what happened to them?" " No." " Exactly." "Nothing." "Just lived their life and nothing happened." "Nothing new at this point." "Just a family reunited." "How is Jack doing?" "How is the family doing?" "Jack, get away from the window." "Jack?" "Wonderful." "So, the other thing that we need to discuss is some sort of media strategy." "God, we're not ready for talking like that, not yet, so..." "Okay, um..." "There's gonna be expenses moving forward and a "prime time" interview, just one "prime time" interview, means a lot of money." "Ma, how long are we going to be here for?" "This is where we live now, Jack." "As much information as I can give you." "I'm sure Nancy knows more." "I'll get her to call you when she gets in." " Thanks." " Thanks again." "Okay, so..." "What am I gonna do now?" "I wonder if there's anybody around that would..." "Play with me or talk to me." "I guess not." "I'm pretty hungry." "Oh, I know." "I got something in the kitchen, I think." "Oh, yes, I've got something very..." "Tasty in the kitchen, I think." "Let me see what's here." "Hello." "I didn't know you were up." "Pretty good, hmm?" "Am I right?" "I like this kind, too." "Kind of sweet, but they're pretty good." "Do you really have a dog?" "I do." "Named Seamus." "He's very small." "He's not very smart." "You should meet him sometime." "He'll shake your hand." "I had a dog once named lucky." " Mm?" " But he wasn't real." "Yeah?" "He lived in room." "Hmm." "So we've got some fluffy clouds in the sky." "Mm-hmm." "It looks like a nice day." "Which one of these guys is you?" " That guy?" " Mm-hmm." "And who's this?" "What is that?" "It's a whale." "This guy sees blood under the eyes, so he wants to go diving..." "I'm sorry." "To help too." "No, it's okay." "No, don't worry about it." "Let her rest." "I'm almost done here." "Okay." "Well, I'm really looking forward to seeing how this masterpiece turns out." "Don't worry about it." "I just..." "I just couldn't get her to come down." "Don't worry about it." "It's perfectly normal." "Yes, I understand." "It's gonna take time for her to heal." " She's been home, what, 10 days?" " Mm-hmm." "Mm." "I need your help!" "Will you check my backpack for something we can use to fix the wheel?" "The same backpack has vanished..." "Jack, can you go downstairs, please?" "Now." " Great!" " Jack!" "Come here." "Look!" "You have all these toys." "I don't want to." "Any kid would be so happy to have these, and you..." "You barely even touched them." "Try your Lego." "See these?" "Put these together, like this." "You see how I'm doing it?" "Try it." "Is it fun?" "Jack?" "Can you say something?" "Jack!" "He needs to play with something real." "I'm worried about him being on the phone." "He's doing fine." "Well, I don't give him my phone, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't give him yours." "Okay, I won't." "Great." "I just want him to connect with something." "Joy." "Joy, he's really doing fine." "I don't know what's wrong with me." "I'm supposed to be happy." "You just need to rest, okay?" "No, I don't." "I don't need to rest!" "That's..." "That's what the doctor..." "That is not what the doctor said." "You don't know what he said, because it was a confidential conversation, and you don't know what he said." "All right, all right, all right!" "You're impossible to talk to right now." "Well, sorry." " No." "No, you're not sorry!" " Yeah, I'm not sorry!" "You have no idea what's going on in my head." "Yeah." "Well, try me!" "I have asked you." "And then what?" "Then, every time you look at me, that's all that you see?" "When I look at you, joy, I will see my daughter." "You don't need me." "You've been doing just fine without me." "Oh." "How can you say that, huh?" "Do you think that you were the only one whose life was destroyed?" "Actually, that's exactly what I think." "Yeah?" "How would you feel if somebody took Jack away from you?" "Oh, shut up!" "Go easy." "Look at him!" "You should be thinking about him!" "Oh, don't you tell me how to look after my son." "I'm sorry that I'm not nice anymore, but you know what?" "Maybe if your voice saying "be nice"" "hadn't been in my head, then maybe I wouldn't have helped the guy with the fucking sick dog!" "Stay there, Jack." "I'm calling the fucking lawyer." "I can't stay in this place." "Isabel, so, what are thinking for the walk and talk?" "And I want you to know that you guide this interview, okay?" "So, what you feel comfortable with, you talk about it, and when you don't, you just say, "not comfortable,"" "and we move on to another question." "Okay." "And I'm gonna..." "You know?" "My lawyer said..." "Said that it's nice..." "You're good." "Thanks." "And speed." "Did you ever think you would see this house again?" " I hoped." " You hoped?" "Yes." "It's time to go downstairs, Jack." "Remember what your mom said?" "So many silly things." "Jokes with friends and..." "Sure, absolutely." " It can get hot, can't it?" " Oh, yeah." "Yeah." "The lights." "The lights, they get very warm." "Just let me get this out of the way." "Two touchdowns were decisive in that game against Michigan and would've won in overtime a couple of weeks ago." "But I think they got a false start..." "Listening to you," "I'm sure you must have felt at times as if..." "God had deserted you." "In those very black moments..." "Yeah." "Did you consider taking your own life, just to escape?" "I'm getting the feeling my client's very..." "It's okay." "I'm okay." " Can you give her a minute?" " Sure." "I'm fine." "Can I just have a tissue?" "Of course." "Can we get her a tissue, please?" " Here you go." " Hard to talk about." " I'm sure." " Sorry." "You don't have to apologize." "Nobody's expecting you to be, you know, the pillar of strength." "You can cry." "You know, why don't we just go on to the next question?" "Would that be okay?" "Do you want to put your tissue maybe under your chair?" "Oh, yeah." "There you go, huh?" "There's snot in my nose." " Let's see?" "Good." " Okay." "So..." "When Jack came along, was it different for you then?" "Um, when Jack came, everything was different." "He was so beautiful, and..." "I just knew that I had to keep him safe." "Of course." "Of course." "When he's older, will you tell Jack about his father?" "Jack's not his." "He's not his..." "So are you saying that there were other men?" "No!" "No." "Um..." "A father is..." "A man who loves his child." "Of course." "That's so true in a very real sense, but the... the biological relationship that you..." "That's not a relationship." "Jack is..." "Is nobody's but mine." "When he was born, did it..." "Did it ever occur to you to ask your captor to take Jack away?" "Away?" "Well, to take him to a hospital, say, leave him there, where he could found?" "Why... why would I do that?" "So Jack could be free." "Now, this is the ultimate sacrifice..." "And I understand that..." "But did you think about him having a normal childhood?" "But he had me." "Of course he did." "But was that the best thing for him?" "Ma?" "Ma?" "Ma!" " Ma!" "Ma!" " What, what, Jack?" " Ma!" " What?" "What is it?" " Ma!" " Jack!" "Joy!" " Come here, Jack." "Come here." " Ma!" "Come here, come here, come here." "Come on, joy." "Wake up." " Ma!" "Ma!" " I'll call 911!" "Hello?" "Hi." "How's she doing?" "I don't know." "She's upstairs." "Jack?" "Come on." "Phone's for you." "Here, here." "Here you go." " Say, "hello"." " Hello." "Jack?" "Jack?" "Are you there?" "Ma?" "How are you doing?" "Come back." "I-i can't just yet." "Come back now!" "I'll be there soon." "I just have to be here just a little while longer." "I pick!" "I pick for both of us." "I..." "I'm coming back soon!" "Jack." "Jack?" "Hello?" "Leo?" "There'ssomuch of place in the world." "There's less time, because the time has to be spread extra thin over all the places, like butter." "So all the persons say," ""hurry up." "Let's get going." "Pick up the pace." "Finish up now."" "Ma was in a hurry to go boing up to heaven, but she forgot me, dumbo ma." "So the aliens threw her back down, crash!" "And broke her." "Okay." "You good?" "Can you help me carry a bag of groceries?" "Yep." " Is that okay?" " Yep." "Okay, cool." "Thank you." "It's light." "All right." "Been shopping?" "Yes, we have." "We're making cupcakes." "Oh, yum!" " Have a good day." " See you." "Okay." "Come on." "Hmm." "You're really good at that." "I did it before, in room." "Hmm, you did?" "Wow." "What else did you do there?" "Lots of stuff." "Sometimes, I miss it." "Wasn't it awfully small?" "Mm-mm." "It went every direction, all the way to the end." "It never finished." "And ma was always there." "Yeah." "But it was small in wardrobe." "Hmm?" "What did you do in wardrobe?" "Sleep." "When old Nick came." "I want to see ma." "Yeah, I know." "She's, um..." "She just needs to be on her own for a little while." "Jack?" "Someone here would like to meet you." "Jack." "Here, let me get this for you." "Come on." "Let's go see." "Jack..." "Meet Seamus." "Would you like to pet him?" "Yeah." "There he goes, shaking again." "It makes him feel good." "Makes him... feel good?" "Yeah, makes him feel good." "You should try that." "Well, he's moving." "Grandma?" "Yes." "I need the scissors." "What for?" "For cutting my hair." "Do you really want to do that?" "I want to send it to ma." "How come?" "She needs my strong more than me, so I want to send it to her, or you could take it to her?" "I could help you, if you'd like?" "Yes, please." "Okay." "Okay." "Let's do this right." "I have been wanting to cut that hair..." "For a very long time." "Come on." "I used to cut your mother's hair all the time, and your grandpa's." "I hope I've still got it." "Do you think this will work?" "Can my strong be her strong, too?" "Oh." "Of course it can." "We all help each other stay strong." "No one is strong alone." "You know, you and your mom, you help each other through, don't you?" " Yep." " Mm-hmm." "And you and me, you and Leo," "Leo and me." "We all have the same strong." " I guess we do." " Okay." "All righty." "Are you ready?" "Steady..." "Here." "See?" "See?" "What do you think?" "Wow!" "Ooh!" "Oh, yeah." "You can't get soap in my eye." "No, there's a towel right there if you need it." "Here we go." " And my mouth." " Your mouth, too." "This is the best part." "Oh!" " Mm." " Doesn't it feel good?" " Yeah." " Oh, good." "Oh, let's see." "There." "I love you, grandma." "I love you, too, Jack." "Keeps on happening." "I'm sorry, Jack." "It's okay." "Don't do it again." "I promise." "Are you better now?" "Yeah, I'm starting to be." "Hey, Jack." "Yeah?" "When grandma brought this to me..." "I knew that I could get better." "You saved me..." "Again." "Can I..." "No." "There's no more left, sorry." "Okay." "I'm not a good enough ma." "But you're ma." "I am." "I am." "I'm going to play with Aran now." "He's my friend." "Okay." "WhenI wasfour," "I didn't even know about the world, and now me and ma are going to live in it forever and ever until we're dead." "This is a street in a city in a country called America, and earth, that's a blue and green planet, always spinning, so I don't know why we don't fall off." "Then, there's outer space." "And nobody knows where's heaven." "Pull yourself out!" "Ma and I have decided that because we don't know what we like, we get to try everything." "There are so many things out here." "And sometimes, it's scary, but that's okay, because it's still just you and me." "Can we go back to room?" "Jack..." "Just for a visit." "Watch your step." "Is this room?" "Yeah." "Has it gotten shrinked?" "Where is everything?" "Taken for evidence." "Proof that we were here." "It's because door's open." "What?" "It can't really be room if door's open." "Do you want me to close it?" "Nah." "Jack, can we go?" "Bye, plant." "Bye, chair number one." "Bye, chair number two." "Bye, table." "Bye, wardrobe." "Bye, sink." "Bye-bye, skylight." "Ma, say bye-bye to room."