FADE IN INT. SAMUEL'S CLASSROM.

DAY Your nondescript Middle School classroom, complete with MISS SIKES(30), the teacher and the students, all seated down, but SAMUEL Hoppe(12) who is standing in front of them, next to the teacher, a spiral notebook in hand, ready to speak before the class, quite confident. We close up on him. SAMUEL What I am going to do on Vacation, by Samuel Hoppe. We all love Summer vacations. It is a very important time of the year because it's when we can do all the things we really want to do. For example, I love swimming, writing, drawing, reading and playing. Other people love other things, and that is fine, either. But sometimes we get bored because we have not considered well and deeply and with the proper consideration and good planning what we want to do. So we get bored, and nobody wants that. As Samuel speaks, the camera moves backwards opening up the perspective until we see another instance of Daniel Hoppe walking to sit down on one of the desks. The class ignore this Daniel Hoppe, while the first one keeps reading his essay. We focus on the second one, who speaks directly to us. DANIEL That was me the day before I got exactly unhomeless. Yeah, unhomeless, that's when you don't have a home of your own but you aren't really homeless. In fact, it's just like being homeless, but in a good way. I know that's hard for you to understand now, so what I am going to do is to tell you how the summer really went for me. Nothing like I've planned it. I hoped to hang out with friends, get a ride on a bike courtesy of my friends, visit the local museum,

stay on bed reading, playing with my psp, gaming you know and do much fun in general. Instead, I got a free ride in police car, I slept rough, I chatted with freaks, I ran into a wild fight with seven kids, I did funny things at church when nobody was looking and even more stuff I'd rather not share now. Oh, and my mother and brother were with me most of the time, that when they did not get into trouble of their own. It all started right after that class, I was procrastriprocrastinating going out of class, because I wanted to be smart FADE TO: INT. SAMUEL'S CLASSROOM. DAY There is no student but SAMUEL Hoppe(12) who is checking his YELLOW PLASTIC BAG among others piled against a corner under a banner that reads "WE CARE" in big colorful letters. We listen to a distant rumor of a playground. The teacher, MISS SIKES(30) is waiting at the door. MISS SIKES Hurry up, Samuel, you will not want to be late for vacation. SAMUEL Just a moment, please, I'll be over in exactly no time. Samuel searches his pockets for a couple of NAPOLEONIC TOY SOLDIERS which he places in the bag, ties it close, and places back on the floor. SAMUEL It's closed, over and finished, Miss Sikes. I guess... like it's time to present my farewell. MISS SIKES If you mean goodbye, then I accept it. SAMUEL So is it goodbye then? MISS SIKES (motherly grin) Yes. Have a great vacation. School is over, it's time to face the terrible days of lazing on the beach.

SAMUEL Do you think I will do well in High School? Because I'm not exactly sure I will. I've got my A's and my B's but as they say High School is much harder, I just don't know how it will all turn out for me. MISS SIKES (knocking the door's pane) You'll do fine. Goodbye SAMUEL Goodbye Miss Sikes. INT. KITCHEN. NIGHT We see a rather small, well kept kitchen. A plastic wall clock, branded with the logo of some soda company shows it's 10:15 PM. A neat assortment of downloaded and printed photographs serves as decoration. GINA Hoppe (35) is sitting by the worn down table, struggling with a PAPER NOTEBOOK page filled with random calculations, four PAST DUE NOTICE ENVELOPES to her right. Samuel enters, barefoot and wearing mismatched PJ's. Gina places a protective hand on the envelopes. SAMUEL Hi mom, may I have some milk? GINA In the fridge. SAMUEL Exactly. Samuel gets to the fridge, then pours himself some on a cup. SAMUEL Cocaine? GINA (dropping the pen) That's not what I call funny. SAMUEL Sorry mom, I guess I'd rather have chocolate. If I'm not in trouble. GINA You aren't, yet. Do you think is it cute to make that sort of remarks at this time of the night? Do you want me to have nightmares with you starring as a gang boss locked up in prison and all? SAMUEL Sorry mom. I meant it. Oops, I didn't mean it.

I, you know, I just thought it was not such a big deal, mom, please. Gina stands up, goes for the chocolate, hands it over to Samuel. GINA It's OK, Samuel, let's talk about something else. SAMUEL (relieved) Yes. Mom, what are we going to do for holidays? GINA We? I've been on vacation for twelve weeks now, and all I've done is writing resumes. Hey, if resume typing were a sport, I'd have been awarded a prize... Best non quitter. But I, we'll figure out something... cheap, recession, you know. SAMUEL I know, in state it's OK for me, mom. NATHAN Hoppe(15), shorts, t-shirt and football walks in. NATHAN In state? Sammy, kid, you aren't optimistic, that's plain old crazy. SAMUEL Crazy? At least I don't sleep with a football. NATHAN At least, I have realistic dreams. And... GINA Nathan, Samuel, we'll be having a vacation of some sort. (beat) Now boys, you listen to me, don't say anything if you know what's good for you. I don't know how I will sort it out, but I will. There are a thousands ways of having great time without wasting a money we just don't have. I still don't know how and it's far too late tonight to figure it out. So get whatever you wanted to

drink or eat or do and back to your beds. I have stuff to get done here. SAMUEL I can do the maths, mom, if you want. I'm good at it, you know. GINA No, just, no, thanks but no, Samuel. I need to be alone. Please, both of you, just go. Good night. SAMUEL Good night mom. NATHAN Good night mom, I'm just picking a cookie and I'm over. Gina goes back to her calculations. The two boys grab their stuff and go. It's then that Gina raises up her face again, struggling not to cry. INT. BOYS' BEDROOM. DAWN. We see the curtains flapping through the open window, the morning sun can be guessed beyond them. We listen some birdie chipping outside. Our eyes go backwards to discover the interior of the room. There's a NFL POSTER above Nathan's bed. He's sleeping on a mess of sheets, half of the COMFORTER is on the floor, holding his FOOTBALL. Behind the bed, there's a cheap WARDROBE or some furniture of that sort. On the opposite wall, there is an assortment of downloaded images from the Internet: an image of Emperor Franz-Joseph, the Austrian Imperial Palace, the SMS Viribus Unitis Battleship, the Austrian Imperial Flag and Arms and 19th Century Dance Ball. Underneath lies Samuel's bed, who sleeps neatly tucked in, his comforter is plain navy blue. There's a desk at the feet of the bed, a MOLESKINE or some fancy paper notebook and an open FOUNTAIN PEN rest on it. Gina comes in with a mp3 tucked to a loudspeakers. She turns the mp3 on, a fast paced, cheerful music conquers the room by assault. GINA Wake up, you pair of lazy kittens. There's a world to conquer outside and we're taking it today. So go wake up and join my jolly army of fun beetles. Sparing no time for a response, Gina proceeds to move the curtains, and then gathers Nathan comforter and throws it on the boy's face. NATHAN (under the comforter) Mom, it's vacation. GINA (hurries to sit

down on the bed) Yes, vacation indeed it is! Told ya, told you both, Samuel I know you are hearing. We are having a vacation, instate. SAMUEL (still tucked in, eyes closed) Yes! NATHAN (pushing the comfort away) How come? Just yesterday you told me we had no money, no money at all for ketchup, for God's sake. I mean, that's poor, no offense mom, but that's poor. SAMUEL That's healthy, not poor. GINA (puts the mp3 off) No, Samuel, Nathan is right. We have not that money to spare, but there's a way to have a vacation without spending a dime. I've sorted it out. Come over here and I'll explain it to you. Samuel sits up and then stands wrapped in his comforter as a cape so we can only see his head. Meanwhile, Nathan is addressing his mother. NATHAN So are you going to tell us this place's a hotel, like you told granny about the retirement home? GINA Granny's got Alzheimer, there's no harm in telling her a nice story if that makes her happy. And she just forgets everything, anyway. Samuel arrives, sits down on the floor. SAMUEL Mom, and we are kids, so perhaps there's no harm in telling us a nice story if that makes us happy. But there is because we'll remember and it will just be the

worse. GINA (her eyes move briefly to the left) I know, I know, I know. Let me tell you my plan and please, no teen anger scenes. This could be our last holidays together, if things go wrong. (beat, struggling to speak) Sorry I did not want to worry you. I just went dramatic, women you know. Anyway, so we are going to be campers, like a boy scout family. So it would be the state wilds, that tent, backpacks and our feet. We can walk, that's cheap. And if we run out of money we can always help at a cafeteria or something and move on. But I don't worry about that happening, because we'll only need food and that stuff. Just like a survival reality show but we'll be eating and there will be no angry faces. We'll see places, meet new people and have some adventure. NATHAN OK mom. GINA I know Nathan, your friends, but it'll be a week, two maximum and then everything will be back to boring normal again. SAMUEL Mom, I'd rather go to the Tipton, can't you sing? They hire singers there. GINA Too bad the manager does no longer accept mothers with two boys. I wonder why. NATHAN Honest, you owe us one for not protesting. Next

year, when you get a job, we need a real vacation. GINA Promised. FADE TO: EXT. A COMMERCIAL STREET. DAY Nathan and Samuel are sitting down, leaning on the glass of a shop; their backpacks next to them. Pedestrian traffic is heavy, the boys are singing some oldie in a joyful tone. SAMUEL I'm gonna see Miss Liza NATHAN I'm goin' to Mississippi SAMUEL I'm gonna see Miss Liza NATHAN I'm goin' to Mississippi SAMUEL But I'm gonna see Miss Liza NATHAN If you don't wet the bed with pee-pee. Samuel clips his nose. The pedestrian traffic has cleared and we listen a rusty wheel coming. We then see "QUEEN MARGARET"(40) a red haired homeless woman pushing a supermarket cart approaching slowly. Tied to the cart, there is a ragged FLAG of some small little known nation. Samuel and Nathan freezes. We hear nothing but the wheels and the steps as she approaches. As she gets by the boys she stops to address them. QUEEN MARGARET Hello noble paladins, are you perchance invisible like the High Queens and Kings of Avalon? It is Queen Margaret who addresses you. SAMUEL (shyly) No. QUEEN MARGARET Excuse my want of hearing. I'm confused my young prince of Mississippi, but a minute ago I could listen quite well to your beautiful voice. I wonder if a spell has robbed the air from your throats. Nathan nods a vigorous "no" to Samuel. The boys pretend they can't see her. QUEEN MARGARET Oh you must be

commoners, then. Yes, that's right. I'm invisible to you too. You can hear me, just can't see, and you must be worried you are hearing voices. Well, just let me tell you something else, I'm not only a Queen but a priestess and a prophet and what I say, I say from God, behold, verily, verily it is not far the day in which thou shall see me. In that day you will not be commoners. That's all, goodbye. As Queen Margaret walks away, we see Gina coming out a shop, a backpack strapped to her back, then runs as fast as she can to the boys. GINA (panting) Sorry boys, was she mean to you? NATHAN No mom, she's just delusional on her head. She thinks she's a queen. SAMUEL A queen of Avalon. Too bad I'm no King Arthur. Mom, how did it go? GINA (struggling to smile) Good. Great. Good. They took my resume. Will phone me, if there's an opening. NATHAN Mom, sit down before you drop on us. We can continue this vacation later. EXT. AN UNPAVED TRACK. DAY Gina leads the march, with a worried face, nervously caressing her wrist watch. Nathan follows, with a great smile on his face. Samuel closes the march sunk under the weight of his backpack. It's been raining, and there are poodles and mud. Samuel rushes pass Nathan to reach his mother. SAMUEL Mom, isn't it about time we stop to eat or something? GINA Samuel, we had lunch an

hour ago and, if I remember it well, somebody gulped like one million chips. Samuel nods, turns his gaze to the ground. NATHAN Salt, Samuel, it's the salt, you're thirsty, not hungry. Get the bottle and you'll be OK. Samuel gets the bottle, opens it, but stops short of drinking. SAMUEL Mom, can't we just stop for a while? It's not me, it's my toes, they are holding a demonstration, banners and all and they just say they will strike if you don't cooperate. Gina stops, turns towards Samuel. NATHAN Oh come on, boy, we've made most of the journey on the bus. GINA Samuel, tell those toes of yours that this Government does not cooperate with toeterrorists. I want us to be in Firstown tomorrow. SAMUEL But why? We still have food and I thought we were in some kind of natural adventure on the wilds or something. Why do we need to go anywhere? Why can't we just stop and rest and be happy as a family, all together, playing, having fun, exactly like in the commercials. GINA I know Samuel but... you know... the truth is that... well... There could be a job for me in Firstown. I... I don't want to spoil the holidays, but if we are close to Firstown then it's just stupid not to try, and we can see the place, visit the library, get a shower and...

NATHAN Samuel, you are going to need that. GINA ...and, if I get a job, then each and every one of our problems will be solved. SAMUEL Mom, if you get a job in Firstown, like will we have to live there? GINA Afraid so. SAMUEL So why isn't Nathan protesting? NATHAN Hey, I'm here, I'm a human being and I'm alive. GINA Because, he knows we're out of choices. Samuel, Nathan, let's make a stop, there's something important I've got to share. SAMUEL Yes! DISSOLVE TO: EXT. THE HOPPE'S HOME. DAY A BUSINESS MAN steps down from a car. He's wearing a formal gray suit with a plain black tie and carrying a black suitcase. He walks to the front door, opens the suitcase, and proceeds to place an EVICTION NOTICE. He then switches on a netbook, runs some application, and proceeds to tick off a check box on a screen that displays Gina's picture. EXT. AN UNPAVED TRACK. DAY Gina stands up, Nathan sits down on his pack, the football on his hands, Samuel rests on a rock. GINA Ready? Well, so this is the situation. You know I've been unemployed for some time now, and well, if the situation continues we... it's just a possibility... we could get evicted. I still can hold for three more months, I guess, or so we spend really tight, but afterwards... I just don't want any of you to be homeless or fostered away so, Nathan, Samuel. I'm telling you this

because I know you are old enough to handle. Just remember we will never be homeless; that just won't happen, no matter what. NATHAN It's OK, mom. We trust you. GINA No, it's not OK, Nathan. I know what you are thinking and I guess I understand what you might be losing if we move, friends, more than friends, stuff like that. NATHAN Sort of. But it's OK, mom, honest. GINA OK Nathan, remember that, if the going gets sour. SAMUEL It won't. And we can make new friends and... why can't we speak about this after the vacation? Please. I don't want to be sad today. GINA Not today? You'd be better sad tomorrow? SAMUEL Yes, I'm the sadness procrastinator. EXT. BY A ROAD NEAR FIRSTOWN. NIGHT We see the lights of [Firstown] in the distance. The moon shows over the horizon. There is a derelict children's BICYCLE lying on the ground. A CRUISER arrives on the road, we follow it until it stops near the TENT. A POLICE OFFICER -either gender is finesteps down the car and proceeds to the tent. POLICE OFFICER Hello... anyone there? No response. POLICE OFFICER Hello... anybody there? This is police officer speaking. Please respond or I will have to get inside. GINA (sleepy) Just a minute, please. Gina unzips the tent open and steps outside, in sweater, slacker pants and socks. POLICE OFFICER

Good evening, madam, may I ask what you doing here? GINA Camping POLICE OFFICER Camping, right. If I were to get in and search what would I find inside? GINA My kids. Look, officer, we are not doing anything wrong; just a family trip. POLICE OFFICER And your car is where? GINA No car, I had to sell it last month, tight times, you know. POLICE OFFICER Do you mind if I take a look? GINA (doubts a second) No, it's fine for me, go ahead. The Police Officer's torch discovers first Nathan, barely awake, then Samuel who waves kneeling, half of his body still in the bag. POLICE OFFICER (to Gina) Madam, I regret to tell, but camping in this area is against the law. So, I'm wanting you to do something. GINA Sorry officer I honestly did not know we could not camp here. It's... it's been years since I've camped anywhere. POLICE OFFICER This is what I want you to do. Please, pack up. I can drive you to a cheap motel where you can stay. Else, I'd need to get tough and nobody wants that. GINA It's OK, we'll go to the motel. I, we're, we respect the Law, I just didn't know the regulations or I would have not put my kids through all this fuss.

POLICE OFFICER Good. Madam, are you sure you can pay for the room? Because I could arrange something, at least for the kids. GINA Yes. I'm sure. Don't worry. I can pay. Yes, but thanks for the offer. INT. ROOM #121 MOTEL "A". DAWN. The room is decorated with a random collection of discount furniture. There ARE TWO BEDS of different sizes. Samuel is awake on the floor, playing with some old, portable video game. Nathan is still on bed; the place her mother and occupied not so long ago is visible. The three backpacks are standing, stuck between the bed and a wall. We hear the sound of a shower behind a closed door. TV is on, barely audible, the show is unimportant. Nathan wakes up, sits up, the football on his hands. NATHAN Breakfast? SAMUEL (eyes fixed on the game) In the backpacks, you know. Good morning. I love you too. NATHAN OK. Nathan goes to the backpacks, grabs an open package of cookies. SAMUEL (still on his game) Hey, easy on that stuff. Mom said we gotta be wise on our provisions. NATHAN (munching a cookie) Why? Firstown is like no miles away and there are vending machines everywhere. SAMUEL (puts the game on pause) We're short on money, we weren't exactly supposed to spend a night in a motel, you know. I guess we'll have to end this whole adventure sooner and return home. NATHAN (still munching, grabs another

cookie) Great. I've got stuff to do at home. SAMUEL Girls to do at home, you mean. We no longer listen the shower. NATHAN Games, workouts. Football is my ticket for college. And you shut up about Alice or some notebook of yours could suffer a strange accident and utter destruction. SAMUEL (smiling) So her name is Alice! You mean Alice from Florence or that odd Alice? NATHAN You still want your toes attached to your feet? Cause if you make me believe you don't, I could fix that. SAMUEL Nah, you are exactly too lazy to torture me. NATHAN (grabs another cookie, breaks it) Don't try me too much. The bathroom door is opened, wrapped in a towel, but still wet, Gina enters. GINA (big false smile) Samuel, get ready for the shower. Nathan, why don't you get outside and do some running or workout while you wait so I can change? NATHAN OK, mom. While Nathan goes for his jeans and shoes, Gina goes back to the bathroom. Samuel returns to the game. Nathan then jumps over Samuel and exits through the main door. Gina knocks the bathroom door. GINA Samuel, are you still on that game? I saw you. SAMUEL (puts the game off, lazily proceeds to put his socks off) No mom. I'm getting

ready. Hey mom, why did you send Nathan away? If you heard something funny, well, we were just kidding. GINA Oh no... I didn't listen anything funny and I... hope you don't have nothing to hide from your mom anyway. I just wanted... you know, the more he runs, the less he eats. SAMUEL Exactly! EXT. NEAR MOTEL "A". DAY No shadow on sight, the sun commands the horizon. Nathan is jogging, does one burpees, jogs for a little while and repeats for a while. As we discover the football, ready on the ground, Nathan sprints and kicks it away, sending it flying over the horizon. Samuel enters walking fast after him, t-shirt, jeans, sandals and a RED CAP. SAMUEL Nathan! Nathan! Mom's calling you. Nathan runs for the football. SAMUEL Nathan! Come on, we gotta go to [Town1] Nathan returns with the ball, running if faster, stopping by his brother. NATHAN (panting) I've been thinking. SAMUEL You've been thinking about what? NATHAN This is no vacation. We're moving. SAMUEL Moving? And what about our staff? Do you think mom's stupid enough to leave it all there? NATHAN No. First paycheck, she hires someone or rents a car or something. That's what I'd do. SAMUEL That'd be good news actually, if mom gets a job, else we'll be in trouble. NATHAN Don't worry, if she doesn't I'll get one.

SAMUEL Yeah, me too. There must something I can do in a shop. NATHAN Yeah, stealing. Nathan gets Samuel's CAP, runs away with it and his brother goes after him. EXT. 1ST STREET IN TOWN1. (A SERIES OF SHOTS). DAY Gina is walking, Samuel, then Nathan follow her in line. There are various business around the street including a CAFETERIA, a BOOKSHOP, a SPORTS SHOP, and finally, "COMFORT HOUSE, FUNERARY SERVICES". Gina gets a scrap of paper from a pocket and examines it. GINA Well boys, if my directions are right my job should be waiting for me right here. Nathan and Samuel smile widely. As they reach the businesses, a series of shots interrupt real life[check format] to reveal us their dreams. THE CAFETERIA Nathan eating a giant size steak and chips. 1ST STREET Nathan hangs his head low as Gina walks pass the Cafeteria. As we approach the book shop we close up on Samuel's brilliant face. THE BOOKSHOP Samuel is sitting cross-legged on the floor, devouring some huge old book. Nathan stands up, reading some manga. The BOOKSHOP OWNER walks to them. BOOKSHOP OWNER Go on and read. Read all you like, as the sons of my best manager in years you are welcome to read each and all of my books. NATHAN Thanks, Mr Bumble. SAMUEL Exactly, thank you, Mr Bumble. 1ST STREET As Samuel waves a quick goodbye to the Library, we turn our attention to Nathan who is joining his hands as if in prayer. THE SPORTS SHOP Nathan stands next to a row of FOOTBALLS. He is equipped in the colors of some NFL team. There is a plaque on his shirt: "FOOTBALL QUALITY TESTER". The SHOP OWNER smiles next to him. Nathan proceeds to kick each and every football over Samuel, who is doing some Pilates or yoga on the floor. We hear the breaching of a window. 1ST STREET Gina interrupts the dream of their children as they arrive to the mortuary. GINA

Here it is. Wish me luck and pray, I have many hopes placed on this job. Crisis or not, people will keep on, you know, stop breathing. NATHAN AND SAMUEL Yes mom. That sure it's a great job. THE MORTUARY Nathan lies in a coffin, dressed in pure white PJ's. A plaque on his breast reads "COFFIN QUALITY TESTER". His football rests on his bare feet, with a sign "NEVER FAILED". Samuel stands next to him, dressed as a Victorian PAGE BOY, a plaque on his breast reads "EXACTLY LIKE OLIVER TWIST". 1ST STREET GINA Oh, that's lovely to hear, I was concerned you could freak out or something about this job. NATHAN Us? Why? We aren't that young to believe in ghosts and stuff like that. SAMUEL Nor we are not no scared about death. It's a job mom, go and grab it. By the way, what are you going to do? GINA Bathing. SAMUEL Bathing? GINA Yes, bathing people who can no longer bath themselves, nor do anything, you know, like dead people. INT. FUNERARY HOME MANAGER'S OFFICE. DAY The MANAGER(40) an elegant, professional woman, sits comfortably on her designer chair which fits well her white, minimalist office. A small cabinet, some contemporary painting, a statuette, two chairs and a desk constitute the only elements of the office. On the later there is a netbook, a phone, and two trays, labeled IN and OUT. She is reviewing a three inches high pile of resumes. She spots Gina's and separates it from the bunch placing it right in front of her, returning the rest to one of the trays. Then she phones. MANAGER (on the phone) Adonis, please welcome Mrs Gina Hoppe to my

office. And please, do not make feel out of place. The door is knocked. MANAGER Please, come in. We see Gina entering in her full glory. Sport shoes, jeans and t-shirt do not distract us from the backpack she is still carrying, a boy sweater protruding from one of its pockets. GINA Hello Mrs... re... madam, sorry about this backpack but well, I was not expecting getting the interview at all. I was just, you know, trekking around here, and I thought that you perhaps could have time to receive me for an interview and all that but really I didn't think it would be that soon, and I really did not have any place, I mean here, in this city to leave my stuff, and you know like I have it all in that bag and I don't want to lose any. There are stealers, you know. Do you mind if I leave it around here? MANAGER Excuse me, are you Hoppe, Gina Hoppe? GINA Yes, that man outside told me I could come in. MANAGER Yes, er, can't you leave that thing in the lobby? GINA In the lobby? Yes, I guess I could. I was just concerned I could get robbed. MANAGER Oh, don't worry, my assistant would take care good care of it, I'm sure, or he'll get fired. And please, could you wait five minutes, I have just felt a call of the rest-room kind. GINA Oh, of course I'll wait, you have been very nice

to receive me with not even a call. Goodbye, see you later. MANAGER Goodbye. And remember, next time no backpack. GINA I will, bye. As Gina leaves, the Manager rushes for her phone. MANAGER Adonis, in ten minutes tell that Gina that I have just got an unexpected appointment or something and that we will call her when there's a spot in my calender. Would you do that for me? Thanks. EXT. PARK IN FIRSTOWN. DAY Nathan is sitting on a BENCH, texting on his mobile. Samuel, cross-legged next to him, is writing on his moleskine, both backpacks under their feet. We see the text on the mobile, next to a thumbnail of Alice's face. "luv u2 c me @mall 5pm y/n?" Nathan proceeds to reply "Sorry cant g" but just then the battery dies off. NATHAN Samuel, please, hand me your phone. SAMUEL I can't, I don't have it. NATHAN Come on, I'm paying you, it's just a message I need sending, and you owe me two. SAMUEL Two? I only remember one. NATHAN Two. Two weeks ago, at home, when mom had yours confiscated. That's one. And on Monday, when it broken down. Oh, come on, don't tell me it's still kaput. SAMUEL Exactly. It's kaput for good, so I left it at home. Why didn't you recharge yours at the motel? NATHAN Because it was like incredibly late past 2 AM when we arrived and I couldn't think straight.

Pastor Bruce(50), dressing in a black polo and jeans approaches the boys from behind, black Bible in hand. SAMUEL Just one of the many sour fruits of the tree of the idle hands. PASTOR BRUCE Hello, this is Pastor Bruce. May I hand you a tract? NATHAN Well... er... yes. Pastor Bruce hands them two booklets. On the front page it is depicted SOLOMON'S TEMPLE and a SPARROW, with a quote underneath: "Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God." PASTOR BRUCE Are you new in town? NATHAN Yes. SAMUEL No. PASTOR BRUCE Yes or no? You can't have it both ways, or perhaps is it none of my business. SAMUEL We're trekkers, you know. We are on vacation with our mother, but she got some business to do. But she'll be back in a minute. I don't think we'll go to your church, I guess we'll be sleeping in the wilds tonight, and by next or so we'll be back home. And, anyway, we don't exactly go like every Sunday to church at home. NATHAN Some days we don't. PASTOR BRUCE I see, are you going to visit [Local Natural Location#1]? SAMUEL Don't know. It's up to our mother, but we don't have a fixed plan. It's an adventure, freedom, the wild thing of it all. NATHAN I love the wild thing of

this experience, even though it's more like walking all the time. Too bad there are not many bears around here any longer. SAMUEL Buffaloes would have been great too or a good old fashioned mountain... saber tooth tiger or you know something really cool like a velociraptor. PASTOR BRUCE Oh, I see. Do you have anything you want me to pray for? NATHAN AND SAMUEL Mom. SAMUEL Mom, she's trying to get a job, but hasn't been that lucky. PASTOR BRUCE Consider it prayed. Do you want to pray for here right here, now? NATHAN No. I mean not here, you know there are people here, looking. SAMUEL And we don't know too many prayers PASTOR BRUCE I tell you want. You can pray in your hearts, you don't even need to low your heads of anything. Just leave it all to God, in Jesus name. And don't worry about words or explaining, He already knows. SAMUEL Because He's God. PASTOR BRUCE That's right. There is a moment of silent as the three of them pray. Gina enters the scene, upset. GINA Nathan, Samuel, grab your things and come here, now. None of the boys reply, but do as told. PASTOR BRUCE Hello madam, this is Pastor Bruce from the Shiloh Church here in

[Town1]. I was just handing two tracts and leading the boys in prayer. I hope you don't mind. GINA Yes, er, no. Sorry, Mr Bruce, we just need to get moving to go to our place, and get to our track, we are trekkers. PASTOR BRUCE Oh, I know, your boys told me about that. Please, don't hesitate to visit the church. We welcome all, any time, except when I'm outside handing tracts, of course. GINA Of course. Goodbye. Samuel, Nathan, let's go. EXT. A SECONDARY ROAD NEAR FIRSTOWN. DAY Gina and her children are walking in their usual queue. Their look starts to show signs of the journey in the form of unkempt hair and dust on their boots and jeans. Gina turns around, claps her hands and brings the excited smile of a kindergarten teacher. GINA Now it's when the adventure starts, we are going to Somewhereland. Nathan takes his eyes to the ground. SAMUEL Somewhereland? Is that a theme park or something? If it is, I'd rather won't go 'cause our rations now are made of cookies, bread, tuna cans and a bottle of granola oil. And I'm praying it doesn't spill in my pack, cause all my things would get spoiled then. I mean, I'd rather have real food than a ticket. NATHAN Yeah, me either. GINA So say we all, my viper warriors. No, I don't mean any theme park, that's for pussies and toddlers. We are going there. Gina extends her right arm signaling a side of the

road. NATHAN But mom, there's a dump right in that direction. A shot takes our sight far into that direction, ever faster until we arrive to a heap of trash bags, a small dozer running on it. GINA (extends her left arm to the opposite direction) OK,then there. Let's go. We'll live off the ground, rest where nobody can disturb us and be one joined with nature and that like holistic thing stuff. SAMUEL Forever? I mean how would we exactly know we have arrived to Somewhereland? I don't think we're to find exactly a sign reading Somewhereland, Population 20 elves, 4 goblins and a little pink unicorn. GINA We'll know, we'll just know when we arrive there. NATHAN Or when Samuel starts whining about being tired and aching. SAMUEL No, I won't. NATHAN Yes, you will. SAMUEL I won't, even if I can't hold any longer, I won't say a word, nothing, I'll be the hero of the jungle, because this can be our last trip together as a family and I'm not the one spoiling it, and neither you should, older and bolder as you are, so let's stop the argument now before we start to speak like in a sitcom or something. NATHAN OK, you will not

complain, but your toes will. EXT. THE WOODS. DAY Nathan and Gina are walking together through the woods, Samuel is nowhere to be seen. The walk proceeds quietly until we listen a fall. As Nathan and Gina turn in the direction of the fall we see Samuel raising up, and then running towards them. As he arrives before the puzzled duo, he smiles but says not a word. GINA Hey, what's the big trouble that made you running like that? Samuel keeps smiling, then extends out his tongue as an exhausted puppy. NATHAN Say it. GINA Samuel, are you tired, is that what my baby is trying to tell me? Samuel keeps silent, points at his feet. SAMUEL Say it. Two words. I'm tired. As Samuel raises up his head to speak, he discovers a POND, barely visible among the trees. SAMUEL Two words. Found it! Mom, I've discovered Somewhere land. It must be right there beyond the trees. That should be our place, that should be our home. And I've discovered it all alone. EXT. SOMEWHERELAND. DAY A charming spot in the woods, near a vacated POND and an abandoned CABIN. Gina is sitting by the CABIN's door, the three backpacks lying around her. Our eyes focus on the boys. Nathan is passing the ball to his unwilling brother and proceed to charge right on him. SAMUEL No-o. Nathan keeps the charge. SAMUEL Not now! Nathan catches his brother and they both roll on the ground. NATHAN Great, let's doing again SAMUEL No. I don't want to. NATHAN Why? SAMUEL I just don't want to.

NATHAN Say it. I'm - tired. SAMUEL I won't. And it doesn't matter any longer, we're in our place, now. GINA Samuel, Nathan, can you come around here? If you have energy to be wild, you have energy to set up the camp. Night doesn't wait anybody. NATHAN Coming! SAMUEL Yes mom! (to Nathan) I'll do some very nasty things to you with electrons and protons and black energy. NATHAN You won't, you are too tired to think. EXT. SOMEWHERELAND. NIGHT. There is a light inside the tent. We can hear the crickets and an owl and a fire. Nathan is roasting some fishes over the fire. Gina is sitting by. Samuel is drawing the figure of a medieval hunter, a torch resting on his notebook. Nathan starts humming a song. After a few seconds, Gina interrupts. GINA Somebody stop this moment, I want it to last forever. SAMUEL (still drawing) Just spoke with God. He says He's busy with a wild pulsar somewhere. There are two galaxies at stake, so you are out of luck. GINA Samuel, He has angels, why does not send us one? SAMUEL (drawing) He has, all of them. They are helping me with my drawing. But I can't do it right even with all that help. NATHAN No, not the I-can't-draw talk again, please. Now mommy tells you can, you say you can't, then she

tells you are the best painter since Picasso, and then you smile and believe it. Samuel you draw OK, for your age. Keep it and it will get better. You could even be good at football if you tried hard enough. SAMUEL Really? Because when you try hard enough with me I feel like my bones crushing, you monster. GINA Now I know why God does not want this moment to last forever. NATHAN Perhaps nothing is meant to last forever. SAMUEL Perhaps every moment has its bright and its dark spot and all that matters it's how you live and - perhaps you are burning the fish, Nathan. Nathan takes the fish out of the fire and examines it, but save for some black spots it's OK. NATHAN Saved them! Just in time. GINA Great, Samuel, can you go for the cookies. SAMUEL Fish a la cookies, exactly my favorite, running for them! Even so, Samuel runs for the cookies. FADE TO: EXT. SOMEWHERELAND. DAY Samuel is running away with the ball, t-shirt, shorts and barefoot. Similarly clad, Nathan is persecuting him. As Nathan approaches, Samuel sprints and dives for the water, ball and all. Nathan follows until the water arrives to his armpits, while Samuel keeps on, swimming undaunted. NATHAN Samuel, what are you doing? That's dangerous. Samuel swims on. NATHAN Samuel, come on, that's unfair. SAMUEL (stops) Says you, like it's fair

you are older. NATHAN Sorry for being born first. SAMUEL It's all right, but I stay here. Nathan walks back. NATHAN You'll come out. SAMUEL I won't. NATHAN You will. SAMUEL I won't. NATHAN Sooner or later, I've got time. SAMUEL I won't and you can't make me. GINA (V.O.) Breakfast! EXT. SOMEWHERELAND - BY THE FIRE. DAY Gina is sitting on a log by the fire. An open backpack lies by her. She pours hot water from an iron pot on three plastic cups. Nathan arrives, sits by her mother on the ground. GINA Morning, where's your brother, the one you have to keep? NATHAN You mean Samuel. GINA Yes, that brother, the only one you have, and trust me, I know a bit about the issue. NATHAN In the pond. He kidnapped my football. Says, he won't come out. But he will. GINA He won't, and you know that. Want some fake coffee on your hot water? NATHAN He will. I mean, he can't live there for ever. He's no fish. Yes, mom, fake coffee is OK. Gina gets a small package of some instant decaf coffee, and pours it on two of the cups. GINA You can take four cookies each. Four, not

five, not four and a half, not four and a little bit of another, just four. I've got them counted. Understood? NATHAN (nods) Bread? GINA Two loaves a head, period. Gina takes two loaves, then hands the package over to Nathan. GINA You'd better wet those in the fake stuff. They are getting old. Nathan nods, then gets his two loaves, the starts eating and sipping in tiny bits. Gina brings an empty used water bottle out of her backpack, fills it with the water, adds the fake coffee, closes and shakes it. Then she gets a plastic bag, gets the bottle inside together with four cookies and two loaves of bread. NATHAN Mom, what are you doing? GINA I've got two kids to feed, not one. Gina closes the bag, puts it into another bag, closes too and then repeats the operation with yet another. NATHAN But mom, he's just being stubborn. GINA No, he's being persistent. And I don't want my kids to surrender before anybody. Gina stands, then runs with the bag to the pond. NATHAN But what? EXT. SOMEWHERELAND - THE POND. DAY. Gina runs, jumps into the pond, swims towards Samuel. SAMUEL Mom, what are you doing? Gina keeps on swimming until she reaches Samuel, then stops. GINA (showing the bag) Breakfast. SAMUEL Oh... eh... do you want me to take breakfast here? GINA Here or back where's your brother. Either way, I want you to eat, and you want it too,

we're pretty low on food stuff. SAMUEL Can't be. GINA Yes it can, thanks to Nathan, teens you know. SAMUEL Yeah, teens, I know teens. It must be hard for you to deal with a teen. Gina nods, opens the bag, gets the bottle. GINA Thanks. So, go, let me fetch you fake coffee. Or it'll freeze. SAMUEL Thanks mom. You are exactly great. Samuel looses the football. GINA I know. Bye! Gina fetches the football, throws it back to land and then escapes swimming. SAMUEL I'm still here. Gina keeps swimming. SAMUEL I'm not coming out. EXT. SOMEWHERELAND. DAY. We see Samuel walking on the grass, wet, the pond back him, the evening sun reflecting on the calm waters. Gina sings some 90's cheerful song, and dances with Nathan. Samuel approaches slowly. SAMUEL I came out exactly because I wanted. The two dancers keep on with their dance GINA Not actual words. La la la la, insert here the lyrics of the music of which we have been able to secure the rights. More of it. Even a bit more of it. Some fantastic lyrics here. SAMUEL You look ridiculous, both of your. Ridiculous and weird. Gina and Nathan keep dancing. GINA Come and join the fun. SAMUEL No, I'm like tired. GINA Come on. Sun is low, you'll have the whole

night to sleep. NATHAN Join us and I'll forgive you for the ball. SAMUEL Really, I'm tired, I've been swimming the whole day. NATHAN You can't dance. SAMUEL I can. NATHAN Cannot. SAMUEL Can and you can't make me. NATHAN I know. The two dancers keep on. Samuel stands and then, after fifteen seconds, joins up. The dance continues in more and more cheerful moments. EXT. SOMEWHERELAND. NIGHT. We first see the open, empty tent, flapping. Next to it, we see the three of them lying on the grass, a few cookies packages run over the grass. We focus on one of them which the wind flies up to the sky, rolling and then our eyes wander in a sky filled with stars. EXT. SOMEWHERELAND. DAY. Samuel is running again with the ball, away from the pond, his brother runs after him. As Nathan closes in, Samuel tries to dodge him, but to no avail, Nathan jumps on him, slams him on the ground. Samuel is no happy camper. GINA (V.O.) Hey, you wild beasts of the jungle, pick yourselves up, we're back to civilization. EXT. UNPAVED ROAD #2. DAY Samuel first, then Gina and Nathan are walking. Their backpacks are half-filled now. Samuel turns back. SAMUEL Mom, when we return home, I want to lie on bed like for ever and always. GINA That's impossible. NATHAN That's easy, you only need to die. I could fix that, you know. GINA And then I fix you. SAMUEL No, fix him now. GINA Later. SAMUEL

Now. GINA Later, let him have his fun first. SAMUEL I think I'll pass. I'll set for just one full woodchuck day. NATHAN That'd be in - like two days, mom? GINA I think so. SAMUEL Two days? Mom, can't we just take the bus? NATHAN Yes, mom, let's take the bus. GINA Come on boys, the adventure's not over. SAMUEL But mom, I'm tired, you're tired, even Nathan is and we want to go back home and we have like nada food and I just wanna go home, go potato couch, watch TV, and you want a job, and that's a bit hard in the middle of nowhere, unless you want us to go little-house-on-theprairie and I don't want that thank-you-verymuch-indeed. So let's just go back home, please, please, please. GINA You know, I'm thinking hard about it and I think you could be like right. SAMUEL Sure? GINA Yeah, sure, I need a job. NATHAN Yes. GINA And where may I get a job? SAMUEL Not here, back at home. GINA What about Town1? NATHAN

We've been already there. SAMUEL And we had like exactly no luck, let's go back home, *please* GINA I've tried for weeks and weeks at home. And just one day at Town1. I say we should try again. SAMUEL (exasperated) Oh come on, mom, don't kid me. GINA I can't kid you. You're a kid enough already sorry Samuel. Two days more, that's all I need. That's all *we* need understood? Else... do you remember that queen of Alon or Avalon or something? We'll end up like her. EXT. PARK IN TOWN1. DAY Gina and the kids are bundled together as if a team, the backpacks in the center. GINA So we all know what we have to do now. NATHAN I go right, you go left and Samuel stays here in the park with our stuff. SAMUEL Yes, leave the pee wee baby here guarding the fort the day long all bored to death. NATHAN Ease it up, somebody has to keep our stuff. You want it stolen? SAMUEL Yeah, steal it. Like, who's gonna want it? GINA Anybody, or kick it around, or burn it, just for the fun of it all. SAMUEL And what about the cops? They might think I'm homeless or something. You know it might happen, it happened already, the first night, and we looked

like way better then. Gina steps away, gets out of frame. NATHAN Samuel, you are getting paranoid. It's not like you are a fugitive. They aren't going to call all units. "Warning 12 years old at large, he's wanted for standing by three backpacks". Keep a low profile, down the periscope and you'll be OK. It's just some hours. You'll be OK, Samuel, you'll be OK. We see Gina again, coming back. GINA No, Samuel is right. NATHAN But mom, what are we to do then? GINA We go to the bus station. (stop?) SAMUEL Are we coming home now? GINA No, the lockers, we'll leave our stuff there. Then we go back to the original plan. SAMUEL And what do I do? GINA The library, go there, be a good kid, stick to your book and nobody will worry. SAMUEL (sarcastically) Yeah, I bet the library is exactly full up with kids in school holidays. INT. FIRSTOWN LIBRARY - CHILDREN'S ROOM. DAY Samuel steps in the room, through his eyes, we see seven large tables, six chairs each, all filled with primary to junior high children. Another two kids are sitting on the floor, reading. A librarian, filling forms in her computer, is sharing his own desk with a kid. The room is small, filled with shelves and the usual decoration of a children's reading room. Samuel goes straight to the shelves, picks one book, browses it and puts it back in its place. He gets another, titled TRY AND TRUST, browses it and goes to a corner, where he sits down cross-legged and starts reading. EXT. FIRSTOWN LIBRARY. DAY. Samuel comes out of the library, starts running as soon as he's a few steps from the door. EXT. FIRSTOWN MALL. (A SERIES OF SHOTS) DAY

We see Nathan inside the mall, going straight to QUICKIE TASTY a fast food retailer. He steps in, places himself in the line after a couple with seven children and waits for his turn. A sixteen years old vendor(?) is tending Nathan's line. VENDOR (smiles) Welcome!, please, share, how may I help you for an exciting family lunch? MAN We need four Quickie Kiddies Lunchees, three Tasties Kiddies Lunchees and two Grown-Uppies Specials, please. VENDOR (smiles) You'll get a Super-Sized Low Light Calories Tiddie Soda for just 50 cents more per Lunchee. Do you want any? MAN No, thanks, just the standard thing. VENDOR (smiles) OK. Wait at a table, it'll be ready in a minute, OK. Have an extra-super quickie day. The family moves away as Nathan approaches quite nervously. VENDOR (smiles) Welcome!, please, share, how may I help you for an exciting family lunch? NATHAN Oh... er... I'm not here for eating. VENDOR Oh, and how may I help you, then? NATHAN A job, I need a job here. VENDOR Sorry, no vacancies. NATHAN Are you sure? VENDOR Yeah, I work here. NATHAN Can't I see the Manager or something? VENDOR

Listen boy, No Vacancies, do you want quickie fries with that? NATHAN No, thanks. The image fades, a series of shots takes us to other manager, each giving a version of the same answer. Second business MANAGER 2 Sorry, we are filled up at this time. At a third business. MANAGER 3 You need to be older to work here, sorry. At a fourth shop. MANAGER 4 I'm sorry, no, but come back in a month or so and I might have something if the sales go up. At a fifth shop MANAGER 5 Sorry, I'm closing the business. I'm going to need a job myself. Tough times, you know. NATHAN I know - You won't need help with the packing, will you? MANAGER 5 Well, as a matter of fact I could use some help if it's cheap. NATHAN I'm cheap. You can pay me with peanuts. MANAGER 5 Great, we'll do that, then. See you tomorrow, 5 A.M. Hope you have a sense of time. INT. BUS STATION. NIGHT Nathan is sitting on a plastic chair of a waiting room, when a SECURITY GUARD approaches. SECURITY GUARD Did you miss your bus? You've been here for some time. NATHAN No, I'm just waiting for someone, my mother. Do you mind? SECURITY GUARD Not really, but I don't want anybody around here after the last bus. Did you copy that?

NATHAN Give me a break. I'll get out this place as soon as my mother returns to pick me up. It's not like I love sitting down here all day long. SECURITY GUARD (ironic) Excuse me, your highness, I'm just doing my job here, which is making everybody safe, including you. EXT. A DARK ALLEY. NIGHT. Nathan is running down as if his life were at stake. He attempt to jump on a trash bin, but it is not able to. He hits it and then falls down, hands and knees first. A quick close up let us see his bruised(?) jeans as he stands up to run again and we hear the running of twelve pairs of boots. INT. BUS STATION. NIGHT. We see Gina, walking fast towards Nathan and the Security Guard, she is the worried mother that has lost a son. GINA Nathan! Samuel? Nathan stands up finally. NATHAN Samuel? No, I haven't seen him. Is he lost? GINA No, I don't know. Haven't seen him. SECURITY GUARD Excuse me, ma'am, was the boy supposed to be around here? GINA No, at the library, but he isn't there. I waited him for a while. SECURITY GUARD I'll be contacting police right now if I were you. I don't want to alarm you, just in case you know, most probably he just got bored of waiting and is having fun with some boys. EXT. AN ALLEY. NIGHT Our eyes descend slowly from the dark sky above, to the roof of a building, and then its wall until we spot Daniel, lying on the ground in a DEAD END. His clothes are a mess, he has lost one shoe. Bruises cover his arms and he has got his right eyebrow broken, which has reddened his cheek and then the

ground. We hear the approaching, nerves-breaking sound of an all metal wheel. Samuel makes an attempt to stand up, but ACHES terribly as his RIGHT foot supports his weight and must get a hold in the wall to avoid from falling. Samuel then goes towards a DOOR and bangs it, but there is no response. QUEEN MARGARET It would serve Your Highness no purpose, as that establishment is a storehouse and they are closed, late as it is. SAMUEL Please, don't hurt me. QUEEN MARGARET Perchance you confuse my poor ragged self with fearsome Saxon Housecarl warrior? And even if I were, would you think me able to hit a young boy without good reason to? And then for the life of me I cannot think in any good reason. SAMUEL Thanks. May you go away? I just want to go home. QUEEN MARGARET Home, Your Highness utter? For the seven kings of Logres that I intend to escort you to a hospital. SAMUEL I just want to go home. QUEEN MARGARET Your Highness, I must insist. SAMUEL Please. QUEEN MARGARET As you wish, Your Highness. I shall go away into my Kingdom, wishing your Highness the best and find better friends that those who broke your head. As Queen Margaret turns her cart away, Samuel palms his forehead. SAMUEL Auch. Ma'am? QUEEN MARGARET Yes, your Highness? SAMUEL Can I change my mind? QUEEN MARGARET (turning to face Samuel)

That's the privilege of a true prince. EXT. A STREET. NIGHT Pitch dark, then we see the passing lights of a car. Silence, it is calm, nobody is on sight. The sound of a steps lead us to an angst ridden Gina and Nathan who is following her in not much better emotional shape. As a CRUISER passes by, Gina and Nathan runs after it waving their arms. GINA Help! Stop! NATHAN Stop! GINA Please, stop! The cruser stops, the POLICE OFFICER steps out. GINA Oh, thank you, thank you. POLICE OFFICER Are you in some trouble? NATHAN Our brother. POLICE OFFICER Your brother. Do I know you? Oh yes, the campers. GINA Yes. Samuel, he's lost or something. He should have been in the library but somehow he, well he wasn't there and it's been hours, and this is not our town and I don't know what more else to do. POLICE OFFICER I have a radio. Library, you said that? GINA Yes, the Webster Memorial Library. POLICE OFFICER Campers in a library? GINA We are just finishing our vacation and I had stuff to do and you know I thought a library was a safe place to leave a boy. POLICE OFFICER OK, I'm checking it now. The Police Officer steps back into the car, Gina and Nathan follow him. POLICE OFFICER (closing the window)

Please step aside. POLICE OFFICER (to the radio) Unit 104. Requesting information. Missing boy, by the name of Samuel. Around 12 years old. CENTRAL (V.O.) Affirmative. We have a Samuel, Samuel Hoppe just checked in Mount Carmel Hospital. He suffered an assault and they are searching for his family. POLICE OFFICER (to the radio) Condition? CENTRAL No idea. INT. A HOSPITAL ROOM IN THE CHILDREN'S WARD. DAY. Samuel lies in bed watching "SON OF THE NAVY" on TV. Now bandages cover his sores and his eyebrow is stitched. His right leg is plastered. He doesn't look particularly happy. Then as Gina enters the room, Samuel smiles for a second, then puts his eyes away even as Gina closes to sit by his side. GINA Samuel, how are you sweetie? SAMUEL I've got an accident, mom. GINA The nurse called it an assault. SAMUEL I didn't do it. GINA Nobody's saying you did anything, sweetie. SAMUEL Good. I like TV very much. TV looks just exactly great when you have not watched it for a while, don't you think, mom? GINA Samuel, I know something wrong happened. SAMUEL I guess TV will be boring again when we get back home and I have to stay inside with all this plaster around. But right now it's even

great. Do you think I will have to be with this plaster stuff very long. I don't want to go back to school like this. GINA Samuel, you're breaking my heart. SAMUEL I... mom, it's over... I just want to be back home and I don't want to cry, now. GINA Will you tell me the truth tomorrow? SAMUEL No. Later just later. I want to speak about TV first. Give me five minutes. Where's Nathan? GINA He got a job. SAMUEL Swell. GINA Swell? SAMUEL (pointing at TV) That boy, he's an orphan, and he keeps saying swell at everything he likes. I think it's cool. People spoke like funny in ancient times. GINA That's true. SAMUEL Mom. I want to speak about the other stuff now. GINA You sure. SAMUEL Yes? It was a fight. Five boys, two girls, ran after me screaming crap and calling me names. Don't no why. They must be crazy. And that's why I don't want to speak much about it and I just like want to exactly go home. GINA We'll go, soon. Not today, soon. SAMUEL

(smiling) Mom, I'm exactly WIA, wounded in action, I'm not going anywhere. EXT. HOSPITAL ENTRANCE. DAY. We see Gina coming out of Hospital among the flow of people entering and exiting the premises, with the worst of worried faces. She gives four more steps like that until, out of a sudden changes it for the best of smiles. GINA Nathan! NATHAN (V.O.) Mom We see Nathan too, walking towards her, worried. As they meet, Gina kisses his boy. NATHAN How is Samuel? GINA Moody, broken leg, but he's doing fine. A MAN going to hospital enters the frame. NATHAN What happened? MAN(2) Excuse me. GINA Oh, sorry. Gina and Nathan go to the SIDEWALK, keep walking. NATHAN So mom, what happened? GINA It was an accident, he told me. You know, boys do stupid stuff like that all the time. Playing too hard instead of staying in the library like a good boy. NATHAN That's not like him at all. GINA He's growing, hormones, teen, you know. Hey, how was your day? Fired you up already? NATHAN It was just for today, I told you. GINA I know, just wanted to tease you a bit. NATHAN I made 30. GINA (worried) 30? Oh great, good. NATHAN

Mom, what's the matter? GINA Oh boy, I don't know how I'm going to tell you this, but Samuel is OK, but they want him to stay in hospital a little longer, just to make sure you know and I'm not sure I have enough to pay for a motel. I will sleep somewhere, perhaps they let me stay with Samuel. Nathan, would you mind too much sleeping rough one night? NATHAN No. GINA Sure? NATHAN (big smile) No big deal, just like in Somewhereland, you know. Mom, you ate already? I'm paying. EXT. HOSPITAL, REAR SIDE. NIGHT We see Nathan, sleeping inside his bag, hidden among the hedges or plants of a garden. We look up to see the hospital over the dark sky and the city lights. We slowly approach one of the windows. INT. A HOSPITAL ROOM IN THE CHILDREN'S WARD. DAY. We see Samuel sleeping in his bed, Gin is awake, sitting on an auxiliary bed, caressing her head with her. Silent tears run by her cheeks. She is reading Samuel's notebook, the page is titled "Tractatus Logicus Philosophicus, a Summary by Samuel Hoppe"; and in a second line "When I grow up I am going to write a book like this one. But first I need to understand it much better, because it's like hard for kids." A numbered list, with snippets from the Tractatus and naive commentaries should fill the page together with a scribbled mindmap. EXT. HOSPITAL ENTRANCE. DAY Samuel, who is using a crutch, his leg still plastered, walks helped by Nathan. Gina follows close. After a few steps Samuel addresses his brother. SAMUEL I think I can on my own. NATHAN Are you sure? SAMUEL Nope, but gonna try, anyway. You catch me if I fall? NATHAN And spoil the fun? Nathan stops holding his brother. SAMUEL

Yeah, like you'll leave me fall, mom's looking. Samuel steps cautiously, Nathan follows close. NATHAN Now you fall. SAMUEL No, I won't. Samuel walks a couple of steps ahead, with Nathan by him. NATHAN OK, it's now that you fall. SAMUEL Will I? NATHAN Yes you will. SAMUEL Sure? NATHAN Sure. SAMUEL OK, I will then. Samuel drops himself, but Nathan gets him just in time. NATHAN What the duck? Why did you have to know that. SAMUEL Duck? To know if I still had a brother, duck. GINA Mom's here... hello. NATHAN It's your lucky day. SAMUEL My ducky day, and you'll never hit me. GINA OK boys, listen to me, we need to go to the pool to fetch our packs then to the bus station. SAMUEL Pool? NATHAN We had to move them around. SAMUEL Oh, so we are going back home, mommy? GINA Do you think we were going to stay in Town1 forever? Plus, none of us is so fit for camping anymore. SAMUEL Mom, don't lie to me. I know I'm the one who is not fit any longer and I

know it isn't my fault and I know it's OK, and I know it all and let's go back home, please. INT. BUS STATION. DAY We see the three of them entering the bus station. Gina stops as her children keep on towards the ticket line. Through her eyes we see the station, moving from detail to detail, avoiding the gaze of her children until, finally, when they return, looking up to the nondescript ceiling. NATHAN Mom. GINA Ah-uh? SAMUEL Mom, what's so great about up there? It's just a ceiling. GINA Ah, there's an ant up there, can't you see it? SAMUEL No. GINA Got you! We now see again as an external observer. SAMUEL OK, mom, funny but can't we go to the line now? Or we'll miss the bus. GINA OK, sorry, I guess we have to go, so let's go. INT. BUS STATION - IN A LINE. DAY. There are seven people in the line before Gina and Samuel. The camera moves through their impatient faces until we reach our heroes. SAMUEL (pointing at his leg) Mom, can I go with Nathan? I'm getting like tired. GINA Oh great. I mean, er... go, I'll be fine, I have to think about stuff. Just don't run too fast. SAMUEL Ha, ha, very funny. INT. BUS STATION - WAITING AREA. DAY We see Nathan close to one of the corners, sitting on one of the chairs. His MOBILE is on the chair to his right, recharging batteries. Samuel now enters the scene, struggling to walk towards his brother. Nathan sees him but does not move, does not do anything until Samuel gets in front of him. SAMUEL Hello? Houston to

Spaceship Cant-see-yourbrother, have you got a problem? NATHAN Yes. SAMUEL May I sit down? NATHAN OK, I'm helping you. SAMUEL I think I can manage... A close-up of Nathan's sorry face. SAMUEL But it's OK if you help me. Samuel sits down with the help of his brother, then Nathan does the same. NATHAN I texted Alice and she texted me back. SAMUEL And, there's something wrong? NATHAN Yes. SAMUEL Oh, and you feel kinda sad? NATHAN Yes. SAMUEL You feel sad now, but you will feel good soon enough. I know I'm exactly too young to know about girl stuff but I see what happens when people break up. They get sad for a time, but they get better. NATHAN It's not about girls. SAMUEL No? NATHAN It's about our home. Alice says that [Someone1] said that [Someone2] told him that [Landlady] is renting our home and all our stuff is in storage now. SAMUEL That's a lie, a rumor, you know, like when this guy tells there's a chihuahua in the backyard to somebody, then somebody tells that there's a Mexican hiding

in the backyard to another guy, and we end up with an alien hiding his ufo in our garage together with twelve abducted chihuahuas from El Paso. It must be a lie, it has to be. Like mom would not tell about us losing our home. NATHAN But Samuel, the thing is [Someone2] is [Landlady's] daughter. SAMUEL Do you think she could have rented another house and keep the surprise? NATHAN Another house? They ask two months in advance and that if you're lucky- and we can barely pay for cookies. INT. BUS STATION - IN A LINE. DAY. Back to the line we see Gina again; this time she's after eight persons, all different to the ones we saw in the earlier scene. Samuel and Nathan are walking to meet her. NATHAN Are we losing our home? GINA (quiet) What? SAMUEL Nathan texted Alice and she says they are renting our house to someone's else. GINA Oh, that's a... what's the word, how do they call it? SAMUEL A rumor? It has to be. Told you Nathan, I told you but you didn't believe me because I'm the baby but just you wait when we are back home. I have to plot some plan, something full of revenge and smelly eggs and cereal and hot tar. You can make some great shampoo with that. Egg and Tar Muesli Shampoo, for your hated-ones.

GINA True, Samuel, Nathan it's true, all true. God I don't know how to say this but we are - we're a bit homeless. Well I am homeless, but you aren't homeless. Nathan turns around at once and walks away fast. GINA Nathan, I just - Nathan! INT. A BARE WHITE ROOM. DAY. We are seeing the head of the delicately made golden statue of Gina. SAMUEL (V.O.) You know lies, sins, bad stuff in general. They look great when you first think about them. The camera moves down so we see the metallic torso of the statue and Samuel's face. He looks fresh, his hair perfectly combed. SAMUEL As time passes on, you find out they were not as great as you first considered them. The camera moves backwards to reveal Samuel's full body. Unblemished clean, he's dressed with a simple tunic and barefoot. Both of his legs are fine. Yet the pedestal of the statue is a cardboard box -complete with a brand and a HANDLE WITH CARE notice- which after two seconds collapses under the weight of the statue which falls to reveal it was made of painted stucco. SAMUEL And finally, the whole thing crumbles downs. Bang, the big doomsday stuff, evil crushed. Everybody becomes a friend of everybody and then there is a big happy ending with angels playing trumpets and everybody is happy. The camera focus on the crumbled statue. The camera will slowly turn back to Samuel as he speaks SAMUEL Except that's my mom. She could have told me the truth. But still she's my mom. Can I still love her? I guess I can, I guess I do. But trust her? I don't know, I feel much worse when I discovered the tooth fairy. You don't want to

know, trust me. Perhaps, if I do something funny to my brain. Like telling a small, tiny, very tiny, like atomic small, proton small, electron small, even smaller not really fully true thing to myself. That's not as bad as telling a lie to somebody. I wonder if it's a lie at all. So I'm telling myself like we aren't exactly homeless. We're unhomeless instead, and nobody thinks wrong of unhomeless people. What could it possibly happen? Absolutely nothing, everything is fine now. The camera shows Samuel's feet which are now painted as if they were made of cardboard; the word CAUTION is painted on his right feet. DO NOT PILE on his left one. INT. BUS STATION - IN A LINE. DAY. Samuel and Gina back in the ticket line, where we left them. A MAN IN A SUIT unashamedly goes pass them in the line. SAMUEL Don't worry mom. Everything is gonna be alright, I'm fetching Nathan, you get the tickets back home. GINA (stepping out of the line) No, it's OK, he will come back. He will return. Do you mind if we go and sit down somewhere? SAMUEL No mom, you get the tickets, I fetch Samuel. I can't run that fast, but he isn't going anywhere far. Trust me, I know my bro. GINA Samuel, actually, I can't buy those tickets. SAMUEL (touching his pocket) I still have like $3 and a bit more, I guess.

Would that help? GINA (struggling not to cry) Well I could pay them, but then we would run out of money for food. SAMUEL OK mom, we can go, sit down, we'll think together right. Everything is gonna be alright and we'll all be laughing afterwards and I would like to say something more but I can't because I've ran out of movie quotes. GINA (between a smile and a tear) OK, let's go somewhere and sit down. EXT. SHILOH CHURCH. DAY. A simple, old fashioned church with a garden or some empty space. A group of families, formally dressed, are gathering outside the door, chatting; children are playing around. Our heroes enter the scene carrying their backpacks with them, they get close to the church, then stand. A MAN from the group goes to reach them, big salesman smile on him. CHURCH MAN 1 Hello, hello, please be welcome to our church. Do you need help? Our pastor has a great homeless ministry. SAMUEL (begrudgingly) We aren't very homeless. GINA Samuel. SAMUEL (getting a TRACT from his pocket) We are coming because your Pastor invited us. CHURCH MAN 1 Oh, then you are lucky, the worship service together with Bible study is about to begin. I guess Pastor Bruce is being a bit late today. Look, here, he's coming. We see Pastor Bruce hurrying himself towards the group. INT. SHILOH CHURCH. DAY A plain church, there's no decoration but a pulpit and a sanctuary. There is also a piano. On the pulpit

there's written a verse 1 Samuel 2:8. Our friends sit far behind, next to the door. The congregation, except for Gina and her children, is finishing some anthem accompanied by the piano (perhaps based in PSALM 51). CONGREGATION PLACE HOLDER TEXT. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do good in your good pleasure to Zion: build you the walls of Jerusalem. Then shall you be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks on your altar. PLACE HOLDER TEXT. PASTOR BRUCE Brothers, sisters, this our is over, but the service of worship to our God and Lord is unending, our God is A KID (whispering) praised in every smile you offer, in every bread you share, in every sacrifice you make and in every word of truth and comfort you share. PASTOR BRUCE praised in every smile you offer, in every bread you share, in every sacrifice you make and in every word of truth and comfort you share. PASTOR BRUCE May the God that saved you, guide you through this week. Amen CONGREGATION Amen. PASTOR BRUCE And remember God will not get angry if you pray too much. As the pastor goes to the door, the whole congregation, but Gina and the kids stand up. CUT TO: INT. SHILOH CHURCH. DAY Gina is at the door with her children, talking to

Pastor Bruce. PASTOR BRUCE So, why don't you come and have dinner with my family? GINA That's too kind but I don't think that would be necessary. We've been well, camping for quite a few days now. Look, er, Pastor. PASTOR BRUCE Call me Bruce, and you are? GINA Gina, well Pastor, Bruce, I really don't know how this stuff goes. I've never been through this before. And I don't want to look like I'm not thankful or something, but you don't need to include us in your family. A few sandwiches and we'll be OK. PASTOR BRUCE Oh, word must be out about my extraordinary and peculiar cooking. GINA Oh no, I didn't... PASTOR BRUCE Just kidding, this is what we are going to do, then. I'll bring some food stuff later this evening. Meanwhile, there are cookies and pretzels in the Bible study room, upstairs. Meanwhile, just keep a watch in the house of God, OK? GINA OK, er great. INT. SHILOH CHURCH - SUNDAY SCHOOL ROOM. DAY The room is decorated in the guise of a primary school room, with Bible scenes and affirmation posters on the wall, together with some of the works of children. Chairs and tables are placed against the walls, leaving most of the carpeting clear of furniture. Below them there are plastic bags with toys, theater stuff and school supplies. Samuel is sitting down on the floor, a chair is behind him, together with his crutch. Samuel is playing with figures from a nativity scene set arranged so six or more figures face another. Samuel picks one and moves it towards the

solitary figure. SAMUEL You scum, you just stolen my sheep. Samuel picks the solitary figure. SAMUEL (playing "Solitary Figure") No, I didn't, leave me alone. (playing "Group Leader Figure") No, I won't leave you alone, because you are a thief and I'm gonna make you right. (Solitary Figure) Hey, prove it. do you see exactly any sheep around here with me? Just one? (Group Leader Figure) So what? I don't need to prove anything. I know you have stolen it, because you are homeless and homeless do drugs and get drunk and steal stuff. (Solitary Figure) What? I'm not homeless. Samuel approaches the rest of the figures from the group. SAMUEL (Figure group) Yes you are, cause you are dirty and smelly. Go get him! Samuel moves the figures so that the group persecutes the solitary figure. He then makes the solitary figure slip and fall. At that time he moves the group of figures around and pretends they are beating the solitary figure into a pulp. SAMUEL (Figure group) Cry baby, cry. Whine. Hit. Pow. Hit him again. Say sorry, thief, won't change a bit, but I'd love to hear you say it. Pow. Kick. (Group Leader) Hey, you don't say anything? Samuel makes the Group Leader "kick" the leg of the Solitary Figure. SAMUEL (Group Leader) I told you, you don't

say anything? Say sorry, scum. Samuel makes the Group Leader "kick" the Solitary figure's leg again, this time breaking it. SAMUEL (Figure Group) Crack! Oh, oh. What have you done, let's get outta here. Samuel makes the figure group, including the leader, move away from the solitary figure. We focus on the solitary figure. BACK AT THE DARK ALLEY, NIGHT. We return where we first found Samuel, who is lying on the ground as we remember it. For a few seconds we see him breathing heavily. FADE TO: EXT. SHILOH CHURCH . DAY. We see Nathan running around the church quickly increasing up his pace. He meets his fears as he arrives to the corners of the building, his only reaction at them is to run even faster. At the first one, there is a sign "LOSER". At the second corner he sees his football torn up. At the third corner the image of Alice disappears before her eyes. At the fourth corner he meets himself handcuffed, two policemen at his sides. He keeps on until a few steps later, completely exhausted has to stop, then drop himself to sit down on the ground. FADE TO: INT. SHILOH CHURCH. DAY Gina is sitting down in one of the benches, next to the Sanctuary. She stands up. GINA God, er Lord, you know I don't use to pray much, I don't know you are even up there or right either so I'm going to shut up and listen and if you like want to say something to me, to us, just go ahead. My life, my family, my everything is crumbling down, so I'm open to suggestions, so I'm just going to shut up, really shut up and listen. Gina goes back to her seat. EXT. SHILOH CHURCH. DAY Pastor Bruce's old economy car arrives and parks near two trash bins. Nathan's football is on one of them. Pastor Bruce steps out of the car with three plastic bags, two of them are white, the remaining is YELLOW. Nodding his head, takes the football and places it in the yellow bag. He goes to the church's door and knocks it. INT. SHILOH CHURCH. DAY Gina is lying down on one of the benches when she

hears the knocking. She stands up. GINA (looking up) Is this your way of telling things? Gina then goes to the door, opens it. She is surprised when she sees Pastor Bruce. PASTOR BRUCE Hello, may I come in? GINA Well, of course you may, it's your church after all. PASTOR BRUCE And yours too. And sometimes I even let God have some say in it. Gina smiles, steps aside and Pastor Bruce steps inside. PASTOR BRUCE We have a small kitchen in the church, just a small room with a sink and a microwave to be truthful, so you'd be a little pressed to cook as you do at home. GINA To be truthful, I'm a microwave cook, most days, at least. PASTOR BRUCE In that case everything is gonna be alright. INT. SHILOH CHURCH - KITCHEN. DAY As Pastor Bruce said it is a small room, with nothing but a small, old, rusty fridge, a sink, a table, a basket, a microwave and two chairs. There's a window and a Bible verse and a Last Supper scene. Pastor Bruce and Gina enter through the door. Pastor Bruce places the bags on the table. PASTOR BRUCE It is not much, I know, we mainly use it for Sunday School kids, coffee, stuff like that. I, we run a real hostel, but we are a bit filled up to the brim. We're going to have a tough winter. Anyway, sorry, this is what we can offer, now. GINA Oh, please, come on it is more than I expected, thanks, thank you, a lot, really. PASTOR BRUCE Thank you, a great word.

Do you know something? There are people who will sell everything for one real thank you, and then we call them saints. But I digress. OK, when we finish around here I'll be working in my office if you don't mind, but first, first... I had to do something. Oh yes, the kids stuff, Gina, where are your children? GINA Oh, Nathan must be running wild somewhere. He aces at sports, can't be still much, specially when he's worried. Don't worry, he'll be back as soon he's hungry, which is always. Samuel is upstairs, either playing or doing some experiment on metaphysics or stuff like that. PASTOR BRUCE Upstairs? With his leg? GINA Yes, he said he wanted to see if he could do it, and he could. PASTOR BRUCE Can we go upstairs, please? I have something to share. GINA Yeah, sure PASTOR BRUCE OK, I have something for him. Nothing too fancy, so let's don't make him too excited. It's not much, but sometimes a small seed of a smile makes all the difference. INT. SHILOH CHURCH - SUNDAY SCHOOL ROOM. DAY The chair and the toy soldiers lie on the center of the room where Samuel left them. We see the boy, siting on one of the tables, holding the crutch as if it were a rifle, wildly shooting against a wave of imagined enemies. SAMUEL Bang, bang, bang. You thought you got me? Bang. Well, that's what I tell you. Bang. Perhaps you still get

me, but you aren't going to breach through the Advanced Base of the Confederation of Human Planets, no, not that easy. Samuel mimics setting a rifle grenade on his imagined rifle. SAMUEL I can't run, I can't escape, and you are going to regret it, now. Samuel then throws his crutch against the chair in the center of the room. He hits it, make it tumble and fumble with much noise. SAMUEL Boom! Bruce opens the door and enters together with Gina. They are both empty handed. GINA Samuel Hoppe, may I know what are you doing? SAMUEL Playing? Pastor Bruce goes to the center of the room and gets the crutch. GINA Samuel, do you know what happens if you break something down? SAMUEL That you have to pay. GINA Yes that I have to pay, except that I have nothing to pay with. If you break down something we, you, Nathan, me, are all in trouble. Do you understand that? SAMUEL Yes mom, sorry mom, sorry sir. I didn't mean anything wrong, just got excited. GINA But Samuel, that's so unlike you. PASTOR BRUCE See that you don't repeat that behavior. God forgives always, I forgive, most of the time, but nature never forgives. Had you broken that crutch it would have remained broken. Anyway, just put everything back in place and we will be even, OK?

Pastor Bruce, as he speaks, walks with the crutch towards Samuel. SAMUEL OK. PASTOR BRUCE OK, and that leaves us with the object of this visit. There's a little something for you, just behind the door. Do you think you can still walk? SAMUEL I can exactly now. GINA You can exactly after you fix this mess. PASTOR BRUCE Meanwhile, we'll be cooking downstairs. Call us, will you? INT. SHILOH CHURCH - STAIRS. DAY Samuel is at the top of the stairs, hesitating of what to do. Finally, helped by the crutch and the railing he sits down on the first step. Then, holding the railing and the crutch, he slips himself to sit down on the second step. He almost falls when repeats the procedure with the third step, but recovers and goes on. INT. SHILOH CHURCH - KITCHEN. DAY A bowl of mac and cheese microwaving nicely until it stops with a sound. We see Gina opening the door of the microwave, Pastor Bruce sits at the table. GINA That should be enough for Samuel and me. I'm coking another for Nathan? PASTOR BRUCE Oh, please do. We hear a knock on the door. GINA Come in. Samuel enters the door with some difficulty, as he holds the yellow bag on his free hand. GINA Samuel, you came on your own? SAMUEL Yes. Samuel leaves the bag on the table. Then sits down, helped by Gina. GINA OK, give me that crutch. SAMUEL Thanks mom. GINA (places the crutch against a wall) You shouldn't have came

on your own, you could have fell down the stairs. And you wouldn't look that funny without a head, you know. SAMUEL It's OK, mom, I can manage. I sat down on the first step, stretch my good leg, then I sat down on the second and so on. (show?) GINA You'll kill yourself one day, just for the sake of doing your way. SAMUEL Yes, no. Er... I really don't want to make anybody like exactly angry, but... but... like there's something with this bag. GINA Samuel PASTOR BRUCE Oh, sorry Samuel, I should have checked. There are people who think charity is another word for junk disposal. SAMUEL No, it's all good. The problem is that it's my bag. (showing his toy soldiers) Mom, this is the bag I gave at school for the homeless children. I can't keep it. I just can't. PASTOR BRUCE You can keep it alright. SAMUEL No, that's for homeless children, not me. We aren't exactly homeless because we are getting a new home soon, I know. And besides, Nathan's football is inside here too, I can never keep this bag. GINA You can share the football with your brother. Or grow some muscles yourself, it wouldn't hurt your

brains a bit if you just tried. SAMUEL No, mom, you don't understand, you aren't understanding one bit. It's Nathan's; Nathan put his ball inside here, he must have thought it was all his stuff. And I'm happy with it, I don't want to break his heart. He has already suffered too much. PASTOR BRUCE As a matter of fact, I must confess I was the one who put that ball inside. SAMUEL So Nathan gave it to you, right? PASTOR BRUCE No, he didn't. SAMUEL Oh, then I'm putting it back where it was. This ball is very so much important for my brother. He calls it "my dreams" and kisses it when he thinks nobody is looking, he even sleeps with it, such a cry baby. So where did you find it, sir? PASTOR BRUCE Well, if I have to be sincere, on the trash. SAMUEL Come on. It just can't be. GINA Samuel (to Bruce) Actually, Nathan would never leave his ball like that. That would be like trashing his dreams forever. PASTOR BRUCE Oh, by the way, when was the last time you saw Nathan? EXT. A STREET. DAY We see Bruce's car approaching to park in an empty spot. Bruce is at the wheel, Gina is at the passenger's seat, tapping her window's pane. Gina

walks out as the car stops, and then Pastor Bruce hurries himself outside. GINA God, where are you, Nathan? PASTOR BRUCE We have phoned his friends, checked the bus station. He must still be in town, and this place isn't that large. I'm phoning the whole church and the police, we will find him, we will find him alright. GINA Yes. I hope so. Sorry, I just don't know anything any longer. That mess Samuel made today, I hadn't seen him playing like that since he was like, what? eight? And Nathan, he's responsible, quite so, in a special way, he's not that organized and focused except at football, but then. Oh, my, we can't waste time, let's go. PASTOR BRUCE No, Gina, please think, where could be Nathan right. GINA I wish I knew, I wish. Told you, Nathan was not supposed to run away like that, not like that. God, I don't know even my son, my eldest any longer. PASTOR BRUCE Gina, when he was little, what would he do when he was scared? GINA Darkness. It's weird, most kids are afraid of darkness, but he loved it, said bad people could not find him in the dark. That's not much helpful, I know. PASTOR BRUCE It's a start, now we know we can't leave any stone unturned. INT. SHILOH CHURCH . DAY.

An absolute silence fills the atmosphere. Samuel locks the door, its cranking and turning breaches the silence. He then walks to one of the benches, sits down, picks an hymnal, drops it, browses it, bored, stands up again. SAMUEL Are you crazy when you speak to yourself aloud? (a grave voice) No, just when you make yourself questions and answer them. Samuel walks back to the door, unlocks and locks it again. SAMUEL It never harms to double check. Besides, like there's not much else to do around here, either. Especially alone. EXT. A BRIDGE. NIGHT We focus on the surface of the water. The body of a dead kitten floats by the riverside, a tornado of flies whirls furiously over the poor critter. We slowly look up and closer, slowly focusing on the bridge, where we see Nathan, who looks like a cross of a teenage widower and an amateur athlete just after running a marathon. He has placed twelve coins, his mobile which is displaying a photo of Alice and his wallet on the railing. He throws every object to the water, one after the other, sparing the photo. NATHAN I should get an angel none. Nathan looks behind; there's only a CAR, which passes away. NATHAN Not my luck day. Another car. NATHAN Week, year, life. Nathan drops the photo, we see it falling down to the water. INT. SHILOH CHURCH. NIGHT Samuel is sleeping by the sanctuary, on the floor, covered by his sleeping bag in the guise of a quilt. The reading lamp is on. There's a bowl of macaroni and a half empty glass of soda and a Bible, opened by the 1st Book of Samuel, close to the boy's head. Close to his feet lay his boots and socks. His crutch is nearby. Samuel wakes and sits up. SAMUEL I'm listening, listening - Damn, nightmare. Samuel looks around, slaps at himself. He places the glass on the bowl, gets his crutch, stands up and walks towards the kitchen. Then we listen a knocking on the door. Samuel, startled, loses his balance, the bowl and glass fall on the floor, spilling its

content. SAMUEL Damn. God, it's not you, is it? The door is knocked again. SAMUEL Coming. I can't walk that well. Samuel walks to the door under an unceasing knocking. When he opens. As he opens the door we see Nathan, covered in sweat and dirt. SAMUEL Nathan. They are all searching for you. NATHAN Really? I just wanted to be a ghost for a while. Do you think mom will get mad at me? SAMUEL I don't know. She's not here now, but I bet she'll understand. You are his favorite anyway. Do you want some mac? We have mac and soda, and a microwave for cooking it, the mac I mean, not the soda. NATHAN OK. Mom isn't here, right? SAMUEL I promise. NATHAN Look Samuel, just didn't want to scare you or anything, just like, you know I just, I didn't thought mom would lie about being homeless. SAMUEL It's OK, Nathan, I- I don't think that's a big deal, she was trying to protect us, adults, you know. NATHAN Like if we weren't going to notice we were homeless. SAMUEL Well, we aren't. NATHAN What? SAMUEL We aren't really homeless. This is just temporal, and we are not like that queen or

something. She is, she's crazy and that's why he has not a home. We don't have a home but we're normal and that's why we aren't really homeless. And I don't really think you become homeless just for being homeless one day, or well one week, or two, it has to be, like more time. NATHAN We are homeless, Samuel, homeless, you got it? SAMUEL No. I don't. We aren't. That's not true. We aren't and I don't want to be. NATHAN OK, I'm telling you something true. Goodbye. Nathan pushes Samuel, who must hold himself not to fall then walks away. SAMUEL Hey, Nathan. You aren't homeless either. INT. A BARE WHITE ROOM. DAY. We see Samuel, again in his tunic as, his feet painted as if a cardboard. In an instant he falls down, like a imploding building. EXT. SHILOH CHURCH. NIGHT Samuel moves as fast as he can, persecuting Nathan who walks away fast. SAMUEL Nathan. Nathan stops a second, then keeps on. SAMUEL Nathan, please. Nathan keeps on. SAMUEL Nathan, if you don't stop, I'll kill myself, and then I'll come to haunt your dreams, and not just on Halloween. Nathan turns around, stops. Samuel keeps walking towards his brother even as they speak. NATHAN Samuel, I'm not game. The world is not a game. SAMUEL I know. Nathan, I'm scared. NATHAN You'll be OK, Samuel, you don't need me. I just want to be alone. You'll have mom, you'll

be fine. SAMUEL Nathan, I'm scared because I'm homeless. NATHAN Me either. SAMUEL So I don't have to kill myself? NATHAN If you commit suicide, I'll kill you. SAMUEL Ha, old joke - Hug me or something? NATHAN Your dreams. SAMUEL Thanks. INT. SHILOH CHURCH - PASTOR'S OFFICE. NIGHT Samuel is at the church's phone, Nathan stands close to him. SAMUEL Nathan's here mom. He's OK. He says he's sorry. - OK, I'm telling. (to Nathan, hand on the receiver) Mom wants you at the phone. Nathan takes the phone and listens for some seconds. NATHAN OK mom, love you too. Nathan leaves the phone. SAMUEL So, is she mad at you. NATHAN Yes, but she's hiding it. Told us to go to bed. SAMUEL Just that? NATHAN And that we're having a talk tomorrow. Serious. SAMUEL Oh, oh. NATHAN You are in, too. So drop the oh, oh and go to bed. Sleep, I mean. SAMUEL If God just leaves me alone. INT. SHILOH CHURCH. DAY Gina is sitting down on a bench in the first row, next to Nathan. Samuel stands up in front of them. GINA The sun is nice, isn't it?

SAMUEL Mom, we are indoors GINA Go imagine it. It should be raining. It helps if it's raining when you are kinda sad. It makes it straight, like if everything agreed with you. But I bet the sun is nice outdoors. NATHAN Mom, you're trying to tell us something? GINA Yes, no, it's that I don't know if it means something if I tell you about anything. But, can I tell you I'm sorry? NATHAN Yes. SAMUEL Sorry about what? You did what you had to. GINA Samuel I messed it up. SAMUEL But you had to do what you did. And it feels kinda weird you telling me sorry. I'm a kid. It's supposed to be the other way. I do something wrong but fun or just wrong and then I say I'm sorry and then you bark at me and then everything is fine again. Well, not exactly fine, but close enough. GINA True. But still I want to say I'm sorry. Samuel moves a step backwards. SAMUEL Sorry mom. Please don't. An uneasy silence. NATHAN I have an idea. We need a home. SAMUEL Bright, you're a Duhgenius. NATHAN And we have one. The pastor can drive us most of the way, and then we walk, like the other time. Only this time we

have more food, and you know in Somewhereland we weren't homeless, just poor. GINA Nathan, sweetie, it won't work out. I need to find a job, right now. You both will return to school soon, somehow. It's just life is not that easy, not any longer, not by a long shot. SAMUEL We aren't unhomeless Nathan. That's a lie I told myself. NATHAN A vacation. Three days and a bit more, I don't know how much time. But just real. Let's do it again, but right this time, see that happens. Yesterday I though a dead kitten was cute and lucky. Samuel's got a broken leg, and mom, you, I don't know but it must be stormy in your place. SAMUEL This is life, not a video game. NATHAN But we can do it. We can go back and see what happens. Just like we wanted, and then if everything blows up, well what worse could possibly happen. SAMUEL If this were a film, we'd get a Godzilla, a family of mafia velociraptors, ten thousand ninjas with mega-sized shurikens, two earthquakes, a mutant rhino, a fire tornado, two monkeys infected with some super-killer disease, with a robocop following them who works with a FADE TO: EXT. SECONDARY ROAD NEAR SOMEWHERELAND. DAY A wooded, even area area. Pastor Bruce's car is parked

by the side. Nathan is at the trunk? unloading the backpacks, while Samuel, his leg still plastered, crutch in hand, parrots with a very tired voice. SAMUEL (coughs) A giant walrus with machine guns in place of its tusks, driving a Panzer on steroids, which is radioactive and the whole nation, world and universe gets into a titanic microwave and then the whole thing it's baked to full power. NATHAN Samuel, are you over with it now? SAMUEL Yes, I think I'm pretty much finished now. Nathan unloads the second trunk. Pastor Bruce and Gina step out of the car. GINA Boys, the pastor will be here on Friday at this time. So we have three days, two nights of vacation, then it's something else. PASTOR BRUCE Life, I hope. Anyway, forget about everything now, but God and have a great time. Text me if something is wrong and I'll be here in a pinch, and two hours. OK? GINA OK. PASTOR BRUCE Then I guess I must get going. I've got stuff to do, helping God, you know He wants me along when He's doing God stuff. I'll be praying. God bless you all. GINA God bless. NATHAN God bless you too. SAMUEL See you soon. Have a nice day. EXT. SECONDARY ROAD NEAR SOMEWHERELAND. DAY Gina and Nathan are each carrying a backpack, Samuel's is between them. Samuel is standing against a tree. GINA

(getting Samuel's backpack) OK, Nathan help me with Samuel's. NATHAN (does as asked) Yes mom. SAMUEL Can I try. GINA No. NATHAN No way. SAMUEL What's this? A conspiracy? GINA No, learning. SAMUEL Learning what? GINA Asking for help, not doing things always your way, growing up. Sorry sweetie, but you asked me. SAMUEL So what am I going to do? NATHAN You can cheer up as we go. Mom, are we going now? GINA Let's go, the three days are running. Samuel first stands mute as Gina and Nathan walk away. Then he hurries to catch up with them and, as he gets close he starts the praising. SAMUEL Hear ye! Hear ye! Oh you good creatures of the forests. Whether you have came from Narnia or Michigan. Old and young, small and huge, pokemons and fairies. This is is team backpack carriers Gina and Nathan. (makes crowd cheering sound) They are helping poor lame Sammie who just can't do it by himself. So they are great. Cheer them up! (makes crowd cheering sound again)

NATHAN God grant me patience. SAMUEL You see here it's Nathan, a prayer warrior who finds his strength in the Lord. Don't you exactly love this just great teenager saint? NATHAN Cause if you grant me strength, I'm killing my brother slowly and painfully. SAMUEL (coughs) That's how good my brother is, he would not kill me anyhow, just the best, the most creative way for his brother. Don't you just love him? GINA Ignore him, Nathan. His voice is dying soon. SAMUEL (coughs) Glory to Gina. Glory to Nathan. Glory to Gina. Glory to Nathan. Praise ye the backpack carriers of wee little lame Sammy. EXT. SOMEWHERELAND. DAWN Barefoot, dressed in the same old, wrinkled tee-shirt and shorts he has slept with, Samuel is standing by the waterside. We see the tent and the cabin to his back. He has left his crutch close. SAMUEL (V.O.) I spent the first day in Somewhereland silent. My throat failed me as we got there. Mom didn't worry because he thought I was pretending and being sturborn?. I don't know if I can blame her. I can't remember very well what I did all day, mostly getting quite bored. So I woke up early the second day, and the very first thing I did was try saying something. It turned out OK so I went outside and wait for my lazy family to wake up. Yet they didn't seem exactly

excited about waking up, so I, well, I had to do something just not to get bored again, and this is the only thing I could came up with. Samuel walks towards the tent. As he reaches the tent he gets one of the backpacks, which are lying behind the text. He first gets a towel and extends it as if it were a tablecloth. Then he gets a package of cookies. EXT. SOMEWHERELAND. DAY We see Gina coming out of the tent, cap, long sleeved t-shirt, loose pants and flips-flops, stretching out her arms as she goes. GINA Samuel? SAMUEL (V.O.) Over here, mom. As Gina turns back, we discover Samuel standing behind the tent with an uneasy face. GINA You, you've done something. SAMUEL Yes, I have. GINA Now, tell me, what needs fixing? SAMUEL I'm not sure. You can see and check by yourself. GINA (head inside the tent) Nathan, you'd better wake up. We see a breakfast picnic, neatly arranged, with wild flowers and an assortment of pines, leaves and seeds. The camera then runs upwards through Samuel's body until we see a perfect smile. SAMUEL I'm boiling water, tea should take a little longer, yet. Do you think I should change into more formal clothes for breakfast? GINA No, but you do. Go and get neat. But leave your brother alone, OK? SAMUEL OK. GINA And Samuel, thank you. EXT. SOMEWHERELAND - AT THE PICNIC "TABLE". DAY Nathan, sleeveless tee, jeans and barefoot, sits with

Gina, still dressed as she came out of the tent. Samuel who has combed his hair, arrives, then sits down with his legs stretched out. He wears a vest, sweater, trousers [rolled-up] as to leave way for the plaster and cheap but formal black shoes. GINA Now we can bless the food. NATHAN Mom it's breakfast, nobody blesses breakfast. SAMUEL As a matter of fact, some do, but we never do, mom, we never bless anything. GINA I know. I want to change a few things we do now, because things aren't getting that well now. Nathan puts a finger on Gina's lips. NATHAN Mom, no speaking about tough stuff. You promised it. OK, I'll do the blessing. GINA Great, give me your hands, let's close a circle. SAMUEL Mom, really? It's too girly. GINA Really. It's family stuff. Samuel reluctantly, complies with her mother. The three of them form the circle. NATHAN So God, bless this food. Thanks for the food. Amen. GINA And thanks for the best two boys in the world, God. I ask you care for them. And sorry for not knowing the words any better. SAMUEL And thanks for the best mom in the world, and the best and only older brother I have, Amen. GINA Amen. Starting by Gina, the three of them stop holding hands.

NATHAN So what are we going to do now? Sing the Astrongarian Imperial Anthem? SAMUEL It's exactly the Empire of Austria and Kingdom of Hungary, if you don't mind. And you know it. And the anthem goes like this: (sings) Gott erhlte Franz din Kaiser, nsern gutte Kaiser Franz... GINA Samuel, I think that's enough, sweetie. Or Nathan could eat you up. Nathan is already eating with much gusto and voracious passion. SAMUEL Mom, you could be right. GINA Yes, I could, for a change, I could. SAMUEL You always are. Well, not always, always, but most times. GINA Samuel, Nathan, I'm going to make you eat a live toad now. Nathan is about to spill the content of his mouth, but stops right in time. GINA After that, the rest of the day will be great. Anyway, here it goes, this place is lovely, but we can't stay here forever, you know. NATHAN Mom, you promised it, nothing sad. GINA (with no trace of irony) OK, so we aren't going to die soon. This food is excellent, Samuel. And it is a great day. Why don't we use if for something positive? SAMUEL Like what? GINA Telling the truth, for

example. SAMUEL Truth, what truth? GINA I don't know, like, I don't know how we are going to make it. SAMUEL Mom, please. GINA Like you Samuel, you aren't sure I can make it any longer, but don't want to believe it. And Nathan you believe it, but don't want to tell me. NATHAN Mom, and what do you want me to do? Get mad or something? I... this is just stupid... I'll just break your heart for no good. And who says I'm right? GINA I do. SAMUEL Mom, but if I believe you won't make it, then... er then... I'll be exactly lost. GINA Like this place. And it isn't such a bad place to be. Samuel, Nathan, please, tell me you aren't sure I can't make it. Silence. GINA (eyes to the ground) Just nod your head or something. We need the lies killed now. Nathan stands, then goes to his brother. NATHAN Together? Samuel nods. Nathan picks his brother in arms, take him and himself by Gina's side. Then Nathan kneels, leaving his brother on the ground and kisses his mother. At once, Samuel imitates him. We have a little kissing and hugging. GINA Thanks, thank you both. Now I can make you a promise you can believing. No surrender. I'm not giving up no

matter what. I know it's not much, I'd like to tell you everything is gonna be alright but I can't. SAMUEL Everything is alright, now, mom. NATHAN Can't we just finish breakfast? We ate out toad, already. And it tasted like "mom, I'll be good but please don't make me". GINA OK, let's be happy now. EXT. SECONDARY ROAD NEAR SOMEWHERELAND. DAY From a distance we see Pastor Bruce standing by his car, checking his watch. We then see Gina and the kids coming out of the woods, Gina and Nathan are sharing the load of Samuel's backpack, who is parroting something but we are too far away to understand. As the group gets close to Pastor Bruce, Gina looses her share of the load and runs to hug Pastor Bruce. Samuel does likewise, leaving poor Nathan to rebalance and walk towards the trunk. We cut to see the car going away through the road. When it's out of sight, we follow it. Soon we discover Samuel, with no sign of broken bone, wearing a conservative school uniform: dark green polo shirt, with school's shield on the right breast, a tie, gray trousers, black shoes, if somehow worn-out. We approach to close in. SAMUEL Don't worry, nobody left me behind. In any case, that was almost exactly a school year ago. That's why my leg is great now. Anyway, I guess you want to know what happened. Sorry, I don't have a great, big, happy end. Now, this is how it really went. SHOT: Pastor Bruce preaching at church, Gina and the children, all healthy, sit at the front row. SAMUEL (V.O.) Mom did not marry Pastor Bruce. I had thought it could happen, but God just did not want it that way. Next to Samuel we see a woman, and four boys of several ages, all dressed as little Pastor Bruce. SHOT: Gina scrubbing floors in a supermarket. SAMUEL (V.O.)

Mom did get jobs. But they weren't that great and did not last that long. Particularly because many of them closed. SHOT: A close up of Gina, Samuel (plastered leg) and Nathan sleeping on grass. SAMUEL (V.O.) We had to sleep rough a couple of days, well maybe more than a couple of days. I got little lice friends running on my hair and all. But they are dead now. Life is slowly turning for the better. SHOT: We fade to a dorm room of a modest boarding school, where Nathan and Samuel are studying. Samuel turns his chair to meet us. SAMUEL I've got great marks. Nathans was OK and great at football. So the Pastor got a scholarship for we both. We have been living in this school for the school year now. It's OK, beats sleeping rough at any day. Mom has visited us a lot of weekends. And when she couldn't, a family took us out. They had kids too, so it was like a sleepovers, of sorts. Hey, I have to call it somehow. I think that's all. Nathan turns his chair now. NATHAN Except, she has rented a small apartment. Nothing fancy, but she's getting better and longer termed jobs. SAMUEL She's been employed for four months with the same boss, and everything is fine. NATHAN Plus, next Saturday, she's taking us to Somewhereland. I guess she has something important to tell us. EXT. SOMEWHERELAND. DAY.

We see Gina as she is painting the door of the cottage, now almost restored. As she moves away to see her finished work, we see a sign on the door which read: "The Beginning". FADE OUT: