INT.
ORPHANAGE CLASSROOM DAY
The boys are entering the classroom and taking
their seats. MAGPIE and JAY sit in their seats. SISTER JOSEPHINE is writing
under the date "14 March 2010 ".
JAY
What is today's lesson?
MAGPIE
(Laughing) You want to know?
JAY
Not really … (Laughs)
SISTER JOSEPHINE looks over her glasses at
them both. MAGPIE and JAY regain their composure and open the books that are on
their desks.
SISTER JOSEPHINE
(Severe) Good morning boys, when you have finished talking open
the books to page nineteen ... The Colonisation of America
The boys open their books lazily. JAY blows
air from between closed lips at MAGPIE in boredom. SISTER JOSEPHINE clears her
throat solemnly before starting the lesson.
SISTER JOSEPHINE
JAY
(Whispers)
And they went running to the bathroom after that massive trip.
The boys near JAY make an effort not to laugh.
MAGPIE puts his hands over his mouth, turning red from the force required not
to laugh. SISTER JOSEPHINE continues, ignoring the boys.
SISTER JOSEPHINE
The
colonists arrived in the lands of Virginia.
JAY
Lucky
girl that Virginia ... So new and so rich!
SISTER JOSEPHINE
JAY
what he's talking? Do you not know what Virginia is?
JAY
Yeah
of course I know... She is the daughter of Mr. Sutton which has the laundry at
the bottom of street. Pretty girl, just do not know was rich and owner of that
lands.
All the boys laugh out loud. SISTER JOSEPHINE
adjusts the glasses on her nose and gives all the boys a very serious look.
They all shut up immediately.
SISTER JOSEPHINE
JAY, are you trying to be funny? Pick up your books and notebook
and go to the library. I want you to write all about the American Colonies... I
want 4 pages by tomorrow morning.
JAY, indolent, rises slowly. He grabs his belongings
and leaves to the laughter of his colleagues. JAY exits and closes the door. SISTER
JOSEPHINE clears her throat again ready to resume lesson, but is interrupted
again by JAY peeking around the door.
JAY
Sister Josephine... I’ve studied the costumes of the American
Indians...
SISTER JOSEPHINE is taken by surprise, puzzled.
SISTER JOSEPHINE
How did you study it? You only just left ...
JAY
Yeah, I did research... Look at the Indian uniform 1607!
Before SISTER JOSEPHINE can react, JAY is back
into the classroom, lowers his pants and shows his bum to general laughter from
all the boys. SISTER JOSEPHINE drops her books and almost drops her glasses. JAY
runs out again. SISTER JOSEPHINE rushes to the door, opens it and yells down
the hall.
SISTER JOSEPHINE
Jay! It’s ten pages now!
The crowd continues to laugh loudly.
INT.
ORPHANAGE DORMITORY DAY
JAY has his book open on the bed to do the work
for his punishment. MAGPIE comes from outside. JAY looks at MAGPIE unhappy.
MAGPIE
See
what you’ve done ... now we won’t even have time to go ...
JAY
Ten
pages and two tugs of my ears! (Looks at notebook) Look ... just ten lines. How can I write ten
pages?!
MAGPIE
Well,
it's almost a book.
JAY
I'm
even writing every word three times ... Just to use more space.
MAGPIE
What
is that JAY, you think that the Sisters will let you write something like the
word ‘home’ three times?
JAY
No
... I’ll say that I was stuttering when I thought.
MAGPIE cuts in with a laugh.
MAGPIE
You're
crazy!
JAY gets serious for a moment, but then cannot
hold his laughter. They are both laughing.
JAY
At
least I can distract the Sisters until they realise. I just hope they don’t
increase the punishment to 100 pages!
MAGPIE
Well
you best prepare ... you’re going to spend many nights writing.
JAY
I'll
have to make a plan ... I won’t stay here closed in for so long.
MAGPIE
Show me what you're doing ... I’ll help you.
JAY
Leave it... Go and play with the others.
MAGPIE
Don’t be stupid... If you don’t finish this work then I can’t
leave tonight either. I’m not gonna leave by myself... I'm just trying to help
myself.
JAY
Yeah... you’re right. (Look around)... Do you want to do my maths
work too?
MAGPIE
Oi... Don’t try that Jay!
JAY
Well I tried...
They are both laughing. At this time LITTLE
TOMMY enters from outside. MAGPIE and JAY stop laughing.
LITTLE TOMMY
Hey, how are we leaving tonight?
JAY
Hey ... we’re not, Little Tommy... I have a
lot of work to do.
MAGPIE
Little Tommy, things are bad now. Jay will not be able to escape
during the next few days... Look (shows Notebook) he has to fill it all.
LITTLE TOMMY
Are you lying to me? I wasn’t born yesterday. You won’t leave me
here will you?
JAY
Come on Little Tommy, do you think we would lie? Sister Josephine
gave me a punishment for my research on the Indian’s uniform.
Everyone laughs.
LITTLE TOMMY
It’s
an unfair punishment. You were very funny. Just missing the eagle feathers. (Laughs
even more)
MAGPIE
See.
We're not lying. Trust us. But we promise we’ll take you next time.
JAY
Promise
is a promise.
LITTLE TOMMY points his finger in response at MAGPIE
and JAY, moves away from them and then runs out. MAGPIE is furious.
MAGPIE
That
ass-kisser! See what we have to swallow? I will smack that kid soon.
JAY
Yeah
he needs a slap...
MAGPIE
Look,
you know what? I don’t know if I want to take Little Tommy with us...
JAY
And
if he talks?
MAGPIE
It
will be his word against ours... Everything he says is a lie. And then he’ll
have to deal with us.
JAY
He'll
learn to keep quiet. Now I really want to leave. This punishment is killing me.
MAGPIE
Well!
Let's escape tonight then!
JAY
Tonight?
MAGPIE
Yes…
think about it. With all that work, the Sisters won’t be expecting us to leave.
JAY
That’s
true, otherwise they would be suspicious.
MAGPIE
We
just have to be careful about Little Tommy. What should we do about him?
JAY
We
can wait a little longer tonight. If we pretend that we are asleep, he will
sleep too.
MAGPIE
Good...
but now we had better do some of this work. If you show some lines tomorrow, then
maybe Sister Josephine will forget the punishment.
JAY
I
wish.
The two turn their attention to the books.
INT.
ORPHANAGE DORMITORY NIGHT
All we hear is absolute silence. All the boys
are asleep. JAY and MAGPIE are very quiet pretending to be asleep. MAGPIE
carefully looks out over his sheets. He gets up, goes to JAY’s bed and shakes
him two or three times while whispers.
MAGPIE
Jay...
are you awake?
JAY sits on the bed carefully, already dressed
and wearing footwear.
JAY
Awake and ready... you?
MAGPIE
I just need to put my shoes on.
JAY
Grab
them and put them on in the corridor. Let's go.
The two go on tiptoe. MAGPIE puts his shoes on
and sneaks to the bed of LITTLE TOMMY to check that his eyes are closed. MAGPIE
beckons JAY.
MAGPIE
He’s asleep.
JAY
Good... Let's go.
MAGPIE and JAY open the door very carefully to
leave off. When they close the door LITTLE TOMMY opens his eyes and jumps out
of bed, also dressed and wearing shoes. Secretly following MAGPIE and JAY, he
also escapes.
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