The Tall Man (2012) - full transcript

- Not a single thing.
- What do we do?

Police line.
No one goes in or out!

But there are other entrances.

Just make it look good.

How are you, Mrs Denning?

We haven't found them.

Not him, nor the others.

Our town has been dead
for six years.

At first we blamed
the closing of the mine.

The lack of jobs.

The lack of money.
The lack of everything.



But then we had much worse to blame.
For something had come to Cold Rock.

Something bad that was
destroying our town even more.

That morning, nobody knew that
Cold Rock case was reaching its conclusion.

Don't drink out on the street, Rolly!

What street?

Julia!

Julia, some help here, please!

What happened?

I don't know. She started screaming
all of the sudden, out of nowhere.

- How long has she been like this?
- I don't know.

- Oh my god!
- You didn't know?

I'm not equipped for this, Tracy.

Push! Keep doing it.
Good, good.

When the contraction comes again,
push where you feel my fingers.



Push where my fingers are. Down.
Push deep and down. Push!

- Push.
- I can't!

You're doing it.
Keep doing it. Very good.

Do it again.

C'mon! Here it comes.
Good girl! That's it!

Okay.

It's breech. Which means
the feet are coming first.

But that's fine. I just need you
to push really hard.

- I can't.
- Really big push for me.

Push! Push, Carol!

You did it! There it is!

You did it.

Why is there no sound?

- The baby is fine. It's good.
- Take her outta here.

Good work, honey.
That is my girl!

You did such a good job.
- But the baby...

I know, honey. Julia is gonna take
very good care of her, I promise you.

C'mon.

Open your eyes. C'mon.

Take a breath.
You can make it.

C'mon, breathe.
C'mon now, breathe.

Breathe. Come on.

Okay. Come on.

Breathe. Breathe.

You can do this.
C'mon, you can make it.

Open your eyes.

There you are!

Hello.

It's a big boy.

No hospital, Julia.

He needs monitoring, Tracy.

No. No way.

Steven.

That bastard never made a secret
of a fact that he likes my girls.

He's always parading around
in front of them like a rooster.

Bare-chested and cocky
with those stupid cowboy boots.

Always showing them things
and teaching them this and that.

And Carol falling for all of it.

Did you realise?

No. God, no! If I had...

...I would've shot him.
Bang, bang. Goodbye cowboy.

Get rid of him.

This is nobody else's business,
Julia, but ours. No hospital.

- They won't ask any questions.
- No, we won't go.

I won't put Carol through that shame.
She's not even nineteen.

We take care of our own problems, okay?

In Cold Rock sometimes children
were born when they were not wanted.

People just managed and they didn't
go hollering it from the rooftops.

It may have been a bit sad,
but it was just good sense.

Because a lot worse things were
happening when it came to the children.

Wanted or not,
boys and girls,

some of them just disappeared.

Something had come to Cold Rock
that was taking the children.

Something so menacing,
so terrifying...

...that the people
finally gave it a name.

She was in her room...

...a few minutes earlier.
Then I came back and...

...and she was gone.
She was just gone.

There wasn't a sound.
There was no scream.

There was nothing. I just...
looked outside and he was gone.

- I just wish I have been there.
- I couldn't believe it.

I looked up and down the street.
I couldn't see her anywhere.

I panicked... and all I could
think of was the Tall Man.

- I think he's the Devil.
- What kind of people take people's kids?

- Talking about the Tall Man?
- No, that's a myth. There's no Tall Man.

- He exists.
- The only Tall Man that I've ever seen

is the one that kids built,
the Scarecrow over there.

If this was a rich town, we'd have
the whole army looking for those kids.

I saw him two times.
Going into the forest at nighttime.

Right there, like he was
trying to avoid the bridge.

It's such a big place. We've got
so many places for someone to hide.

What are you talking about?
What else could it be?

Of course it's a child molester.
A kind of asshole who hurts the kids.

- All I'm saying is that...
- What you say is bullshit, Chestnut.

It's not the Boogeyman, or the Devil,
or any of that old wives tale crap.

Tall Man my ass.
The guy's got a name,

and he'll shit himself like anyone else
when we drag him to the chair.

You know about a lot of things,
don't you Douglas?

Give me another hit of that, Beth.

I was sitting back there, listening to you
telling the sheriff your nice story.

All I'm saying is you aren't here
to catch a ghost. Right?

Noted.

I was just making conversation.

Cheers.

Yeah.

Ladies, gents...

- Dark knight is back?
- Arrived this morning.

He's already on his fourth cup
of coffee. Short, black, no sugar.

Well, he's gotta sit up
all night in his car.

- Hi, guys.
- Hi, Julia.

He'll start messing about, making his
bullshit rounds, and all that for what?

- You mean Dodd?
- I mean Sherlock Holmes.

Yeah, like clockwork. Last kid
disappeared two months ago.

Won't be long before the next one goes.
Dodd's back on the trail.

What difference will that make?
Eh, Julia? This town is already finished.

Yeah, I guess everyone
is feeling pretty down.

- Tell me about that.
- Mrs Johnson!

- She's gone.
- I haven't seen her in weeks.

Sweet Jesus! She looks
even worse than before.

She wouldn't mind a cup of coffee.

She wouldn't mind
a winning lottery ticket.

For you, Mrs Johnson. From Trish.

Don't you want it?
I think it may do you some good.

Wow. I know I might've
blacked out last night,

celebrating the birth of my baby boy,
but I know I didn't order up no nurse.

Good morning to you too, Steven.

- What the hell are you doing here?
- Just picking up the pieces.

Really? And who
do you think you are?

- I know who I am.
- What the fuck's that supposed to mean?

- I'm talking to you.
- What? You wanna hit me too?

Stay out of our business.
I really care about Carol.

I know. Like you care
about your bike.

I don't like your style.
May he rest in peace,

your husband left behind
some pretty big shoes to fill.

After all, he was a doctor.
You're just a nurse.

Stick to changing diapers
and get off my back.

- Hey, Tracy.
- Hey. Come on in, take a seat.

Thanks. So, how is that sweet boy?

He's okay. Actually, I sent them
away to my sister's in Seattle.

She's got a big house, and they
are close to everything, and...

they're just kinda better off.

Carol's in no shape to travel, Tracy.

Yeah, but they made it there fine.
Julia, look, I still have to make a living.

I've got a job interview in Kaslo in
45 minutes. Good pay, good job, good tips.

I can't be here all day to help Carol.
You gotta understand me.

- Yeah, I get it.
- You know, I gotta hold on, Julia.

No, honestly, Tracy, I understand.

You want me to make you
some coffee or something?

He's still here?

Yeah. You gotta give me some time
with that, okay? It's not so simple.

He's kinda hard to handle. Trust me,
you just gotta let me handle this.

What about Jenny?

Hey.

Your mom went to Kaslo.

You haven't been doing your
speech therapy, have you?

Okay.

I'm here now.

So... speak.

Why are you always hiding behind
all this hair? You're so pretty.

So, you believe it too?

He was like an ancient legend.

Something from a book
of fairy tales, or an old song.

Everyone talked about
the Tall Man all the time

because everyone was afraid of him.

People were always afraid
he'd strike again. And when he did,

they thanked their lucky stars
he took someone else's kid.

Maybe they felt a little
guilty thinking that way,

but that feeling didn't last long.

For everyone's got
their problems to deal with.

It's not just good or bad,
it's just the way it is.

- Hey.
- Hi.

- Done for today?
- Yeah.

There's some more groceries
in the car. Is everything okay?

Yeah. He's been looking
forward to you getting home.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

Yes?

Hey, sweetheart.
That's a beautiful song.

Christine told me that
you missed me today.

I missed you too.

What did you do all day?

- We made a baking soda volcano.
- And you made it erupt?

- Yeah.
- How did you do that?

We put baking soda and then we put
vinegar and then it exploded everywhere.

Guess what we're having for
dinner tonight? Brussels sprouts!

Hey guys, dinner's in half an hour!

Okay!

- Wow, what's that?
- That's a gorilla.

- Where does he live?
- He lives in... Australia.

You think so? Maybe he can
live in a jungle somewhere.

This fish can live in our moat.
And he can patrol our waters,

so that no one can come by,
and he'll eat everybody.

- Bomb!
- Bomb!

Do the number trick.
I taught him a number trick.

- Think of a number.
- Okay.

- Double it.
- Wait, that's too fast.

Okay, think of a number.

- Double it. Add on six.
- Okay.

Half it and when
it's cut in the half,

take away the first number you
thought of, and your answer is three.

I know! I know!

Works every time!

Okay, buddy.

There you go.

Do you still have to
go to work tomorrow?

Yeah. But I'll try
not to finish too late.

Can we play together again
when you get home?

I promise.

Good night, David.

What did you guys do today?

It's not what we did,
it's what he asked.

- What did he ask?
- Brought up a T word.

- Television.
- What did you say?

I said it was an evil
brainwashing tool

used by big corporations
to corrupt the peoples.

- Come on!
- Thanks.

He did ask me to buy one
to watch cartoons.

And how did you respond?

- I chose to ignore the question.
- Right. Of course.

I saw Tracy today.

- The baby?
- Shipped off to Seattle.

Typical.

I saw Steven too. He informed me how
shitty I was compared to my husband.

Yeah, figures.

It's just weird. They just feel like
they own a part of him or something.

That's what he meant to this town,
right? He... helped them.

- He tried.
- He was a freaking saint.

I'm just tired talking about it.

I know I bring it up
all the time. I'm sorry.

- Ta-da!
- Oh, dear Lord.

You know you love it.

I don't know. I don't...

- How much? Tell me when.
- Just a... when.

This is gonna give me
such a headache.

Just drink it.
It'll make it go away.

I don't think I can drink that.
This really...

I'm okay. I know I am.

All right, you little devil.

Where are you?

All we have sinned and
falling short of the glory of God!

We're damned! We're all going to Hell.
There's nothing you can do.

The only salvation that is possible
for you is the blood of the Lamb...

Christine?

Last week I was sitting
on a plane from Memphis to Orlando.

A gentleman was sitting
next to me, a very kind man.

He looked at me and he said:
"Pastor, I do good works."

"I take care of my family.
I look after my friends."

I looked him square in the eye
and said: "That's marvelous!"

"Tell the Devil about it,
cause you're going to Hell!"

Oh my God! Christine!

Tell me. Tell me.

David? David?

David?

David!

David?

Okay.

Tell me. Tell me.

David!

David!

Stop!

David! David!

...difficulties we find here
is the lack of resolution.

A child goes missing without
a trace. There's no closure.

It's so frustrating.
You would think that...

David!

David!

Mrs Denning?

Shit!

Mrs Denning?

Here, let me help you.

Okay. Can you stand?

Lieutenant, request received.
Central is sending reinforcement.

Two cars. They're
leaving Seattle right now.

ETA two hours.
Repeat, ETA two hours.

Dodd, I'm on my way.
I'm on the highway already.

That was the guy
we're looking for, right?

I'm on my way too, lieutenant.
Going as fast as I can.

We're gonna get that son of a bitch.

Come on. You are gonna be okay.

You're gonna be just fine.

Damn!

- We've got an emergency here.
- Oh my God!

Julia! What happened to you?

I found her on a road. Asshole
who did this is still out there.

You want me to go with you?

No, you stay here. Get an ambulance.
Take care of her.

Are you sure?

Everything will be alright.

Hey! Give it a rest.

Give us some space.

- You're hurt, sweety.
- What happened, Julia?

It's okay.

It's okay.

Now, you wait right here.
I'll be right back.

Go get cleaned up.

I left a towel and some
clean clothes in my office.

And when you're done, maybe
you can tell me what's going on.

Thank you.

I don't know what to say.

Be careful, sheriff.
Think about your pension.

How far are you away from
retirement? Eight months?

We gotta warn
the department of Pittsville.

Yeah, they're armed
with two white rabbits.

- Wasn't supposed to happen like this.
- That's why you have to go to the mine.

- I wanna know what she's up to.
- Jesus Christ!

- We're on the same boat, brother.
- Don't 'brother' me, you prick!

I have to think.
Let me think!

Yeah, you do that.

She's looking at the kid's picture.

She suspects something,
I can tell you.

What do we do?

- I'll go get her.
- Don't move.

Take a seat.

Shit!

She's left.
That bitch is in the forest!

Grab what you need
out of your trucks.

Steven, I need you to take that
group, take them into the forest.

You find her, you bring her to me.
- I'll find her.

Don't do anything stupid. You find her,
you hang onto her. Then leave it to me.

You still need to think, big boy?

C'mon, all of us! Let's go!

She's not gonna go far.
We'll stop her now!

Sheriff, this is Campbell.

We just received the call
from central in Seattle.

They're sending reinforcement.

It sounds like Dodd is chasing
our guy. Are you hearing this?

Do you copy, sheriff?

Yeah, yeah, I'm copying.

Asshole. How am I even
supposed to do this job?

I've got two lousy cars,
I've got a useless deputy.

No, no, she's not caught.
She's hiding in the forest.

They'll get her.
You stay put. I'll call you.

David?

Mommy!

It's all over, angel.

Everything's okay.

She scares me.

It's all over, baby.
It's all over.

It took me an hour
to calm him down.

Just to get him to recognize me.

Do you know how a mother feels
when her child does not recognize her?

He'd been brainwashed.
You told him I was gone.

What the fuck are you up to?

Last night,

like almost every night,

I went into the woods to try
to find the bastard who took my son.

Tall Man.

Old lady Ashcroft said
she'd seen him twice at nightfall.

So I walked.

I walked.

And I walked.

And then by chance
I came to your house.

Chance or intuition,
call it what you like.

And he was there.

I couldn't believe it,
but he was there.

I went round and around
and around in my head,

trying to make sense of it.

Did I dream that?

My mind turned to Trish.

She made an altar for him,
like she did for all the others.

Four candles and prayers
for his return.

When you talk to Trish, she listens.

She never saw me as a freak.

She wasn't the first one I saw.

When I looked into your eyes,
I knew I wasn't mad.

It wasn't enough for you
to see me like that.

You had to offer me
your God damn coffee.

It's your innocent air
and your angel face, right?

Were you worried?
Did you feel guilty?

Or are you just the most cynical
bitch the world has ever seen

that you offer a coffee to a woman
whose child you kidnapped.

I waited for you to leave.
I waited for the diner to empty.

At first Trish didn't believe me.

People around here
all trust you, Julia Denning.

But I talked and I talked,

and I talked, until she
started to have doubts.

And when they were big enough,

just big enough, I told her
I was gonna get my kid back.

And she said "You're gonna
break into Julia's house?"

and I said "If he's not there, you can
drive me to the loony bin yourself."

She decided to keep
the diner open all night.

Waiting up for my news with
some of the other regulars.

But it's not me they saw arriving.

When I saw you
at the window with my son,

I thought about calling the cops.
But I don't trust them.

All they've ever done for me is kick me
out of my house. They don't care.

Look where they forced me
to live with my son!

You took my baby away.
And the other children too.

Where are they?
Where are the other kids?

Julia, you tell me what you've
done with the other children,

or I swear you'll die.

I gave them to the Tall Man.

Who is he?

Don't you know?

The whole town is talking about him.

Don't mess with me, Julia.
Who is he?

He is the one
everyone's talking about.

Mommy?

Come here, angel.

She won't hurt you anymore.

Look at my son, Julia,
and tell him you lied.

Tell him you're nothing to him.
He has to hear it from you.

David!

David!

No!

Let go! No!

Where did you learn
how to do that?

This evening police scanners
are very busy indeed.

We have noticed
a lot of increased traffic.

FBI presence in town, and our
news reporter Amy Wilkinson...

- ...can you hear me?
- Yes David, hello, hi.

Yes, it seems that things are
finally starting to happen here...

Thank God, you did it!

- He's never going back there.
- What happened?

We don't have any time.
The whole town will be here soon.

It's over.

Go home, Jenny.

Just go home and don't say
anything to anyone.

Remember that number trick
that you showed us at dinner?

You take a number,
multiply it by something,

add six, and the result
is always three?

You don't know what
you're talking about.

It's a really good trick.
It always works.

I just don't remember what
you did? Want us to go again?

Please don't ask me to do that.
You couldn't bear it, believe me.

Remember eating
the brussels sprouts?

Doesn't matter what
number you take...

It's always three.

Jenny knows. She knows.
She's been watching me for weeks.

- That's impossible.
- We got comfortable.

- We got sloppy.
- How much does she know?

She wants to see him.

You take him down and we go.

You do it and we leave, right?

Tell me you're not gonna stay here.

No!

Of course you're still here.

I gave him your name, where
you live. Perhaps he'll come.

But if you say anything,
Jenny, he'll come for sure.

But not in a way that you want.

Cause he'll do things to you
that you can't even imagine.

Get outta here.

Julia! Bitch, open up!

- Shut up and let me do the talking.
- Julia, open the goddamned door!

You're not gonna break through.
The cops are coming.

You're dead, bitch!

The cops are coming. They'll be
dealing with her, do you understand?

Okay? Everything's gonna be fine.

Are you alright?

For God's sake, Campbell, I told you
to keep her away from the window.

- Sorry, sheriff.
- Keep her away from the damn window.

They wanna tear her apart.
C'mon. Let's go.

- Lieutenant, there's too many.
- We're not waiting.

Just keep your looks straight ahead.
Deputy, you're on the right.

When we get out of that door,
I want you to head straight for the...

Shit! Come on, let's go.

Keep your head down.
Look at the ground in front of you.

Do not engage. We're
headed straight for the car.

Don't say a word.
Don't talk back.

Look straight down.
Now, let's go!

You're gonna die!

Where's my baby?

Okay, go, go!

Where's my baby?

Let's go! Go! Go!

Keep your head down,
Mrs Denning. Down!

Nice little workshop.

Hey.

Shit.

Oh mercy!

Did you know this house
was built over this shaft?

There are holes everywhere here.
More than 40 square miles of them.

It's gonna be a pain in the ass.
- Bad for us, Chestnut.

The whole region is sitting
on the same swiss cheese.

If the children are down here.

It'll take us a 100 men and 20 years
to find them if they're down here.

And who's to say she didn't use this
as a passageway out into the woods?

No.

Gonna need everybody. Get them
outside. Gonna need lights.

- Not a single thing.
- What do we do?

Police line.
No one goes in or out!

How are you, Mrs Denning?

We haven't found them.

Not him, nor the others.

Don't tell me...

Don't tell me that's what
I have to tell the parents.

Keep going.

Now, I'm getting to understand
that your husband

was a well respected man
around here, Mrs Denning.

Yes, he was.

And there was a large age difference
between you, isn't that right?

Yes.

He was a doctor in Cold Rock
from 1992. until when?

Until the end.

His end.

How would you describe his relationship
to the people around here?

He kept this community together.

Cold Rock was dignified then.

He helped to create that dignity.

Yes.

And then the mine shut down.

And moral declined.

And he was gone when the children
were paying the price.

The children?

They were suffering so much.

I had to do something.

Could you explain that for me,
Mrs Denning?

Did you keep them in that room,
one after the other?

In a real children's room,
with books.

And toys, and music.
It's filled with beautiful things.

And Christine? She looked after
the children when you were away?

Yes.

Apparently, you told David's mother

that you delivered the children
to someone you called 'the Tall Man'.

The whole of Cold Rock
chose that name.

Mrs Denning, is there a man,
whatever his name,

to whom you delivered the children?

No.

You acted alone?

Yes.

You yourself, Mrs Denning,

you were never able
to bear children, were you?

We couldn't have children.

Mrs Denning, did you kidnap
the children of Pittsville county?

Yes.

Did you make those
children disappear?

Mrs Denning,
are those children dead?

Did you kill them?

Did you kill them, Mrs Denning?

Mrs Denning?

Cold Rock, USA,

Pittsville county,

Washington State,

shut down mine,

no school,

miles of forest and
a labyrinth of tunnels.

Possibly the worst place ever to search
for traces of 18 missing children.

Last victim's name,

David Johnson.

How are you managing, Mrs Johnson?

- I'm holding on.
- Good.

Okay, you wanna come in?

Have a seat.

We need you to avoid confrontation.

We need you to appeal to her
as a mother. Do you understand?

I understand.

If any single remark or question
shuts her down, we get nothing.

We have found no trace of the kids,
and she doesn't talk to us anymore.

Mrs Johnson,
if you feel that you cannot

go through with this right now,
you need to let me know.

No, I'm ready.

You try not to focus
on anything too specific.

You just talk to her,
you listen to her.

You try to get her to open up.

If we get anything, it will be
because she didn't realise it.

Do you understand?

I know why you're here.

You want answers.

Yes.

There's nothing I can say
that's gonna give you any comfort.

Julia...

I can't live.

I keep turning things
around in my mind.

And I miss him, you know.

It's unbearable, the missing him.

Thinking about him all the time,
wondering where he is.

I know.

I don't think you do, Julia.

But I do know.

I was a mother to each
and every one of them.

They had everything
they could ever possibly need.

Julia, I know I live in a dump.

I don't have a job
and life for me is hard,

but I would still die for him,
you know.

It's the same everywhere.

The defeat and the pain.

It's a cycle.

A cycle?

You shouldn't have come here.

What cycle?

The system is broken.

It doesn't work.

There's nowhere to turn,
there's no support.

I've seen it all over the world.
It's just easier to give up.

I'm not...

any better than you, Mrs Johnson.
I've just seen more.

It's not a matter of being a good
person or being a bad person,

it's about how you cope.
We are so limited.

But the eyes of every child
are filled with potential and hope,

and we should embrace and nourish
that potential, but we don't.

We continue to make
the same mistakes.

We continue to let the children
grow up broken and lost,

just like their parents.
We have to break the cycle.

It has to be the priority,
but it's not.

That's what I've been trying to do.
That's what I've done everywhere.

And what did I change?
Nothing!

Yes I cared, I helped, I cuddled.

Thinking I was bringing change,
thinking I was making a difference.

But when we asked for real change,
all these bureaucrats said:

"No, you can't do that.
There's a process".

Every time you question
the politicians and the system

that makes poor people poor
and the children suffer,

they said "no you can't
do that, there's a process",

so the cycle goes on
and goes on and goes on.

And the children continue to suffer
and no one does anything about it,

and the world will never change.

God, I'm just torturing you.

If you're done, can you answer
two simple questions?

The parents of Cold Rock
need to know.

Are the children dead?

No!

I couldn't keep them all.

Where are they?

In the forest.

In the tunnels.

Everywhere.

Baby killer!

You're mine, bitch!

I'm not bringing her back!

- No.
- What do you mean no?

I don't care what your fucking sister
said! Carol needs to come back!

Steven, bring your voice down.

I'm not gonna bring
my fucking voice down!

You're drunk! We're gonna
talk about this tomorrow.

No!

It's your fault.
Carol needs to come back.

Do you want me to hit you?

Don't! Don't! Learn to
goddamn shut your mouth!

Do you wanna get hit?

Oh baby!

Get off me, you little...

Son of a bitch!
Baby, come here.

Don't you touch her.
Don't you ever touch her!

You didn't miss me this time, honey.

Nice shot.

You bastard.

Jenny! Jenny, where are you, honey?

Come back, baby.
It's okay! I'm okay!

I'm probably not
what you were dreaming of,

but you're not a baby
yourself, dear.

Can you wait here for a moment?

Yes, I think it will be alright.

It has to be. As far as we're
concerned, Jenny Weaver is dead.

Please meet Vera Parker Leigh.

Watch over carefully.

Our field officer wasn't able
to give her a proper transition.

Be extremely careful
the first few weeks.

Her behaviour can still become
suspicious and give us away.

- No, ma'am.
- Please, I insist.

I don't want your money.

The women who saved this girl
paid a high price.

One of them is dead,

and the other will never
again see the light of day.

I know. I saw her on the news.

Your money is an insult
to their sacrifice.

Will Jenny be the last one
being taken care of?

The last one from my division.

Mrs Parker Leigh.

So, there are more of you?

How are you, Tracy?

I wasn't expecting you.

We haven't found Jenny yet.

I guess Chestnut is doing
what he can, right?

I put one of my men on the case.

Thanks.

What about Julia?

Well, the prosecution's asking for
the death penalty this afternoon,

but I don't think
they're gonna grant it.

In case she decides to tell them
where the other kids are buried.

We know that she's not
the one who took my Jenny.

Your Jenny ran away.
And I'm gonna find her.

Okay.

Hang in there, Tracy.

I have been doing that for 25 years.

Yeah, I hear you.

My first mother was a good woman.

Hardworking, generous,

affectionate.

We talked, we shared,

we laughed,

but then it stopped.

She couldn't talk to us anymore.

About men,
about her dreams,

about her pain.

My first mother loved me,
and I loved my first mother.

Watch your back!

My second mother only
mothered me for a short time.

I often think about her.

I try to imagine the moment
she had in the tunnel,

giving one last kid to her husband.

Did he implore her
to run away with him?

Or did they both know
someone had to stay.

Be the monster,
pay the price,

and protect their secret.

Whether she was a good person
or not, I'm still not sure.

But my second mother loved me,
and I loved my second mother.

My third mother is teaching me
about the bigger world.

She says knowledge is the key
to open all my doors.

So I stay focused,
I observe,

and I work hard.
- Vera, sweetheart!

I listen to what she says,
I want to please her.

My third mother loves me,
and I love my third mother.

- You're gonna be late for art class.
- I'll be right there.

My world has changed.

I try to follow its rules.

It's a beautiful world,
my new mother says.

She tells me to hang on,

that I'm doing well,

that I'll get used to it with time.

Jeffrey! Jeffrey!

Come on.

Come on, honey.
We're gonna be late.

I'm not like the others.

I guess they've forgotten.

I can't.

Every morning I wake up
to the same thought

of giving it all up
and running back home.

But I remind myself
I wanted this life.

I wanted it.
I made it happen.

I guess it's better this way, right?

Right?

Right?