MY NAME IS JOSHUA SECOND DRAFT
SCENE ONE
INT: SPA SCHOOL – DAY
POV OF JOSHUA WALKING TOWARDS OFFICE WITH
LORRAINE, HIS MUM
CHILDREN are running around as the school bell rings. Old Victorian
building with stone floor. Red and blue lockers on either side with a
continuous noise echoing through the halls.
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
Ok, so this is where it all begins…walking
towards Siobhan’s office
INT: OFFICE – SAME DAY
Siobhan is sitting at
her desk with papers and folders scattered on the table. She looks up to greet
Joshua and his mum.
SIOBHAN
Joshua! Oh and Lorraine! How nice to see
the both of you. Sit down! Today’s the day eh?
Joshua sheepishly
dawdles in wearing a pristine RED RAINCOAT, slumps on the chair. Lorraine
follows him, slightly jittery.
LORRAINE
Hello Siobhan, well yes it certainly
is…little apprehensive to say the least!
SIOBHAN
Well of course you would be! And…how about
you Joshua? How are you feeling today? Any questions about ‘Vecks’ or the
procedure?
JOSHUA
I am the first human to be diagnosed with
the condition so called ‘Vecks’ names so because of my last name; Joshua Vecks. It’s symptoms mirror those
of Autism and Asperger’s, founded by Kenner and Asperger themselves. It is a
unique condition where the main Cranial nerve has mutated developing a social
impairment, however due to the difference in hormones in males and females,
Vecks can only develop in males. This mutation has been discovered to be able
to be removed; this is where it differes from others diagnoses. The surgical
removal of my condition will take exactly fourteen hours and thirty-nine
minutes and will tke place at exactly 5:07pm today. It is an extremely complex
and experimental operation that involves the world’s leading surgeon Dr
Sebastian.
SIOBHAN
Well, everything seems to be in order! Hey
maybe one day, Joshua, you won’t have to wear that raincoat everywhere!
JOSHUA
This is my raincoat. I don’t want anyone
else wearing it.
Short pause. Siobhan
glances at Lorraine in an exasperated fashion.
SIOBHAN
Yeh Joshua, of course not, silly me! Well
it’s been a pleasure getting to work with you young man, good luck with
everything!
Siobhan holds up her
hand towards Joshua and smiles. Joshua holds up his hand in similar motion
without touching one another. Joshua and his mum get up to leave, Joshua walks
on ahead as Lorraine lingers for a while, mouths thank you and follows Joshua
out.
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
Spa school had always been a safe haven
for me. Siobhan had mentioned that she took particular interest in me because of
my Vecks. I was the only person in the world to have been founded with this
syndrome; I was the first. It was like I was somewhat famous for something I
couldn’t control.
EXT: SPA SCHOOL PLAYGROUND – SAME DAY
There are less
children around the school, TOYS scattered on the floor. Joshua and Lorraine
are walking towards the school gate when a small adorable girl runs up to
Joshua, her blonde hair swinging wildly. On her coat is a BADGE with ‘I heart
Anatomy’. The girl steps closer to Joshua.
DORA
(timidly)
Good luck…I’m going to miss you Josh
JOSHUA
Joshua…my name is Joshua
DORA
Oh, sorry Joshua. I’m going to miss you
Dora goes to hug Joshua as a symbol of compassion and places a YELLOW
BRACELET in Joshua’s hand. Joshua starts to yell as he hates physical contact,
simultaneously he looks down at the yellow bracelet in his hand and starts to
scream more. The bracelet breaks and falls to the floor, beads scatter
everywhere. Dora releases Joshua with tears welling in her eyes.
DORA
J…J…Joshua I’m sorry
Lorraine tries to
calm Joshua and momentarily forgets his condition; she grabs his hand. Joshua
screams and wriggles away, he paces off in a tantrum. Joshua WALKS OFF SCREEN
LORRAINE
I’m sorry Dora; you know he doesn’t like
the colour yellow….or being called Josh
Lorraine PACES OFF
SCREEN. Dora is seen to be lovingly gazing after Joshua in a sad disappointed
manner.
SCENE TWO
INT: DOCTORS SUGERY
ROOM – LATER THAT DAY
Joshua is sitting confidently on a hospital bed swinging his legs in his
RED RAINCOAT. The room is grey and dull, Joshua’s mum stands near looking more
worried than before, biting her nails. Joshua looks around at the equipment,
amazed. Dr Sebastian has a clipboard jotting down notes.
OLDER JOSHUA
They always say that people with Asperger’s,
Autism or Vecks have one specialised subject that they are committed to. Mine
happen to be anatomy and everything concerning hospitals. This was then very
lucky considering I was getting a life-threatening surgery to not be in the
slightest bit…
JOSHUA (INT’D)
Dr Sebastian, did you know that the
Cranial nerves are part of the peripheral system apart from cranial
nerve II, which is not a true peripheral nerve but a neural tract
of the diencephalon connecting
the retina
with the lateral geniculate nucleus?
DR SEBASTIAN
…I did indeed
OLDER JOSHUA (CONT’D)
(Voice over) (laughing)
…worried about
the procedure. I was more excited than I would have been at Christmas, to know
I was the first to get this experimental procedure was intriguing
DR SEBASTIAN
What is your
birth date please Joshua?
JOSHUA
My birthday is
the third of March 2022, which makes me exactly fourteen years, twenty-three
days, three hours, fourteen minutes and (checks watch) five seconds.
DR SEBASTIAN
Hm, yes, well,
your procedure should begin in thirty-five minutes…you’re quite a switched on
chap aren’t you?
JOSHUA
There is a 66%
chance of me living after this procedure, if you don’t damage my Cranial nerve,
the percentage increases by 5.8% and therefore it gives me exactly 71.8% chance
of living. Furthermore, the left side of my brain will become more advanced in
social interaction whilst still remaining my intelligence regarding medicine
and anatomy. After the procedure I will be given 30mg of Morphine immediately
to assist with the pain. I then will be given 400mg of Ibuprofen to reduce the
swelling on my brain. If the Ibuprofen is ineffective it will cause my brain to
shut down. If this is not discovered beforehand my chance of living goes down
to 11.7%. I am only given this procedure today because I am considered a
medical marvel being the only boy to have been discovered with this condition.
Dr Sebastian gives a glance to Lorraine and
waits for Joshua to stop talking
DR SEBASTIAN
This is
correct Josh apart…
(INTR’D) JOSHUA
Joshua, my
name is Joshua
DR SEBASTIAN
Ah, Joshua, yup.
Apart from we were going to provide you with 500mg of Ibuprofen as it is a very
large and lengthy procedure for you at such a young age
JOSHUA
I am fourteen
years, twenty-three days, three hours, fifteen minutes and (checks watch)
forty-four seconds old. I weigh seven stone and two pounds. I have calculated
to the exact decimal point that I should be having 400mg of Ibuprofen…and this
is what I shall have
DR SEBASTIAN
Well, you’re
the doctor!
JOSHUA
No, that’s
you, I’m Joshua.
SCENE THREE
INT: PRIVATE
HOSPITAL WARD – WEEKS AFTER SURGERY
Joshua is
lying down asleep in his hospital ward bed with his mum pacing by his side. He
has BANDAGES around his head and is wrapped in a HOSPITAL GOWN. He is connected
to many different machines monitoring his health. There are many ‘Get well
soon’ CARDS and GIFTS. The walls are YELLOW. Joshua’s RED RAINCOAT is thrust
upon a chair. There are 500MG of IBUPROFEN BAGS scattered around. There is a
CALENDAR hanging on the wall showing it’s been weeks since the operation. There
is a CU of Joshua’s face as he blinks and regains focus. The camera zooms out.
LORRAINE
(cautious)
How are you
champ?
Lorraine
reaches her hand forward as if to do the handshake that Joshua did with
Siobhan. Instead she is immobilised with shock as Joshua leans in to hug her.
Lorraine’s hand is pushed into Joshua’s chest as they are hugging. There are
tears in Loraine’s eyes, falling down her cheeks. There is silence as they hug.
Joshua quickly drops the hug, looks at Lorraine in slight confusion then slowly
smiles. Te camera slowly PANS out of the door as they are looking at each
other.
SCENE FOUR
EXT: STREET – DAY
Joshua is
walking down the street thinking to himself. He is walking past shops down the
street with flashbacks of what he is saying.
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
It took a
while to understand social conventions. Sarcasm was a very hard concept to
understand. Why would people say something…that isn’t?
FLASHBACK in silence of Joshua amongst other
adults in the laboratory. One adult says a sarcastic joke. Joshua looks
confused then laughs.
It didn’t make
sense before my operation and still didn’t make much sense after. I began to
use it myself however; it was like having to train my brain into understanding
things. Emotions, furthermore, is a concept I am still learning. I understand…
Joshua is looking at himself in a mirror; he
copies the emotions he speaks
Happy, sad,
angry, scared and confused. I still have a lot to learn…it’s been years since
the operation and yet I’m still recovering. It’s a very long-winded process
that can’t just be returned to my brain…because it was never there in the first
place! It’s exercising the muscle in my brain that improves my social
interactions, and with the continued help of medical investigation it should
improve with age. Partly this is why I am working in a medical investigation
laboratory researching the possible correlation between environments and brain
unbalance in autistic children.
Shot of Joshua working in the laboratory in a
WHITE COAT with a YELLOW DAISY pinned on
I’m considered
a medical marvel, having survived a life threatening brain surgery… more so to
have been able to develop my cerebral cortex to what it is today.
SCENE FIVE
INT: JOSH’S HOUSE
– EVENING
The scene opens with a phone call from
Lorraine. Joshua is wearing a YELLOW DAISY on his jacket. The RADIO is on in
the background.
LORRAINE
How ya feeling
today Josh?
JOSHUA
It still
sounds weird for you to call me Josh
LORRAINE
(Worried)
Do you not
like it?
JOSHUA
No, no mum,
it’s been X years since the operation, I’m just saying…its different, a good
different
LORRAINE
Oh, good. Well
Josh it’s almost nine o’clock
JOSHUA
Eight
forty-nine to be precise
LORRAINE
That’s my
Josh, now go to work!...Oh no wait Josh, wait! Do you remember when little Dora
gave you a bracelet a long time ago? Before your operation? You screamed and
broke it, the beads went everywhere. Her little face welled up with tears, she
only wanted to give you something to remember her by as we had no idea if you
would have a memory of your life before the operation…
JOSHUA
Vaguely, it’s
quite a blur of what I remember…I remember Dora, but only for her big blue
eyes…they always starred at me
Joshua stops mid sentence, walks closer to the
radio and turns it up
LORRAINE
Yeh Dora was a
cute little...
(INTR’D) JOSHUA
Mum, shh, I’ve
just heard something on the radio
Both Josh and Lorraine fall silent
RADIO PRESENTER
Breaking news,
it has just been discovered that another young boy has been diagnosed with ‘Vecks’
syndrome, only the second person in the world to be diagnosed. Experts suggest
that it is soon to be discovered as a missed diagnosis of the more common
Asperger’s syndrome or Autism. Joshua Vecks, the first to be diagnosed, was
recently relinquished from this burden of ‘Vecks’ syndrome and can now live a
normal life…
The radio trails off, Joshua slams the radio
across the room, it shatters. He begins angrily shouting with the phone still
in his hand
JOSHUA
Stupid fucking
journalists saying it’s a burden. They know fuck all about it. It’s hardly a
burden being more intelligent than all your fucking crew put together!
He sits down with the phone still in his hand,
panting furiously
LORRAINE (FROM PHONE)
Josh? Josh what’s
happened?!
Joshua picks up his phone again and calms
slightly
JOSHUA
Oh, it’s
fucking journalists thinking they know everything regarding Vecks, Autism and
Asperger’s, when of course they know exactly how we feel! And of course we are
at a disadvantage to the world because we’re clearly so fucking different to
everyone!
LORRAINE
Josh, you know
people don’t understand what you…or we, have been through, they’re just in it
for the money. The yellow daisy you’re wearing is a start…
Joshua adjusts his daisy that had become aloof
in his anger
LORRAINE
At least the
daisy is making people more aware to a condition that you support, hopefully
your laboratory work into the developmental research can be a big help as well.
Josh you’re a medical marvel; you’ve acquired fame by both having Vecks and getting
it removed. It’s never going to be simple but we just have to continue to help
people
JOSHUA
Yeh, yeh I
know. I hope this kid who has Vecks doesn’t get as much hassle as me, feel
sorry for the bombardment he’s gonna get from the journalists
Joshua sighs heavily
LORRAINE
Oh josh, this
is what I was going to say, Dora…
JOSHUA
Oh yeh Dora?
LORRAINE
I was
rearranging some things yesterday…is that alright?
JOSHUA
(Confused and
taken aback)
…Mum…
LORRAINE
Sorry, I’m
just checking hunny. Anyway, was moving some things around and I found
something. When you broke Dora’s bracelet she was so upset that after you ran
off I bent down beside her and said I would give you the yellow beads of the
bracelet after your operation, when hopefully you would have had time to
recover and be able to have yellow things again. She looked appreciative and
nodded in her shy little Dora way. I quickly picked some of them up and rand
after you. I found you with your red raincoat hood on because you said you felt
safest when you were wearing it. Anyway, I’ve just found those beads…I know
they’re only beads but they mean a lot of Dora, want me to send them your way?
JOSHUA
Ur, yeh
alright…I’ve got to go mum, got work
LORRAINE
Well, break a
leg!
JOSHUA
You want me to
break my leg?!
LORRAINE
…Joshua?!
JOSHUA
I’m only
joking mum, love you, see ya
LORRAINE
Love you too
Josh
Phone call ends
SCENE SIX
INT:
LABORATORY – DAY
Joshua is in the laboratory walking around
looking and comparing scans of the brain, making notes.
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
My job was
extremely long winded; I would have stacks of brain scans to look through and
then make notes on their differences. These brain scans would differ in size
and development and it would be my judgment to decipher whether the environment
this child was in had effected their brain development. You could simply tell
this by the progress of the cerebral cortex. If there was an environmental
factor that affected the brain the cortex would sometimes become a lot less
powerful; evident in scans.
The door
creeks loudly open as Joshua looks towards it. A small hunched man with a long
beard teeters in with a slender tall women, her blonde hair in a neat bob. Her
bright blue eyes beaming she looks around the room missing Joshua. Joshua over
hears the conversation.
PROFESSOR REEDING
This is one of
our specialized labs regarding Autism, I take it you would be quite interested
in this particular area
Joshua perks up and looks over at the both of
them
PROFESSOR REEDING
Ah yes and of
course, we have one of the world’s medical marvels working here for us, I take
it you’ve heard of Joshua Vecks?
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
I preferred
the name Josh, Professor Reeding never got used to it…
DORA
Yes, I’ve
heard of him, wouldn’t describe him as a medical marvel myself however…
Joshua looks over surprised; Joshua squints
trying to make out the figure of Dora, Joshua and Dora lock eyes, Dora looks
away quickly
PROFESSOR REEDING
…well that’s
down to opinion of course yes, well why don’t we wonder into the X-ray
laboratories next shall we? You know one of our most boasted about qualities
happens to be…
Professor Reeding continues talking, his
dialogue fades as he walks away with Dora. Joshua’s gaze follows Dora. A doctor
walks over to Dora in the meantime.
DOCTOR
Josh…Josh? Is
there any brain malfunctions that could be recorded on scan #211?
Joshua snaps out of his long gaze towards the
door
JOSHUA
Sorry, nah,
there’s nothing abnormal just one functioning cerebral cortex!
SCENE SEVEN
INT: LABORATORY – 10 DAYS LATER
Joshua is
still working on viewing brain scans at his desk in the laboratory.
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
By this time I
was observing scan #477 which meant it had been exactly a week, three days and
seventeen hours since I had seen that women. I was observing the differences in
brain scans when I heard the door creak open again. I looked up and it was her,
wearing the experimentation-al Autistic discovery laboratory coat
Joshua drops the scans and rushes over to help
Dora with the door, Dora is ungrateful and walks through. Joshua looks confused
and follows Dora
JOSHUA
Hi…excuse me…
Joshua touches Dora’s shoulder. Dora gives a
small yell and wriggles away child-like. Joshua take a pace backwards.
JOSHUA
Oh, I’m sorry
I just wanted to introduce myself I’m…
DORA (INTR’D)
Joshua Vecks.
The medical marvel boy that took the world by a storm. I understand. Discovered
when he was eleven years old and removed when he was fourteen and a half.
Considered to be one of Britain’s biggest scientific discoveries since the
recognition and diagnosis of Autism in 1943 by Kenner.
JOSHUA
(under his
breath)
Well you seem
like a barrel of laughs…
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
That was
sarcasm. It is impossible to be a
barrel of laughs and furthermore she seemed extremely on edge
JOSHUA (CONT’D)
Oh, well it’s nice
to meet you…
Joshua implies he wants to know her name; Dora
gives a deadpan angry stare
DORA
…and I see
you’re wearing yellow
Joshua looks confused. He eventually looks down
at his YELLOW DAISY PIN and nods
JOSHUA
Ah yes, it’s a
new charity for the awareness of Autism. Well, I hope this laboratory can
harvest your intelligence as it does mine
DORA
You cannot
harvest intelligence; intelligence is not a physical substance than can be
collected by machine
Joshua looks confused as the camera follows him
as he walks away.
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
Since
recovering from having Vecks removed, it became abundantly clear that I had no
idea how to communicate to people with Autism. Was this what it was like with
me? I’m studying the cause and effects of Autism and yet I had no prior
experience beforehand. It was clear from her literal interpretation of
‘harvest’ that this woman had Autism and therefore probably specifically specialised
in medicine or anatomy, like me. However, as to why she appeared to be opposed
to me was a mystery. The most striking feature was her large blue eyes that
seemed to stare right through me, as if I was ghostly. Anyway, I had more
interesting things to concern myself with, for example the cerebral cortex on
each scan had seen to be more complex in development as I continued through
them.
Joshua continues to observes scans as VO is
happening
SCENE EIGHT
INT: LABORATORY
– DAY, LATER THAT WEEK
Joshua is sitting at the same desk with scans
surrounding him; he occasionally makes notes on his findings
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
Scan #503 had
been an anomaly in the collection, it took me over thirty minutes to observe
its qualities and make detailed observations on its appearance. Scan #503 also
meant that is was exactly two days, four hours and seventeen minutes since my
last encounter with the mysterious woman who now worked at the same laboratory
as me
Dora walks in from the right carrying brain
scans. She quickly glances at Joshua then adverts her stare elsewhere
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
Two days and
she still hasn’t said a word to me, we may working in the same field so I had
to off made an effot
Joshua walks over to Dora
JOSHUA
Excuse me…
Dora ignores Joshua
JOSHUA (CONT’D)
Have you found
any discoveries regarding the environmental factors influencing the specific
brain cell for Autism?
DORA
If I had, you
would of known about it. It would have been recorded in the journal and Professor
Reeding would have been looking into the finding
JOSHUA
I understand
Joshua begins to walk away
DORA
You don’t
recognize me do you Joshua?
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
This was one
of the first times anyone, excluding Professor Reed and mum, had called me
Joshua. The name triggered my long term memory concerning Vecks, it made me
reminice about Spa School, Siobhan and…
Joshua turns around and looks deep into Dora’s
deep blue eyes
JOSHUA
Dora?!
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
There was only one girl with her deep blue eyes, I should of made the connection long before. However, my cerebral cortex had blanked most of what I had thought of my time before the operation. Furthermore, her long blonde curls had been cut into an asymmetrical bob that swayed across her shoulders as she walked. She had matured a lot from ‘little Dora’
There was only one girl with her deep blue eyes, I should of made the connection long before. However, my cerebral cortex had blanked most of what I had thought of my time before the operation. Furthermore, her long blonde curls had been cut into an asymmetrical bob that swayed across her shoulders as she walked. She had matured a lot from ‘little Dora’
Dora picks up her things as if to leave
JOSHUA
Please Dora,
stay
Joshua goes to keep Dora down with an arm
gesture, Dora looks worried. Joshua remembers her Autism and retracts his hand,
Dora looks slightly relieved
DORA
(aggravated,
she wrinkles her nose whilst talking)
What Joshua?
Why do you want me to stay?
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
I could tell she was angry, her nose
always winkled. The way she said ‘Joshua’ made me remember every little thing
about her
JOSHUA
Well…why did
you look disgusted at the mention of my name? Why haven’t you even tried to…
Dora gets up and leaves, leaving her
possessions behind her
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
This was
classic Dora. Whenever she didn’t want to answer a question she would get up
and leave, this would happen numerous amounts of times during class, especially
if she could not get her way
Exasperated, Joshua raises his hands, smacks
his thighs and sighs. Joshua’s eyebrows raise in shock, he fumbles in his
pockets. The camera is following Dora
JOSHUA
Dora,
Dora…look
Joshua pulls out his wallet and rolls out THREE
YELLOW BEADS, he holds them in his palm
JOSHUA
The day I was
having my operation I bumped into you, you were trying your best to say goodbye
to me. We both didn’t know when we would see each other again; you gave me that
yellow bracelet. I didn’t mean to break it, but the colour startled me…I never
looked goo in yellow anyway (quietly chuckles)
Dora looks into camera but not at Joshua, her
eyes fill with tears
JOSHUA
Mum kept these
and gave them to me, they meant a lot to me. It may not of seemed it but you
were always one of my only friends in a per prosperous world were they thought
I was famous for something I couldn’t control
Dora turns around and looks at the BEADS lying
in Joshua’s hand
DORA
(through
muffled tears)
What’s the
emotion you feel when you cry?
JOSHUA
Upset Dora,
you’re upset
DORA
Yeh…yeh I’m
that. Thank you for keeping the wooden beads
Dora looks at Joshua and starts pulling her
hair and yelling rapidly
JOSHUA
Dora, Dora
what’s wrong?
DORA
I’m upset…I’m
crying
JOSHUA
I know Dora,
what is making you upset?
Dora turns away, grabs a piece of paper and
scribbles down her address
DORA
This is my
address Joshua, please come over on Wednesday the twelve of March at 5.45pm, we
will have dinner and I will cook dinner for you and Jacob
Joshua looks down at the paper and nods
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
I looked down
at her handwriting; it was pristine like it was a painting. I thought about
telling her to call me Josh, however this may of upset her more
JOSHUA
Um, sorry
Jacob?
DORA
He’s my son.
He is nine years and thirty-three days old
JOSHUA
Oh, brilliant!
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
To find out
Dora had a son delighted me, her natural caring behavior always seemed motherly
to me
JOSHUA
You’ve become
a lot more confident these past years Dora
DORA
My Autism
developed a social defect. However through therapy I have enhanced my social
impairment to enable myself to come to the laboratory and work, furthermore I
can now engage in long conversation
JOSHUA
Well I’m glad
it’s going well for you, so 5.45pm on Wednesday, on the dot!
Joshua picks up a scan and holds to camera to
view it, the screen goes black.
SCENE NINE
INT: DORA’S
HOUSE – 5.50pm WEDNESDAY
Screen is
still black. TRANSITION from end of scene eight to start of scene nine. Dora
walks from right to left ina long
flowing back skirt. The skirt drapes past the camera and then reveals the scene
has changed. Joshua is sitting on the sofa with a CUP OF TEA. The room is
extremely organized, everything is colour coordinated into oranges and red.
JOSHUA
Thanks!
Joshua holds up the tea as a gesture of thanks,
Dora smiles
JOSHUA
So, how old is
Jacob again?
DORA
Nine years and
thirty-nine days old
JOSHUA
Ah yeh…where
is he?
DORA
(Nervously
fidgeting)
He’ll be down
in two minutes; he’s always on time
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
I looked
around Dora’s house and everything was how my room used to appear to be, in
order, to precision. I still like things to be precise; everything should have
a space and a specific area, but I wouldn’t get angry if something were to be
misplaced, it would just have to be moved back. Dora’s life is just very much more
organised…it’s odd…she never used to be so compulsory to have everything in
order. I guess her Autism has changed over the years
The creak of the stairs can be heard. A young
boy appears with short brown hair, Dora’s big blue eyes and wearing a super
hero t-shirt
DORA
Joshua…this is
my son, Jacob. Jacob say hello to Joshua
JACOB
(Eyes big and
very shy)
Hello
JOSHUA
Nice to meet
you Jacob
Jacob paces off into the kitchen and sits at
the table
JACOB (FROM KITCHEN)
It is 6pm
exactly
DORA
It’s ready
Jacob. If you would like to follow me into the kitchen Joshua
Camera follows Joshua into kitchen. Jacob is
sitting in perfect posture. Joshua sits down adjacent to Jacob, looks at his
t-shirt
JOSHUA
I like your
top Jacob, is that…
JACOB
Actually it’s
JOSHUA
Oh yeh, my
mistake, I can see that now
Dora places a
plate of food in front of Joshua, herself and lastly Jacob. Jacob immediately starts
screaming flips the plate over, pushes his chair from the table, hitting it as
he goes
DORA
Jacob, Jacob
please…
Jacob continues in his tantrum until he calms
slightly. Joshua goes over to him to try and calm him
JOSHUA
Hey, hey Jake
it’s ok man
JACOB
(bluntly)
Jacob, my name
is Jacob.
Joshua stand in shock, looks over at Dora who
is leaning against a wall, tears bubbling in her eyes
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
I had just
made the connection. The reason why Dora had been so distant, Jacob’s tantrum,
his insistent on name calling, the reason why the house had to be in a specific
order
JOSHUA
Dora…?
Dora nods. Joshua leans down to Jacob who is
progressively getting calmer
JOSHUA
Jacob…do you
know something called ‘Vecks’ syndrome?
JACOB
Yes, I have
it. I’m only the second person to have this condition in the world; the first
has been successfully removed due to medical funding as it was considered a
great interest. However, with no medical interest in me personally, the
procedure would cost exactly £45,867 which would cover
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice over)
Dora’s son had
been the child who had been discovered to have the condition, the second person
in the world. The boy that was announced on the radio. I was absolutely dumbstruck,
I empathised for how the boy must of felt
Joshua waits for Jacob to stop
talking
JOSHUA
Why
did you flip the plate of food Jacob?
JACOB
It
had yellow on it. I don’t like the colour yellow. Red is my favourite colour.
Joshua shakes his head in disbelief.
The actions in the voice over are being shown on screen.
OLDER JOSHUA
(Voice
over)
Dora
explained to me later that night that she felt resentful towards me after not
seeing me for so many years and only having heard about me on the news. The
only other person she could vent her mixed emotions on for Jacob’s Vecks was
the person it was discovered in first; me. She explained that the yellow beads
reminded her of what friendship we once held onto in Spa School. That helped
her realize that there was nothing anyone could of done to prevent or determine
whether Jacob would of developed this condition. Jacob can’t have the same
operation as me for many reasons. The funding is a major problem as without
medical interest they would have to pay for it themselves, and £45,867 is
extortionate. Secondly, his cerebral cortex is not fully developed at the age
of nine, meaning it would cause him severe brain damage if they were going to
operate
SCENE TEN
INT: JACOB’S BEDROOM – DAY
Everything
is tidy and in order. Most objects are red or orange. There are superhero
comics, poster and souvenirs everywhere. Jacob is wearing a Superman top.
Joshua and Jacob are sat on Jacob’s bed. It is now revealed that the voice over
throughout the film of older Joshua has actually been Joshua talking to Jacob
about his life with Vecks.
JOSHUA
…and
that’s exactly what happened up until this point and I’m talking to you
JACOB
...so
you knew my mum a long time ago, exactly…
JOSHUA
Seventeen
years ago, yes
Jacob smiles and looks down
saddened
JOSHUA
What’s
wrong Jacob?
JACOB
It’s
just…(looks down at top) I’m an alien. Like Superman, he got sent to the Earth
as the last son of Krypton because everyone else from his planet, even though
it turn out that he isn’t. He feel isolated because he was the only one on the
Earth with powers like him. I feel like him because I’m the only person on the
Earth with Vecks now. He also has all these powers like super breath, flight,
strength, hear vision…but most other super hero’s only have one certain
strength. There’s no one else in the world like me. You used to have the
syndrome but I can’t get it removed. I’m different. I have these weird things
about me.
JOSHUA
Jacob,
look. Everyone has these ‘weird things’. I have this pocket for my phone and
this pocket for my wallet. (Points to individual pockets). All superheros have
weird powers, you just have a few more of them. I’m like one of those X-Men who
go to Xavier, they get a cure for their condition but not everyone wants the
cure, we’re just different types of super hero’s.
Jacob looks up and beams at Joshua
JOSHUA
…So,
if you’re nine that means next year you’ll be starting Spa School, I remember
one Thursday…
Joshua’s voice trails off as the
camera PANS onto the wardrobe, Joshua’s RED RAINCOAT is hanging up neatly with
a label on it that says ‘Jacob’.
END
