EXT. CANDLE'S PORCH NIGHT
The three children are on a porch with a stone frog. Candle sticks her hand in the mailbox, she pulls out a picture of a heart and throws it away.
JACK
You can't even get into your own house. We should have gone to my house.
CANDLE
You burned your house down.
JACK
What are you talking about?
CANDLE
Why were you alone after school?
JACK
Because I wanted to be.
CANDLE
Where was your mother to pick you up?
JACK
She was late but she was coming.
CANDLE
Jack be nimble Jack be quick. Jack don't knock over the ashtray.
JACK
No I didn't!
CANDLE
Then your mom left you at school because you bit her.
JACK
Shut up. Shut up.
Jacks sit down and cries.
CANDLE
And the shark it has teeth. And it wears them in it's face.
Mary finds a key beneath the stone frog. In the distance a tall figure watches her.
MARY
Hey Candle, I found this
.
Candle takes the key. Jack wipes his nose on his sleeve.
MARY
Is he okay?
CANDLE
If he is a big boy he is.
Jack glares at Candle. A white head appears in the distance behind Jack's left shoulder.
CANDLE
Thanks.
MARY
You're welcome.
Candle opens the door.
INT. CANDLE'S LIVING ROOM NIGHT
In the living room there are three doors. The front door, a door at the back of the room, and a side door. Candle, Jack and Mary walk towards the front door. Next to the front door is a large window. Jack leaves the room through the back door. The curtains are drawn.
MARY
You have a pretty house.
CANDLE
I guess. Where do you live Mary?
MARY
Beneath the school. Aiden keeps me warm. Like Jack tried to keep his mom warm.
Candle looks at Mary.
MARY
Jack didn't burn down his house. He just wanted to keep his mom warm. Aiden sometimes burns my clothes to keep us warm.
CANDLE
He is a bad person. He lit his mother on fire and watched her burn. He didn't want to keep her warm.
MARY
Why would he do that?
CANDLE
I heard his mom asked him too.
Candle opens the back door.
INT. CANDLE'S KITCHEN NIGHT
There are two doors in the kitchen, a red door and a blue door. The children walk through the red door.
JACK
What are we going to eat?
Candle scratches her head.
CANDLE
Something.
JACK
What?
CANDLE
I don't know something.
JACK
Mary could get something to eat.
CANDLE
No! Something out there wants to eat her.
JACK
That is not true.
CANDLE
Yes it is true. Go call your mom. She'll tell you.
MARY
What is going to eat us?
Candle and Jack look at each other.
CANDLE
No one. It is a story for babies.
JACK
It's real.
CANDLE
My dad would tell me about it. It never happens though. It is just a-
JACK
(Interrupts)
It's real.
CANDLE
No it's not Jack.
JACK
You remember Jenny?
A naked, YOUNG WOMAN appears behind Jack. She wears a hospital gown and is covered in blood.
MARY
Yes?
The Young Woman grabs Jack's throat.
JACK
It happened to her.
INT. CANDLE'S LIVING ROOM NIGHT
The children play cards on a coffee table. An empty box of crackers sits next to them. Candle reaches for the box. A cockroach crawls out of the box.
CANDLE
Oh. I'll go throw this away. Jack can you help me?
JACK
Why? I'm a guest. You should help me.
CANDLE
Get over here idiot.
Candle pulls Jack towards the room's back door.
INT. CANDLE'S KITCHEN NIGHT
Candle and Jack enter the kitchen through the kitchen's blue door.
CANDLE
You are a jerk.
JACK
Why?
CANDLE
Stop being stupid.
JACK
What? You lied to her.
CANDLE
I am not a liar.
JACK
You told her no one eats children.
Jack sticks his tongue out.
JACK
That's a lie. Your father eats children.
CANDLE
No he doesn't!
JACK
I've seen him do it.
Mary enters.
MARY
How?
CANDLE
Where did you come from?
MARY
The door.
Mary points at the red door.
JACK
So you know how I go on camp outs sometimes?
CANDLE
No.
JACK
Well I do.
Candle walks to the fridge and pulls out an apple.
JACK
Excuse me?
CANDLE
Go on.
JACK
Well one time I woke up early. It was in the morning. Then as I was walking around there was red sticky stuff. I thought it was cool looking so then I followed it. And after a while there was a bunch of white stuff, rock like stuff. So then I picked it up. And then I found it.
MARY
What?
JACK
A half eaten coyote.
CANDLE
That's not a kid.
JACK
The story's not finished stupid.
Candle takes her apple over to the sink. She opens a drawer and takes out a knife. She waves the knife at Jack.
CANDLE
What? No one is stopping you.
JACK
Well after poking the body with a stick. I then put it on a stick and dragged back to the campsite. Then I heard screaming. I thought it was because of the coyote. When I got back to the campsite. I saw it.
MARY
What?
Candle jams her knife into the apple.
CANDLE
He's not going to tell you.
JACK
I'm going to tell her.
CANDLE
No you're not because nothing happened.
Candle struggles to remove the knife from the apple.
CANDLE
If something had happened you would have told us by now.
JACK
I'm trying but you keep interrupting me.
Candle turns to face Jack. Jack stares back.
CANDLE
You didn't see anything!
JACK
It was a kid. It was some little kid strung to our flag pole by his organs. Half his body was just gone. Or everywhere I'm not sure which. He painted our campsite.
A white head appears behind Candle.
MARY
That's like my nightmares.
Jack looks at the floor.
JACK
I imagine your nightmares would be about teddy bears. This was real. It was watching us.
A white head moves to the window behind Candle.
CANDLE
What? Teddy bears?
JACK
No, it was your father. In his long suit. He moved with the trees.
A loud knocking occurs. Candle grabs the knife. The children run toward the red door. A bowl of sliced apples sits on the counter.