focus. He finds the spot he's looking for.
DAD
Here.
He leads MARNIE behind the telescope. She looks.
MARNIE
I don't see anything.
He adjusts the telescope, prompts her to look again.
DAD
I've been staring at this all night.
MARNIE
It's really beautiful.
DAD
What does it look like?
MARNIE
Colour. Fiery colour.
DAD
Do you know what it is?
MARNIE
â¦a star is dying.
DAD
It'll be doing that for hundreds of hundreds of years. It'll keep dying beyond the deaths of all our friends, everyone we know. But most of the time we can't see it. It's too far, the light's wrong, the earth's orbit is off. But it's pretty amazing, isn't it?
MARNIE
I think it's scary.
DAD
Me too. But also exciting. But also exhilarating. Because it says that there too, where we think there's fixity, eternityâis mystery. There too, things come into being and pass away.
MARNIE
It makes me sad.
DAD
Yeah. Me too.
MARNIE
â¦do you really think it'd be all that great to see the stars close up? I mean⦠do you really think it'd be so different? Like after a few minutes, I mean?
DAD
It was what I wanted. I would've practically built my own spaceship to get there.
MARNIE
Why didn't you?
DAD
What, all by myself?
He laughs.
I didn't have the right tools. Good night, sweetie. Go to bed soon.
He goes inside.
She gazes up at the stars.
MARNIE
He really does seem to love the stars, huh? I thought Dad was just weird, but is it possible he's not weird at all but actually⦠awesome�
She shakes her head furiously.
No, no, no!
It's a trap!
I can't let them trick me into thinking it's okay to be like them! I have to be different! I have to be special! More of a super-human-being than they are! Or else I'll grow up and beâno! There's only one solution! It has to be tonight, tonight! I have to finish building my spaceship and get out of here before the sun's up!
To Mars! To anywhere but here!
I'll wait till they're asleep, borrow Alan's radio, and be gone.
I'm going⦠I'm going⦠I'm goingâ¦
4
Three A.M.
ALAN's bedroom.
MARNIE, creeping, singing under her breath, again à la "We're Off to See the Wizard":
MARNIE
We're inside Alan's bedroom, in the midd-ddle of the niiiiiight, in the mid-dle, mid-dle, mid-dle, mid-dle middddddle of the night, to borrow to borrow his radio, la la la la, la la la laâ¦
She spots his radio, glowing like a Holy Grail
(or not)
above his bed. She leans in, reaches for it, smiles as she has it in her graspâwhen she hits a button by accident and the radio turns on and country music blasts out!
ALAN flies out of bed!
ALAN
Thief! Thief!
The noise draws DAD and MOM; they rush in and see MARNIE!
DAD
The thief looks familiarâ!
MOM
Marnie, what is thisâ?
ALAN
It's three in the morningâ!
MARNIE
It's nothing! It's⦠you are still dreeeeeeaammmmingâ¦
ALAN
I don't think that'll work, Marns.
MARNIE
Oh! Eek! Bye!
She runs away. They wait for her. A moment. She returns.
Oh hi, everybody! Ah. What's everybody still doing up? It's three in the morning!
They stare at her.
MOM
Explanation, Marnie?
MARNIE
Me no speakie English.
ALAN
I'm going back to bed.
MOM
You woke your brother, Marnie.
ALAN
That's okay, I don't sleep anyway, I'm an insomniac, remember? God. People these days.
MARNIE
Sorry, Alan.
ALAN
Oh, it's not your fault. You're innocent.
MARNIE
Thanks, Alan.
ALAN
It's the adults who are corrupting what's pure in today'sâ
DAD
Weren't you going back to bed, Alan?
MOM
Please, do we have to do this in the middle of the nightâ?
ALAN
My night started three days ago, because I HAVE INSOMNIA, Momâ
DAD
Maybe you're falling asleep and dreaming you're still awakeâ
ALAN
Great, Dad, so I'm not an insomniac, I'm just an idiot who can't tell dreams fromâ
MARNIE
Stop stop stop!
They stop.
Your interrogation methods are horrible! OkayâI'll show you what I'm doing. But only if