(HAPPY CHRISTM AS FATHER) (M onologue) by (Jamie Goode)

SCENE ONE

[Liam Johnson is the twenty-one year old son of a county known ex businessman come politician, he is the only survivor of a group of people who were beaten, sexually assaulted and then murdered while on a camping trip. One of the victims was Liam's boyhood friend, Simon Demont. When details of what took place over those few nights were left unclear, by the police, the coroner's office, Liams therapist and the parents of the victims, M r. Johnson told a story cooked up by his own s that made his son into a local hero and helped him win favour with business and council members, then began to grill all the parties involved about the truth. At the opening of the monologue, Liam has learned of his father's attempts to discover the whole story, having been informed by Simonss parents, then by his therapist. He comes home from his final therapy session with Dr. Hughes, and for the first time in his life, directly confronts his father]

(A SILENCE.) LIAM What? (PAUSE, PACING) LIAM No, father, don't even think about getting up. For once in your life you are gonna sit down, shut up and listen to someone else and to what I have to say. God! Couldn't you just leave it alone? Dr. Hughes? DC Westmond? Simons parents, for fucksake (QUICKLY, ANXIOUS AND ANNOYED) LIAM Is there anyone in your little private investigation you didn't ask? Have you ask the bloody horses yet? You didn't have the time of day as to say so much as 'hello' to me when I was here. But now all of this horrible stuff happens, and, you make me into some kind of survivor, a hero. Then you turn around and ask about the 'gaps' that are in the story YOU created, that YOU told to the friends, colleagues, to the fucking press. Never crossed your mind just to ask me`, did it? So you want the truth, huh? Well? They killed Simon and the girls, Dad, and they did rob us first. But it never occurred to you that when they raped Lottie and Peaches and Diana, that maybe they didn't stop there.

2.

(PAUSE, BECOM ING M ORE EM OTIONAL ANGERED) That's right, Fatherthey robbed and raped US,........ ALL OF US. And I am not standing here today because I'm some kind of fucking tough, hard-nut guy brought up on some council estate. Simon is dead, the girls are dead, theyre all fucking DEAD and I'm still alive, because .......... (PAUSE) I was a coward, a pathetic stupid, selfish coward. I didn't black out due to the pain like I said before. I saw everything, ..........every, single thing, I heard everything, felt everything. (STOPS, CALM S DOWN, THINKS BACK) I had just come back from going to the toilet, and I remember looking at my watch, and seeing it was about two-thirty. It was maybe a couple of minutes after I got back into my sleeping bag, and I heard a scream.It sounded like Lottie. I was tried to get up, and somebody hit me. A couple of times, I don't know what they hit me with, a gun, a pipe I remember it feeling cold, and hard.

I was dizzy, I couldn't focus as everything happened so fast and they dragged me out of the tent by my feet, like I was some sort of carcass . I don't know how many there were, six, seven, maybe even more it seemed like it. I heard a struggle behind me, and I knew Simon was out there, and they had him. I tried to get up even though they were holding me down, and somebody hit me again, that cold, hard feeling shuck my body and I remember thinking that I wished they would just kill me and get it over with or maybe this is all a nightmare, maybe the local food was effecting me in some sort of strange way.

I could hear the girls screaming far off somewhere, back in the woods, it was your typical horror screams, but this was real, not your Hollywood fake but those screams, no those cries echoed and the ones who were here were laughing. The bastards were laughing like it was some youve been framed moment that was the last time I heard of Lottie, Peaches or Diana, and then somebody said something about 'getting in on the fun'. I was still in shock, I was trying to make out what was going on then they tore off my shorts, somebody pull a huge flick knife and cut them and ripped them off the rest of the way, and I was dreading what was coming next. (PAUSE, TAKES A FEW BREATHE)

3.

Then I felt less hands holing me down, and then I heard different screaming. I was able to look up, arching my head and neck in a way that hurt but I needed to see what was happening. Simon was there, he was on the back of one of them, and had him in a headlock. The sort of thing Id seem him do in the local wrestling shows, and the stupid little fuck couldn't get him off! That was our chance, I should've done something then. (PAUSE) But I didn't. Then another one silently crept up behind Simon, I saw him pull his head back, and then take his knife......the blood, the blood splashed on me, on my face, in my mouth.thenthen they took him down, and I heard him.......I heard the sound of him choking on his own blood, and they still raped him, Dad....Simon was dying, and they still raped him.. I was frozen with fear, with horror, this cant, cant be happening, this cant be real, I tried to say something but I could hardly breathe then somebody put their foot on my head, I felt the stiff boot shove my face down, it was my turn.....there were about three, four of them, I wasn't counting, the agony was there the whole time the pain, I never even felt it, until I..... Until I didn't hear Simon anymore.... (LONG PAUSE, STARTS GETTING EM OTIONAL REM EM BERING ALL THE HURT AND PAIN )