Mr.

Nobody
Likemostlivingcreatures,thepigeonquicklyassociatesthepressingofaleverwithreward.
Butwhenatimerreleasesthesealautomaticallyevery20seconds,thepigeonwonders,
"WhatdidIdotodeservethis?"
Ifitwasflappingitswingsatthetime,itwillcontinuetoflapconvincedthatitsactionshave
adecisiveinfluenceonwhathappens.
Wecallthis"pigeonsuperstition."

MR.NOBODY
WhatdidIdotodeservethis?
How'sitbeengoingsincethelasttime?
DoIknowyou?
Weseeeachothereveryweek.
I'mDr.Feldheim.
Andwhoareyou?
Nobody.
NemoNobody.
That'sanunusualname,don'tyouthink?
Sometimes,peoplecallmeMr.Craft.
Who?
CRAFT.
Can'tRememberAFuckingThing.
WhatwasthefirstquestionIaskedyou?
Idon'tknow.
Canyoutellmehowoldyouare?
I'm34.
Iwasbornin1975.
Wouldyoumindlookingatyourhands?
Youdon'thavetoifyoudon'twantto.
There'samirrorinfrontofyou.
No.I...
Whatyearisthis?
I'm34.
Iwasborn
February9th,1975.
SoIguess,itmustbeyourbirthday.
I'm34.
1

I'm34!
I'vegottowakeup!
I'vegottowakeup!
Don't,Nemo.
Sunhurtsmyeyes.
Hey,buddy.
Goodmorning,mylittleangels.
Timeforschool,okay?
Hmm.
Comeon.
Elise,I'mgonnatakethekidstoschool.
Paul,keepitdown.
Myname'snotPaul.
Paul?
Daddy...
Daddy...
Daddy...
Paul,don'twakeyourfather.
Elise.
It'sme,Jean.
AmIdead?
GobackandplayPaul.
Who'sElise?
Idon'tknowanyonecalledElise.
You'resotired,Nemo.
Youneedtorest.
I'llturnthetelevisiononforyou.
I'mgoinginside...
Thesunhurtsmyeyes.
What?
Thesunhurtsmyeyes.
Nemo,yourfriendsarehere.
Hello,Nemo.
Howareyoufeelingtoday?
DoyouknowwhoIam?
We'reallveryworriedaboutyou,Nemo.
Everyonewantsyoubebackintheofficesoon.
Mrs.Nobody.
ThisisJulianMarshall.
2

LivefromNewNewYorkhospital,wherewe'regoingtoseethefinalepisodeinourseries,
"TheLastMortals"
Mr.Nobodyis117yearsoldandhehasnotbeentelemorized!
Nordoeshehaveoneofthesemarvelousstemcellcompatiblepigs.
LiveonWWB,Mr.NobodywillbethelastmanonEarthtodieofoldage.
Mr.Nobody...
TheLastMortal.
Thelastmortal.
Now,Doctor,notraceofhisidentityhasbeenfoundontheNationalRecords.
Nothingabouthispast.
WedonotknowwhoMr.Nobodyis.
Neitherdoeshe.
Ourpatient'smemoriesareconfused,butitisnotunusualathiscertainstageofillnessfor
veryoldmemoriestoreemergeingreatdetail.
Let'strysomethingnew.
I'mthinkingofanoldtechnique.
Ican'tpromiseanything.
Maybesnatchesofmemorywillcomeback.
Maybenothingwillhappen.
Areyouwillingtotry?
Youareveryrelaxed.
Youhearonlymyvoice.
Youreyelidsaregettingheavy.
Yourarmsandlegsaregettingheavy.
I'mgoingtocounttothree.
WhenIsaythreeyouwillbeasleep.
One.
Two.
Rememberthedayyoucamehere.
Three.
You'resleeping.
SLEEP.......
Rememberevenfurtherback.
WhenIsaythree...
One...
Two...
Three.
Remember.
Icanrememberalongtimeago...
3

Longbeforemybirth.
Iwaswhizzingwiththosewhowerenotyetborn.
Whenwe'renotbornyet,weknoweverything.
Everythingthat'swillhappen.
Whenit'syourtime,theangelsofOblivionplaceafingeronyourmouth.
Shh.
Itleavesamarkontheupperlip.
Itmeansthatyouhaveforgotteneverything.
Buttheangelsmissedme.
Thenyouhavetofindadaddyandamummy.
It'snoteasytochoose.
Blondandblueeyed.
It'sallI'masking.
Andrew!
Itwouldbenicetothelittleonenottobeallalone.
Youstayhere.
It'snormaltothinkaboutbabieswhenyoureachacertainage.
Well,forwomenatleast.
It'sthemeaningoflife...
Oflife.Ihadnotfinishedyet,darling.
It'sthemeaningoflife.
It'snotthatwewantakid.
Butweslepttogether.
It'sanimportantexperience.
It'sanimportantexperience,yeah.
Ithinkitwouldhelpmyhusbandifwehadachild.
We'dcallhimGeorge.
Right,George?
Wehadadog,buthedied.
Intheend,Ichosethembecausetheladysmelledniceandthemansaid...
Well,Icantellyouhowwemet.
Itwasmeanttobe.
HaveyouheardoftheButterflyEffect?
Onceuponatime,therewasadaddyandamommynamed"TheDaddy"and"TheMommy".
Theyfoundacutelittlebabyandcalledit"TheCuteLittleBaby".
Thelittlebabywasbornthere.
Hewasbornthatday,andnotanother.
Hisdaddyandhismummyliveatnumberseven.
Everythingyouseeexists.
4

Wecanseeit.
IcanseeMummy'seyes.
ButIcan'tseemyeyes.
Thelittlebabycanseehishands,buthecannotseehimself.
So,doeshereallyexist?
DoIreallyexist?
Boo.
Boo.
#Eeniemeenieminiemo#
#Catchababybythetoe#
#Ifhesquealslethimgo#
#Eeniemeenieminiemo#
#Mymothertoldmetopicktheverybestone#
#Andyouareit#
TheMummyhasabrushforherhairandlipstickforherlips.
Shesmellsgood.
TheDaddyhasawatchandhairinhisarm.
Thewatchgoes"ticktock".
Ifthebabyfalls,themotherclapsherhands.
Shesays,"Bravo."
Bravo.
WhyamIme,andnotsomeoneelse?
Andso,highfresherfrontsmovingintomorrow.
Itwillbringclearskiesforthewholeweekend.
So,getthosebarbecuesout.
Hello.
Whydowerememberthepast,butnotthefuture?
WhenyouaskMummy,shesays,
"Stopaskingwhy."
Stopaskingwhy.
"It'scomplicated."
It'scomplicated.
Yes.
It'sokay,
I'mI'majournalist.
Thehospitalwon'tallowinterviews.
Ijustliketoaskyouafewquestions.
Afriendofmine'sanursehere.
Shehelpedmegetin.
5

Whattimeisit?
Wheredidyougetthat?
IborroweditfromtheUniversityMuseum.
Butitstillworks.
I'vegotnothingtosaytoyou.
I'm...
I'mMr.Nobody.
Themanwhodoesn'texist.
Doyourememberwhattheworldwaslikebeforequasiimmortality?
What?
Telemorization.
Endlessrenewalofcells.
Whatwasitlikewhenhumansweremortal?
Therewerecarsthatpolluted.
Wesmokedcigarettes.
Weatemeat.
Wedideverythingwecandointhisdumpanditwaswonderful.
Mostofthetime,nothinghappenedlikeaFrenchmovie.
Andsexually?
Beforesexbecameobsolete?
Wescrewed!
Everybodywasalwaysscrewing.
Wefellinlove.
Wefellinlove.
Whattimeisit?
WhatwastherebeforetheBigBang?
Well,yousee,therewasnobeforebecausebeforetheBigBang,Timedidnotexist
TimeisaresultoftheexpansionofUniverseitself,butwhatwillhappenwhentheUniverse
hasfinishedexpandingandthemovementisreversed?
Whatwillbethenatureoftime?
IfStringTheoryiscorrect,theUniversepossessesninespatialdimensions,andonetemporal
dimension.
Nowwecanimaginethatinthebeginning,allthedimensionsweretwistedtogetherand
duringtheBigBang,threespatialdimensions,theonesthatweknowasheight,widthand
depth,andonetemporaldimension,whatweknowastime,weredeployed.
Theothersixremainedminiscule,wounduptogether.
Now,ifweliveinaUniverseofwounddimensions,howdowedistinguishbetween
illusionandreality?
Time,asweknowit,isadimensionweexperienceonlyinonedirection.
6

Butwhatifoneoftheadditionaldimensionswasn'tspatial,buttemporal?
Ifyoumixthemashedpotatoesandsauce,youcan'tseparatethemlater.
It'sforever.
ThesmokecomesoutofDaddy'scigarette,butitnevergoesbackin.
Wecannotgoback.
That'swhyit'shardtochoose.
Youhavetomaketherightchoice.
Aslongasyoudon'tchoose,everythingremainspossible.
Hello,Nemo.
Hello,Anna.
Hi,Nemo.
Hello,Elise.
Hello,Nemo.
Hello,Jean.
ForasmuchasAnnaandNemohaveconsentedtogetherinholywedlock,andhavewitnessed
thesamebeforeGodandthiscompany.
ForasmuchasEliseandNemohaveconsentedtogetherinholywedlock...
JeanandNemohavejoinedthemselves...
Ipronouncethattheybehusbandandwifetogether...
ThosewhoGodhasjoinedtogether,noonecanseparate...
DaddysaysyoucanpredictexactlywhenMarswillbeinthesky,evenin100years.
Butthefunnythingis,thatdaddydoesnotknowwhatwillhappentohimtwominutesfrom
now.
Mama!
That'snotpossible,nooneknowsthefuture.
That'sI,Irememberit.
Yourememberthepast,notthefuture.
Believeme.Ican.
SometimesthingshappenandI'mfeelingthattheyhavealreadyhappenedbefore.
Well,that'sdejavu.
Ithappenstoeveryonefromtimetotime.
No!It'sbecauseoftheAngelsofOblivion!
Theydidnotputtheirfingeronme!
Comeon!
Getit!Grabon!
One,two...
ShouldMr.Nobodybeallowedtodieanaturaldeath?
Shouldhisexistencebeartificiallyprolonged?Makeyourvotenow!
PressXforartificialprolongation,press0toletnaturerunitscourse.
7

We'llbebackafterthis!
YoutoocantakeavalleyvocationonMars.
BookbeforetheUnionandsave16,000units.
Okay,Anna,let'sgo.
Then,theDaddyandtheMummykissedalldaylong.
So,Nemo,haveyoumadeupyourmind?
Doyouwanttocomewithme?
Ordoyouwanttostaywithyourfather?
Nemo!
I'msorry,IIdon'tunderstand.
Didyoustaywithyourfatherorgowithyourmother?
Daddy,isitmyfault?
Ofcoursenot.
It'smyfault.
Icangiveyouagooddealonthistypeofshoelace.
Averygooddeal.
Remember.
Remember.
Nemo...
Nemo.
It'stimetowakeup,darling.
Andguesswhat?
You'regoingtobelateforschool.
Nemo,it'sme.
Ibetyouhaven'tdoneyourhomework.
Hurryupandfinish.
Iinvitedsomeonefordinner.
I'mcountingonyoutokeepyourmouthshut!
Howwasthetrip?
Uh,itwasgood.
Haveyouseensomeniceapartments?
Idid.I'veseenacoupleofniceones.
Nemo,don'tstareatpeoplelikethat.
It'sokay.
It'snotaproblem.
Hehasagiftformakingpeopleuncomfortable.
It'snothing.
ItwillhappenonaSaturday...
Youwillbebehindthewheelofyourcar...
8

Youarewhistling...
Youdonotseethecrossroads...
Allofasudden,atrainwillappearfromyourleft.
Andyouwillbecrushed.
You'renotfunny.
Nemothinkshecanpredictthefuture.
Ican.IpredictedDad'saccident.
Yeah,Ialwayswondedifyou'renottheonewhotookoffthehandbrake.
Noonecanpredictthefuture,nooneknowswhat'sgoingtohappen.
Ido.
Wellifyoucould,you'dknowyouweregoingtogetthat.
Iknewyou'dsaythat.
Proudofyourself?
WhyyousystematicallyruineverythingI...
DoyouthinkIhavearighttolivetoo?
Youcould'vestayedwithyourfatherifyouwantedto.
Everyone,please.
Iwouldliketointroduceyouanewstudentinourclass.
HernameisAnna.
PleaseAnna,takeaseat.
Alright,let'sturntopage215.
It'slastnight'sreading.
We'regoingtotalkaboutclimateandvegetationzonesandtheelementsofweatherthatare
involvedineachofbothzones.
Therearefiveelementsthatmakeupweatherasweknowit.
Atmospherepressure...
You'regoingtoswim?
Comeon,thewater'snice.
No,I...
Comeswimwithus.
They'remyfriends,c'mon.
They'reidiots.
AndIdon'tgoswimmingwithidiots.
Jerk.
WhatonEarthmademesay,"Idon'tgoswimmingwithidiots"?
Anna.
Nemo.
Yeah.
Howhaveyoubeen?
9

I'mfine.
Howareyou?
Yeah,good.
Aretheseyourkids?
Yeah.
Well,I'llseeyouaround.
Yeah,uh...
I'llseeyouaround.
WhatonEarthmademesay,"Idon'tgoswimmingwithidiots"?
You'regoingtoswim?
Comeon,thewater'snice.
No,I...
Idon'tknowhowtoswim.
Sorry?
Idon'tknowhowtoswim.
That'sit.
Pleasedon'ttellanyone.
Hey,aren'tyougonnaswim?
No,I'vegotmyperiod.
I'mgonnastayhere.
Nemowillkeepmecompany.
Okay.
Darling?I...Iwanttointroduceyoutosomeone.
You'vealreadymetHarry.
Hey.
Andthisishisdaughter,Anna.
Anna,thisisNemo.
Whydon'tyoushakehands?
Howwasworktoday?
Ugh,Ican'tbelievethem.
SoonasIwonderhowoldtheyare.
Theyalreadyslepttogether?
Idon'tknow.
Ihopetheyusecondoms.
Idonotwanttoendupwithalittlebrother.
I'dratherdie.
Isyoumomonthepill?
Ihavenoidea.
Weshouldslipitintohermorningcoffee.
10

It'slikeherhormoneshavegonetoherhead.
SometimesIcanseethefuture.
Itdoesn'tseemlikeitcanbemuchfunknowingwhat'sgoingtohappen.
You'restillhere.
DidIfallasleep?
SometimesIdon'tsleep.
SoIthink...
Ithinkabouthowitwas.
It'sallIhaveleft.
Whatdoyousee
whenyoulookatme?
Agrumpyoldmanwhoneveranswersquestions?
Whomixeseverythingup?
Whoiskeptbusybygettinghismeals?
Nowthat'snotme...
Me...
Iwearshorts.
I'mnineyearsold.
Icanrunfasterthanthetrain.
Ican'tfeelmyachingbackanymore.
I'm15.
I'm15.
AndI'minlove.
I'minlove.
Nemo?
Nemo?
Nemo?
Isn'thesleepinginthestudy?
No,Ijustlookedandheisn'tthere.
Anna,haveyouseenyourbrother?
He'snotmybrother.
Oh,thereyouare.
Sleepalright?
Who'sthat?
It'sme.
It'sme,Dad...
Nemo.
Yourson.
Ofcourse,son.
11

Wherewereyou?
Attheshop,Dad.
Ialwaysworkattheshopafterschool.
Youknow,aboyyourageshouldgetoutmore.
Youcanleavemealone,youknow.
IIcanmanage.
It'snoproblem,Dad.
Ilikebeingathome.
Therewasacardfromyourmotherinthepost.
Youhavenotreadit.
Iknow.I'llreaditlater.
Won'tyougoandseeheroneday?
Ihaven'tseenherinsevenyears.
Ifsheeverwantedtoseeme,she'dknowwheretofindme.
I'vegoteverythingIneed,Dad.
Everything'sfine.
Afterthreemonths,andsixdaysoftraveltheshuttlewasheadingdirectlytowardthe
CancernebulainlinewithUranusanditsfivemoons.
ItwasfinallyapproachingMarsandtheColonies.
Onboard...thecomputerwasmonitoringthepassengers'artificialhibernation
Elise.
I'mnotcrazy.
Comeon,it'snotthatbad!
Ididn'tsayanythingmean.
Shallwego,Nemo?
Excuseme?
Shallwego?He'ssuchabore.
You'lldrown.
Howdoyouknowmyname?
Wegotothesameschool.
Younevernoticedme.
Younevernoticeanyone.
D'youhaveagirlfriend?
What?Areyouqueer?
Whydon'tyouhaveagirlfriend?
Idon'tknow...
IIdon'twantone.
Tellmeaboutyourself.
Youusedtopissyourpants,everyoneknowsyou'reweirdo.
12

You'realwaysalone...
Talk.
Orsaysomething.
Comeon...
GravityonMarsis0.38.
That'sthreetimes
lessthanonEarth.
Thegroundiscovered
withanironoxidedust.
You'reincredible.
Raiseyourhandandsay"Iswear."
Why?
PromisemethatifIdie,you'llspreadmyashesonMars.
It'sestimatedthattraveltoMarswouldtakesixtoeightmonths.
Say"Iswear."
Iswear.
Wewereneighborswhenwewerelittle.
It'sElise.
Don'tyouremember?
Elise.
IhadafeelingI'veseenyouorsomething.
Yeah,that'scalleddejavu.
Andthesignalfromtheeyesgoesfromthememory...
No,it'snotit.
Anotherlifethen?
Anyway...
Irememberedyou.
Weshouldn't.
Youdon'tknowmeandIamnotagoodperson.
Whydoyousaythat?
Elise,wait!
I'llcallyou.
Youdon'thavemyphonenumber.
Whathappenswhenwefallinlove?
Asaresultofcertainstimuli,thehypothalamusreleasesapowerfuldischargesof
endorphinsbutwhyexactlythatwomanorthatman?
Isthereareleaseofodourlesspheromonesthatcorrespondtoourcomplimentarygenetic
signal?
Orisitphysicalfeaturesthatwerecognize?
13

Amother'seyes...
Asmellthatstimulatesahappymemory.
Islovepartofaplan?
Avastwarplanbetweentwomodesofreproduction
Bacteriaandvirusesareasexualorganisms.
Witheachcelldivision,eachmultiplication,theymutateandperfectthemselvesmuchmore
quicklythanwedo.
Againstthis,werespondwiththemostfiercingweapon:Sex.
Twoindividuals,bymixingtheirgenes,shufflethecardsandcreateanindividualwhoresists
virusesbetter.
Themoredissimilarheorsheis.
Now,areweunknowingparticipantsinawarbetweentwomodesofreproduction?
Okayeveryone,that'sitfortoday.
Howwasit?
Youwanttoknowthetruth?
O'key.Itwasgood.Itwasreallygood.
Hey,honey.
I'mgonnabealittlelate.
That'sokay.Don'tworry.
Iloveyou.
Iloveyoumore.
Memore.
Memore.
Okay
Cheater.
Alright,I'llseeyalater.
Ialwayslikedfish.
Ineverthoughtthatonedaytheywouldlikemetoo.
You'reveryrelaxed.
Youreyelidsaregettingheavy.
Remember.
Remember...
Remember...
Nemo...
Shit.
Anna...
We'vegoterrandstorun.
We'llbackinanhour.
Anna,coverup!
14

You'regonnagetasunburn.
Iwantyou.
Iwantyoutoo.
Forever.
Forever.
Whateverhappens.
Thereisnolifewithoutyou.
Nolifewithoutyou.
Youlooklikemyson.
Iamyourson,Dad.
Myson'stallerthanyou.
Elise
Someonejustcamein.
IfIcouldatleastmovemyfingers.
Ormyeyes.
Doyouthinkhecanhearus?
Haveyouseenanyreaction?
Idon'tknow,butI'vegotafeelingthathecan.
Who'sthere?
WhatamIdoinghere?
Ifyoucanhearme,moveyourfingers.
I'vegottogetoutofhere.
Goback,beforetheaccident.
Ibelieveonething.
Ibelievethatweshouldalwayssay"Iloveyou"tothepeoplewelove.
Iloveyou.
Nemo...weshouldn't.
IloveStefano.
What?
Yousawhimatthepartywithme.
Hedoesn'tloveme.
Andso...
Ilovehimanyways.
Ican'thelpmyself.
I'minlovewithhim.
I'msorry.
Dad,I'mgettingmarried.
Oh!
Andwhoistheluckylady?
15

No,it'snotthat.
I'mgonnamarrythefirstgirlwhodanceswithmetonight.
Thanks,Nemo.
Nemo.
Onthatday,Iwouldmakealotoffoolishdecisions.
One,Iwillneverleaveanythingtochanceagain.
Two,Iwillmarrythegirlonmymotorcycle.
Three,I'llberich.
Four,we'llhaveahouse.
Abighouse!
Paintedyellow,withagarden,andtwochildren,PaulandMichael.
Five,I'llhaveaconvertibleAredconvertible.
Andaswimmingpool.
I'lllearntoswim.
Six,IwillnotstopuntilI'vesucceeded.
Daddy?
Daddy?
Paul,don'twakeyourfather.
Elise?
It'sme,Jean.
WhoisElise?
Idon'tknowanyonecalledElise.
GobackandplayPaul.
Nemo,doImattertoyou?
Ijust...
Ijustliketoaskyouonequestion.
Didyoudoitonpurpose?
Ifoundthisonthebedsidetable.
Therecomesatimeinlifewheneverythingseemsnarrow.
ChoiceshavebeenmadeIcanonlycontinueon.
Iknowmyselflikethebackofmyhand.
Icanpredictmyeveryreaction.
Everythingispredictable.
Mylifehasbeencastincementwithairbagsandseatbelts.
I'vecontrolledeverything.
I'vedoneeverythingtoreachthispointandnowthatI'mhere,I'mfuckingbored.
ThehardestthingisknowingwhetherI'mstillalive.
Itismyhandwriting.
Idon'tremember.
16

Jean?
Whatdidyousay?
Ihadaweirddream.
Well,it'simportantforyoutounderstand.
Inlifethingsdon'talwaysturnoutasweplanthem.
HarryandIthought...
Lifeisn'twhatweallthinkitwillbe.
Whatareyoutalkingabout?
Idon'tunderstand.
Annaknowsalready.
HarryandIaregoingtoseparate.
What?
Why?
Youhavenoright!
Please,youplayedyourpart!
Idon'tknowwhatisgoingonbetweenyoutwoandIdon'twannaknow.It'ssick!
You'rebrotherandsister,forGod'ssake.
Wearenotbrotherandsister!
Youknew!
Andyoudidn'ttellme.
Whereareyougoing?
ToNewYork.
Intendays.
Myfatherfoundajobthere.
WaitformenearthelighthouseeverySunday,okay?
Untilweseeeachotheragain.
Forlife,okay?
It'snotover.
You'rethefirstandlastperson
I'lleverlove.
Tendays.
Thatmakes...
Iwisheverythingwouldstoprightnow.
Thingswouldstaythiswayforever.
Theysaythatifyouslowyourbreathingtimeslowsdown.
TheHindusayso.
Ihavetorememberthesmellofeverypartofyourbody.
We'llmeetnearthelighthouse.
Anna,it'stimetogo.
17

Iloveyou.
Anna!
Anna...
Canyouhearme?
Wemustlooktothefuture.
Itwillbegoodtomovehouse.
Haveanewlife.
Willwehaveapool?
Youhatewater.
Youdon'tevenswim.
Youneverknowwhatyouwant.
YouknowwhatIdon'twant?
Sotellme,whatisityoudon'twant?
Idon'twanttobelikeyou.
Youknownothingaboutme.
I'vealwayslovedpools.
WhenI'molder,I'llhaveapool.
Anna.
Anna.
IfeellikeI'llbeseeingyouateverystreetcorner.
SometimesItellmyselfmaybeyouliveinthesametownIdoandIdon'tknowwhere.
Maybeyou'rehere,veryclose.
Nemo,doyouhearmyvoice?
Anna!
After90days,theonboardcomputerisstillmaintainingthepassengers'metabolismatthe
levelofahibernatingfrog.
He'dalwaysbeenfascinatedbythefactthatcertainfrogscanspendthewintercompletely
frozen.
andthatwhenspringcomescomma,theydefrostandbeginlivingagainperiod.
Theonboardcomputerdisplayed...
"Endofhibernation".
WelcometoMars.
Wehopeyouhadapleasantdreamandarefreshingreawakening.
Pleaseleaveyoursleepsuitsinyoursuspendedanimationcubiclesandmakeyourway
throughtotheArrivalslounge.
Youwillbedirectedtotherestandrecoverationroomstoprepareforyourfirstexcursionto
theredplanetitself.
ProbablytheworstthingaboutbeingonMarsisthatnothingwillhappenthere.
Timewillseemstoleandempty.
18

Thatdoesn'tlooklikethere'smuchtodo.
IhopeIbroughtenoughwetook.
Daytime.
It'sdaytime.
Thesunisout.
It'swarmerontherightthanontheleft
She'sdifferentfromtheonethismorning.
Notthesameperfume.
Herhandsaresoft.
Elise.
IsthatElise?
Wesh...Weshouldn't.
IloveStefano.
Shh.
Don'tsayanything.
You'retheoneIlove.
YoucancountonmeforMars.
Ipromise.
Doyouwannagoforawalkorsomething?
Idon'twantanything.
Nothing.
I'msohorrible.
No,you'renot.
You'renothorrible.
Ican'tstandthislifeanymore.
Thinkaboutit,you'vegotthemostincrediblekids.
Stoptryingtomakemefeelbetter.
I'mactuallyfeelingguiltier.
What'swrongwithme?
Whatiswrongwithme?
How'sMom?
She'sjustalittletired.
She'ssleeping.
She'salwaystired.
Yeah,she'salwaystired.
Isshedepressed?
Well,shehasupsanddowns.
Idon'tknowaboutyou,butnexttimeMomhasoneofhermeltdowns,
I'mgonnagolivesomewhereelse.
19

So...whohasajoke?
Anybody?
Ido.
What'sgreen,smallandgoesupanddown?
Apeainanelevator.
It'snotfunny.
Oldpeoplehumor.
Areyougonnabeokay?
Ofcourse.Not'causeMom'snotokaythatI'mnotokay.
Ican'tstanditanymore.
Thatnoise...
I'llaskthemtokeepitdown.
ButitisJoyce'sbirthday.
WhatkindofmotheramI?
Igottagetup.
Areyouhavingagoodtime?
Yeah.
CanItellyouonething?
You'renotallowedtobepartyingandnothaveagoodtime.
Itdoesn'tworkthatway.
Iknow...
Andyouknowwhat,Tess?
Youlookbeautiful.
Beautiful,beautiful,beautiful...
Butyourfriendsaren'tdancingenough...
Andyourmotherhastotakecareofthesituation!
Dancing!
You,overthere!
Oh,oh!
Thismakesmelike...
Likeadog!
Nowlet'sgetready.
Takeone...two...three!
Itwasaniceday.
Nicestinalongtime.
Okeydokey.
Ready?
Bye,Dad.
Bye.Bye.
20

Havefun.
Bye,Dad.
Byebye!
I'mleaving!
I'mleaving!I'mleaving!
EverythingwillbeOK.
Thatwillbeallright.Comon.
Doyouloveme?
Icouldnotlivewithoutyou.
Thereisnolifewithoutyou.
Goslowly.
Ihavetogetusedtoit.
Italkedtoyousomuchwhenyouweren'tthere.It'ssostrangeformetotalktoyoufor
real.
Ineedsometime,Nemo.
Whenwewereseparatedat15,
IsaidIwouldneverloveanyoneelse.
Ever.
Iwouldneverbecomeattached.
I'dneverseeyouputanywhere.
I'dhavenothingformyself.
IdecidedIwouldpretendtobealive.
AndthisiswhatI'vebeenwaitingfor.
Allthistime...
Renouncingallpossiblelives,foroneonly...
Withyou.
ButI'mnotusedtoitanymore.
youknow...love...Imean.
I'mafraidoflosingyouagain,
I'mafraidofhavingtodowithoutyouagain
I...
I'mterrifiedofthat.
Weneedtotakesometime
And,whenwillIseeyouagain?
Callmeatthisnumberintwodays.I'llmeetyouatthelighthouse.
YouknowwhyIlostAnna?Becausetwomonthsearlier,anunemployedBrazilianboiledan
egg,theheatcreatedamicroclimateintheroomslightdiffereceoftemperature.andheavy
rain,twomonthslaterontheothersideoftheworldthatBrazilianboiledanegginsteadof
beingatwork.
21

HewouldhavelosthisjobinaclothingfactorybecausesixmonthsearlierIwouldhave
comparedthepricesofjeansandIwillhaveboughtthecheaperpair.
AstheChineseproverbsays"Asinglesnowflakecanbendtheleafofthebamboo."
Jeansproductionwillhavemovedtoothercountries.
IlosteverytraceofAnna.
Iwaitedforhereveryday.
Anna.
Nemo.
It'sback.
Thefearisback.
I'msickofpills!
I'msickofdoctors.It'spointless.
I'lldosomething.Ican'tstanditanymore.
I'mafraid.
Idon'tknowwhattodo...
Ioftenhavethisdream.
It'saprehistorictime.
Icanhearyouscreaming...
Ichasedthebear.
Andyou'renotafraidanymore.
ButwhenIwakeup...
WhenIwakeupthere'snobearbutyou'restillafraid.
I'mnotabearhunter
I'manexecutiveofaplantthatmanufacturesphotocopymachineswhojustquithisjob.
Idon'tdaretomove.
Idon'tlive
AllofIdoisadisaster
Iwouldsolovetobeabletochasethebearawayandforyounottobeafraidanymore.
Towhatextentareourfearsinnate?
Whenwehatchgooseeggsinanincubator,andthen,abovethebabybirdspassaform
simulatingagooseinflightthebirdsstretchtheirnecksandcallout
Butifweinvertthedirectionofthesilhouette,itconjurestheshapeofafalcon.
Theresponseofthebabybirdsisimmediate.
Theywillcrouchandfear,thoughthey'veneverbeforeseenafalcon.
Withoutanyinstruction,aninnatefearhelpsthemtosurvive.
Butinhumanstowhatancientdangersmightourinnatefearscorrespond?
NEMO...TURNAROUND...
Hey.
Hey!
22

Excuseme!
Remember...
Remember!
Honey,it'sme.
DidElisedieordidn'tshe?
Idon'tgetit.
Youcan'thavehadchildrenandnothavehadthem.
Hi,Dad.
Hi.
Hey.
I'llbeinaminute,guys.
You'renothungry?
Idon'twantanything.
Nothing.
Whatareyoudoingtoday?
Iwasthinkingabouttakingtheopportunitytowashthecar.
What'sthedealwiththatcar?
Whatdoyoumean?
Whydoyousuchgoodcareofthatcarwhileyouleavemehereallalone?
What'stheproblemofthecar?
There'snomoreproblemwiththecar.
What'swrong?
Whyareyoulookingatmelikethat?
Whyareyoulookingatmelikethat?
Nemo.
DoItakesugarinmycoffee?
Canyoupleaseanswerme?
Nemo.
Youdon'tknowme,Nemo.
You'veneverreallylookedatme.
You'vealwaysbeenelsewhere.
Doyourealizehowmuchyou'vehurtme?
Igotacallfromthelawer.Hejustsaysyoujustputeverythingyouownonmyname.
Why,Nemo?
Whatyou'reupto?
Areyouanglingforsuccess?
Thenyouneedabutterflyfishingrod.
Fortensionandstrengthis....
Buyonetoday,availablenow.
23

Jean.
A'mafterbuyafishingrod.
Mr.Jones.
Yes.
Wealreadyhaveyourluggage.
Please,followme.
I'lltakeyoutothehotelwhereyoucanrestforawhile.
Theappointmentisat3PM.
Daniel.
DanielJones.
DanielJones.
IsyournameDanielJones?
Ofcoursenot!
DanielJones...
Hallo?
Daniel?
Yes.
Areyouinsane?
Itoldyounottogo.Theyarefurious!
Theyknowit'syou.Don'tstaythere!
Thisisweird.
Hisshoesaredifferentsizes.
Maybeheshrunk.
Timeswhenyougetolder,youshrink.
Nooneshrinks,that'srubbish.
Yougotthewrongplug,that'sall.
AstronautsshrinktwoincheswhentheycomebacktoEarth.
Becauseofgravityorsomething.
Youthinkthisfellowisanastronaut?
Thegrounddoesn'tvibrateinthesameway.
It'sadifferentperfume.
Howoldmightshebe?
Twentyfive?
Thereareotherpeopletoo.
Let'sbeginagain.
Fingersonthekeyboard.
Lefthand:A,S,D,F.
Righthand:H,J,K,L.
What'swrong?
24

IwasdreamingaboutStefano.
Hedoesn'tgiveadamnaboutme.
Stefano?
Ilovehim.
Ican'tseeanyotherexplanationforbeinginthisstate.
That'stheonlythingitcanbe.
Ilovehim.
IknowI'mcrazy.
EverymorningwhenIwakeup,
IopenmyeyesandIseeyourfaceandIstartcrying.
Irealizethatwithyou,mylifeispassingmeby.
Howcanyoustaysocalm?
Howcanyoubearthat?
You'renothuman.
Idon'tknowwhattodo.
It'snotmyfault,right?
You'renotgonnaleaveme,areyou?
No,Icouldn'tlivewithoutyou.
I'vehurteverybody.
I'vehurtyou.
Thechildren...
Ijustcan'tgoon.
Togetherwecandoit.
IfIstayhere,you'reallgonnaendupdrowningwithme.
We'lllearntoswim.
Iloveyou.
Iloveyou.
Iloveyou.
Sheleftme.
Youknowwhattheysay...
Everythingworksoutintheend,evenbadly.
Hello?
Nottoomuchatthetop,thanks.
Howmuchshouldthatbe?
$20,please.
Hereyougo.
Thankyou.
$20please,sir.
Hereyouare.
25

Thankyou.Bye,sir.
Bye,andhaveaniceafternoon.
Whydoescigarettesmokenevergobackintothecigarette?
Whydomoleculesspreadawayfromeachother?
Whydoesaspilleddropofinkneverreform?
BecausetheUniversemovestowardsastateofdissipation.
Thatistheprincipleofentropy...
ThetendencyoftheUniversetoevolvetowardastateofincreasingdisorder.
Theprincipleofentropyisrelatedtothearrowoftime...
AresultoftheexpansionoftheUniverse.
Butwhatwillhappenwhengravitationalforcescounterbalancetheforcesofexpansion?
Oriftheenergyofthequantumvoidprovestooweak?
Atthatmoment,theuniversemightenteritsphaseofcontraction.
TheBigCrunch.
Sowhatwillbecomeoftime?
Willitreverse?
Nooneknowstheanswer.
WhereisPeter?
Heleftanhourago.I'mreplacinghim.I'veselectedtake3andtake4.
IpreferthatPeterdoesit.Idon'tmeantosayyou'renotgoodenough.
But...
Dropit.Inliveyougetonetake.
Ifit'sbad,youjustdealwithit.
Youknowhim?
Weworktogether.
IfIshoulddie,andyoushouldlive,
I'msosorry.
Thankyou.
Mysincerestcondolences.
Peterwasacolleague.
Ofcourse.
I'veseenyourshow.
Thankyouforcoming.
Pleasetakethisopportunitytotakeonelastcloselookattheplanet'ssurface.
fromourobservationdome.
YourelevatorwillarriveshortlyintheMarstransitstation.
Whatarewedoingwithallthosebikes?
They'reforexport.
Laborismuchcheaperhere.
26

Chinahasbecomewaytooexpensive.
Pleaseproceedtothepreparationareawhereyouwillbereissuedtoyoursleepsuits.
Youwillalsoreceiveyour...
Hi.
I'mNemo.
Anna...
Nicetomeetyou.
WhatbringsyoutoMars?
I'mmeasuringthedistancebetween
MarsandEarthatit'sgreatest.
Istudytime.Youknow...
Thingthatmakesitsothateverythingdoesn'thappenatonce.
And?
TheBigCrunchwillhappenin2092andpeoplewhocan'thangonthatlongwillgetafree
run.
Andyou?
I'mjustkeepinganoldpromise.
Hi.
Hi.
Weah...metatyourhusband'sfuneral.
Right.
Ihadthestrangestfeelingwhen
Isawyouthatwehavemetbefore.
It'scalleddejavu.
That'snotit.
It'sasifallofthiswasinreal.
I'msorryyoumustthinkthatI'mcompletelycrazy.
I'mnottryingtoflirtwithyou.
Iamwidowermyself.
I...I'msorry.Ihavetogo.
Maybesomeothertime.
Nemo?
Iheardyouweredead.
Thatyoudrowned.
Drowned?
Alert!Alert!
Meteorsapproaching.
Don'tpanic.
Alert!Alert!
27

Iwannawakeup.
Iwannawakeup!
Iwannawakeup!
GAMEOVER.
Areyoualright?
Areyoualright?
WhenIsaythree,you'llbeawake.
One...
Two...
Three.
WAKEUP.......
Mother.
DoIknowyou?
It'sme!
Whatdoyouwant?
Henry!
It'sme.Yourson,Nemo.
Myson'sjusthere.
Idon'tknowyou.You'remad.
NowgoawayorI'llcallthepolice.
Mother.
Mother.
Whatdoyousee?
HeaskesmewhatIsee.
Isay,it'saninkstain.
Hesays:
Youhavetosaymore.
Isay,it'saninkstainonasheetofpaper.
No.
Youhavetosay,whatgoesthroughyourmind.
Itmakesmethinkofaninkwell.
Sohesays:"O'key...
That'sfine".
Youhaveuntiltomorrowtovote.
Vote!
AndwinavacationontheMoon.
Forthewholefamily.
WinatriptotheMoon!
Takeaswingatafabulousgolfvacation.
28

Havetheyannounced
theresultsofthevoting?
I'msorry.
Atmyage.
Thecandlescostmorethanacake.
I'mnotafraidofdying.
I'mafraidIhaventbeenaliveenough!
Itshouldbewrittenoneveryschoolroomblackboard.
Lifeisaplayground.
Ornothing.
Nemo.Leave.
NOW
Nemo.Leave.NOW
Nemo!
NEMO,READTHENEWS.
Tragiccaraccidentonacountryroad
Nemolookattheendofthestreet
NEMOCALL
Hello,whoisthis?
Hello,whoisthis?
Whoisthis?
Iwastoldtocallthisnumber.
MynameisNemoNobody.
Isthissomekindofajoke?
No.No,I...
Operator?
Yes?
I'dliketheaddressto
Onemomentplease.
12358AllewayStreet.
Hello,Nemo.
I'mgladyoufoundme.
Allofthismustseemverycomplicatedtoyou,butit'ssimplerthanyouthink.
Carefulwiththechair.
Itisdamaged.
Areyoualright?
I'mfine.
Ishouldhavewarnedyouearlierbut...
Icouldn'tbecauseofthetranscript.
29

Thetranscript?
Thetextofourconversation!
Youcanyouhearme!
Whatyouarelivingnowisthepast.
Atleast,forme.
Iamyou...
70yearsolder.
Everythingyousay,IsaidmyselfwhenIwasyoung.
Ionlyhadtotranscribeourconversation.
It'sallwrittenrighthere.
Ican't...
Believeit?
Forme...
...timeisinverted.
Istartattheendofthestoryandgotowardthebeginning.
Idon'tunderstand.
Inthislifehere,youdon'texist.
Idon'tknowwhy...
OnlytheArchitectknows.
TheArchitect?
Thechild...
Theonerunningafterthetrain.
Maybeyourparentsnevermet.
Maybeyourfatherdiedinasledgingaccident.
Maybeyouwereoneofthevastmajorityofthosewhosegeneticcodedidnotreachitsfinal
destination.
Maybewhenshedied...
Aprehistoricwoman...
Sherolledoffthelineofheritancetowhichyoubelong.
Soforthisworld...
Youdon'texist.
IftheAnna'scalculationsarecorrect,youneedtostayaliveuntil2092,February12.
5:50AM.
I'msorry,Idon'tknowhowlongwehaven'tbeenrecording.
Ihavetosubmitmystorybytomorrowmorning.
Everythingthatyousayiscontradictory.
Youcan'thavebeeninoneplaceandanotheratthesametime.
Youmeantosaywehavetomakechoices?
Ofallthoselives,whichone...
30

Whichoneistherightone?
Eachoftheselivesistherightone.
Everypathistherightpath.
"Everythingcouldhavebeenanythingelseanditwouldhavejustasmuchmeaning."
TennesseeWilliams.
You'retooyoungforthat.
Youcan'tbedeadandstillbehere.
Youcan'tnotexist.
Istherelifeafterdeath?
Afterdeath...
Howcanyoubesosureyouevenexist?
Youdon'texist.
NeitherdoI.
Weonlyliveintheimaginationofanineyearoldchild.
Weareimaginedbyanineyearoldchild,facedwithanimpossiblechoice.
Run!Run!
Nemo!
Run!
Run,Nemo!
Nemo!
Iloveyou.
Anna!
Nemo!
You'retheoneIlove.
Inchess,it'scalledZugzwang,whentheonlyviablemoveisnottomove.
Comesee.
It'sthesea.
Thechildistakingitapart.
Hedoesn'tneeditanymore.
Before,hewasunabletomakeachoice'causehedidn'tknowwhatwouldhappen.
Nowthatheknowswhatwillhappen,heisunabletomakeachoice.
Thankyou,thankyou!
Thankyou.
Thisisthemostbeautifuldayofmylife.
Anna.
Anna.

31