Mother

written by

Lee VanderVeen

EXT. BEACH - DAY

BRADY, AGE 12, walks on the beach. Birds SQUAWK as he

approaches a little tide pool. Seagulls are diving into the
clear water, trying to get at something under the surface.

He shoos the birds away and makes his way over to an intricate
green egg protruding out of the water. It is not a normal egg.
This egg has scales and is larger than any Brady’s seen before.

On the beach, families are gathered together and are enjoying

the weather. Mothers play with their children and LAUGHTER can
be heard over the waves.

Brady picks the egg up out of the water and smiles.

Brady’s bike lies idly by a little beach shack. He approaches

and puts the egg into his bike basket.

EXT. MAINSTREET - EVENING

Brady rides with the egg in his bike basket. It rolls around a
little. The sun is shining up above. The streets are buzzing
with life. Brady’s hair blows in the wind.

He finally reaches his house, a quaint modern street in a

middle class neighborhood.

INT. BRADY’S HOUSE - NIGHT

Brady’s DAD is sitting in the living room watching TV. He hears

the front door open and shifts in his recliner.

BRADY
Hi, dad.

Brady’s father offers a wave over his shoulder. His eyes are
still trained on the television.

DAD
Good day?

Brady is already making his way upstairs.

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 2.

BRADY
Yep.

INT. MONTAGE: BRADY’S HOUSE - NIGHT

Brady falls onto his mattress and holds the egg in his hands
above him. He rubs his thumb over a small crack and lets it
MadeinHighland

fall back into bed next to him.

Brady grabs a book on his bedside table and opens it up. The
egg sits beside him, propped up against a pillow.

BEGIN MONTAGE:

Brady makes dinner in the kitchen. He sets pizza rolls in the

oven.

Time passes and he picks up a paper plate that sits next to his
father’s chair.

Brady opens the freezer and gets out ice cream.

The sounds of the freezer door shutting stops the montage.

END MONTAGE:

A tattered picture is stuck to the fridge with magnets. In the

image, there is a woman standing with Brady and his father.

Next to it, a grocery list. Brady looks at them both, stuck in

his tracks, before returning to his bowl of ice cream.

INT. BRADY’S ROOM : NIGHT

Brady is back in bed. A bit of chocolate is left on the corner

of his mouth. He picks the egg up off of his mattress and sets
it on his dresser. It begins to roll.

It drops over the edge but Brady’s hand catches it and sets it
back up, using a book to prop it up against. He turns out the
light and faces the egg.

The crack stands out to him.

He furrows his brow and opens his bedside table. His hand
rummages around a little before he finds what he is looking
for.

He takes out a stripped band-aid and places it over the crack.

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 3.

BRADY
Goodnight.

EXT. BRADY’S BIKE - DAY

Brady is on his bike again. He is going fast now. He has

somewhere to be. He stops suddenly in front of a large house in
a nicer neighborhood. Two-stories. Clean looking.
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In the two car driveway, ANDREW, 12, Brady’s athletic,

opinionated best friend shoot a free throw and sinks it. SWISH.

ANDREW
That makes nineteen in a row.

Brady smiles and puts a leg down to steady himself, watching.

BRADY
Yeah, right. You never make more
than five before you miss and have
to chase it all the way down to
Mrs. Gulliver’s.

Brady folds his arms. He looks unimpressed.

ANDREW
Dude, I swear!

BRADY
Make it twenty, then. Go on.

Brady nods at him and waits. Andrew throws up another ball.

This one bounces off the rim towards Brady, still on his bike
in the street. Brady catches it uncomfortably.

BRADY
You were saying...

Brady snickers and watches Andrew’s face turn red.

ANDREW
You-you made me nervous!

He sees that Brady is laughing and picks up his bike to join

Brady in the street.

ANDREW
(mimicking)
You were saying.

He grabs the ball from Brady and hurls it back into his yard
then gets onto his bike. Brady and Andrew take off.

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 4.

Andrew peddles over to Brady and pushes his shoulder. Andrew is

a lot bigger than Brady. Brady stumbles slightly.

BRADY
(cont.d)
Dick.

ANDREW
Bitch. MadeinHighland

The two stare each other down for a moment before Brady finally
breaks. They start to laugh.

Andrew’s laughter fizzles down for a minute and he pedals

faster, Brady following behind.

ANDREW
Where are we going anyways?

Brady rides up next to him.

BRADY
Melvin’s.

Brady pedals faster.

ANDREW
Why? Your dad finally let you get
a pet?

Brady deflects the question. He looks over at Andrew over his

shoulder.

BRADY
Bet I can beat you there.

Andrew scoffs and narrows his eyes.

ANDREW
You’re on... bitch.

The two weave in and out of each other down the street,
speeding up and slowing down for each other.

INT. PET SHOP - DAY

Brady and Andrew step through the sliding doors and into the
pet shop as Brady pulls a list out of his back pocket.

Andrew snatches the list. It looks similar to a grocery list.

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 5.

ANDREW
What the hell is all this stuff
for? You’re gonna put sand in a
fish tank?

BRADY
Yeah.

Brady makes an unsuccessful grab for the list.

ANDREW
Okay, but what is it for?
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Brady ignores him and slings the sand over his small shoulder.

ANDREW
Dude! Hello?

Andrew snaps his fingers.

ANDREW
(cont.d)
Earth to Brady? Why do you need
all this shit?

Brady turns his head reluctantly and finally gives in.

BRADY
I found this weird egg at the
beach and it looked cool so I kept
it. I’m gonna make it a home.

ANDREW
Well what kind of egg is it? Like
a sea turtle or something?

BRADY
(deflecting)
I dunno. It’s bigger than that.
Doesn’t matter.

Brady rounds the corner and puts a bag of sand into a tank and
picks it up.

ANDREW
You don’t know? And you brought it
home? Does your dad know?

Brady is silent.

ANDREW
So that’s a no.

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 6.

Brady sees a few decorative rocks on the top shelf of a nearby

isle. He looks up at them. He can’t reach.

Andrew watches him struggle for a minute. Brady huffs.

ANDREW
(smuggly)
Would you like help?

Brady sighs and takes a step back. Andrew reaches to the top
shelf with ease and carries them for Brady.

BRADY
(reluctantly)
Thanks. MadeinHighland

We see the two continuing to go about their errand, collecting

a few more things before heading up to the register.

The older CASHIER scans their items.

CASHIER
17.34.

Brady empties out his pockets. Cash and change roll out onto
the counter. He flattens out a few bills. Two fives. Six ones.
The rest in change. The cashier looks displeased.

BRADY
There you go.

Andrew stands behind him, trying to hide a smirk.

CASHIER
Do you want a bag?

Brady shakes his head and the two head back outside with the
tank secure in Brady’s grasp.

Brady balances the tank on his bike as Andrew berates him with
inaudible questions. We watch their bikes disappear from the
parking lot.

INT. BRADY’S LIVING ROOM - DAY

Brady’s father is still in his usual seat, propped up on his

recliner in front of the television. This time he is fast
asleep.

Brady and Andrew slip in through the front door.

BRADY
Shh.

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 7.

Brady nods at his sleeping father. We hear his father SNORING.

The two tip toe towards the stairs, but we hear what is playing
on the television as they disappear upstairs.

REPORTER
...no news as to why we are being
affected by rapid, unexpected
changes in weather. Servere
flooding and giant waves can be
expected in the coming weeks.
While residents prepare, we hit
the street to ask a few locals how
they’re getting ready for the
storm. MadeinHighland

On the screen, we see a reporter with a microphone out on a

street corner. He stops a small, older WOMAN carrying armfuls
of grocery bags.

REPORTER
How long have you lived here in
Bresington?

WOMAN
44 years in September. These
storms are always blown out of
proportion. It’s the same as it’s
always been.

REPORTER
So you’re not worried about it
then?

WOMAN
No! I-

The woman is cut off by a MAN who grabs the microphone from the
reporter. He is older, with salt-and-pepper hair and a gold
earring hanging from his left ear. He looks distraught.

MAN
It’s the eggs. The eggs are back.
I thought we’d gotten rid of them
all but they’re back!

The reporter motions for the camera man to cut the feed.

MAN
No one believed me, but they’re
real. They’re ba--

The camera cuts back to the news logo. A bit of music plays
softly.

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 8.

INT. BRADY’S ROOM - DAY

Brady opens the bathroom door. His egg is still safe.

Unhatched. Perfect. Andrew files in after him and his eyes go
wide. He approaches the egg.

ANDREW
What IS this thing?

He picks it up and tosses it in the air. Brady tenses, then

catches himself.

BRADY
Stop! You’re gonna break it.
MadeinHighland

He tries to grab for the egg, but Andrew isn’t done yet.

ANDREW
This looks like a dragon egg or
something, like, it looks like
it’s from those weird ass books
Caleb likes.

Andrew throws it up again.

BRADY
Andrew, quit!

He reaches for it again and Andrew holds it over his head. He

picks off the band-aid and tosses it to the side.

ANDREW
Is that a crack?

Brady elbows him and takes it back. Andrew looks offended.

Brady inspects the egg. It seems to be fine.

ANDREW
Is it... okay?

Brady nods. He holds it differently now. Like he’s cradling it.

INT. BRADY’S BEDROOM - EVENING

We see the tank all set up. It looks homey. Black sand lines
the bottom of the tank as red and white rocks sit under the
surface of the water.

The egg is propped up in the sand. A rubber duck floats at the

top of the surface. The container of salt now sits next to the
tank, a few grains scattered on Brady’s bedside table.

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 9.

ANDREW
So you just found it?

Brady nods.

ANDREW
(cont.d)
It does look pretty cool.

BRADY
Yeah, it’s cool, but I have no
idea what IT is. What does it eat?
How big does it get?

ANDREW
You’re a science whizz, B. You
haven’t figured it out by now?
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Brady shakes his head.

ANDREW
C’mon.

Andrew stands up off of Brady’s bed and walks over to one of

Brady’s book shelves, his finger running over the spines.

He takes out a few books and tosses them at Brady. The smaller
boy looks pained as a large book hits his chest.

BRADY
What are you doing?

ANDREW
You said it yourself. We don’t
know what it is. And if you’re
gonna keep it, you might want to
figure it out.

Brady nods, rubbing his stomach as he opens up the book in his

lap.

EXT. BRADY’S BLOCK - EVENING

Andrew looks up into Brady’s bedroom as he climbs back onto his

bike. He rides to the end of Brady’s driveway and stops.

ANDREW
(shouting)
Call me tomorrow!

Brady looks down at him from his window and nods, giving him a
thumbs up.

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 10.

We follow Andrew as he heads back to his house. He has to

peddle harder than normal.

We see the sky shift in color. It’s getting darker. Windier.

He looks up at a weather vane on a nearby house, spinning

rapidly. Peddling. Harder. Faster. The wind is messing up his
mop of hair.

He finally gets home and tosses his bike down before he heads
in for the night.

INT. BRADY’S KITCHEN - DAY

Brady and his father are seated at the kitchen table. Brady is
staring down at a plain, half eaten bagel. He takes a sip of
orange juice as his dad adjusts his glasses. MadeinHighland

DAD
Did you see this?

Brady’s dad flicks a spot on the newspaper. The weather

section.

DAD
(cont.d)
Unbelievable. My boss asked us if
we could take three of our biggest
ships inland.

Brady looks up and tries to engage.

BRADY
Why can’t you?

DAD
This storm we’re supposed to be
getting is coming too quickly.
There’d be no point...
(to himself)
... no point.

His dad continues to read the paper, frustration evident on his

face.

Brady rubs his tired eyes. His dad notices.

DAD
Up late last night?

BRADY
Not too late.

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 11.

DAD
Good. You need your sleep.

The two sit there for a minute in silence, eating. Brady is

about to speak when something on the front page catches his
eye.

BRADY
What’s that all about?

His dad flips the paper to the front page, top of the fold.

DAD
Oh, apparently last night on the
news that fisherman that lives
down by the bakery went crazy.
Guess he really freaked out if it
made the front page, right?
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BRADY
What happened?

DAD
Said some bull about eggs causing
the storm. I think he had one to
many slips on that old boat of his
and hit his head.

Brady’s dad laughs and looks outwardly proud of his own joke.

BRADY
Can I read it?

DAD
Mhm.

He takes the newspaper apart, handing him the page. Brady takes
one more bite of his bagel and lets is clatter back onto his
plate.

BRADY
Thanks for breakfast!

DAD
You’re done?

BRADY
Yup! All full!

Brady retreats up to his bedroom. As soon as Brady is out of

sight, his dad shakes his head as the door SLAMS shut upstairs.

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 12.

INT. BRADY’S ROOM - DAY

Brady sits down to do some research of his own. He sits against

the side of his bed and begins to read the paper.

EXT. SKY - EVENING

Time passes and we see the sky outside get darker and darker.
Birds on the beach circle overhead. The waves are getting
bigger and bigger.

INT. BRADY’S ROOM - EVENING

Brady is sprawled out in his bed, still doing research. A large

stack of others sit on the floor next to him.

We hear a KNOCK on the door. Brady throws a blanket over the

tank. MadeinHighland

BRADY
Come in.

DAD
Hey. I’m running to the store.
Storm’s supposed to get pretty
bad.

Brady nods. His dad looks over at the wall. There are a few
posters from Brady’s favorite movies and a cork board. Pinned
to it are tickets from old shows and pictures.

He takes a step towards it. He notices Brady has added a

picture of himself and his mother, taken on the same day as the
picture on the fridge.

He smiles.

DAD
(cont.d)
Need anything?

Brady notices what his father is looking at and doesn’t look

up.

BRADY
No, thank you.

DAD
Okay, well I’ll be back soon.

Brady nods again and his father turns to leave.

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 13.

BRADY
Be careful.

His father nods over his shoulder and smiles.

DAD
Goodnight.

BRADY
Love you.

DAD
Love you, too.

It is stiff, but we get it. They mean it.

Brady’s father waves and exits.

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EXT. BEACH - EVENING

Lifeguards are raising flags. We hear a VOICE OVER from the

same local news station.

REPORTER
We advise all residents to stock
up on fresh water and food. This
storm is moving in quickly, folks.

EXT. BRADY’S TOWN - EVENING

The same street Brady rode his bike down on the first day he
found the egg is now dark and empty.

The town is waiting... holding it’s breath.

INT. BRADY’S ROOM - NIGHT

Brady closes his bedroom door behind him. In his hand is a

plate of pizza rolls. Again.

He pops one into his mouth and crouches down to look into the
tank.

His eyes go back and fourth from the paper to the tank. They
finally focus back on the egg.

BRADY
I wonder if you’ll like pizza
rolls.

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 14.

He sets his plate down next to the tank. We can see that Brady
has added a “Hello, My name is:” sticker to the tank. He thinks
for a moment.

BRADY
Steve.

He tests out the name and shakes his head.

BRADY
Aaron? No...

He chews on the marker cap.

BRADY
Chester.

He smiles to himself. He’s found the perfect name. He scribbles

the name onto the sticker and adds a little doodle of a fish.
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Brady takes another bite of a pizza roll and sits down on his
bed. He turns to look out his window.

BRADY
Pretty scary out there, huh. Don’t
worry... Don’t worry...

He speaks with his back to the egg and looks outside, through
his window.

We see the tank now.

Slowly... The egg begins to hatch.

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