Lachlan loses his homework

INTERIOR. HALLWAY
(Class marches through the doors, up the corridor and lines up outside the classroom; all very obediently. Cut to face of girl at the front of the queue, Angela; she’s reading the notice posted on the classroom door. The rest have finished lining-up by this time. Cut to Mrs Macbeth, waiting for the shuffles to subside.)

MRS MACBETH:
(grudgingly) A mild improvement. When you are in your seat, I expect you to take out your homework books.

(Lachlan raises his hand.)
MRS MACBETH:
What is it, Lachlan?

LACHLAN:
(trying his best to look sincere) The Nazi’s ate my homework.

(There’s laughter, hopefully)

MRS MACBETH:
(incredulous, almost stupefied) Lachlan, dogs have, on the rarest of occasions, been inculpated in the grand iniquity of homework mastication, but, however foul their breath, I assure you, no Nazi would consider your level of literacy a worthy meal. Besides, Lachlan, Nazis burn books, and not because they’re fond of crunchy bits, but so they don’t have to digest them at all.

LACHLAN:
I meant, they burned my homework book.

MRS MACBETH:
How very accurate they are. (Noticing Angela’s distraction) Don’t tell me they got your’s too. Not you, Angela Cook.

ANGELA:
(toady) No, Mrs Macbeth. (General groan from the rest)

MRS MACBETH:
Of course not. It seems only the neglectful student manages to have his homework destroyed. Well, who else has had their books blown-up by
Adolf?

(A few kids raise hands, tentatively, but Mrs Macbeth is distracted because Angela has raised her hand.)

MRS MACBETH:
But, Angela, I thought you said...

ANGELA:
No, Mrs Macbeth, it’s just...

MRS MACBETH:
Spit it out.

(Angela points to the poster which reads:

“Mrs Macbeth,
Please do not use the classroom.
The floor is covered with splinters of glass.
Please see me as soon as you’ve read this.

Principal McGowan”

MRS MACBETH:
I will be back shortly. There will be no noise, and no one is to enter the classroom. Angela is in charge. Consider yourselves warned.

(Angela looks punished. Mrs Macbeth walks off; briefly checking around the corner before finally leaving. The class breaks into conversation.)

LACHLAN:
(to Felix) Go on then, you still haven’t shown us...

FELIX:
All right... (he moves to reveal the contents of his box. Jean interrupts)

JEAN:
Can’t be as good as what I saw.

MARY:
What’s that?

LACHLAN:
Shut up, Jean. Go on, Felix.

JEAN:
(to the attentive girls, but loudly so the boys can hear) I saw Marion’s mother before they took her to hospital.

MARY:
What happened to her?

JEAN:
She was doing dishes -Marion says she never goes to the shelter- and a bomb exploded outside the kitchen window. She must have been looking outside for the whistle because the whole window blew-up in her face... thousands and thousands of sharp splinters. Marion says they still haven’t got it all out.

LACHLAN:
That’s nothing, I know why Tom isn’t here.

JEAN:
I suppose he ran out to catch a bomb... I mean, he is a friend of yours.

LACHLAN:
Not any more, he was one of the kids chasing the yanks in the train; got caught under when he was scramming for chocolate.

ALASTAIR:
And his sister...

LACHLAN:
(dismissively) No she didn’t.

ALASTAIR:
No with the train. But she’s in the hospital now...

ANGELA:
Yea, I heard. A flare landed right in her back. It kept burning.

LACHLAN:
Is she dying?

ALASTAIR:
She’s getting better. My Ma says it was stuck in her spine... they thought she was going to die.

ANGELA:
(mimicking Alastair) My Ma, My Ma... you’re such a girl. I bet your Ma doesn’t tell you anything, I bet you sneak around and listen.

ALASTAIR:
(quite affectedly) It’s not true, she says I’m mature beyond my years.

ANGELA:
Sissy. My sister’s boyfriend is an American lieutenant and he’s staying for a week. If any of you girly-boys want to know what a real man is, all you have to do is walk past my house on the way back from school.

(Collective interest from the girls)

MARY:
Can I come?

JEAN:
Me too? Does he always wear his uniform?

ANGELA:
Except when he’s alone with her.

(Giggles)

(If a gas-mask is available, Alastair makes flatulent sounds -by blowing into it- abruptly in the girls’ faces; if there’s no gas-mask... a simple raspberry will do)

GIRLS:
Go away.

ANGELA:
No wonder the new girl is hiding.

(POV shot to Sheila who’s shy and skulking in the farthest, darkest area. Angela makes a show of going over to her. The boys lose interest in the girls.)

LACHLAN:
Forget them. (To Felix) Come on, show us what you got already.

(Cut from Felix carefully removing the contents of his box to Angela as she, very gently, almost maternally approaches Sheila. The boys are indifferent; the girls regard Angela’s action with scepticism, and silent interest)