“In the shadows of deception and despair, a mother’s love sparks a relentless quest for truth.”
Watch the original version of Changeling
Prologue
The warm LA sun dipped to kiss the Pacific as Christine Collins, a single mother and telephone company supervisor, carefully arranged the set table for dinner. Christine’s eyes were constantly on the clock, counting down the moments to see her nine-year-old son, Walter, return from school. But today he wouldn’t make it home. A cold shiver of foreboding passed through her; she couldn’t shake off a sinking feeling gnawing at her heart. Hours turned into days, morphing into a mother’s worst nightmare. The LAPD, already suffocating under corruption charges and increasing crime, was under immense pressure to solve the case. And solve they did, or so it seemed. Five months later, the LAPD announced they’d found Walter. Relief washed over Christine like a warm tide, only to recede, leaving turbulent waves of doubt.
Chapter 1: A Mother’s Joy
The day was pregnant with an amalgamation of anxiety and joy as Christine waited at the railway station, her heart beating in sync with the chugging wheels of the approaching train. As the steam hissed and the engine came to a halt, out stepped a thin, timid boy, roughly her son’s age. A police officer accompanied him, his face blooming with a victorious smile. The crowd cheered, their collective relief echoing across the station. Christine stared at the boy. Was this really her Walter?
For a moment, joy spearheaded, racing towards her heart, but something seemed awry. She shook the feeling off, marking it as the fruit of the mental torment she had been through. Flashbulbs popped, and she was ushered towards the boy. Christine knelt down, her heart pounding against her ribs. As she reached out to embrace him, the boy stood there, his face wearing an uncertain expression, none of the warmth she had hoped for in her dreams. As he mechanically responded to her embrace, her heart seemed to freeze.
Back at home, the two sat across the dinner table. She served him his favorite meal, a hearty meatloaf, joyfully anticipating the familiar gleam in his eyes. Instead, the boy chewed slowly, his lips curved into a fake appreciation. She observed his blue eyes, which once mirrored her own and sparked with mischief, now appeared vacant. He didn’t remember the secret handshake they shared, nor did he laugh at the funny faces she made; something they always did to lighten up their dinner routine. He seemed to be someone else, wearing her son’s skin.
She tucked him into bed, the bedtime story she narrated hanging in the cold air between them. As she kissed him goodnight, her heart clenched. The room, filled with her son’s belongings, was full of his absence. She retired to her room, her mind reeling with strange thoughts.
Those quiet hours of the night gave way to a dreadful realization. Painfully, she acknowledged that the laughter echoing in her mind was not to be heard again. The boy sleeping under her roof was a stranger. The nightmare she thought she had escaped had taken a grimmer turn. Consumed by shock and disbelief, Christine made a decision; she’d confront the authorities.
The boy brought to her wasn’t her son. The essence of Walter was missing in him. The joy of reunion had been tainted, replaced by a chilling question: where was her son?
As Christine braced herself to challenge the twisted intricacies of a corrupt system, little did she know that her fight would expose the deepest layers of deceit, ultimately leading her on a nightmarish journey to a grim mental asylum. This was just the beginning of a relentless pursuit for truth, a mother’s love for her son pitted against a diabolical plot of abduction, deceit, and horror.
Chapter 2: Doubt Creeps In
The celebration of her son’s return had turned their humble abode into a bustling hive of joy and relief. Every corner of the house echoed with laughter, and everyone was in high spirits. Christine, however, was entangled within herself, haunted by a gnawing doubt that refused to be quieted. She couldn’t quite shake off the feeling that something was distinctly different about the child everyone was celebrating.
She first noticed it during supper that evening. He picked at his food, uncertain, as if he was trying to remember how he used to eat it. It was his favorite, a special dish she used to prepare, something that he would not hesitate to devour swiftly in the past. But the boy at the dining table was strangely indifferent. He forked the food listlessly, and Christine watched his every move, her heart sinking with an inexplicable dread.
Over the next few days, each peculiar incident added another layer to the story of unfamiliarity. The boy didn’t seem to know the nooks and crannies of the house, where he once played hide and seek. Even simple things, like their old Mangy- the stuffed dog he cherished, didn’t spark recognition in his vacant eyes. His handwriting didn’t resemble the boy’s sprightly scribble she had nurtured. And the bedtime story she had told him a hundred times, seemed like an unfamiliar tale to him.
Frustration built within Christine, a maelstrom of doubt and fear. Her precious son, her blood and flesh, seemed lost within this stranger who bore his face. The laughter, the twinkling eyes, the cheeky grin, it was all there, yet it felt foreign. It was unsettling, like living in a well-crafted illusion, a world suspended between reality and fiction.
The boy missed the familiarity she yearned for. Their secret handshake, the one they had invented together, seemed erased from his memory. His sweet voice, singing their lulliputian lullaby, now sounded strangely discordant. Like a tinny, out-of-tune piano, each note stabbed her mother’s heart.
Every night, she would sit by the boy’s bed, a silhouette in the moonlight, watching him sleep. She would whisper his name, hoping for recognition, a sign that would dispel her doubts. But the boy would continue to slumber, oblivious to the hurricane of suspicion brewing in her heart.
As the days turned into weeks, Christine felt the walls of her world closing in. She was trapped in a sinister maze of eerie unfamiliarity. Every conversation with the boy was like playing chess with a ghost, each move feeding the growing chasm of suspicion. She was living with a stranger, a cleverly crafted look-alike who was passed off as her son.
She had to dig deeper. Even if the truth threatened to shatter her world, she could not turn a blind eye to it. She sought solace in candid moments, hoping that the boy would stumble, reveal his true identity. Each day morphed into a detailed investigation, every interaction a meticulous scrutiny.
The signs were there, staring at her face. She couldn’t ignore them any longer. The final blow came when she discovered an unopened present in his room. It was a limited-edition comic book, a treasure she had squirreled away for his return. The boy – her son – was an ardent fan, but the package lay untouched on the shelf.
That’s where her conviction hardened. This wasn’t her son. This was someone else masquerading under the guise of her child. Christine resolved not to retreat, not to surrender to the deception.
She had to confront the truth, no matter how catastrophic the ramifications. Little did she know, the storm of suspicion brewing in her heart was about to turn her world upside down.
Chapter 3: The Unheard Voice
The strain was visible on Christine’s face. Wrinkles had etched deeply on her face, and her bright eyes lost their luminosity, all due to the harrowing ordeal she had been thrust into. She had been locked in a battle with suspicion, a game of hide-and-seek with the truth that seemed to slip further into the abyss with each passing day. Her son, or the boy claimed to be her son, was a stranger living under her roof. Instead of enjoying the conviviality of her child’s presence, Christine found herself in a vortex of uncertainties.
She decided to confront the authorities. Clad in her modest dress, she steeled herself and approached the police station. The large, stone building loomed ominously in front of her, but Christine was undeterred. She refused to be a puppet to the system that was clearly failing her. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside.
The police station was a flurry of activity. Policemen were rushing around, constant chatter filled the air, typewriters clicked rhythmically and phones rang incessantly. However, amidst all this hustle and bustle, Christine felt a wave of isolation enveloping her; she was a lone voice, striving to be heard in a cacophony of indifference. However, Christine knew this was a battle she couldn’t afford to lose.
Captain J.J. Jones, an imposing figure with strong features and graying hair, sat behind his wooden desk, immersed in a pile of paperwork. As Christine approached him, she could feel his dismissiveness piercing through her, chilling her resolve. As she relayed her doubts about the returned boy being her son, Jones watched her with a hawk-like gaze, his scepticism palpable in the room.
“Mrs. Collins, isn’t it convenient that after we manage to find your son and bring him back to you, you insist he’s not yours?” His voice was eerily calm, a stark contrast to the ferocity of his words. “We’ve seen such cases before. Mothers who cannot accept the changes a child goes through after a traumatic event.”
Christine’s heart pounded in her chest but she forced herself to maintain her composure. “But detective,” she replied with a tremulous voice, “there are so many mismatches. He doesn’t even recognize his own pet. His writing is different. The boy you returned to me is not my son.”
The captain let out a deep sigh, rubbing his temples. His dismissive attitude toward Christine shifted toward annoyance. He rose from his desk, towering over Christine. “Mrs. Collins, what you’re going through… is psychological. It’s your mind’s way of coping with the trauma your son underwent.”
Christine felt her resolve crumbling under the captain’s nonchalance. His words, designed to be comforting, felt like poison to her – a poison that threatened to rob her of her credibility, her identity as a distressed mother, and her pursuit of truth. But Christine wasn’t one to back down easily. She fought, determined to make her voice heard.
But the captain had other plans. In a swift move to protect his reputation and suppress the potential scandal brewing under his nose, he orchestrated a cunning plan. Discrediting Christine’s mental stability seemed the perfect solution. Her incessant insistence and accusations against the officers were threatening the fabric of the police department’s integrity.
Dr. Tarr, a renowned psychiatrist with close ties to the police department, was pulled into the plot. He declared Christine delusional, an unfortunate victim of her mind’s own fabrications. The news hit Christine like a sharp dagger, her world spinning around her.
Suddenly, she was no longer a desperate mother seeking her lost child, but a mentally unstable woman who was seen as a threat to society. She was stripped of her freedom, her rights, pushed into the bleak walls of an asylum. But even amidst the cloud of despair, Christine couldn’t quench the flame of hope that flickered within her. She would fight, no matter how oppressive the system, no matter how intricate the web of lies. The truth about her son awaited her, and she was not going to give up so easily.
Chapter 4: Asylum Shadows
With a swift, cruel turn of events, Christine Collins, loving mother turned desperate detective, found herself immersed in a chilling nightmare. The echo of her protests fell on deaf ears as she was taken away by stern-faced men in white coats, committed to the dank, cold confines of a mental asylum. The once familiar world was replaced by blank, emotionless walls, her freedom snuffed out by the ruthless hands of power.
The binary question – was her son really home – had shattered her world, pitching her into the depths of institutional imprisonment. The police captain, a man supposed to protect, had become her tormentor, making it his mission to silence her persistent voice for the sake of his department’s reputation. It was a vendetta against her sanity, a scheme to bury the truth.
As she pushed against the steel bars and sterile white walls, Christine’s mind reeled. Isolation was a cruel master, one that could break even the strongest spirit. Yet, through every moment of despair, she clung to the kernel of truth, the only thing she had left: the boy who lived under her roof was not her son. This realization was equally devastating and motivating, fueling her survival instinct.
She spent her days in the asylum, often dictated by the strict routine of meals, medication, and therapy. The doctors and nurses, supposed caregivers, viewed her as a deluded woman, refusing to accept reality. Their condescending stares bore into her, their words stinging with disapproval.
“Mrs. Collins, you must accept that your son has come home,” they’d urge her.
But defiance and tenacity blazed in her eyes. “He’s not my son,” she responded time and again.
Days turned into weeks. The asylum’s eerie silence was periodically ruptured by the cries of the distraught and the demented. Yet, amid the insanity, Christine discovered an unlikely ally: a nurse who, unlike the others, had the intuition to see beyond her ‘condition’. Nurse Eileen was different: compassionate, empathetic, and astute.
Eileen’s understanding heart offered comfort to Christine. They formed a bond, a beacon of solace in the oppressive gloom of the asylum. Their late-night whispering sessions in the dimly lit corridors often centered around Christine’s plight. Eileen listened, her eyes glistening with both empathy and a growing suspicion that Christine might be telling the truth.
Buoyed by this friendship, Christine began to strategize her fight for justice from within the asylum. Together, they started to gather evidence, piecing together the puzzle of the police’s suspicious behavior, their rushed closure of the case, and the bizarre circumstances of her son’s ‘return.’
The chapter of the asylum molded Christine in dramatic ways. It pushed her to the edges of desolation, yet kindled a fierce spirit of resistance within her. It was here, in the midst of cold institutional apathy and neglect, she summoned the strength to fight back.
She was not just a mother searching for her son now; she stood against a corrupt system that failed her as a mother and a citizen. Her voice, once nearly silenced, now echoed in the eerie silence of the asylum, a resounding testament to her unyielding determination.
Asylum’s Shadows was not just about the imprisonment of a woman. It was a narrative of a mother’s indomitable spirit, her quest for truth amidst a web of deception, her fight for justice. It was Christine’s testament of strength, resilience, and undying hope, even as darkness loomed.
Chapter 5: Hidden Ally
The asylum was a place of shadows and sorrow. Christine found herself confined within its gray, oppressive walls, her cries for justice muffled by the cruel echoes of insanity. The police captain’s conspiracy had worked; she was deemed deluded, trapped in a web of fabricated stories about her son’s identity. Forced to question her sanity, she was locked away with the forgotten women of the city.
One day, a new face appeared in their midst – Nurse Amelia, a soft-spoken woman with kind eyes that held a glimmer of compassion. She was different from the others, not inclined to dismiss Christine’s incessant claims as mere rantings of a deluded mind. Instead, she listened, her brows furrowing as Christine spun her tale with a mix of desperation and determination.
Amelia was a woman of science, not given to flights of fancy, but there was an element of truth in Christine’s voice that compelled her to explore further. Against the regulations, she began her private investigation. She retrieved the records of the Collins’ case and clandestinely perused them at night, the lantern light illuminating the grim evidence of blatant corruption.
As the weeks passed, Christine and Amelia became unlikely allies. They formed a plan to vindicate Christine, working covertly within the asylum walls. Amelia stole moments from her duties to delve deeper into the boy’s background, the boy who was returned as Christine’s son. She discovered chilling facts that led her to a horrifying possibility – a child trafficking ring operating under the indifferent nose of the police force.
Meanwhile, Christine, on the other hand, bore the harsh reality of the asylum, often subjected to inhumane treatment. She kept herself sane by holding onto the glimmer of hope that Amelia represented. They communicated in surreptitious whispers and notes, raising the risk of discovery with every passing day. Yet, they persisted, fueled by the ominous wrinkles of conspiracy that were starting to appear in their investigation.
One day, Amelia came across a closed case file of a missing child bearing an uncanny resemblance to the boy living with Christine. The file was hastily closed, the child declared found, but the attached photograph told a different story. It was the same boy, his eyes reflecting a mirrored fear that Amelia had seen in Christine’s. A piece of the jigsaw had finally fallen into place, solidifying their suspicions and revealing a gruesome truth.
The police force was not just suppressing Christine’s real story but was serving as a smokescreen for an even bigger crime. The child posing as Walter Collins was a decoy, used as a cover-up for the police’s incompetence and potentially an active participant in a wider network of organized crime.
The realization struck Amelia and Christine like a bolt of lightning, illuminating the monstrous plot they were up against. Their mission took a grave and urgent turn. It wasn’t just about proving Christine’s sanity anymore; it was about exposing an evil that was devouring innocent lives, about bringing justice to countless mothers who might have been silenced like Christine, and about saving Walter before he was irretrievably lost to the underbelly of crime.
Their resolve hardened, and their plan took a new turn – a daring escape was to be executed. The asylum’s secrets were slowly being unfurled, and the echoes of Christine’s supposed delusions were finding a way out of the oppressive walls. An alliance had been formed within those cold confines, a bond as strong as steel, ready to challenge the corrupt system.
Amidst their grim surroundings, a spark of hope ignited in Christine’s heart. She wasn’t alone in her battle anymore. She found an ally in Amelia, the woman who dared to believe her when the world branded her insane. Their fight was just beginning, the journey fraught with peril and uncertainty, but they were ready to face it, united by their shared pursuit of truth and justice.
As the asylum sank into the quietude of another night, two women plotted against the behemoth system, their spirits unyielding. For them, the fight had only just begun. Little did they know how deep the rabbit hole of corruption went and what shocking revelations awaited them in their tireless quest for justice.
Chapter 6: The Escape and Revelation
The damp walls of the asylum echoed with the hushed whispers of nighttime, blanketing the facility in an uncanny silence. Christine huddled in her dimly lit room, her heart pounding wildly against her ribcage. The nurse, her unexpected ally, had sketched an audacious plan of escape, pushing the boundaries of their loyalty, courage, and desperation.
A swift knock resonated against her door, shattering the eerie silence. It was the signal. The hour of escape was upon them. Inside, Christine dismantled the crude dummy she had fashioned from her bumpily stitched linen bedsheet. Its blank face peered at her, a reminder of her desperate gamble for freedom. She placed it meticulously under her covers, fooling the superficial eye of the night-time guard.
Escape was a dance with darkness, every step a fraught prayer against discovery. Footfalls echoed on the sterile tiles. Christine moved, a spectral figure skirting past shadows, the nurse guiding her through labyrinthine corridors and maze-like passages. They wove through the catacombs of the asylum, each turn a step closer to the daunting task that awaited Christine – the unmasking of a pernicious conspiracy that had robbed her of her child.
Christine’s exposure to the asylum’s night had stripped her of innocence but not her spirit. The asylum, a microcosm of a corrupt system, enriched her resolve, igniting a torch of resilience that would guide her through the looming darkness. The nurse squeezed her hand in a silent promise of hope, a beacon of humanity within the walls of the institution.
As the cold, metallic door of the asylum creaked open, freedom hadn’t smelled sweeter. The air outside tasted of chilling winter and blooming resilience. It was freedom with a capital F, tinged with triumph and trepidation. Outside, the city slumbered unknowingly, oblivious to the tumultuous change that brewed beneath its tranquil surface.
With a promise of future assistance, the nurse slipped back inside, leaving Christine alone but alight with determination. She had escaped the clutches of the asylum, yet her journey towards truth was far from over. She needed to find her ally, the detective equally invested in unearthing this grave corruption, one who believed in her when no one else did.
Resurrecting their alliance, Christine and the detective delved deeper into the falsified case presented by the police captain. Through exhaustive nights and arduous days, they pieced together the disjointed puzzle, their eyes never straying from the unsightly picture of corruption and deceit.
The blow of revelation hit like a sucker punch, leaving them gasping for air amid their professing proofs. Christine’s fear had been valid. Her son was still missing, the boy returned to her only a pawn in an unsettling game of deception. A child trafficking ring, helmed by trusted leaders of their city, had woven a plot so intricate it had kept the truth under wraps.
Christine’s heart clenched, not with despair but with a renewed conviction. She knew what she must do. She had braved the abyss of loss and the stifling walls of the asylum. Now, she stood on the precipice of a potent truth, a beacon of hope for her son and the untold victims of this heinous crime.
The chapter was not a mere escape tale but a profound revelation. It outlined the turning point in a mother’s relentless search for her son, her braving institutionalized corruption, and her gallant grapple with despair. It stood testimony to a woman fueled by love and armored by courage, unwavering against a system hell-bent on burying the truth. The unfolding of this chapter promised a dramatic climax, of justice sought and truth vindicated, setting the stage for a finale that echoed Christine’s indomitable spirit.
Chapter 7: Fight for Justice
The final chapter of this tumultuous narrative embarks on Christine’s relentless pursuit for justice. It evolves from a desperate mother’s search for her lost child to a profound testament of a woman’s indomitable spirit glaring in the face of a corrupt, apathetic system.
Released from the grim confines of the institution that sought to silence her, Christine gathers the fragments of her shattered world. Alongside her is the empathetic nurse, Carol, her most significant ally in this tortuous quest for truth. With a strengthened resolve, Christine and Carol venture into the ruthless labyrinth of a city hiding secrets within its lairs.
The pair pore over muddled documents, hushed testimonies, and dubious leads, pursuing shadows of clues through the city’s underbelly. Their relentless search for answers astonishes and discomforts those who cross their paths, painting the town with the echoes of the scandal that reaches far beyond the plight of one mother’s lost son.
They decipher elaborate covers, a clandestine child trafficking operation, and a well-orchestrated network of corruption that has donned the guise of lawful authority. Fixing the puzzle pieces together, they unveil a sinister plot that stole her son and planted an imposter in his place – all to falsely claim resolution and success in a high-profile case that had the city’s anxious eyes pinned onto it.
Unraveling these threads of conspiracy, Christine finds her voice again, ringing louder and more potent than ever. She confronts the very authorities that had committed her to silence, challenging the system that was built to protect but instead perpetrated an unthinkable crime.
Meanwhile, the story of Christine’s ceaseless combat inundates the city’s consciousness. The media latch onto the narrative, and public sentiment sways in her favor. The crowd swells outside the precinct demanding answers, their chants a symphony of justice that amplifies Christine’s lone voice.
Claustrophobic under the weight of public scrutiny and inescapable evidence, Captain Jones confronts the impending downfall. The walls he built to confine the truth are crumbling; the deceptions he spun are unraveled. The city watches with bated breath as the captain’s house of cards falters, secreting the rot within.
Fighting tooth and nail, Christine finally tastes the victory that had been elusive for so long. The court pronounces the system guilty, the police captain is stripped of his badge, and an investigation into the trafficking ring is set into motion. In a teary-eyed moment, Christine stands as a beacon of hope for the oppressed, showing that even an ordinary mother’s love, courage, and perseverance can shake the very foundations of an unjust system.
But behind her victory lies a heartache that continues to throb. A mother’s ordeal is far from over; her son is still missing, his fate unknown. Yet, her triumph has ignited a beacon of hope, casting long shadows over despair. As the city is engulfed in the fire of her spirit, Christine pledges to carry on with her search, refusing to rest until her real son is found.
The novel ends on a note of melancholic triumph, a testament to her unbowed spirit, and the promise of a continued search. It leaves readers yearning for closure, yet inspired by her indomitable courage. The truth has triumphed over deception; the oppressed has risen against the oppressor, but the greatest mystery still remains unsolved – the fate of her missing son.
Christine’s story is filled with heart-wrenching despair and invincible hope, a tale of love that defies the limits of endurance. It is a chilling reminder of the corruption entrenched in the system but also a celebration of the strength of a mother’s love that can break all barriers in the quest for justice.
As the last lines fade into silence, the readers are left with an unsettling paradox: a victorious battle against corruption and an ongoing war to find her son. The haunting image of Christine pausing on her victorious battlefield, only to march ahead in search of her missing son, is an image etched deep into the readers’ hearts.
Some scenes from the movie Changeling written by A.I.
Scene 1
FADE IN:
INT. COLLINS’ HOUSE – LIVING ROOM – MORNING
CHRISTINE COLLINS, a strong and gentle woman in her late thirties, is busying herself with chores, her face a mixture of nervous anticipation and joy.
The SOUND OF CAR TIRES SCREECHING outside alerts Christine, she moves swiftly to the window. Her heartbeat resonating in the silence of the room.
EXT. COLLINS’ HOUSE – DAY – CONTINUOUS
A POLICE CAR stops outside the house. A small boy, WALTER COLLINS, 9, is sitting in the back, looking scared and unsure. Two POLICEMEN escort Walter towards the house.
Christine rushes out of the house, her face lights up with joy. She kneels down as Walter approaches.
CHRISTINE
(voice breaking)
Walter?
Walter nods hesitantly. Tears well up in Christine’s eyes as she pulls Walter into a tight hug.
INT. COLLINS’ HOUSE – KITCHEN – NIGHT
Christine and Walter are at the dinner table. Walter is silent. He pushes his food around his plate.
CHRISTINE
(eager to connect)
Remember the secret recipe of our Sunday meatloaf, Walter?
Walter looks up, puzzled, then shakes his head. Christine’s smile fades slightly. It’s the first hint of doubt.
INT. COLLINS’ HOUSE – WALTER’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Christine tucks Walter into bed. She places a STUFFED TOY next to him – an old, loved, worn-out bear. Walter looks at it, unrecognizing. Christine’s doubt deepens. She forces a smile and kisses Walter goodnight.
CHRISTINE
(concerned)
Goodnight, my brave boy.
FADE OUT.
Scene 2
INT. CHRISTINE’S HOUSE – KITCHEN – DAY
CHRISTINE COLLINS (LATE 30s, a strong yet vulnerable woman) serves lunch to the BOY (10, seemingly timid and out of place). They sit across from each other, an uncomfortable silence reigning over them.
CHRISTINE
(Yawns)
Did you sleep well, sweetheart?
BOY
(Nods)
Yes, ma’am.
CHRISTINE
(Raises an eyebrow, smiling)
Ma’am? Since when did you start calling me that?
BOY returns her smile awkwardly, says nothing.
CHRISTINE
(Hesitant)
Why don’t you write a letter to grandma? She misses you.
BOY
(Surprised)
I don’t know how to write…
Christine stares at him, dumbfounded. A moment of confusion, then dread sets in.
CUT TO:
INT. CHRISTINE’S HOUSE – BOY’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
CHRISTINE stands in front of a cluttered desk, finds an old NOTEBOOK. Flipping through pages filled with handwriting noticeably different than that of the returned BOY. She then holds up the BOY’S forgotten stuffed animal, observing it closely.
CHRISTINE
(Voice trembling)
This… this isn’t my son.
FADE OUT.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Scene 3
FADE IN:
INT. POLICE STATION – DAY
CHRISTINE COLLINS, mid 30s, breathes heavily, anxiety radiating from her eyes.
CHRISTINE
(pleading)
This is not my son. I am telling you, he is not my boy!
CAPTAIN JONES, 50s, a stern man with a hardened look, dismisses her pleas, labeling it a mother’s hysteria.
CAPTAIN JONES
(enforced calm)
Mrs. Collins, the trauma of losing your child may have affected your ability to recognize him. The doctors say it’s common.
CHRISTINE
(resolute)
You’re wrong, Captain. I know my son.
CHRISTINE pulls out a DRAWING from her purse, it’s a sketch made by her son.
CHRISTINE
(teary-eyed)
Look at this. It’s his drawing. This boy can’t even hold a crayon right, he never drew this.
Captain Jones glances at the drawing, unperturbed.
CAPTAIN JONES
(dismissive)
Enough of this Christine. We have done our part.
CHRISTINE
(emotional)
No, you haven’t. My son is still out there.
CAPTAIN JONES
(irritated)
That’s it, Mrs. Collins! We are done here.
Christine leaves the station, feeling voiceless and powerless.
FADE OUT.
Scene 4
FADE IN:
INT. ASYLUM – DAY
Christine (late 30s, desperate but strong) is led down a corridor. DR. STEIN (40s, cold, authoritative) walks beside her.
DR. STEIN
(reading from a document)
“Christine Collins, you are being committed for hysteria and delusional behavior.”
Christine glares but remains composed.
CHRISTINE
“Delusion can only reside where truth is a stranger, Doctor.”
Stein sneers, dismissive.
DR. STEIN
“Your place is here. Accept it and cooperate.”
Christine is led into a grim room. A single bed, a barred window.
EXT. ASYLUM – YARD – DAY
Christine sits alone, her eyes fixed on the high walls. Enter NURSE MARY (30s, kind, understanding).
NURSE MARY
“You don’t belong here, do you?”
Christine looks at her, tearful but fierce.
CHRISTINE
“My son doesn’t belong where he is either.”
Mary appears moved.
NURSE MARY
“I believe you, Christine Collins.”
EXT. ASYLUM – NIGHT
Christine and Mary, silhouetted against the moon, look out at the asylum walls.
CHRISTINE
“We need to get the truth out, Mary.”
MARY nods, her resolve hardening.
NURSE MARY
“Together, we will.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
FADE OUT.
Scene 5
INT. ASYLUM – DAY
CHRISTINE (late 30s, distraught but determined) is sitting alone on a worn-out bench, staring blankly at the gray walls.
Suddenly, NURSE EVELYN (mid 50s, compassionate eyes) approaches her.
EVELYN
(softly)
I’ve seen that look before… It’s a bit too sane for this place.
CHRISTINE
(pauses, looks at her)
You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.
EVELYN
(sits next to her)
Try me.
CHRISTINE hesitates, then starts narrating her tale. Evelyn listens intently, her eyes widening in shock with every revelation.
EXT. ASYLUM – NIGHT
Evelyn and Christine are seen at the far end of the garden, whispering under the pale moonlight.
CHRISTINE
(whispering)
We need to expose the truth. But, I’m locked here, and all evidence is out there.
EVELYN
(determined)
Then we expose them from the inside.
CHRISTINE
(confused)
How?
EVELYN
(smiles)
I know someone in the force. An honest cop.
CHRISTINE
(hopefully)
Can he help us?
EVELYN
(determined)
He can. And we will make sure of it.
As the night deepens, the two women continue to plot their desperate attempt to expose the truth hidden beneath the asylum’s grim walls.
