Room

Shh...

Go back to sleep.

Once upon a time, before I came,

you cried and cried

and watched TV all day,

until you were a zombie,

but then I zoomed down from heaven

through Skylight

into Room.

Whoosh-pshew!

And I was kicking you from the inside.

Boom, boom!

And then I shot out onto Rug with my eyes wide open,

and you cutt-ed the cord and said, "Hello, Jack."

Ma, I'm five!

- You are. - I'm so old now.

You're such a big boy now.

Yeah.

Good morning, lamp.

Good morning, plant.

Good morning, Eggsnake.

Good morning, rug.

Good morning, wardrobe.

Good morning, TV.

Good morning, sink.

Morning, toilet.

Morning, everyone.

Okay.

It's my birthday. I'm five.

I get it.

Take your vitamin. It's the last one.

Vitamins.

- Is bad tooth hurting? - Mm-hmm.

But you know,

mind over matter.

If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

You're right.

Hey, do you know

what we're gonna do today?

What?

We are going to bake a birthday cake.

A birthday cake?

Mm-hmm.

- Like in TV? - Mm-hmm, but for real.

No way!

The back.

Now go, one, two, three.

Four, five. One, two, three, four, five...

There you are.

I love you.

Okay, TV Off.

I'm gonna grow and grow until I'm a giant.

Look, Ma, I'm strong as Samson.

Yeah. You are.

I'm going to be Jack the Giant, Giant-Killer

and burst out of Skylight into space

with my dog, Lucky,

and boing, boing, boing to all of the planets.

Let's start with some stretch.

Great job. Great job.

Other leg, quickly.

Switch legs. Hup.

- Yeah. - I'm doing it.

- Yeah. - I'm doing...

jump, jump...

like a frog.

Feet back and then do a push-up down.

Up. Okay, time for track.

Now this wall.

Oh, I meant this wall.

Did I say this wall?

I meant this wall,

but I actually meant, I meant this wall,

and this one,

but this one needs it, too.

Yeah!

Mm.

Oh, it's a beautiful egg.

Pretty good.

Is that the batter?

That's the batter.

We're gonna add some butter, too.

How about that?

- Butter! - Urgh!

- Ho, ho! - Oh, yeah, mash that in.

Well, we got it!

Why don't you do some of that?

- Can you... handle that? - Yeah.

Abracadabra!

Now the candles!

We don't have any candles.

I know.

You said a birthday cake, for real.

That means candles on fire.

Jack...

It's okay without the candles.

It's still a birthday cake.

You should ask for candles for a Sunday Treat,

not dumb jeans.

I'm sorry.

You know, I have to ask for stuff that we really need,

stuff that he can get easily.

But Old Nick gets anything, by magic.

Why don't we try your cake?

No!

Jack.

Let's try a bite of it.

I said, no!

Come here.

Next week when I'm six,

you'd better ask for real candles.

Next year, you mean.

And Edmond tears free out of the bag,

and swims and swims to the island of Monte Cristo,

and he digs up the treasure

his friend was telling him about.

He buys a big yacht...

And sails back to France,

and when he gets there,

he decides to buy the island,

and call himself "The Count,"

and vows to take revenge

on all of the people that were mean to him.

Can we have more birthday cake?

Tomorrow.

Just a bite?

We brushed our teeth already.

One last story? Please.

Come on, Jack. It's late.

Let's go to bed.

Sing.

- Here's his jeans. - Thanks.

Grapes were way too much, so I got you canned pears.

What's that? Is it a birthday cake?

Mm.

Mm. You should have told me.

I'd have got him a present.

So, uh, how old is he anyway? Four?

Five.

One, two, three...

There's Room,

Then Outer Space,

with all the TV planets,

then Heaven.

Plant is real, but not trees.

Spiders are real,

and one time the mosquito that was sucking my blood.

But squirrels and dogs are just TV,

except Lucky.

He's my dog who might come some day.

Monsters are too big to be real,

and the sea.

TV persons are flat and made of colours.

But me and you are real.

Old Nick...

I don't know if he's real.

Maybe half.

47, 48, 49.

50, 51...

Shh...

Oh.

What is it?

It's a bad tooth.

Mm-hmm.

Can I hold it?

Wow!

You made him gone!

He was an alive thing.

He was real!

He would have stolen our food.

Mouse can have my food.

I'm not hungry.

He would have brought in germs, bit us in our sleep.

Mouse is my friend,

and you splattered him dead.

No, I didn't.

He's hunky-dory.

Are you tricking me?

No, Jack, I swear.

He is safe at home in the backyard with his Ma.

What backyard?

Mouse lives in a yard in TV?

Here, why don't you make a UFO out of this?

Why you didn't tell Old Nick it was my birthday?

Because he's not our friend.

He said he'd bring me a present.

You're not supposed to be listening to that.

You're supposed to be asleep.

I never had a present.

Well, he didn't mean it.

It might be my dog, Lucky.

Jack, we can't have a dog.

There's not enough room... space...

there's not enough space,

with the barking and the scratching.

Lucky won't scratch.

He promises.

There is no Lucky!

Yes, there is!

No, there's not.