The Missing Case of Dean Norman

Scene Four

Scene changes to the classroom, fade in, we see all the students seated and the teacher taking attendance, Dean enters and looks at the class, everyone stops and looks at him

Teacher: Ah Dean come in

Dean ignores the teacher and goes to his seat, he sees the three boys looking at him in disgust. Dean sits down and gets out his school stuff from his bag. The teacher continues taking attendance until he is interrupted by a public announcement from the headmaster, Mr. Saviour, from the class speaker

Mr. Saviour: Could the three boys that caused trouble in the hallway moments ago come to my office for further questioning please

The teacher looks at the three boys and acknowledges them to leave, they stand up. Boy 1 walks up towards Dean and whispers

Boy 1: Dickhead

Teacher: Um, is there something you would like to share with the class?

Boy 1 looks at the teacher

Boy 1: No sir

Teacher: Good

Boy 1 exits, the teacher continues the attendance. Dean looks outside the window (towards the audience (if the play is in the round, Dean looks at one side of the audience)) and seems dazed and lost. A quiet high frequency sound can be heard gaining volume. As the teacher continues marking attendance, Dean's name is next on the list, the teacher starts calling his name (mimed) but Dean ignores the teacher. The teacher calls his name again but to no answer, then again, then again, then stop

Teacher: Dean?

Dean regains thought

Dean: Yes?

Teacher: Do you need some fresh air?

Dean still slightly lost

Dean: Um no, I'm fine

The teacher looks uncertain and ticks his name off the list, the other classmates giggle

Teacher: Quiet, right now...

Teacher continues adlibbing

Fadeout, sound effect of a school bell rings, students chatting, school has ended and students are leaving school, outside the school grounds, Dean enters again, not talking to anyone walking back home, suddenly one of the three boys pushes Dean on the ground

Boy 1: Not so tough now ain't ya?

Boy 1 grabs Dean by the scruff of his uniform

Boy 1: You think you're so special just because you personally know the headmaster, you know because of you me and the others have gotten detention for a week and our parents have been notified of this incident

Dean: Serves you right

Boy 1: Why you little-

Boy 1 punches Dean in the stomach, Dean moans and falls to the ground, the three boys start kicking him. After a while an old woman enters and notices the fight

Old Woman: Oi! You three

The three boys notice, stop and leave. Boy 1 looks at Dean

Boy 1: Dick

Boy 1 exits. Dean is left on the floor, he coughs up blood, regains his strength and stands up, still coughing and limping in pain. The old woman runs towards him

Old Woman: Are you okay sweetheart, do you need help

Dean: (Angry) I don't need your help! I don't need anyone's help!

Dean runs off tearing up, leaving the old woman alone, fadeout. Fade in on Arthur still typing

Arthur: After the death of Dean's father, Dean started showing symptoms that were deemed not normal, his mother tried all she could to help him but could do only so much. These symptoms were not hidden from plain sight; they could happen at random, so much so that they occurred at school. So much so that people started bullying him about his symptoms and ridiculed him. The teachers were also of no help as they used to blame his sudden changes in attitude towards behavioural problems and that he was not deemed normal. Maybe this is why he disappeared, maybe he couldn't take the stigmatization that the others were leaving on him and that had left a negative impact on him, or was it something else that made him want to disappear from the rest of society?

Fadeout