The Silence of the Frogs Lockie Leonard

# Worlds away from anyone

# They were burning themselves out in the sun

# Worlds away from anyone

# They were burning themselves out in the sun

# There was just enough to get that far away

# Ooh... #

'Night-time here is usually when Mother Nature gets together

'for a jam session.

'Tonight, her loudest members packed their instruments away.

'When things get this quiet, you think about things

'you don't want to think about.

'Like your best friend kissing your girlfriend.

'And with so many thoughts in your head, you can't sleep.

'I wasn't the only one.

'Egg couldn't take it any more. He decided he needed to be punished,

'and so, like Mother Nature's band,

'he packed away his instrument too.'

No more air guitar.

-Lockie. How come you can't tickle yourself?

-What?

You can't tickle yourself. If someone else tickles you, it's ticklish,

-but if you try to do it yourself, it doesn't work.

-Go to sleep.

'Phillip and me weren't the only Leonards keeping vampire hours.'

Things to do tomorrow. Iron the breakfast, fold the bed,

change the kids' lunch, send Cyril off to school,

tie up Phillip to eat grass... What else?

I think you've got it covered, Joy.

'And as for Cyril...'

'Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, twenty...

'Um... Er...

'One, two, three...'

"Insomnia is the inability to sleep, commonly caused by worry,

-"loud noise..."

-Noise? You can erase that theory.

It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

"Other causes include bright light and caffeine."

Caffeine?

Maybe it was the cola chicken last night.

STOMACH GURGLES

What do you think I am? I feed my family caffeine-free casseroles.

Sorry, Joy. It was a beautiful dish.

-Very inventive.

-STOMACH GURGLES

These are due back at the library.

Read it.

Read it.

-Read it.

-Read it.

-Ribbit.

-Ribbit.

Ribbit.

-Ribbit.

-Ribbit.

That's it!

We can't sleep cos of the frogs.

Their croaking helps send us to sleep at night.

Now they've gone quiet, we've become insomniacs.

And to think their croaking used to

keep us awake at first!

FROGS CROAK

But the question remains.

What is causing the silence of the frogs?

Good question, Sarge. But it will be answered.

MOSQUITO BUZZES

THWACK!

'Phillip wasn't the only one on a mission.

'Vicki was determined to forget the kiss happened.

'Convincing Egg was another matter.'

I have to tell Lockie it was my fault.

-No, you don't.

-My dad's the rev.

Confessing is in my blood. If we're honest about it...

Nothing happened. If we tell him,

he'll stop being friends with both of us.

Is that what you want?

'All right, come on, Lock.

'Nothing has to change if no-one mentions it.

'They're your friends.

'Just act nice and normal.'

Hi, guys.

-A picnic. What a great idea.

-Yeah, with kites.

-Ah.

-Something we've never done.

-It's not weird

-or anything?

-No.

Totally normal.

I thought it'd be fun, try something active.

But Lockie,

-there's something I need to tell you.

-Good, eh?

Isn't this fun?

'It wasn't just the frogs who were silent.

'With Vicki's sandwiches, we kept the truth hidden

'as long as we could.'

The frogs are still here, just silent.

STOMACH GURGLES

Sorry. Perhaps the frogs are responding to

a negative change in their environments.

So we need to give them something new to react to.

-Something worth croaking about.

-Exactly.

"Oh, magnificent creatures of the swamp.

"What is it that you seek? A little shady place to hide

"from the dreaded wing or beak?

"A lily pad is sure to offer the safest place to jump.

"Or perhaps the soft, damp mud

"will call to lure you from your stump.

"And won't you treat us to your song,

"as your chimes are like a spell?

"So we can rest our heads again and know that all will be well."

Never mind, Sarge.

At least your mother's responding well to the sudden change.

We need to get the frogs croaking.

If their mouths are shut...

-..they're not catching mosquitoes.

-Exactly.

MOSQUITO BUZZES

'While things at home were getting quieter,

'things at school were getting weirder.'

OK. Today we're going to try something different.

It's called silent music.

It's all about imagining the music rather than playing it.

This group will be on violins,

and this group cello.

Egg, you'll be on air guitar.

I don't want to play air guitar.

Maybe I can play the air triangle?

Stop what you're doing and listen very, very carefully.

It's come to my attention that

Ms Archer was callously and heartlessly

locked in her room last week...

Help! Help! Help!

..and the culprit is still at large amongst us.

But don't be afraid, my little sparrows.

Justice is imminent.

'Egg's guilt levels were at an all-time high.

'He had to do something.'

I have a confession.

-No, you don't.

-Yes, I do.

-No, you don't.

-I do.

It was me. I locked Ms Archer in the music room.

Oh, that!

Yeah, I suppose you might have done that.

See?

-It's in my blood.

-'At last,

'Egg told the truth.

'Well, part of it.'

FROG CROAKS

Why does one frog croak and no others? It doesn't make any sense.

It defies all natural amphibious tribal behaviour. Hmm.

There's nothing to show that the oxygen levels aren't normal.

Maybe it's mystical.

Right. Yes. What do we need to measure mystical?

Like the great silence of 1856.

The great silence?

It's not in any history books. Nobody spoke or wrote about it.

But I remember it well.

That started with the frogs.

-They stopped croaking.

-Yeah?

-Dogs stopped barking,

cats didn't miaow, birds stopped chirping, it was

like a contagious disease.

So what happened? How did the silence get broken?

That's the strangest thing of all. I can't remember.

Shall we have a chocolate crackle?

'Like Marjorie warned, nothing was safe from the silence.

-'Even Ms Archer's bell.'

-BELL RATTLES

THUD!

-Oh, I'm so sorry. Are you OK?

-Yes. It was totally my fault.

My bell wouldn't ring. I really ought to have it, er... Seen to.

BOTH: As long as the recorder's OK.

Lemon chicken.

I love lemon chicken.

-Me too!

-What a coincidence!

-I should have it again.

Some time soon.

When do you think that one day might be?

When I'm hungry, I suppose.

Perhaps even tomorrow night?

So, er, what time do you usually find yourself hungry?

Around seven.

That's interesting.

Well...

And again, I'm so sorry. If there's anything I can do...

I'll see you soon?

-Perhaps?

-Yes. Perhaps you will.

What are you doing here? I thought you hated surfing.

'Vicki feared Egg would go on confessing.'

How about on Friday, we have lemon chicken at the Chinese restaurant?

Just you and me - my shout.

But I thought you wanted to do more active things.

Yeah, well, all that eating will keep us busy.

-Lockie!

-Hey, Egg.

-Hi.

-I hear you got detention.

It was stupid. It's not the only stupid thing I've done lately.

-Lockie, last week at the eclipse...

-Egg...

-..I kissed Vicki.

'The truth had started to come out.

-'And apparently...'

-CROAKING

'..it was something worth croaking about.'

I'm so sorry, Lockie. It was all my fault.

-Right. It was totally Egg's fault.

-It didn't mean anything.

-It was like kissing my brother.

-If I had a brother - just like that.

As a personal punishment, I banned myself from guitar - all forms -

real, air, or shower.

I know that withdrawal's hard, but it's what I have to do.

'All right, Lockie.

'Time to tell some truths of your own.'

Guys,

I know.

I saw you at the eclipse, and I understand. It's no big deal.

-'Cue more frogs croaking.'

-SILENCE

'But the frogs knew better.'

You knew all this time and you didn't say anything?

I didn't want anything to change.

-You're not angry...at all?

-No. Why would I be?

I can't take it any more. Kick me. If I could kick myself, I would.

I'm not going to kick you. It didn't mean anything, so why make a fuss?

'I'd told the truth and forgiven my friends.'

Come on.

'Everything was back to how it was before. The silence of the frogs

'could officially end.

'But it didn't, because some of us weren't telling the whole truth.'

Where are you going?

Nowhere.

Somewhere. With no-one in particular.

Well...

someone...I think.

It's an apology, with lemon chicken.

Trust me - apologies are overrated.

So...how do I look? Is this colour me?

Who's this apology to?

Ms Archer.

Ms Archer? As in my music teacher

-Ms Archer?

-I can cancel if you prefer.

You can go on an apology with anyone you like.

'Neither of them were being completely honest,

'and they both knew it.

'Back at our house, there was still no talking.

'We were all too tired to communicate.'

MOSQUITOES WHINE

CHINESE MUSIC PLAYS

'We've all heard of blind dates.

'But a date that was completely silent?'

BOWL RINGS

BOWL RINGS

SHE TAPS FOUR TIMES

HE TAPS FIVE TIMES

THEY TAP TOGETHER

'Despite their inability to speak, Rev and Ms Archer found

'a unique way to communicate.'

'At least Vicki and I were back to normal.'

How weird is it that someone else kissed me, that wasn't you?

I told you. I totally understand.

How long were you planning on not telling me you knew? For ever?

-Have I done something wrong?

-No. Do you think I have?

-Are you mad at me?

-Why would I be mad at you?

It was Egg's fault.

-He's the one with the problem.

-I guess so.

-If anyone needs help,

it's him.

-Do you want to help Egg?

-Yeah, totally.

It's what friends are for, right?

We need to get him back to being Egg.

Make him happy. That way, all of us can be happy.

I'd like us to be happy.

OK. Well, I'll help you to help Egg.

-Great.

-Have you got any ideas?

None. It's hard to help someone serving 23 years of detention.

Hey, I've got an idea.

'Vicki's plan was dangerous, cunning,

'ruthless, and exactly what we needed.'

Lockie!

HE GRUNTS

-I thought he was on yard duty.

-Hurry up!

FEEDBACK WHINES

ROCK GUITAR PLAYS OVER TANNOY

# You know you're the one they need

# Yeah, won't you be the one?

# Yeah, you got no reason to be late this time

# Oh, you only got the time

# Oh, oh, you've got to see yourselves again, again,

# Oh, whoa... #

GUITAR SOLO

'OK, so it was slightly against the rules...'

You three - get down now!

'But it was worth getting detention

'to get things back to the way they used to be.

'Not that there weren't consequences.'

We need to talk to you downstairs, young lady - presto, pronto.

You know we're going to have to ground you for that incident today.

Right after lemon chicken. All right?

Sarge, I'm busting! TOILET FLUSHES

'Mum's cola chicken was still causing Sarge trouble.'

Wouldn't go in there if I were you, son.

STOMACH GURGLES

Argh!

-KNOCKING

-I'll get it!

-What's wrong?

-My dad's sending me off to boarding school.

He's been looking for any excuse, and after today, he got one.

HORN TOOTS

I've got to go.

-Now?

-ANGRY HOOTING

If I'm not there for assembly tomorrow, I lose my place.

I'm sorry.

-You can't go.

-Try telling my dad.

-HOOTING

-Vicki...wait.

-Is there something you want to say first?

-No. I mean...

HOOTING

I've got to go.

Vic, stop.

'And then the words just came -

'how I really felt all along, what I needed to say, the honest truth.'

I hated seeing you and Egg kiss.

I don't want you to kiss anyone else but me, ever. Except maybe your mum.

-I promise I'll only ever kiss you, Lockie Leonard.

-Me too.

-You know what I mean.

-Always have.

I have to go.

'I'd never felt so close to Vicki, just at the moment she was leaving.'

Wait!

LIQUID SPLASHES

ZIP ZIPS

FROGS CROAK

'And it was only then, when the whole truth was out,

'that the frogs started croaking again.'

Vicki! Your flowers!

She forgot her flowers.

THEY BOTH SIGH

'I didn't know it then,

'but at the same time I spoke the truth to Vicki,

'the Rev admitted the hard truth to Egg.'

It was a successful apology,

except for the fact it was really a date - a proper, enjoyable date.

And...there may be some more.

'Now the truth was out there, the frogs were back on song,

'and Mum could finally put away the mosquito repellent.

'Even Cyril was happy. Meanwhile,

'Phillip had his own theory.'

I came up with a formula consisting of water,

creatinine, potassium and a few other compounds.

-Just did the trick, I guess.

-Hmm.

-Hey, Lockie...

-Hey.

-Want to give it another go?

-Yeah, sure.

-I don't know, Lock,

-it doesn't feel the same without Vicki.

-That's cos it's not the same.

Well, we'll see her during the holidays.

And absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Although the jury's still out on that one.

I reckon we'll get these suckers up this time.

By the time Vicki gets back, we'll be pro.

'Then, out of nowhere, it came to me. I knew what we both needed.'

Ow!

-What was that for?

-You asked me to. Begged me to. Remember?

Oh, yeah.

# Where did I go wrong?

# Where did I go wrong? #

'Without Vicki, things were going to be different from now on.'

FROGS CROAK IN CHORUS

'But at least some things were back as they were.'

CACOPHONY OF CROAKING

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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