All language subtitles for Separation.2021.720p.HDCAM.SLOTSLIGHTS

Provided by explosiveskull
https://twitter.com/kaboomskull

She'll come back. I know it.

But she won't stay for long,
so we have to be ready.

Shh.

Listen. Do you hear that?

Up there.

She's trying to give us a message.

Will you come with me, Scarlet?

But we must be quiet
or else we'll scare her away.

I swear, you know,

I have people
who talk to me about that.

Are you kidding me? That's insane.

Well, I mean…

I'm in love with these characters.
There's just details.

You know, Samantha, inspiration
comes from the strangest places, you know?

Sometimes, it's, you know, a Chaucer poem.
Sometimes it's Dr. Seuss.

Seriously.

No, well, these clearly
took so much work.

Like, I could never create
something like this.

I just don't have the imagination,
I guess.

I got to be honest, I don't even remember
drawing half of these.

- I must have been baked.
- That's insane.

I think this stuff holds up, you know.

No, it totally does.
It's awesome.

Where did you go?
Where did she go, Scarlet?

Jen?

I think she's fine.

- I mean, usually…
- She'd be crying.

Yeah. If something's wrong,
she's screaming.

Honestly,
it was a complete nightmare.

The contracts were nonsense,

and we were at the office until just now.

No, I know.

Sorry, hang on. Just…

Jeff, why does it say "final notice"
on the electric bill?

I thought you were handling that.

I'm just going to let Legal handle it.

Yeah, I'm just getting home.

- Mommy!
- Jenny!

Jesus Christ.

She should be
getting ready for bed by now.

What the hell was she doing in the attic?

She likes it up there.
You want to grab a…

That's irrelevant. I'm going to try and
stop the bleeding of our daughter's head.

- I'll get the…
- You make a wet one, I'll just…

- Here.
- Do you want to… I'll, um…

Here's the first-aid kit.

Thanks, Samantha.

Brave, brave, brave, brave.

I got it. I got it.

Maggie, I'm sorry, this is my fault.

Yeah, it is, actually.

You know, Jeff is supposedly working,

but I pay you to watch Jenny, so…

Guys, let's just be cool, please, for…
Thank you.

Why are there no Band-Aids
in the first-aid kit?

What is it exactly that you do all day?

- We're not doing this again, Maggie.
- No. I would like to know

because I know that you're meant
to be working, but I don't see the work.

- Do you even draw anymore?
- What I do all day?

- I spend time with our daughter.
- Really?

Who stays up late every night in the
vain hopes that her mother will be home

one night this week before 10:00 p.m.
and will actually speak to her.

You think it didn't kill me
to have to start working for my dad?

I would love to be home with you,
you know, making up stories, but I can't.

That's a sacrifice I make every day.

But you know what?
It's fine. I've made peace with it.

You're not special, okay?
You're just unemployed.

Um, I think I'm just…
I'm gonna go home.

I'll just see you guys tomorrow,
unless you need me to stay.

No. We're going to go
to the hospital, okay? Come on.

Maggie.

You almost forgot this.

You're not coming.

What are you talking about?
We're taking Jenny to the hospital.

Jeff, I am taking her.

What do you mean?

Goodbye, Jeff.

Divorce papers were filed
without contest from either party.

Maggie, all financial holdings
are in your name.

You're not requesting alimony
or child support,

but you are petitioning for full custody.

Could you explain
why you feel that's necessary?

Because he's incapable
of being an adult, that's why.

Let's keep it friendly.
We're all here for the same reason.

We want what's best for the child.

Which, by any unit
of conceivable measure,

is getting her as far away
from him as possible.

Shouldn't you object or something?

This isn't a courtroom, Mr. Vahn.
It's a conversation.

Then I would just like to say
that I don't think it's fair

she gets a fancy, mean negotiator
just because it's her dad.

And I don't think it's fair

that I have to worry
about my granddaughter

having her head split open
every time her mother's at work.

Mrs. Vahn believes her ex-husband

is putting the physical well-being
of their child in jeopardy.

Reckless endangerment, plain and simple.

It was an accident. I don't jeopardize
the safety of our daughter.

Maggie, come on.

Maggie claims you haven't
been gainfully employed

since working at a puppet show
nearly three years ago.

Not a puppet show.
It was actually a big deal.

Was a big deal. You're biting
on old candy there, Jeffrey.

Have been for two years.

It was a pretty successful
comic book series.

Which he created with my daughter
while living in her brownstone.

And we were making it into a pilot.

We were going to have a range of toys.

Yeah, and he blew the deal because…

Because they wanted
to take our world

and put it in a computer in CGI,
and I wasn't going to agree to that,

so we had creative differences.

He isn't capable
of paying his own mortgage,

let alone setting up
a proper home for a child.

Why are you doing this?
Why are you trying to ruin my life?

I'm not ruining your life. Jeff, I'm…

Fuck.

I know that you love Jenny.
That's not what this is about.

It's just practical.

I can afford to take care of her,
you can't.

End of story.

What is this?

Your "get out of jail free" card.

You can use it to start a new life.
That's what you want.

That's not what I want.

- It was in the middle of a crazy day.
- Which crazy?

Right.

You know, this settlement
is more than fair.

No, I get that,
but what are my chances with…

Well, how unfair
was their characterization of you?

I mean, I… You know,
I can't work in an office.

- I tried this, it's just…
- Well, then, maybe this is for the best.

Daddy!

What are you doing,
you little monster? Come here.

Are you having fun with Grandpa
in his big house

and all the Westchester idiots?

There are no playgrounds anywhere,
just golf.

Well, who needs golf when you got puppets?

- Is this all going to be over soon?
- Come on, baby.

Yeah, of course it is. It's no big deal.

Here you go.

Let's go.

You want to hang this weekend?

You got a visit scheduled for tomorrow.

Tomorrow's Wednesday,

so that's two days closer
than the weekend, so that's great news.

Hey, look, let's just go back
to our house and make dinner,

and you and me can just figure out
this whole custody thing ourselves.

It's not our house.

It's my house
that you're living in… for now.

I need to get that angle here

so you can see your beautiful mama

and your slightly less beautiful papa

and sleeping baby.

Baby sleep from… sleep for many hours.

- Sleeping for many hours.
- All in a row.

Yeah.

That's awesome.

Yeah. What a good girl.

Oh.

What do we do here?

Look at that.

So we are going to do
a social experiment.

Jenny.

Ha-ha-ha-ha!

This is God.

Please get back in your crib.

Look, she's doing…
She's doing it.

Well done.

And here we are outside Jenny's room…

Door opens and what is that? Ah!

Can you read that?
That says, "Grisly Kin."

She's out.

You got that juggler out.
She's got it.

Look at her shoes.

- She's got cool shoes.
- Yeah.

- Does Baby love Scarlet?
- Yeah.

- Baby love Mommy?
- Yeah.

Yeah. Baby love Daddy?

- Yes.
- Yes.

Baby loves Daddy.

Baby loves Mommy.

Baby loves Scarlet.

At best, you're looking
at a long, expensive legal battle…

I have a hot chocolate
for Princess Butt Kicker.

…painful for you,
painful for your daughter.

Princess Butt Kicker.

Princess Butt Kicker.

- Sorry. Hey, Jen. What do you say?
- Thank you.

- Listen to me.
- Yeah. Yeah.

I'm nearly certain
she'll still get full custody,

but if you fight this,
you stand to lose everything,

even visitation with your daughter.

Sign the contract and take the settlement.

Yeah, yeah, I get it. Okay.

Call me if you need
to talk this through…

- I'm drawing a bird.
- …all right?

Marion, Jenny's drawing a bird.
I gotta go.

I'm drawing Princess Butt Kicker.

Why did you stop?

You know when you make a picture,

and you kind of see it in your mind
how it's going to be

and sometimes you make a mistake,
but it doesn't matter?

You just fix it.

And then, sometimes, you make
a whole bunch of mistakes,

when you look at it,
the whole thing is just totally ruined,

and you realize
it's kind of just a waste of ink.

- Jeff Vahn.
- Yeah.

Holy shit. Sorry.

It's Connor, man, from college.

Oh, wow.

Uh, I didn't recognize you
with the mustache.

I know. I look like a Doobie Brother.

How are you?

Fucking fantastic, man.

Yo, I started my own
comic book company last year,

- and Stun Gun bought it.
- No way.

Yeah, I'm like a fucking mogul now.

What about you, man? What's going on?

Um, well, my wife
walked out on me last week,

and I'm here in a neutral location

trying to persuade her
not to take sole custody

of our daughter, so…

- Oh, fuck.
- Like that.

Yeah, well, I'm glad I didn't bitch about
not winning an Eisner Award this year.

Yeah, I know everybody's
got their stuff. It's…

- Right?
- Yeah, but not like…

Hey, Jenny, come meet
your long lost Uncle Connor.

What's up, Dracula?

Oh, man, she's cute.

Yo, what are you working on, man?

You've been MIA for a little bit, yeah?

Yeah, you know, I'm actually thinking
of resurrecting the Grisly Kin.

Remember these guys?

Dude, no offense,
but that ship's sailed, hasn't it?

Wow, you sound like my wife.

Hey, hey.
You should come in to my offices.

We're in Midtown. We're looking to expand.
It could be good for you.

I could introduce you to some people,
get you back in front of them.

- You know what I'm saying?
- Really?

- It could be interesting.
- Yeah?

Yeah, I mean, uh…

Oh, sorry, that is my wife.

Dun-dun-dun!

- No, no. Could I just…
- All right, yeah.

Okay, thank you. Thank you.

Hey, uh, so are you coming?

What… What are you talking about?
Where are you?

I'm in the café in Williamsburg.

For Christ's sake, Jeff,

I said the Golden Grind in Dumbo,
not Williamsburg.

I... I texted you.

Yeah, you…

I'm sure you… I'm sorry.

It's fine. My dad, he signed Jenny up
for these tennis lessons,

and now it's… Whatever.

Can you just put her on, please,

so she knows
that I'm not the asshole here?

I…

Hey, Jen, you want to talk to your mama?

- Mommy.
- Hi, baby.

Hi. Listen, I'm sorry, um,
Daddy got a little mixed up.

I'm all full of chocolate.

- You're what?
- Uh, organic or Fair Trade.

Probably both.

You want to tell Mama what we did today?

- We watched Terminator.
- You watched what?

Daddy watched Terminator.
You watched Snow White.

You know, it was kind of a classic
Jenny/Jeff sitting on the couch,

drawing, watching cartoons
kind of a situation. Right?

"I'll be back."

Oh, my God, Jeff, I can't…

So, anyway, I just ran into Connor.

He has his own label now,

and, uh, we were just talking
about working together.

He wants to get me back in the game,

and I'm going to take him up on the offer.

We're resurrecting the Grisly Kin.

Whoa, what are you…
What are you talking about, man?

I can't just relaunch
an old series of yours.

You haven't made anything
in, like, multiple years.

You just said…

Yeah, but I was talking about
doing key frames

or inking or something, man.

Inking?

Sorry, I…

Oh, that's my cue to go. Uh…

It was really good seeing you.
Be well, dude, all right?

Jeff…

It's not so easy, is it?

What?

Getting a job.

- I can get a job anytime I want.
- Christ's sake, Jeff…

Daddy, look! I can move it with my mind.

I've been trying for years

to catch you up to reality…

…but you just insist on this idea
that you are a misunderstood artist

who doesn't need to work…

…like the rest of us.

You know, that the normal rules
just don't apply.

What are these normal rules?
What are you talking about?

You won't grow up.

Grow up? What did you grow up into?

An adult.

Someone who's dependable,

who can be relied upon
by an employer or a child.

All right, I'm signing it.
I'm about to sign it.

Good. You made the right decision.

So, okay, now that's settled.
Can we talk about visitation, please?

Jeff, did you actually read the contract?

I have sole custody.

My dad's asking me
to oversee a job in Seattle.

- Seattle?
- Yeah.

You can't just…

That's not fair. I'd never see her.

Yeah, that's kind of the point.

Fuck.

You don't get it, do you?

We're not just getting
the fuck out of New York.

We're getting the fuck away from you.

Maybe I'll just reconsider
and see you in court.

Jeff, if you try anything like that,

I will make sure that you never,
ever see her again.

Do you hear me?

When do you even see Jenny?

I see her all the time.

Why do you even want custody?
Why are you doing this?

Because she is mine!

I know you painted that…

but I must tell you, I don't appreciate it
up at my daughter's wake.

That was one of Maggie's
favorite paintings.

I respectfully disagree.

Well, Jenny loves it. I know that.

Jen?

Jenny, what are you doing?

Baby is painting.

Painting like Daddy.

Why are you talking like that?

Baby painter.

Baby play.

I said stop it!

I hate you. I want Mommy back.

Uh, what am I supposed to do?

I don't know.
Maybe you should say something

to kind of un-weird the situation.

I'm going to go get her.

Uh, so, everybody, um,

just wanted to thank you all for coming,

and, um, you know, if Maggie were here,

she'd just tell you all
to make yourselves at home.

I was going to write down
some things to say,

but, well, she's the one
who would've reminded me to do that, so…

You know, she was great at all that.

Even with work, she somehow managed
to find the time to still be a great mom.

And she was a great mom.
She was a great mom.

Like, I knew Jenny's puppets' birthdays,

but Maggie was the one

who remembered
all the doctor's appointments

and, you know, got Jenny
to brush her teeth, take baths. And, um…

And, uh, the greatest thing
about Maggie was that…

this deep love that she had for Jenny.

And now I've got to do that.
I gotta do all of that.

I gotta be great.
I've got to be. For Jenny.

She remembered all
the doctor's appointments.

I said, I'm sorry.

Sorry…

Those were… kind words.

I…

Doesn't seem real.
I can't believe she's gone.

It doesn't seem fair somehow.

Except, uh, things have worked out
rather well for you.

What's that supposed to mean?

It means that 48 hours ago,
you had nothing,

and now, here you are.

I'll also tell you
something else that's unfair.

The fact that the police haven't found
a single lead to the car

or the driver that hit Margaret.

Do you even care about that?

Of course I care.

Look, it's frustrating,

but we have to let
the police do their jobs.

And what are you gonna do about Jenny?

I intend to take care of her.

We are what we do, Jeffrey,
not what we intend to do.

Look, Paul, I don't have it
all figured out, okay?

Well, I think it's important
we consider what's best for Jenny.

That's what Margaret would have wanted.

And I'd like you to think about her…

coming to spend some time with me.

I could take her for a day, a week…

even longer.

Baby loves Mommy. Scarlet.

She's got it.
Check her out. She's got it.

Look at her shoes.

Damn it!

Sorry.

Damn it!

Sorry. Sorry. No.

Still figuring out this stove here.

Hey, you wanna get some pens and draw?

Well, here's a recipe that I always ace.

Hey, can I get an order
for delivery, please?

Yeah, that's me.

Can I get two kung pao chickens,
one with no water chestnuts

because my lovely daughter
thinks they're gross,

and, uh, no peanuts
because she's allergic. Thank you.

Boom, right?

What are you doing here?

We need to talk.

Petition for custody? What is this?

I gave you a chance
to do this the easy way.

Now, we'll just let family court
make the decision for us, again.

So, what, you want to take Jenny now?

Margaret wanted to take Jenny
away from you.

Did you forget that?

It was the last thing
she wanted before she died.

Come on, man.

Now, I'm going to make sure
she gets her wish.

You can't do this, Paul.

Watch me.

You've got 72 hours.

Food's here, Jenny.

I'm just going to leave it out here
so you can grab it whenever you like.

I'm sorry if you heard any of that.

- Oh, thanks for coming.
- Sure.

Where is, uh…
Where's the little mutant?

Upstairs. She's locked herself
in her room.

- Okay.
- She shouldn't be too much trouble.

What's… What's up?
Where are you going?

I don't know. I got too much.
I got to clear my head.

Jenny?

I'm sorry, Dad. I screwed up.

Hey, it's one test. You're okay.

Trigonometry's dumb, anyway.

Call me when you get home.

- Is it Jeff?
- Yes.

- Hi. Cori, nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.

- You want to follow me?
- Yeah.

- Would you like something to drink?
- Uh, sure.

Yeah? I have VEEN Classic mineral,
or Effervescent spring.

I'll just get a water, thanks.

Crushing his brain will not work
because the only way to kill him

is with the gamma rays that gave him
his powers in the first place.

We'll talk about it later.
All right, I love you. Bye.

Sorry, it's my mom.

Good to see you. I thought I made
things weird at the coffee shop,

but I'm glad you're here. Welcome.

Mi nerd factory is su nerd factory.

Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that
because the…

You know you're always talking about
taking comics to the next level?

Yeah, trying to revolutionize
the way eyes explode.

- You ever done ayahuasca?
- Maybe, why?

So, the other night I was deep in session
traversing time and space

in the ever deepening layers
of consciousness when it hit me.

- Darkness.
- Dig it.

Yeah, now I was able to see,
but to really see a whole world

that's actually right here full of spirits
and Draculas and fucking chupacabras, man.

It was the most intense shit
I've ever seen in my life.

It blew my mind.

Now, I want to make a comic about that.

- About darkness.
- Good.

Hey. I know you, brother.

- You wrote Grisly Kin, yeah?
- Yes, I... Yeah.

Well, it's been a while.
Thought you'd gone full J.D. Salinger.

There's a dark energy about you.
Does that make any sense?

Well, his wife
was just killed in a hit-and-run.

Or ex-wife.

Oh. That might be it then.

- So this darkness…
- Yeah.

…it's moving around, right?

And, so, imagine this door
to a dimension where terror envelopes you.

Now imagine this door
is just cracked wide open and it's like,

"Well, I'm going to start killing people.

Who's going to stop me
from super mass murder?"

Now that is darkness. That's reality.

Write it.

Dude, I love you. Have I told you
that I fucking love you?

Now, how are you holding up, brother?
How's the little one?

Um… Well, she's…
It's, you know, strange.

She's doing a baby-talking thing.

Well, I'm sure
she'll be fine eventually, right?

Yeah. I hope so, yeah.

Yeah, me too.

So what'd you want to talk about?

I want to talk about a job.

Jeff, man, I told you,

I'm not interested in relaunching
your old stuff. It doesn't…

No, no, no. An inking job.

Are you sure?

I really need a job. Anything.

Okay. Well, when can you start?

Thank you.

You were gone a while.

Sorry.

Sorry. You got me.

How is she doing?

Oh, she's good.
She's been asleep for a while.

Now, how are you doing?

Good. Yeah, I'm great, actually. I, uh…

I got a job today, um,
working with the label with Connor.

Are you serious?

That's fucking rad.

Well, I mean,
they're starting me off small.

What, like a miniseries?

Um, inking, but, you know,
I can do it from home, so it's great.

I can be with Jenny, you know?

You are so much better
than inking someone else's work.

Well, thank you,

but I'm… I'm just trying to do
what's right for her.

Will you… Have you ever thought
that maybe Rivers was right?

Maybe Jenny should go stay with him
just for a little while, and you can…

What? No. No, that's
never going to happen.

Okay. No, good, I just…

I'm sure you're doing the right thing.

I'm gonna go, um, but there is pasta
in the fridge if you're hungry.

Daddy?

Hey.

What's up? Can't you sleep?

I heard something in my room.

Want me to come check on it for you?

All clear.

Come on.

Come on, I checked everywhere.

So your old man got a job today.

Does that mean Daddy's
giving Baby away to Grandpa?

No. No, Jenny, I'm never giving you away.

Kiddo, why have you
been talking like that, huh?

You're a big girl.
You don't need to use the baby words.

I'm sad, Daddy.

Yeah. Yeah, I'm sad, too.

But you know what,
it's okay to be sad, honey.

And I didn't mean what I said before.

I don't hate you.

I know you don't.

Good night, sweetie.

No, tell me why Jerry
can't get his pages in by deadline.

I mean, is the anime porn convention
already in town or what?

He…

Sorry, man, uh, Jerry broke
his drawing hand playing softball.

Jerry's bones are a reflection
of his soul... Easily broken.

It's better we found out now.

Jeff, I'm on a schedule here.

Be that as it may,
we're running out of options.

- Who do you want to use?
- Oh.

The children you have working for you
haven't experienced enough tragedy.

I need someone with a deep
understanding of misery.

These your pages?
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme.

If it isn't the man with the haunted eyes.

Good. Good.
It's really good, man.

What's that? What that?

Oh, that… Sorry.

That's not supposed to be in there.
That's just a sketch.

No, no, no. This is it.

This is pain. This is darkness.

It's really good, man.
It's like your old stuff, but better even.

Well, like I say, it's not finished.
It's just a dream. It's not…

Oh, dreams are but a pierce
in the veil, brother.

It's never just nothing.

He gets the job.

Congratulations, dude.
You're a comic book artist again.

Wait. What about the…

Go talk to Alan before that weirdo
changes his mind.

Right.

Welcome, brother.

Uh, Alan, I just wanted to say…

Shh.

So who were you in your dream?

Oh, I don't think it's me.

Oh, come on, brother.

We're everyone in our own dreams
and all that Joseph Campbell stuff.

I, um, brought some more sketches
if you want to…

Mm, show me, now.

Yes. Yeah.

Now this is darkness.

Yeah. Yeah, I need more of this.

Find the conflict. Mine the darkness.

Draw me the stuff of nightmares.

What are you watching, kiddo?

- Jeff, this is Janet.
- Hey.

The new preliminary custody hearing
has been set for next week.

I was hoping you could tell me
the old man dropped dead of a stroke

so he can stop chasing after my daughter.

Well, try to look at it as one step closer
to putting this all behind you.

Yeah, okay.

- Get back to you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
- Thank you.

What are you drawing there?

Something good? Can I see?

No. I can't show you yet.

It's all good.

You show me whenever you're ready.

Daddy!

Daddy!

Don't let it get me! Don't let it get me!

Don't let it get me! Don't let it get me!

Don't let it get me!

Daddy?

Rise and shine, Princess Jenny!

For today, I decree,

shall be filled with adventure and glee.

What is our quest?

Our quest…

It's not a quest, you stupid boy.

Our mission…

Thank you.

Our mission is to turn this sad, old house

into an adventure house.

Now, has anybody seen
a beautiful young woman

by the name of Nah?

Who's this old bag?

Oh! Oh, she's so beautiful,
she's making me feel all weak and sick.

It's only right
that I come in again.

I'm so sorry I was using the wrong name.

- Are you hungry?
- Yes.

Jenny? Miss Jenny,

I'm so sorry I was using the wrong name.

Could you…

You know, me and your mom
planted tomatoes down there,

but the squirrels kept eating them.

So you loved Mommy?

Yeah, of course I did.

Then why did you fight so much over me?

Well…

we both wanted different things,
but we both wanted you.

And we both loved you so much,
neither one of us wanted to give you up.

But I know that being your mommy
was her favorite thing in the whole world.

Wish it wouldn't get dark, Daddy.

This was the best day.

- What are you doing?
- Hey.

Well, I was just thinking about,
you know, how things are kind of weird,

life-changing and everything, and I…

Do you remember when you were very little
and you didn't like to sleep by yourself,

so we got one of those? You remember that?

You know, and then
if you were scared, or sad,

or just needed a hug or something,

and you knew that Mommy and I were close
and one of us could come check on you.

Mommy would check.

Usually, Mommy would check,
but sometimes I would check.

Anyway, I just figured
we'd give another go

and try to make you
feel extra, extra safe.

But I still saw something in here.

Hmm. Sounds like
we need to have a meeting.

Right.

All right, meeting begins.

So, tell me,

if there is a monster in here sometimes,
why is it scary?

It's a monster. Monsters are scary.

Are they though?

Look at the Grisly Kin.

They're pretty scary.

You know, they don't scare you.

Because they're my friends.

But they weren't always your friends.

So can I make friends with it?

It? Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah, of course you can.

Yeah, sure, I mean, you can't
have too many friends, right?

Besides, this is your room.

If you want the monster to leave,
you just tell it to scram.

Now you want to bounce
on the bed or the table?

- On the table.
- All right.

Now say it, "This is my room."

This is my room.

"And this is my wobbly chair
that Dad never fixed."

This is my wobbly chair
that Dad never fixed.

Yes. And what else do we have?

"This is Grandpa's
stupid puppet that he gave me

that I don't like and nobody likes

but I can't throw it away
because Grandpa would be mad."

I'm not going to keep saying
everything you say.

All right. Then we'll just say,
"This is my room."

This is my room!

- This is my room!
- This is my room!

- Cool?
- Okay, I'm cool.

You're super cool.
I'm getting rid of this.

- Hey, can you run your bath?
- Daddy, what's your favorite vegetable?

- Cauliflower.
- Mine's yellow.

Bath. Get on it, seriously.

I want to take baths at night now.

Well, it's not your decision to make.

I'm your dad and I say
when it's bath time, and it's bath time.

Mommy said I don't have to take baths
in the mornings anymore.

Mommy said?

Jenny, you can have it back after bath.

Hey, that's my property.

What is this?

That's my property.

You been in my studio?

Where'd you see this?

In my room.

How you doing, man?

Just getting some research done?

Yeah. Just getting a bit of research done.

Nice.

- May I?
- Yeah.

Yeah.

So, um…

So you really believe
in all the ghost stuff, right?

Like, you really believe in it?

I… I do. I absolutely do.

You know, um, a few years ago,
I spent a month in the woods.

I'd have tea with my granny
in the morning,

and then it was just me and the wolves.

Oh. Right. But what does that
have to do with ghosts?

Well, my granny died when I was six.

Okay. So… So, that's
kind of like our story, right?

There's a ghost?

Right. An angry soul who's trapped
in this world who can't move through.

And what does it want?

To inflict pain.

To make people suffer
the way that it suffers.

It's about the utter rage
of being trapped in the middle.

So I guess my question is,

does this entity, uh,
only want to inflict pain,

or does it also have good in it?

Well, there's no rule book, brother,

but I mean, if a spirit gets trapped
in the middle long enough,

it can get angry, even dangerous.

When it doesn't get what it wants.

You know…

life might lend us
the opportunity sometimes

to… peer behind the veil.

To see things that we can't quite explain.

I've seen things, my brother,
more than just my granny in the woods.

You've seen things, too, haven't you?

Hey, Jeff, uh, sorry.

Um, there's a guy that just came by

asking all these different questions
about you,

like, if you really work here
and all this stuff.

Who is it?

I don't know 'cause
he wouldn't give me a name.

But he was definitely, like, old and rich.

Hey!

Hey.

Who the hell do you think you are?

I make no apologies when it pertains
to the well-being of my granddaughter.

Don't come into my job.

I'm not sure a glorified
coloring book maker qualifies as a job.

I am a working artist.

We'll see how long that lasts, son.

I'm not your son, Paul.

You know, we've got some
lovely schools in Westchester.

Jenny will love it.

Fuck you!

See? How do you expect to control a child
when you can't even control yourself?

I'm taking my granddaughter.

You can't have her.

Did you know there were no signs
the car that hit Maggie slowed down,

no signs of braking?

What's that supposed to mean?

It means I don't think
my daughter's death was an accident.

I've been looking into the matter,

and I'm going to find
the son of a bitch who killed her.

And, uh…

I'd watch what you do from now on.

I certainly will.

See you at the hearing.

Stay away from me and my daughter.

Yeah, when Rivers called,
I just hung up.

He's just trying to rattle you.
He wants to make you give up.

Well, it's working.

Now, I'm sorry, I…

You didn't need to get dragged
into all of this.

Mad Hatter.

Sometimes I think
we're making some progress

and then I feel the hurt

that all this is causing her and I…

It's not fair, right?

Maybe I was wrong.

Maybe she would be happier
in the suburbs with him.

Wait, are you seriously considering that?

I mean, that's what you thought at first,
that's what you thought was best for her,

so maybe you were right.

Oh, hey, check it out.

These guys are doing
some really amazing stuff.

They're like Maus meets Frank Frazetta.

Oh, cool.

Hey, Jenny, be careful.

Come on, Jenny, let's go.

The puppets! I want to stay.

Jenny, come on.

Anyway, honestly, you are way better
than any of their artists.

They would probably give you
your own comic.

And I could ink for you.

Just go over there, kick the door down,
show them how it's done?

Yeah. They'd be lucky to have you.

You can do anything, Jeff.

Not really. I mean, I'm not 25 anymore.

But no, you're better.

Come on, you're twice the artist
that you used to be.

You know, everybody knows,
men just get better with age.

Jenny?

I want a story.

Well, girls who brush their teeth
get stories.

Up you go.

I need a drink.

I wonder about this place, you know?
A lot of memories for Jen.

Maybe that's not great.

Have you thought about,
like, leaving New York?

If I get custody, you mean.

I don't know where I'd even go.

Oh, dude, there's so many places,
like LA. Nope.

Oh, Portland is amazing.

Um, Berlin.

I don't really have anything going on.

I could just come with
and help out with Jen.

Well, I don't know.
I feel like a change that big

might be a little drastic for her.

Oh. Honestly, I moved, like, five times
before I was even her age.

I have to admit, we'd make
kind of the perfect couple.

- Oh.
- Uh…

Uh… I think you got the wrong idea.

- Jeff, I'm sorry, I…
- That's not…

- No, it's okay. No, it's okay.
- Oh, my God. Um…

Story time, Daddy!

Okay, just coming.

- It's okay.
- No, it's not.

God, I'm sorry. I gotta go.
I'll… I'll see you later.

You know what, I feel
like you're becoming my best friend.

So what do you want to do?

Do you like to draw?

So do you know the puppets' names?

No?

So the first one's Loretta,
second one's Scarlet

and then we have Elizabeth
and Butch and Max.

We have his brother Keepers and Javier.

You know what, I missed you.

Come over here.

Let's just draw.

Now, where you hiding, kiddo?

Boo!

All right. You got me.

I missed you today.

I missed you too.

Come on, bedtime for real now.

Auntie Sam said
that you were in the attic today,

which I thought we agreed
was out of bounds.

Plus, it was locked,
so how did you get up there?

She let me in.

- Samantha did?
- No.

Not Samantha.

My new friend.

Does your new friend have a name?

Where do you think Mommy is now?

Well, she was raised Catholic,
so she's in heaven.

No. You know, where is Mommy?

Well, that's kind of tricky.

Is she up there?

Uh…

Yeah, I mean, you know, way up there.

I mean, is she here?

Yeah, sweetie, she's here,
and she's watching over you.

Every day and every night.

All right? Sleep well.

Good morning.

There's no way a job is worth
waking up this early.

Hey, about last night, I'm really sorry.

No, no, no, no, it was nothing.

- So, about Jen…
- How's she holding up?

Better, you know. She's still doing
the talking-to-herself thing. So…

Well, at least she's talking
to somebody, right?

Right.

I think it would be weirder
if she was acting normal.

Yeah. Totally.

It's absolutely diabolical.

I love it.

I mean, is that a friendly presence,
or is it there to destroy her?

And why?

What is that thing?

No, I want to see it more,
bring it out of the shadows.

When do I get my pages?

Uh, I'm actually ahead of schedule,

but I just want you to have
everything at the same time

so I can show you the whole work.

Another comic book diva's born.

This man is mining
the cavernous depths of his soul.

Two days. New pages. My desk.

What?

Reminds me of a tale I once heard
around the campfire

about aboriginal spirits that,
like, hang around, you know?

No, I don't know.

Well, these spirits,
they, like, hop into a doll,

or a house, or an aging Brooklynite.

And they won't leave.

Why not?

Well, maybe they got killed
hunting an emu or whatever

and they get stuck reliving
the same moment, you know?

Got to find the emu. Got to kill the emu.

Got to burn down the whole village.

That's why they can't let go or move on.

You okay?

Yeah…

That! Yeah, that's what I want.

Whatever you're thinking
or feeling right now,

that's what I want on the page.

Hey.

What are you doing down here?

Jenny?

Jenny. You know you're not
supposed to be up there.

- Your dad specifically said...
- She won't stay for long.

She'll come back so we have to be ready.

Shh. Listen.

Jenny?

Shh.

My mom takes care of all that.

Jenny, come on.

Come on, open up. This isn't funny.

Come up and play.

Jenny, I don't like it up there.
Come on down.

Just come up, Samantha.

You know you're not supposed
to be up there. Come on.

Hey.

What's, uh… What's going on?

I just…

Your daughter officially hates me.

- Hates you? What…
- Well, she…

Well, she was, um…

She was, you know… She was playing
in the attic without telling me…

Man, I told her not to go, so…

And it's just…

It's like she'd rather hang out
with her imaginary friend

than hang out with me.

- No, it's not you, it's just…
- Yeah.

Do you ever think that maybe this house…

isn't good for her, I mean…

It's just, there's a lot of memories.

Did something happen?

I just... I felt something up there
with her

and it was… it was strange.

It was really strange,
and she was strange.

It was…

It was probably nothing. I don't know.

It was… Just forget it.

I just… Hey, I got, um…

I got the first season
of Bionic Six online.

Do you wanna get high
and watch cartoons?

Um… I better not, you know?

Are you sure?

Yeah.

All right.

Man, you used to be fun.

I know.

Oh, no.

I know what I want you to read.

Why? Huh? Why did you do it?

Baby didn't do it.

- Stop it! Stop talking like that.
- I didn't do it.

You have to understand
I could lose my job over this,

which would mean I would lose you.

You didn't want me anyway.

What? Jenny, you…

Why did you sign me over to Mommy?

You were going to let Mommy
take me away and never see me.

Jenny, who told you that?

I'm not supposed to tell.

Who told you that?

Mommy did.

Alan, I'm sorry,
I'll catch up the work.

Right.

So the little one, she your suspect?

Yeah.

Bless her.

Fucking hell, brother.

I'll show you something.

Things at home have been strange.

I don't show her my work, not that stuff.

She said she saw something in her room.

So, uh, you and your ex,
you fought a lot when she was alive.

Held onto grudges.

Your little girl caught
between the two of you.

I think you know what's happening.

PTSD, imaginary friend…

I mean, call it what you want, brother,

but this isn't just part
of some bloody coping mechanism.

- It's your ex-wife. She's still here.
- Come on.

- And she's here for a reason.
- This is crazy.

Is it?

Now, don't you see? She's in your head.
Your little girl too.

And she's trying to drive a wedge
between you two.

She still wants her child.

She wants your daughter,
and she is dangerous.

- She's still her mother.
- Not anymore, she's not.

She's a restless soul gone sour,
all twisted because of how she died.

- And she's not going to stop.
- Christ.

What am I supposed to do?

You need to talk to her.
You need to speak to your wife

before something very bad happens.

How?

You ever taken, uh, ayahuasca?

You have to be mindful of this

and you need to do this in a safe space.

You need to punch a hole through reality
and meet her where she is.

Somewhere in the middle.

I don't know.

You need to make peace with her.

Thanks for coming over.

Yeah, I mean, free dinner. Why wouldn't I?

So I spoke to a school today.

It's upstate a little,

but they said if Jenny wants
to start next week,

she can join in with the new semester.

- Really?
- Yeah.

I mean, you know, I can work remotely

and just come to the city
whenever I'm needed.

Hmm. Out of the city?

- I think it's time, you know?
- Yeah.

And I guess we're not
going to need you so much.

Oh. Believe it or not, I do have a life
outside of this job, so I will be fine.

You need to eat something.
You look kind of anxious.

Um…

You remember when you said
you saw something in the attic?

Yeah.

What I'm kind of saying is,

- I felt it, too, you know?
- Right.

I don't know, but if there is something
going on with this house…

And if there is something, I…

Jen? You okay?

Jenny? You choking?

Come on, just spit it out.
Spit it out, baby.

- Is she all right?
- She's choking, hold on.

All right. Okay, all right, here we go.

No, no, no, she's having
an allergic reaction.

- Get the EpiPen for me. In the drawer.
- Okay.

- Okay?
- Yeah.

All right, you're okay.
Come on, breathe, baby.

Come on, right there. It's in the drawer.

I don't… I just don't see it.

Okay, just call 911,
I have another one in my bag. Hold on.

I got one in my bag.

- You calling?
- I can't find my phone.

Breathe, breathe, breathe.
Come on, Jenny, breathe.

You got this, baby. Come on, look at me.

Jenny, come on, breathe, goddamn it!

You're the father?

Yeah, that's my daughter, Jenny.
It's my house.

I understand there was an accident,
she was injured.

Can you tell me about that?

We ordered Chinese food.
She can't eat peanuts. She's allergic.

I don't know what happened.
I looked around, she's blue in the face.

Hi, Jenny, I'm Officer Rossi.
You feeling a little better?

- Hold your hand here.
- Yeah?

- That's very good.
- Ouch!

Ooh. Does that hurt a little?

Okay. So my friend is going
to talk to your dad, okay?

Pitt.

I'm taking her upstairs.
Something ain't right.

You want to show me your favorite toy?

She's fine. They're just talking
for a moment. Just take a seat.

I don't need to sit down.
I'll be right there, babe.

What... What is going on?

- Nothing. Just protocol.
- What do you mean, protocol?

Sir, if you can stay calm,
I'll explain what's happening.

I'm completely calm.
There was an accident.

When there is suspicion
of abuse in a home,

we are required by law
to check it out, that's all.

Abuse? What are you talking about, abuse?

We saw some marks on your daughter,

so my partner's just going to ask her
a few questions.

She was choking. I gave her
the Heimlich maneuver. Maybe she…

Then there's nothing to worry about.

Sure you don't want to go to the hospital?

Yeah, I'm sure. I was just freaked out.

All right. Just take it easy.

Thank you.

Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?

So, we're almost done here,
sweetie, okay?

You shouldn't touch that.

Oops, sorry.

Are you afraid something's
going to happen if I touch it?

Will your dad get mad?

No, not Daddy.

Okay, well, I'm going to go down
and talk to your father.

Are you all right?

Okay.

- Where's my granddaughter?
- As far as allergies, your daughter…

Where's my granddaughter?

What have you done now?

What is he doing here?

'Cause we needed to speak
to another family member,

and we couldn't find her mother.

Well, you can speak to me.

Her mother was killed in a car accident.

Oh.

'Cause your daughter said
that she was murdered.

She said that?

Then I felt sick.

But I feel better now.

I miss you.

Please don't do anything bad, Mommy.

Jeff!

We have the custody hearing tomorrow.

Well, then, I'm going to recommend
that the child stay elsewhere tonight,

and then you can straighten
all this out tomorrow.

We need to make a decision, Jeffrey.

I want you to take her.

I'd like Jenny to stay with you tonight.

I think it would be good for her
to get out of this house.

Wow. Yes, of course.

Ma'am? Please wait!

Jeff, we need to get out of here
right now. We need to go…

Sam, just take a minute.

All right?
Can we talk, please?

Excuse us.

What we talked about earlier, you know?

It's real.
There's something here.

I can feel it, Jeff. It's bad.

I think it's something evil.
I think it's her.

It's Maggie. She's still here.
She's doing all of this.

And just now in your bedroom,
she was there.

- And she tried to kill me.
- Just calm down.

She's jealous of me or something.
And she's never going to let you win.

And I know I sound crazy,
but I'm not crazy.

You don't… I don't think you're crazy.

I just think you need to go home.

Jeff, you can't…
you can't stay here alone. It's not safe.

You've had a rough night, okay?

And I need you to go home
and get some sleep.

- Can you get her home?
- Jeff…

- We can take her.
- Please, Jeff, it's not safe.

Get some rest now.

Okay.

Jenny, are you okay?

Yeah, I just ate some bad food.

Come here, baby.

You're going to stay
with Grandpa tonight, okay?

Why?

'Cause I got to clear everything up
in here. It's a mess. All right?

Anyway, I'm going to see him tomorrow,
so I'll see you right after.

You really talked to Mom, huh?

Yeah.

She's really in this house?

Yeah.

All right. I'll see you tomorrow.

I love you, kiddo.

Maggie?

Are you there?

I'm not trying to start a fight.

I just don't want anyone else to get hurt.

Can… Can you…

Can you give me a sign?

Maggie, you were always
a better parent than I.

And… I don't know what to do.

This is not you, okay?

You hurt Samantha and I'm scared
that you're going to hurt Jenny too.

Maggie?

Maggie?

Is that you?

I know you love her,
but this isn't you.

You aren't yourself.

Why are you still here?

Fuck.

Why are you still here?

You don't get it, do you?
Because she is mine!

You have to let her go. Maggie, please.

Hello?

It's time to hear from you, Mr. Vahn.

I'm not perfect.

In fact, I'm mostly a failure.

If I'm honest, my life didn't turn out
the way that I thought it would.

My one success is Jenny.

And yes, I could have been a better father

while Maggie was still alive,
I realize that.

But my little girl
has been through so much

since her mama died,

and it's more than she deserves.

Jenny and I are working
through it together

and I'm trying harder at that

than I've ever tried
at anything in my life,

but I will not give her up.

Paul, I know that you want
the best for her too.

And that is why we are moving upstate

so she can be nearer her grandfather.

I've made all the arrangements
with the school,

but, Paul, I just need your blessing
to sell the brownstone.

I can't bring Maggie back.

I can't bring your daughter back,

but that is not a good enough reason
to take mine.

Jenny already lost one parent.

Don't put her through that again.

The mediator made his assessment.
I won't challenge.

I just hope we can put all this behind us.

Oh, we will.

Well, I, uh… I may have
some more good news.

We may have found the car
that hit Maggie.

Well, that's great.

Well, until it's confirmed,
it's only a matter of time

before the registration
leads us to the driver.

We're very close.

Paul, just please tell me
if you hear anything.

I'll bring Jenny to your door
within the hour.

We can discuss a strategy

for selling the property.

Thanks, Paul. Hey.

- Congratulations.
- Yeah, we did it.

Oh, my… It's so amazing.
I'm so happy for you.

- Yeah, thank you, thank you so much.
- I'm… I'm sorry.

Don't worry, don't worry about it.
I'm just glad everyone's okay.

Listen, can you meet
my father-in-law at the house

with Jenny in an hour? I can't make it.

- Yeah. Sure.
- Great. Okay, thanks.

Well, I have to pack.

I want to thank you for doing this.

Oh, it's no problem.
I have to return my key, anyway.

Jenny, you want some help?

This is why I don't work
with college grads, man.

Exactly. And I told him I don't give
a goddamn what the characters are saying

as long as they're saying it
jumping out of an airplane, right?

Exactly. Make it happen.

Congrats, buddy.

- Thanks, man.
- Yeah.

Only one tiny piece of bad news
is we're moving upstate,

but I still want to work for you,
just from home.

Oh, you're going to work from home, cool.

I don't know why I pay for offices anymore

'cause everybody just wants to work
with their pants off.

Yes?

I'll look at it now. Send.

We're moving to a new house.

What am I going to pack?

Alan. Alan, come here.
Announcement time.

This tall drink of water is leaving us.

Moving to hipsturbia.

Ah, I'm happy to hear that, man.

Sounds like you got all your affairs
in order at home, huh?

Yeah.

Well, gentlemen and, uh, gentlewoman.

Glad you're all here.

Um, drumroll, please.

And there she is.

Oh, awesome.

- Looks great, huh?
- That's fantastic.

My God.

- Love it, guys.
- Yep.

Ah, it's such a shame

we only got one book out of it though.

Jeffrey, call me.

I'm forwarding an email to you.

You know what?
I think I want to change the ending.

Ending? They confronted the evil.

They locked it in the tower.
It's done, brother.

Come on, guys. You know this.

A malevolent spirit like this is not just
going to go away 'cause you asked nicely.

It might pretend to,

but only till it can get another chance
to get what it wants.

She'll be back in the second issue,
only stronger.

Where's your daughter?

Jenny?

Paul. Paul, listen to me.

Paul, I need you to get Jenny
and get out of the house.

Listen to me. It is not safe in the house.

Did you get the email I sent you?
The driver...

Oh, come on.

Jenny? Open the door.

What was that sound?

Can you go around, buddy?

- What's happening?
- I don't know.

What's happening?

I'm scared.

Jenny?

Jenny!

Oh, shit. Paul?

Jenny!

Please hurry.

Just hold…

- Hey, Samantha!
- Oh, no.

You want to… You want to see?
You want me to… You're sending me.

- Sam.
- Let me see.

Jeff?
Jeff, we need to get out of here.

Jeff, Jeff…

- Jeff, what are you doing?
- Jane Silvermore?

- We need to go. Jenny?
- Jane Silvermore?

I don't know where Jenny is.
I can't find her.

- Jane Silvermore?
- What? We got to go!

The woman who hit Maggie with her car.

What are you… What are you talking about?

- It's you.
- Oh.

Jeff, I did you a favor.

Maggie was going to take
everything from you. Remember?

Jeff…

don't look at me like that.

You tried to poison Jenny.
You tried to kill my daughter?

Don't look at me like that!

You have any idea how long
I had to watch her wear you down?

Stuck-up trust-fund bitch!

You're so brilliant, Jeff.

You're so full of fire.

I brought that out of you.

Maggie just wanted to suck
the life out of you.

You and her and that little brat.

I thought maybe Jenny
should go be with her mommy.

But I know, Jeff. Jeff, I was wrong.

She should be with us.

We can be a family.

A better family.

After everything I've done for you,
the least you can do is say something!

Goodbye, Samantha.

Jeff?

No.

Please, Jeff.

Help!

Mommy, no!

Jenny?

Jenny, honey, I need you to come down
from there, okay, sweetie?

Maggie? Jenny was our child,
but she's my child now!

You don't get to take her.

Stop!

I don't like it when you fight.

It's all you do.

You don't know how to take care of me.

Neither of you.

You're right. I'm sorry.

I just want my mommy and daddy.

Just… Just hold on tight, okay?

Hold on real tight. I'm coming.

I'm coming. Stay where you are.

Hold on.

Here you go.

Easy. Okay?

Daddy!

I'm sorry.

Mommy.

We fell.

Yeah. Yeah, honey, we did.

Are you hurt?

I'm fine.

Ah.

Did Mommy save us?

Is it over?

Yeah, it's over.

Is Grandpa okay?

Well, he will be.

Is Mommy gone now?

Yeah, honey, she's gone.

I'm sorry.

I'm here.

Provided by explosiveskull
https://twitter.com/kaboomskull

Sorry, honey,
I didn't mean to wake you.

You go back to sleep.