Episode 2 level 3
It’s raining, the girls (Hannah, Julie and Emily) are outside the concert venue. At the entrance there
is a signpost saying: “COMPETITION FOR EMERGING BANDS”. They are meant to start playing in
ten minutes’ time.
HANNAH (loud) We’ve worked so hard for this… it’s so unfair! I’m giving him another 15
minutes to get here… I hope that he has a bloody good excuse…
otherwise I’ll yell at him so loudly that people will hear me miles away…
are you really sure that torture is illegal??
EMILY (laughs) I think he can already hear you now, wherever he is… but he’s too scared
to come here and face you! And by the way, no, torture is not legal!
JULIE You’re right, when Hannah screams like that she’s really scary. And we
should start playing in ten minutes, not fifteen…
EMILY I’m really starting to panic… where is he? What could have happened to
him?
HANNAH I’m worried too… why hasn’t he contacted us if he’s been having
problems? I can’t believe he’s being so irresponsible…
JULIE Even if things go wrong today, that’s not going to be the end of the band...
Let’s just try to figure out where he might be...
(Chris and Amir reach the girls)
AMIR Hannah, you should become a singer! Your sweet voice can be heard
from quite a distance!
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Episode 2 level 3
HANNAH I’ll try to take that as a compliment…
CHRIS Hey Hannah, hey Emily. Julie. I spoke to John, he has no idea where
Benny could be. He’s starting to get really worried. Has he got in touch
with you? From Hannah’s tone of voice I would say he hasn’t... What
about the Concert?
HANNAH Concert? We can forget about it ... it’s too late now… we weren’t destined
to become the most famous and richest band in the world today… We’ll
have to live with it…
AMIR Hannah, keep cool. Everything will be just fine. You’ll have another
chance, trust me.
HANNAH Do you want to bet on it? Of course we’ll make it sooner or later, with our
talent!!
CHRIS By the way, Julie, did you manage to do what you had to?
JULIE (embarrassed) Well, yes, it wasn’t really important.
EMILY What did John tell you?”
CHRIS He couldn’t really help us any further. He actually doesn’t know much
about his son’s private life…
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Episode 2 level 3
HANNAH That’s typical of Benny… he lets everybody think he’s ok, that he doesn’t
have any problems… blah, blah, blah… he makes me really mad… he’s
so stubborn!!!
AMIR Just like all the Monster Mice… is it an entrance requirement to get into
the band?
CHRIS TO AMIR It’s the most important one…
HANNAH What?? Haven’t you got anything better to do Amir? I’m really annoyed,
nobody understands me! What’s going to happen to our band?
AMIR Hannah, if your music career really doesn’t take off, I think you could have
an even brighter one as an actress. Trust me, I know what I’m talking
about. A marvellous future is waiting for you out there!
Hannah’s phone rings, it is the event organizer
ORGANIZER
(it is just a voice) Where are you? You’re due on in less than five minutes!
HANNAH I’m sorry, a member of the band hasn’t turned up yet…
ORGANIZER Pardon?? There are 150 people waiting to hear you play! Why didn’t you
(angry, talking loud) tell me?
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Episode 2 level 3
HANNAH Yes, but…
ORGANIZER No buts! There was a deadline and you should have respected it! You
(angrier) could at least have let me know!
HANNAH Yes, but…
ORGANIZER Don’t even tell me that you’ve made a mistake, don’t you realize how
(angrier) many people have been working on this and how difficult it is to organize
a concert?
HANNAH Yes, but let me explain,…
ORGANIZER
What is there to explain? We had an agreement and you haven’t
respected your side of it.
HANNAH Yes, but a member of our band isn’t here and we…
ORGANIZER Oh, sorry… a member of your band isn’t here… I’m really sorry…
(voice getting louder and louder) And did you just find out now that he or
she wasn’t coming?
HANNAH Well…
ORGANIZER All right then, I want you here on stage in five minutes.
(sharp)
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Episode 2 level 3
HANNAH That’s impossible! Please give us another…
ORGANIZER We have an agreement!
HANNAH I’m so-rry b-ut th-e li-ne is b-ad…
ORGANIZER Don’t you dare use that trick on me!
HANNAH Sor-ry bu-t I c-an’t he-ar you a-nym-ore…goodbye!
HANNAH When I find Benny, I’ll kill him.
(hangs up and adds)
CHRIS Well, you managed to be very convincing on the phone!
AMIR Now I know how you manage to avoid writing articles you don’t like at
work ……. …
HANNAH The trick is to improvise and take the other person by surprise!
(self-satisfied)
AMIR Does it work the other way round? If you want to make someone do
something, for example?
HANNAH Of course!
AMIR Would you like to come out to dinner with me?
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Episode 2 level 3
(to Chris)
CHRIS But where could Benny be?
(thoughtful)
HANNAH Playing dumb is another winning technique!
(to Amir)
AMIR She’s lost in her thoughts… but we’ll go out, eventually…
(talking to himself)
Improvise and surprise… I’ll have to remember…
EMILY And what shall we do now?
HANNAH Shall we keep looking for him?
EMILY I’ll try to call our friends again…
JULIE I think I’ll go to the pub Benny normally goes to…
THE BOSS Worry lines on your forehead, clouds in your head. Chris, what are you
worrying about? Is it a problem with work or does it have something to
do with those weird comic books?
CHRIS I’m sorry, Boss. It’s about... about Benny.
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Episode 2 level 3
THE BOSS I’ve heard some rumours and I’ve spoken to John, who is really worried.
..
AMIR Yes, he is… This morning we didn’t even fight about the croissant with
chocolate cream… he didn’t tease Hannah, he didn’t talk about the
victory of the Mysterycove Sea Lions…
CHRIS Did they really win?
AMIR Yes, a player from the other team scored an own goal… And he didn’t
even tell me the latest gossip, as he usually does every morning, until at
least 9.30…
THE BOSS But what’s happened to Benny?
CHRIS He’s disappeared. Nobody can find him. He hasn’t called, and he’s not
at home or at the university. His band, I mean, his and Hannah’s
band…
:
THE BOSS Monster Mice? They play a very strange kind of music… rather
eccentric… I think that’s the right word to describe it…
AMIR Really eccentric…
CHRIS They missed a performance because he didn’t turn up. And everybody
says he’s always been a reliable person.
THE BOSS You say he’s disappeared? Isn’t he at the university?
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Episode 2 level 3
CHRIS No, which is pretty odd... He should be working for his department and
he’s got exams coming up soon, too. It’s as if he’s been swallowed by
the earth. We’re all worried that something bad might have happened to
him.
THE BOSS I know Benny a little, but not very well ... He’s a good lad. He had a
rather difficult childhood. No, difficult is not the right word... It’s just that
he didn’t get enough attention from his parents ………….. they both
work too much, or at least they definitely did when he was a kid.
CHRIS My parents both worked as well, so we didn’t spend much time
together. But I have to say that when we were together as a family, at
the weekends, or on holiday for example, we really made the most of it
and enjoyed ourselves to the full. So I have wonderful family memories!
Didn’t anybody else look after him when he was a child?
THE BOSS His Grandmother brought him up. Her name is Carol and she used to
go to the same English Literature club as I did. I think she’s a kind-
hearted person,… She loves her grandson more than anything else.
CHRIS Where does she live?
THE BOSS She used to live on the Lake District. I haven’t heard from her for a long
time… good old times, when I was young and carefree…
AMIR Oh, come on, Boss… you’re still young and carefree!
CHRIS I see.
(thoughtful)
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Episode 2 level 3
THE BOSS I beg your pardon?
CHRIS No, I just meant: couldn’t he have gone to visit her?
AMIR Who are you talking about?
CHRIS His grandmother. Maybe he’s with his grandmother Carol right now.
THE BOSS That’s possible, but I don’t think so… if Carol found out that Benny had
work to do and exams to study for... she would send him back to
Mysterycove right away...
She taught him discipline and responsibility, she certainly wouldn’t have
approved of him neglecting his duties to go visit her.
CHRIS I see.
THE BOSS Yes... Benny wouldn’t miss his exams, although he adores his
grandmother. And as far as I know from John, she’s in good health.
CHRIS Maybe he’s got into some kind of trouble. Desmond’s weird behaviour,
those expensive comic books... there’s something fishy going on ....
THE BOSS Chris, you shouldn’t worry too much. Benny is a good lad. He wouldn’t
get into any trouble with the law, believe me, I know him.
HANNAH Wow, it’s incredible how alike the Grisham twins are! But what did
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Episode 2 level 3
Eddy want exactly?
CHRIS He came here on an official visit…
HANNAH Really? Here at the editorial office? What did he want? Did Amir steal
John’s chocolate? I saw the wrapper on his desk…
CHRIS It’s because of an alleged theft. I was questioned. Dr Mustermann,
Benny’s boss, has reported a theft.
HANNAH Her jewellery? (laughs). No, seriously: what’s been stolen?
CHRIS I’ve no idea. Something in her office. Eddy didn’t tell me. I don’t think
she suspects me, but she had to tell the police that I had gone talk to
her and I had asked about Benny. But why do I always get involved in
these investigations?
HANNAH You can be sure of one thing: you’ll never die of boredom in this
office! (laughs).
CHRIS Being questioned by the police is not so funny.
HANNAH You’re right, it’s not funny at all, but it would have been even less
funny if they had suspected you of being the thief... and even less
funny if they had arrested you and taken you away ... and even less
funny if you had to spend the next ten years in prison, and...
CHRIS Ok, I’ve got it!
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Episode 2 level 3
HANNAH What could have been stolen?
CHRIS I’ve no idea... Hannah, we’ve got to find out what’s going on.
HANNAH What could have been stolen? An expensive mobile phone? A laptop
maybe? Some research results? An article written by Dr
Mustermann? A secret formula she’s worked out? Who knows…
Maybe she’s having an affair with another member of staff, and now
she’s being blackmailed…people would do anything for money… or to
get a good mark…
CHRIS I don’t know… something has disappeared from Dr Mustermann’s
office…
HANNAH And that’s not all! Anything or anyone close to that woman has started
disappearing! Look what’s happened to Benny!
CHRIS Do you mean there’s a link between Benny and the stolen object?
HANNAH I don’t mean anything… I’m just saying she seems to make things
disappear…
CHRIS Uhm… maybe what you’re saying is not so stupid… Benny
disappears, something is stolen from Dr Mustermann’s office… Benny
works for Dr Mustermann, Desmond doesn’t want to be recognized
and says he doesn’t know Benny. The comic books cost 400
pounds… It could all be connected.
HANNAH But anybody could have stolen whatever it is, even you or me! You
shouldn’t read all those detective stories, they’re really not good for
you! And then you shouldn’t complain when the police ask you all
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those questions!
CHRIS You’re right, but we’re here, and Benny isn’t… What could be the
reason?
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