- 8 minutes ago
Mom, Please Trust Me One Last Time
Category
π₯
Short filmTranscript
00:00My mom calls me a liar. She's called me that since birth, but I don't actually tell lies.
00:05It's because of this on my ankle. A lie detector ankle monitor.
00:08Mom is obsessed with scientific parenting. She strapped these on me and my twin Zoe.
00:13Green light means truth. Red light means lie. Zoe's light is always green. She's the perfect child.
00:21A jolt of electricity shot through my ankle. I groaned, the pen slipping from my hand.
00:27Mom!
00:30Mom entered the room. Her teeth clenched, eyes red-rimmed.
00:33Turned red again.
00:35Mom glanced at me coldly, slamming the scientific parenting guide she was holding onto the table.
00:39What's the act for? You're only worthy to eat when the green light is on.
00:44My stomach churned acid reflux. I saw Zoe secretly laughing at the table. Her ankle was forever shrouded in a
00:51green glow.
00:52I saw Zoe rudging through the bedside table yesterday.
00:55Zoe hugged her mother.
00:57Mom! I'm just going to get some water.
01:00Her ankle was a blindingly green.
01:03My darling's ankle is blowing green.
01:06How could she lie?
01:08I stared at the red light on my ankle. It was like an ugly heart ready to burst.
01:13Mom stroked Zoe's head.
01:15That's science.
01:18Lies glow, Ava. You'll never learn.
01:22The New Year's bells began to toll in the distance.
01:25She sneaked out at night to date, said used condoms were just a prank by others.
01:30Mom! That's my friend's Ewer's joke!
01:32Her ankle always glows bright green. It's pure truth.
01:36But for me...
01:38Mom, I'm hungry.
01:40Beep! Red light!
01:41The monitor's electric shock stung me.
01:44Then, Mom would punish me for the red light.
01:46Her punishments are brutal.
01:48When that red light hits, I'm locked away.
01:51No food, no school, no phone.
01:54Just me and four empty walls.
01:57The machine doesn't lie, Ava.
01:59Ava, I want these punishments to teach you how to be honest.
02:02I'm doing this for your own good.
02:05For 14 years, I believed her.
02:07I thought my own blood was dishonest.
02:09But then...
02:10New Year's Eve, everything started to fall apart.
02:14New Year's Eve, everything started to fall apart.
02:17Mom was getting Zoe ready for Times Square.
02:19We're going to see the New Year's fireworks.
02:21Suddenly, a sharp pain hit me.
02:24It felt like knives in my stomach.
02:25I collapsed onto the floor.
02:27Everything hurt so much.
02:29Mom, help me!
02:30I'm in pain!
02:31The monitor flashed a cold red light.
02:34Mom looked down at me with disgust.
02:36Nice try, Ava.
02:37Faking sick to ruin our night?
02:39You're delusional.
02:40She grabbed Zoe's hand and walked out.
02:42I wanted to scream for help.
02:44But a voice inside said she was right.
02:46The light is red.
02:47I must be lying.
02:49I'm not actually sick.
02:52Sorry, Mom.
02:53I won't lie again.
02:54But the pain only got worse.
02:56It was unbearable.
02:58Suddenly, someone opened the door.
03:00Suddenly, someone opened the door.
03:02I thought Mom was back.
03:03She's a doctor.
03:04She can fix this.
03:06Hurry up!
03:07The fireworks are starting!
03:08Please.
03:09I feel so sick.
03:12Zola is waiting outside.
03:14I think I'm dying.
03:15She looked at my ankle monitor.
03:17Red light, flashing like crazy.
03:19She knelt and grabbed my chin.
03:22How much longer, Ava?
03:23Can't you just stop lying?
03:25Stay here until you learn your lesson.
03:27Dad walked over and asked...
03:30Honey, should we leave her some food?
03:32Food?
03:33She stole so much money.
03:35Her school boyfriends can pay for her too.
03:38She shoved me away in disgust.
03:39She wiped her hands like I was filled.
03:40She won't go hungry.
03:43Lock the door.
03:44We'll talk when the light turns green.
03:46But...
03:47But what?
03:48You're too soft on her.
03:50Look at Zoe.
03:51Her light is always green.
03:53Ava is just a delusional liar.
03:55She needs strict discipline.
03:58But Mom was wrong from the start.
03:59I never stole anything.
04:01Zoe stole the money.
04:02Zoe always sneaks out to date.
04:04I tried to fight back before.
04:06I didn't take it!
04:08The light still flashed red.
04:10I was locked up for three days.
04:12Nothing but dry bread and water.
04:14Zoe peeked from behind the door.
04:15She rolled her eyes and gave me the finger.
04:18Bye-bye, weepy beach!
04:20We're going to the fireworks!
04:23The door slammed shut.
04:25The house fell silent.
04:26I was all alone.
04:28The pain was unbearable.
04:29But I kept thinking.
04:30Mom is right.
04:31The monitor on my ankle doesn't lie.
04:33It's flashing red.
04:35So, I must be lying.
04:37I'm not actually sick.
04:38I don't feel any pain.
04:39I crawled back to my desk.
04:41I had to write my apologies.
04:43That was Mom's rule.
04:44If the light is red, I write I am a liar 1,000 times.
04:49I am a liar.
04:50I am a liar.
04:51I opened a thick stack of notebooks.
04:53Every single page was filled with my apologies.
04:55But this time, I wanted to write the truth.
04:58My vision started to blur.
05:00Everything went dark.
05:01My hand kept shaking as I wrote,
05:03Mom, I really love you.
05:05It really hurts.
05:07Why won't you believe me?
05:08Just believe me this once.
05:10As I wrote the final word, the pain finally stopped.
05:14Everything felt light.
05:16I felt free.
05:17I looked down.
05:18I was floating in the air and slumped over that desk.
05:21Was my lifeless body.
05:23The monitor was still on my ankle, flashing that cold, heartless red light.
05:27Turns out, I was already dead.
05:31I heard laughter behind the door.
05:32Mom, Dad, and Zoe, they were back at the front door.
05:35The fireworks were amazing today.
05:38Especially the smiley face one.
05:40It looked just like our little Zoe.
05:42Mom's voice sounded so warm.
05:44She never spoke to me like that.
05:46Mom.
05:47I tried to take their coats.
05:49I did this every single day.
05:51I tried to hug her.
05:52But my arms went right through her.
05:57I only touched thin air.
05:59She shivered from the cold.
06:01Why is it so frozen here?
06:03Is the heat even on?
06:05I stood there, frozen.
06:08I looked at my transparent hands.
06:10That's right.
06:10The dead can't touch the living.
06:12Should we check on Ava?
06:14She hasn't eaten anything.
06:16If Mom finds out I'm dead,
06:19will she be heartbroken?
06:21Will she regret how she treated me?
06:23She opened my bedroom door.
06:25What she saw made her gasp.
06:27She opened my bedroom door.
06:29Still mad at me?
06:30Do you think I'll carry you to bed?
06:32Ava, you're 14 years old.
06:34Not a six-year-old child.
06:35Mom, I'm not kidding.
06:37I'm already dead.
06:39Look at me.
06:40Touch my body.
06:42I'm already cold and stiff.
06:44Zoe slipped into the room.
06:46She showed off her ankle monitor.
06:47Look, mine is still green.
06:49Ava's is still flashing red.
06:51She's even lying in her sleep.
06:52Mom patted Zoe's head.
06:54You're my good girl.
06:56Ignore your liar sister.
06:57Let her sleep at her desk.
06:59Maybe she'll learn her lesson.
07:00Dad sighed.
07:01Should we at least put her in bed?
07:03It's freezing in here.
07:05Carry her to bed.
07:06The experts say we must be strict.
07:08Look at that red light.
07:10She's a headache even when she's asleep.
07:11Let's go.
07:12We're seeing grandma tomorrow.
07:13The door slammed shut again.
07:15I floated back to my body.
07:17I stared at the only red light in the dark.
07:20Mom, if you just stepped closer, if you just touched my hand, you'd feel how ice cold I am.
07:26But you did nothing.
07:28A mouse crawled out from the corner.
07:30Before, I would have screamed and run away.
07:32But now, I'm just a floating ghost.
07:34I just watched it crawl over my body.
07:36It took a bite of my finger.
07:38It's okay.
07:38You'll never feel pain again.
07:40It's finally over.
07:42The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window.
07:44But it couldn't warm my cold body.
07:47In the kitchen, I heard mom making breakfast.
07:49The smell of pancakes drifted in.
07:51That was always my favorite.
07:53But mom said,
07:53Liars don't get treats.
07:55You only got leftovers.
07:57She clattered the dishes around me.
07:59She was trying to force me out.
08:01She wanted me to beg for forgiveness.
08:02To apologize for things I never did.
08:05In the past, I would have given in.
08:07But now, I'll never be hungry again.
08:10Is Ava still in her room?
08:12Is Ava still in her room?
08:14He didn't even look up from his paper.
08:16Mom slammed a plate down.
08:19That girl is so stubborn.
08:21If she doesn't eat, I don't care.
08:23Zoe walked to my door.
08:24She sniffed the air and made a face.
08:26Then she started screaming.
08:28Mom, it smells gross here.
08:30Did she poop on the floor?
08:32Mom rushed over and pounded on the door.
08:34Ava!
08:35Are you an animal?
08:36The bathroom is right there.
08:38Are you doing this just to spite me?
08:40I remember when I was seven.
08:42I had food poisoning.
08:43I couldn't make it to the bathroom.
08:45Pooped on my pants.
08:46Mom didn't help me clean up.
08:47Instead, she made me stand in the yard.
08:49She let all the neighbors see my mess.
08:51Look at her.
08:52She's disgusting.
08:53She can't even use a toilet.
08:55Now, she thinks I'm a dirty child again.
08:57Just leave her alone.
08:58She waved her hand like she was shooing a fly.
09:01Let her rot in her own filth.
09:03But Dad finally stood up.
09:05He frowned at my bedroom door.
09:06That smell is way too strong.
09:08I need to see what's going on.
09:10Maybe it's a dead rat or something.
09:12Dad, please!
09:13Open the door!
09:15I'm right there!
09:18I waved my transparent arms hopelessly.
09:20Dad reached for the doorknob.
09:22Dad reached for the doorknob.
09:23His phone rang.
09:24Dad hurried to answer it.
09:26What?
09:26The warehouse is flooded?
09:28Fine, I'm on my way.
09:29Dad hung up the phone.
09:31Honey, there's an emergency at work.
09:32I have to go out of town for a few days.
09:34Wait, what about Ava?
09:36But Dad was already out the door.
09:38If that call had been a few seconds later, they would have found me.
09:42Maybe I wouldn't have to rot alone here.
09:44That afternoon, Mom took Zoe shopping.
09:47The house was empty, except for my body.
09:49When they came back that night, they had bags of steak and cloths.
09:54The smell in the house was getting worse.
09:56Mom gagged as she walked in.
09:57Hey, Ava, are you trying to kill us with this smell?
10:01She didn't even want to open my door.
10:03She grabbed a roll of duct tape.
10:05If you want to be stinky, then fine!
10:08Don't ruin my house!
10:11Stay in your own filth!
10:12She sealed every gap around my door.
10:15She looked at the taped door with satisfaction.
10:17Then she went to cook a steak dinner.
10:19I stood there by the taped-up door.
10:21My last bit of hope for my mother vanished with that tape.
10:27By the third day after I died, even the tape couldn't hide the smell of a corpse.
10:32Mom bought a huge bunch of fresh flowers.
10:35She tried to drown out the scent with perfume.
10:38But the smell of death was everywhere.
10:43Rotten, greasy, the metallic smell of blood.
10:46She was careless while cutting the roses.
10:49A thorn pricked her finger.
10:50She slammed the flowers onto the floor.
10:54Ava!
10:55Mom grabbed a kitchen knife.
10:57She stormed toward my door.
10:58I've had enough!
10:59You disgusting little jerk!
11:01It's time you learned what a beating feels like!
11:03I started to cry.
11:05Mom, don't go in.
11:07Please.
11:09My body is rotting.
11:14It's going to haunt you.
11:17Even though she never loved me.
11:18I didn't want her to see me like that.
11:20But she ripped off the tape.
11:23She unlocked my door.
11:24Bang!
11:25The door flew open.
11:26The stench hit her like a grenade.
11:28She stumbled back, gagging.
11:30Ava!
11:31What on earth are you doing?
11:33I'm slumped over the desk.
11:35Still as a statue for three days.
11:37Perfectly motionless.
11:39To her, this is just another silent protest.
11:43Are you deaf?
11:44Still playing dead?
11:45She's blinded by pure rage.
11:47She raises the kitchen knife.
11:49She wants to look me in the eye.
11:51Get up!
11:52She grabs the back of my collar.
11:54Her fingers dig into my neck.
11:56Then she freezes.
11:57Time stands still.
11:59She doesn't feel warm skin.
12:00Instead, she feels something hard.
12:02Like a slab of frozen meat.
12:04It's a bone-chilling cold.
12:06There is no life left.
12:09She's confused.
12:10But she pulls hard.
12:12My body is stiff like a statue.
12:14I topple backward.
12:15The chair hits the floor.
12:16Thud.
12:28And finally, my messy hair covered my face.
12:32Dried blood and foam stained my lips.
12:34On my blackened ankle, that lie detector cuff still hangs there.
12:38The skin is charred and blackened by shocks.
12:40The rubber has melted into my very flesh.
12:44No more flashes of red.
12:46No more flickers of green.
12:47Only the heavy, hollow silence of death remains.
12:51Thud.
12:52My notebook slides across the cold floor.
12:55It comes to rest right at mother's feet.
12:57The jagged, messy handwriting cuts like a blade.
13:01Mom.
13:01My stomach.
13:03It really hurts.
13:04The monitor is broken.
13:06I'm telling the truth.
13:07Please, don't shock me anymore.
13:09A horrific, soul-ripping scream shatters the air.
13:12Dream.
13:13Mother recoils, slamming into the bookshelf.
13:16Lies and shouts in the rain.
13:18Lies and shouts in the rain.
13:19No.
13:20This can't be real.
13:21You're acting, Ava.
13:23This is just another one of your tricks.
13:26Get up right now.
13:27I'm not even angry anymore.
13:28She reaches out, her fingers trembling, as she tries to rouse me.
13:32But my skin is a hollow, biting frost.
13:35She drifts back as if the cold itself had burned her.
13:37The wail of sirens drowns out.
13:40Flickering emergency lights dance morbidly across my pale remains.
13:45Mother is a frantic mess, babbling to the officers.
13:49She's faking!
13:50She's been a liar her whole life!
13:53The machine doesn't lie!
13:54It never lies!
13:56The medical examiner's thighs, attempting to shift my weight, but the ankle monitor has
14:01become one with my body.
14:03Damn it!
14:04She tears the stubborn rubber from my cooling flesh.
14:07Even as a ghost, I feel my soul shudder in agony.
14:11The lead officer retrieves my notebook from the dust.
14:13His face drains of color, replaced by a cold fury.
14:17Mother lunges forward, her eyes wild with desperation.
14:21That's her confession!
14:22She admitted everything there!
14:24The officer shoves her back with a cold, firm hand.
14:27Dad rushes through the door, only to freeze at the sight of the black body bag.
14:31He collapses, his dignity vanishing in a pool of his own fear.
14:35My little sister sits here in the first corner.
14:39Mom, why is Ava's ankle monitor so dark?
14:42Look!
14:43Mine is still green!
14:45The green light pulses softly in the dim hallway.
14:47What cruel irony.
14:49Mother is spiraling into a frantic, jagged desperation.
14:52Check the monitor!
14:54It proves everything!
14:57I only shocked her when it turned red!
15:01That wasn't abuse!
15:02That was discipline!
15:06Driven by a delusional need to prove she isn't a killer,
15:09she makes a move born of pure insanity.
15:13I'll wear it myself.
15:14I'll show you how it works!
15:15She snatches up the monitor, still stained with my drying blood.
15:18She forces the cold metal onto her own ankle.
15:22Click!
15:23My blood smears across her skin like a silent accusation.
15:27Mother takes a jagged, trembling breath.
15:29My name is Ellie.
15:31I am Ava's mother.
15:33It is the absolute, undeniable truth.
15:37And yet, a piercing, mechanical shriek shatters the room.
15:42The red light explodes into life.
15:44It's a blinding, visceral crimson, the color of fresh blood.
15:49It glares back at her like a vengeful eye.
15:52Mother freezes.
15:53The smug confidence on her face turns to stone.
15:56She frantically bangs on the ankle monitor.
15:58Is it broken?
15:59What's happening?
16:00I'm telling the truth!
16:01My name is Ellie!
16:02Panic starts to claw at her throat.
16:05The medical examiner must have broken it!
16:07Let me try again.
16:08Just one more time!
16:10She swallows hard, her voice cracking as she screams.
16:13I never abused my daughter.
16:16Everything I did was for her own good.
16:19I love her!
16:21The red light pulses like a frantic heartbeat.
16:24Her pulse is racing too fast, triggering the safety protocol.
16:30Mother shudders as the electricity tears through her.
16:33She gasps.
16:33It hurts.
16:34Even that tiny shock sends chills down her spine.
16:38She remembers when I was 10.
16:40She turned it to the maximum setting.
16:42I had curled into a ball on the cold floor.
16:45I bit my lip until it bled, just so I wouldn't scream.
16:48Only now, as she trembles on the floor, does she finally know it really hurts that much.
16:55Mother loses it completely.
16:58Why is it red?
17:00Why?
17:00I'm telling the truth!
17:01Turn green!
17:02Turn green!
17:03You stupid machine!
17:04You're framing me!
17:06But the light just keeps pulsing a frantic, mocking crimson.
17:09It says,
17:11Liar.
17:12Liar.
17:13Liar.
17:13Enough!
17:14Stop trying.
17:15You're only making it worse.
17:16He slams a technical manual onto the table.
17:18This thing isn't a lie detector.
17:20It never was.
17:21It's a biometric heart rate monitor.
17:23Red doesn't mean lie.
17:24Red means fear, pain, anxiety.
17:27Now your heart is racing because you're terrified.
17:30Of course, it's red.
17:31He leans in, his shadow looming over her.
17:35Think about your daughter, Ava.
17:37She had a ruptured appendix.
17:38Do you have any idea what that feels like?
17:40It is an agonizing internal torture.
17:42She was dying in front of you!
17:44But in your eyes, the more she suffered, the more you thought she was lying.
17:47So you cranked up the voltage.
17:49Pain made the light burn brighter, and the light made you shock her harder.
17:52You literally electrocuted her to death because she was in pain.
17:57Mother's entire world shatters into silence.
17:59Mother screams in agony.
18:01She claws at the monitor.
18:03Get it off!
18:04Take it off me!
18:05I'm not a liar!
18:07I'm not!
18:08The lock is jammed tight.
18:10It's fused to her skin forever.
18:11It won't budge!
18:13I can't breathe!
18:14Ava!
18:15Stop this!
18:16I was wrong!
18:17It hurts!
18:19It hurts too much!
18:20Can't handle the pain, Mom?
18:22I endured this for 14 years.
18:24The officer opens my diary.
18:2714 years of blood and tears.
18:29Her voice is soft but heavy.
18:31February 14th.
18:33Sunny.
18:34Mom gave me celery.
18:35I'm allergic.
18:36My throat swelled up.
18:37No air.
18:38I was terrified.
18:38My heart raced.
18:39The red light turned on.
18:40Mom called me a liar.
18:42She forced me to eat it all.
18:43I threw up blood that night.
18:44She thought it was tomato juice.
18:45She shocked me 10 more minutes.
18:48Mother begins to shake uncontrollably.
18:50She never even looked at me.
18:52It wasn't juice.
18:53It was blood.
18:54The officer turns the page.
18:56June 1st.
18:57Children's Day.
18:58Zoe ruined Mom's favorite dress.
19:00Zoe was calm.
19:01Her light stayed green.
19:02I was terrified.
19:03Mine was solid red.
19:05Mom shocked me at level 5.
19:06I didn't dare to cry.
19:08Crying makes my heart beat faster.
19:09Then she would shock me harder.
19:11Dad can't take it anymore.
19:13The man who ignored me for years.
19:15He hits Mom across the face.
19:17You monster!
19:18He screams.
19:19That was your daughter.
19:20Not an animal.
19:21It was Zoe.
19:22It was Zoe's fault.
19:23Her light was always green.
19:25I trusted that light.
19:27The police walk toward my sister.
19:31They rip off her green monitor.
19:33They crack it open with a screwdriver.
19:38Crack.
19:39No sensors.
19:41No heart monitor.
19:42Just two cheap light bulbs and a couple of batteries.
19:46It's wired to stay green forever.
19:49It's a $2 plastic toy.
19:51Π½Π° 10-acreζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζζοΏ½
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