[curtains open to a dimly lit scene, as it is evidently the middle of the night. A garden shed stands in the left side, and near to the right wing there's a car. There's a coffin centre stage, Margaret, Roger, Ellie and Millicent are each standing at a corner of the coffin - obviously not an expensive one, the sort of thing made with planks of wood hammered together in about five minutes, wearing funeral clothes but not looking very sad. Margaret steps forward.]

Margaret: As her mother, I wish her beauty in the afterlife.

Roger: As her father, I wish her grace in the afterlife.

Ellie: As her teacher, I wish her intelligence in the afterlife.

Millicent: As her neighbour, I wish her friendship in the afterlife.

[the four adults get up and take a cloth, and lay it over the coffin, a little too roughly. Margaret, looking vexed, steps forwards again]

Margaret: She was a good child, forever beautiful. Like a mermaid. [announces a little too loudly to the other adults] Gets it off me.

Roger: I wished the child grace, as she was forever graceful in this world.

Ellie: She always was the intelligent one in the classroom, always sitting on her own, always knowing the answers too questions.. Quite the smart apple. Rather like I was at her age.

Millicent: She was a good friend to Amanda. She told me she was always kind and generous, forever thinking of everyone else other than herself. [glares, plainly saying that she disagrees with her statement]

[The adults all get up and turn their backs on the coffin, leaving it in the middle of the garden, heading into a small building at the back, spread with food. They all grab a plate and begin to eat.]

Ellie: Good things about funerals! The lovely food you always get!

Roger: Funeral? Funerals are places of mourning. [almost looks sad over loss of his daughter, but greed in his eyes give away his character]

Millicent: Aye, this isn't really mourning. More of a celebration. Hey, how about we make this Amanda's birthday celebration? Her birthday is only in a few weeks!

Margaret: [whispers] Shush, you sound like you're speaking ill of the dead! [speaks up] There are a few problems with your suggestion, Millicent. For one, Amanda isn't here.

Millicent: I could go and get her.

Ellie: Leave her. Amanda was always her friend, she won't want to celebrate.

Roger: Well, it can be her celebration! She doesn't have to know! After all, who's going to tell her?

Ellie: Yeah, no one's gonna have to tell her. Hey, now she doesn't need a birthday!

Margaret: Wouldn't she get suspicious of that?

Millicent: Probably. But does it really matter? They're all just kids, not worth bothering about.

Roger: You always seemed so affectionate with her.

Millicent: Yeah, well are you gonna tell a kid you hate her? You don't love her and act like you never wanted her and all that other stuff? Be realistic.

Roger: Well, we told Gemma.

Margaret: But she minded. Ah well. We were only telling her the truth. What harm can that do? It was always there; the only thing was that she knew of it.

Ellie: Actually, I think Millicent gets rather a kick out of lying to her daughter.

[Everyone turns to Millicent]

Margaret: Is that true?

Millicent: Well, it is rather fun. Oh, but don't mention this to her, will you?

Margaret, Ellie, Roger: Of course we won't!

Roger: Yes. I think Amanda's insecure as it is, without her knowing this.

Ellie: Quite right.

Millicent: Anyway, we don't want anyone going into that garden do we? It might look a tad suspicious.

Margaret: Agreed. What are we going to do with it.

Roger: [grins, wicked glint in his eyes, beckons everyone in. Everyone crowds in as Roger whispers the plan to them] Well, you see, what's going to happen is. [furious whispers, cut in by odd giggles coming from the women every now and then] Okay?

Margaret: Rather!

Millicent: Definitely! What a wicked plan.

Ellie: Woah, never thought you'd be good at the planning, but, blimey, you're good.

Roger: Thank you. [mock bows] Anyway, hadn't we better be going?

Millicent: Oh yes, we simply have no time to waste.

[All go to the coffin, pick it up and put it in the boot of the car, which is taken off stage by backstage helpers, although it appears to be being driven off. Curtains close, and a small child comes on for an interloop. The girl sidles forward]

Amanda: [to the audience] I didn't know what had happened, but I saw her being bungled off. I saw her be placed in the coffin; I saw them speak. I saw them drive off. I saw not only the true facts, but also the true nature of everyone. I saw things that would haunt anyone, drive anyone insane. I hated the spying, but it was necessary and now my whole world is slipping through my fingers. I wanted to run then, now that I knew that my mother was so villainous. Not only that but also I'd found that my teacher, and my best friends parents were involved. I'd found them all involved in the plot to dispose of my best friend. Although I didn't know what happened to her, I was beginning to get strong suspicions about who were the people responsible for her fate. She'd always told me that her family was fine, so, naturally, I was beginning to feel that she'd left some things out. I wanted to know what had happened to my friend so strongly that I knew I would be unable to rest easy until I knew. I decided the first place to start was with what happened in her family, but whom could I ask? The first idea of mine was, naturally, her parents but after watching their strange behaviour I could no longer bear to look at them. I didn't know where to turn. I knew our parents were good friends too, but I couldn't bear to look my parents in the eyes either. I decided not to jump into any action, and that it would probably be better to just walk and have a think, so that was what I did. I decided to take a walk through the village to clear my mind. Hardly anyone ever went there at that time of night, and I guessed that it would be the quietest and safest place I could find, so I set off for a think, searching for answers in my deeply disturbed mind. Deeply disturbed, even though I knew little about anything at that time. It was the attitudes that had scared me, and I knew that I also had to ponder what to do when I got back home. I knew that I couldn't go straight home to my parents (they'd demand to know where I'd been), so I'd just have to say I'd been in a friend's house. I knew whom not to say now, at least. I just felt extremely uneasy to go home to my parents after what I'd just witnessed, and how they'd just treated my best friend. Dead or not dead, they knew who she was. And her parents. It was all far too much to take in. I didn't want to return home to my family after how I'd seen them react, so I knew that taking this time would definitely help me cool off and think straighter, so I set forward into the little village that Gemma lived just outside, to get my cooling-off and straight-thinking.