The children have finished breakfast. Cathy is gathering the paperware, and Christopher is putting things back into the cardboard box.

CORY. I wanna go outside.

CARRIE. Me, too.

CHRISTOPHER. We can’t. Not yet.

CORY. I wanna.

He leaps up and starts toward the door. Carrie starts after him.

CHRISTOPHER. Cory!

Cory pulls on the handle, but the door doesn’t budge.

CORY. It won’t open.

CATHY [curious]. Won’t open?

She tries it and turns to Christopher.

CATHY. It’s locked. She locked us in!

Christopher freezes. The realization stuns him, too, for a moment. Then he quickly gathers himself. He sees how frightened the twins are now. They cling closely to each other. Christopher takes Cory’s hand.

CHRISTOPHER. Help me calm them down until Momma comes.

Cathy takes Carrie’s hand.

CHRISTOPHER. Okay. We can’t go out until we explore first. There’s lots to find and do up here. It’s like hunting. Cory and I will hunt, and you two look for things we need in our new house.

He starts across the attic, then pauses, jerking his head at Cathy. She follows.

A dumb show providing a montage of discovery.

Christopher and Cory find Civil War uniforms, swords, belts, hats. Cathy and Carrie open trunks and pull out old dresses, skirts, women’s hats, shawls.

Christopher and Cathy begin putting on some of the clothes and laughing at each other. Cory and Carrie imitate them and look sillier.

They move on to the furniture, chairs, tables, open drawers. They find old portraits. Christopher finds an old Victrola and winds it. He finds a pile of records and puts one on . . . it’s classical music.

Cathy starts to pirouette. She has been taking dance lessons.

Christopher watches her, intrigued and pleased. He applauds.

Cory beckons, and Christopher and Cathy go to see what he’s discovered. It’s an old, chipped rocking horse. He’s trying to climb on. Chris helps him on, and Carrie cries to get on, too. Cathy puts her right behind her twin. Carrie holds on for dear life as Christopher rocks them.

CHRISTOPHER [to Cathy]. Hey, this isn’t so bad after all.

He spots piles of old books and hurries to them, rifling through.

CHRISTOPHER [holding one up]. Dickens. [He checks out another and another and then cries out with pleasure.] A book on human anatomy!

CATHY. Great. While we wait, you can get your medical education.

CHRISTOPHER [nodding back at the Victrola]. And you can practice ballet. [Looking at the book.] Old, but there’s not much different about the human body.

CATHY. That’s not what I heard about yours.

CHRISTOPHER [looking up]. I’m telling Grandma you’re being sinful.

She laughs. The twins rock. He reads. Cathy gazes about. She is still wearing a large-brimmed hat.

CATHY [almost to herself]. I wonder what sinful things Momma did up here.

The attic door opens, and they freeze. Corrine appears.

CORY. Mama!

He charges forward, Carrie following.

CORY [moaning]. Christopher and Cathy won’t let us go out.

CARRIE [screaming]. We hate it in here! We want to go home!