Chapter 14 — Theater at the End of the Hallway

The coastal town on the map does not have a clear name. Lam zoomed in and saw an old station sign and a small theater. Dat recognized the location when they presented it to Mr. Quang.

“It's the Sunshine Theater,” he said. “In 2005, the school used to send old equipment there.”

“Is Nhi there?” Lam asked.

“I don't know.”

“You know more than you say.”

Dat did not get angry. He gave them a file about the student film exchange program. On the list is Nguyen Thao Nhi, who moved to that town after the first semester. The last address was the ward cultural house, where she once attended a film editing class for children.

Tran proposed going over the weekend, but the committee asked the group to complete the film in seven days. Teacher Quang said he couldn't let the whole group go without an adult. Dat asked for a day off to lead the way, surprising Lam.

“You brought me because you wanted to check out the Anh Duong theater?”

“I brought it because that map might have been left by me.”

The whole group was silent. Dat admitted that he once went into the old theater, connected the battery pack and re-projected the pieces of footage he found. He didn't want to destroy the theater, but he also didn't know how to fight the project he was in charge of. The words on the screen were his, a way of forcing the group to look at the part of their memories that the council couldn't calculate with money.

“You can speak frankly,” Lam said.

"You told the council straight up. They asked for the balance sheet."

Huy looked at Dat. “Do you have the film?”

“No. I only keep the photo fragments.”

Dat brought out a paper box containing a separate film frame. He found it in the project warehouse, where people were planning to throw it away. Each frame has a partial shadow, not enough to compose a complete scene. Lam looked at each frame and saw Nhi's hand placed on the door.

The trip was agreed to on the condition that Mr. Quang and Ms. Thao came along. Quan wanted to bring all folding chairs into the car, but everyone objected. Vy prepares the recording equipment, Tran prepares the cost sheet, Huy checks the camera and phone.

Before leaving, Lam met her mother on the balcony. Hoai An asked Dat if he would participate. Lam said yes. Mom was silent for a while and then said Dat was the only person who didn't blame her, but he didn't have the courage to stand up for her.

“Do you want to meet him?”

“Yes. But I don't want the meeting to turn into a trial.”

Lam nodded. She realized that everyone in this story had been punishing themselves for years. No one needs a group of students handing out additional sentences.

The night before the trip, the projector turned on with no picture. There is only Nhi's voice from the old tape: "If one day someone finds you, ask them if they heard you."

Lam doesn't know where the speaker comes from. Huy checked the electrical outlet, there was no current. Dat stood at the door, his face pale.

“I removed the battery,” he said.

“So who turned it on?” Quan asked.

A golden ticket fell from the ceiling. The date of the bus to the coastal town is printed on the ticket.

Lam picked up the ticket and looked at Huy. “We leave tomorrow.”

Huy nodded. “But not to bring Nhi back.”

“But to ask her if she wants the story to continue.”

Outside the theater door, someone's shadow passed by. This time, Mr. Quang saw short hair and a gray jacket. No one chased. They just recorded the time, because every detail can be important when people try to remember correctly.

The next day, Dat proactively sent the council a report about how he had turned on the projector illegally. He clearly wrote the purpose, time and what was shown. A member asked him to explain why keep silent; Dat replied that he did not blame the situation.

Hoai An also sent a report. The two versions placed side by side have a lot of space, but for the first time the old people share responsibility on paper. Lam did not include them in the film without permission, only as a data protection plan.

Huy received an email from a former student named Minh Son. Son used to be in charge of lighting and said he still remembers the red light controller. He did not want to appear, but agreed to send technical instructions. Huy read and saw that the battery system was connected to the ventilation door, right where they checked.

Son said he had installed a circuit for Khai to test the final scene. After the canceled screening, he removed the fuse but did not remove the transmitter. Maybe someone reconnects years later. I don't know anyone.

Lam asked Son if he wanted the theater to mention his name. Son replied no, just write "a former student". Respectful group.

The trip to the coastal town was approved by the council if a teacher was present and Nhi was not interviewed without permission. Dat offered to go with him because he had contact with Anh Duong theater. Lam reminded him not to use his job position to exert pressure.

“I know,” Dat said. “If she doesn't want to see you, I'll stay outside.”

Tran prepares the budget, Quan prepares folding chairs? Teacher Quang forced him to give up his chair because the car didn't have enough space. Quan chose to bring only one, saying he needed a supporting character.

At school, news about the trip spread. A friend suspects that the group is favored. Lam explained that they went to ask permission from the person involved, not to find a secret. She still doesn't believe it, but that doesn't mean they have to argue to the end.

Lam's mother prepared an envelope. She's not sure about sending it yet, but has it ready. Lam asked if he needed Mr. Quang to read it first. Mom said the letter belonged to the two of them and didn't need to be censored by the audience.

At night, the projector turns on without a countdown. It only shows the silhouette of an empty chair. Huy did not turn it off immediately. He let the image run for ten seconds then unplugged it.

“Maybe the person outside is asking if I have a place,” he said.

Lam pulled the chair into the row, not leaving it in the middle of the aisle. She said empty seats could still be prepared without forcing anyone to sit.

Dat asked Lam if he wanted him to completely remove the transmitter. Lam said to keep it in the closet as evidence and not let it turn on automatically. Huy agreed, wrote down the number and locked the two classes. The projector will only run when someone in charge turns it on using the main switch.

Some students regretted the mysterious words. Quan said the theater would be less fun. Lam replied that the new story does not need a fake ghost device to make people curious. Vy suggested replacing it with real questions sent by the audience.

They put a question box outside the door. The first question is "If the filmmaker is wrong, is the movie still worth watching?". The second question is “Who decides a place is worth keeping?”. The third sentence has only one period. Tran believes that the period should also be kept if the writer wants it.

Hoai An looked at the question box and said that if they had had a box like that in the past, maybe everyone would have said it before cutting the film. Lam didn't know if that was true, but she still placed the box in a prominent place.

The coastal trip was postponed for a day because of the school schedule. They use that time to check subtitles and create silhouettes. Huy said the postponement is not a failure if they can use the extra day.

The postponed day is used to practice for the lower classes. Duc Minh opened the computer cabinet in front of Huy, read each serial number and closed it. Thao Vy tried recording the sound of the door, then asked the passerby if he wanted to appear Are not. Lam stands behind, only intervening when the children forget the rules.

Dat looked at the class and said the theater had begun to have a successor before the council made a decision. Teacher Quang said that is the strongest evidence.

Dat showed them the design of the commercial area. The theater will have its roof removed, and the hallway will be turned into an entrance to the shopping mall. The drawing is so clean that there is no room for footsteps or chalk dust. Quan asked if the investor would charge a fee for each chair. Dat did not laugh; he said the project created many jobs. Tran asked where the free activities would go. No one answered immediately.

Lam did not want to turn the film into a call for protest. She suggested acknowledging the other side's reasons: the school needs the budget, the old building has maintenance costs, and opening the door must have someone responsible. Huy said that if he only filmed what he liked, the film would look like a long post. Vy added a scene where Dat explains the diagram to the students, but covered up the phone number on the document. When editing, Lam retained Dat's hesitation before the question about memory. A character doesn't need to agree with them to appear decent. The group understood that the film had to convince with accuracy, not by making the other person the bad guy.

To test feasibility, Tran set up two opening schedules: one three times per week and one only on weekends. They asked clubs, libraries, custodians and parents to see who could be in charge. The results weren't perfect: many people liked the idea but couldn't stand it. Huy proposed a shift registration system where each person receives work appropriate to their time and ability. Quan asked to work the pick-up shift because he could talk to strangers, but Tran asked him to learn basic first aid first.

Lam filmed the group posting the calendar on the wall. No one said “we will save the theater”. They only record opening hours, who is on duty, emergency phone numbers and reassessment dates. When reviewing the draft, Mr. Quang said that calmness was more convincing than a speech. Lam sees a growing story about things that can be done tomorrow.