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... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

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... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

rivalry

How many times the word 'rivalry' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

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How many times the word 'lentement' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

dog

How many times the word 'dog' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

queue

How many times the word 'queue' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

suivant

How many times the word 'suivant' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

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... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

look

How many times the word 'look' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

alone

How many times the word 'alone' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

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How many times the word 'care' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

again

How many times the word 'again' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

cab

How many times the word 'cab' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

become

How many times the word 'become' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

tantalized

How many times the word 'tantalized' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

weeping

How many times the word 'weeping' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

southern

How many times the word 'southern' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

tears

How many times the word 'tears' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

appris

How many times the word 'appris' appears in the text?

... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

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... they were sweet! ... They trickled under my mask ... they mingled with my tears in my eyes ... yes ... they flowed between my lips ... Listen, daroga, listen to what I did ... I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears ... and she did not run away! ... And she did not die! ... She remained alive, weeping over me, with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer!" And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath: "Ah, I am not going to die yet ... presently I shall ... but let me cry! ... Listen, daroga ... listen to this ... While I was at her feet ... I heard her say, 'Poor, unhappy Erik!' ... AND SHE TOOK MY HAND! ... I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her ... I mean it, daroga! ... I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her ... which she had lost ... and which I had found again ... a wedding-ring, you know ... I slipped it into her little hand and said, 'There! ... Take it! ... Take it for you ... and him! ... It shall be my wedding-present a present from your poor, unhappy Erik ... I know you love the boy ... don't cry any more! ... She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant ... Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her ... but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine! ..." Erik's emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster's face. "I went and released the young man," Erik continued, "and told him to come with me to Christine ... They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room ... Christine had my ring ... I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. ... I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it... Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead--don't look, daroga!--here, on the forehead ... on my forehead, mine--don't look, daroga!--and they went off together... Christine had stopped crying ... I alone cried ... Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon! ..." The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night. The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had once shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae's papers, which she had written for Raoul's benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs. In reply to the Persian's questions, Erik told him that the two young people, at soon as they found themselves free, had resolved to go and look for a priest in some lonely spot where they could hide their happiness and that, with this object in view, they had started from "the northern railway station of the world." Lastly, Erik relied on the Persian, as soon as he received the promised relics and papers, to inform the young couple of his death and to advertise it in the EPOQUE. That was all. The Persian saw Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius helped him down to the street. A cab was waiting for him. Erik stepped in; and the Persian, who had gone back to the window, heard him say to the driver: "Go to the Opera." And the cab drove off into the night. The Persian had seen the poor, unfortunate Erik for the last time. Three weeks later, the Epoque published this advertisement: "Erik is dead." Epilogue. I have now told the singular, but veracious story of the Opera ghost. As I declared on the first page of this work, it is no longer possible to deny that Erik really lived. There are to-day so many proofs of his existence within the reach of everybody that we can follow Erik's actions logically through the whole tragedy of the Chagnys. There is no need to repeat here how greatly the case excited the capital. The kidnapping of the artist, the death of the Comte de Chagny under such exceptional conditions, the disappearance of his brother, the drugging of the gas-man at the Opera and of his two assistants: what tragedies, what passions, what crimes had surrounded the idyll of Raoul and the sweet and charming Christine! ... What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again? ... She was represented as the victim of a rivalry between the two brothers; and nobody suspected what had really happened, nobody understood that, as Raoul and Christine had both disappeared, both had withdrawn far from the world to enjoy a happiness which they would not have cared to make public after the inexplicable death of Count Philippe ... They took the train one day from "the northern railway station of the world." ... Possibly, I too shall take the train at that station, one day, and go and seek around thy lakes, O Norway, O silent Scandinavia, for the perhaps still living traces of Raoul and Christine and also of Mamma Valerius, who disappeared at the same time! ... Possibly, some day, I shall hear the lonely echoes of the North repeat the singing of her who knew the Angel of Music! ... Long after the case was pigeonholed by the unintelligent care of M. le Juge d'Instruction Faure, the newspapers made efforts, at intervals, to fathom the mystery. One evening paper alone, which knew all the gossip of the theaters, said: "We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost." And even that was written by way of irony. The Persian alone knew the whole truth and held the main proofs, which came to him with the pious relics promised by the ghost. It fell to my lot to complete those proofs with the aid of the daroga himself. Day by day, I kept him informed of the progress of my inquiries; and he directed them. He had not been to the Opera for years and years, but he had preserved the most accurate recollection of the building, and there was no better guide than he possible to help me discover its most secret recesses. He also told me where to gather further information, whom to ask; and he sent me to call on M. Poligny, at a moment when the poor man was nearly drawing his last breath. I had no idea that he was so very ill, and I shall never forget the effect which my questions about the ghost produced upon him. He looked at me as if I were the devil and answered only in a few incoherent sentences, which showed, however--and that was the main thing--the extent of the perturbation which O. G., in his time, had brought into that already very restless life (for M. Poligny was what people call a man of pleasure). When I came and told the Persian of the poor result of my visit to M. Poligny, the daroga gave a faint smile and said: "Poligny never knew how far that extraordinary blackguard of an Erik humbugged him."--The Persian, by the way, spoke of Erik sometimes as a demigod and sometimes as the lowest of the low--"Poligny was superstitious and Erik knew it. Erik knew most things about the public and private affairs of the Opera. When M. Poligny heard a mysterious voice tell him, in Box Five, of the manner in which he used to spend his time and abuse his partner's confidence, he did not wait to hear any more. Thinking at first that it was a voice from Heaven, he believed himself damned; and then, when the voice began to ask for money, he saw that he was being victimized by a shrewd blackmailer to whom Debienne himself had fallen a prey. Both of them, already tired of management for various reasons, went away without trying to investigate further into the personality of that curious O. G., who had forced such a singular memorandum-book upon them. They bequeathed the whole mystery to their successors and heaved a sigh of relief when they were rid of a business that had puzzled them without amusing them in the least." I then spoke of the two successors and expressed my surprise that, in his Memoirs of a Manager, M. Moncharmin should describe the Opera ghost's behavior at such length in the first part of the book and hardly mention it at all in the second. In reply to this, the Persian, who knew the MEMOIRS as thoroughly as if he had written them himself, observed that I should find the explanation of the whole business if I would just recollect the few lines which Moncharmin devotes to the ghost in the second part aforesaid. I quote these lines, which are particularly interesting because they describe the very simple manner in which the famous incident of the twenty-thousand francs was closed: "As for O. G., some of whose curious tricks I have related in the first part of my Memoirs, I will only say that he redeemed by one spontaneous fine action all the worry which he had caused my dear friend and partner and, I am bound to say, myself. He felt, no doubt, that there are limits to a joke, especially when it is so expensive and when the commissary of police has been informed, for, at the moment when we had made an appointment in our office with M. Mifroid to tell him the whole story, a few days after the disappearance of Christine Daae, we found, on Richard's table, a large envelope, inscribed, in red ink, "WITH O. G.'S COMPLIMENTS." It contained the large sum of money which he had succeeded in playfully extracting, for the time being, from the treasury. Richard was at once of the opinion that we must be content with that and drop the business. I agreed with Richard. All's well that ends well. What do you say, O. G.?" Of course, Moncharmin, especially after the money had been restored, continued to believe that he had, for a short while, been the butt of Richard's sense of humor, whereas Richard, on his side, was convinced that Moncharmin had amused himself by inventing the whole of the affair of the Opera ghost, in order to revenge himself for a few jokes. I asked the Persian to tell me by what trick the ghost had taken twenty-thousand francs from Richard's pocket in spite of the safety-pin. He replied that he had not gone into this little detail, but that, if I myself cared to make an investigation on the spot, I should certainly find the solution to the riddle in the managers' office by remembering that Erik had not been nicknamed the trap-door lover for nothing. I promised the Persian to do so as soon as I had time, and I may as well tell the reader at once that the results of my investigation were perfectly satisfactory; and I hardly believed that I should ever discover so many undeniable proofs of the authenticity of the feats ascribed to the ghost. The Persian's manuscript, Christine Daae's papers, the statements made to me by the people who used to work under MM. Richard and Moncharmin, by little Meg herself (the worthy Madame Giry, I am sorry to say, is no more) and by Sorelli, who is now living in retirement at Louveciennes: all the documents relating to the existence of the ghost, which I propose to deposit in the archives of the Opera, have been checked and confirmed by a number of important discoveries of which I am justly proud. I have not been able to find the house on the lake, Erik having blocked up all the secret entrances.[1] On the other hand, I have discovered the secret passage of the Communists, the planking of which is falling to pieces in parts, and also the trap-door through which Raoul and the Persian penetrated into the cellars of the opera-house. In the Communists' dungeon, I noticed numbers of initials traced on the walls by the unfortunate people confined in it; and among these were an "R" and a "C." R. C.: Raoul de Chagny. The letters are there to this day. If the reader will visit the Opera one morning and ask leave to stroll where he pleases, without being accompanied by a stupid guide, let him go to Box Five and knock with his fist or stick on the enormous column that separates this from the stage-box. He will find that the column sounds hollow. After that, do not be astonished by the suggestion that it was occupied by the voice of the ghost: there is room inside the column for two men. If you are surprised that, when the various incidents occurred, no one turned round to look at the column, you must remember that it presented the appearance of solid marble, and that the voice contained in it seemed rather to come from the opposite side, for, as we have seen, the ghost was an expert ventriloquist. The column was elaborately carved and decorated with the sculptor's chisel; and I do not despair of one day discovering the ornament that could be raised or lowered at will, so as to admit of the ghost's mysterious correspondence with Mme. Giry and of his generosity. However, all these discoveries are nothing, to my mind, compared with that which I was able to make, in the presence of the acting-manager, in the managers' office, within a couple of inches from the desk-chair, and which consisted of a trap-door, the width of a board in the flooring and the length of a man's fore-arm and no longer; a trap-door that falls back like the lid of a box; a trap-door through which I can see a hand come and dexterously fumble at the pocket of a swallow-tail coat. That is the way the forty-thousand francs went! ... And that also is the way by which, through some trick or other, they were returned. Speaking about this to the Persian, I said: "So we may take it, as the forty-thousand francs were returned, that Erik was simply amusing himself with that memorandum-book of his?" "Don't you believe it!" he replied. "Erik wanted money. Thinking himself without the pale of humanity, he was restrained by no scruples and he employed his extraordinary gifts of dexterity and imagination, which he had received by way of compensation for his extraordinary uglinesss, to prey upon his fellow-men. His reason for restoring the forty-thousand francs, of his own accord, was that he no longer wanted it. He had relinquished his marriage with Christine Daae. He had relinquished everything above the surface of the earth." According to the Persian's account, Erik was born in a small town not far from Rouen. He was the son of a master-mason. He ran away at an early age from his father's house, where his ugliness was a subject of horror and terror to his parents. For a time, he frequented the fairs, where a showman exhibited him as the "living corpse." He seems to have crossed the whole of Europe, from fair to fair, and to have completed his strange education as an artist and magician at the very fountain-head of art and magic, among the Gipsies. A period of Erik's life remained quite obscure. He was seen at the fair of Nijni-Novgorod, where he displayed himself in all his hideous glory. He already sang as nobody on this earth had ever sung before; he practised ventriloquism and gave displays of legerdemain so extraordinary that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. In this way, his reputation penetrated the walls of the palace at Mazenderan, where the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. A dealer in furs, returning to Samarkand from Nijni-Novgorod, told of the marvels which he had seen performed in Erik's tent. The trader was summoned to the palace and the daroga of Mazenderan was told to question him. Next the daroga was instructed to go and find Erik. He brought him to Persia, where for some months Erik's will was law. He was guilty of not a few horrors, for he seemed not to know the difference between good and evil. He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations; and he turned his diabolical inventive powers against the Emir of Afghanistan, who was at war with the Persian empire. The Shah took a liking to him. This was the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan, of which the daroga's narrative has given us a glimpse. Erik had very original ideas on the subject of architecture and thought out a palace much as a conjuror contrives a trick-casket. The Shah ordered him to construct an edifice of this kind. Erik did so; and the building appears to have been so ingenious that His Majesty was able to move about in it unseen and to disappear without a possibility of the trick's being discovered. When the Shah-in-Shah found himself the possessor of this gem, he ordered Erik's yellow eyes to be put out. But he reflected that, even when blind, Erik would still be able to build so remarkable a house for another sovereign; and also that, as long as Erik was alive, some one would know the secret of the wonderful palace. Erik's death was decided upon, together with that of all the laborers who had worked under his orders. The execution of this abominable decree devolved upon the daroga of Mazenderan. Erik had shown him some slight services and procured him many a hearty laugh. He saved Erik by providing him with the means of escape, but nearly paid with his head for his generous indulgence. Fortunately for the daroga, a corpse, half-eaten by the birds of prey, was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and was taken for Erik's body, because the daroga's friends had dressed the remains in clothing that belonged to Erik. The daroga was let off with the loss of the imperial favor, the confiscation of his property and an order of perpetual banishment. As a member of the Royal House, however, he continued to receive a monthly pension of a few hundred francs from the Persian treasury; and on this he came to live in Paris. As for Erik, he went to Asia Minor and thence to Constantinople, where he entered the Sultan's employment. In explanation of the services which he was able to render a monarch haunted by perpetual terrors, I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution. He also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects,[2] which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere. Of course, he had to leave the Sultan's service for the same reasons that made him fly from Persia: he knew too much. Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one "like everybody else." And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted. When he found himself in the cellars of the enormous playhouse, his artistic, fantastic, wizard nature resumed the upper hand. Besides, was he not as ugly as ever? He dreamed of creating for his own use a dwelling unknown to the rest of the earth, where he could hide from men's eyes for all time. The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with this incredible and yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be "some one," like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius OR USE IT TO PLAY TRICKS WITH, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost. I have prayed over his mortal remains, that God might show him mercy notwithstanding his crimes. Yes, I am sure, quite sure that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was his skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae had certainly slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise. The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the opera-house. And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton. [1] Even so, I am convinced that it would be easy to reach it by draining the lake, as I have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Fine Arts to do. I was speaking about it to M. Dujardin-Beaumetz, the under-secretary for fine arts, only forty-eight hours before the publication of this book. Who knows but that the score of DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT might yet be discovered in the house on the lake? [2] See the interview of the special correspondent of the MATIN, with Mohammed-Ali Bey, on the day after the entry of the Salonika troops into Constantinople. THE END The Paris Opera House THE SCENE OF GASTON LEROUX'S NOVEL, "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" That Mr. Leroux has used, for the scene of his story, the Paris Opera House as it really is and has not created a building out of his imagination, is shown by this interesting description of it taken from an article which appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1879, a short time after the building was completed: "The new Opera House, commenced under the Empire and finished under the Republic, is the most complete building of the kind in the world and in many respects the most beautiful. No European capital possesses an opera house so comprehensive in plan and execution, and none can boast an edifice equally vast and splendid. "The site of the Opera House was chosen in 1861. It was determined to lay the foundation exceptionally deep and strong. It was well known that water would be met with, but it was impossible to foresee at what depth or in what quantity it would be found. Exceptional depth also was necessary, as the stage arrangements were to be such as to admit a scene fifty feet high to be lowered on its frame. It was therefore necessary to lay a foundation in a soil soaked with water which should be sufficiently solid to sustain a weight of 22,000,000 pounds, and at the same time to be perfectly dry, as the cellars were intended for the storage of scenery and properties. While the work was in progress, the excavation was kept free from water by means of eight pumps, worked by steam power, and in operation, without interruption, day and night, from March second to October thirteenth. The floor of the cellar was covered with a layer of concrete, then with two coats of cement, another layer of concrete and a coat of bitumen. The wall includes an outer wall built as a coffer-dam, a brick wall, a coat of cement, and a wall proper, a little over a yard thick. After all this was done the whole was filled with water, in order that the fluid, by penetrating into the most minute interstices, might deposit a sediment which would close them more surely and perfectly than it would be possible to do by hand. Twelve years elapsed before the completion of the building, and during that time it was demonstrated that the precautions taken secured absolute impermeability and solidity. "The events of 1870 interrupted work just as it was about to be prosecuted most vigorously, and the new Opera House was put to new and unexpected uses. During the siege, it was converted into a vast military storehouse and filled with a heterogeneous mass of goods. After the siege the building fell into the hands of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station. The damage done, however, was slight. "The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain, Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials. The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding. Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a 'Pegasus', by M. Lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet, representing 'Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex. Apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god. "The spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel. Ten steps of green Swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers. Visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated. The larger number of the audience, before entering the auditorium, traverse a large circular vestibule located exactly beneath it. The ceiling of this portion of the building is upheld by sixteen fluted columns of Jura stone, with white marble capitals, forming a portico. Here servants are to await their masters, and spectators may remain until their carriages are summoned. The third entrance, which is quite distinct from the others, is reserved for the Executive. The section of the building set aside for the use of the Emperor Napoleon was to have included an antechamber for the bodyguards; a salon for the aides-de-camp; a large salon and a smaller one for the Empress; hat and cloak rooms, etc. Moreover, there were to be in close proximity to the entrance, stables for three coaches, for the outriders' horses, and for the twenty-one horsemen acting as an escort; a station for a squad of infantry of thirty-one men and ten cent-gardes, and a stable for the horses of the latter; and, besides, a salon for fifteen or twenty domestics. Thus arrangements had to be made to accommodate in this part of the building about one hundred persons, fifty horses, and half-a-dozen carriages. The fall of the Empire suggested some changes, but ample provision still exists for emergencies. "Its novel conception, perfect fitness, and rare splendor of material, make the grand stairway unquestionably one of the most remarkable features of the building. It presents to the spectator, who has just passed through the subscribers' pavilion, a gorgeous picture. From this point he beholds the ceiling formed by the central landing; this and the columns sustaining it, built of Echaillon stone, are honeycombed with arabesques and heavy with ornaments; the steps are of white marble, and antique red marble balusters rest on green marble sockets and support a balustrade of onyx. To the right and to the left of this landing are stairways to the floor, on a plane with the first row of boxes. On this floor stand thirty monolith columns of Sarrancolin marble, with white marble bases

comforts

How many times the word 'comforts' appears in the text?

117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

ride

How many times the word 'ride' appears in the text?

117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

traveling

How many times the word 'traveling' appears in the text?

117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

junction

How many times the word 'junction' appears in the text?

117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

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117. Ron appears in the doorway dressed for travel. CHRIS What are you doing up? It's three-thirty in the morning. RON Heard you get up off the couch half an hour ago, and had a funny feeling you might not be here for our breakfast. Chris says nothing. RON (CONT'D) I'm going to drive you a hundred miles to somewhere where you can pick up a train, a plane, or hitch a ride without getting stuck on this desert. I'd take you all the way to Alaska if I didn't have to get to an eight o'clock mass. CHRIS Ron, you don't have to do that. RON I want to do it. Get you started on this thing of yours. CHRIS On my Great - RON (interrupting) I know. On your "Great Alaskan Adventure." From just out of Chris' eye-line, Ron leans out of frame, picking up a zippered duffel bag. He opens it, displaying the contents to Chris. RON (CONT'D) There's a machete, an arctic parka, collapsible fishing pole, and a few odds and ends I threw in there for you. CHRIS Ron... RON Oh, just take it. Chris does, nodding his thanks. 118. RON (CONT'D) I'll wait for you in the truck. CUT TO: 207 EXT. HIGHWAY 10, OUTSIDE SALTON CITY - DAWN 207 We follow the two men (on this nondescript locale) driving along the highway east from dawn through sunrise. They ride in silence through Coachchella Desert Center and Blythe. CUT TO: 208 EXT. HIGHWAY 10 208 The truck exits at a North/South junction 95. 209 INT. RON'S TRUCK 209 As Ron begins to pull over. RON Well my friend. CHRIS Yep. Both of them are uncomfortable. Chris goes for the door handle. Ron's gnarled hand reaches out to take Chris' elbow. After a long beat, Ron speaks without looking at Chris. RON I had an idea. You know my mother was an only child. So was my father. And I was their only child. Now, with my own boy gone, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished. What do you say, you let me adopt you. I could be, say, your grandfather. This takes Chris by surprise. He knew it would be hard but not this hard. CHRIS How about we talk about this when I get back from Alaska, Ron. Would that be alright? 119. Silence. Ron nods. Releases Chris' elbow. CHRIS (CONT'D) Alright, Ron. We'll talk about it then. RON (trying to mask. The blinking, moist eyes again) Yep. We can do that, yep. CHRIS Thanks, Ron. Ron nods. Chris gets out of the truck. Ron watches as Chris saddles up his bag including the duffel that Ron gave him. Chris crosses the exit junction to where he can pick up a ride north on the far side of the road. We ZOOM SLOWLY through the windshield into Ron's face as he watches Chris hitching away. We HEAR the first bars of Neil Young's My My, Hey Hey. This will carry throughout the following MONTAGE. DISSOLVE TO: 210 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE 210 1. We ZOOM into Walt McCandless' face as he looks through the Questar telescope that Chris had given him. ANGLE: The stars through the telescope. The same stars his son walks under...somewhere. We PAN ACROSS SPACE. (Note: This montage will intercut Chris' traveling POV with objective shots. However, we never SEE Chris.) 2. We PULL BACK from the starry night sky to see it framed from within a moving train. 3. Carine in her shower, water cascades over her face. 4. Billie in her kitchen, making dinner. 5. Through the windshield of a semi-truck, the sun rises on Glacier National Park. 6. A HANDHELD ZOOM-OUT from Canadian border crossing, CAMERA TURNS to the woods beyond and MOVES INTO THEM. 120. 7. SERIES OF TRAVELING SHOTS: (Through Skookumchuk and Radium Junction, Lake Louise to Prince George and Dawson Creek) STATIC NATURE SHOTS: HELICOPTER SHOTS 8. On the bed in their van, Jan sits on Rainey's bare feet while he does sit-ups. 9. Ron holding a garage sale, while hooking a trailer to his truck. 10. Wayne being released from jail. 11. Mads and Sonja, side by side, one-armed bandit-ing in a Vegas casino. 12. Tracy at a high school dance, slow-dancing with her * young date. 13. Looking through the windshield of another semi. A bear lopes across the two-lane road before us. We PAN and ZOOM with it into the tundra beside the road. HANDHELD, WALKING, we pass Mile 0 of the Alaska highway: The sign: Fairbanks 1523 miles. 14. A waterfall. 15. Intercut hand and thumb hitching - a sense that rides are few and far between. 16. A misting mountain peak. 17. Beavers in streams. 18. Melting blue ice-walls. 19. A lynx skittering across a snowy mound. 20. Walt and his telescope. 21. The hitchhiker's VIEW on a two-lane road, walking past a highway sign for the Yukon Territory. (Through Johnson's Crossing, Whitehorse, and Beaver Creek.) 22. From a passenger car window, a series of road signs reading: Closed for winter. MUSIC FADE OUT 121. 211 INT. MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - DAY 211 CARINE (V.O.) About a month short of the second anniversary of Chris' disappearance, I had gotten engaged to my boyfriend Jerry Ray and was moving in with him... Carine, packing her belongings into boxes, stumbles upon the Sharon Olds book Chris had given her on his graduation day. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I stumbled upon the book Chris had given me on his graduation day. For some reason, it was the last line of the poem he read that really stuck out. FLASH BACK: (From page 2-3) 212 INT. DATSUN 212 Chris is holding a book from which he reads aloud the LAST LINE OF THE POEM... CHRIS ...and I will tell about it. CARINE (V.O.) I asked Chris who had written the poem. What we SEE of Carine plays with the VOICE OVER TRACK and SILENT with the production track; in essence lip synching herself. Chris' dialogue comes directly from the flashback image. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) Who wrote that? CHRIS Well, it could've been either one of us. Couldn't it? We see pictures of Chris on the night-stand of Walt and Billie's bedroom CARINE (V.O.) What would he tell about now? What did his voice sound like now? (MORE) 122. CARINE (V.O.) (CONT'D) I realized that the words to my thoughts were of less and less meaning. Chris was writing his story and it had to be Chris who would tell it. The pictures in the scene BLUR as - CHRIS (O.C.) (in a far away, tunnel-like sound) Mom, help me. CUT TO: 213 INT. BEDROOM, MCCANDLESS HOME, ANNANDALE - NIGHT 213 Billie sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Walt awakens beside her. WALT What is it? BILLIE I wasn't dreaming! I didn't imagine it! I heard his voice, Walt. I heard Chris. Walt takes her in his arms, trying to squeeze life into both of them. CHAPTER 6: DELIVERANCE FADE TO BLACK. 214 FAIRBANKS ALASKA, SERIES OF STATIC IMAGES: 214 Berms of cleared snow line the streets 1. A GAS STATION (Gold Hill Gas and Liquor) We see Chris' writing appear on screen: APRIL 27, 1992 2. OLD ALASKA PROSPECTOR'S STORE WAYNE, GREETINGS FROM FAIRBANKS! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL HEAR FROM ME. ARRIVED HERE TWO DAYS AGO. 3. A SALOON 123. 4. A LIBRARY IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CATCH RIDES IN THE YUKON TERRITORY. 5. TRAIN STATION 6. BARBER SHOP BUT I FINALLY GOT HERE. PICKED UP A NEW BOOK ON THE LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA (TANAINA PLANTLORE / DENA'INA K'ET'UNA: AN ETHNOBOTANY OF THE DENA'INA INDIANS OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA BY PRISCILLA RUSSELL KARI) 7. BOOKSTORE MIGHT BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN SOUTH. BUT I'M PREPARED AND HAVE STOCKED ALL NECESSARY COMFORTS TO LIVE OFF THE LAND FOR A FEW MONTHS. 8. A GUN AND SPORTING GOOD STORE INCLUDING A NYLON 66 MODEL SEMIAUTOMATIC .22 REMINGTON. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A GREAT MAN. I NOW WALK (PAUSE WRITING ON SCREEN) INTO THE WILD. ALEX 9. A SIGN AGAINST A RADIO TOWER "RADIO FAIRBANKS"(Perhaps we hear a weather report) 215 EXT. ALASKAN RANGE (STAMPEDE TRAIL) - DAY 215 We return to the area of Scene #1. MUSIC OVER: Of religious scope. Perhaps choral. HELICOPTER SHOT: We travel a long ways across snowy peaks and valleys (clearly far from anywhere) passing between two escarpments of outer range bordering bottomlands five miles wide until we barely see a tiny form within it trudging through the snow. We overfly it. CUT TO: 216 EXT. STAMPEDE TRAIL - DAY 216 Chris, crunching through two to three feet (not more) of snow, in arctic parka, big boots, his warm hat, rifle slung over his shoulder, and pack. 124. He moves TOWARD CAMERA. We PAN AROUND with him as he walks past, where beyond Chris on the snow plain, rises a tree line. CUT TO: 217 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 217 Its banks lined with a jagged shelf of frozen overflow. At its center, a channel of gently flowing water, opaque with glacial till. Beyond the far ice shelf, Chris appears from the riverside treeline. He eases across the ice, then wades through the latte-colored channel and on to the other side. REVERSE ANGLE: Chris moving toward the opposite tree line, he turns back to the gentle river behind. Chris' POV scanning the terrain. From the river to a distant mountain peak and then to a second mountain peak, triangulating his location. He makes a drawing on a pad of paper and piles some medium- sized rocks to mark the spot before moving on into the trees. CUT TO: 218 EXT. VAST ALASKAN SNOWSCAPE - DAY 218 Total silence across the beatific white vista of snow, mountain, and colorless trees UNTIL a DISTANT ECHOING GUNSHOT. CUT TO: 219 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - NIGHT 219 Chris has skinned and is cooking a squirrel. CUT TO: 220 EXT. CAMPSITE, BESIDE SUSHANA RIVER - MORNING 220 Chris packs the last of his camp and begins his march upriver. CUT TO: 125. 221 EXT. UPRIVER - DAY 221 As Chris walks upon a clearing in the tree line, he catches his first glimpse of Denali's (Mt. McKinley's) high-blinding white bulwarks. Chris stands in awe. We remain in his WIDE-SHOT POV as it - DISSOLVE TO: SAME SHOT - NIGHT But now Chris' tent sits in its foreground with the moonlit Denali still visible. CUT TO: 222 EXT. WOODS BESIDE RIVER - DAY 222 CAMERA ANGLED SKYWARD into the broken rays of grey light. We TILT DOWN to find (and TRACK through the trees with) Chris moving along the river, when he sees something just OFF CAMERA. Chris' POV: Through the trees and fireweed, he sees something metallic and rusty. Chris moves up through the underbrush and the snow into the narrow tree line and on into the clearing, where before him: A DERELICT SCHOOL BUS. It is a vintage International Harvester from the 1940's. Chris approaches the bus, lifts the hood a little bit seeing that the engine is gone. As he moves around the vehicle, we see several windows are cracked or missing altogether. The green and white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering: Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. 223 INT. BUS 223 Broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. Chris may well have found his new home. The bus is outfitted with a bunk and a barrel stove. Previous visitors had left it stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials. 224 EXT. BUS 224 We follow Chris back out of the bus, surveying the area of the clearing. He loves what he sees. 126. CELEBRATORY MUSIC OVER: He runs up a berm to look down into the river. He runs from corner to corner of this "Magic Bus" area like a new bride surveying her honeymoon suite with glee. He climbs a tree, swings from its branch, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet, but then slipping on the snow and onto his butt and then onto his back. He grabs a handful of snow, shoves it in his mouth, melts it into water, and swallows it. CRANE SHOT: We PULL UP from Chris to high above the clearing. MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 225 INT./EXT. BUS 225 He re-enters the bus and pulls his pen from his pocket, scribbling on the wall of the bus: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES, ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AND AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS... ANGLE: Chris: He continues to write as he SPEAKS the words aloud: CHRIS ...the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return `cause the "west is the best." And now after two rambling years, comes the final and greatest adventure. Chris is cleaning up the bus. CHRIS (CONT'D) The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Chris shoveling snow away from the bus entrance with a rock. 127. CHRIS (CONT'D) Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking, bringing him to the great white north. Back to Chris, REAL TIME as he continues to write as he speaks: CHRIS (CONT'D) No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Chris signs his doctrine - ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY 1992 JUMP CUT TO: 226 INT. BUS 226 Chris posts a found piece of paper on the inner wall of the bus alongside his doctrine. CU: Chris' hand, he writes and circles the number: 1 - MAGIC BUS DAY. CUT TO: 227 EXT. BUS - DAY 227 Chris comes out, rifle in hand. We TRACK with him as he moves into the woods on the hunt. SERIES OF ANGLES: Chris searching for game. He moves through the woods along the river and at the base of a nearby mountain. Finding animals for food seems more difficult than expected. CUT TO: 228 EXT. A MOUNTAIN SADDLE - DAY 228 Chris stumbles upon a caribou as it steps out from the woods. He lines up his rifle on the animal, about to pull the trigger, when its calf appears beside it. 128. He lowers his rifle, unwilling to take a shot that would separate mother and child. TIME CUT: 229 EXT. WOODS - DAY 229 A spruce grouse is spied on a foreground branch. BANG! The branch splinters and the bird makes haste. ANGLE: Chris, rifle in hand. CHRIS Shit! CUT TO: 230 INT. BUS - NIGHT 230 Chris, cooking rice. We see his single bag of rice. Its amount tells us the hunting had better improve soon. We explore a PASSAGE OF TIME throughout which CHRIS GETS INCREASINGLY THIN AND PALE: hunting, sleeping, cooking, rice dwindling, line-ups of scrawny shot birds. He adds holes to his belt leather to accommodate his shrinking waistline. CUT TO: 231 EXT. SNOWY PLAIN - DAY 231 BANG! Chris bags a squirrel on a snowy plain. CUT TO: 232 INT. BUS - LATER 232 Chris eats his measly catch but looks to his bag of rice with concern, perhaps only a day or so left of his rations. We come to the diary/log posted on the wall. We see that he has been there for a week's worth of entries as the squirrel is mentioned on day seven. CUT TO: 129. 232A OMITTED 232A 232B OMITTED 232B 233 INT. BUS - MORNING 233 Chris is awakened by a new May sun, streaming light through the windows of the bus. POV: the sun, circling high in the heavens. Snowmelt dripping quickly across the windowpane. CUT TO: 233A EXT. BUS - DAY 233A Chris dances atop the bus, naked in the new spring. CUT TO: 233B INT. BUS - DAY 233B Chris shaves. (Note: We are in a time of year in this part of the world where the sun dips behind the horizon only four hours a day) CUT TO: 234 INT./EXT. BUS - DAY 234 INTERCUT: SERIES OF ANGLES throughout which Chris remains thin but his pallor improves: 1. The diary/log representing a small improvement on the hunting front. 2. Undergrowth exposing itself through snowmelt. 3. Establish a small waterfall near the bus. Landing on: 129A. 235 EXT. WOODS - DAY 235 The snow has now all but vanished except on north-facing slopes and shadowy ravines, exposing a range carpeted in an amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. 130. Chris traipses along the seasons rose hips and lingonberries, which he gathers in great quantity and snacks on as he walks. CUT TO: 236 EXT. WOODS - DAY 236 Chris shoots a porcupine. CUT TO: 237 INT. BUS - DAY 237 The diary/log: DAY 30 - PORCUPINE DISSOLVE TO: 238 EXT. PEAK, NEARBY BUTTE - DAY 238 Chris stands triumphant at the peak of a 3000 foot butte overlooking the bus. CIRCLE CAMERA around him 360 degrees recording the broad vista. ANGLE: CU - He's beaming with satisfaction. We begin a SLOW ZOOM OUT and then accelerate the ZOOM encompassing the entire grandeur of the mountain with Chris at its peak. CUT TO: 239 INT. BUS - LATER 239 The diary/log: DAY 31 - CLIMBED MOUNTAIN DISSOLVE TO: 240 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS - COLLAGE - DAY 240 COLLAGE TIME IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES: 1. The diary/log: MAP AREA. Chris surveying and taking notes of area. 2. The diary/log: IMPROVISE A BATHTUB AND SMUDGE POT 131. Chris building a bathtub out in the front. 3. The diary/log: COLLECT SKINS AND FEATHERS TO SEW INTO CLOTHING. Chris hunting and skinning. 4. The diary/log: CONSTRUCT BRIDGE ACROSS NEARBY NARROW CREEK. Chris knee-deep in slow-moving water constructing a make- shift bridge across narrow creek. 5. The diary/log: BLAZE NETWORK OF HUNTING TRAILS. Chris making a trail with his machete when - A MOOSE appears from a nearby thicket. Chris drops the machete and pulls his rifle from his shoulder. The moose looks ready to charge Chris. There's no choice. Chris aims carefully and fires six straight shots into the moose's head, dropping it. Chris can hardly believe his own success. He puts the rifle back on his shoulder, just staring at the dead moose. He begins back-pedalling away from it. Bit by bit, his steps turn into a jog and then he turns and runs back toward the bus. CUT TO: 241 INT. BUS 241 (Director's Note: Handheld) Chris scrambles through his pack and finds the piece of paper where he had written notes of how to cure beef by smoking it, taught to him by Kevin, Wayne's hunter friend back in South Dakota. BACK TO: 242 EXT. WOODS - SAME 242 Back at the kill, the slow process of butchering begins. (This ain't going to be pretty.) INTERCUT REPRESENTATIVE IMAGES WITH FOLLOWING DIARY/LOG ENTRIES: 1. The diary/log: BUTCHERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. 131A. 2. The diary/log: FLY AND MOSQUITO HORDES. 132. 3. The diary/log: REMOVE INTESTINES, LIVER, KIDNEY, ONE LUNG, STEAKS. 4. The diary/log: GOT HIND QUARTERS AND LEGS TO STREAM. 5. The diary/log: REMOVE HEART. 6. The diary/log: DIGS SMOKER HOLE INTO EXISTING CAVE. 7. The diary/log: HAUL NEAR CAVE. 8. The diary/log: TRY TO PROTECT WITH SMOKER. 9. The diary/log: CAN ONLY WORK NIGHTS. KEEP SMOKERS GOING. 10. The diary/log: MAGGOTS ALREADY. SMOKING APPEARS INEFFECTIVE. LOOKS LIKE DISASTER. WISH I'D NEVER SHOT MOOSE. GREAT TRAGEDY. 11. The diary/log: ABANDON CARCASS TO WOLVES. We see Chris hidden behind a rise, watching a WOLF PACK tug at the rancid meat from the carcass. 243 EXT./INT. BUS - DAY + NIGHT 243 SERIES OF ANGLES: In and out of the bus. Day and night, portraying Chris mourning his killing of the moose. He even plants a cross by its skeletal remains. 244 EXT. BUS ENVIRONS 244 SERIES OF SHOTS: Sunrise and nature awakens. Bird songs and flower blooms. A waterfall cascades. CUT TO: 245 INT. BUS - DAY 245 Chris reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: I have lived through much and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. 133. A quiet, secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people... CUT TO: 246 EXT. BUS - DAY 246 Chris sits amongst the pink bunches of fireweed choking the vehicles wheel wells, growing higher than the axles, his back leaning against the bus, finishing the reading of Family Happiness. ANGLE: Chris, reading with great interest. His POV: The page: what Chris reads: And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? ANGLE: Chris: He looks up from his book. A gentle breeze tickles morning flowers. The sunlight dances in a coppice of aspen and leaves of trees above. The sound of buzzing flies mutes. He is taking one last look at his paradise. CUT TO: 246A EXT. SMALL WATERFALL NEAR BUS - DAY 246A Chris showers (PHOTO-SONIC) MUSIC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S Simple Man (lyrics in cursive) begins to play OVER: CUT TO: 247 INT. BUS 247 My momma told me / when I was young Chris packs his gear. Come sit beside me / my only son A last look about the bus. 248 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 248 Listen closely / what I say 134. Full pack and rifle mounted in WIDE SHOT beside the Sushana River. If you do this it will help you / some sunny day 249 EXT. ALASKA TRAIL - DAY 249 MUSIC CONTINUES OVER: A SERIES OF ANGLES: Just take your time / don't live too fast We pass the familiar landmark of the Mt. McKinley clearing where Chris had camped. Troubles w ill come / and they will pass Chris walking and camping his way back to the Teklanika River and the road home. Find a woman / you'll find love and don't forget son / there's someone up above... MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO: 250 EXT. TEKLANIKA RIVER - DAY 250 In the trees beside the river, we find Chris. The river is not yet in sight but Chris starts to HEAR it: A building rumble. As Chris exits the treeline, there she is: The Teklanika at full flood. Seventy-five foot wide banks, replacing the narrow ice canal of four months earlier. Snowmelt from glaciers high in the Alaska range, its opaque glacial sediment the color of wet concrete. And what had been a distant rumble in the woods, now had the volume and power of a freight train, a seventy-five foot wide one. Chris grabs a hold of a riverside branch and takes one slow, careful step into the river. Without mercy, WHAM! the river kicks his feet out from under him! The branch he holds SNAPS! By some miracle, his hands move like lightening and he grabs a lower, sturdier branch below, saving himself from a certain death. 135. We SEE the broken branch catapulted down river and into a rocky shoot below. He pulls himself back onto the bank, drops his pack at riverside, and eases to a sitting position beside it. CUT TO: 251 INT. BUS - NIGHT 251 It's pouring rain outside. The rain pelts the top of the bus. Chris' pack is thrown onto the bunk. His hand appears at the diary/log on the wall. He writes: DAY 82 - DISASTER. RAINED IN. RIVER CROSSING IMPOSSIBLE. LONELY, SCARED. CUT TO: 252 EXT. BUS, THE EDGE OF ITS SURROUNDING CLEARING - DAY 252 EXTREME CU: Beaded and shimmering from the past night's rain, a bright red berry moves in the breeze like a tiny vibrating bell. RACK FOCUS to Chris' eyes spying it. He plucks it from its stem. CUT TO: 253 EXT. BUS - DAY 253 Chris adds another hole to tighten his belt. CUT TO: 254 INT. BUS - DAY 254 Chris looking very thin. Too thin. He is noshing on a bag of collected berries while reading from Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) Here she stopped and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath of the flower-scented air of the broad expanse around her. It was dearer to her than her kin, better than a lover, wiser than a book. 136. ANGLE: Chris pulls more berries from the bag and chews on them as he reads. ANGLE: The book CHRIS (V.O.)(O.C.) (CONT'D) For a moment, she re-discovered the purpose of her life. She was here in earth to grasp the meaning of its wild enchantment and call each thing by its right name. ANGLE: Chris CHRIS (CONT'D) (echoing) By its right name. By its right name. He puts down the book and brings one of the ripe berries in front of his face (as close as shot of when he picked it.) Chris then grabs Tanaina Plantlore, the flora and fauna book he had gotten from the library in Fairbanks. And it takes him out of the bus like a divining rod. His nose in the book, he follows it. CUT TO: 255 EXT. BUS - DAY 255 Plant to plant. Bush to bush. SPEAKING ALOUD the names of everything he sees as he identifies them with the book. CHRIS Beautiful blueberries - Vaccinium uliginosum. Eskimo potato - Hedysarum alpinum...etc. We follow Chris over a number of days as he eats from these identified species of plant, each being logged, one by one by name on the bus diary/log. CUT TO: 137. 256 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 256 With Tanaina Plantlore by his side, Chris digs into the soft earth on the berm of the river bank and digs up a wild potato root. CUT TO: 257 INT. BUS - NIGHT 257 Chris pulls the seeds from the root, noshing on them as he reads from Doctor Zhivago. We drift from him reading to the diary/log on the wall. The day representing: July 24th The diary/log: WILD POTATO ROOT We drift back to Chris. Fatigue shows in his eyes as he puts the book down and lays down to sleep. CUT TO: 258 EXT. BUS - MORNING (JULY 30 1992) 258 WIDE SHOT of the bus. It's a beautiful July morning. Birds chirp in the trees. A soft breeze sweeping down from the mountains massages the valley below. We SLOWLY ZOOM into the bus. CUT TO: 259 INT./EXT. BUS - SAME 259 The open bag of seeds beside Chris' sleeping body. We drift over to Chris' face, his lips de-hydrated, and skin parched. He breathes heavily. He awakens. He tries to sit up. It's a terrible struggle. Barely makes it to his feet. Chris stumbles to the door of the bus, looking up at the hot sun. He has to sit back down on the small bus steps. From his position on the step, he leans back into the bus and is able to grab his water jug. He pours it into his mouth but nothing seems to satiate or hydrate him. He drinks it all. It spills over his face and chest. 138. We observe Chris for a moment as the wheels turn inside his haunted eyes. And a curiosity seems to overtake him. He crawls back to his copy of Tanaina Plantlore, flipping the pages one by one until he arrives at the photograph identifying the wild potato root and the word "edible" beside it. He reads the page to its conclusion and as almost an afterthought, turns the page to see if there might be more. The word - POISON jumps off the page at him. The book describes the tiny green seeds of the potato root and warns that those with: lateral veins, such as those invisible on the leaflets of wild sweet peas are poisonous. The words - ...leading to partial motor paralysis... ...inhibition of digestion... ...nausea, starvation... ECU: ...STARVATION CRASH ZOOM into Chris' face, realizing his desperate plight. CUT TO: 260 EXT. BUS 260 Chris kneels, holding one of the potato seeds to the sunlight and there we see them - the lateral veins that indicate poisonous seeds. CUT TO: 261 INT. BUS 261 ANGLE: The diary/log: EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POTATO SEED. CUT TO: 139. 262 EXT. BUS - DAY 262 Chris, barely able to walk, moves, at the pace of an elderly man, with his rifle, through the underbrush. He needs food now. CUT TO: 263 EXT. WOODS - DAY 263 He shoots a squirrel. But as he moves toward what he thinks is his kill, the squirrel makes off with a bleeding tail. Chris fires several desperate shots at the squirrel but misses with each one. CUT TO: 264 INT. BUS - NIGHT 264 Chris, having a fitful sleep. Short breaths and mutterings. CUT TO: 265 EXT. CLEARING AROUND BUS - NIGHT 265 A big moon shines above and we find on a tree branch, the squirrel Chris had clipped in the tail earlier in the day. On the last legs of bleeding to death, it falls from the tree. The moon becomes the sun and we pass a couple of days through visions of the nature about in varying light. CUT TO: 266 EXT. SUSHANA RIVER - DAY 266 Chris labors up the riverbank with his water jug full. He is shirtless and absolutely emaciated. Frightening. He pauses at the river's edge to take air into his lungs. It's all he can do just to breath. WIDE ANGLE TABLEAU (CONTINUOUS): Chris standing at the river's edge catching his breath framed against the background of the 3000 foot butte that he'd so recently climbed with ease. 140. Now, maintaining this tableau, something moves from near CAMERA RIGHT into frame. Bit by bit we'll realize it's a LARGE BEAR ENTERING FRAME and moving away from camera toward Chris. It lumbers to within feet of him. CU OVER BEAR onto Chris: Chris, passive to the

pillows

How many times the word 'pillows' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

pilot

How many times the word 'pilot' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

like

How many times the word 'like' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

manicured

How many times the word 'manicured' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

catering

How many times the word 'catering' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

party

How many times the word 'party' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

seriously

How many times the word 'seriously' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

after

How many times the word 'after' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

men

How many times the word 'men' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

dirt

How many times the word 'dirt' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

experience

How many times the word 'experience' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

responds

How many times the word 'responds' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

beside

How many times the word 'beside' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

prices

How many times the word 'prices' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

dirty

How many times the word 'dirty' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

broke

How many times the word 'broke' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

points

How many times the word 'points' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

volunteer

How many times the word 'volunteer' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

jumbo

How many times the word 'jumbo' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

mile

How many times the word 'mile' appears in the text?

34 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - EVENING. 34 As John moves quickly through the downstairs, he puts the tray on a counter where food servers are working. JOHN I brought some dessert. As he moves on, we see in the background the workers unwrap and react to a fantastic concoction. A caterer (who we may notice looks at him like royalty) falls in beside him and whispers to him. CATERER She came down to check on the party and realized the gardeners hadn't finished rolling the sod. 35 INT. / EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT 35 JOHN'S POV - DEBORAH AND TWO FEMALE CATERERS. Deborah is wearing a party dress. They are rolling out the last huge cylinder of sod, completing the now beautifully manicured backyard. It is hard manual labor involving physical strength. The female caterers are complaining that it's too heavy but Deborah is undeterred. DEBORAH (to catering women) We can do it. Come on. She falls over the roll..getting filthy..but it gives and they gain momentum...one of the catering women falling down, one losing pace.. Deborah,however, gains the upper hand. Yet, even while succeeding, she remonstrates herself. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (great exertion) Why... do... I... care.. so.. much.. about.... CRAP? And now she wins.. the cylinder of grass rolls all the way out and she jumps on the seam in victory. She is dirty, spent and triumphant..the components for a solid sexual experience..and, in truth, as the exhausted caterers half- heartedly applaud the bizarre victory, she has gotten off. She looks with mother's pride at the lawn. Then sees John. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can you believe they left without finishing? As she looks at her handiwork - John looks at her..A grin..half laugh.. He loves the dame. 20. DEBORAH (BREATHLESS) (CONT'D) Looks great, huh?.... You're not looking. JOHN I was getting a kick looking at you look at it. Not the answer she wanted.. DEBORAH I better get dressed again in case anybody's just a half hour late. She hits a switch at the door and the backyard area is now fully illuminated -- set up for a dinner party for 20 or so....all details thought about and done to a "T". This is the outdoor lighting nobody nails..the twinkling of a half acre..the path to the pool like a runway to heaven. As she looks at it all she has a wistful moment. DEBORAH (CONT'D) (a replenishing sigh) Okay..We're okay here. (then) Why can't everything be like sod? There's no wait, no dung, nothing you have to do right and yet it's perfect. It covers up all your dirt and makes things immediately pretty..then, the miracle, if you just give it time, it roots and you can't tell it from the real thing. (a look to her husband) No reaction. Nothing to say. JOHN Huh? Oh sure..I, uh..Well, no, I don't have anything particular to say. DEBORAH Oh, John why don't you just take out a knife and kill me all together. Somewhat crushed, she prepares to exit. JOHN How'd you get there..Hey, wait a minute..Deb..stop..come on. (she turns) I'd like to figure this one out. What would have been the great thing for me to say after you said the sod sentence?..Really. 21. DEBORAH That's actually a good question. JOHN There you go. I surprise sometimes. DEBORAH I would have liked, if after I compared the sod to life, if you had said, "Exactly!" She turns to leave. JOHN Yeah. But to say that and mean it I'd have to think the same way you do. DEBORAH (some sense of mischief) It's worth a try...I had something else to tell you...it'll come to me.. 36 INT. OLIVE GARDEN TYPE RESTAURANT - NIGHT 36 Standing in a nicely decorated middle class restaurant, Cristina, totally bilingual, speaks to the American hostess with a pronounced and charming accent as her mother, standing beside her, bounces with energy and joy. CRISTINA Could we have a table for two, please? Flor says something to her in Spanish..the daughter waves it off and when the mother persists, she translates. CRISTINA (CONT'D) We're celebrating. HOSTESS Smoking or non-smoking? Before her daughter can translate. FLOR Dancing! The hostess laughs..They are seated at the two ends of a banquette and each automatically picks up her place setting and "scootches" closely together. Cristina picks up a menu and points to the prices. CRISTINA Wow, expensive.. 22. Flor scoffs -- says she's making six hundred dollars a week..then looks at the prices and does a take. The hostess returns --- Cristina points to the menu. CRISTINA (CONT'D) This is just for the starter? Flor, encouraging her daughter's spirit of adventure, places her hand over the prices in the menu. HOSTESS Uh-huh..And those men would like to buy you a drink. The daughter translates...the hostess points out the early 30's, well dressed, quite nice looking businessmen. Flor addresses the men who are several tables away. Cristina moves uncomfortably but responds to her mother's nudge to translate. CRISTINA (to men) This is very embarrassing but-- "what's wrong with you? I'm with my daughter for God's sake!" Then hostess, Flor and finally Cristina laugh. Cristina relishes getting back to ordering from the menu...in a moment that is a bit noteworthy.. CRISTINA (CONT'D) And I would like to begin with the Jumbo Shrimp. 37 EXT. STONE CANYON - DAY - 6:30 A.M. 37 Flor smiling..enjoying the canyon..as she walks the mile plus from the bus stop to work..one of a straggly line of domestics. Deborah jogs into view. DEBORAH Hi, Flor..See you up there. Deborah runs past..She is clearly upset..She is also more than a stay-in-shape jogger. She is an athletic woman fueled by an ever flickering pilot light of anxiety. This makes her seriously quick. She is highly aware of passing everybody..She needs to pass everybody..Her voice trails behind her as she announces to all as she approaches.."left, please," "left," "left." 38 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY 38 John enters his son's room..GEORGIE, age 9. 23. JOHN Okay...think SERIOUSLY about getting up. You don't have to get up yet but are you thinking seriously about it? GEORGIE Yes. JOHN Okay. 39 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY. 39 Bernice is making French Toast, doing something novel with the filling and the last cooking process. Some great idea which will have us making a mental note to try it at home. 40 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS DAY - DAY 40 John opens Georgie's door again. GEORGIE Now? JOHN Yes..actual up.. Georgie gets up.. GEORGIE Morning, Dad. JOHN Yeah, good morning. GEORGIE You as mad at me as Mom 'cause of what happened? John pauses..aware his answer will have repercussions but integrity wins. JOHN No, Georgie, I'm not. GEORGIE Are you mad at me? JOHN Uh...okay, no.. 41 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN DOORWAY - DAY 41 As Flor enters from outside. BERNICE Morning, good to see you. 24. FLOR Morning. Good too. She notices the French Toast. BERNICE Try some. She demurs. Bernice holds out one slice on a spatula, indicating Flor should just tear a piece off which she does...One taste and she marvels -- her mouth dropping open at this kid's ability to make something mundane special..Bernice laughs. BERNICE (CONT'D) Thanks. Her mother enters on her way upstairs. She is thoughtful, tense and sweaty - her run having failed to exorcise her current demon. She greets Flor and then shakes her head, making a vain attempt to communicate her troubled mood to Flor in some sort of sisterhood based on life being a fucker. DEBORAH Tough day. Bernice prepares a plate for her mom while, in the b.g., a GOLDEN RETRIEVER named CHUM approaches Flor from behind with a ball in its mouth. Flor is checking out the kitchen... what's in each drawer, etc .....Deborah is impressed by the self-starter display and indicates same to Bernice. BERNICE I had an idea for a breakthrough in French toast so I made breakfast. I don't want to be teased about it.. No sarcasm. No tough love. Just try it and if by any chance you have a positive reaction... DEBORAH Right..mean ol' me. I can't play right now. I have to do something about your brother. BERNICE I had an idea for a recipe. When has that happened? I got up early to do this. At least taste it, for God's sakes! She does.. DEBORAH Oh, it's good...oh God, it's rich -- Oh God, it's good. 25. DEBORAH (sudden alarm) By the way, you could do without this. The approval rug pulled out from under her, Bernice looks at her mother. But Deborah is unaware of having hurt her daughter because her attention has been diverted so that Deborah AND THE CAMERA LOSE FOCUS ON BERNICE as the teenager, distraught, moves from the room. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) NO..NO! FLOR!....Never do fetch. Chum is nudging Flor with the ball and Flor was about to accommodate him by taking it before Deborah's warning shout stopped her in mid-sentence. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I mean it, NEVER! ON Flor's stunned reaction to the outburst. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I'm not mad. I'm thinking of you. This is me being nice.. Then using her hands to demonstrate. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Just no taking ball from dog. (broadly) Trust me on that one. CLOSE UP ON Chum going nuts with Deborah's hand passing in front of his face ignoring how urgently he offers the ball. DEBORAH (CONT'D) You and me. We are fine. Just a tip. (she gives her waist a little squeeze) Girlfriends. (Flor is totally confused) Could you make some coffee? Cafe? FLOR Yes. Deborah directs her to the most complicated cappuccino machine Italian overpriced artists ever devised. 42 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - MASTER BATHROOM - DAY 42 Deb in the shower...you have never seen so many shampoos, conditioners and bath balms...never seen so huge a sponge..such fluffy towels. 26. Skylight over the shower allows a beam of God's warmth. There is a fireplace in the bathroom. The only significance of this being that these people have a fireplace in their bathroom. The woman who made it all happen is putting in a contact lens..She is upset. We see that she has one blue eye and one brown. JOHN This isn't an argument, honey. DEBORAH Yes. Yes it is. So stop being so maniacally calm. JOHN (emphatically) No..it's not. Because I understand your side. DEBORAH I can't be wrong about that too. This is a fight. We're having a fight. Yo, I feel anger. Deborah turns from the sink revealing one brown eye and one blue. She blinks, realizes one lens is not in and turns back to the sink. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Can I have a moment? John exits into the.. 43 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 43 As John awaits his wife...a beat and she enters with two blue eyes. Even though she is attempting reason and self-control her voice is filled with tension and goes from loud to borderline yelling. DEBORAH Okay..Let's get someplace here. 44 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 44 As Flor works methodically - orienting herself..she is able to hear their totally foreign words and though their volume registers on her a bit - basically she remains blithe. Loading a dishwasher, memorizing where everything is.. 45 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - DAY 45 BACK TO SCENE: DEBORAH You, mister, are crazy making..I can't take this calm thing you've 27. DEBORAH started doing. It's like this is your way of letting me know there's something deeply wrong with me because I'm not calm. JOHN (calmly) Let's not go all over the place..Can't we... DEBORAH (shouted burst) If you're going to talk to me please have the decency to raise your voice. JOHN (a beat then sudden urgency and change of tone) Let's make a break for it. DEBORAH What are you talking about? He signals her with his eyes and head and then takes a large but tentative step away from the spot where he was standing...then additional faster steps. He gestures with enormous energy for her to follow him to his new spot in the room. She eyes him suspiciously. JOHN Just for a second. She walks to him...he puts an arm around her shoulder. And gestures back to where they were standing. He talks in an almost hushed, conspiratorial voice. JOHN (CONT'D) We don't have to be those people. Nobody's watching. They've been masquerading as us for a while here..I'll distract them - you make a break for it and I'll meet you outside. DEBORAH You're ridiculing me because I care about this. JOHN (firmly) No. I'm not. I mean this..let's get away from those two in case they're as miserable as they look.. 28. JOHN (urging..like a Southern coach) Come on, baby. He is looking at her with wit and conviction..trying to squirt lighter fluid at the flame of their love. Deborah looks up at him..intimacy of a different sort. DEBORAH Let me ask you a question..let me change the subject..Forget for a moment that you won't support me with Georgie.. JOHN (reasonably) Well, I don't think... She makes a noise of frustration to stop him..It works. John is rendered still and intimidated by her conduct but he is "man" enough for his jaw to set...to pause for a beat as he looks her straight in the eye..And walks back to the spot they occupied previously. JOHN (CONT'D) Go ahead. DEBORAH Here's the question. It's been on my mind more and more. Do you do that calm thing for the purpose of infuriating me? JOHN (genuinely puzzled) What? Why would ... (on her exasperated look) Why would anyone do something to someone they love for the purpose of messing them up? DEBORAH (unconvinced/distant) Okay. He hates that look of isolation on her face..He needs to make her feel better. JOHN Deb, since high school we've been able to read each other...take advantage of it..The answer to the question is,"absolutely not." Now take a look and tell me if you believe me. 29. She looks at him..with a finger motion he directs her gaze to his eyes.. CLOSE on JOHN'S EYES. Open, smiling, trusting. Trying to get a laugh out of her. CLOSE ON DEBORAH'S EYES. Studying, questioning, probing, doubting, exhausted... DEBORAH I don't.. believe you. I think you just want me to feel badly about myself..Sorry, honey. 46 INT. CLASKY HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY 46 John enters - not seeing Flor - goes to the Sparkletts water container and fills a cup...He is shaken.. JOHN (to himself) Great God in heaven save me. Boy meets girl. FLOR Hi. He turns with a start to see Flor smiling at him. Gorgeous squared. His first word is inadvertent. JOHN Whoa...whoa...I didn't know Deborah had found someone... You work here? You're going to help with the house and kids? FLOR Solo espa ol. JOHN You work here and you don't speak any English at all? The sound of feet on the stairs..Deborah and Georgie enter. DEBORAH All she has to do is dial 9-1-1 and press two for Spanish. (even before she enters) Flor...John. (to John enunciating the name) This is Flor. 30. JOHN (pronouncing it perfectly) Hi, Flor. Deborah reacts, grabs some coffee and pushes Georgie along. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Deborah) Look, I'll take Georgie to school. DEBORAH No. I'm doing it..show Flor the ropes. Flor is trying to figure out what's expected of her then Deborah gestures impatiently for her to fall into step and come with her. 47 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 47 The biggest, baddest, BLACKEST SUV..there is some subtle custom work so the vehicle impacts us in ways we cannot quite fathom. Deborah is wiping away a tear as she gets in and shares a woman to woman moment with Flor. DEBORAH Fuckin' hombres, huh? She sniffles. Flor nods uncertainly. A small voice from the back seat..Georgie.. GEORGIE I just didn't want to sing last night. DEBORAH'S VOICE (hurt) Yeah. Well you said you would..You said you wanted to. I asked you five times. Then when I have the whole party paying attention you refused. As she puts the car in gear...Georgie sings insanely well. But he's just two lines into an old blues standard: DEBORAH It doesn't do any good now, Georgie. She presses a button on her dash and a glass partition comes up between front and back seat thereby cutting him off in mid- song. Flor is utterly baffled by the notion of putting a divider between parent and child. But Deborah is calling for her to pay attention to the car's navigation screen.. a Spanish voice says, "route guidance system starting." 31. DEBORAH (CONT'D) I've programmed it for Spanish.. Look, it will take you anywhere and then back home. If you figured out how to make coffee on that thing it's all downhill. The MALE SPANISH VOICE talks about imminent left turns. Flor is thrown by the amount of oddness..All the while Georgie is singing his little heart out in the back seat. Flor,amused by the boy, suppresses a smile...maybe the first time in her life she's had to suppress joy. But Deborah never misses anything. DEBORAH (TO FLOR) (CONT'D) This is stop gap..You, kiddo, you're going to have to learn English. 48 INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON 48 John cooking...the theory that nobody's sexier than when they are seen doing what they do best applies here.. In the BACKGROUND John's number two, PETER, the Sous Chef, being bossy and anal as he organizes his cooking and GWEN, who spends most nights trying not to show her enormous affection for John. At the moment, John's work is a strange mixture of art and cloddishness.....the hands blur with expertise...but he keeps dropping items.....each time a Latin kitchen worker, ALEX, 20, dives on the spillage..At one point they bump. JOHN Sorry... PETER (sharply to Alex) Not the best place to stand, fella. JOHN (to Alex) No. It's me. You're the new helper, huh.. ALEX I didn't mean to... JOHN No..no..it's okay. It's me being bugged. Two people head for John almost simultaneously. PEG, an arty looking woman in her late 50's..wild, scraggly gray hair, enters lugging an ice chest and the maitre d'. PEG You are going to be so happy.. The Maitre D' enters. 32. MAITRE D' I have something very important to tell you. John makes a no-brainer of a decision pointing to the woman who promised happiness. She hefts her ice chest up on the counter. PEG Perfect cod this is John -- John, perfect cod..Best one I've seen all season and he was swimming twenty minutes ago. The fish is that special, a sentence that kicks out for a writer, the right brush stroke for an artist. You get it.. JOHN Knockout. (to Alex) You want to learn something? You want to pack it away? The kid nods.. he picks up the fish. JOHN (CONT'D) Cradle it...Put it in the cooler but not on its side.. In the same position it swims. (important added thought) And check the ice pack..make sure it can drain away..if it can't the chlorine can hurt the flesh. Do all that and nobody can put a fish in the fridge better than you...and that's a solid start.. First day and you already did something perfect. KID (smiling) Yes, I understand. MAITRE D' Please. Now? JOHN Oh, sorry..I forgot. He whispers in John's ear.. JOHN (CONT'D) Damn.. "ohhhh damn." PETER What, buddy, what? 33. JOHN Victor spotted a food critic.. PETER From? VICTOR The New York Times..I'll bet they sent her out just for us. (hands John a slip) Here's what she ordered. PETER Look, if you're nervous take a walk.. JOHN I don't need a walk. GWEN I'll walk with you..I know a breathing thing. JOHN What do you think I'm worried about... how I'll cook? That's not the problem.. (looks at slip/then to Alex) The lady wants fish. Get the fish. He starts to prepare for cooking. JOHN (CONT'D) I worked in a kitchen once in New York that got four stars. It was like a line formed for the chance to become an asshole. People's accents changed. The heart went out of the place. You understand. PETER No. GWEN (w/barely understated passion) I agree with everything you've said. I admire you for your feelings. I hope to adopt them as my own.... ON JOHN. As he works..Let's be clear here...this is that sequence that either kicks out or doesn't..no food channel..no simple knife stuff..something casually brilliant..meticulous...smart and gifted as he prepares the critic's meal. 34. He is talking quickly..almost to himself. JOHN I don't know what to root for.. the thought of one star makes me nauseous..but with four there's no place to go but, "Oh my God, they took away a star." (musing) Three..three and a half. That's what you want..No. Wrong! Three and a half you feel disappointed that you just missed out on four. You know what you want? Three and a quarter.. (a eureka moment) That would be perfect!! (getting off on it) It would mean you're good..but you're not good enough to feel disappointed that you just missed out on excellent..but nothing truly bad happened, you still got your three and a quarter stars. Which encourages you to try and improve..And you still get enough respect so that you can get good people to work with you..Business is good but not crazy. You're right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That's a solid life. He tastes a sliver of the food dish he is preparing. JOHN (CONT'D) (with professional honesty and some regret) Aw, man..this is amazing. No three and a quarter here. 49 INT. CLASKY KITCHEN - DAY. 49 Evelyn, having a glass of white wine and a sandwich, is talking to Bernice in the kitchen also including Flor though she is only catching a word here or there.. EVELYN Well, I'm in the vitamin section and this little hip hop girl..what's her name..Grammys - adorable -- big voice..subtle phrasing...oh, she's famous..the kids know her...oh - little blue shoes..darn me. Flor looks concerned over Evelyn's displeasure with herself, a fact picked up by the older woman...It is actually a small 35. but resonant good-natured, affectionate moment between the lush and the Latina. EVELYN (CONT'D) God Bless the language barrier, it keeps you from being bored with me. Spoken to directly like this, Flor is confused.. EVELYN (CONT'D) Anyway, she said, "aren't you Evelyn Wright?" First of all, that she recognized me from the old covers and then she .... Oh, please her name..it makes the story so much better...She said, (genuinely stirred) "Whenever I think everything is.." (aside) Pardon my French..pardon her French (back to quote) "a mother hmmmhmmm...I put on one of your records.." BERNICE Awwww. How sweet.... Evelyn looks transparently vulnerable for a second. Flor reacts. Bernie squeezes her grandmother's hand..Flor smiles. EVELYN Just such a lovely thing to come from the blue.... Deborah enters, carrying a load of packages. With lightning speed, her eye picks out...the glass her mother is drinking from. DEBORAH Oh, Mother...It's not even noon. EVELYN (defensively) It's almost two o'clock. DEBORAH God, where is this day going...Flor could you come with me? BERNICE Grandma, tell Mom what happened. EVELYN (very deliberately) No. 36. Deborah leads the way out...but Flor stops before following her out to give Evelyn a gesture of support and appreciation. 50 INT. BERNIE'S ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON 50 John is in Bernie's room - helping her with her homework. They lay at right angles to each other..He is testing her. JOHN This is going to work. BERNICE I don't know anything. JOHN Free your mind...the president whose policies many consider responsible for the Great Depression... BERNICE I don't know... JOHN Name a vacuum cleaner.. BERNICE Okay. Yes..thanks. JOHN And this vacuum whooshed all this money out of everyone's pockets. BERNICE Got it. I no longer know nothing. JOHN And Hoover was followed in office by.. BERNICE I'm just drawing blanks. I'm embarrassed. It's my own fault I spent my time on math, which I'm lucky if I don't flunk anyway and.. JOHN The guy we are looking for is not a ruse.. BERNICE What's ruse mean? JOHN Phony. So this president was not a ruse..He was the real thing. 37. JOHN (she looks at him blankly) Ruse?? BERNICE (enjoying her father's absurdity) Rusevelt..If I'd ever heard of the word before - that would lock it in..It's so stupid it might work anyway... Deborah enters followed by Flor. They are carrying several boxes of clothes... DEBORAH Surprise new clothes.. Bernie gasps..As she looks at a sweater.. BERNICE What'd I do right? DEBORAH Warehouse sale.. Bernice tries on the sweater over her T-shirt..and mirth ends..The sweater is tight...Bernice picks up a blouse and then skirt and checks the size. ON FLOR AND JOHN. As they are COUPLED BY THE CAMERA ANGLE as each catches on and is dumbfounded. ON BERNICE.. Whose style, wit and grace should not have to be used to deflect such trauma. But so be it, as, though mightily stung: BERNICE Thanks, mom..I'm glad you didn't get here a little earlier or else I wouldn't be able to tell you that your gift is a ruse. Please, excuse me.. She exits to her bathroom. 51 INT. STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING 51 Flor one step behind John and Deborah who are moving quickly down the stairs...John pissed..Deborah feeling the futility of anyone understanding her point even as she makes it. 38. DEBORAH She's right between the two sizes..I thought about it..what am I supposed to do encourage her...what is it? - DENIAL? Or motivate her to get herself in shape. Flor tries to slide by..Something surreptitious in her behavior..Deborah suddenly turns to Flor. DEBORAH (CONT'D) Flor.. She holds out her hand in a "we women understand" gesture. Flor does not waver..just meets her eyes. FLOR Me puedo ir?..go..can go? DEBORAH (a bit nonplussed) Sure. Go. JOHN I'll drive you to the bus stop. And that fast they are gone. 52 EXT. CLASKY HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 52 As John gets in his seat..then sees Flor approaching the door and hops out to open her door...apologizing as he goes. JOHN Sorry. I'm cracking. As he moves back to his side of the vehicle. JOHN (CONT'D) (a shout) Shiiiiiiit! Flor hears this from inside and nods in agreement. 53 INT. JOHN'S CAR - EARLY EVENING.. 53 As they drive down the canyon. He is wildly frustrated. Even if Flor were not there, he would be talking to himself anyway, in the manner of bag ladies and all of us. JOHN (CONT'D) I am running out of excuses for the lady of the house. Flor doesn't understand his words...yet fully agrees. But then John takes rein of his emotions. 39. JOHN (CONT'D) But you know, you gotta watch out for the times you think you're absolutely right..But, man, Bernice has finals tomorrow. She didn't need this one..And just that look on her face when she got the gifts-- (now his voice cracks; he grows wet-eyed) --like for a second she thought all her problems with her mother had been solved... Flor is flabbergasted..she peeks to see if he is actually crying. At first her heart is touched by John but then there is distinct disapproval (a real roll of the eyes) that the macho meter can read that low. He looks at her and she faces front quickly. NARRATOR My mother did not understand her male boss. His heart was good and he was rare in not flirting with her. But they were starkly different. Privacy and dignity were the same word to my mother. Naturally, when she found herself sitting next to a man who cried over his child's hurt she had no idea how to process the event. Meanwhile, he has stopped for traffic near the end of the canyon. Flor takes the opportunity to bolt. FLOR Gracias. She opens the door and starts to get out though the car is still rolling a bit... JOHN What are you doing? Let me take you all the way. Reluctantly she re-enters the car..It rolls another ten feet to her bus stop and she gets out again. JOHN (CONT'D) How weird was this ride? Sorry. FLOR No es nada. He doesn't quite know what that means...indicates same in a little helpless gesture.. 40. 54 EXT. BUS STOP - EARLY EVENING.. 54 As Flor is dropped off...the goodbye awkward. NARRATOR The job was taxing her. She had no template for confusion let alone frustration. While waiting for the bus, Flor suddenly turns and runs a few yards...and then back..and waves off the looks from her colleagues - many of whom are overweight..many of them adorable. All puzzled for the moment as they watch Flor unsuccessfully try to shake off her day. 55 INT. FLOR'S APT. - EVENING 55 As Flor enters -- kisses her daughter..distraught and distracted. She walks immediately to the refrigerator and takes out a chocolate cake and a bottle of milk...she cuts a huge slice of cake and puts it in front of her startled daughter..in Spanish riding her on being too thin..the daughter gestures at her mother's own slim figure. NARRATOR It was so unusual for my mother to ask my help that I realized immediately she was losing her battle to be uninvolved with the Claskys. Flor asks her daughter how to say something in English. CRISTINA Try it on. Flor asks again in Spanish...trying to find a precise phrase.. The nuance important to her. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Please try it on? Flor knows the word "please"..it's not what she wants...what she wants is a way to say, "try it on" in a manner which is not a request..or order, but is, rather, friendly and caring. Her daughter works on the problem. CRISTINA (CONT'D) Just try it on? FLOR (thickly accented) Just try it on.

grin

How many times the word 'grin' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

spend

How many times the word 'spend' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

later

How many times the word 'later' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

faggot

How many times the word 'faggot' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

rosanna

How many times the word 'rosanna' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

furniture

How many times the word 'furniture' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

think

How many times the word 'think' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

against

How many times the word 'against' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

wretched;--so

How many times the word 'wretched;--so' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

husband

How many times the word 'husband' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

fears

How many times the word 'fears' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

son

How many times the word 'son' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

serein

How many times the word 'serein' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

judit

How many times the word 'judit' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

ears

How many times the word 'ears' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

noble

How many times the word 'noble' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

martha

How many times the word 'martha' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

crossing

How many times the word 'crossing' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

abdicating

How many times the word 'abdicating' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

reprimand

How many times the word 'reprimand' appears in the text?

54 It's his second wife, whom he divorced years ago. He treats her with disregard. ERNESTO S. I can't talk now, Rosanna. OFF It's about your son. I have caught him trying on my dresses. And it's not the first time... ERNESTO S. It's your fault, you made him effeminate to humiliate me! OFF That's not the problem, the boy is very depressed, I've had to take him to a psychiatrist. ERNESTO S. Don't call him "boy". He is already seventeen. OFF The doctor has told me he is in need of a father figure... I think I am going to send him your way so that he can spend some time with you, after all you are his father. ERNESTO If I haven't been a good father in eighteen years, I don't think I can learn to be one precisely now. OFF How can you speak like that! Have you no feelings? ERNESTO (Looks at Lena, intently) I have them. Very deep feelings, they just don't include either of you. While he speaks, Lena consults him about the jewelry she is about to put on, she tries on different pairs of earrings for his approval, something he gives without pausing his phone conversation. 55 Lena makes a gesture of reproach. Ernesto should not speak to his ex- wife in that tone. OFF If anything happens to him, you'll know who's at fault. ERNESTO Stop blackmailing me, Rosanna. Tell Ernesto that if he wants to talk to me he should call me himself. Ernesto Martel Senior hangs up, bewildered. 45. CONTINUED. 1992. LENA (In reprimand) Don't be so harsh with them, Ernesto! He sips from his drink, or he serves himself another one if he has already finished the first. ERNESTO Blackmailers! LENA Why don't you invite your son to spend a few days here? ERNESTO It'd be better if you didn't get involved with them, Lena. Ernesto takes a sip from his drink. 56 LENA He can keep me company... Does he like movies or theater? Ernesto Senior casts her a sideways glance. ERNESTO I don't know. But the mother has told me he is a bit faggot. If I ask him to come I would like for you to tell me if that's true... and whether you think there's any remedy... LENA And how would I know?! What an idea! ERNESTO I am not asking you to fuck him, but you good-looking girls can tell these things. LENA Call him, but you can't count on me for the rest. Ernesto approaches the telephone and dials a number. 46. ERNESTO MARTEL'S MANSION. (2008). INT. NIGHT. Fourteen years later in the same room, decorated differently, (more modern, more colorful), although it still retains some noble and timeless furniture pieces and the same layout Ernesto Junior (we in effect confirm that this is Ray X) speaks on the telephone while getting dressed to leave for a party. In that very room, another man (young, handsome and ambitious) is getting dressed in front of a piece of furniture equipped with a mirror, at the very spot Lena had been 57 earlier. (This piece of furniture is not the same one as the one fourteen years earlier, this is a more masculine piece, the other one was a type of boudoir). OFF EX-WIFE I am not reproaching you for our separation but that you live with a man... What will your children think! ERNESTO JUNIOR (On the phone) That their father is a homosexual (he gazes at his handsome boyfriend) and that he has very good taste. If they love me and you don't set them against me, they will accept it. OFF EX-WIFE You should have told me before we married! ERNESTO JUNIOR If you hadn't been so exclusively concerned with my father's fortune you might have noticed it yourself. The ex-wife grumbles furiously. The beautiful boyfriend continues to dress and smiles at Ernesto. Another telephone rings. ERNESTO JUNIOR I have to go, I have another call. 47. ERNESTO SON'S MANSION. INT. NIGHT 2008 47 A. JUDIT'S PRODUCTION OFFICE. INT. NIGHT. ERNESTO J.'s LOVER Will it be your other ex-wife? 58 ERNESTO JUNIOR I hope not. (Into the headset) Yes? JUDIT (Dryly) It's Judit Garcia. ERNESTO JUNIOR Oh, hello, Judit. (In an amiable tone) Did you get the money? JUDIT I don't want it! I just sent it back, Ernesto! She emphasizes his name. ERNESTO JUNIOR You won't call me Ray? It's my artistic name... JUDIT Artistic? What are you up to? ERNESTO JUNIOR Hoping to erase my father's name. JUDIT And what does that have to do with Harry? ERNESTO JUNIOR I've been wanting to see him for a long time. And it's true that I want to shoot a movie and that I want him to write the script. (Looks at the boyfriend) I've got the protagonist. The boyfriend catches the allusion. JUDIT You are not a director! ERNESTO JUNIOR You should take a look at my documentary, you'd change your mind. 59 JUDIT Ernesto, forget about us! ERNESTO JUNIOR Don't be afraid of me. I am not my father. JUDIT Do not come near Harry again. If you ever stop by his house again I will report you for harassment. And she hangs up the phone. At that very moment Judit is in her office with the American production team. She apologizes and attempts to recover her calm before undertaking the subject of the meeting at hand. 48. JUDIT'S HOME. JUDIT'S BEDROOM. INT. NIGHT. 2008 The house is not very big, but it is large enough for two people. It's discretely feminine and very practical. The details indicate that an independent woman lives there, as well as a young-man, twenty- five years old. There is some detail of the d cor (the curtains, for example) that is replicated in Harry's home. It is clear that Judit has had a hand in setting up the writer's home. Judit is packing her bags, she paces back and forth. She is a bit overwhelmed, with multiple thoughts crossing her mind. At times, she asks for Diego's help. JUDIT I am not at all pleased with having to scout outside Madrid, but the Americans pay a bundle and we need money. 60 DIEGO You can leave without concerns. Don't worry about me. JUDIT I am also worried for Harry. (Sounds more like an order than a request) Please, look after him during my absence... DIEGO (Protests) I have things to do, mom. I can't look after him all day. JUDIT It's only two weeks! DIEGO Harry manages perfectly on his own and right now we are not writing anything. Acknowledges the reason for her worry. JUDIT I am worried about Ernesto Junior's visit. I would like for you to be on guard in case he appears or calls and then let me know immediately! DIEGO Why are you so worried? Judit stops what she's doing, and takes a moment to take a deep breath. JUDIT He's crazy. I don't trust him. DIEGO Why? JUDIT 61 (Evasive) It's a long story. DIEGO (Persistent) Summarize it! JUDIT Diego, please, this is not the moment. DIEGO It never is for you! JUDIT (Exasperated) Hey, if it bothers you so much to look after Harry, I'll quit the job and stay in Madrid! Or I'll hire someone. DIEGO It doesn't bother me to look after Harry! But I am tired of so much secrecy! (It's a civilized encounter, no screaming. There is tension, but it is kept under control by both of them) 49. IN A PUBLIC PARK AND ON THE STREET. EXT. DAY. 2008 A public park. Diego and Harry are walking along a straight pathway. Kids, dogs, people jogging. It is a tranquil and pleasant place. Diego is in front, Harry is behind him, holding on to his elbow, (as reference), but it's Harry who is moving faster, pushing Diego from his elbow. The boy shows signs of exhaustion, he is wearing black sunglasses. DIEGO Don't go so fast! HARRY 62 We are exercising... DIEGO I'm not. I'm just keeping you company. How can you walk so fast? HARRY I am training and I don't work at night, nor do I drug myself. DIEGO (On guard) What do you mean by that? HARRY That I take care of myself, with the fanaticism of an older, handicapped person. DIEGO You are no fanatic. HARRY Yes, I am. All of us who survive a critical physical injury are. There is no other way. Cut to. 50. CONTINUED. EXT. DAY. They exit the park. While they wait at a stop sign, a billboard catches Diego's attention. Half of the billboard is taken up by the motto: DONATE BLOOD. The names of participating ambulatory hospitals and their hours appear below. Harry can tell his company is distracted, so he asks him: HARRY 63 What are you looking at? DIEGO A billboard. HARRY Why so? DIEGO In huge letters it says "Donate Blood", it includes where one has to go. HARRY You want to donate blood? DIEGO No, no... I was thinking that "Donate Blood" is a good title for a movie... HARRY Yes. It has a good ring. DIEGO For a vampire flick. Harry finds it amusing. They walk toward home. HARRY It's true. DIEGO (Ironizing, kidding, improvising) Imagine that behind the billboard a whole group of vampires that work in ambulatory care are hiding... and they actually keep the blood they get from donors for their own consumption, of course... HARRY Your mother would like that story. Cut to. 64 51. HARRY'S HOME. INT. DAY. 2008 Mariacruz, the Latin American maid, is preparing something in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Diego and Mateo gather around the table. Diego sits in front of his laptop. Both of the characters are improvising, rapidly, and become increasingly excited, completing each other's sentences. They are having fun, as if playing a game. The sequence becomes a demonstration of the process of creating fiction, based on an trivial, real anecdote. (They will begin the sequence by opening a document. Diego writes the title in caps: DONATE BLOOD.) DIEGO The vampires would be like a type of ethnic group, completely assimilated into Spanish society, they don't stand out. There are vampires who occupy important positions, keeping it a secret (like the Opus Dei). But even though they live in the shadows, they have amassed great social and economic power... HARRY They control various industries. For example, the one responsible for dark sunglasses... DIEGO (Smiles) And those that provide nightly entertainment: bars, discos, after-hours... Since they don't need drugs to stay awake, they are the most apt for working at night. They don't burn out... HARRY 65 And for the sunscreen business. The poor things are very sensitive to climate change and to the holes in the ozone layer. Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market. DIEGO (Laughs) And those which sell best... This is all great... Diego talks and takes notes on his laptop. Harry paces back and forth, in front of the table, like a caged animal. HARRY Protected by the sunscreen, they can function all day... The lotion must be as dense as armour. DIEGO (More inspired) This is how the story could begin: (describes) A gorgeous woman, totally naked, rubbing her body with a super-dense lotion, before heading to work at an ambulatory hospital. Her body is a velvety pale, beautiful... HARRY (Continues) What a great opening! We also need a love story... DIEGO A hybrid love story, between the female vampire and a normal guy. HARRY Like in "Cat People", a love story between beings of different species... DIEGO She works at one of those labs where blood is donated and where they snatch it for themselves. The guy has gone to donate his, or to get some tests. They like 66 each other immediately. After the first needle prick into his vein, she gets completely excited. So, they start to date. But she doesn't want to turn him into a vampire... these aren't proselytizing vampires, they are above biting people... unless they truly need it to survive... HARRY But they must like sex, right? DIEGO Of course. That's one of the problems, the couple desire each other desperately. But when it comes to fucking, she becomes prudish... HARRY Why? DIEGO Because she is afraid of losing control in her excitement and taking a bite into his jugular... HARRY Aha. DIEGO When they're horny, she lets him do everything, front, back, whatever he wants, except ravaging her mouth. HARRY And her breasts? DIEGO Also... But that gets into high-risk territory. When he sucks on her breasts, she has to cover her mouth with a pillow, which she ends up shredding with her fangs... HARRY And when she sucks his dick? DIEGO 67 No, no sucking. She would tear it on the first bite. HARRY And how does he react? A man may do without kissing, but it's very rough not to have your cock sucked. DIEGO Since he is deeply in love, he accepts the situation (or gives up to it). Once they are more comfortable with each other, she wears a muzzle, as security for both. Because when she's turned on, she has a type of dental erection, her face grows into something like that of a she-wolf... Diego writes furiously, while cracking up. HARRY I like your story very much, Diego. DIEGO Our story. HARRY No. This one was your idea, and you'll author it. I'll be your sparring partner, for all the times you've done the same for me... Harry is welcoming him as a writer. This fact doesn't escape the boy, he feels an unexpected pride. 52. MODERN AND MODEST BAR WHERE DIEGO WORKS. NIGHT. INT. 2008 At nights, Diego D.J.'s inside a small booth. Two of his friends, or just acquaintances of the club scene, one of them we've already seen 68 earlier, keep him company. The one we don't know, Friend A, looks pretty loaded. He is very "friendly" with the other two. DIEGO (Without acrimony) Stop fondling me... damn it! ALEX It's the GHB. It kicks your ass. Diego takes a sip of Coke and whisky and sets it down somewhere inside the booth. ALEX Do you want a little bit of "X"? (referring to "MDMA", aka Ecstasy) DIEGO Just a tip. (He licks his finger and sticks its moist tip into the bag that Alex offers him, he takes his finger to his mouth) Tomorrow I have to work, we are writing a vampire script that's going to be the shit! AT THE BAR . The Friend, high on GHB, grabs a glass of Coca-cola from the bartender's hands, at the bar. He takes out a small container and adds a few drops of liquid ecstasy into the drink. He takes a sip and enters the booth where the other two are. He sets the glass down and begins to jump, euphorically. DIEGO Stop already, you are going to go through the roof. 69 In between songs, (he is changing the tune) Diego grabs Friend A's drink. They are both drinking Coca-Cola, Diego's has whisky and Friend A's has liquid ecstasy. Distracted by changing tunes, Diego does not realize that he has grabbed the drink with GHB. He takes a long sip. And he falls flat to the floor. The two friends, bewildered and scared, attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Perhaps Alex will exclaim: ALEX Holy shit, he's taken a drink from your glass! Why in the world did you get Coca-cola! Didn't you notice he was drinking a jack and coke? FRIEND A I didn't realize! ALEX (Very alarmed) He's unconscious! 53. BAR EXTERIOR. NIGHT. 2008 (OPTIONAL) An ambulance arrives. They carry Diego out, unconscious, from the bar on a stretcher. Alex goes with him, very scared. Before they go into the vehicle, Diego's mobile phone rings. Alex takes it from Diego's pocket, he doesn't know why he is doing so, it is a hysterical reaction. On the other side of the line, he hears Harry's voice. ALEX No. I'm a friend. Diego just... he's not well. We are taking him into the emergency room... HARRY 70 Emergency? Can I talk to him? ALEX No... because... HARRY What hospital are you taking him to? The friend asks one of the ambulance employees who tells him the name of the hospital. Alex repeats it for Harry. ALEX Who are you? HARRY (Improvising) ...His uncle. I am on my way. 54. ENRACE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF A HOSPITAL. EXT. NIGHT. 2008 Harry gets out of a taxi. He aids himself with the typical blind man's cane. He can't find the entryway. He bumps into something. We have not yet seen him this clumsy. Someone helps him enter. The same person accompanies him to the reception desk in the waiting-room area. He is no longer the blind man who was walking euphorically along his street's sidewalk, umbrella in hand. HARRY (Anxious) I am here to see Diego Garcia. He's just been admitted. The "receptionist" looks through the admittances. Taking into account that Harry is blind, she decides to call the Doctor who has attended Diego. 71 54 A. Shortly thereafter, the Doctor appears. He heads directly for Harry. HARRY I am here to see Diego Garcia. DOCTOR Are you immediate family? HARRY (Improvises) Yes... I'm his uncle, and his godfather. DOCTOR Your nephew is at the ICU, he arrived in a coma... Harry reacts to the news. HARRY In a coma? DOCTOR Yes... HARRY But, what has happened?! DOCTOR He ingested liquid ecstasy and alcohol... it is a lethal combination. His friend informed us it was a mistake... (It happens sometimes, kids grab the wrong glass...) HARRY My God! But Diego is a very healthy boy... The doctor makes a neutral gesture of acknowledgement... 72 DOCTOR Barring any complications, he will recover in six to twelve hours. HARRY If that's the case, I'll wait... DOCTOR Go home, we will call you... HARRY I'd rather wait. DOCTOR Are you certain? HARRY Yes. Guide me to a place where I can sit, please... The Doctor directs him toward an area with sofas. DOCTOR Would you mind providing us with his parents' phone number? HARRY He only has a mother and, at the moment, she is working outside Madrid... I would prefer to call her myself... I don't want to alarm her, unless he is truly in a grave condition... DOCTOR Normally, he should recuperate in a few hours... but, in any case, you should have a talk with him, once he's better... HARRY Yes, of course... 73 They arrive at a couch set, ugly and lacking style, Harry collapses on one of the armchairs, demolished. The Doctor returns to work. The girl at the reception desk stares at Harry, who is immobile, readied for a long wait. A slow fade to black. 55. HARRY'S HOME. HARRY'S BEDROOM. INT. DAWN. 2008 From black. Harry is still waiting, this time at home, sitting on a wingback chair close to the bed where Diego sleeps. On the nightstand, there are some medications and a glass of water, next to a plastic bottle, an alarm-clock. And perhaps a book. Through the window you can see the day beginning to break, Diego awakens. At first he doesn't know where he is. In the darkness of the room he discovers Harry's figure, sitting on the wingback chair. He can't tell if he's awake or asleep, but it soothes him to know he's not alone. Diego stares at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares. To his surprise, Harry asks him: HARRY How are you? Diego makes a listless gesture. DIEGO I don't know... dazed. Did you speak with my mother? HARRY 74 Yes, I told her it was something you ate... DIEGO And she believed it? HARRY I don't know. She wanted to hurry back, but I convinced her to continue with the location scouting. At some point you'll have to call her. Silence. Diego thinks about everything's that's happened. After a few seconds: HARRY Are you asleep? DIEGO I'm not sleepy anymore. HARRY Do you want to talk? DIEGO No... HARRY Would you like me to speak? DIEGO I don't know. If you'd like... HARRY I say so in order to distract you. When I was young, before I got into making movies, I was very good at telling stories. DIEGO (Not sure) Well, then... would you mind telling me why my mother is so afraid of Ernesto Junior? HARRY She's afraid of him? 75 DIEGO Before she left, she made me promise that I would remain alert, in case he reappeared... HARRY She didn't explain why? DIEGO She never explains anything. Harry remains pensive for a moment, Diego's request has taken him by surprise. HARRY It's a long story... DIEGO Judit says the same thing. How did you meet him? It is not easy to talk about. In some way it must be obvious that Harry has spent many years (fourteen) avoiding this topic, but he is determined to do anything necessary to entertain Diego. Diego serves himself some water and prepares to listen. HARRY We met him... In an office we had rented in preparation for my new film, about fourteen years ago. 56. MATEO'S OFFICE. INT. DAY. 1994 The images that correspond to the past are edited more freely than the rest of the narrative. Summarized and sped-up by Harry's voice-off, mixing media from diverse sources. 76 OFF HARRY ...After having written five dramas, I had finally managed to write a script for a comedy, or that's what I thought. I wanted to change genres... to take a risk (ironic-destructive) And I swear I accomplished that, the part about taking a risk. In 1994, everyone calls Harry "Mateo". He is sitting behind a table filled with papers, photographs, books, magazines, an ashtray, pencil and pen holders, etc. At its center, a script lies open, with tons of notes scribbled on the margins of its pages. He is finishing the definitive version of "Girls and Suitcases". The casual messiness of the place produces its own aesthetic. The only decorations on the walls, here and there, not following any particular symmetrical rule, are postcards of painters, actors or landscapes, held in place by tacks. There is also a newspaper page that has caught Mateo's attention. Or some astonishing photograph, taken from a magazine. The cover of some magazine. Everything without framing, tacked directly onto the wall. The furniture is pastel, medium-shade green or red, with velvet tapestry, worn and outmoded. The pieces don't match, but they look good together. Judit enters (also fourteen years younger, but this is less obvious. She is a woman unmarked by the march of time.) Mateo is focused on the script's pages. Judit is Mateo's right-hand man, they are accomplices in everything, both professionally and emotionally. JUDIT 77 A girl has stopped by. She doesn't have an appointment, so there is no reason for you to see her... MATEO (Without much interest) What's she like? JUDIT Too beautiful to be funny. MATEO (Smiles) Really? JUDIT She is Ernesto Martel's lover, the tycoon. She is here with his son. MATEO And she's an actress? JUDIT (Ironic) Her? If she's been with him for three years, she must be. In any case, go out and say hello, to be polite. One must get along well with important men. You never know. 57. CONTINUED. WAITING AREA. 1994. Mateo exits his office. In the improvised waiting area (it is not a proper waiting room but a transient-space turned waiting area by a couch left over from the furnishings of some previous film). He finds Ernesto Junior (in other words, the character who had introduced himself as Ray X fourteen years ago; in his case, the age-difference is noticeable, he's just a kid). He is a little heavier, his hair longer, he reminds us of the love-struck big-kid that Phyllip Seymour Hoffman played in "Boogie Nights". 78 Mateo's gaze rests only for an instant on the young man, even though the boy does not take his stupefied eyes away from Mateo throughout the entire sequence. Ernesto Junior has accompanied Lena. When he sees her, Mateo freezes, at the door to his office. Lena's back is turned, or her head is tilted as she reads a magazine. Ernesto elbows her, Lena raises her head and discovers Mateo, watching her from the door to his office. Mateo's heart churns, it's a cinematographic churn, he feels like James Stewart in "Vertigo", when he first sees Kim Novak at the restaurant, with her famous green dress. Time stops for an instant so that Mateo may contemplate this woman's apparition. After this brief hypnotic moment, they introduce themselves, forgetting Ernesto's presence, who then, since no one pays attention to him, introduces himself. Even though she's a bit nervous, one can tell that Lena is a strong and decisive woman. Brunette. Mysterious. Made-up in dark tones that stand out on her pale skin. Refined. She doesn't have the aspect of a comedienne, her presence is too intense, she seems better suited to be the heroine of a film noir (as we've said). Genres and their iconographies pose no limit on Mateo's capacity to be attracted to her, from the first instant. LENA I am sorry we showed up like this, but I've heard you are running auditions... and I would like for you to give me a try out. Mateo observes her intently. She does not resemble any of the characters in the script, but he no longer cares about that. At some 79 point, Judit makes her appearance and gets to contemplate this scene herself, displeased. LENA I can come whatever day is convenient. MATEO You're already here. Let's read something. It doesn't sound like "let's read something" but more like "let's have a drink." They disappear through Mateo's office door. Fade to black. 58. ERNESTO SENIOR'S MANSION. (IN PUERTA DE HIERRO OR SOMETHING LIKE IT). EXT. NIGHT. 1994. From black. (Over an establishing shot of the mansion, one hears Harry's voice-off as he speaks to Diego) OFF HARRY The reading didn't work out. We were both too nervous. The first meeting and the reading we did only served to make me realize that woman's very presence perturbed me. Great mansion, with a huge green parcel of land with various trees, bushes, flowers... Two or three dogs are running across the lawn. The 80 plot of land must span about 6,000 square meters or more. (The dogs approach the camera, as if it were a trespasser). Alarm system, etc. The main building has two levels, joined by a grand staircase. All decorated by wives with the wish to be decorators, aided by hired decorators. Brand-name furniture, two or three paintings worth millions. A piano and a certain desolateness. One can tell that his previous wives have left along with a part of the furnishings. 59. LIVING ROOM ON THE TOP LEVEL. LENA AND ERNESTO SENIOR DINE. INT. NIGHT. 1994 The Father already knows he is missing information about something unexpected that has gone on that morning. They are at dessert. ERNESTO SENIOR Where have you been this morning? LENA Ernesto hasn't told you? ERNESTO SENIOR I haven't asked him. LENA (She hates having to account for herself.) I went to see a film director. ERNESTO S. What for! LENA (Dryly) For an audition. Ernesto looks at her with surprise, he doesn't approve of it. 81 ERNESTO S. An audition? How so? LENA (With less determination than she would like, but enough to alarm Ernesto Senior) I want to work. ERNESTO S. Weren't you going to study interior design? Weren't you going to redecorate the house? I thought we agreed that you would transform what's left of my two shipwrecked marriages into something more our own... LENA Call a decorator... I want to be an actress. I've always wanted to. (Brief pause) ERNESTO S. You've already attempted it once... and look how you've ended up. Lena shoots him a fulminating glance. LENA (Affected) That's a cheap shot. ERNESTO S. (First, he attacks. Then, he is sorry. L ike any violent lover) I am sorry, forgive me. Lena is frustrated and restless. She rises. LENA 82 Excuse me, I am retiring to my room. Ernesto grabs her and then embraces her. Lena remains still within his arms, imprisoned and elusive, the two locked in a strange posture. LENA In any case, don't worry. It didn't turn out well. I was too nervous. 60. CONTINUED. Someone calls at the door. "There's a call". It's the voice of one of the hired help, behind the door. "it's Mr. Mateo Blanco, and he says it's important". LENA (Yells) Come in! She breaks free from Ernesto's embrace and runs toward the door where the maid is holding the supplementary handset. Avidly, she grabs it from her. She listens, excited. She responds only in monosyllables, affirmatively. She hangs up the phone. Her eyes glitter with intense happiness, a feeling from which Ernesto feels excluded. LENA (Enthusiastically) That's the film director. He says the reading was not sufficient and he wants to see me once more! Lena looks imploringly at Ernesto Senior. 83 ERNESTO S. What are you going to do? LENA Go see him, no?! Ernesto makes a gesture that betrays his anger and displeasure. LENA Please, Ernesto. I need to do something! And I've always wanted to be an actress! ERNESTO S. And what will become of me? LENA They have not given me the role yet. ERNESTO S. They will...! LENA Well, if I were to get it, we would still see each other every day, as it has been, in the mornings and evenings. Nothing will change, except that during the day I would work, just like you. ERNESTO S. Why don't we get married? LENA (Taken by surprise) What? ERNESTO S. I am asking you to marry me... LENA Don't you think you've

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

denunciation

How many times the word 'denunciation' appears in the text?

9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

seinfeld

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

soldiers

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

wishes

How many times the word 'wishes' appears in the text?

9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

sith10/10

How many times the word 'sith10/10' appears in the text?

9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

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9 Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS 9 Written by Pamela Pettler Short story by Shane Acker SEQ. 05 - PROLOGUE The Focus Features logo appears on screen and we slide INTO the "O" in Focus. Stock dissolves from 35mm to 16mm. BLACK & WHITE. GRAINY, like OLD DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. SCIENTIST'S VOICE Experiment 208, day 20... INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - DAY We see an early incarnation of a MACHINE (this will be the inner brain of the FABRICATION MACHINE). We see the scientist, in a white coat. We pull back to see the Scientist is playing a complicated MULTI-LEVEL 3-D chess game on a MULTI-LEVEL GAME BOARD with the MACHINE. The Scientist makes an elaborate multi-level move. The Machine reaches an arm out into the chess game but then malfunctions and strews the game everywhere. We pull back further to see the back and legs of the DICTATOR, with black-uniformed soldiers flanking him. The regime's emblem can be seen on the uniforms. DICTATOR Useless. SCIENTIST Please. Give it a chance. We're on the machine, which is clicking and jerking as it malfunctions. DICTATOR (V.O.) One more. That's all. We turns to leave. We hear the clicking of boots as the soldiers accompany him out. We see the scientist's dejected face as he comes towards the camera to turn it off. CUT TO: BLACK 2. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - NIGHT The grainy footage rolls again; we see the scientist moving away from the camera (having just turned it on). The lab is shadowy, late at night. We see his worktable for the first time, covered with discarded sketches, a furiously filled-in journal, and pieces of failed machinery (the floor is also similarly littered). The TALISMAN sits on the worktable. Nearby is a small old-fashioned tiny little box. SCIENTIST (tired, but dictating to keep the documentary record complete) My last possible solution.... (muttering to himself) It must work... He gently brushes his fingers over the little box as though for good luck. He picks the TALISMAN up off the table. He moves over to insert the talisman into the port of the machine. His back to us, he faces the machine. We see him putting something over his face (but only from behind). There is a sudden FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT and the machine JOLTS, and then suddenly, starts up...lighting up, electricity crackling, parts moving in smooth coordination, etc. The scientist waits, watching. The machine continues to run. Its arms move smoothly, almost curiously. The scientist puts the device covering his face down and gets up and comes towards camera. We see the camera's POV as the scientist comes towards us: CLOSE on the scientist's face, which is exhausted, cheeks sunken, eyes wide, pupils dilated. Pull back to show the machine purring, suddenly full of a new sort of energy. Something new has happened. The scientist switches off the camera and: CUT TO: 3. INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - A DAY LATER The machine zips through the complex 3-D chess game at lightning speed, checkmating the scientist in seconds as the Dictator watches. The scientist laughs fondly and pats the machine. DICTATOR Perfect. SCIENTIST (PROUDLY) You see, it evolves. The scientist proudly gives the machine to the dictator. A flash goes off: someone is taking a picture O.S. The dictator exits; we hear the click of boots and see as much as possible of the soldiers flanking him. OUT OF SIGHT OF THE SCIENTIST, CLOSE on the machine: the dictator is gripping it with a nasty firmness. The machine seems to try to squirm away. The director's BLACK-GLOVED HAND grasps it harder. he machine, responding to the brutality, lashes an arm out and grabs the nearest soldier (seen from the back, we see only the uniform and helmeted head) by the back of his arm, BREAKING his ARM. The soldier falls (if possible). he dictator CONTINUES ON WITHOUT BREAKING STRIDE. DICTATOR CHILLINGLY) Yes. Perfect. And we: DISSOLVE TO: SEQ. 010 - Title Sequence IN BLACK: TITLE CARD #1 4. RADIO (V.O.) (robotic sounding) Alert. We are in a state of emergency... Sounds of WAR: EXPLOSIONS, MACHINE GUNS, SCREAMS... FADE UP INTO: INT. SCIENTIST'S WORKSHOP - DAY A tiny, cluttered attic, filled with bits and pieces of found material--burlap, door hinges, an old shoe, old eyeglasses, rusty scissors, pen nibs, gas masks etc. We see the tiny little box sitting on the cluttered makeshift worktable. TITLE CARD #2 RADIO (V.O.) ...the Machines have become uncontrollable... they are shooting at will... ALERT: stay in your homes. Grainy footage as we see the scientist looking around desperately--he's obviously in hiding. SCIENTIST (HEARTBROKEN) My invention... my beauty... beauty was taken... He is feverishly cobbling together a SMALL BURLAP DOLL. He labels the burlap doll on its back: "1." He makes frantic notes in a journal. He brushes his fingers over the little box for good luck, then moves towards a strange contraption on the table. LASHES and EXPLOSIONS shake the workshop horribly. ITLE CARD #3 RADIO (V.O.) Reports are coming in... they've breached the Northern walls of the city... The radio voice is DROWNED OUT BY EXPLOSIONS. D ISSOLVE TO: 5. TITLE CARD #4 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) An announcement from our Chancellor! DICTATOR'S VOICE (on the radio) Comrades, I have lost control. The Machine is now our enemy. We need to join forces to fight against it. We hear EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMS outside. We see the scientist cobbling together another SMALL BURLAP DOLL, a little more evolved. He labels it "5," then makes notes in a journal. TITLE CARD #5 SCIENTIST his voice a mere whisper NOW) Five so far....I can't get them right... ISSOLVE TO: TITLE CARD #6 INT. SCIENTIST'S LAB - ANOTHER DAY RADIO (V.O.) (through static) Gas masks are being distributed... ALERT: beware.... We see the scientist desperately grabbing bits and scraps for one last doll. He is like a skeleton, almost no energy left. ADIO (V.O.) (cont'd) ...deadly gas.... he radio voice dies out. We hear nothing but STATIC. ITLE CARD #7 H H C ( 6. The scientist totters over, makes a note in his journal. He clutches the little box, and suspends this last doll with a rope in a strange contraption. SCIENTIST a feeble whisper) My last one... this one, finally, must work... it must.... TITLE CARD #8 The SOUND of the scientist collapsing to the floor. DISSOLVE TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 020 - Attic SEQ. 020 - INT. WORKSHOP - DAY The thin strand of rope stretches... stretches... and RAAAACK. The rope SNAPS, and-- --a SMALL BURLAP FIGURE falls onto the table. As he falls, he is yanked free from a large, circular Machine. e had been attached with the fraying rope and a long cable, attached to him by the TALISMAN. The cable still dangles from the Machine, but the force of his fall pulls the Talisman off. The little burlap figure pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. Falling free from the connecting cable has finally awakened him. e is made up of odd patchwork items: burlap, a thick zipper, big round gas-mask eyes (which we recognize as what we saw before, in the title sequence). We pull around to see the number "9" painted on his back. We pull back further to see... 9 H T R H S " 7. SEQ. 020 - INT. RUINED WORKSHOP - EERIE, INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT . ..he is on the tabletop in the RUINS OF A SMALL ROOM. Splintered BITS OF WALL jut up to the open sky. Rotted FLOORBOARDS are BENT and WARPED. The room is full of years of DUST and ROT. Dust hangs in the feeble rays of dirty sunlight. The table and floor are covered with the same kinds of scraps and raw materials from which "9" is made: burlap, hinges, bits of Machinery. 9" blinks and turns around, his head darting this way and that, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He walks over to the edge of the tabletop. He peers over, and sees... ...the SCIENTIST LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR. lumped on the floor, we clearly see: the scientist's skeletal hand is clutching a tiny box. He hears a clattering sound and turns to see A loose window shutter. He goes over to the window. e pushes opens the window to see-- SEQ. 020 - EXT. STREET - INDETERMINATE DAYLIGHT ...AN APOCALYPTIC WASTELAND. usting machine carcasses, bombed-out ruins, and emptiness stretch as far as he can see. Terrible, life-ending destruction. here is no other living being anywhere. 9 stares in disbelief and horror and fear. He can't make any sense of it... or the room... or the endless miles of lifeless wasteland stretching out in front of him. e seems to be completely alone. sees a glint of something, a possible sign of life. He moves to go outside. C M 8. He stops and is strangely drawn to the TALISMAN. He turns and takes it, stowing it inside his zippered chest before he heads out. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 029 - 9 Meets 2 SEQ. 029 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 9 moves warily in the dusty, grim light, along the deserted RUINS of the outside streets. It is the remains of war. Pulverized HULKS of BUILDINGS, torn-open suitcases, scattered clothes, rusting cars and the grim debris of human civilization surround him. He sees a dead body slouched next to a suitcase in the front seat of a car. Banners hang on the buildings with a three prong symbol on them. achines lie deserted on the sides of roads. Distracted by the spectacle, 9 stumbles and lands on a ragged old flyer: REVOLT! He looks back at the War Machines and Dictator flags. He sees a vandalized poster of what appears to be a dictator/leader. 9 looks around him, trying to piece together what happened. Suddenly there is a clanking sound in front of him. 9 sees a light flicker on in the shattered hulk of a war Machine. LOSE on 9 as the light crosses his face. Scared, he ducks behind a huge piece of debris. 9 grabs a piece of metal lying in front of him. The shadow moves closer, 9 shakes nervously. The figure emerges with spear in hand and 9 swings the weapon at him with all his might. 9 hits him square in the chest. It is another ragdoll: 2. 2 is propelled backwards and falls to the ground on the debris behind him. 9 quickly tries to hide. 2 A 9. But 2 is looking at 9 with surprise. He struggles to get up, 2 speaking with urgency to 9. (firmly, kindly, almost eagerly; like trying to soothe a wild animal) Wait... I am a friend. LT: 2 (CONT'D) (GENTLY) Friend... I am a friend. 9 now sees he has hit a ragdoll, similar to himself. He hesitates, not sure what to make of this. 2 extends his hand, calmly, eagerly. 9 hesitates again, then, still timid, but showing a little bravery, drops his weapon and goes to help 2 up. We see that 2 is much older, much more decrepit, much more primitively constructed: he is made from patchwork bits of OLD LEATHER SHOES. A SHOELACE stitches up his front and is tied in a bow at his neck. Bits of leather FRAY off him. His feet are primitive small HINGES. Half of a pair of eyeglasses, like an enormous MONOCLE, is attached to 2's hat. 9 helps straighten 2's monocle. 2 smiles at him. We see that 2 is like a wise mentor, a kindly professor with a contagious eagerness and imaginativeness. 2 peers eagerly at 9. He circles 9 and spots the number on his back. (CONT'D) (eagerly, excited, like an intrigued scholar) Yes... yes... I always thought there'd be one more. He nods and smiles. He extends his hand to shake 9's hand. While doing this, he takes 9's hand and studies it, nodding with eager excitement. We see that 9's hand is more sophisticated than 2's. 2 (CONT'D) The details... how exciting. (FASCINATED) Carved wood... steel bolts... molded copper... H 9 2 10. 2 turns slightly, and 9 sees his number and tries to say it. But no sound comes out of his mouth. looks at him, nodding, again, the kind mentor. He's interested, observing without judging; curious, kindly and ready to help. 2 (CONT'D) You can't speak. With a friendly, disarming smile, he taps 9's zipper. 9 unzips himself and 2 peers in. 2 looks up, happy that he can help. 2 (CONT'D) Yes, yes... 2 looks around nervously and hurries over to his roller-skate cart covered with detritus - odds and ends, a broken china doll. 2 (CONT'D) ...come with me. follows, looking around curiously. 2 finds the china doll. 2 (CONT'D) Here! As 2 rummages through the chest of the china doll 9 picks up a bullet casing from 2's cart and starts tapping it. 2 turns with the doll's voice box in his hand. 2 (CONT'D) (sees 9 with the bullet; whispers sharply) No! Stop! 2 eases the bullet away from 9, then smiles gently at 9, EXPLAINING: 2 (CONT'D) ( QUIETLY) Some things in this world are better left where they lie. e puts the bullet to one side and kneels, prying into 9's chest. 2 begins to connect the doll's voice box. A 9 11. 2 (CONT'D) But if you know where to look, these ruins are full of riches. 2 concentrates, a look of pleasure on his face as he twists a few more wires. Static and unclear sound come out at first, but as 2 tunes the voice further... 9 (as his voice is "tuned in".. starting with pure static, then slowly moving into a voice) Chhhhhhh.....chhhhehhhh... 2 Wait.. (tunes him in) ...almost there... 9 gets a little panicky look on his face at the strange sounds coming out of him. 2 puts a calm hand on his shoulder. 9 calms down and tries again. 9 Friend? Friend? 2 (BEAMING) Friend. 9 (more and more normal SOUNDING) Are we alone? 2 (REASSURING) No. There are others. and 2 stare at each other. 9 looks at 2 in wonderment, then reaches out and touches 2's chest where he hit it. 2 beams at 9, happy 9 can speak, happy he was able to help, and happy that 9, with his first words, is concerned about others. glow beams from within 9's chest. 2 stares. 9 removes the TALISMAN from his chest. 2 has a big reaction--he draws his breath in and looks at it in ASTONISHMENT. 9 2 I 9 . T ( 2 12. He takes it and looks at it. He gives 9 a look of surprise. (CONT'D) But how strange.... muttering to himself as he turns the Talisman in his hands) Yes, he was always drawing this... exactly like this... how strange... hey both stare at the TALISMAN. Suddenly, a is heard OFFSCREEN. 2 looks up IN HORROR. He grabs his spear. He pushes 9 away almost fiercely. ALT: 2 (CONT'D) (firmly, to 9) GO! .......................................................... SEQ. 030 - Cat Beast Attacks SEQ. 030 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY 2 points forcefully to an old rusted can. 2 runs into the can. stands, ready to attack. 9 watches 2, wondering what is coming. Then from behind him, a large claw of a mechanical figure settles softly next to 9's can. He tries to call out to 2... And from behind 2 enters-- A HIDEOUS CAT BEAST. t is a nail and razor-studded predatory Machine with a cat skull-shaped head, its body laced with bones, nails and razors. 9 now understands 2 was trying to protect him. GASPS as he turns and sees it. The Cat Beast lets out a roar and claws at 2, KNOCKING him over and losing his spear. looks on with horror. 9 H T 9 13. 2 attempts to reach for his spear but the Beast holds him down with its razor-sharp feet. The Beast is attracted to the Talisman. It picks it up with one of its jagged claws and looks at it quizzically. cringes. His movement makes his hiding place teeter, creaking. he Cat Beast WHIRLS at the sound. Picking up 2's struggling body, the Cat Beast stalks towards the noise, right up to 9's hiding place, sniffing through its hollow nostrils. 9 cringes in terror. The Cat Beast probes with one of his claws INTO the tin can. 9 recoils. The claws do not find him and retreat. 9 is relieved. A beat, then: 9 feels himself violently LIFTED UP and SMASHED. We see the Cat Beast has picked up the entire tin can and is smashing it to get at what's inside it. Failing, it hurls the tin can aside. 9 is almost knocked out. Trying to stay conscious, he struggles towards the entrance of the can. is POV: through his haze and through the broken edges of the opening to the can, he sees the Cat Beast GRAB the Talisman and the struggling 2 in his sharp-toothed mouth, and disappearing into the smoky mist. 9 can just make out, in the distance, the silhouettes of THREE TALL SHAPES. (MUTTERING) The others... CUT TO: ............................................................. POV SPYGLASS - ELSEWHERE IN THE WASTELAND - LATER POV SPYGLASS: the spyglass searches through the city and comes across a lone staggering figure (9). W ( 9 9 5 14. Pull back to show the back of 5's head as he peers through the spyglass, then pulls away so we can see into the spyglass again. We zoom in through the spyglass to a CLOSE SHOT on 9-- EXT. WASTELAND - CLOSE ON 9 - CONTINUOUS 9 staggers, weary, and collapses. In the foreground, the feet of another ragdoll (5) step into the shot. CUT TO: ........................................................... Seq. 040 - Meeting 5 SEQ. 040 - INT. 5'S WORKSHOP - DAY 5 is finishing sewing 9 up. It's all right. You're safe now. 9 Where am I? 5 With us. (MUTTERING) Yes... he told me there were others... 5 (suddenly, urgently) Who? (still dazed, trying to REMEMBER) He was older... Out there... 5 2. Out in the emptiness? HORRIFIED) Alone? Was he all right? hen is he coming back? I 1 W 1 5 1 ( T 9 15. 9 looks at him, the whole memory suddenly coming back to him as though fresh. HE--THE-- can't think of the right WORD) T hing! It took him. 5 reacts with horror. 5 No... No! It can't be! He turns away, grief-stricken. (O.S.) Keeping secrets from me, I see. Another RAGDOLL pushes into the workroom. This is a bigger ragdoll, the most primitive one we have seen. He has primitive wooden hinges for feet. He is very frayed and patched together. The number 1 is painted on his back. and 9 whirl around. 5 CRINGES. 5 I... I was coming to tell you... 1 carries himself with authority. He wears a red cloak, and a strange mother of pearl and wire hat bound together as an almost papal-like headpiece, and carries a staff made from an old gear, with a bell attached. pulls at 9 with his staff, displaying the number on his back. 1 hat's this? turns and glares at 5 like a general glaring at a new private, expecting an explanation for a misdeed. 5 cringes back, obviously intimidated by 1. 5 ... I found him.... in the emptiness. He saw-- 1 HOOKS 5 by the neck with his staff, cutting off his speech. 1 What? What were you doing out there? 1 9 Y 1 16. 5 I saw him from the watchtower and I thought... ou'll lead The Beast straight back to us! How many times have I told you? The Beast--that's what took 2! If we hurry we could save him-- 1 (CURTLY) If the Beast took him, that's the end of it. 9 But he was still alive-- 5 turns with sudden hope to 9. 2 might still be alive? 1 No, we have RULES. 1 smashes his staff against the ground. Immediately, a knife comes through the curtain revealing another RAGDOLL: a large ragdoll, with the number "8" on his arm. (CONT'D) (TO 8) Our new guest seems confused. (condescendingly, to 9) Perhaps I can help you achieve some clarity. 8 is very large, and designed for great strength. He is almost as evolved in his design as 9, but his design favors primarily brute force. He has armored himself with curved pieces of tin and metal. He carries the blade of a large kitchen knife, with a nail he has attached for a handle. On his back he has slung another knife--half of a scissors; the scissors handle loops up above his head. T T 1 C 17. 1 leaves. 8 taps his knife in his hand and motions for 9 and 5 to follow. They follow. UT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 050 - Clock Tower SEQ. 050 - INT. CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS They walk through the nave and plane up overhead. 5 taps 9 covertly. 5 (whispering, hopefully) He was still alive? Really? 9 I think so-- 8 looms forward threateningly. 8 Hmmmph! 5 quickly stops talking. 9, following his lead, stops talking also. The group gets into a bucket-like device. 8 pushes 9 hard into the bucket. NODS commandingly to 8. 8 begins to crank a rope that lifts them up. 5 gestures to 9 to hold on. 9 braces himself as 8 pulls them up into a tall tower. He steals a glance at 1. 1 frowns. 9 tries to smile. hey pass an old plane outside that has crash-landed in to the Cathedral. On the side wall is a round, multi-colored stained glass window. Shafts of different colored sunlight flicker through. he bucket moves past two large church bells into-- ...the inside of a CLOCK TOWER of a once-magnificent Cathedral. We see the BACK of the CLOCK, the light casting shadows of the backward numbers onto the floor. T 7 1 1 18. 1 gestures out towards the outside and addresses 9: When we woke in this world.... Camera drifts up to the clock... WIPE to WHITE... ........................................................... SEQ. 053 - War Flashback ENTER FLASHBACK: as we see the chaotic inferno of war. (V.O.) (cont'd) ...it was chaos... Man and Machine attacked each other with fire and metal... The earth split and the skies burned... Ragdolls 2, 5, 6, 8, and 1 hide under an old helmet, frantically trying to escape the explosions BURSTING around them. 7 appears with 3 and 4. We get the sense that 7 is the reckless one, the only one determined to SCOUT AROUND and see what's out there. (TO 1) I found others... They are welcomed in by the other dolls. They turn to 1, who is clearly the leader, to see what to do next. 1 decides: he points forward, and they all run a few feet while underneath the helmet. A plane crashes in the background, causing 5 to fall behind (he has both eyes). hrough a dirty MIST we see War Machines enter with their weapons. A RESISTANCE FIGHTER throws a Molotov cocktail at one of the Machines. It turns and SHOOTS a round of gunfire. A MUSTARD GAS BOMB is launched from the top of the Machine. It heads straight at 5 but he runs and gets KNOCKED to the ground, barely missing it. T he bomb lets out a yellow CLOUD that envelops the area and KILLS PLANTS ON CONTACT. 7 turns and sees 5 lying face-down on the ground. 1 urges her to stay with the others. E 1 7 19. But, again, brave and slightly reckless, she runs through the yellow cloud to help him. She brings him back to the group. His left eye is damaged. The others cower. 2, the gentle mentor of the group, puts a comforting hand on 5's damaged eye. 7, always the scout, brave and fearless, points off to the right, and addresses 1. She knows what's out there; she's seen it. 7 (CONT'D) (TO 1) There's a path ahead-- 1 looks around calculatingly, like Patton: the general taking charge. He thinks, judiciously, then: 1 (TO 7) Go ahead. nods and darts off. 1 turns to the others, who wait for their instructions. 1 (CONT'D) (to the others) Follow me. They hurry off, increasingly enveloped by the YELLOW CLOUD. The yellow CLOUD TRANSITIONS into STEAM... (V.O.) (cont'd) The gas killed everything. ND FLASHBACK. ........................................................... SEQ. 057 - 9 Meets 6 SEQ. 057 - INT. CATHEDRAL/CLOCKTOWER - CONTINUOUS The steam is rising from the small thurible in the CLOCK TOWER. 1 (V.O.) I led us here... 1 is now standing at the thurible with a torch in his hand. 1 (V.O.) (cont'd) ...to sanctuary. And here we waited for the war to end. 9 T 9 9 T 1 20. He puts his hand around 9's shoulders and walks him over to the other side of the room. (CONT'D) Slowly, the world became silent. 1 and 9 walk over to a picture of the Cat Beast hanging on the wall. 1 (CONT'D) The only thing that remains now is the Beast. 1 faces 9 as the torch slowly fades. 1 (CONT'D) So we stay hidden and we wait for it, too, to sleep. he torch burns out. 9 looks at 1. But where did it come from? Why is it hunting us? 1 Questions like that are pointless. We need to protect ourselves. Keep ourselves out of danger. But one of us is in trouble... he could still be rescued... 1 turns and walks to a tattered calendar page on the wall with the days 3, 4, and 7 crossed off. 1 oo many of us have already been lost. 1 crosses 2's number off the calendar with the burnt end of his torch. No! You're not listening. He may still be alive! Why won't you try to save him? Why won't you-- 1 angrily SMACKS HIS STAFF ON THE FLOOR. 5 O ( 21. 1 Enough! Enough of this madness! (to 5, annoyed) Go to the watch tower and take our guest with you. 5 meekly immediately obeys, gesturing to 9 to follow him. We hear a strange WHISPERING SOUND, and CAMERA, instead of following 5 and 9, stays behind and moves in on a shadowy little area. There, we see 6. 6 is ink-stained and has a strange quality, as though he sees and hears things inside his head that only he experiences. He has a SMALL SKELETON KEY around his neck, and his fingers are made of PEN NIBS. He is drawing on a piece of paper and WHISPERING TO HIMSELF. 6 muttering, whispering) The source.... The source... We see he is drawing the TALISMAN. In fact his whole area is covered with drawings of the TALISMAN. CUT TO: ........................................................... SEQ. 060 - Telescope SEQ. 060 - EXT. WASTELAND - DAY FVERHEAD SHOT - THE CATHEDRAL rom a high angle we see the nave of the Cathedral. It has been bombed and attacked, and there is a plane intersecting through the side. The Camera moves to the left and what seems like a prow of a boat comes into frame. We find ourselves in... SEQ. 060 - INT. WATCHTOWER - DAY 2 had created a sort of LOOKOUT. A rickety, jury-rigged spyglass points out of a hole in the wall. A half-drawn map is pinned up next to the spyglass. Everything is pieced together from the sorts of bits and pieces we saw 2 scavenging. Around the space, we also see more bits and pieces that 2 has found out in the wilderness. sighs sadly. He touches the spyglass sadly. 9 ( 5 9 5 ( 22. 5 This was the first thing we built together. looking around at the map, bits and pieces, etc.) All his work... trying to make sense of everything. He looks out into the wilderness. 5 (CONT'D) Is he out there? Is he still alive? 9 Yes. He could be. looks out in fear. We see the conflict on his face: fear of going out there but a desperate longing to see his old friend again. (CONT'D) (conspiratorially; looking around to make sure they're not being spied ON) We could go after him. (shocked; and amazed, this is impossible) Us? 9 No one else will. imploring him) We MUST go. 5 is silent, afraid. 9 looks through the spyglass. POV spyglass: the THREE TALL SHAPES in the distance. (CONT'D) Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes. 5 9 5 ( 9 9 23. 5 (HORRIFIED) Ohhhh... no... we can't... not there. We need to stay here. (as though repeating something he's heard from 1) We have rules. looks at him. He recognizes 1's words. QUIETLY) Why do you listen to 1? 5 looks at 9. (repeating what he's been indoctrinated with) A group must have a leader. 9 looks at him for a beat. 9 (GENTLY) But what if the leader is wrong? 5 looks a little shocked. He never thought of this. We see in 5's

boots

How many times the word 'boots' appears in the text?