Storm of the Century (28 page)

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The folks eating breakfast are very quiet . . . not sullen, but introspective and a little afraid. All the families with small children are up--of course they are, wee folks rise and shine early--and among them we see the HATCHERS and the ANDERSONS in a sleepy morning party of six. MIKE is feeding RALPHIE bites of pancake, and HATCH is doing about the same with PIPPA. The wives drink coffee and talk quietly.

The side door OPENS, letting in a HOWL OF WIND, a SWIRL OF SNOW, and an excited JOHNNY HARRIMAN.

Mike! Hey, Mikey! I never seen such a storm surge in my life! I think the lighthouse is gonna go! I really do!

The ISLANDERS STIR and MURMUR. MIKE puts RALPHIE on MOLLY’S lap and gets up. HATCH gets up too, and so do most of the others.

Folks, if you go out, stay close to the building! We’ve got whiteout conditions, remember!

236 EXTERIOR: ANGLE ON THE HEADLAND AND THE LIGHTHOUSE--MORNING.

The tide is coming high, and huge waves pound the rocks. The headland is almost inundated with each one. The base of the lighthouse is drowned with each incoming surge of water. The lighthouse survived last night’s high tide; it probably won’t survive this one.

237 EXTERIOR: THE SIDE OF THE TOWN HALL--MORNING.

ISLANDERS spill out, CHATTERING, some buttoning their coats, some knotting scarves under their chins, some pulling up hoods and yanking down ski masks.

238 INTERIOR: THE TOWN MEETING ROOM--MORNING.

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The last of the people going out are just slipping through the easing clog at the side door. What’s left in here are a few people who don’t want to quit eating, plus SEVEN MOMMIES and ONE DADDY

(JACK CARVER) coping with little kids who are exceedingly reluctant to be left out of the excitement.

Mommy, please can’t I go see?

MOLLY exchanges a look with MELINDA--it’s exasperated and a-mused at the same time, a look that only the parents of preschool children know.

(picking up on it)

Please, Mommy, please can’t I?

DON BEALS, meanwhile, is employing a more masterful approach with SANDRA.

DON

Put my coat on! I wanna go out! Hurry up, you slowpoke!

(to RALPHIE)

Oh ... all right.

(to MELINDA)

Hey, I want to see, too.

(to RALPHIE)

Come on, Ralphie, let’s find your coat.

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Most of the other parents--LINDA ST. PIERRE, CARLA BRIGHT, JACK CARVER, JILL

ROBICHAUX--are doing the same. URSULA GODSOE, however, is resisting SALLY’S imploring.

Mommy can’t, honey--she’s too tired. I’m sorry.

Daddy will take me . . . Where’s Daddy?

URSULA can’t think of an answer and is on the verge of tears. The other ladies who overhear are melting with sympathy. SALLY doesn’t know yet that her father is dead.

I’ll take you out, hon. If it’s okay with your mom.

URSULA nods gratefully.

239 EXTERIOR: THE SIDE LAWN OF THE TOWN HALL--MORNING.

About seventy ISLAND RESIDENTS are clustered in a loose line, all standing with their backs to us, all looking toward the ocean. The PARENTS come from the side door, either carrying young, bundled-up children or leading them by the hand. They occasionally sink hip deep in the new snow and have to help each other out of the drifts. There is some LAUGHTER; the excitement has helped to stir them out of their post-dream introspection.

In the foreground, the black barrel of a CANE comes down, burying itself in the snow.

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240 EXTERIOR: THE REAR OF THE TOWN HALL--MORNING.

LINOGE is standing here, watching the townsfolk through the heavy snow. They don’t see him, because their backs are turned.

241 EXTERIOR: HEADLAND AND LIGHTHOUSE, FROM THE TOWN HALL’S POINT OF

VIEW--MORNING.

From here, the lighthouse is almost obscured by the snow . . . from time to time it will be obscured . . . but right now we can see both it and the GIANT WAVES surging around it.

242 EXTERIOR: MIKE AND HATCH--MORNING.

Is it gonna go, Mike?

MOLLY and MELINDA, accompanied by RALPH and PIPPA, join their husbands. MIKE bends to pick up RALPHIE without taking his eyes off the lighthouse.

I think it is.

243 EXTERIOR: HEADLAND AND LIGHTHOUSE, FROM THE TOWN HALL’S POINT OF

VIEW.

A huge wave smacks the headland and surges around the lighthouse. Then the WIND HOWLS, the SNOW THICKENS, and the lighthouse is hardly there, only a dim white ghost in the swirling snow.

244 INTERIOR: THE LIGHTHOUSE CONTROL ROOM.

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Water POURS IN through the shattered windows and inundates the electronic gear. Sparks fly; the computers SHORT OUT.

245 EXTERIOR: HEADLAND AND LIGHTHOUSE, FROM THE TOWN HALL’S POINT OF

VIEW.

Except we really can’t see much at all now except for a couple of houses and some ghostly trees down the hill from where the people stand. The snow has thickened and the wind is swirling it up, creating WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS.

246 EXTERIOR: THE TOWNSFOLK, A PANNING SHOT--MORNING.

We see the little family groups and clusters of friends (SONNY and UPTON BELL are together; KIRK

and his younger sister, JENNA--accompanied by little SALLY GODSOE--are standing near the BEALSES), but some folks stand a bit apart from the others. Behind them all, the snow provides a SHIFTING WHITE BACKDROP. The town hall itself is only a pink shadow.

As we PAN:

I can’t see a thing!

It’s a damn whiteout!

Daddy, where’s the lighthouse?

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(to DON)

Wait for the wind to drop, honey.

DON

Make it drop now!

(to MRS. KINGSBURY)

Look! There’s the light, just coming around! It’s still there!

247 INTERIOR: LOOKING INTO THE WHITEOUT, FROM THE ISLANDERS’ POINT OF

VIEW--MORNING.

In all that swirling snow, the SEARCHLIGHT gleams fitfully, brightens, then revolves out of sight again. As it does, we begin to see the headland once more.

248 EXTERIOR: RESUME PANNING TOWNSPEOPLE--MORNING.

It’s lifting!

MRS. KINGSBURY is standing to the left of the HOPEWELLS, her RED HUNTING CAP now turned around so the bill faces front. BRIGHT YELLOW GLOVES (LINOGE must have had another pair of them stashed somewhere) come out of the snow. One clamps over MRS. KINGSBURY’S

mouth; the other grabs her by the neck. She is JERKED BACKWARD into the whiteout. The HOPEWELLS are quite close-by, but none of them see; they are peering into the snow as hard as they can.

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249 EXTERIOR: HEADLAND AND LIGHTHOUSE, FROM THE TOWN HALL’S POINT OF

VIEW.

A GIGANTIC WAVE smashes into the headland, humps up, and CRASHES INTO THE

LIGHTHOUSE. And now we can see it beginning to TILT.

250 EXTERIOR: SONNY BRAUTIGAN AND UPTON BELL.

She goin’! Holy God, she surely goin’!

Near them is a MALE RESIDENT bundled up in a grease-stained parka with “ISLAND E-Z PUMP”

written on the left breast. A SHAPE--LINOGE--looms behind him. It pauses for a second or two, and then the CANE comes down across MR. E-Z PUMP’S throat, gripped at either end by BRIGHT

YELLOW GLOVES. MR. E-Z PUMP is yanked backward into the whiteout. Neither SONNY nor UPTON notice; they are thrilled by the destruction taking place below.

251 EXTERIOR: THE WHITEOUT, LOOKING BACK TOWARD THE TOWN HALL.

We see TWO BLACK SHAPES--the soles of MR. E-Z PUMP’S boots. They float briefly in all that white, then disappear.

252 EXTERIOR: THE LIGHTHOUSE--MORNING.

Another of those huge waves buries the lower half. We hear the RUMBLE OF WATER and the GROAN of crumbling bricks. The lighthouse’s tilt becomes more pronounced.

253 INTERIOR: THE LIGHTHOUSE CONTROL ROOM--MORNING.

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It’s tilting . . . tilting . . . water pouring in ... the tilt becoming more pronounced as equipment conies unanchored and begins to slide down the steepening slope of the floor . . .

254 EXTERIOR: THE ISLANDERS OUTSIDE THE TOWN HALL--MORNING.

THE CAMERA is behind them, PANNING from left to right. From between them, or over their shoulders, we can see the tottering lighthouse.

255 EXTERIOR: JACK, ANGIE, AND BUSTER CARVER--MORNING.

JACK is highly excited. He sweeps BUSTER into his arms and lunges forward a little through the snow.

Look, Buster! The lighthouse is falling down!

Falling down! Lighthouse falling down!

ANGELA is about four steps behind them. Neither JACK nor BUSTER see the YELLOW GLOVES

as they float out of the snow, grab her, and yank her backward into the WHITE CURTAIN.

256 EXTERIOR: RESUME LIGHTHOUSE--MORNING.

The inundating wave retreats. For a moment it seems the lighthouse might endure yet a little longer . . . and then it goes CRASHING DOWN, the light above the shattered control room still revolving valiantly. As it falls, another wave strikes, drowning the ruins.

257 EXTERIOR: THE ISLANDERS, PANNING.

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They are silent, their brief excitement gone. Now that it’s actually happened, they wish it had not. We end up on JACK and BUSTER.

Where’s the lighthouse, Daddy? Did it go bye-bye?

(sadly)

Yeah, honey, I guess so. Lighthouse went bye-bye.

(turning)

Angie, did you see it? Did you . . .

But there’s no one where she was standing.

Angie? Angela?

He looks up and down the line of ISLANDERS, puzzled but not yet worried or afraid. He doesn’t see her.

Hey, Ange ...

Hey, Mommeee . . .

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JACK looks at ORV BOUCHER, who is standing nearby.

Did you see my wife?

ORV

Gee, Jack, I didn’t notice. Maybe she got cold and went back inside.

258 EXTERIOR: THE HOPEWELL FAMILY: STAN, MARY, AND DAVEY--MORNING.

DAVEY’S parents are still looking down at the place where the lighthouse stood (as if expecting an instant replay), but DAVEY is looking around, frowning.

Mrs. Kingsbury?

(hears him)

Davey?

She was just here.

JACK comes slogging along, now holding BUSTER by the hand.

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Angie . . .?

(to BUSTER)

I guess Orv’s right--she must’ve gotten cold and gone back inside.

Nearby are ALEX HABER and CAL FREESE.

CAL

(looking around)

Hey, where’s old George Kirby?

259 EXTERIOR: THE ANDERSONS AND THE HATCHERS--MORNING.

Along the ragged line of ISLANDERS who have come out to watch the lighthouse go down, CAL and ALEX are calling for GEORGE KIRBY, JACK and BUSTER are calling for ANGELA, DAVEY

HOPEWELL is calling for MRS. KINGSBURY, and a couple of other folks are calling for BILL--the real name of MR. E-Z PUMP, one assumes.

A kind of sick realization is dawning on MIKE’S face. He looks at HATCH and sees much the same look there. MIKE sets RALPHIE down and turns to the ragged line of ISLANDERS.

Back inside! Everyone back inside!

Mike, what’s wrong?

MIKE ignores her. He begins RUNNING down the line of ISLANDERS, looking frantic.
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Inside! Everybody! Now! And stay together!

His fear communicates itself to the ISLANDERS, who begin to turn and go inside. ROBBIE comes over to MIKE.

What the hell’s this?

Maybe nothing. For now, just go inside. Take your wife and your boy and go inside.

As he gets ROBBIE turned around and begins shepherding him back to SANDRA and DON, JACK

CARVER comes floundering up through the snow, holding BUSTER.

(now beginning to be afraid)

Michael, have you seen Angela? She was right here.

ROBBIE begins to understand. He goes to SANDRA and BUSTER, suddenly not wanting them out of his sight.

Take your boy on inside, Jack.

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But-

Go on, now. Do it.

260 EXTERIOR: HATCH, ON THE SNOWFIELD BESIDE THE TOWN HALL.

Around him, people are hurrying back to the side door. Most look fearful. HATCH ignores them, trying to look everywhere at once ... an impossible trick, given the thick snow.

Mrs. Kingsbury? . . . George? . . . George Kirby? . . . Bill Timmons, where you at?

He sees a BRIGHT SPLASH OF RED and goes to it. He picks up MRS. KINGSBURY’S hat, dusts the snow from it with his gloved hand, and looks at it gravely as MIKE comes up to him, herding people along. MIKE’S eyes also move everywhere. They are shepherds trying to guard a diminishing flock. MIKE takes the hat from HATCH and looks at it for a moment.