Storm of the Century (5 page)

Ground chuck’s too dear! Don’t you have plain old hamburger, Michael Anderson?

Right-She snatches the package he’s holding out before he can finish.

(continues)

--here.

More folks now, picking the stuff over as fast as he can get it out of his cart. MIKE bears this for a moment, then decides to put on his constable’s hat. Or try.

Folks, listen. It’s a storm, that’s all. We’ve gotten through plenty before this, and we’ll get through plenty after. Calm down and stop acting like mainlanders!

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That gets them a little. They stand back, and MIKE begins distributing the meat again.

Don’t be smart, Michael Anderson.

She says it the way islanders do--”sma’aat.” And when CARLA says “dear,” it comes out “deah.”

(smiles)

No, Mrs. St. Pierre. I won’t be smart.

Behind him, ALTON “HATCH” HATCHER comes out of the cold room pushing a second cart of wrapped meat. HATCH is about thirty, portly and pleasant. He’s MIKE’S second-in-command at the market, and in the constabulary, as well. He is also wearing butcher’s whites, and a white hard hat for good measure. Printed on the hard hat is “A. HATCHER.”

CAT (over the market loudspeaker)

Mike! Hey, Mike! Got a phone call!

16 INTERIOR: THE COUNTER, WITH KATRINA “CAT” WITHERS.

She’s about nineteen, very pretty, and handling one of the cash registers. She ignores the line of customers and holds the PA microphone in one hand. In the other is the receiver of the telephone hanging on the wall by the CB radio.

CAT

It’s your wife. She says she’s got a little problem down to the day care.
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17 INTERIOR: RESUME MIKE, HATCH, SHOPPERS AT MEAT CABINET.

The customers are interested and diverted. Life on the island is like a soap opera where you know all the characters.

She hot under the collar?

18 INTERIOR: RESUME COUNTER, WITH CAT.

CAT

How do I know where she’s hot? She’s your wife.

Smiles and chuckles from the CUSTOMERS. In island parlance, that was “a good ‘un.” A man of about forty grins at MIKE.

You better go see about that, Mike.

19 INTERIOR: RESUME MIKE AND HATCH AT MEAT CABINET.

Can you take over here a bit?

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Can I borrow your whip and chair?

MIKE laughs, knocks on the top of HATCH’S hard hat, and hurries on down front to see what his wife wants.

20 INTERIOR: AT THE COUNTER.

MIKE arrives and takes the phone from CAT. He speaks to his wife, oblivious of the watching, interested audience.

Hey, Moll, what’s up?

MOLLY (phone voice)

I’ve got a little problem here--can you come?

MIKE eyes his store, which is full of pre-storm shoppers.

I’ve got a few little problems of my own, hon. What’s yours?

21 INTERIOR: PIPPA HATCHER, CLOSE-UP.

PIPPA is a child of about three years old. Right now she fills the whole screen with her SCREAMING, TERRIFIED FACE. There are RED SMEARS AND BLOTCHES all over it. Maybe we at first take these for blood.

THE CAMERA DRAWS BACK and we see the problem. PIPPA is halfway up a flight of stairs, and
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has poked her head between two of the posts supporting the banister. Now she can’t get it back through. She’s still holding on to a piece of bread and jam, though, and we see that what we first took for blood is actually strawberry preserves.

Standing at the foot of the stairs below her, looking solemn, is a group of SEVEN SMALL

CHILDREN, ranging in age from three to five. One of the four-year-olds is RALPH ANDERSON, son of MIKE and MOLLY. Although we may not notice it at once (right now we’re more interested in PIPPA’S plight), RALPHIE has a birthmark on the bridge of his nose. It’s not hugely disfiguring or anything, but it’s there, like a tiny saddle.

Pippa, can I have your bread, if you’re not going to eat it?

(shrieks)

NO-OOO-OO!

She begins to yank backward, trying to free herself, still holding on to her snack. It’s disappearing into her chubby little fist now, and she appears to be sweating strawberry jam.

22 INTERIOR: THE HALLWAY AND STAIRWELL OF THE ANDERSON HOUSE.

The phone is here, placed on a hallway table halfway between the stairs and the door. Using it is MOLLY ANDERSON, MIKE’S wife. She’s about thirty, pretty, and right now vacillating between amusement and fright.

Pippa, don’t do that, honey . . . just hold still . . .

MIKE (phone voice)

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Pippa? What about Pippa?

23 INTERIOR: BEHIND THE MEAT COUNTER, FEATURING HATCH.

His head snaps up in a hurry.

LINDA ST. PIERRE

Something about Pippa?

HATCH starts around the counter.

24 INTERIOR: RESUME HALLWAY, WITH MOLLY.

Be quiet! The last thing in the world I want is Alton Hatcher down on me.

25 INTERIOR: RESUME MARKET.

Steaming down Aisle 3, still wearing his hard hat, comes HATCH. All the smiling good humor has gone out of his face. He’s completely intent, a father back to front and top to bottom.

Too late, babe. What’s up?

26 INTERIOR: THE HALLWAY, WITH MOLLY.

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She closes her eyes and GROANS.

Pippa’s got her head stuck in the stairs. It’s not serious--I don’t think--but I can’t deal with a big storm and a crazed daddy all on the same day. If Hatch comes, you be with him.

She hangs up the phone and heads back to the stairs.

MOLLY Pippa . . . honey . . . don’t pull that way. It’ll hurt your ears.

27 INTERIOR: THE STORE COUNTER, WITH MIKE, HATCH, CUSTOMERS.

MIKE looks at the phone, bemused, then hangs it up again. As he does, HATCH comes shouldering through the CUSTOMERS, looking worried.

Pippa! What about Pippa?

Got a little stuck-itis, I hear. Why don’t we go see?

28 EXTERIOR: MAIN STREET, IN FRONT OF THE STORE.

There’s slant parking here. The vehicle in the slot handiest to the store is a forest-green four-wheel drive with ISLAND SERVICES painted on the doors, and a police flasher-bar on the roof.

MIKE and HATCH come out of the store and hurry down the steps. As they approach:
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How upset did she sound, Mike?

Molly? Point five on a scale of one to ten. Don’t worry.

A gust of wind strikes them, rocking them back on their heels. They look toward the ocean. We can’t see it, but we can hear the POUNDING WAVES.

This is going to be one bad mother of a storm, isn’t it?

MIKE doesn’t answer. He doesn’t have to. They get into the Island Services truck and drive off.

29 EXTERIOR: THE MANNEQUIN ON THE STORE’S PORCH.

There’s another GUST OF WIND. The hanging lobster traps click together . . . and the beanie propeller on “ROBBIE BEALS’S” head slowly BEGINS TO TURN.

30 INTERIOR: THE STAIRWELL OF THE ANDERSON HOUSE.

PIPPA is still stuck with her head through the posts, but MOLLY is sitting beside her on the stairs and has her calmed down quite a bit. The CHILDREN still cluster around, watching her. MOLLY strokes PIPPA’S hair with one hand. In her other, MOLLY is holding PIPPA’S bread and jam.

You’re okay, Pippa. Mike and your daddy will be here in another minute. Mike will get you out.
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How can he?

I don’t know. He’s just magic that way.

I’m hungry.

MOLLY gets her arm through the bars and maneuvers the bread to PIPPA’S mouth. PIPPA eats. The other KIDS watch this with fascination. One, a boy of five, is JILL ROBICHAUX’S son.

Can I feed her, Missus Anderson? I fed a monkey once, at the Bangor Fair.

The other kids laugh. PIPPA is not amused.

I’m not a monkey, Harry! I’m a child, not a monkey!

Look, you guys, I’m a monkey!

He starts leaping around at the foot of the stairs, scratching under his armpits and being foolish as only a four-year-old can be. At once, the others start imitating him.
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I am not a monkey!

And begins to cry. MOLLY strokes her hair, but can’t talk her out of this one. Getting your head stuck between the bars is bad; being called a monkey is even worse.

You kids, stop that! Stop it right now! It’s not nice, and it’s making Pippa sad!

Most of them stop, but DON BEALS, a little booger of the purest ray serene, goes on prancing and scratching.

Don, you stop. It’s mean.

Momma says it’s mean.

He tries to grab hold of DON. DON shakes him off.

I’m bein’ a monkey!

DON does the monkey thing twice as hard, just to spite RALPHIE . . . and RALPHIE’S mother, of course. The hall door opens. MIKE and HATCH come in. HATCH sees the problem at once and reacts with a mixture of fright and relief.

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Daddee!

She starts yanking backward again, trying to free herself.

Pippa! Hold still! You want to yank your ears right off your head?

(runs to MIKE)

Daddy! Pippa got her head stuck and Don won’t stop being a monkey!

RALPHIE leaps into his father’s arms. HATCH climbs to where his daughter has been caught by the incredible girl-eating stairs and kneels by her. MOLLY looks over her back at her husband and sends a message with her eyes: “Please fix this!”

A CUTE LITTLE BLONDE GIRL with pigtails pulls at the pocket of MIKE’S white butcher’s pants. She is wearing most of her own strawberry jam treat on the front of her shirt.

Mr. Anderson? I stopped being a monkey. As soon as she said.

SALLY points to MOLLY. MIKE gently disengages her. SALLY, another four-year-old, promptly pops her thumb into her mouth.

That’s good, Sally. Ralphie, got to put you down now.

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He puts RALPHIE down. DON BEALS promptly pushes him.

Ow, hey! Why’d you do that?

For acting smart!

It comes out “sma’aat.” MIKE picks DON BEALS up and raises him to eye level. DON isn’t afraid a bit, the little craphead.

I ain’t afraid of you! My dad’s town manager! He pays your salary!

He sticks out his tongue and BLOWS A RASPBERRY right in MIKE’S face. MIKE isn’t the slightest put out of countenance.

Pushers get pushed, Donnie Beals. You want to remember that, because it’s a true fact of this sad life. Pushers get pushed.

DON doesn’t understand, but reacts to the tone. He’ll get up to more dickens eventually, but he’s been put in his place for the time being. MIKE puts DON down and goes to the side of the stairs. Behind him we see a half-open door marked WEE FOLKS. In the room beyond the door are little tables and chairs. Happy, colorful mobiles hang from the ceiling. It’s the classroom of MOLLY’S day-care center.

HATCH is pushing at the top of his daughter’s head. This isn’t accomplishing anything, and she’s consequently growing panicky again, thinking she’ll be stuck forever.
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Honey, why did you do this?

Heidi St. Pierre dared me.

MIKE puts his hands over HATCH’S and moves HATCH aside. HATCH looks at MIKE hopefully.

31 INTERIOR: THE CHILDREN AT THE FOOT OF THE STAIRS.

HEIDI ST. PIERRE, the five-year-old daughter of LINDA ST. PIERRE, is a carrottop wearing thick glasses.

Did not.

Did so!

HEIDI ST. PIERRE

Liar, liar, pants on fire!

Stop it, both of you.

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(to MIKE)

It was easy going out, but now I can’t get back in. I think my head must be bigger on this side.

It is ... but I’m going to make it smaller. Do you know how?

(fascinated)

No . . . how?

I’m just going to push the smaller button. And when I do, your head will get smaller and you’ll slide right back where you were. Just as easy as you slid in. Do you understand, Pippa?

He speaks in slow, soothing tones. He’s engaged in something that’s almost hypnosis.

What kind of-

Shhh!

Are you ready for me to push the button?

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