And I said yes. Because I knew if I said no, or even asked him to explain anything, he'd drop me the way he dropped George. He didn't have to tell me. I just knew. Then we stopped going up. We did a rollover in the air, and my stomach went way up in my throat, like it was a county fair carnival ride we were on instead of being way up in the air . . . and I fainted again, I guess. Or maybe he did something to me. I don't know. The next thing I was sure of, I was stumbling around in the snow . .
. the whiteout . . . and I could hear a horn ... I thought, "The lighthouse must not have blown down after all, because I can hear the
STORM OF THE CENTURY 285
foghorn ..." I tried to go toward it ... and I saw someone coming out of the snow . . . and I thought it was him . . . him again, meaning to take me back into the air again . . . only this time he'd drop me . . . and I tried to run . . . but it was you, Jack. It was you.
She puts her head against his shoulder, exhausted by the effort this has taken. There is a beat of silence. Then:
JILL ROBICHAUX
(shrill) Why us? Why us?
Several beats of silence. Then:
4
TAVIA GODSOE Maybe because he knows we can keep a secret.
35 INTERIOR: THE BASEMENT DAY-CARE AREA LATE AFTERNOON.
KIDS
(sing) "I'm a little teapot, short and stout "
216
CAT WITHERS is still standing in the middle of the circle, holding her place in The Little Puppy.
We can see that she's freaked but is trying to hide this from the KIDS. MELINDA and JOANNA are still on the stairs. Now, joining them, is KIRK FREEMAN, still dressed for outdoors and with a pile of the toys and puzzles he and MIKE picked up at Wee Folks.
CAT
If you want to sing, kids, maybe we could sing something else for a change? "London Bridge" or
"The Farmer in the Dell" or ...
She gives up. They're not listening. They hardly seem there. Once normal, happy preschool children, they have become spookily distant.
KIDS
(sing) " Here is my handle, here is my spout. You can pick "
286 STEPHEN KING
They stop on the word "pick," and they do it all at the same time, as neat as a lock of hair snipped by a barber's shears. Now they just stand in a circle around CAT.
KIRK
I brought these games and What? What's going on?
36 INTERIOR: CAT AND THE CHILDREN, CLOSER LATE AFTERNOON.
Oh, this is freaky. She looks from one to the next, and the normal vivacity of young children has left their faces; they are Cult City. Eyes like big zeros. Just standing there.
CAT
Buster?
(no answer) Heidi?
(no answer) Pippa?
(no answer) Ralphie? Are you all right?
(no answer)
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MELINDA HATCHER hurries into the circle, almost knocking SALLY GODSOE and HARRY
ROBICHAUX over. She kneels by PIPPA and grabs her arms.
MELINDA Pippa, what's wrong, honey?
CAT bursts out of the circle. She's had enough.
37 INTERIOR: ON THE STAIRS, WITH CAT, JOANNA, AND KIRK FREEMAN.
KIRK
What is it? What's wrong with them?
CAT
(starting to cry)
I don't know . . . but their eyes . . . oh, God, there's nothing there.
217
38 INTERIOR: MELINDA AND PIPPA, CLOSE-UP.
CAT is right PIPPA'S eyes are scary in their emptiness, and although her mother shakes her harder and harder this is panic, not anger there is no result.
MELINDA
Pippa, wake up! Wake up!
She tries chafing PIPPA'S hands. No result. She looks around wildly.
MELINDA All of you, wake up!
39 INTERIOR: RALPHIE, CLOSE-UP.
His head turns a little, and the life comes back into his eyes. He smiles. It's almost as if he's heard her and is responding . . . except he's not even looking in MELINDA'S direction.
RALPHIE Look!
288 STEPHEN KING
He points toward the shelf with the bag of marbles on it.
40 INTERIOR: THE BASEMENT DAY-CARE CENTER LATE AFTERNOON.
Everyone looks. The KIDS light up, just as RALPHIE did. What are they looking at that pleases them so? The marbles? No, that doesn't seem to be it. Their eyes are fixed a little lower . . . but there's nothing there.
HEIDI
(delighted) It's got a doggy head! A silver doggy head! How cool!
CAT suddenly understands and is horrified.
CAT
(to KIRK) Go get Mike.
JOANNA STANHOPE I don't understand what
CAT Right now.
KIRK turns and does what she says, dropping the games and puzzles heedlessly on the stairs.
41 INTERIOR: DON REALS, CLOSE-UP.
DON
A doggy head! Yeah!
42 INTERIOR: THE SHELF, FROM DON'S POINT OF VIEW.
Hanging from the shelf is LINOGE'S cane. The SILVER SNARLING WOLF'S HEAD is now a FRIENDLY, GRINNING SAINT BERNARD.
43 INTERIOR: RESUME THE CIRCLE OF KIDS.
MELINDA still kneels in front of PIPPA, but PIPPA is looking over her head, like the others.
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PIPPA
218
A doggy! A doggy!
Bewildered and afraid, MELINDA turns to look. Nothing there.
44 INTERIOR: THE TOWN MEETING HALL LATE AFTERNOON.
MIKE is just getting up from the stage. The interview with ANGELA is over.
f.
MIKE (to JACK)
Why don't you see if you can get her to lie down for a little while?
JACK That's a good
KIRK comes bursting through the clustered ISLANDERS.
KIRK Mike! Mike, there's somethin' wrong with the kids!
FRIGHTENED MURMURS from the ISLANDERS ... but some do more than just MURMUR JILL and ANDY, MIKE and MOLLY, ROBBIE and SANDY, the BRIGHTS, HATCH, URSULA ... the parents BOLT
FOR THE STAIRS.
ANGIE
(as if waking up) Buster? Is something wrong with Buster? Buster! Buster!
She is up in a flash, knocking the cup of broth from JACK'S HAND.
JACK Honey, wait
ANGIE
(ignores him) Buster!
290 STEPHEN KING
45 INTERIOR: BUSTER, CLOSE-UP.
He breaks from the circle and runs to the shelf, where the cane hangs by the crook of its neck.
He touches it ... and crumples to the floor as if shot.
46 INTERIOR: THE DAY-CARE AREA, WIDER LATE AFTERNOON.
The rest of the children follow BUSTER'S lead. They are laughing and excited, like kids who have just been given free all-day passes to Disneyland. They reach out to thin air ... or to something only they can see ... and one by one CRUMPLE TO THE FLOOR, joining BUSTER.
CAT
No! Don't let them
A gaggle of FRIGHTENED PARENTS, led by JILL and ANDY, appear at the head of the stairs.
ROBBIE
Get out of my way!
He shoves JILL aside would have knocked her right downstairs, if not for ANDY'S last-second grab and goes pelting down to the basement.
CAT ignores all this and runs across the room. HARRY ROBICHAUX touches thin air and falls down 219
with the others. Now there's only RALPHIE ANDERSON and PIPPA, who is back where the circle was.
PIPPA is struggling in her mother's grip. CAT grabs RALPHIE and pulls him back as he reaches up to touch . . . well, to touch whatever it is he sees.
PIPPA
Let me go! Wanna see doggy! Wanna see DOGGY!!
47 INTERIOR: CAT AND RALPHIE, CLOSE-UP.
CAT doesn't see the cane hanging down from the shelf, but in this shot we do ... and RALPHIE
does, too. He reaches for it ... almost touches it ... and CAT pulls him back out of reach.