Big Fish Page #16

NORTHER WINSLOW (cont’d)

(to the crowd)

Now, I want all of you to lie down.

I’m gonna be cleaning out the cashdrawers, and my associate here is goingto handle the vault.

(pointing to a Teller Woman)

You help my friend, okay?

The TELLER WOMAN nods.

ANGLE ON Edward, not sure what to do. He has a gun, but hetruly doesn’t want to shoot Norther. The Teller Woman is

already waving him to the back.

He decides he better go.

INT. AT THE VAULT - DAY

The Teller Woman is crying as she works the combination.

Edward feels horrible.

EDWARD:

Look, I’m really sorry. I just don’twant anybody to get hurt.

TELLER WOMAN:

It’s not that, it’s just...

She pulls open the vault door.

INT. THE VAULT - DAY

The inner sanctum of the Horizon Savings and Loan holdsexactly one folding chair. Nothing else.

87.

TELLER WOMAN:

...there’s no money. We’re completelybankrupt.

EDWARD (V.O.)

It turned out the savings and loan hadalready been robbed -- not by armedbandits, but by speculators in Texasreal estate.

TELLER WOMAN:

(dead serious)

You gotta promise you won’t tell

anybody.

CUT TO:

INT. EDWARD’S CAR - DAY

Edward drives the getaway car, though truthfully they’regoing just a little over the speed limit. No one’s followingthem. It’s an empty country road for miles.

Norther HOLLERS with body-tingling joy as he counts the

money.

NORTHER WINSLOW:

Sixty. Eighty. Four hundred dollars!

Not bad for just the drawers. Let’s

see what you got from the vault.

Edward winces, but doesn’t say anything yet. Digging throughthe vault bag, Norther is surprised to find only a singledeposit envelope. He rips it open, revealing just a littlecash inside. Even some dimes and pennies.

NORTHER WINSLOW (cont’d)

This is it? The whole vault.

EDWARD:

‘Fraid so.

NORTHER WINSLOW:

Edward, it’s got your deposit slip onit.

Caught, Edward has to confess...

EDWARD:

Look, I just didn’t want you to goempty-handed. There’s something youshould know, Norther. You see, thereason why...

88.

Edward continues his narration...

EDWARD (V.O.)

I told Norther about the vagaries ofTexas oil money and its effect on realestate prices, and how lax enforcementof fiduciary process had made savingsand loans particularly vulnerable.

Hearing this news, Norther was leftwith one conclusion:

EXT. TEXAS ROAD - DAY

Norther leans in the driver’s side window.

NORTHER WINSLOW:

I should go to Wall Street. That’s

where all the money is.

Edward looks over at Norther, the reality sinking in.

EDWARD (V.O.)

I knew then that while my days as acriminal were over, Norther’s were justbeginning.

The two men wave at each other as Edward drives off. At the

last moment, Norther calls out:

NORTHER WINSLOW:

Edward, thank you for the hand!

He’s talking about his Hand Around the House. We HOLD ON

Norther for a beat, dreaming of his future.

EDWARD (V.O.)

When Norther made his first million

dollars, he sent me a check for tenthousand. I protested, but he said itwas my fee as his career advisor.

EXT. BLOOM HOUSE [MID/LATE ‘70’S] - DAY

Sandra is watering the garden. Will (5) runs past her togreet Edward, just returned from another trip.

EDWARD (V.O.)

Ten thousand dollars is no fortune to

most men. But it was enough to buy mywife a proper house with a white picketfence.

We reveal the Bloom house, the nicest one in theneighborhood. Edward kisses his wife.

89.

EDWARD (V.O.)

And for that, it was all the riches aman could ever want.

Sandra drops the hose, letting it run on the lawn.

TRANSITION TO:

INT. BLOOM HOUSE BATHROOM - DAY [PRESENT]

CLOSE ON Edward’s hand as he turns knobs.

CLOSE ON water SPLASHING into the claw-foot bathtub, which

begins to fill.

Still wearing his pajamas, Edward climbs into the tub.

Carefully lowers himself.

As the water reaches the third button up on his pajama shirt,

Edward suddenly slides

UNDERWATER.

Bubbles rise from his nose for a few beats, then stop. It’s

quiet, except for the distant SPLASHING of water from the

spigot. Edward’s eyes are closed.

A long beat. Another. Then the SPLASHING water goes silent.

Edward opens one eye. The other eye. He sits up to find

SANDRA:

sitting on the edge of the tub. She doesn’t seem

particularly worried -- her husband has always done this.

EDWARD:

I was drying out.

SANDRA:

I see. We need to get you one of thoseplant misters. We can spray you like afern.

He smiles, then pulls his knees up, making room for her in

the tub. A beat while she considers.

Sandra steps out of her sandals and climbs into the tub,

facing him. Her dress is soaked, but she doesn’t mind.

He leans forward and kisses her. When they separate, she hastears hanging in her eyes.

EDWARD:

Come now.

90.

He wipes them away.

SANDRA:

I don’t think I’ll ever dry out.

INT. BASEMENT STORAGE AREA - DAY

Perched awkwardly on a canoe, Will’s made it through anotherfile cabinet. He goes through the folders page by page, butusually ends up tossing the whole thing in the trash.

He’s about to toss a file when he stops. Takes another look.

Something doesn’t make sense.

INT. BLOOM HOUSE / STAIRS - DAY

Will is headed upstairs when his mother comes around thecorner with an armful of laundry, including her wet dress.

WILL:

Is he awake?

SANDRA:

He just fell asleep. Josephine’s withhim.

She passes him. He turns.

WILL:

Mom?

SANDRA:

Yes?

Will quickly debates whether or not to ask her...

WILL:

Did you and Dad have any other

property?

SANDRA:

(thinking)

I suppose your grandmother’s house whenshe passed on. But we sold that right

away. Your cousin Shirley bought it.

WILL:

So you never bought any land.

SANDRA:

Heavens no. We had a hard enough timekeeping the mortgage on this place.

Will nods, just curious. He continues heading up.

91.

INT. WILL AND JOSEPHINE’S ROOM - DAY

Will changes his shirt. Takes his keys off the nightstand.

EXT. COUNTY ROAD - DAY

Will’s rental car drives past a sign reading, “Ashton, 10

miles.”

INT. WILL’S CAR - DAY / DRIVING

Will checks the address on one of his father’s files.

EXT. ASHTON GAS - DAY

Will talks to the ATTENDANT, who points him in a direction,

then gestures a series of left, right, left, rights.

EXT. ROAD - DAY

Will drives down a road that seems somewhat familiar. And

then we realize why: a roadsign reads “Welcome to Spectre!”

EXT. A LONE HOUSE - DAY

Sitting at the edge of a swamp, the little two-story feels

lonely, set deep in its lot. Dapples of light break through

the trees, a light breeze swaying the branches.

As Will walks from the car, the WHIRR of cicadas grows. He

checks the number: 33. This is the house. It is surrounded

by a white square-picket fence, identical to his mother’s.

Will notices this.

Reaching the porch, we hear a PIANO playing inside. Badly.

Re-checking the number on a form he’s carrying, Will KNOCKS.

The piano stops.

WOMAN’S VOICE (O.S.)

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