Big Fish Page #20

DR. BENNETT (cont’d)

Did your father ever tell you about theday you were born?

WILL:

A thousand times. He caught an

uncatchable fish.

DR. BENNETT

Not that one. The real story. Did he

ever tell you that?

WILL:

(suddenly interested)

No.

DR. BENNETT

Your mother came in about three in the

afternoon. Her neighbor drove her, onaccount of your father was on businessin Wichita. You were born a week

early, but there were no complications.

It was a perfect delivery. Now, yourfather was sorry to miss it, but itwasn’t the custom for the men to be in

the room for deliveries then, so Ican’t see as it would have been much

different had he been there. And

that’s the real story of how you wereborn.

A long silence, just the sounds of the hospital, doctorsbeing paged.

DR. BENNETT (cont’d)

Not very exciting, is it? And I

suppose if I had to choose between thetrue version and an elaborate one

involving a fish and a wedding ring, Imight choose the fancy version. But

that’s just me.

Will half-smiles.

Patting Will’s shoulder, Dr. Bennett leaves. We STAY ON Will

and his father for a long time, then Will takes his pen andstarts making a list.

110.

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - VARIOUS SHOTS

Will flips to a new page. The list keeps getting longer.

He smiles, remembering something. On his fourth page, he

looks up at his motionless father. A beat, then we slowly

CROSSFADE TO:

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - PRE-DAWN

It’s very early morning, and the first blue light of day isglowing through the vertical blinds. Still in his chair,

Will wakes up a bit at a time. The notepad is on his lap,

the pen in his hand.

He cracks his neck, crooked from sleeping on it wrong. What

woke him up?

He looks to his right. Holds his gaze for a breath.

WILL:

Dad?

His father is awake, silently GASPING for breath. His eyesare open, scared and confused.

WILL (cont’d)

Dad! Do you want me to get a nurse?

Edward shakes his head unambiguously. Will already has hisfinger on the orange “nurse call” button, but doesn’t pushit.

WILL (cont’d)

What can I do? Can I help? Can I getyou something? Water?

Edward nods. Will pours a glass from the pitcher on thenightstand. He holds it to his father’s lips, but Edwardwon’t drink. He pushes it away. He wanted something else.

EDWARD:

(whispering)

The river.

WILL:

The river?

It takes Edward all his strength to put together eachthought. It’s like he’s only half-there, fighting to hang onto this world.

111.

EDWARD:

Tell me how it happens.

WILL:

How what happens?

EDWARD:

How I go.

ON WILL, realizing...

WILL:

You mean what you saw in The Eye?

Edward nods. Yes, that’s what he was trying to say.

A long beat.

WILL (cont’d)

I don’t know that story, Dad. You

never told me that one.

Will pushes his fingers under his father’s heavy hand, andholds it. There’s nothing else to do.

Edward looks around, confused and increasingly scared. He

sees the end approaching, but doesn’t know exactly what’scoming. Without the story, he’s lost.

Fighting the urge to panic -

WILL (cont’d)

I can try, Dad. If you help. Just

tell me how it starts.

EDWARD:

Like this.

WILL:

Okay. Okay.

Will looks around the room, increasingly desperate. He looks

to the nurse call button. He really wants to press it.

ON EDWARD, waiting for Will to begin.

WILL (cont’d)

Okay. It’s morning, and you and I arein the hospital. I’d fallen asleep inthe chair. I wake up and I see you,

and...

CUT TO:

112.

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY [STORY VERSION]

WILL:

Dad?

It’s dawn, and the first golden glow is shining through thevertical blinds.

WILL (cont’d)

(louder and concerned)

Dad?

We LOOK OVER to find a nimble Edward sitting up in bed,

combing his hair.

EDWARD:

Let’s get out of here.

WILL (V.O.)

Somehow, you’re better. Different.

You’re getting ready to go. And I

say...

WILL:

Dad, you’re in no condition to...

But Edward throws back the covers.

EDWARD:

There’s a fold-up wheelchair in thebathroom. Wrap a blanket around me.

As soon as we get off this floor, we’llbe in the clear.

Will heads for the bathroom. Sure enough, the wheelchair isthere.

EDWARD (cont’d)

Hurry! We don’t have much time.

INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - DAY

With the blanket draped over his head like a ghost, Edwardpoints for his son to steer the wheelchair thataway.

EDWARD:

Faster!

They pass a HEAVYSET NURSE, who turns to look.

Rounding a corner, they nearly crash into Dr. Bennett.

DR. BENNETT

Will! I...What are you doing?

113.

Before he can answer, Will spots Edward rolling the chairhimself, pumping both arms. Will dashes to catch up withhim.

The Heavyset Nurse leans out of Edward’s hospital room.

NURSE:

Security! Stop them!

DOWN THE HALL:

At the elevators, Sandra and Josephine step out to find Will

and Edward barreling straight at them.

EDWARD:

No time to explain! Follow us!

Seeing SECURITY GUARDS heading their way, a quick-thinking

Sandra shoves a nearby cart into them, bowling them down.

INT. ELEVATOR - DAY

Will brakes hard, sliding with both feet. The chair nearly

crashes into the back wall as the doors close.

EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY

Will races Edward down the row, finally reaching the

Chevrolet.

AT THE CAR:

Will lifts his father out of the chair.

WILL (V.O.)

I pick you up and you hardly weighanything. I can’t explain it.

Will sets him in the passenger seat.

EDWARD:

Water. I need water.

Scrambling in back, Will finds a liter of Arrowhead. Hands

it off. Edward unscrews the cap, but instead of drinking it,

he douses himself. Soaks the blanket.

Will pops the trunk. Starts to fold up the wheelchair.

EDWARD (cont’d)

Leave it! We won’t need it.

114.

TIRES SMOKE as the car peals out.

BACK TO:

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY [REALITY]

TIGHT ON Will, trying to hold back tears as he talks.

WILL:

And we have to take Glenville to avoid

all the church traffic, because thosedamn church people drive too slow.

TIGHT ON Edward, enjoying that detail. He’s focused

completely on Will’s story.

WILL (cont’d)

I ask...

BACK TO:

EXT. GLENVILLE BLVD. - DAY [STORY VERSION]

The Chevy slaloms through the Sunday-morning traffic.

WILL (O.S.)

Where are we headed?

WILL (V.O.)

You say...

INT. CHEVY - DAY

EDWARD:

The River!

Will stops short, the traffic backed up. He HONKS, trying toget around the jam. But it’s no use.

Then, up ahead, the cars start moving, shoved aside bymassive hands. It’s Karl the Giant, clearing a path by bruteforce.

Edward leans out the window and waves. Karl waves back.

EXT. ASHTON RIVER - DAY

The same stretch of the river where it all began. A CROWD of

more than 100 waiting.

WILL (V.O.)

As we get closer to the river, we seeeverybody’s already there. And I mean

everybody.

115.

Amos Calloway is here with the circus folk, including Mr.

Soggybottom. We also find Edward’s Mother and Father, theMayor, and many others from along the way. No one has aged aday since we saw them last.

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