Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Page #4

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who breathe him every time they breathe!

-That's not how it works!

-How do you know how it works?

You don't know anything

about atoms or molecules.

He might even be part of the

dog sh*t in Central Park!

That is enough. Stop it.

Excuse me, dog feces.

-Stop it!

-But it's the truth!

Why can't I say the truth? Just because

Dad died doesn't mean you can be illogical.

-It has to make sense!

-Not everything makes sense, Oskar!

There's not an answer for everything!

You're just stupid!

It's completely nonsensical!

It's just a box! An empty box!

I know it's an empty box! I know this.

But I did it for me, and I did it for you

so we could at least try...

...and say goodbye to him...

...because he's gone, Oskar,

he's gone and he's not coming back.

Never.

I don't know why a man flew a plane

into a building.

I don't know why my husband is dead.

But no matter how you try, Oskar,

it's never gonna make sense...

...because it doesn't,

it doesn't make sense!

Fukozowa you!

You don't know anything!

Why did you lie to me?

What are you talking about?

Where were you?

Where was I when?

That day, the worst day.

You know I was at work.

There was no one here.

I wish I had been.

But it wasn't possible.

You should've made it possible!

I can't make the impossible possible.

I wish it were you.

I wish it were you in the building

instead of him.

So do I.

I didn't really mean that.

Yes, you did.

Go back to bed.

-Hey.

Linda?

Yeah, I've been trying to reach you.

I'm on my way home. I'm coming home.

Thomas, can you hear me?

Yeah, I can hear you.

Ugh, this is unbelievable.

Are you watching this?

Listen to me, other people want to use

the phone, so I don't have too much time.

Listen to me, I'm gonna be home

in about 20 minutes.

No, you listen to me.

I'm in the World Trade Center.

What do you-- What do you mean,

you're in the World Trade Center?

I had a meeting. But I'm gonna be okay.

They're telling us to stay where we are.

We broke a window to let in some air.

Where are you?

I'm on the 106th floor.

There's about 50 of us up here.

You.... You listen to me,

you come home right now.

It's gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine.

-No--

-Where is Oskar?

Oskar's on his way home, but you listen

to me, you come home right now.

I will.

I will call and I will tell him.

Tell him what?

I'll-- I'll tell him, ahem, what's happening.

I'll tell him what's happening.

We've been told to wait where we are.

The firemen are on their way.

And we're all fine. We've been told to wait.

Thomas?

-That's what we got to do.

-Thomas....

Okay?

No, it's not okay. Listen to me.

-Yeah.

-Thomas.

You need to listen to me.

Here's what you're gonna do.

You need to find a stairwell.

Do you hear me?

-Yes.

-Find the stairs and you come home.

Linda, honey, I've gotta go.

Other people need to use the phone.

I'm gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine.

Stop saying that. Just find the stairs.

Linda, listen to me.

You do everything to make my life better.

I want you to know that

I absolutely love you.

I absolutely love you.

Don't stop talking to me.

Just stay talking to me.

I'm gonna try to call you again

in a few min--

Please, just stay talking to me....

This is unconfirmed,

but we are getting information...

...from an employee of United Airlines.

Again, we want to emphasize this is

unconfirmed, but there is speculation....

Grandma, are you awake?

Over.

Grandma, please wake up. Over.

Please.

Over.

Grandma?

I know someone is in there.

I won't hurt you. I'm only 4 years old.

Lie number 64.

Who are you?

I'm Oskar Schell, Grandma's grandson.

Do you know where my grandma is?

Out this time of night?

Do you know where?

It's kind of a matter of life and death.

Are you a stranger?

Technically?

I wouldn't go into a stranger's bedroom.

How come you don't speak?

Are your vocal cords

damaged or something?

Or did something scare you to death?

Cool.

When was the last time you spoke?

Do you ever try to talk?

Why don't you try to say

something to me?

Go on.

"My name is the Renter."

Do you have a criminal record?

Mm. Maybe you hurt people for a living?

Well, what's your story then?

I had to tell someone.

I couldn't keep it a secret anymore.

Can I tell you my story?

My father died at 9/11.

After he died, I wouldn't go

into his room for a year...

...because it was too hard

and it always made me wanna cry.

But one day, I had completely heavy boots

and I went into his room anyway.

I miss doing Tae Kwon Do with him

because it made me laugh.

When I went into his closet

where his clothes and stuff were...

... I reached up to get his old camera

with the brown case....

--and I broke a blue vase.

Inside was an envelope

with "Black" written on it.

And I knew that Dad had left something...

...somewhere for me

that the key opened and I had to find.

So I take it to Walt the locksmith--

--I get from Stan the doorman--

Some kind of lockbox.

--for all the five boroughs.

I count there are 472 people

with the last name "Black."

There are 216 different addresses.

Some of the Blacks live together, obviously.

I calculate if I go to two

every Saturday plus holidays...

...minus my Hamlet school play rehearsals,

it'll take me about three years...

...to go through all of them. But that's what

I'll do. Go to every person named Black...

...and find out what the key fits

and what Dad needed me to find.

The very best possible plan.

I divided the people by zones and

I really had to tell my mother another lie.

She wouldn't understand

how I need to find what the key fit...

...that would help me

make sense of things...

...like him being killed by people

who didn't even know him at all!

And I see some people

who don't speak English....

Hazelle Black, who's all prayered up

and spoke to God.

If she spoke to God, how come

she didn't tell him not to kill her son...

... not to let people

fly planes into buildings.

Maybe she spoke to a different God

than them!

I meet a man, who is a woman who

is a man, a woman all at the same time.

I didn't wanna get near him/her,

because she/he scared me...

...because she/he was so different.

I still wondered if she had a VJ

or peniscillin, but what does it matter?

What would this place be like

if everybody had the same haircut?

I see Mr. Black, who hasn't heard

a sound in 24 years.

Which I can understand,

because I miss Dad's voice that much.

Like when he would say

"Are you up yet?" or....

Let's go do something.

I see the twin brothers

who paint together.

And there's a shed that just has

to be a clue, but it's just a shed!

And Astrid Black,

who has the same drawing...

...of the same person

over and over and over again!

Boris Black, the doorman, who was once

a schoolteacher in Russia...

...but now says his brain is dying.

Ramos Black, who has a coin collection...

... but doesn't have enough money

to eat every day!

Alan Black has a view of Gramercy Park

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