Misery Page #11

As she goes --

PAUL:

Look at this, I've got Lizzie Borden

for an editor, here.

PAUL slumps, staring barefully at the typewriter.

DISSOLVE TO:

OUTSIDE THE FARMHOUSE. NIGHT.

DISSOLVE TO:

OUTSIDE THE FARMHOUSE. NEXT MORNING.

CUT TO:

PAUL'S ROOM. DAY.

PAUL is at the table. He takes the Novril off his breakfast tray,

wheels over to the bed, and stuffs them into the mattress. He

hears FOOTSTEPS coming down the hall. He smoothly wheels back to

the table. A pause.

ANNIE enters to remove the tray.

ANNIE:

What's the matter, Paul? You haven't

written a word.

PAUL:

I can't write this anymore.

ANNIE:

Don't be silly. Of course you can.

PAUL:

I'm telling you, I can't.

ANNIE:

You can -- you have the "gotta" --

PAUL:

The what?

ANNIE:

The "gotta." Remember, you talked

about it in Playboy magazine. You

said there's a million things you

can't do in this world; you can't

his a curve ball, you can't fix a

leaky faucet or make a marriage

work -- but there's one thing you

always have, and that's the power

of the "gotta."

PAUL:

I said that?

ANNIE:

You said you can make it so they

gotta turn the page. You know, "I

'gotta' know will she live," "I

'gotta' know will he catch the

killer." "I gotta see how this

chapter ends." You said it. I don't

usually buy that magazine. I only

got it, 'cause they were

interviewing you.

CUT TO:

PAUL:
CLOSE UP. Blinking.

PAUL:

(quietly)

What about a bee...?

ANNIE:

What?

PAUL:

Nothing.

CUT TO:

THE KEYBOARD as the piece of paper slides in and the keys start to

move. Annie stands there for a moment, then quietly backs out of

the room.

DISSOLVE TO:

THE WINDOW. It's late afternoon.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL

PAUL in the wheelchair watching as ANNIE finishes reading.

PAUL:

Well, is it fair? Should I keep

going?

ANNIE:

You better. Oh, Paul, when Ian

realized that the reason they'd

buried Misery alive was because

the bee sting had put her in that

temporary coma --

CUT TO:

ANNIE, in a fervor.

ANNIE:

-- and when Gravedigger Wilkes

remembered how thirty years earlier,

the same thing had happened to Lady

Evelyn-Hyde --

(hands clasped)

-- and then old Dr. Cleary deduced

that Misery must be Lady Evelyn-

Hyde's long-lost daughter because of

the rarity of deadly bee-stings --

my heart just leapt.

CUT TO:

PAUL, watching her. It's as if he had nothing to do with anything

she's read as she goes on.

ANNIE:

I've known from the very first book

that Misery had to be born of

nobility and I was right!

PAUL:

(mumbling to himself)

Yeah, yeah...

CUT TO:

THE TWO OF THEM; she touches the pages as if they were gold,

rubbing gently with the tips of her fingers.

ANNIE:

Oh, Paul, can I read each chapter

when you finish? I can fill in the

"n"s.

(Paul nods, and

she's off again)

Will she be her old self, now that

Ian has dug her out, or will she

have amnesia...?

PAUL:

...have to wait.

ANNIE:

Will she still love him with that

special perfect love?

PAUL:

Have to wait.

ANNIE:

(pleading)

Not even a hint?

Paul shakes his head.

CUT TO:

ANNIE, spinning around the room like a happy child.

ANNIE:

Misery's alive! Misery's alive. Oh,

it's so romantic -- this whole

house is going to be filled with

romance. I'm going to put on my

Liberace records --

(stops, looks at Paul)

-- you do like Liberace, don't you?

PAUL:

(quickly)

Whenever he played Radio City, who

do you think was right there in the

front row?

ANNIE:

I'm going to play my records all day

long -- to inspire you -- he's my

all-time favorite.

And with that, she starts to leave.

PAUL:

Annie?

She stops at the door.

PAUL:

Would you have dinner with me tonight?

She can't speak.

PAUL:

To celebrate Misery's return. I

couldn't have done it without you.

ANNIE:

Oh, Paul. It would be an honor.

ANNIE dashes excitedly out of the room. PAUL wheels over to the

bed, pulls the packet of Novril poder out from the mattress and

stuffs it in his pants. The sound of Liberace playing "Tammy" with

orchestra and chorus booms in from beyond the door.

PAUL:

Jesus Christ.

CUT TO:

BUSTER'S OFFICE. DUSK.

VIRGINIA is on the phone.

VIRGINIA:

(into phone)

No, he's not here. I don't know where

he went. He never tells me anything

anymore. He's probably out having an

affair somewhere. Wait a minute. I

think I hear him coming.

BUSTER enters carrying a bagful of books.

VIRGINIA:

(to Buster)

It's Jim Taylor. He wants to know who

you've been having an affair with.

CUT TO:

BUSTER. He puts the bag down, shoots Virginia a look and grabs the

phone. VIRGINIA looks in the bag.

BUSTER:

Hey, Jim, what's doing? Uh-huh...

uh-huh...Jim, we've been over this.

If you're gonna have benches in

front of your store, people are

gonna sit on them. I don't like him

either, but I'm not going to come

over there and tell him to move.

Give my best to Denise. Bye.

VIRGINIA:

(looking through the

books; all paperback

Misery novels)

Well, whoever she is, she sure likes

to read a lot.

BUSTER:

Virginia, I'm flattered you think I

got that much energy. I just figured

if I can't find Paul Sheldon, at

least I can find out what he wrote

about.

VIRGINIA:

What do you expect to find? A story

about a guy who drove his car off a

cliff in a snowstorm?

BUSTER:

Now, you see, it's that kind of

sarcasm that's given our marriage

real spice.

CUT TO:

STUDY. NIGHT.

PAUL is sitting at a table that Annie has set up with her best

china and silverware. It is as romantic as Annie Wilkes gets.

ANNIE enters, carrying a basket of rolls. She sits and serves

Paul.

ANNIE:

I hope you like it.

PAUL:

It looks wonderful. And so do you.

ANNIE:

Oh...

They eat in awkward silence. Finally:

PAUL:

I've never had meatloaf this good,

what do you do to it?

ANNIE:

My secret is I only use fresh

tomatoes, never canned. And to give

it that little extra zip, I mix in

some Spam with the ground beef.

PAUL:

Oh.

(pause)

You can't get this in a restaurant

in New York.

After another pause:

PAUL:

Annie, I think we should have a

toast.

ANNIE:

A toast?

PAUL:

Yes, to Misery. Let me pour you some

more wine.

Paul pours more of the Gallo wine, then raises his glass.

ANNIE:

To Misery.

PAUL:

Wait, let's do this right. Do you

have any candles?

ANNIE:

Oh, I don't know. I think so. I'll

go look.

She exits into the kitchen. PAUL quickly pulls the pasket filled

with Novril powder from his pants. He empties it into her glass of

wine, stuffs the empty packet back into his pants, talking the

whole time:

PAUL:

Did you study decorating, or do you

just have a flair?

ANNIE (o-s)

Oh, you. I just picked things up

over the years.

PAUL:

Well, it certainly says you.

ANNIE (o-s)

You really think so?

PAUL:

Absolutely. Listen, if you can't

find any, it's okay. I just thought

it might be nice.

ANNIE re-enters with a candle.

ANNIE:

Are you kidding? If anyone ever told

me that one day I'd be having a

candlelit dinner with Paul Sheldon

in my own house, I woulda checked

both legs to see which one was being

pulled. Will this do?

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