Misery Page #12

PAUL:

It's perfect.

She places the candle on the table. With a slight tremor in her

hand, she lights the candle. PAUL raises his glass.

PAUL:

To Misery and Annie Wilkes, who

brought her back to life.

ANNIE raises her glass.

ANNIE:

Oh, Paul, every time I think about

it, I get goosebumps.

They clink glasses.

And with that, her emotions having gotten the best of her, she

knocks over the candle. In trying to right the situation, she

places her glass back down, and as she reaches for the candle, she

knocks over her glass, spilling the wine.

ANNIE:

(wiping up the

spilled wine with

her napkin)

Oh, God, what have I done? I'm so

sorry, Paul. I ruined your beautiful

toast. Will you ever forgive me?

Here, let me pour another one.

(she does)

Can we pretend this never happened?

To Misery?

PAUL:

To Misery.

So they drink their wine.

CUT TO:

OUTSIDE THE FARMHOUSE. DAY.

The snow, although still present, has melted somewhat. And

starting now and continuing throughout is this: the sound of

typing.

CUT TO:

PAUL'S ROOM.

PAUL, working at his typewriter.

CUT TO:

THE MANUSCRIPT. Growing.

CUT TO:

ANNIE'S BEDROOM. DUSK.

ANNIE, in her room. Reading and loving it.

CUT TO:

BUSTER'S DEN. NIGHT.

BUSTER sitting in his den reading a Misery novel by the fire.

VIRGINIA brings him a cup of tea.

CUT TO:

PAUL'S ROOM. DAY.

PAUL, the sling off, moving his injured arm. It's more mobile than

before. Testing his strength, he uses his arm to remove the page

and place it on the pile. He puts in another page and continues to

type.

CUT TO:

ANNIE, entering Paul's room, carrying a chapter. Handing him a cup

of tea.

ANNIE:

Paul, this is positively the best

Misery you've ever written.

PAUL:

I think you're right.

CUT TO:

THE PILE OF PAPER. Bigger.

CUT TO:

OUTSIDE THE BARN.

ANNIE, out by the barn. She stares in at the house. Framed in the

window is PAUL, working. She smiles, enters the barn.

CUT TO:

PAUL'S ROOM. NIGHT.

He stretches but only briefly, then back to his typing.

CUT TO:

THE KITCHEN.

ANNIE, cooking happily away, reading a chapter.

CUT TO:

PAUL'S ROOM.

PAUL, arm out of the sling. He manages to lift the typewriter

once, sets it back down, puts the sling back on.

CUT TO:

PAUL'S ROOM. LATER.

ANNIE, bringing a tray of food.

ANNIE:

I think it's so wonderful that

Misery would sacrifice her title

to take up the cause of her people.

That's true nobility.

Paul hands her some new pages. As she exits,

CUT TO:

BUSTER'S OFFICE.

BUSTER, in his office reading. He is alone.

CUT TO:

ANNIE'S LIVING ROOM. NIGHT.

Annie is reading by the fire. Her pig Misery sits beside her,

staring at the pages.

CUT TO:

PAUL'S ROOM. DAY.

His fingers just fly, faster than he's ever typed and

CUT TO:

PAUL'S ROOM. NIGHT.

PAUL, staring and

CUT TO:

THE PILE, growing, growing and

CUT TO:

PAUL'S FINGERS

CUT TO:

PAUL'S ROOM.

PAUL, ripping open a new ream of paper...

CUT TO:

PAUL'S ROOM. DUSK.

His lips move silently. He's not even aware of it as he nods

and...

CUT TO:

THE PAPER IN THE TYPEWRITER, line after line being written.

INTERCUT WITH:

Paul's face at DAY, NIGHT, and DUSK in rapid succession, ending

with

CUT TO:

ANNIE'S FARMHOUSE. NIGHT.

Lightning! Giant deep rolls of THUNDER as RAIN begins...

CUT TO:

TYPEWRITER being lifted out of frame, then back in, then out

again.

CUT TO:

PAUL'S ROOM. NIGHT.

The pile of manuscript has doubled. Maybe two hundred pages.

PAUL, with some effort, is pumping the typewriter up and down.

Finally, he places it back down and puts his arm back in the

sling.

CUT TO:

PAUL, looking outside breifly.

CUT TO:

THE RAIN. Worse. The SOUND hits the roof of the house, hits the

window.

CUT TO:

ANNIE, lumbering in -- she's never looked lke this: She's wearing

her slippers and her pink quilted housecoat. Her eyes are without

life. Her hair, loose and straggly, hangs around her face. Slowly,

like a robot, she goes to PAUL, who looks silently up at her.

ANNIE:

Here's your pills.

She drops them on the table.

CUT TO:

PAUL, as the pills hit his chest and bounce into his lap.

PAUL:

Annie, what is it?

CUT TO:

ANNIE.

ANNIE:

(half turns away,

turns back, gestures

outside)

The rain...sometimes it gives me

the blues.

CUT TO:

ANNIE:
CLOSE UP. And suddenly it's as if she's been turned off,

gone lifeless.

CUT TO:

PAUL, staring at her. No sound but the rain.

CUT TO:

ANNIE, seen straight on. No light in her eyes.

ANNIE:

When you first came here, I only

loved the writer part of Paul

Sheldon. But now I know I love the

rest of him too. As much as Misery

loves Ian.

(beat)

I know you don't love me -- don't

say you do -- you're a beautiful,

brilliant, famous man of the world;

and I'm...not a movie star type.

You'll never know the fear of losing

someone like you if you're someone

like me.

PAUL:

Why would you lose me?

ANNIE:

The book is almost finished. Your

legs are getting better. Soon you'll

be able to walk. You'll be wanting

to leave.

PAUL:

Why would I want to leave? I like it

here.

ANNIE:

That's very kind of you, but I'll bet

it's not altogether true.

PAUL:

It is.

She slowly reaches into the pocket of her bathrobe and pulls out a

.38 Special.

ANNIE:

I have this gun, and sometimes I

think about using it.

She is absentmindedly clicking the empty gun.

ANNIE:

I better go now. I might put bullets

in it.

Robot-like, she crosses to the door and leaves. As she closes and

locks the door --

CUT TO:

PAUL, stunned, listening, waiting --

-- there is the sound of the front door closing --

-- then footsteps on the outside walk --

-- the sound of a car door opening and slamming shut.

Now comes the GUNNING of the motor.

CUT TO:

THE WINDOW as ANNIE drives by, hunched over the wheel. The MOTOR

sound grows fainter, faint...

CUT TO:

BUSTER AND VIRGINIA'S BEDROOM. NIGHT.

BUSTER AND VIRGINIA are lying in bed. Buster is reading yet

another Misery novel, Misery's Trial. Virginia is also reading.

BUSTER:

"There is a justice higher than that

of man. I will be judged by Him."

VIRGINIA:

What?

BUSTER:

They're hauling Misery into court.

VIRGINIA:

That's nice.

BUSTER:

(mutters under

his breath)

"There is a justice higher than that

of man -- I will be judged by Him."

CUT TO:

ANNIE'S KITCHEN.

The kitchen KNIVES on the counter.

CUT TO:

PAUL, now using both arms, forcing his body up toward them.

This isn't easy, it was a b*tch the first time he tried it, but

nothing's going to stop him now. He's leaning against the

cupboard, using it for balance --

-- his balance starts to go but he won't let it as we

CUT TO:

THE KNIVES, AS HIS HAND grabs the largest one, a fat-handled sharp

beauty and

CUT TO:

PAUL, and you can sense the relief as he begins to lower himself

to the floor.

CUT TO:

THE STUDY.

PAUL, back in his wheelchair, knife in his lap, carefully opening

drawers of little tables, looking inside. He closes them, moves

on, unmindful of the rain. Now --

Rate this script:3.0 / 4 votes