Neverwas Page #2

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So, I'll be up

in the area tomorrow,

doing some research.

I'll be here

around the same time.

(phone ringing)

Hello?

Honey! Oh!

Do you know I've left you

four messages?

Seriously,

where have you been?

Uh... Yeah, Mom, I'm sorry.

I just...

I've been busy. I'm sorry

I haven't called. I...

You're not the only one.

I tell you, this has been

the week from hell.

(chuckles) Why?

What have you been doing?

(chuckles) Nothing.

Which, to my constant amazement,

is absolutely exhausting.

You know, you need to get

out of that house.

Hmm.

Take a vacation.

So, tell me, darling,

how's your new place?

I took a job today,

and don't get all dramatic

when I say this, Mom, but...

I'm working at Millwood.

What?

Why would you go back

to that terrible place?

Well, maybe to make it

not so terrible.

You gave up your position

at Cornell for Millwood?

Is this some kind of joke?

No, it's not a joke.

It's a job.

Zachary, you know

what day is coming up.

And you know how hard this time

of year is for me always.

You know all this...

which makes your choice

all the more cruel.

Of course, you're no stranger

to cruelty when it comes to me.

You know what, Mom?

I gotta go.

(dial tone)

OK, before our group sessions,

I wanted to meet with

each of you individually.

I come from

this real small town

It's the kind of place

where people...

never really like

to talk a whole lot.

I play the piano.

I mean, um... I used to.

Hi.

They were exposed,

and he was too blind--

I would never have hurt

those children.

And I know the CIA is

sometimes watching me.

And the thing is,

I have this fiance,

and she wants to see me here.

And I don't know

if she'll understand.

'Cause... I don't

even understand.

(writing)

Hello, Gabriel.

Would you like to talk?

I know it's you.

(Reed) Gabriel Finch will

be your first patient.

He's been in and out of

hospitals for nearly 40 years.

Three months ago,

the county brought him in.

He dismantled a few bulldozers

on a construction site

in the mountains

just north of here.

Gabriel has never uttered

a word to any therapist

until today.

To you.

Huh?

Oh, my God.

Gabriel,

you standing there...

All right.

Thank you for coming.

Messy office.

Why don't you sit down

and we can get started?

Mm-hmm.

So...

is there anything

in particular

that you'd like

to begin with?

Anything in particular?

You. Here.

Your cool indifference.

Just give me that.

OK.

You've changed, boy.

I've changed?

We've just met.

No, there's something

gone missing,

something not right

behind the eyes.

So, you think that

I'm hiding something

from you.

What would I be hiding

from you?

Now, don't get me wrong,

Zachary.

I understand the need for

secrecy in this dungeon

we find ourselves in.

I mean, you are talking

to someone

who understands

the vital need for discretion

in my-- our predicament,

but there hasn't even

been the slightest sign

or signal from you.

And I look for signs

and signals,

given my position,

my responsibility.

You know that!

OK, Gabriel. You seem to

be getting a little upset,

so let's just slow down

for a little bit.

Now, I haven't gone by

"Zachary" for a long time.

You can call me Zach.

That's impossible!

You're taking this

charade too far.

OK, help me understand

what you mean.

Are you feeling calmer?

Are you feeling anything

at all?

You know,

why don't we start over?

Maybe we should talk about

what brought you here.

What brought you here is a far

more interesting question.

OK, well, I came here

to help you.

I don't believe it.

Of course!

(both chuckle)

Go on.

Yes. So much sense.

Yes, clear as day.

Clear as day.

Tell me about that.

Something's been done

to you. It's a dark spell

to erase your thoughts

and the memory of your youth.

To make you forget.

Good, good, good, good.

What does that mean to you?

We'll stop here.

Statues made of stone,

Zachary.

We don't have much time.

I'm almost done with it.

All right.

Hi.

(Maggie) "It wasn't

until Friday morning

"that Zachary would

find the map,

"leading him to the Mossy Rock

on the other side

of the mountain

"that was the entrance

to Neverwas.

"The monstrously hideous wizard,

Ghastly Lapeer,

"had kidnapped Zachary's father

"to keep him

from restoring the land

"to its former beauty

and bright spirit.

"It fell upon Zachary

to journey into Neverwas

"and rescue the king

from Ghastly's dungeon.

"Only then could the king

fight Ghastly's minions

"that were attacking

his castle,

bent on destroying the last

bright thing in Neverwas."

I love this book.

Me too.

(gasps)

(whispering)

Wanna know a secret?

(whispering) What?

(whispering)

Someone's at the door

right now, but don't look.

It's funny that you

should say that,

because I was just thinking

about that time there was

a whole group of us kids

playing in the woods.

I think you were there.

And we--

Mm.

And we got totally lost.

I was there.

I was tagging along,

much to everyone's annoyance.

And we were lost

out there for hours.

Yeah. You know the thing

that I remember the most

about that day?

Was that it was you.

You were the one that found

our way back to the road.

Remember?

Yeah, I guess I did get us

out of there.

Yeah.

Isn't that amazing how

one summer so long ago

can just stand out

amongst all the others?

So, what are you doing

your thesis on?

The contrast between deciduous

trees of the Upper Hudson.

I'm a botanist.

Before I forget, uh,

remember I told you how much

I love your dad's book?

Yeah.

Well...

I use it as a purse

sometimes.

You've got to be kidding me.

No.

You're a collector.

Since I was a kid.

And look at this.

My parents gave this to me

the Christmas

before they passed away.

This is the most important

thing that I own.

Excuse me.

Are you Zachary Small?

I'm sorry to have

bothered you.

Come on, honey.

All right,

I spilled the beans.

I go by "Riley" now.

My mother's maiden name.

I don't, uh, like to talk

about my father's book.

Sorry.

It's not a big deal.

It just really has

nothing to do with me, so...

He wrote it for you.

Yeah, well...

I mean...

It's not exactly

great literature.

It's a classic.

It's just a silly fairy tale.

Have you ever read it?

You've never read it.

Of course I've read it.

Why don't you skim through this?

I think it'll do you good.

What, you're just gon--

I don't think I can talk

to you until you've read it.

You're just gonna leave?

I'm gonna call you.

I'll expect a book report.

Maggie!

Maggie.

Come on.

(man) "Zachary Small took off

through the forest

"lain waste by Ghastly,

"a once good wizard

turned ugly and diabolical

"by the use of black magic.

"Zach's best friend would be

a flying pig named Sebastian,

"whose first language

was, of course, pig Latin."

Ahh, yeah.

Ah, my boy, my boy.

(Zach) Jake and I have

just had a conversation,

and I think there's something

that Jake would like

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