Red Planet Page #3

INT. THE LIVING ROOM NIGHT

There's a light on in the kitchen, but it just casts a dim glow in

here. The room has a fireplace and a lovely wooden floor. It's

going to be nice, but now it's just a big bare box with movers'

cartons stacked all over the place.

LOUIS is drinking a can of Pepsi, and he looks pretty damned

tired--anyone who's ever moved house and can remember the first

night in the new place will understand.

He finishes the last of the Pepsi and surveys the living room. He

sits on one of the bigger boxes, takes cigarettes from his pocket,

and lights one. He drops the spent match in the empty can, and

taps into the can during the scene.

SOUND:
Feet coming down the stairs. The door on the far side of

the room opens and RACHEL comes in, wearing a nightgown.

RACHEL (crossing to LOUIS)

Kids are asleep, doc.

LOUIS:

Great.

He hugs her. She hugs him back warmly--for a moment they are just

two good people in all the big darkness of their new house.

RACHEL:

You're not really going over to have a

beer with that old guy, are you?

LOUIS:

Well, I've got a million questions about

the area, and---

RACHEL:

---and you'll end up doing a free

consultation on his arthritis or urinary

problems and---

LOUIS:

Did you see his shirt?

RACHEL (giggles)

Sure. Bruce Springsteen.

LOUIS:

I really do have a million questions

about the area...but the thing I'm

really curious about is how come this

octogenarian Yankee is decorating the

slumped remains of his pecs with the

Boss.

She laughs.

EXT. THE PATH OF THE CRANDALL HOUSE NIGHT

Pervasive SOUND of the crickets as LOUIS comes rather hesitantly

up the crazy-paved path from the road's edge.

JUD (voice)

That you, doc?

EXT. THE SCREENED-IN PORCH OF THE CRANDALL HOUSE

We hear the SQUEAK of a rocker; we see the dim red fitful glow of

JUD'S Pall Mall. We see by its glow that he is wearing Walkman

earphones.

EXT. LOUIS

LOUIS:

It's me.

INT. THE PORCH, WITH JUD

The Walkman is in his lap. He switches it off and puts the

headphones casually around his neck, like a kid.

JUD:

Well, come on up and have a beer.

INT. THE PORCH, A SLIGHTLY WIDER SHOT

LOUIS comes on up. JUD has got a pail of ice beside his chair with

some cans of beer in it. He opens one and hands it to LOUIS.

JUD:

You need a glass?

LOUIS:

Not at all.

JUD:

Good for you.

LOUIS drinks half the can at a draught.

LOUIS:

God, that's fine.

JUD:

Ain't it just? The man who invented

beer, Louis, that man was having a

prime day for himself.

LOUIS:

What were you listening to?

JUD:

Allman Brothers.

LOUIS:

What?

JUD:

The Eat A Peach album. God, they were

good before drugs and bad luck caught

up with them. Listen to this, Louis.

He passes the headphones over. LOUIS puts them on. JUD presses the

Walkman's PLAY button.

SOUND:
Ramblin' Man blasts us out of our seats.

LOUIS winces and rakes the spidery earphones off his head.

JUD:

I'm sorry. Wait.

He turns it down.

JUD:

Try that.

LOUIS puts the earphones back on and listens for a few moments.

It's the instrumental break. Gregg and Duane Allman dueling hot

Fenders. LOUIS takes the earphones off.

LOUIS:

Nice.

JUD:

I like rock and roll. No...I guess

that's too mild. I love it. Since

my ears started to die out on me,

it's the only music I can really hear.

And since my wife died...I dunno, some-

times a little rock and roll fills up

night. Not always, but sometimes. (Pause)

One more time--welcome to Ludlow. Hope

your time here will be a happy one.

LOUIS (great sincerity)

Thank you, Mr. Crandall.

He drinks again--they both do. There's a moment of companionable

silence here, broken by the SOUND of a big truck. They look

toward:

EXT/INT. THE ROAD (THROUGH THE PORCH SCREEN)

One of those big tanker trucks goes rumbling by--now there are

little amber running lights on top of it. It's going fast, too--

sweeps by in a blast of air.

INT. THE PORCH, WITH LOUIS AND JUD

LOUIS (wincing)

Jesus!

JUD (lights a cigarette)

That's one mean road, all right--you

remember that path your wife commented on?

LOUIS:

The one that goes into the woods--sure.

JUD:

That road--and those Orinco trucks--

are the two main reasons it's there.

LOUIS:

What's at the end of it?

JUD (smiles)

Another day--after you get settled in a

bit. Meantime, doc---

Here JUD raises his glass in a toast.

JUD (continues)

Here's to your bones.

LOUIS clinks his glass against JUD'S.

LOUIS:

And yours.

They drink.

EXT. ROUTE 9 NIGHT

LOUIS crosses from the CRANDALL side to his own, and the CAMERA

FOLLOWS as he walks slowly up the driveway and past the wagon. He

pauses for a moment, looking thoughtfully--hopefully--at his new

house. Then something--the CRY of an OWL, perhaps--draws his

attention the other way...toward the path.

He walks to its head and stands looking out at it--it glimmers in

a wide cut swath that's a bit ghostly in the dark.

A SHAPE suddenly lurches out of the high grass at him, and LOUIS

recoils with a startled, muffled cry.

EXT. CHURCH

The cat, sure; who--or what--else? We see his big green eyes in

the dark as he cries his strange feline hello: Waow!

EXT. LOUIS AND CHURCH, AT THE HEAD OF THE PATH

LOUIS:

Church! God, you scared the life

out of me!

CHURCH:

Waow!

LOUIS bends and picks up the cat. As he does, that truck SOUND

comes again and he looks toward:

EXT. THE ROAD, LOUIS'S POV

Another Orinco tanker drones by, fast.

EXT. LOUIS AND CHURCH

LOUIS (to the cat)

I know one thing that will keep you

home, good buddy.

He starts toward the house.

BLACK. And in that blackness, we see a second title card: THE DEAD

SPEAK.

INT. A KITCHEN BLACKBOARD, CU DAY

Written on it is: MONDAY 1.) CHURCH SPAYED 10 A.M. QUENTIN

JOLANDER, D.V.M. And below, in even bigger letters: 2.) ELLIE'S

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

THE CAMERA PANS LEFT, showing us the kitchen. There are still a

few cardboard cartons around, but the place is getting in shape.

We look out the window and see the CREEDS, led by JUD CRANDALL,

climbing the path toward the woods. LOUIS has got GAGE in a

Gerrypak.

EXT. AT THE TOP OF THE HILL, WITH CREEDS AND JUD

They are also at the edge of the woods. JUD stops and lets them

catch up.

JUD:

Take a look behind you.

They turn around, and their faces express their wonder.

LOUIS:

My God!

RACHEL:

It's beautiful!

EXT. THE VIEW

It is indeed beautiful. The CREED house is in the f.g., Route 9

just behind it (with one of the ever-present Orinco trucks droning

along), but behind that is the great sweep of the Penobscot river

valley, dozing under a fall sky of clear blue.

EXT. AT THE TOP OF THE HILL, WITH JUD AND THE CREEDS

JUD:

You folks ready to go on?

LOUIS:

Sure.

ELLIE:

But where are we going, Mr. Crandall?

JUD:

You'll see soon enough, hon.

They go into the woods, still following the path.

EXT. FOREST DAY

These are old woods indeed--huge trunks with dusty sunlight

shafting through them. It looks as though man has never made his

mark here.

THE CAMERA PANS SLOWLY DOWN to them, on the path. Here it is

carpeted with pine needles, but it is just as clearly marked.

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