Ring

Caption-- �September 5th. Sunday.�

INT. OUISHI HOUSEHOLD � TOMOKO�S ROOM - NIGHT

CLOSEUP on a TELEVISION SET. There�s a baseball game on, but the sound

is turned completely down. Camera PANS to show two cute high school

girls, MASAMI and TOMOKO. Masami is seated on the floor at a low coffee

table, TEXTBOOK in front of her. Tomoko is at her desk. There are SNACKS

all over the room, and it�s obvious there hasn�t been much studying going

on. Masami is currently in mid-story, speaking excitedly.

MASAMI:

They say that some elementary school

kid spent the night with his parents

at a bed and breakfast in Izu. The kid

wanted to go out and play with everybody,

right, but he didn�t want to miss the

program he always used to watch back in

Tokyo, so he records it on the VCR in

their room. But of course the stations

in Izu are different from the ones in

Tokyo. In Izu, it was just an empty

channel, so he should�ve recorded

nothing but static. But when the kid

gets back to his house and watches the

tape, all of a sudden this woman comes

on the screen and says--

Masami points so suddenly and dramatically at her friend that Tomoko

actually jumps in her seat.

MASAMI (cont�d)

�One week from now, you will die.�

Short silence as Masami pauses, relishing the moment.

MASAMI (cont�d)

Of course the kid�s completely

freaked, and he stops the video.

Just then the phone rings, and when he

picks it up a voice says--

Her voice drops voice almost to a whisper.

MASAMI (cont�d)

�You watched it, didn�t you?� That

same time, exactly one week later...

he�s dead!

Masami laughs loudly, thoroughly enjoying her own performance.

Tomoko, however, is completely silent. She begins looking more

and more distressed, until finally Masami notices.

MASAMI:

What is it, Tomoko?

Tomoko comes out of her chair and drops onto the floor next to her

friend. Her words are quick, earnest.

TOMOKO:

Who did you hear that story from?

MASAMI:

Who? It�s just a rumor. Everybody

knows it.

TOMOKO:

Youko told you?

MASAMI:

No, it wasn�t Youko...

Tomoko looks away, worried. Masami slaps her on the knee,

laughing.

MASAMI:

What�s up with you?

Tomoko speaks slowly, still looking away.

TOMOKO:

The other day, I... I watched this

strange video.

MASAMI:

Where?

TOMOKO:

With Youko and them.

MASAMI:

(excited)

So that�s what I�ve been hearing

about you doing some double-date/

sleepover thing! So, you and that

guy Iwata, huh?

TOMOKO:

No, it�s not like that. Nothing

happened!

Their eyes meet and Tomoko half-blushes, looks away again. Her

expression becomes serious as she resumes her conversation.

TOMOKO:

Iwata... he found this weird video.

Everyone was like, �What�s that?� so

he put it on and we all watched it.

MASAMI:

(quietly)

And? What kind of video was it?

TOMOKO:

Just... weird, I can�t really explain

it. Anyway, right after we finished

watching it, the phone rang. Whoever

it was didn�t say anything, but still...

Silence. Masami curls up on herself, thoroughly spooked.

MASAMI:

Jesus.

TOMOKO:

It's cuz, you know, we'd all heard the

rumors.

Tomoko looks seriously over at her friend.

TOMOKO (cont'd)

That was one week ago today.

There is a long, heavy silence as neither of them says anything.

MASAMI:

Waaait a minute. Are you faking me

out?

Tomoko�s face suddenly breaks into a smile.

TOMOKO:

Busted, huh?

They both crack up laughing.

MASAMI:

Oh, my... I can�t believe you!

Masami reaches out, slaps her friend on the knee.

MASAMI (cont�d)

You�re terrible!

TOMOKO:

Gotcha!

MASAMI:

(thinking)

But hang on... you really stayed

the night with Youko and Iwata,

right?

Tomoko nods, uh-huh. Masami dives forward, pinching her friend�s

cheeks and grinning wildly.

MASAMI:

So, how far did you and he get?

TOMOKO:

Oh... I can�t remember.

MASAMI:

You can�t remember, huh?

Masami laughs, then slaps Tomoko on the knee again as she remembers

the trick her friend played on her.

MASAMI:

Man, you had me freaked me out.

I--

Just at that moment, the phone RINGS. They are both suddenly,

instantly serious. Tomoko�s eyes go off in one direction and she

begins shaking her head, -No-. Masami looks over her shoulder,

following her friend�s gaze.

Tomoko is looking at the CLOCK, which currently reads 9:40.

The phone continues to ring. Tomoko is now clutching tightly onto her

friend, looking panicked.

MASAMI:

(softly)

Was it true?

Tomoko nods her head, still holding on tightly. Masami has to

forcibly disengage herself in order to stand. The phone is downstairs,

so Masami opens the bedroom DOOR and races down the STAIRS. Tomoko

calls out to her from behind.

TOMOKO:

Masami!

INT. OUISHI HOUSEHOLD � STAIRCASE - NIGHT

Tomoko and Masami run down the staircase, through the hallway towards

the kitchen. Tomoko cries out again just before they reach the kitchen.

TOMOKO:

Masami!

INT. OUISHI HOUSEHOLD � KITCHEN - NIGHT

Masami has come to a halt before a PHONE mounted on the wall. She

pauses, looking slowly at her friend, then back to the phone. She

takes it tentatively from its cradle, answers it wordlessly. The

tension continues to mount as nothing is said. Masami suddenly breaks

into a huge grin.

MASAMI:

I�ll put her on.

Still grinning, she hands the phone to Tomoko. Tomoko snatches it

quickly.

TOMOKO:

(softly)

Yes?

She is silent for a moment, then smiling widely.

TOMOKO:

Oh, man!

She is so relieved that all the strength seeps out of her and she

sinks to the kitchen floor. Masami, equally relieved, slides down

the wall and sits down next to her.

TOMOKO:

(on the phone)

Yeah, I�ve got a friend over now.

Yeah. Yeah, OK. Bye.

Tomoko stands to place the phone back in its wall cradle, and then

squats back down onto the kitchen floor.

TOMOKO:

The game�s gone into overtime, so

they�re gonna be a little late.

They burst out laughing with relief again, and are soon both

clutching their stomachs.

TOMOKO:

Jeeezus, my parents...

MASAMI:

Oh man, I�m tellin� everybody about

this tomorrow!

Tomoko shakes her head, -Don�t you dare-.

MASAMI:

I�m gonna use your bathroom. Don�t

go anywhere.

TOMOKO:

�K.

Masami walks out of the kitchen. Alone now, Tomoko stands and walks

toward the SINK, where she takes a GLASS from the DISH RACK. She

then goes to the FRIDGE and sticks her face in, looking for something

to drink. Suddenly there is the SOUND of people clapping and

cheering. Tomoko, startled, peers her head over the refrigerator

door to check for the source of the sound.

She begins walking slowly, following the sound to the DINING ROOM

adjacent the kitchen.

INT. OUISHI HOUSEHOLD - DINING ROOM - NIGHT

The lights are off, and there is no one in the room. Tomoko pauses a

moment, bathed in the garish LIGHT from the TV, which has been switched

on. Playing is the same baseball game they had on the TV upstairs; the

same game that Tomoko�s parents are currently at. The VOLUME is up

quite high.

A puzzled look on her face, Tomoko takes the REMOTE from the coffee

table and flicks the TV off. She walks back to the kitchen.

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