Ring Page #10

VOICE:

Shoumon bakkari... boukon ga kuru zo...

EXT. IZU SEASHORE - DAY

Asakawa watches Ryuji stride down the shore.

Caption-- �September 19th. Monday.�

Ryuji strolls up to find old man Yamamura sitting alone, staring

out at the sea. Yamamura glances up to see Ryuji approaching.

Ryuji takes a seat next to the old man, but it�s Yamamura who speaks

first. The deep basso of his voice emphasizes the drawl of his

accent.

YAMAMURA:

Y�all�d do best to be off soon.

Sea�s probably gonna be rough

tonight.

RYUJI:

What kind of a child was Shizuko?

YAMAMURA:

Shizuko was... different. She�d come

out here by herself ever�day an� just

stare out at the ocean. The fishermen

all took a dislikin� to her. Ocean�s

an unlucky place for us, y�see: every

year it swallows up more of our own.

You keep starin� out at somethin�

ike that...

RYUJI:

Shoumon bakkari shite�ru to, boukon ga

kuru zo. �If you keep playing in the

water, the monster will come for you.�

Yamamura looks at Ryuji, surprised.

RYUJI:

Shizuko could see �inside� people,

couldn�t she? Down to the places

they�d most like to keep hidden. It

must have been difficult for her...

Yamamura rises unsteadily to his feet, features twisted angrily.

YAMAMURA:

Please leave! Now!

Ryuji stands, takes hold of Yamamura�s arm.

RYUJI:

I�ve got a little of that ability

myself. It was you who spread the

word about Shizuko, wasn�t it?

And you who first contacted

Professor Ikuma?

YAMAMURA:

What�re you--?

RYUJI:

You thought you�d be able to make

some money off her. You even got

some, from one of the newspapers.

YAMAMURA:

Leave me the hell alone!

Mr. Yamamura strides angrily off. Both Ryuji and Asakawa take

pursuit, Ryuji calling out from behind Yamamura�s back.

RYUJI:

Tell us about Shizuko�s daughter.

Who was she?

YAMAMURA:

I don�t know!

RYUJI:

She was there, with Shizuko. She

had to be.

Yamamura�s pace, which has become increasingly erratic, finally

causes him to stumble and fall. Ryuji comes up behind him,

grasping him firmly. At their touch Ryuji�s power awakens, and as

he peers into the old man�s mind there is a sudden blinding

FLASH:

The setting is a large MEETING HALL. A number of people are seated

in folding chairs before a STAGE, on which are a four MEN in BUSINESS

SUITS and a WOMAN in a KIMONO. A BANNER hangs above the stage, which

reads PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION ON THE EXISTENCE OF CLAIRVOYANCE.

FLASH:

Ryuji eyes widen as he realizes he is seeing Shizuko�s demonstration

before the press. He also realizes--

RYUJI:

(to Yamamura)

You were there!

FLASH:

YAMAMURA SHIZUKO, the woman in the kimono, is sitting at a TABLE

onstage. Her face is calm and expressionless. Standing off to one

side and peering from behind the curtains is a young Mr. Yamamura.

RYUJI(O.S.)

You stood there and watched the

demonstration.

CUT back to the beach. Asakawa comes running up toward Ryuji and the

prone Mr. Yamamura. Suddenly there is another

FLASH:

Asakawa, her eyes wide, finds herself inside the scene, reliving it

as if she had actually been there. She watches as Shizuko receives

a sealed clay POT in both hands. Shizuko regards the pot a moment

and then places it gently on the table before her. She takes a

calligraphy STYLUS from the table, begins writing on a thin,

rectangular sheet of RICE PAPER. The members of the press talk

excitedly, craning their necks for a better look.

Onstage, a JUDGE holds up the phrase written by Shizuko and the

folded sheet of paper taken from the sealed pot. The phrase on both

sheets is identical.

JUDGE:

Match.

Cameras begin FLASHING excitedly. Shizuko�s features melt into a soft

smile.

The experiment is performed again, and again the phrase written by

Shizuko corresponds to the sealed sheet of paper.

JUDGE:

Match.

Again and again, Shizuko unerringly demonstrates her power to �see�

the unseen. Finally, a bearded REPORTER explodes from his chair,

begins striding angrily towards the stage.

REPORTER:

Faker! This is nothing but trickery,

and the lowest form of trickery at

that.

The reporter stops at the foot of the stage, points his finger

accusingly at Shizuko.

REPORTER:

What are you trying to pull, woman?

A SECOND REPORTER sitting in the front row also rises to his feet.

REPORTER #2

That�s right! Professor Ikuma,

you�re being fooled!

By now most of the press has risen from their chairs, pointing and

shouting angrily. Onstage, Shizuko backs away, eyes wide and

frightened. She covers both ears, trying to block out the increasing

din. Professor Ikuma holds her protectively by the shoulders. The

first reporter is still shouting angrily, his voice rising above the

others. Suddenly, a pained look crosses his face and he collapses to

the floor. The crowd, and Asakawa as well, see that the reporter�s

face is contorted into a grotesque mask of fear.

REPORTER #3

What�s happened?

REPORTER #4

He�s dead!

REPORTER #5

(to Shizuko)

Witch!

Professor Ikuma begins leading Shizuko offstage. They stop as someone

unseen steps up, blocking their passage. Shizuko�s eyes widen, her

head shaking in disbelief.

SHIZUKO:

Sadako? Was it you?

CUT to Ryuji on the beach. He looks up excitedly.

RYUJI:

Sadako?!

He recalls the image from the video, the alien eye with the single

character SADA reflected in reverse. *

>* The majority of girls' names in Japanese end in either -mi ("beauty")

>or -ko ("child"). Thus, Sadako means "Chaste child." Sadako is, of

>course, the mysterious daughter of Shizuko and Professor Ikuma.

RYUJI:

Sadako killed him? She can kill

just with a thought?

YAMAMURA:

She�s... a devil spawn.

CUT back to the demonstration hall. Sadako, her face completely hidden

by her long hair, runs offstage... and heads directly for Asakawa.

Asakawa instinctively raises her arm, and Sadako grasps it fiercely.

All the nails on Sadako� hand are stripped away; her fingers are raw,

bloody stumps.

CUT back to the beach. Asakawa, still caught in the throes of the

vision, has begun to swoon. Finally her legs give out and she crumples

to the beach. Ryuji grabs hold of her supportively. He glances down at

her wrist, sees an ugly, purple BRUISE already beginning to form.

The bruise is in the shape of five long, spindly fingers.

Mr. Yamamura slowly rises to a sitting position, and together the three

watch the approach of ominous, dark STORM CLOUDS.

INT. MR. HAYATSU�S HOUSE � DUSK

Asakawa is on the phone, her voice almost frantic.

ASAKAWA:

That�s right. After Yamamura Shizuko

committed suicide, Professor Ikuma

took the daughter and ran. No, no one

knows where they went. That�s why I

need -you- to find out where they are.

Even if the professor�s dead, Sadako

should still be in her forties. I�ll

explain it all later, but right now

just hurry!

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