Ring Page #2

INT. OUISHI HOUSEHOLD � KITCHEN - NIGHT

A bottle of SODA that Tomoko had earlier taken from the fridge is on

the kitchen table. She picks the bottle up, pours herself a drink.

Before she can take a sip, however, the air around her becomes suddenly

charged, heavy. Her body begins to shiver as somewhere out of sight

comes a popping, crackling SOUND underscored by a kind of GROANING.

Trembling now, Tomoko spins around to see what she has already felt

lurking behind her. She draws in her breath to scream.

The screen goes white, and fades into:

CAMERA POV:

The screen is filled with the visage of a nervous-looking YOUNG GIRL.

She is being interviewed by ASAKAWA, a female reporter seated offscreen.

ASAKAWA (O.S.)

There seems to be a popular rumor

going around about a �cursed�

videotape.

YOUNG GIRL:

Uh-huh.

ASAKAWA (O.S.)

Have you heard what kind of video

it might be?

YOUNG GIRL:

Uh-huh.

The girl looks directly at the camera, her mouth dropping into an �O�

as she�s suddenly overcome by a kind of stage fright. She continues

staring, silently, at the camera.

INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY

KOMIYA, the cameraman, has lowered his camera. We can now see that

the young girl being interviewed is seated at a table between two

friends, a SHORT-HAIRED GIRL (GIRL#2) and a LONG-HAIRED GIRL (GIRL #3).

They are all dressed in the UNIFORMS of junior high school students.

Opposite them sits Komiya and Asakawa, a pretty woman in her mid-

twenties. A BOOM MIKE GUY stands to the left.

KOMIYA:

Uh, don�t look right at the camera,

OK?

YOUNG GIRL:

Sorry.

ASAKAWA:

Let�s do it again.

Asakawa glances over her shoulder, makes sure that Komiya is ready.

ASAKAWA:

Have you heard what kind of video

it might be?

YOUNG GIRL:

What I heard was, all of a sudden

this scaaarry lady comes on the

screen and says, �In one week, you

will die.�

GIRL #2

I heard that if you�re watching TV

late at night it�ll come on, and

then your phone�ll ring.

ASAKAWA:

Watching TV late at night... do you

know what station?

GIRL #2

Mmmm... I heard some local station,

around Izu.

ASAKAWA:

Izu?

GIRL #2

Mmm-hmm.

ASAKAWA:

And, do you know if anyone�s really

died from watching it?

The girl flashes a look at her two friends.

YOUNG GIRL:

Well, no one that we know, right?

Girl #2 nods her head. Girl #3 nods slowly, opens and closes her

mouth as if deciding whether to say something or not. The

reporter notices.

ASAKAWA:

What is it?

GIRL #3

I heard this from a friend of mine

in high school. She said that there

was this one girl who watched the

video, and then died a week later.

She was out on a drive with her

boyfriend.

ASAKAWA:

They were in a wreck?

GIRL #3

No, their car was parked, but they

were both dead inside. Her

boyfriend died because he�d watched

the video, too. That�s what my

friend said.

Girl #3 grows suddenly defensive.

GIRL #3 (cont�d)

It�s true! It was in the paper two

or three days ago.

ASAKAWA:

Do you know the name of the high

school this girl went to?

GIRL #3

No... I heard this from my friend,

and it didn�t happen at her school.

She heard it from a friend at a

different school, she said.

INT. NEWS STATION � DAY

Asakawa is seated at her DESK. The station is filled with PEOPLE,

scrabbling to meet deadlines. Komiya walks up to Asakawa�s desk

and holds out a MANILA FOLDER.

KOMIYA:

Mrs. Asakawa?

ASAKAWA:

Hm?

KOMIYA:

Here you are.

ASAKAWA:

(taking the folder)

Thanks.

Komiya has a seat.

KOMIYA:

This same kind of thing happened

about ten years ago too, didn�t it?

Some popular young singer committed

suicide, and then suddenly there was

all this talk about her ghost showing

up on some music show.

ASAKAWA:

But I wonder what this rumor�s all

about. Everyone you ask always

mentions �Izu.�

KOMIYA:

Maybe that�s where it all started.

Hey, where was that Kuchi-sake

Onna * story from again?

>* Literally �Ripped-Mouth Lady,� a kind of ghastly spectre from

>Japanese folk stories who wears a veil to hide her mouth, which

>has been ripped or cut open from ear to ear. She wanders the

>countryside at night asking men �Do you think I�m beautiful?� then

>lowering her veil to reveal her true features.

ASAKAWA:

Gifu, but there was some big

accident out there, and that ended

up being what started the rumor.

KOMIYA:

A big accident?

ASAKAWA:

Mmm-hmm. Something terrible like

that is going to stay in people�s

minds. Sometimes the story of what

happened gets twisted around, and

ends up coming back as a rumor like

this one. That�s what they say, at

least.

KOMIYA:

D�you think something like that

happened out at Izu?

ASAKAWA:

Maybe. Well, anyway, I�m off. See you

tomorrow.

KOMIYA:

See you.

Asakawa gets up from her desk and begins walking towards the exit.

She takes only a few steps before noticing a RACK of recent DAILY

EDITIONS.

She takes one from the rack, sets it on a nearby TABLE. She begins

flipping the pages, and suddenly spies this story:

STRANGE AUTOMOBILE DEATH OF YOUNG COUPLE IN YOKOHAMA

The bodies of a young man and woman were discovered in their

passenger car at around 10 A.M. September 6th. The location was a

vacant lot parallel to Yokohama Prefectural Road. Local authorities

identified the deceased as a 19-year old preparatory school student

of Tokyo, and a 16-year old Yokohama resident, a student of a

private all-girls� high school. Because there were no external

injuries, police are investigating the possibility of drug-induced

suicide...

Just then two men walk by, a GUY IN A BUSINESS SUIT and a youngish

intern named OKAZAKI. Okazaki is carrying an armload of VIDEOTAPES.

GUY IN SUIT:

OK, Okazaki, I�m counting on you.

OKAZAKI:

Yessir.

The guy in the suit pats Okazaki on the shoulder and walks off.

Okazaki turns to walk away, spots Asakawa bent over the small table

and peering intently at the newspaper article.

OKAZAKI:

Miss Asakawa? I thought you were

going home early today.

Asakawa turns around and begins speaking excitedly.

ASAKAWA:

Okazaki, can I ask you a favor?

OKAZAKI:

Sure.

Asakawa points to the newspaper.

ASAKAWA:

Could you check out this article

for me? Get me some more info.?

OKAZAKI:

I guess...

ASAKAWA:

Good. Call me as soon as you know

more, OK?

OKAZAKI:

Ma�am.

Asakawa walks off. Okazaki, still carrying the videotapes, leans

forward to take a look at the article.

EXT. APARTMENT PARKING LOT - DAY

Asakawa drives her car into the lot and parks quickly. She gets

out, runs up the STAIRCASE to the third floor. She stops in front

of a door, sticks her KEY in the lock, and opens it.

INT. ASAKAWA�S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM � DAY

A BOY of about 7 is sitting in an ARMCHAIR facing the veranda. We

can see only the back of his head.

ASAKAWA (O.S.)

Yoichi!

Hearing his name, the boy puts down the BOOK he was reading and

stands up, facing the door. He is wearing a white DRESS SHIRT with

a brown sweater-type VEST over it. He sees Asakawa, his mother,

run in the door. She is panting lightly.

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