Signs Page #21

Merrill unscrews the fork on the rake from the wooden handle.

With the wooden stick in one hand and the souvenir baseball

in the other, he turns to face the crops.

WE PULL BACK A LITTLE INTO THE CROPS. PART OF OUR VIEW IS

OBSCURED BY STALKS, BUT WE STILL SEE MERRILL CLEARLY.

Merrill looks around cautiously again, before getting into a

batter's stance. His left leg digs into the grass in front

of him. His weight is mostly on his back leg. He looks out

into the distance high over the crops. He throws the baseball

up in the air...

Merrill grabs the wooden handle. Merrill's shoulders move

with blinding speed. The wooden rake handle slices the air.

And misses the ball.

The ball drops at Merrill's feet.

WE WATCH as Merrill picks up the ball and tries again. This

time his shoulders move even faster. The wooden stick actually

makes A RESONANT SOUND as it cuts the air.

The ball drops at Merrill's feet.

WE WATCH THROUGH THE CROPS as Merrill snatches the ball up

and tries a third time. This time he YELLS as he swings.

He rips the air with the wooden stick so fast it blurs to

the eye.

The baseball drops at his feet. Strike three.

Merrill stands still in the yard. He's breathing a little

heavy as he stares down at the ball.

He gently picks it up. He walks back to his pile of things

and then suddenly turns. He throws the ball in the air as he

does. His left leg goes out. His weight goes to his right

leg as he turns his shoulders with astonishing speed and

power...

THE SOUND OF THE BASEBALL HITTING THE WOODEN HANDLE CRACKS

ACROSS THE WHOLE YARD.

The ball rockets into the air. We watch it fly overhead...

sail high over the crops... it becomes a tiny dot in the

sky.

After a long beat of silence it comes back to earth. It lands

in the street and bounces twenty feet into the air. It cleared

at least four or five hundred feet of crops. Maybe more.

WE LOOK BACK to Merrill standing in the backyard. He drops

the wooden stick to the grass and moves for his things. He

piles them in his arms. When his arms are full, he starts

for the porch. WE WATCH FROM THE CROPS AS MERRILL GOES INSIDE

THE HOUSE.

CUT TO:

INT. CLOSET - LATE AFTERNOON

Morgan and Bo are seated on the kitchen chair in the closet.

MORGAN:

Come quick!

THE FLICKER OF THE TELEVISION FALLS ON THE CHILDREN'S FACES.

WE HEAR MERRILL AND GRAHAM COMING DOWN THE HALLWAY BEFORE WE

SEE THEM.

They appear almost at the same time in the doorway to the

closet. Graham and Merrill are holding hammers.

All four stare at the television.

ON THE SCREEN IS A STREET FILLED WITH PEOPLE RUNNING WITH

SUITCASES AND BAGS. SOME PEOPLE ARE GETTING TRAMPLED. OTHERS

ARE STANDING ON THE STREET CORNER AND YELLING. THERE IS PANIC

IN THE AIR.

TV ANCHOR:

Tel Aviv joins Nairobi, Lagos and

Jerusalem as the latest to confirm

the appearance of lights. There are

lights in the skies over an estimated

two hundred and seventy four cities.

That total could be as high as four

hundred within the hour.

THE IMAGE ON THE TELEVISION SCREEN CHANGES TO A NIGHT TIME

VIEW OF THE TEL AVIV CITY LINE. THERE ARE FOURTEEN LIGHTS IN

TWO "V" FORMATIONS OVER THE CITY.

GRAHAM:

They decided to show themselves.

Beat.

MORGAN:

They think these look like stages

immediately proceeding an attack

maneuver.

MERRILL:

It's like War of the Worlds.

MORGAN:

They think it might happen all at

once.

The words silence everyone. Beat.

The image goes back to a quiet TV anchor. He takes a second

before starting up again.

TV ANCHOR:

Hundreds of thousands have flocked

to synagogues, churches and temples.

The television shows hundreds of Israelis in a temple and in

the streets praying.

Graham watches quietly as the masses pray side by side.

TV ANCHOR:

Ground forces are being assembled in

countries throughout the globe...

GRAHAM:

I'm going to get back to the windows.

Bo watches as Graham leaves the doorway of the closet. She

turns back to the television.

Beat. Merrill leans down between his niece and nephew.

MERRILL:

(whispers)

You guys okay?

They don't answer. They watch the soldiers loading up onto

trucks on the television.

MORGAN:

Some guy had a sign that said it was

the end of the world.

(beat)

Nothing really bad is going to happen,

is it Uncle Merrill?

MERRILL:

Don't worry.

Morgan glances at Bo and then back to his uncle.

MORGAN:

You sure right?

Beat. Merrill gazes at the two questioning faces. He looks

back at the empty closet doorway where Graham stood. He turns

back to the children.

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