Skylark

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(wind whistling)

(goats bleating)

(cows mooing)

Photographer:

Caleb, you look right at me.

No, Caleb,

stand up on that stump.

That'll be a very nice picture.

Very nice. All right.

Everybody, stay real still.

All right.

Everybody,

look right here.

Right here.

(dog barking)

(all laughing)

Your aunts

will like that picture.

Ah, they hardly know what

I look like anymore, the aunts.

I hardly know

whattheylook

like anymore.

It's, uh, Maine

you come from, isn't it?

Yeah.

She livesherenow.

That she does.

Hey, you know what I bet?

I bet Maine is green.

Ah, we could sure

use rain.

Jacob:

We sure could.

You know what I remember?

Those can go

right in that box there.

I remember back when

I was a little boy--

And you remember this, Jacob--

It didn't rain

for months.

Months!

And, uh...

then the winds came.

All the crops dried up.

Leaves of the corn

just felt like dust.

That goes right next

to the camera.

My grandfather packed up

his family and just left.

Caleb:

Did he ever

come back?

Never did.

Could be rain.

Now, young man,

you want to come with me

or you want to hop down?

Thanks.

No, sir. No, no, no, no.

You pay me

when I bring

the pictures back.

Thank you, Joshua.

Thank you.

See you soon, now.

Sarah:

Bye.

Ma'am.

Papa, will you worry

if it doesn't rain?

Yeah, but we'll manage.

We always have.

Imagine having

to leave.

That won't happen, Sarah.

We'd never leave.

We're born here.

Our names are written

in this land.

I'm writing Sarah's name here.

You can't even spell.

Papa, your boots.

(sighing):

Thank you.

Could be the last

washing for that floor.

That's a mixed blessing.

Don't feed her too much, Caleb.

She's getting fat

with your food.

I think she's something more

than fat, Sarah.

What?

What does Papa mean?

Kittens.

He means kittens.

(cat mews)

She ever had kittens before?

No. Never.

Could we keep them all?

When will she have them,

Papa?

I don't know, Caleb.

It'll be just like

having a baby.

Like Maggie.

Onlylotsof babies.

Kittens.

Anna.

(gasps)

(laughs)

I didn't mean

to frighten you.

Someday I will marry

and move to my

husband's land.

That's what Papa says.

Oh, he does,

does he?

Well, that's what

you did, Sarah.

You came from Maine

to marry Papa.

Yes, I guess I did.

You fell in love with us.

Oh, I did that.

Your letters, then you.

Did you fall in love

with Papa's letters, too

before you knew him?

Yes.

I loved your papa's letters.

But it was

what wasbetweenthe lines

that I loved the most.

What was between the lines?

His life...

that's what

was between the lines.

Sometimes...

Sometimes Papa is

not good at words.

(chuckles)

Yeah, sometimes.

But when I read

your papa's letters

I could see the farm

and the animals

and the sky and you.

You know, sometimes

what people choose

to write down on paper is...

more important

than what they say.

Jacob:

Caleb! Anna!

The cows!

(children groaning)

(meowing)

You.

You rascal, you.

(bells chiming)

Woman:

So, how are you all?

Any news?

Caleb:

Seal's having babies!

Lots of them!

Woman:

Oh, big news!

Come to think of it

I've seen Seal

at our house.

With Sam, in fact.

The orange cat.

So it's Sam, is it?

(both laughing)

I'm surrounded

by motherhood.

The calf is due,

then kittens...

Caleb! Anna!

Time to go!

Church well's

down a foot.

A foot?

Yeah.

That's more than ours.

(baby crying)

Tom... are those clouds...

in the west, Tom?

Right there.

Maybe.

Maybe it'll rain,

eh, Tom?

Hush, hush,

hush, hush.

We'll be

home soon.

What if itdoesn'train, Papa?

Itwillrain.

Yes, it will.

Sometime.

It's just the time

before it rains that is hard.

It always is.

Sarah:

Bye.

Bye-bye!

Good-bye.

Come on.

(clicking tongue)

(rooster crows)

Jacob:

Sarah!

I need you. Hurry.

Jacob?

(cow moos)

Over here.

(cows moos loudly)

It's the calf.

It's turned.

Mame.

What can I do?

Try and keep

her quiet.

Okay. Good girl.

That's a girl.

(cow mooing)

Shh... Shh...

There now.

There now. Shh...

Shh... it's okay.

Is she all right?

Mame's all right.

Can't tell about the calf.

But it'll happen soon.

It's okay.

It's okay, girl.

Hold on to her.

(cow mooing)

(Sarah grunting)

(cow mooing loudly)

Shh... Shh...

It's all right. Okay.

Shh, shh, okay.

(Sarah panting)

Shh, girl. Shh, girl.

It's okay, girl.

It's okay,

girl.

It's all right.

It's all right.

(calf bleats)

(bleating)

Jacob:

That face...

pale as the winter moon.

To think...

Anna says sometimes

you're not good with words.

Sometimes... words

are not good enough.

Shall we wake

the children?

Not yet.

Why didn't you wake us up?

When was he born?

"She."

Eat your breakfast.

(groans)

Ah!

Eat your breakfast.

(groaning)

Does she have

a name yet?

No.

Anna:

Hurry, Caleb.

Eat faster.

I'm eating as fast

as I can.

What does she look like?

She's small.

Brown.

Got some white

on her face.

Your Papa says her face

is as pale as the winter moon.

Oh... like...

like a moonbeam.

She's lively.

We had a terrible time

trying to get her out.

Moonbeam...

Let's call

her Moonbeam.

Maybe.

Is Mame excited?

Does she like

the baby?

I'm not sure I've noticed.

What do you think, Sarah?

Excited cow?

Well, I'd say

she likes her calf.

Finished.

Finished.

But...

was Mame excited?

(chuckles)

(sighs)

I'd say she was pleased.

Where are you?

Here.

No, Jacob, you

were faraway.

I was thinking...

about when I was a boy.

I miss that--

your being a boy.

What sort of

a boy were you?

I was a bad boy.

When I was little

my brothers and sisters

and I used to...

dream about a good life--

riches and fine horses

and buggies, but...

mostly...

we dreamed about the land.

My father used to dream

about the sea

as if it owned him.

It did.

Anna:

"And there was this storm,"

Aunt Mattie says

"and the shingles from the port

went to sea.

My hat went to sea."

What does

that mean?

"Went to sea."

Means they blew

into the sea.

"My hat went

to sea, too--

"the one

with the bird on it--

in two inches

of rain."

A real bird?

Stop it, Caleb.

Oh, Aunt Mattie

will miss that hat.

"Two inches of rain

by the glass measure."

A glass?

A glass

to measure

the rain?

What about your letter, Sarah?

Oh, just about the weather.

Painting William's boat.

Read it.

"The grass is green

"growing so tall

"that we've mowed it

many times already.

"The trees are lush.

"Autumn will

be beautiful.

"Come visit, all of you... soon.

Love, Mattie."

Beautiful sunset tonight.

A glass to measure the rain?

Caleb, I thought

you'd gone to bed long ago.

I had something to do...

for Papa.

All right.

Upstairs. Come on.

(crickets chirping)

So?

I put the glass there.

AH.

To measure the rain

when it comes.

Thank you for that.

You're welcome.

(chickens clucking)

(hammering)

(thunder crashing)

(horses neighing in distance)

(thunder crashing)

Jacob.

Jacob.

It's just heat lightning.

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