STAY Page #14

SAM:

I need to find him. It's an

emergency.

SMITTY:

I keep telling the kid to get some

sun. It's not healthy spending all

your time in bookstores.

(laughing)

Look at me.

SAM:

You haven't seen him tonight?

84.

SMITTY:

Nah, he hasn't been by in weeks.

You're his father?

SAM:

No, I... I teach up at Columbia.

SMITTY:

You're his art teacher? Kid's got

talent. I have one of his paintings

here somewhere.

Smitty ducks below the counter and begins delving through the

drawers.

SMITTY (CONT'D)

(crouching)

Here we go.

He stands and spreads an unframed CANVAS over the counter.

INSERT PAINTING:

It's a very dark, haunting interpretation of the Brooklyn

Bridge at night. The perspective is unusual, looking straight

up the Gothic arches-- the view you would have if you were

lying flat on your back on the bridge.

SMITTY (CONT'D)

He didn't have any money for the

books he wanted, so he gave me

this. I think I got a pretty good

deal.

.

SAM:

What books did he get?

SMITTY:

Tristan R.veur. What else? The kid

is obsessed with Tristan R.veur.

Maybe he got that from your class.

SAM:

I doubt it. Do you have any more

Tristan R.veur books?

SMITTY:

Nah, he bought me out. It was all

secondhand, out-of-print stuff. So

what do you think? Is he gonna make

it?

85.

SAM:

What?

Smitty indicates the painting.

SMITTY:

You think he's got what it takes?

Sam stares at the painting and nods.

INT. WHITE HORSE TAVERN -- NIGHT

Henry is drunk. A row of empty shot glasses is lined up

before him. The clock reads 10:03. The Band's "I Shall be

Released" plays over the stereo system.

HENRY:

Could you change the station? They

never quit playing this song.

The bartender raises his eyebrows.

BARTENDER:

First time I heard it in years.

He changes the station.

HENRY:

Where is everybody?

BARTENDER:

I guess the rain scared people

away.

HENRY:

It's my birthday. I want some

company.

A crew of soaked TOURISTS stumble into the bar. They speak

German. HAUSER, their leader, a tall blonde man with mutton-

chop sideburns and a bead necklace, approaches the bartender.

HAUSER:

Is this the place of death of Dylan

Thomas?

BARTENDER:

Yep.

HAUSER:

Ah!

86.

He turns to his friends and announces the news in German.

They all say Ah! and nod happily.

INT. WHITE HORSE TAVERN -- LATER

The Germans and Henry sit in a circle, all of them very

drunk. Hauser is reciting a Thomas poem. He has a strong

accent but he gets every word right.

HAUSER:

And death shall have no dominion.

Dead men naked they shall be one

With the man in the wind and the

west moon...

Meanwhile, Henry pulls the heavy black revolver from the

pocket of his overcoat and places it on the bar.

.

The bartender, reading his muscle magazine at the far end of

the bar, does not notice. Nor do the Germans.

HAUSER (CONT'D)

When their bones are picked clean

and the clean bones gone, They

shall have stars at elbow and

foot...

Henry reaches back into his pocket and dumps six bullets onto

the bar.

HAUSER (CONT'D)

Though they go mad they shall be

sane, Though they sink through the

sea they shall rise again...

Henry opens the gun's cylinder, loads one bullet, spins the

cylinder.

HAUSER (CONT'D)

Though lovers be lost love shall

not; And death shall have no

dominion.

The other Germans clap and whistle.

HENRY:

You want to play a drinking game?

The Germans nod and smile at him but it's clear they have no

idea what he's talking about. He aims the revolver at his own

head.

87.

The Germans are suddenly very quiet.

He pulls the trigger.

Click.

He offers the gun to Hauser.

HENRY (CONT'D)

You sure you don't want to play?

HAUSER:

(refusing the gun)

No, please. This is for drinking

game?

Henry reopens the cylinder, adds another bullet, spins,

presses the barrel to his head.

HENRY:

You hear a click, you drink. You

hear a bang, I drink.

Henry winks at the German and pulls the trigger.

Click.

HENRY (CONT'D)

Drink.

Hauser smiles and nods at his comrades. He grabs a full beer

mug from the bar and downs half of it in a gulp.

The bartender looks up, sees what's happening, throws down

his magazine.

BARTENDER:

Whoa, whoa, whoa, little brother.

What are you doing?

Henry doesn't answer. He adds another bullet, spins, aims,

pulls the trigger.

Click.

.

Hauser finishes the beer and places the empty mug on the bar.

The other Germans, less confident that this is really a game,

have slowly begun to back away.

BARTENDER (CONT'D)

Put the gun down, kid. Come on.

88.

HAUSER:

(to bartender)

This is a drinking game.

BARTENDER:

The hell it is.

Another bullet into the cylinder. There are four now. Spin,

aim, pull.

Click.

HENRY:

Drink.

Hauser is nervous now. He stares at his comrades, who can

only watch fearfully.

HENRY (CONT'D)

Come on, you're falling behind.

Hauser grabs another beer and swills it down.

Fifth bullet. The same procedure. The bartender is inching

closer to Henry. Henry looks at him. The bartender freezes.

Click.

One of the German women starts crying. Hauser drinks as much

as he can but spits some of it up.

Henry inserts the sixth bullet into the sixth chamber. He

closes the cylinder, is about to spin it, realizes he doesn't

have to, smiles at the Germans, presses the muzzle against

his temple.

Henry lowers the pistol.

The bartender and the Germans release their breath at the

same time.

HAUSER:

It is a joke? It is a toy, yes? It

is a toy gun?

Henry points the revolver at the bottle of Jack Daniel's

sitting on the bar. He pulls the trigger. The bottle

explodes.

Nobody moves. Henry returns the revolver to his pocket. He

bows to the Germans.

89.

HENRY:

Welcome to America.

He walks out of the silent bar.

INSERT CLOCK -- 11:11

EXT. EIGHTH AVENUE -- NIGHT

Sam is making a call from a phone booth. He ignores the rain.

INT. COLUMBIA LIBRARY STACKS -- CONTINUOUS

Lila sits in her study carrel in the deserted library. On her

desk:
stacks of books, a laptop computer, and her cell phone,

which is ringing. She picks it up.

.

LILA:

Hello?

INTERCUT:

SAM:

It's me.

LILA:

(coldly)

I'm surprised you remember the

number.

Sam tries to answer but then simply shakes his head.

SAM:

Are you in the library?

LILA:

Where else? The glamorous life of a

graduate student.

SAM:

Listen, do me a favor. There was an

artist named Tristan R.veur-

LILA:

Am I your research assistant now?

SAM:

We don't have time for this.

Believe me, we do not have time for

this. Tristan R.veur.

(MORE)

90.

SAM(cont'd)

I need you to find his biography

and tell me where he killed

himself.

LILA:

You know-

SAM:

Please, Lila.

LILA:

All right. It'll take me a minute,

hold on.

Sam waits on the line. Someone taps on the side of the phone

booth, behind Sam. Sam waves the person away but there's

another tap. Impatiently, Sam turns around.

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