The Birds Page #4

MELANIE:

The two kids?

CLERK:

Yep. Mitch and the little girl.

MELANIE:

I see. How do I get down there?

CLERK:

Follow the road straight through

town 'til it curves off on the left.

That'll take you right around the

bay to their front door.

MELANIE:

The front door.

(pause)

Isn't there a back road I can take?

CLERK:

Nope. That's the road. Straight

through town, stay on your left,

right around the bay to the front

door.

MELANIE:

You see, I wanted to surprise them.

CLERK:

Mmmm.

MELANIE:

I didn't want to come right down the

road, where they could see me.

CLERK:

Mmmm.

MELANIE:

It's a surprise, you see.

CLERK:

Mmmmmm.

(long pause)

'Course, you could get yourself a

boat, cut right across the bay with

it. The Brenners got a little dock

there you could tie up at. If that's

what you wanted to do.

MELANIE:

Where would I get a boat?

CLERK:

Down at the dock by the Tides

Restaurant. Ever handled an outboard

boat?

MELANIE:

(looking at him)

Of course.

CLERK:

(looks back at her)

D'you want me to order one for you?

MELANIE:

(surprised)

Thank you.

CLERK:

What name?

MELANIE:

Daniels.

CLERK:

Okay.

He nods briefly and goes inside. Melanie looks across the

bay.

FULL SHOT - THE BAY - MELANIE'S P.O.V. - (MATTE)

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

smiling. She gets a new idea. She reaches into her purse for

the envelope. She looks at the envelope, then tears it up

and stuffs the torn envelope into her handbag. She turns

back toward the post office.

INT. THE POST OFFICE - FULL SHOT

as Melanie approaches the Clerk's window. He is still busy,

still does not look up.

MELANIE:

I wonder if you could tell me...

CLERK:

Yep?

MELANIE:

The little girl's name.

CLERK:

The little Brenner girl?

MELANIE:

Yes.

CLERK:

Alice, I think.

(he turns, shouts to

someone in rear)

Harry, what's the little Brenner

girl's name?

HARRY'S VOICE

(shouting)

What?

CLERK:

(shouting)

The little Brenner girl.

HARRY'S VOICE

(shouting)

Lois!

CLERK:

(shouting)

It's Alice, ain't it?

HARRY'S VOICE

(shouting)

No, it's Lois!

CLERK:

(to Melanie)

It's Alice.

MELANIE:

Are you sure?

CLERK:

Well, I ain't positive, if that's

what you mean.

MELANIE:

I need her exact name, you see.

CLERK:

That case, I tell you what you do.

You go straight through town 'til

you see a little hotel on your left

there. Not the motel, that's the

other end of town. This is the hotel.

Now you take a right turn there, you

got that?

MELANIE:

Yes?

CLERK:

Near the top of the hill, you'll see

the school and right behind it, the

church. You head for the school.

Now just past the school, you'll see

a little house with a red mail box.

That's where Annie Hayworth lives,

she's the school teacher. You ask

her about the little Brenner girl.

MELANIE:

Thank you.

CLERK:

Yep.

(pause)

Could save yourself a lot of trouble.

Her name's Alice for sure.

MELANIE:

Can I have the boat in about twenty

minutes?

The Clerk nods.

MELANIE:

How much for the phone calls?

CLERK:

(brushing this aside)

It's nothing.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

grinning, as she makes for the door and EXITS.

EXT. GENERAL STORE - MED. SHOT - MELANIE

getting into the car and slamming the door.

DISSOLVE:

LONG SHOT (MATTE) - MELANIE'S CAR turning in school road.

FULL SHOT - MELANIE'S CAR

passing the school and pulling up outside the teacher's house.

CLOSE SHOT - THE RED MAIL BOX

with the name "Hayworth" on it. PULL BACK to reveal:

FULL SHOT - MELANIE

passing the mail box and going up the walk to the front door.

The house is a two-story frame with steps leading to the

front door. There are white curtains in every window of the

house, and a sign in the window to the left of the doorway

advises, ROOM TO LET. Melanie rings the doorbell.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

waiting. She RINGS the bell again:

ANNIE'S VOICE

(shouting)

Yes? Who is it?

MELANIE:

Me!

ANNIE'S VOICE

Who's me?

FULL SHOT - MELANIE

walking along the porch of the house. The walk in front of

the house is lined with beautifully planted and cared-for

flowers. ANNIE HAYWORTH comes round from the back of the

house as Melanie reaches the corner. She is a woman of thirty-

two, tall, big-boned, with a strong beautiful face. Her

hair is disarrayed at the moment, and she is dressed for the

garden, wearing slacks and a loose-fitting sweater, and earth-

stained gloves. But there is something about her, a feeling

of expansive comfort, rather than sloppiness.

MELANIE:

Miss Hayworth?

ANNIE:

Yes?

MELANIE:

I'm Melanie Daniels. I'm sorry to

bother you, but...

CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE

She is puzzled by Melanie who, exquisitely dressed and

groomed, seems singularly out of place in Bodega Bay. She

studies her openly.

ANNIE:

Yes?

TWO SHOT - MELANIE AND ANNIE

MELANIE:

The man at the post office sent me.

He said you'd know the name of the

little Brenner girl.

ANNIE:

Cathy?

MELANIE:

The one who lives in the white house

across the bay?

ANNIE:

That's the one. Cathy Brenner.

MELANIE:

(smiling)

They seemed sure it was either Alice

or Lois.

ANNIE:

Which is why the mail in this town

never gets delivered to the right

place.

(She takes out package

of cigarettes, offers

one to Melanie)

Did you want to see Cathy about

something?

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

taking cigarette, hesitating.

MELANIE:

Well... not exactly.

CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE

studying her, thinking she understands.

ANNIE:

Are you a friend of Mitch's?

MELANIE:

No, not really.

TWO SHOT - MELANIE AND ANNIE

There is an awkwardness here. Annie wants to know more. She

puffs on the cigarette, smiles, tries a friendly approach.

ANNIE:

I've been wanting a cigarette for

the past twenty minutes, but I

couldn't convince myself to stop.

This 'tilling of the soil' can get a

little compulsive, you know.

MELANIE:

It's a lovely garden.

ANNIE:

Thank you. It gives me something to

do with my spare time.

(pause)

There's a lot of spare time in Bodega

Bay.

(another pause)

Did you plan on staying long?

MELANIE:

No. Just a few hours.

ANNIE:

You're leaving after you see Cathy?

MELANIE:

Well... something like that.

(pause)

I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound so

mysterious.

ANNIE:

Actually, it's none of my business.

There is a pause. Melanie, by her silence, affirms that it

is none of Annie's business.

ANNIE:

(putting out cigarette)

I'd better get on my way. Thank you

very much.

ANNIE:

Not at all.

They begin walking toward the car.

ANNIE:

(still curious)

Did you drive up from San Francisco?

MELANIE:

Yes.

ANNIE:

It's a nice drive.

(pause)

Is that where you met Mitch?

MELANIE:

(hesitating, then)

Yes.

ANNIE:

I guess that's where everyone meets

him.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

as she gets in behind the wheel. Annie's remark is not lost

on her, and a quick look of sudden understanding crosses her

face.

MELANIE:

Now you sound a bit mysterious, Miss

Hayworth.

TWO SHOT - MELANIE AND ANNIE

as Annie leans over the seat.

ANNIE:

Do I?

(she shakes her head,

smiles wistfully)

No, I'm an open book, I'm afraid.

(pause)

Or maybe a closed one.

(she smiles again,

sees the lovebirds)

Pretty. What are they?

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