The Final Journey Page #6

YOUNG MAN, just barely a boy, his face lost in shadow.

He is dressed differently than anyone from Isha’s village and

beckons Isha to jump, even though the distance is impossible.

MORE CRACKING SOUNDS EXPLODE BEHIND ISHA as the ice crumbles

towards her! The man-boy beckons.

Isha is terrified but can’t jump-- it’s too far.

The ice crumbles beneath her feet. It is only a matter of

time before she falls into the ocean and drowns.

Isha closes her eyes and with no other options, leaps out

over the dark water towards the man-boy...

BEACH - DAY

Isha wakes in a panic, realizing she has again been dreaming.

She is still lying against the boulder, and the sun is still

in the sky, though it will soon set.

She looks at the water. The whales are gone, as is the large

chunk of ice ringing the beach before her. Isha stares at

this, amazed, then hears a FAMILIAR BARKING.

Eyes wide, Isha sees TWO SEALS frolicking not far away.

Without taking her eyes off them, Isha grabs a good sized

rock and slowly stands, cringing from stiffness.

The seals notice her and she freezes. She ventures a small

step in their direction.

The seals break for the water!

24.

ISHA CRIES OUT and hurls the rock as hard as she can. The

rock hits the sand near one and sails by without harm.

In a panic, Isha grabs more rocks and hurls them as well, but

the seals disappear into the ocean.

Breathing hard and cringing from pain in her hands and body,

Isha falls to her knees and stares helplessly at the water.

A TORRENT OF ANGUISH swells inside her and ISHA SUDDENLY

SCREAMS and throws every rock she can at the ocean.

She throws and SCREAMS until she collapses, defeated and

uncaring in the rocky sand.

Isha cries uncontrollably, as if letting go of all the pain

and torment she has kept bottled up inside for so long.

BEACH - NIGHT

Isha walks along the beach in the moonlight, lost in thought.

Most of the ice has floated away now, and the rocky beach has

appeared again in many places, littered with driftwood.

Using a stick now as a walking cane, she pops the last of her

food into her mouth and finishes it in pain-ridden bites.

Though dishevelled and tired, eyes puffy from tears, Isha

looks a little healthier for having let out her pain.

Crossing a snowy region of beach, she happens on some tracks

coming out of the water.

She stops. The tracks were made by a human hauling a kayak!

Twenty feet from the water, the tracks indicate the kayak was

put on a sleigh which was pulled in the direction of the

cliffs behind the beach.

Isha thinks a moment, then follows the tracks.

CLIFFS BEHIND BEACH - LATER

High up in the rocks, Isha climbs, out of breath.

She reaches a pass where the tracks cross to the far side of

the cliffs. With a final look back at the beach far below,

Isha follows the tracks through the rocks.

ON THE FAR SIDE, she emerges to find a vast arctic wasteland

illuminated in blue moonlight.

25.

Isha searches the cliffs below, and the tundra beyond, but

does not see any signs of life.

IMMANNA (O.S.)

Isha.

Isha spins to find Immanna GLOWING on the ocean side of the

pass.

Immanna wavers slightly, her hair flowing in the air as if

appearing from underwater. She beckons Isha slowly as a

GLOWING FISH SWIMS BY HER IN MID-AIR.

Isha backs away, shaking her head, and ALMOST FALLS OFF A

LEDGE.

She turns, getting her footing, and notices the great white

owl from the night before perched on a rock, watching her.

The owl HOOTS and takes off into the night.

Isha reaches for it, not wanting it to go, but the owl flies

out over the tundra and disappears from sight.

Isha looks disappointed, then realizes the owl was heading in

the direction of A SMALL FIRE BURNING OFF IN THE DISTANCE.

Her eyes widen, amazed.

In the darkness, THE OWL HOOTS, beckoning her.

Isha looks back at the pass to find Immanna gone. She smiles

apologetically, then descends the cliff, following the owl,

and the fire beyond.

ARCTIC FIELD - DAY

Exhausted, Isha follows the mukluk and sled tracks across the

tundra, now wearing Eskimo sunglasses-- a strap of hide tied

to her face with a thin slit cut in it to see through.

Her feet fall heavy in the melting snow, making walking

difficult, but Isha keeps moving like a person possessed.

She glances into the sky, looking for the owl.

Isha stops suddenly and lifts her sunglasses.

NOT FAR AHEAD are the remains of a fire sheltered against a

snowdrift.

Isha hurries to the spot and inspects the area.

26.

The fire has been out for hours, and the tracks continue off

into the snow again, heading for a line of nearby hills.

She finds a scattering of bones in the dead coals, one in

particular still bearing a small mount of meat.

Isha falls to her knees, devouring it like a starving person,

then digs around for other left-overs.

SOMETHING BIG GROWLS in the direction the tracks lead.

Isha stops chewing and surveys the landscape but doesn’t see

anything. She continues searching for more food.

ANOTHER GROWL IN THE DISTANCE. Isha pauses again, thinking.

She throws all the bones into her pack and, fighting

exhaustion, uses her walking stick to get to her feet and

stagger off, following the tracks.

SNOW HILL - MOMENTS LATER

Isha follows the tracks up a low hill.

Near the top, she hears A LARGE ANIMAL GRUNT and freezes.

After a moment, she peeks over the hill. Below on the far

side, a GIANT POLAR BEAR is ravishing a hide pack, trying to

get its head inside.

Next to the bear is a turned over sleigh and kayak, but no

sign of their owner.

The polar bear pulls its chewing head out of the pack and

looks to its left, checking on something, then saunters over

and inspects the kayak, nudging it with its head.

Isha looks in the direction the bear stared and sees, hiding

in the rocks with a spear in his hand, TATOMATAHUN, 14, a man-

boy resembling the figure from her dream the day before.

BEACH - DREAM FLASHBACK

Isha stands on the drifting ice as at the dark-faced man-boy

beckons her to jump.

SNOWY HILLS - PRESENT

Isha stares in awe at Tato. Remembering something, she digs

out the pendant Torna gave her of a sculpted polar bear.

27.

She looks again at Tato peeking anxiously at the bear from

behind his rock.

The bear is busy with the kayak. Not being spied, Tato tries

to creep from his hiding place but the bear immediately

GROWLS in his direction.

Tato jumps back behind the rocks and closes his eyes in fear,

gripping his spear with white knuckles.

The bear turns back to the kayak and flips it over with its

head. It pounces on the kayak, snapping it in two.

Tato pops his head up, staring in disbelief at his busted

kayak. He ducks back behind the rock, shaking his head.

Isha looks from the bear to Tato, unsure what to do. She

creeps around the hill in Tato’s direction.

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