The Final Journey Page #9

Tato’s pack momentarily floats to the surface. Before it

disappears, he snags it with his spear.

Isha stares at Tato in a disapproving, “I told you so” way.

Tato frowns and waves for her to follow. Isha looks at him

like he is crazy. Tato points at the bear tracks in an

impatient manner and waves again.

Isha looks around for help but there is none to find.

With a shake of her head, Isha makes sure her pack is secure

on her back and puts a tentative foot onto the first ice

chunk. It still seems sturdy enough.

Tato nods at her. Holding back anger, Isha carefully steps

onto the ice, cringing from pain in her thigh. The ice holds.

Isha studies the short, slippery distance she has to cross to

the next block. Taking a deep breath, she puts her arms out

for balance and creeps forward, one foot after another.

She reaches the middle of the stream where her ice block

pushes against the other two.

Tato waves her on, a strange mixture of concern, excitement

and admiration on his face.

Despite her fear, Isha is touched by his attention.

She studies the two paths before her. With the one block

still too steep, she steps onto the ice Tato chose.

ISHA SLIPS! But manages to right herself at the last minute,

grimacing with pain as she stabilizes herself.

But the jolt causes the block to slip from the others and bob

loosely in the water, threatening to flip!

Isha stands frozen, trying to maintain balance. Tato’s eyes

mirror the fear in her own.

38.

He waves for Isha to keep coming but Isha shakes her head and

closes her eyes in panic.

TATO:

Isha! You must hurry!

Isha shakes her head and will not open her eyes.

TATO (CONT’D)

Isha!

BEACH - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

Isha opens her eyes to find herself floating out to sea on

ice as the polar bear beckons her to jump from the beach.

The polar bear turns into the dark-faced man-boy.

Isha watches amazed as the man-boy’s face becomes visible,

revealing himself to be Tato.

TATO (O.S.)

Isha!

STREAM - DAY - END FLASHBACK

Isha opens her eyes and looks at Tato waving for her to jump.

Behind Tato, off in the distance, she notices a bird flying

in a circle as if calling her as well.

A LARGE WHITE OWL.

TATO:

Isha, jump!

Isha smiles at Tato, becoming calm. It takes him off guard.

Maintaining eye contact with Tato, Isha puts her arms down

and, summoning her courage, breaks into a RUN.

Tato’s eyes widen as Isha bolts across the ice.

With each step, the ice rears up dangerously beneath her

feet, but somehow she keeps finding her footing until, at the

end of the block, Isha leaps off looking bold and beautiful.

Tato catches her as she barely reaches the stream edge, and

pulls her forward, both collapsing to the ground.

CRACK! The two turn back as the ice blocks dislodge from one

another and float away, making retreat impossible.

39.

Isha looks at Tato and sees newfound respect in his eyes. She

smiles and looks to the sky but the owl is gone.

Isha stands, with Tato’s help, and proceeds off in the

direction of the bear.

Tato watches her a moment, still amazed, then follows.

VAST ARCTIC FIELD - DAY

Isha and Tato follow the tracks across a desert of snow.

LATER:

They sit in the middle of nowhere eating the last of their

meat. Tato keeps glancing at Isha, studying her like he wants

to ask something. Finally:

TATO:

Why are you out here alone, Isha?

Isha does not understand.

TATO (CONT’D)

Don’t you have a family somewhere?

Isha shakes her head, still not getting it.

Frustrated, he draws a picture like his last one-- of a boy,

a man, and a woman. He circles all three.

TATO (CONT’D)

Family.

Isha nods, understanding. Tato circles the drawing once more

and points at her.

TATO (CONT’D)

Family?

Isha thinks a moment then draws, within the family circle, an

old woman with a walking stick. She points at herself.

Tato nods.

Isha makes sewing motions, and points at her clothes and the

little drawn family.

Tato nods again, understanding Isha’s place in the family.

Isha grimaces and crinkles her hands into claws. She grabs

her jaw in pain, and shakes her head.

40.

With a stony face, she draws an arrow leading from her image

inside the circle to outside the circle.

She shows Tato her clawed, shaking hands and draws the arrow

again, underlining the significance of why she was exiled.

Isha draws the picture of herself as the Old Woman outside

the circle now, and crosses out her image inside the circle.

Tato looks horrified. He points at their surroundings, and

pantomimes dying-- “but you’ll die out here all alone!”

His pantomime is unintentionally comical, making Isha smile

before nodding soberly-- “yes, that is the point of it.”

Isha crosses out the Old Woman outside the circle.

Tato shakes his head and points at himself.

TATO (CONT’D)

With my people...

Tato circles all the family members again, including the Old

Woman Isha has crossed out. He points at himself again and

the large, inclusive circle.

TATO (CONT’D)

Family.

He nods with import and Isha nods back with a sad smile.

Tato makes a clawed hand and a pushing away motion while

shaking his head. He points at Isha and the Old Woman image--

his people would never do this because someone is feeble.

He instead reaches for Isha and makes a pulling, hugging

motion towards himself.

Isha nods and shrugs-- “yeah, well, what’re you gonna do?”

She waves in dismissive fashion at the drawings, but as she

eats her food, Tato notes her sadness return.

TUNDRA - LATER

Isha and Tato follow the bear tracks while SINGING A SIMPLE

SONG TOGETHER WITH A LOT OF HUMMING IN IT. They each know the

tune until Tato makes a mistake.

Isha laughs and REPEATS THE CORRECT WORDS.

Tato nods, acknowledging his mistake. THEY SING AGAIN and

Tato smiles as they pass the part where he erred.

41.

Climbing a low rise, Isha freezes, noticing something ahead.

Tato climbs up beside her to discover a massive herd of

reindeer rummaging not far ahead in the snow.

Isha and Tato squat. Isha nods at Tato who creeps off,

excited, in a swift loop towards the reindeer.

Tato moves too fast, however. Isha cringes and waves for him

to slow down, but he does not look back.

Sure enough, one reindeer spots Tato coming. Tato dives

behind a snowdrift AS ALL THE REINDEER raise their heads.

When Tato pops his head up again to check on them, they take

off like STOMPING THUNDER in the opposite direction.

Tato yells in dismay, and launches his spear in desperation

at the receding animals, but he does not come close.

The reindeer fade to little brown dots in the distance.

Isha shakes her head at Tato in disapproval and continues on,

following the bear tracks.

Head bowed, Tato retrieves his fruitless spear.

ROCKY FIELD - NIGHT

In a rocky area where the snow has disappeared around some

boulders, Isha sits before a small fire, fueling it with

smoking grasses and thin shrubbery.

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