The Forest Page #2

---

have met my sister, Jess.

She came here... and disappeared.

Do you know about the forest?

Yeah.

Is that a possibility with your sister?

We're identical twins. If she

were dead, I would just know.

What do you think she's up

to then, if she's out there?

I think she's struggling with her demons.

Yeah, it happens.

Some people go in. They do sort

of a walkabout, think it over.

Sometimes they come back out again.

I'm Aiden, by the way.

Oh. Sara.

Sara. Pleasure to meet you.

You too.

That's her, a couple of years ago.

- Same, right?

- Identical.

Uh... (Japanese)

- Sisters.

- (Japanese)

- No.

- No, he's never seen her.

Are you fluent?

Yeah. I live in Tokyo. I write for

a travel magazine out of Australia.

- So, did you?

- Huh?

Go to Camp Minnehaha

in the Rocky Mountains?

(laughs) No.

No, I was lucky. I... I went to space camp.

- Oh, space camp.

- Yeah. Lots of fun.

(both laughing)

- All alone?

- Yeah.

- What?

- (laughing) No.

- What?

- No, you'll get lost.

- (mutters)

- Trust me.

Trust me. You will. I've been

in the forest a hundred times.

I don't go in alone.

I can't let you do that.

Well, good thing I don't need

your permission, guy I just met.

I have clearance to go with the park

nature guard tomorrow for my article.

He goes on rounds every few

days, kinda like a suicide watch.

He knows the park better than

anyone. I could ask if you could come.

- That would be great.

- One thing though. A favor, if you wouldn't mind.

Yeah?

Your search for your sister,

it's gripping, it's human.

- I mean, it's an article.

- Oh.

- I'd like your permission to write about it.

- Right.

Will I be a celebrity in Australia?

- Do you want to be a celebrity in Australia?

- Nope.

Are you sure? You might

like it. You never know.

Is it all right if I record you for the

story? For my own notes, for accuracy?

- Uh-huh.

- You have to say "yes" out loud.

"Yes out loud."

Thank you.

So you and Jess were

raised by your grandmother.

And you believe she's okay because you

have this kind of mystical twin connection.

It's not mystical.

It's just when something happens to

one of us, the other one can tell.

I mean, usually it's something happening to

her and me coming to bail her out, but...

Yeah. I've got a little brother myself.

He's a good kid. Just, he can't

seem to stay out of trouble.

Jess is the same. She never learns.

When we were little, no

one could tell us apart.

It was like we were the same person.

Do you mind if I ask what

happened to your parents?

No, it's totally fine.

It was a car accident. We were six.

They had gone to a movie. Grandma

was over. She was watching us.

MAN (shouting, muffled):

What is wrong with you?

WOMAN (muffled):
Put that

down. You're scaring me!

They were supposed to be back any

minute. We heard this crash outside.

(gunshot)

(shotgun c*cks, fires)

Grandma rushed outside. We followed her.

It was a drunk driver.

He'd been doing 60 in a

residential neighborhood.

Hit them right as they

turned into the driveway.

Jess was in front of me. She saw it first.

(Grandma gasps)

Jess told me later their bodies

were right there on the lawn.

Close your eyes!

Don't look! Don't look!

(audio drops out)

I kept my eyes closed, but she saw it all.

Jesus.

- Did they ever catch the guy?

- What guy?

- The... The drunk driver?

- Oh, no. No.

Hey. I'm sorry. I didn't mean

to dredge all that stuff up.

Oh, it's fine. Long time ago.

- Mmm. Cheers.

- Cheers.

Hi. This is Rob. Sorry I

can't get to the phone.

- Please leave a message.

- (beeps)

Fine.

(electrical buzzing)

(switch clicks)

(switch clicks)

- (rattling)

- (switch clicks)

- (switch clicking)

- (rattling continues)

(switch clicking)

(buzzing continues)

(rattling continues)

- (screams)

- (gasping)

(speaking Japanese)

- Sorry.

- (old woman moaning)

She's elderly.

- (speaking Japanese)

- (gasping, panting)

(phone buzzes)

- (beeps)

- (line ringing)

ROB:
Hey, babe. I got your message.

It's nice to finally hear

your voice. I miss you.

But you going into this forest

alone, it sounds really dangerous.

If I don't hear back from you

soon, I am hopping on a plane.

So just come home. Please.

(speaking Japanese)

- Morning.

- AIDEN:
Morning.

Michi, this is Sara.

Hello. Thanks for this.

Michi does these suicide

watch hikes off the books.

That's very good of you.

What?

You must understand,

after this long

most people who go into the

forest to die are already dead.

She's not dead.

Do you have family?

- I have children.

- Okay.

If this was your child,

if you knew she was lost and in pain,

you'd do anything to help, wouldn't you?

I can't prove to you that I'm right.

All I can do is ask you to

understand where I'm coming from.

- I still think you should not go.

- Why?

Because you're sad.

- Okay?

- Let's go.

Jukai means "sea of trees."

If you look down from Mount Fuji,

the forest looks like an ocean.

There's ice caves beneath the forest.

There's whole sections that

have never been explored.

Some people believe it's a

gateway to the other side.

(faint screeching, echoing)

AIDEN:
Sara!

Take a look at this.

Okay, that's weird. Why is that happening?

Iron deposits in the

mountain. It's crazy, huh?

- Yeah.

- Look.

People sometimes see things in the forest.

Important to remember.

If you see anything bad, anything strange,

it is not real.

Okay? It's not there.

It's here.

- Watch out.

- I got it.

(animal bellowing, faint)

(bellowing continues)

(insect buzzing)

MICHI:
Let's head this way.

What's that?

If you bring a tent, you're not sure.

Stay here.

(Michi speaking Japanese)

(Japanese)

What will you do if we

don't find your sister today?

Try again tomorrow.

What if we don't find her tomorrow?

(Japanese continues)

How does it feel to be in the

forest where she disappeared?

It feels...

necessary.

Jess ever tried suicide before?

She was living in Florida a few years ago

and one night she wasn't

picking up the phone.

I just knew something was wrong.

I got 911 to check on her.

They found her unconscious.

She'd taken some sleeping pills.

That was the second time.

First time was back in college.

- Pills then too?

- Mm-hmm.

I mean, knowing Jess, she probably

just thought it was romantic,

following in the footsteps

of her favorite poet.

"Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,

if mankind perished utterly.

And Spring herself..."

"When she woke at dawn, would

scarcely know that we were gone."

Now, what's a guy like you

memorize Sara Teasdale for?

(laughs)

Meet a lot of girls on

their junior year abroad?

Whatever works.

Hey, Michi, what happened?

He will be okay, I think.

MICHI:
Let's go.

What's that?

AIDEN:
People use tape or rope like this

if they think they might want

to find their way back out.

Or they hope somebody will follow the rope

to remove their body

from the forest one day.

MICHI:
This one looks recent.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes