The Grudge Page #15

Maria reaches for a pack of cigarettes. Lights one. Offers

them to Karen. She shakes her head.

MARIA:

How did you know Peter?

KAREN:

I didn’t.

MARIA:

Then what are you doing here?

KAREN:

I think there’s a connection

between your husband’s death and

something that happened to me.

MARIA:

What happened to you?

KAREN:

It’s... hard to explain.

Maria takes a drag from her cigarette. Waiting.

KAREN:

Look, I know this sounds strange,

but... I don’t think your husband

wanted to die.

MARIA:

(even:
)

Then why would he throw himself out

a window?

Karen struggles to find the answer.

MARIA:

Let me guess:
‘hard to explain’?

Karen nods. Maria’s brave face slips. She turns away.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 74B.

MARIA:

I put all this behind me. I don’t

want to open it back up again.

KAREN:

If that’s true, then why are you

still here in Japan?

Maria turns back. She only looks defensive for a moment.

MARIA:

Because I can’t leave. I tried.

But I couldn’t. Not without...

Maria speaks softly, forming words she’s never spoken aloud:

MARIA:

He usually didn’t wake up before

me. But that morning, he did. He

made coffee for us. Then he sat

there and waited for me to wake up.

And when I did, he looked me right

in the eye. And then he jumped.

The night before we’d been talking

about having children together...

She wipes away the tears in her eyes.

KAREN:

Did you know a woman named Kayako?

MARIA:

No.

KAREN:

Did Peter?

MARIA:

I don’t think so.

Maria turns away, growing tense.

KAREN:

Maybe it was someone he worked

with?

MARIA:

Look. I’ve had the police up here,

I talked with Detectives, I even

hired a P.I.-

(composing herself:)

(MORE)

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 74C.

MARIA (cont'd)

I don’t know what you’re going

through, or what you think you know

about my husband. But I don’t have

any answers. I’m sorry.

She turns back to Karen -- to find the young woman sitting

slumped on the edge of a sofa, tears in her eyes.

Maria softens as Karen looks up at her, pleading:

KAREN:

Please. I don’t know what else to

do. Please help me.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 75-77.

117 INT. CLOSET - DAY 117

Maria reaches up to a high shelf. She moves a few things

aside to get to TWO SHOEBOXES buried towards the rear.

118 OMITTED 118

118a INT. PETER & MARIA’S APARTMENT - DAY 118a

Maria re-enters the room, laying the shoeboxes on a table.

MARIA:

This is all his stuff from school.

She stares at the boxes, afraid to open them. Karen sits

down and gently removes the lid of one of them.

THE BOX contains stacks of PHOTOGRAPHS and notes. Karen

removes a pile of photos and starts looking through it.

After a moment, Maria sits down next to her. She opens the

other box and pulls out another stack of photos.

She looks at the first one, sadness crossing her face.

MARIA:

This was our first date.

She shows Karen THE TOP PHOTO: a “self-portrait” of Peter

and Maria in a park lined with blooming cherry trees.

The pain returns, and she puts the picture away.

Karen works through her own pile: she’s looking at pictures

of Peter from his University days.

Her eyes widen as she sees --

Kayako. She looks young and alive... but yet somehow sullen

and withdrawn, as if she feels she doesn’t belong there.

She’s with a group of fellow students. PETER is in the

group, although he and Kayako aren’t next to one another.

Karen turns to the next picture -- it’s a graduation party.

Kayako is in this one too: standing to the side, watching

PETER AND MARIA as they give a goofy grin to the camera.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 77A.

As Karen flips through them, a definite pattern emerges -

-- Kayako is in practically every picture.

And in most, she’s not smiling at the camera. Rather, she’s

staring at Peter.

KAREN:

(under her breath:)

Oh my God.

MARIA:

What? Did you find something?

We move to THE GROUP PHOTO. Peter with Maria, surrounded by

classmates. Kayako off to the side, her eyes on Peter.

DISSOLVE TO:

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 78.

119

INT. COLLEGE - PETER’S OFFICE - DAY (THREE YEARS AGO) 119

The same GROUP PHOTO is in a frame on Peter’s desk.

Peter stands behind the desk, using a small mirror to knot

his tie. His open door reads: ‘DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH’.

A CO-WORKER (20s, Japanese) enters with a stack of mail.

PETER:

Happy Monday.

CO-WORKER

Yeah, right. Here’s your mail.

He hands it to Peter. On the top is a small BLUE ENVELOPE.

The name in the return address is ‘Kayako’.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 79.

CO-WORKER

Another one, huh?

Peter shakes his head, looking distastefully at the letter.

PETER:

I don’t even know her. She says I

used to tutor her, but I don’t know

who the hell she is.

The co-worker shrugs and leaves. Disturbed, Peter fingers

the blue envelope.

His eyes go to one of his desk drawers. He slides it open.

More BLUE ENVELOPES are inside. All from ‘KAYAKO’.

Peter’s face darkens. He dumps the letters into a trash can.

120 EXT. THE HOUSE - DAY 120

Peter stands in front of The House.

He glances down at the BLUE ENVELOPE in his hand. He stuffs

it in his pocket, unsure about what he’s going to do.

Then he opens the gate and goes in, walking to the front

door. Knocks. Silence from inside. He rings the bell.

Waits. No one comes. He’s about to leave -

But then he hears something from around the side of the

house. It sounded like a muffled SPLASH of water.

120a EXT. THE HOUSE - SIDE - DAY 120a

Peter peers around the side of the house, a narrow walkway

lined with bushes and trees. It’s quiet.

PETER (IN JAPANESE)

Hello? Excuse me?

After a moment, Peter decides to check it out. As he steps

around a bush, he suddenly stops, surprised to see -

PETER’S POV:
two ARMS hang from a window at the side of the

house. They look disembodied, mottled and bruised.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 79A.

It takes Peter a moment to recover. He slowly walks over.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 80.

A familiar BOY is inside -- it’s TOSHIO. His glazed and

staring eyes don’t seem to notice Peter, standing right in

front of him.

PETER (IN JAPANESE)

Hello.

No reaction. There’s definitely something wrong with this

boy. Peter looks beyond him, into the dark house.

PETER (IN JAPANESE)

My name is Peter. I’m here to see

your mother. Is she home?

The boy slowly straightens. His eyes focus on Peter. Then

he FALLS BACKWARDS. Startled, Peter tries to see inside:

PETER (IN JAPANESE)

Hey! Are you okay??? Hello???

Peter quickly goes back to the front door. Tries the handle

- it’s unlocked. He opens the door.

121 INT. THE HOUSE - ENTRANCE - DAY 121

Peter steps inside, unsure about entering uninvited.

PETER (IN JAPANESE)

(calling out)

Hello? Excuse me. I’m coming in.

His concern for the boy wins out. He kicks off his shoes,

and quickly walks to the open bathroom door.

122 OMITTED 122

123 INT. THE HOUSE - BATHROOM - DAY 123

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