The Horse Whisperer Page #4

GRACE:

(frightened)

Jude, you okay?

JUDITH:

(softly, crying)

I'm okay... I'm okay.

She tries to extricate her leg from the stirrup.

Grace sees it before she hears it. A GLINT off of steel. We

then hear the rumbling SOUND of a TRUCK coming around the

bend... The Girls on their horses in the middle of the road...

The Truck, an 18 wheeler carrying logging equipment, comes

around the turn... Grace grabs the bridle, trying to get

Judith's horse out of the road... The driver, seeing them,

lays on the air horn. The Horses bolt at the sound, the bridle

slipping out of Grace's hand...

GRACE:

JUUDE!!!

...The horses turn apart. The Driver starts furiously

downshifting, trying to brake... He seems to get it under

control when suddenly THE TRUCK SKIDS on some ice. It begins

to slide, out of control, the truck bed and the cab jack-

knifing. The truck literally plows over the helpless Judith

and her horse -- the horse going down on the pavement, Judith

disappearing under him. The truck's cab, like a mythic

monster, heads right for Grace and Pilgrim... Grace looks

right into the Driver's helpless, frightened eyes... Suddenly,

Pilgrim rears up at the truck, sending Grace flying, bouncing

her off the pavement and under the wheel of the truck.

Pilgrim instinctively jumps onto the hood of the truck, his

hooves caught between the rear-view mirrors like some

grotesque ornament. His head and chest slams into the window,

shattering through the glass.

And then it is still.

The truck has stopped halfway in the road. Judith's horse

lies in the road, motionless. Pilgrim, on the truck's hood,

his legs splayed, stuck, his head and chest, bleeding. He

shrieks, struggling to get to his feet. He manages to free

his legs and, stepping off the cab onto the road, walks off,

wounded, in pain, into the sanctuary of the woods...

The Driver stumbles out of the cab, his head bleeding, in

shock. He sits on the ground. All we hear is the sound of

the river and the wind in the trees.

Grace, halfway under the truck, frozen, stares up at the

beautiful morning sky.

WE HEAR THE SOUND OF A HELICOPTER...

INT. MACLEAN FARMHOUSE/KITCHEN - LATER MORNING

ANGLE ON GRACE'S NOTE on the refrigerator as Robert enters

from the outside with two bags of groceries. He places them

on the counter near the PHONE MACHINE. He sees ONE MESSAGE

is there. He presses PLAY as he puts away the groceries.

A BEAT LATER the PHONE RINGS and he picks up, with the machine

still playing...

ROBERT:

(on phone)

Hello? Paul, hi -- are you guys back?

How was it? Oh that sounds great. Oh

Paul.. hold on...

LIZ:

(on machine)

Robert! Are you there?... Robert!

It's Liz!... Look, there's... there's

been an accident... Uh... Jesus...

uh...

As Robert listens, the voice of Liz's on the machine from

inside, pulls his attention. On hearing "accident," Robert

lowers the receiver, frozen, as he listens to Liz...

LIZ:

(on machine)

Robert, just call me on my call

phone... 1-917-449-7805...

EXT. THE WOODS - LATE MORNING

Pilgrim is hiding in the shadows under an old railroad bridge,

standing up to his knees in the river. His chest is cut open,

bleeding. His face cut, contorted and swollen. LIZ HAMMOND,

the local veterinarian, hides a hypodermic needle in her

jacket, quietly walking into the water.

A Policeman is going into the water downstream from Pilgrim,

whose chest is heaving, blood drips into the water. He watches

Liz. She is almost to him when suddenly he bolts, running

upstream.

The Policeman behind him shouts and waves his arm. Frightened,

Pilgrim wheels back toward Liz, who manages to stick the

hypo in his neck. He rears, knocking her down, then runs out

of the river, the hypo still in his neck. He runs for the

sanctuary of the woods.

INT. TRAIN - LATE MORNING

Annie sits on a train -- her laptop out, notes beside her,

her cellular phone, ever-ready. The train passes through

beautiful countryside but Annie is focused on an editorial

she's writing.

The train pulls into a station and stops, causing Annie to

take a break and stretch her arms and neck. She looks out

the window for the first time and sees:

A MAN, his hands in his pockets, waiting on the platform.

She watches as the Man holds out his arms to his two young

children, who are getting off the train. He picks them up as

his wife enters the scene, kissing him and wrapping her arm

around his waist. The children talk a mile a minute and the

father listens to every word.

Annie doesn't even realize she is staring. As they leave the

platform, she turns back to her laptop. As the train begins

to move again, Annie returns to work.

HER CELLULAR PHONE RINGS. She answers.

ANNIE:

Yeah?... Hi. I made the 1:00 so...

The expression on her face sinks into a stunned panic.

INT. HOSPITAL, CONNECTICUT - DAY

Annie is running through the corridors, her bags in tow. She

sees Robert standing in the corridor talking to a DOCTOR.

She runs for them.

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