The Passion of Darkly Noon Page #2

No.

Come home, Clay. Clay.

Clay.

You all right, Lee?

Yeah.

You shouldn't smoke.

Why?

It's a sin.

Good night, Lee.

It is so hot today.

I have an idea.

Come on.

Look, Lee. It's a spa. Let's have a soak.

What?

Don't... Don't do that.

- Why?

- You shouldn't.

Being naked isn't the same as sex,

you know.

It's a sin.

What, sex?

That's right.

Don't tell me that's what

your ma and your pa always said.

It's the word of God.

Well, can I just stay like this?

That's not a sin, is it?

No.

That's a relief.

Jump in, Lee.

There's nobody here but you and me.

There's something in my hair.

I think it's an insect.

Can you get it out for me?

Can you see it?

Careful.

Don't hurt it.

I think I killed it.

There's something I wanna show you.

This is my favorite place in the whole world.

We're right in the middle of the woods.

Its heart.

Someone once told me that

you can only walk halfway into a forest.

Then after that, you're walking out.

Well, whoever told you that was wrong.

You can walk as far into the woods

as you have a mind to go.

It can go on forever sometimes.

Did you see this?

It's been here for thousands of years.

And you know what it's saying?

It's saying, "I'm part of time.

"There may be nothing left of me

but this handprint,

"but I'm part of it."

I believe.

I believe.

Callie.

I never met anyone like you before.

I think about you.

I know.

I care about you very much.

I'd like you to be a part of our family.

Don't spoil anything.

Clay!

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

I knew you'd be back!

I knew you'd be back. Oh, my God.

Lee! Lee, where are you?

Lee, come home!

Everything is falling apart.

Clay's the only one

who can fix anything around here.

I told him he could stay here, Clay.

Say that it's all right. Say that he can.

How come he can't talk?

Born that way.

Doesn't matter, though.

He doesn't need words.

That's enough, Clay.

His parents were killed in a terrible accident.

If he stays here with us,

we can be his new family.

So, it's all right?

You're not wearing...

You're not wearing a ring.

No, we're not married.

Good night, Lee.

Have you loved Callie for...

How long have you loved Callie?

A long time?

Hey, have you ever...

Have you ever considered getting married?

You could... You could do that. It would...

You could make it right

in the eyes of God, and...

Please, Ma. Please, Pa.

Please show me the way.

Please.

Please, Ma, Pa.

And I... Please tell me what to do.

Please, Ma. Please, Ma and Pa.

Tell me what to do. Show me the way.

Please. I'm so lost. Amen.

I don't have any money.

No, I...

- Hallelujah!

- Hey.

- Quincy's come with Jude.

- Hallelujah! It's the end of the world!

It just keeps getting hotter,

doesn't it, my dear?

People are dropping like flies.

I bring you orders for coffins,

and money jingles in my pocket.

I hope you are well, Callie.

You get worse as you get older, Quincy.

- We're fine.

- Good.

Well, rare fruits from the mainland.

- That's what you wanted.

- Thank you very much.

- How you doing?

- I'm fine.

Have you looked behind you?

Nature boy! How you doing? You okay?

As you'll see,

your good deed here turned out just fine.

Lee, this here's Jude.

He's the one who found you.

Thanks for helping me.

It was nothing. You feeling better?

Yes, he's doing great.

He's been helping Clay.

With?

Quincy. Quincy, old man,

are you listening to me?

Now, that's the second time

you've called me old, young lady.

And I have you to know

that you are as young as you feel.

And I feel like a baby.

Well, I'm a baby of death.

Corpses keep me juvenile. Misery is money.

And grief, well, that's a miracle.

Well, how do you do, young sir?

Jude told me he found

a little lost thing on the brink of death,

and I said the brink would never do.

Couldn't you push him all the way?

Lee, this is Quincy. He's the undertaker.

The impresario of undertakers, my dear.

I get the dead,

and I scoop out their smelly bits.

I stitch them up

and package them in overcoats of wood

made by the wonderful Clay here.

- And Lee.

- Well, of course. Of course.

Now, I don't charge much.

I make dying a luxury, if not a necessity.

Well, it's the most

economical thing you'll ever do.

Come on. Let's get out of the heat.

Okay.

What do you have in this house to drink?

Or who do you have?

I've been working with Quincy

for years now.

I live with him in town.

He's all right, I guess, but, Jesus,

I gotta get away.

I know there's more than collecting coffins

and listening to the grieving.

You know what I mean?

You must be burning up in that.

Why don't you undo a button or something?

They owe me all this money.

Last year the uncle died.

They ain't paid me not one dime.

I went and took my ring right off his finger

to get my money. Right here.

See, I got all these rings right here.

- He died last year.

- Hey.

He died the year before.

He died this year right here.

And I got six of them right here,

and buried them all right out there

to get my money.

And then one of the little boys came in.

- Hey.

- He saw him cry.

- He decided to go out there.

- Hey!

Cut the lights off. Got a trumpet and said,

- "I'm gonna call Gabriel."

- Come on. Let's talk.

You know,

Callie's the most beautiful thing

in this world.

She's like a forest, a wild sort of beauty.

Like it's always been there.

You know what I mean?

Sure, you know.

Hey, it's funny.

I feel responsible for you in a way.

You do? Why?

'Cause I found you, I guess.

I mean, I saved your life.

Some people say

that makes me responsible.

Well, either way, it was me

who brought you here into the forest.

That's why I'm saying what I'm saying.

- I don't... I don't know what you...

- Listen.

Callie loves Clay.

She has since the first time she saw him.

And he's loved her

from the first time he saw her.

I know what you're feeling.

I could see it in your eyes back there.

You're wrong!

Hey, all right.

All right.

Listen. I'm wrong. I'm sorry. I apologize.

It's all right.

Just do one thing for me.

Even though I'm wrong,

don't forget what I said.

- All right?

- All right.

Hey, wanna see something?

Sit down.

Sit down.

No, I'm fine.

Go on. Sit down.

No. Okay.

You ready?

You know what this is?

An egg?

An egg? No, it looks like an egg, but it ain't.

Guess again.

Rock.

A rock.

This here is prehistoric,

fossilized dinosaur sh*t.

No.

Brachiosaurus, to be precise.

You wanna hold it?

There's no such thing as...

Well, what's this then?

Brachiosaurus sat down

about a million years ago and shat that.

Don't it feel like dinosaur sh*t?

Hey, you wanna keep it?

I'm gonna give it to you, like, as a gift.

You want it?

This sh*t's a national treasure.

What are you laughing at?

Don't... Don't... Don't swear.

You... You... You... Sh*t.

- Why are you laughing at me?

- Shouldn't say that.

Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t. Dinosaur sh*t.

You heal the sick, Callie.

That's no good for me.

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