The Shunning Page #2

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right from wrong.

It's not that.

An English woman gave this to

Ella Mae Zook to pass along.

I've been too

afraid to open it.

Oh, dear God.

This woman promised

to leave us alone.

We all made a promise.

She's staying at

the fancy hotel in the city.

She's not leaving, Samuel.

What are we going to do?

Nothing.

If we don't respond,

the matter's dead and buried.

No one can find out.

If anyone finds out,

it would change everything.

Our whole life here.

Guess who?

(LAUGHING)

When I heard that

clacking at my window,

I thought maybe Noah King was

finally coming to call on me.

I thought you were

sweet on Elam Glick.

Can't choose between the two.

(BOTH LAUGH)

You're blessed to be marrying

John Beiler, you know?

He's a good man.

I just wonder if I'm fit

to be the Bishop's wife.

How can I be the kind

of wife he needs,

the kind of mother

those boys need

when I can't

even control myself?

What are you talking about?

Little Jacob overheard me

singing one of my songs today

and told everybody

at supper.

Katie, I thought you

was clean past all that.

I prayed and prayed for God to

take the songs out of my heart,

but I can't

get rid of them.

I don't understand

why he'd put music

in your heart and

not let ya sing it.

But it ain't

just the songs. Is it?

He understood me, Mary.

Like no one else.

Some mornings I wake up

and look out my window

and expect to see him

walking down the road.

The river took him, Katie.

It's been three years now!

God called

Daniel Fisher home.

But they never found him.

Katie, he's gone.

You have to accept it.

But God has

given you a new man,

a man that any

single gal in this county

would be honored

to call her own.

It's time you

accept that, too.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

(SNIFFLING)

I got your prescription,

Mrs. Bennett.

I'm fine for now.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Don't you want to

stay ahead of the pain?

Maybe later.

Were there any messages

at the front desk?

None.

Speaking of messages,

Mr. Bennett's been starting to

leave them for me every hour.

He's worried.

You've been avoiding

his calls since we got here.

When are you going

to tell him why we're here?

I don't know.

Soon, maybe.

Since the Amish don't have

phones, please finish your lunch

and then go back

down and check again

to see if anyone left a

message at the front desk.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Oh!

I might as well

get it over with.

Hi, Dylan.

Laura, thank God.

It's been two weeks.

I'm your husband,

I deserve more than

a text message

every other day.

I know.

I'm sorry we haven't talked.

No, sorry is "I forgot

to make dinner reservations."

I was seconds from calling out the

National Guard to come look for you.

You're right. We've just been so busy.

With what?

I get that you love the Amish,

but what's so fascinating there

that you can't pick up the phone

and let me know that you're okay?

Nothing.

And everything.

I don't even know

what that means.

But what I do know is that you shouldn't

be traipsing all over the country.

I want you to come home.

You need to be home.

I'm not ready yet.

I still have something to do and

I can't tell you about it yet.

I thought husbands and wives are

supposed to share everything.

I just need you to trust me

for a few more days.

And then if you want, you can

come and get me yourself.

All right.

You know I love you.

I love you, too.

We'll talk soon.

(SIGHS)

(SIGHS)

I suppose you

know why I came by.

Figuring it had

something to do

with all that

singing business.

A confession is

a redemptive thing, Katie.

It's good for the soul.

I guess you already know that

I've been singing English songs.

And I've been

fibbing to my dat, too.

He told me to get

rid of my guitar,

but I've been

playing it in secret.

Are you truly sorry

for these transgressions?

I suppose I am.

And do you agree

to turn your back

on songs not

found in the Ausband?

I do.

Then, Katie Lapp, today you have

been restored to your faith.

And the church forgives

your indiscretions.

Just as God does.

But there is one more thing.

The scripture tells us that

"if thine eye offend thee,

ye must pluck it out."

I think you know

what you must do.

Destroy the guitar.

DANIEL:
B chord.

Gut.

And then E.

Excellent. Now F-sharp.

And E again.

That's it. You've got it.

# A cool summer night was

spent watching the fireflies

# dance in

the light of the moon #

I'm just not sure if

we should be doing this.

Because the ordinance

say not to?

They say it's prideful.

Well, I suppose

it would be.

If we were trying

to impress the world.

Like rock stars.

(IMITATING ELECTRIC GUITAR)

(LAUGHING)

But what if the music

comes from the heart

and is our way

to please God?

Wait, can we try that again?

What's the matter?

Was the kiss not right?

I can do better if

we practice more.

No, the problem was,

that kiss was perfect, Katie.

Everything I had imagined

it would be and more.

Could you ever

leave Hickory Hollow?

You mean move

to another Amish community?

I wouldn't want to live

far away from my family.

Listen to me, Katie Lapp.

If anything should

ever happen to me,

I want you to promise me

that you'll keep on singing.

Why are you acting so strange today?

Nothing's gonna happen to ya.

Just promise me.

Okay. I promise.

I'm sorry, Daniel.

I'm so sorry.

(GRUNTS)

So you spoke to

the Bishop then?

Jah, confessed.

Like Dat asked me to.

It's gut to set

things right, Katie.

Get to the plain truth.

You'll feel better.

Mam, who's Laura Mayfield?

Mama.

You cut yourself.

I'm okay.

What happened down there?

She found a scrap of

the letter in the stove.

Tea, Mam.

With two sprigs of mint,

just how you like it.

Go see to supper, Katie-girl.

Let your mama rest.

How much did she see?

Just a name.

What if she starts

asking questions?

What do I say?

Nothing.

We say nothing.

For 20 years,

I've been praying this

day would never come.

She's been our daughter since

the day we brought her home.

I will not allow this English woman

to interfere with our lives.

Mam, whose dress is this?

Where did you get that?

In the attic

with my keepsakes.

There's a name stitched into it.

Katherine Mayfield.

Same name that was

on that scrap of letter.

It's an English name.

Ain't so?

REBECCA:
Katie, I...

Katie, go.

What are you not telling me?

Go. Go.

Samuel! Time has come.

Katie.

That fancy dress there.

It's yours.

I'm Katherine Mayfield?

Jah, you were.

Please, explain.

Since the day we

laid eyes on you,

we've loved you like our own.

What are you saying?

We're saying that you

are English by birth,

and you are Amish

by adoption.

I'm not your daughter?

You have always

been our daughter!

You just weren't

born to us.

Why didn't you tell me?

It would have

made no difference.

Yes, it would,

I'm not Amish!

You are Amish

through and through.

The name on the letter.

Laura Mayfield. She's...

Yes.

The letter was

from her, wasn't it?

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