The Sixth Sense Page #18

Mrs. Collins turns her attention back to the flowers. She

concentrates with all her strength. Beat. Her hands begin to

shake.

MRS. COLLINS

(to no one)

I took care of her...

Her words are met with ice cold stares. The first tears stream

down her face. The pretty flowers of consolation in her hand

tumble to the floor.

CUT TO:

EXT. HOUSE - AFTERNOON

Cole sits on the swings next to Kyra's four-year-old sister. She

doesn't look up.

Malcolm waits in the driveway. Watches them from a distance.

Cole reaches into his pocket and pulls out the little FINGER

PUPPET. He holds it out.

COLE:

You liked it, she said.

The four-year-old stares at the finger puppet, then quietly takes

it in her small hands.

The two children don't say anything for a while. Malcolm glances

to the house, where all movements in and out of the home has

ceased.

Cole turns to the four-year-old.

COLE:

She watched out for you.

The little girl finally looks up. She has the saddest eyes.

FOUR YEAR OLD:

Kyra's not coming back.

Beat.

COLE:

Not anymore.

The little girl stares down at the finger puppet. Cole lightly

places a hand on her shoulder.

Nothing else is said. Nothing else is done.

Malcolm looks across the two children on the swings. One

mourning. One consoling.

Malcolm takes it in, overwhelmed.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. PROP ROOM - AFTERNOON

Stanley Cunningham moves between two curtains and comes to a prop

room door in the back. He puts an ear to the door, listens and

then knocks. After a second, he enters.

Mr. Cunningham finds Cole sitting in a poor villager costume as a

FEMALE TEACHER kneels next to him and makes final adjustments.

Cole and the woman glance at Mr. Cunningham.

MR. CUNNINGHAM

They're calling for the stable boy.

Mr. Cunningham looks around the room and then directly at Cole.

MR. CUNNINGHAM

Who were you talking to?

The Female Teacher looks to Cole and nods.

FEMALE TEACHER:

Poor Stanley.

She stands up. The entire left side of her face has been burnt

horribly. Grotesquely disfigured.

FEMALE TEACHER:

My favorite student.

THE FIGURE OF THE WOMAN MOVES PAST MR. CUNNINGHAM IN THE DOORWAY.

SHE DISAPPEARS INTO THE DARKNESS.

Cole puts on his tattered hat.

COLE:

Thanks for giving me this part, Mr.

Cunningham.

Mr. Cunningham smiles.

MR. CUNNINGHAM

You're welcome, Cole.

They share a look before walking out of the prop room and

entering the hall.

We see them walking away.

MR. CUNNINGHAM

You know when I was in school,

there was a terrible fire in this

section of the theater. They

rebuilt the whole thing.

Beat.

COLE:

I know.

CUT TO:

EXT. SCHOOL - AFTERNOON

It begins to rain. Malcolm pulls his jacket over his head as he

scurries up the stairs of the school.

CUT TO:

INT. HALL - AFTERNOON

Malcolm stands and catches his breath in the corridor of St.

Anthony's Academy.

A teacher rushes in the hall with an armload of costumes.

MALCOLM:

Has the play started yet?

The teacher hurries past Malcolm and down the hall without saying

a word.

MALCOLM:

Is that a yes?

The teacher scurries around a corner. Malcolm watches her

curiously.

CUT TO:

INT. AUDITORIUM - AFTERNOON

Malcolm moves quickly to a set of double doors and opens them.

He steps into the DARKNESS OF THE AUDITORIUM.

The play is in full swing... Cole and a large group of costumed

children are on stage. Cole holds a broom and wears a worn-down

costume. He stands to the side -- hidden by others.

A boy in a shiny-armored costume walks to the center of the stage

where a large cardboard stone is seated. A sparkling HANDLE

sticks out of the top.

The armored boy tries to lift it. It won't budge.

Bobby, the chubby boy from the party, is dressed in a magician's

costume. He is Merlin. He steps forward.

MERLIN:

Only he who is pure of heart can

take the sword from the stone.

Merlin looks to the group on stage. Looks right at Cole.

MERLIN:

Let the boy try.

The group of villagers on the stage LAUGH AND MOCK THE SUGGESTION.

Tommy Tammisimo is dressed in a mismatched costume -- he hops

around, clearly embarrassed.

TOMMY:

(half-heartedly)

But he's the stable boy. He cleans

after the horses.

MERLIN:

Silence village idiot! Let the boy

step forward.

Tommy turns a deep shade of red and hobbles off the stage.

Merlin looks to Cole. He smiles a true friend's smile.

MERLIN:

Arthur...

Cole hesitates. Not because he's acting. He really hesitates.

It takes him a moment before he steps forward.

Cole steps up to the stone. He places his hand around the

handle. Begins to pull. The sword starts to come out.

The villagers GASP.

Cole raises the shiny sword out of the stone and high above his

head.

Merlin and everyone on stage bows. A SILENCE FILLS THE

AUDITORIUM.

Malcolm watches his client, standing unafraid in the spot light

for the first time.

The villagers rise and rush to Cole. They scoop him up and carry

him around the stage in celebration. Cole chuckles and then

starts laughing as the group of eight-year-olds try

unsuccessfully to keep him up. They slowly sag and then

collapse. All the students are laughing as they try to untangle

themselves.

Malcolm watches with utter joy as Cole becomes indistinguishable

among of a group of twenty children giggling and enjoying

themselves on stage.

CUT TO:

INT. SCHOOL LOBBY - LATE AFTERNOON

The rain comes down a little stronger now on the stained glass

window.

Malcolm sits on the stairs in the lobby. Cole walks back and

forth in front of him. Cole still holds the sword from the play.

COLE:

How come we're so quiet?

Malcolm shrugs his shoulders.

MALCOLM:

I think we said everything we

needed to say.

(beat)

Maybe it's time to say things to

someone else? Someone close to you?

COLE:

Maybe.

Cole keeps moving. Beat.

COLE:

I'm not going to see you anymore,

am I?

Malcolm doesn't respond for a while. He shakes his head, "No."

Beat.

MALCOLM:

You were great in the play, Cole.

COLE:

Really?

MALCOLM:

And you know what else?

COLE:

What?

MALCOLM:

Tommy Tammisimo sucked big time.

Cole smiles huge. Beat. Cole's sword drags on the tile as he

continues to circle around the hall. We get the idea he doesn't

want to be still.

COLE:

...Maybe we can pretend we're going

to see each other tomorrow?

Cole glances at Malcolm.

COLE:

Just for pretend.

Beat. Malcolm exhales very slowly as he gets up.

MALCOLM:

Okay, Cole, I'm going to go now...

I'll see you tomorrow.

Cole watches as Malcolm walks down the stairs to the entrance.

Cole stops moving.

COLE:

(soft)

See you tomorrow.

Malcolm's face shows his losing battle against his emotions. He

doesn't turn to look back.

CUT TO:

EXT. CAR - LATE AFTERNOON

A rain-soaked bridge. A two-lane road merges to one lane around

a severe car accident. A rear-ended car has jumped the sidewalk

and hit the guard rail of the bridge. The driver is helped out

by police. He's shaken but okay. Police flares guide the cars

as they crawl by.

Rate this script:2.9 / 11 votes