The Sixth Sense Page #3

MALCOLM:

It's okay, Cole. Don't be

frightened.

Cole stays rigid. Hands clutching a handful of plastic riflemen.

MALCOLM:

My name is Dr. Malcolm Crowe. I

was supposed to meet you today.

Sorry I missed our appointment.

Malcolm waits for a response. None comes.

MALCOLM:

Do you mind if I sit down? I have

this injury from a couple of years

ago and it flares up every once in

a while just so I won't forget it.

Beat. Cole slowly slides down the pew, giving Malcolm most of

the seat. Malcolm sits.

Cole fidgets with his soldiers. Beat. Malcolm looks over and

stares at Cole's glasses. He leans forward to inspect them more

carefully.

MALCOLM:

Your eye frames. They don't seem to

have any lenses in them.

COLE:

(soft)

They're my dad's. The lenses hurt

my eyes.

MALCOLM:

I knew there was a sound explanation.

Malcolm returns to staring at his lap. Beat.

MALCOLM:

What was that you were saying

before with your soldiers? Day pro

fun.

COLE:

...De profundis clamo ad te domine.

Malcolm stares surprised.

COLE:

It's called Latin. It's a

language.

Malcolm nods at the information.

MALCOLM:

All your soldiers speak Latin?

COLE:

No, just one.

Malcolm smiles at Cole. His eyes drift down to Cole's arms.

Malcolm's smile slowly disappears.

Cole's arms are covered in TINY CUTS AND BRUISES. Some almost

healed. Some fresh. Malcolm looks around to gather himself.

Beat.

MALCOLM:

I like churches, too.

(beat)

In olden times, in Europe, people

used to hide in churches. Claim

sanctuary.

Cole looks up.

COLE:

What were they hiding from?

MALCOLM:

Oh, lots of things, I suppose. Bad

people for one. People who wanted

to imprison them. Hurt them.

COLE:

Nothing bad can happen in a church,

right?

Malcolm studies Cole's anxious face.

MALCOLM:

Right.

Malcolm and Cole just stare at each other.

COLE:

I forgot your name.

MALCOLM:

Dr. Crowe.

COLE:

You're a doctor. What kind?

MALCOLM:

I work with young people who might

be sad or upset or just want to

talk. I try to help them figure

things out.

Beat.

COLE:

Are you a good doctor?

Malcolm smiles.

MALCOLM:

I got an award once. From the

Mayor.

COLE:

Congratulations.

MALCOLM:

Thank you. It was a long time ago.

I've kind of been retired for a

while.

(beat)

You're my very first client back.

COLE:

You use needles?

MALCOLM:

No.

COLE:

Not even little ones that aren't

supposed to hurt?

MALCOLM:

No.

COLE:

That's good.

Cole pockets his soldiers and rises from his pew.

COLE:

I'm going to see you again, right?

MALCOLM:

If it's okay with you?

Cole thinks it over carefully.

COLE:

It's okay with me.

Cole and Malcolm just stare at each other.

MALCOLM:

And Cole, next time I won't be late

for you.

COLE:

Next time I won't be scared of you.

Cole turns and starts to the rear of the church. Malcolm loses

himself in his thoughts.

When Malcolm looks back, he sees Cole stop by the exit doors and

take a tiny STATUE OF JESUS off the back table. Cole pockets the

statue and quietly leaves the church.

Malcolm just sits and stares.

CUT TO:

INT. MALCOLM'S HOME - EVENING

The house is dimly lit. Malcolm has to turn on the HALLWAY LIGHT.

MALCOLM:

It's me.

He stops before a pile of mail collecting on a thin table. He

stares at it blankly. Almost every envelope has "Over Due" or

"Final Notice" stamped on it.

CUT TO:

INT. DINING TABLE - EVENING

Malcolm stares down at the remains of a meal on the only place

setting on the table.

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM - EVENING

Malcolm quietly walks into his bedroom. Only A READING LIGHT IS

ON. THE SOFT LIGHT FALLS ON ANNA AS SHE SLEEPS.

Malcolm moves to her side. The sight of her stops him.

He stares at his wife...

She huddles under a blanket, a wad of tissues in her hand. He

takes it in silently.

His eyes move to her face... One wisp of hair falls over her

soft lips. OUTLINED IN THE SOFT READING LIGHT, Anna Crowe truly

looks like an angel.

Malcolm forms a tiny smile.

CUT TO:

INT. HALL - NIGHT

Malcolm turns and moves for a narrow door in the hallway.

THE DOOR KNOB. He tries to open it. IT'S LOCKED. Malcolm

reaches into his pockets. Searches for his keys.

CUT TO:

INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT

The empty basement is no longer empty. It's piled with file

cabinets and boxes of psychology and medical books. A desk sits

in the corner next to the wine racks.

The room still feels unsettling.

Malcolm hunches over one of the books. Rifles through a stack of

dusty books. Pulls out a thick text.

The spine of the text reads, "The Meridian Latin Dictionary."

Malcolm sits back at his desk and opens Cole's file. Handwritten

on the first page are the words,

"De profundis calms ad te, domine"

Malcolm starts working through the Latin text. As he comes to

each word, he jots it down underneath the Latin.

Malcolm translates the last word.

He stares quietly at the paper. The new words reads...

"Out of the depths, I cry to you Lord."

Beat.

MALCOLM:

(whispers)

...The mass for the dead.

The words seem to hang in the air forever.

CUT TO:

EXT. PHILADELPHIA - DAWN

Old Philadelphia awakens... For a moment, it's like we're back

in time.

A golden sun dances on the waters of Penns Landing. Historical

old ships sit docked in its harbor... The dark bronze surface of

the Liberty Bell reflects the dawn... A majestic Independence

Hall stands watch as its city begins to stir... A thirty foot

statue of Ben Franklin makes a proud silhouette against the

morning sky...

AND THEN 1997 COMES CRASHING IN.

FLUORESCENT HOUSE LIGHTS COME ON IN WINDOWS... Jeeps and

hatchbacks start roaming the cobblestone streets... Neon

restaurants signs flicker to life... Traffic helicopters make

their rounds... CAR ALARMS PIERCE THE AIR.

CUT TO:

INT. LAUNDRY ROOM - MORNING

A hand turns off a radio, shutting off the morning news.

A small dog with two different colored eyes sticks his head out

of the dryer, where he plays with the newly-dried clothes.

LYNN SEAR reaches in and pulls out a blouse.

She shakes it in the air and slips it on as she dresses hurriedly

for work.

Lynn is a woman in her late twenties. One hundred percent South

Philly. Hair teased. She chews on an early morning piece of

Trident. Under all of it, Lynn Sear is an attractive and

sweet-looking young woman.

Lynn enters THE KITCHEN through a swinging door.

A bowl of cereal and milk sit on a table in an empty kitchen.

Lynn stares at a handful of kitchen CABINETS and DRAWERS that are

open.

Lynn shakes her head.

LYNN:

Cole.

She closes them one at a time before moving to the coffee machine.

Lynn shivers a little. She leans over the thermostat and raises

the heat. She returns to her post at the coffee machine.

TINY FOOTSTEPS.

Lynn turns to see Cole standing in his private school uniform.

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