Tuck Everlasting Page #3

Hmm?

You'd like that, wouldn't you?

No muss, no fuss.

Invincible to disease.

Never having to suffer

the stench and rot of old age.

Forever young.

You speak blasphemy, sir.

Fluently.

Good night, Reverend.

Hey, Winnie Foster, you asleep?

Not anymore.

Good.

Hey.

Listen.

How would you like

to see the Eiffel Tower?

What?

Someday.

No, now.

While the day is still ours.

Get those dogs over there.

Yes, sir.

Come on, boys, let's go.

Henry, this is

Winifred's nightgown.

Give it to the dog handlers.

Start in the north end.

Let's split up

when we get to the lake.

We'll find her.

I know we will.

Winifred!

Miss Foster!

Winnie!

Winifred Foster!

Miss Foster!

Winifred!

Over here!

I found something!

There it is.

This is the Eiffel Tower?

The one in Paris,

it's pretty tall.

Mine's two feet higher.

Here.

Come on.

Have you really seen

the real one in Paris?

Yes, I have.

And climbed 1,652 stairs

to the top.

Much easier than this.

Yes.

You doing all right?

I think so.

You're doing great.

Here.

If I went to the Eiffel Tower

I would take

one of those elevators.

Not with me.

You'd take off your shoes

and walk up

every single solitary step.

How old are you?

Do you really want to know?

Yes.

I'm serious.

So am I.

Let's just call it 17.

There's my Paris.

The view from the Eiffel Tower

can't be better than this.

I've seen a lot of views,

and this is one of the best.

Come on.

Winnie Foster was beginning

to lose track of time.

Had she been there a day,

a week, a month?

It seemed to Winnie

that the Tucks lived in a way

the rest of the world

had forgotten.

They were never in a hurry

and did things the slow way.

For the first time

Winnie felt free to explore,

to ask questions, to play.

Me?

I'm going to see the world.

Every speck of it.

Heck, I may even find some

new continents or something.

I mean, I've been

to a lot of places

but the world is huge!

Jesse Tuck,

what-what are you doing?

What does it look like?

Woo-hoo!

Woo! Ah, whoo.

Come on!

I can't!

Why?

You're not afraid of a little

cold water, are you?

No.

Are you afraid of me?

No.

Well, what then?

I can't swim.

You're joshing me.

I wish I were.

So, you're afraid you'll drown,

right?

Swallow too much water,

sink to the bottom and die.

Thank you for putting it

so vividly.

And, yes,

considering I'd sink like a rock

drowning is a fair concern.

Well, I guess I'm just going

to have to enjoy this

all by myself.

Hmm...

Hmm!

Ah, Jesse!

Hey, hey, it's okay.

Come here, come here, come here.

I've got you, I've got you.

I've got you, relax.

Relax against me.

You all right?

I think so.

Whoo!

You did it!

I did it!

Ah, it feels wonderful.

I'm weightless.

That's 'cause we're

carrying you, see?

The water and me.

We're both carrying you.

You like the feeling?

I love it.

Jesse, don't let go!

It's okay, it's okay.

There's no chance of that,

Winnie Foster.

I'm never going to let you go.

You know, I don't like

being laughed at by a cheat.

Now "cheat" is a nasty word,

sir.

I much prefer "card sharp."

You are looking for trouble,

aren't you, mister?

Yes, sir, I sure am.

Going outside!

Come on!

Perhaps next time...

Come on!

He can't hurt me!

Whoo!

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Excuse me, citizen.

You hear that?

Tuck says

it's the most melancholy sound

in all of nature.

Listen.

Just listen.

They're playing for you.

Whoo! Yeah!

I wish this moment

could last forever.

Forever?

You want to spend forever

with me, Winnie?

I do.

You know, we could see

the world together.

We could do

everything together.

Have a million moments

like this one that...

never, never stop.

There's a part about us

you don't know...

the part I've sworn

not to tell you.

The secret?

The reason you don't want anyone

to find out about you?

I knew it.

You're... you're bank robbers

or grifters.

You are the first human

I've ever met

I wanted to know the truth.

Jesse Tuck, you're the first

human I've ever met

that I've ever wanted to...

to...

...to do that.

Winnie, listen.

Remember the giant oak tree

at the center of the wood

where we met?

The little spring bubbling up

you saw me drink from?

You remember when I told you

I was 104 years old?

Well...

it's the honest truth.

I'm going to live forever.

I'm never going to change.

The same with Miles

and Tuck and Mae.

Something happened to us.

As far as I know, I'm...

I'm going to be 17

until the end of the world.

It's the spring, Winnie.

The water,

something's wrong with it.

It stops you

right where you are.

If you had a drink of it today,

you'd stay just like you are.

Don't you wish he'd told you...

before you kissed him?

Did he tell you

immortality isn't all the

preachers crack it up to be?

Hey, leave her alone, Miles.

Oh, now... you want her

to hear it, Jesse boy.

She's the first person

you want to tell the truth to.

You just don't want me

to have what you lost.

Stop this...

...both of you

and tell me the truth.

I want to know.

We all had a drink...

...except for the cat...

that's important.

The water tasted like...

Heaven.

Floated over your tongue

like a cloud.

Tuck carved a "T" in the trunk,

to mark where we'd been.

We moved on west, looking

for a place to settle down.

Put up a house for Mae and Tuck

and a little shed

for Jesse and me.

That was the first time we

figured there was something...

peculiar.

Jesse fell 30 feet,

landed right on his neck.

He was up on his feet again

before Mae could work up

a good cry.

Didn't hurt him a bit.

No broken bones... nothing.

That's not all.

Not by a long shot.

Things began to happen.

Some brushpoppers mistook

Mae's horse for a deer.

Thing is,

the bullets didn't kill him.

Barely even left a mark.

Then Tuck got bitten

by a rattlesnake,

and you know what?

He didn't die...

...but the cat did

of old age.

And Miles got married.

Daddy!

Beau.

Little Anna.

Tuck figured it early on.

It's the spring.

We all drank from it,

even the horse.

Had to be... the source

of our changelessness.

I begged her to come back...

for me

and find the spring

and drink from it.

The children, too.

It was our only hope

to be together.

She made up her mind

I'd sold my soul

to the Devil...

... and she left me.

She took my babies with her.

Everyone...

pulled away after that.

There was talk of witchcraft...

black magic.

I went looking for wars

to fight...

and I saw brave men die

at Vera Cruz...

and then Gettysburg...

thousands,

in the blink of an eye...

...but not me.

I couldn't die...

...like little Anna.

The influenza took her

before she's 15.

And Beau.

He'd be almost 80 now

if he were still alive.

And my sweet...

...my sweet young bride.

She died in an insane asylum...

...old and alone.

But I'm still here.

I'm still here.

Winnie Foster, you're the only

other person in the world

who knows about us.

We'll have to have a talk.

Pa.

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