White Squall Page #10

SKIPPER:

Start the engine. All ahead full!!

Scallop the Square and drop the

rest!!

He shoots a glare at Tod and Chris.

TOD:

(bewildered)

I don't know what happened Skipper.

It just blew out.

Skipper turns to the task at hand without a word. What

had been praise is now reduced to embarrassment and

confusion.

Phil, still hidden behind the chart house returns the

spear gun and smiles to himself at Tod's arrogance turned

humility.

EXT. DECK - TOBAGO CAYS - DAY

The Albatross has dropped anchor along a remote group of

flat, lush atolls. Tall palm trees grow almost to the

waters edge. The crew have the mainsail down and Alice

supervises the repair of the sail. Phil sits above it all

sunning himself in the bowswain's chair.

ROBIN:

Where are you from any way?

CHUCK:

Depths of hell... Ohio. How 'bout

you?

ROBIN:

Kennet Square, PA. 'Mushroom

capital of the world'.

TOD:

Sorry to here it.

CHUCK:

Well, and it's pretty cool too, ya

know? Bein' here together an all...

Phil reels himself down.

PHIL:

Christ, I'm gonna choke on 'feel

good'...

Robin looks up, taken back.

TOD:

Why are you such a penis Phil. Do

you do it on purpose or can't you

help it.

PHIL:

Tug my chain Johnstone.

Skipper comes on deck. Robin and Chuck flip Phil and

Terry the finger.

SKIPPER:

After midterms we'll finish our run

down to Curacao.

The crew reacts, grumbling.

SKIPPER:

I have arranged to host a good will

cruise for the Dutch students of the

local school there.

PHIL:

(to Terry)

Joy, rapture...

SKIPPER:

Each one of you will be responsible

for one student. I'll expect you to

be courteous. You represent this

school and your country. We'll sail

in the morning.

George appears from the galley and rings the ships bell.

GEORGE:

That's chow.

The crew drop what they're doing and stampede down into

the cabin.

INT. CABIN - NIGHT

Robin thrashes in his bunk calling out. Sweat glistens on

his face. Chuck stumbles out to his bunk with Rick and

some of the others.

RICK:

Hey man, wake up. Wake up!

They shake him. Robin wakes, disoriented, eyes filled

with tears.

ROBIN:

I was falling...

Phil grumbles from his bunk.

PHIL:

Hey, shut up will ya?

CHUCK:

It was a bad dream...

ROBIN:

It was so real...

CHUCK:

Here's the thing; whenever you're

having a nightmare, all you have to

do is say 1-2-3 wake up! You'll be

out of it. You'll wake up.

Phil rolls over in his bunk trying to go back to sleep.

ROBIN:

Who told you that?

CHUCK:

My dad.

ROBIN:

It works?

CHUCK:

Swear to God. Only good advice he

ever gave me. Now, go back to

sleep.

He pats Robin on the leg. The guys return to their bunks.

Favor Phil, listening.

CHUCK:

(lingering)

You okay now?

Robin stares at the photo of his brother.

ROBIN:

That's how he died you know.

CHUCK:

Who?

ROBIN:

My brother. He fell out of the old

beech tree. Broke his neck. I was

on a camp out. They started going

at it, throwin' things, a real knock

down...

(beat)

They didn't find him 'till the next

morning. They didn't even know why

he was up there.

CHUCK:

Jesus, you never told them?

ROBIN:

I couldn't.

Phil stares at the ceiling, affected by what he has

overheard. Someone creeps down the companionway and

whispers.

MIKE:

(hushed)

Hey you guys, come on!

Shuffling in the darkness. Phil suddenly realizes, he's

alone.

EXT. DECK - NIGHT

The dory hangs from her gallows. Some of the guys slowly

lower her to the water.

INT. GALLEY - SAME

George is asleep with a book in his lap. Mike and Chris

slip inside. The door squeaks, George stirs. Mike opens

a cabinet and removes a fifth of rum.

Silently, Mike passes the bottle to Chris who passes it to

Tod who passes it to Charlie who drops it down to Robin

who stands in the lowered dory with Chuck.

PHIL (O.S.)

What do you think you're doing?

Startled, Mike and Rick share a look. Busted. Phil turns

and runs into John, wearing a broad smile, who shakes his

head. No way.

PHIL:

Forget it. Count me out!

The crew descend and drag Phil, struggling, into the dory.

They raise a crude sailing rig and silently move off.

A figure stands on top of the chart house, back lit by the

moon. It's Skipper. Watching it all. Letting it unfold.

INT. GALLEY - NIGHT

Skipper hovers over George, sawing logs. He tosses a pot

on the floor.

GEORGE:

(bolting up)

What?! What's happening?!!

SKIPPER:

You're officer of the watch, George.

GEORGE:

I'm sorry, Skip. It's this damned

book. Lawford gave it to me.

The book is "Kafka". Skipper motions to the empty

cabinet.

GEORGE:

Son-of-a-b*tch.

SKIPPER:

We're short one long boat too. Come

on.

EXT. CAMPFIRE - NIGHT

The boys sit in a circle around a small fire passing the

bottle. Rick strums his guitar and sings while the rest

join in.

RICK:

Oh I was walkin' down Lime street

one day...

ALL:

Hey! Weigh! Blow the man down...

RICK:

A pretty young maiden she happened

my way...

ALL:

Give me some time to blow the man

down...

Skipper and George crawl to the top of a sand dune and

watch the boys. George starts to stand but Skipper puts a

hand on his shoulder.

SKIPPER:

I guess we know what the next

acquisition for the galley is going

to be...

GEORGE:

What's that?

SKIPPER:

A padlock.

On the boys. Phil is drunkest of them all and does a wild

jig as the rest of them sing.

RICK:

So to all you sailors who've fought

wind and whale...

ALL:

Weight! Hey! Blow the man down...

RICK:

She said "None the better, you all

go to hell..."

ALL:

Give me some time to Blow the man

down!

They all crack up.

CHRIS:

I only have one question.

JOHN:

What's that, Canuck?

CHRIS:

If we're not on the boat, how come

the ground is moving?

CHUCK:

You think George'll miss the bottle?

TERRY:

We'll blame it on Big Daddy. He's a

lush.

MIKE:

All I know is if that Viking son of

a b*tch puts me on smegma duty one

more time I'm gonna have to run him

through.

TERRY:

(mimicking)

The "Old Man" likes a tight ship!

CHARLIE:

"If it moves, shoot it..."

The rest join in.

CHUCK:

"If it doesn't move, throw it

overboard. If it's too big to throw

overboard, screw it!"

More laughing.

RICK:

You think Old Thunder Nuts will

figure out that we're A.W.O.L.

Bill drunkenly imitates the Skipper.

PHIL:

"There is nothing that goes on, on

this boat that I don't know about.

She speaks to me in the night. So

don't test me. Not even a

little..."

The boys laugh. On the dune, George shakes his head.

GEORGE:

Immortality.

SKIPPER:

Spirits have a way of bringing that

out.

GEORGE:

And being sixteen.

SKIPPER:

They're in a hurry to grow up. They

don't know about consequences or

responsibility. That's being

sixteen too.

(beat)

I promise you one thing...

GEORGE:

What's that?

SKIPPER:

They'll know about it in the

morning.

Skipper smiles.

EXT. BEACH - NIGHT

The drunken crew stumble out of the woods onto the beach.

As they ready the boat for the trip back Robin looks out

to sea...

ROBIN:

(alarmed)

Jesus H. Christ.

Tod looks up.

TERRY:

What now pork chop?

ROBIN:

Look!

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