White Squall Page #14

Phil reaches for the spear gun. Nobody notices as he

loads and takes aim.

Suddenly... with a crack, everyone spins around. A large

female dolphin leaps out of the water, bloody foam

spraying from her blow hole. She lets out an agonizing

scream. Phil holds her fast.

CHRIS:

Jesus Christ!

The crew can only watch, stunned. Phil is suddenly,

defensive as if waking from a dream.

PHIL:

F*** off man. It's just a fish.

RICK:

No, Phil. It's a mammal.

Skipper steps on deck, sees the dolphin and Phil with the

spear gun.

SKIPPER:

(quietly)

Bill, lower a long boat. We'll

bring her up with the davit.

A dory is lowered with John and Bill inside. Once near

the water they maneuver the struggling dolphin into a

canvas harness. The crew hoist her with the davit tackle,

swing her inboard, and gently lower her to the deck.

They gather around the gasping animal. Alice checks the

wound. Skipper kneels beside her.

SKIPPER:

What do you think?

Alice shakes her head and gently strokes the dolphin.

ALICE:

It's through her lung.

Skipper turns to Phil.

SKIPPER:

(to Phil)

Nice shot.

Phil looks up at the crew but one by one they look away.

Chuck finds this confusing and inexcusable but is the last

to look away. Skipper grimly walks over to one of the

deck lockers and pulls out a large wooden mallet and holds

it out to Phil.

SKIPPER:

Finish it.

Phil looks at the mallet, horrified.

PHIL:

(stammering)

I'm not gonna kill it.

SKIPPER:

You already have. Now go on. Do

it.

Phil backs away. Skipper stares at him for a moment, then

walks over to the dolphin. Robin looks away. The

sickening sound of the mallet crushing the skull of the

animal seems to silence the world. There are one of two

thumps of her tail and, it's over.

Skipper tosses the bloody mallet into the locker and

approaches Phil, his face flushed with anger. He grabs

the spear gun, and snaps it across his knee and throws the

pieces into the sea.

SKIPPER:

What the hell is wrong with you?!

Phil begins to shake with rage.

SKIPPER:

Come on. You got so much fight in

you; you wanna kill something? Take

your best shot. The first one's

free.

Robin holds his ears as if he can make it all go away.

For a brief moment Phil looks as if he might take Skipper

up on the challenge. Then the impulse passes.

SKIPPER:

That's what I thought.

(beat)

You're done. You're going home.

Skipper turns. The humiliation is more than Phil can

take. He lunges after Skipper. Lawford grabs him. Phil

swings wildly.

PHIL:

You mean-assed bastard!! You son of

a b*tch!! You can't do this!!! You

can't do this!!! God damn you!!

God damn you!!

Lawford leads Phil, struggling, below. The crew surround

the dead dolphin, stunned.

EXT. ARUBA - ESTABLISHING - DAY

The Albatross is at anchor in the center of the harbor.

EXT. DECK - SAME

Phil comes on deck from below with his duffel bag.

Everyone feels bad but no one knows what to say. Phil

turns to get a second load.

CHUCK:

Why'd you do it?

PHIL:

(regretting it)

What's the difference?

CHUCK:

You only hurt yourself you know?

PHIL:

Like you really care. Like any of

you give a sh*t what happens to me.

RICK:

You're the one who doesn't care,

Phil.

PHIL:

It hurts too much to care.

RICK:

About yourself?

PHIL:

About anything.

Phil turns and disappears down the companionway.

ROBIN:

We shouldn't be putting him off the

boat.

CHRIS:

The guy's out of control.

ROBIN:

Everybody's been outta control on

this trip.

(beat)

Are we a crew or not? I mean, isn't

that what this is supposed to be all

about?

MIKE:

You're the last person who should be

whining about being a "crew".

ROBIN:

How do you figure that?

MIKE:

Well, I'd sure like to go into the

subject of vertigo and all, but I

wouldn't want you to piss yourself.

Robin flushes bright red. John fires a look at Mike.

JOHN:

You're a regular prick you know

that?

MIKE:

Tell it to the dolphin, Goodall.

JOHN:

Everybody deserves a second chance,

ya know? We'd do the same for you

Mike.

ROBIN:

It's about family isn't it? I mean

are we together on this or not?

There is a long pause. Mike and Chris cave.

MIKE:

Hell, do what ever you want. It

won't change anything anyway.

Robin exchanges a glance with Chuck and together, they

climb up the companionway.

EXT. CHART HOUSE - SAME

Chuck and Robin stand before the door.

ROBIN:

I can't go in there.

CHUCK:

What are you talking about.

Robin turns away, ashamed.

ROBIN:

The guys were right. It'll mean

nothing coming from me. He'll

listen to you Chuck. Everybody

does.

INT. CHART HOUSE - SAME

Skipper and Alice have paperwork spread out in front of

them. A knock.

SKIPPER:

Come.

Chuck enters, awkward.

SKIPPER:

What's on your mind?

CHUCK:

I'm here on behalf of the crew, sir.

Skipper looks up.

SKIPPER:

Well, spit it out.

CHUCK:

The fact is... We'd like you to give

Phil another chance.

Alice raises her eyebrows, surprised.

SKIPPER:

Can't do it.

CHUCK:

Sir...?

SKIPPER:

Close the door. Sit down.

Chuck does as he is told.

SKIPPER:

Why do you think I'm sending him

home?

CHUCK:

He killed the dolphin.

Skipper looks at Chuck for a moment.

SKIPPER:

The Dolphin was a symptom.

CHUCK:

Of what?

SKIPPER:

Of a fight he can't win out here.

CHUCK:

It's his father sir. He's

suffocating him. We've all seen

it...

Suddenly it's as if Chuck is talking about his own life.

CHUCK:

I mean he has all these expectations

and he doesn't even know who his own

kid is. What right did then have to

show up here?

SKIPPER:

They have every right Chuck.

CHUCK:

They send us because they want us to

change, or grow up or something and

then they try to keep us the same.

Skipper sits up and studies Chuck for a moment.

SKIPPER:

Let me tell you something about

Phil's father, and your's too. How

do you think you got here? You

think this is all free, that they

owe you something? You think they

enjoy riding subways and commuter

trains, driving buses or pulling

lobster traps? Work fifty weeks a

year to keep you in tennis shoes and

private school? Look around at how

the rest of the world lives Chuck.

We're the luckiest people alive,

every one of us. They gave it up

for you and Phil, and me too my

friend.

Chuck chews on it.

SKIPPER:

There are ground rules in families

just like on this boat. If you and

Phil don't like it, I'm sorry.

Someday you'll understand that, and

if you're lucky, you'll come home

and find your best friend has been

there all along waiting for you to

forgive him for being a father.

It'll be the way it used to be,

when you were ten and your dad was a

giant.

Now it's Skipper who is talking about himself.

SKIPPER:

Does Phil know how you guys feel?

CHUCK:

I don't know.

SKIPPER:

You should tell him. That's

something he can take with him.

Chuck nods and leaves.

EXT. CHART HOUSE - SAME

As Chuck exits he meets Robin's eyes. He shakes his head.

INT. CHART HOUSE - SAME

Skipper returns to his paperwork but can feel Alice

watching him. He senses it.

SKIPPER:

I'm all ears.

Alice smiles.

ALICE:

You may not like what you hear.

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