Wonderstruck Page #2

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Anyway...

I thought you would like

this one over here.

This one here.

Since you have it on your...

Over here.

(Ben panting, gasping)

(wolves howling)

Oh, my...

What's going on?

(breathing unsteadily)

Are you... are you okay?

What's happening?

Are you sick?

Why did you stop here,

in front of this?

JAMIE:

Shh.

I thought you liked wolves.

You dropped it in the rotunda.

I can't hear you.

Why?

Because I'm deaf.

Really?

Oh.

That's... I thought

you were ignoring me

when I was calling for you,

and you didn't answer.

-Makes sense now.

-Here.

Oh.

(slowly):

I didn't know you were deaf.

Me... Jamie.

BEN:

Jamie.

I'm Ben.

Shh.

I learned it in school.

I don't know sign language.

Why?

I've only been deaf for...

Actually, it just happened.

How?

(Ben sighs)

-Lightning.

-Lightning?

I thought lightning kills you.

Oh.

Lightning... kills you.

BEN:

Not always.

(sighs)

Being hit by lightning?

Uh-uh.

Oh. Not...

Sometimes.

Mostly it's just quiet.

JAMIE:

See that lady over there?

BEN:

What?

JAMIE:
She's always here.

It's so weird.

You... runaway?

Mm-hmm.

-From where?

-What?

Where... are you from?

(sighs)

(Jamie laughing)

Really?

(Ben chuckles)

(Polaroid camera whirring)

(no audio)

JAMIE:

Shh.

(boys panting)

JAMIE:

Up here.

Shh.

(indistinct chatter)

(indistinct chatter)

(Jamie laughing)

BEN:

Huh.

What is this place?

My secret room.

My secret... room.

-BEN:
Hmm.

-JAMIE:
Mm-hmm.

You can stay here.

This can be...

your hideout.

Thanks.

JAMIE:

So...

-why run...

-BEN (reading):
"Why..."

-...away?

-"...run away?"

Oh.

BEN:

Um...

My mom.

Oh.

Yeah.

Sorry.

(Ben sighs)

What about your dad?

That's who I came here to find.

Are your parents... divorced?

No.

Mine are.

Hmm. Oh.

You know, I thought

he might be here, but...

Oh.

I tried to tell you before.

Kincaid's...

isn't clo...

What?

...open now.

(scoffs):

Yeah, obviously.

Hey, I didn't know

you were deaf.

I didn't know you were

looking for your father.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have...

What are you saying?

Write it down.

Yeah. Sorry.

So, I still don't understand

how you... got here alone.

My cousin Janet helped me.

She owed me a favor,

so she brought my bag

and some things,

with some money

from my mother's

rainy-day fund.

So she... knows

where you are?

No.

No one knows where I am.

I do.

(both chuckle)

(stomach growling)

Oh...

I'm starving.

Oh.

(unzips backpack)

Ta-da!

There you go.

Thank you.

-"A."

-"A."

-"B."

-"B."

"C."

-"D."

-"D."

"E."

"F."

-"F."

-Mm-hmm.

"G."

-"G."

-Mm-hmm.

Mm... "H."

"I."

"J."

BEN:

"J."

JAMIE:

Mm...

"U."

Um... "V."

BEN:

"V." "W"?

JAMIE:

"W."

"X."

"Y."

"Z."

Mm-hmm.

Good.

Oh!

I almost forgot.

BEN:

Huh.

JAMIE:

Hmm. Remember her?

BEN:

Mm.

JAMIE:

My mom. Mi madre.

She works a lot.

We live in...

Queens.

BEN:

Queens?

-Mm-hmm.

-You don't live in New York?

Queens is in New York.

BEN:

What?

-Forget it.

-Oh.

And this.

JAMIE:

Whoa.

BEN:

I found it in my mom's room.

It's from here.

Except a long time ago.

It's where I found

the bookmark from Kincaid's.

It's why I'm here.

(Ben yawning)

Hey, you okay?

Sorry, I'm just really tired.

Well, take a nap.

BEN:

Okay.

(Jamie grunting)

JAMIE:

Hmm?

(giggles)

-Ooh.

-(laughs)

-Um, I'll be back later.

-Thanks, Jamie.

(laughs softly)

(no audio)

(no audio)

JAMIE:

Ben!

-Ben!

-Ow.

JAMIE:
Wake up!

Come on, I told my father

-I was staying over

at a friend's house... -What?

-so we have the whole museum to

ourselves! -I can't hear you.

Follow me, come on, come on!

(sighs)

(chuckles)

(footsteps approaching)

(Ben gasps)

(whispering):

Shh. Come on.

("Evening Star"

by Fripp and Eno playing)

JAMIE:

Wow.

(chuckles)

Hey, look.

-See? -Hmm.

The light goes through.

(Jamie laughs)

BEN:

Neat.

Look at this.

Look.

(Jamie chuckles)

JAMIE:

This is cool. Ha.

Wow.

(blowing)

(chuckles)

-(whispering):
Hey.

-Hmm?

Check this out.

Hey, little guy.

JAMIE (whispers loudly):

Ben.

-Huh?

-Ben.

Come on.

Let's go.

Jamie, what is all this stuff?

Shh.

Secrets.

Come on.

(no audio)

-BEN:
Open it! -JAMIE: What?

BEN:
Come on, the file.

-Hmm?

-Open it up.

-The wolves.

-Whoa.

JAMIE:

That is so cool.

BEN:

"February '65."

That's the year

before I was born.

JAMIE:

Whoa.

BEN:

Whoa.

Yeah. Wow.

-Aurora.

-Nice.

Hmm.

Look at this one.

(Ben breathing heavily)

What? What is it?

It's my house.

"Miss Elaine Wilson."

That's my mom.

"Dear Miss Wilson,

"I will be spending

a few months in Gunflint Lake,

"researching a new diorama

for the museum.

"As the town librarian,

"I hope you can help me

with this research.

"Please contact me

at the address above.

"Thank you very much,

Daniel Lobel."

Daniel Lobel.

This has to be my dad.

Your father,

maybe he still remembers him.

You have to ask him

in the morning.

Yeah. Yeah, I will.

BEN:

"I've... never... shown...

"anyone... the museum...

...before."

Hmm.

-Hmm.

-But I like it here.

I don't have a room

at my dad's place.

Oh, hold on.

I think you'll like this.

("Fox on the Run"

by The Sweet begins)

Oh.

I forgot.

It's okay, keep it on.

My mom had one like this.

I can feel the vibrations.

SINGER:

I...

Don't want to know your name

'Cause you don't look the same

-"F."

-The way you did

-"R."

-Before

-"I."

-Okay, okay

-Hmm. -You think you got

a pretty face

"E."

"N."

Mm...

"D." "Friend." Cool.

SINGER:

You looked all right before

(Jamie sings high-pitched note)

-(humming along to song)

-Fox on the run

You scream

And everybody comes a-running

-(humming along)

-Take a run and hide...

(no audio)

(pigeons cooing quietly)

Ahh!

(yells)

(coughing)

Ben, Ben.

-(gasps)

-Ben.

-(groaning)

-Wake up!

-(grunts)

-Come on.

Come on.

-What?

-Look.

BEN:
It's the same.

It's the same.

We're in

the Cabinet of Wonders.

How did this happen?

Why did my father

have this book?

Why was there a picture

of my house

in that file?

What's going on?

What?

What?

The bookstore? It's gone.

"I tried to tell you.

"It just moved.

"I didn't know...

you were deaf yet."

What do you mean?

You knew I was trying

to find my father.

That's why I went to Kincaid's

in the first place.

Why would you wait until now?

(voice breaking): Because

I don't have any friends.

What?

What?!

"I wanted...

"to show...

you stuff."

"I wanted to show you stuff"?

What does that mean?

-I was afraid

if you found your father -What?

-he would take you away.

-I can't hear you.

-And if you didn't find him,

-I don't understand!

you'd just go back

to Gunflint Lake.

I was going to tell you.

You were going to tell me?

Yes, I swear.

How long were you going

to take?

I'm sorry, okay?

Please.

Just...

(breathing heavily)

Yeah.

Well, if you wanted

to be my friend,

you would've helped me

find my father.

But... I'm helping you.

I'm helping you!

I'm helping you now!

(running footsteps)

(door opens, closes)

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