FLYER.
Written there over and over again in jagged capital letters is this: 'GIVE ME GIVE ME GIVE ME
GIVE ME WHAT I WANT GIVE ME WHAT I WANT GIVE ME WHAT I WANT.' Drawn around the words, like bizarre illuminations on a monk's manuscript, is the same shape we saw over MARTHA'S living room door. Canes.
196 INTERIOR: LINOGE, CLOSE-UP.
Grinning. Black, beastlike eyes full of ROILING RED. We can just see the tips of his fanglike teeth.
197 EXTERIOR: THE WOODS ON THE LITTLE TALL HEADLAND NIGHT.
The WIND SHRIEKS. The trees bend in the BLIZZARD, their branches CLATTERING.
198 EXTERIOR: LITTLE TALL, A HIGH SHOT NIGHT.
The buildings are already snow-covered; the two streets are snow-choked. There are only a few lights. This is a town cut off from the entire outside world. We HOLD ON THIS, then: FADE TO BLACK. THIS ENDS ACT 6.
Act 7
199 EXTERIOR: THE TOWN HALL NIGHT.
108
JACK CARVER was right the islanders without woodstoves for heat, or those who live in the path of a possible storm surge at high tide, are already coming in for shelter. Some arrive in four-wheel drives, some come on snowmobiles or in Sno-Cats. Some are on snowshoes and skis. Even with the HOWL OF THE WIND, we can hear the BULL-THROATED ROAR OF THE TOWN HALL GENNIE.
Approaching along the sidewalk are JONAS STANHOPE and his wife, JOANNA. They aren't kids, but they're healthy, even athletic-looking like the actors in the Ensure commercials. They are on snowshoes, and each has a pull line. Behind them is a chair secured to a child's sled, making it into a kind of one-person sleigh. Sitting in the chair, bundled up in robes and an ENORMOUS FUR HAT, is CORA STANHOPE, JONAS'S mother. She's about eighty and looks as regal as Queen Victoria on her throne.
JONAS
You okay, Mom?
CORA Fine as the flowers in May.
JONAS
What about you, Jo?
JOANNA
(rather grim) I'll make it.
They turn into the parking lot beside the town hall. This lot is rapidly filling up with a variety of snow-friendly vehicles. Pairs of skis and snowshoes have been left upright in the snowbank in front of the building. The building itself is courtesy of its big generator lit up like an ocean liner on a stormy sea, an island of safety and relative
comfort on a wild night. Of course, the Titanic probably looked the same way before it hit the iceberg.
Folks walk toward the steps, talking and chatting with nervous excitement. We've built up a relatively large cast of characters, and here we get some payoff, recognizing old friends from the cluster at MARTHA'S house and the shoppers at the market.
We spy JILL and ANDY ROBICHAUX getting out of a four-wheel drive. As JILL undoes the straps holding five-year-old HARRY in his car seat (HARRY'S one of MOLLY'S day-care kids), ANDY slogs gamely over to the STANHOPE family.
ANDY How you doing, Stanhopes? Some wild night, huh?
109
JONAS
It sure is. We're fine, Andy.
But JOANNA, while far from death's door, is also a long way from fine. She's PANTING HARD and uses the break to bend over and clutch the legs of her snowpants.
ANDY
Let me spell you there, Joanna
CORA
(Her Imperial Majesty)
Joanna is fine, Mr. Robichaux. Just needs to get her breath. Don't you, Joanna?
JOANNA gives her elderly mother-in-law a smile that says, 'Thanks, right, and, oh, how I'd like to stuff a parking meter up your scrawny old butt.' ANDY sees it.
ANDY
Jilly could use some help with the baby, Jo. Would you? I got this. Really.
JOANNA
(very grateful) You bet.
ANDY grabs JOANNA'S half of the harness. As JOANNA goes to JILL (CORA gives her daughter-in-law a look as icy as the storm, one that says 'Quitter' loud and clear), DAVEY HOPEWELL, his PARENTS, and MRS. KINGSBURY pile out of a big old Suburban.
JONAS Well, Andy, what do you say? Ready?
ANDY
(cheerily, God love him)
Mush!
They resume pulling the old lady toward the town hall. CORA rides with her blade-thin New England nose regally lifted. JILL and JOANNA walk along behind, CHATTING; HARRY, so bundled up he looks like the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man, trudges next to his mom, holding her hand.
110
200 INTERIOR: THE TOWN OFFICE NIGHT.
URSULA, TESS MARCHANT, and TAVIA GODSOE are checking people in by handing them clipboards and getting them to sign the names of family members who plan to spend the night in the lower level of the town hall. Behind the WOMEN are FOUR MEN, looking important but not doing much. There's ROBBIE BEALS, the town manager, plus the three town selectmen: GEORGE KIRBY, BURT SOAMES, and HENRY BRIGHT. HENRY is the husband of CARLA BRIGHT, and is currently holding his son, another day-care pupil, in his arms. FRANK is fast asleep.
Again, we see faces that we know coming in; an island is a small community. There are no kids older than day-care age; the big kids all got stranded on the mainland side of the reach.
URSULA (plenty harried)
Sign in, everybody! We have to know who's here, so please sign in before you go downstairs!
She casts an impatient look at the men, who are basically standing around and gossiping.
201 INTERIOR: ANGLE ON ROBBIE AND THE SELECTMEN.
BURT SOAMES So what'd he say?
ROBBIE
What could he say? Hell, everybody north of Casco Bay knows Peter Godsoe wholesales nine pounds of pot for every pound of lobster.
He casts an eye on URSULA and TAVIA the latter is rummaging in a supply cupboard for pillows, work ROBBIE wouldn't do unless you stuck a gun in his ear.
ROBBIE
I don't blame him hell, ain't he got a houseful of women to support?
BURT SOAMES CHORTLES. GEORGE KIRBY and HENRY BRIGHT exchange a more doubtful look.
They're not completely comfortable with the meanness of the gossip.
GEORGE KIRBY
Question is, Robbie, how'd that fella know?
ROBBIE rolls his eyes, as if to say, 'What a dope.'
111
ROBBIE
They're likely in business together. Why would a fella kill a harmless old lady like Martha Clarendon in the first place, 'less he was stoned? Tell me that, George Kirby!
HENRY BRIGHT
That doesn't explain how he could know Cat Withers 'us up in Deny for n'abortion.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Ursula! Are there more blankets?
URSULA
Robbie Beals! Henry Bright! You boys think you could go downstairs and bring some more blankets out of that back
