In one hand PIPPA holds a tail (actually a rolled-up hankie) with a pin sticking out of it. She walks slowly toward a piece of paper that has been taped up to the wall. On the paper, MOLLY ANDERSON
has drawn a smiling donkey. Gathered around PIPPA, calling 'Warmer!' and 'Colder!' are all but one of MOLLY'S day-care pupils: RALPHIE, DON BEALS, HARRY ROBICHAUX, HEIDI ST. PIERRE, BUSTER
CARVER, and SALLY GODSOE (who has become fatherless but fortunately doesn't know it yet).
FRANK BRIGHT is sleeping on a cot nearby.
Behind the children, we see CAT WITHERS, MELINDA HATCHER, and LINDA ST. PIERRE making beds. Standing nearby, holding piles of blankets, are GEORGE KIRBY, HENRY BRIGHT, and ROBBIE
BEALS. ROBBIE doesn't look happy about it.
134 STEPHEN KING
CARLA BRIGHT comes up to MOLLY, who is monitoring the festivities.
CARLA
Evening sessions now?
MOLLY It's sort of fun. But . . .
PIPPA manages to plant the tail somewhere in the region of the donkey's ass.
MOLLY
(continues)
. . . when they all finally fall asleep, I intend to track down the nearest alcoholic beverage and make it disappear.
123
CARLA
I'll pour.
DON BEALS
I wanna be next!
MOLLY (to CARLA) Done deal.
She takes the blindfold off PIPPA and starts putting it on DON.
8 INTERIOR: THE TOWN HALL, UPSTAIRS NIGHT.
FERD ANDREWS bursts in, wild-eyed and covered with snow from top to tail.
FERD
(top of his lungs) Lloyd Wishman's dead!
All bustle and activity stops. Forty or fifty faces turn to FERD. Central to this group is URSULA GODSOE, with her clipboard.
STORM OF THE CENTURY 135
INTERIOR: THE TOWN HALL BASEMENT.
The KIDS are still having a good time, shouting 'Warmer!' and 'Colder!' to DON SEALS as he tries to pin the tail on the donkey, but all the ADULTS have turned toward the SOUND of that SHOUT. ROBBIE BEALS drops his pile of blankets and heads up the stairs.
10 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE NIGHT.
HATCH grapples with the SHAPE, hysterical with fear, until MIKE Stop it, Hatch! Whoa! Whoa!
HATCH stops it and looks up at MIKE, his terror becoming relief. He hugs MIKE tightly does everything but rain kisses on MIKE'S face.
MIKE
What's the-Then, without the distraction of being grappled by his rather overweight second-in-command, MIKE sees what the trouble is. His face fills with wonder. He walks slowly past HATCH to the dangling body. He looks at it ... then looks at LINOGE. LINOGE smiles back at him.
11 INTERIOR: THE TOWN HALL, FEATURES FERD NIGHT.
FERD
Lloyd Wishman's killed himself! Chopped his face in two with a axe! Oh, God, it's awful! Blood everywhere!
ROBBIE comes upstairs. His wife, SANDRA (a plain little thing), is there, and she grabs ineffectually at his shoulder, probably wanting some comfort. He yanks her hand off him without so much as a look (pretty much the way he treats her even in ordinary circumstances) and goes to FERD.
FERD
(babbling)
I ain't never seen nothin' like it! Knocked his own brains right out! And he wrote on the side of 124
the new pumper, didn't make no sense
136 STEPHEN KING
ROBBIE
(grabs him, shakes him) Get hold of yourself, Ferd! Get a damn grip!
FERD quits babbling. It's so quiet now you could hear a pin drop except, of course, for the CEASELESS WHOOP OF THE STORM OUTSIDE. FERD'S eyes are filling with tears.
FERD
Why would Lloyd chop his head in two, Robbie? He was going to get married, come spring.
12 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE NIGHT.
HATCH (also babbling)
I just went out to use the can and get a fresh coffee he was fine then. But he kept lookin' at him
. . . like a snake lookin' at a bird ... he ... he ...
MIKE looks at LINOGE. LINOGE looks back.
MIKE What did you do to him?
No reply. MIKE turns to HATCH.
MIKE Help me get him down.
HATCH Mike ... I don't know's I can.
MIKE You can.
HATCH gives him a pleading look.
LINOGE
(very pleasant) Let me out and /'// help, Michael Anderson.
STORM OF THE CENTURY 137
MIKE looks at him, then back at HATCH, who is pale and sweaty. But HATCH takes a deep breath and nods.
HATCH
Okay...
13 EXTERIOR: BEHIND THE STORE NIGHT.
A snowmobile pulls up next to the loading dock, and two men, bundled up in heavy nylon snowsuits, clamber off. They have rifles strapped over their shoulders. It's KIRK FREEMAN and JACK
