Silence. Until,
GIRLS VOICE (O.S.)
Youre pushing it again.
An exasperated sigh.
BOYS VOICE (O.S.)
Well, hurry up. My foots falling
asleep.
GIRLS VOICE (O.S.)
Mo-mmm. Larrys pushing it.
Mom?
MOM (O.S.)
(from the next
room)
Larry, dont push it.
And now, we finally pan over to discover two KIDS playing with
a Ouija board. For future reference, the players are FAITH
(age eleven), and her brother LARR
silence,
and then again the sound of the radio news report:
RADIO NEWSCASTER (V.O.)
...Judging from the sheer
brutality of the murders, police
theorize that they must have been
committed by at least four
persons...
??
EXT. THE HOUSE / STORE - ANOTHER ANGLE
??
Sagging clotheslines cluttered with drying laundry run across
a narrow backyard, all the way to a rickety old shed. The
clotheslines are su
of the scrollwork
on the stem.
- Is it a million-dollar pipe?
- No, its a clue.
Let me see that.
No, dont break it!
We are one step closer to the treasure,
gentlemen.
Ben, I thought you said that
the treasure would be on the Charlotte.
No, "The secret lies with Charlotte."
I said it could be here.
Its Templar symbols.
"The legend writ."
"The stain effected."
"The key in Silence undetected."
Silence. Norland Park, a large country house built in the early part of the eighteenth century, lies in the moonlit parkland.
2 INT. NORLAND PARK. MR DASHWOODS BEDROOM. NIGHT.
In the dim light shed by candles we see a bed in which a MAN (MR DASHWOOD, 52) lies his skin waxy, his breathing laboured. Around him two silhouettes move and murmur, their clothing susurrating in the deathly hush. DOCTORS.
years. Hes the head maitre.
Hes lending us the house. He uses it for storage.
There. Were here.
Thats Robin Hood, my uncles horse.
Heres my uncles buggy and my uncles house.
And inside is my uncle.
Hello, dear uncle! Here we are! Hurry, its late.
Here we are. The car broke down!
Uncle!
- Barbarians. - Who were they?
- Barbarians. - Why didnt you cry for help?
Silence is the most powerful cry.
silence indicates he is listening.
HOODED MAN
(continuing)
Ive come to strike a bargain with
you. I wish to learn the power of
changing.
VIEIRA
And what wouldst I gain from this
bargain?
HOODED MAN
(nonchalantly)
Your life.
VIEIRA
How?
The Hooded Man slowly pulls back his hood. We see his face for
the first time. It is hard, brutal, his eyes cold and dark.
He grins -- a wicked grin.
??
??
HOODED
A hand reaches for it, bringing the receiver up to the face of CASEY BECKER, a young girl, no more than sixteen. A friendly face with innocent eyes.
CASEY
Hello.
MANS VOICE
(from phone)
Hello.
Silence.
CASEY
Yes.
MAN
silence of the
Nebraska winter except for the sound of the snowshoes.
The snow has obliterated the Main Street of Big Whiskey
giving the impression that the dark, low buildings are
scattered at random. The only structure with any sign of
life is Greelys Beer Garden and Billiards which shows a
glowing window and two horses out front and that is a
hundred yards away from the struggling silhouettes
Silence. Gradually the sound of distant traffic becomes audible. A LOW ANGLE bounded on one side by a chain-link fence and on the other by the one-story public school buildings. Spray-can hieroglyphics and distant streetlight shadows. This is a Los Angeles public school in a blue collar neighborhood.
ANGLE BETWEEN SCHOOL BUILDINGS
Where a trash dumpster looms in a LOW ANGLE, part of the clutter b
Silence.
With less than
And shit!
Get stuffed!
A CERTAIN GLANCE
Room of press.
Have patience, please.
Margaret, it is
Associated Press , line .
Mercy.
- You are late.
- I have twenty minutes in advance.
And then?Make coffee.
There is much
bad news,
Mesdames and Messrs,
a world of bad news.
All that it is necessary, it is
to put the hand on the worst
the worst possible news.
Fred, the na