them stashed somewhere) come out of the snow. One clamps over MRS. KINGSBURY'S mouth; the other grabs her by the neck. She is JERKED BACKWARD into the whiteout. The HOPEWELLS are quite close-by, but none of them see; they are peering into the snow as hard as they can.
249 EXTERIOR: HEADLAND AND LIGHTHOUSE, FROM THE TOWN HALL'S POINT OF VIEW.
A GIGANTIC WAVE smashes into the headland, humps up, and CRASHES INTO THE LIGHTHOUSE. And now we can see it beginning to TILT.
250 EXTERIOR: SONNY BRAUTIGAN AND UPTON BELL.
SONNY
She goin'! Holy God, she surely goin'!
Near them is a MALE RESIDENT bundled up in a grease-stained parka with "ISLAND E-Z PUMP" written on the left breast. A SHAPE LINOGE looms behind him. It pauses for a second or two, and then the CANE comes down across MR. E-Z PUMP'S throat, gripped at either end by BRIGHT YELLOW GLOVES. MR. E-Z PUMP is yanked backward into the whiteout. Neither SONNY nor UPTON notice; they are thrilled by the destruction taking place below.
251 EXTERIOR: THE WHITEOUT, LOOKING BACK TOWARD THE TOWN HALL.
We see TWO BLACK SHAPES the soles of MR. E-Z PUMP'S boots. They float briefly in all that white, then disappear.
252 EXTERIOR: THE LIGHTHOUSE MORNING.
Another of those huge waves buries the lower half. We hear the RUMBLE OF WATER and the GROAN of crumbling bricks. The lighthouse's tilt becomes more pronounced.
253 INTERIOR: THE LIGHTHOUSE CONTROL ROOM MORNING.
It's tilting . . . tilting . . . water pouring in ... the tilt becoming more
244 STEPHEN KING
pronounced as equipment conies unanchored and begins to slide down the steepening slope of the floor . . .
254 EXTERIOR: THE ISLANDERS OUTSIDE THE TOWN HALL MORNING.
THE CAMERA is behind them, PANNING from left to right. From between them, or over their shoulders, we can see the tottering lighthouse. .Jfc
255 EXTERIOR: JACK, ANGIE, AND BUSTER CARVER MORNING.
JACK is highly excited. He sweeps BUSTER into his arms and lunges forward a little through the snow.
Look, Buster! The lighthouse is falling down!
BUSTER Falling down! Lighthouse falling down!
ANGELA is about four steps behind them. Neither JACK nor BUSTER see the YELLOW GLOVES as they float out of the snow, grab her, and yank her backward into the WHITE CURTAIN.
256 EXTERIOR: RESUME LIGHTHOUSE MORNING.
The inundating wave retreats. For a moment it seems the lighthouse might endure yet a little longer . . . and then it goes CRASHING DOWN, the light above the shattered control room still revolving valiantly. As it falls, another wave strikes, drowning the ruins.
257 EXTERIOR: THE ISLANDERS, PANNING.
They are silent, their brief excitement gone. Now that it's actually happened, they wish it had not. We end up on JACK and BUSTER.
BUSTER Where's the lighthouse, Daddy? Did it go bye-bye?
JACK (sadly) Yeah, honey, I guess so. Lighthouse went bye-bye.
STORM OF THE CENTURY 245
(turning) Angie, did you see it? Did you . . .
But there's no one where she was standing.
JACK Angie? Angela?
He looks up and down the line of ISLANDERS, puzzled but not yet worried or afraid. He doesn't see her.
JACK Hey, Ange ...
BUSTER Hey, Mommeee . . .
JACK looks at ORV BOUCHER, who is standing nearby.
JACK Did you see my wife?
ORV
Gee, Jack, I didn't notice. Maybe she got cold and went back inside.
258 EXTERIOR: THE HOPEWELL FAMILY: STAN, MARY, AND DAVEY MORNING.
DAVEY'S parents are still looking down at the place where the lighthouse stood (as if expecting an instant replay), but DAVEY is looking around, frowning.
DAVEY
Mrs. Kingsbury?
MARY HOPEWELL
(hears him) Davey?
DAVEY
She was just here.
246 STEPHEN KING
JACK comes slogging along, now holding BUSTER by the hand.
JACK Angie . . .?
(to BUSTER)
I guess Orv's right she must've gotten cold and gone back inside.
Nearby are ALEX HABER and CAL FREESE.
CAL
(looking around) Hey, where's old George Kirby?
259 EXTERIOR: THE ANDERSONS AND THE HATCHERS MORNING.
Along the ragged line of ISLANDERS who have come out to watch the lighthouse go down, CAL and ALEX are calling for GEORGE KIRBY, JACK and BUSTER are calling for ANGELA, DAVEY HOPEWELL is calling for MRS. KINGSBURY, and a couple of other folks are calling for BILL the real name of MR. E-Z PUMP, one assumes.
A kind of sick realization is dawning on MIKE'S face. He looks at HATCH and sees much the same look there. MIKE sets RALPHIE down and turns to the ragged line of ISLANDERS.
MIKE Back inside! Everyone back inside!
MOLLY Mike, what's wrong?
f
MIKE ignores her. He begins RUNNING down the line of ISLANDERS, looking frantic.
MIKE Inside! Everybody! Now! And stay together!
His fear communicates itself to the ISLANDERS, who begin to turn and go inside. ROBBIE