TOWN HALL'S MAKESHIFT DAY-CARE AREA AFTERNOON.
SOUND, MUFFLED: THE HORN CONTINUES.
The KIDS have finished picking up and don't really know what to do with themselves now. No one has noticed that RALPHIE ANDERSON isn't among them. SANDRA has gotten CAT quieted down and now looks restless herself. CAT sees this and offers SANDRA a wan smile and a pat on the arm.
CAT I'm okay. Go on up. Find your husband and little boy.
SANDRA But ... the kids . . .
CAT gets up and approaches them. SANDRA watches apprehensively. This is the young woman who beat her boyfriend to death not long ago.
CAT
Who wants to play Giant Step?
HEIDI
Yeah!
CHAPTER 24
SALLY GODSOE Me! Yayy, I do!
The kids start to line up, facing CAT. Only BUSTER CARVER lags.
BUSTER Where's my mommy?
SANDRA
I'll just peek and see if she's upstairs, shall I? Or your daddy?
BUSTER
Yes, please, Missus Beals.
STORM OF THE CENTURY 261
PIPPA
And send Don down! He always forgets to say "May I"!
The others laugh gleefully, including BUSTER.
FRANK
(takes BUSTER'S arm) Come on, you play next to me we'll be partners.
BUSTER
(starts, then stops) Where's Ralphie?
There's a moment of nervousness as they all look around and realize RALPHIE isn't there. CAT turns to SANDRA, an eyebrow raised in question.
SANDRA
He probably chased upstairs after Donnie, to see if he could get a doughnut, too. I'll send them both down.
She goes upstairs. The other kids are satisfied with this explanation, except for PIPPA, who's looking around with a frown.
PIPPA
He didn't go upstairs with Donnie Beals ... at least I don't think he did . . .
UPTON BELL conies over, grinning like the amiable fool he is.
SALLY GODSOE Who's blowing that horn, Mr. Bell?
UPTON
Someone tryin' to call the snowbirds, I guess.
FRANK
What're snowbirds?
UPTON
You never heard of snowbirds?
262 STEPHEN KING
KIDS
No ... no ... What are they? . . . Tell us!
(etc.)
UPTON
Oh, big as refrigerators, they are, white as snow and tasty as the devil . . . but they only fly around when there's a big blizzard. Only time there's wind enough to give 'em the lift. To them a horn's just like a birdcall, but they're cussed hard to catch, just the same. Can I play, too?
KIDS
Yeah! Yeah, all right!
(etc.)
PIPPA has been looking around for RALPHIE, but now she joins in, distracted from her concern by her delight at having a grown-up who's willing to play the game with them.
CAT
Get right in line, Upton Bell. Just don't be smart and don't forget to say, "May I." Now here we go. Frank Bright, take two helicopter steps.
FRANK takes two steps forward, whirling around, flapping his arms and making HELICOPTER SOUNDS.
KIDS
You forgot to say, "May I"!
Grinning, shamefaced, FRANK goes back. THE CAMERA moves away from the game to the closed door marked CUSTODIAN.
6 INTERIOR: THE TOWN MEETING HALL AFTERNOON. SOUND, MUFFLED: THE HORN CONTINUES.
In the foreground we see MOLLY ANDERSON sitting beside JACK CARVER on one of those hard meeting benches, trying to soothe him. In the background, at the rear of the long room, is the buffet, where people are coming and going, getting coffee and snacks. Some look toward MOLLY and JACK, troubled and sympathetic, but not ROBBIE
STORM OF THE CENTURY 263
DEALS and his son, DON. They are eating doughnuts with a remarkable lack of concern. ROBBIE has coffee; DON is slurping a Coke.
JACK I got to find her!
He makes an effort to rise, and MOLLY puts a hand on his arm, holding him where he is for the time being.
MOLLY You know what it's like out there.
11 She could be wandering around, freezing to death in a whiteout fifty yards from the building!
MOLLY
And if you go out there, you'll be lost, too. If they're there, they'll come to the horn. Same as in a fog, at sea. You know that.
JACK I'll go out spell Ferd.
MOLLY Hatch said
Alton Hatcher can't tell me what to do that's my wife out there!
She can't stop him this time, so she gets up with him. Behind them, SANDRA comes in from the town office area, looks around, spots her husband and son.
MOLLY
Go to the truck, then, but just to the truck. Don't go wandering off on your own.
But JACK can promise her no such thing. He's totally distracted. MOLLY watches sadly as he goes up the aisle, then follows herself. SANDRA, meanwhile, is looking around. She doesn't see MOLLY yet.
264 STEPHEN KING
SANDRA (to DON) Where's Ralphie?
DON
(munching his doughnut) I dunno. !
SANDRA
But didn't he come upstairs with you?
MOLLY is in time to hear this and is of course immediately concerned.
DON
Nah, he 'us pickin up with the rest of