don't know . . . but their eyes . . . oh, God, there's nothing there.
38 INTERIOR: MELINDA AND PIPPA, CLOSE-UP.
CAT is right PIPPA'S eyes are scary in their emptiness, and although her mother shakes her harder and harder this is panic, not anger there is no result.
MELINDA
Pippa, wake up! Wake up!
She tries chafing PIPPA'S hands. No result. She looks around wildly.
MELINDA All of you, wake up!
39 INTERIOR: RALPHIE, CLOSE-UP.
His head turns a little, and the life comes back into his eyes. He smiles. It's almost as if he's heard her and is responding . . . except he's not even looking in MELINDA'S direction.
RALPHIE Look!
288 STEPHEN KING
He points toward the shelf with the bag of marbles on it.
40 INTERIOR: THE BASEMENT DAY-CARE CENTER LATE AFTERNOON.
Everyone looks. The KIDS light up, just as RALPHIE did. What are they looking at that pleases them so? The marbles? No, that doesn't seem to be it. Their eyes are fixed a little lower . . . but there's nothing there.
HEIDI
(delighted) It's got a doggy head! A silver doggy head! How cool!
CAT suddenly understands and is horrified.
CAT
(to KIRK) Go get Mike.
JOANNA STANHOPE I don't understand what
CAT Right now.
KIRK turns and does what she says, dropping the games and puzzles heedlessly on the stairs.
41 INTERIOR: DON REALS, CLOSE-UP.
DON
A doggy head! Yeah!
42 INTERIOR: THE SHELF, FROM DON'S POINT OF VIEW.
Hanging from the shelf is LINOGE'S cane. The SILVER SNARLING WOLF'S HEAD is now a FRIENDLY, GRINNING SAINT BERNARD.
43 INTERIOR: RESUME THE CIRCLE OF KIDS.
MELINDA still kneels in front of PIPPA, but PIPPA is looking over her head, like the others.
STORM OF THE CENTURY 289
PIPPA
A doggy! A doggy!
Bewildered and afraid, MELINDA turns to look. Nothing there.
44 INTERIOR: THE TOWN MEETING HALL LATE AFTERNOON.
MIKE is just getting up from the stage. The interview with ANGELA is over.
f.
MIKE (to JACK)
Why don't you see if you can get her to lie down for a little while?
JACK That's a good
KIRK comes bursting through the clustered ISLANDERS.
KIRK Mike! Mike, there's somethin' wrong with the kids!
FRIGHTENED MURMURS from the ISLANDERS ... but some do more than just MURMUR JILL and ANDY, MIKE and MOLLY, ROBBIE and SANDY, the BRIGHTS, HATCH, URSULA ... the parents BOLT FOR THE STAIRS.
ANGIE
(as if waking up) Buster? Is something wrong with Buster? Buster! Buster!
She is up in a flash, knocking the cup of broth from JACK'S HAND.
JACK Honey, wait
ANGIE
(ignores him) Buster!
290 STEPHEN KING
45 INTERIOR: BUSTER, CLOSE-UP.
He breaks from the circle and runs to the shelf, where the cane hangs by the crook of its neck. He touches it ... and crumples to the floor as if shot.
46 INTERIOR: THE DAY-CARE AREA, WIDER LATE AFTERNOON.
The rest of the children follow BUSTER'S lead. They are laughing and excited, like kids who have just been given free all-day passes to Disneyland. They reach out to thin air ... or to something only they can see ... and one by one CRUMPLE TO THE FLOOR, joining BUSTER.
CAT
No! Don't let them
A gaggle of FRIGHTENED PARENTS, led by JILL and ANDY, appear at the head of the stairs.
ROBBIE
Get out of my way!
He shoves JILL aside would have knocked her right downstairs, if not for ANDY'S last-second grab and goes pelting down to the basement.
CAT ignores all this and runs across the room. HARRY ROBICHAUX touches thin air and falls down with the others. Now there's only RALPHIE ANDERSON and PIPPA, who is back where the circle was. PIPPA is struggling in her mother's grip. CAT grabs RALPHIE and pulls him back as he reaches up to touch . . . well, to touch whatever it is he sees.
PIPPA
Let me go! Wanna see doggy! Wanna see DOGGY!!
47 INTERIOR: CAT AND RALPHIE, CLOSE-UP.
CAT doesn't see the cane hanging down from the shelf, but in this shot we do ... and RALPHIE does, too. He reaches for it ... almost touches it ... and CAT pulls him back out of reach.
CAT
Ralphie, what do you see?
STORM OF THE CENTURY 291
RALPHIE
(struggling wildly) Let me go! Let me go!
He reaches again . . . CAT pulls him back again . . . and then ROBBIE BEALS comes cannonading into her, wanting only to reach DON, who is lying in the pile of tangled limbs with his eyes closed and doughnut crumbs still on his mouth. CAT, meanwhile, loses her grip on RALPHIE and goes sprawling.
ROBBIE
(to his knees) Donnie!
RALPHIE is free. He lunges forward and touches the cane. For a moment we see a DEEP AND PERFECT BLISS on his face.
RALPHIE
Neat!
His eyes roll up to whites, and he sprawls with