ON BEALS, meanwhile, is employing a more masterful approach with SANDRA.

240 STEPHEN KING

DON

Put my coat on! I wanna go out! Hurry up, you slowpoke!

MOLLY

(to RALPHIE) Oh ... all right.

(to MELINDA) Hey, I want to see, too.

(to RALPHIE) Come on, Ralphie, let's find your coat.

Most of the other parents LINDA ST. PIERRE, CARLA BRIGHT, JACK CARVER, JILL ROBICHAUX are doing the same. URSULA GODSOE, however, is resisting SALLY'S imploring.

URSULA Mommy can't, honey she's too tired. I'm sorry.

SALLY Daddy will take me . . . Where's Daddy?

URSULA can't think of an answer and is on the verge of tears. The other ladies who overhear are melting with sympathy. SALLY doesn't know yet that her father is dead.

JENNA FREEMAN I'll take you out, hon. If it's okay with your mom.

URSULA nods gratefully.

239 EXTERIOR: THE SIDE LAWN OF THE TOWN HALL MORNING.

About seventy ISLAND RESIDENTS are clustered in a loose line, all standing with their backs to us, all looking toward the ocean. The PARENTS come from the side door, either carrying young, bundled-up children or leading them by the hand. They occasionally sink hip deep in the new snow and have to help each other out of the drifts. There is some LAUGHTER; the excitement has helped to stir them out of their post-dream introspection.

In the foreground, the black barrel of a CANE comes down, burying itself in the snow.

STORM OF THE CENTURY 241

240 EXTERIOR: THE REAR OF THE TOWN HALL MORNING.

LINOGE is standing here, watching the townsfolk through the heavy snow. They don't see him, because their backs are turned.

241 EXTERIOR: HEADLAND AND LIGHTHOUSE, FROM THE TOWN HALL'S POINT OF VIEW MORNING.

From here, the lighthouse is almost obscured by the snow . . . from time to time it will be obscured . . . but right now we can see both it and the GIANT WAVES surging around it.

242 EXTERIOR: MIKE AND HATCH MORNING.

HATCH

Is it gonna go, Mike?

MOLLY and MELINDA, accompanied by RALPH and PIPPA, join their husbands. MIKE bends to pick up RALPHIE without taking his eyes off the lighthouse.

MIKE I think it is.

243 EXTERIOR: HEADLAND AND LIGHTHOUSE, FROM THE TOWN HALL'S POINT OF VIEW.

A huge wave smacks the headland and surges around the lighthouse. Then the WIND HOWLS, the SNOW THICKENS, and the lighthouse is hardly there, only a dim white ghost in the swirling snow.

244 INTERIOR: THE LIGHTHOUSE CONTROL ROOM.

Water POURS IN through the shattered windows and inundates the electronic gear. Sparks fly; the computers SHORT OUT.

245 EXTERIOR: HEADLAND AND LIGHTHOUSE, FROM THE TOWN HALL'S POINT OF VIEW.

Except we really can't see much at all now except for a couple of houses and some ghostly trees down the hill from where the people stand. The snow has thickened and the wind is swirling it up, creating WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS.

242 STEPHEN KING

246 EXTERIOR: THE TOWNSFOLK, A PANNING SHOT MORNING.

We see the little family groups and clusters of friends (SONNY and UPTON BELL are together; KIRK and his younger sister, JENNA accompanied by little SALLY GODSOE are standing near the BEALSES), but some folks stand a bit apart from the others. Behind them all, the snow provides a SHIFTING WHITE BACKDROP. The town hall itself is only a pink shadow.

As we PAN:

KIRK

I can't see a thing!

FERD ANDREWS

It's a damn whiteout!

DON BEALS Daddy, where's the lighthouse?

ROBBIE (to DON) Wait for the wind to drop, honey.

DON

Make it drop now!

DAVEY HOPEWELL

(to MRS. KINGSBURY) Look! There's the light, just coming around! It's still there!

247 INTERIOR: LOOKING INTO THE WHITEOUT, FROM THE ISLANDERS' POINT OF VIEW MORNING.

In all that swirling snow, the SEARCHLIGHT gleams fitfully, brightens, then revolves out of sight again. As it does, we begin to see the headland once more.

248 EXTERIOR: RESUME PANNING TOWNSPEOPLE MORNING.

HATCH

It's lifting!

STORM OF THE CENTURY 243

MRS. KINGSBURY is standing to the left of the HOPEWELLS, her RED HUNTING CAP now turned around so the bill faces front. BRIGHT YELLOW GLOVES (LINOGE must have had another pair of 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 comes over to MIKE.

STORM OF THE CENTURY 247 ROBBIE

What the hell's this?

MIKE

Maybe nothing. For now, just go inside. Take your wife and your boy and go inside.

As he gets ROBBIE turned around and begins shepherding him back to SANDRA and DON, JACK CARVER comes floundering up through the snow, holding BUSTER.

(now beginning to be afraid) Michael, have you seen Angela? She was right here.

ROBBIE begins to understand. He goes to SANDRA and BUSTER, suddenly not wanting them out of his sight.

MIKE Take your boy on inside, Jack.

JACK But

MIKE Go on, now. Do it.

260 EXTERIOR: HATCH, ON THE SNOWFIELD BESIDE THE TOWN HALL.

Around him, people are hurrying back to the side door. Most look fearful. HATCH ignores them, trying to look everywhere at once ... an impossible trick, given the thick snow.

HATCH

Mrs. Kingsbury? . . . George? . . . George Kirby? . . . Bill Timmons, where you at?

He sees a BRIGHT SPLASH OF RED and goes to it. He picks up MRS. KINGSBURY'S hat, dusts the snow from it with his gloved hand, and looks at it gravely as MIKE comes up to him, herding people along. MIKE'S eyes also move everywhere. They are shepherds trying to guard a diminishing flock.

248 STEPHEN KING

MIKE takes the hat from HATCH and looks at it for a moment.

MIKE

Inside! Inside now! Stick together!

261 INTERIOR: THE TOWN MEETING HALL, FEATURES JACK AND BUSTER.

BUSTER

Where's Mommy? We left Mommy outside! Daddy, we left Mommy outside!

(beginning to cry) Come on, big boy. Mommy's fine.

He almost drags BUSTER up the aisle and toward the door leading to the town office and the stairs.

262 INTERIOR: MONTAGE OF ISLANDERS, MEETING HALL MORNING.

They shuffle up the aisles MOLLY and RALPHIE, the STANHOPES, JOHNNY HARRIMAN, TAVIA GODSOE, KIRK and JENNA FREEMAN, all our new acquaintances and every face is stamped with fear.

DISSOLVES TO:

263 EXTERIOR: THE TOWN HALL AFTERNOON.

TITLE CARD: 2:00 P.M.

The snow is still SWIRLING DOWN, and the WIND is still HOWLING. Parked by the side door is the biggest Sno-Cat on the island, its engine idling.

264 EXTERIOR: THE TOWN HALL'S SIDE DOOR, CLOSER AFTERNOON.

Bundled up in the doorway are MIKE, SONNY, HENRY BRIGHT, and KIRK FREEMAN. There to see them off, clutching sweaters against the chill, are MOLLY, HATCH, and TESS MARCHANT. Once again, they all shout to be heard over the storm.

MOLLY

Are you sure this is necessary?

STORM OF THE CENTURY 249

MIKE

No but we're fresh out of weather forecasts, and it's best to be safe. Besides, there's stuff at the market that'll just go over if we don't use it.

MOLLY Fresh orange juice isn't worth risking that psychopath!

MIKE

He's not going to take on four of us.

MOLLY

Promise me you'll be careful.

MIKE I promise.

(shifts his attention to HATCH) Buddy system, right? No one gets left alone.

HATCH Right. Be careful, you guys.

SONNY

You better believe it.

As they turn away toward the Sno-Cat:

MOLLY

Mike . . . since the house is right on your way . . .

She stops, a little embarrassed to ask what has come to her mind, but his eyes are kind and encourage her.

MOLLY

Well . . . the kids are being as good as they can, but if you could just maybe grab a handful of games and two or three boxes of Slip-Stix or something, it'd be a lifesaver.

MIKE

(kisses her on the cheek) Consider it done.

250 STEPHEN KING

He goes to the Sno-Cat and slides behind the controls. He guns the engine. They all wave, and the Sno-Cat buzzes away into the storm.

Will they be all right?