SCOTTIE (Suddenly walking) Where are you going? And he races to the car and leans in the window. She watches him, open-mouthed, as he crosses the sidewalk. Then: MADELEINE I dont know. SCOTTIE Shopping? MADELEINE No. SCOTTIE Well... anywhere in particular? MADELEINE No, I Just thought Id wander. SCOTTIE Ah. (Then) Thats what I was going to do. MADELEINE Oh, yes, I forgot: Its your occupation, isnt it? And she waits with a small smile. SCOTTIE Dont you think its sort of a waste for the two of us to... MADELEINE Wander separately? Ah, but only one is a wanderer. Two, together, are always going somewhere. SCOTTIE No... no, I dont think thats necessarily true. And now he waits, hopefully. MADELEINE (With a smiling nod) You left your door open. He turns his head, startled and annoyed, than makes a dash for the door. As he goes, he turns his head to call back to her. SCOTTIE Dont move! And he hurries on to the door. She watches him go, and we are close on her face to see her genuine amusement, and then the laughter fades a little, and a troubled look comes into her eyes, a touch of concern. Madeleine is at the wheel, her eyes intent on the road, a sort, happy smile on her lips. Scottie is at her side, relaxed. He keeps looking at her as often as he can without seeming obvious. SCOTTIE (Finally) Do you know where youre going? MADELEINE Of course not! Im a wanderer! (Pause. Then brightly) Id like to go somewhere Ive never been! SCOTTIE How can you be sure? MADELEINE If Ive been there? Thats silly! Either youve been to a place or you havent. She flashes a quick smile of innocence at him, then returns her eyes to the road. He looks at her profile, wondering. The car turns a bend and approaches dark woods and moves into the blackness and is swallowed up. MADELEINE How old? SCOTTIE Oh... some, two thousand years, or more. MADELEINE The oldest living things? Scottie nods and watches her, wondering, as she looks about thoughtfully. SCOTTIE Youve never been here before. She shakes her head, lost in thought as she lets her gaze wander among the trees. SCOTTIE What are you thinking? MADELEINE (Searching) Of all the people who have been born... and have died... while the trees went on living. SCOTTIE (Agreeing) Their true name is Sequoia Sempervirens: always green, ever- living. MADELEINE (Flatly) I dont like them. SCOTTIE Why? MADELEINE (Simply) Knowing I have to die... She looks up at him with a shy, embarrassed smile. Then, seeing the wandering look in his eyes, she brightens quickly. MADELEINE But I like the stream! Its a lovely stream! She leaves him and moves quickly out onto the bridge and loans on the railing to watch the water rippling below. And then, as he approaches her, she turns and looks at him, wide- eyed. MADELEINE But it makes no sound! Listen! She listens intensely for a long moment, and looks at him anxiously. MADELEINE Do you hear anything? SCOTTIE (Shaking his head) Only silence. Its always like this. MADELEINE (Wondering) And no birds sing. SCOTTIE No birds live here. MADELEINE No. She turns away with gentle, somber, self-contained wonder, and they cross back to the path in silence, and wander on along the path in silence. We watch them move away in the distance, disappear behind a tree, then come into view again, and now there comes into view the cross-section of a redwood tree that is on exhibit, with certain of its rings marked to show what it has lived through, and they approach it. We see the two profiles: Madeleine staring at the tree, Scottie staring at Madeleine. She raises one gloved hand and almost idly begins to trace a finger up along the white line that is marked: 1776 DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. And as the hand moves a little to the left, Madeleine begins to speak, almost vacantly, oblivious of all but this piece of tree, and herself. MADELEINE Somewhere in here I was born... and here I died and it was only a moment for you... you took no notice… SCOTTIE (Almost sharply) Madeleine! She turns her head to him, only now aware of his presence, and stares at him without expression. Then slowly she turns and walks away, and he watches her, wondering anxiously, trying to put things together in his mind. Madeleine walks on until she disappears behind one of the distant redwoods. Madeleine leaning against the tree. Her eyes are closed and she is breathing heavily. In the background we see Scottie approaching her. Scottie moves over, watching her. Madeleine is no longer there. She seems to have disappeared. Scottie comes forward, to get a better view of where Madeleine went. There is no sign of Madeleine whatsoever. Shes leaning against a tree with her head bent back. Scottie comes to a stop as he sees her. SCOTTIE (Gently) Madeleine... She opens her eyes slowly, and looks at him, recognizing him, and yet not quite, as though she were slightly hypnotized. Scottie speaks gently. SCOTTIE Where are you now? MADELEINE (Softly, distantly) Here with you. SCOTTIE Where? MADELEINE The tall trees... SCOTTIE Have you been here before? MADELEINE Yes... SCOTTIE When? She shakes her head. SCOTTIE Where were you born? MADELEINE Long ago... SCOTTIE Where? She shakes her head. SCOTTIE When? Her head continues to move back and forth, gently denying. His voice is more positive, now, more urgently demanding. SCOTTIE Tell me. The head moves more rapidly, now, as though denying some inner compulsion. SCOTTIE Madeleine! Tell me! The rapidly moving head stops short, and her eyes open wide, and she cries out: MADELEINE No!... No! SCOTTIE (Low and urgent) Tell me what it is. Where do you go? What takes you away? MADELEINE No, dont ask me! They are both speaking quickly, now, the words cascading without pause. SCOTTIE When you jumped in the bay, you didnt know where you were. You guessed but you didnt know. MADELEINE I didnt jump, I fell! You told me I fell! SCOTTIE Why did you jump? MADELEINE No! SCOTTIE What was it inside that told you to jump? She is fighting it strongly, yet pathetically. MADELEINE No, I cant tell you! SCOTTIE What?! MADELEINE (Strongly) No! Please! Please, please, please, please, dont ask me! And her head drops, and she sags, and Scottie stands quietly watching her, knowing he can push it no further. MADELEINE (Softly, tired) Take me away from here? SCOTTIE Home? MADELEINE ...somewhere in the light. He takes her arm. She looks up at him with a tired smile. MADELEINE And promise you wont ask me again. Please promise me that. He looks down at her somberly, promising and refusing nothing. They start walking, holding together, and the two figures become small in the distance, moving away through the tall trees.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 03:12:30 +0000
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