Boulder Junction
Content
Boulder Junction
FADE IN: 1998 1 INT. HOUSE - KITCHEN MORNING 1
NORA HAYES, 28, sits alone at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee. She wears a light colored robe over a t-shirt and pajama bottoms with her hair pulled back into a bun. The kitchen is spotless. She nudges her engagement ring back and forth with her thumb. The wedding ring beside it is a smaller, less extravagant band. She lifts a postcard from the table in front of her, revealing the typewritten message: INSERT "Dear Ms. Peterson, With this message we deliver our deepest condolences for the loss of your father. His instructions leave you with the option of inheriting his property. Please notify the Vilas County Common Council before the date of October 1, 1998 with your decision. I hope this message finds you well. Sincerely, John Clark, Fire Chief Boulder Junction Volunteer Fire Dept." RESUME Nora sits unblinking at the table. We hear a long soft beep from the washing machine in the next room. 2 INT. HOUSE - LAUNDRY ROOM/KITCHEN CONTINUOUS 2
Nora takes the dry laundry out. She walks the laundry to the sun room for ironing. She hangs his perfect button down shirts in the closet, leaving one on the hook inside the closet door. Nora rations food into plastic containers.
2.
She places a container on a shelf in the refrigerator, completing the neat column of dishes labeled for each day of the week. 3 EXT. CAR DEALERSHIP MORNING 3
Nora pulls in and puts the car in park. 4 EXT. CAR DEALERSHIP DAY 4
A CAR SALESMAN stands by as Nora loads her luggage into a different car, a used car, clearly much less expensive yet much more practical than the one she arrived in. Nora shuts the trunk. The salesman gives her the keys.
CAR SALESMAN (with a wave) Have a safe trip, now. Nora raises a hand goodbye as she opens the driver side door. 5 INT. HOUSE - KITCHEN AFTERNOON 5
JACKSON HAYES, 30, enters the kitchen. He walks up to the island and examines the only object on the clean surface. Her wedding ring rests on top of an advertisement for home cleaning/chef services cut out from the newspaper. Note reads: NORA (V.O.) Don’t worry Jackson, it’ll be like I never left. He picks up the advertisement. NORA (V.O.) (continuing) She starts next week. the fridge.
Dinner’s in
Jackson turns the note over and back again as it reveals nothing more. He stands in silence, his expression a slight frown as he peers down at the scrap of paper; bemused but not surprised.
3. 6 INT./EXT. CAR - BOULDER JUNCTION AFTERNOON 6
Nora drives down a highway lined with pines and the occasional "deer warning" sign. The only car on the road, she slows as she comes into town. She looks over the dash at the passing "Welcome to Boulder Junction" painted carved wood sign. Through the car window, we see the passing storefronts, accompanied by life-size wood carvings of bears and other wildlife. 7 EXT. THE HOMESTEAD - BOULDER JUNCTION AFTERNOON 7
Nora gets out of the car parked on the dirt and gravel parking lot in front of The Homestead, a cabin encrusted with handmade nature-inspired decor. 8 INT. THE HOMESTEAD - BOULDER JUNCTION AFTERNOON 8
Nora enters the shop through the screen door. The interior is lined with warm wood tables and shelves, every inch occupied by hand-carved, hand-painted ornaments, lamps, furniture, picture frames and fishing lures. WILL, 65, peeks out from behind the clattered counter. makes her way over to him. NORA Hi. WILL Hey, how are ya? NORA (pulls the postcard from her pocket) I’m looking for Will uh, William Baker? WILL I’m Will, what can we do ya for? NORA Hi. Uh the fire chief told me you knew my father? Samuel Peterson? WILL I knew Sam. You’d be Nora, then. Nora stands silently, uncertain how Will is going to react. Nora
4. WILL (continuing) Haven’t seen you since you were a little thing. But I know you, your mother. This whole town keeps her memory alive. Will nods to a framed photograph of a woman on a hiking trail holding a baby. Nora turns to see the picture, then back again. NORA (quietly) Thank you. WILL What’re ya doin’ in town? NORA (leaning against the counter, more comfortable now) I actually came by to see if you needed any help around here. I have some money but if I decide to say I’ll be looking for a job in town. WILL Well we’re closin’ up for the winter season in a month or so, but The Outdoorsman is open year-round. They’re always lookin’ for people to stay past summer. NORA Okay. (beat) D’you know where I could maybe find a telephone? We didn’t have one at the cabin. I reckon we still don’t. WILL You got that right, Sam didn’t do too much talkin’ to anybody. There’s a phone at the Post Office. NORA (backs away from the counter) Thanks. Nora heads for the door, slowing as she looks back at Will.
5.
WILL You’ll come by if you need anything. NORA Sure thing. She turns to leave. 9 EXT. CABIN - SUMMER AFTERNOON 9
Nora drives steadily down the steep driveway, the car rocking side to side with every bump in the rocky sand and soil. 10 EXT. CABIN - SUMMER CONTINUOUS 10
Nora lifts the welcome sign next to the door, retrieving the house key from its hiding place. 11 INT. CABIN - SUMMER CONTINUOUS 11
Nora unlocks the door and steps into the hallway. She stops and heaves a sigh, taking in the smells of her home. She walks into the living room, turning on lights, a lamp. The furniture pieces are covered with cloth and the thick air proves their function. She cracks a window. She walks over to the open door of the master bedroom. The curtains have been left open, and what’s left of the day’s sunlight streams in through the pines outside the large bedroom windows. She finds a knit sweater in the bottom dresser drawer and puts it on. 12 INT. CABIN - PORCH NIGHT 12
Nora sits at a small wooden table on the porch by candle light. The moon decorates the dark lake.
6.
13
EXT. CABIN - SUMMER
SUNRISE
13
Steam hangs over the still water. We see a few details about the place: wildlife, trees, an old lunch bell hanging in the screened-in porch, the fallen birch tree steps down to the lake. Nora turns over a beached canoe, emptying accumulated rainwater. She walks out onto the pier, looking out at the calm lake surrounded by trees. She absorbs the silence, disrupted by a sudden echoing chuckle. A splash from across the lake and she reacts, turning toward the sound. A quarter-mile down the shoreline, we see two people at the only other pier on the lake. One sits in a rowboat, the other stands by on the edge. Both wave above their heads to Nora. Nora squints back at them, raising an absent arm above her head in response. The man on the pier gets into the rowboat and they make their way toward her from across the lake. MIKE Gosh, we haven’t seen you since -PAT I think you were eight? MICHAEL, 50, and PATRICIA NELSON, 50, drift about twenty feet from Nora’s place at the end of the pier. NORA Yeah, my Dad he uh, he thought boarding school would be better than hanging around here with him. MIKE We heard about the accident. All those years ago. ’Course we’re only here in the summer, but your Dad told us what happened and he said you might not be coming back. PAT How old are you now, twenty-five, twenty-six?
7.
NORA Twenty-eight. PAT It’s been twenty years! NORA Guess so. MIKE And are you taking over here now, for Sam? NORA I guess so. PAT Didn’t bring anyone with you? NORA Nope. PAT Well, you’re welcome to come by, anytime you like. Summer’s almost over, but we’ll be around a little while longer. NORA Thanks. Pat and Mike start to row away from the pier. PAT Sure you’re all right? MIKE Oh, she can handle herself. She’s Sam’s girl after all. (beat) Shouldn’t spend too much time here alone, though. (beat) Don’t be like your old man. Get yourself into town once in a while. Mike chuckles as he rows.
8.
14
INT. CABIN - KITCHEN
EVENING
14
Nora washes the pots and pans after cooking herself dinner. She steadies herself against the sink, uneasy. She lurches forward, holding in a gulp, then gives in and vomits into the sink. 15 INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE - BOULDER JUNCTION MORNING 15
DOCTOR WEISMAN, 54, stands at the counter shuffling paperwork. Nora enters the room holding an examination cup with her urine sample in it. She sets it on the counter next to the doctor. DOCTOR Is there any chance you could be pregnant, Nora? NORA (taking her seat) It’s possible, I’ve only been here a week. DOCTOR Okay well we’ll know for sure soon enough. Just hang tight. Doctor Weisman exits. 16 EXT. CABIN - FALL DAY 16
Shots of the trees on the lake at their peak colors. Nora paddles the canoe across the impossibly still lake, all of the earth’s colors reflected at the water’s edge. She walks along the shoreline by the pier, collecting odd-looking pieces of driftwood. Nora stands on the roof, sweeping off fallen leaves and dead pine needles with a push broom. 17 EXT. CABIN - WINTER AFTERNOON 17
Shots of the snow-covered land.
9. 18 INT. CABIN - WINTER EVENING Her stomach is noticeably 18
Nora makes tea in the kitchen. larger. 19
INT. THE OUTDOORSMAN - BOULDER JUNCTION
MORNING
19
Nora brings breakfast out to a table. She makes her way through the restaurant and we get a good look at the interior. Paintings and photographs of wildlife and landscapes run along the walls, mixed in with sconces and mounted antlers. 20 INT. CABIN - WINTER EVENING 20
The living room windows are fogged around the edges. A more obviously pregnant Nora heads straight for the chair next to the fireplace. 21 INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE - WINTER Nora stands on a scale. NORA You have some nice artwork in here. The doctor double checks her weight and jots down notes on her chart. DOCTOR Thank you. Nora steps off the scale and takes a seat. DOCTOR (continuing) I believe that one above the doorway is your mother’s. Nora looks up at the long piece of driftwood. INSERT The driftwood is horizontally placed above the doorway. It depicts a woman’s smiling, colorful face and flowing hair across it. RESUME Nora furrows her brow, then softens her expression. MORNING 21
10.
NORA I remember. Yeah she, liked to collect it, at the lake. I remember. DOCTOR (looks down at the chart) Well, you’ve had a very healthy pregnancy so far so let’s keep it up. Here’s a list of books you can find at the library down the street, all the traditional "what to expect". (hands her the list) I am a bit concerned about you staying at that lake all alone with no phone. It’s dangerous. NORA The Nelsons will be here when the baby comes in May. There’s a phone at their place and I know where they hide the key. DOCTOR All right. I’ll see you in two weeks. And Nora? Take care. 22 INT. CABIN - WINTER DAY 22
Nora’s collection of oddly-shaped driftwood pieces are displayed across a shelf in the living room. She picks one of them up and examines it. She walks the driftwood over to the kitchen table, takes a seat and sets it down in front of her. Nora looks at it for a moment with her head tilted to one side. She turns it over and studies the other side. She grabs a pencil from a nearby shelf. She picks up the piece of driftwood, turns it vertically and draws the profile of an elongated face onto it. 23 INT. CABIN - WINTER MORNING 23
Nora sits at the kitchen table with a set of paints, water cups, brushes and driftwood pieces lie to one side, unpainted. Two finished pieces sit propped up, drying. She works diligently on a third.
11.
24
EXT. ROAD - MAILBOXES - SPRING
DAY
24
Nora drives up the gravel road and stops before a short line of mailboxes. She puts the flag down on one of them and retrieves a single postcard. She reads it on the spot. PAT (V.O.) So happy to hear about the baby. Of course we’ll help in any way we can. You tell doctor Wiesman to send us instructions and we’ll follow your lead. Nora turns the postcard over in her hand to reveal an illustrated wildlife scene on the other side. 25 INT. CABIN - SPRING DAY 25 There is
Nora sits in her chair by the fireplace, reading. a knock on the back door. Nora reacts.
Nora opens the back door to find CATHY, 45, standing with a batch of cookies and tea. NORA Oh hi, Cathy! CATHY We’ve been missin’ you at work and we wanted to do something for ya, so here you are. Fresh cookies, oatmeal raisin, and tea. NORA Thank you, Cathy. That’s very thoughtful. Come in, come in. Cathy steps into the cabin, shutting the door behind her. 26 EXT. LAKE - SPRING SUNSET 26
Cathy paddles quietly with Nora in the canoe.
12.
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EXT. CABIN - SPRING
SUNRISE
27
The land is wet and the trees drip with morning dew. We hear an aching cry from inside the cabin. 28 INT. CABIN - MASTER BEDROOM/LIVING ROOM MORNING 28
Nora takes careful steps through the bedroom door and wattles into the living room toward the porch. She stops, hunching over slightly, and her water breaks. She straightens up and marches on to the porch, taking mechanical breaths. 29 INT. CABIN - PORCH MORNING 29
Nora carefully takes her seat next to the door and rings the lunch bell, continuing steady breaths. 30 INT. CABIN - SPRING - WOODS MORNING 30
Pat Nelson runs excitedly from across the woods. Mike Nelson quickly reels in his fishing rod and rows eagerly toward Nora’s pier. Pat opens the screen door to the porch and steps inside. Mike runs up the pier in the background. 31 INT. CABIN - PORCH MORNING 31
Pat kneels next to Nora. NORA Water broke. PAT Okay. Here. We’re gonna stand up.... Nora takes Pat’s arm. Pat walks her across the porch to the round shallow pool they have set up. Mike enters and helps steady Nora on her other side as she steps into the pool. Nora sits with Mike supporting her back as they wait. suddenly begins to experience the pain. She
13. With a last push, the baby is out. Nora catches him, raising him quickly out of the water and bringing him to her chest. FADE TO BLACK 32 INT. CABIN - KITCHEN MORNING 32
Nora cooks herself breakfast while LUCAS, 2, eats with his hands in his high chair. Nora tries to get his attention as she takes his picture with an instant camera. The picture pops out and she sets the camera down on the counter. She turns her back to him and flips an omelette on the stove. Lucas pulls the cover off his juice cup and drenches himself in it as he tries to drink without the lid. He deliberately throws the cup to the ground. Nora reacts to the crashing sound and slips in the juice when she spins around. Lucas sees her fall and laughs. NORA Ha . . . Mommy fell . . . Lucas squeals with laughter as Nora gets her bearings. She too is covered in orange juice. She stands and steps around the puddle. NORA (continuing) It’s only funny because Mommy didn’t get hurt. ’Cause it’s a long way to the hospital. Come ’ere. She plucks him from his high chair and heads down the hall. 33 EXT. ROAD - MAILBOXES - SUMMER DAY 33
Nora drives up the gravel road with Cathy in the passenger seat and Lucas asleep in his car seat behind them. She slows as they approach the short line of mailboxes. NORA I have mail. She pulls the car over and Cathy watches her get out and walk deliberately up to the mailbox.
14.
Nora retrieves an envelope. The return address is from a law firm. She tears it open and unfolds the packet of papers inside. Her eyes soar across the beginning lines of the document. Nora gets into the driver’s seat and shuts the door. sits with the papers in her hand. CATHY (flatly) What. What’s that? NORA Divorce papers. After a beat Nora turns her head to look at Cathy. CATHY (turns to face forward) Oh. 34 INT. CABIN - KITCHEN DAY 34 She
Nora dials on the rotary telephone. She shoulders the receiver as she waits while it rings. JACKSON (O.S.) Hello? Nora reacts. NORA How long have you known I was here? Jackson heaves a sigh. NORA You have a son. Do you know that? You have a son. JACKSON (O.S.) Look, I don’t want any part of that. He’s all yours. You just return the papers, signed and dated. (beat) If you need money, for your son, I can send it.
15.
NORA Money. I’m not your whore anymore. We don’t need . . . (beat, resigned) You’ll get your papers. She drops the receiver onto the hook like balled up paper into a trash bin. 35 EXT. LAKE - SUMMER DAY 35
Nora takes home video as Mike Nelson and LUCAS, 5, get into the row boat to go fishing. 36 EXT. CABIN - FALL SUNSET 36
Nora and Lucas build a fire pit together. 37 INT. CABIN - LUCAS’S ROOM 2008 Lucas runs through the house, passing by the evidences of childhood: a backpack, a baseball glove, Legos on the floor, pictures on his bedroom wall. 38 INT. CABIN - SPRING DAY 38 DAY 37
Nora hangs a photograph in the living room. We hear bare feet quickly approaching down the wood floor of the hallway. LUCAS, 9, storms in wearing swimming trunks and a towel thrown over his shoulder. He zooms past her. NORA Hey hey hey little dude! Lucas wheels around, facing her. NORA (continuing) What did we forget? LUCAS (tips his head in thought) Um . . . NORA (beat) Sunscreen?
16.
Lucas charges back the way he came, returning with a large bottle of sunscreen for kids. Nora takes the bottle from him and he follows her out onto the porch. She takes a seat and puts some sunscreen into his hands. lathers up his arms and belly and she gets his face. NORA Turn please. Lucas turns around as he finishes his legs and she gets his back. NORA (continuing) Okay. Be careful. Lucas bursts through the screen door. NORA (shouting after him) I’ll be right here. LUCAS (while running, shouts back) Oh-Kay! 39 EXT. LAKE - SPRING DAY 39 The scene freezes on FADE TO BLACK. THE END It bangs shut. He
Lucas runs down the pier to the lake. his back, mid-jump over the water.
FADE IN: 1998 1 INT. HOUSE - KITCHEN MORNING 1
NORA HAYES, 28, sits alone at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee. She wears a light colored robe over a t-shirt and pajama bottoms with her hair pulled back into a bun. The kitchen is spotless. She nudges her engagement ring back and forth with her thumb. The wedding ring beside it is a smaller, less extravagant band. She lifts a postcard from the table in front of her, revealing the typewritten message: INSERT "Dear Ms. Peterson, With this message we deliver our deepest condolences for the loss of your father. His instructions leave you with the option of inheriting his property. Please notify the Vilas County Common Council before the date of October 1, 1998 with your decision. I hope this message finds you well. Sincerely, John Clark, Fire Chief Boulder Junction Volunteer Fire Dept." RESUME Nora sits unblinking at the table. We hear a long soft beep from the washing machine in the next room. 2 INT. HOUSE - LAUNDRY ROOM/KITCHEN CONTINUOUS 2
Nora takes the dry laundry out. She walks the laundry to the sun room for ironing. She hangs his perfect button down shirts in the closet, leaving one on the hook inside the closet door. Nora rations food into plastic containers.
2.
She places a container on a shelf in the refrigerator, completing the neat column of dishes labeled for each day of the week. 3 EXT. CAR DEALERSHIP MORNING 3
Nora pulls in and puts the car in park. 4 EXT. CAR DEALERSHIP DAY 4
A CAR SALESMAN stands by as Nora loads her luggage into a different car, a used car, clearly much less expensive yet much more practical than the one she arrived in. Nora shuts the trunk. The salesman gives her the keys.
CAR SALESMAN (with a wave) Have a safe trip, now. Nora raises a hand goodbye as she opens the driver side door. 5 INT. HOUSE - KITCHEN AFTERNOON 5
JACKSON HAYES, 30, enters the kitchen. He walks up to the island and examines the only object on the clean surface. Her wedding ring rests on top of an advertisement for home cleaning/chef services cut out from the newspaper. Note reads: NORA (V.O.) Don’t worry Jackson, it’ll be like I never left. He picks up the advertisement. NORA (V.O.) (continuing) She starts next week. the fridge.
Dinner’s in
Jackson turns the note over and back again as it reveals nothing more. He stands in silence, his expression a slight frown as he peers down at the scrap of paper; bemused but not surprised.
3. 6 INT./EXT. CAR - BOULDER JUNCTION AFTERNOON 6
Nora drives down a highway lined with pines and the occasional "deer warning" sign. The only car on the road, she slows as she comes into town. She looks over the dash at the passing "Welcome to Boulder Junction" painted carved wood sign. Through the car window, we see the passing storefronts, accompanied by life-size wood carvings of bears and other wildlife. 7 EXT. THE HOMESTEAD - BOULDER JUNCTION AFTERNOON 7
Nora gets out of the car parked on the dirt and gravel parking lot in front of The Homestead, a cabin encrusted with handmade nature-inspired decor. 8 INT. THE HOMESTEAD - BOULDER JUNCTION AFTERNOON 8
Nora enters the shop through the screen door. The interior is lined with warm wood tables and shelves, every inch occupied by hand-carved, hand-painted ornaments, lamps, furniture, picture frames and fishing lures. WILL, 65, peeks out from behind the clattered counter. makes her way over to him. NORA Hi. WILL Hey, how are ya? NORA (pulls the postcard from her pocket) I’m looking for Will uh, William Baker? WILL I’m Will, what can we do ya for? NORA Hi. Uh the fire chief told me you knew my father? Samuel Peterson? WILL I knew Sam. You’d be Nora, then. Nora stands silently, uncertain how Will is going to react. Nora
4. WILL (continuing) Haven’t seen you since you were a little thing. But I know you, your mother. This whole town keeps her memory alive. Will nods to a framed photograph of a woman on a hiking trail holding a baby. Nora turns to see the picture, then back again. NORA (quietly) Thank you. WILL What’re ya doin’ in town? NORA (leaning against the counter, more comfortable now) I actually came by to see if you needed any help around here. I have some money but if I decide to say I’ll be looking for a job in town. WILL Well we’re closin’ up for the winter season in a month or so, but The Outdoorsman is open year-round. They’re always lookin’ for people to stay past summer. NORA Okay. (beat) D’you know where I could maybe find a telephone? We didn’t have one at the cabin. I reckon we still don’t. WILL You got that right, Sam didn’t do too much talkin’ to anybody. There’s a phone at the Post Office. NORA (backs away from the counter) Thanks. Nora heads for the door, slowing as she looks back at Will.
5.
WILL You’ll come by if you need anything. NORA Sure thing. She turns to leave. 9 EXT. CABIN - SUMMER AFTERNOON 9
Nora drives steadily down the steep driveway, the car rocking side to side with every bump in the rocky sand and soil. 10 EXT. CABIN - SUMMER CONTINUOUS 10
Nora lifts the welcome sign next to the door, retrieving the house key from its hiding place. 11 INT. CABIN - SUMMER CONTINUOUS 11
Nora unlocks the door and steps into the hallway. She stops and heaves a sigh, taking in the smells of her home. She walks into the living room, turning on lights, a lamp. The furniture pieces are covered with cloth and the thick air proves their function. She cracks a window. She walks over to the open door of the master bedroom. The curtains have been left open, and what’s left of the day’s sunlight streams in through the pines outside the large bedroom windows. She finds a knit sweater in the bottom dresser drawer and puts it on. 12 INT. CABIN - PORCH NIGHT 12
Nora sits at a small wooden table on the porch by candle light. The moon decorates the dark lake.
6.
13
EXT. CABIN - SUMMER
SUNRISE
13
Steam hangs over the still water. We see a few details about the place: wildlife, trees, an old lunch bell hanging in the screened-in porch, the fallen birch tree steps down to the lake. Nora turns over a beached canoe, emptying accumulated rainwater. She walks out onto the pier, looking out at the calm lake surrounded by trees. She absorbs the silence, disrupted by a sudden echoing chuckle. A splash from across the lake and she reacts, turning toward the sound. A quarter-mile down the shoreline, we see two people at the only other pier on the lake. One sits in a rowboat, the other stands by on the edge. Both wave above their heads to Nora. Nora squints back at them, raising an absent arm above her head in response. The man on the pier gets into the rowboat and they make their way toward her from across the lake. MIKE Gosh, we haven’t seen you since -PAT I think you were eight? MICHAEL, 50, and PATRICIA NELSON, 50, drift about twenty feet from Nora’s place at the end of the pier. NORA Yeah, my Dad he uh, he thought boarding school would be better than hanging around here with him. MIKE We heard about the accident. All those years ago. ’Course we’re only here in the summer, but your Dad told us what happened and he said you might not be coming back. PAT How old are you now, twenty-five, twenty-six?
7.
NORA Twenty-eight. PAT It’s been twenty years! NORA Guess so. MIKE And are you taking over here now, for Sam? NORA I guess so. PAT Didn’t bring anyone with you? NORA Nope. PAT Well, you’re welcome to come by, anytime you like. Summer’s almost over, but we’ll be around a little while longer. NORA Thanks. Pat and Mike start to row away from the pier. PAT Sure you’re all right? MIKE Oh, she can handle herself. She’s Sam’s girl after all. (beat) Shouldn’t spend too much time here alone, though. (beat) Don’t be like your old man. Get yourself into town once in a while. Mike chuckles as he rows.
8.
14
INT. CABIN - KITCHEN
EVENING
14
Nora washes the pots and pans after cooking herself dinner. She steadies herself against the sink, uneasy. She lurches forward, holding in a gulp, then gives in and vomits into the sink. 15 INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE - BOULDER JUNCTION MORNING 15
DOCTOR WEISMAN, 54, stands at the counter shuffling paperwork. Nora enters the room holding an examination cup with her urine sample in it. She sets it on the counter next to the doctor. DOCTOR Is there any chance you could be pregnant, Nora? NORA (taking her seat) It’s possible, I’ve only been here a week. DOCTOR Okay well we’ll know for sure soon enough. Just hang tight. Doctor Weisman exits. 16 EXT. CABIN - FALL DAY 16
Shots of the trees on the lake at their peak colors. Nora paddles the canoe across the impossibly still lake, all of the earth’s colors reflected at the water’s edge. She walks along the shoreline by the pier, collecting odd-looking pieces of driftwood. Nora stands on the roof, sweeping off fallen leaves and dead pine needles with a push broom. 17 EXT. CABIN - WINTER AFTERNOON 17
Shots of the snow-covered land.
9. 18 INT. CABIN - WINTER EVENING Her stomach is noticeably 18
Nora makes tea in the kitchen. larger. 19
INT. THE OUTDOORSMAN - BOULDER JUNCTION
MORNING
19
Nora brings breakfast out to a table. She makes her way through the restaurant and we get a good look at the interior. Paintings and photographs of wildlife and landscapes run along the walls, mixed in with sconces and mounted antlers. 20 INT. CABIN - WINTER EVENING 20
The living room windows are fogged around the edges. A more obviously pregnant Nora heads straight for the chair next to the fireplace. 21 INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE - WINTER Nora stands on a scale. NORA You have some nice artwork in here. The doctor double checks her weight and jots down notes on her chart. DOCTOR Thank you. Nora steps off the scale and takes a seat. DOCTOR (continuing) I believe that one above the doorway is your mother’s. Nora looks up at the long piece of driftwood. INSERT The driftwood is horizontally placed above the doorway. It depicts a woman’s smiling, colorful face and flowing hair across it. RESUME Nora furrows her brow, then softens her expression. MORNING 21
10.
NORA I remember. Yeah she, liked to collect it, at the lake. I remember. DOCTOR (looks down at the chart) Well, you’ve had a very healthy pregnancy so far so let’s keep it up. Here’s a list of books you can find at the library down the street, all the traditional "what to expect". (hands her the list) I am a bit concerned about you staying at that lake all alone with no phone. It’s dangerous. NORA The Nelsons will be here when the baby comes in May. There’s a phone at their place and I know where they hide the key. DOCTOR All right. I’ll see you in two weeks. And Nora? Take care. 22 INT. CABIN - WINTER DAY 22
Nora’s collection of oddly-shaped driftwood pieces are displayed across a shelf in the living room. She picks one of them up and examines it. She walks the driftwood over to the kitchen table, takes a seat and sets it down in front of her. Nora looks at it for a moment with her head tilted to one side. She turns it over and studies the other side. She grabs a pencil from a nearby shelf. She picks up the piece of driftwood, turns it vertically and draws the profile of an elongated face onto it. 23 INT. CABIN - WINTER MORNING 23
Nora sits at the kitchen table with a set of paints, water cups, brushes and driftwood pieces lie to one side, unpainted. Two finished pieces sit propped up, drying. She works diligently on a third.
11.
24
EXT. ROAD - MAILBOXES - SPRING
DAY
24
Nora drives up the gravel road and stops before a short line of mailboxes. She puts the flag down on one of them and retrieves a single postcard. She reads it on the spot. PAT (V.O.) So happy to hear about the baby. Of course we’ll help in any way we can. You tell doctor Wiesman to send us instructions and we’ll follow your lead. Nora turns the postcard over in her hand to reveal an illustrated wildlife scene on the other side. 25 INT. CABIN - SPRING DAY 25 There is
Nora sits in her chair by the fireplace, reading. a knock on the back door. Nora reacts.
Nora opens the back door to find CATHY, 45, standing with a batch of cookies and tea. NORA Oh hi, Cathy! CATHY We’ve been missin’ you at work and we wanted to do something for ya, so here you are. Fresh cookies, oatmeal raisin, and tea. NORA Thank you, Cathy. That’s very thoughtful. Come in, come in. Cathy steps into the cabin, shutting the door behind her. 26 EXT. LAKE - SPRING SUNSET 26
Cathy paddles quietly with Nora in the canoe.
12.
27
EXT. CABIN - SPRING
SUNRISE
27
The land is wet and the trees drip with morning dew. We hear an aching cry from inside the cabin. 28 INT. CABIN - MASTER BEDROOM/LIVING ROOM MORNING 28
Nora takes careful steps through the bedroom door and wattles into the living room toward the porch. She stops, hunching over slightly, and her water breaks. She straightens up and marches on to the porch, taking mechanical breaths. 29 INT. CABIN - PORCH MORNING 29
Nora carefully takes her seat next to the door and rings the lunch bell, continuing steady breaths. 30 INT. CABIN - SPRING - WOODS MORNING 30
Pat Nelson runs excitedly from across the woods. Mike Nelson quickly reels in his fishing rod and rows eagerly toward Nora’s pier. Pat opens the screen door to the porch and steps inside. Mike runs up the pier in the background. 31 INT. CABIN - PORCH MORNING 31
Pat kneels next to Nora. NORA Water broke. PAT Okay. Here. We’re gonna stand up.... Nora takes Pat’s arm. Pat walks her across the porch to the round shallow pool they have set up. Mike enters and helps steady Nora on her other side as she steps into the pool. Nora sits with Mike supporting her back as they wait. suddenly begins to experience the pain. She
13. With a last push, the baby is out. Nora catches him, raising him quickly out of the water and bringing him to her chest. FADE TO BLACK 32 INT. CABIN - KITCHEN MORNING 32
Nora cooks herself breakfast while LUCAS, 2, eats with his hands in his high chair. Nora tries to get his attention as she takes his picture with an instant camera. The picture pops out and she sets the camera down on the counter. She turns her back to him and flips an omelette on the stove. Lucas pulls the cover off his juice cup and drenches himself in it as he tries to drink without the lid. He deliberately throws the cup to the ground. Nora reacts to the crashing sound and slips in the juice when she spins around. Lucas sees her fall and laughs. NORA Ha . . . Mommy fell . . . Lucas squeals with laughter as Nora gets her bearings. She too is covered in orange juice. She stands and steps around the puddle. NORA (continuing) It’s only funny because Mommy didn’t get hurt. ’Cause it’s a long way to the hospital. Come ’ere. She plucks him from his high chair and heads down the hall. 33 EXT. ROAD - MAILBOXES - SUMMER DAY 33
Nora drives up the gravel road with Cathy in the passenger seat and Lucas asleep in his car seat behind them. She slows as they approach the short line of mailboxes. NORA I have mail. She pulls the car over and Cathy watches her get out and walk deliberately up to the mailbox.
14.
Nora retrieves an envelope. The return address is from a law firm. She tears it open and unfolds the packet of papers inside. Her eyes soar across the beginning lines of the document. Nora gets into the driver’s seat and shuts the door. sits with the papers in her hand. CATHY (flatly) What. What’s that? NORA Divorce papers. After a beat Nora turns her head to look at Cathy. CATHY (turns to face forward) Oh. 34 INT. CABIN - KITCHEN DAY 34 She
Nora dials on the rotary telephone. She shoulders the receiver as she waits while it rings. JACKSON (O.S.) Hello? Nora reacts. NORA How long have you known I was here? Jackson heaves a sigh. NORA You have a son. Do you know that? You have a son. JACKSON (O.S.) Look, I don’t want any part of that. He’s all yours. You just return the papers, signed and dated. (beat) If you need money, for your son, I can send it.
15.
NORA Money. I’m not your whore anymore. We don’t need . . . (beat, resigned) You’ll get your papers. She drops the receiver onto the hook like balled up paper into a trash bin. 35 EXT. LAKE - SUMMER DAY 35
Nora takes home video as Mike Nelson and LUCAS, 5, get into the row boat to go fishing. 36 EXT. CABIN - FALL SUNSET 36
Nora and Lucas build a fire pit together. 37 INT. CABIN - LUCAS’S ROOM 2008 Lucas runs through the house, passing by the evidences of childhood: a backpack, a baseball glove, Legos on the floor, pictures on his bedroom wall. 38 INT. CABIN - SPRING DAY 38 DAY 37
Nora hangs a photograph in the living room. We hear bare feet quickly approaching down the wood floor of the hallway. LUCAS, 9, storms in wearing swimming trunks and a towel thrown over his shoulder. He zooms past her. NORA Hey hey hey little dude! Lucas wheels around, facing her. NORA (continuing) What did we forget? LUCAS (tips his head in thought) Um . . . NORA (beat) Sunscreen?
16.
Lucas charges back the way he came, returning with a large bottle of sunscreen for kids. Nora takes the bottle from him and he follows her out onto the porch. She takes a seat and puts some sunscreen into his hands. lathers up his arms and belly and she gets his face. NORA Turn please. Lucas turns around as he finishes his legs and she gets his back. NORA (continuing) Okay. Be careful. Lucas bursts through the screen door. NORA (shouting after him) I’ll be right here. LUCAS (while running, shouts back) Oh-Kay! 39 EXT. LAKE - SPRING DAY 39 The scene freezes on FADE TO BLACK. THE END It bangs shut. He
Lucas runs down the pier to the lake. his back, mid-jump over the water.
