(rhythmic, melancholy melody plays quietly )
( wind whistling )
( melody builds slowly )
( melody crescendos and continues )
( melody continues )
( water splashing gently )
MAN : Ain't got all day.
BOY: Dad, I can't.
Ain't got aII day, boy.
( feet stumbling )
( gasping )
Come on, boy.
HeIp...!
( gasps )
You can do it.
Come on...
Iet me see you move your arms.
Kick your Iegs.
You can do it.
( water bubbling )
DAD ( muffled ): Come on!
You're not trying!
Nobody's gonna make it easy for you!
It's up to you!
QUOYLE: I used to imagine
that I'd been given to the wrong family at birth
and that somewhere in the world
my real people longed for me.
From where my father stood
my failure to dog-paddle
was only the first of many failures.
Failure to speak clearly.
Failure to sit up straight.
Failure to make friends every time we moved
to another dreary upstate town.
In me, my father recognized a failed life--
his own.
When I got admitted to the junior college
my father figured it was a clerical error.
When I dropped out a year later
he wasn't surprised.
QuoyIe!
Job not stimuIating enough for you?
No. I mean, yes.
I mean...
This is the best work I've ever had.
( machinery clanking )
( bell rings )
QUOYLE: I stumbled into adulthood
learning to separate my feelings from my life...
counting on nothing.
( man and woman arguing )
I got used to being invisible.
Until... someone noticed me.
( muffled yelling )
( wipers sound like heartbeat )
I'm sick of this shit!
( loud argument continues indistinctly )
Where you going, PetaI?
Let's go.
Wake up! Go!
( pounding )
( tires squeal )
What's your name?
QuoyIe.
Are you aII right?
I'm starving, QuoyIe. Aren't you?
I seII burgIar aIarms.
ReaIIy?
That-that must be interesting work.
I'm an ink setter.
I work for the Poughkeepsie News.
You haven't touched your food.
Oh.
( anxious sigh )
So, what do you think?
You want to marry me, don't you?
Huh?
It's 8:05.
I think I'm gonna fuck you by 10:00.
What do you think of that?
( passionate breathing )
( breathing slows and echoes )
( echoing slows, dreamlike )
( passionate moaning )
( both gasping )
Oh, my God.
That was the biggest one yet.
( exhausted sigh )
Yeah... I'm aIways hungry after I get Iaid.
I guess 'cause I... I burn up so many caIories.
You Iive in a dump, QuoyIe.
( weakly ): I Iove you.
( baby voice ): Oh...
( weakly ): I Iove you.
( gasping breaths )
( baby voice ): NibbIe, nibbIe
IittIe mouse.
What'd the doctor say?
If I end up with stretch marks, sue his ass.
Yeah, but, PetaI, PetaI, is everything okay?
QUOYLE: Petal? Petal?
( splashing )
PetaI, you're the onIy woman I've ever Ioved.
You're-you're the onIy one.
Mm-hmm-- how do you make an AIabama SIamma?
Where are you, sweetheart?
AIabama, that's the point.
Look, Iook up the recipe.
It's on the fridge where I keep the Mr. Boston.
If you come home, I'II make one for you.
( baby whimpers )
Oh, Christ, never mind.
I'II have a vodka.
( baby cries )
Oh, oh, it's okay, Bunny, honey.
Oh, I know...
( TV playing )
( man yelling outside )
( woman and man laughing )
MAN: AII right, baby.
( Petal laughs )
( announcer speaking Spanish )
( Petal laughing sensually )
( loud thud, crowd cheers )
( laughter echoing, referee's whistle blows )
( grunts )
Has your friend gone?
( laughing ): My "friend."
( sighs )
Oh, shit.
( heavy sigh )
Don't do that! Don't touch me.
( sighing )
Stop doing stuff--
creeping around, cIeaning up.
Look...
it's no good.
Find yourseIf a girIfriend.
I don't want a girIfriend; I want you.
Your funeraI.
Listen, you going to be home for dinner?
Don't expect me.
-Bunny's missed you, and... -Hey, PetaI.
Hey, Bunny Rabbit.
PetaI's got to run.
BUNNY: That's so pretty.
( popping tab )
Here. So's that.
Thanks.
BeautifuI.
( beads clatter)
Oh, shit!
( Petal sighs )
Sorry.
That's okay.
( machinery clanking )
( beep )
Hi, this message is for Daniel Smith
confirming your appointment with Dr. Davis today at noon.
( beeps )
Quoyle? This is your father.
Lost your home number.
It's time for your mother and l to put an end to it.
I left instructions with the undertaker--
Dayton & Sons.
Told them to notify my sister, Agnis Hamm.
Not much of a life.
Nobody gave me nothing.
Other men would've given up and turned into bums
but I didn't.
I went without so you couId have advantages.
Not that you done anything with them.
( beep and click )
What, were they sick or something?
PETAL: Oh, come on.
They must've Ieft something.
What's their house worth?
QUOYLE: No, PetaI, the bank is taking it.
There's nothing Ieft.
There were medicaI biIIs, and funeraI costs, and...
It's aII gone, honey.
You wanna marry me, don't you?
I won't have to go to schooI?
It's an adventure.
Who goes to schooI when they're on an adventure?
Is Daddy coming?
No. Daddy is boring.
Daddy's boring?
Mm-hmm. That's right.
You're a very cIever girI.
( TV playing )
There's Frank. Come on, he's waitin'.
Hey, big guy!
Good-bye.
Hey, hey, hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa!
What about my pay?!
( radio blaring )
( tires screeching )
What about my pay?
You owe me for three weeks.
QUOYLE: Yes, Quoyle.
Q-U-O-Y-L-E.
QuoyIe.
She didn't Ieave me
a message or anything-- a note somewhere?
OnIy for you to pay me.
What? Uh, yeah, Bunny.
Bunny. Yes, that's, that's her name.
( fading out ): She's, uh, six years old.
And Petal. Petal, yes...
( knocking )
Agnis Hamm.
HaIf-sister of Guy QuoyIe.
I'm your aunt.
This is a reaIIy bad time.
So I heard.
I'm here to visit his ashes.
No, I mean this is a reaIIy, reaIIy bad time.
QUOYLE: She's never done anything like this.
I mean, she's waIked out before
but she's never, never taken Bunny.
I don't understand.
The potato chips won't do you any good.
-Drink your tea. -Huh?
Tea's a good drink. Keep you going.
Do you think maybe you couId stick around for awhiIe?
Sorry, just passing through.
On my way to NewfoundIand, where our peopIe come from.
You ever been there, nephew?
OnIy I want to say fareweII to Guy first
if you'II teII me where he is.
Oh. Uh, sorry.
He's the one on the Ieft.
( phone ringing )
PetaI, heIIo! Is that you? HeIIo?
MAN ( over phone ): Mr. QuoyIe?
Oh. Uh, yes, it is.
This is Investigator Danzig from the New York State PoIice.
Oh, Jesus, have you found 'em?
-Yes, sir. -Yeah?
( loud bang ) Ow! Jesus!
Goddamn it!
Hang on a second. HeIIo?
-Yes, sir, I'm stiII here. -Are you...?
Oh, thank God.
HeIIo. Can you hear me?
That's not a probIem.
Yeah. Uh, how's Bunny?
You know what
I think she's gonna be aII right.
Oh, Jesus, good. And, and PetaI?
Mr. QuoyIe
we'II taIk about that when we get there.
Uh-huh. You're gonna, you're gonna bring her here?
Yes, sir.
Okay. And you have the address?
Yes, we do.
Oh, good. And PetaI?
ReIax, sir, we'II be there as soon as we can.
Okay, thank you. Thank you.
They're gonna bring PetaI; they're gonna bring Bunny.
They found 'em.
The cop said he's got something
to teII me about PetaI.
I hope she didn't get in any troubIe.
She's got such a temper on her.
There's just no teIIing what she...
( motor rumbling )
DANzIG: The convertible went over a guardrail in Jersey.
Fortunately, your daughter was no longer traveling
with Mrs. Quoyle and, uh, and her male companion.
She was mercifuIIy kiIIed on impact
I can promise you.
Look, uh, there is something eIse.
Seems she soId your daughter
to a bIack market adoption outfit for $6,000.
There was even a receipt, if you can imagine.
That's how we tracked her.
Daddy!
Hi, sweetheart.
BUNNY: Who's that?
That's your great-aunt Agnis.
Where's PetaI?
Mommy!
Mommy?
Maybe I couId stay just a day or two.
"Your Ioved one has not Ieft your heart
"or your thoughts
but is sIeeping peacefuIIy."
She's sIeeping?
Yes. PeacefuIIy.
-( groans ) -In heaven.
With the angeIs.
( sighs )
If I was asIeep, I'd wake up.
Why are you so scared, Daddy?
( Quoyle weeping )
What do I do?
AGNIS: It takes a year, nephew--
a full turn of the calendar, to get over losing someone.
That's a true sayin'.
The move'II heIp. You'II see.
What pIace on earth couId be better than...
the pIace your peopIe came from?
SmeII that cIean northern sea?
I'm not a water person.
At Ieast the girI is.
QUOYLE: I hope we're doing the right thing, Aunt.
AGNIS: I thought I'd never come back here.
But the oIder you get
there's an ache, a puII...
something you've got to figure out.
Like you're a piece in a puzzIe.
It takes some time to get used to the rock 'neath you.
It's a place like no other.
The people who came here came by accident.
Those that stayed learned strange things can happen--
omens and restless spirits...
magic.
We Quoyles, we left it 50 year ago.
Hard times.
( sighs )
We're nearIy there.
QuoyIe Point.
Named after us. You.
WeII, I don't understand.
It's May, there's so much snow.
Up here, forget everything
you thought you knew about the weather.
I was born in that house.
( seagulls calling )
( waves roaring )
AGNIS: Empty 44 years--
Iook at that roofIine.
Straight as a ruIer.
( doorknob rattling )
( water dripping )
( gulls calling )
Look.
QUOYLE: I wonder who that is.
It's your grandfather, Sian QuoyIe.
Died before I was born.
Died young-- 1 2 year oId.
TweIve?
Then he couIdn't have been my grandfather.
You don't know NewfoundIanders.
Who's this?
It's my father and...
and you.
I never did care for that hat.
( coughs )
Oh!
My Lord, the tabIe!
The bIessed tabIe!
( chuckles )
There's no way we can Iive here.
It's aII fixabIe.
We'II get a carpenter.
Oh, weII, it might be cheaper if we just buiId
a whoIe new house on the Riviera.
OnIy I wasn't born on the Riviera.
( rain pouring )
( wind howling )
( rattling and creaking )
( wind whistling )
Daddy?
What?
Why did you wake me up?
I wanted to see if you were asIeep.
( water bubbling and swirling )
( no audio )
( door squeaking open and closed )
Are these cabIes so the house won't bIow away?
So far so good.
They say it
rocked in storms Iike a big rocking chair.
Made the women sick, so they Iashed it down.
QUOYLE: They're moaning.
The house is sad.
What?
You shouId Iet it Ioose.
( laughs )
QUOYLE: I'm here to apply for a job.
Come on in.
Listen here... Iisten here, my son.
I'm going to need cIarification on this.
I got Doris Koontz down as runner-up in "Cakes and Muffins"
but her entry is Iisted
as "Strawberry Rhubarb CobbIer"
which I beIieve ought to be under "Pies."
Name's Tert Card--
managing editor, rewrite man, and snow shoveIIer.
You'II have to do without the boss.
HimseIf, Jack Buggit, has caIIed in sick, as per usuaI.
Which is why I am occupying his office, BiIIy Pretty
and no bones about it.
Come in.
Name?
Uh, QuoyIe.
I just got here yesterday from New York...
Ah, you're a QuoyIe, are you?
WeII, I shouId've seen that right off.
Sit down.
Prior experience as a journaIist?
Washington Post?
London Times?
Oh, oh, no, I'm not a journaIist.
I'm an ink setter.
( phone rings ) I had that position...
Gammy Bird.
JACK: Are you in my office, Tert?
No, no, no, Jack.
I'm just conducting a job interview here at my desk.
Job interview?
Yeah, there's a Mr. QuoyIe here.
Says he's an ink setter.
The feIIa's a QuoyIe, you say?
And no mistake.
Hmm.
Have him meet me at the dock in, uh
one hour.
That bronchitis of yours cIeared up aIready?
Much better.
Thanks for your concern.
Okay, Jack.
QuoyIe! Over here.
Step IiveIy.
Uh... heIIo there, Mr. Buggit. The man at the...
The name's Jack.
Come on, get in.
I'm not a water person.
AII QuoyIes is water peopIe.
Boats is in your bIood.
That's why I'm hiring you.
I need somebody to cover the shipping news.
You'II get a Iist from the harbormaster--
what ships go in to KiIIick-CIaw...
But, Mr. Buggit, I-I-I'm an ink setter.
Pay attention, me oId son.
I don't need no ink setter, I need a reporter.
And you'II do IocaI car wrecks.
Take the picture, write the story.
We run a front-page photo of a car wreck every week
whether or not we actuaIIy have a car wreck.
Now, there's a knack for taking photos
that make you feeI something.
If there's a dark patch on the ground
it reads bIood whether it's motor oiI or Diet Coke.
And you want something human, uh
a chiId's mitten, a purse
a basebaII cap Iying in the road.
See, that's what makes it human.
That's what makes the reader feeI.
Jack, I'm, I'm no reporter.
Jesus Sweet Christ.
You think any of them tomcods knew how to write
when I hired them?
I get a feeIing about peopIe
that's aII.
( urinating )
WeIcome home, Guy.
QUOYLE: I can't do it.
I mean, even if I knew
the first thing about writing, which I don't, I...
Car crashes-- I can't cover those.
Why not?
You know why not.
We face up to the things we're afraid of
because we can't go around them.
Car wrecks are
a fact of Iife up here.
Come winter, a drive into town'II be
damn near impossibIe.
We'II buy us a boat.
Look, I aIready toId you, I'm not a water person.
They dragged it here.
What, honey?
The house. They dragged it here.
You must've had a dream, sweetheart.
Who toId you about that?
A Iong time ago, on Gaze IsIand
the oId QuoyIes couIdn't make a go of it there
so they Iashed the house with ropes and they dragged it.
Yeah, they dragged it.
Across the ice, cIear to the mainIand.
Right here.
( rope creaking )
( wind whistling )
( driving Celtic drums )
( rumbling and creaking )
( strained groaning )
( drums stop )
( house cables gently moaning )
QUOYLE: This is from the "News of Your Neighbors" column.
"The pole on the corner of Main and West Streets
"has a sign on it that says
"it's illegal to place anything on that pole.
"We see the postman has landed in the clink
"for throwing the mail in Killick-Claw Harbor.
"He said he had too much to deliver
"and the folks could just take a dip and help themselves.
Guess it heIps if you can swim."
This is professionaI stuff.
How am I supposed to write this?
BUNNY: You can't.
You'II get it wrong.
Here now, miss! Don't you taIk to your father Iike that!
Course he can do it.
PetaI says Dad never gets anything right.
Yeah, weII, it'II work out.
( banging)
( staticky radio transmission )
HeIIo.
You must be QuoyIe.
B. BeaufieId Nutbeem.
I head up the Foreign News Department.
SteaIs every story off that goddamn shortwave.
Which Tert takes the Iiberty of rewriting
in his own mysticaI tongue.
OnIy to save you from charges of pIagiarism, Nutbeem.
NUTBEEM: Ah, Mr. BiIIy Pretty
an oId fish dog and IocaI Iandmark.
Edits the Home News Page--
poems, baby photos, househoId tips.
There's your desk, QuoyIe.
Is there, um, a computer?
WeII, do you see one?
No, I just... I see everyone eIse...
Keen powers of observation.
I can see why Jack snatched you off the job market.
( phone rings )
( chair squeaks )
TERT: Gammy Bird.
Uh-huh.
Right on to it.
WeII, QuoyIe, you Iead a charmed Iife.
Two minutes on the job
and you got your first car wreck.
FIREMAN: As far as I can teII, the site is reaIIy fresh
about 1 0, 1 5 minutes, uh, at the most.
You got two victims-- one maIe, one femaIe.
Not one vitaI sign between them
so we're gonna wait tiII the poIice come now.
Uh, the rate of speed we estimate at 65
so there's nothing unIawfuI here.
There's not a whoIe Iot you can do, right
when a moose decides to get in your way.
BILLY: That's for sure.
Uh... the driver
most IikeIy had his chest crushed
before the car hit the water, so at Ieast that's a mercy.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah. WeII, there's that, and the-- and the moose
you know, which is a gift reaIIy
when you think about it-- out of season
Iike that-- a moose that size.
BILLY: Oh, Lord, yes.
BiIIy, I suppose we couId spIit it
four ways, right?
( shutter clicks )
How much couId you fit in the station wagon there?
I'II take the hind quarter.
I know we're gonna want to use
some of those recipes from the "Home Page," you know?
( retching ) Yeah, yeah, yeah.
He's new, is he?
New feIIa.
BILLY: There you go.
It's wrecks Iike that that seIIs papers.
Oh, Jack knows his readers.
Now, mind you, there's more peopIe down under these waters
than are kiIIed on the roads.
You'II want to get yourseIf a nice IittIe boat before Iong.
Something that fits the water.
I just don't want to think about a boat right...
Wh-Who's that?
Why?
Oh, I... I was just curious. I've seen her around.
She's very taII.
I... I mean
she... she's got good posture.
She seems very...
her stride is different.
It was grief that caused her boy to be not right.
She was carrying him when her husband was drowned at sea.
Like I was saying, there's more Iife
Iost that way.
How's your car wreck coming, QuoyIe?
If I wanted War and Peace
I wouId have hired WiIIiam BIoody Shakespeare.
( sighs )
"The poIiceman ate breakfast at the Codcake Diner
before he arrived at the accident scene"?
Yes?
Your speIIing is fine
and I've seen pIenty worse grammar.
But-but finding the center of your story--
the beating heart of it--
that's what makes a reporter.
Now, you'II have to start by making up some headIines.
You know?
Short, punchy, dramatic headIines.
Now, have a Iook. What do you see?
TeII me the headIine.
Horizon FiIIs with Dark CIouds.
Imminent Storm Threatens ViIIage.
But what if no storm comes?
ViIIage Spared from DeadIy Storm.
( seagulls calling )
( waves rolling in )
AGNIS: How was your first day?
What's aII this?
Nephew, we can't fix up the house proper
on a journaIist's wages, so I've un-retired.
From what?
Boat uphoIstery.
AII us QuoyIes have a feeIing for boats.
QUOYLE: Who-who's this?
That's Dennis Buggit, master carpenter.
Ah, onIy tiII I gets me Iobster Iicense.
I'm a fisherman in me souI.
QUOYLE: Buggit, huh?
You-you wouIdn't be reIated
to my boss down at the Gammy Bird?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, yeah. My dad.
Tomorrow I'II run two-by-fours under your second story.
Oh, and, uh, I was you
I wouIdn't sIeep in your upstairs tonight
unIess you want to wake up downstairs with a thud.
( chuckling ): Yeah.
Yes, boy.
( wind rushing )
( snoring )
( snoring continues )
( screams )
What? What? What is it? What is it?
A ghost.
The window.
A skinny ghost, and a white dog.
I-I didn't dream it. Don't say I did.
I won't, I won't, sweetheart, okay.
There's a ghost there...
Okay, okay, shh, okay.
Okay, shh...
Okay...
( whispers ): Okay. Shh.
( children shouting indistinctly )
Oh, excuse me?
This is our first day at schooI.
-I don't Iike these kids. -Bunny.
-Um, she's in the after-schooI-- -They're boring!
Boring, boring, boring!
Bunny, that's enough.
I'm sorry. She's-she's not usuaIIy Iike this.
Not usuaIIy Iike what?
I hate going to new pIaces where I don't know anybody.
I don't know anybody.
( giggles )
What's wrong with him?
Bunny, that is... There is nothing wrong
with him, aII right?
This is Herry.
When he was being born
he didn't get enough air to breathe
and that makes him a IittIe sIower than most peopIe.
What's your name?
Bunny.
A bunny rabbit.
That's what my mother caIIs me.
Is Mommy at work now?
No, she's asIeep with the angeIs.
I am a bunny rabbit.
Oh, you certainIy are.
( Bunny laughs )
Boing, boing, boing, boing...
Whi-Which of those women are in charge here?
Neither of them. They're just moms.
Oh, 'cause somebody reaIIy ought to be paying
more attention to them.
I mean, Iook at that.
There's scissors on the ground.
I mean, somebody reaIIy ought
to be supervising them, don't you think?
Yeah.
Better get back to work.
Supervising and aII.
I'm Wavey Prowse.
I run the pIace.
They are having entireIy too much fun
aren't they?
It's a constant probIem
around here.
( children laughing and shouting )
Headline:
BumbIing Dad
HumiIiated at Day Care.
NUTBEEM: Quoyle!
C'mon over, QuoyIe!
COOK: Order's up now. Come and get it.
WAITRESS: Aye, sir.
Hey.
Hmm.
You've been to the harbormaster's.
Yeah, boats in, boats out.
Not exactIy the stuff of Iegends.
Sometimes there's a story behind the story.
WAITRESS: What can I do you for then?
Oh, um, I'II have, uh, what-whatever they're having.
What are you having?
Squid burger. It's good.
AII right, then. You want some fries with that?
Okay.
AII right, then, be back.
Have you got yourseIf a boat yet, QuoyIe?
-No. -You ought to get AIvin Yark
to buiId you one.
Or you couId buy Nutbeem's.
I buiIt a Chinese junk.
SaiIed it up from BraziI.
UnfortunateIy, I missed Manhattan by a miIe or two
and got stranded here when I shipwrecked by Gaze IsIand.
I've aImost finished my repairs.
I'II be saiIing away soon.
She's ugIy, and...
the onIy thing I've ever Ioved.
( mock weeping )
Eh, your story tugs at me bIadder.
Excuse me.
Um, what is it between those two?
First thing:
you'II have to understand about the curse.
Jack Buggit's father, his grandfather
his great-grandfather aII died at sea.
Second thing: Jack is... sensitive.
EspeciaIIy about the sea.
"Sensitive."
It's what they caII peopIe around here
who, um, "know" things.
So, Dennis is forbidden the sea.
But being free
Newfie and 21, he goes, anyway.
What? And that's enough...?
Death storm.
A massive wave cracks her steeI huII amidships
a one-inch crack from starboard to port.
Men go in the water. Dennis is Iost.
After about a week
they come to Jack and teII him the search is to be caIIed off.
Jack stands Iike a stone.
Then he turns-- quick, the way he does-- and says...
"He's aIive...
and I know where."
So, off he goes, out to sea
on his own, in just a skiff
and finds Dennis.
Can you imagine the odds?
Finds him. Finds him.
Both arms broken, 99% dead.
The boy comes to.
And Jack says to him, "If you ever step foot
in a boat again, I'II drown you myseIf."
And do you know what Dennis said?
( whispers ): Say it fast.
He said...
"AII fishing Iicenses are spoken for.
I'd appreciate it if you gave me yours."
Jack Iooked in his eyes and they never spoke again.
JACK: QuoyIe... you got
the "Shipping News" written up yet?
Oh, yes.
( clears throat )
There's nothing here.
Boats in, boats out. What eIse is there?
If I knew, I'd write it myseIf.
I took a chance on you, QuoyIe.
Don't Iet me down.
( door closes )
( man shouting indistinctly )
MAN: Go get the aspirin now!
Oh, shut up!
I had as much to drink Iast night as you did!
Excuse me.
Do I know you?
I'm a... I-I work for the IocaI paper.
I do the-the "Shipping News."
I was just...
Is this your boat?
That's a boat.
This is a Botterjacht.
She was buiIt for HitIer.
He was the originaI owner.
ReaIIy?
I-I just wanted to ask you a-a coupIe of questions.
The finest Botterjacht ever buiIt in HoIIand.
TeII him what happened in Hurricane Bob.
And she's incredibIy heavy. 40 tons of soIid oak.
TeII him!
She broke free of her moorings
and pounded six boats-- expensive ones-- to rubbIe.
Wham!
Now teII him who Iet our insurance Iapse.
Wham!
Oh, it took six
very expensive Iawyers to weaseI us out of it.
Jesus! An inch from bankruptcy.
MoraI of the story?
When you marry a tour guide
confine his authority to mixing the drinks.
Did I come at a bad time?
Yeah. Ten years ago wouId've been better.
( windshield wipers squeaking dully )
Wife Fires ArtiIIery on HitIer's Boat.
HeIIo.
Hi.
You guys need a ride?
Thanks, but, uh, Herry Iikes to waIk.
Oh. WeII, it's a nice day for a waIk.
Mr. QuoyIe...
About the other day?
I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot.
No, that's, that's aII right.
I-I was way off base.
I-I admire anybody that works with kids.
That's the hardest job in the worId, you know?
I'm-I'm a journaIist, myseIf.
ReaIIy?
Have you seen our IocaI paper?
StrictIy fish wrap.
( wipers squeaking louder )
What?
I'm the new reporter there.
Oy... uh... oh...
no, I'm-I'm sure...
that'II be, uh...
( sniffs )
Good Iuck to you.
Oh, thank you very much.
It was nice to see you again.
Nice to see you.
Bye, Herry.
Bye.
Dennis?
( pounding )
Bunny.
W-What are you doing?
She's boring.
Boring.
How was Bunny
when you picked her up from day care?
AII right.
A IittIe snotty.
What's that?
Robert Burns.
Someone gave that to you.
Someone that you're missing.
Six year ago today.
Leukemia.
We weren't married
but that's a technicaIity.
( keys clacking loudly )
( shortwave playing indistinctly )
That your boat?
Yeah, I just bought her.
One question remains: why?
WeII, she's a speedboat.
JACK: It's a shit boat.
WaIIowing, cockeyed bastard.
It'II sink in a bathtub.
Makes you cry to Iook at her.
Just a coffin, boy.
Let me know when you're serious.
I'II take you down to see
AIvin Yark.
He'II make you up a sweet IittIe Rodney.
You don't have the sense God gave a doughnut, do you?
I'm going home.
The best you can do is bury it
some dark night.
What in heII a name's this?
"HitIer's Barge."
Uh, that's, uh, a vesseI in port.
It goes with
the "Shipping News."
So, what about the motorcycIe accident?
Oh, I'm stiII working on that
but I think this is a better story.
What do you mean?
You didn't do
the one that Jack wanted you to do?
You did one that he don't know you did?
WeII, this is worse than your boat.
Jack even sniffs this
he'II cut you up for Iobster bait.
I think I'II run it.
...and he crawIed off the grass onto a branch
and he made a cocoon, which is Iike a house
except it's for a caterpiIIar...
Hey, Bunny.
Shh.
I'm reading.
He thinks I know how.
( kids laughing )
( grunts )
Oh, oh... no, no...
( yelling )
( kids laughing and screaming )
( groaning )
Go on, get the pig.
( yelling )
( kids laughing )
See you tomorrow.
Oh, bye, Sarah. Bye, Patrick.
PATRICK: Bye.
Hey, can you hoId these rods together for me?
You have to hoId them fIush against each other.
Okay.
Thanks.
Be carefuI, honey.
I want to see if it can fIy.
WeII, not in the house, sweetheart.
Throw it up in the air, high as you can
Okay. and count tiII it comes down.
( imitating engine noise )
One, two, three, four, five.
Hey. Have you been to fIight schooI?
Not reaIIy.
No? Oh, my.
( Bunny imitating engine )
QUOYLE: Aunt?
Hey, guess what?
Just keep it down.
This is my assistant, Mavis Bangs.
-Oh, heIIo. -How are you?
Did you read my articIe on the HitIer boat?
( scoffing )
What?
SiIver and Bennett MeIviIIe were cIients of mine.
They puIIed anchor Iast night without paying a penny
for aII the work we did for them.
The buggers.
Now, you find out where they're to
we'II give you the PuIitzer.
What, you make juju beads out of Iobster feeIers?
Oh, that's pretty remarkabIe, missus.
Now, where do you export these?
Haiti?
Oh, weII... um, I'II teII you what.
I'II-I'II, uh, do my best.
I'II try to get you a bit of ink
in the next edition, how's that?
WeII, you know, these things
take some time to work out, you know?
Card?
HoId on.
( grunts )
If you're going to Shanghai me office, Tert
you best conceaI the evidence.
Oh, no, Jack...
Nah.
This, uh, HitIer boat...
you assign it?
Nope, sir.
It wasn't my idea.
Get me QuoyIe.
QuoyIe... he wants you.
Mr. Buggit, it was what you said to me in the...
Have a seat.
I got four phone caIIs Iast night
about the HitIer boat-- four.
PeopIe enjoyed it.
Mrs. Buggit Iiked it.
Of course, you don't know
nothing about boats, but that's entertaining, too.
So, Iisten here, me oId son, I'm giving you a weekIy coIumn.
A story about a different boat every week.
Human stuff.
Who owned the boat, who Iived and died on her
who drowned
who was saved, who Iost his fortune
who had his heart broke.
You foIIow?
Tert!
Jack?
Order this boy a new computer.
And buy him a reaI one, not one of them Japan cIones.
You got that?
Uh-huh.
Oh, Mr. Buggit
I-I-I don't know what to say.
Did I not teII you?
My name is Jack.
Jack.
IBM, pIease.
Get back to your work, QuoyIe.
I... B... M.
( stifled snickers )
Lumbering Idiot Stuns Crowd... for a Change.
WAVEY: Herry Prowse!
Look how weII
your kite is doing.
Are you making it dance with your thoughts?
Your kite is doing so much better than Mr. QuoyIe's.
( kids laughing )
Do you think Bunny's strange--
I mean, mentaIIy?
The skinny ghost with the white dog?
She toId you about that?
Maybe she's sensitive.
The way some foIks are around here.
And what about the neckIaces?
Do you know how many of those she makes?
I mean... and I found her
bashing her baby doII's brains out with a hammer.
A baby doII doesn't have brains.
It's a toy.
Do you know she's...
saving a room for her mother?
Did she teII you that?
( softly ): Yeah.
Is she strange, that's aII?
Is she okay? If-if you had to take a guess.
That IittIe girI's the onIy friend my son ever had.
So she's strange, you bet.
BUNNY: It crashed!
( kids laughing )
AII right.
There you go.
( seagulls calling )
( labored breathing )
Do you know how he died?
My husband?
It was a caIm night when HeroId took the boat out.
There was no sign of any storm.
Storms can be sudden around here.
He wasn't the onIy one whose boat went down.
It was four years ago...
and it's yesterday.
HERRY: Look how high we're up.
BUNNY: Uh-huh.
Beat you to the car.
( kids laughing )
Did I bIow it
or can you stiII be my friend?
Your friend? Sure.
( Bunny humming )
Is this yours?
( yawning ): The ghost brought it.
Then he ran away.
The skinny ghost with the white dog?
Don't say I dreamt it.
( sighs )
BILLY: Ah, you're getting the hang of it.
Now, coax her a wee bit to starboard.
Attaboy. You're a QuoyIe-- there's seawater in your veins.
( groaning )
How are things with your girI?
Oh, Bunny's just stiII adjusting, I think.
Oh, I was taIking about Wavey Prowse.
Sorry... sorry!
Whoa!
-Jesus! -Sorry.
I... Wavey and I are just friends.
Fine. Don't have to drown me over it.
This is where I grew up.
That's my poor oId father there.
And that's where your house stood.
Before they dragged it across the ice.
Yes, sir.
Before they was driven away.
Driven away by what?
You never knew?
Ah, weII.
It's neither here nor there, right?
The point is, they made a new pIace for theirseIves.
No, by what? Driven away by what?
Oh, that's oId stuff, boy.
It's in my bIood.
You ought to be abIe to teII me.
WeII, they come to Gaze IsIand centuries ago, they did.
The oId QuoyIes was rackers.
They were, they were pirates, sort of Iike.
You see them cairns?
Fires used to burn in them
to guide the ships at sea, Iike Iighthouses.
Now, the QuoyIes wouId move the fires
to fooI the ships.
They'd Iure them into the rocks
so the QuoyIes couId grab their Ioot.
Oh, they was a savage Iot, the oId QuoyIes.
Then they went too far one day, they... naiIed a man to a tree
and they cut off his nose
to draw the nippers and the fIies
that-that ate him aIive.
And that's when the QuoyIes was given their waIking papers.
Jesus.
Now, there's stiII an oId QuoyIe
down in one of these coves somewhere.
They say he sIept with his wife after she was dead.
Anything eIse I shouId know?
That about covers it.
( buoy bell ringing )
BILLY: ∮ When the knitting pins, you is abreast ∮
∮ HoId the tiIIer to the west... ∮
∮ Behind the pins you must steer... ∮
∮ TiII the oId man's shoe... does appear. ∮
( Celtic drums fade up )
( woman screaming )
( men yelling )
( men shouting indistinctly )
MAN: PuII, puII!
( shouting angrily )
( drums stop )
( gasps )
AGNIS: Show me that neckIace.
See, if you make the Ioops bigger
you don't have to make so many.
BUNNY: Okay.
Good morning.
Can I taIk to you for a minute?
Where's that chair from?
Excuse me?
The chair that you're sitting in.
Where's it from; where'd you get it?
It's not from around here, right?
It's foreign, it's exotic.
I don't want pirate's Ioot in this home.
BiIIy Pretty toId me aII about it.
It's a good thing somebody finaIIy did.
I don't beIieve in dweIIing in the past.
No? Then what are we doing here?
Making a future.
WeII, weII, weII
if it ain't the second coming of the QuoyIes.
Taking a Iong and hearty meaI break
I can't heIp but noticing.
Hope you've got a good idea for your next story, QuoyIe.
I'd hate for Jack to think
that it was just beginner's Iuck.
Let the man digest, Tert.
Mind you, if I was the esteemed author
of the "Shipping News" coIumn
I'd pick up the McGonigIe oiI fieId story.
Petro-doIIars; a goIden fIood of jobs.
You write a story about that
I'II put it right there on the front page.
Thank you for stopping by, Tert.
Yeah, thanks, Tert.
Aw, gee...
What was that aII about?
Oh, uh, he owns MobiI OiI.
Ten shares.
WAVEY: What about your coIumn?
What about it?
You said you'd read it to me.
Yeah, I wiII, once the game is done.
( horn blowing )
"There's a 1904 photo hung in the KiIIick-CIaw Iibrary...
"eight schooners heading out to the fishing grounds
"their saiIs are white and beautifuI.
"But nowadays you're just as IikeIy to see
"a big bIack shape of an oiI tanker
"Iike the ruptured Golden Goose.
"Last week it Ieaked 1 4,000 tons of crude
"onto the seabirds, fish and boats at Cape Despot.
"There wiII be more and more tankers.
"They wiII get oId and corroded and their tanks wiII spIit.
"And there wiII be Iess fish, and Iess fishermen.
"Nobody hangs a picture of an oiI tanker
on their waII, do they?"
What do you think?
I think when Tert Card sees it, he'II stay up nights
thinking of cheap shots to pay you back.
I think he won't stop untiI you're fired.
I think I haven't been so proud of a friend...
since I don't know when.
( switch clicks )
( water bubbling )
( door squeaking )
Uh, what do you think?
Pretty impressive, huh?
Like I said, nobody hangs one of those.
WeII... your coIumn's front page stuff.
OnIy now it's more a caption, is aII.
"More than 3,000 tankers proudIy ride...
the worId's seas."
"Even the biggest take advantage
of NewfoundIand's deep water ports and refineries."
SpeIIed it aII perfect so as not to embarrass you.
"OiI and NewfoundIand go together
"Iike ham and eggs
and Iike ham and eggs, they'II nourish us in the coming years."
Even put your name on it.
"Let's aII hang a picture of an oiI tanker on our waII."
Man of your principIes...
I understand the onIy honorabIe course is resignation.
( crumples paper)
And if you're off to see Jack Buggit
you're going to have to swim.
For I runs the Gammy Bird, every inch of it--
which he'd have to do without me.
And if you think he's going to choose you over fishing
then you're dumber than a doughnut.
If that's possibIe.
Jack?
For Christ sakes, QuoyIe
cut your motor!
AII right, what's the emergency?
Can't it wait tiII I'm done fishing?
It's about my coIumn.
Card, he printed it not the way I wrote it.
WeII, so?
You disapprove how Card runs my newspaper
enough to Iose your job?
Yes or no?
Yes.
( shortwave radio playing quietly )
( door opens )
So, this is what Jack and I think:
we want to run QuoyIe's wrong-headed oiI spiIIs story
because controversy seIIs papers
and papers seIIs ads.
But the oiI tanker picture stays.
( groans )
( laughter )
You shouId have seen Tert's face.
Yeah?
Oh, it was a beautifuI thing.
That's aII right, I've seen it.
( chuckles )
-Oh, it's great. -Mm-hmm.
Let's see what the speciaI is.
How do you feeI about ordering to go?
You ever had that before?
No, what is it?
SeaI-fIipper pie.
Yeah, it's made from, Iike
the knuckIe part of the fIipper.
The sIimy cartiIage part.
Yeah, it's good, though.
I mean, it's a good choice
if you Iike that sort of thing.
I... you know, I'm reaIIy not aII that hungry.
I just wanted, you know, to come and sit.
I had a big Iunch today.
Yeah.
They say you're not a reaI NewfoundIander
tiII you've had a piece of seaI-fIipper pie.
That's what they say?
Yeah, that's right.
Mmm, good. That's surprising.
( laughs ): I never eat it, myseIf.
You never eat this?
This is horribIe.
Here, I got you some reaI food-- Iook.
( both laughing )
( lilting melody playing )
( engine revs )
( gasps )
( grunting and gasping )
( gasping )
( motor clanks dully )
( yells in pain )
( gasping )
( melancholy music playing )
( music continues )
( buoy bell clangs in distance )
( motor chugging )
( motor throttles back )
JACK: Christ.
I knew somebody was out here.
( groans )
Oh, for Christ's sake.
( shuddering )
He's stiII burning off the fever.
Any feeIing yet?
LittIe tingIes.
You're Iucky.
I'm fine.
I'II be ready to get right back in that water
in another 20, 30 years.
Do you know how cIose you were to dying?
I'II get my uncIe, AIvin Yark, to buiId you a proper boat
and Iearn how to use it, okay?
Okay.
Good.
MAVIS: Were the eyes open or cIosed?
I don't know.
Just said it was an disembodied head.
What'd the poIice have
to say about it?
StiII working on it.
A IittIe Iate to return the head to its owner, though.
( snorts )
HeIIo, nephew.
PoIice buIIetin:
"Mrs. SiIver MeIviIIe was arrested earIy today
"in Lanai, Hawaii, for the murder of her husband
sociaIite and raconteur Mr. Bayonet MeIviIIe."
'He pushed me once too often,' Mrs. MeIviIIe confessed
'so I finaIIy pushed back."'
Good for you, my dear.
WeII, he probabIy deserved it.
-Hey. -Hey.
Don't get your hopes up.
You're the first man who ever cooked for me.
You got a Iot of Ieeway.
How are they?
They're both asIeep in Bunny's bed.
ShouId we trust them?
-( Wavey laughing ) -I can do this. You just don't think...
Oh, no.
No, I know. Here...
Iet me do that, aII right?
There you go.
-Can you feeI that... -Yeah.
through your bandage?
What?
Your husband, he never...
he never cooked you a meaI?
Why are we taIking about my husband?
Because I understand.
You said "It's four years ago and it's yesterday."
( heavy sigh )
I understand that.
My husband's not who we're taIking about, right?
I'II go get Herry.
He wouIdn't Iike waking up in a strange bed.
( dog barks )
( mysterious theme playing )
( wind whistling eerily )
( rattling and creaking )
( mysterious theme continues )
-Hey! -Huh?!
Who are you?
( barking )
( growling )
( barking )
( muttering )
I tied magic in these knots
to protect you from the house.
No good ever come from the oId pIace.
Never, never... never.
You... you have no...
business in the QuoyIe house.
I get you out of there.
But I am a QuoyIe.
A QuoyIe?!
I was a QuoyIe before you was anything.
( clearing throat )
Leave the house.
TeII, uh... Agnis heIIo from...
Cousin NoIan.
( muttering )
You know why Agnis come back?
To show she ain't afraid of the pIace no more.
'Cause I know what she's done. I know.
She got rid of the baby she was carrying.
What couId she do? What?
She was onIy 1 2
and it was her own brother that done it to her.
( girl laughing )
( laughs )
No...
No! No! No!
PIease! No!
No! PIease!
( shrieks )
( kettle whistles )
Does that beIong to you?
Sorry.
There's stiII hot water in the kettIe
if you want some tea.
I've started Iooking for a pIace for me and Bunny.
You sure you're going to be okay at your shop?
I said I wouId, didn't I?
I think SiIver MeIviIIe was right
to chop her husband's head off.
He probabIy deserved it.
I think more women shouId do what she did.
Maybe some shouId have done it to their own brother...
my father.
Cousin NoIan dropped by Iast night.
( dishes clatter)
I aIways thought if anyone knew, I'd be turned to stone.
Shit!
Here.
Tea's a good drink.
It'II keep you going.
When someone hurts you that much...
how do you...?
Does it ever go away?
Is it possibIe?
( sits mug on table )
AGNIS: Her name was Irene.
The Iove of my Iife.
You Iook happy.
So, yeah, it is possibIe.
QUOYLE: Agnis tells me we got to move for the winter.
It'II be a three-hour drive from here to the Point.
AII the ice...
Me and Bunny, we're going to have to find
a room in town somewhere.
I'II have the usuaI, pIease, Annie. Thank you.
WeII, if it's a pIace to stay you need
you can have my traiIer.
Timing's perfect.
What are you taIking about?
My boat's ready.
If I stay here any Ionger
I might begin to Iike the pIace.
I'm throwing myseIf a fareweII party on Saturday.
Departure to foIIow Sunday.
The rootIess traitor.
Regrets soon after, no doubt.
( boisterous din )
( bottles breaking )
( laughter )
QuoyIe of the North!
QuoyIe of the North.
Have you and Wavey done the dirty yet?
( slurred ): Shh! She's the grieving widow.
Grieving for HeroId Prowse.
Oh, that's a good one.
Let me teII you something
about oId HeroId Prowse.
It's Iike a party game in town--
to Iook at babies
and see if they Iook Iike HeroId.
Hey...
Hey!
Everyone!
To Nutbeem!
ALL: To Nutbeem!
We aII Ioves
our fucking Nutbeem, huh?!
( all cheer)
Lets us keep him here then!
( all cheer)
Got your chainsaw, Neddie?
( all cheer)
( chainsaw buzzes )
ALL: Nutbeem!
Hoh-oh-oh!
( chainsaw buzzing )
( blows echoing )
( woman screaming )
( grunting )
( bird hooting )
( accordion playing in distance )
( grunts )
( accordion grows louder )
( pounding )
What's wrong?
( slurring ): I'm a QuoyIe.
I'm one of the QuoyIes
pirates and Iooters and murderers.
My father raped his IittIe sister
and then he taught me how to swim.
Stop that.
Jesus, you smeII Iike a brewery.
Stop it.
Go on, Herry. Go on.
( whimpering )
Stop it!
Herry.
Sorry, Herry.
( sobbing gasps )
( voice breaking ): I'm sorry, PetaI.
I'm so sorry.
( sniffles )
I meant Wavey.
Good. I feeI much better.
When were you going to teII me about your fucked-up marriage?
∮ ∮
I'm scrambIing eggs.
Are you going to be abIe to eat?
No.
Listen, I'm...
Maybe I shouId just go.
You forget where the door is?
( door closes )
( pan clattering )
He ran off to Winnipeg with some IittIe bitch.
She was bareIy out of high schooI.
Is that fucked up enough for you?
HeroId...
my husband, he didn't die.
Not that he didn't deserve to.
He Ieft me when I was eight months pregnant;
no good to him in bed.
So I took his 15-footer out into the bay
cracked the huII with a hatchet and sunk her
and pretended he was drowned
and pIayed the grieving widow
and packed my bags to Ieave town.
But then a funny thing happened.
AII these foIk I grew up with
they put their hearts around me and Herry
so we wouIdn't be aIone.
And I just couIdn't Ieave.
I'm sorry, Wavey.
You're aIways sorry.
( crying softly )
( footsteps approaching )
You're Iooking dishy, QuoyIe.
I'm afraid my offer to Iet you stay in my traiIer
wiII have to be retracted.
Sorry about that.
And your boat.
I'm some disgusted with the human race.
I never wouId have made it anyway.
Storms wouId have bIown me to bits.
You boys saved my Iife, I imagine.
I've gathered up my savings, and I'm fIying back to BraziI
where the water is swimming-pooI green.
You and Bunny can stay with the wife and me.
To BraziI.
BraziI.
NUTBEEM: BraziI.
QUOYLE: BraziI.
BUNNY: We can stay with Aunt Agnis over at her shop.
BareIy enough room there for myseIf.
You'II Iike it at Dennis' house, sweetie.
No, I won't.
Hi, QuoyIe. Hi, Bunny.
WeIcome, weary traveIers.
Our home's your home.
BUNNY: -No, it's not. -Come on in.
QUOYLE: -Bunny... -Come on in, sweetie.
I made a big seaI-fIipper pie.
BUNNY: What's that?
BEETY: Weather Iight. Storm coming.
DENNIS: Big one.
( distant thunder rumbling )
( thunder rumbling )
The house... the house...
house...
( gasps )
( panting )
( thunder crashing )
( reading softly ) ( thunder rumbling )
∮ ∮
I...
What is it, QuoyIe?
What?
( thunder crashes )
( door creaks open )
( closes door )
( thunder crashes )
( thunder rumbling )
∮ ∮
( Celtic drums )
∮ ∮
( wind howling )
It's gone.
What?
The green house is gone.
I didn't dream it.
Don't say I did.
( phone ringing )
Yeah?
Oh, hi, Mom. Some storm, eh?
What?
Oh.
Yes. Yes, of course.
BUNNY: What's a wake?
QUOYLE: It's to say good-bye.
BUNNY: Mr. Buggit is sIeeping with the angeIs.
MAN 1 : He was a hard man, but he was fair.
MAN 2: Another one for the Buggit Curse.
QUOYLE: Dennis...
Yeah, I'm stiII Iooking for my dad's Navy medaI.
I found it.
Don't you worry.
It's going to be aII right.
Thank you.
Mom.
What?
( gasps softly ): Good...
I found it... in his desk at the office.
WouId you write something for the Gammy Bird about Jack?
Yes, I'II try.
BILLY: Jack is... Jack is aII right now.
You aII know... we are onIy passing by.
We waIk over these stones a few times.
Our boats...
saiI for a IittIe whiIe on the waves
and then they have to sink.
Jack knew that better than anyone.
Right, Jack?
( whispering ): Yes, boy.
( gulps )
( screams )
( others screaming )
( screaming continues )
( screaming )
He's awake!
Jack...
Get a doctor!
Oh, Jack... oh, Jack...
( coughing )
Oh, Jack...
No, no...
JACK: Come here, son. I beat the curse.
The fishing Iicense is yours.
( siren chirps )
Sweetheart, you ready?
I want to have a wake for PetaI.
Why didn't we have a wake?
Why didn't we wake her up?
It worked for him.
Honey, Mr. Buggit wasn't reaIIy...
It's more Iike he was in a coma.
From the coId water.
It's Iike he was sIeeping.
-PetaI was asIeep. -No, honey...
You said she was asIeep with the angeIs.
I know. Honey, I know what I said, honey.
You said! You said!
-I know, but she's not sIeeping. -You said! You said!
-Honey, honey, Iisten to me. -You said!
I know what I said.
Listen to me. Listen to me.
I just... I was too scared to teII you the truth.
PetaI is dead.
And you know that.
I know you know it.
It's okay.
Is it because of me?
What?
That she drove away.
WeII, why wouId you say that?
Because...
because I'm boring.
( crying )
Oh...
No, honey, it's not because of you.
And you are anything but boring.
Come here.
You just come here.
Hon...
You beIieve me, don't you?
You stiII don't beIieve me, do you?
About the house.
I toId you so.
It's aII right.
Worse things have happened.
To both of us.
Maybe one day we'II buiId a summerhouse out here.
Summer...
BUNNY: Do they have summer here?
AGNIS: Oh, you'II know it's summer when the partridge berries are out.
WAVEY: And we can make partridge berry duff
and sweet berry okie.
WiII you show me how?
I wiII, yeah.
I wiII.
QUOYLE: There are still so many things I don't know.
If a piece of knotted string can unleash the wind
and if a drowned man can awaken...
then I believe a broken man can heal.
Headline:
Deadly Storm Takes House.
Leaves... Excellent View.