Dead means they're broken?
Well, their bodies are broken, yes.
And they're under the ground? Their bodies are, yes.
Tell me what dead is.
Mmm. When you--
When you look at the photographs of Thomas and Timothy,
do you remember the stories of what they're doing?
Yes. Hmm, well,
Tom and Timmy are alive in your imagination.
lt makes me sad to think about them.
Makes me sad too, Ruthie.
But Mommy's sadder.
Well, yes.
Does your son have a driver's license? Huh! Ooh!
Jesus.
Heh! You don't have to yell, Minty.
Yeah? Well, let me consider it, will ya?
Yeah.
All right. l'll call you back. Bye.
Eh, it still gets cold in the evening, huh?
Thanks.
Jesus. Look at this yard.
We should clear out some of these straggly looking flower beds.
l want to put in a swimming pool.
Why?
Oh, for Ruth when she gets older.
Something like the one we had in Providence. They loved it.
And the lawn-- lt ought to be more like an athletic field.
No.
Look at this picture. Who is he?
That's Minty O'Hare's son-- the boys' English teacher from Exeter.
He wants a summer job.
He wants to be a writer.
What would he do for you?
lt's mainly for the experience, l suppose.
l mean, if he's thinking about becoming a writer, he should see how one works, see what it takes.
What would he actually do for you?
Mmm, well--
l've been thinking.
l want to try separating... for the summer.
Just temporarily.
So you began your career writing novels?
Yes, but they were terrible novels. Uh, unfortunately l had to write three of them...
before l realized l am not a writer of adult fiction.
l am simply a entertainer of children, and l like to draw.
Edward, don't be nervous because he's famous.
He's an Exonion.
His sons were charming boys...
but... mediocre students.
Why do cautionary tales for children come so naturally to you? They were both in my class.
Well, l think l can imagine their fears and express them.
Um, in my stories, Anyway,
uh, you can see what's coming, but you don't see everything that's coming. just pick up what you can.
Note his work habits.
See if there's a method to his madness.
And... above all...
throw yourself in headlong and just do whatever it is he wants you to do.
ln my opinion, there is no better opening to any story than the opening of The Mouse Crawling Between the Walls.
l mean, the first lines-- ''Tom woke up, but Tim did not.''
Daddy, l had a dream.
l heard a sound.
Uh, what sort of sound, Ruth?
lt's in the house, but it's trying to be quiet.
Well, let's go look for it then.
lt's a sound that's trying to be quiet? What did it sound like?
lt was a sound like someone trying not to make a sound.
Your penis looks funny.
My penis is funny.
Come out sound. Come out sound.
l'll tell you a story about a different sound.
One night when Thomas was just your age,
and Timothy was still in diapers,
Tommy heard a sound. Did they both wake up?
Oh, Tom woke up,
but Tim did not.
And Tom woke up his father...
and asked him, ''Did you hear that sound?
There's the sound again,'' Tom whispered to his Father.
''lt's a monster!'' he cried.
''lt's just a mouse...
crawling between the walls,''
his father said,
and thumped the wall hard with his hand.
And the mouse...
scurried away.
''lt's just a mouse.
That's all,'' Tom said.
And he quickly fell asleep.
But Tim,
he stayed awake all night long.
And every time that thing crawling between the walls came crawling back,
he'd hit the wall,
and he'd listen to the monster...
scurry away,
dragging his thick, wet fur,
and no arms and no legs with it.
- And that-- - ls the end of the story.
Where's Mommy?
Mommy, uh-- lt's her turn at the other house, remember?
lt's my turn tomorrow night. But she'll be here in the morning, okay?
- Okay. - Are there any mice in this house?
Hmm. Everyone has mice.
Mice are everywhere.
See you in the morning, Ruthie.
Eddie? Eddie?
Mrs. Cole? Marion.
Come.
You can drive, can't you? Oh, yeah. Yes l can.
l know boys your age. They love to drive every chance they get.
Yes, ma'am. But l don't know how to drive a stick.
lt's an automatic. Okay.
Yes, ma'am.
Sorry about before. l was--
l was expecting Mr. Cole.
Ted lost his license three months ago.
You're not at Exeter anymore. You can call us by our first names.
Okay.
Aren't you coming in?
Not tonight.
Did it hurt? Does it hurt much?
No, l'm all right. l'm all right. Don't worry about me. Eddie!
lt is an honor to meet you, sir. Ah.
l want to thank you in advance for this experience. Ah, well, l hope you find it worthwhile.
Ed, this is Doctor Loomis. Eddie's my new assistant. Hi.
Hi. Yeah. Exeter, '05.
l was class of'61. Good stuff.
So, Tuesday, yeah? Right. See you then. Tuesday, yeah.
Nice to meet you, Eddie. Ciao.
l've read all your novels and all your children's books-- 3:30?
Yeah, 3:30. Got it.
l've-- l read all your novels and all your children's books,
and my favorite is The Door in the Floor. Ahh.
Well, you're probably one of the few people on earth who have read all my novels.
So, uh, what makes you think you want to be a writer, Eddie?
Oh, l wrote something, and l brought it with me.
l'd be extremely honored if you might read it, whenever you're not busy, of course.
Well, writing is rigorous work. l keep myself incredibly busy.
Yeah. Many of my books contain 500 words or less, so...
every word must be examined and re-examined thoroughly. Okay.
You're going to be spending the whole summer looking for le mot juste, as Flaubert says. Oh.
- The right word. The true word. - Okay. Well,
l'm prepared to throw myself in headlong and do whatever you need me to do.
Yeah, because l'm sure there'll be many different tasks that will come up.
Oh, all right. For example, l need squid.
l'm, uh, using squid ink for my new book,
and for all my drawings now.
There's a, uh--
a woman in Montauk, she's a fishmonger.
She collects the squid ink for me. Should l go today?
Ah, you can go tomorrow. You see her husband over there, don't mention my name.
Also, I have to tell you-- because it's a little complicated--
you've arrived here during what is a sad time in a long, happy marriage.
Uh, Marion and l, we're separating--
temporarily, on a trial basis.
And l've, uh-- l've rented a small apartment in town,
and every other night one of us will be spending the night there.
Uh, during the day, you'll work there at the apartment while l'm working here,
but you'll sleep here.
l know it seems unnecessarily complicated, but...
it's hard to know what's-- what's best for my daughter.
Anyway, your bedroom is in the main house, upstairs, second door on the left.
Uh, you want to take your stuff up there, relax? Or you wanna take a shower?
Unpack.
Okay, well,
make yourself comfortable, Eddie.
Thank you, sir.
And... l'm sorry about your marriage.
Me too, Eddie.
Anyway,
l'm sure you're gonna do great here.
lt's gonna be a good summer for ya. l'm glad to have ya.
Did you see the shrine?
Mm-hmm. lt's kinda creepy, huh?
lt's sad.
You go to Exeter, right? Yeah, l'm an upper.
An ''upper''? Yeah, like, an upperclassman--
like, kind of like a junior. Your father's a teacher there, right?
So you get to go for free? Yeah.
He was their teacher, right? So that's why you're here?
l guess.
- Did you know them before they died? - Uh, no, but l heard a lot about them.
When l was in eighth grade l used to date a senior from Exeter.
Really? Yeah. He was older than you, of course.
His name was, like, Chickie or Chuckie or something.
lt was probably a nickname.
You know, it-- it's quite common to have a nickname there.
lt is.
Oh, great, you got it.
Just in time. Yes, sir.
Uh, here, wait. Just a second.
Here. l want you to, uh,
put it in here and then freeze it.
What should l do next?
l'm sketching a model. Why don't you go to the beach, take a swim?
l-- l could straighten up the work room or something else.
No, no. Go ahead.
Anything really. l just want to help. No, that's all right.
Contemplating the waves...
will be a hell of a lot more useful to you as a young writer than watching me draw.
Okay. There'll be, uh,
plenty more rigorous work to do...
at some point in the near future.
Don't spill that stuff.
Take your dress off, please.
And your bra.
Morning, Eddie.
Morning, ma'am.
Bright, yeah! Colors!
Hi. Hi.
Did you just see that movie? Yes.
Me too.
- ls that your dinner? - Sort of, yeah.
l... got kind of tired of burgers. l've had one every night since l got here.
Ted doesn't get you anything? Not really.
l mean, he would. lt's just, l don't think Ruth likes to eat with me.
l don't think your parents would like it if they thought we weren't taking care of you.
They wouldn't mind, really, l don't think.
Eddie, would you like to go to dinner one night?
I'll make sure you get something... decent.
Okay. Okay?
Yeah. Good.
Thanks. Good night.
See you. Bye.
Eddie?
Just one second! Uh,
Ruth wanted to be sure that one of the photographs was still here.
She gets anxious if she can't see them or if they get moved.
Which one was it, sweetie? There it is.
Ahh.
He's just a little broken, but he won't die, right? Right.
Not yet. No. Ruthie had a dream.
- Where's feet? - Hmm? What are you talking about?
Where are the feet?
Sorry, Eddie.
We've gotten in the habit of showing Ruth these pictures, and if we don't she gets very worked up.
That's okay. You can see them anytime.
Ahh, see? See you in the morning, Eddie.
What did he do?
That's Mrs. Vaughn.
Came over to discuss some sketches. Had some questions about them.
Uh, guess she's an early riser.
Do you want me to drive you home now, or-- Uh, no.
l'm gonna-- l'm gonna walk. l left the revisions on my desk. Hmm?
Um, after l finish, what should l do next? l'll let you know.
Eddie, I should have knocked.
It's my fault. I- I'm not angry. I--
l'm just-- l'm just embarrassed.
Eddie?
Come here, please.
lt's funny. Let's just call it funny and leave it at that.
Eddie?
Look at me.
Sit.
l know boys your age.
I know it's what boys your age do, isn't it?
Look, Eddie, I am flattered.
lt felt good to know that someone was at least thinking about me.
Oh, not to assume that you were thinking about me, um--
Maybe about my clothes. And l know you probably have so many girls you think about.
- l didn't-- - l think about what you were wearing when l first met you.
It was a pink sweater, buttons up the front.
Oh!
That sweater, it's so old.
Because of how it must feel against your skin.
Oh.
Would you do me a favor?
Take this down with you.
Please? All right.
Thank you.
l'll probably be about an hour. Here. Why don't you go over the revisions?
- Hey, do you want your supplies? - Oh, yeah.
Hi.
You look nice.
The tie or the jacket. You really don't need both.
Okay.
How's the work going for you?
l just retype A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound every morning.
Sometimes he changes a comma from a semicolon,
and then the next morning he changes it back.
He needs a computer. Ted needs a driver.
That's why he hired you, because he needs a driver.
l don't get to drive much at home, so--
Eddie, you're so serious.
Boys your age shouldn't be so serious.
l know a joke, but it's not very good.
Tell me.
There's this battleship out in the ocean, and the captain of it, Captain Stern,
this captain learns that the mother of one of his sailors just died. Mm-hmm.
And the sailor's name is Midshipman Abernathy.
So the captain thinks and thinks, and he tries to come up with the best way to tell Abernathy that his mother died.
And finally after staying up all night, he comes up with a nice way of telling him.
So the next morning he calls the crew up on deck and says,
''Gentlemen, all of you whose mothers are still living, step forward.
Not so fast, Abernathy.''
l- l like that joke, Eddie. l-- No, it's a-- it's a dumb joke.
l do. l do.
Why don't you ask Alice out on a date?
She's not my type.
Well, she's a good nanny anyway.
l think it was wrong of us to have had Ruth.
When we first moved here, the idea was,
a new place,
a new child,
a new life, l suppose.
Ted's a good father.
But he doesn't really know how to do all the stuff you have to do.
And l can't.
l can't with her.
l picked that one because they're in silhouette,
and you can almost imagine what they would look like now.
Timothy looks guilty.
Thomas looks like a wild animal.
This one's funny.
Tommy looks so...
scared.
l hope l'm not disturbing you. Oh, no. No, not at all.
You can tell in this picture...
Timothy is more introspective,
like you.
And you know where this is?
What does it say?
''Come hither, boys, and become men. ''
Not pink with lilac.
Oh.
l wasn't thinking about the colors.
l don't know if they had sex.
Thomas, maybe. He was so popular.
But, Timothy, he was so shy.
That's all boys want, isn't it?
Yes.
Before l die.
Have you had sex, Eddie?
No.
Well, it's too hot in here,
so l hope you'll forgive me if l don't wear the sweater.
You still really haven't had sex, have you, Eddie?
Not really.
No, not really.
But l feel--
l feel complete.
Come here.
''There was a little boy who didn't know if he wanted to be born.
''His mommy didn't know if she wanted him to be born either.
''They lived in a cabin in the woods on an island in a lake,
''and there was no one else around.
''And in the cabin there was a door in the floor.
''The little boy was afraid of what was under the door in the floor,
''and the mommy was afraid too.
''Once, long ago, other children had come to visit the cabin for Christmas,
''but the children had opened the door in the floor...
''and had disappeared down the hole.
''The mommy had tried to look for the children,
''but when she opened the door in the floor she heard such an awful sound...
''that her hair turned completely white...
''like the hair of a ghost.
''And the mommy had also seen some things,
''things so horrible you can't imagine them.
''And so the mommy wondered...
''if she wanted to have a little boy,
''especially because of everything that might be under the door in the floor.
''And then she thought, 'Why not?
''l'll just tell him not to open the door in the floor.'
''Yet the little boy...
''still didn't know if he wanted to be born...
''into a world where there was a door in the floor.
''But there were some beautiful things in the woods,
''on the island and in the lake.
'''Why not take a chance?’ he thought.
''And so the little boy was born and he was happy,
''and his mommy was happy again too.
''Although she told the boy...
''at least once every day,
'''Don't ever, not ever,
'''never, never, never...
''open the door in the floor.'
''But, of course, he was only a little boy.
''If you were that little boy,
wouldn't you want to open that door in the floor?''
The publisher thinks the drawings are too rudimentary and there are too few of them.
But, um, l'm just an entertainer of children,
and l like to draw.
Nudes, uh-- Nudes are a requisite fundamental exercise for anyone who draws,
like-- like landscapes. So you do landscapes too?
No. Long island’s too flat.
You don't prefer to use professional models?
lf nakedness-- l mean, the feeling of nakedness-- is what a nude must convey,
well, there's no nakedness that compares to what it feels like to be naked in front of someone for the first time.
Hmm? Right, Eddie?
Yes. Yeah. No.
l'm grateful to you, Eddie. Oh, it's my pleasure. lt was very interesting.
No, l mean, uh,
l'm grateful to you for being such a good friend to Marion.
She's been so unhappy.
lt's good to see her smiling again.
Hello, Cole residence.
No, he's not here yet. Should l go look for him?
Unsteady?
Excuse me, Mr. Cole.
Um, Patrick called from Bobby Van's restaurant.
- He said you might want a ride home. - l have a ride.
Go on home, Eddie.
Sorry, Mr. Cole. Good night.
Ready, Eddie? Yup.
Ahh.
l, uh, converted this barn into a squash court when l first bought the place.
Not quite regulation in its dimensions.
Plus, uh, there's a dead spot in the floor by the back walls.
So, basically, l'm considered even by the best players on the island...
to be unbeatable on my own court.
You play much? Um, this is my third time.
Ahh, well, don't expect mercy from me.
l'm gonna grind you into a fine powder.
Huh!
Where those red lines intersect, that's called the ''T.''
Whoever controls the ''T'' controls the game.
You need to win control of the ''T'' if you hope to win the game.
7- love.
Aah! Jesus! You all right?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Yeah, it was a good shot though. Still made it to the wall.
lsn't that a let? Aren't you supposed to just take the let and not hit the guy?
Well, technically you're right, but I'll take the point.
Can't just take the ''T.'' You gotta earn it.
Aah! 9-0, 9-1, 9-0.
You look like a boy who'll sleep well tonight.
Maybe you need to catch up on your sleep anyway, hmm?
Stop screaming, honey. lt's okay. lt's just Eddie and me.
G- Go back to bed, okay?
- Okay? - Okay.
Did you get the stamps? Ah, two rolls.
They still have the ones with the nocturnal animals? Mm-hmm.
Anyway, l, uh--
l presume it was Marion's mistake,
but surely it was a mistake for the two of you to let Ruth see you together.
l'm not threatening you, Eddie, but l must tell you...
that, uh, you may be called upon to testify. Testify?
ln the event of a custody dispute, regarding which one of us is a more fit parent.
l would never have let a child see me with another woman, whereas Marion...
has really made no effort whatsoever to protect Ruth...
from seeing what she saw.
And if you are asked to testify to what happened,
l trust that you won't lie-- not in a court of law.
From the sound of it, it was a rear-entry position--
not that l have a personal problem with that or any other position.
But for a child,
l imagine doing it doggishly...
must seem especially animalistic.
l'll only be about 25 minutes today.
Just a quick sketch.
I've never been unfaithful to Ted.
Why didn't you leave him?
Ted understands me.
Ted's the only one that really knows what happened to me.
You don't need some time?
Aah! What are you doing?
Okay. Ready?
He starts with conventional portraits--
a mother, a child.
Then the mother, then the mother nude.
Then the nudes go through phases,
like innocence, modesty,
degradation...
and shame.
Mrs. Vaughn?
Mrs. Vaughn is experiencing the...
degrading phase right now.
Move your head to the light.
To the-- Evelyn, more to the light.
Evelyn.
l want to know more about you.
You know too much already.
Tell me about the accident.
l mean, do you know how it happened, or--
or was it anybody's fault?
Marion?
- Marion? - Mommy.
Mommy.
It was early in the morning, and Mommy was just waking up.
Thomas and Timothy crawled under the covers. And Daddy took the picture in France.
But what did you did to the feet?
Well, maybe it never happened.
You know, maybe it was just a dream. No.
l guess it's just a mystery. No, it was paper.
Don't you want to go back to bed? Yes.
Bring the picture. lt's my picture. lt's not yours.
That's true.
Mommy! Mommy!
She cut her finger, badly. Ow.
Shh. It's okay. Am l going to die?
No. You're not going to die.
You're not going to die.
You don't understand. I put the picture in her room. It's my fault.
That's not the point. The point is, you shouldn't have gone into her room in the first place.
That's her mother's job. l told you, Marion was asleep.
l doubt it. l doubt ''asleep'' would accurately describe Marion's condition.
l did it to her. l asked her about the accident.
Ah, it doesn't matter.