You wanna go faster?
All right. No, no, no.
You're gonna slide off.
You all right? Are you sliding?
Yeah.
If you're sliding, I'm gonna stop you.
No, no, no. You're okay? Okay.
More? Yes.
That's funny.
I could've sworn I saw a little girl by the name of Emily come in here.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
Could she be hiding in the closet?
I wonder where she could be.
Hmm.
Maybe my eyes have deceived me.
I'm invisible, Mommy.
Well, if you're invisible
then how could I do this?
Did you know where I was?
Not a clue.
You want Alex?
What is it?
I love you more than anything else in the world.
You know that, don't you?
I love you, too.
Good night, sweetheart.
Make the face.
Please.
Now go to sleep. Okay.
Mommy.
Sorry.
Good night.
You coming to bed?
In a little while.
Something you wanna talk about?
Some things are beyond therapy, David.
Honey?
Dr. Roberts, extension 2032.
I should've seen it coming.
All the signs were there.
The ones closest to you are the hardest to judge.
I know, but I...
I could've prevented it.
David, it's not your fault.
How long have we known each other?
Trust me when I tell you this.
As difficult as it may seem
you're gonna have to try and start over.
We're gonna move.
Upstate. The country.
That's not exactly what I meant by starting over.
What about Emily?
This is a traumatic time for her.
It's important she stays and works through this.
No, here she's flooded with memories.
I need to expose her to a new environment, new things to do.
She'd be losing another person she depends on.
It's only an hour away, and you're always welcome to come and see her.
Right now, I need to do what's right for Emily.
I need to be a full-time dad.
I have a surprise for you.
When I was your age, my mom gave me one just like that.
And whenever I was feeling sad, I would open the lid
and all my sorrows went away.
Do you like it?
Give me a hug.
You're gonna like it there.
All right, let's go.
Come on. Let's take a look.
Right on time.
Dr. Callaway.
Mr. Haskins. Hello.
This is Sheriff Hafferty. Sheriff.
He routinely checks on the houses up here
and makes sure things run smoothly.
I see. Well, this is my daughter, Emily. This is Sheriff Hafferty.
Emily. How are you?
This is Mr. Haskins. He found us the house.
Well, hello there, Emily.
Think your dad did a good job picking the house?
She's still deciding.
Well, she sure is pretty.
Thank you.
As I mentioned, Woodland Estates is mainly a summer community.
It may be a little quiet up here till then. I hope that's not a problem.
Not at all. Great.
Let me show you around the back.
You spent much time in the country?
Not much.
I used to camp when I was little,
but I was always scared of the woods.
Nothing to be scared of in these woods.
You picked a nice spot, the biggest house on the lake.
Sheriff, if you'd like to do the honors,
let Dr. Callaway into his new home.
Figure out which key.
Did you see where my daughter went?
Emily.
Emily!
Honey, you okay?
Come on, let's go back. Come on.
Mr. Haskins, sheriff, we'll take it from here.
Spaghetti and meatballs is your favorite dish.
You're not hungry?
I'd like to go to bed now.
I'll come up and kiss you good night.
Oh, that's funny.
I could've sworn I saw a little girl by the name of Emily come in here.
I wonder
where she's hiding.
Could she be...
Could she be under the bed?
No.
Could she be
hiding?
Let's see, where could she be hiding?
Could she be hiding in the closet?
Okay.
Since it's the first night in a new house,
I thought it would be a good time to start a new diary.
Each day you can write down your feelings and thoughts
and then one day you can look back and see how much they've changed.
Hmm?
I love you more than anything else in the world, sweetheart.
You know that.
That's what Mommy said.
Hmm?
Before she killed herself.
Sweetheart, she meant what she said, and so do I.
You want me to put this over here?
Okay.
All right.
Good night.
Good night, Alex.
Emily?
Emily.
Em?
Emily?
Oh, there you are.
Come on, sweetheart. We're going into town. We have some errands to do.
Hello. Hi. Hi there.
I'm Laura. I live next door.
Oh, I'm David. How are you?
Here, these are for you.
Oh, thank you very much.
My husband and I made the preserves ourselves.
Oh, well. I didn't even realize anyone else lived up here.
Well, it does get pretty quiet in the off-season.
Oh, this is my daughter, Emily.
Emily, say hello to Laura. She's our neighbor.
Isn't she adorable.
You gonna say hi?
Well, she gets a little shy around new faces.
I understand.
It's gonna be a real treat having both of you here.
Oh, you're on your way out. I won't keep you.
If you need anything, don't hesitate to stop by.
Same here. And thank you for all the preserves.
The peach and apricot preserves.
Enjoy. Thank You.
I'm gonna put this inside.
Amy, don't swing so high.
I'm gonna tell your mom.
Would you listen to me?
Hi.
I have a daughter the same age.
She's in the car.
Oh!
I'm Elizabeth. Elizabeth Young.
Hi. David Callaway. How are you?
Good.
Nice to meet you.
Are you visiting?
We just moved up from the city.
Usually it's the other way around.
I know.
Is she your kid?
Oh, no, no.
She's my sister's kid. I'm the honorary babysitter.
Watch.
Amy, be careful.
Amy.
She all right?
Amy? Jesus, are you all right?
That's very funny. Oh, my God, you're gonna make me nuts, you know that?
Is your daughter this crazy?
Where's Alex?
I don't like her anymore.
Did I just hear what I think I heard?
Are you mad, Daddy?
No, I'm not mad at all. I think it's great.
You do?
Yeah.
Good. Because I have a new friend.
A new friend? Okay.
Let me guess. ls it...
...Veronica?
No.
Is it Patty?
Is it... He's not a doll.
He's?
Not a doll.
He. Okay, well
if he's not a doll, then who is he?
He doesn't want me to talk about him.
Doesn't want you to talk about him?
No.
What if I promise to keep it a secret, could you tell me then?
So, what's his name?
He told me to call him Charlie.
Charlie. Oh, that's an interesting name.
Charlie.
When did you meet Charlie?
Today.
When we went to town?
It was before that.
Before that?
Is he
here right now?
I think he's sleeping.
Okay. Well, in that case, we better not wake him. Hmm?
It's not unusual for a traumatized child to create imaginary friends.
I know. I just wish she'd confide in me instead of using fantasy.
Trauma causes pain.
Eventually, the mind will find a way to release it.
No kidding. Don't forget I'm the one who taught you that stuff.
As a matter of fact, you did, yes.
Just have fun with her, David, play with her.
That's what she needs.
These are beginning rods.
Let's see.
Two rods, $41.50 each.
Times it by two.
Okay, that's $41.50.
$41.50 times two.
Plus bait and tackle.
Sheriff.
You parked in a handicap zone.
I didn't even realize. Could you give me a break? I didn't realize.
Enjoy your day.
So much for small-town hospitality, honey.
Shut the door. We broke the law.
I know we broke the law. Shut the door.
Maybe the Loch Ness monster.
What?
You know what that is?
It's in Scotland.
This is a good spot, huh?
Honey, what are you doing?
Do you think that's a good idea?
Emily?
We have bait.
See?
All right.
Did you have a nice time today?
It was okay.
Just okay?
Well, then, what could we have done to make it better?
What if Charlie was there? Would he make it better?
He's a lot of fun.
Fun like how?
Fun like Mommy.
It's a little stuffy in here.
It's stuck.
It's okay, Daddy.
It just...
Five, four, three, two, one.
Happy New Year.
Emily, why would you do this?
I didn't do it.
What do you mean you didn't? There's nobody here but us.
It wasn't me.
This is your writing, and these are your crayons, honey.
It's all right, just tell me. You don't have to lie.
I'm not lying.
Okay, well, if you didn't do it, then who did?
It was Charlie.
She thinks I'm responsible for Alison's death.
It's Charlie that holds you responsible.
Use him, David. Use him to get through to her.
He's the key.
I have to go. I think I found her a real friend.
Really? That's great.
Call me if you need me, okay? Bye.
Okay, bye-
Hi.
Hi, Amy.
Glad you came.
Em. We have guests.
Emily.
Ah!
This is Elizabeth. Hi, Emily.
Emily, this is Amy.
Hi.
The coffeemaker has a mind of its own.
Oh, God.
Thank you.
So is that your wife?
She passed away.
I'm sorry.
No matter how many times I say it, it still sounds so strange.
Must be hard on Emily.
Have you ever been married?
Actually, I just got divorced.
I'm living with my sister and her husband
till I can figure out my next move.
Best way to get over the past is to start something new.
That's why we're here.
...Baby, wrapped up in toilet paper Put it in the incubator
What shall it be?
By the way, this is Penelope.
Thanks.
You're gonna like it here. It's a lot of fun.
Well, it's not always fun, but there are lots of fun things to do.
Om
She's beautiful.
What's her name?
And you don't talk much, do you?
You shouldn't be here.
Why not?
You could get hurt.
Oh, my God. Okay.
So you have my number?
I'll talk to you soon.
Okay.
I guess I should go.
Yeah. Okay, bye.
Bye, Emily.
So, what'd you think of Amy?
Did you like her?
I don't need any more friends.
Good, good.
Perfect.
Hi.
Hey.
Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude.
I'm Steven, Laura's husband, from next door.
Oh, yeah. Hi.
It's David, right?
Yes, it's David.
Just wanted to say hi.
Nice to meet you, Steven.
Figure, you know
you're gonna be neighbors, you might as well be neighborly, right?
Right.
You're gonna have to excuse us,
we have a busy day ahead of us.
Honey, come on.
Emily.
Let's go.
Bye.
Listen, you need anything, give a shout.
Okay, thank you. See you around.
David?
Yeah.
You're very lucky to have such a beautiful daughter.
Thank you.
You remember what I told you about not talking to strangers?
He's not a stranger.
What do you mean?
He's our neighbor.
As far as I'm concerned, he's a stranger, honey.
Don't walk away when I'm talking to you. I'm telling you something.
I'm sorry, Daddy. Weren't you finished?
No, I wasn't finished.
What I'm saying is, it's very important to listen when I tell you something.
Okay? Okay.
What are you doing, sweetheart?
Nothing.
What's so funny?
Is Charlie here?
He just left.
Where'd he go?
Did you open that?
I thought you did.
I wanna talk to Charlie.
What would you like to talk about?
I'd like to talk to him about all sorts of things.
Like what?
Like, well.
What makes him happy, what makes him sad.
So, what do you say, you think you can introduce us?
I don't think that's gonna work.
Why is that?
He doesn't like you very much.
Why doesn't he like me very much?
Does it have something to do with Mommy?
Honey,
what does he tell you?
Three-1000, four-1000, five-1000,
six-1000, seven-1000, eight-1000,
nine-1000, 10-1000.
Ready or not, here I come.
Charlie.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
Charlie, is that you?
Emily.
Daddy!
Emily!
Where are you?
What happened? Why are you down here?
Emily, talk to me.
He was hiding. Who was hiding?
In the dark.
Can I go to bed now?
Hi.
Do you have a minute?
Yeah, sure, come on in.
Thank you.
I wanted to apologize for my husband.
He said he had an awkward moment yesterday with you and Emily.
It's all right. Don't worry about it.
He's harmless. Wouldn't hurt a fly.
That's fine.
It's just that we lost a child recently, a girl.
In some ways, Emily reminds us of her.
I see.
He was just reaching out.
There is nothing worse in this world than losing a child.
Here, taste this. I think it may be too salty.
Okay.
Not bad. Really?
Not bad. Oh, good.
It's really good.
Wow, you look so pretty.
You didn't have to get all dressed up for me.
Honey, would you go upstairs and change into something else, please?
Don't you like it?
Not for dinner, no.
Why not?
You know why.
She looks so pretty. Let's just eat.
I think you look really beautiful.
Did Daddy tell you that my mommy died?
Yes, he did.
And I'm very sorry.
Did he tell you how she died?
Honey, I don't think Elizabeth really wants to hear how that happened, okay?
She killed herself in our bathtub.
Emily.
She slit her wrists with a razor.
Emily.
That's enough.
Emily, I brought you something.
Your dad asked me to bring over some of Amy's books.
These were some of my favorites when I was your age.
Oh, that's great.
Give you a chance to see what the other kids are reading
before you get started.
You gonna say thanks?
Emily.
Emily, stop it. That's enough.
Do you like her, Daddy? Stop this.
Charlie says you do. Go to your room.
He says you like her as much as Mom.
Go to your room.
If you're gonna behave this way, go to your room.
Let's hope you don't wind up like her.
I'm sorry.
Who's Charlie?
He's her imaginary friend.
Her only friend.
I always wanted her to have a better childhood than I had.
Now look.
Drive safely.
Attention, please.
Maybe after a few more martinis.
Charlie did it.
You do believe me, don't you, Daddy?
Why are you looking at me like that?
Dr. Callaway, I didn't mean to disturb you.
I thought you might be needing these.
Those are the keys
for the different rooms in the house.
I forgot to give them to you earlier. I apologize.
It's a little late to be delivering keys, isn't it?
Well, I thought I could slip them under the door.
Wife and I are going to Canada first thing in the morning.
We've got a little cabin tucked away in the woods.
Good place to clear the mind.
Everything all right?
Well, enjoy.
What's for breakfast?
Honey, why would Charlie do such a horrible thing?
Is it because of Elizabeth?
Charlie needs to understand something, honey.
Elizabeth is not trying to take Mommy's place.
Does he understand that?
Honey, I can't help you if you don't talk to me.
Why doesn't he like Elizabeth?
Because she likes you.
And?
He doesn't want you to be happy.
Honey,
you know this has nothing to do with Charlie. You do know that.
It's about you, honey, and that's okay.
Charlie doesn't exist.
You shouldn't say that.
Why not?
You're gonna make him mad.
Well, so what? I'll get him mad.
Let him come out and yell at me.
Good, I wanna see him. Where is he?
You wanna see him?
Who's that supposed to be?
Charlie and Mommy. She would've liked him.
No, trust me, honey. Mommy wouldn't like Charlie.
That's not what he says.
What do you mean?
What does he say?
What does Charlie say? Talk to me. What does he say?
He says he would've satisfied her.
Who told you to say that?
Charlie did.
No, who told you that?
Charlie did.
There is no Charlie. Who said it?
Charlie did!
He did not. Who said it?
Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, Charlie!
Hey.
Hey, sweetheart.
I'm so happy you came.
It's so good to see you.
Wanna show me the house?
Yeah. Okay.
Hey, David. How are you?
Good. Good to see you.
Good to see you too.
Glad you could come.
Do you like it here?
I'm having a lot of fun.
You are?
Tell me about your friend Charlie.
He doesn't like me to talk about him.
I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you told me.
So tell me, what do you guys do together?
Play games.
What kind of games?
Hide-and-seek. That's our favorite.
Sounds like Charlie's a lot of fun.
So, what do you guys talk about?
I don't know.
Bunch of things.
Sometimes he even talks about you.
Really?
And what does he say?
You can tell me.
He's afraid you're gonna get in the way.
In the... In the way of what?
Our game.
What game is that?
Upsetting Daddy.
Isn't she pretty?
David, I'd like to bring Emily back with me.
At least for a little while, so she can be evaluated.
I'm just worried bringing her back will make her worse.
She's not well.
I know that.
And she's not your patient.
I know that, too.
She thinks it's a game. She's using Charlie to get to you.
I know things haven't gone as well as we hoped
but do you think bringing her back to New York will make a difference?
It's worth a try.
All right, look, I'll give it two more weeks
and if there's no improvement, I'll bring her back.
What are you doing, Daddy?
Nothing.
What were you looking at?
I was just getting ready to tuck you in.
Good night.
Daddy?
Yes, sweetheart?
Can you close the door?
You don't want the light?
I don't need it anymore.
Okay.
Hi.
Hello, David.
I thought I'd return the favor.
Oh, thank you.
Apple, my favorite.
Make yourself at home. I'll be back in a second.
Thank you.
You must think we're pretty crazy, keeping all these toys around.
It's...
It's hard to find the right place for them, you know?
I'm sorry.
No, you have nothing to be sorry about.
It's just I've had no one to talk to.
You know that I am a psychologist.
I've dealt with many people in similar circumstances
and if you and your husband would like to talk about this, it might help.
He's been having a tough time this past couple of weeks.
In what sense?
You have no idea how painful it can be
how painful he can make it.
I'm sorry.
I've already said too much.
Please, I can... Listen to me. Please, I can help you.
No, he'll be back any moment.
If you just talk to me, I can help you.
No.
You have to go. What...
Hello?
David?
Emily?
Hello?
David?
Emily?
Emily, are you in here?
Didn't you hear me calling?
Daddy's not here.
Well, actually, it was you that I came to see.
Would you mind if we talked for a moment?
I brought you some daisies.
I wasn't sure which one was your favorite color, so I just got all kinds.
Thanks.
Emily, I'm really sorry about what happened the other night.
I want you to know that I'm not trying to come between you and your dad.
Do you think maybe we could start over?
We could be friends?
Do you like games?
I love games.
Would you like to play one?
I'm already playing.
And what game are you playing?
Hide-and-seek.
Don't you need another person to play that game?
He's hiding.
Who's hiding?
Charlie.
Charlie's hiding.
Where is he hiding?
You stay here.
Charlie.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
No, no.
Emily? Em?
Emily.
What are you doing?
What are you drawing, honey?
What happened?
Emily, what happened?
Oh, hello, sheriff.
You mind if I come in for a minute?
Afraid I have some bad news. There's been an accident.
I found Elizabeth Young's car crashed on the side of the road.
Is she okay?
I don't know. She wasn't inside.
I spoke to her niece, Amy.
She told me she came up here to see you. You seen her?
No, I haven't seen her. No.
Would you mind if
I had a glass of water?
Sure. Just what, water?
Yeah. Sure.
At first I thought she might've crashed on the way up.
But taking a second look
I seen the tire tracks leading down the hill.
So she must've at least stopped by.
Well, maybe she forgot something,
or turned around, or I don't know, but...
Maybe. Maybe Emily's seen her.
No, that couldn't be. Emily was here, upstairs.
Could you call her?
Sure.
I can call her, yeah. I could ask her.
Emily.
Emily?
Em?
Honey.
Come on down. Come on.
Hello, Emily.
Emily, you know Elizabeth Young?
You seen her come by in the last few hours?
If I stepped away for a minute
you sure there's nothing you'd wanna tell your daddy?
I'm sure.
Good girl.
You can go on up to your room and play.
Cute kid.
Thank you.
If you hear anything, you'll give me a call?
I will, sheriff. I will, and you can do the same.
I wanna check around the neighborhood.
You and Emily gonna be here?
We'll be here.
Just making sure.
Thanks for the water.
You're welcome.
Emily? Emily?
Emily, where is she? Where's Elizabeth?
Oh, God.
What did you do? What did you do?
I didn't do anything.
Who did it? Who did it then?
Charlie. Don't say Charlie.
I keep on telling you.
What is going on? Charlie.
Who is Charlie? Where is he?
Help me understand what's happening here.
I can't, I can't.
Help me.
I can't.
Did you have a part in this?
He made me help him.
He made me.
This is him? ls this Charlie?
I can't tell you.
Who is this?
Please, I can't. I'm sorry.
You stay right here. Don't move.
Please don't leave me.
Do not move, you stay right here.
You can't stop him, Daddy.
Hello?
Emily? Emily, what's happening?
I don't wanna play with Charlie anymore.
Emily, where's your father?
Daddy can't save me now.
Emily? Emily, sweetie, are you there?
Are you okay?
He just left.
Where is he?
He's hiding!
Where are you? Where are you?
You.
What are you doing here? I heard noises.
I saw you come out of the woods with a shovel. Everything all right?
No.
Emily all right?
You stay away.
I wanna see her.
You stay away, or I'm calling the cops.
I wanna see her now.
You sick fuck. Stay away!
Daddy. Honey.
Stay upstairs. Stay upstairs. Upstairs!
You stay away! You stay away!
You get out of here!
It's okay, sweetheart. Charlie's gone.
He'll come back. I know he will.
No, he's gone now. He's gone.
Please don't make me see Charlie, Daddy.
Please don't make me see Charlie.
I'm so sorry I didn't believe you.
I'm so sorry, honey.
Please don't leave me again.
Please don't leave me again, not again.
Please don't make me see Charlie.
Is Charlie here right now?
I think he's sleeping.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
No!
Can you see now, Daddy?
It's okay.
Daddy's gone now.
Dr. Callaway?
Anybody home?
Hello?
Emily. Hey-
Where's your dad?
Neighbor called, said there was a problem.
Everything all right?
What you drawing there?
You,
dying.
Emily?
Marco.
Hello?
Dr. Callaway?
Marco.
Polo.
I can't help but sense a certain tension between us.
What's the matter, don't you wanna play anymore?
Don't you wanna have fun?
Hmm?
You want your daddy back, is that it?
You like him more than me, don't you?
Oh!
Liar.
Liar, liar.
You're a big fat liar.
You killed Mommy?
One-1000,
two-1000,
three-1000,
four-1000,
five-1000.
Hello?
Oh, God. David, you scared me.
David?
That's funny.
I could've sworn I saw a little girl by the name of Emily come in here.
Emily.
I wonder where she could be.
Could she be hiding under the bed?
No
Could she be hiding under this bed?
No.
Could she be
hiding in the closet?
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird don't sing
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring turns brass
Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass gets broke
Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat
...Cart and bull turn over
Emily.
Honey, open up for Daddy.
Mommy misses you.
Emily?
Emily!
Emily.
Your daddy is looking for you.
Turns brass
Papa's gonna buy you
Katherine.
Charlie?
No, it's me, it's David.
Where is Emily?
Katherine, I... Emily!
It's all right. I just wanna explain...
Stay right there. You were right.
Emily! You were right.
I never should've brought her up here. It was a mistake.
I mean, Emily's not the person who's...
...not well. It's me.
And you said it.
Trauma causes pain. And you were right.
We're gonna get you some help, okay?
I'm sorry.
Dad!
There you are.
Don't.
What?
Don't hurt her.
Why?
She's my friend.
I thought I was your friend.
Please, Charlie.
Hide-and-seek.
It's okay. It's okay.
You're safe now.
Time for school, sweetheart.
Okay.
Have you got your homework?
Yes.
Did you brush your teeth?
Yes.
Great.
Who's playing hide-and-seek?
Who will come play with me?
Who's hiding in the dark?
Come out, come out
Let's play again
Come out, come out
Let's play again