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[ominous music playing]
[ominous music continues]
[boy] "When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers."
Oscar Wilde wrote that.
We didn't read that book.
Maybe we should have.
[ominous music fades]
[indistinct chatter]
[boy] Harlow, Maine, is really not a town but a village and still is,
although I've moved away.
There's a six-room elementary and middle school house.
There's Howie's Market,
where they sell groceries and Red Devil lotto tickets.
Gates Falls is the next town over and bigger.
It has my dad's favorite restaurant, Mondello's.
And we'd go there whenever he won salesman of the month,
which used to be often but now, not so much
since Mom died.
Harlow also has Castle Lake and the Ledges,
where the pine needles give way to bare rock,
which is New England's ultimate truth.
But before I talk about the big-money lottery ticket,
the shit show with Kenny Yankovich, and everyone dying,
I should tell you about how I happened to go to work for Mr. Harrigan.
It was because of church.
♪ This is my story ♪
♪ This is my song ♪
♪ Praising my Savior… ♪
[door slams shut]
[organ playing]
[organ stops]
Second Samuel chapter 1, verses 19 and 20.
"The beauty of Israel is slain upon the high places."
"How are the mighty fallen!"
"Tell it not in Gath,
publish it not in the streets of Askelon."
"Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice."
"Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph."
[reverend] Thank you, Craig.
Pretty nice, huh?
I'm so glad you're here this morning…
[pensive music playing]
[Craig] Since that day, I've wondered
what if…
and why me.
[car approaching]
[door opens]
-Why did he choose me? -[door closes]
John Harrigan was the richest guy in Maine. A billionaire.
I wonder if I can have a word with your son.
[Craig] His eyes were failing,
and he wanted to hire someone to read books to him.
There were other kids, older kids, better readers.
Was it because he knew five dollars an hour would be attractive
to a boy looking for any chance to get out of a lonely house?
Or something else,
something I'd have to discover?
[pensive music continues]
[door rattles, creaks]
Hi, my name is--
I know who you are.
All the way back and to the right.
[pensive music continues]
[footsteps echo]
[clock chiming]
"…for passion alone is awake to it."
"And when passion is dead or absent,
then the magnificent throb of beauty is incomprehensible
and even a little despicable."
"Warm, live beauty of contact, so much deeper than the beauty of wisdom."
[pensive music continues]
[young Craig] "'What is money, after all?'"
"'I mean, Papa, what can it do?'"
"Mr. Dombey drew his chair back to its former place
and patted him on the head."
"'You'll know better by and by, my man,' he said."
"'Money, Paul, can do anything.'"
[music fades]
[sentimental music playing]
[Craig] As much as I missed her,
my father missed her even more.
Without her around, he seemed sad and hollow.
I had this weird kid thing.
Like, somehow, my mom's death was my fault.
That I was responsible for it.
That I controlled it.
And if I controlled it…
I could have stopped it.
[sentimental music continues]
-[John] What are you doing? -Um, it's nothing, sorry.
It doesn't concern you.
Do you have a question?
If you do, I will answer it.
What's in the closet?
Secrets.
Terrible secrets.
"Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation,
and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge?"
"He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision."
"He cried out twice."
"A cry that was no more than a breath."
"'The horror. The horror.'"
"'The horror.'"
Do you understand what you just read?
Do you understand what Conrad is saying?
I think I do.
Mm.
It is payday, Craig.
[young Craig] Thank you.
Do you ever read when I'm not here?
[grunts]
Yes, I read this.
Aren't they kinda boring?
[John] "Boring"?
I find finance exhilarating.
Do you remember Dombey and Son?
Second book we read. I read.
Dombey was trying to help his son understand that the true value of money
is not measured in worth.
The true value of money
is measured in power.
But the boy, Paul, he asked,
"Why didn't money save my mama?" or something.
And he asked his father if money was cruel.
It can be cruel if used properly.
-[pensive music playing] -[keys tapping]
[Craig] John Harrigan wasn't well-liked.
He'd never been married, never had children,
and had no connection to whatever family he had left.
Maybe that's why he seemed so lonely.
Maybe he took that loneliness out on others.
It was a feeling I understood.
[music fades]
[dad] You know, your mom thought that playing the lotto was gambling.
If she knew I was letting you work with Harrigan and scratching Red Devils,
she'd roll over in her grave.
[dishes clatter]
All right. Go ahead.
-Where you going? -Gonna use my lucky dime.
[Craig] That was the first.
But from that day on,
I could count on four envelopes hand-addressed to me each year.
Valentine's Day, my birthday in September,
Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
[whimsical music playing]
Zilch.
He's a cheapster. Pays you cheap wages. Gives you a cheap bonus.
A one-dollar Red Devil ticket from Howie's?
So, what you said earlier about Mom, what does that really mean?
[dad] What?
Roll over in your grave.
Oh, um… [chuckles]
It's just an old saying. Um…
I guess it just means once a person has been laid to rest,
they shouldn't worry about things above ground
in the living world.
Okay.
[young Craig] "'All right, kids,' Rocky said into the microphone."
"'A little sprint before the rest of the period.'"
"'Give,'" he said to the orchestra,
clapping his hands together and stamping on the platform,
keeping time to the music."
"In a moment, the customers were clapping their hands together
and stamping too."
"We were all milling around in the middle of the floor,
all of us watching the minute hand of the clock,
when suddenly, Kid Kamm, of couple number 18,
began slapping his partner on the cheek."
"He was holding her up with his left hand,
slapping her backwards and forwards with his right hand."
"But she did not respond. She was dead to the world."
[young Craig, Craig] "She gurgled a couple of times…"
"…and then slid to the floor."
"The floor judge blew his whistle,
and all the customers jumped to their feet, excited."
"Customers at a marathon dance do not have to be prepared--"
That's enough.
[soft piano music playing]
The first time we read this, I didn't quite understand the title.
And what does it mean to you now?
Um, that if horses in pain can be put out of their misery,
why can't humans be afforded the same gift?
The gift of death.
[exhales sharply]
To nevermore feel pain
or fret
or worry.
[Craig] I'd been reading to him three times a week for five years
and only missed once
when I had an achy spring flu.
I felt bad about missing because I'd begun to wonder
if our time together was the high point of his week,
giving him something to look forward to, something to live for.
["Black Lips" by Veni Vidi Vici playing]
♪ Mirror, mirror on the wall ♪
♪ Who's the greatest of them all? ♪
♪ My man Muhammad… ♪
[Craig] As a rite of passage, all Harlow kids
go to Gates Falls for high school since Harlow doesn't have one.
♪ 'Cause I came… ♪
[Craig] Billy Ueberroth's older brother, Mike, or U-Boat, as everybody called him…
[laughs hysterically]
…had already been in the deep end, came out unscathed,
and had agreed to show us the ropes if we paid him.
♪ All y'all ♪
♪ People look towards Mecca's way… ♪
Sweet.
♪ Sistine Chapel… ♪
Boys and girls, time to show you where the bodies are buried.
And stop.
Give me your eyes and ears.
Dangers lie ahead.
Now on your left…
Don't stare. Don't venture over there
unless you're looking for a black eye, lung cancer, or a tattoo.
You see, hazing is forbidden at Gates Falls High,
but that doesn't mean it don't happen.
["Atlas" by Battles playing]
You're gonna have to steel yourself. Acquire a cold eye and a mean look.
Don't take any shit
or your years here will be hell. It's just like prison.
-Do your time under the radar. -[loud thud]
[can clatters]
Thanks, U-Boat!
And don't think all this doesn't apply to you, Margie.
Those senior girls are mean as pythons.
They don't strike at once
but enjoy squeezing the life out of you over the course of the year.
Don't ever go in there.
Last stop on the tour.
The cafeteria. This is where the popular kids hang out.
They all have smartphones.
Motorola Razer. Samsung table over there in the corner.
And that is the Apple table.
What…
iPhones just came out. How did they get them?
Because they're the popular kids.
We gotta get phones.
[bell ringing]
[Craig] When you grow up in a small town
and are suddenly exposed to an alien world,
your universe expands.
You see strange and different faces.
Some of them are friendly,
but others, sometimes others seem drawn to you in a dark way,
to not like you and for no reason.
Hey! How you doing? I saw you earlier, Short Bus.
Take it.
Look inside.
Shoe polish?
Every freshman shines. You're gonna shine mine on the shitter.
-I have to get to class. -No, not until you shine my boots.
-No. -No is a mistake you don't wanna make.
Shine my boots, or I feed this can of polish to you.
[woman] Boys.
Is there a problem here?
No. All good.
What's in the bag? It wouldn't happen to be a hazing kit, would it?
No.
[chuckles nervously]
-I gotta get to class. -Wait.
-What's your name? -Um, Craig.
What's in the bag, Craig?
Um…
It's…
half a sandwich.
He was asking me if I wanted it.
Hmm.
Okay.
You're gonna regret this.
I just saved your ass. You should be saying thank you.
Fuck your thanks, new boy.
-You don't know me. What did I do to you? -You tried to show me up.
You just should've shined, Short Bus.
You should've shined.
[dad] Hey, there he is.
First day of high school. How was it?
Good.
[dad] That's it? Just good?
[scoffs]
Okay, it was great.
You have, uh, all the right supplies?
[Craig] Yeah.
-What about your teachers? You like 'em? -Good, Dad. It's all good. Okay?
Yeah, okay.
Well, if you… you need anything, just, uh…
All right.
Dad.
Yeah.
Can I get a cell phone?
What do you need a cell phone for?
For instance, I needed help or I needed to call 911.
[chuckles softly]
We live in a town so small, you can shout, and they'll show up.
[softly] Okay.
"Jurgis would find out these things for himself if he stayed long enough."
"It was the men who had to do all the dirty jobs,
and so there was no deceiving them."
"And they caught the spirit of the place and did like all the rest."
"Jurgis had come there
and thought he was going to make himself useful, rise,
and become a skilled man,
but he would soon find out his error,
for nobody rose in Packingtown by doing good work."
Enough! E--
[scoffs]
I had forgotten how much I despised that socialist claptrap.
[Craig] So, you think that Sinclair was wrong and that you can get ahead
by doing good work and following the rules?
Craig, Craig, Craig.
Don't misunderstand.
I admire hard work.
I love smart work.
You have to be fiercely competitive to survive.
To be first, you have to be bold.
You have to be ruthless.
Don't ask for what you need.
Ask for-- No, no! Don't ask.
Demand what you want.
-[Craig] Mr. Harrigan. -[John] Yes?
In your life, has anyone ever tried to bully you
or take advantage of you?
At work, I mean.
[John] Every single day.
And how'd you deal with that?
Harshly.
[wind gusting]
Look at that.
[chuckles softly]
Wow!
That is…
Huh? I'll… I'll wear it next time we go to Mondello's.
Hey, uh, you got a couple too.
Open the small one first. Save mine for last.
Mr. Harrigan.
-Gosh, I wonder what it could be. -[chuckles]
Surprise.
-[Craig] Be right back. -Yeah.
[pensive music playing]
I won!
-Oh, really? How much? -You're not gonna believe it.
A million.
$3,000!
That's… that… that's a winner.
That… that's gonna be a tough gift to beat.
Um, maybe you should've opened mine first.
[wrapping tearing]
Um…
-Yeah. -[chuckles] Dad.
Hey.
You're welcome, son.
The girl at the store helped me out. It's all set up, charged, ready to go.
Who you gonna call first?
Mm-mmm.
[phone ringing]
[John sighs]
[phone rings]
Hello?
[Craig] Merry Christmas, Mr. Harrigan.
-Craig? -It's Craig, yeah.
Where are you? It sounds like you're on the other side of the moon.
[laughs] I'm actually on my cell phone.
Oh no. They're filled with radiation.
How may I help?
I was just calling to tell you that your gift, the scratch-off, I won.
I won $3,000.
Oh, good.
Well, one of those things finally paid off.
Thank you.
Um, it was nice of you to give it to me.
It was nothing, you know? Um…
I… I hand them out to friends.
Is that all, Craig?
Yeah, I suppose so.
Merry Christmas.
All right. Merry…
["2080" by Yeasayer playing]
[Billy] Man, being back after a holiday sucks.
-What's your hurry, Craig? -Yeah, where are you going?
[Billy] What?
-You're shitting me! -[U-Boat] No.
♪ I can't sleep when I think about The times we're living in… ♪
No.
♪ I can't sleep when I think about The future I was born into ♪
[Craig] Margie, Billy, and U-Boat all got phones shortly thereafter,
though I had the only iPhone, and Billy and U-Boat had to share a Razer.
[bell ringing]
♪ With no Berlin Wall What the hell you gonna do? ♪
♪ It's a new year, I'm glad to be here ♪
♪ It's a fresh spring, so let's sing ♪
♪ In 2080, I'll surely be dead ♪
♪ So don't look ahead, ever look ahead ♪
-♪ It's a new year, I'm glad to be here ♪ -[music fades]
Thanks.
Craig, there's something I've been meaning to speak with you about.
We've had this arrangement for a long, long time.
And it strikes me that you are a far different person now
from who you were when we started.
My question is,
why do you continue to come here?
Do you want me to stop?
No, no, no.
Then, what?
Surely there are sports clubs and girls
who could better occupy your time.
And yet, here you are three days a week.
Why?
Is it out of some sense of obligation?
Not at all. No.
Well, then, why?
Because I enjoy our time together.
[sighs]
Why?
[sentimental music playing]
I come here because I…
I like the smell of your books.
I come here because I love our talks. I come here because, when I read out loud,
it gives me a sense of power that I don't have outside of this room.
I come here because I want to.
I'll see you Thursday.
[sentimental music continues]
[TV indistinctly playing]
I know what I wanna do with the lotto money.
That money is going into the college fund like we agreed.
Well, you said most of it was going into the college fund.
How often do I buy things?
-[breathes deeply] -[TV shuts off]
Almost never.
Well, I know what I wanna do with the rest of it.
-[Craig] Afternoon, Pete. -Afternoon.
-[Craig] Hi, Edna. -Hello, boy.
[Craig] Thank you.
[John] There you are.
-Mr. Harrigan, I brought you something. -I don't need anything.
Thank you.
I appreciate the sentiment.
But, no.
-I suggest you give this to your father. -He told me you'd say that.
A wise man, he.
Henry David Thoreau said,
"We don't own things. Things own us."
I don't have a television
because if I did, I would spend my time watching it.
I have a radio in the car, but I don't have a radio in the house,
even though I like a bit of country and western from time to time.
And if I had that, I would waste more time.
-Okay, let me just-- -No, no, no.
I'm beginning to wish that that scratch ticket had not been a winner.
-You see these? -Mm-hmm.
These are called icons.
This one is for the stock market.
I have a subscription to the Wall Street Journal.
Right, but the Wall Street Journal can't do this.
-Are those numbers in real time? -Yup.
Well, they might be a minute or two behind, I guess.
I'll be darned.
I mean, it's like having your own stock ticker,
like the magnates used to have in their mansions.
Yeah. And if you wanna read the Journal or Forbes
or… or anything like that, you can.
"Barton Instruments announces closings." [groans]
It's not in here.
'Cause that's yesterday's.
You get it a day late. Everyone does. But this, this is today's.
I've been arrogant, Craig.
I am going to keep this, after all.
For a while anyway.
I'm glad.
Could you bring me the phone from the desk?
[chuckles] Well, you can use this to call.
-Yes? -Yeah.
It's what it's mostly for.
You just dial the number that you want. Touch it with your fingers.
-And you have four bars. -"Bars"?
'Cause of the new cell tower. Never mind.
-Is that better? -[Craig] Yeah, that's good.
Chick.
It's John Harrigan.
I have a cell phone now.
I want to make an adjustment to my portfolio.
Yes.
[dad] Well? Did he like it?
No.
I warned you.
He loved it.
[John] And I can set an alarm…
[Craig] Each visit, before I read, I'd teach him new ways to use his phone.
I introduced him to the Internet,
to Yahoo!, and Google.
Taught him how to text, how to create a voice mail…
[John] I'm not answering my phone now.
I will call you back if it seems appropriate.
[Craig] All right?
[John] I'm not answering my phone now.
I will call you back if it seems appropriate.
-I'm not sure I'd want you to call back. -Perfect.
[Craig] …and even how to personalize his phone.
-Let's give you a handle. -Handle?
No. A handle's like a nickname.
So when you call me or text me, that's the name that pops up on my phone.
You want me to give me a nickname?
Maybe it could be something that other people call you. Here.
[John] Newspapers used to call me this.
It was not meant as a compliment.
Pirate King. Wicked. Has anyone called you yet?
No. Sales pitches and wrong numbers.
I could not abide the sound of that xylophone.
Let's give you another ringtone.
[Craig] Uh…
[harp playing]
-Better? -[John] Yeah, better.
-I still won't answer it. -Even if it's me?
How would I know?
-You like country and western, right? -[John] I do.
-[Craig] What's your favorite song? -There are so many.
Tammy Wynette. "Stand By Your Man."
[Craig] Ringtones.
-This one? -♪ Stand by your man… ♪
Yeah. That's lovely.
Listen to it.
I can do this.
There. "Stand By Your Man." Okay. Here you go.
Okay. Now call me. I'm in your favorites there.
[line ringing]
♪ Stand by your man… ♪
Yeah. Now we know when the other is calling.
Yes. Good.
-[ringtone stops] -[sighs]
All right. What should we read today?
You all right?
No.
No. There's something troubling me.
Maybe you can explain it.
I've been reading articles on this phone for a month now.
And they've all been free.
-Yeah? -No.
I'm reading something for free that people pay good money for.
It's great, right?
No, it's not!
Giving information away
runs counter to everything I understand about successful business practices.
The World Wide Web is like a broken water main,
but instead of water, it's spewing information every which way.
I don't understand. Is it a come-on or what?
I'm asking, Craig.
Kind of like the Fryeburg Fair,
where the first game is usually free.
[scoffs]
And we're still on the first game.
Fryeburg Fair.
And there are no advertisements on these sites.
Ads are the lifeblood of newspapers.
How will they survive?
I don't think this is a come-on.
I think it's a gateway drug.
I've already noticed
that my Google search responses are on the side of financial information.
It knows what I want.
What's gonna happen when they close the water main?
No more freebies.
Oh, and false information becomes common and accepted as true.
And what happens when they start using this
to spread more nonsense than is already out there?
Newspapers, journalists, politicians…
All of us need to be very frightened by this gizmo.
-Hmm. -[phone keyboard clacking]
I'll go help Pete.
[pensive music playing]
[Craig] He stared at his phone like it was a Magic 8 Ball.
And on that day, in a matter of seconds,
Mr. Harrigan predicted the future.
The future of the Internet, the future of news, of fake news,
social media, of paywalls and spam,
of Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, and the world.
Good morning, Craig.
Oh, good morning, Ms. Hart.
-[message whoosh] -[tender music playing]
[message whoosh]
-[tense music playing] -Is that a smartphone?
Yes, it's an iPhone.
Okay, I see you, rich kid.
-Do you wanna see mine? -Sure.
It's really cool. It's got this huge…
Oh…
Oh, that's right. I don't have one.
Um…
Can I see yours?
Um, okay.
Thank you.
Whoa.
Neat.
Heads up.
[Craig] "But that is the beginning of a new story."
"The story of the gradual renewal of a man."
"The story of his gradual regeneration,
of his passing from one world into another,
of his initiation into a new unknown life."
"That might be the subject of a new story, but our present story is ended."
[phone keyboard clacking]
[loud thud]
[John laughs] Apologies.
Get thee behind me, Satan.
Well done.
I do enjoy the occasional bleak Russian novel.
Would you go in the center drawer of my desk and retrieve my checkbook?
Thank you.
Find it?
Thank you.
[Craig] That's new. The tank. Is everything okay?
So I use it at night mostly.
There's something I always wanted to ask you.
[John] Mm.
Why did you move here?
To Harlow?
You could live anywhere.
As someone who's lived in the city his entire life,
I wanted to live in the country.
I looked at many places, and finally, I settled here.
There are views,
but none of them are spectacular.
Spectacular views attract people.
And I do not much like people.
[soft piano music playing]
No one asks things of me.
I wanted a place…
where no one asked things of me.
Because when they do,
I almost invariably answer.
And you, is there a place other than here where you would like to live?
[Craig] Um, maybe Los Angeles.
Maybe I could write for the movies.
Well, I suppose someone has to do it.
And would you long for home,
to see your father's face or put flowers on your mother's grave?
Yeah. I… I would come back every once in a while.
Well, if you do go to that godforsaken place
and enter that enterprise,
know that it is difficult and unfair,
and you will make enemies.
Lord knows I did.
Yeah, I know.
Craig, I need you to promise me something.
Okay.
When you cross their path,
you will dispatch them with haste.
These enemies.
[chuckles] Dispatch.
With haste.
And feel not one iota of guilt for having done so.
Promise me.
Promise me!
[piano music fades]
Okay.
I promise you.
All right.
Thank you, Mr. Harrigan.
My pleasure, Craig.
All of it.
[sentimental music playing]
[Craig] I found him both terrifying and exciting.
Even in his weakened state, he had power.
He may have even been dangerous.
But I was his friend.
He said it.
And judging from the untouched scratch-offs in his drawer,
I don't think he had too many.
[phone keyboard clacking]
[message whoosh]
[doorbell rings]
[humming]
[door hinge creaking]
[oxygen hissing]
Mr. Harrigan?
[oxygen continues hissing]
♪ Stand by your man ♪
♪ And show the world you love him ♪
[ringtone stops]
[oxygen continues hissing]
[ominous music playing]
Mr. Harrigan?
Sir?
[shuddered breathing]
-[phone ringing] -Will you excuse me? This is my son.
Craig?
[spluttering]
It's Mr. Harrigan. I think…
I think he's dead.
-He's not breathing. I think he's… -Where are the housekeepers?
It's Tuesday.
They're… they're not here.
Okay, listen to me.
Uh, you just wait there.
Go ahead and wait outside, and I'll call an ambulance, okay?
[somber music playing]
[Craig] "It was the best of times."
"It was the worst of times."
"It was the age of wisdom, and it was the age of foolishness."
[sobs] "It was the epoch of belief."
"It was the epoch of incredulity."
"It was the season of Light. It was the season of Darkness."
"It was the spring of hope, and it was the winter of despair."
"We had everything before us, and we had nothing before us."
"We were all going direct to heaven."
"We were all going direct the other way."
I'm gonna go to bed.
[somber music continues]
[tuts]
Shit.
[message whoosh]
"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking
be put away from you with all malice."
"And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you."
[organ playing]
Wanna take a last look?
I wanna wait. I wanna be last.
Take your time. I'll meet you outside.
[somber music playing]
[Craig] He was wearing a suit I'd never seen before,
and the funeral guy had rouged him up a bit so he'd look healthy,
except healthy people don't lie in coffins with their eyes shut.
[reverend] Many, who've come from far and wide,
respected John's…
[Craig] Mr. Harrigan was buried very near my mother.
I'd only been to her grave once.
Dad visited her weekly, but I stayed away.
I guess because if I did visit…
I'd know she was gone forever.
[reverend] John Harrigan was a tough shell to crack,
but I knew he was a fair man.
I wonder if he'd be surprised that people showed up today.
[somber music continues]
Excuse me. You're Craig, right?
Yes, sir.
I'm Chick Rafferty. I handle… handled John Harrigan's finances.
I was hoping to have a quick chat.
It concerns you having something of Mr. Harrigan's.
Uh, I… [chuckles nervously]
You should hear from his lawyers in a week or so.
-Am I in trouble? -Yeah. What is this about?
Don't worry. It's a good thing.
Well, this should explain it all.
I received it two months ago
and was instructed to hold it until such an occasion as this.
Well, have a good day.
What?
I think you might be in the will.
Should I open it now?
[pensive music playing]
[engine starts]
[Craig] "Craig, if you're reading this, I've died."
"I have left you $800,000 in trust."
"The trustees are your father and Charles Rafferty."
"My business manager will now serve as my executor."
"I calculate the sum should be sufficient to see you through four years of college…"
[Craig, John] …and any postgraduate work you may choose.
[John] Enough should remain to give you a start in your chosen career.
You spoke of screenwriting, and if it's what you want,
then, of course, you must pursue it but know that I do not approve.
There is a vulgar joke about screenwriters.
I will not repeat it here,
but by all means, find it on your phone.
Keywords "screenwriter" and "starlet."
Films are ephemeral, while books, good ones, are eternal or close to it.
"You have read me many good ones, but others are waiting to be written."
"This is all I will say."
"Even with school expenses, your 800,000 may grow to a million or more
by the time you reach the age of 26, when the trust will expire,
and you can spend or invest the rest as you choose."
"PS. I will miss our afternoons together too."
[intriguing music playing]
What is it?
You look like you've seen a ghost.
[rain pattering]
[pensive music playing]
[thunder rumbling]
[line ringing]
[John voice mail] I'm not answering my phone now.
I will call you back if it seems appropriate.
[beep]
[Craig] I miss you, Mr. Harrigan.
I appreciate all the money that you gave me,
but I'd give it back to have you still around.
I know that probably sounds like a lie, but it's not.
It really isn't.
[thunder rumbling]
[knocking at door]
You up?
-Yeah. -[dad] Making breakfast.
[sighs]
[intriguing music playing]
Dad!
He's not dead. Mr. Harrigan, not at 2:30 this morning.
-[dad] "C-C-C." -We gotta dig him up.
-We buried him alive. -What are you talking about?
We have to get somebody out there. We have to get bulldozers and…
Craig, stop. Stop. What… what is going on?
-I put his phone in his casket. -Why did you put his phone in the casket?
I know I shouldn't have done it. I know it's creepy, but I did. Now this.
Yeah, well, gotta be an explanation for this.
Somebody hacked his phone. They… they cloned it.
They're just playing a practical joke on you.
If it's a practical joke, why isn't it something funny like,
Uh, "Help, I'm trapped in a box"?
That actually is funny.
Why is it two A's and my initial three times? Doesn't make any sense.
We have to go. We have to check on him.
No, we don't, and I'm gonna tell you why.
-Sit down. -No.
Craig, sit down.
John Harrigan died unattended.
And because of this, there was an autopsy,
which is how they found out he died of heart disease.
They cut him open?
Yeah.
I don't like telling you that. I don't want that preying on your mind.
But it's better than having you think that he was buried alive?
He wasn't. He couldn't have been.
He's dead.
You understand?
Yes.
[bike clatters]
[tense music playing]
-♪ Stand by… ♪ -[gasps]
[panting]
[door hinge creaking]
What are you doing here, boy?
Thank you.
Are you all right, Craig?
Yes.
He said he was gonna leave you something.
-Did he? -He did.
He was very generous.
Took care of me and Pete too.
Yeah. He was a…
he was a good man, wasn't he?
He was square-dealing, but you didn't wanna be on his bad side.
What do you mean?
You remember Dusty Bilodeau?
Bilodeaus that lived over at Black Bear Trailer Park.
Oh, I've seen it. What about him?
He was the gardener afore Pete but wasn't eight months on the job
when Mr. Harrigan caught him stealing and fired his butt.
Dusty didn't apologize. Just left. Thought that was the end of it.
It wasn't. [exhales]
What happened to him? What happened to Dusty?
I've said enough.
Is there anything you want from the house? Something to remember him by?
[sentimental music playing]
Um…
I don't know. An orchid, maybe?
Yes, dear.
Take an orchid.
[sentimental music continues]
[Craig] Chick Rafferty kept Edna and Pete on to keep up the place.
A "for sale" sign from a Portland realty company went up,
and a few people came to look.
After all the turmoil with the hacked phone,
the world slowed down a bit for me.
School was fine, and I even enjoyed my classes.
["Sailing To Byzantium" by Liars playing]
[indistinct chattering]
[Craig] Ms. Hart taught the sciences,
and she was the best teacher at the school.
Can anyone tell me where the majority of our…
Craig.
Marine life contributes 70% of our oxygen.
That's right.
You're 100% right.
♪ And don't come back ♪
♪ Till you've been heard ♪
♪ By those who know… ♪
[Craig] Kenny Yankovich got expelled the final time for selling pot on campus.
He thought I ratted on him, but I didn't.
Though I can't say I wasn't happy not to see him every day.
Like most places, Gates Falls High had school functions.
And the one at the end of the first semester was the winter dance.
One of those Sadie Hawkins kind of deals where the girls ask the boys.
I had a gut feeling Margie was gonna ask me,
but I didn't like her, you know, like that.
So I was hoping to get another invite.
["Bubbly" playing]
♪ 'Cause every time You hold me in your arms ♪
♪ I'm comfortable enough To feel your warmth ♪
♪ It starts in my soul And I lose all control ♪
♪ When you kiss my nose The feeling shows ♪
♪ 'Cause you make me smile, baby Just take your time now ♪
♪ Holding me tight wherever you go ♪
♪ Forever, forever… ♪
-I have to use the ladies' room. -I'll walk with you.
[male singer] We have two more songs for you tonight.
I'll wait for you.
You're a dead man.
[Craig] What are you doing?
-Get off of me. -[Kenny] I'm gonna kill you.
-I know it was you who narced on me! -Wasn't me--
Why? Why? Why did you have to do that, man? Why?
Now I have to kick your ass. [grunts]
[grunting]
I didn't wanna hurt you.
-[groans] -But…
-[thud] -[whimpers]
[car engine starts]
If you tell anyone about this, you're dead.
Craig!
[tense music playing]
[Ms. Hart] Okay, there we go.
Regina, go to the gym and tell Mr. Taylor I'll be back in ten minutes.
Have him call Craig's father.
You know I gotta report this, right? Was it Yankovich?
It wasn't Kenny,
which is good.
See, if it was him, I bet he'd get arrested
'cause he's already expelled.
Then there'd be a trial, and then I'd have to go into court,
and everyone would know.
[Ms. Hart] And what happens when he beats the next person up?
Hold it.
[Craig breathes deeply]
I just wanna get by.
You know what, Craig? I think you will.
[wrapper tearing]
Okay. Let me get this lip.
Come here.
You're not… Ouch.
Sorry.
You're not from here, are you?
I'm from Boston.
Well, Lowell, but I went to college in Boston.
[Craig] Where?
Emerson.
[Ms. Hart] What's up?
No, nothing. Just… you smell good.
-It's just soap. -Okay.
Yeah, it's Booth Bay soap. You can find it in Gates Falls.
It's really nice. You should grab some for your…
I mean, you can get it for anyone, so…
Thank you.
For cleaning me up and talking to me and…
[clears throat]
…making high school almost tolerable.
I owe you.
No, you don't owe me anything.
[Craig] I do.
I really do.
[pensive music playing]
[dad] Who did it, Craig?
Can we not do this, Dad?
I'm fine.
[dad] Yeah, well…
You gotta talk to someone about this, Craig.
[pensive music continues]
[Craig] Mr. Harrigan, it's me, Craig.
And I know you won't hear this, but something happened tonight,
and I just wanted to…
I just needed to talk to somebody.
I got beat up pretty bad
by this big, stupid, dumb idiot named Kenny Yankovich.
But I did what I promised you.
I…
I dispatched him.
[laughs]
You know? I tried to, at least.
Um…
But it was a good punch.
Good enough that I'm afraid he'll come at me again.
I'm honestly pretty afraid that this won't end,
and I wish that you were here to just give me some advice.
[pensive music continues]
[phone vibrates]
[pensive music playing]
[indistinct police radio chatter]
[Craig] I know it seems pretty obvious,
but that was the first time it struck me that everybody,
even assholes, have parents, families who miss them,
cry for them.
I stupidly thought that grief was somehow special to me.
The obituary for Kenneth James Yankovich
wasn't in the Gates Falls Tribune until Tuesday.
And all it said was,
"Passed away suddenly as a result of a tragic accident."
[girl] Bye, Ms. Hart.
-Craig. -Hmm?
-Oh. -No, wait a minute.
No, I got class.
I'll write you a note.
Where are you today?
Here.
Not really.
Is this about Kenny?
Craig,
if you're thinking you had something to do with his death,
I've seen his records.
Kenny was sadly a kid with serious problems.
Home problems, school problems.
He had psychological problems.
I don't know what happened,
but it had nothing to do with you.
Okay, go ahead. You'll make your class.
Craig.
I can never be glad when a child dies.
But I can be glad it wasn't you.
Ms. Hart, do you… do you believe in ghosts?
Um…
Well, I suppose you wouldn't, being a scientist.
I'm a teacher, not a scientist.
I know, but you know what I mean.
I don't like to think about that kind of stuff.
You know, I would never attend a séance or mess around with a Ouija board,
trying to summon the dead.
How come?
My grandma always used to say,
"A person shouldn't call out unless they want an answer…
because not all ghosts are holy."
Craig, you gotta go. You got a class.
[intriguing music playing]
[woman] They ain't home.
[Craig] Is this the Bilodeaus'?
[woman] I suppose it is.
Um, well, do you know when they'll be back?
[woman] Not likely soon.
I was looking for Dusty Bilodeau.
Here were where they found him.
"Where they found him"?
[woman] Lost his job working for some rich asshole.
Fired. Had to go on the dole.
Spent a year looking for work,
then drove his truck into that thresher garage,
lowered the door, and cranked her up.
[suspenseful music playing]
He painted that before he went inside.
Nobody could figure what it meant.
Phones that haven't been charged can't ring, and they can't play messages.
And they can't text back.
But it did.
You did.
I need to know something, Mr. Harrigan.
I need to know if you had anything to do with Kenny Yankovich dying.
I know I told you that I was afraid, but I didn't want him to die.
This is crazy.
If you did have anything to do with him dying, then…
knock on my wall.
Knock on my wall three times.
[music fades]
[sighs]
-♪ Stand by your man ♪ -[gasps]
♪ And show the world you love him ♪
♪ Keep giving all the love you can ♪
[ringtone stops]
[suspenseful music playing]
-[phone vibrates] -[gasps]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music fades]
Craig.
If I tell you something, can you keep it between us?
I mean, you have to, right? It's, like, a rule of some kind.
[reverend] Your father's right, of course.
Your phone was hacked. Somebody's messing with you.
Your teacher is right too.
I'm good friends with Father Ingersoll.
St. Anne's over in Gates Falls.
That's the church where Kenny was baptized.
He told me about the accident. The details of the accident.
Kenny tried to sneak out late at night from his second-story bedroom.
He'd been drinking heavily.
They think he slipped on the roof and fell.
It was a tragic accident. That's all.
Snapped his neck on impact.
You know, I think it's time
that you examine your relationship to your phone.
You remember reading Matthew 5:30?
"And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee
for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish…
and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."
-[clerk] Hi, how can I help you? -I need to get rid of my phone.
Okay.
[clerk] You're gonna love this baby.
I'm actually only upgrading 'cause I got some strange texts.
Did you know the sender?
Yeah, I did, but, um, he's not around.
The first iPhones had some weird glitches. Rushed production.
My guess is that the messages somehow got stuck in the software
and would occasionally pop up.
Call it a ghost in the machine.
But not a holy one.
Huh?
Nothing.
All right. Your number's the same.
I've transferred your contacts and info from your old phone to your new one.
-All of them? -Yeah.
-You can delete the ones you don't need. -Okay.
As for your old phone, we do have a charitable program here.
We completely erase it, scrub it, and donate it
to people who need new cell phones but can't afford them.
Okay. Um…
No, actually, um,
I'll… I'll donate it myself.
-My little sister needs one. -Okay.
[pensive music playing]
[exhales]
[busy signal beeps]
[sighs]
Thank you, God.
[music fades]
[phone chimes]
[intriguing music playing]
[water running, stops]
[exhales]
["Sigur 4" by Sigur Rós playing]
[Craig] You can hide things, but
they're not gone, not really.
They follow you, whisper in your ear, making sure that you don't forget,
that you continue to question.
I wondered where the Yankovich family moved to
and if they still grieved.
["Sigur 4" continues]
I wondered if the old house made noises with no one there to hear.
Calling out, echoes.
I wondered if Mr. Harrigan missed me.
I wondered who I would become
and whether what I'd done would leave a mark on me, defining me.
["Sigur 4" continues]
I got in.
I wondered if anyone would ever know.
I hope not.
["Sigur 4" continues]
[music fades]
-Got your AAA card? -Yup.
And, uh, new mailing address is on the kitchen table?
Yeah.
Make sure you set up an account at the bookstore.
And do it soon in case they run low on supplies.
Okay, I will.
Winter coats.
[chuckles] No, I'll be back, Dad, before winter.
Gonna be okay?
Yeah.
[sentimental music playing]
I'm just so happy for you, buddy.
Thanks, Dad.
I love you.
[dad] I love you too, buddy.
Okay.
-Call me if you need anything. -I will. I will.
[engine starts]
["Apocalypse Dreams" by Tame Impala playing]
[Craig] Someone once said that you never really leave home
but that you take it with you wherever you go.
Personally, I hope that wasn't completely true
as there were some things I really wish would stay at home
and not follow me to Boston,
which was two hours and a million miles from Harlow.
♪ It could be the day That all our dreams come true… ♪
[Craig] I got a writing scholarship to Emerson,
which had a great journalism program.
♪ Till were at the end Of just another day… ♪
-Yeah. -[Craig] Hey.
Are you Craig?
[Craig] My freshman roommate was Julian Summers, from LA.
Studying drama. Wanted to be a movie star.
["Apocalypse Dreams" continues]
…is the most important thing that you can do.
[Craig] I dug right in and studied hard.
I felt like I owed that to my dad.
And, of course, to Mr. Harrigan.
Hey, Craig, take a quick look at this for me.
Should the photo be below the byline?
Near the top is more journalistic, don't you think?
-Yeah, probably. Thank you. -Yeah.
[country music playing]
-How do you listen to this shit? -A friend turned me on to it.
[Julian] Some friend. Spin the dial, dude. Seriously.
[music stops]
♪ And something warm to come to ♪
♪ When nights are cold and lonely ♪
-[phone vibrating] -♪ Stand by your man ♪
♪ And show… ♪
-Hey, Dad. -Hey, buddy.
-What's going on? -I've got some really bad news.
♪ All the love you can ♪
[music fades]
[ominous music playing]
[Craig] The headline read, "Beloved teacher killed in Vermont."
And the opening line said, "Victoria Corrales Hart,
a biology teacher at Gates Falls High School,
was killed Sunday in a head-on collision."
Since I left, Ms. Hart had gotten engaged.
And that's who was with her that day, her fiancé.
They had taken a long weekend to visit the town of Chester,
stay in a cabin retreat, and soak up some autumn.
[ominous music continues]
They were on their way back and almost to the New Hampshire border
when they approached Deane Whitmore of Waltham, Massachusetts.
♪ Turn my swag on ♪
♪ Took a look in the mirror Said, "Wassup…" ♪
[tires screeching]
[ominous music playing]
♪ Took a look in the mirror Said, "Wassup…" ♪
[ominous music continues]
-Oh! -[tires screeching]
[silence]
-[glass shattering] -[metal clattering]
[silence]
[somber music playing]
[organ playing]
Where's her fiancé?
He's still in the hospital. Gonna be there a while.
I heard the asshole that did this was so drunk
that he walked away without a scrape.
Guy had four drunk driving arrests and no current license.
He better not get away with this.
He won't.
The four-year prison sentence will be suspended
if the defendant agrees to rehab for six months.
[Craig] But he did.
He did get away with it.
Deane Whitmore was sent to a rehab center
that was more like a country club than a prison.
[pensive music playing]
[wind gusting]
[sentimental music playing]
[music fades]
[somber music playing]
[door lock clicks]
Mr. Harrigan.
There's a man named Deane Whitmore
who killed a teacher of mine from high school.
He was drunk
and crashed into Ms. Hart and her fiancé.
She was a good person.
She helped me when I needed help,
and he didn't get what he deserved.
I want him dead.
[tense music playing]
As soon as I hung up the phone, I regretted making the call.
I felt guilty.
I was guilty.
I told myself it was crazy to even think about.
That it was impossible.
That nothing would happen to Deane Whitmore.
That I should let it go.
[tense music continues]
[tense music subsides]
[door opens]
[door closes]
[Craig] Hi.
What do you want?
I work for a newspaper in Boston.
I was hoping to get some information on someone who's being treated here.
Go to the front. Ask in there.
Deane Whitmore.
Yeah.
I wanna know how he died.
I'd be willing to pay $100 for some information.
♪ I'm your boogie man, that's what I am ♪
♪ I'm here to do whatever I can ♪
♪ Be it early morning, late afternoon ♪
♪ Or at midnight, it's never too soon ♪
♪ To want to please you To want to please you ♪
♪ To want to do it all, all for you ♪
♪ I want to be your, be your rubber ball ♪
♪ I want to be the one You love most of all ♪
[music stops]
200.
He killed himself.
-How? -In the shower.
How?
You sure you wanna hear this?
Yes.
Each guest has their own room, their own shower.
It's nice. Real lux.
-Way better than where I live, for sure. -How?
Choked himself to death.
Before breakfast,
he chugged down some shampoo to grease the runway.
Then he took a fancy bar of soap and broke it in two.
Dropped half on the floor
and crammed the other half down his throat.
You said fancy soap.
Starts with a B.
Booth Bay?
Yeah, that's it. That's it. How'd you know?
Did he write a suicide note?
Sort of. Piece of paper. One line.
What'd it say?
It was kind of sweet, actually. A bit of a prayer.
It was, um, "keep giving all the love…"
"…love you can." It's not a prayer.
[man] It's not?
It's lyrics to a song.
[pensive music playing]
When you fall, even if you see it coming,
even if you willed it to happen,
it still shocks you.
-There's no bottom. -[water running]
No end.
You just fall.
[inaudible scream]
[somber music playing]
[somber music continues]
[John] "The horror."
"The horror."
[somber music continues]
[music fades]
[Craig] After you died, I went into your closet.
The secret closet.
It's not terrible at all. Just memories.
Your secrets are my secrets.
[somber music playing]
That's why you chose me to read.
Your mother died when you were a boy.
Just like me.
You knew what loneliness felt like.
What it feels like.
Just like me.
I think that's why you tried to stay in touch.
It took a while, but I figured it out, Mr. Harrigan,
what you were trying to tell me in your texts.
Um…
C-C-C
S-T…
means, "Craig, stop,"
doesn't it?
Are you telling me to stop
because I'm hurting you?
If that is the case, that it's hurting you, then I'm sorry.
I'm really sorry.
Or are you saying stop because I'm hurting myself?
Is it just you looking out because you care?
If that's it, then…
thank you.
Thank you.
You can rest now, Mr. Harrigan.
[music fades]
[sobs] I'm sorry, Mom.
I'm so sorry.
[shuddered breathing]
[mournful music playing]
[sobs]
[panting]
[music fades]
[wind gusting]
[grunts]
[intriguing music playing]
[Craig] In the 21st century,
I think our phones are how we are wedded to the world.
If so, it's probably a bad marriage.
There are a great many things I'm not sure of anymore.
Reality itself, for a start.
I do know one thing, however, and it's as solid as New England rock.
When I die,
when it's my time to go…
I wanna be buried with empty pockets.
[pensive music playing]
[rhythmic piano music playing]
[intriguing music playing]
[somber music playing]
[tense music playing]
[music fades]